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Rieka POV   The words ‘Don’t think’, were always on my mind, after meeting that big, grey wolf. His fur was surreal, ah, it was a mixture of black, white, dark grey and light grey...It was sexy... I didn’t want to think…I don’t want to think! His golden eyes looked so charming, they said, 'Come here! Come!' I would make a joke about ‘Don’t think’, I’d make a song about it and when I came up to making a dance about it… Bang! If I could have heard my wolf, she had said watch out! But, those damned feelings and emotions, wants and desires, were so strong, that I was so distracted about not thinking about them and didn’t know anything! Yeah…A cage. I didn’t even know hey, hadn’t a clue! When I realized I was in a cage, I became utterly depressed. My wolf shook her head at me and I just wanted to cry. The big, grey, handsome, golden eyed wolf ruined everything! A full day after meeting him and I was already going crazy, and now, on the second day, I was trapped. The people who trapped me, took me away and I resented myself more for it. If I was only paying attention…   ***   After a day in this cage, I found two other people come to look at me…And one of them was the dog fighter man, who had taken me once before. I felt even more the idiot and depressed when I realized I had been close to here before…I had left, only to travel back, how the hell did that happen? Having the time to think about my travels, being locked in a cage and all, I did exactly that! I had literally left this town Vanin and gone south, only to come north, to be so close to it once again… The amount of times I shook my head… Oh, just to see the ecstatic look on the dog owner’s face when he saw me, disgusted me to the depths of my core. With nothing else to do, but watch these damned Humans be the ones to think they could decide my fate, I couldn’t believe what was going on. Thousands of dollars? Really? You think I’m worth that much? Not knowing that practically every other untamed beast would be snarling, barking or clawing to get out of the cage, I just sat there, looking incredulously at these stupid humans wanting to buy me. Should I shift and tell them that it’s not worth it? I sorta felt bad for these idiots… Then I remembered my predicament, my wolf telling me that I was becoming stupider. Again, I wanted to cry. I wasn’t like this for no reason! I yelled back at her, who else was going to be my friend except me! I wanted to have fun and be free and I was the only one that wanted the same! I had troubles overcoming every obstacle, and I needed one person…And I found it in myself! If I was serious, I know she liked me more, but I couldn’t be serious all the time! I had to make my life worth living, dam it! And this was a big reason why our links were not strong…My wolf and I seemed to disagree too much, and I held a grudge against her. She didn’t hate me, I know that…But…   After I was taken by the dog owner, I couldn’t do anything when I entered the same old place that I had been once before. Except… Before the cage was even away from me, as I was getting ready to run, a silver, neck collar went over me. Stinging overcame me, and my hairs and neck felt like it was burning! I had to endure this only once before… The neck collar was specifically made for Shifters, as it might be able to go of the human head, if one shifts, but…There are silver spokes that protrude out and go against the neck, so if one shifts from wolf to human, the spokes just protrude out more. With this silver, neck collar, it would leave damaging effects if one dares to take it off over the head. There would no doubt be scars that would be left on one’s face, probably for the rest of their lives…Who knows… Luckily, the first time I had encountered one of these, I had run away while it had been off me. But, could I do it again? My wolf shook her head at me and turned away. Yeah…I’m a failure… My eyes started to water but like hell I’d let a tear get away. Ha! I really had no words…My life was just one big letdown after another…   ***   Several times, I had wanted to give up! Trying to figure out what was the point! I was mad with the whole world and wondered why was I brought into it!? But I can’t do it, I couldn’t end my live. So, I had to live it! Me going to the northern, snowy mountains, was me living my life! The big, grey, handsome, golden eyed wolf, and now this cage and future, as I’m already aware of what the dog owner will probably want to do with me… I let out a laugh, knowing that me as a wolf laughing would probably sound funny, but I couldn’t help it… After I finished laughing, I took a deep breath and then I felt better. I’ll get out of this, I just have to be patient.   Just like losing faith in the humans, I lost faith of becoming a part of a pack. I got over that! I accepted it! After I left running from the dog owner last time, I had run for days and found myself down the southern end of the continent… Haha, I had run my feet to the core hey! Seriously, I was so hungry and thirsty, and I had wondered why! Thinking back though, I had been really scared… Once there, I had felt reassured, and strangely, a wolf had invited me willingly into their pack. Having not much idea about packs and other Shifters, I joined. For the first time I could remember, I had found myself excited…Really excited! I scoffed again at my young, naïve self. As the reason of being so easily accepted into a pack became clear to me after only one week, that the Shifter who invited me in, used me as a scape goat and even used my unknown background against me. He really was nasty! Till this day, I don’t know what happened to have them want to rip my head right off of my shoulders, but they had chased me for a good day, before I lost them. I had traveled inland then, now knowing that I had traveled back towards the north, to try another pack and had been hoping for better results…   Only being fifteen, I was still three years away from being able to find my destined mate, but this second pack wanted me to mate with one of the elders. The elder had lost his mate and hadn’t any pups. He didn’t seem to be nasty or anything, just older, probably, I don’t know fourty? Maybe? I wasn’t very good with age, so I could be right off the mark! Anyway, he honestly did seem to like me and would smile a really happy smile… The rest of the pack felt that it was a perfect idea. They were willing to wait for a time before the bond to happen…But I wasn’t… I really felt like I had been absolutely wronged. How could Humans and Shifters want to act the same way!? They just want to do whatever they wanted with me! My life, I noticed then, hadn’t been set free since I was born! Only having spent two weeks in that pack, I had been off again… I was already having trouble with my human form, as I didn’t want to see myself in the mirror, and now they gave me more worries!   After traveling most of the way up the continent, traveling to the west, I had found another pack. I was really thinking against it though, pacing before the borders. Will they except me? Do I even want to stay? Yeah, I took too long to come to a decision and they found me, taking me in some isolation area. This pack was more advanced than the others I had seen. They were not far away from Vanin, along the sea edge and on top of a cliff, and the entire pack seemed a lot different. When I had been brought out before the Alpha in the last pack, I had been scared out of my wits! Apparently, this was the real way to be initiated, but I hadn’t known! So, this time, I wasn’t as scared, but…The Shifters around me all looked at me and my hair. I really felt quite small, seeing all their gazes at me. They asked me who I was and where I came from but what could I say? I was just a nobody and couldn’t even remember my first pack! All I said, was that I have been a lone wolf most of my life, having roamed most of the continent… They seemed genuinely nice…But one stare freaked me right out! Some old timer had a long white beard and looked at me full of contemplation. I had only continued to bow my head after that, not liking that stare whatsoever.   After a short talk and most of them coming to a decision, I was not able to be initiated and had to leave and never return. The only one who had expressed a strong desire to keep me there…Was that man with the beard… A strange sensation overthrew me when I had looked at him and I didn’t like it! Not at all! I felt like he was looking at what he owned, that I was his prize! Leaving as soon as they let me, I ran off to the north, yet… After I had left, the old man told them that they should look up the white hair and even try and get her to return. He had only heard once, that someone with white hair, as a Shifter, could represent...Something... I had been up to the most northern parts of the continent, yet, not even knowing in the slightest, that for some time they had searched for this white-haired Shifter. Having found that one with white hair could be a curse or a blessing, they decided against letting me go…But hadn’t found me till this day. Yet, the old one with a white beard, did not let go after all these years…After all, he was partially responsible of bringing her into this world…What a surprise that she could come of use now... Sadly, I had no idea about these affairs at all…But luckily it hadn’t mattered, because obviously staying in the north, I hadn’t been found!   ***   A day later, still inside my cage, I was still relatively calm and collected. I had done a few jokes in my head, to help me overcome the situation, so I was fine. A joke about a caged beast thinking that the beast was instead not caged, but free, because she was inside the cage…Yeah, sad joke. I pretended then that my tail had a mind of its own and started talking to it… Anyway… They took the cage from around me, taking the chain that connected to my silver, neck collar and they made me walk with them outside. This was it! Taking the chance of them not even thinking of me running, while having silver around me, I pulled as hard as I could, by grabbing the chain in my mouth, and ran off. The silver hurt me, but I just had no time to care about it while I raced out of the compound. My wolf even helped me jump over the high fence, that even hurt me. The chain connected to my neck had gotten caught and if Asuna hadn’t of helped me, I would have been hanging there… But it didn’t matter, I continued to urge myself on! Just another thing I’ve had to overcome uh! I started to feel myself once again, as I went towards the bushland, about two hundred metres away from the fence line. Walk in the park! Run you idiot! Dammit, I was running! Bang! I whimpered, as my body hurt. Not thinking of the pain or what happened, I pushed myself to the limit and continued into the bush, through the bushland.   I ran and ran, knowing my limitation was reaching its maximum. I was running out of energy… My wolf begged me to worry and stop, but I ran so fast that I reached my humble den in three hours. It’s like I knew it was probably going to be my end. There was a silver bullet, in my body…And a silver neck collar…Was there any hope? I wasn’t sure how crucial it was but…When I made it to my den, I passed out straight away. Feeling myself wander off into complete blackness, I still felt glad that I had made it back. If I was going to die, then here was a good place. My den…My cold, cold den...   ***   I have no idea how long I slept for…To be honest, I was surprised I was able to wake up, to a small regard. I couldn’t even open my eyes, and the energy I had left wasn’t very large at all. I felt hungry, cold and tired. I was having trouble breathing and knew that I couldn’t do anything to help myself. If the bullet had gotten me elsewhere, I might be ok, but I couldn’t reach it before, so I wasn’t even going to attempt it a second time. Of course, if I had shifted to human it might have been a lot easier, but after being so exhausted and still hurting a tremendous amount, this idea had never come to me...I won't say anything about how smart I am, though... Yeah…Guess I’m done for uh!? My wolf whined, licking the invisible barrier. I knew she cared, she was just so… Even though my eyes were closed, a tear escaped, and I told her that it was ok. Honestly, she probably won’t feel any kind of pain…I’ll take it all… I ignored her after that and fell back into slumber, the cold and blackness taking over me and feeling like this was the end.   ***   A strange feeling woke me up. I felt like I was dreaming. I was nice and warm, I was loved, and I wasn’t even as painful… Knowing that my energy still lacked considerably, I still wanted to open my eyes to heaven! Maybe I was still in line…Or… I wanted to smile, I wanted to laugh and jump up and down. Right now, I felt great! I let out a grunt in my strange, sleepy state and suddenly felt someone pat me. Grunting again, I heard a sigh. Uh? Who the hell is sighing? Desperately, I wanted to open my eyes but instead found myself succumbing to darkness once again.   ***   “Wake up!” I shot up my head and frowned, I was in pain again. Uh? Suddenly, a whole heap of things hit me at once! The fragrance, the bond, my wolf, the pain, the warmth, the feeling of his hand… I…Didn’t die? I'm still dreaming? Laying back down, I look towards the pain and saw some blood gushing out of a small area. “Ah…You moved too quickly.” Widening my big, blue eyes, I turn to see a man turn into a wolf and start to lick my wound. I had absolutely no idea on what to do…My stomach in full view…Not only that, someone was licking me! I had put my paw up instinctively and it was just there, like the rest of my wolf body… The big grey wolf was so big in my den that he hardly had an extra room to manoeuvre…Looking down at him lightly licking my wound, I suddenly felt warmth once again. So…I really didn’t die…The grey wolf… I watched him, as he continued to lick, until the wound had healed even more then what it was before it opened up. My god…What the hell do I do?   When the big, grey wolf stopped licking, he looked at me. We stared at each other for quite some time and those same things I felt that I wanted to get rid of, all became fresh within my mind. My big, blue eyes watched him as he suddenly moved closer and put his head near mine. I was so still, that I was uncomfortable. This was bursting my bubble, he was way too close! I let out a growl and saw the big, grey wolf move back away from me. I noticed that he had licked my neck and I forgot I still had on the silver, neck collar. He shifted, and I blanked out… What the hell! I put my head down to the ground, looking away from his naked human body and covered my eyes with my paws. “…Does…Does this bother you?” I heard him ask me. Yeah, I’m covering my eyes and looking away for no reason! What a douchebag! “I’ll finish getting something that you can eat, I’ll be back in a bit.” When I opened my eyes to see him shift and run off, I sighed heavily.   My wolf tried to explain to me how he came to be here. Something to do with sending a message over the link, while I was as weak as I was…She seemed to have some explanation of making the link bond stronger for a time, and I could only breath in and nod… Ok…Whatever… She only sighed at me, but this time she didn’t turn away. She sat their and I felt that she was pretty happy. I wanted to ask about that happiness, but the man came back, carrying something…Still naked. Covering my eyes again, I heard him put something down and then chuckle. I frowned, wanting to bite him! “Eat.” He said. I opened blue eyes, seeing him sit there like it was no problem…Was there a problem? Could I seriously look at him like this? Oh, and what a man he was uh! He looked strong and handsome, with a slight show of his abs and muscles...They weren’t as large as I’d seen it on another man or two…But hey, actually, I liked him like this, he was more handsome, like he didn't live to be strong. He was obviously more tanned in some areas then others, but it seemed like he didn't wear a shirt often. It was his higher legs that were slightly a different colour then the rest of him. I liked his nipples...I probably looked at them the longest, as for some reason, they intrigued me...Why? His hair wasn't just one colour, it seemed...To be four colours, most of the top layer, showed black, then under that a dark grey, towards the back of his head, it was a light grey and white...Actually, he didn't look old because of his hair, he looked...Scary handsome...I found myself really strange that I seemed to like everything about his looks...Why?   When I was in packs, it wasn’t hard to sometimes come across someone naked, yet, people still mostly wore something…But all the years with the humans, they were always covered...Was I not to care? Or... I was…Not used to this at all! “Eat!” Ahh! I looked at the strange substance in front of me and blinked a few times… “It will be easier to digest…Ah, are you going to shift?” What!? No way! To the best of my ability I tried to take in what was in front of me while still in wolf form. “Why don’t you shift?” I heard him ask. I huffed out a snort and then tried to eat whatever was left. …I didn’t know how famished I was! This guy is a life saver! Maybe he's that angel that helps people...   “Will you be strong enough to travel?” He asked. I looked up at him… Why? Wasn’t it fine here? Where would I go? “I’ll take you to get that silver, neck collar off and make sure that you get better.” He said, after clearing his throat. Yes! Go with him! …I hadn’t seen Asuna so excited…Ever! I felt too strange to give too much of a reaction, to indicate any kind of answer. The man stood then and just started to pick me up. I tried to move my feet, finding myself quite unwell, but honestly…What the hell! When he started to leave the den, I saw that I was in a predicament. I became stiff, as his heat flowed into me and his hands gave me electric little tingles… After I heard him chuckle, I found that he was watching me. I couldn’t look at him, when he had such an amazing smile! I put my head down, attempting to hide myself. But I was just so big! How can this man carry me!? I felt him hold me tighter and put my head near his neck. Then he sighed and started to run… I wasn’t scared, and…It wasn’t really uncomfortable either. He seemed to take particular care of where I was hurting. But what gave me the biggest shock, was being near his neck. A strange sense of security and warmth overwhelmed me, and I barely knew how to deal with it. I wanted to growl and jump away…But found my eyes closing instead. Ah…Whatever…I’ll wait until I’m stronger…Or...Maybe...This is all...A dream...

After a day of being acquainted with one another, having another drink and coming more relaxed in each other’s presence, an idea had spawned in Elementress… “Why don’t we split up and go to war? Anonym and I will be on the Shifter’s side…” “Love…” Xavior tried to speak but was interrupted by Anonym. “I’m interested! Let’s do that!” “Anonym…” Switch hesitated, but it was of no use, Anonym already looked excited and ready to go… “Then it’s settled! We’ll go our own ways from now.” Anonym looked at her drink and realized that if she wasn’t teamed up with Switch, she wouldn’t be able to get Freedom Elixir whenever she wanted to…Was this really going to be worth it? It would be a hell of a lot better if Switch was teamed up with her… Letting out a laugh a moment later, Anonym realized that it wouldn’t matter, she’ll just rock up in front of him and demand it, even if they were on opposing sides of each other! Both of the females got up and smirked at each other, Anonym had already asked many questions about these ‘Shifters’ and couldn’t wait to see one of them, momentarily forgetting about the implication of not being able to drink her Freedom Elixir.   “Anonym…” Switch got up and took her into his arms. He already knew that there was absolutely no chance of talking her out of it but that didn’t mean he didn’t have to like this idea! He hadn’t even stated how much he’d prefer not to be on opposing sides and that he couldn’t bare not just himself but someone else hurting her! He knew of her strength it was just…He still didn’t want to take the chance that he could lose her… Already feeling like he should keep an eye on Xavior, now there was a reason that even humans could hurt her, just because she decided to be on the opposing side! This wasn’t their war! Why is she always so keen to fight!? Switch sighed and held her tighter, thinking of why he had to fall for such a warmonger! Grabbing onto Switch and giving him a big kiss, Anonym then let go and turned into a bird, leaving without even looking back. Without saying a word, the black dragon’s of Enoor followed their leader, coming out of their cave full of treasures, and flew after Anonym, to which makes Alex extremely upset as soon as he finds out!   Upon finding out that they had to travel back to the other continent, both Anonym and Switch could easily travel there and to Elementress and Xavior’s frustration, they would be beaten back if they traveled on their own… Elementress went into the ground and left the two man and sleeping child behind, making both of them sigh. “Sometimes, Anonym acts more like a General.” Xavior stated. It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen such a person, he’d been here for a long time and saw the human’s past of them having Generals… Liquor and fighting…Was there something else that Anonym thought about? “Agreed.” Picking up the sleeping Alex, Switch clicked his fingers and his staff appeared. Making the treasure in the cave disappear, to which Presley scooted out, wondering what was going on. “Switch, are we leaving?” Switch sighed at Presley and Timothy, two beings that are now caught in a war, even though they had nothing to do with this world! “We are going to the other continent.” With that, Switch tapped his staff on the ground and then they too disappeared, leaving the place very desolate once again.   Elementress had buried the Shifters, but there were some humans that were left laying around lifeless, as only some of them had been burnt…For them, who had either immortal lives or ones that had been reincarnated for thousands of years, all they had to make sure of was that they wouldn’t get sick, otherwise…The bodies weren’t really cared for… That continent only had very few surviving humans and Shifters that had survived the war. After grouping up with their women and children, there still was less than half of what they had when they had first gone to war. The humans and Shifters went in separate directions, in one group, and realized that it will be a very long time before something like this would ever happen again…But, a life experience turns into a memory, a story to tell others and then slowly, after a few centuries, turns into something that doesn’t seem real...     Upon Anonym arriving on the other continent, she wondered where these ‘Shifters’ where. She had come across a town with people but wasn’t sure if they were Shifters or not. Hovering in the air, the dragons staying close to her, screaming started to be heard as the people ran amok down below. People tripped over, they ran for cover and some of them just feel to their knees thinking that it was their end… Figuring that the people below were actually now her enemies, Anonym did not want to waste time and shapeshifted to be the big dragon, making the other dragons roar to her, to their leader! Just before she was to let lose upon breathing out fire, she noticed that many of them, if not all, were women or children and felt like this attack might not be such a good idea. She was all for war and fighting but doing something like this held no honor in her eyes! Attacking this town would be beneath her and she could not proceed, thinking that she might as well continue her journey to find the Shifters. Flying away from there, with her dragons in tow, the women and children did not stop trembling for half a day after their departure… Again, a legend is born about dragons being seen, a huge one with several little ones that had been in the sky above the town…A life experience turns into a story and then that became something like a myth and seemed unreal!   Anonym had gone west, then south, to finally see a long trail of wolves and celebrated on finally finding what seemed to be the Shifters. Landing upon the ground in front of them, and shifting to human, she laughed at the wolves in front of her. They were no longer in a line, instead a few of them stood out from the rest but…They all looked completely scared, putting their heads down in fear, some even on the ground in a submissive gesture. Seeing that her pet dragons had also landed and stood guard on either side of her, Anonym let out another short chuckle, how great would it be if the dragons could ‘shift’ to human!? With this idea, Anonym was really quite tempted to see if it could happen! They were already loyal and having them smaller might be a benefit…It could also work as a surprise to her so-called father! I must see what this Shifter is like!   Walking up to them, there were only a few that lightly growled, but that didn’t stop Anonym, “I’m with Elementress, my dragons and I will help you win the war!” There was no ‘lose’, it was ‘win’! How could the Legendary Great Master Belwin accept defeat!? No, this was going to be training, as she knew she needed a lot more strength to beat up someone who had enough power to make planets and to make someone such as her! Even though the words were said, to claim that Anonym was on their side, the Shifters were brutally scared and could not help but fear this person, who had transformed from a huge dragon! It really was unbelievable and scary! In their moment of trance, Anonym touched one of them, and focused… Ah…I see… The conscious seems to be split, yet was one…Interesting…   They really were people that could shift to become wolves, just like the shapeshifting technique but a bit different! Feeling the wolf and the human, Anonym smiled and really wanted to see what her dragons could become with Elementress’s and Xavior’s help! Once again, Anonym focused and attempted to see if she could shift into the wolf, even though she knew it was different to a normal beast…But, Anonym hardly believed in much being impossible! Well, besides immortality…Hang on…Isn’t Elementress and Xavior immortal!? For a brief moment, Anonym lost her focus and really considered upon finding out how her new slaves became immortal! In a swift thought…Anonym found that she had to make both Elementress and Xavior follow her from now on! With immortality being the prize, she could tolerate another two slaves in her entourage!   Finally, able to focus yet again, Anonym shifted to a wolf, which happened to be twice as big as the biggest Shifter there, and they all cowered in fear! Haha, she laughed inside her head, she was a cultivator and would obviously be a lot bigger and stronger then these little fledglings! Anonym let out a strange noise and shook her big wolf head, then shifted back to human once again, “Ah! We didn’t have these creatures on Roneglaise! They are pretty cool!” At last, one of the front wolves shifted to human and got down to his knees, “Are…Are you really not an enemy?” His desperate words were noticeable to Anonym and she nodded, “Elementress is on her way, do you have any Freedom Elixir?” Silence was her answer and Anonym looked around the area, only to find that it was mostly just land…With no buildings… She doubted that she’d find some Freedom Elixir here! “May…May I ask what is Freedom Elixir?” The person in front asked, not getting up onto his feet. Anonym looked back at him in mockery, “What else would it be!? It’s an elixir that provides freedom!” “I’m…I’m sorry, I…I don’t know…” The Shifter stammered back. Anonym sighed, thinking that she will have to go and see Switch earlier then she had originally thought!   The Shifters continued to cower in her presence, obviously keeping their loved ones away from the front, because they didn’t want them to get hurt, but now it was more like a semi-circle, half surrounding Anonym, who was wondering if she should go back to that human town from before, to see if they had some ‘Freedom Elixir’… The ground opened up then, to show that Elementress had come, and the Shifters let out a soft sigh of relief… It must be true then, that this…Shifter, that can turn into a huge dragon…Was on their side! Pouting, Anonym turned to Elementress, “I want Freedom Elixir.” Elementress smiled, “Let us speak with them first, they might be heading towards somewhere with alcohol.” “Elementress, you’ve returned. Is it true that…This Shifter is on our side?” Again, the one in front took the initiative to sort out all their questions. Elementress nodded and looked over a few of them, “This is Anonym, she has joined us in the war against the humans.” After a moments silence, because of shock, a few more Shifters went to become human’s and went to their knees too. Anonym put her hand up to her chin and nodded, she wondered what it would be like if every time she shifted into something, she would be naked upon becoming human again, “They really are different to me, it looks like shifting and being naked, is there thing! Haha! I can’t imagine it!” Letting out a laugh to one of her recent experiences of fighting a certain Emperor’s men, and how not only her but even some of the shapeshifters within the fight hadn’t gone naked, she thought it would have been absolutely hilarious if it had happened that other way!   Silence again drifted throughout the area of Shifters and Anonym let out a huff to it. They really didn’t look excited here! Isn’t there a war!? Why all the gloomy faces!? “Where were you heading?” Anonym asked. The one in front looked at Elementress, “We were still heading south because we weren’t sure on how to attack or defend against the humans just yet.” “I see.” Elementress said, thinking about what to do next. She had taken ages to come up with her last ideas from the last continent and really had nothing new now…Well, she had ideas, but to take on Xavior they needed to be great ideas, not just ideas that floated in her head with no help to winning! “Elementress, if I may, why don’t we continue to go south and rest at the next pack’s location?” The leader of the Shifters looked briefly at Anonym, feeling inferior to her and hoped that what they said was true, he hoped it to be true so much that he could see a huge bonus to the strange shifter being on their side! Dragons! They flew and could control the sky but…Was this ‘strange being’ really on our side! Could it be!? “Agreed, lets continue this conversation when we reach the next town.” Elementress stated openly. But just as they were about to head off, a whole new scene appeared in front of the Shifters, behind Anonym and Elementress. “Shoot!”   Anonym turned around and saw that Switch had teleported a whole lot of people that were opposite them! “Hey!” She said angrily. She saw that Switch held their son and looked at her in worry. Xavior smirked and thought his idea of surprise had worked. It hadn’t taken him long upon wanting to use anything to his advantage and seeing that Switch could teleport more then one person, he stated that this could be what wins the war! Elementress put up a wall of earth, to stop the incoming bullets, but a few got through and a few yelps were heard. Mourning howls erupted from those who were still wolves, and the ones who had shifted to humans clenched their fists before trembling into wolves once again… “That’s it! Bloody mongrels!” Anonym shifted to her dragon and roared, scaring everyone, including the opposing humans. Spreading her wings and getting into the air, the wind that was formed nearly made the wolves get swept away!   Anonym, before she went any further, went invisible and the dragons behind her stopped and looked frantically around for their master. She went over the wall and immediately let loose upon her fire, hot breath and blasted it towards the humans, who were shaking in fear. “She’s invisible.” Switch stated, putting a shield up quickly before the fire would kill any of them off! He was glad that the fire was seen at the very least… Xavior put a shield up too and the fire that was directed at them from out of nowhere, reflected for some time, before Xavior’s shield collapsed, leaving only Switch’s shield remaining. The other dragons, seeing fire being casted towards a particular direction by their master, they too flew towards the humans to do exactly the same… Switch knew that he could teleport everyone away whenever he wanted to but did not do anything. At the moment, even though the air was owned by Anonym and her ‘pets’, it still did not necessarily mean that they would lose the war…No, the shield was made to be able to allow them to shoot out, while they were still safely inside it. …The problem was…The humans no longer were using their guns with silver bullets…

Alarick POV   As I watched over my pack, seeing little wolves frolicking around and then adults getting a huge amount of food ready for lunch, I sighed. For some strange reason I started to feel agitated. We had been lucky to survive until now, but now that we were stronger, rivals had started to come. Since making a comeback and having others know how great our pack was, rivals just wanted to bloody steal it! Having been able to see what I wanted and how I could change things, I had been extremely busy! I wanted the pack to stay at peace and play, personally knowing how running a mile and playing with other’s pups was like. It had taken so long to get to this point, that I still hadn’t felt at peace since I had awakened the Alpha within me. Even though I was known as the Alpha at nine, my father was the one pulling all the strings. I hadn’t been fully aware then, on what was going on, but I became quite observant and figured out a few things in the next few years. And that was…I was sure we had lost our way… Not just the way of looking after the pack, I meant the way of our wolf nature. I read a few books, watched my dad’s human connections and saw that we were living more like humans then wolves. Fair enough, having a toilet and a bed is great…But, when I go out into the bush, I felt freakin awesome! There was a difference, but I was young and still being used then. My father only put me in charge, so that if people of the pack wanted to blame someone, they could blame his son instead of him. Actually, I was lucky, that I had been training a lot on my own, as challengers came at least once a year to take our pack. Me, being only young then, I knew I just had to be strong, but still trying to figure out why I had to be strong.   But when I was fifteen, my mother had died, and her last words of stating I was the Alpha and I had to protect my family, I had been fighting, not just physically, but fighting for what I believed in. I was certain that I needed to change our pack, change my family! Remembering my mother’s absolute pain, I flinched. She had not only gone against her mate, but her mate had inflicted her pain before he had gotten someone else to kill her right in front of me. She had bluntly told me that something was desperately wrong and that had vexed my useless father to the extreme. He was happy with the way things were, they had been getting in a lot of money and quite a number of things that were worth something…But, my mother was seeing what was happening right under her nose and knew that it was wrong for her pup to be used like this. I know she loved me, having done what she did, I just hated that she had to die because she loved me. She had chosen me and the pack, over her mate, which is hardly heard of, and because of that, she was killed. Yet, I thought she was the toughest female in the world, no one could beat my mum! Not long after this, I was sure that having a mate wasn’t very thrilling. If my mum could go against her mate, why is it such a big deal? Yet, the most important part…Was her last message to me. ‘Protect your family’, became embedded inside of me and that was when I felt the Alpha part of me explode out. My eyes had not reverted back to my normal brown colour since. I was sure that I would just continue to protect my family, so I now doubted that they would ever return to become brown. So, my mother’s last wish, had become mine as well!   After my mother passed, I found out so much, even though I knew of things already. And it really was appalling that we, as wolves, had changed so much. I wanted my family to smile. That was my Alpha, I didn’t care for any kind of rumour, even if it were true, about my bloodthirstiness. What I wanted, is my pack to smile. This wish of mine was a lot harder to obtain then I had originally thought. I never knew how much we started to live like the normal humans and how further away from nature we were. We had cars, mobile phones, internet and computers…Making us forget the person who would be sitting right beside us… But, before I could go into that…I had to protect my family first and foremost, as making them smile was my secondary objective.   It was hard to believe, that a pack could be corrupted like ours was, wolves are said to be the total opposite, yet here we were as Shifters and living like that of Humans. The fact that I had to protect my family from my family itself, was something hard to endure, making me stronger inside once I had. I bloody hate humans! They’re so fuckin greedy! Over the time of fixing up my own pack, I had come upon the information of my father working with Humans and that they had some kind of allegiance. Through this, and over years, the corruption seemed to have gone from the Humans and into our pack. My father wasn’t the only one that brought this upon us…Two elders and my older sister had done it too… It angered me still, that my father became greedy for money and land, without caring for his family! We gambled and let sparing go to the death, upon which laughter was heard, even though one of our family members had died. There was jewellery on nearly all the females and I rarely saw anyone, but enforcers, shift to their wolves…It’s like a lot of the human world had been gradually been entwined into ours and we had started to think ourselves as such. As soon as I could, I banished anyone in the pack from trying to get along with the Humans…I was sure that Humans and their ways, was probably the biggest reason why my pack went downhill so much…I knew it was a huge change that could possibly turn the whole pack upside down, but I was the real Alpha now, I knew what I wanted! I mean, it’s hard to forgot when I killed my own father…As I was sure, at first, everyone feared me… Yet, as I tried to get a few on my side, to understand my point of view, I was able to proceed further in my plans. I explained a short description of what I wanted, a small basic and simple understanding, and figured that if they didn’t want that too, they could leave! We had at least three hundred members before this decision was made, and the pack dwindled down to fifty. But those who remained were a lot more loyal, especially now, loving their new Alpha and feeling a lot more happier.   Fighting those who wanted to take us, while we were weak, and fighting ourselves. Fighting challengers that were even rogues and the corrupted Shifters that were trying to hide within the pack… Rogues had wanted to take advantage of us back then, but now they weren’t so bold to enter our land by themselves. Of course, our population had steadily improved over time. But I wasn’t going to let any Tom, Dick or Harry in and be initiated just like that! I was stubborn when it came to see rogue shifters wanting to join the pack and would question them well. How do they want to live? How do they feel about the Humans? What brought them here? What do they think, when they hear the word ‘pack’? Yeah, yeah, I’m a nutter for information, but I can smell if it’s real hey! Do they have the guts to lie to this man!? Hell, not just this ‘man’, but wolf as well! My wolf is totally happy in kicking someone's ass! Most of them were scared out of their wits upon my glare and would speak very little and quietly. But, my new way of life, protecting the pack and my secondary objective, was crucial, and I wasn’t going to let just anyone get in the way! I’m not the ‘world peace’ type of bloke hey, I’m the ‘pack peace’ man! Just get passed me and my wolf and your set! Haha! Over seven long years, our population slowly increased from fifty, to a hundred. I knew it still wasn’t very big, but every one of this hundred in my family, we all wanted the same thing! It also wasn’t easy when it came to take more into the pack, as other circumstances were involved. Since taking so long into getting where we are today, I was really glad that we had made it this far! Supposed it helped that I’m the man, the Alpha, the one who can easily take on three or four at a time without a problem. So fuckin lucky! Just thinking of it always makes me smile with pride!   It was only two days ago that we had a rival from another pack, come from the southern part of the continent, to stack a claim to my family! What an idiot! Walking all that way to challenge me…For what!? Well, I warned him! Challenging me and my might, only increased my popularity! My pride over being the man, the boss, and keeping my family safe was the best! I happily took on each and every one of them! Even though it supported the current claim that my bloodthirstiness was becoming quite popular…Of course, I wasn’t the best Alpha on the continent, there were at least two others that overwhelmed my small reputation, but I was not in a competition…Ish…Well, let’s just say that when I’m kicking ass, I’m doing it with style, but otherwise, no competition whatsoever! Many of my family members laughed at this a few times, when they see me want to make a child smile or help one of the older Shifters out. Honestly, I wasn’t like the rumours unless I had to be, otherwise I was a protective but communal Alpha, always wanting to make them all smile. Even though my wolf inside me still was keen to always take on any opponent…I felt a strange feeling of it getting a little old, I felt like I hadn’t been able to relax lately! If they could back off for two weeks, that would be cool! I’ll take em on then! My work was piling up once again, because we had started to really do a lot of things on our own, without shops, human schools or hospitals. I had to get a healer to teach, yet we only had two healers. I had to school our own pups and have our females not only cook but even make clothes. The cars were all sold, I mean, we were wolves…The computers, all but one was taken back, internet gone, and phones weren’t bought anymore…Once they were gone, that was it. We had to farm and look after our land. It was a lot more taxing work then it used to be, but I wanted my family to work hard and be thankful for what they had. We were a family after all, so even I would get on the farm and look like I’m making clothes…Yes, look…Not actually make them. I had no idea about that crap whatsoever! So, to a few things, I was a supervisor more then a helper. As cooking didn’t seem to sit right with me either, so, I’d stand there and watch, making sure that…Things were done right! Number one Alpha here! …Well, at least that was what I thought…   ***   I couldn’t believe it had already been a week since I last merrily played games and had a drink with my family. Hell, it was getting closer to my 26th birthday, when I was going to see a fight! I couldn’t help but become excited, now that I thought about my potential, new partner in the future. At 22, and not meeting my mate by then, yet, I had told the elders that I would let the females fight for the Luna position when I turned 26. It’s just a few more months! Can’t fuckin wait! I had already made the mental note of making sure I had no work for that day, wanting to watch over my new partner from start to finish. It would be spars until all but one has accepted defeat, and I thought this would be the best way to obtain my future partner…My future mate. Sighing to my future, I held myself in check. I hadn’t been with another yet. But as the time came closer and closer, I felt more heat inside of me, willing for time to go faster so that I could put others at rest about the opened spot in the Luna position and so that I…   Giving of a smirk, I couldn’t help but want to take her, whoever she was, right now. To a certain happy decree, as the years had gone by, I hadn’t met my mate, even when the younger girls in the pack had turned eighteen. It was disappointing that my mate wasn’t in my own pack. I thought that bringing in an outsider, just because we were ‘mates’, hardly did justice. My wolf would always get angry with me when I dissed my destined mate like this, but I couldn’t help but want to see my future partner fight to the best of her ability and just for me! Most of the time, my wolf and I would always agree…Except this. The only reason my wolf was relenting, was because we still hadn’t met this destined mate yet and he was also itchy to start a family. An Alpha at 25 and with no partner was quite rare, and after what I had promised, when I had been 22, was really coming in handy now! I had wandered around a few times, to see my family’s unmated female’s training and them looking at me. I didn’t show them much reaction, wanting to treat them all well, but it wasn’t like I was unhappy. Especially since an ambition of mine was to make them smile…See, I was doing a great job! All I had to do was walk around…So awesome! For the most part, most of them were quite lovely, yet, I knew that there was something missing. My wolf was telling me that I would always feel that way until I had completely mated with my new partner. That this missing feeling…Was because these lovely females weren’t her. They weren’t my destined partner, the one that was supposedly the right one for me in every way…My other half, the one that would calm me and always be by my side… Nonsense!   All I could do was wait impatiently! Just a little more time! Come on! Hurry up! To be honest, I was still glad I made this fight happen on my 26th birthday, as we were still getting better from when my useless father had been the leader…And when he wasn’t the leader… The elders knew that I was looking forward to it, and since I was like this, they could only wait impatiently, like myself, for their new Luna… What could they say? The promise is being kept and I have done the pack a world of good. I already knew that they were waiting for their Alpha to bring in his own pups. They had accidently, on purpose, already tried to get a few luscious women to mate with me in the last couple of years, but even the ones on heat didn’t seem to faze me…Much! Come on! I am a man after all! I keenly watched them walk by and smile flirtatiously at me, unable to move! If I had moved… Oh man! Such a bloody, nasty trick! I could only think…Hey they smiled! Haha! But dam, I shudda taken her!

(The next part would make sense if you had read ‘Anonym and Switch, Obtaining Power to Retaliate’. If you haven’t, Anonym is someone who is seeking her ‘father’, to get back at him for making her reincarnate for hundreds of thousands of years…And Altervale is where she has teleported to, with Switch’s help…)   Just as ‘As One with Many’ Shifters went south…Something else happened in the north… In a place covered by snow, there was a clearing, with trees on each side…But, suddenly, there was a big dragon that appeared, making the place look small! Looking closer, it wasn’t just one, big dragon…No, there was more, some people and then other smaller dragons were on top of this big dragon! No one here would know that these black dragons of Enoor were from the world of Bracabra, which was a place that also had leprechauns and witches, but there was even someone there from another completely different planet, known as Roneglaise. And this person…They shapeshifted from being the big dragon, to that of a pretty and young woman… “Timothy…Where are we?” “Every time! Why, why is it that every time we go somewhere, you ask me!? I don’t know!” Switch sighed, “Timothy, I believe she knows that you wouldn’t know, except…You always seem to get angry and get provoked every time…That’s probably why she keeps asking you.” “Driving me crazy!” This ‘Timothy’ stated through clenched teeth.   Anonym smirked and sat down, putting her hand up towards Switch. Another sigh later, Switch then placed a cup into her hands and Anonym smelt it, before she smiled and drank it. Ah…Freedom elixir! Till this day Anonym checks her drinks, as Switch had once giving her horse urine, instead of ‘freedom elixir’! She will never fall into that trap again! “Ride!” Looking back over to his son, Switch goes to pick him up, to stop him from further annoying the smallest of the black dragons, “Wait for your mother, perhaps you’ll fly around soon.” “I want to ride now!” The little boy, Alex, stated firmly. Anonym laughed, “You will not! None of you will fly before me!” “Ride!” The boy almost yells. “No!” The mother states firmly. Switch shook his head, “Both of you…” Then, they were suddenly interrupted by a man that came out from one side of the trees, “Who…Who are you…” The man was blinking and stuttering, seeing the dragons before him…He really couldn’t believe it! It’s a myth, a legend…And it seemed like one of the dragons thought it was a great time to roar like the dragon that he is…Making the man fall to the floor, making a yellow patch beneath him, “…Dr…Dragon…”   Anonym took another sip of her drink and stood up, curiously looking at this man, “What’s this place called?” At this time, another man came before them, eyeing them wearily, “…Have you heard of the place of Gillard?” Silence came straight after, as both Anonym and Switch looked at this other male that had come from the tree line. He looked completely different to the other whom was now trembling in the snow… The trembling man had some type of uniform and Anonym found it refreshing…But this other standing man seemed to have a similar attire to Switch’s clothes… “This is Gillard?” Anonym asked, no longer caring about clothes. The amount of times that she had been in different types of clothes was countless, being both male and female and both young and old… The other man frowned, and said, “No, this is Altervale…Never mind.” Anonym nodded and looked around, “Altervale hey? So, what’s good in this place? Is there any good freedom elixir?” “Freedom elixir?” The man still standing, frowned again. Switch took a step further, holding firmly onto his son, and said, “I am Switch, this is Anonym, we have come from Roneglaise and Bracabra…” “He wanted to know what freedom elixir was, not who we are…” Anonym rolled her eyes. “He is a wizard, Anonym. Don’t just spout nonsense.” Switch replied, watching the standing man observantly. “So what!? You think I can’t take him?” Anonym frowned herself. She wasn’t someone that would just run away and hide…No, she was the complete opposite!   In the meantime, while Switch and Anonym were bickering, Xavior was taking them in, wondering if he had even heard of the places of Roneglaise or Bracabra. From the galaxy he had come from, he had mostly visited wizard worlds that held magic and…He should have heard of at least one of these places…But no, none of those names sounded familiar… “I am Xavior. I am with Elementress, who is currently with the Shifters.” Stated Xavior, whom was wondering what to do with these new visitors. “Shifters? You mean shapeshifters?” Anonym asked, simply curious. Already, she wanted to see what it was like to fight these ‘Shifters’… “No…And yes. They are humans that can shift into wolves. We are currently ready to go to war on this continent.” Xavior stated, looking at Anonym once again. He could see the magic within the person known as ‘Switch’, also seeing that his magic was even more stronger then his own, but this ‘Anonym’ was not someone he was able to know the strength of…   “War!? That’s great!” Anonym laughed heartedly. She rubbed her hands together and looked around. Where was this war, hey? Switch turned to Anonym and sighed, “Perhaps it’s best if we move on from this planet, did you not notice that it’s not the right place?” Switch had already found that this powerful wizard before him was not like himself and Anonym, who were created by what Anonym calls ‘father’. This wizard before him was born and seemed to have grown powerful, making Switch secretly admire him, yet there was no other connection like themselves here on this planet, now that they had been here for a little while. “Uh? Oh, not really…” Anonym said, then after a moments thought, she smiled, “Aren’t we looking for more power!? You said he was a wizard right, he can fight with us!” Xavior frowned, he was used to being the strongest for so long, so holding himself back from this strange, unique person was taking a toll upon him…But that didn’t mean he didn’t like the way that the woman spoke of him like he should be a servant for her! It was always just him and his woman here, no other visitors as strong as himself had ever come! They had wondered how they would act and what they would do many, many years ago…But seeing these people today was very surprising! It seemed that Xavior had come to accept that they were alone…And probably would forever be alone…   Taking another sip from her cup, Anonym narrowed her eyes for a moment, “You said that there was some ele…Ele…Something right, is there someone else that’s strong too?” This wasn’t good! Again, the woman sounded like she was recruiting us! Xavior looked at Switch and stayed silent…These people had dragons, they numbered more then he and Elementress…If they wanted to take them as slaves or something, how was he going to stop that? Being immortal did not state that he was stronger…And, being slaves for god knows how long, would be an extremely unbearable future! Xavior could only think that he and his woman are probably better off staying here, even though it would be another lot of countless more years of being alone… Xavior’s thoughts weren’t completely wrong, Anonym would like him as a slave because she likes people working for her, on the other hand, Switch was still more so thinking of protecting his family, instead of bringing more along with them! What would be the best plan of action? To keep his beloved save…Should he not go to her? Or should he go to her and get her back to their castle? What if these people and dragons would be able to find his castle? In his silence, Xavior was pondering on what to do…He was even aware that nothing may happen as well, or that they may even be able to become allies…He just wasn’t too sure on which path would be taken…Especially with the woman and how enthusiastic she was for war! Yet, he knew, he knew without a doubt, that Elementress would be completely interested in these new comers… Xavior sighed… “Oi!” Anonym said, walking closer to Xavior, making Switch widen his eyes and follow after her. Xavior put out his hand out and Anonym banged right into some shield and fell back, falling to the ground. Switch bent down, stopping Alex from wanting to go onto the ground and asked Anonym if she was alright. Truly, these two didn’t feel danger. Why, why don’t they ever feel that the circumstances that they could be in, could be bad!?   Standing up again, with Switch, Anonym grumbled and wiped off the cold snow from her clothes. “Wizard, uh? Would that mean I’d be going against someone like you?” She looked up at Switch, wondering if she could ever beat him, even with her being able to go invisible! Xavior flinched, to his defence he just hadn’t wanted Anonym to get any closer, now the woman seemed like she wanted to fight him…Not good! Yet, Xavior was still more worried about Switch…Then the little woman that seemed to want to fight… “He has different magic.” Was all Switch stated, looking back at Xavior. Anonym took a deep breath and then smiled, “How bout it!? Wanna fight!?” Xavior shook his head, trying to think of what he should do... Seeing the little woman pout, Xavior nearly smiled, “I mean no offense. I do not wish to be on your bad side.” Anonym looked at Switch and then put her cup up to him once again and he filled it back up, watching her sit back down onto the ground. “We won’t stay for long.” Switch said, looking back at Xavior. Nodding back to Switch, Xavior then turned and dragged the man still on the ground away from the area. “Ride!” Anonym looked up at her son, and then smiled, “Yeah, lets ride!” “Yay! Ride, ride!” Alex cheered, wanting to get out of his father’s arms. Taking a big gulp of the drink in hand, Anonym then burped and stood up, pointing at one of the biggest black dragons, “Come here!”   As the dragon came before Anonym, bowing its head into a submissive gesture, Anonym took Alex from Switch and climbed up onto the black dragon. Switch sighed, only able to get Presley, his good friend, to go and watch over his family in the air with Timothy on his back…As Switch would not go with them…As he was afraid of heights… After Anonym left with Alex, all the other dragons followed and soon their flapping wings and little roars could no longer be heard, and they were out of sight… Switch continuously teleported to the ground beneath the dragons, looking around as he went, but the men that were getting ready for war with the Shifters, that had been close by…They had seen these dragons and all of them had their mouths opened in pure shock! Xavior returned to the men, also seeing this quite marvelous sight and frowned once again. How long were these uninvited guests going to stay?   ***

Alarick POV   I had never had to spend so much effort into not doing something! Eagerly I had wanted my mate to resurface, not able to completely pay attention to the coming and goings of what was happening to the Shifters. Having my Beta and good mate to help me focus, we had indeed gone into one pack now. The terms we had made were simple and they were a lot easier to accomplish now because I became well known to everyone because of my fight with The Misty Ice Pack and it’s Alpha. After that little fight, our easy terms of being able to break away afterwards with the same Shifters, no more or no less and to have the same land, was easily satisfactory to the new leader of this new pack. The new leader ended up being Alpha Rendell from The Oasis Clan, who was indeed someone that had a reputation of being stronger then even I was…So I can understand why he became the leader. And our new pack name of ‘As one with Many’ ended up being decided within half an hour, simply because we all felt like we didn’t have the time to waste on a name…Well, that was nearly everyone else’s reason, as my reason was because I wanted to get back to my mate…   Even with the strange, new being that was always around us now was of no interest to me, well not as much as it should be! No, I had even gladly taken a step back and not been the official leader of our newly merged, one pack…Even though I seemed to have every right to be. No, I didn’t want the work and the fact that my mate was more important to me, would not look good! Yet, because of this reasoning, and refusal, I somehow gained respect instead of losing it…I haven’t really thought about the reason why, as I have been trying desperately into getting my mate well once again and then to come out of hiding! So, the new leader was from The Oasis Clan and I happily am stated as one of the Shifters that was an aid to them. I wasn’t their ‘Beta’, as he already had one, but I was a well-respected commander… It had been a long couple of days, as all this was worked out, but I was able to keep a good watch upon my mate, simply because I couldn’t bear to have her out of my sight for too long...   She was a lot better now, as before she could barely move! Now, finally after begging and pleading for what felt like days instead of hours, we have finally taken the first step into becoming complete mates. Having her finally shift into human form and being naked and on top of me, had drove me nearly to the point of insanity! How could I not have kissed her and touched her!? I was a man and I finally felt our weak bond come back, of course I had to investigate upon my mates naked body! I touched her face lovingly, gently and kissed her openly…Yet, my other hand was a lot more misbehaving. Hearing her moans upon touching some special places, I nearly lost myself completely! Her perky nipples delighted me so much that my pants were very tight, due to my enthusiasm! The curves she has were perfect, making me go further into investigating her body…Right to her bum cheek and higher leg. Having her legs go around me, I was ready…I was ready to mark her, to make her mine completely! After finally asking her, pleading more with her, telling her I wanted her by my side and that I would protect her, she finally made me breath out in relief when she nodded. Yes!   Having bitten her in the neck, my wolf and I felt fantastic! Licking up the blood that had escaped from our mark, I felt her tremble crazily below me and I lost it! Her moans and body were completely overpowering! Even though I was still wearing shorts, I pushed myself into her, wanting to complete our bond straight away…I wanted her so much! Feeling the same want go through her, as now I was able to feel her thoughts through our new and strengthened bond, really…It was so difficult to not complete our bond straight away! “It’s like a dream.” Hearing her words, I nodded dazedly, and said back, “It’s most definitely like a dream!” But what happened next made me so completely astonished, that I felt like I really was dreaming! Whether it was just starting now, or had already started but I had not realized…My love got even more enticing to me and my wolf… Her smell was even more now then it was just moments before, her body even hotter then just moments before…Her wetness was a lot more fragrant! I wanted to question why this occurrence of her heat was coincidentally happening now, whether it was because Rieka had finally came out, or was it because of the full moon that was in the sky only one more day…But I had no time to think of answers as I groaned into her. I had never been with a woman and I was ready, I was so ready that I never felt I had been ready like this for anything else in my entire life! Feeling her cling onto me tighter and each one of her enticing features grow more and more crazy, I lost myself completely as they went through me… Her wet fragrance, her body, her other smells and just her pure seductive and naked form…   Breathing more and more heavily, I vaguely became glad that no one was around at the moment! This was it! For so long, both my wolf and I had been waiting for this moment! Reaching down to take my pants off, kicking them off me shakily, I felt her moist against me and I found myself breath even harder… “Rieka…” Dam, I was a man on the verge of desperation right now! Was this what it was like for all of us!? For…I had never desired anything so much in my life! God, we hadn’t even done anything yet and we were sweating! “Blanket…”   Fuck! Her eyes full of desire, reached to my depths, and I just somehow knew that she was ready for me. I hadn’t wanted to hurt her, but how could I not trust my natural instincts? Slowly placing myself inside her wetness, I hear her moan and I watch her reaction very observantly. Seeing that things seemed to be better then I thought, I couldn’t help but plunge myself completely inside her now, feeling that I finally have come to satisfy a need that I never knew I had. Her heat and wetness overcome me completely and I gasped to how good it felt. Grabbing her waist, I drove as deep as I could, pushing her into me and pushing myself into her… How perfect… Everything about her was perfect… Everything that I remember knowing about what my mate, my destined partner, my other half was…It was right! She was just right for me in every way and I can’t believe that I had thought of it as nonsense! Years of that missing feeling was now completely gone, years of feeling incomplete…Gone… I was now full and had never been so bloody happy! I could feel it, that I wasn’t the only one here completely smitten…No, I felt that each of our wolves were finally satisfied and happy as well. They were already ready to have their pups! Well, I wasn’t against it…In fact, the thought of finally starting my family seemed to drive me into feeling more hunger for my lovely mate…Unable to stop, even when her heat was completely over!   ***   Having little time, because the humans are said to have already met up in the north, I had not been able to spend days with my mate. Hours…That had been all I had… And yes, for hours, I made love to Rieka, my most precious mate. After her heat had subsided, we were able to slow down, and our heaven slowly turned back into the planet we were on and I finally understood what others had meant while their mates was on heat. It was incredible! Amazing! I really had no words! And I felt like more of a man then I did before! Fuck, it was amazing… …A few times now I had been yelled at to get my attention back, so I had to pay attention…   “I know you have just mated for the first time, Alpha Alarick, but can you please pay attention!?” I nodded at Alpha Rendell. I was not embarrassed at all, to what seemed like everyone knowing this news. No, I was far from being embarrassed! I was the man! Hell yeah! I wanted to tell everyone! “Elementress states that she hasn’t much of what she calls ‘natural energy’ to help us at the moment and she also states that we are better off backing off towards the south of the continent, do you agree?” I nodded again, trying hard to keep up and not think of my naked and gorgeous mate, that continuously is shown to myself in my head. “…Ah…I don’t doubt her as an ally. I also think that we are better off giving ourselves more time to defend…The more we are able to come up with defensive and offensive strategies, the bigger chance we have at winning the war and not losing as many Shifters.” “Then we have come to a conclusion of moving south. At first, I want to rally everyone to where my pack used to reside, then we may even go further south and even hope to pick up more Shifters to aid us in the war. Alarick and Cain, you will be the leaders, show them the way to the boundary of where The Oasis Clan used to be. I will be in the rear, to keep everyone safe, and you others go along the sides, to keep everyone together, understood?” A few choruses were heard, and it seemed to be the end of the meeting…   Gathering everyone up, becoming ready to move out wasn’t that hard. My family may be in a new pack now, but we still stuck together and had already known about moving, just like a few others had. Not only that, but we had only moved here a couple of days ago, so what we had was already something easily to travel with and pack up. Having finally, officially, came to the conclusion of moving today, it only took half an hour to get my family into order and where we were meeting up to start our run down south. Getting a few of the males to already shift, so that we could tie up some things to them, that we were taking with us, the rest of us shifted not long after and waited for everyone else to be ready too. At the front of the mass of Shifters, I rubbed my wolf into my mates and felt her lick upon my fur. I really was besotted with her…Completely… Licking her back, her gorgeous white fur, I then rammed more of my body into her, not feeling close enough…I wanted more! Much more! I couldn’t wait until we finished our run down south, until we could sleep…I couldn’t wait to take my love into my arms once again and make love to her, before we would fall asleep in each other’s arms! “The leader stated to leave in five minutes.” I looked up to see the Beta of the leader run up the line and I turned to Radolph and told him, through our link, to keep an eye on the time. I guess Alpha Rendell was too busy to give the order himself, even though all he had to do was say it… As I felt my mate lick me again, I didn’t care to question further upon why I hadn’t heard the order directly from the leader…I was lost again to my mate’s smell and touch!   …It looked like the leader was in human form still, but we were able to mind link all together now, well, for at least these four packs. Not all of the packs had come together, so they will not be someone we would be able to talk to telepathically. Having to talk a lot about what to do, having to be in human form to do this, we hadn’t been able to do this very often but now that we are all wolves…It was quite chaotic inside our heads… Well, except that of little ones that were two or younger…As they hadn’t shifted for the first time yet…And even some pups a little older weren’t shifted, probably because they might feel better in their human form still. Thinking of little pups… I turned to look at my mate once again and felt both my wolf and I unable to hold in our excitement at our own future pups… My wolf had been waiting for a long time, but me…Me, I finally got all excited just in the last couple of days! Beforehand, I had only wanted to have pups because others did and that I knew I should have an heir at some point because I was the Alpha, but having met my mate, the idea upon my own pups started to grow and grow and now it was strangely a desire that I held most dear to me. To have a pack like family was great, to spend time with other pups was also great but finally…I started to really look forward to my own pups, my own little family…The ones that I could teach and cuddle whenever I wanted! I couldn’t wait! Boss, time to go! …Alarick! And so, we were off, and our first stop was where The Oasis Clan’s boundary was.

After quite a journey of touring this world of ‘Altervale’, Anonym and Switch found themselves upon a desolate place. They had travelled over the sea and then came to the land on the other side…To see quite a sight! The only conclusion that could be said, was that magic had been used and seeing such a huge, forced change to the environment, gave Switch an idea upon who Elementress could be. It seems that a war happened, and magic went up against another type of magic, yet…Xavior acted as though Elementress meant something to him…So then, why had they fought? Anonym didn’t question these things though, she was not the mastermind in the least! Instead, Anonym looked around for freedom elixir! Since an already made ‘den’ was formed in some ruins in a city, the dragons found their resting place, while Anonym looked around at the strange, new place and saw that it was different from that of both Roneglaise and Bracabra… The buildings weren’t magical or historical, they were…More advanced, but less advanced… She couldn’t figure it out… Then, there were dead bodies and weapons, that she’d never seen before, and even had to get Switch to get rid of warm lava that was close to the area, as she was going to rest here for now. The area seemed strange, because there was no one around. Even the volcano, that seemed to have gone dormant, looked completely strange to Anonym and she really started to think that she’d found upon a strange and unique planet! There were a lot of bullets on the ground in one place but also spikes coming up from the ground, that had been the reason for many deaths. Feeling strangely bored, Anonym had seen much war but this time…It seemed that she had come too late! Here, the war was over…   After testing a few liquids, Anonym finally found some ‘freedom elixir’ and they started to relax. Alex played with the smallest dragon, even though the dragon did not want to play with him. Presley was happy looking after his newly appearing treasure, just like the other black dragons, and Anonym was teasing Switch, because she felt bored. “You’re drunk already.” Switch stated, pinching Anonym’s cheek. They had already eaten dinner and now they had been outside in the dark for some time. Seeing Anonym like this, Switch was very familiar with it, like it was the same every night! “Haha, this…This is good stuff!” Anonym slurred, getting closer to him. If it wasn’t fighting, and with her son being entertained or sleeping, the next best thing was to annoy Switch! “Then I won’t be making this stuff for you in the future. You get drunk too quickly!” Switch stated, letting go of her cheek. “But, I like it!” Anonym stated, nodding her head once, then falling into his lap. Switch pulled her up and into his arms, cuddling her, “Then you’ll have to treat me really good in the future, for me to present this…Stuff…To you!” Smirking at her flushed face, Switch then leaned in and kissed her, grabbing onto her neck and making her open her mouth to him. Anonym accepted everything he gave to her, as they had now been together for awhile and this was nothing new.   Without even knowing of how poorly she was treating her loving ‘freedom elixir’, Anonym dropped it upon the ground and put her hands around Switch’s neck. Moaning to his hand upon her breast, she put a hand into his clothes and sat up better upon his lap. Putting his arms around her tightly, Switch kissed Anonym, letting her do as she pleased with his lower half. The one that wore the pants in this relationship was her. The one that gave him something to do, was her. The one that entertained him and made him want something…Was her. Having reincarnated so much in the past, just like Anonym, and come to be so powerful and having nothing fazing him, Switch was still very grateful to have found someone exactly like himself…So, it was like they were made for each other! Using magic, with a click of his fingers, he put on something that he’d only just found the name of in this world and waited for Anonym to plant herself on top of him. With the magic he possessed, it was based on existence… For some things, he knew of already, but other things that he has done, it is only because he has been able to think of it and try it, for it to work. What he had just put on, was something that helped prevent from having children, which was something that Anonym had placed as a restriction as soon as she knew it worked!   For Switch, he was also in no rush to leave this planet of Altervale, having already learnt a couple of things from this planet. One being this ‘condom’ that he had now been using for months, but there were other things here that he’d never seen before…Like that of cars. Upon discovering what they had today, seeing these so called ‘cars’, Switch had indeed fell behind the dragons to get a good look at how these ‘cars’ worked. There was also a place that held what they called ‘planes’, and Switch teleported to be inside of one, but found himself completely lost to what he was looking at! His magic might be about to conjure up these things, because they existed, but that didn’t mean he knew how to use them! Which only left Switch to think that they should remain here a little longer, so that perhaps he could figure it out! Perhaps he could even figure out what he had done quite some years ago now to Bracabra, where a city in the sky had been completely devasted for many years, and still might even be unapproachable… But…Right now was not the time to think of these things, as he looked at the desire Anonym had in her eyes…It was not time to think of anything else but the woman in his arms! Taking over, Switch took advantage of Anonym’s drunken state, just like many other times, and made her call out his name over and over again…     “Mummy! Wakie Wakie!” “No, Alex. Mummy sleeping.” Anonym mumbled and grabbed onto Switch tighter. “Daddy!” “Come here.” Switch took his boy into one of his arms and held his woman in the other and already knew that they won’t be able to sleep anymore. Alex got in between them and poked his mother in the face and then giggled. “You poke me again, and I’ll poke you back!” Anonym mumbled, still, her eyes were closed. Alex poked his mother again, giggling crazily…Obviously, he knew what would happen, as this has happened many times before! Anonym smirked at her son, finally having opened her eyes, and said, “That’s it! You’re done for, you little brat!” Switch watched his family run around and shook his head, yet still had a doting smile on his face.   Alex had taken after his father, when it came to being able to use magic, but there was a hell of a lot more of his mother’s personality in him! Alex used his magic to make one more of himself, for him to poke his mother with, while he giggled frantically as he ran away from her. Yet, to what happened next was what had made Switch nearly die, to have to be reincarnated again, as he had tried to find information upon how to teach Alex about his magic. Not long after Alex made a replica of himself, he didn’t need to do much more for another replica to be made. Within another minute or two, Anonym was getting ruthlessly surrounded by her son and replicas of her son, and she laughed as she shapeshifted to win! …These two idiots…   “You have an interesting family!” Switch turned around and saw someone come out of the ground. Seeing Xavior come out as well, rolling his eyes, Switch clicked his fingers to have his son appear in his arms. “Daddy?” Alex had tried to get out of his hold, but after he couldn’t get out, he turned and wondered what his daddy wanted. Anonym shapeshifted back from being a little bird and stretched, “The brat can get annoying at times…” Switch sighed. He knew that Anonym cared for their son, but she never really showed it… “You should treasure him more, for some can’t even have children.” The woman said, coming closer to them. Because Elementress had become immortal, she could not bare children and on the rare chance would feel the loss of this fact. “Lovely, perhaps it would be best to be on our way…” Xavior stated, putting a hand around her, not wanting to trust them as easily as Elementress would. He had only wanted to peek on them, but he should have known better and knew that Elementress would have come out!   Elementress turned to Xavior and then looked back at Anonym and Switch, “I am Elementress, a Shaman from the world of Purdonteala. Xavior tells me that it was like you appeared out of nowhere and that one of you is a wizard like himself.” Anonym turned her bored expression towards Switch, but Switch was not looking at her, instead he nodded, “I am a wizard and we are…Traveling…” “Where are you going?” Elementress asked. Her attitude was a lot different to Xavior’s, being opened and curious, perhaps even a bit rude. But, even if Xavior would be able to live alone with her forever, Elementress would like to know of more places… “We are searching for a particular galaxy but have yet to find it.” Switch answered, while widening his eyes to one of his son’s replications of going up to Elementress. Again, his boy needs to have a lot more caution! All went silent as the replica looked up at the woman curiously, and said, “I have a dragon!” “…Dragon…” Elementress then smiled widely, she had indeed wanted to see these dragons!   Bending down to the little ‘boy’, she then said, “Will you show me your dragon?” The boy didn’t need anymore asking, he left straight away, along with the rest of the replica’s… “Ride!” The real boy in Switch’s arms started to squirm, wanting to follow his replica’s. “Stay!” Anonym said, but her next cause of action only made Alex completely upset, as his mother followed after the replica’s. “Mummy!” But his little yell went to deaf ears! Elementress followed after the other woman happily, desperately wanting to see these dragons! “Xavior told me that he saw you riding on them, is that true?” Anonym nodded and kept walking, not even realizing that Xavior hadn’t followed, to stay and talk with Switch. And just like that, the women went to see the dragons, Anonym even making one of them have to succumb to being touched by this new comer…While Switch handled his son, while speaking with Xavior.

Dinner   Chapter 8: Home Sweet Home   "...ney?" There was a warm pressure on my shoulder. The warmth rubbed down my arm and stroked back up. "Are you okay?" I struggled to peel my eyelids open. It didn't feel like I slept very long. ’Maybe a few minutes?’ "Sleep, please?" I rolled to lay on my other side to avoid the voice and hand trying to wake me up. "Kim, if you want to sleep, you have a bed." I know I did, but I couldn't make it there. Mumbling, I begged again. "Please?" Then I buried my face into the couch's cushion. There was a noise -- I thought maybe a resigned sigh -- right above me. "Greg? Could you come out here?" ’Is Shelly going to have Greg carry me to bed?’ Now it was my turn to sigh. I rolled, but laid on my back and pried my eyelids open with my fingers to stare at the ceiling. "Oh. Awake? Greg, never mind." ’Awake?’ No. "Yeah." "Good. We wouldn't want you to miss your 'Welcome Home' dinner, would we?" Stromboli, I remembered. ’Did they make anything else?’ I don't mind stromboli. I used to eat it in pieces dipped in marinara sauce. I threw a fist up in the air and sleepily yawned a, "Yaaay." It took me a moment to register that I was falling back to sleep. "Shelly? Would you please help me get up?" I waved my hand around for her to grab. She did grab it, but didn't pull. "Shelly? Not 'Mom' anymore?" Oops. "Sorry Mom." My other arm was grabbed as well and I lazily lifted from the couch, but she did most of the pulling. I cringed when remembering my vow to not be a burden to this family. Quickly, I recovered myself, awkwardly stumbling to my feet, and attempting to balance myself so I could stand. Dizzy. Very dizzy and the room was tilting on me. If Shelly didn't still hold my arms, I would have done more than having just fallen to my knees. Shelly was what held me up now from falling flat on my face. "Greg!" Thunderous footsteps came into the living room. "I'mfineI'mfine." I took in a deep shuddering breath and waited a few seconds, breathed out, regaining control of my breaths until I had a rhythm going. I lied, "Stood up too fast." I honestly had no idea what happened. I had blackouts before from standing up too quickly and that was much more than the lights going out or standing all wobbly. This time I managed to get back on my feet without issue. ’...Was I that frail?’ "Thanks Mom." She didn't let go of me. Shelly had a hold of my arms and assisted me from the living room to the dining room. I was released when I sat in my chair at the table. "Have you been blacking out often?" Looking up at Greg, I shrugged. "Dr. Anstone has been making sure I rest at certain times." I watched Greg go around the table to take his seat. Brittany brought over a pitcher of some kind of dark juice and sat it on the table. There was breaded sections of the stromboli sitting on each of our plates. Well, all except for the spot that the father should be sitting in. "We might want to get a hold of the hospital and ask about that. I don't want to risk scheduling an exercise routine for you without knowing -- what?" Greg looked at Shelly funny and I turned to see what she was doing. I must have missed it since she did a quick smile at me. Looking back at Greg, I said, "What I miss?" He shrugged and said nothing. "C'mon!" ’If something was wrong with me, shouldn't I know?’Taking one more look up at Shelly, I asked: "What's wrong?" She shook her head and went for her seat. "Nothing is wrong." That was bullshit, but I dropped it in favor of not starting an argument at the table. When no one else said anything, I saw that the family was taking advantage of the moment of silence to quietly pray their thanks for the food. Then we dug in. There was something I wanted to ask Brittany. "Brittany?" "Hm?" She was busy washing down a bite with that dark juice. I squinted at it in wonder. "You own a store, right?" While I asked, I pushed myself from the table to get up for a glass. "Where are you going?" Shelly looked alarmed at me standing up. I waved at her to cool it. "I'm just getting a glass." When I said that, Greg got up and out of his seat to beat me to the punch. "Here." Opened and closed, he nabbed a glass and returned to the table with a smooth drop off in front of my place. I sat back down and gave him my, "Thanks." That brought me back to interrogating Brittany. "Uh, the store. You own one. Is it around here? Close by?" "Hmm... Not really. It is across the river." ’There's a river?’ Also, I guessed that meant she’d go over a bridge or took a ferry to cross. "Why not live on the other side? Wouldn't that be easier?" With another bite, she grinned at me and gave a thumbs-up. But Shelly spoke out about that. "Not without showing me you can manage." Brittany coughed, choked, and took a big swig of the dark juice before responding. "I'm almost there. All I need to do is obtain a male model and I can start photoshoots." Her gaze drifted over to Greg. "You said you would --" "Not while I'm in school. They denied my work permit." I had never obtained a job. As Chase, I relied on my mother to enable me. There wasn't much demand from me except food and drink. Any games that I kept playing were supplied by pirating them from my PC and porting them into my consoles. So I had no idea how after-school activities, like work permits, functioned. I raised my hand. "I could? Not like I'm in school right now anyways and all you need is someone to wear clothes for a photo -- oh." While I had my thoughts on being Chase, I’d forgotten in that moment I was a girl. She needed a guy. "That's not a half-bad idea." Brittany was grinning ear-to-ear at me. "No." And Shelly's was a positive upside-down smile. "Kim could barely walk to the kitchen just now." "I told you that I stood up too fast. I blacked out." "Kim, I'm serious. Even if it was normal, you having to rest so often is not." My mind drew a blank on that one. No clue how to respond because I agreed, and didn't want to be agreeing too, nor did I want this argument to continue, but I also wanted to be of some help to someone like Brittany. I was conflicted. "That's a shame. With Kim's haircut, she'd pass for a boy in those clothes." ’I would?’ I guessed so. I would have agreed that my image definitely had an androgyny in it. I glanced at Brittany and saw her give me a shrug. "Don't worry about it." She gave me a wink and went back to eating.’Did that wink mean something or was that her way of showing appreciation for my trying?’ No idea. For now, I moved onto my next task. I wanted to try out something to drink other than water. Taking the pitcher of that dark juice, I hastily poured a glass. Brittany immediately spoke up, "Uhh, I don't think you should -- oh hoho, oh no." I pulled the glass up and drank as my loving big sister laughed, watched, and was delightfully amused by what she witnessed I’d done. Wine. My eyes were wide open as I tasted it. I should have put the glass down and offered it to Brittany to finish, but as of that moment I didn't care. It was something other than water and I was going to drink it. Before anyone took it from me, I guzzled. "Whow, hold on there!" Brittany did try to take the bottom of the glass, but was being careful not to cause me to spill it over myself. Shelly gasped while I was drowning myself. Greg, I wasn’t sure because I didn't hear anything from him. Finished, I let my big sis take the glass. I didn't say anything. I wanted to tell them something witty, but nothing came to mind. A grin would have been neat, but I was rather straight faced about it. I just returned to eating my stromboli. "I'm sorry. I'll move it." Brittany took the pitcher and relocated it to the counter by the sink. Knowing that Greg can outrace me, I didn't have a chance of drinking anymore of that potent grape juice with a kick. Right now, I didn’t believe I wanted anymore. I was not even sure why I’d drank that wine like that. Something in me just said, 'Fuck it,' and I did. That was very impulsive and stupid. So very very stupid. Closing my eyes, I said, "Sorry," and went on to apologize. "That was a dumb move. I don't know what came over me. I --" "Teenage Spirit," was Shelly's answer. "I know. I've experienced and Brittany still has some left over." "Why not include the actual teen there?" Brittany pointed at Greg as she sat back down. He held his hands open for her to respond to and said, "Have I ever done anything rebellious?" My big sis was quietly thinking to herself until she gave us all a shake of her head. "There, that's why." I guessed Greg did appear to be mature for his age. It was hard to imagine him as a teenager still. If I didn't know how old he was, I would have guessed he'd be in his charming twenties. ’Maybe that was a part of why all the girls went for him and he preferred older women?’ A couple of seconds went by and I felt flushed. No alcoholic buzz for me though, which was kind of a bummer. ’Maybe that would have came if I drank more or had been steady with my glass?’ Dunno. Never was a drinker. That brought me back to thinking over why having a teenage spirit had anything to do with that stupid stunt. ’Rebellious? Was she implying I drank that in retaliation? For what?’ I sighed and gently shook my head. "I'm still sorry for doing that." "You're not driving anywhere and this is your 'Welcome Home' dinner. I think we can let it slide tonight." I gave Shelly a smile and nodded my thanks to her. Greg had finished his plate before anyone else had. I wasn't full, but I felt compelled to stop eating when I was only halfway through the stromboli. Leftovers, I supposed. Shelly and Brittany finished off their plates. It wasn't a wonder why they had smothering chest pillows. Probably where all the fat goes compared to the rest of their figure. Looking at Brittany, I saw her puff out her bust. "Aww. It's okay." I raised my gaze and brow. "If they fill your hands or more, then they're big enough." I knew what she was talking about, but I had a delayed reaction from the wine, probably. My posture straightened and I looked away from her to see how the others reacted. Greg had ignored it by getting up and taking his plate, Shelly's and Brittany's, and carefully mine to the sink or counter. Mine was set on the counter for the half-meal to be stored in the fridge. Shelly had facepalmed and shook her head in reaction to Brittany grinning and giggling while holding up for me her all natural gifts. Even if the mother and daughter looked almost identical, their age being the difference, their personalities was certainly a great way to tell them apart. I glanced at Greg, wondering if I would have the chance to compare him with the father someday. That brought me a thought. "Where's..." I threw my thumb at the empty seat at the table to silently indicate the absent Gregory. "Work." How Shelly said that sounded like she wasn't very pleased. Tense. I guessed so, considering that we just had my 'Welcome Home' dinner and not everyone was in attendance. One would think the father of this girl would have called off for one day. Brittany took her glass of wine and left the table to go after that pitcher. ’Was she going to finish it all?’ I watched her and saw Greg quickly grab it to hold the container high over our big sister's head. "Greg, come on." He shook his head at her and aimed it over the sink. "NO!" There was amusement in his smile as he was tipping it to the spilling point. "Fine. What do you want?" I raised a brow, wondering the same exact thing. "Nothing." I glanced over at Shelly and saw she had already got up to leave the kitchen with her cell in hand. While I had been wondering who she was texting, what Greg said next made me curious what he meant. "I already have what I want." Looking back at them, I saw Greg's hand slip around and out from behind Brittany's waist. I sat there and stared at them in utter shock and disbelief. There was no way that meant what I thought it meant. ’Morality in this world didn't dive that far down, did it?’ No. I was misreading what I saw. ’Maybe she tried to grab for the pitcher and he caught her from falling back?’ I'd go with that. I've been drinking, so I could blame that mistaken view on my poor judgement. "Uh, I'm going to call it a night." Getting up from the chair was a little more difficult when recovering from a false alarm like that. At least, I hoped it was a false alarm. I watched Brittany leave Greg with the pitcher to come by my side. "Do you want me to help you with anything?" Pausing, I thought about that for a moment. "I should be good. Just going to shower before hitting the hay." I got my not-so-buzzed looking head ruffled before she grabbed my empty glass from the table. "Let me know when you are heading for bed. I want to talk with you about an idea you might want to sleep on." I nodded and she walked out of the kitchen. Looking at Greg, I saw he was wondering the same thing I was. I had to ask. "Any idea what she's talking about?" He slowly said, "Ma-aybe? Mom didn't want you working for her, but she’s -- Sis is an opportunist. Brittany probably thought of a loophole." ’That was possible, but what?’ The whole reason Mom didn't want to -- Shelly didn't want to have me go was because of my episode out in the living room. With that being put aside, I wanted to confirm something about this world here and now before I went any further existing in it. "Greg?" He was placing a lid on the pitcher and placing it into the freezer. I wasn't sure why, but that wasn't a priority now. Here goes. "You and Brittany..." Glancing back at me, he closed the freezer door and leaned back against the whole fridge. "We fight sometimes." Instantly, his hands were flung up. "Okay, a lot of times, but we do get along. Same goes for Mom and us." I was taking that for granted, but it was a shame he didn't include the father in that. "That's good, but not what I wanted to ask you about." His posture told me he was being alert and his silent stare spoke of his full attention to me. "Do you like her more than a brother should?" His gaze drifted from me to the living room for a moment and then returned to me. "Not sure. I know what you mean, she's attractive, but if I've overstepped my boundaries..." He shrugged. I dropped my head and shoulders a little, staring at him. "What do you consider 'Boundaries' here?" I could tell my breathing became a little shallow here and gulped. I was afraid of this answer. "When she gets a boyfriend, I'll back off." That didn't answer my question precisely, but gave me a clue that their relationship was definitely deeper than just siblings. "I meant, where is the line drawn between you two. What won't you or her do to each other?" He gave the living room a glance again before he jerked his head towards one of the two doors in the kitchen. Following him, with my big brother being precautionary by holding my hand, we went down the stairs to the basement. This was my first time seeing it and I had to say that it looked pretty sweet. To start, there was a pool table in the middle of the entire vast room. Secondly, when I meant vast, it must’ve taken up the same space or more of the whole bottom of the house. There were recliners and couches that had to open up into futons. A TV was set against the wall that had to be the same height and length of the car. Books lined an entire side-wall of shelves with a lot of them having 'Accounting' on their binders in Roman Numeral Volumes. When I stopped gawking at the furniture, appliances, accessories, I stared at the decor. The carpet under my bare feet was soft and cool, and I’d scrunched my toes up while padding my soles down on this awesome carpet, like I wouldn't mind it at all laying completely sprawled out on it for a nap. That was how good the floor felt. Lights along the entire wall were in a string rather than bulbs. ’I guess LED? Maybe?’ It was a complete circuit without it plugged into anything. Once again, I had to wonder how power worked in this world. I walked over to the pool table to feel the velvety green cover beneath my palm. I so wanted to play a game. Not right now, but definitely sometime in the near future. We still had something important to be discussed. Greg gestured for me to sit and I decided on one of the couches. I pulled up my legs and, instead of sitting, I laid on my side. Grabbing one of the pillows nearby, I fluffed it and jammed my head down into it until I found a comfy spot. My big brother smiled with a restrained laugh at me. After a second recomposing himself, he gave me a curious question. "Okay. What is this about?" "In the kitchen, I thought I saw you two getting a little too close." He held back another laugh behind that smile. "What was too close?" With his hands on his hips, he favored a foot and leaned fully on it to the side while looking at me in amusement. "I'm not sure if -- I did. I caught you holding her." He raised a brow at me. "Like a hug?" "No. You held her close." "Like how I held you today?" I knitted my brows. "No. Not like that at all. You held her with one arm." "And I held you with two. Does that mean I'm closer to you than her?" I huffed and sat up, not comfortable at all anymore on this couch. "No. You didn't hold me like that because you liked me." He shook his head. "I wouldn't be doing that to anyone unless I liked them." That shouldn't have caused me to feel anything, but it did make my heart skip a beat. I shook my head. I was not going to be falling into this sick trap. Pausing, I took my time to formulate my strategy and choose my words carefully. I chose the blunt one. "Have you been having sex with Brittany? Do you fuck your sister?" That last part was not necessary. I was thinking that 'Teenage Spirit' slipped out of me, or some of that wine spoke up, or I was just tired and confused, or Greg being difficult was frustrating me. Greg dropped his hands from his hips and shrugged. He wasn't smiling anymore, but didn't appear upset. More like he was confused. "What's the problem?" ’Really? The world has come down to this? How low does the bar go here?’ It took me a moment to ask him what I should have from the beginning. "Is that normal?" Squatting down to the floor, he looked down and sighed. When he returned his gaze to be locked with mine, he spoke softly to me. "You didn't know, did you. Your memory..." Shaking his head, he stopped talking and stood back up. Now he did look upset. I watched him start pacing in front of me in silence. I began to nibble on my lower lip as I watched him. For me, I didn't think I needed to know anymore. Because of me, he wasn't having a very good night anymore. Now I was a reminder to him of how damaged his little sister was. She wasn't damaged like that, though. Somehow, I was thrown into her body and it was me who didn't know anything at all about this world, or more importantly this girl’s family. Bowing my head, I thought about what I should do. ’Should I apologize for bringing this up? Would staying silent and waiting for him to cool off be a better idea? Maybe simply telling him not to worry about it, like they have been telling me, would work?’ No. That could be mistaken for sarcasm. I should’ve honestly told him how I felt. So I did. "I'm sorry I brought it up. I didn't mean to upset you." There was the sound of him breathing deeply in and out. I didn't hear him pacing anymore and decided to lift my head to see how he was. He gave me a reassuring look and grin. "It's okay. I've had a lot weighing on my mind." "Maybe you could tell me about them over a game of pool sometime?" That caused him to laugh. "Really? I thought -- Never mind. Sure." Smiling, I got up and off the couch. "Thanks for being patient with me." Greg took a step to me and ruffled my hair. "I'll always be there for you when you need me to be." I felt really happy to be told that. Inside my thoughts, I told myself not to ever do this, but it felt right for our moment together to hug him for saying that. "Double-thanks then." I was hugged single-handedly while he still rubbed my head with his other hand. "Always, Kim." Then he gave the top of my head a pat. "You said you were going to take a shower before bed, right? Might want to do that now before you keep Brittany up any later." "Nearly forgot about that." I loosened my hug and he broke his hold around me. Backing away, I gave Greg a quick wave before disappearing up the stairs and making a sharp turn into the bathroom next door. I wanted to be quick before he decided to carry me upstairs. When I had shut the door behind me, I froze. Turning around, I decided to lock the door. There was something I should have asked Greg, but didn't. ’Was Brittany the only sister he was sleeping with?’ I backed away from the door with this in my thoughts. Startled by motion to my left, I calmed when I realized it was my reflection. Taking a good look at myself, I remembered something Greg said. He didn't like girls. I knew that I've been told I was eighteen, but I didn't look mature. With these scars on my face, I would be better passing as a tragic pretty boy than a maimed girl. How my hair was right now didn't help. Yeah, I had an hourglass figure going on, but I wasn't filled out like a woman. I was not his type. Taking a breather, I leaned my hands and myself down on the sink's edge. Looking up at the mirror, I had to wonder about myself for a few seconds. ’Did I really want to make life better for this girl or myself? What if that girl was trapped like I was in my world? Or worse, dead? Was what I was doing going to matter if there was no coming back for her? If there was, what would happen to me? Would I return to being Chase? In that case, what would I find that girl doing with my body? My life? Would she have been making things better for me too or would I find myself in a worse position than when I got stuck in this body?’ I had to pick a side. For either, I would still be working towards a better life, but if I chose myself over her... ’Then what?’ I didn't know enough about Kim to be Kim. I was Chase in a Kim-mask and costume. It was easy to play off that I had no memory before the storm, but I did have memories. ’Would it have been easier for me if I had woken up not remembering who Chase was? In the event that Kim was dead, me not remembering Chase would mean his death too, then who would I be?’ I'd still be this family's youngest daughter and sister. I couldn't hold myself up anymore. Not because I was feeling dizzy or weak. Kneeling with the sink at shoulder level, I just didn't want to chance looking at myself anymore. Those scars kept making me wonder what happened, how I got here, why this girl, why me... With a punch, I painfully snapped my knuckles off the edge of the sink. Hissing in pain and regret, I’d clutched my clenched fist, but looked down without focus on the floor. I propped an elbow onto the sink and pulled myself back up. After one look at my hand, I knew my skin over the knuckles broke and I bled. ’Was this really me being angry or did more of my impulsive behavior come from this 'Teenage Spirit' thing?’ Again, could be the wine or just tired. Also, Greg wasn't the only one with a lot on their mind. ’Maybe instead of a shower, I should relax in a hot bath?’ It always calmed me down. At least, it had calmed me in Dr. Anstone's office and mainly when she was the one in there with me. In comparison, being with her felt simpler. I had a routine that was entirely supervised and managed by her. I supposed she really did take good care of me. ...Like a pet. Before I undressed, I turned the tub faucet on hot and ran my bleeding hand underneath before the steam started. Then I got to work removing Dr. Anstone's shirt and sweats. I tossed them on the far counter and went to take care of commode business. Plan was, I'd shower quickly. After all, Brittany was waiting to talk with me. One flush later, I waited a moment for the water temperature to right itself before hopping in and switching on the shower. I had to adjust the temperature again so I wouldn't have scorch marks from the jetting streams. Going through the works, I got regularly cleaned up, but didn't hop back out just yet. Thinking about Brittany had me tempted to do something. Looking down, I raised my hands up to my chest. Not to cheat, I exhaled and stopped breathing, holding my breath to leave my tummy completely concave, thrusting my chest up and out, and finally pulled my palms up tightly against my perky mounds. They did a little more than just fit in my hands, and I didn’t want to try squeezing them until they did fit in my palms, but in comparison to every other busty woman I've seen... ’Why did I care if they all had bigger boobs than me?’ Letting go, I shut the shower off and got out. I was a little angry at myself for groping myself. Especially since my hand started to throb from my violent stupidity earlier. That should have taken precedence over getting a feel on these mammies. Grabbing a towel, I began by drying off my hand to get a look at how badly I had messed it up. The knuckles were going to bruise and maybe swell. I squinted down at my hand for a moment. I took a quick glance at the mirror. My hair wasn't black like the family. Brown, dirty to light sandy blonde, some white from what I assumed was the lightning’s fault or overstressed, but the point I didn't see until now was that this was my hair. Chase was light blonde. I have been here for over a month and the range of brown to blonde hairs were still coming out. ’Was Kim transforming into me or were we already mixed and this androgynous person in the mirror was the result? How could I tell?’ "Shit. Is it me?" ’Was this a reflection of a girly Chase or a boyish Kim?’ I had to compare. I needed a photo of Kim before the lightning hit her. Instantly, I unlocked the door and ran out of the bathroom at top speed. I nearly slipped on the kitchen tiles in my hurry, zipped into the living room, and threw open the brown door to speed into the hall with the three colored doors -- -- and slammed right into Greg. I expected him to be still downstairs. "Whow!" We both cried out and I fell back. His reflexes were definitely out of this world by catching me instantly from falling flat. "Sorry, I was in a hurry." He pulled me back upright and held me steady until my feet were good to resume their dashing. "Yeah, I see that." After Greg said that, he took a step back and let me pass to open and jump into my room. Searching for a photo took me a minute or two. I guessed I didn't take many pictures of myself… Kim hadn’t. Certainly a lot of boys were on the inside of my door. It took me booting up the PC for me to find a photo of Kim. I took one look and confirmed it without a doubt. "We're mixed." That would explain a bit of why I didn't have big knockers like the rest of the family too. ’Why hadn't anyone said anything about that? In fact, why did Shelly lie about me resembling a grandmother? Kim was the same as they were with equally sized breasts, black hair, tall, and everything. Identical. "What the fuck?" Shaking my head, I couldn't get around what the deal was with this world. They had to know something was wrong and didn't bother telling me. Looking at this photo, at least I knew that Kim really was eighteen. ’But why did everyone keep that from me? Was it because they feared I would be too shocked?’ I shut the computer off and looked away. That was when I saw I was no longer alone in my room. Brittany was standing at my door. Again, I nearly forgot about her wanting to speak with me, but now I had something very important to ask her. "Why didn't anyone tell me?" "Tell you what?" She looked confused for a moment until I answered. "How I've changed. I'm nothing like I was." My sister straightened up at the door and shut it behind herself. With a click, she locked it too. A jittery nerve was triggered by that sound and I thought of Dr. Anstone’s office. "I guess you found a photo." I patted the PC. "Ugh. Dumbass." She shook her head. After a sigh, she sat herself down on the floor in front of the door. "No one in this family is to blame. The hospital ordered us to keep it quiet." "Ordered? As in, they didn't think it was a good idea I found out?" That pissed me off and it was rising in my voice. "I don't think so. They ordered us. It was in their best interest to silence us." I backed down a bit. "What? How could the hospital do that?" "Why not? The Chancellor and State can do whatever they want." That made me pause all of my emotions for a split second. ’Did she mean we were ruled by a dictator?’ Immediately, I thought of Hitler and his governmental regime. "Brittany. What will happen to us if it gets out I've -- this to that?" A kind of sad smile formed on her lips. "This was why Mom didn't want you to come to my shop." ’Probably why Shelly lied to me too.’ I was wrong to have assumed about Shelly's reasons for keeping me at home. "That's why I wanted to speak with you." A slight tingling fear climbed up my spine. "Wait, before that. Can I ask you a personal question?" I was really afraid of the answer. ’Could I be wrong about Greg and the former Kim?’ "Did Greg have a thing for me before this?" Her head yielded down a little and she stared at me. "What do you think? Back then, he could barely tell us apart --" "Shut up." I shook my head. Imagining him having slept with this body made me feel ill. It wasn't exactly this body. Not after, but before the transfer or exchange... I shook my head again. "He didn't sleep with me, did he?" "Ahhh... I guess you don't find him attractive anymore?" Cringing, I shook my head. "Then you might want to cease running around butt-nekkid." One look down at myself and I freaked. I cursed myself for having only two arms to cover everything. Then I cursed myself again for not having a head on my shoulders. In my panic, I fell out of the computer chair backwards, rolled over and up on all fours to scramble across the floor, climbed haphazardly up my bed and pulled the covers off of the mattress in nearly the same instant to wrap myself up in it. After that, I sat down on my bed and scooted back to be a sitting living bundle of blanket and sheets. The whole time, Brittany was laughing her ass off the floor and walking to the bed. She sat down with me and quickly took the opportunity of me being completely cocooned to hug me. "You are far too cute to be my -- my little sister." There was an uncomfortable heat rising higher and higher in me. I have become the sum of pissed, frustrated, humiliated, and abashed to the point of blushing the hottest and brightest red I've ever felt or displayed. If my head wasn't so surely secured, it probably would have popped off with the great steamy pressure. "W-w-what di-did you w-want to t-t-talk about?" I squirmed a bit to dislodge her and she relented. Sitting back, she spoke with her laughter calming down. "Heh... Haa... Well, I wanted to ask if you are good with twenty bucks a photo?" I shook my head and stared at her in confusion. "I thought we couldn't go to the shop?" "I can. All I have to do is bring what I need back here." I got it now and nodded. "Then, I don't want to be paid. You need the money to move across the river, right?" She scooted in close against me and stroked the top of my slightly wet hair until the fine inchlong threads were slicking back with each swipe of her hand. She soothed the tension out of me and I began to calm down. "Kim, the you I remember would have tried raising that twenty to something ridiculous and working me to meet somewhere in the middle." Leaning down, she laid a kiss on my forehead and whispered. "I really hate myself for saying this, but I love this you so much better than how you were." ’Was I a bitch or something?’ "What was I like?" She lowered her face down a bit to stare me in the eyes. "Greg couldn't tell us apart. Does that give you a hint?" I was like her. Not a bitch, but I could understand the tension between us two wanting and acting the same. We would have been stepping on each other's toes on purpose. Now I wasn't a competition, but a cute and fascinating marvel for Brittany. With a nod, I told her, "Yeah." "You still want to work for free?" My vow still held, so I nodded. "Alright. We could work something else out." After learning so much already, I've come to a decision with what to do about how my life was now. "Brittany?" "Hm?" I hesitated for a moment, but worked up the courage to continue. "I know how you could pay me."  Her face lit up with interest. "Go on." If I understood correctly, I was kinda under house arrest by the state until told otherwise. That could change if I made a change. They were worried about me being compared to how I was. What if I chose to be someone else. "Do you really think I could pass for a boy?" Her eyes widened for a second, then narrowed down at me, her laughter almost transformed into a witch’s cackle, and she was giving me the most wicked smile...

Distraction   Chapter 13: Moving On...   Once I was dried off and out of the bathroom -- this time all wrapped up -- I headed for my room. Everyone had vacated the living room, but when I entered my room, Brittany was there. "Uh, can I get dressed first?" "Sure, but I need your measurements first." It took me a second to remember why. "Right now?" "Why not? Both of us are here and you're in the perfect dress for me to tape up." She pulled out a roll from her coat pocket and spoke in the tiniest voice behind the band of measuring tape she was unrolling. "See? Ready." I inhaled slowly and shut the door behind me. Leaning against the door, I exhaled just as slowly and nodded. "Okay." In the moment, I removed the towel and set it off onto the computer chair's back. When I turned to look at Brittany, she stared down my body with a frown. "He did that?" I looked down to where she was looking and plainly nodded. "Did you show Mom this -- this morning? Before Jeremy showed up?" I hesitated. I'm pretty sure my pajama top covered most of the bruises, but not my knees. "Some, I think." I quickly brought my hands up, to stall her thought. "Please don't tell her. I don't want this getting any worse." I remembered how Greg reacted and knew that this could get a Hell lot worse than it already was. I begged, "Please?" She didn't move or change a single thing in her expression as she looked at me. It was like she was frozen in thought. Then I noticed she was staring at my hands. After her shocked expression dropped, she nodded. "I won't tell either of them, but I'm having a word with Jeremy. Personally." "Not him either!" "Yes I am. We can have a civil talk." She plucked at her coat, "I've more than just the material to show off my maturity." This was the first time I've seen Brittany act this way. I've seen this behavior before. There was a temper underneath, but it was kept bottled up and waiting for the right person to unleash it on. Like I was when Chase, but I always let it out on the only person I cared about. "Please just -- just don't go off on him." Her brow raised at me and I saw her facial features soften. "I won't.” After seeing how she looked upon the discovery of my hands, I doubted that. “I promise." Her gaze dropped down to her hand, and she raised up the measuring tape. "Shall we?" The fun mood she was in had gone because of me, but she was still invested in accomplishing this task. I did agree to help her, and the only way would be for her to gain the right measurements for the correctly sized clothes. Standing still, I followed her instructions as she leveled herself up, down, and all around me with the length of tape. It took several minutes, her having to mark down the numbers and text them in her cell afterwards. Each time she measured me, I felt her fingers lightly touch places I didn’t know were sore or aching. When she knelt down to the large drawer of my bed, she pulled it open. Without emotion in her voice, she said, "You can get dressed now. I'll be out to gather up the sets. Be back in a few hours, okay?" ’Hours? To cross a river?’ I kept my mouth shut and nodded as I knelt down by her side to find something from the drawer. "Might want to wear another pair of PJs. Everything else you own will give away your current shape to Mom and Greg." Looking over the variety, I had to agree. "Thanks, Brittany." Her hand ruffled my short hair for a few seconds. Then she pulled me into a hug. "You're my -- you’re my little sis. I'm going to do whatever I can for you." She stood up. "Greg's job was to protect you. My turn to get vengeance." Then she stood up and stormed out of my room before I could protest. "No..." In haste, I pulled out a pair of PJs and got dressed up as quickly that I could. Running out of my room, I hurried through the living room and kitchen to jump outside. I knew that Shelly had a car, but I never saw Brittany drive or any another vehicle hanging around. She stood by the curb of the street. I jogged down behind and called her. "Brittany!" Turning, she faced me and smiled. "Shouldn't be out here." I yelled at her. "You promised just to talk!" She cringed. "I am. Keep your voice down." Walking to my side, she pulled me against her in a one armed hug. "All we will do is talk. There are ways I can hurt him without it coming back to bite us." "How?" "I'm not going to fuck him anymore, if that helps." My face dropped any expression I had before and I only stared at her in disbelief. "What? You thought he was only attracted to you?" I shook my head and broke out of her hug. "Do whatever." As I told her this, and about to head back inside, she began to laugh. I looked over my shoulder at her. "I'm kidding." She muffled herself for a second before restating, "I'm kidding. We never did anything together." That just pissed me off. "What the Hell? Why -- really? You're making fun of me now?" "Mhm. Better to be angry with me than someone you're not sure about." ’What the Hell was she talking about!?’ After this, I didn't care what she did so long her promise was kept. "I'm going back in. Do whatever." I heard her laugh one more time before I shut the door behind me. I had stopped for a split second in the kitchen, then turned with my head bowed to watch where I was walking before turning around again. I paced, shaking my head. "This family is fucked up." Clenching my fist, I faced the sink's counter and slammed my knuckles down onto the solid top. Hissing through my teeth, I stood still and waited for the flare of pain in my hand to finish its course before backing away. My throbbing hand was cradled while I walked back to my room. Sitting down on the edge of my bed, I thought about Jeremy. ’To start off my thoughts, a prince? Royalty? Our own family having a connection by blood? Did that make him a distant cousin or something?’ It all felt overwhelmingly unreal to me. I fell back on my bed, holding my hand against my chest while still stirring my thoughts around that peculiar subject. "How did it work?" I asked myself about my world and what royalty persisted there. All I've ever heard about was the English, which was a messy family tree of royal claims to the crown up until the King Georges. I knew there had to be others with royal bloodlines running around the world. Those who were too far from the direct line to be recognized anymore or had done something deserving to be shunned out of the spotlight. Maybe they didn't have any holdings or were so down in their luck that they flipped burgers for a living, but they existed. Laughing, I wondered if that was how Burger King came into existence. In that thought, I also wondered what the Ondine family had done to be banished. Becoming an exile doesn't happen without reason. I rolled onto my side and laid curled up. ’What should I do?’ It sounded like there was a way to make amends for my stupidity last night by marrying the guy. Problem was, he's a guy. I might have the body of a girl, but my mind was still Chase. I liked women. I know I enjoyed the sight of a woman's body and they never failed to bring the warm morning sunshine up in my pants. At least online. Never had been with a real woman before. Except Dr. Anstone.  I wasn't Chase with her and I didn't have the same view like I did before. In fact, I felt nothing until she was knuckle deep in me. Maybe a little before that, in the bath, she stirred something in me, but it was all forced out of me. Just like how I felt when Jeremy did what he did to me... ’Right?’ I got up from bed and walked to the computer. Sitting in the chair, I grabbed and piled the towel on the corner of my desk while I woke the monitor up. The chat with JC and me was still displayed. Taking one look at my status, it still showed I was offline and I kept it that way. I was tempted to look at the previous conversations that Kim had with Jeremy, but I didn't care about it anymore. Instead, I was interested in exploring something that worried me a little. Bringing up the search engine, I began cultivating a crop of the many women who had their naked or intimate images uploaded onto the internet. There were a few I found to be of interest, but it didn't really push my buttons in any way. ’Maybe I was still in too much pain from letting my anger out on the sink?’ Not like I had recovered much from last night either. Closing my eyes, I tried picturing both my past and current self with these women. The kind of acts that we would do together. How much fun and excitement our sexual encounter could bring. Letting out a sigh, I guessed it was an okay series of fantasies. It might be better if I was touching myself, but not now. Not with these damaged hands. Shaking my head, I ended the search and got up from the computer. The other notion I had to look up disturbed me too much to find out the answer. I was into women and that was all I planned to be interested in. Walking out of my room, I took note that no one had yet to make a noise in the house. ’Maybe I was home alone?’ I doubted it. Shelly's car was still out front, at least that was when I last checked. Looking at Greg's door, I contemplated giving it a knock. A pair of acute spikes of pain in both of my hands told me that was not a good idea. "Hey Greg? Are you in there?" I heard a soft noise, like something brushing along the floor. A few sounds of his footsteps later and the door opened. He looked down at me. "How are you holding up?" I shook my head and lied, "I'm good." He was too big for me to see around him at what his room looked like. "What are you up to?" "Bored?" I shrugged. "Did you want to play some pool?" My hands wouldn't be capable, so I shook my head. "Not today. What about your suggestions on getting me in shape? You have an idea what I could work on?" I had to take a step back as he walked out of his room with the door shutting behind him. "Let's go sit in the living room." I turned and led the way out until I sat down on the couch. He took a seat next to me. "First thing is first. Water. Lots of water. Keep yourself hydrated before working out." "Won't I get cramps?" "That's the second thing. Diet. I want you to take stock of nutrients and what they do for the body. The more you learn about that, the better your body can respond to whatever is thrown at you." I suppose that made sense. Kind of like how ginger root was good for upset stomachs and such remedies. "Sounds like my biggest workout is a mental one." "Only at first. Once you have it all planned out, then just follow it. That easy." Greg clapped his hands down on his thighs. "I'll fit you in a schedule, but I'll need you to study up until then." "Okay." Something else was on my mind. "Do you think I could learn some self-defense while at it?" He was quiet for a few seconds before I watched him nod. "Yeah. I'll ask Brittany to teach you that." That was a surprise. "You don't know any?" "I do, but it's for someone built like me. You don't fit that package." ’What kind of self defense relies on someone his size and not work for somebody like me?’ I didn't ask, but I did nod in accepting Brittany to be my potential instructor. "Sure. I look forward to her giving me a lesson." We smiled and he stood up. "Alright. You hungry?" Last I recalled, stromboli was the last thing I ate. I gave him a nod. "I'll cook something up." "Want me to --" I paused and pressed my hands down into my lap gingerly. "Never mind. I'll be --" "Why don't you check up on Mom? I'll call both of you when it is ready." Nodding, I stood up as he walked out into the kitchen. Taking a moment, I wondered if it was a good idea to talk with Shelly after the conversation we had with Jeremy. I didn't want it brought up, but I wasn't sure what else we would be talking about. I guessed there was only one way I’d find out. To her door, I called for her. "Ah... Mom? You in there?" ’If I didn't want to pretend anymore, should I really be calling her my mother?’ It would hurt her if I stopped. I sighed while I listened to her steps approaching the door. When she opened the door, I saw she was in mid-dress. A long dress, skirted long enough to curtain her long legs fully, but she wore only a lacey blue bra above. I had the full view of her bosom's outlined shape and how gravity would play with them once freed from her intricately designed lingerie. Through the lace, I could even make out the darker shades of her flesh boldly pointing at me. Issue I had now was I didn't feel a single tickle of excitement in me and these huge knockers were literally in my face! Closing my eyes and rubbing the spot between them, I shook my head. "Mom, why are you changing?" That had to be it. I'm associating her as Mom. ’It's weirding me out, right?’ "I have to make arrangements for later." ‘Arrangements? For what, later?’ Opening my eyes back up, I took a look at her with curiosity. "What arrangements?" "Dress. Remember, the invitations will come and I want us to be ready." It's not today! ’Right?’ "When is it?" I dropped my hand down to cross my arms over my stomach. "Please tell me it isn't going to be soon." "I don't know yet and that is why I'm getting ready in case it's sooner than we expected." My shoulders dropped and I tightened my grip around my waist. "Can I not go?" She went silent. Then, without me registering it right away, I fell into her embrace and was hugged against those massive cushions on her chest. "Let's discuss this in here." I don't think that was a choice as I was pulled immediately in with her. The door shut. "Okay?" No real idea what that was about, but she stopped being pushy once the door closed. ’Just a guess, but maybe Greg saw us and she didn't feel comfortable being half naked?’ She directed me towards the bed. "Sit down with me." ’Again, what choice did I have?’ She dragged me down to sit and I watched her sigh before speaking. "You and Jeremy were together --" "I'm not Kim!" ’How many times did I have to go over this? Did I really have to bring out the Crazy Card here?’ "Please, I don't know who she was with or who she ever was. If I keep pretending to be her, are you going to be happy knowing that I'm just an actor?" She shook her head, and pulled me against her chest again. Her hand smoothly stroked over the short bristling hairs on my head down flat while she gently shushed me. I shuddered a breath and relaxed a bit on her. "Mom, I'm sorry --" "You're you." Over my head, I felt the press of her lips a few times as she whispered into my hair. "There’s no reason for me to quit being your mother. Neither should you quit being my daughter." I dropped my crossed arms to lay them on my lap.  "I just don't want anything to do with him. I -- I want to forget him and last night." There was a poke on the top of my head. It took me a little bit of time to figure out she was resting her chin on my head. "That kinda hurts, you know?" "Sorry." She rubbed her chin in. "That better?" "Ow, no!" I ducked and wondered what she was doing that for. "Really? How about this?" Suddenly, I felt the tips of her digits lightly dig into my side, but shifted away from that spot to rapidly attack me in a tickle. I broke up in a little light laugh while begging her to, "Stop!" When her arm moved more tightly around my injured arm, I winced, but kept very quiet about it. I knew what she was doing -- getting my mind off last night -- just that her method was flawed. She wasn't fully aware of my condition. In a few seconds, she did stop when I didn't raise my laughter. I smiled, but I felt it too late how strained it was on my face. "Hon, it won't be bad to go." "What happened to me keeping out of public?" "This is private." ’I knew the meaning of the word, but what did that mean to all of us?’ I just nodded and resigned myself. "Fine." Shutting my eyes, I hanged my head down and leaned against her while wondering what could go wrong at this party. "You're not going alone. All of us are -- the whole family was invited." I opened my eyes and looked up at her. ’Why did I feel like there was hidden meaning in her correction?’ A little 'but' somewhere in there. "That's a good thing, right?" After I asked, I was hugged fully by her then. "Only if the men behave." Men. In other words, Shelly worried about Greg and Jeremy going at each other like a pair of wild lions protecting their pride. It was very easy for me to picture both of them as lions, one with a black mane and the other red. ’I guess that would make me a golden one?’ I shook my head to get the furry-fluff out. "Do you want to help me arrange outfits?" I supposed. There was somethings I could be doing right now, but the idea that I could be of some help did appeal to me. "Yeah." She broke her hug and allowed me to stand back up. I curled my fingers up into the sleeves to hide their injuries while I helped hand her clothes to sort out and decide upon wearing. This experience gave me a little insight on what Shelly wore often, which was more business attire. Everything was business with her. "Don't you have, I don't know, more girly clothes?" "Girly?" She plucked up her skirt to show me. "I'm not borrowing your father's clothes here." To add emphasis, she shook the obvious skirt. I shook my head. "Not that. Uhh... Pinks and yellows, with some light blue to compliment the colors? Polka-dots? A ribbon? Something other than the Agent Smi-- I mean, both you and Brittany, even Greg, wear suits. Jeremy came here with a suit on." "Yes?" She shifted her eyes to the clothes and then back to me like there was absolutely nothing strange about this. I lowered my head and shook it again. "I don't want to wear a suit if I'm going." That caused her to raise a brow. "What do you want to wear?" I bit on my lower lip for a moment to think about that. When I let go of my lip, I told her. "Let me find out first what Brittany is bringing over." "I heard about that this morning. What are you two up to?" A sheepish grin crossed my lips. "Uh, we are doing that photo shoot here." She gave me an intense look. "I thought I made myself clear yesterday?" "We're doing it in here. No one knows who I am by looking at me." I gave her a clear picture by gesturing at my face and down the rest of my figure. "When she comes home, tell her I want to have a talk before she does anything else." ’Did I just get Brittany into trouble?’ In haste, I spoke out. "It was my idea. I wanted to wear some other clothes than what I have been." It wasn't entirely a lie. "Please let us --" "Enough." Her hand shot up and pressed a finger straight across my lips. "I understand and will consider it. Right now, nothing will change until that brat comes back." Never heard Shelly call Brittany that before. Then again, I might have a little over a day's worth of being with this family. I had a lot to learn. Her finger pulled away from my face. "Okay." Looking over the clothes she had laid out so far, I had to ask. "Are you ever hot in these?" "No." She paused to look at me in confusion, then nodded. "I see that you need some education." A sigh left her lips. I've noticed a lot of sighing or head shaking today. "The material keeps in our body temperature." That's called being insulated. "When we begin to get hot, then the material cools us off a degree or two." "How?" "Simple. Your body is at a currently a comfortable temperature and remains monitored for adjustment." ’Monitored?’ "I'm being watched? Through my clothes?" I watched her laugh at that. "Not watched. No one is looking at you. There is a program that regulates everything." A program. I'll have to figure that one out. "Has there ever been a glitch and toasted somebody?" "Don't you think what you wore would be burning before you did?" That was a good point. If it started getting too hot, I'd remove something. Especially if it started smoking.  That partially explained one mystery. I gave my sleeve a small pinch and imagined I was crushing nanobots the size of skin mites in the threading.’Maybe I'd see a little plume of smoke?’ Doubt it, but it was a fun thought that made me smile. One knock on the door later, we heard Greg say, "Lunch." I blinked and thought about it. I guessed I did miss breakfast. Shelly pulled on a matching pair of black tops, a blouse and jacket, to cover herself before heading for the door. "Thank you Greg. Be out in a minute." She turned to look at me and smiled. "I'll make a call tomorrow about what we can do for you and school." "If they don't want me in school, why not homeschool?" ’Like hire a tutor or taking some online courses?’ Thing was, I didn't like those ideas very much.  A tutor gave me a little fear of them repeating incidents like at the hospital. Everyone had their own quirk and didn't appear to be afraid to show it. Then there was online school, which would just drag out all day in my room and being on the computer by myself would tempt me to browse the web or play games... I didn't want to wedge my foot into that door and return to being a reclusive hermit. "We will find out. I'll give them a call and hear what they have to offer. Sound good?" She finished buttoning up her jacket as I nodded. "Hungry?" "Yeah, actually I was talking with Greg before he started cooking. Then here I am." Nodding to me, she opened the door and waved for me to come follow her out...

Bonding   Chapter 16: Heating Back Up   Standing and holding onto the back of my computer chair while I watched Brittany work on my computer, I saw her with the video she had extracted from her suits. It surprised me at first. Apparently there was a camera or something like one in the buttons on the coat. It made me wonder if that meant there was a chip or circuit board hidden within the button. Likely not. I had a feeling it was more minuscule, like the tiny things that monitored our temperature. That had brought an interesting question to mind. I recalled Shelly telling me no one was watching us through the suits, but this proved otherwise. "Brittany? I'm a little confused." She paused cycling through the frames of me trying on one suit after another. She curiously glanced over her shoulder at me and smiled. "What's on your mind?" The smile on her face made me smile back in return before I continued. "Mom told me about how," I gestured down at myself in the current suit, "These monitor our temperature. She told me no one was looking at us." She rolled her eyes. "I suppose that is true. It's not like we are being watched Live. They are recordings. Remember I said they can be used to prevent crimes?" I nodded. "These suits I have, they're rentals. A lot of them are because of how expensive they are. Which means, when they are brought back to any shop, these little buggers tell us everything." She taps on one of the buttons on her clothes. That still feels incredibly wrong. “Really handy when someone damages my suits and tries denying it.” "Who's allowed to watch?" "Not me, but I never let that stop me." She looked back at my PC's monitor and unpaused. I just shook my head a little. Hearing she did something that wasn't regularly done didn't surprise me. "I would say, only those who are permitted. There are no agencies or departments that have the Official Okay to do that. Watching these would have to be granted by a post." "A post?" I tried to figure that term out. ’Did she mean it like a job position?’ "It's a security detail in the military branch. These suits were originally designed as fatigues and experimented with our troops." That made a whole lot of sense. I think many things we took for granted back on my world was first tested as a potential project in our nation’s army. That gave me an idea. "Could you make fatigues?" "As a suit?" Her head was bobbing side-to-side while she thought about my idea. "I don't see why not, but why stop there? I could use the colors of the rainbow and make a maelstrom of patterns." "Like tie-dye?" "Huh?" Brittany glanced at me again. "What was that?" "Tie-dye." She shook her head. That made me wonder if it had been discovered here. ’Surely it had, but maybe it was given a different name?’"Um, when you -- a shirt, tied up in a knot, is dipped into a -- I'm not really sure how to do it. It's got a lot of colors on it and has a circular or spiral pattern when you unknot the shirt." "That sounds wicked." She nodded and returned to the monitor. "I'll look into that. Maybe if you remember what the stuff is or I find out, I'll hang up some tests out front." A tad of happiness fluttered in me. Maybe I cheated a little and brought something of my world into this one, but it was a beautiful piece and Brittany liked the idea. Colored clothes reminded me of the photos on the computer. "Hey Brittany, when you have a moment, could you check out something on this?" With a pause on the video, she nodded. "What am I looking at?" "There are photo's of -- well, me before this." I had been about to point up at my face, but Brittany was facing the monitor now. I watched as she began to open previously browsed folders for the photos I was talking about. "Okay. Which ones do you want me to look at?" I pointed at the one where Kim was leaning against the fence. My curiosity about the photographer was still there. "Do you know who took that photo?" I leaned over a little further, taking in the details of Kim on the screen while my eyes strayed to the background of that mansion. "Uh, this photo?" She shook her head. "That's not Kim." In surprise, I turned and looked away from the screen to face Brittany. She kept looking at the photo. "It's not?" "That's an old photo of Mom." Looking back at the photo, I could see how I would’ve easily have made that mistake, but that made me wonder how many of these photos are of who here. ’How do I tell Shelly, Brittany, and Kim apart?’ Now that I thought about it, I probably still didn’t know how Kim appeared before the lightning strike. "I can't tell any of you apart." For a second, Brittany turned to just look at me. I glanced at her for another second before actually facing her. "What?" "I thought -- no." She shook her head. "I’m sorry, I thought you actually found a photo of how you looked before. These school photos... but all the ones with -- where? Where am --" Something was wrong with her. As she returned to speed through the gallery of what I mistook for Kim's photos, I saw the signs of her breathing harder, upset, and her features more strained like she had seen something disturbing. She stopped browsing through Kim's computer and stared at down at the keyboard. Something was whirring in her head. "Brittany?" I backed up a bit to give her some room. ’Did I say something to piss her off? What was she like angry? Do I really want to find out?’I had to find out at least what was wrong. "What did I do?" “Not you. Nothing’s wrong with you.” Something in her tone of voice made me disbelieve that. I heard her take in a shuddering breath and watched as she leaned her head back to look up at the ceiling. "I'm sorry. I'll see you a little later." The chair was pushed back and she stood up. Quickly, she was gathering the clothes on my bed and placing them without care into the bag. I had no idea what was going on. Either I missed something big or she flipped her wig. ’What should I do?’ Figure out what happened would be a good start. ’Was she like this because I mistook Mom for Kim? Why?’ I tried to think of something that could have been the reason, but my mind was a blank. ’Maybe there were photos missing?’ It could have been pictures of us. ’Was there some sentimental ones gone from Kim's PC?’ I could’ve guessed that Kim and her might have been lovers too, like Greg. ’Were those moments lost?’ I couldn’t believe that if Brittany had her own computer and these suits recorded practically everything in our lives. I had to find out what happened. Before she could leave the room, I dashed to do the door to block it, but crashed my shoulder into the door in my stumble. I leaned into it for support and realized I managed to block it all the same as planned. "Brittany. Tell me what I did so I know what to be sorry for." She stared at me and I could tell she was angrily seething, ready to spill something scathing hot out. About what, I didn't know. We kept quiet for a minute or two before she breathed out more slowly and bowed her head. The bag was dropped on the floor. Her eyes closed and she had shaken her head. "Brittany? Please tell me?" After I pleaded, I finally saw how her lips were trembling. "Please, I'm sorry, but I don't know what I did." I looked at the computer. "Was it because I didn't know that was Mom?" Through a hoarse voice, I heard her speak without facing me. "How old do you think I am?" Taking a moment to appraise her, I had originally guessed she was in her twenties since she had not moved out of the house. "Twenty-five?" I hoped that was a bit more on the mark. "Add ten to that." ’Thirty-five!?’ That did make me wonder how old Shelly was. Wait, she'd been living with her parents that long... ’What the Hell, why am I judging her for that?’ I'd been doing the same with Mom for nearly the same amount of years. Brittany had Chase beat by two years, but in comparison, she's doing a Hell of a lot better making a living for herself than I was in my former life. That didn't explain why she was upset. "Thirty-five. What does your age have to do with this now?" She lifted her gaze to me. "How old are you?" Everyone keeps saying Eighteen. I shrugged, "Eighteen?" "How old is Greg." He's the same age. "Eighteen." I took a moment to think. "I've been meaning to ask. Are we twins? Fraternal, but still -- I mean, you don't have to answer that now." I don't know why I was being casual with her. Whatever was going on right now was more important than my stupid questions. She shook her head. "No. You're not twins." I watched her nod and approach me. "You figured that out. Figure out the rest. Let me out." ’What was that about?’ I opened my mouth to ask, but she yelled. "Let me OUT!" I took a second and then moved out of the way. She wasn't looking at me. Her crystal blue eyes had welled up with tears, about to cry. At the very instant I was out of her way, she rushed past me, unlocked and open the door, and stormed straight out of my room. Looking out, I saw she didn't go to her room. Following after her, I wanted to know what was going on. I nearly ran into Greg as he came out of his room. "What's -- what happened?" I shook my head, but didn't stand around to try and explain. I continued after Brittany and heard the heavier footfalls tailed right behind me. "Brittany!" I flinched when he yelled over my head. When we reached the kitchen and saw she was about to head out, Greg passed me. He nearly plowed right into her as he shot his hand out to slam the back door shut. I stood back and watched, not sure what to do. "What's wrong?" Greg leaned down to get a look at her. As she stood still, I saw she was still facing the door, not acknowledging Greg at all. He pressed his face against the door to look at her, and then followed her face when she tried looking away. He kept trying to get her to look at him. "Tell me? What happened?" She shook her head and I heard her shuddering a softly hummed noise. She was crying. I've only seen someone like this once. Mom was so upset about Dad getting kicked out of the house, even though she was the one who did the kicking, she wouldn't tell me why she was upset. Just, she became this silent person. Anything afterwards, no matter what it was, she would bottle the turmoil up and leave. I had guessed to let it all out someplace where I wouldn't be witness to it. I had wondered, if some of my own faults as Chase would have not existed if Mom had opened up. In our own ways, we were both shut-ins. Not anymore. Now that I think about who I was as Chase and was now, I wasn't caring about many things back then. I didn't care where Mom went or did to get whatever I had done off her chest. "I'm not that person anymore." Looking at Brittany, I couldn't hold it in any longer. Immediately, I went to the both of them at the door and grabbed to pull Brittany to me. For a few seconds, she turned and seemed about to struggle, but I grabbed her around the waist until I could manage hugging and holding her. She’d have to drag me out the door if she still intended to leave. I kinda hoped Greg might join in and keep her anchored for good. I looked up and saw that Greg gave me a grin, but he turned to lay an arm around the back of Brittany's shoulder to weigh her down to the floor as he started to squat. I supposed that was another way to anchor her. She was being pushed down, and I had to adjust my hug until she was facing me at my level. We all were huddled down on the floor. We three siblings stared at each other in the odd circle. Me looking kinda up, Brittany keeping her gaze down on the floor, and Greg still trying to catch our sister's attention. It might’ve been a good idea if I could’ve had a chance to tell Greg what we had been doing. He might’ve figure out what was wrong with Brittany or what I did to upset her. I decided not to say anything about it now. Good idea or not, it was better to have Brittany tell us on her own. I needed her to let it out here and not someplace else. Especially when I didn’t know and could accidentally set her off again. She still faced the floor to try keeping us from seeing her cry. I tightly shut my eyes as another idea popped in my head. Greg wasn't doing it, as I knew he would be more fitting for the role, but I know this would shock her out of this funk. Taking in a deep breath, holding it, and blowing it slowly out before I start feeling dizzy, I let go of her and stood up to observe Brittany avoiding Greg. While he tried to get her looking his way, I watched for my chance to grab her attention, literally. Grabbing her cheeks to hold her steady, closed my eyes tightly shut, and went in for the plunge. I full on kissed my sister. Gradually, when I heard no protest or felt any fighting, I peeked from one open eye, then the other, opening them up to see her wide open eyes staring right back at me. I had to push this further. Letting go of her cheeks, I wrapped my arms around and slipped behind the long flowing black hair, over her shoulders, brushing off Greg’s arm, hooked the back of neck, and then locked my arms while we remained liplocked. Our kiss had been pulled together more tightly and I parted my lips just a bit. If I wasn't right about Kim and her being lovers, this was going to end awkwardly… more awkwardly than it already was for me. I could hear her sniffle harder and feared she was about to struggle again, but she didn't. Those tearful and wide eyes had softened. Then her lips responded with a little movement over mine. Right now, I tried my best not to think about our blood relation. It was a strange one, considering I wasn’t truly Kim, but this was once her body. Our sisterly blood would be the same. I couldn't help it. I thought about us being related. Still, I tried to be a fucked up incestuous sister for her. Just for this moment she really needed me to be one. When the strain left her face, I began to relax my arms around her and had lightly brought my lips away from her's. I wanted to ask her if she felt better. Instead, she embraced me tightly and pulled me straight back into that kiss. ’What now?’ At least this wasn't with Greg. I shuddered in revulsion at the thought of kissing him like this. There was an amused look in her eyes at my shudder. Behind me, I felt her hand rubbing through the coat I had on until she ran up to the back of my neck. She pushed her lips harder onto mine while, kept me still with the back of my head held, and I noted the sensation of both our lips parting. I felt the slip of her tongue push inside. Wine. I remember that taste. ’Did she drink that regularly?’ Might’ve explained why she was so giddy almost all the time. ’Was she an alcoholic?’That thought had not occurred to me before, but I would certainly ask about that after this. Maybe ask Greg or Shelly, not her. I don't want to risk bringing her mood down again… ’Maybe she’s bipolar like Gregory?’ Well, I wasn’t going to be asking anything while being tongue-tied. With a light lick, Brittany traced her tongue up my lips as we broke our kiss. She smiled, our faces close enough to return to kissing again if she chose to. Her eyes closed and I felt her nuzzle her cheek along my scarred one. "Thank you." This was a really weird and wrong way to get my sis to calm down. I was going to reply, but I still had to catch my breath after that breathtaking episode between us sisters. So I nodded softly, rubbing her cheek as gently as I could, and hugged her back just as tightly around her shoulders. A sigh escaped her and that hand in the back of my head began to stroke up, combing fingers through my short hair, and petting me. "Unless you want to, I think it is best that Greg takes over from here." I felt myself pinkening with every word she had said because I knew what she meant by that. ’If they were going to be doing that, was there a way I could leave the house so I wouldn't hear them?’ "Which is it going to be?" Recovering my breath quickly after being asked that, I told her. "He's all yours." That caused a bark of laughter from Greg. Brittany pulled back to look between the both of us. "I wouldn't mind bringing two beauties in bed with me." My pink face had escalated to red hot and I shook my head. I heard him chuckle. "Then, you okay now Brit?" Her eyes looked away from me to him, then glanced at me. "I'm not. It's getting old." I felt her shoulders softly shrug my arms up and off. "I'll get over it like -- I guess this isn't usual." A grin popped up on her face and she quickly gave me a peck. "Thanks again." I wanted to know what happened back there, but it looked best to drop it. The two would do their own thing and I had best hide someplace until that blows over. "Any place I can go?" Her brow quirked up at me. "I'm sorry, but I don't really feel comfortable hearing you two." Greg spoke up. "Ah, um... basement would drown us out, but you'd still hear -- yaknow. The floor does creek with our combined weight." My stomach did a flip imagining that sound. "Do you trust me?" I blinked and stared in confusion at Brittany. "So far, so good. Why?" Not really sure what she had in mind, but if it started with trust being an issue, I was a little worried. She took a breather, which was a red flag for me, and said, "You two were in love once --" "NO!" I broke away from the huddle on that note. "He won't try anything. Not after what I did." That caused me to pause. ’She told me they only talked, but what else did she do?’ My eyes drifted down to her battered knuckles in wonder. "Wait, you visited Jeremy?" I saw Brittany cringe and slowly nod to Greg. "Why?" Instinctively, I pulled my arms around myself to be a little smaller. "Could we talk about this a little later?" That coming from her only spoke of how she wanted the mood to not be spoiled too. She looked back at me. "He won't do anything." I shook my head. "I'd rather stand outside and wait for one of you to get me." She sighed and nodded. "Eventually, you will have to see him again. The longer you two stay apart, the harder it's going to be when that happens." I began to nibble on my lower lip as she made that point. It was like confronting a fear. The more I thought about it rather than facing it, the worse I imagined the whole scenario. Clenching my eyes shut and taking a really big breath, I nodded. "Fine. Okay." I opened my eyes back up. "I trust you." I felt like I caved too easily, but I had to take in mind how bad she was a minute or so ago. I was sure she needed my trust in her more now than I needed it. "I'll give him a call and you can either keep wearing the suit or find something else in your room to wear in the meantime." I had forgotten what I was wearing until then. Honestly, I was going to keep wearing this because my alternative was PJs. No idea where Kim's clothes were hidden yet. We all got up from the floor and gave each other one more hug before Greg decided to yank Brittany away from me. She yelped, laughed, and then gave me a farewell wave. "I'll call before this big guy does anything." I slowly nodded and went to sit down in one of the kitchen's chairs. I watched them disappear into the living room and heard the faded sound of the door shutting. It had been only a day. One day. I was going to be willingly returning to the man and place that I had suffered. At least, I thought I would be going to his place. ’Maybe he would do a car ride around the city and call it a night when Brittany texted when it was safe for me to return home?’That sounded a lot better than hanging out at his house. There was some kind of knot lodged in my throat and a severe swollen pressure built up in my chest when thinking about this. My chest felt worse, and it was growing heavier. Anxiety that made breathing difficult. In my stomach, it didn't feel all that great either. I was afraid how this was going to go. I needed to calm down. Settling in a chair with a glass of something to drink would be a good start. Remembering where the glasses were, I got up to grab one. I didn't want water. Every time I drank water, I got drowsy and conked out. The fridge was searched, which contained plenty of ingredients for cooking, but not fluids. I checked the freezer just in case if the family froze their juice. All I would need to do was melt the juice into a glass. There was the pitcher of wine. If it was frozen… actually, I didn’t think alcohol froze, but the juicy ingredient in it might’ve. I remember it didn’t affect me at all when I drank it yesterday. Should be safe to drink. “One way to find out.” I took it out and removed the lid.  It was clear. This wasn't the wine from yesterday, but it sloshed around like a liquid. It looked like water, but certainly couldn't be or it would have been frozen solid. One tiny sip from the pitcher and I knew it had alcohol in it. A lot… a Hell of a lot. A shiver ran through me at the taste. It was something I would definitely describe as, 'Ick,' but it might get better. ’I mean, wasn't that how it worked? The more drank, the better the taste got, right?’ ’Did I want to be drinking this before going with Jeremy?’ The last time I had drank something… we drank something and I was raped. There was a difference between then and now, though. Back then, I was tied to a bed, in his house, after having experienced a painfully physical and emotional torture, and I wasn't aware of what he could be capable of. Now I knew better and had Brittany's trust in him not doing anything. Plus I had both a ferocious big sister and a still furious big brother knowing where I’d be if something happened. ’Was it worth the risk though?’ Not just drinking being the problem, but being with Jeremy over my issue with hearing my brother and sister getting it on. ’I'd feel disgusted, but would that really be worse than how I'd feel with Jeremy?’ It was too late now. In the spur of the moment back there, I had made the decision. A mistake, maybe. I had Brittany’s well being in mind back then. “Right. I didn’t want to see her crying like… like when this all started.” The freezing pitcher was held and set on the table, the glass beside it. Pouring the glass, I saw how the liquid was pure and clean. It actually appeared more pristine than any water I've seen. Before I did anything, I remembered that night I first came here. The lightning strike. ’Or were there more than one strikes? Was that possible?’ I clearly remembered more than one clash of thunder, but that wasn’t what disturbed me about that night. It was a beautiful stranger who looked down at me with so much concern and worry before she screamed at what she saw. Me...  Leaving the full glass and pitcher sitting at the table alone, I walked out of the kitchen. I didn’t want to go through with this and I had to tell Brittany not to contact Jeremy. I just kept thinking about what would happen if I was hurt again. ’Would I see Brittany like that again?’ The moment I was in the living room and near the doorway to the hall, I heard them. I was in midstep when I completely froze and listened to my brother and sister. They weren’t talking, but I heard their voices. They were telling me exactly what they were doing and how much those two were deeply involved. I backed up. After I heard enough to change my mind again, I returned to the kitchen. I sat back down at the table and lowered my head. The glass had already started forming a film of condensation. Laying my arms and crossing them on the table, I laid my cheek down and watched the condensation collect enough on one spot before it welled into a droplet. The weight of it had caused the droplet to slip down the side and leave a clear trail behind before settling on the table. Picking the glass up, I wiped the water off the table and sat up straight. I hesitated placing the glass back on the table. Taking a deep breath, then exhaling, I decided to drink and get my mind off of… off of everything. The taste was strong with just a sip. I felt the icy-fire wash the lump in my throat down and cool whatever was swelling in my chest. ’Would drinking this help that? Would my anxiety go away or make things worse?’ I was certainly going to get a buzz off of this stuff. I thought about finding out how I felt after I drank enough. ’Who knows, maybe I could relate with Brittany then?’ I sighed and decided that I might as well find out personally. I gulped down a good bit of that stuff and shuddered at the taste. It left my tongue and gums numb. Down my throat felt as if I had drank something hot enough to burn the nerves off, but chilled down to the frozen core of my stomach. The drink hit bottom and I felt the fiery-snowball melt and burn me up. With that first one, I took a second since I figured with a numb tongue I wouldn't taste anything nasty anymore. Nope. I could still taste it. "What the fuck am I doing?" The glass and pitcher were pushed away from me on the table. I couldn't take this. I knew I should be laying trust on Brittany, but she got what she wanted. An 'okay' from me so she could get fucked. All I needed to do was disappear for a little while and come back. ’If I ran out, would Jeremy call them up and ask where I am at?’ This was a huge mistake. "I'm fucking stupid. I'm fucking stupid." Sitting upright, I faced the ceiling and began to feel the cool streaks of tears run down my cheeks. I was scared. I knew that without a doubt. It wouldn't matter how much my family told me not to worry, I couldn't stop being afraid of what would happen to me and how everyone would respond. Despite my intentions to change, I was burdening everybody. I shook my head and wondered why Brittany ever suggested I go with him. It had been one day! Not even a whole entire day. What he did to me wasn't just fresh in my mind, but physically inside me too. ’If I wasn't such a recluse in my previous life, maybe I wouldn't be such a pushover in this life?’ "Fuck it." I grabbed the glass and poured more. If I was going to endure this bad trip, at least I'd literally be out of my mind while doing so. Then I saw the beam of light cross the outdoor window. I gulped down another glass and waited. I didn't bother to get up. Leaning gently down on the table, I laid my head into the crook of my elbow and watched the door. If he was coming to get me, then, "Come and get me." I wiped at my face to clear the tears off before he saw me. After a little while, the beams of light flickered and a shadowy figure appeared at the door’s window. There was a soft knock. A minute went by and another knock before I saw that red headed bastard look through the window. The door opened...

Intoxication   Chapter 17: Boiling Point   Jeremy held the door open and looked in, at me for a moment, then through the kitchen for anybody else. He was dressed, but in a different suit than the one he had on this morning. ’I wondered if he thought I looked ridiculous in this outfit? It was designed for men, right? Did that really matter?’A suit was a suit. ’How different were the outfitted genders between these sets?’ A pair of pants versus a skirt. That summed it up. He had a poker face. ’What was he thinking coming here? Seeing me? Did he think that I'd be waiting for him with open arms for him to take me? Why did he agree to take me after knowing how much I hated him? Did he know that?’ Maybe I should’ve made sure he got the message before he left us today. With a choked back sob, I told him. "I hate you." ’There, that should do it, right?’ I flinched when I could hear Brittany voice carry all the way out to the kitchen. ’Guess Greg couldn't wait any longer before getting rough?’ For the moment, I laid a hand over top of one ear, then both ears to muffle the noise. Jeremy, he was looking in the general direction of the living room. He probably heard them too. After he figured that out, he dropped his gaze back down to me. I watched and kept still as he approached. He crouched down by me. "You want to stay or go?" "I want to go home." That was the first time I've seen him confused. Oops. I guessed I would be confused too. Probably best if I’d shut up. "Do you consider this your home?" The way he looked at me was a bit like last night. He inspected, observed, a look that told me he was reading whether or not I told the truth or lied. My eyes shut and I buried my face into my arm. I didn't want him looking at me and I certainly didn't want to see him anymore. His hand, I felt it run over the back of my shoulders. "You don't, do you. You're a stranger still... Or rather, this world is a stranger to you." I couldn't help it, I laughed and nodded into my arm. "Must be hard. You are lucky not to be alone." "I am." I didn't mean to speak. My lips tightened, then trembled, and I decided to bite down on my bottom lip to keep my lips sealed and still. This guy was a living lie-detector. Anything I said could be taken the wrong way without knowing the crazy part of my story. "Where is Shelly?" I could tell him that. Releasing my lip, I told him. "Left to go see Dad." "Would you look at me?" Rubbing and wiping my teary eyes onto my arm, I shook my head in rejection. "Please? It will help." "How? You just want to make sure I am not some lying bitch." I felt my eyes water right back up again. I pressed my face hard into my sleeve to dam myself. "Yes, for now. Honesty is very valuable. When in a world like this, who can you trust? How can you trust your family when they are strangers to you?" Without really thinking about it all that hard, I had to concede he had a point. I lifted my face, but didn't face him yet. "They care about Kim. That's who I was and that love has transferred to me. Whether I wanted it or not, I am thankful for them being there." I finally looked back at him. "I would do anything for them to be my family." "Yet, you don't consider this your home." I clenched my teeth as I heard that. I was conflicted. I missed Mom and hated how twisted this world was compared to mine, but I truly wished to keep what good I've been gifted with here. "I can't explain it. I don't belong here." After thinking about how my life was before becoming the Ondine family's daughter, I knew I wasn't deserving. That was one reason why I tried to become someone better. "I want to belong here. To earn my stay and keep." "Yes you do." He rose a little, leaning in, and took a hold of me by the waist. I was pulled to stand on shaky legs. "You're not going to walk." ’Was that a question or statement?’ "I can wal-- Hey!" He lifted me and once again I was cradled in this man's arms. Right up against his incredible chest too. "I can walk. Also, I never said I'd go with you." "I never asked. My question was, did you want to stay or go." That was the same damn question! ’Wasn't it?’ I shook my head to clear that question in my thoughts and reviewed it. "Stay. I want to stay here." "They might get loud." ’They weren’t already? How much louder could they get?’ ...I didn’t want to find out, but at the moment, I didn't really care about what my brother or sister did anymore. "I can deal with it." His lip curled into a little smile. "Very well." I sensed the motion of us walking… him walking. Taking a look around, I made sure he wasn't taking me out of the house. No. We went straight for the basement's door. "They'll be muted, but the house won't. I've heard the floor cry with their joy many times down here." He must have been in this house often. ’Did he use to stay in the basement? Why would he when he had a house? ...Mansion? Palace thingy? Anyways, perhaps he didn't own one yet and stayed in the meantime?’ "Did you use to live here?" After opening the door, he was careful on descending each step down to the basement floor. "For a few years until my trial was concluded." ’A trial?’ After last night, I wouldn't be surprised he got into some trouble. "What did you do?" This might amuse me to hear what he was accused of. "Treason." That wasn't expected. It made me wonder for a moment. "Was it because of my -- this family?" He nodded. "What caused them to be kicked out of the family? What did you do?" On the basement floor, he kicked something and the lights flashed on before he walked further. “Jeremy?” He didn’t look at me until I felt the world spin and sensation like I’d jumped in the air. I had to scan around us to figure out all he did was spin quick and sit heavily into a seat. I looked down and saw we sat on a recliner. While he laid me down in his lap, he answered me. "First, know that my father is King. He would be your first cousin." He did a little uncertainly nod/shake, "Twice removed?" That made me wonder what Jeremy would be to me. ’How did that family tree work again? What relative did we share? I think, if it was twice removed, that would be a Great Great Grandparent?’ "Ha," I laughed, "At least what we did wasn't incest." I was caught by surprise when he showed me a genuine smile. Not that straight lipped nonsense, but one that showed a happy expression on his face. "We couldn't marry if we were related that way. Having children like that -- it would cause an issue." I rolled my eyes and pointed at the groaning ceiling above us. "Brittany can't get pregnant." That was a sobering revelation. "Why not?" "Not my place to tell anyone." ’Did he actually care about privacy?’ I supposed he did. I remembered how he didn't want me looking at the conversations between him and Kim. "Speaking of children, have you decided on a name for yourself?" I shook my head. "No. Kim won't work." "What about Beryl?" My brow rose in confusion why he’d chosen that name. "It comes from Kimberly. It fits you." ’Beryl?’ "Whatever. I'll take it." I closed my eyes for a moment to envision being called that name by everyone. It felt strange, but that was because the names I’d become familiar with were no longer me. I'd have to get used to it just like everything else in this world. Leaning my head against his arm, I got a whiff of a rich scent coming off of him. It was very different from the sweet perfume I had become accustomed from the women I’ve met so far, but this was good too. It wasn't what I remembered he’d smelled like last night. I knew his masculine scent. This just covered it up. Recollecting his scent reminded me who he was and where I am. I shouldn't be laying in my rapist's lap. I tried to do get off, but all I managed was a curl up. "Want to get up?" I kept silent as I felt incredibly dizzy sitting up on his lap. I wanted to stand and move away from him, but I felt like I was about to blackout. "Where do you want to go?" He lifted me up to stand, but he stood too and had an escortive arm around my narrow waist to keep me steady. I wanted to tell him to get away from me, but if he did, I would absolutely fall. "I drank too much… whatever that was. I want to lay down." "You could have remained where you were. I didn't mind." I shook my head and then regretted shaking it as the world spun out of control. "No. I --" I remained silent as I knew I had fucked up big time drinking that without knowing what it was. I really was out of my mind now as the basement kept rotating. At least I accomplished getting my mind to be somewhere else, but I didn't expect the experience to be anything like this. My head was light, as if I didn't push it down someplace, it'd float away. I lowered my head, wanting to find some ground to plant it and keep anchored. Jeremy held me back from lowering myself and pulled me against him. I didn't know what he was doing until I felt his chest support my cheek and forehead. ’How should I react?’ For me, I felt so much better when he held me against him, but at the same time I didn’t want him touching me. He was the reason for my suffering... and, yet, at the same time he's trying to help me. Slowly, he assisted me with walking towards what I think was either a couch or futon. Maybe both. For a moment, I thought he was going to lay me down, but nopr. He laid down, pulling me down with him. Correction, on him, where I could feel the entire outline of his rock hard body beneath me. That missing sensation I tried so hard to find in women, I found here. Breathing hard and harder, I broke out of his hold and pushed up just enough to look down at him. "I'm not attracted to men. I don't like you." He stared at me and slowly rose a grin at me. "Liar." "I hate you." After a second, he nodded. "Yes, you do, but you also like me." I needed to get off of him and now. "I'm not fag." Even if it hurt my head, I shook it, rejecting the idea I was into men. "Dressed and fashioned as you are, we could fool plenty." I stopped sliding off of him to simply glare down at this infuriating man. What I wanted to do now would be stupid. Really fucking stupid, but I had not shared an ounce of the pain he delivered to me yet. I balled up my fist, thankful for the drink I had at least numbing it. Then I socked him in between the legs. I flinched at feeling that and even more glad to have my hand numbed. ’Still, if I felt that, what must it have been like for him?’ I took a moment to watch. A delayed grunt, a wheezed groan, and a hissed breath left him. His eyes closed, huffing out his breathes harder through his clenched teeth. He had a great deal of tension in his jaw muscles, enough for me to hear a crick. When he showed me his green eyes again, I felt a shiver run up my spine. He was angry at me. I figured he would be, but the thing was I now had a regret that I could relish for just one moment. Without ever breaking away from glaring at each other, I resumed slipping off him. When I touched the floor, I discovered I couldn't stand up. At least I was finally off of him. "You try to hurt me and I'll scream." Once I said that, he shook his head at me while making a funny face from the pain he was in. "I've told you, I'm done. I won't." He took a moment to breathe slow and steadily. "I may regret that, but I will not hurt you ever again." "Does that mean I can keep this up?" I rose a fist in the air to hover above him. Instantly, he sat up and grabbed my wrist. In that moment, I thought he was going to go back on his word. That he would retaliate and hurt me. I opened my mouth to scream, but his other hand shot up to silence me. My mouth was in his grip and that triggered me to began fighting back. In a rush, he pulled me back up, scooting and laying me back down on the furniture with him. I didn't lay on him this time. He turned me around on the bed so Ilaid on my side and he on his behind me. His hand on my mouth remained while he was busy pulling my fist back down. We remained like this until I stopped struggling and trying to make my voice be heard. He let go of my mouth, but he kept a hold of my arm. When I tried to resist him again, I felt my arm be tugged back behind me. “Stop. I know how this will feel and I don’t want to lock your arm up.” My elbow was gradually bending, which gave me the impression I knew what he was about to do. I’d seen plenty of police officers do it before. I asked him, "What are you doing?" "Keeping you from hurting yourself." That made me laugh. "How am I doing that?" I squirmed a bit to get away and he let go of my arm. I flexed and inspected my arm in front of myself before he pulled me against tightly against him. I started squirming again to get out of his grasp. "Let go." "You test me. I can tolerate a lot, but that is not boundless. You push me too far and I will have enough of an excuse that Greg or Brittany would look the other way." Halting my squirming, I took that into consideration. I did just hit him and threatened him with more violence. ’I was out of my mind, wasn’t I?’ "I'm sorry." This night was getting out of control. Before that, last night was chaos. No... Maybe when I first woke up in the hospital was when everything had begun spiraling out of my grasp. Not understanding what had happened, who I was, what family I had, where I lived now, and all the many unknowns that continued to pop out at me without warning. I was lost. The both of us were quiet for a few minutes. That silence lasted a little longer until I relaxed by laying my head down on the cushion. His arm pulled and squeezed me. I breathed out a soft sighing sound from being constricted in his restraining arm. I asked him, "What?" "I would like to have you tonight." ’Was he being serious?’ "No." I had my eyes shut again and softly shook my head no. After feeling how wrong of an idea that was to shake my head again, I laid my head back down on the softness we laid on and hoped the spinning would stop. In a groan, I said, "Never." "Would you permit us to sleep together?" ’How was that any different?’ "It is getting late and I've been busy all day." ’Oh, he really meant sleep?’Us, together being asleep... I sighed and felt I might regret this. "If you don't touch me --" "I won't hurt you." "No touching." I had to make that perfectly clear with him. He was quiet for a little bit before speaking again. "If you accept Beryl as your given name, I won't touch you." That didn't sound bad. I was already resigned to accept that name anyways. "I'll accept." "Good. Now then," his arm was removed from around me. "I'll let you down again so I can unload the bed." I sighed again, but this time in relief of the freedom he gave me. "You mean futon?" I rolled gently off the cushions to stand up… and remembered that wasn’t possible by falling onto the floor. Picking myself up onto all fours, I looked and carefully crawled to the recliner. While I leaned against the foot of it, I inspected myself to be certain I hadn’t damaged this suit. He replied with a, "Yes," and stood up. The couch was opened up and he began making the bed. While I sat there and watched, I took note that Jeremy removed his coat. ’When did he do that?’ Then his shirt came off… no, it vanished. ’...Huh?’ "Why are you undressing like...?" "Do you enjoy being tangled in your clothes in the morning?" That did make me smile and I shook my head… and once again regretted drinking. ’Oh, I think maybe I figured it out?’ I watched him very carefully, holding my eyelids open to not blink, and discovered the mystery of the vanishing clothes. I was dozing off without realizing it! Reflecting back on his funny question about tangled clothing, I answered. "I guess not?" He removed all, but a pair of boxers. I shut my eyes and tried dozing off on purpose so I wouldn't have to see the marvel of his body. It sickened me that I would feel that tempting allure to his physique. Unfortunately, when I didn't look, it only made things worse by envisioning him in my imagination and adding the remembered warmth, scent, and touch I experienced last night. For a moment, I was confused when I felt something on my coat move around. I opened my eyes and caught him fully opening my coat. In a sharp tone, asked him, "What are you doing?" "You told me. Tangled clothes, remember?" Once he said that, I shook my head, got angry at myself for shaking my head again, and sighed in frustration. He pulled me forward by the opening of my coat enough to slip it the rest of the way off of me. "I meant to agree with you, not to condone being undressed like you are." In response, he looked and gave me his genuine smile. "You won't be undressed like me." ’What did he mean by that?’ I didn't feel anything at first, just stared obliviously up at him in wonder on what he had meant by what he stated. I tried straightening back up against the recliner, and that was when I felt his hands down around my waist. I shot my hand down, but he had already yanked my pants down my legs. I curled down after my pants, but he just tugged my pants the rest of the way off. I reached down to try grabbing them back up, but he swiftly tossed them aside and out of my reach. I balled up my fast, digging my nails into the palm of my hand like claws, and jabbed a finger at him. "You said you wouldn't touch me." "I haven't. Your clothes are all I handled." Clenching my fist tighter, I so wanted to punch him right there and now, but I dropped it. No amount of drinking would ever curb the frustration he gave me, let alone any violence. "Leave my shirt alone." I tugged down on the tail of it to cover my bare ass and hips. I needed to get Brittany or Shelly to find me underwear. "Very well. I would caution you, one slight turn in your sleep could lose a button or two." When he said that, I thought about how much these suits might’ve cost. Those recordings that were in the buttons and what kind of expense it would be for Brittany. I felt like cursing, knowing that it would be better to just deal with the risk of losing a button or two. ’She'd understand, right?’ That wasn't what I wanted. No burdening others was my new motto and I was sticking to it. I didn't want to trouble her or anyone with anything, especially expenses. I took a deep breath and glared up at him more sternly as I began to fumble with slipping the buttons off. "Changed your mind?" "Shut up." My voice trembled. Jeremy raised a hand for my attention and I gave him a look, knowing he was offering to help me, but I silently refused him by continuing to do it myself. It took me a minute to find my way out of the shirt. "Beryl. I will have to touch you." He nodded towards the bed he had prepared. Cringing, I nodded. His hands slipped under me and lifted. My bare skin against him had begun to burn with the memory of last night. When I was pulled against his great chest again, I felt the impression of his body heat and unintentionally savored the warmth seeping into me. This was foolish. I felt so damn stupid for accepting any of this. ’He might promise not to do anything, but why couldn't I sleep someplace else? Why did I chose to default being in bed with him?’ I should’ve protested and explained that I had a change of plans or that he could pull out another futon or let me sleep on the floor or… something, but I didn't. When he had laid me down and under the covers, I watched him as he slipped in underneath the covers with me, and I was pulled and held against him once again. This should have been a part of the 'No Touching' agreement, but I curled down against him, rested my head on his chest, and closed my eyes. A memory of what Brittany told me a while ago about falling asleep with a pillow held in my arms and between my legs would somehow ease the burning in me. I didn't have a pillow and I wasn't about to try it with this man. At least, maybe not while he was awake. I could stay awake longer than he could, I believed. He mentioned being tired. I was just drunk. Really fucking out of my mind too… with my head against his chest, I heard the pounding of his heart, but I was trying to listen to his breathing, waiting for it until it came out slow and calm. Waiting and listening for when he’d fall asleep. Then I would feel more comfortable about finding my own rest. Laid with him, I waited for his excited heart to settle...

Patriarch   Chapter 20: The Lion's Pride   There was something strange felt on the tips of my fingers. I traced over it, again and again, until I was awake and aware enough to know what I was touching. Skin. Except the skin was rough… Aware as I was, I knew Brittany was the only one in bed with me. Very gently on the bed, I adjusted myself to be more aware of how I was positioned. In my sleep, I must have rolled over on top of her. As I opened my eyes, I looked and confirmed that to be the case. The sense of warmth from her body was enough for me to know better, but I just had to be certain it really was her. If my hand was on her skin, it felt odd. I expected her skin to be smooth, not rough. So I had to look. From my view, I watched the rise and fall of a bosom much larger than my own. Beyond those hills was a woman still deeply sleeping. As I had thought before, she likely had not gained a wink of sleep while with Greg last night. She didn’t appear to be the age she said she was. I still thought of her being in her twenties. It was possible she was pulling my leg, but when she revealed her age to me, she was not in the kind of mood to be joking around. Looking over her body, I’d say she was doing a damn fine job keeping herself in shape. When I thought about it, I should give ever more compliments to Shelly for doing that much better of a job. I thought, ’Maybe we have really good genetics?’ But then there was my hand, which had slipped up and under her shirt to roam freely over her now bare midriff. The skin I felt… I wondered why she felt like that. Looking down our bodies, I saw between us the explanation: scars. That was when I remembered Jeremy mentioning she couldn’t have children. ’What happened to you?’ I silently wondered. I had seen the star shaped scars across her collar and a portion of her chest during my mock-modelling session. Those were gunshot wounds. Lifting my gaze back up, I stared at the woman who was Kim’s elder sister. My sister. A person who I knew very little about was here, now, leaving herself completely vulnerable to somebody that could be considered a stranger. ...And yet, she obviously had experienced being hurt before. ’How can you trust me so much?’ I knew she loved Kim. That love transfered to me. Maybe not in the same way Kim had, but I would love her back. I would absolutely become as devoted a sister to her. If she was being here and there to comfort me, I would do the same. Right now, I thought we slept long enough. At least, I had, and I believed Brittany would appreciate sleeping either on her own or with someone who had at least taken a shower first. “Yeah, I stink,” I said to myself -- -- and woke her up. She gave me a grin in response. “Say that again and I’ll start calling you, Stinker.” And after she announced that, her grin grew into a wicked one. I grinned right back at her for a second before rolling off of her -- -- but she pulled me back. “Aw, leaving me so soon?” She gave me a pouty face and asked: “Am I really that terrible in bed?” For a moment, I didn’t think before I said, “I wouldn’t know what you’re like in bed.” And as her wickedness transformed into naughtiness, I realized my poor choice of words. “I-- I mean, I don’t, ah… hey, I really need to clean up before --” “Before what?” She raised her face up and close to mine to hear what I had to say in response. “…” Which was only a silence and wide eyed reaction to what I feared would be next. That had only broke her up into a fit of giggles. “Oh my God, you are just too cute!” She sat up and gave me a comforting hug. “Having some fun with a woman isn’t bad, you know?” I whispered, “I know.” “...You know?” She raised a brow at me and said, “Spill the beans.” “Ah…” I wasn’t sure if it would be a good idea to talk about this, but she narrowed her eyes at me. “Um, okay, well, when I was hospitalized --” “Wait, the hospital!?” It slowly appeared on her face, a seriousness that entirely destroyed that carefree nature of hers. “Who was it?” That I didn’t want to disclose. Dr. Kimberly Anstone helped me get back on my feet. To me, I thought I could forgive those nights I was raped by her in exchange for the good she had done for me. So I shook my head and kept my silence. In response, I watched her tight lips turn white before she began to slide off of the bed with me in her arms. Once we were both standing, she let go of me, but slipped her hand around mine. Then she said, “C’mon.” In confusion, I asked: “Where…?” “Upstairs, now.” And I quickly followed her directions. While we climbed the stairs, I gradually began to hear the sounds of people walking on the other side of that door leading to the kitchen. If I was correct in my assumption, I had guessed there was cooking going on. Upon the door opening, it was revealed I happened to be wrong: groceries. The rest of the family was unpacking bags and putting everything they bought away in cabinets, cupboards, fridges, and freezers. At least, they were until us girls popped up out of the Underworld. “Mom, can we have a moment?” Brittany spoke directly to Shelly, but quickly gestured at me and then instantly cut through the air to point outside of the kitchen towards the living room. At that time, I was silent and not paying attention to how Shelly reacted. I was too busy looking at two Gregs and trying to figure out which one was the older one. If I could find an elderly feature, I would know who to call Dad. They were both the same height. Same faces too. And, of course, both had giant, well-built, physiques. ’What the Hell is with this family? Do they give birth or clone themselves?’ As I thought about that, I realized there was a chance that theory might not be so impossible. I’d yet to understand how I was the same age as Greg without being a fraternal twin. When I felt my hand being tugged, I knew I lost my current opportunity to discover the patriarch of the family. We walked into the living room, but didn’t stop until we had entered Shelly’s room. Our mother shut the door right behind herself before I heard the faint, but for me, loud click of the door being locked. While Shelly looked as if she was assessing what stance to take for this mother-daughter discussion, I was being guided to sit down on the end of the bed. Once I sat, Brittany turned and immediately got in our mother’s face. “You said everything would be fine!” I had involuntarily winced at her shouting, but I supposed Shelly was used to her daughter’s mood swings. She hadn’t even flinched, and calmly stated: “I’m listening. I’m not going anywhere.” Brittany silently stood… Correction, she was huffing in frustration, but she did keep her mouth shut for the moment. I believed that she was calming herself down before another word would come flying out of her mouth. At that time, it was sorta difficult to tell how calmed she was when her back was all I could see. But she didn’t shout this time. “She wouldn’t tell me who did it.” If I hadn’t already known what she was talking about, I would’ve considered that to be too vague for to be comprehend. “I was aware.” And that was why I was more surprised when Shelly apparently sounded like she did know. “While we were…” She stopped talking to look over and around Brittany’s shoulder at me, then resumed to speak. “When we picked you up, Dr. Anstone told me everything she had done to help you.” My shoulders dropped. In fact, I thought the floor felt like it was rising up to meet me as I lowered myself down to stare up at her in disbelief. For clarity, I had to ask an incredulous question. “You mean to say, she did that to help me?” Before I could get my answer, Brittany obviously was satisfied to get hers. All she said was, “Dr. Anstone,” before she tried for the door -- -- and Shelly blocked her. “I’m not leaving, and that goes double for you.” With that said, she gestured for her oldest child to sit by my side on the bed. “Please?” But she didn’t join me, and yet, there wasn’t another attempt for the door. The two silently faced each other for awhile. As I watched, I noticed Brittany’s shoulders were shaking as they slowly rose and fell. Then I heard her breathing. A trembling sound that had me remembering when she had cried last night. Our mother welcomed her daughter into her opened arms. Brittany leaned in and was immediately embraced. While I listened to my sister trying to muffle her sobbing into Shelly’s shoulder, I was perplexed by this family. Searching for answers, I restrained the temptation to raise my arm up like a curious schoolgirl. Instead, I remained speechless and contemplated the differences between being sexually assaulted by Dr. Anstone and Jeremy. By law, I knew nothing could be done about him, and there was also the fact that he was attempting to make up for it. ...No, I was wrong about that. He was seeking absolution for torturing me, not raping me. ’So what’s the difference between a doctor and a prince having done this to me?’ All I did was watch. Because I knew how difficult it was to settle Brittany down, I couldn’t interrupt. ’Maybe later, I can ask about this?’ Crossing my arms, I hugged myself and continued to be quiet until the two separated. Brittany turned around and walked toward me before slipping down beside me on the bed. At last, I wasn’t the only one hugging myself. She pulled me in, then raised a hand behind my head to press me cheek down onto her shoulder. “I’m sorry,” was what she whispered to me. A second of confusion went by before she cleared that up with, “I should’ve been there.” Now I understood why she was upset. She was fanatically protective of me. “Britt, you...” I wanted to say that she couldn’t always be there for me, but that felt wrong. Instead of saying that, I closed my eyes and said, “I love you.” I felt her shudder a breath just before she tightened her embrace around me. I let go of myself and hugged her back. My hands felt along her shoulders, then down her spine, and around her waist. Seeing with my hands, I pictured the scars on her body, and compared them with my scarred face. In a strange way, we might’ve been closer sisters than what Kim and her ever were now. But that was only a guess. I still didn’t know what kind of person Kim was, and I might never get to discover that secret. Especially since it sounded like her computer was wiped of all photographs. ’Who knows what else had been destroyed?’ That discovery had upsetted Brittany… At least, I believed it was those photos that set her off last night. Now wasn’t the time for me to find any kind of answer. On the other side of the bed, I felt our mother reached to embrace the both of her daughters at the same time. I supposed she knew now was the time to be together. At least us girls. As for the guys, I guessed were left out of this for a very good reason. Us, a big bed, and them would lead to a completely different kind of togetherness I’d rather not be thinking about. Before Brittany spoke again, I felt her calm down and gently slip out of our hugs. “Mom, why did she tell you and not me?” That question was curious. I thought, ’Because she’s our mother?’ I was fairly certain Shelly had more of a right to know these things over Brittany. But then again, I was still very new to this world. At least our mother had a good answer. “We both know why.” As she said that, she reached out again and took a gentle hold of Brittany’s hand. “You would’ve hurt yourself again if you’d gone.” One puzzle piece clicking in place later and I got the impression how my sister wound up with those scars. I wondered, ’How often does she fly off the handle and go after somebody?’ And now, I felt like I was a little monkey trapped in the middle. I wasn’t sure if I should hug again, slip out and away, stay where I sat, lay back and relax, or say something. I wasn’t catching on what I should’ve been done in this situation. After a moment to consider my options, I decided on saying something. So I quietly asked: “I don’t stink, do I?” Right on cue, Brittany cracked out a laugh and said, “You don’t stink, Stinker.” But Shelly stated: “You do need a shower.” Okay, I meant that to be a light hearted joke, but now I had to wonder. “...So I do or don’t stink?” They both said, “Take a shower.” I got my answer to that question. Slipping out from the between the two was easier once they stood back up. Brittany was the first to make it to the door, unlock it, and open it up for me to exit into the living room. Across the living room, I saw the two Gregs were still out in the kitchen. They were having a conversation. Both of them sounded similar, but the one on the right, back leaned and rested up against the sink’s counter, had a raspier voice than the left Greg seated at the table. I placed my earnings on the one on the right being the father. To test my gamble, I walked past the two, but said to my left, “Hi, Greg.” To my right, “Hi, Dad.” And just before I disappeared into the bathroom, I turned to look over my shoulder and saw them both wave at me. That looked like a good sign that I was right on the money. I closed the door and threw the shirt off onto the counter. Finally, I managed to find the time to clean a busy night’s worth of sweat and more off of me. Despite the white noise of the shower, I could hear the entire family either moving around or speaking to each other beyond the bathroom door. I was curious what they were discussing, but first things were first: cleanup. Once I finished, I could go out and see what all the hubbub was about. And, perhaps, I could learn if this father figure would be any better than the one who abandoned me and Mom. I thought about that on how Shelly responded to the phone call fiasco, Greg’s silence, and the elusive reaction from Brittany when Gregory was brought up. ’Is he bad news?’ That was a worrisome thought. So far, it appeared everyone was getting along fine with him. As I thought about the other members of the family, I looked down at myself. For some reason, I felt envious of Shelly and Brittany being so much bigger than me. Honestly, I shouldn’t feel that way… I was a guy on the inside. Emphasis on was. There was still a lot of discoveries to be made before I could understand anything about what had happened to me, or I supposed in this case, what was going on. It was becoming clear that my mental state and behavior was shifting away from what a man should be thinking and more towards something more feminine. ’I mean, I really am thinking about how much better it would be to have big boobs? Seriously!?’ It was a ridiculous thought. I sighed, shut off the shower, and stepped out to find a towel to dry up and tie around myself. Before walking out, I made damn sure the towel was on me. There was no way I would be repeating my last streaking episode with a whole party just outside the door. At long last, I opened the door and stepped right on into the kitchen to more formally meet my father. “Hi again,” I said, and kept on walking to indicate right now still wasn’t a good time to talk. Around these guys, even the women, I felt more comfortable being dressed. So I went straight to my room to find some ‘jamies. With my bedroom door closed, I went to that huge bottom drawer and pulled out a red pair of pants and blue shirt this time around. The next time I talked with Shelly, or maybe Brittany, I really needed to bring up about expanding my wardrobe. Wearing nightwear all the time really felt like I was asking for something to happen to me. ...And I seriously was not a fan of Brittany’s suits! Not again, unless I absolutely had no choice. Fully dressed, I quietly padded on bare feet out of my room and traversed through the living room to see what everyone had been up to. With a smile on my face, I waved at everyone. As I wasn’t certain if I should give Gregory a hug, I first asked: “What I miss?” When he did push off and away from the counter, I took that as my cue and walked over to him. There was a bit of surprise on his face when I did hug him around the waist. He didn’t immediately hug me back, but after a couple of seconds, I supposed he got over his shock and finally hugged me back. I thought, ’Maybe there was some tension between him and Kim?’ The father answered me by saying, “I missed you.” “And her dinner,” came from the mother. Right over my head, he exasperatedly replied: “I showed you --” “I know, I know, but you will make it up to her. Understood?” After hearing that, I must have missed something that would’ve been in my interest. So I looked up at Gregory, and with a soft voice, I asked: “What’s going on?” He smiled down at me, gave the top of my short haired head a pat, and stated: “When we are allowed, I’ll take you out to eat at any place you want.” That sounded like a treat, but I wasn’t familiar with any locations around here or anywhere. With that fact in my thoughts, I responded with, “I think I’ll need help choosing a place.” And without looking, I instantly knew who it was cackling with laughter behind me. But Gregory looked up and away from me, eyed each of the family, and let one arm go to pointedly state: “No, no, and absolutely no.” His head tilted as he glared before saying, “Britt, don’t give her ideas. If she wants help, she’ll get it coming from me.” Him and his son sounded like they both had a firm stance and resolve. So far, other than the rasp in his voice, I was going to have a difficult time telling them apart. That was, unless they dressed differently like Shelly and Brittany had done. Unfortunately, suits continued to be the dominant trend in the household. After another moment, I finally let go of the sharp dressed older man. I stepped back to pull out a chair for me to take a seat. I did have a question for my Dad, and I asked it. “How much different do I look?” It was a trick question. That was because I knew the other family members were doing a fine job keeping Kim’s appearance a secret. “As beautiful as ever.” It would figure he’d say that. In response, I sighed and nodded. I wasn’t going to find any answers here. Then again, I hadn’t searched everywhere. I’d yet to enter either of my siblings’ rooms. I saw yesterday that Greg was rather shy about me peeking into his room. ’Does he have something to hide from me?’ In an instant, I decided the next time Greg was out and about, I’d sneak in behind door number one before I attempted to explore door number two: Brittany’s room. At least, so long as those doors weren’t left locked up while they were gone. Formerly being a single child, I never experienced what it was like to have siblings, but I heard the horror tales. That didn’t appear to be the case here, but I thought this fucked up world made up for that nightmare. Now that I had their love and affection on my mind, I was having second thoughts. I vowed I wouldn’t be a burden to them, and what I was planning sounded a lot like it would be trouble. ’Should I just accept I’d never know who I was before or what happened?’ I didn’t want to, but I really was running out of good options here. “--ry?” Snapped out of my thoughts, I perked up at my brother raising his voice to grab my attention. “Sorry, what was that?” Brittany leaned in and said, “He asked if you were hungry, Space Cadet.” Leaning back in my chair, I reached up and stretched out while saying, “Yeah. What’s on the menu?” Of course, my sister slipped in a whisper behind my ear saying, “You, if you continue not wearing a bra, Perky.” And that immediately made me drop my arms and cover my chest. “Ohh, you are too cute. I think we should eat her.” In response, I could’t slip any lower in my seat without falling out and under the table to hide. I knew she really wouldn’t cannibalize me, but I was quite certain that she could encourage a more disturbing sexual approach into eating me. In a mousy whisper to her, I pleaded: “Could we not add family to the menu, please?” “No can do. I planned a midnight snack tonight.” My sister leaned down to whisper, “Sausage. I’ll save you a link?” I paled in response. “No, thank you.” As I slid myself back upright, she shrugged and took her own seat at the table. When I looked to everyone else for their reactions to us, I saw what I expected: casualness. They really were not bothered with incest at all. In a biological view, I supposed when it came to Brittany being infertile, there was no worry. ...I quickly choked when I thought about my fertility. Pushing out of my chair, I stood up and headed for the living room. Nodding to the bewildered family, I said, “Excuse me.” Then in a shaky voice, I called: “Brittany?” Almost instantly, she got right back up and leaned in to hear me. “I -- I need a plan B.” “A what?” The moment she questioned me, I realized this world might call a morning after pill something else. I pulled her into the living room to have a private discussion. Once more I asked, but I tried the other obvious name for it. “A morning after pill?” She shook her head in incomprehension. I thought over what else they might have called it, but nothing came to mind. For her to understand, I decided to explain what the pill I needed would do. Because I didn’t want to alarm anyone in the kitchen, and spoke the softest whisper possible to indicate she should be doing the same. “Jeremy wasn’t wearing any protection. He… I know there is a great risk I could get pregnant.” In haste to get to the point, I rolled my hand to imply I wasn’t sure what to say as I said, “I need to stop it.” There was a second or two of silence before she responded with, “We can’t.” When I started to shake my head, she reminded me. “Royalty. You cannot terminate a royal fetus.” Stunned by her words, I stood there and stared at her in absolute shock. Rationalizing it, I stated: "This isn't termination. It's prevention." She still shook her head. To no one, everyone, and if it was heard, to God I asked: “What can I do?” In answer to my question, Shelly stepped out of the kitchen and joined us to say, “Wait two weeks. Then we’ll see if you carry his child.” The deal she made with Jeremy made sense now. That didn’t mean I liked it any better, or for that matter, him...

Headache   Chapter 10: The Interrogation   It felt like I fell and bumped my head. I leaned my forehead down into my palm to massage my temple. There was a small swell right there, like I was growing an egg under the skin.  I remembered now. I was knocked the fuck out by my own weapon. Lowering my hand, I felt the ground beneath me. It felt funny. Looking down, I wasn't sitting on the ground, but in a seat. A car's seat. Trying to hold in my rising panic, I looked and saw the door to my right, then to my left the rest of the car's interior and the driver himself. Kidnapped. ’I've been kidnapped!?’ He hadn't noticed me being awake and aware yet. ’At least, I don’t think so?’ Hold up. There was a near confirmation that this was Jeremy. If he knows Kim, which it seemed he was more familiar with her house than I was, then he might not be a real bad guy I assumed he was. ’Maybe he took me because he's aware I'd be -- well, we probably both be in trouble with my family if he took me inside, knocked out, and a bump on the head?’ If that were the case, we'd be in deeper trouble driving out and away from the house. Now that I was awake, I needed to start thinking of a way to get back. ’Should I jump out when I have a chance or chance speaking with Jeremy?’ If I did tried to escape, a moving car would make me look and feel like a hamburger. ’Maybe if the car came to a stop?’ Looking out the window, the city at night was a whole new world to me. It was flashy during the daytime, but at night was like entering a tunnel-like nightclub with every kind of radiance illuminating the darkness was in a radical way. One blink and the atmosphere of the city changed with the passing. I gulped and took a breather. There was no way I could find my way back home without help. Speaking with him was my only option. I noticed that he had put in me in a seat belt. That was considerate of him. ’That or he anticipated me panicking and jumping out the door at any moment?’ Either way, my safety was being taken into account. While I was chilling out, I took the time to inspect what this Jeremy looked like. Before I got clocked in the head by the pool stick, he appeared to be a really tall guy. He wasn't quite as formidably built as Greg, but to judge them by looks alone was a little unfair. His shoulders were postured differently then Greg's little hunch from, what I guess, was lifting weights far too often. Jeremy had a straight back with his shoulders properly pulled as if anticipating a drill sergeant to tell him to stand up straighter. Red hair. Dark, rich red hair laid on his shoulders. It was so wildly everywhere that it had to be like that from just waking up. ’Did he jump right out of bed or was he never bothering to fix his hair?’ That lion’s mane of red went everywhere except over his face. Since he was sitting up properly, Jeremy's chest had looked like one of those barrel chested guys. ’Might be his posture that was giving me that impression?’ Despite him wearing a shirt, I could see through its outline that he had solid and dense muscle packed lean beneath there. He was still very strong looking, if not quite equal with Greg.  I wouldn't have stood a chance and certainly didn't when I attacked Jeremy. Those arms, while stretched out to reach for the wheel, rippled with tightly stretched cords of steel strong muscle. He had a sure grip secured on the wheel and only dropped his hand when reaching to shift gears.’Was he tense about something? Upset?’ Drifting away from that hand on the gear shift, I glimpsed at the bulk of thick muscles in his thighs. He wore shorts. I think he was the first person I’d seen and met wearing something that fit this weather and environment. Wait. ’Is he wearing boxers? Did he jump straight into his car without care for what he wore?’ Like I was one to judge. Me in Pajamas. I lifted my gaze back up to his face. He had a clean, but lean and tired looking face. ’Perhaps he was exhausted?’ Those dark circles under his eyes suggested -- to at least me -- he didn't sleep very well. There was also the corners of his mouth that made me think he didn't smile too often. Like, if he did smile, it would lift from a perpetually expressed frown into a straight lipped display of neutrality. Stoic type. Right at this moment, to keep quiet or not, that was the question. I knew we were going to be talking sooner or later. ’But was it a good idea to begin conversation in the car or when we reached whatever our destination was?’ Might be a good idea for me to at least ask him where we are going. "Uh, hi?" I watched him for a reaction. He gave me a glance, which in turn gave me a glimpse at his sleepy emerald-green eyes. The way he was breathing definitely gave me the impression he was exhausted in some way. ’Not physically, but maybe in a mental manner? Emotionally, maybe?’ "How bad is it?" He let go of the wheel for a second to rub his eyes and then tap his own forehead to indicate my bump on the head. Blinking, he righted the wheel and I felt a little jerk in our car's continual motion. "Headache and I've a bump. Not feeling sick or anything, so probably not concussed." ’Should I ask him where we are going?’ Couldn't hurt. "Where are we heading?" "My place." It wouldn't have mattered if I asked where that was with my incredibly limited knowledge of the area. "Okay." I supposed now was a good enough time to jump him with questions. "So, you're Jeremy?" "That's right. Jeremiah Celosia Kegan." Now I knew where the online abbreviation came from and I was thankful he kept JC short and sweet. "Look um... when you called, I expected us to have a conversation over the phone. I didn't expect you to come..." ’...And kidnap me?’ With a raised brow, he glanced at me quickly and returned to watching the road. "You're going to answer my questions." That could have been done over a phone, but it was me with the questions here. ’What did I know?’ "Can we make this mutual? I have questions of my own." He shrugged. "Maybe. If you answer me honestly, I don't have a problem with that." I leaned back in the passenger seat and waited for him to ask a question. When he didn't speak, I spoke up. "Uh, you going to ask me anything?" "At home." "Why? We could save time in the car and then you could take me back to my home before I get into deep shit with my family." "Keep quiet until we get there." I could here a little anger rising in his voice. Taking my lower lip between my teeth securely, I kept silent. It took a minute longer before we pulled up to a speaker box at some gate. At first, I thought he was going to press a button to start talking to some security guard. He did press a button, but the gate just swung open. With him shifting gears rapidly, the car went into reverse at a perfectly smooth angled backup, then did a furiously fast wide turn to make it into the expansive opening beyond the gate and headed for a large and dark building. ’It might have been a mansion?’ I couldn't tell in this dark. The city was bright and flashy. This place was dark and gloomy. Compared to where I've been so far, I didn't like how welcoming this home was. When we parked, I changed my mind. "Look, I -- what I did was stupid. I shouldn't have contacted anyone. Please just take me back home." "We can agree on that. You're stupid." I jumped like a scaredy cat at how hard he slammed his door shut. My hands fumbled to unbuckle myself and had miraculously managed by the time he opened my door. "Get out." I returned to nibbling on my lip and took care to slowly stand as I got out of the car. Knowing how I was, I didn't want to end up tumbling out with a black out from getting up too fast again. Apparently Jeremy was impatient. He grabbed me by the arm and pulled me the rest of the way out of the car. "Hey! Hold it --" "I've been holding it long enough. Let's go." I didn't tumble, but I certainly stumbled out of the car and tripped over my feet trying to stand. He spun me around and had gripped my shoulders to begin pushing me towards the front door to his home. "Wait. WAI-- Fuck! What's your problem?" Being shoved at the door, I turned back to face him as I leaned against the doorframe. He grabbed me again and commanded me to, "Move," as he opened the door. Nearly tripping over my feet again, I moved. They were a dim glow right now, but lights were gradually brightening and revealing the inside of the home. It was a close to endless void of space through the door. Towering tall windows were lined up high to either side along the walls until reaching up to the top where the lights slowly came to life. Just like those lights in my family's basement, they were a LED-like rope that traveled the outline of the window embedded inside their windows’ frames. I guessed that was meant to keep the light in and not flashing and disturbing the outside world. At the furthest end of this opening, which I'd supposed was called a grandhall for this palace, was a large table. There were items on the table, but the light wasn't bright enough yet for me to tell what they were except to see the dark shaped outlines on the horizontal length of the tabletop. Drifting my gaze to the left of the table, I saw a pair of doors. I wasn't sure where they went, since it looked almost as if they would lead right outside, but that didn't make sense. ’Why would two doors, side-by-side, lead straight outdoors?’ In a few seconds, still being pushed forward, I saw another revelation above me. There was an indoor balcony beyond the window walls, before the end of the grandhall continued up unto another floor, right above and roofing where the great table was located at the far end. Beyond the balcony, I had a glimpse of stairs leading further up someplace, but lost sight of its destination as I continued to be forced walking forward. Up to the table, he pulled out a chair and told me to, "Sit." I gave the chair a glance, then glared up at him. "What did I do to piss you off?" In the corner of his jaw, I saw the muscle there twitch as his teeth clenched in restrained fury to shout at me. He reached out and pulled me to sit down into the seat. After a single attempt to struggle out of his grip, he simply yanked me down into the chair and held me there. He leaned down to my ear. "Please, sit." I was momentarily stunned. Another chair was grabbed and turned around to face its seat openly towards me before he sat down in it. Facing me, we locked eyes for a minute in silence until I couldn't take this anymore. Immediately, I tried to stand back up. With a swift grab, I was pulled back down into my seat single-handedly. "Let me go!" His grip on my arm tightened into a vice until it became painful. "Please let me go!" I grabbed his hand and sunk my nails into his skin while attempting to dislodge his grip from my arm. "Please!" He’d finally let go. I held my arm and sank a little further back into my chair. "Try leaving again without my say so and it will be worse." I wanted to retort, but my teeth were chattering and I didn't want to display my current fear of him. "Do you remember my name?" I nodded silently, trying to calm down. "Say it." Closing my eyes, I swallowed and then took a deep breath. I waited for a few seconds before letting it out. It helped a little, but I began to shake. Frowning, I let go of my arm and held a hand up to gesture for him to wait. I took another deep breath. Viciously, he grabbed my arm again and furiously yelled in my face. "Say it!" I flinched at his roar more than from the bruising force around my arm. “Jeremy!” I had cried out his name twice in terror. "Jeremy!" That anger in his voice had toned down as he specified how I should say his name. "The full name." I grabbed his hand again while saying his name. "Jeremiah Celosia Kegan." He let go of my arm. "Wrong." I shot him a look of disbelief. ’It was what he said in the car, right?’ "What? But you said --" "Quiet." Shutting my mouth, I stared at him like he was crazy. ’Maybe he was?’ His green eyes roamed of me for a few seconds. "What's my name." "I told you, but not I don't know." "Say it." ’What should I do? Repeat the name I was told, even if it was wrong?’ "Jeremiah Celosia Kegan." I couldn't keep my teeth from chattering anymore. "That's right." I dropped a little in my seat. ’Really?’ "What the fuck is wrong with your hea-- STOP!" I screamed out for him to stop. If before was painful, the grip on my arm became an agony I’d never experienced until tonight. He twisted his grip around my arm to dig the tip of his thumb in until I could’ve sworn he was stabbing me with it. "If you speak out again, I will break this." He held my arm up as I relentlessly broke the skin on his hand scratching and scrabbling to remove it from my arm. I was nearly thrown to the floor when he violently threw my arm down. "What is your name." "Keh-- Kim." I righted myself in the chair and kept my gaze down. My shaking was becoming much worse and I probably wouldn't be able to calm down at all tonight. "Look up." I raised my eyes to him. "Keep that up. Don't look away when I speak to you." I nodded. "Please, say it again." "Kah--” “Clearly!” His voice had raised, but it wasn’t a shout. “Please, again.” I closed my eyes a moment and wiped the tears from them before I tried my name again. “Kim." He stared at me for a few more seconds before he asked me a odd question. "Are you in pain." I quickly nodded. "Say that you are in pain or not." "I am." "You are what?" I nodded to my arm while frowning up at him. "My arm hurts." Again, he just stared at me, but in an observing manner. His eyes kept looking over me as if he was searching for something. "When I brought you here, did you tell me your name?" I thought about that for a second, then shook my head. "No." "Tell me your full name." That took me a moment. I knew my name was Kim Ondine, but I wasn't sure if I had a middle name or if I was actually a Kimberly. Dr. Anstone was the only one to call me Kimberly, but that might have been her pet name for me. I shook my head a little and gave it a whirl. "Kim Ondine." His eyes stopped and stared at me. "Say it again." "Kim Ondine." After repeating myself, he smiled, and his smile was exactly how I thought it would be. A straight line, but with a little grinning curled up at the corner of his mouth to identify he’d smiled. "Now I know when you're lying." If I didn't have a headache from being knocked out earlier, I would have now. He didn't make sense. I opened my mouth to protest, but instead I shutup and gripped my arm more securely from his reach. "Do you know Kim?" "I'm her." He lost that little smile. Like a frightened rabbit spotted out on the open lawn, I felt the need to bolt from the chair when I saw his look. I turned away from him in my seat before he would grab me again. Before I could stand, he stood too quickly and grabbed me by the shoulders. "Don't. I'm not going to break your arm for lying. I said if you spoke out, I would." He kept his hands on me until I cooled my jets. "But, please, stop lying to me." Sitting back in his chair, he gestured for me to speak while he repeated the question. "Do you know Kim?" ’What should I say? That I am Kim and not at the same time? That I'm actually a guy trapped in this mixed body?’ If I said that, he'd think I was crazy. No, he'd think I was lying and my situation could become worse than it already was. I shook my head again and repeated, "I'm Kim." Watching him, he closed his eyes for a brief moment and exhaled slowly. When he looked at me again, he spoke slowly. "I'm very tired and not in the mood to play games. If you lie to me again, I will make this the worse night in your life." That made me laugh, "You've never been struck by lightning." His brow rose at that. "Didn't expect that, but okay." He looked me over again, then nodded. "I see." Then he shook his head. "One more time, do you know Kim?" I shut my eyes and shook my head again in frustration. "I --" I didn't want to finish it. Opening my eyes, I looked at him and said, "My body is Kim, but my mind is not anymore." There was a look of confusion on his face. "Say that again?" "I'm Kim, but not up here." I let go of my aching arm to point at my head. "Not since the storm." "You can't be." He looked me over again. "Close resemblance, maybe, but you're not Kim." "You get bolted in the face sometime and see how you look." He shook his head. "If it was just your face, I could believe it." Shaking his head again, he continued. "Kim had -- lightning doesn't take away height. I could believe you lost weight, but your shorter than her. No -- ha, you’re younger." At least I wasn't the only one who thought that. "I have been told multiple times I'm eighteen." He shrugged. "I guess, we all mature differently." He shook his head again. "That doesn't excuse you. You are not her." His hand shot up to forestall me from speaking out. "Stop. I still have my questions." Dropping his hand, he resumed. "Kim disappeared a month ago and no one has been able to get in touch with her. I asked her family and they said she was fine. Out on vacation." He pointed at me. "You're telling me you're Kim and that things were far from okay. Is that it?" It was delayed, but I digested what he told me. Someone was lying, but I understood why. If the hospital, the State, had told my family to not say a word, then they did what they could. The more Jeremy knew, the greater trouble I was getting my family in. I vowed not to place a burden on them and now my stupid actions tonight was probably turning into the worst case scenario. With a single sigh, I bit down on my lower lip and hanged my head low. "Look up at me and answer my question. Was what happened true?" ’Do I tell him that Kim really had experienced a near fatal injury and survived against impossible odds?’ That wouldn't be true because I wasn't exactly Kim. I wasn’t Chase anymore either. Lifting my gaze back up to him, I didn't have an answer. ‘What should I tell him?’ I couldn't risk the trouble going beyond these doors. "I can't tell you." "Can't?" Watching him nodding at me, he appeared to become more upset, but also had this look like he concluded a decision. "Fine. You won't be leaving until you can." My eyes widened in fear. I quickly explained. "If I don't go back home, my family will come looking for me and we all will be in trouble." "Your family? Look at me.” He pointed at himself and said, “I can tell when you are lying. When you say, 'Your Family,' you are lying." Oh God, he was giving me such a headache! Without thinking, I shouted at him. "They are my family! Just because I don't know them doesn't make them any less my family!" He leaned forward, rested his arms across his knees, and got too close in my face. "True. Here is a good question. Might clear things up for me." His eyes resumed to roam over my features again. "Are you telling me that the lightning gave you amnesia?" ’How do I answer that?’ I don't have amnesia. I didn't lose any memory. "I don't kno--" "Simple answer. Yes or no." My mouth shut when he told me that. I honestly shook my head. "That was easy. Let's start settling these answers this way. Yes or no, unless I tell you to explain." I sobbed an, "Okay." "To clarify, let's start over. Do you truthfully know Kim?" He watched me, his eyes looking for clues anywhere he could if I spoke the truth or not. Taking a deep breath, I shook my head. "No." He pulled his face back away from mine. "Do you know what happened to her?” “No.” I didn't even know what happened to me, let alone her. I shook my head again. "Do you know who does?" My family clearly didn't and I was certain that the hospital was more confused about my case than anyone. It was possible that Kim got involved with something that caused this, but I had no clues. I could blame the government, but that was without foundation. I shook my head. "No." "So far, so good, but here is a tricky question." He reached out and grabbed a hand and tried to grab the other. I struggled for a second with him until he caught it and held both my hands tightly. "Do you call yourself Kim?" Those hands that held mine now were nearly large enough to envelope mine completely. I felt a fresh prickle of fear run over my skin and lance through me. "I --" "Yes or no?" "Yeh-- Yes." His grip tightened. "Does the Ondine family believe you are Kim?" I cracked out, "Please don--" "Yes or no?" "...Yes." I clenched my teeth and hissed as his strong grip broke open my hurt knuckles. He didn’t stop and the grips caused my limbs to begin shivering with pain. "Please...?" "Have you been making them believe you are Kim?" I dropped and shook my head. "Please st--" "YES OR NO!" "Ye--" I couldn't finish. Silently, I screamed out a short cry and choked back the suffering I was voicing. He crushed my hands. His brutal strength spiked around my hands when he yanked me up and off the chair. I hung off the ground in the air only long enough for him to throw me down onto the floor. Despite my knees and shoulder having banged off of the floor, my hands were free and I felt relief in that. Curling up into a ball on the floor, I found my voice again, but kept silent as I cried. I pulled my hands down to inside my ball, onto my lap, and tenderly held and protected them there. They shook so violently, it was difficult to hold them together and I had to keep pushing them into my lap to keep still. ’Were they broken?’ Looking down at them, I couldn't tell from their outward appearance. "You were going to pick up where Kim left off. Was that it? Just take over her life?" I looked back up at him. For a second, I shook my head, but stopped. That was one of my plans... I had intended to be me, but to keep up the appearance as Kim with a different outlook: mine. It was my intent with Brittany. All it would take was dressing as a guy and I'd look like a tragically scarred pretty boy. I could disguise myself going around the city this way. If no one knew who I was, then no one would care. Except for my family. Kim's family. That was what set Jeremy off, wasn't it. My shoulders and gaze curled more inwards. I managed to sob out a, "Yes," to him and remained silent after. I remained on the floor in this silence. Minutes passed and neither of us did anything. Finally, he broke the silence. "You do resemble her." I looked up and watched him get out of his chair to kneel down to me. "Get up." He was careful picking me off of the floor, but still pulled me up with him to my feet and forced me to walk. My shoulders were kept securely gripped in his hands and my back was blocked from retreating by the hard wall of his stomach and chest. He plainly kept me from going anywhere than where he guided me. We walked to those two doors off to the side. The one he opened up by reaching over my shoulder, keeping his arm pressed down on my shoulder for me to remain, and showed me it didn't go outside exactly. There was an outdoor corridor that had stairs heading up to the balcony above us, but no way to pass through the bars barring the outdoors. Up we went...

Sedative   Chapter 5: Taking a Break   For a fleeting second, I was awake. There was a welcoming warmth next to me. I was too drowsy to comprehend what it was, but I reached out and hugged it close to me. My face buried into the warmth until I pressed my cheek comfortably on the heated softness. There was something stroking back the less than inch length of short buzzed hair on my head. I nibbled on my lower lip and cuddled in closer to apparently whoever this was. Then I fell back to sleep...     When I woke up again, it was with Dr. Anstone knelt down by my side. It was her warm hand stroking over my shortened haired head that gently brought me out of the nap I took. I half-realized my head was far more sensitive without as much hair protecting me. My eyes had to adjust and focus on her. Earlier, I remembered she wore something like an office outfit. Brown skirt with a steel-blue shirt to go with it. Now she wore a white button-up shirt from my current blurry-eyed perspective. I watched her adjust on the floor to sit and she pulled from her side a plateful of food. It was laid on the couch carefully. I was surprised more awake by there being room on this couch for a plate to be set down. When I looked at the couch, I noticed it wasn't the same one I had fallen asleep in. This was the one by the blue cabinet. It was larger, now that I laid in it to have compared the two furnitures. ’But how did I go from that couch to this one?’ Obvious observation, I moved while too tired to have recognized I’d done so, or I was moved by someone. For now, I looked over what was offered to me for breakfast. There was a reddish spice on a thick and flaky white fish with green beans set beside it. A tin-foiled potato was steadying itself in its corner. ’This was breakfast?’ "Wha-- what time is it?" I felt and sounded groggy, like sleep wasn’t out of my system yet. "I'm sorry, but you looked so sweet sleeping. I didn't want to wake you. I carried and put you in my futon." ’I thought she didn't have a bed?’ I guessed a futon doesn’t exactly count as a bed. "It's around seventeen thirty. Five thirty in the afternoon." ’Afternoon?’ I’d say I overslept. A curious thought popped in. "Did you sleep with me?" She grinned at me and gave my head another stroke before she spoke. "I'll be right back to get your utensils." When she stood up, I saw she had on no pants. I didn't really know what to think when I saw her like that. She wasn't a guy, so I didn't exactly worry I had been violated. Still, having someone I just met sleep with me was a little disturbing. Then again, she really was nice to look at. Just like the Assistant Nurse, she had incredibly long legs that went up and disappeared under the tail of the white shirt. That still didn't tickle me in any way I was familiar with. What did tickle me was how close she had been and I could taste something in the air around her. A juicy fruit smell that reminded me of grapes or a potent kosher wine. Turning around, I could appreciate the shirt she wore a bit more as I saw her bust more fully. It was apparent that she wore nothing underneath the shirt with the outlined shaped of her cresting through the fabric. ’Did she sleep with me without wearing anything?’ That made me check something. Beneath the blanket, and apparently sheets from the futon, I laid my hand over my flat stomach. My gown wasn't on me. I kept quiet about that discovery and awaited Dr. Anstone to bring me the fork and knife. She laid a napkin down by the plate with the pair of utensils on top. Slipping my arm out from the covers, I took the fork and stared at my plate. I chose to devour the greens first. Best to be done with them before going onto heartier portions. Looking up, I watched Dr. Anstone in wonder what her deal was with me. I didn't feel like anything was wrong with me. Not wrong in a sense that I didn’t feel hurt. ’Maybe she only undressed us to sleep more comfortably?’ It still was without my consent, but this was a different world than what I was accustomed with. Without knowledge of anything, I didn't know how I should react to everything. I could start understanding with her. "Why did you sleep with me?" "Worked an all-nighter and your case kept me up this morning." She sat more comfortably back down on the floor in front of me and smiled. "Although, I can't complain. You were very cuddly when I did finally crash." I swallowed and felt something hot streak across my face. I took my hand to feel around the intricate scars for anything odd. "Are you okay?" "Something burns on my face." "May I?" I looked back up at her and took my hand away to be replaced by her's. My face grew hotter. She restrained a laugh behind her smile. After she recovered enough, she spoke. "You're blushing and the nerves in your cheeks are probably more sensitive from the lightning. Are your teeth more sensitive too?" I carefully shook my head. Then again, green beans are not exactly a hard or chewy food. Something like a steak or nuts would be a good practice on my chompers. I corrected my earlier response to her question. “I’m not sure.” But what I was sure about happened to be we were both practically naked and had already shared the same bed. She was smoking hot and I really wanted to… I wanted... Within me, I had attempted to feel some attraction towards women. It wasn't how sexy women looked, the beauty, or the idea of what they might look like without their clothes on that stirred me anymore. I discovered their clean and wonderful aroma to be the first trigger for me. Then came their behavior towards me. When Dr. Anstone kept her palm on my cheek and began to gently stroke further and back behind my ear and hair, I felt it. Her affection for me set the burning desire alight. But I didn’t know what to do. Not knowing what direction to take, I was a doe caught in the headlights. It made me want to laugh, but I didn't. I knew it would ruin how I felt right now. For the record, I kept in the back of my mind that girls are weird. There was a good reason to think that. I still didn't want to jump her. Even though she made me feel incredible, something about it felt not quite right. I don't know if it was because there wasn't enough to fuel me on or if there was another factor missing in my mix. My focus returned to the plate and I became more aware, delicate, about how I ate. I was worried one bite would send a shock through my teeth or something like that. Each bite came up slower, more careful than the one before, until I couldn't eat anymore. I never touched the potato. I gave the plate up with the fork and knife left wrapped in the napkin. "Sorry, I can't eat anymore." This had been odd for me. The plate I had was the first really good meal with actual flavor that I could state proudly was delicious. I would have devoured everything and demanded more with gusto before I was thrown in this girl’s body. Now, I couldn't finish an incredible meal and it didn't feel like it was because I was full. Something else stopped me from eating more. Dr. Anstone picked the plate up and stood. "You don't have to be sorry. I'm glad you had something to eat. The records I've read showed you barely eat what the hospital has to offer." ’Has she tried it?’ If she had, she'd know why. She dumped the plate into a bag and tied it up. It was set on her chair, for the moment. I watched her go to a door and open it up to reveal a closet of clothes. My eyes were glued to her as she unbuttoned her shirt and removed it. My view lingered on her bare back as she was busy pulling on lingerie, socks, pants, and then she covered her back with a shirt. I couldn't believe I didn't take the chance to see what kind of ass she had. ’Was there something wrong with her back that had me so distracted?’ No. I thought her shoulders were straight, narrow, but with a firm stretch of muscle that made me think she could take care of herself. Like she was someone who could wrangle a full grown man to the ground. I felt both admiration and envy for seeing that. It was a little fantasy of mine to be strong and capable, but I never put in the effort to work out. In a moment, Dr. Anstone returned to me and knelt down to help me up. Being fully aware of my nudity, I became a little stiff as she assisted me out from under the covers. I looked down at myself and held her shoulders with one arm while my other arm half-heartedly tried covering my bare chest. My legs accidentally kinda crossed for a second, but she was moving and I had to walk with her or else trip over my own feet. "What's going on?" I had to figure that out first before I took another step. "We're going to get some more exercise." ’More walking?’ I supposed that would be a good idea after eating, even if it was only a little. She looked at me, then down my slender figure, and gave me a sheepish grin. I wondered what that was about until she began sorting through the clothes and outfits in the closet. They were her size, not mine. Gradually in her search, she pulled a T-shirt out for me to throw on. It worked like the gown, sorta. There were a pair of sweats that I could pull on, but I had to roll up the ankles or risk slipping and tripping, and I had to tie the waistband tightly around my narrow waist. I felt her hand rub my back reassuringly before she helped me to the door. This started to make me wonder something serious. "Am I crippled? I mean, it had only been a month in a coma. Shouldn't I be over this?" I wasn't limping, but every time I walked, I stumbled. "You took a shock, an impossibly big one, to the head. Any number of things could be the cause." ’What did that mean? Was this neurological or something? Would I understand if she explained it? Maybe she didn't know or want me to get the wrong idea and hope for the best or feel despair of the worst?’ I didn't know and didn't push for more from her. "Okay." I nodded as she unlocked and opened the door to the hall. This one was rounded like the last, but it wasn't empty. On every wall, there was a big or brawny uniformed sentry keeping an eye on the rooms. The psych-ward. I figured there would be crazies here, but I didn't think I'd be so accurate at how I envisioned it. It must’ve felt like a lifesaver for Dr. Anstone's office to be next to the elevator for her to not be required to pass by these nutjobs everyday. I wasn’t sure how long we’d walked for, but it was enough for my legs, and up, to feel tense and hot like I had done something strenuous. I had so many things on my mind about this girl I was now and this was another consideration to add: ’What did she do for exercise? Did she work out any?’ If I wanted to have a normal life, I'd have to begin working towards it like these walks. Since I had trouble with opening doors, once I can I should work with grips. Getting up and laying down would also have to be factored in, so I’d have to do leg lifts, curl ups, squats, and more. There might be a lot more I've not thought of yet, but I could figure it out and learn what would be available for this new me. I'll fix myself by getting fit. I shook my head. "I don't want to dream this." "What's that?" Dr. Anstone leaned down and we looked at one another. "I want to get back into shape. I don't want to be a cripple. A hindrance." The very thought that I would cause problems for someone caused me to straighten up. I felt the need to keep walking despite how stiff my legs were getting. Dr. Anstone smiled at me and gave me a quick, tight, hug and kept me to herself. After she freed me, we kept walking until she called for a break. Returning to the room, she closed the door behind us and carefully took me back to the couch in the center of the room. I watched her walk back to the door, hear the clicking, and knew she locked it. "There is a personal bathroom to the far corner. I'll take you there to get cleaned up." I felt a little funny. I've yet to feel the need to relieve myself.’Maybe the hospital food was designed to purge my system?’ Like a cleanser. I don't know if that was true or not, but I wouldn't put it past them. She came back and helped me stand up to walk toward the bathroom. Inside, it was like the patient's bathroom, except the shower was larger and had a basin for a bath. ’Did she live in this office?’ Maybe it was a requirement at this hospital for the therapist to be available for any of the loonies here. ’How did that explain all the time she reserved for me?’ Somethings didn't make sense, but that might be me not knowing how either my or this world worked when it came to therapy and the professionals who practiced it. I was sat down on a stool while she started up the tub. I wasn't sure if she intended I take a shower or bath. After a minute, it looked like I was going to be relaxing in a hot bath. "A bath?" "It will be good for your lean figure to loosen up." I smirked at that. "Can you undress or do you want help?" My eyes darted to the bath, down at myself, then up to her before I began nibbling on my lower lip again. I didn't recall ever biting my lower lip for any reason, but it felt like this was my coping mechanism on a nervous tick. With my fingers hooked under the shirt, I gave the Tee a yank up and over myself. Around my head, I leaned forward and tugged to get the shirt the rest of the way off. She took the shirt from me and I worked on untying the drawstrings to the sweats. They slipped off easily, but I had some difficulty kicking them off when my knees locked up on me. I had to agree with her on one note, my muscles could definitely be loosened up a little. While I was busy with the sweats, I had not noticed what Dr. Anstone was doing until I finally removed the last of my clothing. When I turned to look at her, she had finished undressing herself. That burning in my cheeks that I felt before had returned and spread down to cover my chest and run along my shoulders. Even my flat tummy felt like it was fluttering with a steamy sensation that rose from an unknown heat source. At first, I thought she reached down and was helping me to stand up from the stool. That wasn't the case. She slid her arms under me and lifted me from the stool to be carried for both of us to enter the tub together. Dr. Anstone settled into the tub and had me laying across her lap until she assisted me in reorienting myself to sit, but still in her lap. I was too shocked to say or do anything in protest. At the moment, I could’ve tried to live out a fantasy from my boyhood. When I was a guy, I had imagined a scenario like this happening with a woman. ’Maybe once or twice?’ Each time, my fantasy was with me leaning my head back and resting on those cushy swollen mounds on their chest. She definitely had well rounded and shapely ones too, but when I did lean back to rest, I felt more comfortable laying my head back into the crook between her neck and shoulder. In fact, I adjusted myself to lay more on her side and arm than on her exposed breasts. Closing my eyes, I felt relaxed and in a deep comfort zone. I was still wildly bewildered by Dr. Anstone, but she didn't give me a sense that I should be afraid. It looked sexual, but the act didn't come off that way. It felt more like she was deeply intimate about caring for her patient. That she'd be willing to go through any length to make my recovery the best experience ever. Unorthodox, but maybe not for this world. Maybe… again, I was not complaining. I opened my eyes back up the moment I felt her hands, already soaped up, stroking under my jaw to the smooth point of my chin. Alerted by her hands now, I immediately closed my eyes again as she tenderly rubbed up over my scarred cheeks and roamed across my lips and nose. Using my own hands, I wetted, wiped, and wetted to repeat the process to clear the suds off my face. Our hands crossed each other a few times, but she kept diligently applying her cleansing ways and I followed after her to rinse up what she left over me. It was strange. ’Why was I letting her do this? Did I enjoy what she was doing?’ I thought so. I didn't believe I could do this with anyone before, but I found what she was doing made me feel good. Her hands swept down the sides of my neck, stroking around to the back with me leaning my head forward, and to the narrow shelf of my shoulders when I sat up. She soaped her hands up again and rubbed her fingers and palms into each shoulder more firmly than she had on my face. I hesitated raising my hands to rinse off the soapy residue running down from over my shoulders. My fine shoulders lowered when I dropped my hands back into the water in surrender. If she wanted to go for another pass over me to rinse me off afterwards, I’d let her. I felt her hands leave their impression more firmly to massage the tension out and I didn’t want that to stop. But I did want her to go no further down. If I hadn't leaned back against her when I did, I could have expected her hands to continue massaging down behind me to my tush. Instead, she slipped down her hands over and around my shoulders into the front. Along my collarbone and just barely above reaching and touching my bosom, she had spread the soap with her smoothly running hands slowly over me. I felt one of her hands had stopped, the palm lifted but she kept the tips of her fingers lightly touching my chest. And then she raised those fingers, up until they were lingering in the dimple on my throat, and finally leave my throat alone to harmlessly cut a light ticklish line down as far as traveling between my now excitedly perky valley. She paused her fingers in between my breasts. I had no idea what was happening to me, but I thought I should rather have been questioning what she was doing. When her hand laid on my chest, she cupped me, I closed my mouth with an instant gulp and squeezed my thighs tightly together by reflex. My eyes opened back up, but I didn't look anywhere in particular. I did see that this did stray into a more sexual territory now. With a sharp inhale, I responded to her palm barely pulling away from my flesh to brush the very tip of my perkiness in her hand. I felt compelled to lift up off her lap, and had been about to, but her other hand finally made a move and found my thigh. That hand settled down there and gently stroked the length of my leg from the thigh, to knee, and back up. I began to nibble on my lower lip once more. She was teasing me and I didn't know how I should be responding. I had been a guy and I was feeling pleasure as a girl. ’Should I stop this? Was I allowed to? Could it be possible that this was a therapeutic method for this hospital?’ I was more inclined to believe Dr. Anstone locked her office door for more than keeping me secured. In a way, she never invaded my privacy. Beneath the water, her hand on my thigh traveled up the curve of my hip and streaked a sudsy palm beneath my abdominal. I felt her want to feel me down there, the tips of her fingers lightly curling close to my hidden valley, but she stroked her palm up the wall of my entire tum to stop and hold under the neglected breast. Those fingers lightly trailed up over the feminine shape on my chest and didn’t grasp, but pinched, and took hold of an excitedly hardened and sensitive part of me there. Her cheek slid next to mine, and I suddenly felt her breathing hotly on my slender neck. She nuzzled down against my burning cheek, against and again, until I couldn’t pass up the invitation in returning the intimate gesture. I shared an equal eagerness to display an intimate affection. I don't know why I did, but I did. I felt torn between wanting this and not. ’I would have been thrilled to death as a guy, but a girl?’ I didn't know if I wanted to experience any form of sexuality in this body. I was now, and doing so felt almost as if I wasn't in control. I knew I had some sense of control, otherwise I wouldn't have kept my legs tightly shut off from her. I had bitten more firmly down on my lower lip as my breathing became rapid. I felt myself want more, but the bite kept me from completely losing what control I had left. Her hands played with me for so long that I had become either soft and tender or firm and sensitive to the touch. If the water had not become cool, I would have guessed she would have continued until I caved and opened up to her. At the end of her bathing me, she’d lifted me out of the tub enough to stand on my own, but her precautionary hands never left my waist. I waited, hugging myself for warmth after having left the cold water while still burning with sensual heat. My gaze drifted to her leaving the space we occupied in the tub, then grabbing for a towel. I held myself straight up, arms out, which doing both were a struggle for more reasons than my hospitalized condition. She wrapped me in a towel first, then herself, and assisted me in sitting back down on the stool for her to dry me. During this drying, she made me wonder what all she would have done to me if I had yielded completely. ’Would she have kissed me if I wasn't biting my lip? Was she going to feel me down there? What would that have felt like? Could I have enjoyed it? How far would she have gone? If she did, would I have welcomed her fingers in me?’ I gazed up and stared at her from a bowed low head. I couldn't sit up straight anymore. In a strange way, she raised and lowered me in so many ways than I could comprehend. Thanks to her, there was a rejuvenating diligence growing in me to recover, but now a buried submission had sprouted toward the warming potential of comfort and pleasure she offered and had blossomed to the point I might’ve let it happen. ’Why did I want to look at women the way I did before?’ Shelly, the Assistant Nurse, and Dr. Anstone all had me thinking of them in a lascivious way until now. I even looked and contemplated myself in that way! ’Did I feel regret for doing so?’ Not really. I thought I was learning what it was I had an interest in. I felt attracted to women, but the appeal was still foreign to me. Also, I know I pushed it. Being a girl now, I definitely forced myself to want women more than the only other alternative. I didn't want to contemplate what a good looking guy might have caused me to feel. I watched Dr. Anstone leave me for a moment. She came back, another T-shirt for me to wear like a gown, but this one with a cut Vee in the collar. That kind of T-shirt was likely sought for because of my earlier struggle yanking the last T-shirt off my head. When I saw women wearing T-shirts, they normally had ones that had a wide open collar. I wasn’t sure why Dr. Anstone had these kind of Tees that lacked the head room. ’Maybe they were Men's?’ Remaining quiet, I was assisted to the sink for me to have a moment to brush and wash in front of the mirror. Maybe not so much wash, having done that already, but it came hand-in-hand with me to rinse my face once with a splash. After I'd finished, I inspected myself in the mirror. With parted open lips, I was still breathing fast. Hot. My face was pink from the hot bath, but I felt it was also because I blushed. If I didn't say something to Dr. Anstone, she would take advantage of my current condition when I laid down to rest. Looking over my shoulder, I saw she was observing me as much I was inspecting my condition. Involuntarily, I bit and nibbled on my lower lip again as she smiled at me. We walked out of the bathroom and back into the large office suite. She guided and sat me down on the futon. I followed her with my gaze as she had picked up all the discarded clothes and towels to stuff them in a fabric bag. The dirty clothes bag was left to hang off the closet's doorknob. The blue cabinet was rummaged through next. I watched her pull out another bottle of water, which she shook, and handed to me. I took a good look at the cap and could verify that it was indeed sealed shut by the manufacturer. The therapist uncapped it for me. "Go ahead and drink.” I hesitated and stared at her. “I've got one too, see?" Smiling at me, she held up an identical bottle and shook it before taking the cap off. Unlike me, she drank it in deeply. I finally did drink, but I felt I knew this was drugged somehow. If her's was too, then it might be for the best, but I didn't quite grasp why she would go through influencing herself as well. ’Maybe I am wrong about the water being spiked with something?’ Her bottle was empty by the time I drank a quarter of mine. I couldn't finish. That drowsiness had returned, those heavy lids dropping fast, and my head was nodding off left and right. Dr. Anstone had gone back to grab a shirt for herself to throw on before returning to me. I blinked once and found her sitting next to me. Every amount of will was used to watch her scoot back in the futon and pull the covers up and over herself. I still sat down for the time. Then she easily wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me in under the covers. I felt something on the top of my head, and then realized she kissed me lightly there. I tried to turn my head and look at her, but she managed to position me perfectly on my side with her fully behind me to be spooned by her. Somehow, despite having bathed, she kept that clean and fruity aroma. I breathed it in deeply, feeling myself become heavier, and her arms intimately more snug around me. Her breathing slowed, and I knew that meant she was already starting to doze. With the last of my will, I hugged the therapist’s arms that held me to her. Whatever she was doing, whether it be a foreign practice in therapy or something illegal, she was helping me feel better. Last night, I had slept without a single tear, and the same was about to happen again. Dr. Anstone’s methods were still being mulled over in my thoughts, but I couldn't keep awake anymore with her cozy warmth embracing me so fully...

Imagery   Chapter 14: Cooling Off   Roasted broccoli with a surprisingly sweet melted cheese held the two halves of a toasted half-inch thick bread sandwich together. It was a bigger shock when I bit into it and tasted the chipped beef inside of it. ’How did he cook this?’ Next time, even if I can't help Greg out around the kitchen, I would be watching and learning. The three of us enjoyed the lunch, but our company didn't get the same fun experience like my welcome home dinner had. We were quiet. I knew why. Shelly telling Greg to back off Jeremy probably still stung. That might have explained Shelly's reaction earlier, pulling me in and shutting the door for our private session of sorting clothes. Looking between them, I did wonder if they were just mother and son. That wasn't something I wanted to be thinking about while eating, but it did bug me. Already, brother and sister was a confirmed hit. Did it extend this far too or did Shelly... Wait. ’Where is Gregory?’ "Where is Dad? It's been a whole day and he's still not home?" This might have been a bad subject to bring up between them. I'd be finding that out very soon. Looking at Shelly, "Gregory is at his office --" "I thought he was on a trip?" Glancing at Greg uncertain response, I was now confused. ’Didn't they know where he was?’ "Couldn't you call him?" Greg had frowned at his mother and stuffed his face with over half the sandwich, but when I turned to Shelly, she smiled at her son’s reaction. There was a muffled, full mouthed, response from Greg that I believed translated into, “You can.” "That is a wonderful idea. I'll be just a moment." Pushing from the table, she stood and walked back into the living room and I guessed her room. In a moment, she was out and had her cell hovering next to her ear. In a few seconds, I saw her mouth tighten into a tiny frown before she lowered the phone to tap away at it a few times. Bringing it back up, she stood by my side and waited with the cell being observed. "Not answering, is he." How Greg said that, which I took wasn't a question at all. Inside me, I felt a little sick and set down what was left of my sandwich. "He's not avoiding us, is he?" Keeping my gaze on Greg, who kept looking at Shelly, I took note of his jaw tensing when I had said that. Shelly did another rapid tap on her phone and watched it for a minute. I started to think that Kim's father was what one would call a Ghost Dad. He existed, but not someone who was ever seen. He might pop in to grab fresh clothes or something important, but flee the house in an instant. Bills would be paid, claims represented, and important notifications passed onto him, but what really mattered was that he'd never be here. "Greg, could you give me your phone?" Shelly held out her hand for him to fork it over. "Why?" He didn't sound very happy with that low toned query. "He won't be expecting you calling him." I think I understood. If she was being ignored, then she could still try catching him by using Greg's phone since it would have a different ID shown on the other end. The phone was dug out of Greg's pocket and handed to Shelly. Watching her tap away made me think she was using her nails rather than the tips of her fingers. It kept making a noise like a 'Tic-tak' on the cell's face. We all watched the phone as we heard the dial tone went through. I saw Shelly's eyes light up and a wicked smile broke on her face. I've seen that smile on Brittany before when I told her my idea for the clothes. I was startled when Shelly handed the cell down to me. "What?" "Say 'Hi' to him." ’Was she kidding with me? I never seen this guy before and I'm suppose to hold a conversation with him like I’m his daughter?’ Holding the phone up to my ear, I heard a, "Hello?" I gulped and closed my eyes. ’Should I greet him with, 'Dad,' or a, ‘Gregory,’ or something simple as, 'Hi,' so I won't establish right away our relation?’ I went with the later. "Hi?" "Hello? Who is this?" There was a pause. "Is Greg there?" I opened my eyes and glanced up at Greg, "Yeah." "Put him on." I flinched at his tone of voice getting serious. Greg looked at me curiously. "What did he say?" I gave Greg a wavering smile. "Hold on." I sat the phone down. "He wants to talk with you, Greg." "No." Shelly immediately pointed at me. "Tell him who this is and keep talking. Ask him why he wasn't here last night for dinner." That's going to go real well with me. I shook my head, not wanting to get into a fight with someone I didn't even know! "Ask him." With a sigh, I brought the phone back to my ear. "Ahm... This is --" "Put my son on the phone." Stone faced was probably the best way to describe myself right now. I stared at the wall across the table while contemplating what I should say next. ’Should I be a smartass? Plead with him to listen to me? Hand the phone over to Greg? Hang up? Throw the phone in a tantrum? Simply get up and go to my room for the rest of the day?’ I had a lot of options, but I had to pick what was good for all of us.  Even if that meant I had to continue lying about who I was. Closing my eyes, I quickly stated my current name. "Kim. This is Kim." I waited a few seconds before he responded with a noise. ’Sounded like he was clearing his throat?’ I must have surprised him. "Kim, um... I -- Is your mother there?" Lifting a brow and glance up at Shelly, I pointed at her and then to the phone. That caused her to give me a shocked look. I pulled the cell a little bit away from me as a gesture to see if she really wanted to speak with him or not. With a shake of her head, I shrugged and resumed talking. "Yeah, she's here, but I'm not too sure she's happy." Now that gave me a glare from her. It was true! She didn't appear very happy and I didn't see an issue with informing the guy on the other end that it might be his fault. I might actually find out what his deal was this way. "That makes two of us. Listen, I -- no one told me you were out." Immediately, I wrapped my hand around the cell and looked up at Shelly. "He's saying he didn't know I left the hospital." That made her laugh and she brought out her cell. Quickly, she brought up a series of messages that were sent straight to three different numbers all with Gregory's name on it. I read a few and got the gist. With this knowledge, I removed my hand from the cell and spoke. "She just showed me a bunch of text messages that were sent to you." "Am I still blocked?" I blinked, looked at the text messages for a second, then up at Shelly. I couldn't tell by looking. So I asked. "Is he still blocked?" She shook her head. "She said -- she shook her head no." "Give me a second to check..." While he was doing his check, I wrapped my hand back around the cell. "Mom, would you please just talk with him? I don't like being the monkey in the middle here." She shook her head at me. "Honey, don't worry about what I said earlier. If he's having issues with his phone, I'll pay him a visit. Just find out where I need to go." I supposed that sounded easy enough. Returning to the cell, "Um... Where are you?" A moment passed before he spoke up. "Sorry, what was that? Was busy looking at the settings." "Where are you?" "Dalesport. In the subway." ’Did that mean he was working there or on a train?’ "Dalesport, and on a subway. You working on something there or taking a train?" I glanced at Shelly and she gave me a thumbs up before turning to head into the living room. Just guessing, but I think she was getting ready to head out and meet him. "Working on the construction." ’I had thought he was a VP for some corporation or company? What was his job? Something to do with synthetic stuff, right?’ "You're a Vice President, right?" "That's right." "What do you do?" I heard a faint, "What don't I do." Sounded like he really was a busy guy. ’That or he liked to complain?’ "I have a great way to explain everything that I do. You know what an assistant is?" "Yeah. They assist, help others out." "That is what I do. I assist the president with everything and go wherever required. Now, all of that rolls down too. If any of our key factors requests us, it's me who has to respond and ASAP." ’What’s a key factor? Did he mean factory?’ Either way, that did sound like he'd be busting his ass to get those jobs done. "Why doesn't the president do this?" "Scheduled appointments and only those that represent a good press reception." ’Corporation or company, why would there be any media involvement?’ "I know I already asked this, but what do you do? I mean, the actual job." "Are you familiar with the City Management?" It took me a moment to remember what that was. I think it had something to do with people who ran the city, but then that got confusing when Mayors and such were involved. No. I guess I wasn't familiar with it. "Not really." "Alright, you don't need to be, but it would help. I'll simplify what we do. If they need something done to the city or surrounding area, we are contacted." ’So, I guess that makes them a construction company with extra service?’ "Okay." I gave Greg a look and he laughed. "What?" The cell voiced out a, "Huh?" "Sorry, Greg was -- anyways, yeah, I'm out of the hospital." ’Should I tell him anymore than that?’ "We had a dinner here last night. Greg and Brittany made stromboli." "Did they? I'm sorry I wasn't there for that. I'll make it up to you when I get off." That brought to mind the party Jeremy was going to host. Shelly will likely tell him. "Sounds good." ’Was this the moment that we could say our 'Goodbyes' and hang up? Please!’ I won't mind talking with him in person. At least I'd be better prepared for that conversation than the one that fell into my lap here. "Good to hear. Listen, I've got to get back. I'll fill you in on the details what all it is I do later. Still sound good to you?" "Yeah. I'm for that." I'll learn a little more. No harm there. Before he hangs up on me, I should let him know about his surprise visitor. “Mom’s probably coming to you.” “Really? She wants to see me?” ’Why did he sound disbelieving?’ “I’ll try to stay put, but I’m already getting pulled to the other end of the tunnel.” “I’ll tell Mom that.” I had an idea. “Maybe I could give her another number? Someone you might be regularly with while working?” “I wish. No, I’m a one man te-- I’ve got to go.” “Okay. Don’t work too hard. I’ll speak with you later.” "Good to know. I'll speak to you later too. Love you." I hesitated when I heard that special word. "Okay. I'll see you later. Bye." Then I hit the end button on the cell before handing the phone back to Greg. "I take he's in a good mood?" I shrugged at Greg. "I guess so?" "He has his ups and downs. Some days, he's all happy and cheerful, but that can drop immediately. There is no middle ground for him. Either he's all fun and joy or else." Sounded like Gregory was bipolar. Lots of mental and emotional stress could do that. "I'll keep that in mind. He said he'll be making up for the missed meal last night." Over my shoulder, I heard and then saw Shelly rushing past to head outside. "Leaving?" "Going to catch your father before he hears about you." ’I think he just did? Unless she was talking about my abduction last night?’ "You mean Jeremy?" When she looked over at me, I noticed she appeared younger than before. Little clues of her actual age had disappeared.’Was that makeup? Maybe she was conscious about how her husband viewed her?’ Then again, she already was an outstanding beauty and I would bet she would be remaining as such for many more years to come. I supposed that would go for Brittany too. They were practically twins. More so now than before she applied makeup. ’What about me?’ When I had the chance to look at myself, I saw someone younger than what everyone told me I was supposed to be. ’What little left I had to grow, would it be like them or will I be original?’ -SNAP- I blinked and looked up at a hand in my face after its fingers snapped at me. "Did you hear me?" I shook my head no at Shelly as she pulled her hand away from me. "What was the last thing I said?" Thinking about it, I told her. "You were going to catch Dad." She facepalmed and peeked at me through her fingers. ’Did I zone out?’ I guessed so... She glanced away for a split second to Greg, then back to me. "Yes. He hears about what Jeremy did to you, he won't hold back like Greg did." That made me give Greg a look and I saw him roll his eyes and nodding in agreement with Shelly. I looked away from him and at the door being shut behind Shelly as she went outside. She waved at as through the window and disappeared for her car. I raised my brow for a moment when I took note she changed out of her skirt to wear pants. ’Maybe she’s worried about the construction ruining her dress?’ That reminded me of Brittany coming back with my own outfits. "Well, hehe, I guess that is one good thing." Once I said that, I looked back at Greg and saw him give me a confused expression. He glanced around for a moment in bewilderment and shook his head. “Oops.” I realized I might be giving him the wrong impression here. Being aware how fucked up everything in this world was, he probably thought I was glad Shelly left us alone. "Ah, Mom not being here when Brittany comes back." "Why is that a good thing?" "She's grabbing outfits for me to do that photo shoot here. Mom wanted to have a chat with her about that when she got back." I smiled after watching Greg laugh for the second time today. "I don't suppose you want to warn her?" He nodded while his laughter began to calm down. ’What else could I do while waiting for Brittany to come home?’ I suppose do that research that Greg suggested. A diet. I never knew I'd be going onto one of those voluntarily. It wasn't something I'd ever considered when Chase. No real relationship with anyone and Mom hadn't exactly minded. She did make comments, but it wasn't that big of a deal. I wasn't obese then, but I certainly was out of shape. This out of shape and the kind I had as Chase were totally different. Chase wanted to look and feel good, but never tried. I needed to recover, and I had no choice or my life would be Hell. Before leaving, I decided to ask Greg about Brittany. "She thank you for the head's up?" "She hasn't read the message yet. Maybe driving." I shook my head. "I'm pretty sure she was picked up. I saw her waiting at the curb." Once I said that, I remembered that I completely forget to warn Shelly about Gregory possibly being a challenge to find. “Could you message Mom and let her know Dad might not be able to stay in one spot?” He shrugged and texted away. “Now I know she’s driving, but sure.” “Maybe try Brittany again after? She might have missed the first --” ’Did the cellphones buzz if they were on silent?’ “Well, she might’ve missed it for some reason. Maybe?” "Don't know. Yeah, let me give her a call and see if she will pick that up." I smiled, gave him a nod, and slowly backed away from him. "You do that. I've had my fill of fun on the phone for today." To be honest, I think it had to do with the chat I had last night. I didn't feel comfortable speaking with strangers, even if everyone thinks I am supposed to know them somehow in despite of the conditional circumstances I was in. "What are you going to do?" "Look and see what kind of diet might suit me." He raised a finger up for me to wait. "Don't pick an existing diet. Many are scams. That's why I said to learn what nutrients do for the body. If you know that much, then looking at what the food contains makes the diet easy." I clenched my eyes shut and nodded. That did make a lot more sense and would create a far more flexible diet than a predesigned one that could just limit my options. Opening my eyes back up, I nodded. "Okay. That's what I'll do." "Don't over do it. Learn a little, bookmark it or write it down, and review it the next day while learning more. I promise to find out what routine works for you." ’Routine? Kind of like the regular walks Dr. Anstone had me do in the hospital?’ "Okay. Thanks. I'll be in my room." Giving him a wave, I quickly added to my goodbye, "The lunch was great! Let me watch you cook next time." Then I slipped away into the living room and going for the hall with the colored doors. "Heh, sure!" I heard him call out before I disappeared behind my door to hop on my computer...

Announcement Revised: 1/18/2019   Mediation   Chapter 19: In Beryl's Name   Thunderous, powerful, and without an end was how I heard the pounding of his heart. Resting my cheek on his chest, I listened to him while we remained in bed for nearly all morning. No one bothered to come down during the first half of the day and I would like to have considered our peace having been met halfway to its conclusion. That did not mean our peace would be at an end. It might, but that wasn’t what I had on my mind. ’Marriage?’ He really wanted me to be with him when we married. That bothered me a great deal. The fact that I already had considered marrying him, not because I wanted to, but for the family that loved and cared for me. ’What choice do I have? Saying no?’ From what Brittany had told me, that wasn’t going to happen when Gregory hears about the offer. And I was still wondering about what to do with myself For the time being, I remained where I was and looked around the basement at the many books that lined the far away shelves. The Accounting titles were repetitive to look at, but I was more curious at seeing the Roman numerals that had each of those books in numerical order. ’If there are those symbolic numbers, wouldn’t that mean there used to be a Roman empire or something?’ This alternate world still confused me… A very gentle petting behind my head had resumed. In response, I closed my eyes and returned to resting and finding out if I could fall back to sleep on Jeremy. My desire was assisted by his other hand running down my bare back. A soft caress of his palm later, I felt the tips of his fingers trace the length of my spine back up until he reached my shoulders. Across the feminine span of my shoulders, I found a blissful session from his firmly massaging digits. Try as I might, I couldn’t keep still on top of him and I believed our bare bodies sparked his interest to do more than just touch me again. I rose my head up to only lay my cheek back down on his shoulder when I sensed his burning hot length growing back up between my legs. I bit my lower lip and waited to find out if he was going to do more or if he’d be willing to suffer long enough to relax. Of course not. Both of his hands left my head and shoulders to attend to the heated matter down between us. He grabbed and held the back of my leg to pull my thigh away from the other. That other hand simply took a hold of his own tool to be poised and ready for when I decided to lower myself on him. “Do you want to?” With his burning hot rod touching me, and making me melt, he had to go and ask me that!? ’Peace,’ was what I kept reminding myself. He wanted us together, and I could understand the need for our relationship to be a bit better than it had been yesterday… and especially the night before. But… ’Did I want to again? How many times would this make it?’ I was beyond sore, but I ached more to be filled by him. Lifting my head up, I looked down at him as I slid down his great and fantastic body. And I once again began to be the one to impale myself until I had him fully sheathed inside of me. “Haa… Jeremy?” He had been looking at me the whole time, but his utmost attention had focused entirely onto me the moment I spoke his name. My leg was released so he could pull my head down for our mouths to once again voice our passion. Mingling our warm breathes and wrestling with each other’s tongues, I didn’t care if I suffocated so long that I could continue to feel like this. Slowly at first, I began to rock down on the standing length that resided in me and meet his own steady motion coming up off the bed to greet me with pleasure. Our rhythm continued on and we would not change our pace or position. This man finally let me be the one to take the reins and ride him rather than being dominated fully as I had been for the past day. Only when I felt him seize me, pulling me down tightly to his manly frame did I know he was nearing that moment all control would be gladly lost and released from him in one marvelous show. And I experienced the show of force pounding more roughly up into me. Our kiss broke with our cheeks passing one another for me to bite down into his shoulder. I had to or I would scream from the excitingly euphoric torment of him driving himself up to the peaks of both our pleasures. Right when he reached his limit, I muffled a shuddering cry into his bitten flesh and involuntarily stretched out my entire body over his. My slender legs had slid up and slipped down along his thick and powerful ones until he seized a hold of my pair by crossing his over mine to pin my knees down into the bed. ’Maybe he thought I was going to get off?’ Technically, I did, but not in the way I was guessing he thought. We both relaxed, his legs letting go of mine, and I curling back up on top of his powerfully intimidating frame. He was my warm bed as I rested by abused body. ...I still hated him, but he was right, I liked him too. I wasn’t sure what to make of it. Last night, he had an aroma that told me he applied aftershave or some kind of fragrant, but by now all of that had been overpowered with his true scent. A truly masculine scent that acted like an aphrodisiac to my senses. And that was just a tiny taste of why I liked him. I didn’t want to start thinking about why I hated him. Today was meant for us to find peace and I wanted to forget for just this one time. We could enjoy our company. If the fire we had burning for each other only lasted for so long, I doubted I would experience it being snuffed out by the end of the day. Afterwards was when I could return to completely hating his guts and never wanting to hear his name again, let alone see him. I was okay with that. Feeling around on the futon mattress, I searched for the sheets until I managed and pulled them back up. He helped to finish covering the both of us the rest of the way. After that, I only wanted to rest and return to examining all the things about his body that I did find comfort in. I never did manage to feel his red hair. ’Why not?’ I figured if he kept petting me, I could make it a mutual arrangement and at least comb his hair once with my hand. Without looking, I carefully searched over the mattress again until I felt the difference between the fitted sheet material and the silky red threads.’Silky smooth, eh?’ My fingers lightly danced up the side of his head before slipping my fingers through his hair. I smiled, marking this as the first time I got to feel what it was like and I could say I did like his fiery lion-mane. In haste, I jerked my hand out of his hair when I heard footsteps on the stairs. “Ouch.” ...And heard Jeremy when I accidentally pulled a few hairs out. I lifted my head up off him and faced the end of the stairs to see nobody. At least, at first there was no one, but that was because I had expected whoever it was to keep walking down the steps. When I looked up those stairs, I caught Brittany bending down enough for her to peek under the corner to the sub-ceiling of the basement. All the warmth in me had escalated up to a boil and I felt far too bothered to be under these sheets with Jeremy’s body heat anymore. “Uh, hi?” “Hi,” quietly came from Brittany. Jeremy remained silent, but he positioned himself on the bed to sit up and cause me to slip down to the bed beside him. Despite being overheated now, I remained under the covers and waited on how Brittany would respond seeing us together. She disappeared for a moment. I heard those light footsteps go back up, the creek of the door shutting, a very faint click that made me twitch, and finally her descending steps taking her back down. On the soft carpeted floor, she walked to the center of the basement and looked around for a moment until approaching the recliner. I thought she would sit, but I then followed her gaze to see she was taking in account of my clothes on the floor… her store clothes just laying around without any consideration of their value. “Oops.” I should have figured she be more concerned about her suits than if Jeremy had raped me again or not. ...He didn’t exactly. I’d claim he took advantage of me, and I had never given him my consent, but I won’t see what had happened between us as being rape. Again, it wasn’t entirely accurate. ’Maybe forcibly seduced? Was that a thing?’ One item at a time, from the pants, coat, and finally the shirt, Brittany had collected each. She activated the recliner up and laid them nice and neatly down over its stretched and spread opened body. After she finished smoothing out the outfit, she turned her attention back on us. “Dad’s home.” Hearing that from her, I wasn’t sure how to take it. ’Should I be happy or scared?’ The emotionless tone in her voice didn’t really help me figure out which way I should be reacting. ’Should I get up and greet him or stay down here and hide under the covers?’ Then I realized she wasn’t directing that announcement entirely at me, or even mostly at me. Her crystal blue eyes were aimed above my head and on a redheaded target. Jeremy breathed in deeply before he spoke. “Does he know?” “Yes and… and, yes, he wants to consider you a son-in-law after he kills you.” After hearing that from Brittany, I cringed and did decide to hide under the covers. “Will Gregory keep the peace until I leave?” That was a good question and I hoped, for today at least, Jeremy’s request would be granted with acceptance. “Greg will keep Dad in check if he doesn’t.” I quirked a brow at what she said. She lowered her focus down to me and smiled. “He can be a hothead, but Greg knows when to walk away.” I remembered yesterday and how Greg was told to leave the living room meeting with Jeremy, so I could believe her claim about our brother. Without any warning, the sheets covering us were lifted right off and thrown someplace out of my sight by Jeremy. He rolled over me and stood up in search for probably his boxers. Meanwhile, I curled up in a ball to keep my exposure as little as possible. Brittany passed Jeremy and came to sit down on the bed with me. Her hand reached out and laid on the top of my short haired head to pet me. “You never cease to be so cute.” “Thank you?” I wasn’t sure how she meant me being cute while I was in this embarrassing situation. “May I wear your suit? A shirt? Maybe the sheets?” ’Toga?’ Instead of answering me, Brittany turned her attention back to Jeremy to ask him, “What do you think? Should our little girl wear anything? I think she’s adorable just the way she is.” Jeremy was just pulling his boxers up as he looked from Brittany, then to me, and back to her again. “As much as I enjoy the view, I do not find pleasure in her discomfort. If you are against her wearing your precious spywear, then please allow me to offer her my clothes. It will not be the first time I’ve been on exhibition in Gale.” I was amazed by what he just said, but more shocked at the look I saw on Brittany’s face. That wicked smile spread its way across her mouth until those lips could no longer contain the cackle that forced its way out. “Oh! What a wonderful idea.” “...You can’t be serious?” This was asked from me as I uncurled from my protective ball. “Brittany, don’t. I just need --” “Nope! He suggested it and I like the idea.” She smiled at me and made a very bold statement. “Two against one. His idea, my acceptance, against you. I think that’s a win for the nudist party.” “Not a bad idea.” I blinked a few times in surprise when I heard that from Jeremy. “Maybe not the whole party. The balcony could be for those with the spunk and spirit --” “Waitwaitwait, I thought -- Jeremy, is this party we are going to a private or public one?” I sat up and squeezed my shoulders in to bar my breasts and push my hands down between my kneeling legs to be as covered as possible. “Please tell me it isn’t going to be public.” “It’s both. A private party for the invited only. I simply invited a lot of people.” A whimper escaped me once he established that was what I had to look forward going to. “Beryl, I will make certain no one touches you there.” “They would?” I hadn’t even thought of that being a possibility in a crowd. “Beryl?” Brittany looked back and forth between us. “New name?” “That is what I shall call her from now on.” He walked over to where his shirt had been discarded on the floor and snatched it up in one fluid motion to launch it toward us girls. Brittany caught it and handed the shirt to me, but she also pointed at him. “Those too.” He looked down at himself, at his boxers. “Mhm. C’mon Mr. Exhibitionist. I don’t want Dad to get any ideas when he sees a cut tushy walking around upstairs.” My face burned at the risk of that happening. “Brittany, is Dad dangerous? You said he raped Mom --” “He would have to get through me first.” She pulled me into a quick one-armed hug. “Get dressed. And you,” her attention was back on Jeremy, “get undressed.” “They won’t fit her.” He was already sliding out of his drawers and kicking them off toward us. Like before, Brittany caught the article of clothing in midair and handed it to me. “Doesn’t mean she can’t try. If they don’t fit, that just means I can do whatever I please while her hands are busy keeping them boyshorts up.” I was really getting worried where she was going with that. “Brittany… please don’t do anything --” “Oh, you are so cute.” Once again, I was drawn into a hug and let go to be prompted once more to get dressed. Her gaze shifted away from me and back on the only butt naked guy in the basement. “Good. Now I think you will have enough distraction time to runaway.” Jeremy had responded by going completely still and stared silently at Brittany for a good while before he nodded in acceptance. “I see.” He turned to me. “Beryl, may I request a raincheck for half a day of peace?” Today was supposed to be the only day. ’Can I really go back to hating him when I have to look forward to a half-day of liking him again?’ I wasn’t sure how possible that would be. “I’ll try.” That was the best and honest answer I could give him. He looked me over for a split second before a smile appeared on his normally stoic face. “I will accept that.” And he gave us both a short nodded bow. “Ladies.” “Nudist.” Brittany bowed her head to him in return while giggling. I just waved goodbye and quickly resumed to slip into these large clothes. Jeremy proceeded toward the stairs and quickly to the door. I paused getting dressed to listen intently on what might be going on upstairs. There was the tiny creeks of his footsteps, but they were what I heard from the top of the stairs. ’Was there some kind of soundproofing in the insulation between the upstairs and basement?’ There were no noises except the basement door being closed. Brittany glanced at me finally pulling the shirt on, and grinning as she looked me over. “So tell me, how long were the two of you playing around?” I froze and searched for something to tell her. Something witty or enough of a light rebuke that she’d laugh it off rather than take offense. Her mood from last night was still fresh in my mind. She was a bit of a hand full right now, but it was far better than her clearly severe kind of unstable depression I witnessed. She asked me an odd question. “Do you want me to find out?” For a few seconds, I was confused until she laid her hands down on my knees. Within a single instant, I was flipped onto my back and had my legs spread wide open by my sister. “Brittany!?” My shout could have alerted others upstairs, but I doubted it if there really was soundproofing between us. “Shh, it’s okay. Just looking… and done.” She let go of my knees and stood up. While I closed my legs and scooted away from her, she said, “All night and morning? Wow. You really don’t like him, do you.” With her wellbeing in mind, I didn’t say anything. We stared at each other and I believed she comprehended I had not appreciated what she had done just now. No longer smiling, she extended her arms out and open to me. A second to myself was all I asked nobody but myself silently. After that second, I crawled toward her and leaned a hug in around her waist as she folded her arms over and around me. As usual, she petted my head, but also gave me a calming backrub. In a quiet voice, she apologized and explained herself. “I’m sorry… sometimes I -- I do miss the old you. We bickered and fought, but it was fun when I could do things like what I just did.” A lingering kiss on the top of my head was given before she spoke into my soft and short hairs. “Greg misses his little sister too. We -- last night, Kim wouldn’t have declined our invitation.” “I’m sure she wouldn’t, but that is why I keep telling everyone that I’m not Kim.” I rested my head down in her lap and simply remained quiet after that. I didn’t want to put her in a sad mood, but I had to get that message across who I was and wasn’t. “Beryl? Are you certain you want to be called Beryl?” “Yes. I want to be called Beryl if everyone would get their minds off of thinking I’m Kim.” For a moment, the petting had stopped. I tensed, anticipating Brittany falling into a sour mood like last night. “Beryl.” One more kiss was laid on the top of my head before I heard her tell me something that surprised me. “I love you, Beryl. Please don’t ever leave me.” I glanced up from the side of my vision at her and saw she was expressing sadness. Frowning and giving me a look that told me enough how hurt she felt. “I’m sorry… Brittany, I really am sorry and I don’t know how to make it up --” “All you are is what I want. You’re my miracle.” And her petting resumed. I watched her for a little longer until she closed her eyes and began to get more comfortable on the bed. I wondered if she was tired… after last night with Greg, I wouldn’t be surprised. “Brittany? Should we go upstairs? You can get some sleep then.” I had thought the suggestion would tempt her, so I could go up and find more fitting PJs or something. She opened her eyes for a glance at me, then shut them again and said, “I’d like it if we slept together. No funny business.” A smile reappeared. “You promise?” I wasn’t sure if I could go back to sleep after her exciting and humiliating show she put Jeremy and me through, but I wanted her to feel better after the downer I announced about myself. “Yes. Just for an hour or two, then we can both go upstairs and see what’s up.” She was already laying down on her side and pulling me up to hug me like a stuffed teddy. “Please?” I didn’t respond. I didn’t think I had to after I began to hear her heart slow. As I rested my head on her bosom, I realized I didn’t feel a titillating moment with her mammies in my face. Then again, last night proved I was disgusted at the thought of anything incestuous with her, and especially with Greg. I’ve grown close to them for me to not back on up and alter my course of affection for them in any way than what I perceived a good little sister should. My morals, not theirs. Curling up slightly on my big sister, I eventually found myself drifting to sleep and had let it happen...

Imposter   Chapter 9: To Be Kim   Once we had settled some finer details on our photoshoot deal, Brittany left my room. This would be the first night I'd be sleeping in this bed. It felt comfy, so there was that to be considered, but I didn't fall asleep. What I had learned in the past hour was too much on my mind for me to have called it a night. First, I wanted to relock the door. After learning about Greg, despite me not being his type, I just didn't feel comfortable knowing he used to be interested. To be honest, if he really wanted to get in here, a locked door was not going to keep a big guy like him out. Secondly, I wanted to look through Kim's PC a little more. She had photos of a life I knew nothing about. ’Maybe she had some documentations that I could read through?’ Like a conversation in a text message, a journalized series of updates on social media, or a simple diary saved in a folder somewhere. I was already glad her PC wasn't password protected. Getting all bundled up in the blanket, I sat in her swiveling chair and righted myself until perfectly situated for a night of research. The very first thing I brought up on the screen was the photograph that I found of Kim. She was leaning back against a fence gate to someplace really luxurious.’Maybe a mansion or really extravagant hotel?’ Couldn't tell without having a larger scope of the background and building. Of course, Kim was the focus. I thought about how I looked and compared to how Kim had once appeared. Under these scars, I could see both myself and Kim. It was like we had a daughter. Over my body, I could see the blend of our figures. I was definitely still a full female, but I had to wonder why there was more Kim here than there was Chase. It may have to do with the fact that this was originally Kim's body. If we did swap, maybe Kim had a similar issue where she's fully male, but we’d look about the same as if we were siblings. I had to figure this all out. The main reason I wanted to learn about Kim initially was to not appear crazy. After Dr. Anstone, I wanted to become someone better than I was as Chase. Once I met this family, I didn’t want to see them get hurt with knowing their Kim was gone. Now I wanted to discover how much between us was really one or the other. And while I did that, I could try to trace everything back to the point of when this all happened. An answer, or at least clued in on what Kim may have done on this end. ’Maybe she was involved in something that caused us to transit from our worlds this way?’ I knew for a fact that I didn't do it. As I stared at the photo, I tried to picture Brittany and Shelly to compare the differences they had with Kim. In the face, hair, and even the posture, it was impossible to tell them apart. I got that Brittany and Kim had similar personalities from our recent conversation. Their sense of fashion was in question though. This photo was with Kim wearing a dress that wasn't very businesslike. She looked ready for fun and games in the sun. The only dressed person I’ve seen who was outfitted for this weather. ’Maybe she was on vacation in this photo?’ I'd have to find more to figure that one out. One after the other, the photos of Kim I discovered were her almost always in the same kind of outfits. Thing was, it looked like it revolved around the same locale too. I was going to make it an almost confirmed that this was a vacation spot. She appeared to be really happy or enjoying the moment. I paused looking for her photos. A little curiosity got in me to find another photo of that locale. I could get an idea who was behind the camera as an extra credit. I was certain that Kim had to have swapped places or taken a photo with whomever it was snapping pictures of her. ’Unless she was asking a passing pedestrian?’ That was possible. My search for the photographer came up empty. Getting back on track, I decided to move onto other photos that were not around that vacation spot. Some of them were outside this home, others inside of a restaurant, a couple by the streets, and at least one that looked like it was a class photo. Only reason I figured it was a class was because they all wore the same two uniforms based on gender. In the class photo, I took note that she wasn't looking at the camera. There was someone she happened to be grinning at. Unfortunately, I wasn't sure who. She faced in a direction that either had her looking to her side or over the shoulder. It could have been anyone in that wing. Looking over that wing, I went over each person in detail for a few minutes before I stopped. "What am I looking for?" Closing that photo, I decided to move onto locating some text messages. I could learn a lot more from her conversations with others than I could by a photograph. I had brought up an account that luckily was on auto-fill for the site. When I got online, it showed me a number of people that were her friends and had at least conversed with her once or twice. One in particular was in several occasions, but before I could click on it to explore the past messages, I got messaged. JC|Kim! Where have you been?| Taking a look, I saw the name 'J.C.Kegan' highlighted up top and a 'JC' tag next to the texts. ’Was this a guy or gal and how do I turn off the online status for me here?’ Taking a moment, I found the scroll tab and clicked my status as offline. It didn't stop this JC person. JC|Kim?|JC|Please Kim? What has been going on?|JC|Kim? Are you okay?| More texts from this person kept coming in, but I was focused on these initial ones. It looked like this person might not know what happened to Kim. Actually, I began to wonder if they knew anything had happened to Kim other than going offgrid for over a month. It was possible that no one knew that Kim had been hospitalized. That I had been in that hospital for over a month. Seeing the texts were not stopping, I tested typing to see if it would change my status at all to being back online. It didn't. So that meant I could converse with this person without alerting anyone else. ’Question was, would me talking with this person be a good idea? I could learn from them, but would I do so acting as the former Kim? Maybe say this was someone else? I could play the same amnesia card that I did with the family?’ I'm going to rule out acting as the former Kim. I still didn't know who JC was and pretending I did would probably fail. Saying I'm someone else might cut me off from this person if they find it offensive that Kim's account was compromised. Being me was the only thing I was good at right now. I started to reply. It took me a moment, clicking away at the keyboard, but as I saw my name highlight that I was responding to JC, the person halted their messages. I guess they saw me finally making contact and gave me a break from their towering texts of worry for Kim. KO|This is Kim.|KO|I'm sorry. I don't know who this is.| I waited. My goal was to have them ask why I didn't know who they were and I'd inform them of my supposed memory loss from an accident. If I could get that through to them, maybe they'd start feeding me details on what Kim's life used to be like. This JC was not responding right away. ’Maybe I had scared them off?’ “Did I fuck up?” Then they replied. I breathed out a sigh of relief, at first, but I read their message and wasn't so relieved anymore. JC|If this is Kim, please turn on the webcam.| “Seriously?” I looked up from the screen to see where this camera was at. It took me a little over a minute to figure it was installed into the frame of the monitor. A little lense with a light that would turn on right by its side when on. No button to flip it on, so I guessed it was turned on by some software program. I closed my eyes and thought hard about it. ’Do I really want to let this person know what I look like?’ They might’ve recognized Kim under this… my current face, but the number of questions would be scary. I didn't know who this was and had no clue if I could trust them. Brittany had made it clear that no one was supposed to be aware of my existence. JC here appeared to be eager to get back in touch with Kim. Before I decided, I wanted to see some of the previous conversations. That would help me understand who this was. KO|Give me a moment. I want to learn who you are first by reading our previous conversations.|JC|Wait!|JC|I'll call you.| Thinking about it, I guess that would make sense. If I had a series of private conversations with someone and didn't know who was on the other side right now, I wouldn't want them snooping either. Whoever this was, they at least appeared to trust me enough that I wouldn't peek anyways. Now came another question. ’How were they going to call me?’ I didn't have a cell and there didn't appear to be any phone in here. Waiting a couple minutes, I saw JC's typing a message. JC|Pick up?| Figured. KO|No cell or phone.|KO|Home phone? Living room might have one.|JC|Basement.| Oh, okay. I guessed whoever this was, they've been in the house before. KO|Give me a moment to go down.| I took a quick look around. Getting out of the blankets and sheets, I walked over to the bed and knelt down on the floor. Beneath the bed was drawers. I pulled on one and discovered it was actually one giant drawer. Inside were kinda what I was looking for. Clothes, but they were definitely meant for nightwear. I had a choice of wearing PJ's, a few Nighty's that were a little transparent or too feminine for my comfort, lingerie that was enough to cover the essentials, and a pair of bathrobes. Out of all of them, I picked a pair of PJ's just because it was the most neutral between genders. It was a very light blue one, like a clear sky, and had a smooth texture that reminded me of satin. Unfortunately, it was a little big on me. I tied the drawstrings tightly to my narrow waist first because it kept trying to slip off me while buttoning up the top. Going back to the PC, I quickly typed. KO|Heading down now.|JC|What have you been doing?|KO|Dressed.| As an afterthought, I didn't think they needed to know I hadn’t been dressed, but too late now. Shutting off my light, I unlocked the door and padded out while quietly closing the door behind me. It took me a minute to check and be sure the coast was clear. I didn't want to explain to anyone that I was about to receive a call. As a matter of fact, I didn't know how I would explain that one. Keeping silent and quick, I dashed through the living room and into the kitchen. Not seeing or hearing anyone following after me, I went for the basement door. Once I was downstairs, I hunted for the phone that was supposed to be down here. If it weren't for the sudden noise it made, I wouldn't have found it. To keep it from alerting anyone, I pounced and dived for it by one of the couches. Falling on a shoulder and elbow, I grunted in discomfort, but saved the phone from ringing twice. Sucking my painful crashed landing up, I rolled onto my back behind the couch and brought the phone up to the side of my face. "Hello?" It wasn't until after I had spoken I realized something. Back in my room, I hadn't heard the phone ring the first time JC called. In other words, I did a Daredevil stunt absolutely for nothing. I whispered to myself, "Idiot." "--im? Tha -- ly you?" I guessed this was JC. A guy. I wondered about the bad reception. ’Was it me being in the basement causing the interference or his end that had the issue?’ I let out a sigh before answering. "Yes. Who is this?" "Jer-- It's -- emy." I should have looked at those conversations if he was going to be this difficult to talk to. This could be incorrect, but I think he said his name was ’Jeremy?’ With as slow and restrained a tone I could muster, I relayed what I wanted to text him earlier, so he could understand my situation. "I. Had. An. Accident... I. Don't. Know. Who. You. Are." "... --ha --ned? Why --n't you kno-- I am? Wh-- --ave -- been?" Not sure, but I thought that last part was him asking me, ’Where I've been?’ ’Did this mean he believed I was Kim?’ Might as well ask. "I can't explain that. I was told not to --" "Who?" Huffing in frustration, I slowed my speech down for him. "The. Hospital. Told. Me. Not. To. Say. Anything."  "--at abo-- --rents?" I had no idea what he just said. ’At about rents? What about... parents?’ I thought he asked me, 'What about parents?’ ‘...What about them?’ Oh, I had enough of this word game. "Look, I think if you knew my condition, you'd understand, but I can't -- I'm not supposed to." I shook my head. "I'm not supposed to even be talking with anyone. I mean, Brittany might be okay with it, but the others will flip if they find out I'm on the phone with someone." There was a silence on the other end for a moment. I heard a noise from his end, but couldn't tell what it was. "You still there?" "Ye -- ry." ’Was that was an apology?’ Another moment of silence and then he spoke up again. "Do m-- avor?" "Uh, what?" Another pause and then. "--ide?" "Huh? Could you repeat that?" This was getting irritating. "Out--" ’Outside? He wanted me to go outside!?’ I guess he was receiving more static than I was. This was a basement and the reception might not be perfect. Going upstairs would improve things, but there was the risk of being seen or heard by my family. Thing was, going outside didn't sound like a bright idea. "I kinda do mind. I'm in a PJ's." "Jus-- th-- --oor." I think I heard 'door' in there. ’Just outside the door, maybe?’ I supposed that wasn't as bad. It wasn't like I would be walking around the block talking on the phone. Still didn't like the idea very much. Maybe I could grab something to use as a weapon in case if someone, like this Jeremy guy, decided to unexpectedly showed up out there. "I guess. Give me a moment." Rolling onto my side, I set the phone down a moment to get up. Grabbing the phone back, I went over to the wall where the pool sticks were hanging up. I nabbed one of the long poles off the wall and twirled it in a fluid motion around my wrist. "Oh, cool. Uh..." I didn't mean to do that, but apparently I knew how to handle a short staff to some degree. Once up the stairs, I had shut the door behind me and carefully went out the backdoor to the driveway. I decided to sit down on the ground and leaned back against the door. This way, I would be hidden from the door's window in the event anyone had a midnight snack craving. I doubted it, considering this family were in incredible fit shape, but one could never be too careful. With that in thought, I had the pool stick propped up and ready to poke someone's eye out if they get too close. "Okay. Can you hear me better now?" "Yeah, one second." Smiling, I did a victorious arm-pump with the pool stick in my excitement. Finally, we could hold a clear conversation. "Here." I faced and raised a brow at the phone. My eyes drifted from it to the sight of headlights shining for a couple seconds before they were shut off. A car had just parked out front of the house. "Hey, I didn't -- fuck." I dropped the phone in my haste to stand up, attempting to run back in. The phone would be okay out here, but I needed back inside and pronto. Then I heard the car door shut and make a clicking noise. Locked. Not sure why, but I started shaking. Suddenly grabbing the doorknob proved difficult. It was just like in the hospital and before I got home, but worse. ’Was it because of my spiking anxiety had fucked with my nerves or something?’ Each time I grabbed at the knob, I either missed because my hand trembled and slipped or my grip became so slack and loose that the knob simply didn't rotate. It was like I had lost any and all strength when I needed it the most. "Fuckfuckfuck." I stopped, took a deep breath, bowed my head, and slowly let the air out of my lungs. Taking a little longer this time, I wrapped my hand around the knob and began to actually turn it this time. "Kim?" Startled, I jumped in fright and nervously hopped away from the house. I wasn't sure why I did retreat from the house until, by some reflex, I swung the pool stick around. That made sense in that instant. If I had attacked with the pool stick that close to the door, the stick wouldn't have had enough room for a full swing, hitting the door or wall of the house by accident, or if I had swung it vertically the impact would be dangerously close to his head when I hit him. All I saw was someone with nearly the same height as Greg stop me in mid-swing. Or rather, I had finished my attack and the stick did hit him, but I felt the shaft vibrating from the sudden halt. I lost my firm grip on the pool stick, but still had it loosely between my hands. Very last thing I registered was the stick bouncing in my palms and instantly slipping out of my hands for some reason before the thick end of it shot towards my face...

Influence   Chapter 11: To Not Be Kim   "I'm tired and ready to end this tonight. You will be staying here." I stiffened and came to a halt for a split second on the stairs. He shoved me and caused me to trip over the step. I landed on my knee, but didn't remain there for long. His hands left my shoulders, only to grab me, and suddenly pick me up off the stairs. Instead of being driven to walk again up those steps, we struggled for a moment before he won, but he had to wrestle me up off my feet into his arms if I was to stop fighting. I had to be cradled, held locked against his chest, and carried if I was to go further. I finally found the courage to speak again. "Please take me home." "After what you told me? I'm surprised. What if I repeated to your family what you told me?" I shook my head. "They understand my situation --" His chuckle interrupted me. "Liar. Remember, I can tell. You are showing me they don't understand." I bit into my lower lip. If only I could tell him this crazy story without it sounding half-baked. "Don't do that." Letting go of my lip, I asked. "Do what?" "Bite your lip. You could have a very unique piercing if I drop you." ’What the Hell? He's willing to break my arm and probably cracked something in both my hands, but he's worried about me biting my lip?’ Through clenched teeth, I replied. "Then don't drop me." He raised a brow and nodded. "I may trip." Fear and anger were being stirred in me. Hissing through my teeth, I whispered, "Then tread carefully with me." That caused him to pause on the last step. The stairs ended at another corridor with a doorway presumably to the balcony. He shook his head and warned, "Don't tempt me." I almost felt the niggling sensation of hysteria enter me. "You've abducted and brutalized me like a savage barbarian." There was a little laugh that escaped me. "After torturing me to confess, like a fucking witch, I'm to be imprisoned here." I shook my head. "Why shouldn't I take the risk?" "Worse could happen." I locked eyes with him. "Are you going to kill me?" He shrugged and resumed walking. "You never know with savage barbarians." "What would you call what you did to me?" "An interrogation. You could have cooperated better and I wouldn't have required to do what I did." I shook my head again in frustration. He simply could not be made to understand and a great portion of it I couldn't comprehend enough to explain. "Was this how you asked my family?" I noted his jaw tense when I said that. "Dammit, they are! I have no one else here." "Maybe. Does that give you the right to replace Kim?" I didn't have a choice. ’What would the hospital have done if I started off by saying who I really was?’ "There was no other way." He turned to use his side to nudge open a door. Inside was a room filled with different sorts of furniture. It looked like a bedroom, but something about it seemed off. It didn't appear to have been in use for awhile. Not like cobwebs were everywhere, but there was a very faint layer of dust over what should be regularly used, like the bed sheets. I found that out when he deposited me on the bed and a puff of dust came up. "This is your room. I'll be next door." He looked around for a moment before grabbing a hold of the bottom edges of the sheets. A single and violent rip and he rendered the bottom off of its main body. "Stay still." "What are you doing?" He didn't answer with words, but action. I cried out when he grabbed my injured hands and began to tie them by the wrists. I was yanked bodily up to the head of the bed and leashed to the railing. "I told you, I'm tired and done. I want no more disturbances from you." Upset more than I have ever been, I lashed out and kicked him in the ribs as he was leaning over me. "Fuck you! You are the one who attacked and kidnapped me!" I felt some satisfaction when he grunted from my kick. Unfortunately, he held me by the ankle down against the bed with the very side of his body I’d kicked. His eyes were closed for a moment. Watching him sent a new fear to replace the anger in me. He was shaking and breathing hard. I knew he was struggling to keep calm. His green eyes peeked through narrowly opened slits at me. In a low tone, he spoke. "You swung first and last without provocation. I never brought violence onto you without warning." "My hands --" "You lied to me again and again. When you finally told the truth, I justified the act. I will not tell Kim's family about your sick ruse." Again, the fear in me was joined with an equal measure of anger. "I didn't trick anyone!" "It amazes me how you continue to be a horrible liar and have somehow Kim's family believing you." Glaring at him, I kicked him with my other foot. It caught him in the forearm and since he didn't grab it, I kicked again. "Fucking Bastard!" I stopped. ’What the Hell was I doing?’ I was tied to a bed and attacking someone who was nearly as scary big and nearly strong as Greg. This guy felt his actions were justified and I kept goading him to more acts of violence. Now I introduced my own violence. ’What more would he do?’ Gulping, I laid my leg down and croaked up at him. "Please, I'm sorry. I just --" "Stop." His eyes were closed again and he shook with a firm grip on my ankle. "Scared. You're scared and trapped. Of course you'd fight." He held his breath, letting it out in slow blows. When he opened his eyes again, he stared down at me in a silence that took a minute or more before speaking again. "Tell me again. This time, be honest with me. Who are you?" For a second, I lifted my head up to give him an incredulous look before dropping back and shaking my head. I felt close to crying like I had on the floor downstairs. "Please don't ask me that. I don't know." "But you are passing as Kim?" "Fumbling as Kim. I woke up, after a month in a coma, and everyone tells me I'm Kim. How am I supposed to respond?" If I could, I would have cleared the blurring tears welling up in my eyes before they started streaming down my scarred face. Instead, I just blindly stared at the red fuzzy shape that kept hurting me. "Honestly." A exhausted sigh escaped his lips as he shook his head at me. "I'll be back to take the edge off so you may get some rest." My ankle was released and he turned to leave the room. Once he was out, I couldn't hold back anymore and let how I felt go quietly. Turning to face away from the doorway, I buried my face into my tied and bruised arm. I needed to calm down if I wanted to think of a way out of this. Every word I said had only been digging me deeper into a grave. ’What else could I do?’ Hearing his footfalls, I knew he returned and approached the bed. The motion on the bed told me he sat on the side of it. A shadow fell over my blurry vision of the bed before I felt his palm brush over my cheek and beneath my eye. He cupped under my chin and turned me to face him with his thumb brushing away the wet streak on the other side of my face. He held up a cup. "This will help you keep warm and rest." I felt his hand slip from my chin behind my neck to lift and support my head up. The rim of the cup was pressed to my lips, but wasn’t tipped by his hand, so I drank what he gave me by biting that rim and pulling it carefully down. I did what he wanted me to do. I had no more will left in me to fight and make matters worse. What he gave me was fire on the tongue and down the throat. I coughed into the cup, nearly spitting and spilling the contents out, but I involuntarily bit harder on the rim during my spluttering. He tugged the cup and I let go when I felt the resistance. I took the opportunity for me to recover my breathing while he had begun pouring another cup. This serving, he drank from for a moment before lowering it back down to me. I was hesitant to try it again, but I didn't want to deal with anymore physical or emotional pain. I drank. After so many servings, I finally felt the buzz in my head start and the world melt a little of that hard edge away. I watched him let out a long sigh after drinking another portion of the cup before placing it back in front of my glistening lips. When I finished the cup off, I had to ask. "Who is Kim to you?" Those green eyes locked with mine. "Someone important." Knowing this world's morals, I wondered how important Kim really was to him. ’Was he one of Kim's lovers? Did he know she banged her own brother before I came along?’ Maybe he should. "You know that Greg fucked her." It occurred to me that the incestuous relationship might not end there. "Maybe her whole family, but heard it from Brittany herself that the three are connected tightly by the hips." He didn't say anything, just watched me back as I watched him in turn. "How big is her family? I never got to investigate that before you messaged me. Does she have cousins she plays with on the side? Are there any friends at school that have extra benefits?" I giggled at that thought and wondered how lucky I would have been if I'd gone to her school. He didn't talk. His face wasn't showing any signs that he was upset by what I said. It wasn't a sure bet, but I think he knew how free she was with the family. What I said might be true too. Seriously, if I’d had a chance to be in a school with the morals of this world set up the way they were, I'd probably have had a better chance at losing my virginity. No. It would’ve been a sure bet I’d popped someone’s cherry. As it was, I spent more time in front of a PC playing porn games when Mom slept at night as my only release. I shut my eyes for a moment and laughed a little. "You know, it is funny. If you really want to have Kim back, just grab Brittany. As far that I can tell, she's not seeing anyone except Greg and he's willing to drop her once a boyfriend comes into the picture." Giving the bindings around my wrist a tug, I felt the pins and needles in my hands slowly fade as a strangely overpowering heat spread up and down to every extremity of my body. "What have I been drinking?" Tilting my head back, I looked at my hands and tested the binding one more time. The warmth and numbness in my hands felt like it was possible for me to keep pulling until I slipped out. So, I tried. His hand reached out and gently held my wrists to keep me from tugging anymore. "You'll hurt yourself." I laughed at his hypocrisy. "Why do you care. You've already hurt me enough." I kept laughing, but stopped tugging anyways. It didn't look like it was working with his hand there. "It won't happen anymore. I'm done." "You've said that already three times. By the way, I thought you would be in bed by -- oh, I guess you are in a bed." I shook my head while trying to keep my laughter in check. Wiggling my fingers, I watched them move without feeling them. "It feels like I have no fingers." He let go of my wrist and worked removing the binding around them. A flush of pain erupted in my hands, but I didn't cry out. I did feel the cool stream of tears go down my cheeks again, but that was it. "You resemble her very much." It took me a moment to recollect what he was talking about. Then I remembered. "Yeah, you've said that maybe once or twice." Ringing my hands around my wrists, I saw I could at least move my hands and fingers. I suppose they weren't broken. Feeling pressure on my lips, I opened up to let him pour more of the drink in. It wasn't the cup on my lips or the drink entering my mouth. My eyes widened and I immediately lowered my hands down to his shoulders in an attempt to shove him off. His greater frame had slide over mine and the weight of him anchored me down to the bed fully. At first, I was shocked by his face being this close to mine. It took me a little bit of processing to realize he was deeply kissing me. I pushed again, more frantically to get him up and off, and he lifted up only enough to break the kiss and let me breathe. My hands had dragged down to his hard and broad chest to push him the rest of the way off. Instead, he lowered himself completely on top of me again and trapped my arms beneath him. In my gasping for air, he revisited my slippery wet lips more deeply than before. Thrusting my legs out, I tried to use the balledheels of my bare feet to kick down into his thighs or someplace along his legs. I didn't feel much when I should’ve in my struggle, except the numbing warmth from the drink, and I guessed he perhaps didn't feel my fighting efforts. Since my arms and hands were trapped, I could still dig my nails through his shirt and into that formidable chest. I pinched and dug at him to try and leave off of me. Our lips only became more wildly engrossed in their act. I tried gasping for air between the kiss, then breathe from my nose, but it became an impossible endeavor with his hot breath being fed directly to me. I inhaled him every time he pushed to taste me more, and I weakened… I fought him less and less. The next time he broke our kiss, I only gave myself enough time to inhale and beg out a single breath for him to, “Stop.” One more breath, and I said, "Please --" And that was all I had time to say when his lips returned. I was starting to become dizzy and I saw spontaneous stars appearing and whirring around in my vision. My legs began kicking at him with renewed energy, but it didn't prevent him from feeling along my tapered region of my waist before my hips. Between us, I felt his hand run down my flat belly and dip into the only imperfection there, my navel. Hooking a thumb, he stroked along the band and drawstring of my pajama bottoms. The feeling of him slipping in that thick opposable digit and curling it up reminded me all the more he was a man and I wasn’t. He stretched the band of my pants up for his hand to slide fully inside. I made a noise between our kiss when I felt the tips of his fingers cup me down between my legs. The noise came out of me again as his fingers held there firmly, except for one. That one sinful finger first stroked over me, then plied me open enough to feel the liquid warmth gradually seeping out of me. Gently, he kept his slippery movement only running between me to smoothly smear the pleasant leak around. He’d broken the kiss once more. Shutting my eyes, I still could see the stars as I gasped deeply for air. It took everything I could to keep myself from uttering those noises I made earlier between our kiss. A new kind of warmth was spreading through my body. One that was a little familiar, from when I was with Dr. Anstone, but different as well. There was an alluring glow growing hotter in me every time I breathed Jeremy's scent in. His hard, lean, and formidable figure pressed down onto mine was nothing I'd ever come close to experiencing with Dr. Anstone. She was relenting, gentle, but merciless when she had hold of what she desired. Jeremy was full of unwavering determination to claim what was in his possession and captured every bit of me without fail. There was a single moment that he lifted himself up, freeing my arms, but only long enough for him to grab a hold of my night’s top single-handedly. My hands shot up to him and grabbed him by the shirt to wordlessly in prevention. Each sound I heard next was my buttons popping off in rapid succession to bare my chest. Only when my exposure was complete did he brush my arms out of his way. I opened my eyes to watch him drop his face down below my sight. A surprised gasp left me and I squirmed on the bed. With both his hands, one toying with me below, the other teasing with flicks of his thumb and making my breast tender with the heel of his palm; his lips and tongue played a tasteful game with my other breast. Hard and erect, he caught me between his teeth to tease me until I voiced another humiliating gasp. The rugged lapping I felt didn't help me feel any better, but they were more enjoyable than the bite. I dropped my hands, since I no longer could prevent this from happening, and clenched both into tight fists to tear into the sheets beneath me. Instead of kicking him, my feet were either running or curling around his bare calves. With my legs stretching out along and around the backside of his tensing thighs, I couldn't prevent myself from pressing my hips up to his grasping hand when the fiery hot sensation he rubbed out of me peaked. It felt like I had a burning hot leak traveling from my head down to my feet. Not shocking like I had with Dr. Anstone, but fully lit on fire. His hand left and I felt the open aired expose on me as I sensed him sitting up. I stared at him as he gripped his shirt and removed it. My eyes drifted down his entire sculpted torso. I witnessed the small hairs on his chest uncurl, the rise of his pecs as he breathed in, and his once tensed shoulders rest as he exhaled heartily when freed from his shirt’s confinement. My hand had let go of the bed sheet to reach out and touch his stacked abs on his stomach. I jerked my hand back, not knowing what the Hell I was thinking. My mulled thought on my moment of confusion was interrupted by a single downward tug on me. Then a second more successful one as he pulled my bottoms down to the widest of my thighs. He had to get untangled from my legs to bring them down any further, but it appeared to be enough for him. He had in his sights the damp hairs that was hiding a place I wanted no man to enter. Forgetting he wore boxers, I was shocked to see he had not required any time at all to be free. My jaw had become slack and hung as I uttered a whimper at the size of him. I twisted to roll onto the side of the bed to reach for some edged purchase on the mattress and pull away to escape out from under him. One hand on my turned up shoulder and he tenderly tugged, but pulled me back. He only laid his hand there, tugging to direct me back until I was willingly lay back down on my own. I didn’t. I looked at him like he was crazy. So instead of being laid back down, he moved and allowed me enough space between us for me to pull out from under him… all just to unlock my legs from his. Then he grabbed me by my lowered pants and yanked me back. He was half pinning me by the hip with one hand and pulling my bottoms the rest of the way down and off with the other. Then, he just let go of me and sat back to watch me. The only thing I wore now was the ripped open shirt. There was no use hiding myself from him and I honestly wasn't concerned with where his eyes went. I was scared where he wanted to go with that very masculine excitement standing up between his legs. Slowly, I sat up and made a half-hearted attempt to slide away from him for the edge of the bed. He simply grabbed and pulled me back to where I had laid before. This time, his hands didn't leave me. I was held, but not pinned down. Those palms ran up, rubbed and firmly massaged into over my hips, and back down to my thighs in the same manner until he circled back up to do it all over again. On his final massaging circuit, he passed my hips to encircle my waist. My lower half was lifted slightly off of the flat of the bed and I fell back on my shoulders and elbows. He used his knees to wedge my legs open and just sat there. Then he did something that really threw me off-guard. He scooted away from me and repositioned himself to be laid back while pulling me to follow. I tried to sit back up, but he pulled and lifted me up to throw my balance off. Those green eyes kept a hold of me and I kept wondering what his game was. ’Why was he playing this cruel game with me like this?’ His hands ran down to the beginning swells of my pert bottom, and suddenly held onto me with that steel grip. In one motion, and with a groan from me curling to sit up straight, he yanked me up over his lap to straddle him. In a panic, I tried sliding off when I could feel the hot rhythmic beat of his throbbing pulse between my legs. With one hand exploring my rear, he lifted himself up to sit and to reached behind my shoulders, just to grab me, and then forced me to lay back down on him. He kept me from escaping. That grabbing hand behind me traveled up to the back of my head and brushed the small hairs on my head in gentle strokes. 'Was he petting me?' I laid me cheek down over his shoulder while trying to adjust my legs, to not be uncomfortably spread open so widely around his hips, but his exploring hand on my rear held me down until I stopped moving. I stared at the bed's edge for a moment, fully aware I had a man’s cock trapped between my stretched open legs… and my worked up womanhood resting on it. Then I closed my eyes and whimpered. He rocked his hips up and continued to hold down mine to grind the rigid belly of his aroused length up through my hotly bothered and tenderized valley. The moisture there had never gone and only made his teasing rub between us that much more slick and smooth going. Each time he rocked, I felt his hip dip lower and lower, mine higher, aiming that great male part of him eagerly, parting me, opening me with nothing more than his passing through. There was a soft pressure on the back of my head, and then top of it, which had me look away from the bed’s edge to see what he was doing. He had gently kissed me on my forehead, and returned to the top of my head with his passionate breathing blown through my short hairs. I heard him whisper, "Relax." ’Could I?’ I swallowed and pressed my cheek back down and more firmly on his shoulder. Consciously, I tried to ease up on my tension and let myself go, to hang out on top of his body. Once I had done that, the fiery drink he gave me had done the rest loosening me up. One outstanding stroke between us and I felt the large blunt tip of his great masculine shaft brush nearer. I shook in response and seized up. "Slow. Breath slow." I followed his suggestion and worked on my shallow and rapid breaths to be drawn out into gradual pulls for air. Once more, I tried relaxing. A few more times, he grounded his rock hard root against me, always making me feel the thick headed top of it barely rubbed by the passage of my sex and repeatedly doing it over again with every chance he could penetrate me any time. That was, until either my rocking or his had unintentionally caught the crested crown of his head just enough in his latest pass to almost enter me. He paused for a mere second. His lower hand kept me firmly in place so I wouldn’t pull away. With a slow but sure determination, I was finally being pulled down his length and penetrated until he had no more of himself to plant. My lower lip was trapped between my teeth, otherwise I would've started screaming like I had with Dr. Anstone, and I involuntarily hugged him for some imaginative security as he took me. We laid together like this, our bodies laid out on the wrong side of the bed with our heads where our feet should've been. While we laid still, I supposed he waited for me -- I just guessed -- to stretch around his size until I found comfort with him in me and be forever imprinted by only him. He kept stroking my hair, and I had to admit that soothed my nerves. Until he stopped petting me. He had let go of where he held or petted me to take hold of my shoulders and gently nudge me up. I got what he was indicating, that I should get up on my elbows for a bit, but I stopped lifting up off his chest when he no longer pushed me away from him. 'What's he want?' His hand came up to my face and directed me to look down at him. "Keep looking at me." I flinched when he dragged his manhood down and partly out of me. "I want us both to know who we are." ’What did he mean by that?’ I gave him a questioning look. "I will not pretend you're Kim." I inhaled sharply and let out a gasp with his thrust. “You taste and feel just like her, but you’re not… you’re not Kim.” For a while, the sway of our hips was all the movement on the bed. Eventually, I registered that I had joined him in the swayed motions. I had begun grinding down onto his upward thrusts and he responded to my change with a gasp. My eyes had blinked, then shuttered closed as I hanged my head down and laid my forehead onto his shoulder. I don't know why I said what I did, but I had told him, "I'm sorry." Maybe I had felt guilt for continually being someone I was certainly not or that I couldn't be the person everyone wanted me to be. It wasn't possible for me to naturally exist that way. I had intended to lower myself back down to rest again, but he redirected me by cupping my chin up, facing him on my way down to rest. Our lips met again. When he pushed to enter my mouth, we pressed ourselves for a faster pace. He shoved in me fully and pulled out almost entirely before thrusting himself harder until I kept completely sheathing him or nearly being taken off him again and again. He had triggered my already burning hot system to overload and explode before I nearly blacked out from the surge of power he kept pumping in me. I was going insane until I had silently screamed between our kiss the very instant he finally made the decision to stop and stay inside me. Within me, I felt the regular pulse of his masculine vigor swell with a passionate pride. A foreign heat radiated from within me to such a degree that it prevented the orgasmic sensation of being filled from fleeing me. For the first time, I felt a wholesome completion and shuddered a cry into our kiss. This climatic episode caused me to force myself down onto his body, holding him, and never letting go until the odd passion passed. It took time, but we eventually cooled and relaxed. I remained laid on top of him, having nuzzled my cheek back to his shoulder, and welcomed his soothing pets to finally bring me a restful end to this night...     When I woke up, he was still dead asleep. Carefully, and quietly, I removed myself from his arm and body. I felt a sudden rush between my legs when I rolled off of him to the edge of the bed. I stood and winced at how sore I felt. Breathing a bit heavily, I dropped a hand down and felt moisture there. Clenching my eyes shut, I shook my head and wiped to clean my hand over the bed sheet before walking to the bedroom door. I was escaping. I didn't care that I was almost entirely exposed. Each agonizing and stiff legged step down took me closer to freedom. Downstairs, I searched around the entire grandhall until I found the keys to his car. Taking a look out the front door, I made certain no one was out on Jeremy’s green expanse outside to stop me. All I needed were guard dogs or a single security guard out front to stop me. The sun was up, which would be giving me a problem if Kim’s family was awake and aware I was missing. In one brisk walk, I made it to his car and hopped in. It took me a moment to remember how to start a car like this. ’Clutch and brakes first, right?’ My hand went to the gear shift and tested to be sure it was in the neutral position. "Okay. I think I remember." At least Dad had taught me one good thing before he spoiled and tossed himself out. With the car started and me being absolutely careful of not stripping the gears between shifts, I drove to the gate. For a few minutes, I tried to figure out how to open them up from the inside of the car. Backing up, I paralleled with the button and tried giving it a push. The gate opened. After that, I drove out of here. It took me a few wrong ways, a couple of U-turns, and a single humiliating moment of asking for directions before I found my way home an hour later. From what I could tell, if I had known where I was going, it should have taken ten minutes from that mansion or palace. That wasn't very comforting to know how close Jeremy lived. I parked in behind Shelly's car. Someone opened the back door. It took me a moment to figure out which of the two it was, but I found out it was Shelly. I lowered my head and shoulders as she glared down at me through the car’s window. When she reached the car, then her expression changed to confusion and then worry. "What hap-- Never mind. Stay here a moment. I'll be back with a blanket." Quickly in and out, she was light and fast on her feet. The door opened and she instantly had me hugged in a blanket while we walked together to go inside. Keeping quiet, I knew that if I said anything, it would cause trouble for the whole family. ’What should I say? Why hadn't I thought about this on the way home?’ There was a whole hour that I could have been thinking of how to avoid this scenario. We reached the living room, but we kept going until we were in Shelly’s room. I was directed toward her bed and pressed to sit down. She sat with me and leaned down to hold me around my shoulders. That had pulled my head to be pressed into her bosom. "Honey, who's car is that?" Cringing, I knew that part would eventually be revealed. Either the family would figure it out or Jeremy was going to come and claim it. "Jeremy Kegan's." There was a silence. I felt her hand smooth back my short hairs for a few seconds before a kiss was laid on the top of my head. "For a little while, please stay away from him and anyone else. Just a little longer. Okay Honey?" I thought about that and decided to use the request as an opening. "May I know why I can't?" Once more, she laid a kiss down on top before replying. "Your therapist wants you to avoid people you once knew. Even if you start remember them, you -- well..." "I don't look like Kim." After that was said, I felt her tighten the hug around me. "Yes, but I know you are. We all do. The same person who is in my arms was the one --" I heard her shudder a sigh. "The same girl who told me everything would be okay. Kim, I know whose daughter you are. We love you." I closed my eyes and remembered Jeremy and why he’d done what he did. ’Pretending?’ Shaking my head, I told her the truth. "I'm not Kim." "Honey --" "I'm not. I -- maybe I’m the same person, but this head had no memory of Kim ever existing. As for how I look, I might as well be a different person. No one knows me. Not even me." I broke away enough to face her. "I can still be your daughter, but not Kim." "Your memories could come back." "They won't." I've never had them. "Even if they did, then we can work something out, but that is a really big 'IF' we are talking about." She sighed and nodded. "I'll talk with your sister and brother about this and get their views. Until then, can you tell me that everything is okay? One more time?" I took a moment to consider. If Jeremy wanted to cause trouble, I would deal with him when he arrives with the nasty baggage. If not, then I was not going to burden anyone with what happened last night. I shook my head. "I'm just tired. Can I go to bed?" "Sleep here and I'll make sure you're not disturbed. Okay?" I nodded. Turning to look at the bed, I gave the spread and blanket a tug, then grabbed the sheets to pull them open for me to crawl up and into them. "Honey?" Covering myself up, I looked at Shelly. "Hm?" "Call me, or your sister, or brother next time? I don't want you driving around after drinking." ’How did she know I was drinking?’ "By the way you are looking at me, I guess you thought I wouldn't smell it?" She tapped her nose. "It's a part of Mother's Intuition. You'll get that one day." ... Like Hell I will. Shelly left and closed the door as I finally fell asleep in my home for the first time...

Instinct   Chapter 18: Negotiating for Peace   A dizzying flurry of sensations had me half awake. With my eyes partly open, I saw the specks of dancing stars and the blurry shroud of sleep blind my vision in the dark. ’When did the lights go out?’ I swallowed, and again I swallowed to take care of the dryness I felt in my mouth. To at least moisten my lips, I licked them. I had a serious case of cottonmouth. Then I nibbled on my bottom lip. A spike of unbearable heat shot through me like a volcanic eruption. Immediately, I opened my eyes wider to see what just happened. Jeremy was still laid like he was and his arms were protectively around me. He wasn't touching me like I had thought a moment ago. Yet I felt the sensation of… I felt pleasure ripple through me. There was a hotness between my legs that I didn't understand. ’If it wasn't from him, then what did I just feel?’ I tested to feel if there was anything between my legs by squeezing them together. The one leg was over his hip. ’When did I do that?’ I remembered wanting to put something between my legs, as Brittany suggested, but I believed I fell asleep before I could. I reached a hand down and touched his bare hip. ’Boxers? Where art thou?’ Then I lowered my hand further down his hip, running my hand and wedging it in between us with tips of my nails until I felt where we were joined together. Anger boiled up in me. Looking up from his chest, I tried to see if I could catch those green eyes staring back at me. He appeared to still be asleep and his breathing was rhythmic to the slow note of slumber. ’Was he doing this in his sleep? How was that possible?’ I didn't believe it. Removing my hand from between us, I gave his side a shove. "Wake up." I waited a moment before I shoved him again. "Jeremy, wake up." The only sign I saw of him waking up was when his throat constricted in a swallow. Not opening his eyes, he replied. "Yes?" I shut my eyes, wondering how I should proceed. ’If I simply told him, 'Hey, you're fucking me here,' how would that go? Would he smile and finish the job?’ I thought about it and had a way to speak with him. "Honesty. You wanted me to trust you." That opened his eyes. When he moved a little, I guessed to just stretch out, his eyes popped wide open and he one-armed hugged me tighter against him. The other hand had dropped down my figure to feel around. His hand stroked down the curve of my back until I felt it grasp a hold of one of my pert and now tensing up cheeks. I tensed up entirely in irritation. "Jeremy, you go any further and I'll scream." He shook his head. "You won't." I narrowed my eyes at him. "I'm not lying." "You won't because I didn't do this. You did." I simply laughed at his stupid joke. "Get away from me." It felt like his hand was kneading into the pert flesh behind me. "Stop that." He was quiet for a few seconds before he sighed and talked. "I know you will think I broke the agreement, but I'll still call you by that given name. You may pick another, it won't matter. I've found something to call you. Beryl." I just sighed, stopped looking at him, and I lowered my gaze down to see he still held and molested my ass. "Please stop." His hand left, but only so he could be settled with a grip on my hip. He pulled me up a little, repositioned me better against him, and all the while I couldn't keep myself from gasping as he fully entered. I wanted to tell him again to stop, but when he dragged that large slab of meat almost out of me, I shuddered loudly. All I felt now was the bald end of his shaft in me. The burning sensation within me felt worse when he left. Like a fresh fire had been relit, but when he was fully lodged back inside me, the flame settled. I lifted my gaze again and waited to see... and feel what he would do next. He was looking back at me and I guessed he might have been thinking the same thing. ’What would we do?’ Frowning, I pressed my face down into his chest to keep from looking at him any longer. “Jeremy?” “Yes?” “I hate you.” Then I did something I knew I'd regret. The leg I had draped over his hip, I hooked it around his firm buttocks and pulled and trapped him in me. I gave myself a moment before speaking again. "Don't move. Just stay like this." “May I see you?” I pushed my forehead firmly against his chest in response to that. “Beryl… please?” Very carefully, so I wouldn’t become dizzy again, I shook my head against his bare body. I hated him right now more than ever because I loathed what I had done. I felt how I fully sheathed him inside me. A minute passed before I felt him pull against my leg. In response to him disobeying me, I tried tightened my leg lock around him. "Don't… don’t move." He was much stronger and pulled back enough to have room to thrust inside once more. A very familiar and gradual rhythm followed. As before, I remembered how to deal with the size of his tool by relaxing. Despite relaxing, our breathing labored harder and faster the longer we went on.  I knew I couldn't trust him. I hated him too. And that... what he was doing to me right now, that told me he'd never fully listen to me. ’Why then did I feel incapable without him? That I needed him to be together with me? Was it because he was my first? Regardless of it being forced, was that it? How would I know?’ Asking him, or perhaps anyone, would only have brought me the response that what we were doing was natural. What I felt was expected. As to the question of how natural this was, that did come to my mind and what I felt wasn't in question anymore. I enjoyed it. His powerful arms secured in holding me against him while I had my leg wrapped around and entrapped him, it was pleasing me. I delighted in the motion of his solid body convulsing in pleasure as he pressed against mine in a fluid rocking each time filled me. Our bodies tensed, tightly held, and bound in a tangled lock of arms and legs to prevent either of us from parting away. Fully feeling the wave of intense bliss crashing against me, I bit down on my bottom lip and muffled my scream. The man in me stopped to only hold me as he found his own release. Relaxed, I let my leg just hang over his hip limply. Behind me, I felt his arm go slack and curl up with his hand roaming, running and rubbing a path across the slender length of my entire back. It felt unfair. He was touching me and I did nothing. I wanted to feel his chest, that tapering waistline with the packed muscle in his stomach... and down. Hell, even up his body, I wished to feel his jaw and around the back of his head to know what that red hair felt like... I hated him. I had to remember that. My eyes squeezed shut at that memory. All I required was sleep. Tired, that was what I was. I wasn’t thinking straight at all. Really, I did feel tired. Easing up, keeping my eyes shut, I felt myself drift. I don't know how long I experienced him giving me that soothing back-rub, but that was the last thing I remembered before falling asleep once more...     I let out a grunt and partially woke up. Not bothering to really wake, I felt what was the culprit and gripped my leg around him again. I held on until I was more aware of what I was doing. Then I couldn't believe I was helping him fuck me again. I just shook my head before resting it against the span of his broad chest again. My blurry vision caught the basement was brighter. ’I suppose that meant it was morning?’ I didn't care. With a moan slipping out of me, I quickly turned to face and bury my open mouth onto his chest to muffle myself. He had sped up, that was why I made that noise. At least this time he couldn't blame me for starting it. Still, I felt disbelief about the first time I woke up. I couldn’t believe I was the one who removed his boxers... and trapped him in me. Not able to stand this any longer, I did something different. If he was going to enjoy this, I wanted more out of it. Pulling my face from his chest a little, I searched for the rogue crest of his nipples before I took a bite. I heard him inhale sharply through his teeth and hiss the rest of his breath out as I kept latched for a second. Then I released, wondering what I had just done. Lowering my gaze, I looked at what I had bitten. As I looked, I felt him go faster, deeper, and more determined with his movements when I had caught him unaware. I didn't want to repeat what I had done, but I wanted him to continue at that pace. Maybe even a bit rougher... I slipped up his body to nuzzle his neck and shoulder. His body adjusted, positioning himself and me to keep going at his incredible pace. On the bare ball of his muscled shoulder, I bit him again. Just to test, and I had felt the result more than satisfying. Shutting my eyes, I kissed and played at biting him while my arms found their way around and slipped behind to his back to lightly rake my nails across in response to his intensifying purpose in having me. It would be awhile until I realized the kind of sounds I was making and how loudly. Eventually he had rolled over on top of me and I found myself trapped beneath him. I had tried to keep facing his shoulder, but he placed himself so well in my way that I had found my lips in a kiss hard enough to leave me bruised. At least the kiss silenced me. Open, welcomed, I accepted that savage passion more willingly so long that he could continue to tame that flame in me. It was unbelievable how much longer it took until he delivered the final plow and brought me to a muffling climatic cry between our lips. Sliding my legs down, I wrapped them around his thighs and dug my heels in to keep this pleasant sensation from leaving me. I don't know what it was, but nothing compared. It didn't matter if he continued to move or not, it was this exact moment that always brought a melodious score from heaven humming through me. Like my spirit was lifted and I absolutely felt whole in the moment he shuddered with me. Euphoria. As much that I wanted to keep him like this, when he relaxed, he was heavy. Our kiss broke for us to breathe and for me to tell him, "Get off me." He lightly laughed and rolled onto his side, which dragged my legs with him for a moment until I let go. I hissed as I felt his withdraw. Shuddering a breath, I felt the need to press my hand down there. Then I felt how much of a mess I was. "I need a towel -- no, I'm going to shower." I shook my head in disbelief at what I’d done and began to get out of this bed. I was coming to my senses. "Go. Just go." Even though I knew what happened, I still felt he took advantage of me the whole night. ’Could I blame being drunk or should I simply rest the case that this was entirely my fault?’ I was the one who decided to drink, so either way, this was my fault. Looking at him as I slipped out of bed, I saw he was watching me and remaining in bed. I guessed he was either going to take a moment longer before leaving or he wasn't going to listen to me. Shaking my head, I looked to find that shirt, the only thing last night I personally removed, for me to go upstairs without flashing too much of myself in front of anyone. "Beryl, come here." I paused my search and looked over my shoulder at him. He propped himself up on his elbows and waved for me to come over. One glance around the basement, I noted where the shirt was, but I obediently walked back to him. He waved me over one more time before he reached up and pulled me down to lean over. He kissed me. I didn't kiss him back until his hand ran up behind my neck and stroked the hairs on my head. It was stuff like this I wanted to shake off, but felt better, good. It really made me feel great. Not pleasure, but like the affection I would’ve received from someone who I absolutely knew cared about me. The noise of the blanket shifting told me he opened it. His other hand went around me and I was urged with a tug to come back into bed with him. I did and he rolled onto his back with me laying on top of him. I felt him cover us back up. "Today. Just today, please let us find peace with each other?" ’Did he mean I should forget what he did?’ I shut my eyes and buried my face into his neck. I wondered if I could really do that. Forget. Then again, he told me yesterday to remember. That it taught me a lesson. ’Then, what did he mean now by finding peace?’ "How?" "Just today. After that, remember everything. What all I've done to you and more." He laid a kiss next to my forehead and whispered, "I hope you will remember and experience more things we could do with each other than against one another." "I need a shower." I felt his hand go down and around the swell of my rear. "Feels clean." Glaring up at him, the corner of his lip curled into a smirk. He was back to being stoic and that would be the closest to a smile until something truly made him happy. Shutting my eyes, I laid my head back down on him. "What now?" "Just relax. If you want to talk, we can. If you're still tired, sleep. Rest. I just want us to be together today." I wondered why. ’Was it because of what we did through the night and he was simply tired? Or was it due to how he felt about our first encounter that he was giving me the reigns how we spent the day together?’ There was something I wanted to talk with him about. "Brittany told me that Dad will enforce me to marry you." "He would. Sherry would have, eventually. Two weeks aside to decide." I would have shaken my head at that, but I found the spot I laid on too warm and comfy to disturb. "I wouldn't have changed my mind, even if she gave me two months or years." I felt and heard the rumble of his laughter within his chest. "That wasn't the point." I shrugged. "Was she delaying the inevitable, then?" "No. Likely, she wanted to wait for proof." That did make me laugh a little. "That you actually meant your word?" His hand, I felt it lay over my head and ear to idly stroke in gentle brushes. He was quiet. "Jeremy?" "You could say that. I meant it. I will make this right, no matter what." As much as I didn't want to move and disturb this comfort, I looked up at him. "You want to marry me?" He looked down and gave me that straight lipped smile. I breathed him in and let out a sorrowful sigh. "I would do it, but for them. Brittany said we would do something called a separated marriage." He gave a little nod, "We would visit each other, but not live with one another." "You want to marry me, but you're okay with that?" "I'll be honest. No. I'm not satisfied being denied the right of opportunity with my wife." "Then what? If you're not okay with it --" "I would make it right. That doesn't mean I have to like it." Staring at him, I understood the deal he was offering. Now I also knew why he was trying to make amends with me. He wanted me to change my mind. Shutting my eyes, I laid my head back down on him and he resumed to brush the short hairs on my head with gentle fingers. The same fingers that had crushed my hands and done more. He was capable of being both brutal and gentle. Today. Just today, I'll lay with him and find out how much peace could be had between us...

Therapy   Chapter 4: Dr. Anstone   The next morning, I had a visitor. "Good morning Kimberly." Another smoking hot woman with a enviously big rack. "My name is Dr. Anstone. I'm going to be evaluating you this morning." ’A therapist? Or was she called a psychologist? Psychiatrist?’ Whatever she was, I should have kept my mouth shut last night. She probably came from the psyche-ward from the top floor. They always kept the loonies on the top. Kinda interesting to know that the very floor children were born had crazies admitted in with just a floor or two to separate them. Not to mention the criminals that had to be rushed into the E.R. after a violent injury had been done to them. Weird to have these dangerous folk in the same building as a precious friend or member of the family. In any case, I had a beautiful face looking at me as I woke up. I had enough time to see her ruby-red smile and dazzling green eyes before I had to hit the buzzer for me to do my morning ritual. Of course, the aid would be coming, but the therapist had been at hand and offered it first. "Here, let me." She had carefully slipped her hand into my gown to remove those caps adhered to my skin. Her hand suspiciously lingered and hovered longer than I expected over my chest for each cord, but she did eventually pull the sensors off of me. Our arms had slid under and over, crossed, and locked each other together to assist with helping me be pulled out of bed a intimately secure way. We managed to make it on time and I nearly spoke my thanks to God out loud, but managed a silently mouthed the prayer. After I had wiped, flushed, and was assisted back up; I pointed at the sink. The therapist hovered her hands readily around my slim waist as a caution if I fell while I washed my hands, splashed my face, and finally brushed my teeth. I turned to look at the shower, wanting to continue, but I felt like this might have been pushing the specialist's time a bit already. Instead of showering, I gave the therapist a nod and we went back into the room. She didn't take me to bed. We took a turn for the door and walked out into the hallway. This was my first time out here and I caught a glimpse of the kind of place the hospital was. The hall was a long one in a complete circle. It made me wonder if the hospital was in a cylinder shaped structure. I've seen them before and it wouldn't surprise me if the roof had a helipad with a big red reflective 'H' highlighted on top. We walked the circle, fully back around to my room, for a few laps before I asked her a question. "Are you giving me exercise?" "Yes. I asked the receptionist how often she had seen you." Looking up at Dr. Anstone, I caught the familiar tell all sign from the tightening tic in her jaw that she was a bit upset. "Let's just say that your Assistant Nurse has been reassigned." I guessed that meant the aid ratted on me, but karma kicked her sweet ass out of my room for neglecting me. ’Maybe I wasn't supposed to have so many accidents?’ The thought made me wonder what was the right or wrong practices here and if I should speak out against whichever policy line they’d crossed. "Will she be okay?" Even if the nurse deserved it, I didn't want to be responsible for getting someone into trouble. "She still has a job, if that is what you are asking." Not really, but I nodded in response. As we rounded again, I was confused about something. "You said a receptionist was out here?" I had yet to see anyone other than us two. "She can see you through the cameras. See those double-doors?" I saw them and knew those doors must’ve been locked up. There was a red glowing signature next to the doors that gave me that clue. "Mrs. Manny sits on the other side to let visitors in or patients out." A Gatekeeper. "Could you tell me how often you have been out of bed?" "To go to the bathroom." There was a silence between us and I looked back up at the therapist to see why she had gone quiet. I caught her brows had raised up with a look of surprise and her mouth ringed a big mouthed 'O’ in shock. I got a clear message from her reaction that she’d expected more to be said than what I had already answered. "Oh my God, are you telling me that's it?" She shook her head as I watched a rogue color had flushed gradually into her face. Something told me that Assistant Nurse may have lost her job here. I refrained from telling her more of my experiences with this nurse. There was a little of me that now wondered if those accidents I had were done on purpose to get me in the shower as often as possible. ’Was I molested without recognizing it?’ I shook my head, not believing it. If I spoke out about that, the nurse would experience more than possibly losing a job. Not something I wanted. "Kimberly, would you be willing to come with me to a different floor?" I had only one issue with that, my gown. "I don't suppose you have a less breezy outfit for me to wear?" She gave me a smile. "It won't be an issue what you are wearing. You'll be in a wheelchair for traveling outside this wing and I'll ask for a blanket for you." I guess they did this to be sure patients didn't find the opportunity to escape. ’Was I someone the hospital thought would become a runaway?’ Nodding in acceptance, I walked with her to the double-doors. Dr. Anstone hit the buzzer and there was a couple seconds before that red light switched to a green one. The doors opened on their own and we walked through to a small lobby on the other side. I got to see Mrs. Manny waving at me from behind a desk and glass window. In greetings, I raised a hand to her and returned a small smile. We walked up to Mrs. Manny and Dr. Anstone made her requests. "I'll be taking Ms. Ondine to my office now. Would you mind grabbing a blanket for me while I take some wheels?" I heard a noise, like a chime, ring off to the side of the lobby. There was another door there that had opened up and a burly guy came out with a wheelchair in one hand and twin folded blankets and a pillow under both arms. I stood in amazement at how he simply flexed his arm out in one fluid motion and the whole chair popped open perfectly, like he'd done it millions of times. ’Maybe he had?’ A pillow was placed in the chair's seat and one of the blankets laid down over top of it to be tucked into the sides of the pillow like a cushion. He wheeled the chair to my side and Dr. Anstone helped me get comfy into the chair. The remaining blanket had covered me up to my collar. I kept still to not disturb the coverup. Rolling away, I watched us as we approached the elevator. ’Was I about to enter the psych-ward?’ I hoped not. "Am I being taken to a mattress room?" "Mattress room?" "One of those rooms for crazies that has bed mattresses for walls." I heard a chuckle over my shoulder from the burly guy before he disappeared back into his side-room. "Not unless I'm crazy, but I wouldn't mind a bed in my office." With a press of the Up button, the elevator came to our floor and we entered. That funny feeling of gravity pulling down on me had signaled our rise to the next floors.  Going up closer to the psych-ward worried me. It brought back an unsettling memory I had. When I was Chase, I had tried to go and admit myself into the ward for observation. It was when my girlfriend broke up with me in a bad way. The episode caused me to doubt having any life than the miserable one I was experiencing in my bedroom. My hospital had refused me when I told them I had no money and I wasn't going to involve my mom. She'd flip if I told her about myself and what I’d intended to do. It would have been easy to escape her without notice since I practically lived in my bedroom, she'd never know I was gone for at least a day. Instead, I walked out, endured the crappy excuse called my life, and picked up playing video games to forget more of what existed outside my room. I really hoped that past experience was not going to be reflected on how I was now. That would be troubling if the therapist was going to find out how badly conditioned my mental state was in. I kept my mouth shut until we arrived on the floor and rolled to a door. Dr. Anstone propped the door open and pushed me into a very spacious room. ’Was this called a suite?’ There was two couches. One against the wall by a tall blue cabinet. Another was located in the center of the large room. A chair was facing the couch and I guessed this was the cliche arena where we spoke about our conflicting thoughts and feelings, sane and not. With wide eyes, I quickly looked at Dr. Anstone. Immediately, I looked away when I saw she had been observing me. I felt her pat me on the shoulder and wheel me to the couch in the center of the room. "You're afraid of the evaluation?" I hesitated before nodding. "We don't have to start it today. Why don't we get to know each other a little more?" She helped me with getting out of the chair to be transferred to the couch. She was being gentle, and I saw she was watching out for me if I had trouble transitioning from the chair to the couch. Looking away from her, I saw here was a pillow already on the couch and it looked inviting. I laid down on my side and curled up while the therapist pulled the blanket over me up to the shoulder. She was the first kind person I met here who either didn’t expect to see some melted brain matter or waited for an opportunity on my failure in reaching the bathroom in time. I wanted to repay the therapist for her kindness, even if it meant I would’ve appeared beyond depressed. "What do you want to know?" "How about I start? Did you know we both have the same name? I'm a Kim too." ’Was that why she called me Kimberly rather than Kim?’ "I grew up in Greene, in a suburb town called Floristton." ’Greene? What was Greene? She wasn't referring to that as a state, was she?’ "Kim?" "Yes?" She sat down in her chair and crossed her legs, hands clasped, and relaxed back to watch me. I would probably regret this and she might drag this out with questioning it, but I had to know more. "What state is this?" "Would you tell me which state you think you're in?" I closed my eyes, cringing. "Alright, it is okay. You're in Norland." ’Norland!? What the Hell? Where am I?’ "This is Gale City." That plan I had, about calling myself up, started to look like a failure without trying. This didn't sound like I was on Earth. At least, not the one I was used to. ’Did they still call the states, this country, the U.S.A. or something else?’ This might hurt my chances to leave the hospital, but I wanted to know more. "I'm afraid to ask more, but what country is this?" I saw her raise a brow at me, but smile all the same. "You're in the United Virginian Kingdoms." The U.V.K. was definitely not the same. I wondered for a moment what kind of history we were dealing with here. ’Virginian? Like, Virginia? Was this country named after Queen Elizabeth? Did she exist in this Earth's history?’ We were speaking English. "Do we have a -- who leads us?" I stopped myself from saying president. Calling this a United Kingdom made me think of a monarchy rather than a congress. "Kimberly, before I answer anymore questions, could I ask you one? Just to be fair." She held up her fingers from the clasp of her folded hands to gesture at the fair point she made. I nibbled on my lower lip and nodded. "Do you think you can tell me your earliest memory?" I bit down on my lip as I thought about that. This would be bad. I took a deep breath and lifted my cheek off the pillow, wondering if I should sit up, but decided to lay my head back down and shook my head. I wanted to be honest, but knew that anything beyond this girl's memories would cause trouble. "Being struck by lightning." "You don't recall anything beyond that night?" ’What choice did I have than to continue my ruse?’ Telling her that I used to be a guy would put me in a straight-jacket for sure. "I barely remember that night. Only the people -- my family is what sticks in my mind. I was hurt and in pain, couldn't breathe, move, and my senses were knocked out. I couldn't move my eyes, not even blink, until we were in the car." That was an event I wouldn't mind forgetting. "Could I know who --" "Yes, sorry. Prime Minister Brody, but it is Chancellor Einsworth that leads us." That didn't make much sense to me. I knew what a PM and Chancellor were, but the two sounded like they had a confusing relationship. ’Maybe the PM was the one doing all the work and the Chancellor was the international and political face of the government?’ I supposed it didn't really matter to me how it worked. "Thanks." What was important had to be me figuring out what happened to me, but I didn't know where to begin with that. "If you want," she looked to the side and took out a pen and paper from the side of the chair. Looked like there was a side-pocket on the chair. "I could request internet access for you? Then you could do some research, since you are interested." ’Was that safe?’ If I was insane, I could see the potential panic of someone discovering a disturbing site or something. I wasn't going to bring that up, though. A question popped in my head that I tried asking before. "How old am I?" The therapist smiled sweetly at me and answered just as vaguely, "Enough to be considered a young lady." ’Should I press this? Why not?’ "Could you give me a number?" I saw something odd. Dr. Anstone's left eye twitched in agitation. "You're eighteen." I stared at her in disbelief. When I saw myself, I looked more like fourteen, maybe sixteen, but I was not that age. Reason I knew that was because of Greg. He's eighteen and was my big brother. Only way that we would be the same age was if we were twins or my mother conceived me nearly after giving birth to Greg. Unless... I did look different from them. ’Maybe I was adopted? Did Dr. Anstone know?’ "Are my parents my real parents?" She shook her head. "Would you tell me what you mean?" "Am I adopted?" She lifted her chin up, held it a second, and then “ah’ed” and nodded in understanding. "I can't disclose that, but if you want me to, I can ask your family if they have an answer they'd like to share with you." I wasn't sure how to feel about that. My only response was a nod. Now I had another interesting question in my head. "How is school going to work?" "That will be determined after the evaluation." I guessed that meant she was seeing if I was fit for returning to society or should be locked up with the rest of the quacks. "I know you don't remember anything past the night of the storm, but you had a chance to talk with your mother. What was that like?" It took me a few seconds to think of a way to describe that wake-up. "Warm." "Warm?" "She was warm. Comforting. I could feel the love and care when we were almost about to break." "Break in what way?" "I didn't know who she was. I didn't know who I was. You can imagine how the two of us would react to that." "Maybe, but I'd like to know from your perspective." I tried to think back how I had felt. "I knew she was going to feel lost. I didn't want to be responsible for that and hugged her. Held her so she wouldn't lose herself or at least wouldn't be alone if it happened. I'd break with her if it came to that. Does that make sense?" Dr. Anstone smiled and nodded at me. "Yes it does. Who is she to you now?" "Someone who showed me they loved me too much to lose me." "And how do you feel about her now?" "That she is someone I should take great care not to disappoint. I don't want her to think that love was misplaced." For this girl's sake and in memory of my real mom, I wouldn't repeat the same mistakes. Whoever this girl was before I came, I'd make certain of at least becoming a responsible and reliable person. Dr. Anstone unlocked her crossed legs and folded hands before she stood up. "Are you thirsty for anything?" I watched her walk over to the blue cabinet and open one of the drawers. "Water would be fine." She pulled out a bottle of clear liquid and shook it playfully over her shoulder for me to see. After shutting the cabinet, she knelt down and uncapped the bottle before handing it to me. I sat up enough to lean on an elbow and take a drink. "I think we can take a break for today." The therapist passed me and I heard a clicking sound. When she was back in my view, she returned to her chair. "I've locked the door so you could rest here." That shocked me. "Wouldn't the hospital want me to be back in my room under observation?" "I've put in a request that you'd be under my care until release." ’Overnight care?’ "That quickly?" "Yes. We are a couple floors apart. It took no more than an hour for the decision to be made." I didn't know how this world worked, but how this hospital handled patients kinda worried me. ’An hour? What about the family that cared about this girl? Were they okay with this to honestly say, “Go ahead, you two have fun now,” early in the morning?’ I would be lying to myself if I tried believing I was fine with this. That fine line of right and wrong appeared and I definitely saw which side I was on. ’But why did I see the problem?’ She’s been so kind and caring, introduced me to people who’d been stationed outside my room, and she’d not just came to me asking questions but had helped me when no one else had. There was no logical explanation why I felt wrong staying here. I had an instinctive feeling I was in trouble. "Am -- am I in trouble?" She gently shook her head in response to my nagging paranoia. "No. You don't have anything to worry about. My only task is to evaluate you and determine when you will be well enough to go home." I'm glad she didn't mention, “if,” I was well enough to go home. That one word, “when,” told me either I was improving or that she was going to ensure I improved. "Go ahead and rest for now. I'll wake you up in a bit when breakfast arrives." At first, I didn't feel all that tired. I mean, I had slept through the night and this was the morning. Then I did feel my eyelids grow heavy. I leaned over the edge of the couch to set the bottle of water down on the floor. For the moment, I wondered if she had put something in my water, but the bottle had been sealed before she took the cap off. It would take quite the sleight of hand to drop something in there and she'd have to shake it up or I'd detect it floating in the pristine bottle… she did shake the bottle. No. She only shook the bottle to grab my attention. ’See? There’s nothing in the bottle, right? While still over the edge, I tilted the bottle to have a better look at it. There was carbonated reaction when I moved it. A shadow fell over the bottle and I felt her carefully slide me back up onto the couch. “Comfy?” With shuttering eyes, I gazed up at her as she handled adjusting my arms and legs more comfortably on the couch. She pulled the blanket back over my shoulder as I watched Dr. Anstone while struggling to keep my eyes open. "When do you think I can go home?" "I hope soon. You have missing memory, but I want to be sure you and others are safe when you leave." As I thought when we first met, what I said in the bathroom was leaked and flagged me as depressed. I was sad and had every right to be. ’Did I want to hurt myself or someone?’ No way, far from it. I think Dr. Anstone was understanding that and was simply taking precautions. My eyes closed and I tried to open them, but my mind was far too gone to give me that control anymore. It really felt like I was drugged. For now, there was nothing I could do if I had or not. I was gone...

Acquiesce   Chapter 15: Fitting In   After hours of gradually becoming dizzy from digesting a lot of biology, I heard a knock. This was a good place to stop today. With a sigh, I backed off from the computer and stood. "Coming." I had to open my eyes wide and blink a few times from how long I'd been staring at the monitor. Once at the door, I opened up to see Brittany on the other side and moved out of her way to let her in. "Welcome home. Everything go okay?" "Went kind of okay." She had a set of tall and thin bags, holding them by the hooked loops of clothe hangers. Those must’ve been the outfits I would wear. I was kinda amazed how many she was holding in both hands. I would have difficulty holding just what she held in one hand with both of mine… that was, if my hands were still in good shape. "You need help?" I think that was suggested a bit too late, considering she only was going to deposit her load onto my bed. Which she did and shook her head in response. With a shrug, she smiled and added, "I've got it. What have you been up to?" She sat down next to the clothes on the bed with a tired huff. I rolled my eyes and blinked to recover from the 'Square Eyes' I was getting earlier from online research. "Oh, learning that potassium is a big factor in sweating." She raised an eyebrow at me and looked bewildered by what I just told her. "Greg wanted me to study food nutrients." That eased her confusion into comprehension. "Do what you got to do." She flicked a finger at the door. "Might want to close that unless you want to tempt Greg into joining us." Immediately, I shook my head and shut the door. After a moment of hesitation, I locked it. To get my mind off of my apparent anxiety trigger, I said, "Talked with Dad." "How'd that go?" I shrugged, not really sure myself. "I suppose okay. Greg told me he has his moments." Brittany was nodding to that. "He's at someplace called Dalesport, in a subway." "Riverside. Once they finish that, won't be so many overbooked ferry rides." That made me wonder how big this river was. ’She said she’d be out for hours, right?’ There had to be a faster way. "What about bridges?" I heard her do a, 'Pfft,' and watched her shake her head. "Too wide.” ’The bridges?’ “We're talking about crossing twenty-five miles." ’Jesus, that wasn't a river, was it!?’ That sounded more like a sea channel. "Okay. I'll look that up when I get a chance." I might want to get an idea what this world looks like. ’What river was that wide on Earth? The Amazon had a big one, right?’ This certainly didn't sound like the Earth I remembered. "Anyways, did you want me to get changed?" "Oh? Don't want to hear the juicy bit about Jeremy?" I didn't want to hear anything about him. Shutting my eyes and sighing, I nodded. "Sure." "Come here first. Sit down." I kind of been sitting for a few hours now. "I'd rather stand and stretch my legs." She shrugged in response. "Suit yourself." Clasping her hands, she stretched her arms out and rolled her wrists until those palms faced me, then her hands make a slight -crick- noise, and she sighed in relief when her fingers snapped stiffly curled and clenched. When she showed me her fists, I saw the bruising abrasions on her knuckles. My attention snapped back up to her when she spoke. "I showed up at his place and I could tell he was getting ready for a party. Looks like it's gonna be a big one." Not wanting to ask what exactly she did to Jeremy, because it definitely appeared she did not keep her promise, I interrupted her quickly by asking, "I thought this was a private dinner party?" ’...On second thought, maybe she did keep her promise and took out some of her frustration on a wall or something?’ "No way. He's got the whole hall decked out and the balcony was prepped with tables." I did not remember seeing that last night. Shaking my head, I told her what Shelly told me. "Mom said this was a private dinner party." I shook my head one more time and added, "That the public wouldn't be involved." She dropped her stretched out arms and raised a lazily gestured with a shrug that wasn’t what it looked like. "Don't know what to tell you. It's not. I would guess, if he had each seat taken, fifty at most?" I started to wonder about something. "Do you think he meant a different date or place to have our dinner party?" She shook her head and looked at me like our guesses were the same. Well, this was great. "When Mom comes home, she wants to talk with you and I'd suggest bringing that up. She might call and cancel this whole thing." I crossed my fingers on that one hope. Behind a limp wrist, she yawned into it while asking in a muffled voice, "Where'd she go?" "See Dad at Dalesport." It was a little amusing to see her straighten her back and stare at me seriously. "Why?" "She wanted to get to him before news of Jeremy reached his ears." Looking away from me, I caught her expression changing a little. Not so sure what that was. I saw the corner of her mouth had twitched and her eyes narrowed, but then she lightened up when turning to look back at me. "Since we've come back to talking about Jeremy." She was unzipping the bag at her side while talking. "We had our… our talk. It's why I'm back so late." Out of the bag came the first of the few outfits she had in there. Looking it over, the first one had that timeless classic look. Black long sleeved button-up shirt, but it looked like the sleeves were folded neatly up to the elbow. It had that light colored fade-look inside the band around the ends of its sleeves. Then the pants that went with it were regular looking, black dress suit kind, which made me wonder if this was another of those monitored temperature regulators. I couldn't see anyone wearing these in this weather otherwise. After those two came the coat. This had gone on long enough. "Okay, this has to stop." Brittany froze and stared at me. "Stop what?" "Don't you have anything other than suits?" She took a quick glance down at her bag, then back to me. She shrugged. "Suited for all Occasions. That's the name of my shop." It took a great deal of willpower to not sigh, roll my eyes, or anything that showed how much I was beginning to despise the formal wear everyone had. At least Brittany’s store name sounded reasonable to be carrying suits. "Why not 'Dressed' for all Occasions?" Smiling, she wagged a finger at me like I said something naughty. "Went with a knock off for a reason." ’Knock off?’ I guessed that meant there was probably a popular place by that name already. "I helped Mom earlier with her outfits. She wears --" Carefully poking my hands out from my sleeves, I pointed out the many suits laying around my bed. "What's the deal with all of these suits?" "They're nice, clean, show off how well mannered you might be, a sense of confidence, perfect for the work environment, and they are comfortable." Wistfully, she looked up. "I do enjoy a sharp dressed man. That makes all of this worthwhile when a savvy guy leaves with one of my suits on." "Okay, but what about some shorts? They'd be perfect for this weather." A little laugh left her and she nodded. "Yeah, maybe, but it became better to be fully covered. No more sunburns, mosquito bites, unsightly leg hair, and oh -- whatever excuse they could come up with. I'm not the one who started this trend. It sells well." I felt like ruffling my own hair in frustration to show Brittany what these things were doing to me, but even if I did, I wouldn't look disheveled at all with how short my hair was. "You ever heard of 'Swimming Upstream?'" "Salmon do that." I nodded when she responded. I was glad those fishies existed here. "They swim back to their spawning pool. With that in mind, you could start selling items that are not trendy and catch a number of customers who might have been searching for something other than a suit." She shook her head at me. "If they were that desperate to find something other than that, they'd go online." She had me there, but I was lost on why she’d start a store brand that already had more popularity elsewhere. "Then why bother opening a store if you're resigned to that?" She wiggled her pinky inside her ear while grinning at me. "I told you. Sharp dressed men in my suits." In other words, it had nothing to do with the money. Her finger popped out of that ear as she resumed… I actually heard the -POP- when she did that. "You still willing to help me out?" Taking a deep breath, I nodded. "I am. Just so we are clear about something. There are more clothes out there than suits, right?" She was laughing and nodding at me. "Good. I do not want to wear them." "You never did. Between you and me, you were the girly one. I'll be sure to get you some new outfits since you're probably not going to fit your old clothes." I raised a brow at that when I considered she told me all I owned was those night outfits in the drawer. I wondered where Kim’s old clothes were, but said nothing as she held up the suit she wanted me to try on. "Now, strip and dance for me." "Really?" "These will fit you perfectly. I measured you, remember? If you wear PJs under them, it's going to be stuffy as Hell." This time, I did roll my eyes at her and began to unbutton my top. "Aw, no dance?" "I don't dance." The suited outfit was laid down next to her as she quickly went to the center of my room. "Rotate your hips slowly, like so," I couldn't believe she was swayed her hips and gyrated like she was inviting someone to do a naughty deed. ’And she wants me to imitate her!?’ "I'm not dancing!" I wasn’t sure if I could call that dancing. She grinned and did a gradual turn around like… okay, that looked like belly dancing. "Why not? It's fun and I can catch you in different angles when I take the shot." I had not thought of that. With reluctance, I watched her and copied what she was doing as I about finished unbuttoning. "That looks great! Keep that up, but while removing the shirt, I want you to swing your shoulders like this." With a roll of her shoulder, she thrusted her shoulder out, actually slipping her own shirt down her arm a bit, and dropped her arm lower as if she could slip the sleeve down and off the length of her arm. If I did that, my unbuttoned shirt would fall off. Taking a deep breath, I repeated what I saw and had the top to my PJs slide halfway down my arm. Instinctively, I pulled closed my open shirt as I felt the exposure, but then I let go of it. I was undressing for chrissakes! I knew why I had covered myself, because I was uncomfortable undressing while moving like this. Like I wanted something to happen again. Breathing in and out slow and steady, I pulled at the sleeve until it fell the rest of the way off. "Now drop your other shoulder. You should feel the shirt start sliding off. Just let gravity work for you." I lowered my other side and, gradually, I did feel the little tug of gravity take a hold of my top. "A little lower and when it starts sliding, roll your shoulder slowly and it will fall off. Don’t pull or shake out of your sleeve." I regret pulling it off, but… "I didn't shake out of it." "You did, just didn't notice. Now, gently roll your wrist, but keep your hand still.” ’Huh?’ “Your forearm will be the one to move and you will shake that shirt off.” I had to watch her to show me how that worked. “Can you show me?” At that request, she giggled a little and nodded. She started to undo her shirt’s buttons. “Wait, just show me how to move your arm. I don’t mean for you to strip like me.” “Aw, you okay being the only one naked?” I gave her a deadpan stare. “Okay, okay, I’ll keep my shirt on, jeeze.” She stopped her unbuttoning, but didn’t redo the ones she already had undone. I would have thought my attention would’ve been on what cleavage she had exposed, but I was more interested in the scars. They were like tiny stars… at least four over her heart and the top curve of her breast. It took me a moment to realize those scars were caused by gunfire. “Keep it smooth,” I snapped out of it and paid attention to her as she was litteraly rolling her arm without her hand following. “How are you doing that?” “Here, for beginners, place your palm flat against the wall and try. Your elbow will swing. Do that enough and you’ll be flexible enough to roll your whole arm with your hand staying in place. It’s easy.” I gave it a shot as I watched her continue my lesson. “Now don't work too hard on it or you will look jittery." I was jittery! I was practically doing a strip tease in front of my big sister. With the rest of my top off, I pressed my hand against the wall while the sleeve slipping down to my elbow. "Good. Now throw it over your shoulder to hang off -- don't stop the motion with your hips. Keep that going, smooth, slow, sensual… you want to attract attention to the next thing to come off." She pointed at that when I slowed. "Keep a hold of the one sleeve in your hand, the one on the wall -- yes, you can let go of the wall now.” She laughed at my nervousness as I obeyed her. “Then remember, throw the shirt over your shoulder, but reach around your waist -- from behind. If you go across your belly, you’d be covering yourself. We want everything to show. You’re on display.” I certainly felt like it. “Now behind yourself, grab the sleeve… you see how your breasts are up and out now? Keep swaying, good… now pull the sleeve behind you and thrust your chest out as you do. Stand straight and lift your chin up." “Brittany, this is a strip tease.” I was hot and embarrassed doing this, let alone performing in front of someone. I did all of this without a clue why. This made me feel like I was trying to be a belly dancing stripper, except I didn't try that belly rolling they did yet and I was pretty sure I couldn’t with my absolutely flat stomach. There was one thing I noted, it worked up a sweat trying to keep the smooth motion going in more than one place. It was like focusing on three or four moves going on at the same time… this was a physical and mental workout. I had improved at it by the time my sis instructed me to blindly untie and pull my pants down while I was still swirling my hips around. "Do I have to keep doing this when I put the suit on?" "Oh no, that would be a little too difficult for you. I wouldn't try that." Thank God. "Thanks. I was worried there." She smiled at me and clapped her hands when the PJs finally fell away from me. "Congrats on a well done performance." I sighed and smiled up at her. "Have fun?" I suppose it was. "Yeah, I suppose so." I watched her approach me. She wasn't looking exactly at me, but down my arm. I felt her hand tenderly brush down along the black and blue marks ringing my arm. Her eyes shut for a second, as if she was taking a moment to steel herself. When she opened them again, she spoke of Jeremy. "Jeremy and I talked about you." Hearing about him while standing in nothing didn't make me feel very comfortable. I began to cover myself with the top I had just slipped off my bare shoulder. She shook her head. "I know you don't want to hear about this, but I did settle one matter. I wish more could be done, but I can only do so much with my hands tied." "You didn't have to do anything." I backed up a little when her face lowered to level with mine. "Yes I did and I should do more. Much more. I have only one little sister and you were almost taken from me more than once. I'm not letting anyone hurt my miracle." Brittany wasn't her laughing and carefree self. She was back to being serious. The Jeremy story continued, "We both agreed what he did wasn't justified or deserved in any fashion. Even his behavior this morning was crude." "Can we not talk about it?" She shook her head at me. "We are talking about it. Come with me." Her arm slipped behind and around my shoulders as she pulled me to sit with her on my bed. However much I didn't like the suits, I kinda wanted one on right now. "Now, I want you to tell me what happened. We heard Jeremy this morning, and he told me more of what happened when I spoke with him. I want to compare and be certain he isn’t forgetting anything." “You mean lying?” Brittany shook her head no. “He can’t -- he’s capable of not saying everything, but he will never outright lie. He hates -- he’s psychotic around liars.” I could absolutely vouch for that statement. With a flinch, I felt terrible inside that I should have to do this. "Please, I just want to help you with the photos. I don't want talk about this." The shirt I held to myself was scrunched up between my arms as I began to hug and lower myself to be a little smaller. I wanted to ball up and disappear. Her arms came around me more securely and pulled me into her side. She hugged, held, and gently rocked me while I felt her hand softly rubbing my bare back. "Mom should have done this. Oh well. Her loss." I heard her mournfully sigh over the top of my head. "You two will get married." That caused me to look up at her in a pained disbelief. "What?" "Dad might get pissed about what Jeremy did, but he's not going to let the opportunity of a lifetime like this slip by. It's like winning the lottery, only we're not becoming rich, but royalty." Judging by her expression, she was a mix of joy and sorrow. She smiled at me, but her eyes on me spoke far more about how she felt inside. Hurting. "Getting rich is extra baggage with us coming back into the Big Family. We'll have more power, influence, and maybe be given a stip of land someplace to take a vacation." I lowered my head and stared down at nothing in particular. "I am being sold off." "What Mom said this morning, that was true. You're not being sold off." Her hand rubbed my back gently as she bent down to peek up at me. "You won't leave us. Just because you are married, doesn't mean you have to go anywhere." I didn't understand. "Won't I have to -- I don't know, live with him and stuff?" I shrugged, not really sure of the whole marriage thing myself. "Only if you want to. We can arrange that it is a separated marriage. He can continue living his life the way it always has been, like a bachelor, and you can stay here with us." I didn't know that was possible. ’What would the point of getting married be if the couple remained apart?’ "What's the reason to get married if we don't see each other?" I lifted my head up since it started to look like Brittany was getting uncomfortable in her low position. "Most of the time, alliances. This case, we are being welcomed back into the family and Jeremy becomes our head of the household." That didn't sound very good. "You mean, he could order us all around?" "He already can. It isn't much of a difference." Him being a prince does have that advantage. I nodded silently. "Just, there is a catch." Lifting my gaze back up to her, I tried to imagine what that 'Catch' could be, but my mind was a bit blank at the moment. "After the wedding, you two still have to finalize the marriage to legitimize it. Otherwise, it will be a loose lock that anyone could break. An annulment could happen." I shook my head, not getting it at all why that was a big deal. ’Declaring our love before God? Signing paperwork? What and how much would I be signing? Would I be agreeing to a lot of terms?’ Not nearly as bad like living with him. Nothing could top that. "Finalize the marriage? That doesn't sound hard." For a second, she raised a brow at me, but then shrugged. "I guess not." With a pat on my back, "Get dressed. We're wasting video here." ’...Video?’ "We're being recorded?" She grinned. "No. You didn't." I sat upright and turned to look where I had been undressing and dancing before. "With what? You didn't have anything out." She reached over and patted the suit. "My suits captures movements and sends the data back to my shop. That way I know how to improve, the wearer tells me what they do and how the suits responded. The comforts, temperature, damages, any responses my customers experiences are sent right back to my store for me to review. Perfect video experiences of my works on the battlefield." I gulped at what she just said. That was entirely invading into everyone's privacy in the most intimate of ways and places. ’Was that really legal?’ "That's not against the law?" She combed the bristles of my hair back in a smooth stroke. "Nope. If it was, then we wouldn't be capable of catching so many crimes before they happen." I suddenly wondered if that was why Jeremy was in his boxers that night. ’Wait, was what he did a crime?’ "I -- what happened to me last night. Was any of that a crime?" She nodded. "Him beating you was and that's what he's trying to right without it turning into a scandal." I understood that, but it looked like Shelly didn't appreciate the fact that I swung at him first. ’Maybe it was the whole notion that this could turn into a media hype that Jeremy rather avoid?’ "So... what about him -- about us..." I closed my eyes and wondered about what we did after he took me upstairs in his home. "Jeremy told me and no, that's not. If you wanted to know, I'm a product of rape." I blinked my eyes open and stared at her. "Yeah, Mom was raped by Dad. He saw her and decided to have her. Then, when he found out he knocked her up, they married. Both agreed that they didn't want me to be a bastard." "Ah -- this is going to sound horrible, but why didn't Mom get an -- you know? An abortion?" "Kegan. At the time, Dad was a Kegan. Ondine is our Mom's maiden name." I still didn't understand. ’Was she threatened? Couldn't she have done it in secret?’ "Why didn't she try to hide -- I'm sorry, this is you we are talking about, but I don't understand why she couldn’t get an abortion." "A royal life. If she killed me, it would be the same as committing treason." That wasn't something that had ever came to mind. ’Was it that way back on my world? Did the princesses that married into the royal family become barred from planned parenthood?’ "I see." Nodding, I scooted back and took a look down at the suit she wanted me to wear. "Just to be sure about something. Are you telling me anyone could drag me away and do whatever they want with me?" "Again, royalty. They can if they chose to." Maybe it wasn't really the world that was fucked up. Just this royal family and those that extended from it. ’What about Dr. Anstone? Is she related to royalty somehow?’ "Go ahead and try it on. It will fit." My mind was a blur of thoughts while I was dressing. Jeremy, being capable of doing whatever he pleased wasn't a thrilling thought. The fact that Shelly had been taken and raped by the guy I have to call Dad wasn't something I relished. I didn't doubt that they grew to love each other, since there was Greg and Kim after Brittany, but it felt like they had their differences. ’Well, what couple didn't have their conflicts?’ I just didn't see me getting past mine with Jeremy. It wasn't that I didn't want to, but I couldn't forgive him. I still felt the heat of his breath, touch, and masculinity on and in me. The memory of it still made me burn with a undesirable passion of want. The more I thought about it, the more upset I became. Whispering, I didn't intend to have Brittany hear, "I won't forgive him." "Turn around. Let me see." I blinked, not realizing I had fully dressed in this thing. I took a look down at myself while turning around to face away from her. "Looking sharp." Her hand slipped over my shoulder, hooked down and over my chest, and pulled me back against her. She whispered close to my ear, "We won't forgive him." "Sorry." I tried to comfortably adjust my back against her, but she slid her legs beneath mine, causing me to bend my knees and lose balance, just so I would sit in her lap. "It's not -- I've been --" I was about to tell her I've been beaten before, but that would have let slip my former life as Chase. "I can handle being beaten... I don’t think it comes anywhere close to being struck by lightning, right?" "Heh, I guess you got a point." Her chin landed on the top of my head. "Don't rub there, okay?" Shelly already did that once and I didn't relish the image of growing a bald spot up there. "Sure thing. So if it isn't the torture treatment he did, what won't you forgive?" I crossed my arms down around my stomach and shook my head. "His -- I still feel it." I felt her big chest jiggle with a laugh. "It's not funny." "Sure it is." I pulled and slipped my head out from under her chin to turn and glare at her over my shoulder. "Do you know how this feels?" "Uh, yeah? Greg tends to leave quite an impression." I felt the temperature rise up from my chest until I was certain my face glowed bright red. "You will get used to it. Give yourself a week and it will feel better. Any longer than that and some work will be needed again to get back in there." "I don't want anything in there." A brow was raised at me. "Wait, does it feel painful? Sharp? Like a cut? Fissures. Happens sometimes if he’s really big. Just tell him to take you slowly next... time? What?" I kinda growled at her for mentioning there being a next time, but didn’t tell her about that. I thought about I felt down there and shook my head. “He waited and was slow.” "Oh, uh, okay. Good for him for showing restraint. Ache? I know Greg can sometimes be a little rough and try ramming -- nevermind. Do you feel like you have a tummy ache?" Again, I shook my head. "Burns." "Like a rash?" She looked very worried about that. Once more, I shook my head. "Like I've been burned." She snorted. "That's not --" I watched her lick her lips to wet them. "Ah, okay. Yeah, that won't heal." Looking back down, I began to nibble on my lower lip. This was something I had hoped would recover quickly. That fire in me was starting to become intolerable. "Could a doctor alleviate it?" "Maybe, but I would suggest Jeremy do that for you." That made me turn to look back at her in confusion. She seemed between wanting to laugh with a big smile and say something at the same time. I watched and waited for her to recompose herself. "I'm not going to offend you. Don't ask." That just left me more bewildered. Shaking my head and turning back around, I softly said, "Okay." "I can recommend something." "What?" "Hug a pillow and hold it between your legs before going to sleep. Believe me, it helps." I shook my head for a second, but then nodded. I supposed that sounded logical. "I will." She gave me a tightly squeezed hug. "You are so much cuter than I remember." I rolled my eyes, wondering how she would feel if I told her who I once was. "Okay, want to try on another set?" "What's the difference? A suit is a suit, right?" I took a peek at the bag by our side. "Nope. Each one has their own unique design. Plus, do you think all suits are black?" That was a valid point. I saw a white coat in one of the bags. "The one you have on comes with the shirt, but the next has a sleeveless vest that can buffer the vanity pinned on the bust." I looked at that for a moment, but didn't see anything pinned. "I don't see anything there." "I meant for when we get rewarded and such. You know, medals. This is designed for men, remember?" Nodding, I understood what she meant now. "Hop up. Get changed." As I was released and stood up from her, I asked, "Do I have to dance again?" She laughed, "No. I'll cherish that moment. You don't appear to like the idea of being too intimate with our family, so the video might be the most I'm going to get out of you." Something in my stomach dropped as I heard that. "Please don't tell me that or anything like it again." Shaking my head, I told her, "I prefer not to know." Smiling at me, she said a really terrible pun. "Suit yourself."

Assistance   Chapter 3: In Need of Aid   My time at the Galehall Hospital was a bit of a blur. Hospital food wasn't the best food in the world. Honestly, I believed they’d made it a certain way to keep us patients in their care. Unless the prepackaged food or publicly available lineup variety came from their cafeteria and buffet, whatever these open dished meals were was like having a dish spiced with crushed prescription pills. And the after effects were horrible. I had to regularly press a button for an Assistant Nurse to come aid me for relief. It was apparent that my legs were not quite ready for the journey from a bed to bathroom. When I had taken my first step, I fell flat on the floor and nearly pulled the sticky caped cords off of me or from their ports in the paneled monitors. It was more humiliating when I learned that an aid was required to open the door for me. I had reached out and missed the handle far too many times to be deemed capable. The length of my arms were shorter than I was used to. Not only that, but I found my vision not being what it was as Chase. I don't know if it had something to do with the lightning or if Kim had issues with her sight, but reading was difficult. No matter how much I focused or squinted, I couldn't read the blurry characters or letters on anything. The more I tried anything on my own, a greater image appeared that my senses were all out of whack. Perception, balance, vision, hearing, my touch, and maybe my own taste was off. Again, no idea if it was because of the lightning or this body. ’Maybe a combination of the two?’ What was worse was when I didn't make it to the bathroom. Either the aid was not here on time or I couldn't quite hold it. Like I had mentioned, humiliating. The only communication to the aid that it was too late was me shaking my head. We still went to the bathroom, to be sure I had finished, and after was me in the shower. If I were still a guy, I probably would be that much more ashamed of myself. The nurse was a knock-out. I was used to Assistant Nurses that were stoic and sturdy man-handlers. This chick was, first of all, wearing a short skirt, a short sleeved shirt, a little cap on her head, and a pair of high-heels to go with her knee-high leggings. Secondly, she was all legs. On top of that, she had a rack that was a wonder to me on how she managed to fit those fluffy pink jigglypuffs in that tight nurse outfit. I was really attracted to her, but again, I didn't feel that same kind of flustering heat I would when I was a guy. It just felt like I couldn't look away, which was a good sign for me, but my body didn't react the way I thought. ’Maybe girl's get turned on differently from guys?’ I kinda thought it was if we saw someone we liked, our horniness bumped up a point. The more attraction, the higher we rose the hotness bar until we couldn't hold back any longer. Well, then again, I hadn't felt all that great to begin with, and the whole humiliation of why I'd been in the shower didn't sit very well with me. All I could muster in our conversations was a simple, "Sorry," or, "Thank you." I didn't even know what color her eyes were and that was my fault. I couldn't look straight in her eyes because of how ashamed I felt. The aid had a white stool for me to sit on while I was being sprayed and scrubbed carefully. At least, while I was being assisted in the shower, I had the opportunity to explore my body. For a guy, this shouldn't be a surprise, my first glimpse was down my cleavage. Compared to Shelly and what I recalled of Brittany, I was small. The pair I was gifted with did fit fully in my hands, but they were no competition against the women I've seen so far. It did surprise me that they would perk up at my touch. It was kind of like when the skin gets goosebumps and becomes shockingly sensitive. As if on high alert and eager to have a handy pair grab on. When I was done ogling myself, I had a good idea of what kind of figure I had. Just like Shelly, I had an hourglass, but I was thinner than she was.’Maybe it was my current age and I'd fill out more?’ I certainly had a narrow waist that had a subtle flare to my hips. I could make out how smooth my skin was when getting soaped up and scrubbed down. I also had an idea I was rather slender overall when inspecting the rest of myself. I could totally blame the coma and hospital food for this, whether it was true or not. That was how bad Galehall Hospital culinary was here. But back to being a former guy exploring the unknown, I lowered myself by inspecting lower. Any kind of panting in heat I might have had for women would immediately be chilled to the bone when I reminded myself there was no boner to be found between my legs. I was a part of the fair sex's inner circle now. The idea that I found Shelly, Brittany, or this nurse attractive became a sick joke. ’Maybe I could compliment them on how attractive they were, right?’ That was now the punch line, no more fucking around… not like I ever had a chance to do it before. Sometimes I would wake in the middle of the night and hear odd noises outside my door or through the walls. It sounded like thuds, slow or rapid, soft or hard, but always audible. I knew it was people making the noise because of their voices and heavy breathing from knocking on the barriers. I wanted to investigate them, but I was too scared of falling or being unable to return to my room if it was something dangerous. ’Also, what if I were to get into trouble for leaving my room?’ On another note, before heading to bed the aid would assist me to the bathroom sink for another daily routine. I'd have to hold onto the sink for support with one hand and brush my teeth with the other. The girl who stared back at me was more of a shock than anything else for an obvious reason. I was perhaps cute with a pair of lips that could easily spread into an eagerly pleasant smile. Maybe androgynous with this haircut and no makeup. Thing was, I didn't look anything like Shelly or the near identical daughter she had. I had a sprinkle of freckles that fanned out from beneath my eyes and traveled down to the tip of my nose. Unlike those mesmerizing crystal-blues that Shelly had, mine were like a glowing yellow-gold set. They were glowing. Had to be. The whites of my eyes had this aura, like there was a hazy ring of irradiated gold corrupting the purity of these white orbs. My hair was cut short down to a buzz. Probably for surgical reasons for the lightning strike. Again, it was another note taken how I was different from the ones this girl called her family. I remembered, the mother and both siblings had black hair. Mine was an odd mix. I could see the highlights of browns, light to dark, but also blonde hairs mingled and maybe some silvery white hairs appeared to be growing out. ’Did the lightning cause my hair to change or was I like this to begin with?’ I've heard of an Austrian princess whose hair had turned white under a life-changing burden of stress. ’Perhaps that was what happened to me? I guess I could call myself a dirty-sand blonde? Was that a thing?’ ’Would I call myself attractive?’ That was very hard to tell with these outstanding scars that have taken root down my face. That was exactly what they reminded me of, a system of roots. When they tried to explain what this Lichen-whatever figure was, it sounded like the pattern of the lightning bolt. On my face, in its glaring red lines, it reminded me of roots spreading away from a barely visible impression between my eyes where the bolt struck. I was told that my nose's should’ve destroyed, if not, warped by the lightning's impact on point of entry. It didn't and had in fact retained its cute little shape as if untouched, from what Shelly said.  The last time I brushed my teeth, I took a long and hard look in the mirror to decide if I was attractively cute or freakish. Either way, I would be attracting attention. In the corner of my eye, I caught in my reflection the nurse looking at me funny. It made me focus on her in the mirror. A little laugh escaped me. "Step right up folks and see one of the wonders of the world. Half girl, half tree. Watch as the little bush on her head grows out and the roots take hold of her face. Just ten pence for a side show." I smiled at the mirror, giggled a little at my own mean joke at myself, but I couldn't remain entertained at the crack I made. I felt the cold streak of tears running down my cheeks as I lost control of the moment. In her silence, which only made me aware of how rapidly I was having my meltdown by how uneasy I started breathing, she pulled me away from the sink and guided me back to bed. Not one word from her, or ever. The only people that showed any care for this girl, for me, didn't exist here, not in this hospital. Back in bed, I dried my face off once, but the dam broke and I couldn't keep it in any longer. I had buried down into the pillow to muffle my sobbing...

Discharged   Chapter 7: The Welcome Wagon   For the next couple of days, Dr. Anstone became more professional around me until the day came I would be let go. Dressed in one of the shirts that she would have me sleep in and a pair of those sweats, I was ready as I could ever possibly be. I was wheeled in a chair. From the top, down the elevator, and all the way to the ground floor, I was being pushed into a grand and spectacular lobby. Large pane-glass windows lined the walls up to the third or fourth floor. Many plants rose up out of the garden right outside of the windows to tower their drooping tropical leaves. Sunshine flooded around every corner of my overview of this place. There were several receptionists at every connected counter that made up an octagon in the middle of the lobby. Bright and colorful lights framed nearly every electronic terminal or monitor. In a way, I was reminded of how extravagant and flashy the 'Back to the Future' had featured a possible future. My chair came to a gradual stop. I looked over my shoulder at Dr. Anstone as she reached a hand out over my head. Shelly had awkwardly stood ready to hug me or shake the therapist's hand. I had to laugh a little at her indecisive posture. She went for the handshake first, then came down to give me a very long hug. Enjoying our embrace, I did return the hug, but I felt a little less enthusiastic about being squeezed against her bosom. This time, I wasn't exactly thrilled to be smothered against another female. ’Did I have Dr. Anstone to thank for that?’ Shelly was with me for a minute before she had to break away and speak with Dr. Anstone off to the side. I was curious what they were talking about, but my attention was broken by another, but very affectionate, hug. At first, I thought Shelly came back, but I had just watched her walk away with the therapist. Then I realized this was Brittany. Unlike the Office Lady fashion that Shelly displayed, Brittany was more business attired. A suit rather than a dress. We hugged, again I had been smothered by the younger version of our mother, but endured. In fact, she seemed to pick up on my discomfort and gave me room to breathe. She was initially bending over to hug me, like Shelly had been, but then knelt down by my side to keep us leveled. After a moment, I looked at where Shelly and Dr. Anstone walked and compared their heights. I frowned at how small I was compared to my tall family. "Hey Space Cadet, what's wrong?" I looked back at Brittany. "You're all taller than me." She broke out a weird laugh, one I thought sounded emotional, but quieted to grin at me before I experienced being ruffled on the top of my short haired head. I had more than an inch up there now, so more protection. "It comes with the territory being my little sis." I rolled my eyes at my apparent big sister’s statement. "I've heard if you stretch every morning, you grow a little taller." That sounded like an old wives tale, but there might be some truth to it. I was going to do morning exercises anyways. "You going to hog her to yourself or can I have a share?" I nearly jumped out of my seat when a pair of large hands dropped down onto my shoulders to give me a gentle squeeze. "Awww, you spooked her." Brittany glanced up at the man towering behind me. "Oh I did not." I slightly tilted my head to see over my shoulder. It was the man who carried me out of our house. Greg, my big brother. This was the first time I was introduced to his voice. It had a smooth and powerful bass to it, but one that could be soothing when listening to it. Kind of like the purr of a lion. I would not be surprised if he could roar like one too. "I suppose she was hopping for joy?" I glanced back at Brittany. Greg retorted again to confirm that these two definitely were siblings. "I must have missed her jumping out of her seat to hug you." My head began to lower. ’Was I safe between these two?’ Wait. There was Shelly, Brittany, and Greg. ’Where was Gregory? The father?’ I swallowed. ’Did I really want to ask?’ This was his youngest child who was leaving the hospital. Over a month and I was now getting out. ’Maybe he was just keeping the car running for a quick getaway?’ Before these two begin to duke it out, I wanted to know about our family's attendance. "Where's Gr-- Dad?" For a brief second, I felt Greg's hands tense up, not grip harder, on my shoulders. Brittany answered me. "He's busy at work. He'll be home at night to welcome you back." She gave me a reassuring smile and one more big hug before getting up. I watched her give Greg a look, and said, "She's all yours now." Then she backed away to give the floor to the brother behind me. I took a quick look over to where Shelly and Dr. Anstone still stood and conversed with each other. ’What were they talking about?’ It had to do with me, I knew that. ‘How come it had to be private? Was there something about me that Dr. Anstone didn't want me to know about?’ My thoughts were interrupted when Greg pulled me up into a hug. He didn't just bend over and embraced me, I was lifted out of my seat. It took me a second to find my footing, but then I took into account he held me off the ground and my search for earth was pointless. Greg held me up in one tight squeeze and then adjusted to more comfortably have me carried against his broad chest. Giving each other a little space, I pulled my face away from his shoulder to look at him more closely. I could see the slight resemblance of our mother in his face. A handsome one, just like every other guy I've seen so far. Only, he was more attractive in some way. ’Maybe it was the huge amount of affection he had constricting around me?’ I smiled at him and rested my head back down on his shoulder. I would have hugged him, but my arms only made it part way around his shoulders and I didn't want to ring his neck. So, I settled with my hands kindly stroking his arms while I allowed him to have his piece of welcoming his little sister back. I've taken note that each of them had the same crystal-blue eyes, but I thought Greg's were intense. They were sharper. Keen like a precious blade that could see through anything, while Shelly and Brittany had sparkled like brilliant gemstones. Shelly and Dr. Anstone finally returned while I was still being bear hugged. I turned and watched their faces. Shelly smiled at me in amusement. Dr. Anstone had a smile as well, but her eyes had an expressive sadness to them. I could only give them a smile in return while pathetically kicking my feet helplessly around for a miniscule chance I’d find ground. "We're all set to go." As Shelly spoke this, I glanced back at Dr. Anstone who gave me a quick little wave. I waved back at her, not really sure how I should be saying goodbye to someone like her. ’I guess, for appearance's sake, this was for the best?’ Instead of being wheeled out of the lobby, I was carried. In my world, the hospital would've enforced me to remain seated until outside their building. One of the many differences, I supposed. Morality and protocol might be more than a little lax here… or nonexistent. Outside and at the car, I heard either Brittany or Shelly talk to Greg. I really couldn’t tell those carbon copies apart without looking, and that was only if they stood side by side for me to see the subtle changes between their ages. And even that was minor. I honestly would only be capable of telling the differences between mother and sister by declaration of name and what they wore. ’Twins, I say, TWINS!’ "Okay, put the precious down. I'm sure she can make it in the car on her own." That had to be Brittany speaking. Shelly referred to me in a direct manner, where as the sister had a list of names for me. “Careful on that first step.” I felt the ground beneath my bare feet and righted myself before Greg let me go. I stared at his chest with wide open eyes and raised my face up to him. ’Giant!’ It took me a few seconds to figure out who was driving. If Shelly and Brittany were not both wearing black, I wouldn't have had to look down and see who was wearing a skirt or not to tell the mother-daughter duo apart. ’Skirt.’ It looked like Shelly was the driver this time. ’Pants.’ Brittany was going to be sitting in the back with Greg while I had the passenger. "Wait, Greg you might fit better in the front. I'm a little -- well, little and can fit better in the back." He looked down at me for a second, then raised his brows as he glanced at the other two. I guessed he was searching for any protests on the other two women’s faces to my suggestion. When no one argued, he looked back down at me with a smile before ruffling the still little hairs on top of my head. "Thanks. I'll owe you a seat next time." ’I wondered what that meant? Ballgame maybe?’ Oh, that was something I neglected to ask about. What kind of sports existed. I guessed I'd be finding that out soon enough when we get home. I’d recalled there being a computer in this girl’s room -- my room. He opened the backdoor for me and I slipped in before the door shut. I ended up uselessly scratching at the seat-belt strap for a second until I looked at where I was grasping for it. I was used to the strap coming out and down by the shoulder and along the arm, not two separate straps. One end was to be pulled out from the slot above the shoulder, the other by my waist, and they connected into a dual port on my other side across me. Not sure if I could’ve excused my perception having an issue or the belt was just designed to be difficult. Buckled in and everyone else being secured in their seats, Shelly started up and rolled out. While on the road, I watched the scenery being passed by in a wonder and amazement. It was like Las Vegas and Hollywood had a kid and this city was the child. Bright and sunny, with the flashy attractions and roaming pedestrians that could be mistaken for celebrities. Everyone I saw could have easily walked under the spotlight of a modelling career. I'm not going to grow used to this, but again I felt something was off about how this world worked. Everyone had a fashionable suave sense and looked fantastic, but this bright and summery season should have caused a lot more people to be in lighter clothes. I felt like I was the only one who looked drab, but at least somewhat outfitted for this weather. Shelly and Brittany wore black outfits. Greg had on a blue button-up shirt with black pants. They didn't have the AC on at all. What was strange was I didn't feel any heat in the car. I felt comfortable and content with the temperature. I shook my head in disbelief. I wasn't going to ask any of them a rhetoric question about what they wore in this heat. There was nothing I could think of to question the oddity. In fact, I should be more concerned about flagging them down with any signs of my confusion. They shouldn't have to worry about me and I wasn't going to be giving them any reason to. They weren't talking. I didn't mind it too much, but I had expected them to hold a conversation with each other or ask about me. ’Like, what was I doing in the hospital? Did I make any friends while in there? How was the food? Was I sleeping okay? Have I learned anything interesting from my therapy? How far along has my recovery come? Anything happen in there that they should know about?’ Maybe I should start the conversation. "Shel-- Mom? What did you and Dr. Anstone talk about?" I caught her searching for me in the rearview mirror before returning her attention to the road. "She's worried about you not eating or sleeping enough." With me out of there, I was pretty sure I'd be getting a full night's sleep from now on. "There are --" She paused for a moment and continued. "She doesn't think your scars are going to heal the way we thought." "What do you mean?" Instinctively, I brought my hand up to my face and began to run my fingers over the lines. "After a month, your scars were supposed to show some sign of recession. A little bit." She shook her head. I took that as meaning my scars might take longer than expected to heal. Well, the Scottish Doc did say it could take near the end of the year. "Maybe next year?" I saw the corner of her lips curl up into a grin. "Yeah. You will be okay. It will take awhile. That's all." I smiled, looked at Brittany across from me offer a smile back. I didn't know if Greg was smiling too, but I imagined he was. I asked a kinda personal question for me. "What did you think of Dr. Anstone? Her name is Kim too." "I didn't know that. Was there any confusion between the two of you?" Shelly sounded a little more lively and that made me happy. "Not really. She was calling me Kimberly and we didn't see very many talkative people." Mostly because we stayed in her office. Brittany asked me a quick one. "You liked her?" I gave her a nod, but I also said so for the two in front to know. "Yes. Very much." "She must have listened to you very well." Shelly looked back at me in the rear view mirror when we came to an intersection stoplight. "A lot more than that. She helped me exercise every day, gave me food that the hospital didn't sanitize with bleach, assisted me going where I needed to, drawn a bath every day, and kept me in a warm bed. She was there for me the whole time. Not once did she leave me alone." ’She really did those things for me, didn’t she?’ I leaned back in my seat and laid the side of my head against the window, thinking about her. I was still not sure how to say goodbye to someone like her. Greg spoke up this time. "What kind of exercises?" "Mostly walking in the hall. I plan to do more from now on. I'll have to look up what I need to do for me to be fit and in better shape." I saw Greg lift a thumbs-up over his shoulder. "Give me some time this afternoon and I can help you with that." That didn't sound like a bad idea. He was definitely in incredible shape. "Sure! Thanks!" My attention was grabbed by Brittany's waving at me. She dropped her hand and spoke up. "I can help you out with that too. Greg might make you butch." I saw Brittany laugh and heard Shelly echo the laughter. Greg responded quickly enough. "I'll be there for support. I'm not going to be her Drill Instructor. Even I need someone." The two of them started again. Cheerfully, Brittany asked him an interesting question. "Who would that be?" "Ms. Soarses." I lifted my head off the window to watch Brittany jerk forward and burst out laughing. "The Gym Teacher!? You two a couple?" I turned in time to see Greg's middle finger flip her off over his shoulder before disappearing. "There's nothing wrong with our relationship." Wait. ’Did that mean they were a couple?’ Now I was curious who this Ms. Soarses was. Shelly questioned Greg about someone. "What about Alice? I thought you two were seeing each other?" "She's seeing me." I looked over at Brittany when I heard that. I leaned over and whispered to her. "Is he cheating?" She rolled her eyes and held a hand to gesture for me closer. I tried to scoot in a bit more, but the seat-belt didn't help. "I've lost count." I dropped my jaw. ’How many was he juggling?’ Sitting back and upright, I decided to ask the question. "Greg? How many girlfriends do you have?" I could hear the snorts from Brittany as she barely contained the explosive laughter. "I have a lot of girls interested in me and I treat them, but if you are asking me if there are any that I'm interested in. No. I'm not into girls." I blinked and felt my jaw drop even harder than before. "You're gay?" Brittany lost it and Greg twisted around in his seat to glare at both of us. "I meant women. Respectable ladies who can hold a mature conversation." I threw my hands up in surrender as he fell back into his seat. "I was just asking." I had a little difficulty holding a straight face while Brittany was hiccuping with laughter. Shelly spoke up in his defense. "I'm sure you will find a charming woman that will treat you one day." His shoulders shrugged up and he slipped down in his seat a little. That made me think for a moment. "Greg? Do you have a woman?" He shot right up. It caused Shelly to look away from the road for a second to see why Greg shifted in his seat like that. Even Brittany quieted. He finally spoke. "Maybe." Brittany chipped in. "It's Ms. Soarses, isn't it?" Greg flipped her off again and she laughed it off. This was what I wanted to hear and cheer me up on the way home. I leaned the side of my head back on the window and kinda drowned out my brother and sister laughing and bantering. I laughed a little at what I had caused in the car. After awhile, we eventually turned and pulled into a driveway to a two story house. The first floor of the house didn't have any windows, which I thought was strange. Second floor had a series of them and an interesting set up going around a rounded corner of the home. I guessed those were the bedrooms. I remembered the hall that had three colored doors and the normal one leading into a living room. The car came to a stop in front of a closed garage. I saw why there were no windows on the first floor. Technically, it wasn't the first floor. This home was built into the side of a slope where the back of the house went underground. ’I guess that would make the bottom a basement?’ It took me a moment to get out of the car. Unbuckling was easy, but I missed the handle and grabbed the armrest of the door by accident. Tried again and got it. As I was about to get out, I saw that Greg was watching me. For a moment, I think he may have been about to open the door for me, but the look on his face made me believe he was concerned how I failed at first to open the door. I smiled up at him and used my backside to shut the door behind me. Through the side of the house, we walked into a kitchen or dining room. Probably a combination of the two. I recognized it. Looking around, I saw the counter, sink, dishwasher, a stove, and an oven. A familiar table was set up with fine utensils and plates, as if expecting company. All the color in here suggested a sunshine-shiny day with yellows and oranges. There were two other doors to the side of the dual purpose dining room. I walked over and took a peek inside. One was a bathroom. A tub with a shower was off to the left. A sink and toilet to the right. All the way at the end of the bathroom was a large counter. ’Maybe that was for throwing clothes or towels on?’ After closing that door, I opened the other one to see it lead down some steps. ’I guess this was supposed to be the basement?’ It wasn't all that dark for a basement. From here, I could see the floor had carpet. ’Maybe they turned it into a playroom?’ That would be neat. When I backed out of the doorway, I became confused. Looking around the entire kitchen, and I found no outlets. One quick peek back in the bathroom revealed the same. Now that I thought about it, I never saw a single powerline on the way home. ’How did that work?’ I knew where the living room was and that there was a large flat-screen in there. Immediately, I left the dining room and investigated that TV. One look at the flat-screen and I knew I wouldn't get my answer. It was installed into the wall. I would need Greg to pull it out for me to check what it plugged into. There was still my room with electronics. Soon, I had opened up that heart decorated door and popped my head in. The window that had shattered on the night of the storm was replaced. I might still want to be careful where I walked, in case of fine slivers hiding somewhere. Kneeling down, I inspected the gaming console that was beneath the TV set. It was plugged into the TV, but there was no power cord. I clicked on the TV and it had turned on. I gave the console the same treatment and it came to life. ’Were these battery operated?’ Turning them back off, I sat more comfortably on the floor while looking around my room. The shelves had stuffed, glass, and other kinds of animals or objects. A collection of trinkets. My eyes wandered to the bed and up to the wall. An impression was visible on the wall where I had been thrown. I supposed my family either overlooked the damage or didn't think it was that big of a deal. At the moment, I felt thirsty and stood back up. Greg and Brittany were handling something out in the dining room. ’I guess setting up a meal?’ Shelly had gone through another door in the living room I had not explored. Inside, I saw another bedroom. Judging by its size, I guessed that was the master bedroom. Inside of the bedroom, Shelly was busy clicking away at her cell. There was frustration on her face. She stopped clicking and watched her phone for a few seconds. I watched her stare down at her device with a single instant of anger before she tossed the phone onto the bed. With her attention off of the phone, she noticed me watching her from the living room. "Honey, come here." She beckoned me over with the wave of her hand. I didn't see any issue and walked in. Her hand kept waving for me to come closer and it wasn't until I was a foot away that I realized a hug was coming. This time, I made sure to turn my face away from the smothering chest. We held each other for a little while. "Welcome home." "Thanks M-- Mom." I swallowed to clear up my throat. It felt a little ticklish. "Ga-- Going to ger-- Grab some wa-- water." She soothed me with a rub over my back before letting me go. "Okay. We should have a meal ready in a few." With that in mind, I gave her a nod and made certain not to be in either of my sibling's way when I got there. In the dining room, I looked at the yellow cabinets for a few seconds. "Which has a gul-- Glass?" Brittany came around, leaving Greg to take a tray out of an oven before he switched on the temperature. ’I guess we stored a tray in there when the oven wasn't in use?’ I'd kept that discovery in mind. A glass was taken from the cabinet in the far right corner, above the counter next to the right of the sink. "Juice? Water? Soda?" I swallowed again. "Water." ’Why did I feel this parched?’ The dryness was starting to cause me difficulty breathing. A moment later and I had my glass of water offered to me. I took it and sipped from the glass. After feeling better, I said my, "Thanks," and wandered over to see what the two were making. "May I help?" It looked like they were getting ready to cook something like a stromboli. The way how the tray had a huge flat dough laid out with cheese and other ingredients being added, but no sauce, gave me the idea. "Sure. There," Greg pointed at one of the drawers. "If you search in there, you'll find a veleeta." ’...A what?’ My eyes widened for a second in confused worry, but I smiled with confidence and nodded to keep Greg assured I knew exactly what he was talking about. Turning, I walked over to the drawer and opened it to see what was inside. There were utensils, but some of the other items looked strange. ’A veleeta? What was a veleeta? Should I know what this was? What did it do and why was it needed for a stromboli?’ "Find it?" Quickly, I nodded and grabbed the only thing I thought was a veleeta. It had a papery texture, balled up, but had a single slit on the side like a vent. I crossed my fingers in hope and offered it to Greg. He took it and placed the thing on the edge of the dough. There was a tension in me I didn't know had built up. I relaxed now and watched what this veleeta was for. After a few minutes, Greg rolled the dough and its contents up. He pinched the edges until coming to the veleeta. A single squeeze on that oddity and the slit with the vent sparked. It sealed the dough, but as he was drawing the line across the edge, I watched the body of the stromboli rise up. In a second, he made a couple of slashes with the veleeta over the body to release the build up of air. "Hey, use a knife for that." Brittany took the veleeta away and began to carefully clean it with a cloth. Now I had an idea what it was used for. I guessed that meant the edges were going to be a little crusty after cooking in the oven. After draining half of the water out of my glass, I felt tired. I was blinking more often while watching the two. I had offered to help more, but it was more errands to grab something rather than actually help cook. I nodded off once and Greg caught me. "Kim? Why don't you rest for awhile. It will be a little bit before dinner's ready." ’Dinner? Did I have breakfast and lunch yet?’ Thinking back, I guessed I did with Dr. Anstone. Probably being this tired caused me to forget for the moment. ’Maybe I’m too overwhelmed?’ Turning around, I walked out and tried to head for my room. Instead, I crashed on the big couch in the living room. I just curled up and blacked out when I laid my cheek down on the cushion...

Pleasure   Chapter 6: Closer and Closure   A taste was on my tongue. I lifted my tongue up to the roof of my mouth to feel what was adding that fruity flavor. There was something pushing my tongue back down, then swished with a heated breath to shift around. The invader ran up along my tongue and I instinctively pressed my tongue back against it to pin the foreigner. And I failed to keep it down. I tried to wrestle with whatever was in my mouth. Not completely conscious or aware of my actions, I felt like it was the right thing to do to squash the invader with my tongue rather than bite. That wouldn't be what was waking me. I felt another invasive sensation shock me awake. The more I awoke, the greater detail I was able to read from my senses in the dark room. Under the covers, I roamed my hands over her arm, still holding me, up and around my waist. I was laying on my side, pinning down on her lowered arm. She probably would have a numb arm by morning. I could feel her hips wiggling around behind me. ’This might be her way, or maybe a woman's sign, that she was hot and bothered?’ Her hold on me made sure I was very tightly pulled against her body. But I was confused how she had me face her in this kiss if I was still being spooned. It was definitely a kiss, a deep one, and that was her tongue dancing with mine. She parted a few times, enough time for the both of us to breathe, then returned to deeply resume the lip-lock. I supposed she either woke up and took advantage of me or this happened while she was half-asleep. I'd like to believe she was unaware of what she was doing until giving in fully. It wasn't right to do this to me while I was fully asleep, but it made me feel a little better to believe that it started innocent with a dream and a feeling. But now that I was more awake, I had to figure out how she and I were positioned to be kissing like this. After a moment of feeling stupid, I realized I had turned to face up at my shoulder and she curled up over my back to face down. And we kissed. Not her doing alone, but together.’Maybe she wasn’t the only one hot and bothered?’ One kiss, as intimate as this one was, I was willing to forgive, but there was more at work here than my first kiss as a girl being stolen in the night. The reason I didn't think it was right was because she was taking absolute advantage of the situation. Her knee had pushed behind my legs, likely while I was unaware, and parted and held my top leg up and leaving me open. I didn’t know why until her top arm drifted down my bare tummy, so her free hand could explore unchallenged this time around. With a sharp sniff, and a whimper in between our kiss, I experienced something new. I don't know how long she had been at me. Long enough that she wasn't the only one unable to keep still. I rocked back my bare bum against her dry humping, but I doubted she was feeling a dry spot with that playful hand of hers. Only difference was that I felt her fingers doing more than getting wet. They had already found their way in and were not being idle. I trembled for a moment, realization hitting home what was happening. Before, I could’ve called this molestation. This had escalated to rape. When she finished, I had to ask her what was going through her head. I couldn't excuse this as an odd practice for this world. Unless this world was really fucked up, then no way. For now, I… I had to… while she did this to me, I had no choice but to... ’Did I want to think I was enduring this? Tolerating it?’ She was kissing me, but I was returning the kiss right back to her. I found her attractive and had enjoyed what she had been doing. Even now, I couldn't keep still and was pressing my hips eagerly back against her so she could grip me more tightly, to easily plunge her digits far in to reach my precious hidden spot inside. ’How do I describe this? Was I being raped? In comparison to being a guy, waking up with something being inserted in me would be, but this wasn’t the same, right?’ That was injustice in itself for not knowing. Forget it… I couldn’t hold back and I started by concentrating on that little part of me that built, or rather, rose up. It was a collection of thrills, little dips that filled me up with an euphoric pleasure from her deft digits. When I couldn't breathe in the kiss, the pounding of my heart soared. Then my chest burst with a spreading out flame for that split second of us regaining our airs. I wanted more like that because it intensified what she was doing inside me. She never broke the rhythm and I could feel her fight to dig deeper for that trove of desire within me. I wanted her to reach it. My body tensed with anticipation for her success. I stretched my legs wide open, and pressed back fully against her, as if my own body would be able to help her reach for whatever it was that could bring me over the top. Then, when my body felt the little static sparks traveling, crawling, and showering all over me, I gradually relaxed and waited for her to try again. I had thought she failed or I had done something wrong to not cum. It was never fully realized that I had climaxed. Experiencing it for the first time was simply too foreign to me to understand what happened. At some point, she had withdrawn from me and pulled the covers off of us. I was wildly catching my breath until I seized up when I felt something unique between my legs. It was wet, hot, breathed, and prodded in me in an unusual but incredible way. She lifted my hips up, maneuvered herself beneath me to hang my legs over her shoulders, and munched on something far too yielding and sensitive for me to willfully appreciate. How deeply she drove herself in me was also driving me insane! I wanted her to stop. It was becoming far too much for me to handle, but she kept savoring every bit of me her tongue could drag out and taste. I tried to twist away and all it brought me was to feel her screw me harder. Inwardly, I begged that I could pass out soon. Each time that she brought me up over that electrifying peak, the pins and needles crawling over my skin again, I screamed. The only time I calmed down was when it had that small fall of euphoria before her appetite for me raised and plunged me back into those shocking depths. Thankfully, at long last, I felt myself sliding off her shoulders and laid back on the bed. Stretched out, I sensed her warmth and embrace come back around me. She adjusted me to lay back on my side, but instead of being spooned by her, we faced each other. I was hugged against her, and I sobbed into her covered chest. I heard her softly hushing me, and I did gradually calm down. I wasn’t sure if I couldn’t or wouldn’t say anything against what she had done. All I had done was adjust myself to rest my cheek on her collar and feel her chin and jaw rest over my head as she soothed me with backrubs. I was lost on what I was doing anymore, but I didn’t bother thinking about it and eventually fell back to sleep in her arms...     I didn't question her that morning. Or any morning after an overwhelming night. I won’t say that I just took it, because I did try telling her to stop a few times, but she didn’t, and I wound up giving in after and learned to be quiet while she had her way with me. But that was the only downside, and I don’t know if I could’ve considered it a downer. Dr. Anstone literally was an uplift in my life. Each day that passed was with an improvement to my motor skills, mood, mental state, and even knowledge. I got to know more about the world and the family I would be going home to. According to my response from this girl’s family, apparently I was not adopted. Shelly electronically informed me that I was a directly blood related daughter and sister in the family. The real deal. The traits I displayed were partially from the lightning, what was my hair and the oddity in my eyes had been unexplained. Just like where all that power mother nature zapped into me. Other traits, like my dirty and light blonde mix, what used to be brown turned to a golden-hue eyes, my complexion, freckles, and smaller and less filled body was similar from a generation before. Shelly joked I took after my grandmother's appearance. When I emailed back which side of the family, to be specific if she referred to her grandmother, that seemed to confused Shelly. I didn’t press her since the mystery behind my appearance was more prevalent than who I unintentionally looked like when they were young. On that note, I researched and studied the history of this alternate world. More of this world I learned, the greater I worried where I happened to be in. Everyone I encountered, the sentries that stood guard of the psych-ward or the few nurses that came to visit the patients, the doctors, family, and even myself to some degree were all incredibly attractive. I found myself in a unique state, being that I was scarred and not a single patient I saw had a mark or blemish on them. When I had the chance during therapy, I asked a peculiar question. "Are -- has anyone in this building been severely hurt like me before?" "There have been. The ER might take one to five an hour. Of course their injuries vary." That sort of cleared up that theory. "Then I guess I'm not the only one." "You are the only what, Kimberly?" I pointed at my face and swept down my body to indicate my recovery. "My scars and whatever was damaged in me." She shook her head at me and smiled. "You're a miracle. No one compares to your injuries. Most people come in with a nicked finger or at the worse something was broken. A beating or stabbing, sometimes. Nothing that wouldn't be recovered in a day or week." Dr. Anstone leaned forward in her chair to observe me as she said her next words tenderly. "You are the only one we have had for more than a month." I thought about that. "...What about other hospitals?" "I doubt it. We have not had any cases of someone falling in a coma in decades." ’How was that possible? Did they have medicine or some kind of procedure to wake people up?’ Setting aside the comatose patients, there were still those who would have suffered something worse than what she listed. Like burn victims. "What about other patients who are worse off than me? Burns that would require skin-grafts?" What I saw was her give me a confused look. "You know, when taking a part of the skin and fusing or whatever on the burnt region of the body?" She shook her head. "No. We've not received patients like -- like what you described. I don't think any established practice has." Either she was playing with me or something was definitely off about this world. I had to laugh a little as I spoke. "So, everyone is near perfect?" Lowering my head, I whispered, "Except me." I saw I was perhaps cute and had once a pretty face, but the scars ruined that. ’Even if this would be healed by the end of the year, would I still have a pattern like roots covering my face?’ Lifting my hands up to my face, I felt the many lines in my facial features, which reminded me of the time experimenting out of curiosity to read braille. Dropping my hands, I laid back on the couch down on my side. ’Maybe I was different from everyone since I'm not from this world?’ Whatever rules of this universe has kept everyone nearly in perfect condition might not apply to me. Either that or my entry into this body was the only exception and whoever ruled the cosmos left behind these marks for whatever reason. ’Maybe to make me stand out in a crowd?’ I hoped not. I think my mind was straying from reason. An adventure into insanity here. There was enough evidence to prove what I had thought about this world or universe. Just, at least when it came to those who lived in it, I didn't have enough to figure out how they ticked. Like Dr. Anstone taking genuine care of me daily, but raping me nightly. Something else nagged at my mind. "You said beating and stabbing? What about gunshots?" An eye-twitch I've seen before reappeared. "This is a very safe and secure city." Dr. Anstone had been the only one I’d seen to exhibit that reaction. ’Maybe she has a nervous tick?’ There should have been a question that I needed to ask, but didn't. ’Why was she not treating any other patients?’ It made little sense why her focus was entirely on me. We practically lived in here for days. I wouldn't be surprised if she started to remodel the place with a dining set to complete the suite's home appearance. Honestly, there were a lot of red flags flying in my face and I was choosing to ignore important ones. One I didn't ignore was home. "When do you think I can be released?" She crossed her legs casually and rested back into her chair quietly. I watched and waited for her to reply. It took a minute, nearly making me wonder if she didn't intend on giving me an answer. "After the evaluation, which looks good, I'll recommend that you to be discharged to the committee in a day." ’Committee? Tomorrow!?’ "Tomorrow?" A small laugh left her when I asked in confusion. "Not that soon. My submission has to be reviewed first and then the decision will be made. I would only be recommending it. They could have a different opinion." I was not a Sigher, but I did sigh this time and curled up on the couch. "You miss your family." That didn't sound like a question. I did miss my mom. My real mother from when I was still a male in a world that made sense. I wondered if the Chase in my world still lived or had failed to be saved like I was. ’Did Kim walk around in my body in that world? Was she freaking out or trying to blend in like I was?’ These were things I couldn't dwell on because I had no way to discover or change any of their possibilities. Once again, I was determined to make the best out of my current situation. If not for me, then for the girl and her family. I would not bring anyone down because of my lackings. Not like I had done to my mother for being a total recluse. "May I have some water?" I watched Dr. Anstone stand and walk away for a few seconds. When she came back, there was a cup of water for me. I stared at it in surprise, being used to the bottles I was regularly given. Lifting my gaze to her, I asked a likely possibility. "Out of bottled water?" "No. I don't think it is time for you to be resting. We still have a session in the hall." That amused me a little to hear her indirectly admit that I've been sedated daily. "After that, we can take a break." Carefully taking the cup from her hand, I sipped it while slowly sitting up and giving her a gentle nod as I pulled the cup away. ’Did I not mind what she did to me?’ I guessed not. My recovery was showing results. I didn't need help up from the couch anymore and I could walk without holding onto her. Still had issues with grabbing door knobs though. The rest of the day went like it normally did. Walked, passed out, ate, therapy, walked, passed out, ate one more time, did another number in the hall, and then came the bathing. This time, she let me have my privacy. It felt different without her being in here with me. Maybe next time I would be permitted to take a shower. That way I didn't feel quite so awkward and alone in the tub. At the end of the day, we wore our long shirts and crawled into the futon together. This night, she let me get a full night's rest. I still curled myself into her affectionate embrace, but I felt a little bereft of the intimacy that she regularly shared. ’Was I really liking it?’ There was no way for me to tell in here, but it was possible she was helping me transition for when I would be leaving her and walking out into a world that cared less about my sense of morals. I would find out...

Roots   Announcement Warning: There is non-consensual, and explicit, sexual content.  There are also instances of implied incest.  And there are a few politically incorrect situations. Announcement For those who need to know, suspension of disbelief has become a factor in this story due to the nature of an altered reality. Nothing silly. It's more of laws, morals, some physics, and behaviors or actions that would be put to question. Believe me, the main character in this story does that often.   Chapter 1: Lightning Strikes Twice Instant and blinding, a bright flash of lightning flooded the bedroom completely into a solid white world before the blinding illumination faded. Soon to follow was the roll and rumble of thunder, loud and forceful enough to have shaken the shelves and all the seated trinkets on them. Even the door rattled in its snug fit frame until it popped open. There were two screens that flickered for a moment in a blizzard of static; a TV hooked up with an array of game consoles below its cedar table and the monitor to a computer upon a plywood desk. Another display of awesome power lit up the outdoors and shined through the window with its roaring and devastating quake following close behind it to cause the whole room to tremble. The drowning noise of the storm's fury had yet to cease when a third streak of lightning exploded outside the instantaneous shattered window. Each and every piece of flying glass reflected brightly like a sparkling light-show somehow suspended in slow motion. Within this stalled time, a fourth strike entered through the broken window to instantly touch down upon the fearfully wide awake figure huddled into the corner of the bed. Then time unfroze and I was convulsing on the floor. For how long I could remain conscious, I didn't know, but to distract that disturbing dark thought I followed the trail of these constricting sheets, those ones that remained wrapped around my foot, to figure out what was going on. The sheets went back to a bed, and farther along the blackened mattress I saw evidence of a fire... and an impression on the wall where I had been violently thrown back into before literally bouncing off the wall. My vision moved, like I was repeatedly looking away without trying. I knew I was shaking, but my sight appeared to tremble, like I was shaken by something. Then a face was over mine. I didn't recognize who this was. Their mouth was moving, speaking faster and apparently more loudly, but I didn't hear anything. There was a flicker and something caused the darkness in the room to seem a bit less dark. A light from outside the window came back on. Then the bedroom's light came on. That light allowed me to see that a woman was over me. Her eyes widen and the features on her face had strained with an obvious scream. My vision moved with a jerk upwards. I couldn't move when I tried to look around. For a second, I saw the woman kneeling on the floor, her shoulders shaking and her face buried in her hands. How was I able to see her when I… I was in the air? No, someone carried me. I could tell by the fast and smooth motion of being carried away from the bedroom. It was at this moment that I could feel a burn in my chest. I wasn't breathing. All I could do was watch the path we took through this home. A short hallway with four doors was first. The light was on and I could tell that each door was a different color. The one I came from had a pink hue with a variety of different colored hearts. Some glittered, others patched together like a jigsaw puzzle, a few solid and plain, but many others with a photo of someone framed by the same colored hearts on the pink one I came from. I only had a glimpse of the other doors, a blue and red one with their own decor. Then one more door -- I had no idea who or what carried me -- but we passed through a officelike door that was a plain brown and entirely undecorated. We entered a living room. I could make out the carpet, a nice clean white with a single glass coffee table in the center that was set in front of a long and large beige couch. I think there was a large flat-screen TV across from them. All I saw of it was a snowy-flicker on the screen as we passed. Not sure if the TV was on mute or if I was deaf… I believed it might’ve been the later. Soon after, we rushed through the kitchen. A dining table nearly clipped me in the head. I only knew that because I saw the flat-plane edge of the table close enough in my perspective for the shape’s sharp image to be blurry in my face and just unfocused further over the tabletop. There was a neat setup centralized on the table for a family to be passed utensils, napkins, and a number of slots that could be dished and filled with a condiment like gravy or marinara. We had stopped for a moment and I saw my vision raise. I only had a single instant to see a man hold me up and cradle my body closer to his chest. As he drew me up, my unblinking vision was now seeing over his shoulder. I now saw that the woman had recovered enough to follow us and was accompanied by another woman. They both looked identical except one might have been a younger version. I could barely tell the differences between the two except one was devastated with agonizing grief and the other burdened with worry. Maybe mother and daughter? The two of us rushed into a new world. My vision became obscured as water ran down into my eyes. We were outside in this storm and the bouncing told me the man holding me was racing somewhere. It took a moment for me to realize that we were on a driveway. The two women were running and passing us. There was a new light and scenery as my sight took in the interior of a vehicle. I was being laid down in what I guessed to be the backseat. For the first time, I felt something other than the burning in my lungs. On my cheek, something cold. It streaked down my cheek for a second before something warm wiped it away. I tried to look, but I had no control on where to look. Some sound was coming back. I could tell my head was laid on someone's lap. I didn't know how much longer I could remain aware, but this was like I was trapped in an object that was slowly regaining all of its senses. If I didn't start breathing soon... An explosion of pain wracked in my chest as I inhaled the deepest and richest breath I've ever taken in my life. I shuddered it out and blacked out, blinked, and could see again. I was breathing again and did it ever hurt to do so once more. There was a static tingling in my lips that allowed me to sense my mouth was opened wide and hyperventilating. No wonder my chest hurt. I thought, ’I'm going to pass out if I keep breathing like this.’ I tried to make my breathing more shallow, but control was still very difficult to grasp. I managed to clench my teeth at least. Then I noticed I could flip my vision left to right a bit. I was focused on that exercise and worked to accomplish more. Gradual practice did wonders. I could look up and see who's lap I was in. It was the grief-stricken woman. The younger of the twins I saw. The face of the woman had displayed an emotional pain that I could tell she cared about me for some reason. ’Did I know her?’ She would be beautiful, but the sobbing made me want to turn away in shame because I knew it was me who was causing her to be in pain. ’Funny, I'm in actual agony and I'm more concerned about someone else. Was that normal?’ How long I was like this, I couldn't tell. Eventually, I felt, rather than watched, as I was carefully extracted from the vehicle we rode in. It took a moment, but I could turn my head and look around. The chilling rain was finally felt too. So was the incredible pain coursing through my body. It resonated from my jaw, then neck, and down every fiber of my body. I was pulled and held up against the man's chest again. I managed to hang my chin over his shoulder and lay my cheek down on it. It was a parking lot I was looking at. Kinda empty, but there were other vehicles in their designated spaces. Both of the women came around to take a look at me. I saw the older one give me a smile and felt her hand on my brow while she followed us. The younger nearly tripped and stood, being left behind in the rain with her hand fisted against her breast. The last image I had of her having a clearly overpowering anxiety attack in the worst emotional pain I’d ever seen anyone in. But we didn’t stop. We were running out of this storm to a shelter. I was going to take a guess at it being a hospital. Something was definitely wrong with me and everyone I saw showed it on their faces. More noise was coming back. It was the rain I could hear and a few vehicles driving around at night. Then the whooshing sound of the hospital's automatic doors. A second of the air conditioner’s cool breeze blowing down on us was both heard and felt before we were all inside the lobby. Voices. I couldn't understand them, but the muffled sound were certainly the sound of the man and women speaking with each other or someone else. If I were to judge, they sounded apprehensive. ’What happened to me? Did I get struck by lightning? How am I still alive? I thought that would cause my heart to burst or fry my brains or something?’ A noise alerted me that something impacted or banged violently against a very solid object. Then I heard a shout. Again, I couldn't grasp what was being spoken. For a few minutes, I was simply being held and watched over by these people. Then I felt myself being lowered and laid down onto something. It felt like a flat, sorta soft, bed. It moved. Rolled, to be more precise, through double doors and down a bright hallway. I couldn't see those people anymore, but I heard footsteps. ’Maybe they are following close by?’ My mind was still working out what had occurred tonight. The more I thought about what happened, a greater confusion fell over me about my situation rather than condition. ’What was I doing in that room and who are these people?’ "Ouch," I felt something shock and prick me in the same instance. At least I could speak. It sounded like I was in an enclosure, like my ears were held shut, but I still heard my voice. I took at look down to see what poked me. It was around my hand, ’I think?’ Lifting up my hand, I saw an object stuck in my forehand. ’Maybe an IV drip? Where was the hanging bag at?’ Turning to the side, I followed the thin tube up to the rack and saw a lady adjusting a heavy-bottomed clear bag of what looked like water. It dripped down onto the opening of the tube. A moment later, I felt the chill in my hand and laid my palm back down. Something else pricked me, but I didn't say anything about it this time because my head was lifted up and something wrapped around to mask my mouth and nose. Something blew on my lips and I breathed it in. For a few seconds longer, I stared up at the ceiling and took note that we came to a stop someplace inside of a room. ’I wonder when we left the hallway?’ For only one second, I blinked. It was enough for me to pass out...

Education   Chapter 12: One Lesson at a Time   I woke with a start. My eyes were still focusing on the ceiling when I heard yelling outside the door. Despite not being fully awake, I jumped out of bed and walked to Shelly's bedroom door. Whatever the yelling had been, it was short, but I did hear the muffled drone of voices beyond the door. Taking a moment, I tried the doorknob and nearly cried out. Wincing, I wrapped my aching hand with my other around the doorknob and opened the door a little to peek out. Someone passed, pacing the floor back and forth. I could already guess that to be Greg. I pressed the door to open a little more. He was being quiet, looking in the general direction of where the couch was located out of my sight. His pace was quick and even, like he was doing this purposefully to concentrate on something other than what he looked at. The voices I heard resumed clearly. "I'll make it right." That was Jeremy! ’How late did I sleep in?’ One of the two women spoke in response. "That's thoughtful of you, but not quite the problem here. Even if you take responsibility, we had an agreement and you still went out looking for her. I told you what happened to my daughter,” had to be Shelly, “even when threatened --" "Who the fuck cares! You hurt her!" Greg threw a hand out and I heard both Shelly and Brittany cry out for him to stop. Now I knew who was yelling. Either Shelly or Brittany tried to talk him down. "Greg, please go. We can both easily take care of this. If we need you, we'll call. Your room or the basement are fine." I watched Greg clench his fist until only a finger pointed towards the couch. "Do anything to my family again --" The following sound I heard was bestial, a furious roar of frustration. I've heard it once before from Dad when Mom was right about something and he just couldn't step down fighting with her. ’What had Jeremy told them?’ As Greg stomped around to march into the kitchen -- I guessed to go down into the basement -- I had backed away to quickly grab the blanket that Shelly had used to keep me covered when I came in this morning. Pushing the door open, I poked my head warily out to see who all was sitting on the couch. Backing instantly off, Brittany passed me to inspect the kitchen, not noticing I had stepped out of the bedroom until she turned around. She paused in mid-step, her eyes startled at seeing me before she relaxed and came over quickly by my side. "Hey Sleepy-Head." Her arm slipped around me, and she hugged me to herself on our walk out into the living room. I got to see who was sitting on the couch. Jeremy sat in the middle with Shelly on a chair next to the couch. There was an impression on the cushion next to Jeremy, which I guess was where Brittany may have been sitting in a moment ago. When Shelly saw me, she smiled. "Sorry Honey, did we wake you?" My response was a silently returned smile. I looked from Shelly to Jeremy. He still appeared exhausted, but if he woke up startled -- like I had -- to find me gone, I could see why. ’Did he come here by foot or someone else escort him?’ Brittany was taking me to the couch. I went stiff when she almost sat me down next to Jeremy. After the stunned moment, she smoothly rubbed my back to ease me into settling down by his side. ’Were they told what he did?’ I assumed that had been revealed by how Greg reacted. ’Maybe not the full story?’ I kept my gaze forward, not daring to look up or acknowledge him any further than I had. Brittany moved around to my other side and sat on the arm rest next to me. Her hand continued to stroke over my shoulders and neck, trying to keep me calm by letting me know where she was, while Shelly brought me up to speed. "Kim, while you were sleeping, Jeremy explained to us last night that there was an accident." ’Accident?’ "Did he hit you with a cue stick?"  I suppose that one might have been an accident. Instinctively, I nodded down and poked my finger out the top of the blanket to feel if the swelling had gone down or not. It was faintly still there, a little raised, but better than it had been. Less tender than some other places. Shelly nodded. "I see that now. Was that because you attacked him or did he come at you?" My mouth went dry for a second. ’Did they really want me to say that while sitting right next to him?’ "I -- he came and -- and I panicked. I did swing at him." Watching Shelly, I wondered why she sat back with her eyes closed. It looked like she had resigned herself. ’Did I do something wrong?’ "I thought he was -- at the time I -- I don't know, I just got scared and tried hitting him to get him away from me." She nodded, sighed, and smiled at me as she opened her eyes back up. "I know that was what happened, but we can't report that. None of this."’Report?’ "Wait, I don't want to involve police." This was happening all wrong. I didn't want to burden Kim's family and now it sounded like I had fucked things up. "Please, I'm willing to drop everything, so we can forget it ever happened." "I think you should remember it." I glanced at Jeremy speaking down to me. "You appeared to have learned a valuable lesson last night. Shelly told me you don't want to be called Kim anymore." My eyes turned to look at him more. He was fully dressed this time. Much like the rest of this society, he wore a dark suit with a white shirt beneath the coat without any regard of how hot that must’ve been in that outfit. He even had a formally knotted black tie! "We could call you that name you suggested last night?" Brittany gave the top of my had a little rub. "Chase, was it?" Quickly, I shot my eyes up to Brittany and shook my head. "That was supposed to be when I --" When I was going to pretend being a guy. I couldn't tell her that anymore. Not with Jeremy here. Not after last night. "No. Not Chase." I shook my head again and looked down. "Do you have something in mind?" Shelly leaned forward and was staring at me with worry. "I still would love to call you Kim, but if it really makes you that uncomfortable, then I'd like to know." My eyes closed as I shook my head. "Just grab a baby book and pick something." "Bitch." I opened my eyes and stared up at Jeremy. Both Brittany and Shelly, after I had shot them a quick glance, didn't look very happy. "What? Don't like the name?" He looked down at me. "Then don't pretend you don't care what you're called." I got his point, but damn was that ever a crude way to tell me. Turning to Shelly, "Can I have some time to think about it?" I watched her nod. "I wasn't going to force you to decide now. I just want to have something to call you by in the meantime. Unless you are fine with me calling you Honey all the time?" ’Didn't she already do that?’ I agreed with a nod. "I'm okay with that." I looked back up at Jeremy. "Did -- did you tell them all that happened last night?" The corner of his straight mouth curled slightly up and he gave me a shrug. "I admitted my faults. The interrogation was explained in full detail. If you want to tell them anymore, be my guest." ’He didn't tell them about the rape!?’ I dropped my head and wanted to keep quiet, but it filled me with anger that he didn't take responsibility for that. “That was all the wrongs you did to me?” I asked him that while keeping my head and face down, looking blankly at my lap. I clenched my hurting fists underneath the blanket to focus my pain elsewhere. "Unless I am forgetting something. Please, be my guest and remind me of any omissions. Drinking tends to make the night difficult to recollect."’What was that supposed to mean!? He didn't remember or did he intend to act like what happened was a lucid dream?’ I shook my head. "What about me." I flashed my eyes back up at him in anger. "Don't you remember what we did." He raised his brows and had dropped the faint smile I’d seen. "What did we do?" ’Did he really not remember or was he messing with me?’ "That's enough." Both of us turned our faces away to look at Shelly. "Jeremy, you mentioned earlier that you wanted to make things right. Correct?" "I will. What would you like me to do." So that was how it worked. He'll just pay them off and be on his merry way. I supposed that was fine. We all could forget this ever happened and I could return to --  I dropped my gaze from Shelly and shook my head, knowing I couldn't return to the way things were before last night. Maybe if I was born in this world and had the same fucked up mindset that these people had, but I was not from here. I had morals and lived by ethics that I thought were important. Shelly had been quiet and it made me look back up to see she was watching me. Then she turned her gaze on Jeremy. "You and Kim wanted each other for a long time. She's the closest you will get." “Mom!” Brittany halted her petting me when I heard her. I paled and stared at Shelly in shock. "Are you sure she's okay with that?" He spoke, but I was too far gone to pay attention. There was a moment of silence before I felt a hand under my chin direct me to face Jeremy. "Are you fine with that?" I flinched away from him. "What! No! Why would I -- yah-- you were like a monster last night. I was terrified the whole time. I thought you'd kill me." "I told you, I'm done. I will never be like that again, but if you are not okay with this..." He looked at Shelly and said, "Then neither am I." It was incredible that Shelly even suggested this. I looked at her with stark disbelief. She pinched and rubbed between her eyes for a second. "Give us two weeks." I raised a brow at that. ’Did she think I would change my mind?’ Brittany stepped away from me and confronted Shelly, but said nothing. Shelly looked up and past her pinching fingers to repeat, “Two weeks. I’m not saying yes or no.” There was a strong emotion in Brittany’s voice, I couldn't tell if it was anger, sadness, just being upset, or what it was, but I knew she didn't like the deal just as much as me. “Mom, if she’s --” "Understood." Jeremy had made his response and got up from the couch. "If I may have my vehicle back, I'll be off." "I have the keys sitting on the kitchen table." Shelly dropped her hand from her face to point in that general direction. Brittany, being ignored, returned to my side and resumed petting me as gently as she could while shaking. Jeremy took one step, but stopped. Lifting my gaze back up to him, I watched as he turned to look between us three quietly for a moment. Then he made an announcement. "I'll be having a dinner party. If you all would like, I'll extend the invitation. Including Greg and his father." His green eyes came to settle down on me. "Please consider it. I can be a pleasant man." My jaw tensed and I glared up at him, but I dropped it when Shelly and Brittany joined in a, "Thank you," and "We will be there." ’What the absolutely fucking-fuck!?’ "I'll have it sent." Then Jeremy walked out, leaned in a smooth move to snatch up his keys, and I heard the door shut as he left. I turned on Shelly, shrugging off Brittany in the process. "What the fuck!?" I couldn’t hold back my anger. It was Greg's turn to come up wondering who was yelling, I supposed. I glanced at him as he entered, but returned to looking at Shelly. I was both confused and very upset at this kind of reception. "Are you selling me off --" "No. That's not what is happening. Honey, understand that Kegan -- Jeremy isn't just anyone." Shelly's gaze lifted to Greg. I followed her gaze and stared at Greg for a moment. "I'm not following. What are you saying?" I looked back at Shelly. "That his family or he's powerful? Has influence that could get us into trouble? What?" A sickening thought entered my mind. ’He's not some half-brother from another mother, is he?’ That caused a trickle of sweat to travel down my back. Greg asked, "Should I be the one to tell her?" ’Tell me what?’ My attention went from Shelly to Greg. It was Brittany that spoke. "Jeremy is -- he's Kegan." I shook my head, not knowing what that means. "I know you haven't had time to familiarize yourself with everything, but the state is ran by a Chancellor and Prime Minister. The country, one of the United Virginian Kingdoms, is still dictated by royalty to some degree." Cringing, I turned to face Brittany, getting a hint. "Don't you dare tell me he's a prince." As soon as I told her that, Brittany’s found amusement in what I said and hurried tried hiding and drying her tears. She apparently got over her earlier outburst, smiled, and shrugged. "Okay, I won't," she said with a sweet sing-song voice. I buried my head down and stayed under the blanket. No way was I coming back out. While under the blanket, I had to wonder why Shelly wanted Greg to explain that. ’Couldn't she have nipped this big detail in the bud earlier without the suspense?’ I remained under and simply nibbled on my lower lip while the world could continue without me. "It's not that big of a deal.” By proximity of voice, that was still Brittany. “Do you have any idea how many princes and princesses are around here?" If everyone was as open about their sex life like this family, I had an idea. "So, what, Jeremy is like the fiftieth prince or something?" I heard Brittany go 'Pfft' and restrain her laughter. “Oh, I see, they lost count?” After a snort of laughter, Brittany’s hand dug in the blankets to noogie me. Greg answered me. "Tenth in line. There are fifteen princes and twelve princesses to the Kegan's line of succession." He went on to add. "Then there is our family." I poked my head out. "Huh?" "Honey, what he means is if there are no more Kegan family members, then we, the Ondine, get the crown and country." I clenched my eyes shut for a moment to process this. "So, we're nobility?" I was corrected by Greg. "No. Ostracized, unless there is a desperate need for our bloodline." Shelly quickly slipped in the next horrible bit. "That is why I suggested to Jeremy that resolution. If you two marry --" "No! You didn't -- I was terrified of him. He's not --" I shook my head before I bowed it back down. Kneeling down, Brittany whispered to me. "It was what you wanted before being hospitalized." That wasn't me. "I wasn't that person. I'm not Kim anymore than you are and you have a higher chance posing as her than I do." Brittany lost her smile, but I glanced at Shelly. "Even you could do better than me." Grinning at me, Shelly replied. "You are my Kim. You always will be." She shook her head and added, "It doesn't matter to me if you change your name, shape, or form. When I look at you, I can see my daughter." "Even when I don't act like her?" "Honey, I doubt anyone would be the same after what you went through." That wasn't my point, but the one she made was a good one. "We agreed to respect your decision if you really want to find another name." "I do." I don't want someone else flying off the handle because of my name. "May I go?" "Would you come here first before you go?" Shelly held her arms open and waved for me to approach. I sighed and slipped off the couch to be embraced by her. "Are you going to shower?" "Yeah." I could still smell him on me. "I stink, don't I?" "The alcohol breath is more my concern, but I understand your need to shower after what you two did last night." I stood immediately straight up and stared at her. ’Maybe he did tell them?’ "Oh, Honey, don't be ashamed. It's natural." There was nothing natural about last night. At least, not to me and my views. I tightened the blanket more securely around myself and turned to head out into the kitchen. “Wait --” I glanced back at Brittany, but she looked away to Shelly. ’Was she telling Shelly to wait?’ She turned and smiled back at me. “Enjoy your shower, but be sure to get every crook and cranny, and don’t forget to get those tatters behind the ears, ‘Kay?” I rolled my eyes and resumed walking. Greg stepped out of my way to the side and I heard no more from anyone in the living room. The bathroom door was opened and shut instantly after I entered. One look at the bathroom sink and my mind wandered over where I could get a toothbrush. I'd probably want to gargle some mouthwash soon as I could too. That way I could be sure there wasn't any lingering taste of that drink or Jeremy left in my mouth. After dropping the blanket off on the furthest counter and orally purifying my mouth, I started up the shower. I sat on the toilet and stared down at the long sleeves of my top. If Kim and I were the same size, I wouldn't have been capable of hiding my bruised hands inside the sleeves from everyone. Carefully, I removed the buttonless pajama top and tossed it on the blanket pile. Then I flushed and waited until the bathroom filled with steam before I got up. Time I tried and be clean again. Initially, I flinched under the hot water, but permitted it some time for me to adjust. I looked down at myself and began to soap up, scrubbing hard. Seeing my hands, how black and blue they were, it made me wonder what other parts of me were bruised. My arm had a wide and dark ring around where he gripped me. Then there were my knees. Both appeared to have bled without me knowing it, tenderly scabbed now. Over all of these outward hurts, I felt the worse inside. It wasn't the same kind of hurting pain I received by his hand. This was a tormented sensation. A dreaded fire in me that had been lit without my consent and left to slowly burn with the physical memory of his touch ever since he entered me. I would never forgive him...

Scars   Chapter 2: An Empty Head   "--degree temperature. The human body certainly was not designed to hold that much heat." The instant I picked up that voice, there was a stinging sensation in my ear that raised to a high pitched whine. Whoever spoke had no qualms of doing so directly into the ear of a sleeping person. Someone talked loud enough to wake me up or it simply was time for me to wake, either way I was awake now. My head hurt when I tried to open my eyes, so I kept them closed. Whatever was being talked about, I listened in on. "The coulomb, that is what we call the charge, is how much electricity is traveling in a second carrying one amp. To give you an idea... Ever touched an electric fence? The kind that keeps cattle from roaming around?" Masculine with a smooth, rich, and calm voice. There was an accent to it that made me think Scotsman. ’I'm going to gamble that this was a doctor speaking or some specialist.’ "A long time ago." There was some emotion in this voice. Feminine too. ’Maybe it was one of the female twins I saw?’ "Good, now remember how that felt. That's a little over a hundredth of an amp. Your daughter experienced fifty-thousand amps. It is very rare to survive this." Struck by lightning, like I had thought. ’Wait... Daughter?’ Light be damned, my eyes flew open and I looked around. I saw an elderly man, but he stood upright and had a hale and hearty appearance. Shoulders were broad, his chest even, face squared and eyes sparkled, and his hair was short, but rich, full, and grey. Damn was he tall. Either that or the woman across from him was short. Either way, it was like that saying, “Age is just a number,” and he was the prime example. In front of him was the older woman. Just like the younger, who's found me first and lap I laid in on the car ride here. She's beautiful. She had black long hair that spilled down her shoulders and disappeared behind her hourglass figure. I raised my gaze from the swell of her motherly hips, seeing the fashionable black office dress she wore to fit absolutely snug around her incredible figure. My eyes almost bugged out see how well rounded her bosom was. Either she had on a push-up bra or gravity was being defied. The black hair and dress had given her a nice frame for her clear and pearly pinkish-white skin. The woman's face was the kind that someone could look at for hours. A pair of gorgeous and sparkling crystal blue eyes mesmerized me. ’Is she, or was, a career model?’ She walked quickly to my side and leaned down to me. I closed my eyes when I felt her lips press on my forehead. There was a funny feeling there. I felt the impression of her lips, but not the actual texture of the moist kiss upon my skin. Out of curiosity, I lifted a hand up and touched the side of my forehead carefully. I didn't want to accidentally brush her away. There was something there that felt like linen. ’Bandages? Is my head wrapped up?’ I lifted the tips of my fingers up and felt the feathery soft hair on my head. I guessed around my forehead and maybe the back was bandaged. ’What about my face?’ As I was about to drop my hand down to feel my cheek, my hand was taken away. A slightly muffled, but clearly sweet and honeyed voice, whispered in my hair as those lips continued to soothe and calm me with kisses. "Honey, everything will be alright. You have some scars, but Doctor McLeighis said they would disappear in a few months." ’Scars that disappear?’ I guessed that was good news. "Lichtenberg Figures regularly vanish before the end of the year." ’A Lichen-what?’ I'd just kept my fingers crossed and hoped he'd be right about whatever scars I got would fade away. I felt the woman pull away from me and I opened my eyes to watch the curtain of black hair lift what shade it offered me. Blinking, I turned to squint at the pair speaking with each other again. "When can we take Kim home?" ’Kim? Was that me?’ That didn't sound right. Neither had me being called daughter. I stopped paying attention to them for the moment so I could focus on my own thoughts. ’Who was I? Jas? Kas? Chaz? Chase!’ My name was Chase. ’What about my last name? Williams? Wollem?’ No, it was closer to Wilhelm or something with Will in it. I would have to settle with Chase Will for now. That told me I'd been a guy and that something both terribly wrong and weird happened. ’Maybe if I can remember what I used to do?’ I recalled playing games. A lot of games. Different variety of games like shooters, fighters, turn-based, role-play, side-scroll, and any that would take time and effort to get my mind off of my life. ’What was my life?’ I only remembered the inside of my room. My mother would offer me food and drink, I'd leave the room to use the bathroom one way or another, and visit a therapi-- ’Did I have a mental problem?’ A Shut in. I isolated myself from the world. ’Why did I do that? What was my problem with the world? Did something happen that made me withdraw from it? Think! What would a guy, who lived with his mother and played video games all day, give cause to hide in his room all the time?’ Where was the father in all of this? The man of the house? That couldn't be me. There was no way a pathetic excuse of a man would be the one responsible -- ’Why did I think of myself that way? Who put that in my head?’ My dad did. He left us and laughed in my face when I told him I would take care of Mom. It was when I still had school. Every time I failed at something, his laughter popped in my head to remind me how much he found it funny. Like he knew I'd fail... "--Ssshh, it is going to be okay." I popped my eyes open and saw the black curtain again. A warm hand was resting against my cheek, brushing away the tears streaming down my face, but most of all was the top of her impressive bosom muffling my sobbing. The sight was definitely something to enjoy, but it felt odd. Normally being smothered in the breasts of a hot lady would stir me crazy. Instead, I felt comforted. Then again, I was in no condition to feel anything sexual and probably need more comfort than anything. From the little bit I heard, it sounded like I had survived the impossible and may have won the lottery for not having a permanent scar from the ordeal. I still was disturbed by who they thought I was. Not to mention, I don't know this woman or the others that helped me. To add onto that matter, ’Why was I in that house to begin with?’ Okay. I managed saying “Ouch” before. I could talk... ’What the Hell am I waiting for?’ "Ha-- Ho-- Who ah-- Woo--" ’Fuck, am I stuttering?’ Biting down on my lower lip, I concentrated. Slow and steady, Morgan Freeman-style. "Who are you?" For a moment, I remained perfectly stunned by the sound of my voice. That was definitely a girl's voice. "Kim?" That warm hand smoothed away any remaining tears and cupped my cheek in a way that felt loving. The woman pulled away enough for me to see a face filled with a familiar worry, like she had that night. A very deep worry that turned away from looking at me to face Doc. The doctor came down to kneel, leveling with me, and asked me a simple question. "Kim, do you know where you are?" That was easy. I faced him for a moment to answer, "Hospital." Then I returned to see if the woman who held and warmed my cheek was okay. I still wanted to know who she was. "Do you know which hospital? What city this is?" I remained silent for a second. ’Should I guess this one?’ I could say the hospital that came to mind.  "Waynesboro Hospital?" Looking back at him, I could tell that was the wrong answer. "Richensburg Hospital?" His eyes narrowed. "Fairfield Hospital?" I stopped guessing and gently shook my head. "Would you please tell me your name?" They were calling me Kim. With my voice sounding like a girl, I'd be going out on a limb and guessing I was a girl here. No idea how or why. I knew I wasn't originally a girl, but I felt afraid of telling him that. ’What if they thought I was crazy?’ "Kim." Maybe I was shooting myself in the foot or saving myself from a future lobotomy. I don't know. It was a name that they thought I was. "Can you give me your full name? How about your mother." He indicated the woman above me with a gesture of his nod towards her. That wasn't my mother. I could recall Mom. My mom was nowhere near this attractive, even though I knew Mom was beautiful to me, it wasn't with a sexual allure like this woman's. "Kim?" I watched the woman stare down at me. It didn't take very long for me to know why she was just looking. She was fighting back her own tears. The longer she looked down at me without responding to the doctor, the greater difficulty it was for her to keep those flood-gates in check. This wasn't something I wanted to see. I didn't want to be the cause of pain. ’Should I lay here and do nothing? Wait for them to give me the answer and watch this woman break?’ She was being called my mother and I already heard them talk of me as if I was her daughter. Now, with that belief, I'd be a daughter who didn't know either of our names. I had already made it clear I didn't know who she was when I asked. ’Am I really going to say and do nothing? Would I be the absent man of the house again?’ I was not going to break another mother's heart. For a brief second, I broke away from her hand on my cheek to rise up. I grabbed and embraced her around her waist, pulling myself tightly to her. I thought about how often I wanted to do this with my own mother, to hold and comfort her, smile and say, "Everything will be okay." ...I couldn’t believe I just said that out loud. I held her and looked at the doctor. There was no need for me to see the woman I held if she was okay. The trembling in her arms as she returned the hug was enough to tell me she was emotional right now. Whether she believed herself or me that everything would be okay was up for debate. I knew something was wrong with who I was, but maybe nothing was the matter with who I am now. It would take time for me to figure things out, that's all. After a few minutes like this, I was told who I and who this woman, my current mother, was. Our last names were Ondine. My mother's name was Ashley, but a lot of her friends, if not everyone, called her Shelly. Her maiden name was Rhodes before she married Gregory Ondine. I had two older siblings, an elder sister, Brittany, and older brother, Greg. From what I understood, Shelly pretty much owned an entire office building and vaguely stated she worked in partnership with some banks. I was okay with that. Sounded so far like we were well off with the first parent. ’I mean, she owns a whole office building and is a partner with banks! How awesome is that?’ Other than fame, she made it sound like the fortune was firmly had. As for Gregory, he sounded like he was even higher in the food chain. Being a vice president in a company that revolved around synthetic technology sounded like a sweet position. She didn't clarify what kind of synthetics he worked on, but again, I didn't push for more details. It had me wondering why the home I had apparently been carried out of seemed so normal for a wealthy family like this. I was in a bad shape, so maybe I didn't notice what all had really been in there. ’Who knows, maybe we are in a rich neighborhood instead of an awesome mansion?’ Brittany owned a store and was trying to rise herself up from nothing with this venture. She was apparently into fashion, but I had no idea what kind if it was a specific category. It did make me wonder how old she was and why someone who owned a store didn't have a place of her own. That brought us down to Greg, the middle child, who was in the senior end of high-school. When she spoke about him, I was kinda confused because she described my brother in more detail rather than the person who was supposed to be my father. After a moment trying to tell the two apart, I was more lost than with less information. Shelly compared Greg to Gregory, just like how Brittany was a younger version of her. Only, it sounded like Greg was more of a responsible man than the father. I learned that the man who carried me out of the house and drove to the hospital was this Greg, the brother. Made me wonder who declared themselves the man of the house. That kinda threw me into a loop. ’Where was this father-O-mine?’ As if she could read my thoughts, I got my answer. "He's busy, placing work above all else, so he can one day be on top of everything." Shelly explained this with a tone that didn't sound like she approved. I supposed she wasn't happy about him not being around when he might have been needed. ’Like, if his little girl here happened to have kicked the bucket?’ Oh God, I don't want to think of myself as a little girl. ’Actually, am I little? How old am I if my brother happened to be a Senior in school? Am I in high-school?’ "How old am I?" My mother looked at me for a second and then ruffled the soft hair on my head. "Old enough." That -- that didn't answer my question. "I mean, do I go to the same school as Greg?" "Yeah, Galehall High." ’What kind of name was that!? Galehall? That wasn't the name of the city, right?’ "Galehall?" She nodded, but at that time the doctor interrupted. "I'm sorry, but I'd like to have a few more questions of my own before I go." Both of us cringed, with my mother nodding and backing away, and me awaiting whatever was coming. "Do you feel any pain? If so, from a scale of one to ten, one being the lowest, how much?" I thought about it for a moment. When I concentrated on what was hurting me, it was strange. It only hurt when I thought about it. The moment my mind wandered, it was gone. With this in mind, I held up and showed him a single digit. "One." "Really?" I nodded. I wasn't in the kind of agony I had been when brought here. That was another thing I wanted to ask. "How long have I been here?" Dr. McLeighis pursed his lips at me. I didn't like that expression. Knitting my brows, I asked again. "How long?" "Honey, it has been a month." ’A month?’ I looked from her, back to the Doc, and to her again. "Was I in a coma?" She nodded, but smiled down at me. "It was much shorter than they expected." "Far shorter than it should've been." Coming from the doctor, that made me wonder exactly what he meant by that. "What do you mean?" "You survived, which is unique on its own. Yes, there have been a number of survivors of lightning strikes, but you took the full force of the lightning. There was no exit. You absorbed the entire bolt, which is impossible, but your proof it happened." I tried to process this, but it didn't really make sense. "I don't understand how lightning works or how I'm proof something like -- what you said, could happen. I mean, you're telling me I had a ball of lightning in my tummy and I pretty much ate it, or something?" He shook his head and tapped at his own temple. "You were struck in the head and the evidence shows that the electricity entered, but never traveled. I can't explain it." He shrugged at me. "This is not a professional opinion, but more a fantastic one. If you want an idea what it was like, imagine the strike going in and being swallowed up into a bottomless pit." "Did you just imply I have an empty head?" I heard my mother stifle a laugh and I glared up at her. "To be honest, that should have been the result of this. If your head did absorb that high of a temperature, let alone the amps... let's just say you shouldn't be alive. You're an unexplained miracle." In other words, I defied science and it didn't make the medical community comfortable. Well then, I was not going to add onto that I believed I was once a shut-in guy who lived with a single mother. That would probably goad a white coated knowitall to flip a table and Hulk out or something. I smiled and kept quiet from here on. The conversations that were had was now exclusively between Shelly and the Doc. I took the opportunity to rest a little longer and thought about my situation. Wealthy parents, a big sister who was going for independence, and a big brother that filled in those big shoes that were left vacant in the house. ’What about me? Who was I in all of this? The youngest, I knew that much, but what did I make of myself before landing in this body?’ That thought troubled me. ’What happened to the daughter that originally was in this body?’ I gulped, thinking I knew the answer. She was dead. I somehow took over. Whoever she was, that wasn't who this happened to be now. I felt really bad thinking about that. Already, I was thinking of how Shelly would feel if I could make her understand that. Wait -- it was possible that she still lived. ’What if she was in my old body? Could we have switched places? Did lightning strike me and somehow the arc transferred us across states?’ That shouldn't be possible, but I was crossing my fingers that, in this case, it was. All I had to do was search for my home phone number and give myself a call. For now, I had to wait until I was given an opportunity...

Alright, before we start with the new chapter I just want to inform you all that this is the second story out of the 5 stories of Volume 2. Unlike the first story that took me so fucking long to finish, I will try my best to finish this one by Saturday on paper and not typed out. Another thing to note that, the first story ended where YuMi and Sheng were in bed. This will continue in the third volume, this story will continue in the third/fourth volume, I can't remember and so will the other 3 stories, where the fifth story is actually the beginning of the 3rd volume where YuMi enters the palace in Jilei where the real shit starts. XD please look forward to the next stories as I will introduce the bestiality, homosexuality(Both genders) and YuMi's first time with a woman XD... ah, I should start writing now!

"I try to remember him, the way he used to beA man's name who I've carver on my heartI was born inside the warmth of him, born inside a dreamWhenever we dreamt we find ourselves apartI cried all my tears, drowned in these yearsTired, for the longing of youFor the burning withinFor your kiss on my skin, for your heartFor the man I lovedI try to remember him, the way he used to loveThe man who gave me everything, the rain and the sunHe danced around the palace on, the edge we made loveAnd we never feared afar, we might fallI cried all my tears, drowned in these yearsTired, for the longing of youFor the burning withinFor your kiss on my skin, for your heartFor the man I lovedI'm always yoursI'm always yoursI'm always yoursI'm always – yoursI'm always yoursI'm always – yours" Opening my eyes to that beautiful voice I've missed, I smiled. "YuMi?" I hear making me frown, why is Xian Le's voice disrupting my sleep? Opening one eye slowly I look around but don't see anything. Opening my other eye, I see that I'm in a well-decorated room and laying in a comfortable bed that's making my back ache. Sitting up, hands scoop under me and help me up. Sighing I see Xian Le's worried gaze and Yu Sheng holding me up. Opening my mouth to greet him, I see his eyes quickly move left and back to look at me meaning that this is no time to flirt with him… I can't call him handsome! He sits me up on the bed properly and my mother leans in as he steps back. "Mama," I answer weakly and with a weary smile. She has a glare in her eyes but a smile on her face, "How are you feeling?" she asks hiding away her glare. I shrug my shoulders and a pain hits me making me hiss, "Still in pain," I say. "Well what do you expect after being flogged?" she says making me frown. Lifting the quilt off me I force myself up. Shaking my head I look down at her, "It's not from that, it's from laying in this uncomfortable bed… where are we?" Xian Le runs into me again but gently this time and starts balling his tears out, "I'm so so so so sorry sister YuMi, I didn't mean to knock you out when I rushed into you, I just wanted a hug. I knew you weren't evil, I knew you didn't mean what you said, I – I – was just so happy that you were my sister and that you weren't going to die that I couldn't help myself from hugging you, I'm so so so so sorry, please don't be angry at me," he says. I chuckle while hugging him back, "Don't worry baby boy, come let's get out of here before my mama kills me… by the way, where are we?" "In your princess palace," he says while wiping his tears away. I look at mama and she nods her head, "Young lady, you've got some explaining to do…" she trails while giving me a playful glare. Smiling at her I nod back, "Mama~ this doesn't seem like what it looks like, I just wanted to scare them… the whole poisoning incident was just a farce, the lady who caught me, she actually works for me and I poisoned, already poisoned food that we snuck into the palace so there's no harm done." She pulls me into a hug, "No harm done, baby, you've been gone for eleven years and I've been lonely without you, and only to hear about you being executed, do you know how worried we all were? His Majesty couldn't come so he sent An Cheng in his place along with half of the army ready to go to war with Jilei – all because of you!" she says while I feel tears running down my neck. I nod hugging her back, "I'll go apologize to Godfather in a few days but mama, now that I'm back in the palace, will you go back to Xieye?" She pulls back and says with a sad smile, "Baby, we don't belong here, how about you come back with mama?" "No!" I shake my head, "Mama, I'm not going back, I like it here with Ling Tian and Xian Le, I've never had siblings of my own and they've made me feel more than welcome and even treated me like their sister – I won't leave that and besides I'm not done making them all regret chasing us out. I've already found the evidence to the attempted assassination, I'm not leaving and that's final!" My mother looks at me stunned for a moment then suddenly bursts out laughing. Wiping her tears away, I look at Yu Sheng and he too has a clueless look on his face, "Baby, you're so much like me do you know that?" "Yes I know," I say pouting. She nods her head, "Alright, your grandmother and the twins are here, and your pappa as well so you better come out and greet them." And suddenly it all dawns on me, before I left, my mother remarried and they had a set of twins according to Sheng, Winter River and Summer Rain I think, well I'm named moon face so why not name your fucking children Star face and Sun face while you're at it woman! Frowning, "How did emperor Wang react to your marriage?" She scoffs, "I loved your father, I did but your papa swooned me too – his loss," she says proudly making me grin but then I remember what a frightening man he is and feel shivers run up my spine.*We walk off with Sheng trailing behind us. Hugging Xian Le to my side I look over my shoulder and wink at my handsome man making him glare playfully at me. When we're alone later, I will need him to tell me the details of what happened after I passed out – I guess I'm not that strong after all. Sighing my shoulders sag, he must have been really worried about me. "Why are you sighing?" Xian Le asks. Flicking his forehead I say, "Well I just realized that I must have made Yu Sheng worry a lot about me after I passed out." He turned to look at Yu Sheng and shivered, "Sister YuMi, Yu Sheng is very protective over you and that other man, it's like they could almost kill everyone when we tried helping you but they wouldn't let us." Smiling down at him I hugged him closer, "Yeah, I am their princess after all." Turning my head I looked at Sheng apologetically and he frowns, 'It's all over, don't worry,' he mouths my way but I just shake my head at him making him raise a brow. I'll let him have his way and ravish me tonight. +Okay so YuMi is awake and this is now the second part of the story called Coronation obviously after Known to them all. I don't know how many more will be added but it's all one Arc/Volume so no stress – this is just the introduction of the Coronation 'sequel' so its short, welp look forward to the rest of the story, this will most likely be the first and last authors note 'MOST LIKELY' :D+ MyLadyQueen Releasing chapters on Mondays

It’s been a few months since I arrived and Xian Le’s trust in me has grown. The two of us are taking a stroll through the palace back yard where there's no one around besides us. The two of us come here every day so that we can spar in peace. Laying on the grass he turns to face me, “YuMi, can I tell you something?” he asks nervously. I nod my head while looking up at the clouds, “You can trust me.” He crawls up to me and hugs my body, nervously he whispers in my ear, “I like men.” Opening my eyes I turn to look at him. Raising a brow I ask, “You like men sexually?” His eyes widen with a blush as he nods at me. I smile, “That’s alright, does your family know?” I ask him. He shakes his head, “Only brother Tian, he caught me ogling my crush.” “Your crush?” I ask rubbing his hair. “Mn, I have a crush on Prince Dongliu.” He says with a sigh. Raising a brow, the names clicks with the title in my head, “You like Prince Dongliu of Naiad?” “Mn, I’ve liked him since the first time I saw him when we were younger, he was such a sweet gentleman and he is so strong, I can’t wait for the alliance meeting so I can see him again. Those strong bulky muscles that can crush me under him easily,” he says while squealing into the palms of his hands and wiggling around. Laughing I say, “Well you should tell him, there’s nothing wrong with letting the one you like, know you love them so you can get your answer early instead of waiting and getting your heart crushed.” He peeks through his fingers at me, “What if he doesn’t like me back?” “Then he doesn’t, you move on,” I answer shrugging. I hear him sigh, “There’s a definite chance that he won’t like me back, he likes woman, mostly brothels,” he says making me frown. “Xian, you’re not even sixteen yet and you have your whole life ahead of you, there are many men in the army that like other men so I’m sure you will find the man for you and if you don’t want them, how about I introduce you to the most handsome man in the world that likes boys too?” I say grinning while wiggling my brows at him. He starts laughing, “Is he more handsome than Prince Dongliu?” “Yes!” “How old is he?” he asks with a raised brow. “He is seventeen,” I say with a proud smile. “Oooo~ so he is two years older than me… What’s his name?” he asks making me grin. “Why don’t you ask him yourself, come get up and let’s go find him!” I say while jumping to my feet. * I lead Xian Le to the army base on a horse. We arrive to see them sparring and running the obstacle courses that my handsome husband is drilling their asses to do. We meet up with Yu Sheng who has general Shim beside him who is shocked beyond compare as he sees me approaching them. I see Yu Sheng glare at him and whisper something to him that makes him frown but agree. He composes himself and ignores my presence and greets Xian Le. “Hello,” Xian Le greets back shyly making Yu Shengs brows furrow as he looks at me. I grin knowingly, mentally telling him with my eyes that we’ll discuss this later tonight. “What brings the two of you here?” he asks us while I glare at general Shim who’s eyeing my breasts. “I want to introduce Luo Fan to Xian Le, he doesn’t believe that Luo Fan is the most handsome in Jilei,” I say with a straight face making Yu Sheng wince and general Shim frown. “If Luo Fan’s the most handsome then what about me?” asks Yu Sheng with a glare. Shrugging my shoulders, “Only your wife, girlfriend or whore thinks you’re handsome,” I say making general Shim burst out laughing. He turns to face me, “I’m sorry but the two of us haven’t met before, I’m Shim Taerim from Xieye and Yu Sheng’s best friend.” I bow slightly, “I’m Qin Yue Mian, it’s a pleasure meeting you, and I’m Prince Xian Le’s bodyguard, Prince Ling Tian’s mistress and a thorn in Yu Sheng’s side.” He nods his head knowingly then turns to Yu Sheng and bursts out laughing at the fire burning in his eyes. After they both calm down Yu Sheng calls for LuoFan to come see us. We head to the training grounds at the back of the base camp - I occasionally visit here to see my son. We sit and have a chat for a while. A knock lands on the door and Yu Sheng tells him to come in; I grin seeing that he has no shirt on. His sweaty torso has strands of his beautiful long hair stuck to it. His biceps flex as he ties his hair back after seeing that it’s me who sought him out. He knows I don’t like a messy man and love people who present themselves well. Yu Sheng and Taerim leave us and I look to my side at the heavy heaving Xian Le. I smile at Luo Fan’s confused look. Clearing out my throat I beam at him, “Luo Fan, I’d like to introduce you to Prince Xian Le, Xian Le, this is Ye Luo Fan, he is my friend’s son and also he is the most handsome in your generation.” Luo Fan looks at me with widened eyes, he turns to Xian Le who he towers and bows deeply, “Greeting your highness, it’s an honour to meet you.” He says making his mama proud, mama Fei taught him well. Clearing his throat Xian Le blushes, “N-no n-need t-to s-stand o-on c-ceremony,” he says making Luo Fan stand up. Pulling Xian Le to my side, I place a hand over his shoulder, “Alright, now that we have the names out of the way, Luo Fan, since your mother left your hand to me I’ve decided on who you will marry.” He folds his arms across his broad chest, raising a brow he scoffs, “Oh really now?” I nod my head with a hum, “Yup!” Pushing Xian Le into Luo Fan who caught him in his arms I laugh, “Yes pup, there’s your wife.” They both look at me with a ‘are you serious’ look and I nod, “No joke, Xian, there’s the most handsome man and Luo Fan, I hope you’re happy with him.” Stepping back I quickly run out and close the door behind me. [Luo Fan’s POV] I watch as the door closes behind her, hearing the whimpers coming from the prince in my arms, I look down and after a moment I feel that his body is trembling in my hold. “Ah sorry,” I say and pull away from him. Looking him over I curse my mother for doing this, how can she just leave like that after saying all that nonsense! Pouring a cup of water, I raise it to Xian Le’s mouth and he takes it from my hands. I step back and watch as his Adam's apple bobs down and back up. His eyes meet mine and I see a blush work its way up his neck to his cheeks. Smiling I take the seat opposite him. He puts the cup down with a loud gulp that makes him turn a shade redder as he looks at me and averts his eyes knowing that I heard it. Taking the cup he drank from I pour for myself water and drink from the spot where his lips touched. Looking at him whose mouth opens and stares at the cup going into the gap between my lips, makes a smile tug. “Why are you laughing?” he asks me. Raising a brow at him I shrug my shoulders, “You look like you want to eat me up,” I say making him turn tomato red. His shoulders sink and he bows his head in defeat. Putting the cup down I smile at him – so cute. Cupping my hand under his chin I raised his face to look at me. He opens his mouth to say something but I quickly lean over and mend his bottom lip between my lips. I thought he’d pull back but he leans in and pushes his tongue into my mouth. Picking him up off the chair, I put him on my lap. His body leans against my sweaty chest and our tongues dance in his mouth while I lead him. After kissing passionately I pull back after hearing him whimper. Kissing down his neck I rub my nose down while peppering kisses all over his neck, cheek and ears making sure not to leave a mark. I stop hearing my father’s voice outside. Prince Xian Le looks at me with watery eyes as I stand him up and fix his clothes that now have my sweat on it. Leaning down I kiss his lips one last time. Feeling him smile into our kiss my heart is shaken, I pull back and look into his eyes – one kiss and I’m in love. ~~ [Back to Yue Mian] Walking out I wink at Yu Sheng and General Shim. Mounting my horse I wait for Xian Le who comes out thirty minutes later tomato red. I look over at him and smile at him who’s avoiding my eyes. Looking over I see Luo Fan talking to Sheng. Ushering the horses on we leave with Xian Le leading us back – well now that Luo Fan will keep him company, I guess it’s time I start!

Standing before Xian Le with a wooden sword in my hand as he sits on the ground panting like a dog. His attire is in a mess and dirty from the ground beneath us with his hair dishevelled, it took me three hits and he was down. He hasn’t managed to get a hit and as a prince, this is very disappointing. I lower my hand holding the wooden sword, “Get up, we’ll practise again tomorrow.” He nods and sighs. After freshening up, he jogs his way back to me and sits down beside me while a maid pours him a cup of tea. Ling Tian sits across from us and smirks. With a yawn he asks, “YuMi, how old are you?” Raising a brow I answered, “I’m twenty-six of age.” He nods his head, “You’re five years younger than our eldest brother and Yu Sheng, which makes you three years older than me – wanna get married?” Xian Le chokes on his tea making Ling Tian burst out laughing. The servants and maids beside us look at Ling Tian in shock. Rolling my eyes and folding my arms in front of my chest, I lean back and close my eyes. “Aww sweety, why aren’t you answering me, how DARE you refuse my marriage proposal, ME, A PRINCE OF JILEI!! I’ll kill you for humiliating me like this,” he jokes while wiggling his brows at his brother. Sighing I smile, he really has some sort of strange humour. “Brother Tian~” Xian Le complains making me frown. Lifting my head I look at him who’s pouting at Ling Tian with flushed cheeks. Ling Tian shrugs, “Baby boy, don’t worry, I won’t take your woman from you while you’re conscious.” He says making Xian Le’s eyes widen in horror. He looks between me and his brother than plants his hands between his hands. Raising a brow at Ling Tian who smirks at me and raises his hands in defeat. “YuMi, our baby brother here has a strange hobby,” he says making me knit my brows. Xian Le slams his hands on the table and glares at Ling Tian who smirks and pulls a bamboo flute out from behind him and places it near his mouth. Blowing air out, he starts playing a beautiful tune. Xian Le settles down beside me and leans back but is fidgeting uncontrollably. Closing my eyes I take in the beautiful tune and think about yesterday when I spent time with my family. My thoughts get stopped when I hear someone clearing their throat. Opening my hazy eyes I see many faces before me. Looking at Xian Le and Ling Tian who stopped playing his flute stand at attention, I raise a questioning brow at them. They both have awkward smiles and Xian Le starts, “Brothers and sisters, I’m sorry for not welcoming you all properly, if I’d known you all were coming I would have gotten the servants to prepare for your arrival.” Standing up I move to the side and the princes and princesses sit down. As I am about to walk away I get called back, “Sister YuMi~” that squeal again! I turn to glare at the culprit and he’s pouting again! Knitting my brows at his motion to return. He cuddles into my side making his brothers and sisters frown. “Let me introduce you to my siblings; this beautiful lady wearing a purple tunic is my eldest sister Qinyi, the one in a pink tunic is my sister Qingxue, the one wearing green is my sister Ling Xiao. The twins are Ning Huang and Ning Hong, this handsome fellow here is Tianyao, the one with a crooked smile is Lanshan. This is You Ming and that brother of mine is called Zhan… and you have me, the fool Ling Tian and the crown prince Xian Rong – together we are this empires, princes and princesses.” I bow to all of them which they return with a friendly smile and Ling Tian continues, “The crown prince, myself and LeLe are the Empresses offspring, The twins and Tianyao are the sons of Third noble wife Dal. Zhan, Qingxue and Ling Xiao are the children of first noble wife Hana and Lanshan and Qinyi are the children of second noble wife Kaihua and finally You Ming from the households fourth wife Byeol… in respective order, we are Xian Rong, Zhan, Lanshan, Ning Huang and Ning Hong, Ling Tian (points to himself), You Ming, Qinyi, Tianyao, Ling Xiao, Qingxue and our baby Xian Le oh and don’t forget mother Byeol is expecting a baby too.” Ah my father’s been around, I think while nodding to this ridiculous introduction. “Don’t forget about our second sister,” Lanshan says in his deep voice making me raise a brow and tilt my head. “Ah yes, sorry, how can I forget about her… YuMi, that’s not all, our second sibling after my brother Xian Rong is our sister who was born of my father's concubine Ni Xing,” Ling Tian says making my body freeze in anger at the mention of my mother's name. Swallowing down my anger I ask, “Why isn’t she here?” I ask them. They avoid my gaze and look at Ling Tian who has a pained expression on his face. “They were exiled,” he says making me raise a brow. “Why?” I ask, pressing for him to continue. “Well the council decided that they must leave due to traditions,” he says while swallowing hard and I can see the sweat form on his head while he clenches his hands into fists. “Because every first child born must be a son and our father's concubine gave birth to a daughter instead so they were exiled,” says Tianyao. I look over at him and he has this blank expression on his face that he had since he’d arrive. I nod my head not really caring for the rest of the details because I know what happens, I mean like… I am that damn child! “What’s your sister’s name?” I ask nonchalantly. “Well, we don’t know, none of us even heard her cry and the only things we know is that she’s concubine Ni Xing’s daughter and female.” Ling Tian answers. “Well, since its fate then let it be, I’m sure your sister is living a wonderful life compared to all of you living here in the imperial palace where you are locked up,” I say and Ning Hong scoffs, “That’s if she’s alive and what do you mean that we’re locked up?” Shrugging I pick up a stray leaf under my foot and let it fly in the wind, “The sky belongs to the birds that can fly not those under watchful eyes.” Waving them off I turn around and walk away. [Short chapter because I wanted to introduce the siblings to you.]

Hi there, just popping in to let you know that I just realised that I messed up with Chapter 8, I cut the chapter off 833 words, I am so sorry. That's a whole 700 words missing. Thank you to the reader who notified me, I really appreciate it, again I am so sorry. 

MyLadyQueen Part 5 of 5 “Make me your wife your one and only, I’ll give you everything you need I’ll give you sons I’ll give you glory, for I was born to be your queen When they refuse and they oppose you, remember the ancestors are in your heed You are the king and you must have and must believe, that I was born to be your queen Make me your wife, your one and only, I’ll give you everything you need I give you sons, I’ll give you glory, for I was born to be your queen For watch me rise, I’m never coming down, in time they’ll love and honour me I’ll prove them wrong and I will earn my crown, for I was born to be your queen So beat the drums this coronation day, just wait and see what I can be Wait and see what I can be, the history books will celebrate my name Celebrate my name, for I will be this kingdoms queen,” I sing as I sit on the cold cement floors in the prison cell. My hands are cuffed to the walls attached to metal chains. My bloodied body dressed in a white shirt and pants soaks in most of the red liquid seeping from my wounds. My body feels weak and is in a numb paining state that I’ve felt before so I’m not afraid. Looking at Xian Le who is in tears breaking down before me with his head between his arms bowed that’s holding him up gripping the cold bars of the cell. He’s been there since an hour ago along with his brother, Prince Ling Tian whose eyes are bloodshot with his hands clenched into fists at his sides. My bloodied and dried throat bleeds from my singing but I don’t care… Xian Le has the hiccups from crying too long. I smile at the two of them because they’re the only two who’s had my back this whole time but I’m sorry that I’ve disappointed them so. Five guards come in and pull the two princes out who put up a fight but are too weak against them. After the screaming and yells of the two muffle out, I look at the two guards who come in and have wretched smiles across their faces. Unlocking the chains at my wrist and tying new ones at my back while forcing me up, they drag me down a dark and chilly dungeon. Walking up a flight of stairs, my heavy steps get pulled by the two guards. Forced to my knees I look up at the people ahead of me and around me. The palace doors were opened today to watch my execution after the last of my interrogation. Raising my head to the stands, I see the royal family glaring my way. Xian Le and Ling Tian are staring me down with pained expressions and aren’t crying. Sweeping my gaze over slowly I gulp when my eyes lock onto those of my husband. I can see that he has fury blazing in his eyes and his hands are shaking at his sides. Lowering my head I avoid looking at him any further, today, this day, is the day he never wanted to happen but he couldn’t stop it from happening - its fate. Three strong men with authority stand before me, The Marquis, General Wen and the minister of disciplinary, Minister Gu, a very ruthless man but he is trustworthy – I’ll give him that. The three of them have a look on their faces that tell me they can’t wait to skin me alive. Turning my head to the right; here stands the executioner with a sword in his hand. I heard stories when I was little about the executioners, they are tortured men that lost their souls in their childhood and that’s why they can easily kill you. Gulping, I lick my dried and cut up lips that sting. “Quiet, the questioning shall commence,” calls Minister Gu. I raise my head to look at him and his dark eyes stare at me trying to find the answers he never got. “Qin Yue Mian, you entered the palace as Prince Xian Le’s escort, is that correct?” “Yes,” I answer weakly. “You’ve stayed by his side for eight months, is that correct?” “Yes,” I answer gritting my teeth. “Prince Xian Le and Prince Ling Tian were saved by you yet you had malicious intent towards them this whole time, is that true?” “NO!” I answer glaring at him. “If that is not true then explain to us WHY you went into the kitchen and poisoned the food the head chef was preparing for breakfast, if that is not malicious intent then answer me why did you do it!” Swallowing my saliva that burned my throat I remained silent. Minister Gu Scoffed, “Your silence proves that you are guilty. A traveller with no background, no family, plotted against the princes to gain their trust to enter the Imperial Palace and kill the royal family… what secrets are you hiding?” “I didn’t plot to gain the princes' trust, they trusted me because I’m a trustworthy person,” I say glaring at his lies. “Trustworthy? You trustworthy? It was a mistake for the princes to trust you, such a conniving wench like you!” “Then.so.be.it,” I grit out not giving him a choice. The Marquis touches Minister Gu’s shoulder, looking at me he says in a calming voice, “Qin Yue Mian, ever since you entered the palace, I’ve been watching you, you’ve never shown any malice towards anyone so I don’t understand why would you suddenly want to poison the royal family. The princes trusted you and you let them down, not only them but you let me, General Wen and the other people who said you have a good future ahead of you. You said before that it was a coincidence that you met Prince Ling Tian and Prince Xian Le, you also said that the person who was behind the attack is a noble. After you said this Emperor Wang instructed myself and the minister of defence to investigate this but there were no leads – this only makes you seem guiltier since there is nothing else besides your statement.” “That’s because you and the minister of defence are incompetent,” I say making him frown. He nods his head, “That may be the case but I can’t help but think you must be the culprit behind it after your actions.” “Marquis if I may,” I ask. He nods his head giving me the space to speak. “Since you want so desperately to know the reasons behind my actions, let me make this clear – from the very beginning, no wait, since I found out what happened in the past, I’ve had my mind set on coming to Jilei and killing the royal family, ALL OF THEM. They ruined my life, they ruined my CHILDHOOD, DO YOU ALL REALLY THINK THAT YOUR ACTIONS AGAINST ME WILL END HERE? EVEN IF I’M EXECUTED TODAY, MY PEOPLE WILL COME AFTER YOU AND GET MY REVENGE,” gasps fill the courtyard from the commoners who are watching. Turning my gaze back to the Marquis from glaring at the royals I say while a genuine smile tugs at my lips, “I was still wondering how the fuck I’m going to enter the palace when those two fuckers introduced themselves as the princes of Jilei, I felt bad at the fact that it was so easy to get into the palace so I decided to sneak away but wooohooo that little prince called me and told me to follow them… like I said before it was merely a coincidence meeting them but now that I think about it, it’s a bitch called fate that allowed me to meet your two princes… I could have killed you all off in the beginning but I grew soft-hearted and I’m ever so sorry that I did because now I can’t complete my revenge, but whatever, dragging this shit out is useless, hurry the fuck up and cut my head off so I can reincarnate and plot my revenge again.” “YOU EVIL WENCH!” was screamed my way through the crowd of people and it started many name calling and stuff to be thrown my way. “SILENCE!!” rang through the courtyard, coming from Minister Gu. He stared me down with his livid facial expression, “Explain yourself!” I rolled my eyes at him and shook my head, “Just fucking kill me already,” I say and lower my body so that my head leans against the stone before me. I make eye contact with the executioner. He looks at me then looks to the front. “Since you want it, execute her!” he orders. The big man turned to me. I keep my eyes open to stare him down; he raises his hands above his head gripping the sword tightly in his hands. Arching his body forward he takes in a deep breath and at full strength brings his hands down. “STOP!!!” The executioner freezes with the sword stopping right above my neck. I frown as hurried steps rush my way. The executioner is pushed to the side stumbling but doesn’t fall. My body is raised up after two small hands touch my shoulders. Feeling the arms wrap around me as a blanket is pulled over my shoulders. I turn to my left and come face to face with someone I don’t know. She’s beautiful, looks about the same age as my mother.  My head whips in Yu Sheng's direction and I see him quickly shake his head unnoticeably. My eyes quickly fly back to this woman, she’s glaring in the emperors’ direction. The three powerful men before me pull out their swords and point it in our direction. “Your majesty,” she says with a bow. “Mistress Han, what’s the meaning of this?” he asks, his husky voice travelling throughout the courtyard. “Your majesty, I mean no disrespect but I must inform you that killing this child will be your biggest downfall,” she says making me frown. I look at her, “Who are you?” She turns to face me with tears in her eyes. Stroking my hair she turns back to the emperor, “Your majesty, trust me, this girl, although she is a threat, she doesn’t mean harm.” “Mistress Han, wha…” I cut the emperor off. My eyes go dark as my voice turns harsh, “I asked you a question,” I say. Her body trembles while holding me. Her eyes widen and she pulls away from me; her head lowers, “Forgive me Your Highness, I didn’t mean to touch you,” she whispers with a bowed head and steps away from me. Her actions catch everyone’s attention. My brows knit, this woman knows who I am? “Mistress Han?” Marquis Feng calls her. She looks up and a sword is pointed at her throat, “Repeat what you called her,” he says with his hands visibly trembling. Mistress Han’s voice trembles as she says loud enough in the silent courtyard, “D-don’t k-kill h-her, s-she’s o-our p-princess,” and my heart drops. Raising a brow I looked at her confused, masking my fury. Marquis Feng looks at me and I question him too with my look. He turns his head to the emperor. My father stands up and looks at me then back at mistress Han. “Our princess? What princess?” “Your daughter!” she spits back and the sword at her neck drops. Gasping starts up along with whispers. Tilting my head I ask her, “Are you sure you’re not confusing me with someone else?” She looks at me quickly then back at my father, dropping to her knees she bows her head then looks back up at him, “Your Majesty, many years ago you fell in love with your servant, the two of you became intimate and a baby was conceived leading you to marry her but when the baby came you weren’t allowed to see your child because your child was born female instead of male so your marriage was annulled and your wife and daughter exiled out of the palace. Your Majesty, your wife and daughter were living peacefully until one night, ten men arrived at the house you left them in and attempted to kill your wife and daughter, what they didn’t know, what you and every one of the royal family doesn’t know is that Ni Xing isn’t an ordinary maiden. Ni Xing…. No, Ye Ni Xing is a woman who can hold her own against an army of one hundred men! Ye Ni Xing is the Imperial Xieye Empires General Ye’s daughter… trained by him her whole childhood to stand on her own and fight. That night those ten assassins tried to kill her but failed and after they failed, they never returned home because they died at your wife’s hands. After she killed them she left everything behind and took her daughter with her. The two of them came to my establishment and stayed over; Ni Xing asked me to send people to the house and clean up the bodies of those men. I did as my friend asked me because we have years of friendship between us starting from the generation before us. Ni Xing and her nameless daughter stayed in my establishment for a whole month, that is why no one could find them. I asked her to stay but she refused saying that it was time for her to return home after being gone for so many years. After they left my establishment there was a rumour that spread throughout the empire of the devilish beast that slaughtered the bandits of the clearing between Jilei and Xieye which was no beast it was your wife. Those men saw her and didn’t leave after she threatened them leading to their deaths. After she arrived at the army base of Xieye with her nameless daughter, General Ye and his sons welcomed their runaway daughter and sister back… she asked her father to name her daughter in your place since Your Majesty did not have a chance to. Your child was named Ye Yue Mian, formally known as Ye Rucheng. Yue because she has eyes as big and beautiful as the moon and Mian because she has her mother’s round face, Rucheng because she is graceful and always be loved. Your daughter Ye Yue Mian was once engaged to the Crown Prince An Cheng of Xieye and after some deliberation, her title as Crown Princess was removed and retitle the Emperor of Xieye’s Goddaughter. Your Majesty, your daughter, Ni Xing’s daughter… she… I don’t know why she has returned to Jilei and I know for a fact that her being here isn’t because she wants to kill any of you, why she poisoned the food… I cannot explain but please Your Majesty please believe me… I’ve sent word to Ni Xing that she’s here and is going to be executed… please Your Majesty, please wait and until she arrives… if you really can’t wait, ask Yu Sheng!” She ends pointing at him. I look up and my husband already has his sword against my father’s throat. Screams and clamouring arise and people start panicking. “Lan Zhan~” I sing in a deep and threatening voice after sighing. A grunt is heard and the executioner walks up to me. Helping me up, he slashes his sword against the chains holding me, releasing them. I rub my wrists and stretch out my body while Lan Zhan takes off his black mask. He hands me a gourd filled with water. “ENOUGH!!” I hear Yu Sheng’s voice echo, making everyone silent. Taking in the last sip of water, I had Lan Zhan the gourd back which he just chucks to the side. I listlessly look at Mistress Han then look towards Yu Sheng that has many swords pointed at him while he is pinning down His Majesty, my father, down with no care and a smirk on his face. “Yu Sheng, why are you doing this?” My father asks him. “Sorry uncle, but I don’t answer to you,” he says with a chuckle. I raise a brow at his childishness and turn my attention to Xian Le who has tears running down his cheeks again while looking at me in disbelief. I smile at him then look back at Mistress Han. “I won’t kill you since you are the one who helped us back then but that won’t save you from your punishment of telling everyone of my personal details,” I say making her shiver. “Yue Mian, your mother has been worried sick about you, you’ve been gone for eleven years, why don’t you just stop?” she asks pleadingly. “Aunty, I’m just following in her footsteps, she ran away from home so I did it too,” I say annoyed. “But,” I cut her off, “But nothing, you may have helped us before but I won’t show you any mercy… I wasn’t going to die and you ruined my plans, so you have to be punished.” Turning to face my father who is looking down at me in disbelief not minding the sword at his throat. Once he sees that he has my attention he asks, “I-is it true?” “Is what true?” I ask. “Are you really my child?” he asks trembling. “Well I don’t know, but you should, you saw my mother in me but kept silent your majesty, why is that?” I ask tilting my head to the side. He looks at me and I see his eyes watering which sends me into a panic, “You know what? How about we talk about this over a cup of tea Your Majesty?” Small arms wrap around my waist and tackle’s me towards the back. Lan Zhan catches my falling body and my head hits his hard chest. The impact sends me into a dizzy spiral as black dots appear before my eyes; looking down I see Xian Le crying into my hold. My eyes roll back and I fall unconscious – well I guess I’m too tired to carry on. MyLadyQueen Why did Xian Le have to knock the air out of her? I'll be back with the next set of chapters on Saturday... I have two final exams this week that I have to study for T-T

MyLadyQueen LPM - Left Prime Minister YM - Yue Mian YS - Yu Sheng PBA - Prince Baek Ah There are also places where I don't mention who is speaking but the conversation is mainly between Yue Mian and Yu Sheng. Within the next week the ministers who signed the blood treaty were a mess, those who collected artwork, came home to nothing. Those who collected jewellery to woo maidens, their old dried up wives to make them forget about them being unloyal, had all their chests stollen while others came to an empty storage room. Those who collected the finest and expensive silk mourned at their loss but the ones who suffered most were the ministers and officials that stored up relief crops, crates of silver and gold and medicinal supplies; not only were they stolen from, they were blatantly robbed, all their confidential papers were stolen that had their private estates and slavery documents. Gathered at the Left Prime Minister Lee Jeong Meul’s estate. Voicing their complaints causing the left prime minister great discomfort. “Silence!!” yelled the left prime minister. Not even a single whisper was heard after the LPM spoke. Rubbing his aching head, he shooed away his manservant at his side “We all have gotten our property stolen from us by who, I don't know why and for what reason, I cannot fathom. Why? Unless it's someone who we have invited to join us or someone who we refused, any ideas...anyone?” He looked around the courtyard but everyone was looking elsewhere avoiding his gaze. “It seems that none of you knows who the assailant is. I will assume that the perpetrator has no relation to any of you and it does not seem as if they are related to the imperial family but we can never be too certain.” The officials and ministers began whispering amongst one another as they thought of possible suspects. A few minutes passed but still, no one could think of any suspects. “A committee will be established in my name after I consult his majesty the emperor to investigate the disappearance of our property. Although his Majesty has his suspicions of my loyalty to him, he cannot refuse this request. If he does he will suffer in the end,” he added while rubbing away the grin that has yet to form. “Yu Sheng, how is the relationship between Prince Baek Ah and his parents?”  Yue Mian suddenly asked while chewing on a chestnut rice cake and sipping on tea. The two of them were sitting in a restaurant on the second floor, dressed in commoners clothing near the LPM’s estate in the capital city. Lazily staring at Yue Mian he tapped his finger on the teacup before him. Thinking for a moment he answered, “Well, the relationship between PBA and his mother the third noble wife is okay I guess… well to put it in simpler terms it's strained.” “How so?” she asked while tying her hair back. “Baek Ah is one out of two. When she gave birth to her two sons, Hoon Woo and Baek Ah she had complications. Baek Ah came after his brother but with almost a full day - practically killing her. He never received the same amount of attention from the servants, his parents nor siblings.” “Why is that?” “Most probably because his growth is slow but I think its because there are too many with ambition and forcefully draw attention to themselves whereas Baek Ah is a loner and quiet.” “Quiet? But he looked and seemed as though he was about to skin me alive if his suspicions about you cheating were correct!” “He has always been like that, overprotective of whats his…” “Ho ho,” she laughed amusedly, “So you are his?” “I’d like to think that.” Yue Mian’s mouth twitched seeing his seriousness, “It’s no fun teasing you when you are so serious.” “Then you shouldn't tease me.” The restaurant attendant came over, “Have the esteemed guests decided on what you’d like to eat?” Yue Mian looked up at the attendant, “Can you bring us two bowls of noodles with a herbal broth and some of your tofu skins also I’d like some lime juice to go with it… oh, and can you bring my companion a jug of your in house rice wine please.” “Yes,” she bowed and walked off. “I don’t like rice wine.” “I don’t care.” “We are on duty.” “No~ you are on duty.” (Sigh) he continued, “Baek Ah could be said to be a late bloomer. He attended his classes and lessons like the others but again wasn't paid any attention. Then came the proposal of his marriage which he flat out refused. The emperor was furious and demanded a reason from him but he still kept his lips shut then after being cross-questioned by the crown prince, his mother and twin brother, he went to see his father late one night and told him that he is interested in men and not women.” “So he confessed to being a cut-sleeve.” The cup at Yu Sheng's lips paused, looking at Yue Mian for a split second, “mm,” he hummed. Yue Mian, “How did his majesty take this news?” “He confined Baek Ah and placed him under house arrest. No one knew why Baek Ah was locked up in the palace and they still don’t know. “How come?” “It was late at night with only the emperor and Baek Ah in the emperor's chambers. No one, not even the servants saw him go into the emperor's chambers.” Yue Mian, “And you know this?” “There are no secrets between the two of us.” Yue Mian, “Interesting…”, “Then what happened?” “The emperor called him to his palace and confined him in there. Again it was just the two of them. Baek Ah said that his fathers started panicking mostly because a cut-sleeve prince will bring about shame and mockery to the family name. The emperor sent him away and had him locked up in the house you found us in. When the emperor paid him visits he would beat him up trying to get him to like women saying that this was a sickness that can be cured if he sleeps with a man, now he was forced to do it in front of his father but couldn't stand up…” Yue Mian, “Couldn't stand up… you don't mean that he was impotent?” “Mn, normally you would become erect but because his father was there nothing happened. The emperor beat him up again and choked him trying to kill him says Baek Ah but what I think is that the impulses and hatred came out leading the emperor to mistreat his son like that.” Yue Mian, “Why would you come up with an excuse for your father-in-law when you know he is in the wrong?” “It's not an excuse, its an evaluation.” “What else happened,” she asked him to continue after the attendant left. “Baek Ah negotiated his life.” “Huh?” “He thought that the emperor was going to kill him and right there and then he asked to trade his life for information that would keep their family the rulers of the Niad Empire.” Yue Mian’s chopsticks paused, placing them down into her bowl she looked at Yue Sheng with a questioning gaze, “You don't mean to say…” “Yes, he gave up the information about the left prime minister and his schemes. Later on, the emperor found out that although Baek Ah was quiet and to himself, he knew things that no one knew, he even knew about the affair the empress was having with one of the soldiers that were castrated and exiled for an unknown reason.” “So after Bake Ah told the emperor, the emperor castrated the poor man?” “Mn…” “I would have killed him and the empress.” “The Empress is slowly suffering in the shadows.” “How?” “The emperor is forcing her to take a tonic for her non-existing illness.” “Ah, so he is killing her.” “Mn” “Why?”“Baek Ah told him it was better this way to avoid suspicion.” “Yu Sheng, your wife is dangerous.” A mouthful of medicinal broth sprouted out of his mouth, “We aren't married and how can a man be a wife?” “Nevermind!”

As Yue Mian travelled to a new town within the Naiad Empire, she stopped in a forest and decided that she was going to sleep here for the night because finding an inn to sleep in would be a waste of silver whereas she could just be close to nature instead. She climbed up a tree and settled down on it. On the branch near her, she tied her bow and bag of arrows, also her sword. Placing her legs straight in front of her together and tying them. She wrapped a rope under the trees thick branch and over her legs, tying them tightly. Folding her arms after placing her sack of clothes behind her head, she sat on the tree looking into the distant night sky filled with stars.~The sounds of animals howling, insects creaking, the wind breeze blowing lightly against her face was calming. Her eyes slowly closed after turning misty; she took a deep breath in and exhaled. Listening to the sounds of nature taking its course in the distance. Soon she was asleep but woke up after she heard what sounded like a monkey's cry and a tiger's growl. Staring into the distance, she scrunched her face and closed her eyes once again, drifting off into a deep and soundly sleep.~~~Her right hand twitched slightly and was instantly grabbed by the other hand. Feeling her cold right hand she drew them both into her sleeves. Feeling the cold air hit across her face, Yue Mian opened her misty eyes and mouth, exhaling foul air, producing a trail of smoke-like mist. After opening her eyes she was met with a misty view of the forest. The sun had not risen, but the sky was dimly lit up. Her head was leaning towards the left side against her shoulder. Inhaling the fresh, wet and cold air, she straightened her head and body. She rubbed her face with her hands trying to warm it up because it was freezing. When she was done, she looked down at the inside of her palms and it was slightly pale in colour with pink scattered throughout. Exhaling deeply she placed them back in her sleeves and rested her head back against the tree.  Looking into the distance she was surprised. This was her second time sleeping on a tree and waking up to such a beautiful view was something she couldn’t get used to. The dimly lit morning sky looked almost grey with light mist in the air. The cold morning breeze brushed along her cheeks and the beautiful bright green leaves on the tree branches – truly breathtaking, this beautiful morning. The birds chirping all around her added to the beautiful scenery. On the tree across from her sat a cup sized bird; its belly feathers were white while the rest of it was black. The little bird sat on the branch and cleaned itself under its wings. Yue Mian watched the bird clean its wings – slowly falling asleep once more. The sun slowly rose as she continued to sleep. The mist could no longer linger in the air and dissipated. The sun shone through the gaps between the tree branches lighting up the forest that was dimly lit before. In the distance, a man drenched in blood wearing nothing but a pair of tattered grey boots and brown pants came running towards her direction. Behind the man were three mountain tigers, two adults and the third which resembled a teenage mountain tiger. They continued to chase after the man. He was gasping for air frisky and kept turning his head to look at the mountain tigers behind him measuring the distance. As the man ran he rolled under broken down trees quickly getting up and running again, jumping over rocks and other broken down trees in his way, making his way through the forest. The mountain tiger in the lead neared the man in front and took the advantage given to it. It jumped onto a slanted, broken down tree that was still connected to the stump and pounced with much force in its hind legs at him. As the man continued running he accidentally slipped while the mountain tiger leapt, missing the man by a few inches and landing on the left side of him.===Seeing this he loudly yelped and continued running while staggering - Yue Mian’s eyes shot open. The man’s yelp woke her up not because it was noisy but because she was sensitive. Her eyes squinted as she looked in the direction from which the yell came in. The left of her top lip twitched - she saw the man running towards her location with the three mountain tigers behind him, “heh” she scoffed after seeing the mountain tigers. [My luck] she thought. Swinging her left hand over her and grabbing the sack behind her head, she pulled it forward and placed it on her lap. She grabbed onto the rope which tied her down to the tree. Gripping at it tightly and quickly untying it. She jumped up crouching on the tree branch organizing her belongings at a fast pace. She grabbed onto her bow and bag of arrows that were hanging from the next branch. Untying it, she held her bow in her right hand and picked up an arrow in her left hand, placing it against the bow and pulling back the bowstring. While she did this, the adult tiger nearest to the man reached him and pounced on him, biting onto his left shoulder pinning him face down onto the ground, making him scream like a pig squealing in pain and terror. Yue Mian lowered her bow and arrow slightly, a smile played on her lips making her chuckle - she enjoyed seeing others in pain. The man yelled once more and the other two mountain tigers caught up, each going for the man's legs with the young tiger on his left and the adult on his right. His scream pulled her back into reality and she aimed her bow and arrow in the direction of the alpha mountain tiger. She crouched balancing her body out. Pulling back at the string with enough arm strength and fixed her aim on her target, she let go of the arrow's tail. The man was still yelling from the pain that he was induced in coming from his limbs being gnawed on. He suddenly felt the pressure from his left shoulder ease slightly. He was laying on his stomach with his head facing the left side. His eyes widened when he saw the alpha mountain tiger drop beside him, they were looking directly into each other's eyes. The man felt joy seeing this and lifted his head to look at the mountain tiger properly. To his surprise, he saw what looked like a silver branch with feathers on it. He saw that on the other end of the stick was a pool of blood staining the white of the mountain tigers fur. He jumped at the sound of a lowered roar coming from behind him, still on the ground he sat up and turned around to see what happened. The second adult mountain tiger was also laying on the ground with its eyes opened wide while panting hard with a similar branch stuck in its throat. The young mountain tiger sat up panting, looking up at the tree where the arrows came from frightened. The man looked up at the tree and squinted his eyes, looking up, he saw a young man who jumped and grabbed onto his sword; the weight forced the rope to loosen itself and the young man dropped down to the ground. Yue Mian dropped her bow and ran towards the man with her black sheathed sword in her right hand. When she reached the man she kicked dirt at the young mountain tiger making it move to the side, a distance away. Unsheathing the sword she dropped its sheath on the ground and placed both her hands on it, forcing her sword down piercing the alpha mountain tigers neck. Pulling her sword back, blood gushed out forming a pool of blood at her feet, soaking her boots in blood. She scrunched her face in disgust, lifting up her left foot that was soaked the most, she shook it trying to shake off the blood. Doing this made her lose her balance which led to her hopping back on her right leg while waving her sleeves trying to grab onto something that wasn’t there. This action scared both the young mountain tiger and the man seated on the ground. The young mountain tiger returned to them because its parents were immobile on the ground and was sneaking to its mother, but stopped once it saw her waving her hand with the sword in it around, scaring it away once again. Yue Mian saw this from the corner of her right eye, turning her head and looked at it run away. She stopped hoping and sighed slouching her shoulders dropping her arms. Traced the tip of the sword along the bloody ground. She looked down at the man on the ground and pointed the sword at him, she said, “I’ll return.”***Yue Mian looked at the parting mountain tiger, her eyes widened with excitement and greed. She bit onto the left corner of her bottom lip and darted off while yelling - chasing after the mountain tiger. The man seated on the ground was confused, to him she looked like she threatened him with the metal object in her hand but her face told him something else. She was out of his sight but he could still hear her yelling and it seemed nearer than far away. He looked around at the two mountain tigers and saw that the one who was near his left foot was still breathing while the other laid lifeless. He was still in a daze when he heard a loud growl coming from the distance. His heart shook making his body tremble. He struggled to get up but managed to and limped away as fast as he could. In the distance where Yue Mian ran off to, she gave chase after the mountain tiger. She cut off its path while running by, throwing her sword out aiming at the tree in front of it which blocked off their path -  stopping it from running. The young mountain tiger stopped and looked at the sword that was lodged into the tree. It started trembling, turning around while growling and whimpering at the same time - looking at her. She was still running and finally stopped not too far from it. It looked at her with its ears down as if it had been wronged. Yue Mian grinned as she looked at its pitiful expression. Folding her arms in front of her chest, giving off a chuckle. The mountain tiger slowly lowered its body down and watched her as she walked over. It reached the ground the same time as she arrived - “Wham!!” she kicked it against the head making it growl loudly. The mountain tiger was dizzy from the kick and fell unconscious. She skipped towards the tree, wrapping her hand firmly around the hilt of her sword, she gripped tightly and pulled it out. She went towards the mountain tiger and helped it onto her back carrying it to where the man was seated. She arrived at the place where she left the man and found that he was nowhere to be found. “Eh?” she said after scanning the area. She moved to the tree and pulled out a silk rope from her sack and tied the mountain tiger to the tree after placing it down in a sitting up position. Returning back to the mountain tigers who were dead she looked around for traces of the man. After a while of searching around the area, she found a blood trail leading to the south-east of the forest on the ground. Following the trail, she found that there were traces of blood on the leave going down one path, deeper and deeper into the forest. Yue Mian wasn’t in a rush but considering the fact that the man was injured, he could probably bleed to death so she needed to hurry and find him. Jogging along the path that had drops of blood scattered along it, she followed the trail for a while before finally hearing what sounded like someone breathing heavily, almost like a dog panting. She paused in her tracks. Looking around her, noticing that there was a huge boulder up ahead. She frowned slightly. Chewing on the inside of her left cheek. Listening closely, she swung her hands behind her back and began contemplating. [The sounds seemed to be coming from behind the boulder but what if it is an animal?]. She looked down at the ground and saw that there were drops of blood along this way too the boulder. chi chi chi She clicked her tongue against her teeth, [If it’s an animal, then so be it.] Grinning slightly, she kept her eyes looking on the ground, lifting her right foot and stepping forward, doing this with her left foot as well and slowly turning her body to the side while walking, she tried her utmost to not step on the little branches scattered all along the path and dried leaves. Slowly creeping up to the boulder. The closer she got, the louder it sounded. Coming from behind slowly, she stuck her head out that made her soft bun plop to the right. Grinning from ear to ear she was excited - she finally found him!! MyLadyQueen I am so excited for this story XD

MyLadyQueen 1. Sorry that this is a side story and not the next story out of the 5 that is supposed to be uploaded but no worries, that will start at the end of the week but before that I wanted to add this side story so that Lanhua's character is properly introduced and later reasonings will be easier to explain. 2. After this, there's a second side story picking up from where I left off in the first story which introduces Yue Mian's daughter. This story goes back years before Ye Yue Mian was born... Jilei Empire. In the Imperial Palace, Emperor Wang called all the ministers and officials for an announcement. Empress Wang, Crown Prince Rong, first noble wife Hana, second noble wife Kaihua, third noble wife Dal and the fourth noble wife Byeol stood at his side.  Below the throne platform. Dividing the court in half, thirty ministers stood on each side with the Left Prime Minister in front of the left side and the Right Prime Minister on the right. The ministers and officials stood opposite each other dressed in official attire. Eunuch Song, the emperors most trusted servant stood by his side as his majesty, Emperor Wang put the royal seal on the decree. Bowing with the utmost respect, Eunuch Song received the decree. moving to the last step before the throne he bowed to all the nobles and with a clear throat he announced, "Recieve the decree passed down by his Majesty the Emperor." The ministers, officials and nobles bowed. Reading the decree, "The maidens chosen to wed this empires Crown Prince are Shim Lanhua, the Left Prime Ministers daughter. Dong Haneul, the Right Prime Ministers daughter. General Wen's daughter, Wen Ganlan and the Marquis's daughter Meigui. Since General Wen and the Right Prime Ministers daughters are still young and haven't become women yet, they will still be asked to live within the palace and after a year of becoming a woman, they will complete the marriage ceremony with the Crown Prince. Do you all accept the decree?" Although they wanted to they couldn't object, "We accept the decree!" Dismissing them the emperor and his wives stayed behind with the Crown Prince. Leaving court the Left Prime Minister had a grin on his face. Outside the court, the ministers, general and marquis stood. The Left Prime Minister Shim grin grew wider. The Marquis, "Congratulations, General Wen, Right Prime Minister Dong and Left Prime Minister Shim, from this day forth, the four of us are family." Left Prime Minister, "Mn, yes... congratulations brothers, the emperor gave us the highest honour, we all should feel proud." General Wen, "Indeed, we should thank his majesty." Right Prime Minister, "The future is bright ahead of us. We should celebrate." The smile on the Right Prime Ministers face was gentle. The Left Prime Minister looked over at him and scoffed thinking in his heart, "This time, I have the advantage over all of you. My daughter is the eldest, giving birth to a son, making me the father of the crown princess and the grandfather of the future emperor. The power I will command in the future will drown all three of you!"  Seeing the change of his smile the Marquis coughed, "See you all later, I still have things to take care of at the estate. See you all at the next court meeting." Cupping his fists, the Marquis left for his estate. General Wen, "Brothers," he said as he cupped his hands and left, heading to the army base. The left and right prime ministers looked at one another then turning their backs, each heading their own way. At the Left Prime Minister Shim Bishou's estate... He walked into the courtyard with a bright smile on his face. His wife, two sons and daughter were waiting for him in the courtyard for tea. Seeing her father arrive, Shim Lanhua got up and rushed to him, rushing into his arms, hugging him she said, "Welcome home father, how was court?" Smiling he squeezed his daughter, kissed her on the forehead. "Come, come, I have good news for all of you." Sitting down and taking a sip of tea, he looked at his family's anticipated gazes; not being able to hold back anymore he broke out into a fit of laughter that displayed his wickedness. Puzzled by his laughter, his sons looked at each other, squinting their eyes.  After his fit of laughter, Left Prime Minister Shim wiped his tears, cleared his throat and said, "I have received great news. Our Lanhua will be moving into the Imperial Palace and become the future Empress!" Instantly the gazes of the four pairs of eyes widened. Mrs Shim's jaw dropped in disbelief while Lanhua spaced out… mumbling to herself something… grabbing her father's hands she asked, "Father am I going to marry Crown Prince Rong, will I really be his wife?"  Holding onto his daughters' hands he said, "Yes, my dear child and after you give birth to a little prince you will be crowned Crown Princess of Jilei and mother of this empire and with this, our forces will be strengthened." His eldest son smiled, "Father your ambitions will be  realized soon." Nodding his head and smiling, "Yes, finally its time for us to shine." His wife had her hand on her chin and asked, "Is our daughter the only one?" He had almost forgotten about the three other pests that would also be marrying the Crown Prince and his mood became sour. Saying with a distasteful glare, "Those wenches born from those knaves too." The youngest son raised his brows then sipped his tea hiding away his smile. Lanhua and Mrs Shim had wretched expressions. Lanhua grew up treated as though she was a princess and naturally a princess needed a prince. Her father told her once before that there was a prince in the Imperial Palace waiting for her. Believing her father's words all her life and when she finally met  Crown Prince Rong, his beauty made her fall head over heels for him. She would always visit the Imperial Palace with her father just to see him. When he practised his swordsman skills she was always there to hand him a towel and massage his shoulders, she also won the empresses favour and worked hard to please the Crown Prince and after all her hard work, she was finally going to marry him and make him hers but now she had to share her man with three others!? Clenching on her silk tunic she gritted her teeth. Seeing his daughters anger he smiled knowing that this daughter of his was going to make him proud.=After delivering the news to their families. General Wen, Right Prime Minister Dong and the Marquees dressed up in commoners clothing headed in three different directions meeting up in the brother house inside the VIP section where there was no noise. Facing each other with a frown. Right Prime Minister, “I wonder what his majesty was thinking marrying that loathsome Shim Bishous daughter to the Crown Prince. That girl, if she turns out to be like her father then how will the prince be like? We all know that the Crown Prince Rong is wise and gentle but under that, he is a double-edged sword that can’t be handled without care… does his majesty not know that setting up those two will create a mess?” Marquis Wuqing, “As the two of you know, I have already informed his majesty of my suspicions of Bishou's treachery so unless his majesty has his reasons then he can only be called a fool. Bishou himself is a fool if he thinks he can use his daughter to run this empire. The Shim’s generation after generation have tried to rule this country but have gotten nowhere. But this Shim Bishou is something else, he has gained power from outside and is plotting something… I don't know what but I won't let him get away with it if it’ll cost the lives of our people!” General Wen, “We shall see, there three of us and one of him. But I know that there are some in my ranks and the royal soldiers that are loyal to the Left Prime Minister.” Marquis Wuqing, “mn, to think that our own men that we trained would bute the hand that fed it… they will all suffer like the dogs they are!”~~~Before the next full moon, the four daughters were moved into the palace. A grand celebration was held, welcoming the brides of the crown prince. Four beautiful girls dressed in red walked up the stairs to bow before their husband. Looking down at his wives the Crown Prince smiled welcoming them into his palace grounds. After the ceremony took place a banquet was held to celebrate the unions. The celebration went on for hours but the wives of the emperor and prince needed to head back to their palaces. Each of the Crown Princes wives had their own living quarters in his palace grounds. The moon, the star, the sky and the sun palaces, each on the four corners of the grounds while his living quarters were in the north.~~~The wives waited for three hours before he finally left the celebrations. Starting at the sun palace where the youngest of them all live, Dong Haneul. Walking into her quarters he saw her there on the bed waiting for him. Smiling, he walked over. Taking off the veil. Looking down at her he caressed her cheek and kissed her forehead, “Get some rest, when tomorrow comes, come to my living quarters and have breakfast with me.” She nodded her head and he left… arriving at the moon palace where Ganlan stayed. Taking off her veil he held onto her face and kissed her on the nose, “Rest tonight and meet me for breakfast tomorrow morning.” She nodded with a smile and bowed.***Arriving at the sky living quarters where Meigui resided, he entered her bedroom and saw her sitting on the bed waiting for him. He walked up to her and took off the veil covering her face. Meigui had a birthmark under her left eye. Her beautiful hazel eyes looked up at him.  He raised his hand caressing her cheek while rubbing his thumb against the birthmark. He leaned down kissing her lips, wrapping his arm around her waist forcing her mouth open and inserting his tongue into her mouth. A whimper came out of her mouth and tears streamed down her cheeks with sobs following suit. Crown Prince Rong stopped, pulling away and looking at her. He could feel her trembling in his embrace. Sighing he stroked the back of her head and kissed her on the forehead. Looking down at her he asked, “Are you scared?” She shook her head denying it making him chuckle, hugging her he said, “We don’t have to complete the wedding ceremony tonight. You are not much older than Ganlan-ah so I can wait… rest tonight and join me for breakfast tomorrow with Haneul-ah and Ganlan-ah alright?”  She nodded her head letting him wipe away her tears and kiss her on the lips one last time before leaving.~~~Arriving at the star living quarters he sighed. Walking in he saw Lanhua waiting for him ob the bed. She stood up when he arrived bowing. He took off her veil chucking it to the side. Pulling on the string holding her wedding robe together he tugged on it. It loosened revealing the dress skirt underneath. Pushing the robe off her shoulders. Rubbing his hands on her shoulder he admitted to himself that although he wasn't fond of her, she was a beauty. Taking off her dress skirt he picked her naked body up and climbed onto the bed with her making her his and ejaculating his seeds into her, now, tomorrow night and the following night - three times should be enough. Yes, it was! The following week during her bath one of the servants noticed that Lanhua’s breasts were slightly bigger. The ones truly happy about her pregnancy were her father and family, herself, the empress and emperor. Although it was his child, Crown Prince Rong did not love her but treated her well in actual fact it was clear as day that he enjoyed the company of his younger wives than her. She was upset when she found out that she wasn't invited to share a meal with him. Complaining to her father, he then asked the emperor about it which lead to the crown prince being cross-questioned - this he did not like but did not let them know. Answering his father Rong said, “I spent three nights with Lanhua, leaving her to recuperate while I spend time with my other wives. As the eldest, she will bare my first child. My younger wives don't see me at night and I feel terrible for being so selfish. I, as their husband, need  to spend more time with them to make up for my selfishness.” He then went to Lanhua’s quarters and had lunch with her. After lunch, he said to her, “You are no longer your father's daughter, you are my wife. As my wife, you will do as I say and behave as a princess should. This will be your first and your last time you question what I do! You are to sit in your quarters, stay healthy and give birth to a healthy son. Once my child is able to walk on his own then and only then are you allowed to do what you want. Complain again to the Left Prime Minister and see what I do with you!” That night she cried because she couldn't believe that the crown prince she loved was so heartless… one of the servants working for her was a spy for the Right Prime Minister. She managed to relay this information to him and he smiled, he and his two brothers toasted to this laughing at the Left Prime Ministers miscalculations. After she told her father about this he told her to endure and listen to what the crown prince said, he too kept quiet swallowing his anger, recalculating his plans. When the little prince started walking the crown prince spent a few nights with Meigui leading her to fall pregnant but she was allowed to see her husband, unlike Lanhua which made her bitter. After Meigui gave birth Ganlan fell pregnant three years later while Haneul was still too young. During this time, Crown Prince Rong walked into his room and bumped into the maidservant that just finished cleaning his room. Helping her up and when she looked at him his heart thumped hard… watching her leave he put his hand on his heat feeling it beat strangely fast.  Unable to stop thinking about her in the following days he went to find his nursing maid asking about her… reporting back to the prince she raised his nursing maid told him how she came to work here. Because he was interested in her he ordered the head maid to arrange for Ni Xing to serve by his side pouring tea and serving him lunch. Crown Prince Rong made it obvious to everyone that he was courting Ni Xing. Whereas Ni Xing made it very obvious that she wanted nothing to do with him… but after a year of being annoyed by him, she finally fell in love too. Lanhua would sometimes stalk them and other times get Ni Xing into trouble but the crown prince would always cover up for her. Ni Xing knew that Lanhua hated her but did not bother with it. When she finally fell pregnant after her first time with the crown prince they got married and were happy, even the little prince and other wives liked her. Crown Prince Rong’s nursing maid was in charge of taking care of Ni Xing during her pregnancy. While checking her health one day she frowned, sending the other servants away she said to Ni Xing while whispering, “My lady, the child inside of you is female.” The two of them kept quiet about this while Ni Xing mentally prepared herself for what was about to come. She told the little prince that if he could, she would appreciate it if he could protect her daughter and also asked him to keep this a secret from everyone.  When she gave birth the Imperial Palace was in an uproar… finally leaving the emperor to kick his granddaughter and Ni Xing out of the palace while confining the Crown Prince for two days because he killed three of the palace guards who tried keeping him from seeing Ni Xing and his daughter.~~~Living on the outskirts of the empire, just her and her daughter weren’t as lonely as it was in the beginning because she had a little one to keep her company. In the fifth month of living there, Ni Xing couldn't fall asleep…. Later into the night as she was sitting by the window she saw ten silhouettes run across the open field under the bright moonlight. Grabbing her sword hidden under the floor, she placed her baby in a basket and tied it to the roofs frames that were exposed… Fighting off the intruders one by one she kept the badly injured one alive and cross-questioned him… She told him that if he gave up who sent them he would be spared. Believing her words he told her that the crown princess and the Left Prime Minister paid them one hundred gold each to kill her and her baby. Furious... she went back on her words and killed him. “To think that our lives cost ten thousand gold!” She got rid of the bodies and left heading to her old friends business establishment…. She left because she knew that they would be sending people to check if they were dead since the assassin they hired won't be returning. Lanhua and the Left Prime Minister were frustrated but stayed silent and during this time she buttered up to the crown prince wishing for Ni Xing and her baby to live and return too them safe and healthy. What Lanhua didn’t know was that Ni Xing held grudges.

Walking through the grand palace with Yu Sheng leading the way, we pass many who look at me with raised brows trying to guess who I am. Yu Sheng turned to look at me from the side and wiggled his brows at me when there was no one around. Rolling my eyes I couldn’t help but want to laugh at his silly antics, he seems very different not so domineering as before, I hope it doesn’t have anything to do with what I am planning to do in the far future but that’s for later. We arrive in a courtyard similar to that of Xieye with the red carpet train running up the tens of stairs with guards to each side and statured at the entrance of the double doors on each side running along the borders of the walls with soldiers stationed throughout the courtyard. Walking up the stairs behind Yu Sheng, I took in each and every face my eyes scanned over, the weapons they carry and their position… I need to plan this well before implementing it so that it runs smooth and doesn’t implicate Yu Sheng and our men in any way possible. Stopping at the final step in front of the door, he turned to me, “Wait here, I have to let them know that you’ve arrived and it will take some time so be patient and don’t wander off, this isn’t the wild and if you are caught sneaking around the punishment will be harsh,” he says looking at me with a serious expression, his voice loud enough for those to hear around us too. Bowing my head, “Yes general Yu,” I say keeping up the act. He nods and turns around. The doors open for him and close after he enters. I sigh looking down at the clothes he gave me to wear. Royal fucking blue, his favourite colour! Well, at least I’m wearing pants and shirt with a robe over me. He combed my hair for me and told me that my hair looked better down, hanging loose and not in a bun or platted nor in a high ponytail… well, he would know, he’s seen many sides of me and knows what he likes. Kicking at the red carpet under my feet I let out a sigh. Turning around I use my hand to block out the sun looking down at me and look over at the layout of the imperial palace. Archers on the wall with sword wielders by their sides. Spear wielders trailing up to the entrance with a sword at their side – typical Xieye warrior. Walking to the edge of the staircase where the first soldier is, I lean against the stone rail and rub my head. Letting out a sigh I realise now why he said I must be patient, five minutes have already passed and he still hasn’t returned. Closing my eyes I slid down and rested against the stone rail listening to the different sounds in the air. . . . . . . . . “SISTER YUE MIAN!!!” Frowning, I open my eyes but see no one, only hearing the rushed footsteps coming from the other end of the double doors. Slowly getting up to my feet I rub the blur out of my eyes and take in a deep breath. Looking at the soldier beside me I ask, “How long has it been since I’ve arrived?” “Two hours,” he says without looking at me. Nodding I fix my clothes and sigh. The doors burst open and immediately my eyes lock onto those of Xian Le. The small prince smiled from ear to ear as his eyes watered. Running up to me he wraps his arms around my waist and hits his head against my chest. I look down at him in shock but calm down because I can hear him sobbing. Resting my hands on his back and on his head I patted his back and rubbed his head. “Why are you crying Xian Le, who died and who must I kill?” I ask making him chuckle. He pulls away and grabs onto my hands, “This way sister YuMi,” he says and pulls me in through the double doors that close behind me. Xian Le cuddles my side and wraps my arm around his shoulder. I smile looking down at him, he’s a head shorter than me and very cute, almost baby cute… I can’t believe I have such an adorable brother, I wonder if he is the youngest. “Where are you taking me?” I ask as we walk through a courtyard which has a water fountain with a dragon in it facing the heavens – what a beautiful sculpture, I’ll use it as my mark! There are beautiful bushes of flowers that I don’t stop to admire. He hugs me closer making me look down at him. He looks up at me with a frown making me raise a questioning brow. He blushes and looks away, “Is it okay if I call you sister?” he asks nervously. “Won’t your father and siblings disapprove?” “They already disapprove but I told them I want you by my side, you saved my life, something my brothers and the soldiers couldn’t do.” “Your hills and dales and flowery face, that lies near the Naiad shore. Your vines that blow by Borden’s grow, may I never see you more.” “Where the Magnolia’s glow and the Spider Lily’s grow, where the yellow fins and angel fish play, with my line and hook, delight I took, to spend my youthful days.” Ignoring his words I sing. “Last night I went to see my love, to hear what she might say, to see if she’d take pity on me, lest I might go away,” I sing while looking down at his curious gaze. “She said I love the crown prince, and he was my only joy, and ever since I saw his face, I’ve loved him forever more,” I grin at him making his eyes widen. “Well perhaps your crown prince’s star is gone, sailing over the sea of Xieye or perhaps he’s married, gone with some other one, may I never see him again,” I turn to look at the halls we pass while tapping his shoulder making him giggle. “Where lay if my crown prince is lost, he’s the one I do adore and seven long years, I wait for him by the banks of the Naiad shore,” peeking at him who’s suddenly nervous I end as we approach a hallway with many servants, “And seven long years I wait for him at the Naiad shore.” He takes his hand away from my waist but I firmly pull him into my side holding him firmly. He looks up at me with wide eyes, “Sister YuMi, we can’t be seen like this,” he says as the heads of servant start looking our way. Smiling down at him gently, I caress his cheek, “I’ll kill anyone you order me to,” leaning down to his ear I whisper, “Including the emperor and your siblings.” He looks up at me frightened about to say something but swallows it looking into my determined eyes – “I’ll protect you.” Xian Le looks at me with watery eyes but quickly blinks it back and nods with a light smile tugging his lips. Kissing his hair, we stop in front of a closed door. Someone announces, “Prince Xian Le has arrived.” I look at him and he is grinning, hugging me tighter as the doors open. My eyes sweep across the room meeting everyone’s eyes making them frown as I lock eye with the emperor himself. Xian Le takes the lead and leads me in while holding me and I can feel his body tremble under my hold so I squeeze his shoulder and he looks back at me. Smiling reassuringly at him his shoulders slump slightly. We stop at the foot of the stairs that lead to the throne. Xian Le takes his hand away from me and mine sink to my sides, he bows slightly, “Father, this is the woman who saved brother and I from the group of bandits yesterday and fed us the day before,” he says and steps back with a bow and walks off to the side where his siblings and who I am assuming are their mothers, with my handsome husband standing not too far from them. Raising a brow at him he motions me to bow and face forward. Turning to look at him I reluctantly did as told not wanting to piss anyone off. After prostrating I stand up and lower my eyes not to make contact with his eyes. Looking up at him through my lashes I see that he has a conflicting gaze in his eyes. “State your name to the crown,” the eunuch beside him steps forward and speaks. Keeping myself from laughing I raise my head, “Qin Yue Mian.” “Where are you from?” “I am but a traveller, I have no home,” I state quite annoyed. Sensing the annoyance in my voice he looks down at me with knitted brows. Tilting my head slightly I narrow my eyes, smiling slightly. “What were you doing in the mountains?” asks the emperor making his eunuch side step and return to his post. “Answering to His Majesty, this one was resting in a cave when the two princes came in, I was asleep and woke up due to the conversation between the two of them,” I answer with respect. “What were they conversing about,” he asks making me curse inside, I never paid attention to their damn conversation so how the fuck must I know? Knitting my brows, then raising a brow… I’m sure I look like I want to take a shit. Shaking my head, “Not really sure but something about why were we attacked, all the soldiers were killed and about a brother coming to get them,” I  shrug and look over at Xian Le and Ling Tian who looked like they were about to faint. Raising a brow at them, “What were you talking about last night?” “Watch how you speak before the emperor!” the eunuch demanded. Smiling amused at him I forced back my laugh and raise my hands in defeat. Folding my hands behind my back I looked at the emperor, “I’m not certain so you’ll have to ask them.” He nods his head while looking me up and down. “What made you save my sons?” “I wasn’t saving them, they were just there!” I shoot back narrowing my eyes. He sits up in his chair properly, after a moment he gets up and walks to the staircase and looks down at me. “Explain yourself,” he demands. “I said it before, I’m a traveller and I have my reasons for being one. I was asleep and your sons disturbed my slumber. I fed them only because I know what it feels like to starve and I’m not speaking about the hunger of not eating for a few hours but starvation of not eating for days. I left the cave because I didn’t want to be associated with people who are being hunted down. Us meeting again is only but a coincidence… the ‘BANDITS’ you should investigate them because the one who lead them had noble blood seeping off of his body so I’ll assume and that is ASSUME that your sons were being assassinated… again, I didn’t care, I only killed them because they beat me up not knowing that I was a woman… well it’s that and they trampled on the food and medicine I had collected for the villages near the mountain hill where your sons were cornered. I went after them to teach them a lesson but they charged at me with bloodlust so, I returned it and the two that escaped was that nobleman and another after seeing that they were on the losing end. Prince Ling Tian also faced off against me because I wanted to know why he couldn’t fight against them. I only escorted them due to Prince Xian Le’s request and the healing injury on Prince Ling Tian’s body,” I said as I glanced over at him through the corner of my eye. His mouth gaped open, “You know?” Nodding my head, “Yeah, it only takes me a few seconds during sparring to figure out my opponent.” Turning back to the emperor I say, “So Your Majesty, our meeting is nothing but a coincidence.” Nodding his head he walked back to his seat and sat down. Looking at me while tapping his finger on the armrest. After sighing he says, “The name Qin Yue Mian, I’ve never heard it before but your face… your beauty… it reminds me of someone.” Hearing his words my brows shoot up. “Uh… your majesty, thank you for calling me beautiful but… you’re too old for me.” “A barbarian isn’t worthy of my husband’s love!” a haughty voice comes from behind me. Turning around I see a beautiful woman walk in adorned in the finest gold jewels and silk. The ministers and officials along with the princes and noblewoman all bowed. I look over at the princes and see the crown prince standing there ignoring this woman. “Greetings Empress Wang!” -- She stalked her way to me and stopped, staring at me. Her face twisted when she looked at me; she raised a brow, “You insolent! Don’t you know that you should bow before me?” “Who are you?” I ask, throwing it in her face. “Empress,” I hear as the hundreds of images of me killing this woman before me run through my mind. “You heard correct, just because you saved my sons doesn’t mean you shouldn’t show your respects to this empires mother,” she says with a frown. “Well you’re not my mother and never will be!” “How dare you!” she yells making everyone stand up and look at us. “Well it’s easy,” I say and step forward. Tilting my head, “I’ve returned from the dead bitch, I know it’s you that tried assassinating my mother and me when I was a baby!” She stepped back looking at me with wide eyes, pointing her long fingers at me she mutters frightened, “You, who are you!” Folding my hands in front of my chest I start laughing crazily and come to a stop while glaring at her, “Tsk, tsk, tsk, Shim Lanhua, Shim Lanhua, Shim Lanhua… did you really think you’d get away with what you did to me?” “GUARDS!!!” yell the minister of finance, her brother. I watch as I get circled by the soldiers as they have their swords and spears pointed at me. When they settle down I look around and scoff, turning to the emperor I smile, “You know, she spoke of you as a gracious and humble person, why are you protecting the one who tried to kill your wife and child?” His eyes widen looking at me. The guards slightly lower their weapons but keep them pointed at me. “Who are you?” he asks in a firm tone. “Ye Yue Mian,” I say making everyone frown. “My name is Ye Yue Mian, I am the daughter of Ye Ni Xing and Emperor Wang Tejo Rong. I am the granddaughter of second general General Ye of the Xieye army and I am the Goddaughter of Emperor An.” The court stays in a bitter silence as I watch all the conflicting gazes look at me. “Impossible, Ni Xing and her daughter died!” “Anyone who speaks my mother’s name must be ready for death!” I say shutting whoever the fuck that was up. Turning my attention back to the emperor I say, “Meeting the princes was a coincidence and shall remain a coincidence… I was never planning on returning to this place after it kicked me out but unfortunately, fate wants me here, so daddy dearest, what shall we do, will you have your soldiers lower their weapons or will I have to kill my way to the throne and take you with me to hell?” ** Sighing at my own stupidity I bow, “Forgive me, Your Highness, I was entranced by your beauty,” I say and step aside. She walks past me giving me a once over and makes her way up the stairs and takes her seat beside her husband the emperor. Looking at them I frown, they’re suited for each other. They whisper before looking back at me, “Qin Yue Mian, thank you for saving my second and third son, if it wasn’t for you we would have probably been in mourning right now. Although this was all a coincidence it is also fate that brought you to save them for that I am truly grateful. My Xian Le begged us to have you stay by his side as his personal guard, would you be willing to?” she asks me while smiling at me genuinely and I don’t know if this is a farce or maybe she means it. Bowing my head, “Answering to Her Majesty, Prince Xian Le has already asked me if I would and I already accepted but under one condition, that is until he can defend himself in battle, when he is able to then I shall take my leave and return to being a traveller,” I say making them nod with a smile but the emperor still has this look on his face that seems like he is trying to figure me out. “If there is nothing else, court dismissed,” says the eunuch. Everyone gives their greetings and leaves one by one. I turn to look at Yu Sheng but he is no longer standing there nor is the crown prince. Xian Le skips to my side and wraps his arm around my waist, “Come, come, let’s leave and get married,” he says with a grin. Rolling my eyes I flick his forehead and follow his lead. We head to his palace with Ling Tian following behind us. Seated in his palace I watch him pour tea into a cups for the three of us and he hands me one. Sipping it, I taste the fresh fragrance of mint and orange blossom, “It tastes delicious,” I say making him smile. Ling Tian scoffs, “It’s alright.” “Will I get paid?” I ask making them look up at me. “Yep!” Xian Le answers popping the ‘p’. “Alright then, I will be gone tomorrow because I need to settle something so I’ll return to the palace tomorrow night after leaving tonight,” I say making him frown. Sighing I continue, “It will just be a few hours so don’t worry, you’re safe in the palace,” I reassure him. He thins his lips and pouts. “Why are you acting like a baby in front of her?” Ling Tian asks while poking his brother’s lips. Shrugging he took his tea and sipped on it.

Standing in the middle of my room naked, I hold my arms out to each side. The six shrine maidens immediately get to work. One steps behind me and holds my long hair up. Another comes to me with a powder blue inner robe and slides it onto my arms, doing the same with the other sleeve and I shrug it on. Another steps forward and ties the robes at my waist and they bring over the next robe. Its cumin yellow and I think it’s for ‘life’. Tying at my waist they bring a white robe which is for protection. The next one they bring and pull over my arms is red for imperial lineage, I think. They bring over another robe in the colour grey for … fuck I can’t remember. I frown trying to think of why the fuck I’m letting them dress me in so many robes. The shrine maiden before me smiles saying, “Your Highness, being impatient won’t speed up the process. You are being crowned our princess and the leader of our army, the gift of our empire.” “I know,” I say bluntly and the head priestess looks at me with a frown. I glare at her and scoff when she averts her gaze. My shoulders sag slightly as the next robe is put on and I think this is the eight? Taking in a deep breath, I close my eyes and think up ways to kill the shrine maidens and head priestess. My shoulders sag yet again and my arms flop down. Opening my eyes I look at the shrine maiden tying a gold robe around my waist. When she’s done, another steps forward with a tray of jewellery on it. I close my eyes yet again as the red coral beaded earpieces get pushed through my ears… this I think is for prosperity – everything I’m wearing today has a meaning behind it, shitty but it’s their custom. A huge and heavy gold neckpiece is placed around my neck and my hair is done in a simple loose braid with gold hairpins stuck in it. After rouge is put on my lips and blush on my cheeks, I open my eyes and look in the bronze mirror. “Get out,” I say listlessly. They are hesitant and don’t move, looking at the head priestess for instructions. “It funny how you all don’t listen yet I’m being crowned today. Don’t forget, even if I wasn’t be crowned, you all would be lying in your own pools of blood,” I say and they freeze. The head priestess looks at me in shock and I don’t really care. “Yu Sheng!” I call and the doors get forced open. He glares at the shrine maidens and looks at the head priestess with malice. They quickly scurry out of my chamber and the head priestess gives me one look then turns to look at Yu Sheng. She stares at him for a moment and doesn’t move. Raising a brow at her, he stares back and since I have my back facing them I don’t really know what’s going on. I turn around and look at the two. Yu Sheng smiles at me and I can see that he doesn’t care about her. Taking in a deep breath, he kicks the doors shut and walks up to me. Putting his hands on my shoulders, he forces me to look back into the bronze mirror. I look at him through the mirror and I see pride filling his eyes. He leans his head down and places a kiss on my cheek. I tilt my head to the left giving him further access and he smiles against my cheek. He kisses down my cheek, leaving open mouth trails that make me moan. Smiling against my neck he says, “You look beautiful today.” “Don’t I always look beautiful?” I ask him, feeling wronged with the way he spoke those words. He laughs against my neck and wraps his arms around my waist. Nodding his head, he opens his eyes and looks into the bronze mirror meeting my gaze, “Yes, you always look beautiful, but you are even more beautiful when you’re asleep in my arms, or when you’re bloated during your pregnancy and when you wake up after sleeping.” I place my hands on his hands and beam hearing his words, “Nice cover-up,” I praise him and he growls lowly. The vibrations send shivers down my spine which get me all excited. “Are you excited about our wedding?” I ask him and his smile fades slightly. He takes a deep breath in and his eyes become sad. Turning around in his arms, I rest my head against his chest and hug him back, whispering to him I ask, “Should we leave?” He chuckles lightly and kisses into my hair, “And why would we do that, this has been your goal since you were young, you’re so close to achieving it, why do you suddenly want to leave?” “You’re not happy,” I say and see him smile and nod his head, “Mn, I’m not. We already had a wedding and I don’t see the need to have another, the money for that can just go to the citizens no? I also don’t want you consummating the wedding with your brother,” he says and I punch him in the chest. He looks at me with mock hurt and anger and shock then breaks out into a smile. “I asked you about it and you said it doesn’t matter,” I say and he looks at me with a guilt-ridden expression. Sighing he pulls me into a hug and says, “Well I lied, it’s a nice idea but I feel betrayed. We vowed to be with each other and no one else so… I just can’t help it, I’m trying to not show my anger but,” he says and I nod, after putting my hand over his mouth. He pulls my hand away and kisses my fingers making me blush, “Well Princess Rucheng, let’s get you to your coronation ceremony before everyone gets worried.” I nod my head and we turn to look at the head priestess who is staring at us with a conflicted gaze. She doesn’t say anything but I can see that what she just saw is affecting her – she should know that we are already together and have been since she can fucking speak to the heavens, they should have told her! Sitting in a palanquin that stops every ten steps. I get out, bow, get in it again and it moves for the next ten steps then I get out and bow, get back in and it moves for ten steps and stopes, then I climb out, bow to the heavens and ancestors, get back and this shit repeats itself until we reach the imperial palace. I get out as we come to a stop in front of the stairs. Holding my hands out in front of me in respect, I bow then walk up the damn stairs while my eyes dart around looking for Yu Sheng. I spot him on the far end with General Shim and our two sons Lou Fan and Xinxi. All three of them are beaming at me and I force my smile down. I look up and see the entire royal family looking down at me and I suddenly have the urge to make them all kneel because no one is allowed to look down on me. I reach the top and bow to my father. He helps me up and I see my mother and her husband stand not too far from us with my Godfather, An Cheng and so many other people including the representative from Naiad.I lower my head when my father raises the crown above my head and he asks, “Do you accept this crown?” I look up at it and smile, nodding my head, I lower it and he places it on my head. He turns me around while holding onto my shoulders. I look down at all the nobles, some commoners, the officials and the ministers. My father says something that has them all cheering but my eye narrow down onto an elderly lady staring at me with my daughter in her hands between the commoners. I smile slightly relieved that’s she’s here and suddenly an idea pops into my head. I walk down the steps after shrugging my shoulders getting my father’s hands off me and he calls my name but I don’t turn back. I make my way down the stairs slowly in the quiet celebration yard. Many follow my gaze and they frown slightly but don’t stop me. When I make my way to the middle of the path, I stop and kneel down on both knees. “Princess,” gets called by many names and some rush to my side trying to get me to stand up. I glare at them making them step away and I look at my daughter who is wiggling out of my other mother’s arms. I nod my head at her and she puts Chushan down who starts squealing and screams the words that bring joy to my heart and make everyone else suck in a breath of cold air, “MAMA!!” Opening my arms as she nears me, she collides into my arms and places a kiss to my lips. She pulls back and beams, she places her nose against mine and says, “Mama, I thought they were lying when they said you’re a princess.” “Well, that’s expected since you never believe what we tell you,” I say in mock anger. She giggles and shakes her head, she looks over my shoulders and around us, her eyes widen and she squeals piercingly making my ears ache. I put my hand over her mouth and she glares at me, “What did I tell you about squealing you little thing!” I complain instead of asking. She rips out of my arms and places her hand on her hip and slants to the side, “You old woman!” she says with a roll to her eyes. “The two of you should stop causing a scene, can’t you see that everyone is about to catch a heartache?” says a slightly deep voice making me look over. Chushan screeches and runs into Xinxi’s arms making my shoulders sag. Lou Fan helps me up while Xinxi deals with his screeching sister. Turning around, I look for Yu Sheng but can’t find him and General Shim. “If you’re looking for your husband, he left, he’s angry at you,” Lou Fan whispers in my ear. I look up at him and grin, “I doubt he’s angry, he’s probably excited and wants me to wait before revealing who he is,” I say and he nods saying, “He did have a smile on his face.” I smirk, “Alright my loves, let’s go greet your grandfather.” The two boys look at me amused and nod at each other than follow behind me.

Her smile slowly faded after he left the room, she sat on the bed and looked down at her hands. She pinched the inside of her right hand, a face twitched slightly, but it wasn't visible for the others in the room to notice. Her head was down for a while and the adults noticed this. "YuMi?" Emperor An called out. A slight trembled passed through her heart, but did not stay. She looked up in his direction but instead of looking directly at him, she looked at the space between his eyes and answered, "Your majesty?" Emperor An smiled and asked, "Do you know what happened to you? We found you unconscious on the floor in your mother's store, do you know what was the cause of it?" A smiled formed on her face, still looking at Emperor An she said, "Your majesty does not need to worry about this servant, I do not deserve such treatment." General Ye's eyes widened. Ni Xing gaped at her daughter's statement. Ye Ning frowned and Emperor An's body froze for a split second. He looked at Yue Mian closely and said in a deep and domineering voice, "Nonsense! You are my goddaughter, it's my duty as your godfather." The smiled on Yue Mian's face grew wider; she moved her eyes slightly to the left and looked Emperor An directly in the eyes and said, "Then so be it." Her gaze shifted over to her mother and she said, "Mama, I am doing fine, can we leave now?" Ni Xing felt strange, she could not say it was okay for them to leave, this was the palace, the Emperors home. She looked over at her father whose eyes were set on Yue Mian, shifting her eyes she looked at Emperor An and asked in a toned down voice that was barely audible but could still be heard by those in the room, "Your Majesty, it's been a long day, disturbing you any longer is the same as treason." Emperor An looked at Ni Xing who was bowed and sighed, he looked back at Yue Mian who was no longer looking at him and sighed, he brushed the palm of his right hand over his face and looked over at General Ye who looking at him with a pleading gaze. He waved his left hand and bid his farewell after taking one last glance at Yue Mian and Ni Xing. The four of them walked out the palace gate and got onto their horses and returned to their home. The ride back home was strange for the three adults, Yue Mian started humming along the way and smiling at them. The sudden change was-unexpectant in a way for them; when they arrived at home, General Ye told Yue Mian that he needed to speak with her after dinner, she agreed and told him she needed to speak to him as well. During dinner, Yue Mian ate her food very energetically and with a smile on her face; Ye Ning smiled and wondered what had gotten into this grandchild of hers. Yue Mian, on the other hand, did not mind being stared at, she was not in their positions and ultimately did not care, she wanted to get this over with so that she could speak with her grandfather.***After twenty minutes passed she was done. She sat back in the chair and smiled, "Mama, grandmama, thank you for the food, it was really delicious." Ye Ning chuckled and said, "Child, what has gotten into you today?" Yue Mian raised a brow and smiled mischievously, "Grandmama, should I not enjoy the delicious dishes that you and mama prepared?" Ye Ning put the last potato in her bowl into her mouth and chewed on it with a smile. Yue Mian giggled to herself on the side and watched her grandmother pull faces at her while eating; Ni Xing perplexed. Why did something seem off about her daughter since she woke up? Why could she not figure out what it was! After ten minutes passed Yue Mian and her grandfather went out back to where the horses were and fed them hay and apples while speaking. General Ye observed the smiling Yue Mian, he did not want to say what he was about to, but he had no choice, her behaviour recently was becoming out of hand and she was embarrassing him. "YuMi, what you did back at the palace was wrong, no matter how angry the royal family makes one, you should know that disobeying the Emperor is the same as suicide, tomorrow I want you to return to the Imperial Palace with me and apologise to Emperor An, Emperor Shaan and the Crown Prince and princesses." Yue Mian who was patting the horses and feeding them, stopped after she heard her grandfather say the last line. She turned to face him, with an emotionless face she said, "I am never returning to the palace, nor will I apologize to the royal siblings. I Yue Mian was not at fault!" General Ye frowned, he took a deep breath in and said in a deep and loud voice, "Ye Yue Mian!! How can you be so disrespectful? Did I not teach you manners?" General Ye was about to explode and continue but was cut off by Yue Mian, "Grandfather, I no longer want to be the Emperor's Goddaughter, nor do I want to continue training. I want to become a good housewife in the future and marry a good soldier like General Wang." General Ye was baffled, the words he was about to spit out was swallowed back in and he just stared at Yue Mian. Unable to say what he wanted, he stared at her in silence; she stopped speaking and looked back at her grandfather. "Ahem," she cleared her throat to bring her grandfather back to reality after she saw that he was just staring at her. General Ye looked at his granddaughter and said with a weary smile, "YuMi, can you repeat what you just said?" Her expressionless face was no more expressionless, she smiled and fiddled with her fingers in front of her, inside her sleeves and said, "Grandfather, I no longer want to learn martial arts, I want to be a woman that my future husband can be proud of and not ashamed of." General Ye's heart trembled, "Y-yuMi, do you mean this?" She nodded her head excitedly. She walked up to her grandfather and took his hand in hers and said, "Grandfather, I have been troubling you and I no longer want to, is it alright if I stop training and be serious about my housewife duties?" General Ye stared at his granddaughter for a good amount of time. He kneeled down in front of her and combed her beautiful long black hair with his right hand, he looked at her left cheek that was covered with a medicine cloth. Caressing her cheek slightly he smiled at her. His smile was odd and Yue Mian was slightly curious about it, but she never showed it in her eyes or on her face. "YuMi, is it because of grandfather that you decided to stop?" he asked with a croaked voice. She looked at him and shook her head, "Mama told me who my father is, I don't want to be a disappointment to you all, this is the reason why I changed my mind." She answered with tears welling up in her water line. General Ye wiped away the tears that formed with his two thumbs from her eyes and got up and gave her a kiss on her nose. He patted her head and told her that she didn't have to worry about anything. General Ye decided to not force anything on her anymore and let her be, she decided her future and he was grateful that she was still happy. He left her outside with the horses. She continued to feed the horses, but she no longer had a smile on her face. As she brushed her horses main, she had a strange gaze in her eyes that made it seem like she was dead but still alive.***A week later. Early in the morning before the sun rose, the birds started chirping. Yue Mian's eyes opened, she got out of bed and got dressed, she jumped out of her bedroom window and ran across the army base to where here uncle Ni Rou resided. Ni Rou was just about done with getting dressed when he heard a knock on his door. He opened it and was surprised to see his niece. Yue Mian greeted her uncle with a smile and was let into the house. *Thirty minutes passed* Seated at a table with an oil lamp burning, lighting up the room, the two of them sat across one another. Ni Rou had his hands folded in front of him and he stared at Yue Mian with a puzzled expression, he could not believe what she just asked him.***Ni Rou invited her in and they began to converse. He knew that Yue Mian wouldn't unnecessarily visit him, but he was happy since he barely saw her. As they were speaking Yue Mian kept avoiding the main question she wanted to ask her uncle. When there was no longer anything to speak about, she mustered up her courage and came out, "Uncle, will you train me?" Ni Rou raised a brow, "YuMi, did you not say you want to stop training?" "Uncle, I did but I only said that to grandfather because I don't want him to be my master anymore, I want to explore the different aspects of combat and grandfather only wants to train me in sword fighting, whereas I want to learn how to shoot an arrow from a bow, fight with a spear and physical combat, but I also want to learn left-hand combat, like you," she said, while nervously nibbling on her bottom lip. Ni Rou watched as she kept fiddling with her fingers and would occasionally sneak a glance at him, for Yue Mian to break away from her grandfather and run all the way to him and ask this from him. He found it odd, but still - something told him to help her. "YuMi, this will be very difficult, if General Ye finds out that you lied to him and are going behind his back, do you not think his feelings will be hurt? And the consequences that you will face when he finds out that you have been sneaking out of the house to practice?" he said while glaring at her. She took a deep breath in and sat up straight on the chair, she looked at her uncle directly in the eye and scoffed, "I have my own plans, I came here to ask for your help, you choose, its either you help me or you don't, you can also report my actions to General Ye if you want, frankly, I don't care. Grandfather lost my respect when he kept saying I should apologise to the Royal siblings for something I did not do - I saved him face by lying to him... So will you help me or should I ask someone else?" She looked at her uncle with a grin and her head cocked to the left while folding her arms. Ni Rou had his hands folded in front of him and he stared at Yue Mian with a baffled expression, [What just happened?] she was acting all nervous before but suddenly her speech changed and the way she presented herself. He looked at her deeply wondering, if the person in front of him was really the ten-year-old daughter of his sister. The two of them went back and forth about this, Ni Rou did not want to be her instructor, but after seeing that Yue Mian wasn't going to back down, he decided to give in to her demands, and this way he could keep an eye on her just in case something went wrong.

There are 3 Main Empires with a 4th joining later on in the story. (Naiad Empire, Xiěyè Empire and Jīlěi Empire, the 4th is named The Lekranian Empire) Jīlěi Empire - Very Rich, Gold, Diamonds, Silk and Furniture, Jewellery, Brothels. -Mining( The Jīlěi Empire is named so because of all the riches the Empire has within it since the alliance started, they began sending the ore from the mines to the Xiěyè Empire to make utensils, gardening tools (which then gets sent to the Naiad Empire(Not all tools) to help with agriculture) and the rest get sent to the other two empires. -Jewellery (Because there are so many Jewel mines, they raise jewel crafters and experts and sell the products to the nobles/royals of the other empires, and raw jewels get sent to the different empires too. -Carpenters to make furniture(these people come from all three empires) -The Jīlěi Empire raises scholars too from all three empires and hosts the best schools (the other empires do too but they are more focused on certain things like the Xiěyè Empire has the Cadet Base for the orphans/younger kids and Military Base as schools and the Naiad Empire has School of Beauty (they make beauty products and raise beautiful flowers), School of Agriculture (all plants included, food and animals too. *** Xiěyè Empire - Raise's soldiers from a young age and since the alliance started eighty years ago, they have trained over eight million soldiers from all the empires over the past ten years (excluding the other 70 years). A military based Empire with bladesmiths, blacksmiths, coppersmiths and artisans who craft the finest pottery. *** Naiad Empire - Rich in agriculture, flowers get imported from them, food, wine, plants and animals. -Silk gets made here then sent to the Jīlěi Empire to make clothing, furniture dressings(drapes, bed sheets etc.) -Animal fur, sheep's wool gets sent to the Jīlěi Empire for furniture dressings and clothing. Certain animals hair gets cut off, glued together and sent to the Jīlěi Empire to make coats, furry mats and more. They do not slaughter the animals because they believe that if they do then something bad might happen like no more animals will be born (superstitious people). *** The forth Empire to join their alliance is the Lekranian's ( A Barbaric Tribe) - They own the largest plot of land. -Very Good at hunting, they have many horses, an army of twenty-six million men, woman and children spread throughout the land. *** Other Empires and Alliances (Changes will be made later on.) *** Jīlěi Empire Royals-Nobles-Commoners-Servents. Emperor Xing - Empress - First Noble Wife - Second Noble Wife - Third Noble Wife. Crown Prince Rong and many siblings (Refer to the first chapter). The Empress gave birth to the Emperor's first son which gave her the right to be Empress. Noble Wife is the title given to the other wives when they give birth to sons, daughters are allowed to be born second and onwards. If a Noble Woman gives birth to a daughter first she then becomes a Concubine and her Noble status removed. If a servant were to have relations with a Royal they get beheaded, male or female. *** Xiěyè Empire Emperor An - Empress An (The royals choose whether or not they want to marry again and extend their family, in this case, Emperor An decided to learn how to love his wife (Someone else has his heart) and she hates the thought of sharing her husband with another woman.) They have three children, Crown Prince An Cheng, Princess An Choeng and Princess Choong *** Naiad Empire Emperor Shaan - Empress - First Noble Wife - Second Noble Wife - Third Noble Wife - Forth Noble Wife - Fifth Noble Wife. This Emperor has many kids, old and young, (Will list them during the alliance meeting.) *** Lekranian Tribe They Speak a different language and are cut off from the rest of the world. Whenever the other Empires sent men to try and communicate with them, they were killed off because the barbarians do not like foreigners. Lekria(The Land) has many animals and vegetation that provided them with food, hide and transportation. A self-sufficient tribe of people that don't rely on money and trade within the Empire. Emperor is referred to as a Namba (Pronounced Num/Bha) Empress is referred to as Naleu (Pronounced Na.Leuw) *** MC - Ye Yue Mian - YuMi - Sah Yue Ra. Father - Jīlěi Empire's Crown Prince Rong. Mother - Ye Ni Xing. Crown Prince Rong's servant. Grandfather - Xiěyè Empire's Third General, General Ye. Grandmother - Ye Ning, grandmama. Husband - To be announced, when they get married.

8 months later… Arriving at the Imperial Palace, Yu Sheng and his men went to greet Emperor Shaan. After saying a few pleasantries, Yu Sheng went to do his rounds on the training grounds. Giving a few pointers to the soldiers and sparring with a few of the generals that used to train with him in Xieye. Night slowly came. After washing off the sweat and dressing up he headed over to Prince Baek Ah’s palace. Pushing the gate open, it hooked - barely moving. Knocking a few times but none of the servants came to open it. Thinking that something might be wrong, he circled around the palace. Jumped up on to the tree at the back and over the wall. Landing on the ground he heard Prince Baek Ah’s voice but it was… Sneaking closer to his room the sounds Prince Baek Ah made ruled his suspicions correct. He walked up to the window opening it slowly, peaking through, he saw Prince Baek Ah in bed with another man. “Oh…” was all he muttered. He turned around and walked away, jumping over the wall and returning back to his room. For a moment he was angry as he tried to fall asleep but couldn’t. He sat up on the bed thinking about all that happened between them and realising how stupid he was to try and love someone who didn't care for him. Getting up, he got dressed and headed over to one of his friends. The two sat there drinking and talking, reminiscing about the old days during training and how they got to where they are. “Sheng, I heard that Yue Mian is aline, is that true?” Yu Sheng, “I’ve heard so too. She hasn’t contacted me but is in contact with her mother.” “Ah, I see,” taking a sip he grinned asking, “Do you think she has grown big breasts and round butt?” Chocking on the rice wine, he wiped the excess wine from the corner of his mouth. Looking at his friend, anger welled up inside him. He did not like it when others thought ill of his princess. Trying not to show his anger he poured wine for himself, “What do you mean?” His friend raised a brow, “Sheng, don't tell me you have never thought of bedding her.” Looking at him with a glare he said, “I have never!” His friend frowned, “I know that she was young back then and the Crown Princes bride-to-be but Lady Ye is her mother, talented as she may be in martial arts, she is still a woman and us men appreciate the women around us. Although Yue Mian has a scar on her face, she has lady Ye’s beauty and body, she should be about twenty years old now and a fully grown woman ready to bear children.” Shrugging his shoulder, Yu Sheng gulped down. His mind was still on his supposed lovers' betrayal. The two drank until the morning, luckily for both of them, even after drinking five jars of rice wine finished, they could hold their liquor well being only a little tipsy. The sun hasn’t risen yet but all the soldiers and servants were up preparing for the day. Walking to the kitchen where breakfast was served. Seated at the table the two continued talking nonsense making jokes that made the others chuckle here and there. Making his rounds with his companion they stopped on the training grounds observing the trainees. Around half an incense stick after arriving, Yu Sheng spotted Prince Baek Ah and the other person across the training ground. The two of them looked as if they were having a cosy conversation when Prince Baek Ah spotted Yu Sheng. He saw that it seemed as if Yu Sheng did not see him there. Prince Baek Ah was happy to see Yu Sheng quickly excusing himself from the company of the other, he made his way to Yu Sheng and the other general. Arriving in front of them he smiled as they bowed, “General Yu, when did you return?” Yu Sheng, “Your Highness, Prince Baek Ah, this servant has been here since yesterday.” Prince Baek Ah, “Since yesterday?” Yu Sheng, “Yes, your highness.” Prince Baek Ah, “When were you planning on paying me a visit?” Yu Sheng looked at him and with the dullest expression on his face, he swallowed his anger saying, “I went to the princes palace but the doors were shut, I assumed you were elsewhere so I returned to my room, but when I couldn’t sleep I went looking for general Shim and we drank rice wine till morning.” General Shim’s mouth twitched, asking himself, why does he seem like the villain? Feeling the tension coming from the two he quickly bowed and ran away. After he left, Prince Baek Ah could feel the tension ooze off Yu Sheng’s body. Looking up at Yu Sheng, Prince Baek Ah saw the hostility in his eyes and it was written all over his face. Prince Baek Ah, “Why are you looking at me like that?” Yu Sheng, “Why do you think?” Thinking for a bit, PBA wanted to say something but kept quiet and just looked at him. After a moment passed he asked, “Sheng did you see?” Yu Sheng, “No, I heard.” PBA, “Listen I…” Yu Sheng, “You can do whatever you want, it has nothing to do with me. Just make sure that you don’t look for me ever again and don’t think of mentioning my secrets to anyone because I will make your life difficult and make sure that you erase myself and my princess out of that head of yours. I never want to see you again, you - disgust me.” He glared at him one last time before averting his gaze back to the soldiers practising. Prince Baek Ah stood there looking at Yu Sheng who seemed as though he hated him - he turned around and walked off. ~~~ Arriving back two days later at his and Yue Mian's new residence, he found her taking a bath. After reporting his return, he went to the bedroom and laid down - thinking of all that happened, closing his eyes not sleeping. On the side of the house, he could hear wet footsteps approaching the bedroom. Opening his eyes into slits. The door creaked open. Yue Mian walked in dripping wet from head to toe. She had a green cloth draped over her head with a red robe hanging off her shoulders, with her front exposed. Seeing her naked he was reminded of what general Shim said. As he was contemplating on whether or not to observe her body, she pulled the green cloth off her head and the red robe draping down her shoulders slowly slid down. She walked to the window opening it to dry her body. She walked back out of the room and returned minutes later with a tray that had a tea set on it. Seating down on by the table letting Yu Sheng catch a full view of her body. Slowly taking in a deep breath, he opened his eyes and looked at her. Under the table, her legs were crossed one over the other. Her calves were perfectly carved out as she relaxed and tightened her foot in up and down motions. Her thighs, he never really saw until now. Because she was sitting down her highs looked thick pressing against the chair; looking closer, she raised right leg exposed the bottom of her butt cheek. Her toned stomach looked elegant and untainted with what a normal martial artists body would have. Following down the sides of her waist, it curved out shaping her body like a bottle of wine - Suddenly making the insides of his palm itch, wanting to run his hands down her waist. Moving up towards her chest, her breast stood up making them easy to cup using the palms of one's hands. The pink areolas at the ends of her breast blushed with a deep hue making one desire to trace over them with the tips of the finger. Centred inside her areolas, stood a pink numb, one on each side erects from the cool breeze sliding in through the window. A drop of tea caught Yu SHengs attention sliding down the middle of her body between her breast. Following up the wet trail the drop made, he followed it up to the left column of her neck towards her chin and lips. Reaching her lips he bit the inside of his bottom lip. His eyes traced her lips a couple of time then looked at her nose that has a beautiful straight bridge. Looking further up, their eyes met! The minute their eyes met both of their hearts started racing. For a moment they stared into the others eyes seeming to be lost while time passed slowly. Yue Mian was the first to compose herself. SHe looked over at Yu Sheng and it seemed as if he was elsewhere. She placed her hand over her chest feeling her rapidly beating heart wondering why it was suddenly beating after staring into his eyes. Looking at him again, she couldn’t help but wonder what it was; after a few minutes, she remembered what her mother once said about liking someone, “Your heart knows that you love or like him. It beats rapidly almost making your chest hurt.” Her mouth twitched thinking about this but understood somewhat that it might be because they were always together. Taking a closer look at him, saying to herself, “He is handsome,” moving onto, “He is the one I trust wholeheartedly.” “Would it be okay to open my heart to him?” she wondered. “Sheng,” she called out. Hearing her call out his name, he snapped out of it. Realising that he was wrong for thinking sexually provocative thoughts about her and wanting to put his hands on her body, he felt ashamed. Getting down onto his knees, he looked to the ground awaiting his punishment. “Why are you on your knees?” she asked. Yu Sheng, “Awaiting my punishment.” “Why, what did you do wrong?” “???” he thought, saying, “Because I looked at your naked body, I deserve to be punished.” “You have always seen me naked, why do you suddenly want to be punished?” “...” Not hearing a reply, she got up and walked over to him, standing in front of him naked. Using her index finger, she slid it under his chin, lifting his face up to look at her. His view made him crazy, he felt as if he could pull her down and make her his this second but held himself together. “You looked at me with eyes filled with lust, tell me… have you given up on being with Prince Baek Ah?” Yu Sheng, “My fidelity towards Prince Baek Ah is no more.” “Why” “Because we are no more.” “Why?” Yu Sheng stood up standing taller than her. She didn't raise her head to look at him. Bending down slightly he took in a whiff of the smell coming from her damp hair that smelled like lavender and a hint of mint mixed in. Raising his hands he placed them on her shoulders and pulled her closer; with his right hand, he slid it down her chest cupping her breast, squeezing hard causing a sting to flux through her body. Taken aback by the pain she raised her head glaring at him. Softening her gaze she noticed that he was looking at her with an intense gaze. “Shen...” she tried to utter but was cut off when his lips forced against hers. His left hand slid down caressing her body, moving down causing ripples throughout her body. He gripped onto her but cheek squeezing it roughly. Her eyes widened and his closed. Forcing her mouth open his tongue violated her mouth, exploring the inside of her cheeks, the roof of her mouth, her tongue, causing their saliva to mix and well up. Her eyes closed while tears formed in the corners. She involuntarily let out a moan into their kiss making Yu Sheng chuckle. He moved away looking down at her whose eyes were still closed and their saliva dripping down the side of her mouth. He bent down, licking the saliva away. He moved to her ear whispering, “YuMi, can I taste your other mouth?” She opened her eyes slowly with a raise to her eyebrow not knowing what he was referring too. Not waiting for an answer he picked her up helping her wrap her legs around him. He looked up at her while walking to the bed, gently laying her down. Kissing down her stomach making an intense tingling spread through her body. Reaching between her legs he spread them open, forcing them apart, causing a discomfort along the joints of her legs. Bringing his head in towards her vagina he caressed his hands over the hair obstructing his view. Using his fingers skillfully, he parted the hair through the middle. Her clitoris was erect and bigger than the ones he has seen before. Seeing hers made his shaft pitch a tent in his pants. Splitting her inner labia’s by pulling up the skin of her outer labia’s, he moved his nose closer breathing in her sweet smell. Sticking out his tongue, he flicked her clitoris with it. “Oh,” she said, quickly covering her mouth with her hands. Closing his eyes he licked from the opening of her vagina pushing his tongue in then moving his tongue up to her clitoris. “Hmmn” Her eyes tightened shut, while her hands pulled on the sheets. Her heels were digging into Yu Sheng's shoulders as she tried to stop him from continuing. Her breathing quickened as Yu Sheng’s up and down motions became faster. Yue Mian was about to lose herself feeling her body tense up around the stomach. It felt as if something was about to come out of her as the shock waves coursed through her body stimulating all her nerves. She forced her legs to wrap around his neck. Yu Sheng lifts her up by her back making her lean forward, with this, she grabbed onto the back of his head, pulling his hair to the point where it hurt him but also making him more excited. He started eating her out with force making a sensation flow through her body that she has never felt before. “S-sheng,” she called out to him but he didn't stop. Hitting the back of his head with little force, her body arched backwards and the thing she tried so hard to keep back came out gushing at Yu Sheng instantly making him stop and stare at her heaving body, Her climax was her first time and she couldn't understand what was happening to her. She quickly got up and crawled backwards still breathing with difficulty. After calming down she wiped away her tears, ready to scold Yu Sheng when she saw his face full of a thick white liquid that was dripping down onto his robe soiling it. Wiping away the liquid and licking it off his hands he looked at her with dark eyes. He took his robe off throwing it one side, climbing on the bed, he grabbed her by the legs and pulled her forcefully towards him. Shocked, she looked up at him with wide eyes. MyLadyQueen And this is the end of the first story... Ima take a break to write down the second story, so see you all back in JuneXD

Father announced to the court that I’d officially returned to the Imperial Palace and the council was not happy about that so I had my men visit each and every one of their homes to show that I’m someone they should be wary of. Obviously now, this gets spread throughout the empire and soon many are sending me gifts but I refuse them all, not out of disrespect but because I’m not officially their princess yet, I ask everyone to please be patient until my coronation and then I’ll meet them all officially. My siblings and their mothers have been restless this past two weeks because I refused to see them and only allowed Xian Le and Ling Tian to see me, with my father’s permission of course. Currently, I’m in Xieye paying my respects to my Godfather. Godfather looks at me angrily with tears in his eyes. Sighing he rubs the bridge of his nose, “Ye Rucheng!” Lowering my head I answer, “Yes, Godfather.” He sighs again, “YuMi, do you know how long you’ve been gone?” “It’s been eleven years, Godfather,” I answer timidly. He slams his fist on the armrest, “Answer me, why did you leave?” Raising my head I looked him in the eyes, “Godfather, I hated my life here in Xieye, I’ve always hated it! I lost my best friend and I was pitied. I was bullied for being fatherless, I hated it and I hated everyone who ever said anything against me. I knew deep down in my heart that I did not belong here but I stayed because I had you. I had my mother. My grandparents and Yu Sheng, that’s the only reason why. That day at An Cheng’s Banquet, I knew that the princesses planned something for me and I took it. I’ve been planning years in advance on leave and the two princesses gave me the perfect opportunity to leave so please Godfather, don’t blame the princesses… although they schemed against me, they weren’t the reason why I left. Originally I wanted to head straight for Jilei to see what the empire was like but then I remembered that I didn’t visit the Naiad empire so that is where I went. I was supposed to meet up with Yu Sheng at a check point but I never because I started enjoying my life in Naiad… I met many people there and by the time I realized it five years had gone by and that’s when Yu Sheng and I met up again. After I met with Yu Sheng I was reminded of the life that was taken from me so I decided to return to Jilei… on my way, I’ve met more people that delayed my plans but I don’t regret it.” Sighing I looked at my Godfather, the generals, my grandparents, parents, Yu Sheng, An Cheng and his sisters, “It’s not that I hated any of you it’s just that I’m not someone who just stays in one place and accepts what is given to me. I like to fight. I prefer sleeping on stones than in a comfortable bed. I enjoy the outdoors, not staying inside and pretending my shit doesn’t stink. I’m not perfect and I like that about myself. I’m a deadly person although I don’t look like it. I’ve fought with mountain tigers and I’ve had swords at my throat and still, I’d prefer that lifestyle over living a comfortable life. I go looking for danger because that is what I like.” Sighing I suck my bottom lip into my mouth, “I returned to Jilei and fell in love with my brothers; yes I wanted to make the Wang royals know that I was alive and make them suffer but I changed my mind and plotted with fake poison and I was ready to have an all-out battle with them at my execution just to scare them just because I felt like it – being accepted as their princess is not something I want but my plans changed after hearing the Emperors words.” Turning to look at my mother I say, “I know you want nothing to do with Jilei mamma but you have to know that you and I are two different people and I won’t always be your baby girl, I’m a grown woman and I have been for years… you should have learnt this when I walked out on you eleven years ago, for disappointing you and the expectations you had for me, I am truly sorry that I can’t please you… I am my own person and I’ve known that since I stopped mourning for Gaowan. I love you yes but not as much as you love me and that is why I can’t understand what you experienced have believed that you lost me and I wouldn’t have left you if I didn’t believe that pappa could take care of you, so please can you just live your life happily and be with your husband. You don’t have to come visit me in Jilei but just so you know – I will be coronated as their princess and I will be their Empress in the future.” Bowing my head, I look at Yu Sheng and he smiles. He bows his head at everyone and we leave. Before exiting the court I stop, turning to look at them I give them a bone-chilling smile, “No one besides me can set my fate and if whoever the poor soul is that tries to change my fate, he’ll lose his life.” Helping me onto my horse, I look down at him; he smiles at me from ear to ear and whispers words that only he and I can hear, “I love you.” Beaming down at my husband I nod, “You better!” He laughs and jumps up on his horse, turning to look at me, “So where to next?” Shrugging I look forward, “Jilei is two days away, lets head out. Tell the soldiers to leave after us and send one ahead to notify Emperor Wang that we’ll arrive three days later; you and I can leave now… let's surprise them.” He nods slowly, “So you and I are taking the long way back?” Raising a brow at him I smile, “Well I can’t make you wait now can I?” Yu Sheng sucks in a deep breath and looks away. The two of us head out after waving our parents off and blowing air kisses. I look back and see the tears in my mother’s eyes – I’d prefer that she’d stand by my side but it's okay if she doesn’t, I have my husband, daughter and son, not to mention, the little one on the way.” * We arrived at the Imperial Palace exhausted after the activity we performed in the woods. We rushed to my palace and dismissed all the servants after ordering a bath. Yu Sheng sat behind me and we relaxed for a while before I had to meet with my siblings, the noble wives, empress and my father officially. Letting him dress me in the royal blue attire, he looks down at me lovingly, tilting his head to the side and squinting his eyes at me, he smiles and leans down to give me a kiss, “Rucheng, please behave and don’t act like the fool you are in front of them… remember you represent your husband and they’ll think I’m not fit for you since you behave like a fool.” My eyes widen at his shameless comment. About to say something but he invades my mouth with his tongue. Pushing him away I cross my arms before my chest, “After that mean comment you still want something from me?” He laughs and rolls his eyes, bowing he says, “Princess, I’ll be at the training grounds if you need me.” Waving him away I nod and look at the servant waiting outside, “Where’s lunch being held?” She bows, “Answering to Her Highness, lunch is being held at the main palace’s garden.” Nodding my head, I motion for her to lead the way. She leads me through the many passages and courtyards to the inner palace and I can smell the food scent wafting in the air. We arrive garden but its shield off by a screen. The servant bows ready to announce my arrival but before she can, I raise my foot and kick the screen-like door open. She looks at me shocked as the door falls to the ground and so does everyone else. I smile at the servant and shoo her away and walk-in. the door is quickly picked up by two eunuchs. I walk down the path leading to the pavilion where everyone is seated around a table. It’s a beautiful garden that has a pond around the pavilion with koi fish and angle fish in it. Stopping in front of everyone I smile, “Am I late?” I ask them even though I know I am late. My father sits in the middle, while the empress sits beside him on the right. Xian Rong beside his mother and the rest of the siblings following suit. On the left of the emperor sits his wives from the first to the fourth and they’re all looking at me nervously. I take my seat across the emperor since it’s the only seat open, with Ling Tian on my left and You Ming on my right. It’s quiet for a moment before Ling Tian speaks up, “Sister YuMi, I’ve already introduced you to the princes’ and princesses’… so, let me introduce you to our mothers,” I nod as he clears his throat. I can see that he and everyone here is on edge having me here so I smile at him while raising a brow. He swallows and starts, “Next to our father is our mother and Empress Lanhua. Next to our father is our mother first noble wife Hana, next to our first mother we have our second mother noble wife Kaihua… third noble wife Dal and fourth noble wife Byeol,” he finally finishes. Bowing my head slightly I say, “It’s an honour meeting you all, Emperor Wang truly has the most beautiful women in his palace.” They look almost embarrassed hearing my compliment. “Princess Rucheng, you’re more beautiful than us older woman… but that is to be expected, Ni Xing is a beautiful woman herself so her daughter’s beauty is exceptional too, right sisters?” Second noble wife Kaihua says while looking between her sisters and myself. Smiling I answer, “Thank you for the compliment. I may be beautiful but my mother will always outshine myself and anyone who stands beside her and we shouldn’t forget the handsome princes’ and beautiful princesses seated with us.” The two of us chuckle while the rest smile awkwardly. The servants come in with the first out of five courses… a salad. Looking down at the herbs in my bowl I raise it to my lips with a heavy heart. I’m not one for eating food that someone else makes but I guess I have no choice since I was ordered to behave. Between the silence, a throat clears. Looking to my right I see its Ling Xiao. She’s looking at me while everyone is looking at her. I raise a brow at her and she blushes. “Uh… sister… Yue Mian, you’re from Xieye, right? Is it possible for you to tell us what it's like living there?” she asks me timidly. I nod but wait for the servants to set the second course down – soup. Once they leave I take a sip of my tea; “I don’t mind but be specific,” I say as the attention of everyone turns to me. “What about your childhood?” First noble wife says making me raise a brow. “Or you don’t have to if you prefer not to,” she interjects. Smiling I nod, “I don’t mind it's just that so much shit happened so I don’t know where to start.” I say making Xian Le choke on his soup. Raising a brow at him he waves me off and You Ming whispers, “Language,” making me smile. “Well then let’s start at the beginning. My mother was originally best friends with Emperor An and since his father and my grandfather were army buddies and they saw that their children were getting along, they decided to wed them. But as much as Emperor An loved my mother, my mother only saw him as a brother and she refused to marry him… Emperor An understood my mother’s feelings so he helped her escape the marriage on the night before their wedding. She came to Jilei and helped the elders of Jilei so that she could receive silver to survive on without having to register because she was still being hunted down by the previous emperor. Then after a year of working one of the aunties who she worked for informed her of the servants being accepted by the palace to work and she got in… she worked for a few years and met the crown prince who fell in love with her and then they had me. After she returned home to Xieye, my grandfather named me and raised me along with my grandmother, mother and uncles but mostly I was raised by my grandfather in the army. Do you all know of the yearly tournament held in Xieye?” I ask and they nod. “Well according to Godfather. The following year after we returned home I rejected An Cheng’s marriage proposal as a baby.” “Really?” asked Xian Le. Nodding my head, “Mn… Well more like he grew curious about the baby in his father’s arms and after Godfather asked him if I was beautiful he said yes. The proposal was also indirectly rejected by my grandfather because he didn’t want to force marriage on me because he was afraid that history would repeat itself being me running away from the marriage as my mother did. Godfather understood my grandfather’s standpoint but An Cheng refused to accept it and we’ve been engaged until I was twelve. Godfather revoked the title after my grandfather told him that I am Emperor Wang’s child and gave me the title of Goddaughter.” Sighing I sipped on the tea continuing, “An Cheng and I had a falling out after I lost my dog at the age of five… we, my pet and I went fishing one day after my martial arts training. After we caught the biggest fish I’ve ever seen, I packed up and we were on our way back to the base camp when Gaowan suddenly started barking. I turned around to look at what it was and it was an adult mountain tiger. It tried getting me but Gaowan fought him off. It was my first time seeing such a bloody battle and I was so scared; I can’t remember how it ended but all I know is that he was lying on the ground looking at me and the mountain tiger walked off bleeding. I cried so hard when his eyes rolled into the back of his head. I watched the last breath leave the body of my best friend and I couldn’t handle it. My mind went blank and fell asleep. I woke up later with flies and crows around me eating his insides. When I realized what had happened to him, hatred grew in my heart. I took my clothes off pushed his organs back into his body and wrapped his body in my clothes so they wouldn’t fall out. I carried him on my back to the army base and when I felt that I could no longer carry him I heard my name being called. When I looked up the one who caught my falling body was my pappa… he along with my mother, grandfather, uncles and the rest of the army came looking for me. I mourned for a whole week and then I became dead inside. I had a falling out with the noble children and An Cheng. I started resenting everyone and everything… as we grew older we grew apart and I was being teased by the nobles and other royals being called a bastard, a nobody and a fatherless bastard too… I would beat them up and grandfather and Godfather would yell at me and it was a never-ending story. I hated An Cheng because he let everyone bully me and he hated me because I didn’t love him. An Cheng stopped speaking to his parents after they told him I was no longer going to be his wife and he and I ended up having a very long and troubling conversation about it because I also did not know why I was no longer going to be the crown princess but he didn’t give up and we became close again afterwords but before our falling out my mother told me about who my father is and why we weren’t together. Did I mention that his sisters hate me?” I ask with a frown. I look at everyone and they all have this uncomfortable look on their faces. Xian Le is muffling his cry while looking at me and noble wives Kaihua and Hana have tears in their eyes. “No, you did not mention that,” says Lanshan. I clear my throat and nod, “Well they do or they did, its mostly because their father spoilt me more than them… I tried telling them before that I didn’t really enjoy being spoilt but they didn’t believe me… my mother also asked Godfather to stop but he said he can’t. he said to her that he cant help but spend time with me and saw me as his own child, whereas my grandfather thinks its because he wishes that I was the child between him and my mother but whatever… I didn’t want to get married so I hid the fact that I was a woman from them… I became one at the age of twelve and Yu Sheng helped me hid it and so we’ve been working on a way to get me out of Xieye and it was all thanks to the princesses plotting a scheme against me when it was the coming of age banquet… I left or well ran away and lived in Naiad where I met many people and made many friends I am also the founder of the dragon moon assassination guild…” “YOU WHAT!” yells the empress as she stands up. I look up at her and smile, “Must I repeat myself?” “Rucheng, this isn’t a topic which you can just randomly claim,” says the Xian Rong who finally decided to speak. I smile as I gaze into his eyes, “What makes you think I’m lying?” “Rucheng, it's impossible for you to be the founder, I’ve spoken to him myself,” he says and I shake my head. “When you requested an appearance I refused because I already knew who you were. Originally I wanted Yu Sheng to meet up with you with a mask on but he said it was too risky so I had one of our subordinates pretend to be the founder while Yu Sheng and stood beside him wearing our masks… if you don’t believe me then we can discuss your request,” I say shrugging. Turning to our father I say, “I told you before that I’m not someone that anyone can just mess with. You already experienced it yourself, Yu Sheng had his sword at your throat and ‘your’ executioner was my warrior that has been working for you for how long?” Smirking I continue, “I’m a very influential person and almost no one knows who I am at the same time… Master of the trading alliance is another title I own not to mention the many whore houses I get my information from… you all wanted to know what my life is like but that’s something that you’ll regret finding out eventually.” Xian Rong stands up and looks at me, “You and I need to speak in private, follow me and let me emphasize the importance of these words said by our sister, this doesn’t leave here do you understand me?” he says looking at our siblings, mothers, and especially the servants who immediately bow their heads shivering. He turns to look at his mother and glares at her, “Do YOU understand?” I raise a brow when I see the terrified look in his mother’s eyes while she nods at him. He walks away and I follow him waving back at Xian Le who looks worried. Following behind him we arrive at his palace and he dismisses his servants and guards. Closing the door behind us he leads me to his bed and moves a shelf. Lifting the Persian carpet off the floor I see a trap door and my eyes immediately sparkle. Following behind him we walk down a passage lit dimly and enter a door which he closes behind us. Walking to a table and chair after lighting candles he sits down and looks at me. Holding his hand out to sit on the chair opposite him he smiles at me. I sit down with my hand holding my chin while leaning against the table. “I seem to have underestimated you, Rucheng,” he says in a calm voice. I look at my brother with a raised brow and smile. “But, you shouldn’t underestimate me,” he says sparking my interest. I nod saying, “Crown Prince Xian Rong, I’ve never underestimated you. I know perfectly well what you are capable of.” He nods his head while tapping his finger against the table. “Our father has told me your plans but I can’t say I am all too happy hearing about it.” Tilting my head to the side I nod, “That’s not surprising, I didn’t expect you to agree to any of my suggestions.” He nods and looks at me with no emotion on his face. After a moment of silence he asks, “Why would I allow my wife to have another man?” Stunned. That’s all I can say, “What do you mean?” I ask him, trying to figure him out. “What I mean is, why would I let the one who I looked forward to marrying my whole life, marry someone else?” he says making my heart beat fast. After a moment of silence, I ask, “That be as it may, have you never considered the chance of me already having another man? Or me, never making it this far?” He frowns slightly, “I have but even if you’ve had another, I’ll still make you mine… and if you never made it here, that is fine too, you would have still been my Empress in death.” “You’re willing to go that far?” I ask. He nods making me speechless. He continues, “I’ll let you marry whoever you want but don’t think, I won’t have you every night.” Oh wow, another fucked up man!

HiHi ~ Thank you for choosing to read this book, I'm not at all good at writing and naming things but you must have either been attracted here by the cover, the synopsis or the novels name. This novel will be exactly as the name says it is, she's a barbaric and disobedient person that knows her limits but doesn't take shit, the word count ranges between 1500-3000 words, good luck. lol :) The first few chapters may be boring so I am hoping you will stick through it and read till her adventure begins, since its basically just brushing over her childhood. The r.ape scene's, murder scenes, sex scenes and others will be written in as much detail as I can come up with, so please bear with me :) I will include many things in this book to make it more realistic also and I hope you all like it. Thank you in advance. :)

We walk into the garden where everyone is having a lunch. I found out by Xian Le that I’ve been out for three days… how pathetic. Sweeping my gaze over the stunned faces; my face holds a smile that I’m sure makes shivers run down their spine. I’m immediately attacked by two gentle hugs. Raising a brow I look down and see it’s the twins. A boy and a girl, I’m guessing river is the girl and rain is the boy. Letting go of Xian Le, I crouch down and glare playfully at the twins, “Who are the two of you?” Simultaneously they answer, “Cheng-ah, we’re your siblings Rain and River,” they laughed as I tickled their stomachs. “I don’t have siblings with such strange names!” I say while pouting. “Well nice to finally meet our runaway sister, I’m Rain and this is my twin sister River, we’re eleven years old, as long as you’ve been gone!” He says with a playful frown. Nodding my head I say, “Oh yes, you’re the little buggers that came after me, many, many, many years later… the children of what’s his name again, you know the crazy man that stalked my mamma.” The twins gasp and start giggling; a deep throat is cleared and I hear heavy footsteps track towards me. Standing up I come face to face with a huge man. He looks down at me and I smile sheepishly, hugging myself I take a few steps back. “Yue Mian,” his voice trails sending shivers down my spine. “Present!” I salute. My mother breaks out in a fit of laughter and cuddles her husband’s side. Rolling my eyes, walking forward I stretch out my arms and hug him. He leans forward and hugs me back. Picking me up, he spins me in a circle while squeezing the life out of me. “I’m dying AAAAAAH!” I screech. He huffs and puts me down without letting me go, patting my head he glares down at me, “Little girl, you have some explaining to do!” I wince hearing those words but slowly nod my head. He lets me go and almost immediately I’m spun around and kisses rain down on me like it’s the end of the world. Smelling that familiar scent of roses and metal mixed together I frown because at the same time I can feel a piercing gaze from behind me and I know for a fact that it's Yu Sheng imagining ways to kill myself and Crown Prince An Cheng. He stops and pulls away, looking me over he quickly drags me to where my biological father, my grandparents and General Yu is – oh fuck… my uncles are here too. An Cheng wraps his arm around my shoulder and pulls me down making me sit next to him, I wonder when did he become so friendly. I have my head bowed not wanting to make eye contact with the generals and my grandmother. “YuMi! Do you know how worried we’ve been,” An Cheng says. He continues, “When we heard you were getting executed my father pulled half the army back and ordered us to head over.” Hearing about my Godfather, my head shoots up but I don’t see him. Frowning I pull away from An Cheng because Yu Sheng is about ready to kill everyone here. Turning to An Cheng I ask, “Cheng, where’s Godfather?” He raises a brow at me, “My father is in Xieye where he belongs, he couldn’t come so he sent me along with everyone else… We almost went to war with Jilei because of you and my father had a livid expression on his face when he heard you were going to be executed! YuMi, you better make sure you go pay your respects when you can, his heart broke after you left and we’ve been searching for you throughout the empires non stop… well we did stop once you sent him letters.” I nod my head, “I will, soon, still in this week but An Cheng, why are you here, shouldn’t you be with your wife, I’d prefer it if Godfather was here instead of you, you know I don’t like you.” He grins at me and points to the two generals who look like they will break into insanity soon. “You have some explaining to do,” says General Yu, my father-in-law in other words. I look at Yu Sheng quickly and he shakes his head, “I’ve already spoken to Yu Sheng, under no circumstances is he allowed to hold his sword against an emperor but he did and he did it under your orders, so start explaining.” “Uncle, don’t be hard on Yu Sheng, you told him to protect me at all costs and he did, also there is nothing to explain, I’ve said it many times before and I’ll say it again; I had no intentions of entering the Imperial Palace as I only wanted to travel alone, I know how to survive in the wild and living till today is proof of it. I was never going to enter the palace but because Ling Tian and Xian Le wanted me to follow them I did… everything else that happened just happened because I was bored and needed some excitement – look even the executioner works for me so I was never going to die and I don’t want to hear anymore of this nonsense alright! Everything is over and I want you all to leave… I’ve got no time for this shit, Yu Sheng, let’s go!” I say ready to leave but An Cheng's strong arms snake around my waist and pull me back. “YuMi, you were never one to follow instructions so be nice and just stay put, we still need to do a health check and give you a full body physical before we can deem that you are well, also, you and Yu Sheng need to stay put since you are a threat to the royal family.” After struggling for a bit I give in, they chuckle but I can see the worry in everyone’s eyes. My grandmother hugged me almost breathless while my grandfather berated me. Yu Sheng was pulled off to the side and Xian Le disappeared, most probably heading to Lou Fan. Emperor Wang looks between myself and my mother and I can see his pain filled eyes, clearing my throat I get everyone’s attention. “Okay now that we’ve reconciled, can you all leave so that Emperor Wang and myself can have a conversation?” I ask and smile wearily at the frowning and cautious looks they give me. My papa, Wu Yong looks at me questioningly and I give a smile reassuring him that everything is alright, slowly the garden cleared and it was just the two of us. I looked back at him and his face is as blank and unreadable as when I first saw him. * He gets up and tells me to follow him. Watching him disappear deeper into the garden, I look around to make sure no one is following us. I fall into step behind him and he looks over his shoulder, turning back to face forward we walk in silence for a while. We stop at a pond at the end of the trail leads to. He looks over the palace walls and then back at me. “You know, I was confined to this palace after I went searching for you and your mother after my trusted advisor returned with news of your disappearance. I cried for many days under this sky praying to the heavens that you and your mother were safe. I once thought that if I found the two of you I could bring you two into the palace and correct what my father and ancestors did once I become emperor but I guess I can’t. I can’t forgive myself for being weak years ago because I am your father and my duty was to protect you but I couldn’t. I thought that you and your mother died and that I would never see you or her again that lead me to give up hope. I thought that if I had more children, they could fill the gap that you left in my heart but I was wrong.” He looks down at me with watery eyes and continues, “You were the one person I wanted in my life and I was willing to give up my throne for you but I – I – I” “Your majesty please don’t. I found out about you when I was still young and I always believed that you must have cared in some way. My mother, when she spoke of you that day, she had tears in her eyes so I know that what happened couldn’t be prevented. I only heard about what really happened after Yu Sheng explained it to me in detail and I was shocked but never grew hatred for either of you or my grandparents nor the ancestors… all I wanted was for you and everyone to know was that I was still alive and willing to accept your apology. My whole execution and everything before was within my plans and was a way for you all to know that I exist. Unfortunately things happened that I didn’t have control over and here we are now… if your majesty is will to let everything go then I am willing to let bygones be bygones… and I’m hoping that Your Majesty is willing to allow my lowly self to stay here in the palace so,” I say with a bowed head. I feel his strong yet shaky arms wrap around me and tears fall on the side of my neck. His Majesty has his head on mine while his shoulders shake due to crying. Soft sobs came following his tears, “I’ll allow anything you want as long as you will allow me to be your father, I want to hold you, kiss you, have lunch, breakfast and dinner with you. I want to take you around the empire and show you all the beautiful places. I want a portrait of you and I want to hear you call me pappa. I want to hold a coronation in your name and give you the army to lead…” He says making my body shake. Taking in a deep breath I say, “Anything you wish pappa, I can grant it but there is one other thing, if I may,” he pulls away and looks at me with his red and puffy eyes. Nodding his head, giving me permission to speak, “I don’t want to marry my brother, I have someone else I love and want to marry him.” Looking into his eyes I see him frown but then calm down, he nods his head but asks, “If you don’t marry him then who shall we hand to him and be the future Empress?” Raising my hands I cup his cheeks, “Emperor An has two daughters and the youngest is the best choice for him, make the proposal and I’m sure he won’t reject, hearing that its my choice and pappa, I’ve known for long now that you want me to be Empress to give me what I couldn’t have before… But pappa, having your children as Emperor and Empress won’t be a problem. Xian Rong will marry his wife and I will marry my husband, after both weddings we can marry and consummate the wedding then rule the empire together.” A spark flashes in his eyes as his brows rise; I can see that he is contemplating on the idea and I just hope he falls for it. His eyes shoot back to me, “What are we going to do about an heir if we do this?” “Xian Rong’s son is the heir,” I say. “What about your child?” he asks not happy with my answer. “My daughter will be the Empress by default, they won’t have to consummate the wedding,” I say and he sighs in relief. “I actually never wanted my children to marry and give birth to infants that will be a problem, your idea works in a way and I will talk it over with your brother but Rucheng, what are we going to do about the ministers?” he asks looking at me worried. I shake my head, “Leave those men to me, I’m not someone they can easily mess with,” I say and the evil in me starts turning. I smile at my father and he nods his head, leaning down he plants a kiss on my forehead and cuddles me. I let him hold me as long as he wants while I smile uncontrollably at the fact that he is listening to me, now I can give my husband a proper wedding and see him happy because I know for a fact that he isn’t happy with just being my husband in the shadows, he wants the whole world to know that I’m his and he is mine.

Although the little children were noisy, they weren't too loud. Aunty Fei told them not to disturb their new sister...even so, the walls of the small house weren't soundproof hence an echo of their voices could be heard every now and then. The sounds of yelling, speaking, giggling and berating made for a sweet melody that put her heart at ease leading to a peaceful slumber that lasted until the next day. Before morning arrived her eyelids lifted slowly. Breathing in and opening her mouth to exhale the foul breath from keeping her mouth closed too long. Pulling in a deep amount of air through her nose, she sat up on the bamboo mat. Tying her restless lock of hair into a small bun due to its shortness in length, she flipped the blanket covering her to the side. Standing up she stretched her arms above her head. Placing her right hand on her left elbow, pulling her elbow to the right, firmly stretching her body. Bending down to touch her toes. Standing upright she lifts he left leg against her abdomen with the help of her arms; moving to her next leg she does the same. After thoroughly stretching out her body she picked up the blanket used for covering her. Folding it neatly and placing it to the side; lifting the sheet that separates her body from the bamboo mat - folding it neatly and placing it on the folded blanket. (A little unnecessary but ╮(︶▽︶)╭ I wrote it down so we have to read it) Proceeding to roll up the bamboo mat and fix the pillow, placing the four items where she got them. Sitting crossed legged on the floor with her eyes closed. Meditating while listening to the morning birds sing. It was around yin; mao during early spring. The sun was still yet to be seen when suddenly Yue Mian heard a whisper, “I'm sorry I have to leave you but he no longer loves me…” (a/n: yin - 03:00 - 04:00, mao - 05:00 - 06:00) Her eyes flung open. A gentle knock came from the front door… She quietly stood up and opened the room's door that closed her off from the others. The inside of the small house was pitch black with only the moon peeking through the holes and cracks of the house. Hearing no sound of movement from the other room, she walked down the dark passage, softly with light steps she stopped in front of the door. Placing her head against the door she listened for a sound but could hear nothing. Removing the blank that barred the door closed, she opened the door making the hinges creek like the sound of a nail against a copper mirror. She stepped outside to see who it was that spoke but her foot bumped against something. Looking down to her foot she saw that a basket was placed on the stone step. Bending down to see what was inside, she heard sniffling coming from inside the basket and paused. “Mmmm,” sounded from the inside of the basket. She put her hand inside and pulled away the cloth that was covering the moving thing inside. Pulling it away. It uncovered a small baby that barely had clothes on. Feeling the cold air touch its skin, the baby started crying. Its cry grew louder the more it was exposed to the cold air. Yue Mian picked the baby up in her arms and closed it with the silk cloth. Wrapping the baby in it she looked into the distance. The full moon shone down on the forest lighting it up. Although it was still dark, that did not stop Yue Mian from seeing the figure in the distance that was hiding behind a tree. Frowning in her direction, the woman behind the tree was frightened by the look the woman holding her baby gave her. A harsh wind blew towards Yue Mian. Taking the basket with her she stepped into the house with the baby in her arm. Chucking the basket to the side, the contents fell out making a loud “bang.” Aunty Fei walked through the door with a candle lit in her hand down the passage. Walking towards Yue Mian she asked, “Is it another one?” Yue Mian, “Excuse me?” Aunty Fei, “The baby in your arms, is another one dropped off by its parent.” Yue Mian, “She’s still standing in the forest, do you want me to go fetch her?” Aunty Fei looked at Yue Mian. Shaking her head she said, “No” setting the candle down on the only table in the house. Sitting down on the chair by the table she held her hands out to Yue Mian, “Give me the child.” Looking down at the baby n her arms she handed it over to Aunty Fei. Taking the baby in her arms, she rocked it a couple of times while saying “Shuu,” to shush the baby from crying too loudly. Singing a song to the baby while rocking it to sleep. Aunty Fei looked up at Yue Mian and said, “There’s a goat in the backyard, go milk it and bring me a bowl of milk so that I can feed the baby when it wakes up.” Moving her feet towards the front door she pauses, turning around she asked, “Where do I get the bowls?” Aunty Fei looked at her with a slight bit of delight, instructing her further, she told her the bowls could be found on the top shelf of the cupboard. Outside she bent down beside the goat and placed the bowl underneath the standing goat. Pulling on the goats' teats, the goat grunted and turned to her, headbutting her chest. Falling backwards from the attack she coughed heavily while patting her chest. This headbutt messed her up by hitting all the air out of her lungs. She struggled to get up actually falling to her sides a couple of times before finally stabilizing herself. Glaring at the goat, she stepped forward summoning all the power left in her body that was not much, lifting up her dominant leg she kicked the goats behind. The goat let out a bleat almost sounding like a humans cry for help. After satisfying her anger she grabbed the goat by its neck and bit onto its left ear. Whimpering under her the goat dropped to the ground almost hiding away from her. She kicked the goats left hind leg to the side exposing its udders. Grabbing onto the teats she started massaging it and the milk came out without a hic. The bowl was almost half full when she stopped. Glaring one last time at the goat she picked the bowl up, stood still and walked back to the house. The sun couldn’t be seen but the sky was a beautiful morning blue in colour with a yellow tint to it. Stepping into the house she was met with a stunned gaze from aunty Fei. Aunty Fei was stunned because Yue Mian was covered in the goats feed with rice in her hair and dust patches here and there on her clothes. Shaking her head she took the bowl from Yue Mian and threw it into the pot in the corner of the room and set it on top of the fire under the chimney that was keeping the house warm. While she was out, aunty Fei changed the baby and dressed it. She also emptied out the basket; covering the inside of the basket with a knitted small blanket and placed the now dressed baby on it. She covered the baby with another knitted blanket. Looking closely at the sleeping baby she saw that under its neck was a folded knitted thing that also looked like a blanket but just big enough to be a pillow. Finding herself mesmerized by the sleeping baby, Yue Mian sat down on the chair beside the table that had the basket on it. She rested her head in her right palm supported by her elbow. She looked at the baby wondering if she looked this peaceful as a baby. Thinking of this she thought of how sad and difficult it was to raise her and leave the man she loved, but realising how strong of a woman her mother is. Thinking this far she frowned. [What a disappointment I must be too lady Ye…] Aunty Fei walked over with a bowl of milk and brought it to the table, placing the bowl down on the table and sat down beside it on the opposite chair. She saw the expression on Yue Mian’s face… While stirring the bowl of milk with a spoon she asked, “What seems to be bothering you?” Snapping out of her daze, she saw aunty Fei looking down at the bowl and stirring it. Balling her left hand into a fist, she said, “I am a disappointment.” The hand that stirred the spoon in the bowl of milk stopped. Looking up at her, aunty Fei asked, “Why do you say so?” Sighing  she answered, “I left without saying goodbye to my mother and grandparents even though they did so much for me.” Nodding her head and listening tentatively, aunty Fei began stirring once again, “Then why did you leave if you would start having regrets now?” The hand that was balled traced the wooden marks of the table stopped. Raising her head to look at aunty Fei she said, “I have no regrets.” Continuing to mix, she looked over at the baby then asked, “Then do you find yourself feeling sorry for this little one because he was abandoned?” Looking over at the baby she slowly nodded her head, “I heard his mother say, “I’m sorry I have to leave you but he no longer loves me,” then she ran off.” Aunty Fei smiled gently while she caressed the exposed right cheek of the baby with her thumb and said, “This little boy is very fortunate to have come at a time when you are around.” Yue Mian was surprised, “Its a boy?” Aunty Fei nodded her head, “Yes and he was born no less than three months ago.” Raising her brows Yue Mian asked, “How do you know?” Aunty Fei, “In the basket, his mother left his birth certificate and letter with some silver coins.” Yue Mian, “What did the letter say?” Aunty Fei, “She asked us to look after her little one.” Yue Mian, “That’s it?” Aunty Fei looked at Yue Mian, seeing a very displeased Yue Mian she smiled and asked, “What else was she supposed to say?” Yue Mian bit the inside of her cheeks, “It’s obvious that she had him trying to keep his father in check, now that he has left she’s dumping her son… Isn’t a mother supposed to have unconditional love for her child, why would she give him up so easily?” she asked while trying to swallow down her anger. Aunty Fei thought for a moment before saying, “This may seem to be the case but what if she is having troubles of her own?” Yue Mian could not counter aunty Fei’s words. She knew that everyone had their own troubles and reasons but she never agreed with the fact that a parent could allow for their child to not be by their side. Thinking this far she couldn’t help but think of her father… He father Wang Rong Emperor of Jilei is living life to the fullest while knowing that she is not under his care, how can he sleep at night? While she was thinking all this her facial expression softened into a somewhat sad expression, aunty Fei looked at her wondering what could be her troubles. There was no way Yue Mian would open up to her easily so she would have to make the first move but before she could Yue Mian said, “I never told you who I am. My name is Ye Yue Mian, I am from  Xieye.” Smiling lightly aunty Fei asked, “How old are you YuMi?” Yue Mian faces her with surprise, “I am sixteen this year.” Aunty Fei, “Mn, you are the perfect age.” Raising her eyebrows she asked, “Perfect for what?” Aunty Fei places the bowl of milk to the side and held Yue Mian's hands in hers and said while smiling from ear to ear, “To be this little one's mother.” Hearing this, Yue Mian's mind went blank. The blankness was evident on her face making aunty Fei laugh heartily. Saying with a cheeky smile on her face, “You picked him up so you have to take responsibility even if you don’t want to.” Yue Mian trailed with a “but…” but was instead cut off by aunty Fei who folded her hands in front of her big breasted chest saying, “No but’s maiden, this little one needs a mother who can raise him properly and be there for him  throughout the day and in his whole life and you fit the profile. I can’t do it because I have five other children that need my attention and I am already old.” Yue Mian was about to say something but was interrupted yet again, aunty Fei continued, “It’s okay, I will help you until you can do it without having to consult me and remember not only are you this baby’s mother, you are also the other children’s elder sister, so you need to take care of them too.” Yue Mian had no words left for aunty Fei, she realised that this old woman was an old fox and would use and abuse her all she could. For the time being, she did not mind this because she had nothing else to do. Seeing that Yue Mian had given up aunty Fei looked at her  eagerly and asked, “What will you name your son?” Moving her eyes from the grinning old fox to the baby… after a long pause, she said, “His name is Ye Xinxi Yue, Wang Qiang Du.” Aunty Fei looked at Yue Mian with her eyes widened to the point where they almost popped out. Not only did Yue Mian give her son a name, but she also gave him his title that everyone besides her would call him, including the nobles, royals and even the emperor. Thinking this far aunty Fei’s heart trembled, “Yue Mian, a title is only allowed for those who are of noble or royal birth.” Yue Mian, “I know and since he is my son, he gets one.” Aunty Fei’s eyes shifted from Yue Mian to the baby, back to her, “Don’t tell me…” she trailed, thinking back to Ye Xinxi Yue’s title. Mouthing the word “Wang”... with a stutter, she said, “You couldn’t possibly be from Jilei, you said you are from Xieye, did you not?” The corner of her mouth lifted into a smile while saying, “According to my mother, my father is Emperor Wang Rong, Wang Tejo Rong.” Aunty Fei, “Wang Tejo Rong?” she asked alarmed. Nodding her head she said, “My grandparents and Emperor An have confirmed it, along with the fact that Emperor Rong’s first cousin has been protecting me all these years.” “No way...You couldn’t be” hearing all this, aunty Fei’s words were stuck in her throat while her mind was in disarray, when suddenly gossip-filled her mind. She looked at Yue Mian and asked, “You couldn’t possibly be the child between the emperor and his maidservant that went missing?” Staring at aunty Fei with a listless gaze she nodded without saying a word. Aunty Fei felt that something was off, looking at Yue Mian she asked, “Why did you leave home?” Yue Mian, “To experience life.” She was stumped for words..she asked, “You said that even Emperor An said Wang Tejo Rong is your father. What is your relationship with the emperor of Xieye?” “General Yu is the first general and my grandfather is the third, my mother is the ex-crown princess and I am also and ex-crown princess now goddaughter of Emperor An,” She answered nonchalantly. Aunty Fei looked at Yue Mian for a moment before saying, “You must not fall pregnant with the crown prince’s child otherwise you and your mother will have the exact same destiny.” Scrunching her nose at these words Yue Mian smiled, she asked, “Will you turn me in?” Waving her hand in front of her, aunty Fei countered in defeat, “If I do, who will help me and look after Ye Xinxi Yue?” “You‘d dare make a princess work knowing her background?” she said with no respect in her tone and a chilly smile on the corner of her mouth. Aunty Fei, “Princess… Where?” she looked around the room playing innocent. MyLadyQueen When pronouncing their surname Wang it's not WAN but WUNG like swung... hopefully this is helpful (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧ I also changed their surname from Xian to Wang so I have a shit ton of editing to do this upcoming week, err... one last thing, I will no longer be writing so stiffly XD wish me luck TwT

It was deep into the night a week later. Yue Mian stood in front of a house in the mountains. There was no light burning inside the house but the sounds of lovemaking echoed deep into the forest. At first, she was befuddled by this but knowing him, this was expected. The sky was lit with a bluish-purple hue that showed its beauty when the sounds finally settled. She was sitting on the porch, resting against the railing when she heard footsteps. Closing in on her, she moved slightly. The door opened and the one she was looking for walked out with his robe hanging loosely not covering all the important parts only his back and behind. Walking to the side of the house he returned with a bucket of water and closed the door behind him coming out again after half an incense stick. As he stepped out, she spoke with a lazy tone, "Your stamina is impeccable, I truly find the one under you with much pity." Stopping in his tracks, he turned around with his eyes still dark with lust. Looking at her his eyes widened. His stunned gaze mused the one in front of him. Dropping the bucket of water, he rushed to her side and wrapped his arms around her. With red eyes and a strained voice he said, "YuMi, I thought you were dead." "Do you honestly think that this master you serve is so weak that she would die," she asked still in his grasp. He pulled back, gave her a once over and said with a chuckle, "Of cause not, my master wouldn't but you did promise to meet me and never showed up, you also promised letters but never sent them. Can you really blame this servant for having such thoughts?" Rolling her eyes at him she stepped down and sat on the edge of the porch and said, "No but you seem to be having the time of your life with the one side." Looking at her guilty he said, "Mn, I seem to have fallen in love, but our love is forbidden." Waving her hand she said, "Don't worry, I will protect you both." He tidied up and made tea for her. Watching the dawn of this new day, he realised that it was finally about to start… the anticipated fight for the survival of the century, the ascension of his princess. Yue Mian ordered him to explain to her what she missed out on. Telling her about everything made him forget his lover. Said lover woke up to the sound of their laughter. With an aching body said lover got up and walked to the door. Opening the door to see his lover laughing with someone whom he had never seen before made him jealous. Walking out and standing on the porch while leaning against, feeling as though he is about to faint he called out to his lover, "Sheng!" Startled by the sudden call, the two turned in unison to look at the one standing on the porch. Quickly getting up he ran to his lovers' side and asked in a worried tone, "Why are you up, I told you before that you should rest longer." Glaring at Yue Mian then looking up he said, "I came to see why there was so much noise." Yue Mian sipped on the tea trying to hide her laughter, "Could this person be jealous?" Looking at the couple she said, "Yu Sheng, help him get dressed and bring him out, I'd like to have a talk with him too." Yu Sheng answered respectfully, "Yes." Picking up the hint of respect in Yu Sheng's voice and frowned. The two of them later came out after Yu Sheng gave him a back rub. Seated in front of her, she poured them all tea and started, "Prince Baek Ah, thank you for looking after and keeping Yu Sheng company in my absence." The corner of Prince Baek Ah's mouth twitched. "Who are you?" Yu Sheng was about to say something about Prince Baek Ah's manners but Yue Mian stopped him. Glaring at Yu Sheng he mumbled to himself. "I am Yu Sheng's cousin, Ye Yue Mian, it is a pleasure to meet you again after so many years." Prince Baek Ah froze. The person in front of him was basically dead according to what he heard but to see her here before him he felt terrible. He looked at Yu Sheng who sat beside him. With her being back in the picture, this could only mean that his days with Yu Sheng ended here. Sensing the distress in his eyes Yue Mian asked, "Prince Baek Ah, do you want to stay by Yu Sheng's side?" - nodding his head with tears forming in his eyes. Yu Sheng patted his lovers back. Comforting him, he too would miss Prince Baek Ah but his duty served for a better purpose. "Prince Baek Ah, you would only be a burden to Yu Sheng if you came along with us. I do wish for Yu Sheng's happiness but I also do not wish for my plans to be ruined by our weakness being in the way." "I do know that what I am saying sounds harsh but if my enemies were to find out that you are Yu Sheng's weakness then use you to get to us… I don't see the need to continue this because as a Prince you know what it means to carry a burden." Looking at him with a burning gaze Yue Mian said no more, if Prince Baek Ah did not understand this then it can't be helped. No More words were exchanged between the three. Yue Mian handed the letters to Yu Sheng. She told him to meet her again in three days at the foot of the mountain. When she left Yu Sheng took Prince Baek Ah into his arms and held him tightly. Feeling the warmth that won't hold him in the future he cried. His tears seeming to not come to an end. The pain, lies, love and good times were all coming to an end with no date set in stone for the two of them to meet again. Prince Baek Ah's heart cracked further and further till there was only a thin red string holding their love together. Prince Baek Ah, only worried about himself could not see Yu Sheng's red eyes and tears. Yu Sheng who felt no less pain and sorrow for this Prince spoke with a horse tone but gentle, "Baek Ah, remember what I said before, my promise still stands as before even though we won't be together for the time being." Prince Baek Ah stopped crying to hear his lovers voice, he asked, "The promise you made to me?" "Mm," Yu Sheng hummed. Prince Baek Ah, "That you will have me as long as we love one another?" Yu Sheng, "This promise still stands my love." The next day Yu Sheng took Prince Baek Ah back to the paLACE, excusing himself with other business. The emperor did not mind because Yu Sheng did his part by training his son and making him stronger. Yu Sheng and his men met up with Yue Mian at the foot of the mountain. The three men bowed and pledged their allegiance to serve her and help her execute her plans. She was very pleased to see that she had more people to rely on but did not celebrate too soon. Looking at the four in front of her she said, "Before we leave for Jilei, there are a few of the Naiad nobles we need to take care of." "Yes!" the answered in unison.---A while back I heard the locals speaking, well mostly complaining. It appears that those who earn a living by selling fruits and vegetables, cotton, fabrics, you name it. What also does not seem correct is that when you apply for citizenship, attendance for school and to register your child, you need a huge sum of money that is no less than one hundred silver. According to previous records, the sum was no less than five silver. When this amount rose, why it rose and who is behind it all, I want to know. If the royal family is behind this then it will have to wait but if this is because the extended family or nobles are involved, it is time to correct their deeds. The five clad in black sat atop the balcony of their base surrounding by a wall of mist and trees, deep within the mountains a disguised training ground, for the soldiers. The master of this place was the royal family on the surface; this was Yue Mian's playground all thanks to the newly appointed commander Yu Sheng. Twirling a dagger between her fingers, a gentle smile played on her lips as she looked out the window down at the soldiers who were training. Yu Sheng on the side shuddered to see her smile. It has been a while since the last they saw each other and seeing her smile was unusual and slightly frightening. A few days passed while Yu Sheng returned to his duties. As these days passed by the smile, Yue Mian once had because of her little one faded, returning to the sour expression she once wore. The longer she was parted with her son, the more hate bloomed in her heart, she realised that her weakness needed to be kept hidden inside a bottomless pit and if she must, aunty Fei would have to die too. Pushing these thoughts to the back of her head, she wondered about how the five people reacted to her letters. Emperor An, Ye Ning, General Ye, Ni Xing and...

Yue Mian is a nameless girl born between the Crown Prince Wang Tejo Rong of the Jīlěi Empire and his servant Ni Xing. Her mother was sentenced to death because she touched the Jīlěi Empire's, Crown Prince. Touching the Royal Bloodline was a huge taboo in the empire, but because Crown Prince Tejo Rong had feelings for this servant he begged his royal father to be lenient, and spare her because she was bearing his child. He was already married to five noblewomen and only two had given birth to his children while one was expecting his child, the other two were still under-aged and he did not dare sleep with them in case there were problems. He proposed to marry the servant which lead to her becoming his concubine and not this wife, his royal father the Emperor agreed, but once the baby was born her gender made his opinion of this union change. After a week of being in this world, she and her mother were exiled from the Crown Prince's palace and was moved to the outskirts of the Jīlěi Empire because the emperor did not want them near his family. The Crown Prince was not happy about this, but couldn't do anything to save his daughter and her mother who he loved. The only thing he could do for them bought a home to live in and put clothes on their back, for six months he sent money with his adviser to them to help with food costs, and to buy the extra things they needed. *** In the seventh month when his adviser made his trip to the house, he found it-empty, he stayed for three days and four sleepless nights, but still, the servant and her baby never appeared. He returned to the Jīlěi Empire in panic and informed Crown Prince Tejo Rong, the Crown Prince grew anxious for their safety and set out in search for the servant and her daughter. After the Crown Prince and his men left his palace, word reached the Imperial Palace that the Crown Prince left without consulting his royal father, the Emperor. When the Emperor got wind of the Crown Prince's actions his anger soared, the Jīlěi Empire's twelve Generals' were dispatched to bring Crown Prince Tejo Rong back. When the Royal army's twelve Generals' arrived before him and his men, they sensed that something was off... After hearing the details five of the Generals returned with Crown Prince Wang to the Jīlěi Empire and the other seven Generals stayed with the Crown Prince Wang's men and searched for the servant and her daughter. When Crown Prince Tejo Rong and the five Generals returned to the Jīlěi Empire he was heavily punished and had to move into the Sun and Moon Palace with his wives and children. Living in the Sun and Moon Palace wasn't bad, but it was located next to the Emperor's Dragon's Soul Palace, where the Emperor could keep watch over his every move. *** Two weeks passed, the seven Generals and Crown Prince Wang's men returned with no results. The Emperor found the sudden disappearance of the servant and her daughter strange, after being convinced by the royal adviser, he gathered a group of eligible men and women to investigate their disappearance. After three months of searching, nothing came out from the investigations; the Crown Prince's heart bloomed with uneasiness and sadness, the Emperor and the Empress along with his other wives were in the Dragon Souls Palace Pavilion discussing this issue which brought up great unrest. *** The Emperor had his Empress and three noble wives; the Empress gave birth to Crown Prince Tejo Rong and the third princess, also the eighth prince. The first noble wife gave birth to the second prince, fourth prince and the seventh princess. The second noble wife gave birth to the fifth prince, sixth prince and ninth princess. The third noble wife gave birth to the tenth and eleventh twin princes and is currently baring the Emperor's twelfth child. "Your majesty, the servant who is missing is of no concern, but her child is a member of the Royal family, she needs to be found.," said the third noble wife who was sitting on the side gazing at the emperor. The Empress, first noble wife and second noble wife nodded their heads in agreement; "Third sister is correct your majesty, we need to find her, she is our grandchild after all even though she was never supposed to be born," added the Empress. The Emperor looked at the Empress and his noble wives and smiled bitterly. "My beautiful wives, you are all wiser than myself, the Crown Prince fell for a servant and conceived a child with her, I sent her away because she and her daughter will bring shame upon my Royal family, if her child was born a son, I would have blessed her, but because she has given the Royal family a daughter instead of a son, should the mother still receive my blessing?" The Emperor looked at his Empress and wives once again, they all did not dare to look him in the eye, they knew firsthand that giving birth to a daughter first was marked as a disgrace by the Royal family, but if she was a noblewoman and gave birth to a daughter she would be pardoned, but because she was a servant, she should be beheaded and the child sent to a temple far away from the family, but because the Emperor was being lenient and went against tradition, he sent them away. "I have accepted her as a family and planned to have her enter the palace when she is 10 years of age, but now we do not know whether if the two of them are alive or dead; if they are alive, where are they and why did they disappear? If they are dead, then so be it, she was never supposed to be born in the first place, heartless I must be, it is the best for my family." The Empress and his three noble wives stood up and bowed, "Yes, your majesty is wise," they spoke in unison. He waved his hand flicking his sleeve and stood up, he turned around, looked up at the sky and said, "Hear my decree." The Empress, the three noble wives and all servants by their sides and palace guards in the pavilion till the outer courtyard dropped to their knees and bowed. "If the servant and her daughter cannot be found within the next week, they never existed!" *** The Emperor's decree was passed down and received by all the members of the Royal family, nobles and commoners The decree spread throughout the Jīlěi Empire and all felt pity for the servant and her daughter, the commoners pitied them, the nobles didn't care for them and the Royals smiled like they always do, Crown Prince Wang Tejo Rong accepted the Emperor's decree with a heavy heart and smiled. In his heart, he hoped that the servant and the daughter he never saw since the day she came into this world was doing well and were safe along with her mother. The week went by and the decree being implemented, the Crown Prince stood by a lake in the Sun and Moon Palace, looking up at the moon. It was late into the evening and he couldn't sleep, he looked at the moon as tears fell from his eyes; in his heart, he said, "My child, you are still nameless and I haven't seen your face...My heart believes that you are as beautiful as your mother...If one day we can meet, will I be able to recognize you? Will your mother tell you about me? Will you love this father who couldn't protect you? My child… oh my child." The Crown Prince couldn't finish his words and began to weep, he was sorry, sorry for everything, but he knew that being sorry wouldn't bring them back. The Crown Prince heard footsteps nearing him from behind. He quickly wiped away his tears and looked back up at the moon, a strong scent enveloped his nose when the person stopped beside him; Crown Prince Tejo Rong turned to his left and looked down at the woman who stood beside him, she was his first wife, the future empress, Crown Princess, Ji Lánhuā. She looked up at her husband and smiled gently, she came over to give him support because she knew that he would be feeling down after the decree was set in motion. Their eyes met under the moonlight, her smile was gentle; she placed her right hand on Crown Prince Tejo Rong's cheek and said, "His Highness must not give up, I dreamt that Ni Xing and her daughter are still healthy and waiting to return to the palace one day. If Your Highness becomes the Emperor, she will return to your side and we will all support you." Crown Prince Tejo Rong turned to face his Crown Princess, he placed his hand on her hand that she was caressing and gripped it tightly, he pulled her into his embrace and hugged her tightly, "Lánhuā, you are truly a blessing from the heavens, I am grateful that you have accepted Ni Xing and our child." In the darkness, this could not be seen, but the smile on Ji Lánhuā's face was that of someone with unpleasant thoughts. [You miserable wench who tried to steal my place beside the Crown Prince!!] *** Inside a quiet and oversized room, the bed was beautifully draped with translucent lilac coloured material which had a beautiful woman seated on it who just woke up. This room was inside a famous brothel in the Jīlěi Empire, she sat up and breastfed her baby. The baby in her arms woke up because of a loud noise that came from downstairs and began to cry, which made the woman wake up too. She took the baby in her arms and rocked her baby as she breastfed her. This woman and her baby was that servant and her daughter, today the smile on her face revealed both her happiness and her sadness, today was the day she and her daughter were free, today was the day that marked the beginning of their new life. After a few minutes, her daughter made a sound, she moved her daughter away from her breast, she placed her daughter gently on her left shoulder and patted her back gently. Her daughter burped making the woman smile, she moved her daughter and held her in front of her face, she kissed her daughter on the nose and said, "Good girl, will you sleep for mama mn?" The baby smiled at the woman and answered, "Knyaaa~," the woman chuckled and shook her head, "I see we'll be staying up tonight." She played with her daughter till late in the evening and rested till her little one decided it was time to wake mama up again and play.  

“Commander Ye, it's the ministers behind it all, the minister at the affairs office, Park Sechul, the minister of finance, Wei Ga-rye and the Left Prime Minister of the court, Lee Jeong Muel. The three of them are the main culprits and they lead a group of ten officials each from each capital. They also have a hand in the military but what's interesting is that they are expanding their forces to Xieye and Jilei, how? The different families they belong to and the ones they own.” “They frequently hold banquets hosting major parties including the nobles and extended royal families; they are trying to invite the Imperial families young princesses and princesses even our young master, Prince Baek Ah was asked to join. Getting information w was difficult but that to the young master it seems as if they all are tired of the Imperial families ruling - Emperor Shaan to be exact.” “A blood treaty with almost forty-five blood thumbprints are ready for a coup. Once they have more than half of the Imperial siblings on their side.” “This has been going on for the past ten years with three out of the nine noble wives on their side. As you may know, Empress Shaan is the left minister's goddaughter; it's not confirmed yet but she and the crown prince might be in bed with them but I see no reason why because it's guaranteed that the crown prince will be the Emperor one day and the Empress to mother-empress.” “Unless the left minister covets the crown for himself and or there is jealousy between the Imperial siblings - this is normal but not according to our prince. Prince Baek Ah has stated that the crown prince himself has no desire for the crown but is ready to stake his life for the throne. The rest of the siblings too but neither has the desire to take over the throne, except for the ninth princess that will be married off to your cousin Wang Wusheng; it appears that the ninth princess had a secret relationship with a commoner. After being caught by the emperor, she was confined and her lover too. Luckily for him, general Yu asked the emperor to have him join and train in the special forces. Oh yes, commander do you know about the assassins group that appeared five and a half years ago?” Yue Mian looked at the over-enthusiastic young man who looked about the same age as her. He was reporting back their findings, asking her this question was not part of his job of reporting. Yu Sheng turned his body and looked outside not meeting Yue Mian’s sharp gaze. She looked at the smiling young man, nodding her head slowly she answered, “Yes, they are all specially trained men and woman that I assigned someone to get, command, kill at any given time.” The young man's smile froze as he looked at the sharp turned listless gaze that his commander now wore. He stiffly turned his gaze to look at Yu Sheng who seemed to be in his own world. Feeling the gaze on him, he turned to look at the young man, squinting his eyes to form a curve he said, “Continue with your report.” The young man shuddered after getting to the conclusion that his general might be the one commanding the assassination group. “The princess wanted the group to assassinate the emperor but was declined because the amount and value of the life to be taken was not equal, this rule was set up by the founder and if the owner thinks that the request is a waste of time then he can choose whether or not to let her go or make her pay up what she owes for making the request that was declined.” “Because of some unknown reason she was let go…” he trailed as he peeked from the side at both Yue Mian and Yu Sheng. “Things were covered up and she was suddenly engaged with the wedding on the next full moon. Everyone will be there but because there was this slight conflict... a servant did see the left minister and the ninth princess meet up on the second floor of a restaurant while he was out on an errand. Later in court, the left minister made his concerns of the princess marrying someone she doesn't love - as unfair.” “He said that it would be better if she married a prince, better yet, the crown prince of Jilei to expand the Shaan Empires power.” Raising an eyebrow, she looked over at Yu Sheng, “No one is allowed to touch Jilei, Sheng.” Yu Sheng, “Mn, I have informed the Crown Prince but it seems that no one knew this before but knows it now, even the mother-empress is furious at the emperor for his brazenness.” Yue Mian, “ What is it?” Looking at the young man, Yu Sheng signalled for him to leave them, making certain they were alone, he looked at her and said, “Your father has declared that the Crown Prrince will marry no one but his eldest daughter.” Yue Mian folded her arms and leaned back into the chair, suddenly her eyes widened from shock, standing up and slamming her hands against the desk, she leaned forward whispering, “You’re talking about me?” Yu Sheng, “Mn, in the beginning, everyone was against it because they thought that he was speaking about your sister from the first noble wife, princess Wang Rucheng. ALmost all the ministers and family members were against it then the emperor, your father said with great anger, “Have you all forgotten my first daughter with Ni Xing? She may not be in this palace but she is still this empires first princess, this empire Seju and when she returns you all will welcome her with open arms or so help me, I will slaughter you all for being so disrespectful”... the crown prince wasn't at all surprised when he heard this or prince Wang Tian but empress Lanhua fainted after she heard this.” “When she woke up she rushed to your fathers side asking him how could he let two siblings marry because there might be something wrong with your offspring but emperor Wang said that long ago, to keep the royal lineage in power, siblings had to marry and have children and now because of the alliance, the day you and your mother were exiled was the day he decided o marry his eldest son and eldest daughter.” Sitting back in the chair she looked at Yu Sheng in confusion. With an understanding to her looked he answered, “I did ask the crown prince what his thoughts were and if he agreed with your fathers decision, he said that when he was younger he adored your mother and was allowed to visit her and when she was pregnant with you, your mother already knew you were female but kept it hidden from everyone, she told the crown prince that she wished you a long life of happiness and hopes you can marry someone who can love and protect you.” “With all this being said, when you two left for Xieye the emperor told him that when he is older he will marry you, so he has been living his entire life waiting for you and was not surprised with the announcement.” “His mother did not take it well; she still does not understand why he is okay with the marriage between you two that is to happened when you return. She is currently still trying to change your father's mind but he seems to not listen to anyone's complaints and suggestions, there was even talk about you not being fit to be empress because you don't know the proper etiquette and you are practically dead, so what is he wishing or hoping for.” Yue Mian, “My father surely has faith in my mother and I. The Empress seems to not want us around, I heard before that she might be the reason why my mother left the palace and a probable assassination attempt back when I was still an infant - what are your thoughts on these rumours and speculations?” Yu Sheng, “It is within reason, the empress is feared by all the noble women and she has a horrible personality when the Emperor is not around. The crown prince ignores her and avoids seeing her most of the time because she is hateful towards your mother and whenever you are mentioned, it's like she can skin the person alive that mentioned you.” Clicking her tongue against her teeth, she rolled her eyes and waved her hands, “We’ll deal with them all eventually, for now, call him back to finish his report so that I can sleep please.” The young man returned, “There will be another banquet later this month.” Yue Mian, “A banquet… for what?” “Well there is no reason in particular but there are merchants coming so I presume its to host them but that is only a guess.” Slapping her hands on the desk she looked at Yu Sheng, “Are we going?” Yu Sheng, “We can but what for?” Rubbing the tip of her nose she answered, “For fun…” ~~~ Standing on the balcony staring into the night sky. Yue Mian said to Yu Sheng, “Now that we know why and who, its time we return what belongs to the citizens.”

It had been a full hour since she arrived and the sun was slowly rising. She walked out of her Uncles house and strolled back to her house across the army base on the northern side. Her hands were folded behind her back. She walked with her head facing straight ahead as she observed the animals and bugs. She was dressed in all black and had a cloth wrapped around her face that only exposed her eyes. A gong was beaten in the distance to wake everyone up. Soon voices could be heard and this was her cue to hasten her steps. She began jogging at a steady pace. When she arrived outside her window her mask was down because she did not want to alert the soldiers on her way back home. She jumped through her window and started undressing. She was soon naked and a servant came into her room and with a bowl of lukewarm water. Yue Mian wiped her body off with a white cloth that was brought in and brushed her teeth. When she was done, the servant returned with her breakfast. In her spacious room, she ate her breakfast in silence. Her mind was elsewhere, but she did not forget to feed herself. She and her uncle agreed that they would meet every day, from one-thirty am in the morning until four-fifteen am. This time may seem odd to practise martial arts but this was the best time for her to train without getting noticed. Training started tonight and she needed rest but first, after breakfast, she has to see the physician.***Yue Mian and her mother travelled by horse to the physicians home. When they arrived there they had to wait because there were other patients. They did not wait long. The physician kept sighing as he removed the medicinal cloth from her face and wiped her face clean. After writing down his notes he spoke to them. "Lady Yue Mian and Lady Ni Xing, I am sorry to say this, but Lady Yue Mian will be scarred for life, the ceramic plate was lodged too deep into her facial skin and has damaged the tissues, this is irreversible," he said with a pained expression. Yue Mian was a child loved by most people and she was known as the Emperor's goddaughter. Her being scarred was truly unfortunate for the Emperor. Ni Xing nibbled on her bottom lip while the physician spoke. Tears welled up in her water line. She blinked back her tears and squeezed the material of her dress that she had gripped onto before. Yue Mian had a crescent scar on her face that began an eighth of an inch above her left eyebrow all the way down to under her cheekbone into her left cheek that was still slightly fresh and needed to dry out more. From the beginning of the physician's sentence to the last word, her body had a strange yet familiar sensation going through it. She sat there looking at him while every now and then her eyes would move to her mother. She understood what this all meant but still - it hurt slightly in her heart that she would have a scar on her face for the rest of her life. Ni Xing couldn't hold her tears back any longer and they dripped down her pink cheeks, she felt sorry for her daughter - this was the second time she felt like this, being helpless. Yue Mian raised her left hand and traced the medicinal band that was stuck to her face. The physician had placed a new one on her face and the left side of her face was stinging. She zoned out while looking down at her right hand, continuing to trace over the band. After a while, she felt a hand touch her shoulder. Looking up at the person who was standing beside her she smiled. It was her mother. "YuMi, we can return home now," she said. Smiling at her mother, she nodded her head and stood up, bowing to the physician and saying thank you. The two of them walked out of the physician's medical house and got onto their horses, riding off to the army base. When they arrived at the army base they separated at the entrance, Yue Mian went over to the back where the mountains were within the forest near the army base and Ni Xing went straight for her father's tent. She told him about Yue Mian and he sighed almost wanting to cry. He clenched his right fist and clasped it in his left hand squeezing tightly. He felt so helpless, he felt as if this was all his doing. All his actions, he regretted them and now he needed to tell the emperor about Yue Mian's condition. Yue Mian, on the other hand, arrived at the foot of the mountain. She stood by the river with her horse and stroked its main. After feeding her horse, she walked over to the river and undressed. She jumped into the river and walked upstream towards the mountain. Reaching the middle of the mountain, she walked out of the river and climbed up the rocky boulders. Reaching the seventh out of ten boulders, she slid down the seventh boulder and landed on all fours in a dark cave. She stood up from her crouched position and began walking toward the smell of fresh, but sandy water. As dark as the cave was, she still walked without a mishap to her steps. She walked further and further into the cave and there within the cave, a dim light shone brightly in the middle of the cave. Walking closer and closer, the light became bright and the smell of sandy yet fresh water was strong. The smell irritated her nostrils slightly making her sniff a few times, she reached the middle of the cave and was met with a beautiful view. A pond was in the middle of the cave. The light shining onto it from the hole in the mountain shone brightly and danced on the water revealing a calm and scenic view. The cave had a few beautiful flowers growing inside it along with vines all around the edges of the pond. The pond was not big, but it wasn't small either. She climbed into the pond. While standing the depth reached her inner thighs and the pond reached her chest while seated down inside it. Running her hands over the surface of the water a gentle smile played on her lips. She twirled in a circle on her knees and dropped down into the water covering her entire body. Opening her eyes she looked up at the light shining into the cave and laid there till the air in her body couldn't support her any longer. Slowly raising her body with the tip of her fingers, exposing her head. She took a deep breath in and stayed like this submerged in the water with the surface of her face exposed. ***Her thoughts went back to when they were in the physicians medical home. She remembered him sighing seven times and her mother's silent sobbing. The throbbing pain from her cheek after she woke up from the fall made her cry and although everyone thought she was okay, she wasn't okay at all - Yue Mian was angry. Everything was running through her mind and her blood boiled, all her memories and the talk she had with her mother at the shop before her fall. Before she never cared about her father, but now, she Ye Yue Mian, wanted to know all about him. [Maybe I can do the same as mama and run away?] she thought. Her eyes opened. A wicked smile formed on her lips, displaying her bright white teeth and her eyes widened and made her expression look wretched. She broke out into frantic laughter that stopped seconds after she started. She sat up in the water and her face still had that wretched expression as she bit down on her molars. She said out loud, "Good, this is good. I Ye Yue Mian have been met with such misfortune all my life while those that are my sibling live a life of luxury, adored by all and envy by the commoners. I've heard it. I've heard it all and to think we have the same father? Heh! I am disgusted by you - I must pay my royal family a visit." She dropped down into the water and stretched her arms out, stretching her body gracefully and brought her arms back to her sides. He left hand traced around the almost closed wound and asked herself inside her heart, [Will they recognise me?], a smirk played on her lips as she answered her own question, [Probably not.]

Yes, I am back, for how long? maybe this week only lol but I am typing out all my chapters written for this book and the others so no worries XD. This seems to be a thing now where I have to update you all on the story and yes I agree, The Disobedient and Barbaric Daughter is confusing in most places, picking up from where we left off with the last story update. Firstly, I uploaded this story on multiple sites because I wanted people, all over the world to read my story and also for different opinions, on one of the sites a reader said this: NONSENSICAL PLOT DECISIONS Starts off amazing but then the author utilizes an absurd sexist trope which is not uncommon in Chinese novels. This incident is completely out of character for the MC and they undertake it without any deliberation for how it may affect their quest. It pigeonholes the story and limits it to several well-trodden paths. Perhaps it would be acceptable but it is one of the most poorly executed examples of this trope I have ever seen. The author should seriously consider scraping this whole plot line and starting over. I honestly don't plan to drop my story (specific part) because its mine and mine alone, I have my reasons for doing stuff and saying things. This review was given right after I introduced the child Yue Mian adopts her son. The reason behind her adopting a child is because she is going to be fucked up and in future chapters and then Yu Sheng and Fei Rou bring him into the picture and she is suddenly calm not so crazy any more. I know, I know, I shouldn't be telling you this but you all might not remember it in the future well I certainly do hope that you all remember the little baby. I also did not reveal who his parents are ... this is a huge spoiler lol not really. 2. Remember now that she left the Xiěyè Empire, now where we currently are its been a whole 5 years that she has left the empire.  Why she suddenly leaves is because she sees Yu Sheng. Because she was with her son and the others she completely forgot about her past worries, I don't know if any of you all are parents but raising a child takes up so much time and parents tend to forget and suddenly remember things.  Well... Yue Mian is so absorbed in raising her son that she forgets about everything, especially all of those that don't have much meaning to her now this may sound harsh but I am studying to be an educarer, "A replacement parent" in other words for a few hours every day while the parent is at work. Now one of the things I learnt is that a parent can love their child unconditionally and a child does not need to love their parent(s) unconditionally because they did not ask to be here - This is one of the reasons why there is no close bond between Yue Mian and her mother. These steps apply to each family in this story. Now Yue Mian is leaving the Naiad Empire and heading to Jilei for her revenge but that happens only after the fifth story of the second volume, and hopefully,the first story ends in 5 chapters time lol

The years went by smoothly for Yue Mian. She juggled between her etiquette lessons and martial arts perfectly, but with just two hours of sleep, a day made her moody and violent. Her uncle sat down with her and told her that he had taught her all that he knew over the past five years and that it was time to stop because he had nothing else to teach her. Yue Mian wasn't happy because she felt deep inside her that there was room for improvement and was eager to learn more about martial arts. She left her uncles home with a bitter smile. Looking up at the cloudy sky and chuckled, [I have made so much effort trying to be perfect and it ends just like this? What am I going to do now? Get married?] she questioned herself while strolling back to her home. With a skip in her step she made it to the entrance of her home but inside she saw many royal robed men from behind. She paused then went around the house and avoided them, jumping on the wall then back down to the ground and sneakily went to her bedroom window and climbed in. As she climbed in her grandfather stepped into her room and caught her red handed. "Yue Mian!!! Where are you coming from?" he asked while pointing his index finger at her who was hanging out of the window. She smiled from ear to ear and pushed herself back out of the window and made a run for it. General Ye rushed to the window and yelled her name as he watched her disappear around the servants quarter. Shaking his head with a light chuckle he folded his hands behind his back and walked out of her room. Yue Mian ran too the front of the house and stopped when she met with the men in royal robes. She looked at them and smiled. There were five men dressed in royal robes. Emperor An who was wearing his red robe with a gold dragon embroidered on the back, Crown Prince An Cheng who was wearing a lilac coloured robe with a silver Pheonix embroidered on the back and his cousin who is also his best friend Yu Sheng wearing a blue robe with white patterns embroidered on the hems. The other two were the emperor's royal guards who were wearing black and had swords in their right hands. They all caught glimpse of her running and stopping near them in an awkward position with her hands in the air. She quickly put her hands down and fixed her attire and walked over to the five men with a smile on her face and bowed with her hands in front of her and greeted them all. "Your majesty what brings you here?" she asked with a curious gaze as she looked at the emperor. Crown Prince An Cheng and Yu Sheng chuckled on the side as they watched her act innocent. "YuMi, I came here today because you haven't visited me in a while and I miss my naughty goddaughter," answered Emperor An jokingly. Yue Mian waved her right hand in front of her face and walked off with quick steps. "Yue Mian!!!!" he grandfather yelled from the patio and her steps quickened. Yu Sheng turned around and ran after her catching her just in time before she reached the gates. He held her around the waist and she "tried" wiggling from his grip, but she couldn't because he was stronger than her. She was dragged back to her grandfather and held down by Yu Sheng. "Where have you been? And for you to sneak in through the window is very unladylike and too make it worse, you are dressed like a lady!" berated General Ye. Yue Mian shrugged and rubbed her nose and looked over at Emperor An ignoring her grandfather. General Ye cleared his throat and started conversing with Emperor An. The two young men walked to Yue Mian's side and started pinching her sides making her laugh. In the beginning, Yue Mian and Crown Prince An Cheng had a good relationship that went sour but returned to normal after Yue Mian's accident. In the beginning, all the nobles and royals couldn't believe this sudden change in her but this also did not stop them from mocking her and calling her ugly because of her scar. But Crown Prince An Cheng still loved her and his feelings for her kept growing because he saw how dedicated she became and also her behaviour was more womanlike. Secretly he begged his father for him to approve of their marriage, but as much as Emperor An wanted too, he couldn't. Yue Mian being the future Empress and sitting on the throne was not a problem, but the problem lied on her face and in the rules that state: "The future Empress must be of noble birth.The future Empress must abide by all rules.The future Empress must be elegant and graceful.The future Empress must give birth to an heir.The future Empress must be able to represent her husband the Emperor.The future Empress must be pure.The future Empress must not be wounded.The future Empress must not have a scar.The future Empress must have benevolence.The future Empress must be courageous." Yue Mian, on the other hand, has a scar on the side of her face. Marrying her was also a disgrace and as much as Emperor An loved her, this could not be permitted. Crown Prince An Cheng was turning twenty years of age this week and it was also time for him too wed. His marriage has been postponed over the years because the ministers have not found someone suitable for him. This was all a lie and Emperor An knew this. His son's heart was with Yue Mian just like his heart was with Ni Xing, but he learnt to love someone else, the current Empress, his wife. Crown Prince An Cheng's marriage would be decided in the next two days at the coming of age banquet that was held annually for all the nobles and royals who have reached the age of sixteen. Next year it would be Yue Mian's coming of age, but her mother, grandmother, grandfather Emperor An and Crown Prince An Cheng were worried, they were worried for her. She hasn't bloomed yet and half of the year passed already, the new year would come soon and she wasn't allowed to wed - the Crown Prince was secretly hoping he could marry her too. This was possible, but only if she bloomed and agreed to marry him. Everyone in the Xiěyè Empire knew that their Crown Prince was in love with Yue Mian, she knew this too and accepted his feelings for her by returning them, but they both knew that their relationship was not possible. However, Yue Mian had no feelings in her heart towards Crown Prince An Cheng, or her mother, not even for her grandparents. What she had in her heart was hate and only hate, the love she showed them all was false, well on a scale of one too ten her heart was one was her feelings of love and nine was her feelings of hate. Hate consumed Yue Mian years ago after she lost her dog Gãowán and over the years it just continued to grow, but to say that she completely hated everyone is false too. She just loved them with two per cent of her heart.***The mistake her mother and grandmother made was when they told Yue Mian during her etiquette lessons what a woman was, and a woman blooming meant that she was ready to be wedded off. With all this information and her ambition, Yue Mian made sure not to let anyone know that she has in fact been blooming for the last two years.***During her morning sessions with her uncle two years ago, she was practising he spear combat skills and misstepped and injured herself. Her uncle let her go after treating her wound and told her to rest up. When she returned home, she felt uncomfortable and dirty and because she was feeling so, she decided to take a bath during the early morning. Inside the washroom, she lit the oil lamp and took a bath in the bath barrel she relaxed and felt much better. After a while, she needed to urinate and was too lazy to move so she urinated in her bath water. Any other person would find this disgusting, but who was Yue Mian? She watched as the water around her legs become light yellow in colour then turn too red! She started panicking and thought something bad was happening to her. She stood up and checked her body, but found no wounds. She thought for a moment then tested it out again by urinating in the water and again there was red liquid flowing from her vagina. Getting out of the water and drying her wet body, she couldn't put her finger on it, but she felt that it meant something. After clearing out the bath water she finally got to the answer and grew angry at herself. Returning to her room she did not sleep in her bed and sat on the floor with black bed sheets under her. When morning came she was up first and went to town with her mother to help out at her shop, later on, she strolled to a shop that sold woman supplies and bought sanitary napkins. These came in a little chest, for the royals and nobles packed full so that they wouldn't have to wash it and just throw the used cloths away. These sanitary napkins came in two types of material, cotton and silk. The royals and nobles preferred silk why the cotton napkin was affordable for the commoners. Yue Mian, on the other hand, did as the commoners did and bought a chest full for herself and used plant ash to clean the napkins. How she kept this away from everyone is easy to explain. No one knows about the pond in the mountain cave because they were too busy with military affairs to worry about exploring lands. She hid her chest of napkins away inside the cave and would clean them there too, but not contaminate the pond water with her red fluids. This was troublesome but it was a must if she wanted to keep this a secret. Her family knew that she was going through certain things and did not want to suffocate her and repeat history by forcing her to do this and that and whenever she said that she was heading out back to the mountain they never forced her to stay. With this also, Yue Mian never made daily trips even when it was her blooming period, she had back up stashed in the floor of her room under the shelf. ***She bought the chest with the excuse of giving it to the poor which she did, spending all her allowance on ten chests. The shop owner did not mind since Yue Mian is one of the kindest nobles she knows and she is good friends with her mother. When asked by her mother why she decided to help other women, she said, "Not everyone can afford these and we as nobles need to help them." Agreeing with her answer Ni Xing helped her daughter out with buying more chests and handed them out together. This wasn't a part of Yue Mian's plans because now, she had to do this monthly and communicating with others was something she is not fond of, but never-the-less, her secrets must be kept. === 1. I refer to menstruation as Bloom. 2. Plant ash contains potassium carbonate, this helps with decontamination, it was used as a cleaning detergent in ancient times. - please correct me if I am wrong. **Chapters will be released once a week, every Wednesday**

Aunty Fei was preparing a basket of pigskin in the kitchen with the help from Azia, Rishu and Haneul. Outside on the grass, Yue Mian was sitting on her knees staring excitedly at her son. Ye Xinxi Yue was on all fours. Placing his right foot down on the grass then did the same with his left. His body was erect like a bridge and with a firm grasp. He bent his knees and lif his arms. Wobbling a bit he lost his balance and plopped onto the ground face first. “Ah,” Yue Mian voiced out clapping her hands twice saying, “Hooray!” Xinxi Yue lift his head up to see his mother smiling at him with her hands held out. He looked at the grass between his fingers. Lifting himself up and sitting down he picked at the grass between his fingers. “Yue-er, come now, mama wants to see you walk,” she said with a pout and exaggerated frustrated tone. Bearing his four front teeth at her with a giggle, he crawled his way over to her. Placing his right hand on her legs that were folded he pulled himself up and used her as a means of support. Looking at her son with disdain she ground her teeth together, “That’s cheating, love.” Xinxi looked at her with his big round eye and grinned. Slowly turning around he started walking. Yue Mian’s eye sparkled. Quickly getting up, she ran to his front and got on her knees saying, “Com love, come, I know you can do it, just take your time.” On the side, Mica was braiding her hair while Teno chewed on a sugar cane. Seeing that Xinxi started walking on his own they stood up and rushed to Yue Mian’s side and cheered Xinxi on. Seeing the excited faces of the trio in front of him Xinxi himself, got excited. With a boost of energy, he started walking faster while laughing towards his mother. As his footsteps sped up his balance lost itself. Putting his left foot down as he was inches away from his mama, he fell to the ground. His three cheerleaders sighed but cheered louder giving him a round of applause. Yue Mian got up and picked him up placing a kiss on his forehead and said, “Yue-er, mama’s so proud of you.” Looking up at her he raised his arms and pulled on the hair that blew in the wind obstructing his view. With a skip in her step, she leads the two with Xinxi in her arms into the house; meeting aunty Fei’s gaze she said, “Mama, Yue-er started walking, I’m so proud of him.” Putting the knife in her hands down Fei Rue walked to the mother and son pair, planting a kiss on Xinxi’s cheek, she said, “Mn, I’m proud of both of you.”

Two days passed and the banquet was here. The palace halls were decorated beautifully because this was the year that Princess An Choeng turned sixteen and all the nobles and royals who turn sixteen would also be having their coming of age ceremony with her.***The banquet started three gongs after Shen period. The nobles and royals living in palaces across the empire arrived. Parents escorted their sons and daughters. Yue Mian was with Crown Prince An Cheng and Yu Sheng in his Palace. The Crown Prince was not having a good day. He knew that today would be the day his wife would be selected and Yue Mian was not her. He wanted her to not attend the banquet, but his sister An Choeng begged the emperor to make Yue Mian attend. With the emperor's word - she had to attend. Yue Mian knew what An Cheng was thinking, but did not care on the inside. She and Yu Sheng tried comforting him but he just grew more and more restless. ***Soon the palace maids came in and Yue Mian had to leave because she couldn't watch the Crown Prince get dressed. Yu Sheng accompanied the Crown Prince while Yue Mian went on her way towards the palace hall where the banquet was being held. On her way, through the palace, she saw the nobles and royals who ignored her existence as she passed by them. This was something she is used to, being ignored by the silver spoons was normal. She looked at the inside of the hall and paused. Standing there and watching as the silver spoons walked past her looking all happy and excited for tonight. She sighed and turned around. [I change my mind], she walked towards Crown Prince An Cheng's palace and got onto her horse and rode out through the south palace entrance. [If I return to the palace, who knows what that An Choeng will do?] In the past, An Choeng and An Chong would always play horrible pranks on her and try getting her in trouble. General Ye would always berate her and what made it worse was that even though she refused to go to the Imperial Palace, they forced her. Crown Prince An Cheng stopped his sisters from bullying her but that didn't stop them from getting the commoners to do them as well. Managing her anger was already tough to deal with and having these little pranks fuel it was even worse.***Three hours have passed since the banquet has started and Yue Mian still did not show up. Princess An Choeng was upset and couldn't enjoy herself because Yue Mian hadn't shown up and ruined all her plans. The beauties of the empire were all called up one by one and introduced themselves to the Crown Prince. At first, he disliked it, but from the corner of his eye, he could see this one beautiful girl that attracted his attention. She was nervous and kept delaying her turn to go up and introduce herself to him. He smiled inside at her silliness and for some reason he wanted to meet her too. Tolerating all the girls who came before her it was finally her turn. Bowing before him she kept her head down, "Rise," said the Crown Prince. She straightened her legs and looked at him, but looked between his brows avoiding eye contact with him. "What is your name?" he asked her seeing that she didn't speak. Her hands were folded in front of her and she was fiddling with her fingers. "M-m-my name is Qing Hǎi kuí, y-your highness, I am General Feng's goddaughter," she said with a slight hesitation. "Hǎi kuí, why are you so nervous?" he asked. General Feng's goddaughter's body froze, she looked him in the eyes then looked at the Crown Prince again, he was smiling at her. He had a dreamy smile that he barely shows to others and yet now, he was smiling at her. Yu Sheng on the side saw An Cheng's smile and felt confused. He couldn't understand why the Crown Prince was interacting with this girl when he ignored all the other girls. The Emperor saw this too and he was slightly happy but disappointed too. His son was interested in this girl and what about his love for Yue Mian? Her time was up and it was time for someone else to introduce herself to the Crown Prince. An Cheng stopped smiling and told one of the servants that they should invite Qing Hǎi kuí to sit at the head table later on during dinner time. During dinner Yu Sheng decided that he had had enough, he was also worried about Yue Mian. He wanted to find her but did not know where to go in order to find her. As he exited the toilet on the far end of the palace, he decided to take a detour and head to the gardens. When he arrived there he saw Yue Mian's horse and walked over, but he couldn't find her. After ten minutes of waiting, Yue Mian finally arrived, but Yu Sheng was not aware of this. She slowly walked up from behind him and called his name, "Yu Sheng!" He caught such a fright and ended up on the ground. Yue Mian's horse neighed and trotted over to the other side while shaking its head. Yue Mian looked down at Yu Sheng who was on the grass, looking up at her while holding his hand over his heart and breathing heavily. The oil lamps lit across the garden lit the space up just enough to make out someone's features, especially where they were now, a bit further away from the entrance. "Ye Yue Mian!!! Why did you come out of nowhere? Are you trying to kill me?" he yelled with a hushed tone as he asked her. She scoffed and began walking away while saying, "Sheng, if I wanted you dead, you'd be dead ages ago." He got up from the ground and dusted himself off, jogging to Yue Mian's side and stopping to walk at her pace. His face grew serious as he thought of the Crown Prince and said, "The Crown Prince is interested in someone, General Feng's goddaughter." Yue Mian's mouth twitched, she was about to smile, but did not. "It's good that he has found someone, now he won't be my problem anymore." Yu Sheng chuckled and said, "To think that he would fall for someone so easily is quite pitiful of him." "Yu Sheng, you shouldn't speak like that about your Crown Prince," she said. "True, but are you not royalty yourself?" he asked her. Yue Mian stopped in her step and turned to look at Yu Sheng. This tall and handsome young man with sword-like eyebrows, his hair was flowing with the slight breeze and the grin on his face made him look naughty. Yue Mian raised her right arm slowly and placed her index finger on her lips and looked him in the eye. Yu Sheng straightened his body and stopped smiling and bowed slightly and said, "Yes Your Highness." She reached out her right hand and patted him on his shoulder. Turning around she began walking again and asked, "So, did you find out what your princess has planned for me today?" "Mn, she has arranged entertainment for all of us later on and has ordered one of the servants to burn your hair," he said. Yue Mian stopped walking, she turned around sharply and glared at Yu Sheng. "Does she not know when to stop?" she asked him with a threatening tone. "We can always stop her, but your highness, she really is going overboard this time, do you want me to take care of this?"Yue Mian didn't answer him leaving him to sigh. "Your Highness, if you allow this, then I'm afraid…" he trailed. "Afraid of what? That I will lose face?" she asked him. He slowly nodded his head and agreeing with her question. "Sheng, I have lost face over and over, do you really think that I will be bothered by anything she does now? And also, if her father leaves her and does not punish her then so be it. It is time for me to leave soon and she is just giving me an excuse," she answered him and walked off. Yu Sheng stood there watching her walk away as he bit down on his bottom lip and clenched his fists. Taking a deep breath in her jogged up to Yue Mian and they returned to the palace hall where the banquet was held. The doors opened and the noise from inside hushed for a moment and as soon as they saw it was Yue Mian, they began ignoring her and continued to speak amongst them. Yu Sheng who was walking behind her clenched his fists, but smiled and continued speaking with her. The two of them walked around all the tables on the left side of the hall and walked up to the main table where they greeted the Emperor and Empress. She greeted the two princesses who chose to ignore her. Yue Mian stood in front of the two princesses and looked over at The Crown Prince who was looking at her with guilt filled eyes. She looked at the person who was sitting in her place and smiled. She bowed then turned to Yu Sheng and told him something. The two of them walked off and headed to the Crown Prince's side, where they stood behind him as if they were his personal guards. This made things awkward for everyone at the main table. Yue Mian's hands were folded in front of her with her eyes closed and a slight smile formed on her lips. Yu Sheng, on the other hand, had a serious expression on his face. Crown Prince An Cheng stopped conversing with General Feng's goddaughter and continued to have dinner with a stiff expression. The servants offered Yue Mian fruits to eat seeing that she wasn't seated next to the Crown Prince as usual. She accepted the fruits and passed them over to Yu Sheng who eat them while being slightly annoyed. The evening went on smoothly and the adults went to have fun while the Emperor and Empress went off to bed. As soon as they left Princess Choeng stood up and clapped her hands together getting everyone attention. "Everyone, I have entertainment arranged for us outside, please would you all join me," she said then began walking towards the exit with An Chong beside her. Slowly the nobles and royals began exiting the hall leaving Crown Prince An Cheng, Yu Sheng, Qing Hǎi kuí and Yue Mian behind. Yue Mian turned around and followed the crowd to the courtyard before the gardens where a stage was set up and everyone was gathered around the stage. A few men and woman were wrapped in cloth that exposed their stomachs. They began dancing and this went on for a while. From the corner of her left eye, Yue Mian could see that she was being watched by the two princesses. A moment she saw a female servant stand next to Princess An Choeng. A chuckle escaped Yue Mian's mouth. An Cheng looked over at her and his left brow rose. Yue Mian moved away from the crowd and walked slowly towards an open area near the stage and stood there. The wind blew past her and flowing through her long hair making it blow in the same direction. Her eyes never left the princess, but it wasn't obvious. She clapped her hand pretending to enjoy the show and cheered for the dancers. A little while later while the performance was still ongoing, an unknown servant approached her. "Excuse me miss?" she called out to Yue Mian. "Yes?" she answered. "I-i'm s-sorry about this." the servant spoke again. "Mn?" Yue Mian was confused. She observed the servant and noticed that her eyes were slightly red and her mouth was trembling. The next moment the wind blew from behind Yue Mian into the direction of the servant and her hair blew in that direction too. The servant grabbed her by her hair, pulled her down to the ground and cut Yue Mian's hair off that was that was in her hand. Yue Mian looked at the servant with a widened eyes, while her chest rose up and down. The servant stood with a hand full of eleven inch long strands of hair in her left hand and a blade in her right. The group of young people stopped cheering and looked at the scene on the other side of the stage. The performers also stopped dancing and looked over. Yu Sheng jolted pass An Cheng and Qing Hǎi kuí. When he reached Yue Mian's side he knelt down and helped her up. The two of them exchanged glances then Yu Sheng turned around and smacked the servant girl. "Guards," he yelled out while catching a quick glimpse of the princesses. Not long after the guards were called they arrived and took her away when the guards and Yu Sheng were gone with the servant to report to the minister of discipline, they left Yue Mian behind with the crowd. She was looked in the direction wondering why that girl didn't burn her hair and was pulled away from her train of thought when she heard laughing. Looking to her left where everyone was. Her eyes stopped on the two princesses and she glared at them. There were some nobles and royals who did not find what happened funny and started walking off. An Cheng and Qing Hǎi kuí were standing together and Qing Hǎi kuí was laughing while An Cheng looked over at his sisters. He walked over to them and Yue Mian could see that they were being berated by him and rolled her eyes. She glanced one last time at those who were laughing at her then headed to the gardens where her horse was. Climbing on top of him she kicked his sides with the back of her foot and yelled for it to start running. The horse did not need to be told where to go and galloped all the way to the back of the mountains by the river and stopped there. It was late into the evening and she never climbed onto the boulders to head into her hiding spot. ==== Shen period - (15:00 - 16:00)

Ni Xing and her baby travelled alone by horse to the next empire, she wasn't afraid because she too was not a simple person. *** "Ho Ho Ho, who do we have here? A beautiful woman, travelling alone, why is that?" Ni Xing was stopped and surrounded by a group of bandits who looked at her with lustful eyes. With four men to her right, two at the back, three to her left and three in front, Ni Xing sighed, "What do you all want?" she asked as she looked at the man who seemed to be their leader. "How about you come along and keep us company?", he asked back. "Alright, lead the way, but you all must be able to answer when my husband comes to kill you all," she said with a mock in her tone. She was looked at very strangely by the leader, he scoffed it off and said, "Heh, I wonder who would dare to intrude on to my land and come to rescue you." "Haha," she laughed it off. Ni Xing got off her horse, tucked Yue Mian tightly against her. She pulled her sword out from its sheath that was strapped against the side of the horse. Seeing this the men on their horses close to her unsheathed their swords and held it out in front of them pointing at her. She moved to the nearest man on her right side and cut his horse down killing it instantly. She did this to the two beside him and stared at the leader and the other men who were glaring at her, "Leave or I will take every one of your lives," she said slowly emphasizing each word. The men looked at their leader whose mouth was twitching, not wanting to give up this easily; he looked at his men on the ground who were still yelling from being crushed by the weight of the horses. He signalled for the others to go help them up. When they walked past Ni Xing they attacked her instead, slightly shocked, she held on to Yue Mian and started swinging her sword aiming at all their vital spots. After blocking three times it was her time to attack. She managed to kill two of them and was in a standoff with the third and fourth. She was slightly panting but kept her hand steady while making sure that her daughter was still asleep, the two men charged at her while yelled at the same time which made Yue Mian wake up and cry. Hearing the cry they stopped not too far from Ni Xing and looked at the baby in her bosom, they looked back at their leader who was also shocked, but it soon turned to fear when he saw the other two men's bodies being pierced by Ni Xing's sword. There was now only four bandits left and three still pinned under their horses, they all looked at Ni Xing with widened eyes, they started to panic, "A-alright lady, we will leave you to be on your way, we won't bother you any longer." Ni Xing's eyes constricted, "You woke my baby up with your bullshit and expect me to let you just leave unharmed? Do you even know what it's like to raise a baby while travelling?", she glared at them fiercely. Not waiting for them to answer, she threw her sword at the leader who ducked and picked up the sword nearest to her. She soon killed them all off and was covered in blood. She put Yue Mian on a soft area of grass that was the longest beside the path she was on and cleaned up, she then went on and searched the bodies for money and other things. She picked up her sword, cleaned it and the pair were on their way once again. Along the way, more scoundrels and wild animals appeared but were all defeated by her, the wild animals were skinned and eaten with their furry hind, used as material for a blanket that she'd make for Yue Mian when they reached their destination. *** Ni Xing was trained in martial arts from a young age. She knew how to fight with swords, spears and had an amazing combat ability that she gathered over the years as she trained and gained more experience. She was well versed in many aspects including reading, writing, embroidery and being a good housewife. Why she kept her background hidden? Nobody asked her about it. She was originally a citizen of the Xiěyè Empire, but because her father restricted her so much and due to more reasons she disagreed with, she ran away to where they wouldn't find her - the next Empire. When she entered the Jīlěi Empire she needed a job that would help her out financially, she asked around and did different jobs helping out the town's people, after a month and a half she was told by one of the shop owners that the Jīlěi Empire's Palace was accepting maids again and that she would be perfect for the job. After finding out the benefits for working for the Royal family, she took the physical examinations and passed them; she took the job with no evil intentions and worked hard for all the years she was working there. *** After five years in the Royal Palace, working first as a floor scrubber to a cloth washer then moved into the kitchen as a part-time helper to washing blankets and tablecloths, she was moved to the Crown Prince's Palace, where she became a maid, that cleaned and tidied up his bed every morning. She was just like the other maids who worked there, they never saw him, but would always hear him. The Crown Prince was someone who they could not make eye contact with and every servant throughout the Royal Palace was taught to always keep their heads bowed and never look up unless spoken too. So one day during her normal routine, Ni Xing walked into the Crown Princes bedroom and started cleaning and tidying the room up. As she was about to leave the room with a basket of dirty laundry, the doors to the room opened and in ran the Crown Prince who bumped into Ni Xing making them both fall over. The dirty laundry flew across the room and the Crown Prince was laying on top of Ni Xing; his heavy body made her gasp for air deeply and with the air present in her body, she said, "Heavy, I can't breathe." Feeling a bit flustered the Crown Prince got up off her and looked over at Ni Xing who was holding onto her stomach faced the other way in an awkward position. The Crown Prince got up and patted his clothes hitting the dust particles away and fixed himself, he held his hand out towards Ni Xing as a gesture to help her up, but she still did not look his way. "Ahem," the Crown Prince cleared his throat trying to get her attention. She looked down at his feet then trailed up his clothes with her eyes and noticing that the Dragon embroidered on his gown was the mark of the Crown Prince she trembled slightly not daring to look up at him. She wasn't afraid, but this was one of the rules. Seeing that she turned her head back down and was looking away the Crown Prince sighed and said, "If you don't get your dirty body off my floor, I will call the palace guards to drag you away." Ni Xing was about to say something when something in her heart told her to stop, she got up from the floor and bowed at a ninety-degree angle and said, "Please forgive my insolence your highness, this servant was distracted and was not looking where she was walking." The Crown Prince motioned for her to leave and she quickly gathered all the laundry. The Crown Princes watched her clean up and he was astonished, he could see how beautiful she was and her beautiful big brown eyes complimented her round face. Her lips were rose red and she wasn't someone fit to be a palace servant. The more he observed her the faster his heartbeat, this was love at first sight. Later the Crown Prince wooed her leading to their forbidden love affair. Ni Xing loved the Crown Prince and risked it all for him, she was also willing to die for him. When she found out she was expecting his child she was happy; she was happy when she married him and she was in pain after giving birth to their child. Seconds, before her water broke, was the last moment she spent with him. A week after giving birth she walked out of her room with the baby in her arms and tears falling from her eyes, walking out of the Crown Princes Palace was the hardest thing she did. She moved into a house the Crown Prince bought her on the outskirts of the Empire. She received his letters of sorrow and sadness for six months' she couldn't handle her situation anymore and decided to return home. *** She sent a letter to the owner of the most famous brothel in the Jīlěi Empire; she met the owner years ago when they were younger, she was a merchants daughter and their fathers were good friends. She arranged for Ni Xing and her daughter to stay for a month and asked them to stay longer but was turned down. When the month passed, Ni Xing and her daughter travelled to the Xiěyè Empire by horse. Along the way they encountered many obstacles; when reaching the border she had to produce a passport for her and her baby. When asked why they were leaving, she told the officers she was returning home, she received news of her mother's illness and was returning to help nurse her back to health. The next question was, "Does your husband know of this?", she faked a sad expression and tears formed in her eyes, she told them he died while travelling and it was just her and her baby. A few more unimportant questions were asked and they were soon let go. After leaving the border she could smell that familiar scent of blood mixed with sweat in the air. She travelled for another day and arrived in front of the military base, late in the evening around eight pm. The soldiers were busy packing away and cleaning up the training grounds when one of them noticed the approaching horse. He notified the others and they went to the gates to stop her, "Halt! This isn't a place where just anyone can enter, please show your access token," said one of the soldiers. She took off the hood that was covering her head and reached into her pocket between her and her daughter. Ni Xing threw it at the soldier who spoke and said, "Take that to general Ye and tell him his daughter has returned." The soldier's eyes widened and he ran off to report. She sat on her horse and looked down at her daughter who she could barely see, but could make out her outline, her hands started moving; her daughter was wrapped in a cloth that was fastened to her body around her waist and around her neck in order not for her baby to accidentally fall, it was fastened in the perfect position so that when she had to, she could easily take out her breast and put it in her daughter's mouth. She kissed her daughter on the hand that was moving about and said, "We're home my sweet child." *** Moments later heavy footsteps could be heard running towards them and a group of men came out from one of the tents in the distance. They stopped in front of the horse and the man in the front held up a fire lit torch in her direction and his handsome face started twitching, "Ni Xing, it's you?" "Yes father, I have returned home," she answered. She got off the horse gently while holding her daughter firmly with one arm. She walked up to her father and bowed her head and saluted him with clasped fists in front of her, "General Ye, your unfilial daughter Ni Xing, has returned." General Ye reached out his hands and grabbed her on her shoulders, he was about to hug her when the sudden shock wave from the heavy force that pressed on to her, shook her and woke her baby up. The baby strapped to her chest let out a soft cry and wanted to see her mothers face, but she couldn't because her head was covered. General Ye's heart shook, "Ni Xing?" he said, he wanted to ask her what made that sound, but was cut off, "Father, can we talk inside, it's too cold out here for my daughter." "Mn", he hummed. A path was made for them and her father took the lead, he led her to the furthest and biggest tent that was pitched up in the distant centre. They entered and she was told she could take the seat near a dimly lit oil lamp. She sat down and took the cloth that closed her baby's head off and she was met with a panicked expression. Previously when she called out to her mama after the shock she couldn't see her but could hear her voice so she calmed down a bit and now that she finally saw her mama's face, the tears started falling from her glossy eyes. Ni Xing smiled and said, "There, there little one, mama's here, don't worry alright?" She took off her robe that was in the way and unwrapped the cloth, she gently took her baby out and held her up in front of her. In the room it was her, her father, her two brothers Ni Rue and Ni Ming and one other general, General Feng; these four men couldn't believe that Ni Xing was a mother, the naughty girl who went against her family and told them she would never have children was holding a baby in her arms. Ni Xing put her nose against her daughter's nose and rubbed their noses together, she moved her daughter towards her chest and took out her left breast and placed the nipple in her daughter's mouth. This action took the four men by surprise; General Ye went up to Ni Xing and sat down beside her and looked at the baby who was sucking on Ni Xing's breast, his mouth trembled and his voice was hoarse, "Ni Xing, is she yours?" he asked her. She did not look at him and answered with a giggle, "Yes, she is your grandchild." General Ye's heart sank and so did the other men, they really couldn't believe it. They got chairs and sat near her and watched her feed her daughter; when her daughter was done she put her breast away and placed her slanted on her shoulder and patted her back gently, the little one let out a burp a few seconds later. Ni Xing put her daughter on her lap facing the men in the room and she started squealing, "Knyaaa~". Their hearts warmed after they heard her, she then proceeded to make more noises, "ma ma ma ma ma ma ma". She started kicking her legs and Ni Xing took the cloth away that was covering her daughter's feet and immediately her daughter squealed louder and grabbed onto her little feet. The men in the room laughed and shook their heads, it wasn't every day that a baby entered the military base and was so happy. "Ni Xing, what is my granddaughter's name?", General Ye asked. She looked at her father and said, "Her father was going to name her, but he never got a chance to meet her and give her a name, father, would you do me the honour of naming my daughter?" General Ye felt a bit conflicted, what did she mean by that? He looked at the baby in her arms and held out his hands. Ni Xing passed her daughter to her father and he held her up in front of him, his granddaughter looked at him with her big and glossy hazel eyes - frightened. She looked back at her mother and all she was met with was a smile, she wanted to cry, but suddenly heard her grandfather speak, she faced him while he spoke to her, "I can't believe Ni Xing has a baby, has she look properly after you, little one? Grandfather will come up with a good name for you." He thought for a while then said, "How about we name you Yue Mian, you have eyes as big as the moon and you have your mothers round face. Ye Yue Mian." Ni Xing raised her left brow, "How can you name my daughter moon face?" He looked over at his daughter who was questioning his choice; before he could say something, his granddaughter started giggling. He looked at her then looked at his daughter and said, "You see there, my YuMi likes her name." His son's and General Feng shook their heads, it was normal for these two to disagree.

We have a week left until the nobles and royals of the other empires arrive. The Lekranians’ are arriving for the alliance meeting and will be signing an agreement with the three empires. I wonder if A-Ro will be here too. Everyone is meeting here instead of Naiad because I was crowned Empress and Xian Rong was crowned Emperor three days after my coronation. The officials and some royals have been probing the children and me about who my husband and their father is but I still haven’t told them under Yu Sheng’s orders. The children also don’t refer to him has papa. Xian Rong has tried to stop them because it’s his mother’s family that’s causing all of this trouble for us but it’s to no avail. After we both received our titles there were many questions thrown our way but it seems that this brother of mine is thick-headed. What surprised me most was that he called me one side to discuss Xinxi Yue. “Your son, the middle one, what’s his name?” he asked while looking at me from across the table with a teacup in his hand. “My son? His name is Wang Qiang Du, why are you asking?” I asking with a raised brow. I noticed how he looked at Xinxi strangely when my kids introduced themselves at the banquet at my coronation. He puts his cup down and leans forward while entwining his fingers on the table, “He looks familiar,” he says making my brows knit. “So you’ve noticed,” I say and he raises a brow at my tone. We stare at each other for a moment and he breaks the silence after taking a sip from his cup. “The Princes of Naiad will be here soon, won’t it seem suspicious?” he asks knowingly. I smile at him, “The woman he got pregnant gave their child up when she saw that it was of no use to keep him, I didn’t know who she was until ‘He’ came looking for my son three years after I brought him to Jilei.” “I see, so what shall we do?” he asks while smirking. I shake my head, “The eldest prince planted his seeds in the right places, it’s his loss for losing such a handsome son.” Xian Rong smiled at me, “Is that all?” “Yes,” I answer and drink the last of my rose tea. “I was thinking since he is already of noble blood, then why not have him take the place as our crown prince?” My eyes widen at his suggestion. Before I can say anything he cuts me off, “I know it’s not proper but, both you and I are way over the age of having a firstborn and Qiang Du is about the age he should be so crowning him as Crown Prince would be best. He as all the required aspects and I doubt he knows who his father is so he won’t betray us. I’m proposing this idea to you because I’m not interested in waiting any longer after this alliance gathering is over, I’m heading out to the smaller kingdoms and I would prefer if a prince is waiting for my return. A concubine is a minor detail in what’s part of my fate.” I swirl the cup in my hand looking at the rose petal dancing around. Bringing it to my lips I smile, placing the cup down I look into his eyes, “He’s been trained to be a good son, I’m sure he won’t disappoint either of us. We can have him start his royal duties by welcoming the visitors and studying, what do you say?” I ask him and he nods. He raises his cup in the air and I do the same. Another step to victory.

Waking up dazed with blurry vision barely able to see, Yu Sheng balled his hands and rubbed his eyes. “Mmm” sounded from beside him frightening him! Quickly sitting up he jumped off the bed with the covers and was stunned. Looking down at his own body and the one on the bed… he didn’t know what to say. She moved again feeling for sheets but couldn’t find it giving up. He reached down picking the sheets up about to cover her when he noticed the bloodstains on the bed. He covered her gently not daring to disturb her rest, tucking her in and left the bedroom. Sitting on a bench on the veranda Yu Sheng reflected on his actions from last night. Resting his face in his palms, the scene from last night played in his mind from the beginning until the end. Thinking more clearly about what happened; his heart started racing and the member who was asleep woke up again. He sat up and looked at the tent pitched in his pants. Leaning back he closed his eyes, putting his hand in his pants he felt the swollen heated member. Starting slowly he stroked his member thinking about the silky body he devoured last night. His breathing got heavier as he pumped it hard… gritting his teeth he released the warm seeds into his hand and soiling his pants with the spillage. Pulling his hand out, he looked at the thick white seeds running through his fingers… Suddenly he remembered that right after last night the two of them fell asleep still covered in each other’s juices. He washed up putting on clean clothes then heading back to the room cleaning YuMi up and changing the bedsheets and covers… Evening came and she still slept soundly not waking up. From time to time he would check up on her to see if she was still breathing… one thing he noticed was that she had this pained expression on her face continuously. Later in the evening, he fed her water to drink so that she wouldn’t get dehydrated.~~~Tired out from waiting around he took off his outer robe and climbed into bed, pulling her into his arms he fell asleep… the next morning, the birds were chirping loudly, jumping from tree to tree. Slowly as she gained consciousness she frowned upon hearing the noise coming from outside. With her eyes still closed she tried lifting her arms but she felt too weak. Opening her eyes she blinked a few times, took in a deep breath and lifted her arms pushing away the duck feather stuffed quilt. Closing her hands into a fist, opening and closing it three times the pain in her body pulsed through her body making everything hurt. ‘How many times did he do it?’… 'Why does it hurt so much?’ Forcing her body up she sat up and started groaning from the pain; sighing she looked around the room then her eyes landed on the evildoer beside her. His arm was laid out inviting her in, moving closer to him she laid down and looked at him. This was the first time she saw him defenceless – sound asleep. ‘He is handsome,’ she said in her heart. Admiring his chiselled jawline, pointy nose, the mature and manliness he displayed two nights ago made her heart beat fast… Lifting her hand she traced his nose and lips eagerly wanting to kiss him. Her touch tickled him waking him up. He felt her fingertips touch his cheeks and neck making him smile.Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her in hugging her. She scrunched her face, “If you are awake get up and bring me something to drink, I’m parched.” Bringing back tea he helped her up. Drinking the tea she wasn’t satisfied making him pout for her three more times. Sitting down on the bed after placing the teapot down, he looked at her lovingly… “W-what is it, what do you want?” she asked, afraid that he was going to take advantage of her again. “Do you know that you have been asleep for a day?” Hearing this she thought about it but to her, it seemed as though everything happened yesterday, if not then why was she in so much pain? “YuMi.” He called out to her softly, caressing her cheek he said, “I’m sorry I went overboard, I must have tired you out for you to sleep this long… will you forgive me?” "…You didn’t force me, although you did what you want with my body, so stop and fix that expression on your face!” After confirming that nothing would happen to him things became awkward… YuMi was still sitting on the bed as she looked at Yu Sheng who wasn’t facing her. For her, this awkward feeling and tension between them wasn’t something she planned to get used to, “Sheng, if you want to do it again, don’t be afraid to let me know but…” He moved closer to look at her and held her hands in a gentle voice, “What is it, you know that you can tell me anything and everything.” Gazing into his eyes she said, “You are bound to me and I to you, you are not allowed to leave me!” Frowning he said, “YuMi, I’m the man, not you… how could you beat me and ask me to marry you when I am the one who was supposed to ask you?” “Eh?” she was confused… Yu Sheng chuckled, YuMi was dense when it came to love but he wasn’t.Leaving the room for a few minutes he returned while holding something behind his back… “Close your eyes.” He said to her. Once her eyes were closed he got on the bed and held out his hand, “Open your eyes.” As she did the first thing she saw was the black box in his hands. “Take it,” he said. Taking it in her hands she opened it and froze. Inside was a dark blue jade ring. Yu Sheng picked it up and pulled her hand towards him placing it on her ring finger. Pulling her hand back she looked at him in shock, “Yu Sheng wha…” he stopped her by placing a kiss on her lips… “Will you marry me?” She looked at him dazed unable to make sense of this situation. Seeing the confusion on her face he smiled, “It’s okay if you won’t accept it now but please consider it.” A few days passed with still no answer from her, the end of the week arrived and Yu Sheng pulled her off to a house. Inside the house was an old couple he knew. Forcing YuMi to marry him the couple bared witness to their marriage. Spending the night together completing the consummation… a few days later at the army base, she wasn’t in the mood to eat, continuously feeling nauseous making her husband worry. After seeing a physician he told them that the symptoms she was experiencing were because she was pregnant. The shock from the news heavily slapped YuMi and Yu Sheng. Back at their place, YuMi kept rubbing her stomach unable to wrap her head around the fact that she was going to give birth to a child that was growing inside of HER? The two, husband and wife did not expect the arrival of the little thing to arrive so soon but then again when you think about it clearly or well as Yu Sheng was thinking, counting in his head, he had already taken his wife almost ten times since before and after their marriage. “Sheng, this, all of this is not part of our plans.” Yu Sheng, “Yes but doesn’t having a family mean that you have a reason to live and not commit to the previous plan?” She looked at him with a darkened gaze, her thoughts a mess… “Sheng?” “Mn,” he hummed. Softly she said, “There’s something I haven’t told you.” Yu Sheng, “YuMi what is it that is troubling you to the point that makes you show that expression?”“I have a son.” Yu Sheng’s eyes constricted, standing up he looked at her while clenching his fists, “Am I not your first?” Shocked! She frowned saying, “What nonsense are you spouting of cause you are, do you think I would sleep around?” Realizing that he said such a thing out impulsively, calming down he sat beside her again and said, “I’m sorry, tell me about him.” “He should be seven soon, will you go get him for me?” she said looking at him expectantly.Unable to refuse her he did after getting his whereabouts from her.~~~Arriving at the place the next day, Yu Sheng and the two soldiers that always accompanied him. Outside of the little house sat a boy around the age of six to seven on a stack of hay… the boy looked at the approaching four horses and men with a frown. Getting off the horse and walking towards the house they stopped at the gate. Smiling gently Yu Sheng started, “Hello there is lady Fei Rou here?” The boy looked at him but didn’t answer. “…” Sheng, “Did you hear me?” “I did.” Sheng, “Is she not here?” -_- A lady came out from the house shortly while asking, “Xinxi, who are you speaking too…” and froze when she saw them. She looked at Xinxi and her heart tightened. Yu Sheng saw the change on her face and looked at Xinxi… the boy was no longer sitting on the stack of hay and instead he made his way over to them. He opened the gate, walked past them patting Yu Sheng's white stallion. Turning back to the lady he asked, “Excuse me but are you Lady Fei Rou?” “Yes…” Smiling he bowed, “I’m Yu Sheng, My miss has asked me to bring back her son so that they could live together.” “Your miss?” she questioned, she hadn’t heard any news of YuMi being acknowledged as the princess so who was he talking about. “What Child?” Turning around he was about to point at Xinxi but he was no longer there. Yu Sheng suddenly panicked, he looked all around him but the boy wasn’t there. Fei Rou, “Don’t worry about the boy, he wonders around from time to time but I am sorry, that boy is not allowed to leave and you better not cause me any trouble, that boys family is not one to mess with.” Hearing this Yu Sheng smiled, “I must be mistaken… Ye Yue  Mian sent me to bring back her son Ye Xinxi Yue with me so that mother and son meet and can live happily. I understand that you were asked to look after him in her steed when she left…  I assure you that all is well and that he will be safe with me,” he ended with a bow. “You know my mother?” sounded from behind him. Turning around Yu Sheng saw that the boy was stuffing his mouth full with the blackberries in his hand. He noticed that this boy had a condescending look in his eyes secretly mocking him, wondering to himself, ‘Why did my wife take you in?’ Sighing Fe Rou called out, “Come in, it will take me some time to gather his things.” “Am I leaving?” he nonchalantly asked… Fei Rou felt all her energy leave her body. Yu Sheng and his part went inside while Xinxi strolled around the house a few times. Yu Sheng saw Xinxi pass the window three times and asked, “Is there something wrong with him?” Pausing Fei Rou looked out the window then said, “Ever since his mother left him he became anti-social but spoke with most of the children… he also spends most of his time walking and exploring the woods and when he is at home he circles the house to keep himself busy.” Yu Sheng trailed, “I see.”~~~ About an hour later, all his things were packed and they were saying goodbye, “Remember Xinxi, behave where you go and don’t anger your mother, she has her burdens and you must provide her with support alright?” Fei Rou chided him… nodding his head he hugged his grandmother. When Fei Rou could no longer see the horses, she broke down in tears, pained that she would no longer see that naughty child again and hoped that he wouldn’t forget this old lady he called grandmother.=Finally standing face to face with his mother again, he felt awkward… Yu Sheng had left the two to talk in peace. The feelings he had hidden for the past two years were slowly surfacing as he tried to blink back his tears… he didn’t know how to initiate the conversation and could only avert his gaze avoiding hers… ‘This silly child,’ she thought, she found herself staring mostly at him because she hadn’t seen him for so long… extending her arms she reached out to hug him finding him tense in her hold. Holding him tightly she said, “It’s okay Yue-er, mama’s here now.” Feeling her warmth surround him the familiar smell that he had longed for – his mama was no longer in his dreams and she was now, here… holding him. He clutched onto her outer robe, pulling on it he bit down onto his lip and started weeping softly… When she heard his sobs she too couldn’t keep herself from crying… this was the first time she cried since that day… Xinxi ended up crying himself to sleep. Later that night he woke up and looked around to find his mother and Yu Sheng embracing each other while kissing… confused he looked around then headed back to his room pondering over what he saw – Yu Sheng already had a shitty first impression, now that person was kissing his mother… why? The next day YuMi introduced Yu Sheng to Xinxi as her husband and last night’s scene finally made sense to him but he still disliked it, then later finding out that his mother would give birth to that man’s child made him bitter although he didn’t show it on the surface Xinxi dislike Yu Sheng… Yu Sheng wasn’t oblivious and could sense that this person did not like him but did not mind it at all. While living together Yu Sheng tried getting along with him but Xinxi rolled his eyes whenever spoken to which ended up becoming a habit irritating the hell out of both his mother and father… whenever he was scolded about it he’d roll his eyes, again and again, making them helpless. Eight and a half months later a tiny baby girl came out of YuMi’s stomach crying… Xinxi and Yu Sheng were excited to see the little thing, deep inside YuMi and Yu Sheng’s hearts they were worried. The physician noted that the little girl was much smaller than the average newborn and a few questions with some answers popped into his head. Because YuMi was exhausted after giving birth and he couldn’t question her he asked Yu Sheng instead. After making sure that the child’s senses and physical features were correct he asked, “Did the mother take any substances during her pregnancy?” “No,” he answered. “And yourself before conceiving the child?”… “No,” frowning Yu Sheng asked, “Doctor if you want to know something just ask.” “I’m sorry but this concerns your child’s health… since there were no substances taken the by any chance, are you and your wife related?” Yu Sheng's heart squeezed, nodding his head slowly… “Your child is smaller and weighs less than an average newborn baby and doesn’t seem to have anything wrong related to her senses, it’s still early to determine if she can see or not but unless the two of you are related within the first four generations then she will just be built small but anything close and her brain will be affected and physically.” Sighing in relief he prayed thanks to the heavens for being born sixth and YuMi eighth. The physician monitored the growth of Yu Chushan and she was perfectly fine when you ignored her small self… After she was born Xinxi developed a sister complex, always playing with her making her sleep, feeding her… after she turned one and close to six months YuMi, although reluctant ditched her family then meeting up with A-Ro on her journey. Because of the complicated situation, A-Ro was in and meeting Jangmi, she had no choice but to return home and order that crazy husband of hers to fetch the pregnant woman and take her back to Jilei. Arriving home, Xinxi was outside brushing his horse when he spotted his mother. She walked up to him as if she was a thief and kissed him on the forehead. “Where’s your father?” she whispered. Rolling his eyes at her, “Inside why?” Sighing she said, “That man is going to kill me!” Rolling his eyes, “I doubt it.” “You need to stop rolling your eyes!” Rolling them again he yelled, “YOUR WIFE IS HOME!” YuMi instantly stood up straight and began panicking. Glaring at her unfilial son she wanted to hide somewhere even digging a hole to shove her head in was an option. … Slowly stepping out of the house with his daughter in hand, he looked ahead at the thief disguised as his wife… “Ye. Yue. Mian. He called. Freezing she looked at him while her heart tightened… Swallowing her fear she smiled, “I’m home.” Little Chushan wiggled out from her father’s grip and ran to her mother… Afraid that she might fall YuMi dashed forward and embraced the little human, “Mama welcome back!” Kissing her on the cheek she smiled humming, “Mn.” Yu Sheng walked up to them, placing his arm around her waist; he hugged her while placing a kiss on her lips. She could see that his eye wasn’t smiling and felt dread… Little Chushan covered her eyes seeing them kiss, embarrassed in their place. Later that night her hands were bound behind her back while her mouth was gagged and her body naked, while kneeling with her face against the floor and tears in her eyes. Behind her, her husband was thrusting himself into her letting out all his frustration and anger – this went on until the sun rose the next morning leaving her in a messy state. Yu Sheng didn’t ask her questions only listening to her. She didn’t explain her reasons for leaving but Yu Sheng long knew that this wife of his was a free spirit that couldn’t be contained. She told him about Jangmi and that it was time for them all to move to Jilei but before their morning started he informed her about the disappearances that occurred recently.

Yue Mian and Yu Sheng stood in a room where they kept the bodies of the dead lined up that washed up on shore recently. All the dead bodies belonged to females around the ages of ten to fifteen-year-olds who all had a similar trait – a red mark on their foreheads. Besides the mark on their foreheads, they had black marks similar to veins under their skin that indicated that whatever it was must have travelled through their bodies and killed them, if not then how could such ugly marks show on their skin? Just what did they ingest to have an appearance such as this? A total of seventeen bodies all varied in size and age. Pale in complexion due to being in the water for too long. Yue Mian opened one of the bodies eyes and noticed that the whites of the eyeballs were pitch black – this adding on to her confusion. "Sheng, what do you think?" He came up to stand beside her adding, "According to what the physician said, the black vein marks must have been caused by either ingesting something or they were injected with some drug, besides that after examining further we found that all those who seemed to be over thirteen were sexually violated and more than once to boot. So if I might say then the harsh of reality, they were disposed of because they became useless or something must have gone wrong." He continued, "We did a thorough investigation and asked if there were any young females missing from their families but its either they died already or ran away. The parents of those who ran away gave descriptions of their children and none match the girls in front of us." Yue Mian undressed one of the younger girls examining her body. There were faint red and blue spotted marks and bruise marks on the body under her arm and on her back. Feeling along the joints of her body she said, "Besides all the physical marks we see there's also internal damage, the skin is stuck to the bones as if there aren't any organs in the body, have you noticed?" Looking at her hand that glided over the dead girl's body he said, "I was waiting for you to ask permission to cut open her body. The physician did puncture her body with his acupuncture needles and they came out black indicating that there was some poison in the bodies and also that the needles did not reach any organs, to be specific he tried checking the lungs, kidney and liver but it seems like there is nothing inside their bodies." Raising a knife she looked at him then turned to look at the body in front of her. Piercing it then dragging the knife down her stomach the liquid inside her body came flooding out. Yu Sheng stepped back while Yue Mian continued to cut down the stomach and stopped once she hit the pelvic bone. Cutting a curve opening the right side of the body she yanked it open and wasn't surprised. Yu Sheng took the knife from her and handed her a cloth to clean up with. She wiped her hands and the liquid that splattered against her face. Looking down at the black liquid that pooled by her feet she hummed in understanding. "Get someone to clean this all up and collect the liquid into a clan pot for me, there's something strange about all of this." Acknowledging her command he leads her out and helped her onto a horse. She rode off leaving him behind. Yu Sheng instructed a few under his command and went back to the office with the clay pot of black liquid. Yue Mian was nowhere to be found! Taking a deep breath in he placed it down on the desk and walked out. Not too far from their base was a small house with a garden that Yue Mian owned. Arriving he heard giggling and crashing here and there. A moment later little Chushan came running out yelling at the top of her lungs while giggling. Yu Sheng saw this and his heart jumped into his throat. Stepping lightly on his feet he rushed to her quickly reaching her with in the second! "Shan!" His daughter caught a fright from suddenly being caught by her father and his yell. The tears were ready to fall when Yue Mian came walking out of the house. "Yu Sheng, love, why are you so worried about her, don't you know that if she doesn't experience life, fall or gets hurt then she won't develop fully." Standing up with his daughter in and he looked at his wife and said, "Do you know how it hurts to see you get hurt and how you make as though you don't feel pain? Forgive me for wanting to keep my daughter safe when I cannot protect my wife!" "Annoyed?" she teased him. Looking at his frustrated gaze she stroked his face and pecked his lips. "I understand that it's not easy being with someone like me but Sheng remember, Shan isn't my first child and she needs to develop wholly, or else what will she be like when she grows up? A young lady who knows nothing but to rely on you, me or Xinxi? Or will she be someone who relies on one herself if and when we are not around?" Feeling the weightless child in his hands Yu Sheng couldn't answer her only thinking to himself, 'But she's so small.' [Here Chushan can be said to weigh 1.8kg when she was born and currently only 10kg's because she barely ears and is very small but don't get me wrong, she eats enough to fill her up but not to gain weight.] Placing her down, the little human ran away giggling again. Jangmi came out of the house with a baby in her arms greeting Yu Sheng. The baby she gave birth to is a beautiful baby girl, dark skin in colour, had the same nose as her father and the same eyes. Yu Sheng was mad in love with this beautiful baby girl making both Yue Mian and Jangmi speechless. Leaving with the baby in hand Yue Mian went back in to drink her tea. "My husband is an idiot!" Yue Mian and Yu Sheng stood in a room where they kept the bodies of the dead lined up that washed up on shore recently. All the dead bodies belonged to females around the ages of ten to fifteen-year-olds who all had a similar trait – a red mark on their foreheads. Walking out of the fridge-like cell she said, “Gongzo Zhucheng.” Behind her, Yu Sheng smiled, “Mn, all these girls seem to be from the neighbouring kingdom Chengzhu Zogong. I’ve sent news to our allies to find out about what’s happening, hoping that they bring us good news soon.” “Then why am I needed here?” … ”Because princess, your subordinate will always report to you even if it’s a minor matter.” Walking up to her he placed his hands on her shoulders gripping firmly he whispered into her ear, “My wife, although you are not needed here, you are needed at home and tonight in my arms!” Shaking his hands off she turned to look at him, “Have you not figured out yet why I keep running away?” Shaking his head Yu Sheng shrugged. Walking past her he grabbed her hand, pulling her off. The two of them arrived at home and Yu Sheng had his way with his wife yet again!  Few days passed before they received good news. Their guesses were correct. The girls that drifted onto the shores of Jilei were from the neighbouring kingdom Chengzhu Zogong across the sea. On the shores of Jilei, not only did they find the bodies of the girls but also the wreckage of a ship. It’s believed that the girls were in this ship before they died or thinking along the lines of Yue Mians thoughts – the girls could have been shipped somewhere but something must have gone wrong. Laying on the bed on her stomach beside Yu Sheng she lazily looked at the reports while leaving the busy hands of her husband to glide on and pinch her buttocks as he pleased. “Why do you think those girls were on the ship?” Sighing he brushed the stray strands of hair out of her way, “Slavery?” “Well… maybe or it could be witchcraft!” “Witchcraft?” “Maybe – this is just a guess, there could also be the case where they sold he girls for slavery in which they could be used as sex-slaves, house slaves but what can explain the amount of black liquid found in their bodies?” “Should I have them search for things related to drugs and other illegal substances?” “That’s a sound idea… let us see what comes up.” ~ Looking at the report in front of her while she sat on her husbands lap, “Sheng, this doesn’t make sense but on the good side, we now know that there are many girls missing but the drugs being distributed in the kingdom does not leave such a result such as melting the organs into a liquid black in colour – what is it really?” She continued, “Sheng, let's travel to Chengzhu Zogong, maybe we’d able to get a better feel for what is happening when we get there.” Yu Sheng, “I’ll arrange for our leave.”

The week passed slowly and strange things happened during the course of the week. The noble and royal's children who attended the Coming of Age banquette fall ill, they all had ingested Rou Cherry leaves. None of the nobles or royals remembers ingesting the leaves and an investigation was led by the health minister, minister Lou Yi Fang by the order of the Emperor. During the investigation - minister Lou Yi Fang visited all the homes of both nobles and royals. During his visits, after testing and doing minor investigations on each home, he found that the Rou Cherry leaves were infused with the oil inside the lamps in each of their rooms. Minister Lou went around asking each households servants, how this happened? No one could answer this question. All the oil is kept in one room and everyone has access to the room but barely anyone entered because they would change the oil once a week. The way they choose oil is also random because those that are lazy would open a new jar and use that oil, most of the homes have this way of conduct which leaves them with half filled jars of oil and some empty houses. The homes which have an orderly way of conduct and manner do it systematically. All of this, leaving minister Lou Yi Fang in confusion. After a while, one of his subordinates came to him with a theory. “Minister Lou, young me thinks that the person who did this must have investigated this thoroughly and knew of the different ways that the servants do things in all homes.”   Listening to his subordinates theory, he agreed and reported his findings back to the Emperor, who was astonished and dumbfounded because no one, during his days as Emperor committed crimes or went against the empires laws and conducted such devious plots - what is this person's goal by doing all of this? Not knowing that the night when Yu Sheng visited Yue Mian in the cave she gave him a jar full of powder and instructed him to visit all the houses during the night and mix the powder and oil together. He did so but he did not do it himself. Yu Sheng hired a group of assassins from the Naiad Empire to do it and when they completed their tasks they left the capital and returned to their homes. *** It seemed as if no one bothered to put the puzzle pieces together although they had some suspicion that Yue Mian was a probable cause because her mother studied plants and used some to make her refreshments. Ni Xing, however, thought of this possibility. She knew that her daughter was somewhat able to pull this off because of her knowledge base. Frustrated at the fact that her daughter wasn't coming home and is the possible cause of the recent happenings, Ni Xing left her home and went to find General Yu at the army base. She explained to him that Yue Mian could be a possible suspect and he was astonished but after some thinking, it made sense. The two of them went to find Yu Sheng at the Yu residence. When they arrived, Yu Sheng was practising his martial arts. Being interrupted by the frantic Ni Xing and his father, he wasn’t surprised at all. After going back and forth arguing for a while General Ye and Ni Xing convinced Yu Sheng to speak about what was happening. They returned to the living quarters of the Yu residence and was greeted by Yu Cháhuā General Yu's wife and Yu Lauyao their teenage daughter. Inside the dining hall, General Yu, Ni Xing and Yu Cháhuā were seated waiting for Yu Sheng to return. When they returned home, he left them and went to his room to retrieve a few items Yue Mian left in his care. Returning to the dining hall with two silk wrapped letters in his hands, he said, place the letters on the table, sitting down on a seat beside his mother, "Father, aunty Ni Xing, YuMi left the kingdom." Ni Xing's eyes were filled with disbelief. Looking down at the letters on the wooden table that Yu Sheng placed down, her breathing went chaotic. She asked Yu Sheng if he was lying but he shook his head without speaking another word. Ni Xing stared at him deeply and when it finally registered in her brain what was happening, her eyes widened. She looked at General Yu who had an unreadable expression on his face. Ni Xing grabbed at the letters and opened the first one, it was addressed to Emperor An. She threw it to the side after reading the first line. Opening the second letter almost ripping it apart, her mouth trembled and her eyes turned red. "To mama, by now I have already left the Empire. I am a troublesome daughter and I your daughter know this well. I always tried behaving but it has become unbearable, I don’t like hiding my true self. Mama, do you remember the day you told me about how you ran away and met my father? That is the day I realised that my calling was not in the Xiěyè Empire nor in the Jīlěian Empire. I want to experience the world and travel, I don't want to be tied up in one place and wait for my fate to unfold. I want an adventure and if die while experiencing the world then so be it, but mama please don’t be angry or sad. I love you and appreciate everything you did for me, but I can't stay with you and continue to bring you so many troubles. I know that leaving you now is causing a problem, but this will hopefully be the last problem that I cause. I will return when I have had enough of the adventures that lay before me. Mama, I'll send you letters whenever I can, I promise and please do not worry, I am a responsible person and know how to take care of myself. Please tell grandpapa and grandmama that I love them and I am sorry." *** Ni Xing's hands were shaking while holding the sheet of paper, gripping on it tightly almost ripping it into two pieces. Her eyes darted from the sheet of paper to General Yu, she wanted to say something but lost her words. Her eyes rolled back into her head and closed. Her hands dropped onto her lap with the sheet of paper in it and her body fell back into the chair. General Yu who was sitting beside her quickly grabbed hold of her before her body fell to the side - she fainted. General Yu and Yu Sheng after calming down from the shock of seeing someone, especially Ni Xing who is a strong woman, faint in front of them. They moved Ni Xing to a spare room in the main house, then General Yu started questioning Yu Sheng. After questioning and berating Yu Sheng…[To Be Continued]

Sitting on the tree the peach stealing monkey took many more and stuffed them in her bag. Jumping off the tree she headed upstream to the boarder's check-in point. Reaching the check-in point, she was stopped by the border patrol and asked, "Where are you from?" Yue Mian, "I'm from the Xiěyè Empire, I am visiting my aunt who sent a letter asking me to come help out with her stall at the market because she became ill." The guard looked at her, sizing her up and asked for her passport. "What does your aunt sell?" Yue Mian, "She has a medical herb stall." "Mn, alright, you may pass and remember to head to the central office and notify them that you will be staying here for the time being." Yue Mian, "Hi hi~" She accepted the passport and walked behind the others who entered before her. Along the way, she heard them talking about various things, for instance, scandals relating to the Naiad Empires royals and nobles. Those who you should be wary of and those that are useless eating all the tax money instead of helping the poor. Yue Mian decided to walk with them till they reached the capital so that she could register then run away, she did this mostly because she did not know how things work and needed to be one hundred per cent sure before she did what she wanted to.---Yue Mian traveled for three days with the merchants and other travelers. They took breaks at night and lunch breaks when the sun shone bright high in the sky. She managed to gain much information from the merchants. On the fourth morning around dusk, they arrived at the capital of Naiad called Riviera. Riviera was beautiful, the dew drops that hung all over on the leaves, rooftops and verandas of the stores in the capital. The merchants she traveled with voluntarily took her too where she needed to register. They left after telling her to wait for the man and then she could head out; they also told her that she would be told to pay money so she shouldn't be surprised. Two hours later a man wearing light blue silk robes and a government sash arrived. He looked at Yue Mian who stood in front of his office with a listless expression. He opened his door without greeting her making her smile, [So no matter where you go, a monkey adorned in a government sash will always raise its nose at those below it.] She followed him in and waited for him to sit down. The man acted as if he did not see Yue Mian and flipped through a book on his desk. A male servant brought tea to his side and poured two cups. One for his boss and the other for Yue Mian. Handing the cup of tea to her he smiled and asked her to wait for some time until the capital's magistrate is ready for her. He led her out of the office into a small garden and said she could rest on the chair. After drinking the tea finished she sat there looking at the garden and felt angry. Something she hated most was to be placed in a garden especially the one in the Imperial Palace of the Xiěyè Empire. Swallowing her anger down she closed her eyes and started thinking of the events that took place before she got here. Feeling a tug on her sleeve she opened her eyes and looked up. The male servant came over to notify her that the magistrate was ready to see her now. Nodding her head she followed the male servant back to the magistrate's office. Looking around her, specifically at the sun rays shining in, she noticed that she had been waiting for an hour and a half, almost two hours. She finally looked down at the man who seemed uninterested in why she was here so she didn't speak, waiting for him. One thing Yue Mian was great at and that was being patient. The magistrate was still reading his book and thought that she would state her reason for being here but she did not, she just stood there and looked at him. Finally, after some time he put the book down and picked up a brush and opened a records book, he looked up at her and asked, "This fellow, what is your reason for being here today?" Answering with a neutral expression she said, "Permanent living." The magistrate raised a brow, "So you are here to apply for residence and citizenship am I correct?" Yue Mian answered, "Mn" and nothing else. The magistrate frowned but didn't say anything. Getting out two books from the shelf behind him he opened the first one and said, "Name please." Yue Mian, "Xian Yue Mian." Before writing this down, he looked at her and asked, "Are you from Jilei?" Yue Mian, "Yes." Nodding his head he asked while writing, "Date of birth?" Yue Mian, "Sixteen years, seventh term, twelfth day." Magistrate, "How long will you be staying?" Yue Mian, "Five years." The magistrate looked up at her then smirked. Looking back down, he recorded her information further then opened the second book. The total cost of your citizenship will be one hundred and seven silver. She handed the silver over to him, throwing a sack on the desk. The man opened the sack and immediately started counting the money. Satisfied with the amount he looked back at his books and started again. "Will you be renting a house from the capital?" Yue Mian, "No." Magistrate, "Staying with someone?" Yue Mian, "Maybe." Looking up at her he shrugged. He told her that she needed to come back and pay the one hundred and seven silver coins again next year at this time. Taking a badge from him she left with a few documents and stepped out of his office. Walking along the road where the stalls were set up, Yue Mian bought a few apples and other food and something to drink. She went into an ally and sat down because she felt tired and wanted to sleep. Resting her back against the wall of one of the buildings she slid down and chewed on the apple. Finishing it she threw it away and closed her eyes. Not long before she closed her eyes, she was hit on the shoulder, "Child, child wake up!! This is not a place for you to sleep." Yue Mian opened her eyes and looked up at the old lady who yelled at her. The lady had a hunched back and was carrying a grocery bag with stuff in it and there were two young children with her. One girl, one boy. Yue Mian's red eyes looked at the old woman as she said, "But I am tired." Old woman, "Now get up and come with me." Yue Mian, "Why?" Old woman, "Now stay here and wait to be taken away by the government." Yue Mian, "Get taken away?" The old woman walked away with the two children by her side. With reluctance, Yue Mian got up and followed the old woman and the kids.---Yue Mian followed the old lady to a small house on the outside of the woods not to far from the capital. The small house had a small garden with a small selection of flowers. Next to the garden was a small patch of potatoes growing. Around the small house and garden was a botched up fence that was just barely stable enough to hold up. Walking closer towards the small house, Yue Mian could hear the sound of children laughing. The little girl and boy who were together with the old woman started smiling and ran through the only entrance of the unstable fence, running towards the small house, the two of them were full of life all of a sudden when before they were wary of Yue Mian and continuously looked back behind them while on their way home, watching her every move. The two children disappeared into the house while the old woman followed behind them. With respect still in her, Yue Mian stopped walking when she reached the entrance. Not realizing that Yue Mian stopped following her, the old woman continued on till she reached the door of the small house. Turning around to let Yue Mian she paused. No one was behind her. She looked up and around then finally saw Yue Mian at the end of the walkway beside the entrance looking in the direction of the garden. The old woman smiled, she walked towards Yue Mian. Turning her attention towards the old woman, Yue Mian gazed at her with tired eyes. Old woman, "Do you plan on standing here whole day and not sleep inside?" Smiling wearily and dazed, Yue Mian said, "Aunty, you haven't told me your name." Old woman, "All you need to do is ask. I am Fei Rue, Shen Fei Rue but you can call me aunty Fei. This is my home and the children with me are all orphans." Yue Mian, "I am not an orphan." Old woman, "If that is so, why were you sleeping on the road?" Yue Mian, "I just entered Naiad from Xieye." Old woman, "This does not mean you should sleep in the road, in Naiad there is a group of people taking young men away who are on the street and have no home." Yue Mian, "I'm female, aunty." The old woman looked at Yue Mian from top to bottom, Shaking her head she said, "It's illegal to dress like a man, if you get caught you could go to prison, worse case you would be sold off." Yue Mian shook her head, "Aunty I have my reasons, I am also not weak." Old woman, "Alright alright, come inside and sleep, we can talk some more about this after you wake up." Following aunty Fei into the small house, Yue Mian couldn't help but think about what aunty Fei just mentioned, "In Naiad there is a group of people taking young men away who are on the street and have no home." Bending her head and walking through the door, Yue Mian paused at the sight of five children looking at her a bit frightened. Straightening her body she stood at attention and looked at the five mini humans. Aunty Fei put down the grocery bags and introduced her to all the children. Aunty Fei, "Little ones, this is your new sister meimei. Meimei, the little one on the left is only two years old, her name is Mica. The boy next to her is Teno, he is four years of age. This is Rishu, I believe the two of you have met already is six years old… the little boy behind Azia Haneul, he is almost two years old and Azia who you have met before is the eldest, she is eight years old." After being introduced to all of them, aunty Fei took her to the spare room. Aunty Fei, "If you want, you can stay here with us, it's not for free and I am not asking you to pay, I need the extra help around here so you will need to work hard if you want to eat the food prepared by me. For now, you can rest up till tomorrow but when the sun rises up...you will have to work." Not waiting for Yue Mian to say anything, aunty Fei left. Looking down at the dull pink blanket placed on a mat with a white pillow beside it. The room was small but just right for her. Placing the sword in her hand down and the sack on her back on the ground, she unfolded the blanket and placed the pillow at the top of the mat. Taking off her outer layer of clothing, she sat down on the mat and took off her shoes. Unfolding the blanket she laid back, fixing the pillow beneath her head and looked up at the ceiling. "I am really lucky to have come by aunty Fei…who knows, maybe I would still be on the streets right now." Turning onto her side, she placed her left hand under her head. Looking at the drywall for a minute, her eyes closed. With her eyes closed, Yue Mian's mind was all over the place, thinking about her mother, Yu Sheng, the royal family of Xieye and the royal family of Jilei. She wondered if her brothers and sisters knew about her because she knew about them - if they didn't know about her, then "I will just have to make them know who I am." Wanting to smile but to lazy to move her face. Drifting off further into the distance her body gave off a buzz while her mind dulled out from the chaotic scenes going through her mind. Feeling the fatigue sink in and take over her body, she finally fell asleep.

Standing face to face with Xian Rong I can feel the headache coming on. After the ceremony or well, during the ceremony, he asked me to accompany him to the pavilion not too far from the banquet. Looking into his eyes, I can see the anger. It isn’t showing on his face though, I guess from the years of perfecting his mask but so what. “What did you want to talk about?” I ask him and his brows knit. He turns to face the garden with his back towards me. Staying silent for a while, I wish I knew what he was thinking but unfortunately, us humans can’t read each other’s minds. Swinging my hands around my back, I clasp them and stalk forward. I’ve had enough of playing nice! Standing beside him, I put my hand on his shoulder and force him to face me. His eyes widen as he stares at me. “You should stop wasting both of our time and just speak, this suspense is killing me Oraboni, if you don’t, I’ll just leave,” I say and he frowns. He turns to face me properly. Looking straight into my eyes as if he is staring into my soul, “Rucheng, you, really know how to take us by surprise. I’ve tried to read you but it seems that you are always a step ahead of me.” “It’s not that I am a step ahead of you Oraboi, I’m years ahead of you, whether you like it or not. And it’s not only you, but it’s also everyone who thinks they are even capable of standing on equal footing with me.” I say and he looks at me knowingly. “Who is the man that you’ve had children with?” he asks making me smile. “If you are planning to kill him then you can forget about it. That man is many times stronger than you and he’d go to the ends of the world to make sure that he stays alive because we did promise to be together until death do us part. We also plan on marrying our daughter and son’s off, so you shouldn’t even think of planning his death unless you want to die as well,” I say and he glares at me. “You dare threaten me?” he says making me laugh. Waving my hand, “Oh please, if I wanted you dead, my husband would have killed you already for me.” “You married him?!” he asks in shock. “Of cause, he isn’t a man that would plant his seed without marriage, you could say that he is someone who worships the ground I walk on so – we’re fated to be together.” “Since you’ve revealed your family, it seems that you and I aren’t going to get married,” he says while walking up to me, speaking in a low voice. I nod my head and turn my attention to him, “Of cause, he wasn’t happy with that idea so I changed my plans, but don’t think for a second that I forfeit my title as Empress, no one besides me is fit for that title. We’ll rule the empire together or I could rule it by myself if you have any problems.” He leans down beside my left ear, “I hope you know that Jilei isn’t the only empire I plan on ruling.” Looking into his eyes, I place my hands on his cheeks and smile from ear to ear, “Wang Xian Rong, your ambition’s are within expectation – do you understand now why you are still alive and I’m willing to stand by your side?” He looks down at me with surprise then narrows his eyes, “Why would I keep you by my side?” “I’m someone who can support you. Unlike you, the Hwabaek doesn’t control me. You need me as much as I need you to survive against the royals, so why won’t you?” I ask him with a smile. He hums in agreement and pulls my hands off his cheeks, “You have a point but I’m still disappointed that I can’t marry you after dreaming of it for twenty years,” he says making me frown. “If I wasn’t loyal to my husband then how would you trust me?” I ask him and he shrugs. “The alliance meeting is in two weeks, what do you have planned?” he asks shoving the conversation we just had to who knows where. “Let’s talk about that some other time, for now, we have this shitty banquet to attend to,” I say and he chuckles. We walk side by side back to the hall where the banquet is being held in comfortable silence. It seems that he isn’t that thick-headed but then again, no one can walk all over me.

When Yue Mian fell asleep, Ni Xing explained to her father what happened, her two elder brothers Ni Rue and Ni Ming and Feng general couldn't believe their ears. The Ni Xing they knew had a baby with the next empire's Crown Prince? General Ye's heart ached for his granddaughter and his daughter. He blamed himself for what happened to his daughter, if only he hadn't done what he did in the past, things would not have turned out like this for Ni Xing, if only he hadn't driven his daughter away, she wouldn't have experienced all of this, but it wasn't all for nothing. He had his little granddaughter now. He sighed after thinking about this and smiled bitterly, everything happened for a reason and he had a chance to make up for his past mistakes with his little granddaughter. *** The days went by fast and little Yue Mian grew quickly, she was such an adorable baby and everyone loved her, the army base was filled with her giggles and joyful yells; she was doted on by her grandparents, uncles and her mother, even the soldiers couldn't resist her giggles and smiles. Her grandfather would always be there when she woke up and when she closed her eyes to sleep, when it was her nap time, he was there too to make her sadness go away. He became the one she depended on the most, he was there to fill the fatherless void that the Emperor of the Jīlěian Empire created. He was not doing this out of pity, but because he loved his little granddaughter. Ni Xing, on the other hand, decided to start working and opened a refreshment shop, selling a variety of juices in the Xiěyè Empires capital city. Her shop was really popular and she was also asked to arrange drinks for special occasions for the nobles who always had something to celebrate, scholar graduation parties and also served drinks at the Xiěyè Empires Imperial Palace, whenever there was a celebration. A year had passed and it was time to test the strength of the soldiers in training and also recruit new young boys and girls to join the army, even though there weren't any wars in the future, this was just a tradition that was being carried on by each generation. *** A month after the new year, the army held a sparring exam to promote the army and recruit new soldiers. The Xiěyè Empire was known for its huge army that had over eight hundred million soldiers previously recruited and trained over the last ten years. The Xiěyè Empire is also the force that is responsible for training all soldiers from the Jīlěi Empire and Naiad Empire since the alliance came into motion eighty years ago. So why should they stop? It's what they were best at. The Xiěyè Empire's Emperor was attending the sparring exam and so was his Crown Prince along with his family members. Hence their attendance was a motivational boost to everyone attending the exam; showing off is a must at this event. *** On the day of the event, the Emperor and his family were welcomed along with many guests from across the three Empires. The exam started when the sun shone at its brightest and there was some entertainment in between. The Emperor sat high on a platform overlooking the event with his Empress on his right and Crown Prince on his left, sitting gracefully and watching the royals, nobles and commoners interact with a gentle smile on his face. A sword area was set up, a hand-to-hand combat area was set up, a spear area and an archers area was set up. Registration for the exam was handled a week earlier and everything began when the sun shone the brightest. General Ye walked onto the sword fighting area holding his granddaughter in his arms. Everyone quieted down looking at him. News had spread that the strict and disciplined General Ye lost his demeanour because of his granddaughter and seeing him in front of them today holding her, well you could say that a terrifying General holding a baby was quite the scene and made him seem less scary than the rumours from the past. He announced to the crowd in front of him with a loud and domineering voice, but yet gentle at the same time, "Today is the beginning of a new journey for our Xiěyè Empire, new soldiers will be recruited and the alliance will become stronger, each year is different, some will excel while others can try again next year, remember DO.NOT.GIVE.UP!!! Being a member of the Xiěyè army is an honour that can only be repaid with your hard work and courage." The crowd cheered after his speech and the young males and females were hyped up, it was an honour to be apart of the Xiěyè army and to show off their skills in front of the Emperor and Crown Prince was exciting too. General Ye made his way to the seats and sat down near the royal family with his granddaughter in his arms and signalled for the sparring exam to begin. Cheers rang throughout the arena the entire time; now and then Yue Mian would catch a fright from the shouts and start crying, but with her grandfather by her side, she would start laughing again and cheer along with the crowd with tears in her eyes. During the day, Emperor An would occasionally tease General Ye for being so gentle with his granddaughter, "General Ye, may I hold your granddaughter please?" asked Emperor An. General Ye hesitated for a moment because he did not want to part with her, but he gave in and handed her to the Emperor. Yue Mian's eyes widened as she looked at Emperor An, she looked back at her grandfather and tears started forming in her eyes making them glossy, "Laaa la laaa laaa laaaaa," she started talking, questioning her grandfather's decision of handing her over to a stranger. Emperor An and his Empress laughed, Crown Prince An Cheng walked up to his father, he stood beside him looking at Yue Mian and asked, "Father what did she say?" Hearing Crown Prince An Cheng's voice she looked over at him with her big glossy eyes, she wondered who he was, but couldn't ask him. Emperor An looked at the two of them who were staring at each other and smiled, "An Cheng, do you think she's beautiful?" Crown Prince An Cheng looked up at his father then looked back at Yue Mian and nodded with an "mn." "Father? What is her name?" He asked. "This beautiful girls name is Ye Yue Mian, she is aunty Ni Xing's baby girl," answered Emperor An. Emperor An smiled as he saw how his son found Yue Mian interesting, he looked over at General Ye whose attention was on the exam being held. He thought for a moment while observing his son and Yue Mian, hesitating for a moment, but then called General Ye to get his attention. "General Ye," called Emperor An. Looking over slightly dazed, General Ye looked in the direction his name was called from and answered, "Yes, your majesty?". Emperor An grinned, "What do you think of your granddaughter being my daughter-in-law?" he suggested. Hearing this, General Ye's eyes widened, flashes of the past popped up in his mind, trembling slightly with discomfort, he clasped his hands in front of him while bowing at a ninety-degree angle and said, "This honour? Your majesty, Emperor An, my family does not deserve this." Crown Prince An Cheng's face frowned after hearing his reply, with an annoyed expression he turned to General Ye and crouched beside him looking up at him who was bowing at a ninety-degree angle looking down at the ground, "Don't you want me to marry your granddaughter?" he asked. This sudden question caught not only General Ye by surprise, but also the Emperor and the royal family, this wasn't something a five-year-old should ask about, was it? General Ye bowed clasping his fists at Crown Prince An Cheng and said, "Previously I made the mistake of forcing marriage on to my daughter and she ran away from home which betrayed the in-laws family, I don't wish for this to happen for the second time, not because for my sake and pride, but because I want my granddaughter to live happily and not hate me or you your highness, I hope you understand." Crown Prince An Cheng looked at General Ye and asked with a questioning gaze, "Why would she hate being married to me? What did I do wrong?" Emperor An chuckled at his sons' question, but he too wanted to know the answer to that question. Feeling a little flustered General Ye answered, "Its not you who is the cause your highness, it is the fact that you are the Crown Prince of this Empire and future Emperor, if my granddaughter becomes the Empress one day that would be a great honour, but as much as that is an honour it is also a taboo for those women who do not care for such titles, they will be rebellious or will kill themselves, my granddaughter is her mothers child." The Crown Prince looked at General Ye confused, "Of cause, your granddaughter is your daughters' child, but what are you implying by saying this General?" General Ye sighed and said, "What I mean your highness is that there is a high chance my granddaughter will take after her mother and run away, this is what I do not wish for, if I could go back in time to the day I force marriage on my daughter, I would take my own life." Crown Prince An Cheng was confused, he pouted and looked over at Yue Mian who was pulling on Emperor An's beard. He looked back at General Ye and said, "Let's ask her if she wants to marry me." General Ye scrunched his nose and looked at Crown Prince An Cheng as he got up and walked over to his father. He looked at Yue Mian and asked after she looked back at him, "Do you want to marry me and be the Crown Princess and Empress in the future?" Crown Prince An Cheng spoke in a gentle voice when he asked this question because he was slightly nervous, a five-year-old did not have much courage, to begin with even though he had a title before his name he was trembling, he knew his marriage was no joke. Yue Mian looked at the Crown Prince with wide eyes, her eye became extremely glossy and she started crying, General Ye's eyes widened, he couldn't believe that his granddaughter rejected the proposal from the Crown Prince just like that. Her crying startled the Crown Prince, he became embarrassed and soon Crown Prince An Cheng started sniffing, tears started falling from his eyes and he began to cry. The Empress quickly got up and hugged her son who was crying and comforted him. Emperor An got up and handed Yue Mian back to General Ye and looked at her who was still crying and smiled bitterly. General Ye had a pained expression on his face as he looked at Emperor An. The Emperor saw this and shrugged it off, he couldn't kill a baby and have her family executed just because of this now, could he? The Crown Prince was quiet after crying for a while but swore in his heart that he'd make her regret today and would marry her in the future even if she did not want too.

Arriving at the port of Chengzhu Zogong they were greeted with the heavy atmosphere of mourning the couple looked at each other confused. They were escorted to the nearest inn by the local at the port. “One room please,” said Yu Sheng to the elderly man behind the desk. The elderly man had lifeless eyes looking up at Yu Sheng. “How long will you be staying,” asked the elder in a slow and emotionless tone. “My wife and I are here to sightsee the kingdom of Chengzhu Zogong, we’ll be staying for a month – how much will that?” he answered. The elderly man looked over at Yue Mian after Yu Sheng mentioned wife and frowned. Seeing that the elderly man was looking at her Yu Sheng asked, “Is there a problem?” “It’s not my place to say you shouldn’t be here but your pretty wife might go missing if you hang around here too long. This village only has old women in it and males, all our daughters have been taken – your wife will be taken too.” He said in his emotionless tone as he took the money from Yu Sheng and handed him the room key. Scratching her nose Yue Mian walked to the desk and locked arms with Yu Sheng, “Love~ you’ll protect me won’t you?” She whined in a high voice. Yu Sheng’s mouth twitched. Flicking her on the forehead he kissed the red mark the flick left. Patting her hair down, he forced a smile. Seeing this kind of expression after hearing the old man’s words – she knew. Yu Sheng closed the door behind them and placed the bags on the floor. Yue Mian stood by the window looking down at the street below from the second floor. Hugging her from behind, he placed his head on her shoulder and kissed her neck. Hugging his arms she leaned back into his embrace. “Sheng?” “Mn?” “I don’t want to have to remind you every time, that you made a choice by marrying me. You know that I will always be in danger no matter where I go; I’m not asking much from you but I just need you to trust and believe in me. This is only the beginning of what I am to face in the future and you being worried for my safety at every corner is taking a toll on me – if I must, I will divorce you and make sure that you will never see me again. If you don’t want that then I suggest you to just stop.” Raising his hand he cupped her face. Raising her head so that she could look at him - their eyes met. From the look in his eyes, she could tell that he was angry at her. Kissing her lips, he forced his tongue inside; after making out he pulled back and looked down at her. Just from his kiss, her cheeks had already turned red and the look under her half-lidded eyes told him a story. “You can’t live without me . . . you know that right Mrs Yu Rucheng?” She had to admit that she truly cannot live without this forceful husband of hers. His dominant personality complimented her submissiveness perfectly. Looking into those eyes of his that told her he wanted her right now made her want him too. Jumping up into his arms and wrapping her legs around his waist they went to the bed and undressed each other. Rolling around in bed they couldn’t help but be infatuated and drawn into the pleasure of being connected with the one they loved. While watching him thrust in and out of her and feeling the pleasure from this that she shared only with this man she promised herself, “I’ll never leave you, I’ll be your wife until the day I die.” Laying in his arms she had her right leg between his legs. Rubbing her leg against the organ that was unruly the entire time she couldn’t help herself but tease it and pull on the curly hairs that surrounded the unruly member. Yu Sheng’s eyes were closed as he lied on the bed and left his wife to play and tease him. He didn’t mind it because he could sense that there was something different about her and noticed it during their moment. Kissing her forehead he asked, “When will you take charge?” Raising her eyebrows she looked up at him confused, “What are you talking about?” Looking down at the hand pulling at his hairs he answered, “When are you going to show me how much you love me during sex?” Her left eyebrow cocked up. Dumbfounded she looked lost; Yu Sheng laughed heartily and hit her butt. “When we do it next time I’ll teach you.” Ready for round two he entered her and began. Going at it they almost reached the climax but heard a knock on the door. Whipping his head around Yu Sheng yelled out in fury, “Who is it?” The person didn’t answer and only knocked three more times and went silent. Looking down at Yue Mian his eyes turned soft. Leaning down he kissed her, whispering into her ear, “Stay calm.” Repeating his words in her mind she was confused. He slid his arm under her neck holding her head firmly and slid his other arm under her holding onto her waist firmly. Positioning himself properly on the bed he got up. In his arms, her eyes widened as the hardened member moved deeper into her. Biting down on her lips he closed his eyes and started pounding hard into her. Her mind didn’t have time to process what was happening. The violent movements in and out of her were unexpected and this was the very first time that he had done to her. She no longer felt pleasure alone but a combination of both pleasure and pain. Screams came out of her mouth but were swallowed by Yu Sheng's mouth overlapping hers. As she processed all of this she heard a grunt coming from Yu Sheng. Feeling the warm liquid enter her body she understood that he was done. Opening her eyes she saw herself fall down hitting a soft and comfortable quilt. Looking up at him her mind was blank. She couldn’t make sense of the numbing pain she was feeling and the pleasure overlapping it. Leaning down he kissed her on the nose. Covering her with the second quilt he put up the folding screen dividing the room and pulled a robe over his sweaty body. Opening the door he saw a man dressed from head to toe in black. “Does the innkeeper know you are here?” He shook his head in response. Moving aside the man came in and the door was closed. The man bowed, “Master.” Waving him off Yu Sheng sat down and looked at the figure on the bed, he could faintly see through the folding screen. Reporting to Yu Sheng, “Master, an official came to this village and ordered that the woman and children be taken away under the order of the emperor. When the villagers refused the official killed many innocent young and elderly men. The village chief was killed too in the exchange that’s the reason behind the gloomy atmosphere.” “The females of this village aren’t the only ones affected, there are three other villages who have had their woman and daughters taken from them leaving the old woman behind. When I looked further into this situation I found out that there indeed was an order from the emperor but not to take away the woman and children but to move the families to a reformed village for a better living environment.” “That official works under one of the ministers in charge of the reform village project is using this to his advantage. They took the woman and children and are using them as their personal entertainment.” Hearing this Yu Sheng frowned. Looking at the man he repeated, “Entertainment?” “Abusing them, making fools out of them. He also has them entertain his guests personally in a private chamber.” Yu Sheng, “Are they related to the children who washed up on our shore?” “Yes, that was a shipment he sent to one of the kingdoms on the mainland. Squinting his eyes he frowned, “A kingdom on the mainland… which one?” “Jilei . . .” “Do you know who exactly?” “Not at the moment master, but the last time I went over the records, this minister has relations to the left prime minister’s son.” “The Shim family just never seems to listen.” He commented. Waving his hand, “Leave us, your mastress needs to rest, and report back to us tomorrow with the rest.” Bowing to Yu Sheng, he turned and bowed to the one on the bed. Closing the door Yu Sheng returned to the bed to find his wife asleep. Kissing her on the forehead he lied down beside her and closed his eyes. Opening her eyes, Yue Mian sighed in her heart, “It’s time for me to visit my father.” Hearing her say this Yu Sheng’s eyes shot open, “No it’s too soon!” he argued. “You have no choice but to accept it, love~” Ignoring her husbands' words she fell asleep. Because of her statement, Yu Sheng couldn’t fall asleep… this time of their life came too soon and they hadn’t returned to their son and daughter and yet here she wanted to start her plans and head for Jilei? The next day, Yu Sheng ordered his subordinates to infiltrate the reformed village and set it on fire after they rescued the woman and children and returned them to their villages. He then ordered them to take the life of the minister who conducted these unorthodox practises. Later Yue Mian wrote a letter to the emperor that frightened him off his feet regarding this incident. The emperor ordered all the ministers possessions to be seized while he and his two sons and general from his army boarded an army vessel heading to the mainland. Arriving at the shore they were welcomed by the Marquis and right prime minister who escorted them to the palace. On their way there the emperor of the Chengzhu Zogong had a grave expression on his face causing both Marquis Ye and the Right Prime Minister Dong to worry for his health. Arriving at the Imperial Palace they were welcomed by the Emperor of Jilei, the empress, the noble wives and their princes and princesses. “Welcome brother,” greeted emperor Wang. The emperor of Chengzu Zogong returned the greeting and said with that same aggrieved expression on his face, “Brother Wang, thank you but this time my visit isn’t for pleasure. Brother, I come with news that I cannot judge for myself and I need your guidance on this subject.” Emperor Wang’s handsome face frowned. This was the first time that Emperor Cheng seeked guidance from him. When an emperor was in doubt they would ask guidance from the empress-mother, previous emperor or the advisor, never would they ask another emperor for guidance because that was an insult to their name and they would most certainly lose face. However, because the alliance has been established on the mainlands between the kingdoms the surrounding small kingdoms allied with the kingdoms on the mainland creating an alliance within an alliance. Seated in emperor Wang’s private pavilion, the two emperors sat opposite each other. “Brother Cheng, please speak, there’s no need to hold back with just the two of us here.” Emperor Cheng looked into Emperor Wang’s eyes. For a moment there was a long silence but emperor Wang didn’t force his brother to speak. Calming down emperor Cheng took out a letter from his sleeve, respectfully handing it to his brother, “Brother, please.” Smiling slightly, emperor Wang took the letter in his hand. Relaxing in his chair he unfolded it and read the letter before him. Emperor Wang’s hands gripped firmly onto the parchment crinkling it as he continued reading it. The rims of his eyes turned red. Emperor Cheng saw this and didn’t know what to make of it. His brother had no expression on his face but the hands that seemed like they were going to rip the parchment up had veins popping out from them and his eyes that turned red from probably anger or sadness. Placing the letter down, emperor Wang looked at emperor Cheng, “Brother, can I keep this?” “By all means, brother.” He urged. Emperor Cheng remained silent waiting for emperor Wang to speak – this topic wasn’t his place to comment on.” The letter reads: Dear Emperor Cheng. I commend your capabilities to reform the villages and determination to take care of your citizens. I’ve been to many kingdoms and your Chengzhu Zogong’s means of taking care of its people is truly one that I look to as the most outstanding and correct. You as the emperor take the needs of your kingdom and place it above all, I look forward to receiving guidance from you in the future. Emperor Cheng, the reason why you receive this letter is that I am in your kingdom. My visit to your kingdom is the result of a murder case that I ordered my subordinates to investigate that lead me here. Not too long ago many bodies washed up on the shores of Jilei. These bodies, all young females that have the trait of the Chengzhu Zogong natives. When I saw this, I immediately came to Chengzhu Zogong to investigate. I am sorry to inform you your Highness but your good intentions have been taken advantage of. The minister you place in charge of the reform village project has taken all the woman and young females from their villages and used them as entertainment for himself and his guests. Please do not be offended when you receive my gift in a few days. Thank you for being the leader that you are and I do hope that you can employ ministers and officials who have the citizens in their heart. Yu Rucheng. Placing the letter down, he solemnly looked at it. Stroking the characters he sighed, “My child, you have such beautiful handwriting.” Hearing emperor Wang speak like this he couldn’t help but pity him. Everyone knows the story behind emperor Wang’s missing daughter and consort… “Brother, how certain are you that Yu Rucheng is your missing daughter?” Looking at emperor Cheng he said, “This is not the first time I am seeing this handwriting… she previously sent letters out and I received one anonymously. I am one hundred percent certain that she is her.” “Brother, what do you make of this situation? She seems to know much, will she really return to Jilei and become the princess?” “I hope so…” After sending emperor Cheng to rest in a room prepared for him he called for the Marquis. Explaining to him what had just happened. Stunned, Marquis Ye exclaimed, “This Yu Rucheng was in our cells and I wasn’t notified?!” “Your majesty, what if she is a threat and not the princess for my men not to inform me, do they not know who their master is?” “She seems to have much influence.” “That is true but how can, if she is the princess, how did she manage to get make the royal soldiers in the Marquis estate follow her?” “If she is my daughter then this might be a good thing but if she is my daughter and wants to overthrow me, we will co-operate – no matter what, that child was treated unfairly and what is owed to her, she will get.” Seeing that the emperor was headstrong about this topic he said no more. He knew how the emperor wished for his daughter and wife to return but if he must, a daughter that is a threat, he would take care of even if it cost his life – his duty was to the throne, not the one on top of it. -END

That night she didn't sleep well and kept wailing in her sleep. Her mother and grandfather were so worried about her that it led them to not being able to sleep. They couldn't comprehend what happened. Yue Mian woke up the next day in a daze. She felt empty and looked around on her bed. The thing she was looking for was nowhere to be found, with a hazy memory after waking up she remembered what it was and where it went. The noisy and fluffy thing that was responsible for waking her up was no longer there. He mouth twitch at the thought. A sting passed through her heart. Tears began to form in her waterline while she mouthed his name "Gãowán". "YuMi?" her mother called out to her, she noticed now that she was not alone and her mother was by her side. She asked where Gãowán was. She was told that they buried him behind their house in the garden. She followed her mother to his grave and started crying. In her heart, she kept saying she was sorry that she could not save him. He was her best friend that protected her and all she did was watch him die. Her mother told her it wasn't her fault, but deep down she couldn't forgive herself for what happened to him, after all, if she never went fishing, he would still be alive and by her side right now. After returning home he grandfather and a few other soldiers came over after hearing she was up and asked about what happened; Yue Mian told them what happened, detailing the entire fight, from the beginning to the end when she woke up, but also hiding the fact that something terrible began to brew in her heart. They truly were shocked after hearing about it all. Her grandfather smiled, embraced her and said she shouldn't worry and should stop crying. Gãowán didn't die in vain, he saved her life and killed the mountain tiger. After finding Yue Mian yesterday they searched the area for the cause and found the mountain tiger's body not far off, it bled to death while running away, leaving a bloody trail behind, which led them to it. She wasn't happy after hearing this because Gãowán was already dead and nothing would bring him back to life! During the rest of the week she stayed home and did nothing, she kept reminiscing about her time together with Gãowán, she wanted to cry, but no tears came out. *** When she first got him, he scared her with his loveable behaviour, but she got used to it over time. He would constantly pull on her hair making it wet and slimy with his saliva; the bigger he grew the smaller she felt, but because she was small, she could ride his back like a horse. The part she misses about him the most is when it was bedtime, he would always sleep with her and she could use him as a pillow and vice versa, the two of them were inseparable and the nights after he died, she struggled to fall asleep. *** A week went by and she was back to normal, smiling at everyone just like how she was before Gãowán died; with this, she found out that she was truly very good at hiding her emotions, but what they all noticed was that after the incident, she became more dedicated to her studies and practised martial arts as much as the soldiers did. Crown Prince An Cheng would come by and hang out with her, but she seemed so distant to the point where she no longer bothered to practice with him as they used to and he would always be initiating conversation when in the past, she would mumble on about nonsense making him happy and unlike now where he felt like he was being a nuisance. Five years passed in the blink of an eye and her body changed, she had little lumps growing on her chest that were firm to the touch. Her stomach muscles were firm and you could count them, which soon will form a six pack in the future. Her arm muscles looked more manly than feminine, but no one could tell since her arms were most of the time covered. Her relationship with her mother was also slowly growing distant and the relationship she had with her grandfather became a bit unbearable and suffocating for her since he was also her master when training. She loved him, she really did, but why did he stop her from training so hard? He wanted her to learn martial arts and sword fighting, but now that she was dedicated to both arts, it was a problem? "Grandfather, I do not understand you. Ever since I was little we spent time together training, but now what is the problem? Do you no longer want me practising martial arts? If so why?" she asked with a confused gaze. Her grandfather called her over and sat her down to talk, interrupting her training session because he wanted to speak to her when he would usually watch over her and speak at the same time. So why this and why now? General Ye sighed. His little granddaughter had grown up before his eyes, but she was so different in front of him now than she was when she was a little girl. He didn't know where the time went, "YuMi, don't be angry at grandfather. I know I disrupted your training and I am sorry, but we need to speak." "Speak about what?" she questioned, glancing over at her grandfather who seemed to be a bit awkward around her. "How are you doing? We haven't bonded for a while now, how about we go buy you some new dresses at the market and visit your mother and grandmother at the store while we are at it?" he suggested. She looked at her grandfather and frowned, "Grandfather, you should know I don't like dresses, I am very healthy so you don't need to ask such a trivial question. Mama and grandmother are busy so it is best that we don't disturb them while they are working, we'll see them when they get home later in the evening." General Ye wanted to grab her and drag her out of the army base and force her to go with him, but he couldn't, he hid his urge to yell at her and calmed himself down, "YuMi, grandfather is worried about you, you don't play with children your age anymore, all you do is train and nothing else since you finished your studies with your mother. Come, how about we go pay the Emperor a visit and Crown Prince An Cheng, mn? The Emperor misses you and so do the Empress and princesses." Yue Mian looked at her grandfather and gritted her teeth before nodding her head, agreeing to go with him. She and the royal siblings never got along since she was given the title Royal God Daughter. She returned to their home and washed her dirty body, fixing her hair up in a loose ponytail. She put on a white robe matched with a pale blue fabric belt wrapped at her waist. This was paired with white slippers that had a silver dragon embroidered on each side of her them. She went out back and looked outside her bedroom window, gazing at her reflection in the nearby pond and shook her head. Doll'ing up to visit Emperor An was a hassle that she would rather be rid of. She was not looking forward to meeting up with the Royal siblings either. She met with her grandfather outside their home, who had two horses with him. He sat on a black saddled stallion and she got onto the back of the beautiful white horse that Emperor An gifted her for her 10th birthday this year. The army base wasn't far away from the Xiěyè Empire's Imperial Palace, but it was a fair distance away by foot. Nearly everyone rode a horse there because the Imperial Palace itself was huge and walking from place to place was impractical. Soldiers also tended to be efficient people. War wasn't something they really had to worry about, but habits of readiness were ingrained in them. So energy conservation was crucial when visiting the valley-like palace. *** After arriving at the palace, they were greeted respectfully by the palace guards; after entering the palace gate, a long gold and red velvet train carpet met Yue Mian's eyes. She sighed at the sight of it. It went all the way up a stone staircase that also seemed endless when you looked at it from a distance away. Her grandfather walked with large strides towards those stairs, past a row of one hundred palace guards stationed on each side of the long and intimidating velvet mat. She looked at her grandfather who was walking at a rather fast pace and sighed, [For what good reason should I waste my energy keeping up with you old man?] she thought to herself. Near her, a palace guard turned his head to look her way, she saw this through the corner of her right eye; she slowly turned her head to look at him and he bowed slightly with his right hand held out towards the carpet motioning for her to walk towards the palace, she rolled her eyes at this, [Even you are telling me to walk?] She stepped forward and slowly made her next step. She continued walking with this maddeningly slow pace while looking at each palace guard, examining them. They all looked at her one by one with a puzzled expression. Her actions were very off. Scoffing inside, she continued on and on for almost an hour and finally arrived at the top of the staircase beside her grandfather who was glaring at her. She held her hands up in surrender looking at him innocently as if she did nothing wrong, General Ye flicked his left arm's sleeve while glaring at her saying with his eyes, "You dare act tardy before the Emperor." She raised her brows while widening her eyes. The eunuch who was speaking with General Ye before she arrived chuckled on the side. He then cleared his throat, making the grandfather and granddaughter pair look at him. "General Ye, Miss Ye Yue Mian, should I announce your presence to His Majesty?" asked the eunuch, with his hands folded in front of him as a sign of respect. General Ye looked at Yue Mian. The two of them shared a glance before she pulled her arms behind her back and looked at her grandfather with an indifferent glance. General Ye shook his head and told the eunuch he could. The eunuch walked away to fulfil his duties, leaving them waiting for ten minutes whereupon he returned and led them to the garden inside the Imperial Palace where the Emperor was awaiting their arrival.

The palace has gotten really rowdy. The princes and princesses from Xieye and Naiad along with the royals all looked at me surprised. I never expected this day to come, you know, them bowing to me, the empress of Jilei. All three of us, Yu Sheng, Xian Rong and I are proud of Xinxi. He didn’t want to but he’s behaving well and completely suited for the role of Crown Prince. We have Fei Rou has his attendant because she knows him as well as I do. It’s the third day today and I’m pretty tired of all the partying. As expected, prince A-Ro arrived with his brother the King. Everyone was surprised when we started conversing in his language. I was bombarded again and Rong looked at me questioningly but didn’t ask questions, I explained everything to him anyways. The biggest shock of all was when I introduced Yu Sheng. I don’t know how but he instantly knew who he was. A-Ro held out his hand in Yu Sheng’s direction and said, “You know, from the moment I saw you I knew who you were. When I was out with YuMi in the forest, she described a very handsome man who stole her heart and married her.” Is words, although he did not intend to make things awkward, he did and the looks the two of us got were strange ones. Yu Sheng played it off as if this wasn’t the first time everyone was hearing it and when our sons got us alone, they laughed their asses off. I swear on my life that Yu Sheng wanted to kill them and luckily General Shim was there to break the awkward moment. Since it was now official that A-Ro was here, we got him to stay at my palace. We prepared a gift for him, he was eager to receive it but did not expect it. We brought or well Yu Sheng brought Jangmi and their son to the palace. He broke down in tears and I could see that he was overwhelmed by the surprise. Unfortunately, Jangmi and her son couldn’t leave with him and his tribesman. He was forced to marry two women from other tribes and if he took the two of them back, they would most likely be killed over jealousy. He introduced his brother to them and he too was against them going with. I sighed hearing this bullshit but agreed that she and her son should stay here with us. A-Ro, he had pain written all over him and I know he was reluctant to part with them and the same for Jangmi but it was for the best. There was already someone interested in her and I told A-Ro about him. He didn’t want to but he gave his consent and asked me to take care of his woman and child. I planned to from the beginning but I just wished they could have had their happy ending. After the Lekranian’s returned and everyone else did the same, things got awkward because everyone now knew who is the father of my children. Yu Sheng is a prideful man and doesn’t take to bullshit too well. Our parents visited us and asked us to explain the whole situation to them and all Yu Sheng said was, “There’s nothing to explain. Rucheng is my wife, the mother of my children and that is it, you all can either accept it or fuck off because it has nothing to do with you.” *-*-*- The tension between Yu Sheng and Xian Rong was another headache. “So it was you,” Xian Rong says while staring at Yu Sheng. He came to pay us a visit. Yu Sheng rolls his eyes at him and smirks, “Who else would it have been?” he asks while drinking the rice wine in his cup. “Yu Sheng, you of all people know that Rucheng was to be my wife, how could you interfere?” he asks. Yu Sheng sighs and looks over at me. Taking a sip of the wine he says, “Well if you must know, I was asked by a close friend of mine if I ever thought of screwing her. I was dedicated as her personal guard so of cause not but then my wife, well I was used to seeing her naked but I guess because I was curious about the topic that seeing her naked that day actually turned me on. Ever since that day, we’ve been together and I’ve enjoyed my time and will continue to enjoy my time with my wife.” “Rong, you need to understand that Rucheng was never someone who would do something so willingly, I mean, even I get punished when I disobey my wife. I hate to break this to you cousin but my wife isn’t someone, you or An Cheng can handle. She needed someone like me and I needed someone like her.” My blood just boils at his words and I can feel myself leaking for him. He looks at me knowingly and winks. I nod my head in response and shoo the two of them away. *-*-*-*-*-*-*- The relationship between Lou Fan and Xian Le is something out of the ordinary but everyone has ignored it since I ordered them two but because Xian Rong has his plans, my husband and son will be going with him. I don’t want them to but they are the most trustworthy, especially since no one but we know that he will be leaving. We’ve planned to announce that he is sick and will be on bed rest with no visitors until his return. I laughed out loud during one of the court meetings when Xinxi sat on the throne. I could see that no one respected him and he has been killing people nonstop. You have to kill to show that you are the boss and although he doesn’t like the idea and thought of it, my son is doing pretty well. There's something interesting about him though and I think he might be like Yu Sheng, liking both men and woman – he got that from his real father who has paid us a visit. There was no denying it but because Xinxi didn’t see him as a father he wholeheartedly felt disgusted by him and ordered the guards to escort him out. *-*-*-*-*-*-*--*-*- My husband and I stand side by side holding hands while watching our children have fun in the garden. I gave birth to a son who is now five, we named him, Wang Rei. My family is perfect but we want more children. Xian Rong still refuses to marry and can’t wait to put Chushan on the throne since he loves her so much. “I found something interesting,” Yu Sheng says breaking me out of my thoughts. “What?” I ask and he squeezes my hand, “So your grandfather had a secret lover before he became Emperor,” he says and my eyes widen in surprise. He smiles at me and raises a brow. “But that person doesn’t know what happened to them. He had three children with her, two sons and a daughter. But, I asked your father about it and he said that it’s not something they speak of. She was an ordinary woman but died of loss of blood when giving birth to her second son. Your father said that his brother, your uncle, wasn’t normal. He went mad to be accurate.” I frown looking at him, “What do you mean?” “Well, I asked your father that too and he said he doesn’t know, but what he does know is that your uncle went on a murder spree and the royals covered it up. They also got rid of him and the others,” he says making my brows knit. “What the fuck Yu Sheng, stop speaking in circles about people we don’t know!” I demand and he starts laughing. He nods his head while holding back his laugh and says, “Don’t be made love, I wanted to know why you are so crazy and blood-hungry and I found it. There's no specific reason since I can’t ask the elders who are dead but you inherited your craziness from him.” I roll my eyes at him, “You love my crazy ass,” I say and he wraps his arms around my waist and kisses my lips. Looking into my eyes he says, “Yes I do and I am so grateful that you married me.” I look into his eyes and think back to my previous plans that had none of this in it. I look back at my children and smile. Narrowing my eyes I can see the blood falling down all of their faces. I step back out of Yu Sheng's arms and look at him properly. His blue robes are drenched in blood and my hands are stained with blood too. The bloody smell in the air along with the screams of pain from everyone is making my blood boil for more. I raise my hands in the air and wave them around while slowly moving my hips. Swaying to the sounds of screaming and the bloodied eyes of my loved ones, I smile and encourage them to dance with me. We all start dancing but it all turns to normal when his strong arms wrap around my waist – this isn’t bad no? I may be crazy but I’m enjoying this life too. MyLadyQueen End

Looking at him again, she thought of herself lucky, maybe saving him was fate and if he was someone who'd bite their benefactor by the hand then she could just kill him. A week passed and the wounds on his legs healed to an acceptable point. A-ro and Yue Mian, during this week the two of them taught each other words from both languages that meant the same. The sky, sun, moon, river, body parts, walking, talking and many more. And in the second week, the two of them travelled along the road with A-ro dressed in the same attire as the Naiadians, blending into the crowd. By now, YuMi had authority of the mountain tiger, it listened to her but didn't do what she told it to. She was slightly annoyed but at least it acknowledged her as its master now. The border between Naiad and Lekra were to the North, the exact opposite direction of Jilei. From what she could understand while A-ro was explaining was that, Lekra was divided into many parts and shared terrine with Naiad in the mountains. He along with four others were training in the mountains but one of them caught sight of a black eagle from their legends and showed the others. They then tried going after it because bringing home an egg, feather or the eagle itself alive was a great honour, they would be bestowed a beauty or land from the emperor. As they went searching for it again they walked into den wolves. The five of them split up and he doesn't know if the others managed to survive. He ran towards the edge of a cliff and being surrounded by a pack of wolves he thought that he had a better chance of living if he jumped into the river below the cliff. As he fell down he fell towards a boulder and hit it making him lose consciousness, when he came to he was in a small house being treated by a young woman who lived with her elderly grandparents. A-ro told her that he didn't know how long he had been unconscious but it has been months now that he was wandering around in this empire.  He was supposed to return to the maiden who nursed him but couldn't find his way because all of Naiad looks the same to him. He left three weeks ago and wanted to return to her because he had fallen in love with her and wanted to take her back with him to Lekra. He did ask her to return with him but she refused and they argued. He stormed off losing his way and has been trying to get back ever since. Because it has been so long, he had actually lost hope in their love and asked YuMi to show him the way back to Lekra. Although she didn't want to she did it anyway because of her curiosity.  A-ro continued to tell her that as he was trying to find his way home, he met the mountain tigers and then met her. He expressed his gratitude towards her for saving his life and told her that if they were to meet again, he would reward her but even though YuMi had her personality she was a selfless person and just smiled with the intentions not to accept his reward in the future, that's if they meet again. The journey was slow but enjoyable. YuMi learned so much about their culture and she was getting the knack of the language, although it took her many tries to pronounce some of the words she was surprisingly very good. A-ro too, he seemed to be bright and able to speak and understand her language but then again he was staying with someone from Naiad who spoke Chinese.  They would rest and converse while travelling on foot. A week already passed and they were about three days away from the border. They could have arrived already if A-ro wasn't injured so a slow and steady pace was needed. (Sorry for repeating this) On the road, many people looked at them strangely as they laughed, made fun of others and because they were speaking a foreign language. ~~Three days later, YuMi shoved the mountain tiger into the forest and told it to stay there while she and A-ro headed towards the border. Arriving there they were met with the Lekranians pointing spears at them. Holding their hands up, A-ro started speaking to them in their language. YuMi looked at him from the side catching what he was saying. The men instantly put down their spears and changed how they looked at A-ro. Two of the men rushed away.  Turning to YuMi he smiled at her and said, that they went to get someone to verify who he is. They then set up camp on the border because he said it would take a few days. The others looked at the two of them probably wondering why and how they get along.~~A-ro, "YuMI, when you leave here where will you go?" YuMi, "Home to my empire." A-ro, "Where are you coming from?" YuMi, "My mothers home in another empire." A-ro, "Your parents?" YuMi, "My father is the emperor of Jilei and my mother comes from Xieye." A-ro, "So you are royalty?" YuMi, "No, it's more like they think I am dead." A-ro, "Eh...why?" YuMi, "Mostly because my mother was working as a slave and my father fell in love with her, they made me and my mother had to marry him but my grandfather chased my mother and I away after I was born because I am female." Hearing this A-ro looked at her strangely. YuMi saw that he didn't seem to be surprised that she's female and not male. A-ro, "Why would he have a problem with that?" YuMi, "Tradition." A-ro, "What kind of traditions allows such things?" YuMi, ┐(￣ヘ￣)┌ A-ro, "So what will you do since they think you are dead?" YuMi, "Return and kill the ones who tried assassinating my mother and I and scare the royal family." ಠ_ಠ her words left him speechless. A-ro, "How can you say that with a straight face?" YuMi, "Because I am serious." A-ro, "But when you think about it, they wronged your mother, not you?" YuMi, "Yes but they are living a lavish life whereas I ran away from home to get to them?" A-ro, "You ran away on your own no one told you to, are you not ashamed, your mother raised you yet you were ungrateful and ran away." Sighing she looked up to the sky that was pink and no bluer. Biting down on the apple she fished out of her sack she said after two chews, "I have made up my mind, I will be the empress of Jilei and no one else, my son will be the future emperor and he will marry my daughter or if another woman gets my approval, I'll let them marry but then again, will Xinxi want to be the emperor after he finds out that I am the future empress?" Sighing again she said, "I don't want to chain him to the throne so I will let him decide when the time comes." A-ro, "YuMi?" YuMi, "Mn?" A-ro, "You have children?" YuMi, "Yes, I adopted a little boy from Naiad and I gave birth to a daughter." A-ro, "Then how will you be empress, I've heard that you people are all virgins before then." YuMi, "What they don't know won't hurt them and who the fuck are they to tell me what I can and cannot do with my body?" He smiled at her trying to imagine how she would be as a mother then suddenly remembered that she was here with him, confused he asked, "If you are here then where are your children?" Chuckling she said, "My son is with the lady I used to live with at the orphanage and my daughter is with her father." A-ro nodded his head slowly processing the details. After a long pause, he asked, "How old are you?" YuMi asked with a cheek, "How old do I look?" Sizing her up he answered, "Around twenty years." Laughing she answered, "Close, I am twenty-three years this year." Nodding his head understand her he continued, "And your man, where is he?" Shrugging she answered, "What I know? I never told him that I am leaving so I don't know, he is probably worried sick and my daughter is probably missing me." A-ro, "Why did you leave?" YuMi frowned, "Because, I must kill those people." A-ro, "Does your man know you are like this?" Smiling she said, "Of cause, there are no secrets between us." A-ro's mouth twitched, "I wouldn't marry you." "Me too," she said as she laughed her head off. Wiping her tears away she kept shaking her head. A-ro chuckled too seeing her smile, "YuMi, how old are your children?" Calming down and laying back down on the ground she said, "My son is eight and my daughter is two." A-ro, "Don't you miss them?" YuMi, "I do but what can I do, no one told them to meet me." A-ro, "What made you decide to adopt your son?" YuMi, "Boredom and anger." A-ro, "Boredom? Anger?" YuMi, "Mn, I had nothing else to do so I decided to be his mother, anger because I heard his mother tell him that he was of no use to her anymore. I could have killed her but I did not and because I felt pity I took him as my own." A-ro, "There are no orphans where I come from." "..." YuMi, "The rich fuck their slaves and the slaves throw away their children so of cause there will be orphans here, how nice it must be to be a Lekranian." Pausing she looked at him and asked, "How old are you?" A-ro, "Twenty-nine." YuMi, "Wife?" A-ro, "I have a few in line but not sure after meeting Jangmi." He looked down at YuMi with a perplexed gaze. "What is it?" she asked after seeing him look at her like that. "I need you to do me a favour." YuMi, "I'm listening?" A-ro, "Will you find Jangmi and tell her that I am sorry I forced her to come with me and that I wish we could have spent more time together." Frowning she asked, "How will I find her?" Grinning he said, "You are the princess of Jilei, I'm sure you will be able to find her." The two of them conversed more. A-ro described how Jangmi looked and told her how the house looked she lived in. He also told her what her grandparent's names were and about the river, they stayed near.  Two days later they said goodbye and the entourage that came to fetch him was what she expected. He may not have told her that he was a prince himself but his exchange with the border guards told her so than not to mention the welcome party that came to fetch him - it really was fate.~~~~ She watched as they left her behind thinking, "I wasted a whole month (つ﹏⊂)." Turning around she walked through the forest when suddenly stopping in her tracks, turning around she cursed, "Fuck, I didn't ask him how he knew about the empires!!" But then again thinking about it, since they knew about Lekrania how could the Lekranians not know about them? Bonus After travelling back to where she met A-ro and the mountain tigers she and the now named mountain tiger Yinying, travelled along the road he ran through. Arriving at a fork, YuMi urged Yinying to take her home with no hopes but trying her luck. Reluctantly the tiger walked along the path it knew and they arrived at a mountain top.  Looking down YuMi could see a river. Grinning at Yinying she patted him on the head and started climbing down the mountain. The two of them reached the river and rested for a while trying to figure out which way to take. Not being able to figure out which way and how long it would take them she looked down at Yinying and said, "Listen, you go up and I'll go this way, if you see people come find me, if I find people you still have to come find me because I don't have four legs that can carry me at a fast speed like you, understand?" she gave it a thumbs up. Yinying, "..." She patted him on the head and turned to walk down the river. Yinying, on the other hand, looked at her thinking that this was the perfect time to run away when she suddenly yelled, "Don't think of running away, I will find you and eat you!"  Yinying, (¬_¬) He walked away then started running because it grew impatient. Fifteen minutes later it saw a smoke trail up ahead and sped up. Arriving there he saw a small hut near the river and it was the only one there. On the side of the house was someone hanging up washing. Turning around it rushed back to YuMi who was still leisurely strolling along the river singing.  She heard him running and turned around. Smiling from ear to ear she asked, "Did you find her?" Growling softly it laid down on the ground. She walked up to him and hit him on the head saying, "You are messing up your beautiful fur with this mud, get up!"  It growled complaining about how she was mistreating it and how he hated being controlled by her. "If you have a problem, go complain to someone who understands you because I don't." Rolling its eyes it followed her and the two of them slowly made their way to the other side. The woman who was hanging washing was now sitting on a stool peeling vegetables.  Walking up to the house YuMi saw her and frowned. The woman was slightly startled when she saw the mountain tiger and YuMi walk her way. As she was about to make her way to the house YuMi called out to her, "Excuse me, we don't mean any harm, it has been a few days now that we have been travelling, would you mind helping us out by hosting the two of us for the night?"  The woman looked at her confused and reluctant but out of good will she decided to, "A-alright but keep that thing away from me and stay here outside."  Smiling at her, YuMi settled down on the platform-like chair while Yinying sat down in front of her with his eyes closed. The woman walked into the house and YuMi frowned again.  A few minutes later she came out of the house with a large bowl and a cloth handing it to YuMi, "Here, I'll bring the water." Nodding slowly she smiled. The bowl and cloth were meant for her to wash her hands, face and feet.  The woman was wearing robes that colour had faded a long time ago made the pink and blue look too dull. What's more, was that this woman had her own distinct beauty about herself and seemed proper. If she was dressed in the finest silk she would be one of the most beautiful ladies in Naiad. Looking at her more clearly under her robes she seemed to have something growing there. She was petite and the bump was clear as day... Sipping on the tea prepared by the woman YuMi looked into the teacup and asked her, "Is your name Jangmi?" Startled she accidentally spilt the tea she was preparing for her grandparents. With a frightened look on her face, she asked YuMi, "H-how do you know my name?" Looking at her with a profound gaze she said, "I met A-ro a month ago and we parted a week ago, he told me about you and asked me to deliver a message to you. He says, he is sorry that he tried to force you to go back with him he wishes that the two of you could have spent more time together." Jangmi covered her mouth with her left hand and placed her right on her stomach, she sat down on the platform chair with her eye wide as she thought of A-ro. Loosening the sash of her outer robe she placed her hand firmly on her stomach while two trails of tears trailed down her cheeks. Swallowing hard she asked, "W-where is h-he?" YuMi, "Returned home." Jangmi, "Did he make it back safely?" YuMi, "Mn, I made sure of it." "Ah, that's good then..." she trailed. YuMi looked at her who's back was facing her. Biting down on her lip she asked, "Is the child his?"  Sniffles came from her as she nodded her head slowly. Closing her eyes YuMi took in a deep breath thinking, "Fate is really fucking with me right now." Drinking the last of the tea in her cup she said, "I see, you must have really liked him to have slept with him." Wiping her tears away she closed her robed and sat up straight. Turning around she said, "Don't judge me." YuMi, "I'm not." Jangmi, "When you are done, leave tomorrow." She looked at her and said, "In five days I will send you silver, bring your grandparents with you to Jilei. I will also be sending you an escort to make sure you arrive in Jilei safely. When you do, a house will be prepared for you, you will give birth to a healthy baby and live in peace." Jangmi frowned, "Why should I take hand-me-downs from you?" YuMi, "You have no choice, the two of us need to protect that child." Picking up the robe she took off YuMi put it back on and said, "I'm leaving, when the soldiers of Jilei come for you don't be alarmed." Waving her hands YuMi didn't look back, she and Yinying travelled upstream and into the mountains. MyLadyQueen YuMi has a daughter... when did this happen? (￣ー￣;)ゞ... Ho ho ho its the end of Story Two. Fuck now its time for the next one...TwT

MyLadyQueen Same shit as last time, I got a bit lazy. YM, YS and LPM Three days later… Early that morning, a husband and wife couple woke up early in the morning, as usual, packing their cart with dumplings, soup and noodles. The Husband was busy loading the cart when he noticed an apple crate on the side of his cart. Moving the light over to the crate the placed it down and observed the crate, not remembering if he or his wife left it here. He shook it and heard metal colliding. Opening the crate and holding the light over it. Dropping the light making it burn out turning the surrounding dark again, he ran inside the house to call his wife, “Wife, wife, come see, t-there's s-s- much of it!” “What is it now  you old fool?” “O-outside!” He darted back outside, lit up another lamp with his wife by his side, they looked into the crate then at each other, the wife hid the crate under their house inside. Packing their cart they headed to the capital to set up shop. Arriving, they found some of their  fellow hawkers in the street speaking, one of them ran up to the couple, “La Ro, Jing You, did the two of you receive money from the emperor?” The couple looked at each other confused, Jing You, the wife asked, “The emperor?” ~~~ A boy around the age of ten skipped along the road while throwing a ball up in the air catching it, repeating this action. Not minding his step he accidentally bumped into someone wearing a rice hat. The person he bumped into pulled away quickly and lowered his hat. The one beside him knelt down smiling at the boy. Helping him up she handed him a brown worn out sack, patted her clothes down and walked away while conversing with the man beside her. The boy paused for a moment to look at their residing backs. He looked down into the bag and his eyes widened because its weight matched his suspicions. He looked around, closed the bag and quickly ran home. He ran home and showed his mother and sister the bag of silver and jewels; they started panicking and hid away the bag. Sending her children out to find out anything. They were left completely speechless… all the store owners, hawkers and servants received bags of jewellery and silver along with their freedom. Singing and dancing along the streets the citizens were celebrating their newfound justice. On the streets, sheets of paper were scattered on the ground with the words, “All hail the Imperial father, giving us money to give to all of the citizens. Long live Emperor Shaan, long live the Imperial Family!” Yells of joy, dancing of celebrations and feasts were held in the name of the Imperial father, Emperor Shaan. +++ Before today, Prince Baek Ah took a letter to his father. The letter stating what happened and what will happen. --- “One of the deserts that will be served are cherry cakes, how about we add the paralyzing blossom in there?” Yue Mian, “That can work but you’ll be putting the pastry chef in shit.” Yu Sheng, “We can have someone from our division show their face and hand it to everyone then walk out of the gate or jump the walls.” YM, “Male or female?” YS, “We don’t have many female recruits, including you, there's there.” YM, “So should I do it?” YS, “No, I will arrange everything.” ~~~ As planned, the night of the party, a young lady dressed in a purple skirt and pink robe; She walked around with a jar of the cherry cakes. During dinner she made small talk gaining everyone's undivided attention while placing a cake in front of them. Arriving at the table where the LPM sat; she bowed and greeted him, placing the cake down. As she was about to leave the LPM called her, “I haven't seen you around here before.” “My lord, this servant has always been working for you at your estate.” “Mn, I see, come see me after the banquet.” Bowing she left. Placing the jar down in the kitchen she walked out while greeting everyone; out into the backyard, undressed, leaving behind a letter between her clothes. The moment she left, those that ate the cherry cakes stopped moving where others fell to the ground. The guards were told to search for the girl that handed the cakes out and during their search, they found the original cherry cakes made by the chef. They found her skirt with the letter; handing it over to the LPM - reading the letter he raised a brow. Looking to one of the officers he asked, “Do you know anyone named Yu Mian?” Letter Don't overstep your bounds, taking your belongings is just the beginning; you all will die if I am not happy with your performance after this. Yu Mian. MyLadyQueen Guess what... this is the second last chapter and in the next chapter we are meeting Yue Mian's lover along with a minor before sex scene so I do hope that you all look forward to it. the chapter will most likely be up Friday evening and Saturday... Then I will be taking a break once again because I am starting my first final exam on Friday and my ass needs to study, but no worries, I am only writing 4 exams and the whole of June I will be home to hopefully finish the rest of the 4 stories and my other books T-T fuck you know what, nevermind. The stories will finish when I am done with them XD

Slowly creeping up to the boulder. The closer she got, the louder it sounded. Coming from behind slowly, she stuck her head out that made her soft bun plop to the right. Grinning from ear to ear she was excited - she finally found him!! She jumped out from behind the boulder. "Haaaaa!" She screamed with a smile on her face. The man who was sitting down and applying pressure to his wound on his right shoulder felt his heart tremble. Looking at her wide-eyed. "Fuck, I've been caught!" he cursed to himself. She was standing in front of him with the bloodied sword smiling from ear to ear. Pointing the sword at him she said, "Didn't I tell you to stay put, why do you listen?" The man looked up at her while trembling. Grabbing onto what he could, he struggled to stand up almost falling over but she caught him holding onto his shoulder with one hand and the sword in her other no longer pointing it at him. Looking at the man's shoulder and legs that were wounded she felt conflicted, looking at him confused she asked, "How is it that you can still walk?" The man who was beginning to lose his composure due to fatigue and the huge amount of blood loss started breathing heavily and caught the dizzy spell. His legs gave in making him fall to his knees along with the youth beside him. The sword dropped while she tried grabbing onto him. His eyes started closing but she smacked him awake! "If you fall asleep now you will die." She warned him in a calm voice. "I can't treat your wounds here, let's return to the tree, I have herbs that can help you," she said, not waiting for an answer. Lifting him up onto her back she pulled him up and picked up her sword.  His hands hung over her shoulders while his legs dragged behind them. Yue Mian was shorter than him so the full length of his body couldn't be lifted onto her. She took big strides rushing to the tree where her sack was quickening her steps.  The man on her back had his head against hers with his nose between her hair. The dense smell of jasmine infused with a distant hint of mint engulfed his nose, putting him to ease but this wasn't enough due to the sheer pain coming from his wounds. His hands were hanging over her shoulders hitting the lumps on her chest.  He started frowning while thinking of a few things concluding that from the smell of flowers in her hair and the lumps his hands kept hitting against. With what he matched it with, this youth had what the women in his land had on their chests.  Turning his head to look to the side, he saw that they were all alone in the forest and the animals kept making noises. He wondered what happened to that young mountain tiger and if she killed it. Thinking further in this directing he was surprised that she was able to carry him wondering if she was these peoples warrior because the women on his land were weak. They arrived at the tree where her belongings were and the mountain tiger who was knocked out before was up looking at them. She gently put the man down against the tree. She looked at the tiger and smiled, "I'll deal with you later," she said as she pointed a finger at it.  Grabbing her sack she pulled out a box opening it. She took out three vials and walked over to the man. Handing him a vial she said, "Drink this so it can alleviate the pain, this one is for blood growth and the third to rub on your wounds while we dress them." Looking up at her, he reached for the first vial, taking off the cork he said, "You know, you have been speaking to me the whole time and I still don't understand what you are saying. The language of your tongue and my tongue are different." He downed the vial and reached for the next while looking at her who had a speechless expression on her face. YuMi just now realized that it was not just his attire that was different but the way he looked and the language he spoke. This person in front of her caught her interest.~She handed him the second vial and dressed his wounds while he chewed on a bitter leaf that she handed him to keep him awake. Once the wounds were dressed she checked his temperature and cleaned him off. Looking at him she said, "There's a cave up ahead that we can stay in, you need to get somewhere warm and safe away from danger... do you understand?" she asked hoping he could - he didn't but got up anyways and let her move him. The cave was too far of a distance, leaving them to settle down in it. After making him comfortable, she ran out to get wood and made a fire within the cave to keep it and him warm. Leaving again she went to gather her things then moved over to the river not far away to get some water. She passed the mountain tiger a few times and teased it every time. Dragging its parents away out of sight she cut one of them up and covered the meat in cloth for them to eat later on. Jogging back to the mountain tiger, she handed it a piece of the meat but it refused. "Now stay there and starve!" she cursed at its ungratefulness. When she arrived back at the cave the man was sleeping. She covered him with a robe of hers and sat opposite him while she watched the fire dance and the man sleep. It was still morning and eating meat was not healthy for either of them so she opted to go back into town to buy some rice porridge and fruits for him to eat. Arriving in town she bought the rice porridge and fruits then went to a medicine store to replace the medicine she used up and also to buy others.~ Returning to the cave, she saw that his forehead was beaded with sweat droplets. Wiping off and applying a damped cold cloth on his forehead to lower the temperature of his body. When his breathing evened out she took this as a sign of him feeling slightly better. She went outside and started a new fire to cook the meat. Adding a few condiments she made a mountain tiger meat stew with rice and for her friend in the cave, she cooked up the fruits and added it to the porridge.~Afternoon came and she was already bored. She was supposed to be on her way to Jilei but was caught up in this mess. Shrugging she placed the bowl down and walked over to the mountain tiger. Surprisingly it ate the meat. Looking at her approaching it backed into the tree scared of her.  She crouched down in front of it looking it over. "Ah, it's male." She thought; looking into its eyes she said, "I don't like mountain tigers but because you are young and it seemed as though your parents were teaching you to hunt, let me tell you something. People aren't meant to be hunted but we are a source of food for animals such as yourself. You should be hunting animals and not people but then again, if you are hungry, you should eat. In this world, its the survival of the strong and the weak shall be the pray but that's bullshit, those that think they are strong and bully the weak are the prey and you should eat them!" Holding her hand out in front of her as if to shake hands she was waiting for an answer, "Join me in taking down those idiots and you'll feast until you roll on your fat stomach and eat more, and don't worry, I will find a woman for you to pacify your beastly instincts." The mountain tiger looked down at her and then up at her. It turned its head refusing her offer. Her mouth twitched. This wasn't the first time that an animal rejected her and she hated it, maybe there was something about her that they didn't like about her. She stood up, folded her arms saying, "Fine be like that!" and walked off back to the cave. Evening came and he still did not wake up but his condition was getting better. She fell asleep listening to the dancing fire and dreamt of the day when Yu Sheng made her his. Her dream stopped in the middle and she woke up. The fire was out and the man was still asleep.  She gathered the wood that was sitting in a pile not too far from her and set it alight to warm up the cave again. This time while watching the fire dance, she thought of Yu Sheng and all that happened after that night. Their relationship was no longer the same and they were intimate bringing on a new danger that she didn't know she was going to face in the future. Thinking of him actually made her feel sad because she was no longer by his side. She was beginning to worry for his sake, whether or not he was dressed warmly at night, if he was eating well and if he missed her. "Silly," she thought. She never guessed that someone like her would find that someone special nor did she think she was capable of loving someone but was proved wrong after meeting her son Ye Xinxi Yue - this further proved her wrong when after that night the two of them spent together in each other's arms. She was also not convinced that Yu Sheng was happy with her because he was with a man before and who knows who else in the time that she had been gone. Five years was a long time and the two of them have only spent two years after that together as a couple, yet now they were separated again.  Doubt was in her for long but Yu Sheng proved her wrong time and time again - maybe he did love her. His loyalty towards her she trusted but because she was who she is, she did not trust herself. A tear slid down her cheek. Her self-consciousness about this topic made her angry. She hated being away from him now and hoped that time would pass by sooner so that the two of them could be together again. The warmth from his hold, the nonsense that he spoke, the heat that rose from his kisses, his gentleness when combed her hair. All of this made her miss him more and more, regretting being born this princess with ambition, this princess he worshipped and protected - "If I knew that I'd feel this way, I would have never sought my path has the princess of Jilei. If I knew back then that we'd be together, I would have chased after you and never left your side...Fuck I hate this!" This time she didn't dream of the two of them and instead slept peacefully. Morning came and the man was the first to wake up. Looking around, he couldn't remember when they arrived here.  Trying to sit up he grunted from the pain in his shoulder. His grunt woke up the sleeping YuMi making them both frown in displeasure.  Looking over at him she quickly got up to help him sit up. Sitting against the cave's wall, the fire that was about to burn out had more wood added to it and was given a third life. Looking at him she asked, "Has the pain gone down by a bit?" The man looked at her with a questioning gaze not answering her. Snapping her fingers she said, "Ah, I forgot, we don't speak the same language!" Settling down on a rock near him she thought for a moment. Turning to him she pointed to herself, "Yoooou Mi! I am called YuMi."  Still, he did not answer her. She pointed to her mouth and said it again, "Yoooou Mi." Looking at the man with expectation and a smile. He looked at her deeply and mimicked her, "Yooou Me." She clapped her hands from excitement. "No, say it like me, Yoooou Mi, not Yooou Me, Yoooou Mi!"  Tilting his head to the side he said again, "Yoooou Mi?" She clapped her hands again, repeated the pronunciation of her name and so did he. "What's your name?" she asked him, hoping he would understand her. He was silent for a while but said, "YuMi, I am called A-ro." Pausing she looked at him confused. He pointed to himself repeating his name, "A-ro." Mimicking him she asked, "Are you called A-ro?" The man smiled. He struggled to say her name but she got it right the first time. She warmed up the rice porridge for him and helped feed him while the two sat in silence.  By noon he was feeling much better although in pain but could still walk, with the help from her. She cooked up some of yesterdays meat not forgetting to give her pet some too although he was still full of nonsense. After lunch she tried speaking with A-ro again, "A-ro, where are you from?" "I'm from here!" She said as she stomped her foot. A-ro too a while because he was guessing what she actually meant, answering her, "If what you are asking is where I am from, I'm from Lekrania, Leka is my home." She stood up from her seat and pointed at him, "You are a Lekranian, those people that are said to be barbarians?" He looked up at her and nodded, "Lekrania." She sat down again and looked at him from top to bottom, a well-built man, who can run fast - interesting. Sitting across him, she thought about what she knew about his people. According to the researchers, the Lekranians emperor was called Namba and the empress was called Naleu, this was more of their titles. Their land had no buildings but they had tents that were made from the animals they hunted, their clothes were too.  Their land was called Lekra and the people lived separately more like clans than families, and the women would marry into different clans, similar to the nobles and royals way of life but different in their own way. The children mainly females weren't allowed to marry back into their mother's families for at least the next ten generations because crossbreeding brought on weak warriors.  Unlike the other empires, the emperor and empress didn't sit in a palace like tent only slept in it. They spent most of their time with different tribesmen and women and did not have to deal with any conflict. When there was conflict then they would just kill the two parties involved. They were also known for being merciless and when they had celebrations, they killed each other too but not many died because of the rules they lived by. Most said that if you meet a Lekranian, run the other direction or die. Looking at him again, she thought of herself lucky, maybe saving him was fate and if he was someone who'd bite their benefactor by the hand then she could just kill him. Bonus scene She went over to feed the mountain tiger. Placing the meat down in front of it she stepped back and crouched down, glaring at him.  The mountain tiger looked at her then looked down at the meat. MT, "Ah, I want to eat it so bad, why is she looking at me and not leaving?" YuMi, "Eat it." MT, "Go away then I will." YuMi, "Eat it." MT looks away ignoring her. YuMi gets frustrated with its stubbornness, picks up the meat and walks away. Poor MT regrets his decision and starts whining in self-pity. YuMi on the other hand, "I too wouldn't want to eat my parents in front of someone."  MT, (つ﹏⊂)

"Mama, mama, mama," said the noisy bundle of joy at her side. The mother and son pair were on their way to the administration office. Her five years were up and she needed to register Xinxi as her son and also as a citizen. Arriving at the capital with her bundle of joy chewing on blackberries, turning his face red. She bent down and used the inside of the pink skirt she wore to wipe away the juice from his hands and mouth. As she did this she complained, "Yue-er, why must you be so messy, did I not teach you to eat without making a mess?" Xinxi, "You did," he answered in a childish voice. Yue Mian, "Then why do you still eat so messy?" Xinxi, "Mama, it's not me!" "Then is it the fruit's fault and not the one eating it?" she asked. Xinxi frowned as he tried to process this complicated sentence. Thinking hard for some time with the added patients from his mother he answered, "I will eat one fruit at a time." "Ho ho, young master understands," she gloated. Giving him a nod of approval she took him by the hand and walked into the administration office. Paying the fees and successfully registering Xinxi, the two of them stepped out of the building after two hours and forty-five minutes. As they walked down the road, something caught her eye. Turning to see what it was her grip on Xinxi's hand tightened. He looked up at his mother about to ask what was wrong when he was picked up and they entered a shop. Holding him tightly against her chest she looked out of the window while hiding to the side. Turning his head to face the window he saw a group of five men on white horses. Four of them had black robes on with characters written on them embroidered with red silk on the back. The other young man had a lilac coloured robe on adorned with gold jewels on his ears and head. When they were out of sight, Yue Mian's grip on her son softened, pushing himself and looking at her tense gaze he placed his hand on her cheek and asked, "Mama, what's wrong?" Turning her head to look at him her gaze grew soft, she looked around and saw that she had startled the customers and workers inside the store. Bowing slightly at them, the pair left the store, taking a few back alleys and into the forest. Because she took the back alleys to escape the eyes of others, the distance home was widened. Picking Xinxi up and placing him on her back as to not strain his little legs, the road back home was silent. Xinxi wanted to ask his mother what made her look so scary but being scared himself, he stayed silent only placing his head against her back and closed his eyes. Yue Mian's mind wondered off as she bitterly smiled at her own foolishness. To think that she had been so absorbed in living such a carefree life with no worries that she had forgotten her past. She would have forgotten it if she hadn't seen that familiar face of the one who pledged his life to her, suddenly remembering her promise to her mother. She promised to send her letters every chance she could but those letters were never written, the memories of the ones she cherished were masked by the one she loved, Ye Xinxi Yue. Looking back to meet the bundle of joy asleep on her back, she couldn't help but smile - he truly lived up to his name, Xin Xi Yue. It's so terrifying that this xin xi yue made her forgot he truly is her hearts joy, "My xin xi yue." Arriving at the house, she placed him down on the bed. Night arrived and Xinxi was sent to sleep along with the others. Yue Mian sat at the table with five sheets of paper with an inkstone and brush under candlelight. Dipping the brush in ink she moved it over the first sheet of paper and started writing. Aunty Fei was by her side waiting to dry the ink with the sheet at her side. She knew that this day would finally come but did not expect it to arrive so soon. She was fond of Yue Mian and wished that if she could give birth, she would want a daughter like her. The sad part was, was that Yue Mian would be leaving her joy behind becoming the person she met five years ago, this pained her so much. Aunty Fei, "YuMi, will Yue-er lose his mother once more?" The brush paused in her hand, then started once more; answering her question she said, "When I do leave, I will be leaving my son here, it would be troublesome to have someone with me who will keep me back and Xinxi is my weakness, no one is to know that he exists because if I must lose him, I will break. My Xinxi knows that he has a mother and I will definitely keep myself alive till the day he marries the one he loves," with determination and peace evident in her voice. "Then I will do my utmost and accept my responsibility. I will look after her highnesses joy and raise him to be a fine man, able to stand by your side with pride," Fei Rou pledged.

Yue Mian road her horse all the way to the market area, she stopped in front before the entrance and looked over, there were too many people ahead, so she couldn't ride her horse in. She jumped off and walked with him beside her. The big horse made it awkward for her to pass through without being glared at by the citizens. She managed to arrive safely at her destination and went around to the back, she tied her horses reins to a pole and walked into the store from the back entrance. As she walked in she was greeted with a smile from the lady who worked for her mother, she was currently mixing the ingredients for lemongrass tea and she could smell the pungent flavour the lemongrass was giving off. She smiled lightly at the lady and asked, "Is my mother out front?" to which the lady smiled and nodded indicating that she was correct. Yue Mian walked past her and met her grandmother in front who was looking through the stores' supply list and crossing some items out. She walked over to her grandmother who was surprised to see her and smiled, "YuMi, you're here? What a wonderful surprise this is, come, sit with me and tell grandmama what brings you here." She sat down opposite her grandmother and slouched, her chin was placed on the inside of her palm that was supported by her arm that was placed on the table with her elbow supporting her head up. Her grandmother frowned and said, "Young lady sit up straight! Where is your table manners? What did I tell you about your elbows being on the table?" Yue Mian looked at her grandmother and smiled, she sat up straight with her back against the chair rest and cupped her right hand with her left inside her sleeves and looked at her grandmother with an innocent face and asked, "Like this grandmama?" Her grandmother Ye Ning couldn't help, but laugh, this grandchild of hers was truly silly and adorable. "Mn, now young lady, does your grandfather know you are here?" Yue Mian smiled awkwardly and shook her head then slouched again into her previous position and said, "Grandfather is with Emperor An and the Naiad Empire's Emperor, I came here because I wanted to speak to mama about something." Ye Ning smiled naughtily and said, "Is it because you found your husband-to-be?" Yue Mian's eye widened and she frowned, she hit her hands slightly against the table annoyed and said, "Grandmama, how can you think of such a thing? Do you really want this granddaughter of yours to belong to someone else and never see me again?" Ye Ning chuckled behind her sleeve and answered, "Of cause not child, you know grandmama doesn't want you to leave my side, this old lady will be lonely without my naughty grandchild around." "Grandmama, I'm not naughty," she said while pouting. "Alright alright, your mother is out front with the customers, go say hello to her, I still have things to finish up before we go home, you must let me know if you want anything alright YuMi?"Yue Mian nodded her head then left to see her mother. Arriving at the front of the store she frowned, it was bustling with chatter; sitting at the tables, there were many people, men, woman, old and young speaking to their heart's content with smiles on their faces while sipping on the refreshments and nibbling on the passion fruit buns that were made this morning. One of the employees noticed Yue Mian and told her mother. Ni Xing's attention went to Yue Mian and she smiled, she motioned with her hand for her to come over and she did. She hugged her mother tightly placing her head right under Ni Xing's breasts. Giving her mother a little squeeze she said, "Mama, don't work too hard today." Ni Xing smiled and patted her daughter on the back while saying, "YuMi, have you come to visit me today?" she brushed the hair that was dangling infront on Yue Mian's right eye away and smiled gently waiting for a reply. She let go of her mother and looked at her; Ni Xing knelt down and held on to the sides of Yue Mian's arms, with an awkward smile she smiled at her mother and nodded, "Mama, I no longer want to be the Emperor's goddaughter." Ni Xing's eye widened, "Silly child." She got up and greeted her customers one last time then took Yue Mian by the hands and led her to the back where her grandmother was; when they reached the back her grandmother wasn't there anymore, it was just the two of them. The two of them sat down on the cushioned chairs and gazed at each other; this mother and daughter pair had a strange relationship that only the two of them understood. Breaking the silence Ni Xing asked, "What happened?" Yue Mian hesitated before answering; before she never cared about how she came into this world, nor did she care about other human beings, she just cared about her martial arts, the rest were just formalities and things she needed to do in order to live a little longer. "An Cheng called me a fatherless bastard," she said after lowering her head, today was the first time she was called this and felt hurt, she wanted to beat him up, but he was the Crown Prince of the Empire and hurting him would cause trouble for her grandparents and mother. She did not want to implicate them and held back all her anger. "Mama, who is he?", she looked back up at her mother with glossy eyes and asked. Ni Xing's heart trembled, seeing her daughter like this was a first for her. Yue Mian was fidgeting the whole time and biting on her bottom lip and was not looking at her making eye contact like normal. In the beginning, she wanted to tell Yue Mian who her father was, but since she had no interest before, she never mentioned it. "YuMi, are you sure you want to know? she asked confirming her daughter's previous question. Yue Mian hesitated before nodding her head slowly with a raised brow. Ni Xing smiled and was about to say something when her thoughts stopped, [How do I say this so she can understand?] she thought. She was stuck inside her head and was brought back when Yue Mian called out to her, "Mama?" Ni Xing smiled then said, "Should I start from the beginning or do you want to know who he is?" This question puzzled her, does she want to know of the story between her parents or just who he is? Listening to the whole story would be bothersome so just finding out who he is, is what she wanted to know. "Mama, who is my father?" "Yue Mian, your father is the Jīlěi Empire's Emperor." Hearing this, her little heart sank, her father is an emperor? Why?, "Mama, how can Emperor Rong be my father?" Ni Xing's eyes lowered as she slowly nodded her head, remembering the past, and how her decisions had affected her life, she did not regret having given birth to her daughter, but their situation was pitiful. She took her daughters hands in hers and said, "Your father fell in love with me when I got sent to his palace to work, back when he was still the Crown Prince." "Mama, why did you work for the Jīlěi Empire's Crown Prince?" she asked. Her mother wasn't making sense. "Ah that, well baby listen, back when I was younger, your grandparents wanted to marry me off to Emperor An." "What? Why?" she asked with more confusion, a wave of emotions hitting her from the inside, [Why am I learning about this only now?]. Ni Xing chuckled and shook her head, "Yes, before the current Empress I was the one he liked, Emperor An from two generations ago and your grandfather are soldiers who fought alongside in battle when the Xiěyè Empire was still expanding and that was when they were younger. Your grandmother and the previous Empress fell pregnant at the same time and also gave birth on the same day. Emperor An and I were friends before, our parents arranged for us to be married when we were of age." "They did?" asked Yue Mian in astonishment. "Mn they did, we did not know of this and over the years we grew close, Emperor An was like a brother to me, but he wanted to be more than just friends and one day he told me about his feelings. After this, we could no longer be friends because things became awkward for both of us, our parents sensed it, they found out what happened and to please Emperor An they wanted to force our marriage." She sighed then continued, "The night before we were going to get married, Emperor An came to our house in the middle of the night and told me he didn't want to force this and helped me escape, later on, I found out that he married the Naiad Empire's first daughter and at first I was afraid that your grandparents would lose their lives, but they did not because the Emperor and Empress thought of us as family." "Then what happened?" she asked enthusiastically. "I needed a job and the Jīlěi Empire's Imperial Palace was hiring servants, I took the job and work for several years until I was moved to the Crown Princes Palace. He was already married due to political reasons, but he never loved his wives even though he has children with them. I was cleaning the room's one day and he walked in, this was the first time we met and he must have fallen in love with me at first sight." She stopped talking and looked at Yue Mian who was looking at her with eager eyes, she smiled and asked, "YuMi, do you believe in fate?" "Fate?" she looked at her mother puzzled, shaking her head indicating no, "Your father believed that he and I were brought together by fate, why he thought that? I wouldn't know. After that day he began requesting for me and made me do the silliest things like bring him tea, listen to the poems he recited and wash his body whenever he took a bath." "He treated me differently then told me he loved me. In the Jīlěi Empire, the relationship between a Royal and a servant is forbidden but his father the Emperor allowed us to be together, trouble came when they found out I was having you. The Emperor wanted to kill me before you were born, but kept us alive because your father was his Empire's, Crown Prince." Her tone went soft as she continued, "YuMi, there are certain and unjust ways things are handled in the Jīlěi Empire. After you were born, your father wasn't allowed to see you because you are a female." Yue Mian's eyes squinted, she wanted to ask why, but seeing that her mother was no more telling the story with passion in her eyes she kept the question in her heart, hoping her mother would answer it without her asking. "All children born between a Royal and a servant must be male or else they will kill them, but you are the Crown Prince's child, so we got exiled, when you were six months old I ran away with you because the place we stayed in was so lonely. Your father sent us money and put a roof over our heads, but could never visit us and sent me many sad letters." She sighed then continued, "I loved him, but I loved you more, I decided to return home; I asked an old friend of mine to help us escape and she did, when we returned Emperor An was happy, he found out about what happened; I told him to stay silent, after he agreed I asked him if he could take you in as his child." "That's why he keeps spoiling you, I know for him it must be hard, but he loves you too, so YuMi you must not stay mad at Crown Prince An Cheng, okay?" she asked Yue Mian who nodded her head. This was an interesting story and she wanted to know more about her father, she asked her mother to describe him and other details about his life. Alongside the thing brewing in her heart, the thirst for adventure began forming.

MyLadyQueen Part 1 of 5 [Alright, so I’m writing this way now in hopes that you all can get a better understanding of her character and thoughts… I’m also no longer sugar coating words.] Scratching my head I looked yonder at the beautiful city. The grassy hills surrounding me swayed with the wind blowing left and right with no tomorrow in sight. Sighing I rubbed the ache in my neck hoping it would just fuck the hell away! Getting up from the boulder I placed my ass on three hours ago, I rubbed the pain away, mind you, I can still handle this compared to when my husband rams my ass. Walking back into the cave I slept in last night, I drank from my animal skin bottle. Laying down in the dark cave I groaned, “How the fuck am I going to enter the palace?!” Hearing the echo, I roll my eyes and closed them. It’s been a month since I left and still there’s no progress besides the few encounters I had on the way to Jilei. * Waking up to the sound of ruffling and muffled voices, not to mention the smell of blood in the air. Raising my head, I looked up into the dark cave and saw that it was no longer dark. A fire was lit with two shadows dancing on the walls. Listening closely too their conversation I frown, “B-brother w-why w-were w-we a-attacked?” “I-I don’t know, but we need to get out of here before they find us.” “D-do y-you t-think e-elder b-brother w-will c-come g-get u-us?” “We were supposed to arrive before sunset so I’d assume that he will send a search party out. Don’t cry Xian, we’ll make it out alive, they only got lucky because we didn’t suspect an ambush.” “B-but t-they k-killed s-so m-many o-of o-our s-soldiers!” Sighing the one who seemed to be the eldest cooed the other. “MASTER, MASTER, I’VE BROUGHT THE FOOD YOU ASKED FOR!!!” came from outside the cave making me cuss. “B-brother w-who…” the one trailed as I got up. Hearing me move deep inside the cave they froze as I approached. Yawning I looked down at them while scratching my back. They both wore fine silk clothing and had swords on them. They were cuddled in each other’s arms, well more like the elder one was protecting the little one since he had his sword pointed at me. Winking at the two with a grin I walked out shrugging my shirt on and tying it at the waist. Walking up the small hill before the cave and looking down at the five scuffling fools before me I sat down. One of them walked up to me with a basket covered with a lotus leaf. Criss-crossing my legs I sat the basket in the gap between my legs and took off the leaf. Salivating at the delicious-looking chicken I break off a quarter leg, toasting it in the air to the five who had their heads lowered and bit down, sucking every juice into my mouth. Shooing them away I sat their eating but not for long. I turned to look at the two who walked out of the cave now standing behind me. Raising a brow at them I got off and turned to them. The elder one slightly bowed his head making me frown, “Sorry to bother you sister but my brother and I haven’t had anything to eat in the last eight hours, would you mind sparing us some of your food, I can pay you back when we return home.” Frowning at the basket in my hand I was reluctant. Looking back at them I smiled innocently, “But I don’t share my food.” Tilting my head I grinned and turned around walking towards the five who looked back at us in confusion. Hearing a sigh from behind me my hand quickly broke off the breast and wing quarter, I turned my body and threw it at them. Watching the elder brother’s quick movements who grabbed the chicken quarter before it hit his younger brother in the face. I threw the other quarter at him too smirking at their surprised expressions. Scoffing I turned around and walked off – I don’t need their damn money! ~ Minding her own business Yue Mian skipped along the pathway leading into the mountains after waking up with an aching back. As she skipped she saw a bunch of men crouched behind a huge boulder looking over it. Sneaking up to them she crouched down beside one peaking over the boulder like them, mimicking them with a goofy smile on her face. The man who she was next to, caught a fright seeing the white-faced freak beside him. Standing up he caught the others attention. They looked down at her smiling face yelling, “WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU! WHAT DO YOU WANT?” Pouting she stood up, “Brothers what are you looking for?” “THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU!” one of them yelled pushing her down and the men started kicking and hitting her. With the white powder all over her face and the robe around her body, they couldn’t see that the one before them was a she and not a he. “WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU ALL DOING??” came a yell from behind everyone. They stopped kicking her who was in a tight ball with her arms over her head. “Sir, this wretch was hiding between us!” one of the men answered. Looking down at Yue Mian the man groaned, “Do you fuckers think we have time for this shit… those two are hiding in that house, get ready, we’re going to attack!” “Yes sir!!!” they answered in unison. When they cleared away, she peeked her head out and rolled her eyes. Getting up she dusted herself off and suddenly froze. Kneeling down she picked up the basket and chicken that was in pieces. The rims of her eyes turned bloodred. Mumbling to herself, ‘Yu Sheng sent me this chicken!!’ Her head shot left. Getting up she stumbled her way up and down the hill the men took. Hearing screams in the distance as she walked up another hill she stopped on top looking down. There, below the hill was a house and it hosted the fight between those men and the two from last night. Rubbing the white powdered shit off her face she yelled getting their attention. Looking down at them she walked over slowly, “All of you, come here!” The leader of the group motioned with his eyes for one of the men to deal with her. Nodding his head, he ran through the entrance towards her. She too ran jumping into the air and kicking against his chest. Quickly picking up his sword after she landed, piercing the sword into his torso. Glaring up at the rest with a bloody face she smirked. Getting up she started cutting down at those who charged at her. Cutting down the last one she watched as the leader and another ran off while looking back at her. With her bloody clothes, she started laughing while wiping away the blood on her face off. Turning around she threw the two brothers a challenging look. The eldest raised his sword and she charged at him. After exchanging a few blows she pulled back, “You have a heavy hand.” She said to him while shaking the pain out of her hand that was spasming. “Who are you?” the elder brother asked. Looking at them after throwing away the sword she scoffed, “You have to introduce yourself first before knowing the other, love.” -- Smiling at his changing face after calling him love, a blush crept up his neck making its way to his cheeks. Swallowing, he answered, “I’m Wang Ling Tian and this is my younger brother Wang Xian Le.” Pursing my lips I turned around, “I’m Yue Mian, well it was nice meeting you and I hope we never see each other ever again.” I waved them off while walking away. “Wait, please wait.” I heard Wang Ling Tian call out to me. Stopping in my steps I turned around with a raised brow. “Is there something you need from me love?” “Please help us get home, you’re stronger and better in fighting than the two of us, I’ll try and repay you as best as I can and if I can’t my father or my brother will.” He says hopefully. Sighing I asked, “Is there chicken in your home?” He frowned but nodded, “Alright.” I smiled brightly. * Walking through the forest behind the imperial palace it was quite peaceful apart from the occasional wild animal that I had to scare off. The two brothers spoke to me but it wasn’t too much. “Y-Yue M-Mian?” Xian Le called out to me. Turning my head I nod at him. The handsome young boy looked at me hesitantly but spoke, “W-where d-did y-you l-learn h-how t-to f-fight?” “Oh… my grandfather and uncles.” I answered while looking around for attackers. “A-are y-you u-used t-to a-all t-the b-blood?” he asked. “Yup, its how I survived, a travelling woman gets into lots of danger all alone on the road,” I answered while swinging my arms behind my head and kicked my legs as I walked. “I-I’m n-not b-brave e-enough,” he trailed softly. “It’s alright, you’re still young and the only reason why I am able to protect myself is because I am afraid of losing my life.” It went quiet again so I started humming. My hum became a tune and the words left my mouth, “The father’s face is stern and strong, he sits and judges right from wrong, he weighs our lives the short and long - and loves the little children.” “The mother gives the gift of life, and watches over every wife, her gentle smile lands so strife - she loves her little children.” “The warrior stands before the walls protecting us were’er we go, with sword and shield and spear and bow - he guards the little children.” “The crone is very wise and old, and see our fates as they unfold, she lifts her lamp of shining gold - to lead the little children.” “The smith he labours day and night, to put the world of men to right, with hammer, plough and fire bright – he builds for little children.” “The maiden dances through the sky, she lives in every lovers sigh, her smile teachers birds to fly – she gives dreams to little children.” “The seven Gods who made us all, are listening if we should call, so close your eyes you shall not fall – they see you little children.” “So close your eyes you shall not fall, they see you little children.” (Karliene - The Song of the Seven) After humming the end of it, Xian Le said to me, “That’s a beautiful song, and you have a beautiful voice.” Turning my head slightly I grinned, “Thanks, at least you are speaking properly now.” Blushing he coughed clearing his throat, “I was really scared and you helped calm me down.” “Well, I’m glad I could help.” “I bet under all that blood, you’re beautiful too.” Said Ling Tian. Looking at him from the corner of my eye I smiled, “So I’ve heard.” After walking for a few miles I heard horses galloping towards us. Pushing Ling Tian and Xian Le behind me I stood before them with a sword pointing ahead. The men on horses stopped in front of us quickly jumping off. The soldiers on the horses looked at me wearily. A horse from the back stepped forward with a handsomely beautiful man on it. His temperament gave him an otherworldly aura. The minute he stopped before us; the two brothers behind me jumped out running towards him. Sheathing the sword I looked on at them slowly backing away so that I wasn’t in their way… there’s something odd going on here. The handsome man got off his horse. Spreading out his arms, the two ran into him and hugged him. Xian Le started crying. The handsome man rubbed their backs kissing their foreheads, “Thank the heavens and our ancestors that you two are safe.” Xian Le looked up at his brother sniffing, “Brother, I don’t think its the heavens that saved us… she did,” he says pointing to me who had turned around already slowly creeping away but I had to stop. “OI! WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO, WHAT ABOUT YOUR CHICKEN?” yelled Ling Tian. Trying my best not to curse I turned to them smiling bitterly, “I change my mind?” The handsome man let go of his brothers and slowly made his way to me. He stopped two feet from me and I could smell the wood and metal scent on him. Squinting his eyes at me he asked in his husky voice, “You, saved my brothers?” Shrugging my shoulders I looked at the two behind him, “I didn’t do it on purpose, they were just there when I got rid of those men.” He looked at me from top to bottom. “Do you know who I am?” Rubbing my neck, I shrugged, “Why would I?” He opened his mouth but was cut off. “You should pay your respects to his highness, Crown Prince Xian Rong, this empire's Crown Prince.” Hearing that familiar sexy voice coming from behind the crowd of soldiers my body stiffened. Moving my eyes from Xian Rong to scan the crowd I locked on to the sexiest man I know – my husband. “Cousin!!” the two princes squealed at the same time running up to hug him. “The two of you gave us a headache!” After he hugged them he walked over giving me a once over. Holding his sleeve over his nose he looked at me with disgust. Tapping Xian Rong on the shoulder he ignored me, “Brother, we have the little princes, let's report back to uncle.” Nodding his head Xian Rong turned, heading for his horse. They all got on leaving me just standing there like I am nothing. I started walking away. Stopping his horse Yu Sheng looked back at me squinting his eyes, “Rong, she did save their lives.” “YUE MIAN!!!” Xian Le called my name. Pausing in my treks, I turn back to look at them. Raising a brow I asked, “Is there something else you need from me?” “We asked you to escort us home, this isn’t home.” He said making me frown. “But your brother and these people are more than enough to protect you, you no longer need me,” I say while starting to walk again. “B-but w-we s-still n-need t-to r-repay y-you.” He stuttered. Sighing I looked over at Yu Sheng who was smiling at me but had a sad look in his eyes making me raise a brow. My look questioned him but he just shook his head. “Miss Yue Mian, please follow us.” Said Xian Rong while motioning for one of the soldiers to give me his horse. Looking down at the sword in my hand I chucked it one side and got on the horse, luckily the blood on my clothes and body is already dry and didn’t stain the horses' beautiful coat. I was stuck in the middle between the princes who I learned from the soldiers addressing them. Yu Sheng was ahead with the crown prince – well I think all three of them are my brothers but I will have to wait and hear from Yu Sheng since I never paid attention to the names other than my father, the prime ministers, generals and Marquis. We arrived behind the palace and I marvelled in awe, these people really know how to waste money. The horses came to a stop and I saw Yu Sheng walk up to me or well his horse did. “Miss, I’ll be taking you to an inn to get you cleaned up and once we get summoned I’ll escort you back to the palace, please follow me,” he says making me frown. Looking at the princes they grin, “Don’t worry Yue Mian, Yu Sheng is one of the best in the three empires, he’ll protect you, just don’t let him swoon you…” Prince Ling Tian states. I looked over at Yu Sheng who is staring blankly at me. Looking back at the princes I nodded and followed Yu Sheng to an inn. Getting off the horse he walked in front of me towards the inn making me follow his lead. Surprisingly we just walked in and headed upstairs while we passed an attendant who nodded at his command for a bath of warm water for me. Closing the door behind me I turned to look at Yu Sheng who was already seated pouring tea into cups for us. Seated down across him I took the teacup he pushed my way in my hands and smelled the fragrance – Hibiscus tea, his favourite, I hate this shitty tea! Downing it, he pours me another cup and I drank it without breathing. Looking into his eyes I saw a hint of sadness and knew what it all was about. “How're the children,” I asked him. His face tensed slightly as he answered me, “Our son is doing well, he’s been practicing his martial arts under the militants and Shan just wants you home. She’s growing but still small…” he trailed zoning at the cup in his hands. Nodding my head in agreement, I have to pay them a visit soon, “Sheng?” I asked trying to get his attention. He looks up at me with blank eyes, “Rucheng?” I’m tense; shoulders relaxed hearing him call me by that name, his voice filled with affection although he looked at me like I was a stranger, “Can you arrange for me to meet them, I’m also off the medication if you want to try for another child.” His blank eyes fill with life again as I say this making me feel relieved. A smile tugs at his lips as a flush tinted his cheeks, “How long? The physician said it takes at least a month to be out of your system.” “It’s been out for the last six weeks,” I say with a shrug. He rolled his eyes at me, “But what about the palace?” “I miss the feeling of having a baby inside me so it’s alright, I could always say I’m helping a friend to carry a baby but I doubt I’d be around them with a big belly… you also know that it barely shows until I’m seven months pregnant.” He smiled shaking his head. His expression turned serious, “So, you will most likely enter the palace and meet the emperor today or tomorrow, are you ready?” Frowning I shake my head. “Why not?” he asked worriedly. “I still have to fulfil my wife duties, can’t it wait till tomorrow?” I ask him while rubbing my thumb over his hand. A growl escaped his lips making me smile. “You know as well as I do that an animal like you needs to have a proper meal at least once a month or else someone might suffer,” I continue teasingly. He takes my hand in his and entwines our fingers, “I’ll let them know not to disturb us tonight,” he says while looking at our hands. Nodding I pull away since I can’t hug him with my smelly body, “So, how’s things in the palace?” “Nothing much, it’s the same old stuff since I arrive two months ago. My family is happy that I am now stationed here but want me to marry one of the noble daughters – they say I’m getting old and need children.” “Why don’t you tell them that you’re gay?” I say with a smirk. Raising a brow at me he says, “Why don’t I tell them I’m fucking the most beautiful and most dangerous woman of the three empires.” Tilting my head I sigh, “They won’t believe any of those reasons.” “Yes and that’s why I’m meeting with the young noble lady and taking her on outings with me,” he says looking at me as if what he just said is normal for a married man such as himself. “Just no kissing and sleeping with her, she’ll probably die from a heart attack when she finds out who’s husband you are,” I say smiling at him. He nods while taking another sip of his shitty tea. A knock sounds from the door and Yu Sheng gets up to open the door. Three men walk in carrying pails of water towards the back of the room covered by a folding screen. They leave and Yu Sheng closes the door. I strip my clothes off making my way to the back as he picks the bloody rags up, that I call clothes. Stepping into the warm bath that almost overflows as I sit down. He walks to the side and opens two bottles of oils and pours them in. Lifting his sleeve he puts his hands in the water stirring it so that the water mixes with the oils. The scent of the oils reach my nose and my body sinks down as my tense muscles relax – I missed this, I really do. My eyes close as I feel a cloth rub at my face. When it’s gone I open my eyes and look up. My handsome husband leans down to kiss my lips then kisses my cheek that once was accessorized by a scar. Rubbing his thumb over the slight bump it left he smiles gently looking into my eyes. Leaning down to kiss my lips again he whispers against my lips, “I’ve missed you so much Rucheng, you are no longer allowed to leave my side… even in death.” Nodding my head I pushed up meeting his lips, pulling away I sink down into the water and let him wash the dirt, blood and grime out of my hair. Helping me sit back up, he used the soap rubbing it against my skin gently and washed away the dirt on me. Rinsing away the suds he pulled my legs apart. Rubbing the soap against the cloth he moved it down my legs rubbing against his claimed spot. Rubbing me gently and feeling around he raises my hips washing my behind and entrance. Rinsing me off as I stand before him, he holds out the bathrobe. Holding his hands out to me I reached for it. With my hand in his, he firmly gripped it assuring me that it was safe to get out. Rubbing the robe against my body until I am dry he chucks it to the side covering me with the navy blue one he bought for me a few years back. Tugging it on my body, he led me to the bed, sitting me down gently. Returning to the bath he took his armour and robes off climbing into the bath washing the sweat off his body. Laying down on the bed I closed my eyes as my body sunk into the soft bed, it's way better compared to the grass and stone I slept on while I was travelling. Hearing him stalk towards the bed with wet steps I licked my bottom lip. Hearing him chuckle I raised my right leg as he touches it. Feeling him grip firmly on my thighs I feel shivers go up my spine. His nose brushing against my sensitive spot as he breathes in my scent. His warm wet tongue licking away while he savours the flavour only he can taste. Gasping at the sting from being roughly devoured I fist his hair pulling myself up. Looking down at the beastly eyes looking back at me, I move my hips meeting his tongue. Hitting my head back on the bed my back arches as my muscles tense. An electric current circulates my body before stopping at my soft spot. Squeezing my legs around his neck he snarls as my climax meets his lips. Moaning while taking everything in, he smiles against my leaking lips. Kissing his way up to my lips he smiles while looking down at my dilated eyes, “I did a good job cleaning you down there.” Releasing the breath I didn’t know I was keeping back, I turned my body around. Yu Sheng growls as he kisses down my spine while slowly removing the robe he dressed me in. Grabbing my hips gently he lifts my lower body up. Lining himself with me as he spreads both our legs. Rubbing my cheeks in circular motions he slowly enters moaning as he enters inch by inch. I grip onto the sheets tightly and biting them - I huff as the tears trail down my cheeks. “Hugh!” he grunts as my walls start sucking on him begging for him to ram into me. Turning my head, I meet his piercing gaze as he smirks at me, “S-s-sheng,” I moan calling for him. His gaze darkens looking down at me. Running his hand up my back he clasped in on my right shoulder, pulling me up gently I feel him move deeper making me tense up. Wrapping his arms around my waist, each hand cupping a breast, he whispers in my ear as his chest meets my back, “Relax.” Doing as he says, I relax against him while he kisses my back. Pulling out of me, he slams back in making my body lunge forward with my hair moving in all directions but I don’t fall forward because of his hold on my breast. Moving his hips in circular motions my body trembles at the familiar feeling that I’ve longed for. My vision blurs as my body is brought to cloud nine with his rough thrust. Screaming at the top of my lungs until I can’t scream anymore, I tense in his hold as I feel him tense inside me. Cupping my face we kiss till our saliva messes and climax together. Swallowing my moan he licks my lips; looking down at me after pulling away he smiles. Pulling out of me he lays on me, kissing my lips, nose, cheeks and closed eyes before spreading my legs and lining himself up with me and entering. Taking in a deep breath with my stuffy nose the room fills once again with the sound of us moaning, lust and the smell of sweaty sex. * Laying in his arms, I rubbed my hand up and down his muscular body while he had his hand in my hair twirling it between his fingers. “Sheng?” I asked with a call. “Yes,” he answered in his husky after sex voice. “Won’t the workers gossip about you sleeping around with an unknown woman?” I asked him with a frown on my face. “I own this place,” he answered sounding amused. Rolling my eyes I punched his chest playfully making him laugh. “I’m serious, you said I’d be called into the palace today.” “I know, but I told the guys before they left to let them know that I was out and you were asleep after travelling for so long.” “When did you do this?” I asked raising my head to look at him. He smiled at me mockingly, “When you weren’t looking.” Sighing as he took my face in his hands and rub my cheek where the scare once was. We looked into each other’s eyes and I can’t believe that he and I are married. Sheng is firstly my cousin, secondly my guard, thirdly my best friend, my husband and the father of my children – how did I manage to win over his affection and have him be my life long partner. He looked at me worriedly, “What’s wrong?” he asked while wiping away the stray tear that fell. Shaking my head I smile, “Why would something be wrong?” “Why are you crying?” he asks squinting his eyes at me. Poking his nose with my finger I say, “Well it’s because I can’t believe how lucky I am to be your wife after all those years of bickering and not to mention that we are related through our fathers… oh and there’s still the affair you had with Prince Baek Ah… thinking of all of this, just makes me wonder, that’s all.” He frowned looking at me and I curse myself for opening my big mouth. “Rucheng, you know I no longer have feelings for him so you should stop dwelling on my past. You’re the mother of my children and my wife, I won’t break our vows for something of the past.” “Yea, I know.” “If you know then why do you always bring it up?” “I didn’t, it’s just one fact along with many that makes it unbelievable that you are my husband.” “I married you because I love you,” he states bluntly. I can feel my tears threatening to come out but he wipes them away with a smile. “Why do you love someone like me?” I ask him hoping for something. He shrugs while grinning, “Its most probably because you’re so fucking crazy and every day is something new with you, never the expected but always the unexpected.” Rolling my eyes I pushed his hands away. Laying my head on his chest I closed my eyes. “Do you love me?” I hear him ask. Nodding my head I hear him chuckle through his chest. “Why do you love me even though you know I am your cousin?” “Our fathers are cousins separated by our grandmothers so we’re not really related so that doesn’t count and they can’t hold it against us unlike that bullshit of me having to marry my blood related brother. And me loving you, it’s because you are my best friend, the one I trust the most so I just…” “You just what?” “Love the beast within you?” “So you like it better when I eat you up instead of love you?” “Aaaaaa Yu Sheng, I didn’t say so, I love all of you!” I protested while looking at his grinning mug. He rolls his eyes and pulled my head up for a kiss. Leaning our foreheads together he sighed saying, “I love you Mrs Yu.” Giggling I kissed his nose, “I love you more Mr Yu.” * Leaving the inn we head to a nearby restaurant for breakfast, he says I should eat something nice after eating nonsense while traveling. Rolling my eyes at him who’s smirking at me from across the table. “So, what now?” I ask referring to our mission. He hums with a nod, he’s in a good mood today. “Well, this morning a notice came from the emperor to have you enter the palace so that he can personally thank you for saving his sons.” “Well, I’ll deal with it I guess, when can I see my babies?” “Depends on how things go in the palace, the princes might want to keep you near them after they see your beauty.” Rolling my eyes I drank the tea. Yu Sheng looks at me smiling, “Why are you in such a good mood today?” “Having my wife near me puts me in a good mood always,” he says while tilting his head to the side. “Such a sweet talker you are.”

They were escorted through a long hallway that led to the outside of a courtyard, they walked through a courtyard full of guards and servants who were busy, but would bow as they walked past. Walking a bit more deep into the palace they entered and exited many places and finally on the far end of the first palace, they entered the garden. Yue Mian was greeted with a strong smell that bombarded her nostrils from different flowers mixed in with pesticide, she pinched her nose closed and looked around at the garden, it was a beautiful scenery. She had only been to the palace garden a few times in the past and stopped visiting because of her change of attitude, she didn't necessarily miss this place, it just..was..nice seeing something beautiful apart from seeing half-naked men and dirt. She stopped to look at a bush of violet Azalea's, she crouched down and slid her finger up and the stem of one was between her middle and index fingers, she looked around and saw that no one was around her and she crushed the flower in her hand while standing up, leaving a trail of crushed petals where she stood before. She quickly caught up to her grandfather and the eunuch; for some reason, they did not notice that she wasn't beside them before. They soon appeared before Emperor An who was hosting a lunch with Emperor Shaan, Empress Shaan and his three Noble wives from the Naiad Empire along with all of their children. Seeing so many people gathered in one place made Yue Mian feel slightly annoyed, she was okay with being around the many soldiers at the army base, but not okay around people she barely knew. She acted as if everything was well and had a slight smile on her face as she greeted everyone. Emperor An's smile widened the moment he saw Yue Mian, they all stood up and greeted General Ye, conversations and compliments invaded Yue Mian's ears as she walked over to the Emperors' and Empress' and also the Noble wives, she bowed greeting them all with grace and respect. Emperor An pulled Yue Mian in for a hug and squeezed her tightly, he then let go of her and cupped his hands at the bottom of her face holding it up and kissed her on the forehead, the princes and princesses from both empires were shocked and so was Emperor Shaan and his wives. Yue Mian was pulled in to sit next to Emperor An and he began speaking to her, "YuMi, when last did you visit me? Do you know that I have become lonely without you here?" [This old man!], she thought, "Your majesty, I have been busy with my studies, I am truly sorry that I could not visit you as I did in the past." "Mn, alright I'll forgive you this once, but if you don't visit me at least once a month, I might just order you to live in the palace and become a lady-in-waiting," he jokingly threatened. Her body tensed at this thought, she nodded agreeing with his command. They exchanged a few more words before she went over to the princes and princesses. She looked at them all and bowed her head slightly, rose her head and her expression became listless, she walked past them all and made her way to the pond in the centre of the garden. The princesses of the Xiěyè Empire did not like Yue Mian because their father paid more attention to her than them and Crown Prince An Cheng, who was now fifteen years old, almost ready to get married. Yue Mian was the first choice as his bride-to-be, but because of her unwillingness she was no longer the Crown Princess-to-be and became the Emperor's goddaughter. In the beginning, Crown Prince An Cheng had agreed to have Yue Mian as his bride, but was rejected; they became friends afterwards and he forgave her but still had feelings for her, he heard about her dog that died and wanted to comfort her but was pushed away and he noticed that a wall had been put between them. Because of this, they grew apart and they became more like rivals in the army's base; Crown Prince An Cheng loved her for all these years and tried pursuing her but it was to no avail, Yue Mian had something else in her heart brewing. Later on, he was mocked by his noble friends because he was rejected by Yue Mian, that was not the problem though, the problem was that he was now being teased for being engaged to a girl who was more manlier than him and although he loved her, it was a huge blow to his ego. He began to dislike her and stopped being her training partner; Crown Prince An Cheng became arrogant and thought little of her, this did not bother Yue Mian that those nobles would tease her as well, but they made fun of Gãowán who had passed on, she beat up one of the nobles kid who had been pushing on her buttons which then led to her being punished by her grandfather. This was also one of the reasons she didn't have friends, because of idiotic things like this, she came to hate humans. *** As she was minding her own business by the pond, the princes and princesses came over, she saw their reflections in the water and heard their giggling, but ignored it. She felt a hand touch her shoulder and push, but she did not budge, she grabbed onto the hand that was holding her, gripping it tightly, she slowly turned her body holding onto the hand. It was one of the princesses that did not like her, princess An Choeng, the second child of the Xiěyè Empire. She glared at the princess and squeezed her hand tighter making her squeal. Yue Mian smirked then let go, "Princess An Choeng, what is the meaning of your actions?" The princess glared at Yue Mian and pointed her index finger at her nose, "Yue Mian, you dare hurt me?" She looked at the princess then scoffed and turned back around to look at the fish in the pond. Being ignored infuriated the two princesses, Yue Mian had the audacity to treat them like this in front of guest, humiliation! This was a complete humiliation. The little princess who was standing next to Crown Prince An Cheng tugged on him and asked him to deal with Yue Mian on their behalf, he sighed. Fixing his face and posture he was about to say something, but just before he did, she started walking. She walked around the princes and princesses of the Naiad Empire back towards the pavilion where the adults were. "Yue Mian!" called Crown Prince An Cheng from behind her. She stopped and turned to look at Crown Prince An Cheng, she stood with her hands behind her back and a straight face, she looked him straight in the eye with a fierce gaze not saying a word. It was silent for a moment then Crown Prince An Cheng said, "You are being disrespectful towards your princess, apologize and I'll let it go." Yue Mian stared at the Crown Prince and didn't look elsewhere, he was known for making people kneel and admit their wrong doings even when they did not do anything wrong, showing off his power as the Crown Prince. She continued to stare at him; her stare made the others from the Naiad Empire uncomfortable. One of the prince's from the Naiad Empire scoffed and said, "Unruly commoner," under his breath. Her sharp eyes changed targets instantly to him and he froze looking at her piercing gaze, his heart trembled slightly and for some reason he felt sad. "Do you belong here?" she questioned him. He wanted to say something, but she was staring back at Crown Prince An Cheng. Crown Prince An Cheng gritted his teeth and asked her, "Yue Mian, you dare be disrespectful towards the Emperor's honoured guests?", "Am I not the Emperor's guest too?" she questioned back. Crown Prince An Cheng's mouth twitched slightly, but he covered it up and scoffed, he turned his back to her and said, "Yue Mian, don't think that my father the Emperor favour's you over us, the only reason why he speaks to you and made you his goddaughter was out of pity and for the fact that General Ye is your grandfather, do you really think you a commoner and fatherless child can walk freely around this Imperial Palace and do what you want?", he scoffed and continued, "You are a bastard child and hold yourself as if you are above me the Crown Prince?" He turned around to look at Yue Mian and was stunned, her sharp eyes were softer than before, but she was still staring at him, [Did I go to far?], he asked himself looking back at her. Yue Mian opened her mouth and said, "An Cheng, you went to far this time, I am someone who holds grudges against those who treat me wrongly, don't regret it when I return what you and the princesses did here today." "You should remember this, I am your Crown Prince not your friend, don't address me with such familiarity," he answered back. Yue Mian smiled, she turned around and began walking, the first princess started yelling and carrying on for herself telling her brother to stop her and punish her. He looked at Yue Mian's departing back and sighed, they used to be so close yet now they are more like strangers. *** The adults heard the first princess' yells and turned to look at them. They saw Yue Mian's nearing figure. Her grandfather knew that she must have did something to upset the first princess and sighed telling himself he needed to punish Yue Mian when they returned home. Emperor An saw Yue Mian's slightly off expression and frowned, [What did those troublesome children do to upset her?], he wondered. Emperor An smiled at Yue Mian as she was nearing, but was ignored by her gaze, she took the side path further away from the adults and walked in that direction, Emperor An motioned his personal eunuch to call her over. He bowed and quickly scurried over to her, he spoke to her but was ignored, he walked after her and said, "Miss Ye, the Emperor wishes to speak to you." She stopped quickly in her steps, turned around, grabbed the eunuch who was following her by his silk robe, pulled him down to her level and she punched him in the face. The servants near the entrance yelped, but quickly kept quiet, the eunuch held his face that was dripping blood from his nose on the ground. General Ye stood up from his seat and yelled her name out but was ignored by her. She ran out of the garden, through the valley-like palace and ran down the velvet train carpet. When she arrived at the entrance she turned back and glared at the Imperial Palace and said in her heart, [I will never return here again!] She grabbed her horse's reins from the soldier who looked at her puzzled, she climbed up and kicked her horse with the back of her heels, it neighed and they galloped off.

The next day arrived and General Ye reported to the Imperial Palace. Yue Mian did not return home last night and wanted to know where she was. When he arrived he was greeted by General Feng and his goddaughter. General Feng was full of smiles, smiling from ear to ear. He told General Ye about his daughter being chosen by the Crown Prince, but General Ye wasn't in a good mood. "I am sorry Feng maybe another day we can celebrate this but not today, my little YuMi did not return home last night," explained General Ye was a worried expression on his face. Hearing this General Feng's goddaughter frowned, before General Ye rushed off she called him back and told him about what happened last night. She also overheard the Crown Prince berate his sisters who were laughing at her after the incident occurred. Both General Ye and General Feng were shocked. They grew furious and glanced at each other. The two of them rushed to the Grand Council Hall to meet the Emperor, leaving Hǎi kuí behind. Normally any woman would laugh and be happy about their rival going missing but Hǎi kuí was not the type who laughed at someone else's misery. She knew Yue Mian through her godfather and had a good impression of her. She knew that Yue Mian was together with the Crown Prince, this is why she did not want to meet the Crown Prince but fate had other plans for her. Although she was happy that she was chosen this was also an awkward position for her. Arriving at the Grand Council Hall the eunuch announced the two general's arrival with a yell. General Ye and General Feng entered the Grand Council Hall and was greeted by a furious look by Emperor An, but it soon changed to a guilty look. "General Ye, General Feng" greeted Emperor An. He got from his throne and stood in front of it with his hands folded in front of him. At the bottom of the steps leading to his throne knelt the two Princesses, An Choeng and An Chong. They were in tears and had red swollen faces. Emperor An's personal eunuch was beside his throne, Crown Prince An too the right of the princesses with a frown on his face and Yu Sheng behind him. To the left of the princesses, was the minister of discipline who was also the first general and Yu Sheng's father General Yu. General Yu was also Yue Mian's Royal Uncle from the Jīlěi Empire who married into the Xiěyè Empire after he got married becoming the disciple of the previous first General who retired due to an injury. General Yu, in the beginning, did not know of this but Ni Xing invited him over for dinner and explained to him the situation. He too received news of their being a baby born between his cousin, the Crown Prince Rong Jīlěi and a servant. He too searched for the two of them and was "still" searching for them when Ni Xing invited him over that day. He advised her to return to the Jīlěi Empire with her daughter but Ni Xing still refused, she also told him that if he did report them, she would kill both her and Yue Mian. Seeing the determination in her eyes, he swore to her there and then that he would do whatever it takes to protect Yue Mian with all his power. He told his son Yu Sheng about this secret and Yu Sheng was shocked but like his father, he vowed to protect Yue Mian at all costs. The father and son pair often travelled to the Jīlěi Empire to visit their relatives. Crown Prince Rong was his third cousin while he was the second, their first cousin was the current minister of health - their parents are siblings. "Your majesty?" General Ye was about to greet the emperor but was waved off. "General Ye, General Feng, the two of you have good timing, I was just about to punish the princesses," said the emperor. General Ye was about to say something but was cut off by Yu Sheng, he bowed and called to General Ye. "Last night the princesses arranged for her personal servant to hire a servant to burn Yue Mian's hair but the servant they asked wasn't brave enough and decided to cut her hair instead. She came clean about it and also the other servants in the Imperial Palace were gossiping about this before the event, in the beginning, I thought it was just a rumour but after seeing it happen," Yu Sheng sighed and stopped explaining. Waving his hands, the emperor returned back to his seat, he sighed and looked at General Ye, "I am truly sorry about this, I have spoilt my daughters too much, over the years they have been bullying Yue Mian and I thought that it was just their way of showing their affection for her. Sighing once more, he placed his face, face down in his palm. A slight twitch played on Emperor An's lips. Removing his face from his palm and closed his hands into a fist. Slamming it down onto his thrones armrest he yelled, "is this how the two of you were raised? Playing dirty tricks on someone who is your sibling? Yue Mian is like a daughter to me, your father, THE EMPEROR, if I did not love the two of you, I would have you executed! The two of you are a disgrace, I can not believe that the two of you are my daughters!!" Emperor An's chest rose up and down as his anger reached the limit. He felt horrible that this happened to Yue Mian, although she wasn't his daughter, he treated her like one. She was the daughter of the woman he loved and this was a huge disappointment and neglect on his side. What will Ni Xing think of him? The two princesses were shaking where they knelt and afraid to speak up. Their father was furious. After another deep sigh, he turned his attention to General Ye and said, "When you return, please ask YuMi to visit the palace, I want her to decide on their punishment, if I do, I will banish them from the palace or lock them up." General Ye looked down at the backs of the princesses, his blood started boiling at their despicableness, he looked at the emperor and swallowed hard, "Your majesty, YuMi hasn't returned, I was hoping she was with the Crown Prince." Everyone's hearts started trembling, the emperor jumped up from his throne and looked at General Ye and asked him to repeat what he said, after repeating it again the emperor ordered for a search party to look for her. General Yu secretly ordered his son to check all her hiding places.***Yu Sheng rode on horseback and arrived at the back of the mountains. He found Yue Mian's horse tied to a tree. He looked around and couldn't find her. Standing near the boulders he yelled her name three times and finally got a response from her. She yelled back at him from inside the cave. Yu Sheng climbed up the boulders and awkwardly walked forward in the dark, finally meeting her who was naked in the pond. He looked at the top of her head and saw that her hair was down. The left side was cut short while the right side was still long and floating atop the pond's water. Yu Sheng's eyes turned cold. "Don't glare at me," she ordered him. A chuckle escaped his lips. Walking over to her, he stood behind her then knelt down and leaned against the ponds wall and placed his right hand in the water and took hold of the hair floating in the water. After he moved the hair, Yue Mian's naked body was exposed, the lumps on her chest were rounded and firmer. A naughty grin appeared on Yu Sheng's face, "YuMi, when did you grow breasts?" he asked with a mocking tone. She turned to look at him and met his grin, with her left hand she splashed water onto his face and chuckled. Turning her head back to its original position she asked, "Is there a reason why she didn't burn my hair?" "Yes, she was scared of the consequences but also she had no choice. An Choeng's personal maid was instructed by her to find someone to burn your hair, she did, the girl who was told to do it just started out as a servant and has family issues, she was paid silver to take care of her mother two moons ago by An Choeng then instructed to pull the stunt last night. An Choeng and An Chong, on the other hand, did not expect the servant to be so cowardly." When I questioned her, she told myself and General Yu what had happened and we brought An Choeng's personal maid in for questioning, in the beginning, she kept denying it and only gave us all the information when General Yu threatened to flog her. She also admitted to all the bullying and said that the princesses have more things planned out for u," he ended. Yue Mian stood up and hit the water in front of her with her hands and glared at Yu Sheng, he eyes were widened while she bit on her molars and said in a hushed but angry tone, "Do those two not know when to stop? Do they really think I will let them go after this?" Yu Sheng swallowed hard and stood up, he looked at the angry Yue Mian, then turned his head and said, "You are being indecent." "It's not like you care how a woman looks!!" she answered him back, still furious. A chuckle left Yu Sheng's mouth and he turned to her saying, "Correct, I do not care for how a woman looks, but for you to compare yourself to a woman…" he trailed. Yue Mian's body slumped and she sat back down in the pond with her back facing Yu Sheng. "Your grandfather came looking for you." A sigh was heard coming from her. "My family always suffers because of me." "But you did nothing," he said. "I will use this chance and leave, will you be coming with me?" she asked him. Yu Sheng's eyes widened, "You don't mean…" "Yes, its time for me to leave now, An Cheng has someone by his side and the princesses have given me an excuse to leave this empire. "It's too early," he murmured. "Then when should I leave? Now is the perfect time Sheng, you don't have to come with me, also you have to keep this from my Royal Uncle," she turned her head to her left side and looked at Yu Sheng from the corner of her eye and said, "You absolutely cannot tell him, do you understand?" Closing his eyes he thought for a moment then slowly nodded his head, "Good," she spoke. Turning her head back and relaxing once again. Before he left to report to his father, he helped her by cutting her hair to an even length on both sides. She instructed him to stay quiet about her being here and misinform his father. Yue Mian trusted both Yu Sheng and her royal uncle but chose to keep him in the shadows for now. Yu Sheng knew almost everything about Yue Mian and her plans to return to the Jīlěi Empire, but what he did not know was that after leaving the Xiěyè Empire she wanted to travel first. ***Yu Sheng returned and told his father that he couldn't find her, General Yu began to worry. A day went by and still, there was no sign of her. The nobles and Royals were on their toes, their children who were at the Coming of Age banquet were questioned and weren't allowed to go home until their statements were given and inspected. Ni Xing was frantic and a mess. The days started passing by slower… Yu Sheng took food and refreshments for Yue Mian and the two of them started planning the next event.

“Weeeeeeeeeeee Yaaaaaaaa~ “Lalalalala kkyaaaaaa~” “Aaaaaahahahahahahah~” “Again, again, Grandpa do it again~” Inside the princesses palace, in the garden on a bench; general Yu was bouncing little Chushan on his knee. The little bundle of joy in his hands made him happy but the continuous bouncing exhausted him. Seeing the frustrated and forced expression on his face Yue Mian couldn’t help but be grateful for this daughter of hers. Alone Yu Sheng and she couldn’t handle all the energy that Chushan had within her. Ni Xing and her parents were here and general Yu too to accompany Yue Mian and play with their grandchild. Yue Mian didn’t mind all of this but she had an overwhelming feeling of wanting to run away. Sighing she turned around and walked over to the nearest bench and sat down. Looking at this scene, she wished that it was just the four of them, she, her husband and their two children. Currently, her husband was helping out at the Marquis estate and her son – who knows where he was. A while later lunch was prepared and waiting for them. Since it was just them lunch was served. Frowning while she ate, Chushan looked around. Throwing down the stream bun in her hand she puffed her cheeks folding her arms. Chushan’s sudden outburst was a first and stunned her grandparents. Yue Mian looked at her daughter asking, “What is it?” Glaring at her mother she answered, “Where’s my big brother?” “He didn’t say where he was going to so I don’t know.” “Now go ask my papa to look for him!” “Now now Chushan, don’t throw such a tantrum, eat first then you and I can go look for your brother,” chided general Ye. Frowning at his words she slammed her hand against the table and stood up. Yelling at the top of her lungs she said, “I hate this food!!” “There are children who don’t have food and yet you are fussy, what’s the meaning of your actions young lady?” her mother questioned. Tears welled up in her eyes. She jumped off the chair and ran away. Looking at her daughter run away, Yue Mian could feel the headache coming. General Ye was ready to get up and run after her but paused when he felt Yue Mian put her hand on his. Smiling at her father-in-law she said, “Just leave her.” “But YuMi, if she runs away and gets lost how will we find her not to mention she might get kidnapped.” He argued. Looking at him she just smiled. Chushan’s silhouette already disappeared. Panicked both General Ye and General Yu got up and ran after her. Ni Xing looked at Yue Mian, “Has she always had such a temper?” Nodding her head, “Mn, but only when it concerns Xinxi, she listens to him more than she listens to Sheng and I.” A little while later, the two generals returned. Chushan wasn’t with them; smiling she asked, “You couldn’t find her?” “Its as if she just disappeared.” Turning to her subordinate, immediately he understood without her having to say it. Bowing he walked off to inform Yu Sheng. Arriving at the Marquis estate, Yu Sheng was standing in front of the royal soldiers, watching them as they sparred with each other. Bowing to him, “Master, the little miss ran off.” Raising his eyebrow he looked at him, “Where her mother?” “She’s in the garden having lunch.” “So she just left her to run away?” “Yes.” Rubbing his head Yu Sheng felt a headache come on. Waving his hand he dismissed him. From the side, General Shim looked at Yu Sheng, “What is it?” “Chushan ran away.” “Eh??? What’s wrong with the Ye ladies, they all like running away.” “Mn, but with her, we won’t have to worry it’s just how long will it take for her to come back.” “What do you mean?” “It doesn’t matter…” Ignoring General Shim’s questions he continued to observe the soldiers. Those around Yu Sheng and General Shim heard the contents of their conversation and couldn’t believe that Yu Sheng didn’t send out a search party for his daughter. Seeing his laid back attitude someone secretly went to inform the emperor. Hearing it he ordered for a search party. This news quickly travelled to the ears of Chushan’s parents and they could only lament in their misfortune. Not long after the palace was in a mess Chushan returned while riding on her brothers back. The search party was called off and Xinxi was being berated by the emperor for not returning her to their parents after he found her. What the emperor and everyone didn’t know was that the moment she ran out she ran into him and she asked him to take her away. Xinxi had no expression on his face as he looked at the emperor and the two generals. Not only were they here but the princes and princesses were here to look at him being berated. Yue Mian had left because she and Yu Sheng had prior engagements arranged and couldn’t be bothered about the antics of their children; they were also not aware of the happenings at the imperial palace. After being berated Xinxi felt down. Sitting in his room he didn’t know what he was feeling currently. Chushan was taken away by Ni Xing before Xinxi was berated and she returned with her grandmother a few hours later. Excited to be back, she couldn’t wait to see her brother. Running around the palace she called for him but he didn’t answer her call. Worried she asked the servants and found out that he was in his room resting. When she walked in she saw him sitting on the floor hugging his knees. Worried she called him, “Xinxi?” Hearing the high pitched voice call him, he quickly rubbed away his tears and looked up at her. Forcing a smile he held his arms open for her. Seeing the opened arms she smiled brightly and ran into him. Hugging him by the waist she squealed, “Big brother, I missed you.” “You’ve only been gone for a few hours and you already miss me?” Before she was so happy to see him but hearing the off tone in his voice and the sad look on his face; she cupped his face and asked, “Big brother, what’s wrong?” Sniffing he patted her hair down, smiling bitterly he answered, “It’s nothing really, I just miss home.” “You miss home?” “Mn, I do.” “But didn’t mamma and papa say that this place is our home now?” “They did say so…” “I don’t understand… if you want to go home how, but we are home?” Smiling he knocked her on the head, “Don’t worry your little head about that, I’m just feeling a little down.” Hugging her in his arms he couldn’t help but feel horrible. He didn’t want to stay here because he wasn’t treated as part of the family. If staying here meant that he had to take so much humiliation then he’d be better off somewhere else – any place other than this place. His mother and fathers treatment towards him hasn’t changed but these people that are his so-called family. Looking down at his sister he sighed, “If it wasn’t for her none of this would have happened but then again, he couldn’t blame her, she had no fault – she was perfect.” Kissing her forehead he picked her up and put her to sleep in his bed. Closing the door behind him he walked out and climbed on the roof. Night approached and Chushan woke up. Rubbing her eyes she looked around for Xinxi but couldn’t find him. Walking around the palace she found her grandmother and sat down on her lap. “Wheres Xinxi?”she asked. Ni Xing looked at her, “I haven’t seen him since he brought you back, weren’t you with him?” “I was but big brother isn’t here anymore.” “Your big brother is older than you and can take care of himself, he’ll come back soon.” Looking up at her grandmother she answered, “That’s not nice.” Hearing this Ni Xing was stunned, “Chushan, what do you mean?” Shaking her head she jumped off not answering her. Walking out of the room she walked into the garden. There she saw her mother and father. Walking up to them she raised her arms up and was picked up by her father. Kissing her nose he said, “You caused a lot of trouble today.” “How?” “You threw a tantrum and made the emperor worry.” “How, but I was with big brother the whole time.” “I know you were but the emperor and everyone else was worried for your safety, they are not like us that has full trust in your big brother to protect you.” Looking up at her father with her big brown eyes she seemed to be deep in thought. Yue Mian called her name a couple of times before she came out of her thoughts and asked them, “Is this why big brother wants to go back home?” Hearing this, both her parents frowned. “He said this?” asked Yu Sheng. “Mn, he was crying earlier on when I went to look for him.” Nodding his head, Yu Sheng said, “Alright, it’s time for dinner, go eat and get into bed, I’ll be there to sing for you.” Grinning she jumped off and grabbed the hem of her mother’s robe, “Mamma come!” pulling her away they walked on. Turning to look at her husband she was reluctant. The two of them had a mutual agreement in silence about this whole situation – words didn’t need to be exchanged. The next morning arrived. Xinxi woke up early and was sitting in the bath surrounded by roses. With incense in the air he felt relaxed. Closing his eyes he leaned back relaxing his body. The doors open slowly. Yue Mian walked in quietly. Dressed in her inner robe, her porcelain skin could be seen through the material. Walking up to the bath she looked at her son in the water who had his eyes closed. Admiring his handsome features she smiled. This son of hers was truly handsome since the day she picked him up – thinking about the future she couldn’t help but think of how many woman would fall head over heels for him. Leaning down beside the bath she said, “My child, you really are handsome.” Xinxi’s heart jumped to his throat, this voice came out of nowhere. Jumping up he looked at the perpetrator; glaring at his mother, “What’s wrong with you?” Shaking her head she answered, “I was awake and heard a noise, following it, I found you… why are you up this early?” Sitting down he crossed his legs grumbling, “I couldn’t sleep.” “I see…” Taking off her robe she got into the bath with him. Xinxi moved to the side making space for his mother. Seated down in the warm water she frowned, “Why is it so hot?” “Who told you to get in?” Sighing she pulled him over between her legs and tied his hair up into a bun, “Why are you so mean this early in the morning?” Leaning back against her melons he sighed, not giving her an answer. “Love, you know that I am always here to listen to you, so why don’t you tell mama what’s bothering you,” she coaxed. Xinxi closed his eyes refusing to answer her. Sighing in her heart she could only hug him. After a while, he spoke, “Mamma, is the emperor really your father?” “Yes he is.” “Does that make him my grandfather?” “Yes.” “Even though I wasn’t born from you or father?” A burning pain hit her heart hearing this, answering his question she said, “Yes.” “Mamma, then why does it seem like I am more of a thorn in their sides than a grandchild. He, General Yu, General Ye, Mamma Ye and your mother don’t allow me to call them grandma or grandpa.” Hearing his words she became furious, not at him but at them. “Xinxi, do you hate Chushan?” “What?” he turned around and glared at her, “How dare you say that I love Chushan more than you!” “How can you love your sister more than me?” “Just!!” Sighing she said, “Let’s not go off-topic… If you love Chushan, isn’t that what matters most… Your father and I have full trust in you to protect your sister that’s why we are not like everyone else who makes a fuss over what happened.” “So you know what happened.” He said. “Mn, what the emperor did was not right but as I said, he doesn’t know you like your father and I do.” “None of them even try to get to know me so what does it matter?” “The lives of the nobles and the lives of commoners are not the same… here they value blood more than love – they are not like your mama Fei who loves everyone no matter how different they are.” “Mama Fei?” “Do you still remember her?” Thinking back to his childhood he nodded slowly, “I will never forget her.” Smiling she said, “Aunty Fei took me in as her child too and looked after me. Although Ye Ni Xing is my birth mother, I only loved her when I was a child. When I grew up I realised that I don’t have the same unconditional love for her as she has for me, what I have with her is a mutual understanding. But the relationship between Aunty Fei and I is much stronger, it’s a mother and child bond because she taught me the value of life.” “The value of life?” “Mn, I would most probably be dead already if she hadn’t taught me that valuable lesson.” “Can you tell me about it?” “Well… the day you came into my life I wasn’t aware of the feeling called love. When you started to cry uncontrollably I got scared and wanted to run away but Aunty Fei forced me to help her with you because there was no one else… After a few hours I realised that you needed a mother and I had no plans of going anywhere so I stayed behind and raised you… I loved you and I knew that I never wanted to let you feel helpless again, to be without a mother so I asked Aunty Fei if I could have you. She agreed and I became your mother.” “You were an unexpected obstacle in my life that I wanted to control and love and you made that possible by loving me back… Xinxi, my love, you have no idea how much I love you and I have no way of proving that to you, all I can do is provide for you and protect you and love you – I wish I could do more but I don’t know what nor how.” She looked at him with tears in her eyes, “You are the only one that makes my heart ache this badly because of the pain you go through. You are the reason why I am not a heartless person. You are the one that made me into who I am. It was all your doing, not Yu Sheng, not Chushan, not my birth nothing – it was all you…. You really don’t know what a difference you made coming into my life and you are the one person I can never lose – I will die in your place if I have to. This kingdom, if you want it, it’s yours and no one, not as long as I am alive will they go against your wishes. I will kill everyone who opposes you.” Kneeling before him, she cupped his cheeks in her hands; staring straight into his eyes she added, “You are my life and no one comes before you. Not Yu Sheng, not Chushan, not myself, not the emperor no one! That’s all you need to know… do you doubt these words of mine?” Looking into his mother’s eyes, the words she proclaimed just now made him scared and overwhelmed to the point where he was close to crying. He wasn’t little anymore and know the story behind everything… to hear her say this now, that he changed her life – she would make this kingdom his? Just why? “Why would you do all of this for me?” “Are you not my child?” “I am?” “Then why not?” “I don’t deserve all of this.” “No you deserve the world and nothing less… we can take over every kingdom if you are not satisfied.” “No no, I don’t want to be an emperor mamma.” “You have no choice.” He was about to say something else but she patted his head and forced his face between her melons. Two days later, Yue Mian was in the imperial court hall with all the ministers and royals. Standing beside her brother the crown prince she felt annoyed at the long proceedings. Finally the eunuch said, “If there are no further issues to be discussed please leave.” The court was silent, seeing that no one said anything she said, “I have something.” All eyes were on her. Stepping forward she walked up the stairs making everyone frown. Her father emperor Wang wasn’t bothered, this was the second time she attended the court out of her own without being persuaded by someone. Bowing to her father she smiled… turning to the court she folded her arms. Standing there she looked down at all the people who she thought the same as cockroaches. Tilting her head to the side she closed her eyes. Lazily she said, “A few days ago my daughter caused a ruckus and I want to apologize for her actions. Whether you take my apology and accept it so be it if you don’t agree I couldn’t care less…” Walking to the side she turned to look at her father, “Emperor Wang, I’ve told you and everyone here that I am not someone any of you should mess with so why do you continue to test me.” “Yu Rucheng! How dare you speak to the emperor like that?” Questioned the Left Prime Minister. Turning to look at him she smirked, “Keep quiet or you won’t wake up to see a new day.” She threatened him. Looking back at emperor Wang who looked at her expressionlessly, “I’m not bounded by blood like all of you that is why I will never listen to you. You hold me high on a pedestal but do not respect me so my question is why should I continue keeping up this farce and play nice?” “Ye Yue Mian!!” yelled General Ye. Looking at her grandfather she squinted her eyes, “General Ye?” “Did I not teach you to respect your elders, moreover you are in front of his majesty and you dare to disrespect him!” Closing her eyes she reached into her sleeve and pulled out a gold token. Holding it in front of her she tapped it a few times. Letting go of the gold token it dropped to the floor.  Raising her foot she stepped on it. Seeing this scene play out in front of them their eyes widened and a few of them even felt like fainting. Looking up at the crowd she said, “You all should know that this is meaningless to me. I already found out why I was kicked out of the palace before, I don’t need to play house with you if you all won’t respect me and my family. I can easily put my son on the throne and none of you will be able to say anything about it – this is my final warning, the only reason why I am in this palace is to keep you all in check, if I decide to leave, everyone’s blood will be on my hands.” With that, she bowed to her father and walked down the steps. Her proud figure walked down the aisle that divided the court in half… looking at her departing back many couldn’t stop from shaking in their shoes to be so daring and carefree not worrying about the consequences – they had no words for her or her actions. Emperor Wang looked at his daughters parting silhouette wandering what he did in order to anger her so. Turning to look at his son the crown prince he could see that there was a slight sadness on his face. MyLadyQueen As I was typing this story I realised that The Disobedient and Barbaric Daughter is on its last volume from the chapters after this one. I feel sad because this is my main book and did not expect it to end so soon according to my drafts. I'm not someone who writes filler chapter and prolongs a story so I guess this is why it saddens me.  I was supposed to add the fourth story as well but I realised that it gives away the plot of the story so I have moved it to the middle of the new volume to use as a flashback for good reason so we will be moving onto the fifth story which is the beginning of the next volume.  Please look forward to it, there will be actions scenes too XD... Oh and I think I want to change this story's name to "My Daughters Crown" mainly because that's what the last volume is about - please let me know about your thoughts on the new name, thank you :)

His eyes closed with pain coursing through his throat. Aunty Fei was still patting his back with her slightly red. The children woke up from the crying and ran to see what was happening. By now they all were used to this but aunty Fei wasn’t. She hated this and couldn’t help but feel sad to the point where she, herself wanted to cry. The eldest, Azia saw that aunty Fei was about to cry and hurried the other children back to their room to tidy up and get ready for breakfast. Aunty Fei placed Ye Xinxi Yue back into the basket and the milk into the pot to reheat it. Yue Mian Hated noise. Her son's cry was painful to the ears that she covered them but it all was for nought because it gave her a headache. As she was rubbing her temples she saw the whites of aunty Fei’s eyes turn light red. Fighting her urge to get up and leave she sat there and looked away. When he was finally asleep, she stood up and looked into the basket. Her son’s face was wet from the tears and his chest was heaving frantically as though he was running. His little nose had turned a deep pink along with his cheeks. She wanted to touch him but held herself back. Reaching into her inner robe she pulled out a white cotton handkerchief and wiped his face ever so gently not daring to lay the tip of her finger on his skin. When she was done, she leaned in and kissed him on his forehead. Stepping back she looked over at aunty Fei and said, “I’m going out for fresh air.” Standing in front of a pail of water looking at her reflection… “Wham!!” she smacked herself across the face. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath in. Coming to a decision in her heart she opened her eyes. A gentle smile was on her face and it wasn’t fake or forced, you could see the genuine smile showing in her eyes. *** As she walked through the door she saw the little humans eating what looked like congee with bits of chopped meat and fried eggs. Around the circular table, aunty Fei and the little ones sat eating, there was a seat open for her with a bowl for her to waiting patiently. Aunty Fei motioned for her to sit down and told her to eat up. As she did she looked around the room and finally saw her son in the basket beside aunty Fei. Finally settling down she started speaking to the children. Aunty Fei was surprised but felt at ease. Before she felt that Yue Mian was walking around with some burden and wouldn’t open up to the children unless she spent a period of time with them. Suddenly realising something Yue Mian wondered when did aunty Fei cook, when did she do it exactly. Throwing this to the back of her mind, she ate what was given to her finished along with the other children. Washing the dishes she looked out of the window at the smiling faces of the children and smiled gently at them. From the side, aunty Fei saw this and asked, “Did something happen?” Yue Mian’s train of thought stopped as she turned her head to look at aunty Fei, answering with a grin, “My mother always said that to raise a child properly you need to gain the child’s heart first. Xinxi obviously wants his mother so I have to show him shes still here.” Aunty Fei stared at her not knowing what to say. This girl just keeps surprising her every time.

General Yu put Yu Sheng under house arrest for keeping things from them about Yue Mian. He left the house furious and worried. General Yu rushed to the Imperial Palace and sent someone to inform General Ye who was at the market with his wife. Handing both letters to the Emperor, he then began explaining what he learnt from his son. General Ye and his wife rushed to the Imperial Palace after hearing about Ni Xing fainting and Yue Mian running away from the soldier sent by General Yu. When they arrived they both were frantic and in tears. After explaining the situation to the two of them, General Yu left in search for Yue Mian along with the Imperial Guards. *** Ye Ning dropped to her knees and started breathing heavily. Her mouth kept twitching as she tried to hold back her tears. Empress An was present, she walked over to Ye Ning and tried comforting her but was rejected by Ye Ning who stuttered while apologetically telling her that she would be okay, she got up and left the palace. General Ye left the palace with his wife and got on his horse chasing after General Yu from the east of the Imperial Palace. Ye Ning's throat was dry and she looked as if she was about to fall as she continued walking along the red velvet train carpet after her husband left her side. One of the guards along the carpet train dropped his spear and ran over to her side and as he arrived she dropped to the floor on her knees and bit down onto her bottom lip. Her tears began to drop and soft sobs could be heard coming from her. She was gripping onto her lilac and pink coloured skirt. She began sniffing trying to keep her snot from dripping down her nose. She felt a firm arm grab hold of her left underarm. She turned her head to see who it was and used her feet to support her up. "Mastress, what is the matter?" asked the guard who helped her up. Ye Ning's eyes were red and her eye bags were swollen. She looked up at him and said with a pained expression, "Wuji-ah, Yue Mian has run away." Wang Wuji's jaw popped open. He looked at his mastress in shock, "M-m-mastress, but Yue Mian… Why would she?" Wang Wuji wasn't the only one who was shocked, everyone around them was shocked. The ministers who passed and the servant who were carrying out their duties had stopped after seeing her fall to the ground. Yue Mian went missing not too long ago and to find out about her running away came as a shock to them all, they all hoped that she would return safely because her disappearance was causing a headache for everyone. Her running away this time might cause an even bigger headache for most of them. ***Ye Ning later went to General Yu's home, she heard that Ni Xing was resting there after hearing about Yue Mian and she wanted to check if her daughter was alright. When she arrived there she was told that Ni Xing woke up not to long ago and returned home with Yu Sheng by her side. Ye Ning grew worried and hoped that her daughter wouldn't do anything that she might regret. Rushing home, Ye Ning arrived and entered Ni Xing and Yue Mian's home calling for her daughter, but she received no response, thinking fast she remembered something and ran to the back of the house and found Yu Sheng standing outside the stables where the horses were kept. She noticed that Yue Mian's white stallion Em was there too. She looked over at Yu Sheng who lowered his head with a guilty expression on his face. She looked around and saw that the trap door in the stable was open. She walked over with fast steps and walked down the stairs that were connected to the trap door on the floor. The path the stairs led too was narrow, but big enough to fit a horse inside. The path was dark but in the distance, there was a candle lit beside an opening. Ye Ning took a deep breath in and exhaled while she silently walked in. She came to the door and could hear someone sobbing. Peeking her head through the door and checking to see if she was correct, she heaved a sigh in relief. She walked in, lifted her skirt and kneeled down beside her daughter who was kneeling with her face down against the ground and arms stretched out in front of her. Ye Ning could hear that her daughter had been crying for a while now because she had hiccups while she was crying. This made her heart ache. Looking in front of her at the shrine the two of them were kneeling in front of. Her eyes began to water. She said while looking up at the portrait on the shrine, "Your Majesty, Emperor Rong, this is the first time that I Ye Ning has come before you... your daughter, Ye Yue Mian has left our side and I do not know if she is alive and well. Your daughter has been nothing but an angel to us even with the minor problems she has caused in the past. I am here praying that the star that shines above your head protects our Yue Mian as she walks on her journey. That child does not know how to protect herself so I am asking you and the ancestors before you, please protect our Yue Mian." Ye Ning started crying and couldn't continue, she held onto her chest as she tried to be strong, but it did not help. Ni Xing turned her head and saw that her mother was covering her mouth while crying... She lifted herself up with her hands balled against the ground as support. Looking up at the portrait of Emperor Rong; the tears started falling once again, she wanted to say something, but the words did not come out and were said in her heart instead, "Rong if you don't listen to me and take care of our daughter, I will kill you and your whole family!" The tears fell down her cheeks and she began sobbing again, Ye Ning saw that her daughter was seated up and reached out her right hand and pulled Ni Xing into her embrace. The two of them sat there and cried their hearts out. *** In the Jīlěian Empire, Emperor Rong was sitting and enjoying the company of his four wives and their children. He had a cup of tea in his left hand with a smile on his face, but his hand suddenly stopped when the cup touched his lips. A sharp breath of air escaped his nose and a sharp pain stabbed at his heart. His smile froze and tears started falling from his one eye. The youngest prince, Prince Tian was playing his bamboo flute for everyone to hear, but suddenly stopped when he saw his father - the Emperor's frozen look. Moving the flute away from his mouth he asked, "Father, have I made a mistake?" The others all looked back at the Emperor and their eyes widened. Empress Lánhuā next to him placed her hand on his left hand but got no response from him. The Crown Prince who sat beside his mother the Empress got up and kneeled in front of his father and called out his name. When Emperor Rong heard Crown Prince Xian Rong's voice he snapped back to reality. "Father, what's wrong?" he asked with concern in his voice. The emperor placed down the cup of tea in his hand and looked around, he was slightly in a daze as he said, "Your sister is in trouble." They all looked around then in the direction of the three princesses who were sitting together on one bench. Xian Rong was confused, his eyes turned sharp as he glared at his sisters. They shook their heads indicating that they did not do anything wrong... The three princesses looked at one another, the eldest who was wearing a light pink dress, the second who was dressed in a green robe and skirt and the third who was wearing a dark purple dress. They too were confused and after reassuring their brother that nothing happened, Crown Prince Xian Rong turned to his father and said, "Father, the princesses are well and right here beside us, I don't understand how they could be in trouble." Emperor Rong smiled bitterly as he looked at the three princesses, he stood up and wiped his eyes. He looked at his family and smile wearily saying, "My daughter with Ni Xing is in trouble." He looked down at his left hand that held the cup, it was shaking. He drew it near to his heart and said with a barely audible voice, "I can feel it." Prince Tian was further away and from everyone who was seated and his father who was standing. He gripped on his bamboo flute tightly and a smile played on his lips. Emperor Rong saw this and squinted his eyes, he walked up to Prince Tian and placed his hand on Prince Tian's shoulder and said, "Tian, father ruined your recital, would you mind playing for me again later before I go to bed?" Prince Tian was pulled back to reality by this, he did not hear his father's words and instead asked, "Father, is it possible that my sister is on her way to the Imperial Palace?" Prince Tian had a smile on his face while he said this which made Emperor Rong want to believe that this was the case, he smiled back at his son and patted his son's shoulder. "Tian, father prays every day that your sister is well and healthy, I do hope that she and her mother return to the Imperial Palace so that we all can be together." Emperor Rong patted Prince Tian's shoulder once again then walked off. His facial expression changed from a smile to a pained expression. He really did hope that what he felt was wrong and that his daughter was healthy and safe, even if she wasn't on her way to the palace. The Empress and the noble wives along with the Crown Prince, princes' and princesses all stood up and bowed to the Emperor who was leaving. When he was out of sight they stood up straight and the noble wives all made eye contact then slowly looked over at the Empress who was already seated. Feeling the tension in the air, the princes' and princesses including the Crown Prince looked over at the Empress. Crown Prince Xian Rong looked at his mother and he was very displeased. His mother's expression was horrid and ruined her beautiful face. He turned and looked at Prince Tian and smiled lightly. Prince Tian's smile long disappeared after he laid his eyes on the Empress, he felt scared. Even though she was his mother by birth, he knew that she hated Ni Xing and Yue Mian with her entire being and cursed that the two of them were dead. It was so bad that she would go visit the temple weekly and pray to the heavens that they kill the two of them if they are still alive. Crown Prince Xian Rong walked over to his brother and told him to leave with him. Crown Prince Xian Rong's status was higher than the Empress because he was next in line as the Emperor, so he did not need to show respect towards his mother or the noble wives when he didn't feel like it. He and Prince Tian walked to his pavilion and sat in the main hall. Prince Tian stood to the side while his brother sat on a wooden chair beside a table and started sipping on wine from a light blue teacup. He nervously looked at his brother and asked, "Brother, do you believe she is in trouble?" Xian Rong looked at Prince Tian and sighed. He placed the teacup down and clasped his left hand in his right and rested his head against his hands that were supported by his elbows, "I do hope she is doing well, if she truly is in trouble then I will..." *** On the border between the Naiad Empire and the Xiěyè Empire was home to a peach tree and in that peach tree sat a young fellow who kept sneezing while biting on one of the peaches he pulled off a branch above him. This young man was Yue Mian. Her hair was cut very short, she had on a set of black and grey tattered pants and a loose jacket with a red belt holding the pants and jacket from falling. She had a black sheathed sword strapped to her back while she sat on the tree branch looking down at the river and swinging her legs. The peach in her hand was almost done and her sneezing continued. Scratching her head, [Who the hell is talking about me?] she asked herself while ruffling her head.----- MyLadyQueen End of volume one... I dont know when I'll start uploading volume two's first story because I still have to write it o.o My dumb ass skipped story one and wrote story two instead, don't worry if you do not know what I am talking about you will find out soon. Haha.

The baby soon woke up. Opening his eyes he looked at aunty Fei when she picked him up. Lifting him up she put him against her arm, cradling him. As she was reaching for the bowl and spoon he started crying. Turning him over and putting him against her shoulder, she patted his back trying to calm him down. This unfamiliar smell coming from the person holding him, the way she held him, her voice, it was so unfamiliar that made him scared. His cry became a scream motivated by panic. He was so frightened and wanted his mother but she wasn’t answering him. When he first opened his eyes he saw her face holding a smile that made him curious to who she is. The way she looked at him made him feel that he could rely on her. As he looked at her more and more, she spoke to him. Her voice was familiar, he heard it before but where did he hear it. Why did her voice sound so familiar that it made him calm. Whenever I woke up she would speak to me then feed me. Where is she now… why can’t I see her… why won’t she call out to me? I want to be held by her. I want her to feed me. I want her to tell me she’s here. I want to hear her voice. I want to smell her… Why aren’t you speaking to me… why aren’t you coming for me… why can’t I see you… what did I do to make you not answer my call? I want you here, I want you to take me away from this person, why won’t you answer my call… why can’t I hear you… why can’t I feel you holding me… where are you. I don’t know how else to call you other than this so why, just why are you still not here? WHY?

Yue Mian was truly loved by everyone. Even the Xiěyè Empire's Emperor An would often visit just to play with her. After a while of spending time together, Crown Prince An Cheng forgave Yue Mian for her previous rejection and the two of them became close friends over the years. Calling Ye Yue Mian her full name became a nuisance which led to her name being shortened and she became the adorable YuMi that everyone loved and adored. *** Two years later her mother and grandfather got her a guard dog. She needed someone to play with her continuously and a pet was perfect this because it never ran out of energy. The dog was a mixed breed between a Doberman and a wolf. She loved this dog, but because she couldn't speak well and stuttered most of the time, she couldn't come up with a good name for the dog. He was as short as her when they got him from the Naiad Empire and the two of them were madly in love with one another, he had a beautiful black and white coat that made him look so adorable. Yue Mian couldn't get enough of her new friend. They slept together, got messy together, they would share the same food, take baths together. Although Ni Xing wasn't happy with her child being bitten by fleas and finding ticks in the bed now and then, her daughter was happy and so was she. One day after a week of having him she noticed that this dog loved biting its balls and dragging its butt along the ground, she questioned her grandfather about it and he couldn't help, but laugh and later that day it was decided that the dogs name is going to be "Gãowán" (testicles). Whenever the two were playing around at the army base, you would always hear her cute baby voice yell such a vulgar word which made everyone smile including the stiff and strict Generals. Later that year Ni Xing opened a second tea store that sold around thirty-five different cold tea's and juices, her business was a success. She began teaching Yue Mian how to be a lady, teaching her embroidery, how to do the dishes, cooking and cleaning, she also taught her how to read and write. The years went by fast and Ni Xing grew sad because her baby was growing faster and seemed to mature more without her help. Later after she turned five years old, her grandfather wanted to spend more time with her so he spoke to Ni Xing and they agreed to have her learn martial arts. In the beginning, it was hard for Yue Mian because she was so used to being a child, then within a span of a few months, she had to learn how to be a lady and now, how to be strong and independent and also protect herself along with the people she cared for? This was tough on her. Lady lessons and martial arts, she loved them both, but it was tiring. One afternoon after her martial arts lessons she and Gãowán went fishing, she wanted to eat fish for dinner and needed a fish. *** With her strong, growing arms, she stood on a rock by the pond a bit off from the army base holding a fishing pole while Gãowán laid on the rock behind her with his eyes closed and tongue hanging out of his mouth. The birds chirping in the distance and a slight breeze blowing through her twin tails, she stood there patiently waiting for a fish to bite. After an hour of waiting she was leaning against Gãowán lazily holding the fishing pole singing in tune with the birds in the surroundings. Ten minutes later she felt a tug and she quickly sat up, the tug became slightly heavy which made her stand up and use all her strength to pull and keep the fishing pole in her hands; Gãowán jumped into the water and swam down to see what it was, he came up for air then dived down again. He received three slaps from the fishes tail and managed to bite down on it and drag it up. Yue Mian and Gãowán fought off the fish, winning the battle after struggling and pulling for fifteen minutes straight! The two of them were laying down on their backs on the rock panting, the fish they caught was red with a blue belly and was sixteen and a half inches long. The sun started setting slowly behind the mountains in the West and Gãowán grew a bit restless making Yue Mian picked the fish up and placed it in the sack she brought along. Yue Mian picked up the fishing pole that was lying on the floor and they headed back to the army base, it was quite the distance to walk and almost human activity could be seen in sight. A few walks in a roar was heard; the birds in the area flew away and Gãowán turned around and started growling, Yue Mian turned around and her face froze in shock. Behind them, a mountain tiger that shouldn't be around was walking towards them. Frightened by the huge mountain tiger that was nearing them, Yue Mian yelled, "Gãowán run!!!!!" The two of them ran off after she dropped the bag with the fish in it and the fishing pole. When they darted off, the mountain tiger roared louder than before and charged for them. He sped up and roared once more which made Yue Mian turn back to look and it was right behind her; she bent down and crouched holding her head between her legs as she screamed at the pain she felt coming from the mountain tiger attacking her with its claws. It tried going for her head, but she was already crouched in a ball. It missed her head but managed to push her down onto her side, exposing her body. She looked up. The mountain tiger's bloody mouth filled her vision. She noticed small flecks of flesh among the blood. The details grew blurry as it lunged toward her. However, before it could reach her, Gaowan jumped in and flanked it on the side by the mountain tiger's neck. He made it just in time before Yue Mian lost her head. The mountain tiger was pushed to the side and glared at Gãowán who was standing between it and Yue Mian, Gãowán growled viciously at the mountain tiger; Yue Mian quickly moved away to the side, in the same way, a monkey would run, on all fours. She stood behind a tree slightly peeking from behind it; her beautiful cotton pants and jacket that her mother made for her was ripped from all the clawing and gnawing from before. Blood seeped through the rips of her clothes and she had a panicked expression on her face, she should be frightened and crying, but no, she was more worried about her best friend. *** The mountain tiger charged at Gãowán by jumping in the air, Gãowán jumped too and was hit down to the ground by the mountain tiger; Yue Mian's eyes widened seeing this. He hit the ground but quickly got up after a squeal escaped his mouth. They had a standoff again and Gãowán had a limp, Yue Mian's heart started beating faster every second. He growled at the mountain tiger. He wasn't giving up so easily, they slowly walked in a circle, but suddenly Yue Mian slipped and caught the attention of the mountain tiger, it wanted to attack her, but Gãowán barked loud grabbing its attention once again. This time Gãowán attacked and learned from his previous mistake. He charged directly at the mountain tiger and as the mountain tiger jumped again, Gãowán went for its neck and hinged on; his teeth sunk into its neck and he did not let go. "Yes!" she said in her heart, happy that they had an advantage over the mountain tiger. The mountain tiger shook its neck and clawed at Gãowán, scratching him open. Gãowán was stubborn and he did not let go, on the side, Yue Mian watched on with a terror-stricken expression while tears ran down her cheeks. Her mind running blank at the sight of what was happening to Gãowán; again!!, but this time the mountain tiger lifted its body and stood on its hind legs and with both front paws clawed Gãowán's stomach open making his innards fumbled out, Gãowáns' eyes constricted and his jaw unlocked. The mountain tiger was finally free. It looked down with a hate-filled expression in its eyes at Gãowán who was laying on the ground beside it, it then turned to look at Yue Mian who had come out from behind the tree with red eyes looking at it, it stepped forward towards her, but suddenly stopped because its throat was open and blood gushed out. It took one last look at Yue Mian then turned and ran away. Yue Mian slowly walked towards Gãowán with heavy footsteps and fell to her knees in front of him, she looked at her best friend who was looking back at her with his tongue hanging out of his mouth panting heavily, she felt a lump in her throat from the tears and crying she held back. The sadness she felt right now was unexplainable, she moved a bit closer to him and gently lifted his head, he made a whimpering sound, but it soon stopped when his head was on her lap, he looked up at her panting heavily and started whining. Yue Mian couldn't keep herself together any longer and her silence broke, "Gãowán Gãowán Gãowán please don't, I'mmmnnn I'm s.s.s.sorr.rrry," she began crying again, her head slowly went down to lean against Gãowán's head and he whined, soon his hind legs started kicking violently making Yue Mian's head shoot up. She looked at his legs that were kicking and the blood that was spilling from his wounds, she turned to tell him he should stop, but when she turned, their eyes met and she watched as Gãowán's eyes roll back into his head. His body stopped spasming, it fell resting on the ground, the last of the urine that he was holding in came out of his penis while pale foam water-based liquid bubbled out from his mouth. Her eyes widened, she yelled at the top of her lungs, her body collapsed down over Gãowán and she fell unconscious. Twenty minutes passed and her eyes slowly opened, her mouth was dried out and a whiff of foul air entered her nose, she lifted her body and looked at Gãowán who was lying dead on her lap. Her heart tightened, she turned her head to the direction where the mountain tiger left in, she stared at the direction for a while then turned her head back to look at Gãowán's body; her mind was blank and her eyes were bloodshot. A grinding noise could be heard coming from her mouth and a distance away she looked like someone else, not that cute little five-year-old that everyone loves, but someone who wanted to kill. After calming down, she lifted Gãowán's head gently; she got up and went to get her fishing pole and sack with the fish in it, she walked back to Gãowán's body and looked at it, he was covered in flies and so was she. She emptied the sack with the fish in it throwing it to the side and pushed the sack under his body around his stomach and pushed the organs that were handing outside back in after swatting the flies away. She wrapped the sack around him then took off her jacket and used it to bind it closed so that nothing falls out. *** She picked him up and, even though he was heavy, she lifted him onto her back and used all she had to lift the two of them with a little help from the fishing pole as support. Every step after that was tough, but she continued to be stubborn and took every step carefully, slow steps, but careful steps; she Ye Yue Mian was determined to make it back to the army base with her best friend. The sky was losing light faster and her legs were losing its balance, she began tumbling but got right back up. What would have taken forty minutes took her almost three hours to achieve. Just before it was completely dark outside she stopped 10 feet away from the army base at the sound of horses galloping; in the distance men on horseback came rushing to her and stopped right in front of her. Her back was bent so she couldn't look up, but she heard her mother and grandfather's voices along with several others that she recognized. She felt hands touch her and the pressure from her back was released, she turned around and saw one of the soldiers move back while taking Gãowán and held him in his arms; she turned back and her mother was saying something, but she couldn't hear it because there was a loud ring in her ears.

After her mother went back to helping the customers, Yue Mian sat there bored chewing on some passion fruit buns, she started thinking about her father and how happy her mother seemed while she spoke about him. [I wonder how it would be having them together? Wait, am I not a princess?] Thinking this she smiled, rubbing this in An Chengs was an exciting thought, she stood up from the chair and was about to head out and rush back to the Imperial Palace and rub it in his face when she suddenly felt dizzy. Her surroundings blurred out and her head started pounding, she felt a bit nauseous and bent over to throw up, but instead, she grabbed miss reaching for the table and landed on the floor, her body stiffened and her mind went blank. When she fell over she hit the ceramic plate with the buns on it, which made it fall to the floor and break when she fell down; she landed on a piece that was shaped like a crescent that strayed from the rest and it pierced her skin, lodging into the space between her left ear and left eye. Her grandmother came running in and saw this, quickly turning Yue Mian onto her back and started screaming her name out; she took the ceramic plate out gently and started wiping the blood away. Ni Xing and a few male customers came running in and they help Ye Ning take care of Yue Mian. They carried her to a bed in the back of the store and began treating her wound that seemed to not want to stop bleeding. One of the men went to the local physician to call him over while the second went to the Imperial Palace to inform General Ye. The third stayed with Ni Xing and Ye Ning. The physician came soon and attended to her wound, after applying treatment and covering it with a thin white cloth, everyone calmed down and the blood stopped, but Yue Mian's eyes were wide open and a bit lifeless. The physician examined her body and couldn't make of this, he told them she was still alive and she was just asleep and that maybe her muscles just froze like this and will be better when she wakes up. He stayed with them just in case something did go wrong.***Yue Mian found herself waking up in a blank white space; she opened her eyes, still laying on her stomach, raising her head she looked around. Left, right, in front of her and behind her. All she could see was an endless white space, she lifted herself up and sat down on her butt, her head was slightly pounding, she shook her head a couple of times then stopped. [Where am I? Wasn't I in mama's shop?] she asked in her heart. The throbbing pain in her mind slowly eased as she was getting used to it, she sighed looking at her surroundings one more time; she threw her body down laying on her back and looking up at the empty whiteness in front of her.***Something squeezed her right shoulder and she opened her eyes and quickly sat up while she had her left on her right should and rubbed it where it was touched, she looked around and still saw no one. [Who touched me and when did I fall asleep?] she asked in her heart. "I touched you." a voice sounded next to her left ear, she turned her head to the left side and there was nothing there. "This way." The voice sounded again behind her, she turned her body around, in front of her grey smoke dissipated and flew into her. She fell onto her butt and was frightened, [What was that?] she thought, "It was me!" Her eyes widened, where was this voice coming from she wondered, this was the first time she felt like this, [Am I dead?] she asked herself again. "Nope, you are alive and well." Yue Mian looked again for this voice, the fear she had only lasted for a few seconds, annoyed she opened her mouth but nothing came out, it was like her voice was taken, [Why can't I speak?] she asked herself. "You can speak, it's your voice you can't use," that voice spoke again. Yue Mian frowned, [Why can you speak but I can't?], "Well, that is because I am using your voice to speak." [...], Yue Mian stopped speaking in her heart and looked around to find this person that was speaking to her; after looking around for a while, she laid back and crossed her arms behind her head and closed her eyes again. It remained silent for a while, then her voice spoke again, "Don't ignore me!" it sounded frustrated. Yue Mian grinned, [Show yourself.] It was silent for a few more minutes then she heard a sigh, "Alright, open your eyes." Yue Mian did just that and raised her body, in front of her, the person sitting in front of her? She frowned, looking down at her own body she looked back up. [Who are you?] she asked in her heart. "Who do I look like?" that person asked. She raised her brow and asked back, [Why do you look like me?] That person grinned and answered, "Because I am you." She raised a brow and said with an annoyed tone, [I am not someone you want to annoy, I am warning you, don't mock me.] The person in front of her smiled, "Don't act fierce in front of me, the only reason why you are like this is because of me." Yue Mian looked at the person in front of her, observing her every move, [What do you want?] "Why would I want anything from you?" she answered back. The two of them sighed at the same time, their conversation was going nowhere, a bit curious, Yue Mian asked, [Why am I here?], "I called you here." She looked at the other with a raised brow and asked, [Why?]. The grin on the other widened and she answered, "You are here because if I let you go, would you not have gone back to the Imperial Palace and claimed that you are the princess of the Jīlěi Empire?" She slowly nodded her head and answered, [That was the plan yes.] The other forced a smile and slowly nodded, "Actually, I didn't call you here, you ate something bad." [Eh?], "mn, the bun you ate was not the one mama made," claimed the other. [If mama did not make it then who did?] "Who else?" Yue Mian pondered for a while then a person popped into her mind, she looked up at the other and asked, [The lady in the kitchen?] The other slowly nodded her head. "She probably mixed the ingredients wrong or poisoned you," she claimed once again. [I see… So how do I get back?] she asked. "When I say you can." Yue Mian frowned, she did not like the person in front of her. [Where did you come from?] "I am you!" [How can you be me?], "I was always here, alone in this place, inside your heart." Her eyes widened after she heard the last part she instantly recognised who the person in front of her was. "Do you know who I am now?" The two of them made eye contact, staying silent for a moment, opening their mouths at the same time, one voice was heard, "I am Ye Yue Mian."*** They smiled at the same time and started speaking together as one person, "Now that we have established who I am, it's time to let everyone know who I am, I am Ye Yue Mian, the daughter of Ye Ni Xing and the Emperor of Jīlěi. I will grow strong and return everything to those who have treated me as though I, Ye Yue Mian is beneath them, they will know who I am and they will suffer at my wrath." An evil smile formed on their lips and their eyes were as clear as day. **** Her body started spasming and she took a deep breath in and opened her eyes, in front of her was her mother Ni Xing, her grandmother Ye Ning, her grandfather General Ye, Crown Prince An Cheng and Emperor An. They all looked at her worried, they were no longer in the store and were in a room inside the Imperial Palace. She knew this because of all the over exaggerated gold decorations. "YuMi, are you okay?" asked her mother. A gentle smile formed on her face as she nodded her head. She looked around the room and smiled at everyone, they started speaking and smiled with one another. An Cheng observed Yue Mian and found the smile on her face a little off, [Since when does she smile?] he asked himself. A second after that question passed, Yue Mian looked at him with a terrifying gaze that only stayed for a second but was not missed by Crown Prince An Cheng. With that gaze and that smile, his body tensed. A suffocating feeling rose from his body; he started sweating and felt ill, he excused himself from the room and immediately after he left the room, the tension was gone. With just a few puzzle pieces, he already figured what happened, he swore to himself that he'd never pick on Yue Mian again and continue on with his one-sided love for her.

Third Person   Focusing upon his father, inside the cocooned metal object still, One saw that there was a slight difference and that it should be ok to bring him out of suspended animation for now. Releasing all the elements, One reached out and firmly held onto his unconscious father, whom was naked and still dirty, with a lot of dried blood on him. He needs to be cleaned! One thought, frowning. The problem was, even if he was cleaned, One knew that there was more to fix, for his father to wake up! The Shifters around the area, that were still alive, were gobsmacked into complete astonishment! Never had they seen someone who could use power like this, nor did they know that the King himself had been inside this metal object! So…Alpha Rendall had been telling the truth…His Majesty had been there and…Beta Owen really did just ‘miss him’ afterwards… They didn’t know whether to laugh or cry…Especially when one of them knew that this very powerful person had finished off one of their pack members and he had felt the bond between them snap… They couldn’t speak and question anything though, because One soon left the area, to go back to his other father, that was halfway up the mountain.     Seeing the body of Ethan, Damien became ecstatic! “He’s alright?” Damien stated, completely forgetting where or what he was doing prior to seeing Ethan. “Not good enough, I will have to go to the continent of Tental to gain more magic and more life. Even if I take the lives of the bad Shifters here, more magic would still be more beneficial…Who did it!? Who pushed him off the mountain!?” One stated, not completely letting Damien take his father away from him. It was a silent fight that neither of them knew they were having, as Damien wanted to hold all of his precious, yet One still held the other side of Ethan. With One’s outraged words, Damien bit his lip for a short moment but decided to ignore it and go straight to what was more important! “But he will still survive?” Damien asked, smiling down at the dirty and sleeping body in his arms. “Yes, but he most likely won’t wake yet though.” One said, finally letting go and putting his father’s dirty hair away from his face. “He’s dirty.” Damien let out a small laugh and brought his precious mate closer to him, “Yes, he’s dirty…”   One sighed, looking away from the intimacy of Damien’s look and touch towards his other father, and he finally saw the rock golems in the distance, “Oh, right. Forgot about them…” Damien looked up and blinked, remembering them also. “I couldn’t find a way to destroy them with the least amount of casualties.” One smiled and then suddenly laughed quite loudly, “Perfect! Why didn’t I think of it earlier!” Putting out a hand to the rock golems, then putting a hand upon his sleeping father, One focused upon the life stealing spell and everyone watched as the rock golems slowly collapsed, one after the other. After a few minutes, One stopped and then turned to his sleeping father. Checking his wound, which seemed almost completely healed, One then touched his head, seeing that things had turned for the better. “That came in handy!” Having had a problem from doing this from a very long time ago, One did not summon anything to steal the life of it anymore, but…He hadn’t summoned the rock golems, so he felt like this should not bring any unfortunate events…   Looking from his son, to his precious mate, Damien then asked, “Is he going to wake up then?” One narrowed his eyes and then nodded, “He’ll wake up. It seems the silver in his system is still there though…I thought it would be removed…” Frowning, One wondered why the silver had not come out through the metal being encased around his father, and sighed, “I think it is because the silver really did become a part of his blood…” Damien didn’t know that it could have been removed like this as well, which he wished could have happened, but since he thought previously that the silver could no longer be removed, he got over it quickly, “It’s alright, you have already brought him back! That is more than I ever hoped for!” “Mmm, and you can make me another sibling.” One said bluntly.   “Uh?” Damien nearly spat out! “Father’s reproductive organs are fine once again!” One stated frankly. That was the awesome thing about life steal, it was magic! Damien looked away and nodded, “Oh…” “Haha, look at father, are you happy or embarrassed?” One laughed. Damien looked at One and narrowed his eyes at the goofy smile on his son’s face… Holding back a smile, Damien became aware that he was both…Of course he was happy that his precious and he could continue their family but…He was embarrassed that his son was so blunt about it! Did he wish it so desperately!? “Mmm, let’s go to the palace!” One stated, then suddenly Damien was being held by One, who was still holding Ethan, and they all flew away.   ***   Damien had to tell his pack about what happened, and so his pack had to met up with Alpha Lorez and therefore took a lot longer to get away from the mountain but at least now they didn’t have to worry about the King, as the King was safely with Damien once again. After returning to the palace, One wondered off, going to ‘sight and see’ his palace… With One gone…Wherever he may have gone, Damien took his precious mate to his own room and memories came back to him all the way there. It really wasn’t all that long ago that they had been here really… Placing the sleeping Ethan down on his big bed, Damien laid down next to him and took in his hand. Before coming to the room, he was going to give him a bath, but now, he just needed to hold him like this… “Thank god you’re alive…Thank god!” Giving the hand a kiss, Damien put it to his forehead and tried not to cry.   For a while, Damien had felt useless and hopeless. Having thought that his precious mate had perished and left him behind… Those days, those days he probably won’t ever forget… Even having the Queen come to him and try to support him, did not give him any kind of comfort…Nothing had! He had felt like the world meant nothing and he had trouble wondering why he was still there! If it wasn’t for wanting revenge against Owen, Damien shattered to think if he would even still be here! If it wasn’t for shutting down his feelings and becoming like a Zombie… “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!” Damien whimpered, yet did not let a tear escape from his eyes! He didn’t want to cry, because he was happy, he was happy that they were both still here, still able to live the rest of their life’s together. Why would he cry over that!?   If only he had tried harder or watched to see that things were amiss! He might not have wasted so much time of feeling hopeless and useless to his most precious person in the world! If only he had never been angry and just accepted that things were going strange! If he had opened up his eyes and realized that something wasn’t right, he could have talked to his precious about it and they might not have fought and lost contact as they had! Then…Wouldn’t I had been with him when he left? Would I had gone with him to wherever he had gone and made sure that nothing happened to him? But…Really, how could he have stopped his son from being born like that? Taking a deep breath in, Damien could only do one thing, and that was to never be that angry again! Even if he couldn’t do anything to help Ethan, when he had ‘given birth’, he could have still been there for him! …So, he had learnt his lesson!   Kissing the slack hand once again, Damien gave the unconscious body a small smile and nodded, “Okay, let’s get you all nice and clean again. Then…I’m going to put my scent all over you!” “Dam…” Turning, with wide eyes, Damien quickly got closer to Ethan, and said, “Are you awake? Can you hear me?” “Damien…” Ethan was unable to open his eyes and his voice was weak but…He wanted to tell Damien that he was alright. “Precious! My god, precious, you scared the hell out of me!” Damien stated, taking Ethan into his hold and cuddling him quite tightly. “I…Okay…” Ethan weakly stated, still unable to open his eyes. Without Damien knowing, a tear escaped, and Damien put his head into Ethan’s neck, feeling like he needed to calm down…   “I’m Okay…” Ethan repeated, still just as weakly, unable to do much else except speak those two words. He wanted to see his loved one with his eyes, touch him with his hands, yet it seemed like he couldn't at the moment... Damien was unable to move, he was unable to talk and just held onto his precious tightly. Hearing Ethan cough a short while later, Damien finally sat back from Ethan and looked around with his blurry vision. Breathing a bit heavier and wiping his eyes, Damien put Ethan down and rushed out, saying, “Water…” Ethan gave a small smile, before letting himself fade into unconsciousness again. He felt terribly weak and quite sore, but…But hearing, smelling and feeling Damien, felt like a blessing from heaven! How great to wake up to all of that! Yet, even though Ethan was quite happy, upon returning, Damien was somewhat hysterical again! He had a bad feeling that something was wrong with Ethan and tried to wake him up, only to see Ethan frown. Forgetting that he’d gone to get water, Damien rushed out of the room, with Ethan in his arms, and went to find One!     Damien didn’t find One for twenty minutes! He was near a wall, on one side of the palace, looking a bit confused. Seeing his father rushing to him, he frowned deeper and started to walk towards them, “What’s wrong with father?” “Please, just…He woke up but now he’s not awake and I…I panicked, is he alright!?” Damien stated, putting Ethan right in front of One and looking at One in full expectations. One sighed and checked his father, only to pout, “He’s alright…” Damien let out a huge sigh of relief, and nodded to One, “Good, good!” “Father…” One said, turning back to the wall. Looking up at One, Damien saw him pointing at the wall and turn back to him, and say, “I swear this wall wasn’t here before!” Damien looked at the wall too, not recalling anything about it, then to each side of it, “I don’t really know anything about the wall…” “Oh, perhaps father knows.” One stated, looking at Ethan eagerly.   Damien looked at Ethan too but with another type of feeling. He was so damned happy that Ethan was alive, he was even waking up now and was in his arms…Oh…And still dirty… “I will give him a bath now.” Damien said, in a somewhat an already distracted way. “Yes, do that!” One stated, then turned back to the wall and sighed… Using air below his feet, One flew up to land upon the wall, to see that…It was indeed what he had thought! This wall was not the original wall of the palace! “Ha!” One stated, as he had been right! Seeing a little space down on the ground, that had a small house and small area upon where clothes could be washed and dried and somewhere that a kid could play, One flew down towards it and found that there was a door opened in the outer wall area. Walking through the opened door, inside was a whole heap of stuff that One was sure hadn’t been here in his last life! Grain, wheat, rice, seeds…Heaps of stuff and… Turning, he saw a little boy sitting with a wooden plane in his hands and in his mouth. “Sollace.” One stated, feeling the blood in him respond to the boys. That’s right, just like his father, this boy had Sollace blood in him!

Ethan’s POV   I narrowed my eyes and looked at all the Alpha’s in front of me once again, “I did not want you all to be forced into a blood pact! All that I ask…Is that you give deep thought into who should be the real ‘King’! Owen may indeed have a royal blooded heir to the throne, but I am the nearest descendant of the last King. If you think that I had the guts that I would kill my own family, then you are severely mistaken! At the age of twelve, I had been a submissive Omega! How would I have enough courage to kill people that I didn’t even know!? He asks you to think about it, well I ask you the same! Have you not heard that Owen himself had stated that he trained me from the age of twelve? Did you not even hear of me, like I you, ‘til afterwards!? Don’t be blinded by just words! I might not hold evidence, but does Owen?” I took a small breath and nodded at them, “…I will not do a blood pact…I will not tell you what you should do! I’m just stating my side of the story in defense to whatever you’ve been told from Owen. I want you…That’s right, I want you to decide for yourselves! I want you all to ask yourselves…Because I will not force myself upon the King’s power now without approval! I am willing to tell and show you what I have and put it on the table, giving you this opportunity! And if you give Owen the power…His greed may ruin us! I…I know that I have lied to you! But…I am all for looking after every single one of us! I am still willing to see what is best for all of us as one! I will fight for our safety and I will, I will let you make your own choices!”   With one last thing, I continued, “Let me ask you, what is a King!? What is it that King’s do!? Will Owen do that for you? Will you give him the power? Will you see what he has done to me all this time and lied! I may have lied to you but don’t forget, he has also lied! He brought me up and I do not want to be the person that he wants me to be! I will be someone better for you, someone worth relying on but…You have to give me that chance to completely break away from him! You have to see that I now see what is right and wrong and that I don’t want to lie anymore!” I got up again and walked to the door, turning back just before walking out, “I know I should have kept some things from you to gain your trust, that was the official plan…But I did not think that this was a good way to go. I gave you evidence of the greed for power that Owen has, talk to the elders and make your decision. If you all choose to follow Owen…Don’t come crying to me if you regret it later!” With my last sentence, I released a huge amount of Alpha aura that had been building up inside me all these years and I saw with my own eyes that it made at least two of them flinch. Then I walked out!   Quickly, I let out a breath and took in another deep lot of air into my lungs. I can’t believe I just did that! What the hell was I thinking!? But, with Alpha Yoon there, questioning me and my position, I had enough! So what if I was King and I was Omega, for years I had done a pretty good job, getting a few loyalties from those that Owen had not touched. Not only that, but the first King was an Omega themselves! So what if I was the reason why the rest of the royal’s died, I didn’t ask for it! For much of my years, I had even thought that I was better not to exist, not even knowing of this! But I was alive now! And I’d be damned if they were going to make me think that I never deserved to be born! I was going to live! What was done was done, and this is now! I wanted them to see that I was not going to take the fall for what happened! That I was still strong and still having their ideals in mind! I was showing them that I was also putting everything I had into what I just said! That I was putting what I’ve been for more than half of my life, in a position where I might loss it completely! And that was how firm and determined I was for them to understand!   Letting out a deep breath…I strangely felt relieved, instead of worried… Austorious was strangely feeling heroic as well and I know what I just did probably was stupid but…A position of ‘King’ wasn’t needed for me to continue to do what was best for Shifters! If I had to go into the dark, being a runaway because I did not do a blood pact to Owen, then so be it! I will help bring the Alpha’s back one by one, showing them what they needed to see, showing them that I don’t care what I’ve lost to come this far. I will bring up my pups safely and I will, I will bring down Owen! He might have the palace and a few packs behind him but…I was still someone willing to fight for the rights of freedom for us as Shifters! I let out a chuckle and shook my head… I might be an idiot but hey, I still didn’t regret my words!   Walking to my room, I fell down onto the bed and looked up at the ceiling. “Precious…” Even though Damien sounded worried, and even a touch angry, I smiled and said, “Mmm?” “…You’re an idiot…” I looked at him then, and laughed, “I realized halfway through that if I wasn’t a ‘King’, it didn’t matter…” I shrugged and sat up, taking his hands into my own, “I don’t want grey, I want black and white. I wanted them to see the cards on the table and see what to do with them themselves.” I heard Damien sigh and then he bent down to be in front of me, “From all the possible outcomes that I thought we’d get today…I never thought of this one…Not only did I underestimate your want to be truthful, but I did not think of the possible worst circumstance! You…Pretty much stating that you are standing down or up, waiting on them to decide which way…It’s really gutsy, Precious!”   I smiled, “It is, isn’t it!?” Damien frowned at me, but I put my hands up to his face, to stop his face from staying that way. He put his hands up to mine and brought them back down again, “What should we do with Alpha Yoon? You told me to stop and I did…Just he might be better gone, since he tried to kill you…” There was a growl in his words, making them a bit hard to figure out, but I understood. Damien had been scared…Again! I pursed my lips and looked up in contemplation, “Mmm…He did try to kill me, but at that point, I felt like I wasn’t the King. I was just trying to say that I wanted to be the King, so that I could look after them. But…For the attempt at killing another Shifter, what is the penalty for that?”   Damien smirked, “Shot with silver and imprisonment.” I nodded, “Do that and spread out the news. Let the Alpha’s know that I really stood down for now, that I am not pressuring them.” I saw Damien shake his head and wince, “It’s not a good idea…” I closed my eyes for a bit and opened them, “I just feel like I need to completely back off. Perhaps it’s because I need them to see Owen for who he really is, or to see that I want exactly what I had said…” “…Retreating to advance…” With Damien’s faraway, thinking look, I smiled… Ah! He was so god damned hot!     Damien’s POV   ‘Simon, His Majesty’s orders are to…’ I felt hands go around my waist and tingles shot through me. Oh… Turning to Ethan, I was put into astonishment. Ah, I love that look! Ethan was the complete definition to temptation and distraction! Before a knew it, I not only felt his desire, but smelt it as well. Oh man! ‘Boss?’ Oh! ‘Shot with silver and imprisoned!’ I took Ethan in my embrace and kissed my mark on his neck, hearing him moan. Holding my precious tighter, I shut down my thoughts to others and it didn’t take much for me to put all my attention onto my precious mate!   Having his arms around me, wanting me, put me into overdrive and I was taking off his clothes without putting too much thought into it… I touched more and more soft skin, as I continued to devour his mouth hungrily. His moans were driving me crazy and I rushed to release my hard on, that was stuck inside of my pants! Kicking off the remnants of my clothes and pulling down his, I rushed to touch his own desire and heard him groan into my ears. Fuck! Awkwardly, I got him onto the bed better and was on top of him, seeing his brilliant bulge right in front of me. My little pup! Ah! I dived down and kissed him once again, feeling his arms hold me tighter to him and I put a hand to his wetness in his lower half, wanting to rush myself into it!   Lifting his bottom up, I banged my hard on beside his ass and heard him moaning my name, making me lose all reason… I was sure there had been no preparation but man, while he has been pregnant, it seems that he has become a full wanton type of man and I loved it! Sliding inside of him, I groaned and stopped kissing, as I was too focused upon how it felt downstairs. Ah, hot and wet! Fuck! The tingles and sensations were driving me even more crazy and I just couldn’t believe that we had not found each other earlier! All that time lost!   Driving myself into him harder and deeper, I put a hand around his dick and felt it twitch in my hands. This precious Omega drives me crazy! In no time, I felt hot cum all over us and the trembling that my precious was doing made me feel like I was the man of the hour! No…Man of the world! Taking my hand away, to touch his nipples, then to lift his ass higher, I pushed into him more and went into a kneeling position. Looking down at his gorgeous body, I put hands over our pup and saw the happiness in Ethan’s eyes. How the hell could I ever live without him!?   A warm, sweet feeling went over me, and I pulled out, wanting to be more passionate with him…More closer… I turned him over and scooted in behind him, rushing to place myself back into his heat…His wetness… Touching his naked body, that was now right up against mine, it still seemed to be far away. I wanted to eat him up and have him become a part of me completely! “I know.” Seeing my precious, having his head turned and looking at me, I kissed him. Feeling one if his arms go into my hair, I pushed myself into him and put myself into his neck. Feeling him arch his back and place his ass towards me, I pushed deeper into him and heard my name in the most sensual way… Fuck!   Trying to hold on longer, I sit up a bit, still pumping myself into him, and I touched his body. I tried to lose myself into how soft it was, how awesome he looked to me but…That was only getting me closer and closer to want to release inside of him! And I wasn’t done yet! I wanted to play some more! Taking his head into my hand, I bent down to kiss him and tried to lose myself to his mouth… But dam…It was just way too easy to cum with my mate! He was way too sexy and passionate! Touching the newly hard dick of my mate’s, I wanked him and we fell into a moan fest! I tried to hold off as long as possible, but I couldn’t contain it anymore! With a groan, I thrusted myself in deep and released myself inside him… Fuck!

Third Person   Damien stood up and squarely looked at what could potentially be…His son, “Why is he like this!?” Giving the metal object a little hit, he shook his hand to the small amount of pain, knowing now that the metal would be quite hard to break... How the hell could anyone survive in this thing!? How do you get them out!? Looking everywhere, there was absolutely no tiny holes or anything! How do they breath!? Yet, it was as big as a person and since this other person came out of nowhere, looking like he can even fly, like that of a superhero, Damien wanted to get out of his dark vortex and believe it completely! He wanted to think that his mate was right here! Right inside this metal object, right in front of him! Why wouldn't he!? As much as he thought it being completely impossible, Damien grabbed onto this! At the moment, his life depended on this completely! If it were true and that Ethan was there, surely that meant that he wasn’t dead! If this was Ethan…He didn’t care how it happened, or how much it doesn’t make sense, as long as it was Ethan! The Alpha male cringed, “It is my fault, I needed him to give birth to me.” Looking at the Alpha male in complete bewilderment, Damien opened his mouth, but nothing came out of it.   Alpha Lorez, who was just as surprised as Damien, was now able to speak, “You are His Majesty’s child?” “Yes, I am One.” One said. “…One?” Damien said, obviously he felt that this so-called name was stupid through his voice and look on his face. “The first, I am the first Shifter, the first Elementalist, the first Warlock…I am Sollace! Gorde and Tental!” …Uh? Is what a lot of people were thinking… One looked at all of them, quite grumpy now, “Don’t believe me?” There were a few that shook their heads but others that didn’t answer at all, they just stared stupidly at One with bewilderment. “Humph, the histories are not as they used to be!” One grumbled.   Just as One was wanting to build a bonfire and speak of his past histories, a noise interrupted their conversation and they all walked to the edge area of the mountain, to find a glowing circle to the south, just away from the start of the mountains. Even though Shifters had slightly better eyesight then that of humans, it was still hard to see, but One knew what it was straight away! “It’s the warlocks summoning.” One stated, knowing full well because he had used this same spell before. “Warlocks…They are really here!? Has Owen gone completely senile!?” Alpha Lorez stated, shaking his head in disbelief. Warlocks were tricksters and had magic that us Shifters couldn’t beat, why in the world would Beta Owen work with Warlocks!? Damien turned back to the metal thing and looked back at…His son, “What does Ethan need, to be healed?” One looked at Damien, and smiled, “Ah, you finally care!”   Damien frowned deeply, “I always cared!” One shook his head and then said, “He was lonely there, while I was briefly taking over him. You even got mad at something he didn’t even do!” “What are you talking…” Damien stopped and swallowed, “What…” One grabbed Damien’s hand and put it onto his head, “I was the one that made those letters! I wanted everyone to know that I was coming!” Making Damien pat him on the head, One frowned and returned Damien’s arm by his side. It wasn’t the same…Back when he was inside of Ethan, that hand used to be huge…Now it was so small…He even wondered if his own hand would be just as big as his father’s now…   “You…You were the one that wrote them? Why didn’t he tell me?” Damien asked, nearly wanting to cry. If he knew, he wouldn’t have gotten mad, or…Would he? “Would you have listened? As it is, this old one here is having trouble believing me!” One stated simply,  pointing at Alpha Lorez. After a brief pause, One sighed, and then continued, “Actually, he was scared. He didn’t know what was happening and it took him a few hours to realize that the writing wasn’t even his, scaring him some more…Father, he was lonely, and you didn’t come to see him when he needed you!” Damien looked away and covered his mouth, he knew, till his dying day that he had let his mate down! His biggest regret in his life would be those few days of not seeing his precious and blocking him out due to his anger… He should have never left him alone! Suddenly, One hugged Damien, scaring him in the process! “Father, just do as One says uh!? Get them ready to fight! Mmm?” One stated like a child in Damien’s ear. Damien let out a small noise, then after another few seconds, he nodded. “You’re right.” When One pulled back, smiling like a child, Damien rummaged his hair and nodded, “You will heal Ethan though, right?” Nodding eagerly, One stated, “Of course! Father is my favorite person!”   Alpha Lorez didn’t know what to make of this…It was…Impossible after all! And, seeing Damien easily accept this was even more scarier! If there was any person down to earth, it had have to have been Alpha Rendall! But…The person that seems to take this…Really ridiculous and unreal story the easiest, was Alpha Rendall! What if whatever was inside that metal thing wasn’t His Majesty? What if this was Beta Owen’s plans? Did he not think in the slightest, that this could all be a trap!? Seeing Damien finally come back to normal though, after all this time of becoming like a zombie, Alpha Lorez squarely looked at Damien right on back but for some reason forgot these questions! Seeing Alpha Rendall so alive, his eyes glittering with life, they both let out a smile.   Ah…It must be time for them to counterattack! Is that what he is thinking? Yet, just this idea, made Alpha Lorez sigh in relief. They had been at their worst just minutes ago and now…Now, even if this were a trap…Why not!? Why not give it their all, one last time!? Finally, after everything they went through, after everything they had done, it was time to do what they knew had been coming! The time was now, to get rid of Beta Owen for good! Their biggest steppingstone, their biggest problem! The one that had made everything the way it is now! It was time for change!   Owen was now in for it, not only was Damien back to his Alpha self, but now they had this person with them who seems to want to take on the warlocks…All by himself! There was no more time to think we had lost, or ‘given up’! Now it was time to fight! Sadly though, they didn’t have time to psych themselves up for this and make plans, the warlocks were already blocking their way and things had to be started right now! Both Alpha Lorez and Alpha Rendall knew this after a short moment but it didn’t make things harder…On the contrary, they were eager! Eager to finish this and make Owen pay for doing this to Shifters! Having them have to fight one another, just because he was not happy! It was time! “I’ll tell my men to meet down at the halfway point, you get yours up here as the last stand!” Damien stated, already running off, ready to go down the mountain. “Agreed!” Yelled out Alpha Lorez, as he clapped and quickly stated, “Alright guys, time to hustle! Those who can fight, I need you here now!” And...Just like that...The start of a formation was formed…     As two groups of Shifters looked down the mountain at the Warlock’s summoning circle, One was still on the edge of the ‘meeting area’, looking down with narrowed eyes. The summoning had now taking twenty minutes and still nothing had been formed from it, if anything, the summoning circle had grown larger in size! Breathing out, One then started to think that the summoning would be better off not being finished! He had an ego that he was powerful, but he knew that there were still Shifters around somewhere that also were probably going to attack, so he didn't want to count his chickens before they hatched! He'd only just been reborn, so he didn't want to take the chance of losing his life! No way! Seeing that his royal father's Shifter’s were ready to defend, all of them looking like they were finally alive, instead of the spaced-out Shifter’s that he saw minutes ago, One felt like it was now time to start this fight! He didn't really have the patience to wait any longer and have someone creep up on their behinds, no! He was going to beat them to the punch and go down there as fast as a bullet! ...But he had to stop the summoning circle first! Putting down his hands to the ground, One intended to stop the summoning, simply by moving the earth beneath it, and then attack the Warlocks, only to find that when he split the earth, where the summoning circle was… It didn’t stop the summoning!   Looking out, down to the bottom of the mountain, the summoning circle hovered in rock and earth, whether it was on the ground or not and so One stood up and sent out water from one hand and fire from another, to see if that would help stop the summoning. Just as the fire and water shot out and started making its way towards the summoning circle, a huge rock golem started to form from the rock and earth around the area... It looked...Very similar to those small ones that he'd seen on the continent of Gorde, instead, it was bigger and there was only just one of them! One smirked, “I see…” The water and fire that had shot out towards the summoning circle splashed down or went past the giant rock golem and One narrowed his eyes. “Now I know why there was rock golems on Gorde! Bloody Warlocks!” He did know that Warlocks had instigated the Elementalist’s to attack the Shifter’s all that time ago, but he had not known that the Warlocks had secretly made a rock golem on Gorde…It was probably done quite some time after the Elementalist’s had been confined there…Probably easily done after his own death…   Anger went through him, as he now could see that his own creations could not work together! He was especially fond upon the elemental powers that he had obtained, considering that was how he made these three continents! After the three continents were done, it was when he was playing around that he had been able to obtain the Warlock’s magic, that he was able to live another type of life, after such an already long existence… There was a huge difference between the two, as one was an elemental power and the other was magical. Having started on only being a part of the water, One had taken god knows how long to have it become a part of him, and in so doing, was able to find earth and fire under the water to do the same thing, except, he had been a type of exotic and rare fish at the time, making it quite difficult to bare the heat from underwater volcanoes. Upon making land, or rising it from the water, metal was then obtained, along with air, and that was the end of his first life, as too much air had killed him...   Upon One's second life, he was able to become a being on the land, of course, it was not the people that you see on here on the continent of Sollace, no it was a rock being that had veins, and thus, this was how the Elementalist was thought of in the first place. Upon living his second life, where he was on the land, able to take in the power of fire, earth, air, water and metal, he then combined them and produced a primary magic that did not have much effect at first. Before his second life came to an end, an interesting theory took place in his mind and so...With the strange beings that became known as 'humans', One had used this magic to entwine his magic and elemental power...So that he could get it back after he died...Well, that was because he assumed he would once again be reborn...   And just like he had thought, he was indeed reborn into that of a human, whom he felt magic upon young age. This life was indeed fun, as he learnt how to speak and learnt how to write. He was able to do much more, considering that he had hands and feet! It was such a thrill that this life had passed by very quickly and before One knew it, he had not obtained what he had lost! And so, his rebirth happened once again and this time, One was determined to get back his powers! Obtaining his elemental magic was difficult this time, having to need something...Different... At first, he didn't know upon what this was, but it was two types of bloods and a being that was connected to your inside. That was how the Warlock's magic finally came into being...As the magic was used and separated, now making Shifters, and Warlocks... There's an interesting story in there that he'd love to tell everyone...But it wasn't the time for a bonfire, as he needed to get back his magic!

Third Person   It may have been silent, but many thoughts went through many of the Shifter’s present. Stop the war? Most of them knew who had started this war! It was Beta Owen himself! Why did it sound like the end of the war could only be because His Majesty comes out of hiding…Is Beta Owen really planning to kill the King, right in front of all of us? A few of the Shifter’s hoped that His Majesty didn’t come out, they really thought that Beta Owen wouldn’t stop until their King was killed and…The girl in Beta Owen’s arms…They started to really believe that she really was His Majesty’s sister and thought of her as quite pitiful! …Will this really be the end of the Sollace family?   Damien walked, he even tried to stay calm as he came closer to the opposing Shifters and cringed to his idea. “Hey, no tricks, I want him here now!” Beta Owen yelled out, his voice showing that he wasn’t sure about what was going on. No one…Not a soul thought Damien would do what he would… Everyone was literally taken by surprise, especially when some of them didn’t even want to fight and some really wanted to change sides and save His Majesty instead… Damien took in two deep breaths and then charged towards the metal thing, ramming into it and he groaned out as the heavy object moved but didn’t quite move enough. With a yell from behind him, Damien only saw who it was when they were doing the same thing, right beside him. Beta Locky grunted and then yelled out, “Push!” With that, the metal object tumbled over, startling the Shifters behind it, then another came to help to push it further and a few stopped Shifter’s from moving around it, making it become increasingly obvious upon what was going on!   “I told you! I wouldn’t do that if I were you!” Beta Owen yelled, and a girl’s scream entered their ears. With another grunt, the metal object went over the edge, taking out quite a number of Shifter’s in its path…Loud thumps happened as it hit a couple of places on the way down, making everyone cringe, especially that of Damien and Alpha Lorez... Please be save! Please be save! Damien wasn't game enough to watch after the metal object went over the edge...He had hit it before but, what if he had not hit it very hard and was wrong in thinking this would work!? Did he just kill his own mate!? Until it hit the bottom, still in one piece but having a few dents and scratches in it, everyone was silent. Some were confused, thinking about why a metal object was there in the first place, yet some were feeling very pitiful towards the so called body inside the metal object. But, it became obvious upon what it was used for in no time, as at least ten or so of the opposing Shifters had disappeared from the clearing and a bit of ground was retaken for His Majesty's forces...   Looking back at Beta Owen, Damien grunted, moving his shoulder’s around because they hurt, “You just missed him!” A hope flashed in Damien's eyes for a single second, hoping beyond hope that he had not just killed his mate but...For some reason, he felt like it was alright, yet, now that he had done it... Well, at the moment, now that a lot of them were not paying attention, Damien thought it was time to blitz his way through and hope for the best...Since they had stated that they will fight to the end, then that was what he was going to do! With that, Damien straightened up and then suddenly charged in, changing to his wolf form in the process and went straight for Beta Owen, making others fight as well! Damien’s only thoughts were of if they could get the leader, the one in charge, they had a chance to survive! And if he was quick enough, he could save the girl too! Whether or not she was the sister of his precious mate will have to be confirmed but Owen was still at the front, still easy to get too, this could be his only chance! So, this was the plan that Damien was going to risk his life for! Many had not wanted to fight, but now that it had come to this, both sides had to get involved whether they wanted to or not! Alpha Lorez loudly voiced out, “If you don’t want to fight, don’t! Let us save the girl and detain Beta Owen! If you do fight, we will fight for His Majesty until the end!”   Some Shifters stayed where they were, whether they were on His Majesty’s side or on Beta Owen’s side. Some Shifters got into the fray, diving straight into the offensive force of Damien and a few others in the small area… It was somewhat a mess, and Beta Owen frowned heavily, then stabbed the girl in his arms in the side of her waist, making her let out a scream! Wanting the attention of all those around him, Beta Owen moved the knife in the girl, and said, “I told you! Alpha Rendall, do you not see that you are the reason why this Sollace heir is being hurt! I demand that you stop, right now!” The Shifter’s battle went on though, as though Beta Owen had not spoken at all and he got extremely angry. This was not how he imagined things going at all! Not only could he not get Ethan, the brat, to come out of hiding, to finish him, but now even this girl was of no use to him! Pulling out the knife, Beta Owen went to cut her throat and be done with her but was stopped by someone beside him. “Get your hands off me!” Owen yelled, pulling at his arm.   The knife was out of his hands in the next second and Beta Owen was then taken by the throat by Damien’s hand. “Argh…” As much as Beta Owen wanted to speak, he couldn’t…He really had not thought one of his own would let him become opened to him getting into this situation! It was his Gamma that had stopped him killing the girl and had taken the knife but… He should have made him do a blood oath! Why…Why hadn’t I done so!? Owen asked himself. His Gamma was a loony type person that didn’t seem to show that he thought much at all, yet…Here his Gamma was, fucking everything up for him! “I think you’ve done quite enough for the Shifters!” Damien growled at him and looked at the girl, that had been picked up and placed in safety by Simon. “…Is she alright?” “I’ll get her to a doctor.” Simon stated, getting a better grip of her in his arms and scooting of quickly, another Shifter ran with them and held their hand against the opened wound at the girl’s waist.   Damien turned back to the old fox in front of him and smirked, “Did you think we’d fall for it? That is how you’ve done yourself in old man. You place trap after trap and did not think that we might fall into a trap but take it with us as we ran towards you!” Beta Owen tried to speak but could only let out sounds of trying to breath instead. “What has Beta Owen said to you all, to go to war like this? Did you really think this through at all?” Damien asked firmly, looking around at the Shifters around him. “He…He is the regent King…” A Shifter stated. “So!?” Damien stated, frowning to a few of them, “He stated that he will do whatever is best as regent King! What, did you not read or hear of the letter from His Majesty himself!? All you had to do was see who he was and demote him! It shouldn’t have come to this, you pack of idiots! I’m glad we didn’t depend on you guys to do it yourselves!” Of course, this was another plan, obviously it hadn’t worked! Luckily, they had not put too much faith in the rest of the Shifters to demote Beta Owen and had planned to deal with him themselves!   Damien really wanted to kill the man before him, he really wanted to! He wished that he didn’t have so many observers and that he didn’t care about what they thought but… Looking around, Damien sighed and released his grip on Beta Owen’s throat slightly, “Get some silver shackles, when His Majesty returns, he will give this man his judgement!” “His Majesty isn’t even here…” A Shifter stated scornfully, “We should just kill him and save His Majesty the effort!” Damien smiled, “I wish! I’d love to kill him for what he’s done! But…You all know now…That we need to imprison him at the least right?” A few nodded and a few stated ‘right’ in return to Damien. There were a few though, that did not think this…They were those who had taken the blood oath and were still loyal to Beta Owen… Having seen their master get caught and not in a great situation, they gathered together and wondered what to do. They had lost…A lot! Yet, how could they gain freedom for their master and go back to what they had before or…Something similar? It would be useless to try and save Beta Owen right now, but…Perhaps if they keep an eye on him and wait until things calm down, they could free him!     It took longer than they anticipated to get the silver shackles, as they had not prepared to capture Beta Owen like this in the mountains so quickly, if at all. After half an hour of Damien exerting his Alpha aura upon Beta Owen and only having his grip lose enough on Owen’s throat just so that he could breath, it was nice to finally let go upon Beta Owen being shackled up! The key went to Damien, in which he immediately swallowed it…Making many Shifters widen their eyes in astonishment! It looked like Beta Owen will be shackled up in silver chains for quite a while! But not only that, the key wasn't small, it was a medium size, that could potentially get stuck! Did Alpha Rendall think that he had iron intestines or something!? Then, before anyone could do anything, Damien took Beta Owen’s hand and clawed it, to make it bleed…Making many Shifter’s gasp to this sudden action! In no time at all, Damien swallowed a drop of Beta Owen’s blood and stared at old fox in concentration. If there is no way for the blood to be taken, then so be it but…It was an idea at the very least, to keep things clean and tidy for the time being…As, the last thing they needed was for Beta Owen to get away and cause problems all over again!   “Aren’t we fighting because of such a thing?” A Shifter asked, obviously not happy that someone was being forced to do a blood pact. He had not been forced to do this, but his Alpha had been, and he knew that his Alpha had been dissatisfied about it! Many of them had seen this, that their leader had been forced to do a blood pact and had become unhappy about it, so many of them were also dissatisfied as well, about seeing Alpha Rendall do this… Damien looked at the Shifter that was still here, where as some had started to leave, and narrowed his eyes, “Such a thing, you say?” No other words were said, but Damien didn’t want to go into words right now anyway… This was a good way to stop those who were loyal to Beta Owen, the problem was, it was forced and it may not work, so he had to keep an eye on the matter closely…Any time, he could go into a fit at any time… And just as Damien thought of the backlash of the blood pact seriously, he started to feel like it was happening, feeling something want to go up his throat and his eyes become unfocused… It’s not working!

Third Person   “Justin, get that out of your mouth!” A woman stated, making One stretch his neck to the side and see her coming closer to the boy. “Sollace.” One stated once again and blinked. In such a small time, he had already come to see two Shifters with the blood of Sollace… Didn’t the Elementalist’s try to kill them all? After all, he had seen it in their memories… What was going on? Going up to the woman and child, One looked at the woman with curiosity, only for her to jump in fright at the sight of him there! “Who…Who are you!?” She asked, then looked down at the boy and picked him up, stepping further away from One once again. “I’d like to ask the same thing!” One stated frankly back to her.   “I’m…I’m…” The woman stuttered but shut her mouth. Owen had told her that just in case someone did find her here, she wasn’t to give anything away. “Sollace.” One, again, stated frankly back to her. The woman swallowed and tried not to look astonished to have been found out so easily. “Are you hiding from the Elementalist’s?” One asked in pure curiosity. “Yes…” Was all the woman stated, and she bit her lip, not sure upon what else needed to be said. She really hasn’t been happy lately and… “Oh, and since my father was the King, you didn’t have to be around, so, perhaps here was the best place to be, uh?” One asked, looking around. It really wasn’t a very big place to live…It also looked boring…Don’t they get bored? “…Yes…” The woman said softly, holding her boy more firmly. What did he mean by his father was the King?   The woman knew already that Owen had sexual relations elsewhere, she had felt it…And she knew that in Owen’s eyes, he had felt like the King… But, to have said that at this person's age, was this person talking about Owen or…Could it possibly be Ethan’s son? But…Chance was still young… Who is this person!? Looking back at her, One sighed, “The Elementalist’s are no more, so there’s no reason to be afraid.” The woman blinked and then looked away. Afraid? Are you telling me not to be afraid? She asked quietly. How can she not be afraid!?   Her life had been great once, only to become more and more darker as the days went by! At first, when she and Owen had first mated, life was still grand and happy. Owen worked his way into the world from the bottom, as she knew how low he had been upon first meeting him. From being a rogue, shunned by his mother because Owen had stolen from his father at a young age, Owen had grown into a more honorable man who worked hard. Not long before her royal father’s death, Owen had still been a relatively good man, but it all changed upon most of the Sollace family dying…It all changed… The man she once knew and was fond of as her mate…He changed… She was afraid of her mate, whom wanted so much, afraid of her child, who had the Sollace bloodline, and of her life! How can she not be afraid!?   “Did you want to come back to the palace with me?” One asked, again looking around, but this time had a face plainly stating, ‘How can you live here?’ The woman got scared and stepped back, “Oh, no, it’s fine. I live here, I’ve lived her for a long time.” What if Owen found out!? She had not had to see him in a while, and it had been good! There was no way she’d want to leave this place if there was even the slightest chance that she would see her mate again! To get to this cause of thinking, this woman had gone through hell… Owen had not failed her once, not twice, but three times! He had even killed one of their little girls in front of her, threatening her, and this woman had been afraid that it’ll happen again! She might still have a little girl of the age of ten, but…How long will she be alive? It always felt like she was on egg shells and if she made the smallest change or the smallest wrong move, she could lose even more then she has already! “Ok, whatever! Stay here then!” One shrugged and then flew off, not caring beyond that. If his aunt or cousin, or whatever she was, wanted to stay there out of the way, he wasn’t about to stop her!     Flying back to the palace, landing just inside, One caught up with Damien and followed his father’s all the way into the King’s room…Making Damien feel weird… “What is it?” Damien asked, not sure if he should continue to the bath or not. One shrugged, “Nothing.” Looking around at this room, One reminisced as memories from a past life came to him again. Damien decided to leave One be and continue on to clean his precious mate, leaving One all by himself. Sighing, as he touched the old fireplace, One shook his head. The years had really made this place look…Old… When he had helped build the palace, placing the last of his magic as a barrier to stop the elemental power to penetrate it, this place looked a hell of a lot better! Now…It could be better to tear the whole thing down and start from scratch!   Actually, One came to realize that this whole palace had been through the best of times and really needed to be redone, not just that of the King's room! The old throne room had not moved rooms and having seen it, had made One feel depressed. It needed to change! Seeing the waterhole still there, but not as beautiful as it once was, One wanted to change it! The stairs creaked, the floors were not shiny, the carpets were old… Bah! The palace was not to One’s liking at all! When he takes over and becomes King again, he’ll build a whole new one! Sighing to his idea, One felt refreshed and walked right into the bathroom, only to get yelled out by Damien and so…One laid on the bed but…It was dirty and had a bit of dried blood on it, making One immediately scamper off it! With another sigh, One left the room, investigating the other rooms there on the floor, obtaining even more memories from his past life…   In the Queen’s room, One finally remembered his last mate. She had been human, and he had never thought that there was a ‘mate’ type of connection, until her. He had been over a hundred years old and already had a fifty year old daughter and a twenty year old son by the time that he had met her but…That was when he finally understood what one other Shifter, that he had created, had finally meant by having a different type of bond with another. And so, the ‘mate bond’ was known of and written about, talked about and investigated upon. It had only been a small tribe of humans that had been changed into Shifters, so knowledge back then was all through examining and experimenting. Sadly, before meeting her, his mate, One felt like it would be easy, but upon seeing his mate’s pained expression through an experiment, he no longer wanted to experiment on what it was…   …She was quite the catch, One remembered, sitting on the bed. This room used to be full of her unique and lovely smell and he remembered that it wasn’t his room that he usually slept in, it was hers! After meeting her, and remembering that humans only lived for so long, One had made the best of it, knowing what it was like to make the best of his situations because of being reborn and living as different beings. This was when he found out the repercussions of summoning and then life stealing what he had summoned, as he wanted to give extra life to his mate...It had worked, giving her twenty years or so, but a backlash of a summoning happened and he had to defeat it! Unable to use any of his magic to either chain it or curse it, as it seemed to be immune, it became quite a critical time! By this time, he had already made the Elementalist's, so he didn't have the elemental power, and in the end, nearly half of the Shifters had died...Making it a secret law for himself from then onward... Not only did this rule come from his loved one, but he too felt very guilty that so many of his friends had died, just so that he could live beyond means with his mate...So, of course, this process was never repeated.   Their little family had started straight away, and they had several children in the space of her life, and that gave One enough want through his depression of losing her, to stay and bring up his children and grand children. It was different from when he had a human life, much to his likeness. Shifters were already living longer than that of a century and most of his children waited for their mates, as seeing first hand upon what their mother and father were like, they had wanted the same for themselves. One lived for quite a number of centuries, being able to life steal but…He stopped doing it after his last child with his mate had perished and he had still been there, without a little bit of her left…Unless, of course, if you included that of grandchildren and great grandchildren…But, it wasn’t enough. This life hadn't been his longest, but it had felt longer. He had never known such a deep affection until this life. He had never known what it was like to rule and live so long without his elemental powers. He had never had so many friends and wants for this new species...   After One stopped stealing life, he lived for another fifty years, seeing great great great grandchildren and he finally choice someone to teach the ways of being King to them. One wasn't one to state his misgivings, but his ruling was done with a lot of help, so all he had to do was pick someone that he liked and hoped the others liked them too! He might have been powerful and well respected, but he had his days where he hadn't agreed with his friends over something, that was for sure! He had to be told 'why' often, as he didn't think sometimes before he wanted to act! Luckily, down his generation, there was someone that did stand out to his friends, both the old and the new...   The Sollace royal heir that he choice was already mature, into his sixties, but he had been a favorite because he thought of others and One thought that would be good for the growing Shifter existence. Upon telling theories to his successor, about how to bring about a good and stabilized future to the Shifters, One then had one more thing to do before he finally passed away…And that was to produce a great amount of money. At first, the Shifters being a secret hadn’t been foremost in their minds, as they didn’t really interact with them anyway but, through obtaining money, One found that their existence can bring harm and other problems, so…He had to not only quickly fix their secret from becoming more known, but also make a rule about it, a law…   After that, One finally took his last breath in that life and he can only fill in the time that he had been gone with the memories of the Elementalist’s. Speaking had changed slightly, but even that had been easily learnt by One, also, what had changed was that of the packs. When he had left, his successor and him had come up with a few ideas and it looked like this one was the one that his successor had picked. It seems to have worked… The problem was, One knew, was the timing of his return. War had descended upon the Shifters and now he wasn’t able to see how the packs work personally! Sighing, One knew that he had quite a substantial amount to fix! Looking around at the unfamiliar room, One showed a rare sadness, before walking out…He missed her. He didn’t think that he will find another quite like her. Being reborn didn’t give him false hope to find another that could share her life with him…No, he will be busy for a while anyway, so he can think about that later!   ***

Third Person   Quickly, Damien returned Owen’s blood to him and sighed. It would have been nice to see the blood pact work! But...Damien wasn't so surprised to see that it hadn't worked, because Owen was quite set into his own ways and probably never had loyalty to His Majesty in the first place! "I don't regret making a blood pact with His Majesty, the King...I was hoping that if I could get Beta Owen's loyalty, then he'd be loyal to the King and easier to get into a cell..." Damien muttered. He didn't know why he was explaining himself...   Silence came after Damien’s little rant, until a much-needed question was finally brought up… “Alpha Rendall, where is His Majesty?” Alpha Lorez knew that the metal object had been pushed over the mountain, but…Had anyone gone to retrieve it yet!? Or, even if it can’t be retrieved, was anyone there protecting it!? Damien nodded, turning to Alpha Lorez, “Get them off the mountain and find him. Keep a minimum of five on Owen! I’m going to help…One.” With that, Damien scooted off and some followed him, while the others that stayed behind got ready to leave and go down the mountain. Many of them couldn’t help but be happy to get off this area, especially when there had been a fight not long ago and there were even a few dead Shifter’s on the ground too, making it hard to forget and stay focused upon leaving… The Queen had sheltered Chance’s eyes for most of this time, but he didn’t have to see to feel nervous and scared. As it was, he still didn’t like the dark and felt uneasy this entire time, even though he hadn’t seen anything at all. Otherwise, there were a few women and children that had let out gasps and scared looks upon what they had or still see here on the mountains…   Even though the fight had somewhat ended here on the mountain, where Shifter’s were slowly decreasing in numbers as they left the area, the next problem was...When Damien went halfway down the mountain, and he could see the bottom of the hill better…Rock golems was all that remained…And they were still quite large, just roaming around on the ground beneath them. If the rock golems weren’t a threat, Damien felt like they could be useful, simply because of how large they were! They’d easily frighten rogues into getting them back into a pack, and his job would be so much easier! Hell, the rock golems might even become good combat lessons! But… Damien tried to focus, he’d been having trouble doing it since he had felt Ethan get hurt and now it was strange to always use his head…Perhaps…Perhaps he hadn’t minded becoming a zombie for a while, not thinking was a lot easier to get through the days but again…He had to remind himself to bloody focus! The best way down the mountain was this way, because it takes more time to go around, so…Damien wondered how to destroy these rock golems…Since his son had disappeared completely! Now that he had stopped for a time, others came to stand beside and behind him and Damien was really at a loss on what to do...   “They are bigger than us…If we break them…” Damien muttered, as he continued to watch the big rock golems wander around a small area, yet they don’t seem to have any type of reaction to them being there half way up the mountain at present. Frowning in thought…Damien was sure that One had done enough to stop another summoning so…These rock golems may be because the big one got hit. If that was right, and they attack these rock golems, then wouldn’t these turn into other rock golems? Scratching his head, Damien still could not come up with a plan! Shifters had left from the other side of the mountain already anyway, having scattered a bit and assumingly returning to their packs, but…They couldn’t just leave these bastards here forever!   “Boss?” Damien turned to Simon and remembered the girl, “How is she?” “Getting seen by a doctor, she hasn’t woken up…” Simon simply stated. Sighing, a bit worried that she really was Ethan’s sister, Damien looked back down to the rock golems, “It seems that One is the best way to defeat these rock golems, go and tell everyone else that they will have to vacate the mountain in the other direction.” Simon left without needing another word. It was normal after all, they could talk in their minds if there’s more information or any more commands.   Turning to the rest of the Shifter’s that had followed him, which were mainly his own pack, Damien looked at them before speaking, “We will stay here and make sure that this road is safe and that the rock golems don’t go after them. I’ll get those of our pack that aren’t here, to help secure the safety of those leaving the mountain, so stay vigilant!” Easily accepting Damien’s words, even though it stated that they were being left here for god knows how long and without any back up, the Shifters moved to a spot to where they could keep an eye on the rock golems and be a bit more comfortable. Beta Locky, whom had come to help, went off for food, while Simon was to bring back water and so…They were ready to stay there until further notice. Luckily, they weren’t humans, because a nasty, cold easterly wind was blowing, even though they were only halfway up the mountain… Looking back at the rock golems, Damien then looked at the area around them, hoping to find One but…He was nowhere in sight! All he could do was rely his message to his pack, making sure that they knew to keep an eye on Beta Owen at all times, and then watch to make sure that this road does not get overrun by rock golems, while Shifters vacated the mountain from the other side!   ***   Taking in the last of the magic, One dropped the human that no longer held any magic to the ground and breathed out…It had taken a lot longer than he had thought! Last time, there wasn’t so many warlocks and it had been easier to get the magic back! This time, he had to fight off spells, chase and couldn’t concentrate, in which took longer! And on top of all that, he had to grasp the magic with his own magic, as there hadn’t been any other way to gain it unless he was able to use fire elemental power to grasp fire magic, or likewise with any other elemental and magic that were similar… He felt weak, as the intended spell that he wanted to use on his father, had been used on him!   Life steal was an interesting concept and One really hated the fact that years had been taken off his life when he’d only just been reborn! How dare they use one of my favorite spells against me! He thought. Why else had he lived for such a long time, even though he had been a Shifter! Back in his day, all the Shifters that were giving the death sentence had become his life! It didn’t happen all that much, but it was enough to gain a few hundred years! Oh, how he couldn’t wait to see if there were Shifters that were on the death penalty, so that he could use the spell and get his life back! Looking down at the now normal human near his feet, One pouted, he didn’t kill the Warlocks, well…He hadn’t killed all of them…If only he could just take the life from this meager human… Sighing, One wondered if he had the right to take a little bit…Yeah, just a little bit…   Thinking that there was the continent with more warlocks, and he would be able to exact revenge and gain his life back even more, made One feel better immediately! But, finally, there were no longer any Warlocks left, well at least there were no warlocks here participating in the war on Sollace…He now had all the elemental power and some of the magic, which made him smile like a silly child! He wanted a pat on the back, or head, wherever, and that would make him feel even better! Letting out a satisfied ‘Ah’, One stretched and turned back to the mountains in the far distance. They had nearly made it halfway to the edge of the continent from where the mountains were! “What a pain!” One stated, as he used air to fly back to where his father was. Now, that he was getting closer, One wondered how it was going with the Shifters…What if… Nah, his father was an Alpha and, for some reason, he felt eager to have faith in him to survive and deal with the situation. He wanted to think that his father was no push over and that he’d die fighting to his last breath, taking out hundreds of Shifters and would stand there on top of a mountain, bloodied and triumphant! Yeah, that would be his father!   Coming to land, right before his father, One goofily smiled at him and lowered his head. Again, somehow, this type of behaviour was used not only now, but back in his last life’s. He was known as an adorable, powerful person and many didn’t know how it could be so until they had met One personally, whom had made it somehow work! Of course, back then, One had been the first of the Shifters and the population of Shifters was very low in those days, so…It wasn’t hard to accept that this strange person was the King! “Are you hurt?” Damien asked, feeling strange over One’s behavior, yet still protective. Hexxah was one hundred percent certain now, over this adult Alpha being theirs, and he was too bloody annoying at how proud he was! “No!” One stated, still lowering his head…He was ready! Pat me, pat me! Damien frowned and blinked at the strange behavior, then said, “Good! Ethan was pushed off the mountain, go and make sure he’s alright, heal him though, if you are able to!” Looking up, One pouted, then suddenly understood what his father had said, “What!? Pushed all the way off the mountain! Holy crap! Where, where is he!?” Damien pointed and One disappeared, leaving Damien to continue to watch the rock golems, in which he should have asked to get rid of first…   One raced to find his beloved father, seeing the metal object on the ground and a few Shifters around, some dead, some alive. Landing on the ground, One touched the metal and focused to see inside, to see that his father was still alive but…How could this happen!? Who dared to push his father down the mountain!? Sighing, One closed his eyes and tried to focus, he wanted to know if he had enough magic to use the life steal spell, to help heal his father… His magic balled itself up in some space that no one else would understand or see, and One frowned…Was it enough? He had taken magic from at least ten warlocks, maybe twenty, but he hadn’t counted…Was it enough?   Opening his eyes and looking down at the metal, wanting to bring his father out of it, One took a deep breath and decided to give it a go! With one hand, he took in the metal, earth and fire, quickly putting his other hand through the opening and touched his father inside. Straight away, he casted the spell and frowned when more life was being taken from him, to have the spell work… This can’t do! He already lost more than he should have! Seeing Shifters, that seemed to be dead because of falling down the mountain, but on their last breaths, One put out a hand, casting life steal from then, only to have casted it for a few seconds before their life had indeed gone completely. This wasn’t fair! Noticing that he really should have thought about this better first, One narrowed his eyes and looked further around, only able to finish the lives of two others, before One completely stopped casting the spell…

Owen’s POV   “Is it confirmed?” I already knew it, I had lost connection with those two Beta idiots days ago, but I had to send someone out! I had to continue to act as though it was the worst thing in the world to have lost a King! I don’t understand some of them ranting over His Majesty’s bad luck, as the brat was a coward! He gave me his power, making me laugh hysterically in my head and now, the brat even has silver in him! What ruler!? He’s an Omega, with silver and a complete coward! Humph, it was all part of the plan! After getting the information from The History Pack, I had to get that brat gone as soon as possible! It was obvious that Elementalist’s could be killed because one had indeed already died to a Shifter but being able to order them around, was not a power that I wanted to let the little brat know he had! No, if it’s to be anyone’s power…It should be mine! I know it’s confirmed that the Sollace blood is a lot more precious than normal, but surely, I can get my boy to demand the Elementalist’s to be our power! And, above all, my boy was a Beta! Not a lowly Omega and he will be far from being a coward!   I did have a certain suspicion that there was more to the Sollace generations than this because of the diaries, but even the bastard with his old books can’t seem to work it out! How great would it be to be able to control the Elementalist’s!? Perhaps, even if there was another type of special requirement, I can still overcome it! Ah, to be able to bury alive Shifters…It would be very interesting! Punishments had laws and rules, but with the Elementalist’s, they could be the punishment and perhaps even some sort of secret assassins…Without a trace, the Elementalist’s can disappear and appear and kill…And I happen the think that’s quite perfect! With the most important, personal diaries of the previous King in my hands, I had been rejoicing when the brat was going to take a flight away from the palace, deciding that it was time to end that direct family line…Leaving only my own left! My son was going to rule, and nothing was going to change, I will remain as the Regent of the King! These past few days have been relatively slow but I’m sure everyone will warm up to me. And I will make them if they don’t! “Yes…Beta Owen. It seems that the plane did crash and blow up. The problem is, we can’t investigate it as thoroughly as you would like because the plane crashed in the south human town of Depson…It is currently in their hands…”   I sighed. I wanted proof of the King’s death, then I could make my son the ruler easier…There would be problems if I didn’t have proof of his body being found… I will have to be patient, it seems… “Who do have there? Get them to confirm.” I stated. This was the normal procedure anyway. No one would except a ruler gone for too long, as long as I do what is ‘required’, the Shifters will slowly start to think of me as the ruler anyway. “…Beta Owen…I have tried to get them to confirm. They had stated that they had not found the bodies of everyone.”   I put my hand up to my chin and narrowed my eyes, how long would it take to do a ‘thorough search’? Isn’t this what The Surveillance Pack and The Watcher’s Pack’s do!? It looks like I need to show my ‘deep anger to this missing king’, to get them to work harder! It may yet be longer before I put my son on the throne after all, the last King has to die first…I can’t rush this, my son is still young, I can simply introduce him later… Taking a deep, frustrated breath, I knew I needed to wait. If there was a chance that there were survivors…It could ruin everything!   “It’s fine, tell them to continue to search.” I’ll talk to the Alpha’s myself! It looked like they had gone to the brat’s side but maybe I’m wrong. Are they not looking so hard because they are really accepting me already? Ah, what a mess! I get excited and want to tell the world, then I tell myself to be patient and wait… Waving my hand, I frowned, already forgetting my newly appointed Gamma. The best I could do is wait and let everyone know that there is a chance. Or should I just keep this a secret for now? So far, I ‘unintentionally’ told a few Beta’s and an Alpha, telling them in ‘accident’ and told them to keep it a secret but… Sitting back into the throne chair, that was in the west wing room to do the King duties, that felt like was mine already, I sighed… It’s been a long couple of days!   After Ethan got shot, I thought my days had gotten easier, especially since I became the Regent and got the power that I needed but…Something seems off… What was it? Getting up from the chair, I walked out of the room and went to my own room. I knew that Ethan may not be able to control the Elementalist’s at present, but the chance is still there that he could indeed find out that he could use them! …I also knew that the brat shouldn’t have been born in the first place! The late King already had been threatened by the Elementalist’s, stating that they will kill the royal line, if he was to be with his destined mate! The diary was filled with such intimate and crazy secrets that even I was surprised! I had not realized how much I hadn’t known!   The threat was made not long before the late King met his destined mate, Valentria. Obviously, it was a threat to kill the entirety of the royal family and it is stated that the late King did take this seriously…Hence why he had taken a chosen mate… Taking a chosen mate, when he already knew who his destined mate was at the time, was a big reason why he was not able to be with Valentria in any type of regard, whom really did try to leave the palace… King Tailor had not sent Valentria away at all though, and it states in his books that he went as far as telling her the truth, to help his reasonings for her to stay. His thoughts were of watching her, keeping an eye on her life, but he also did write down that he wanted her to not have more potential then she already did at finding a chosen mate. It is often stated, that when it came to Valentria and even though he had ‘already moved on’, he was quite a selfish man.   So…Valentria had worked inside the palace, even seeing the King on the occasion, doing her jobs but…She spent a lot of those days trying to ignore him and ‘forget’, much to King Tailor’s unhappiness… Valentria, being close by, had helped the King bare children to his chosen mate but it states that he longed very much for his destined mate. It was written many times that he felt conflicted, because he was indeed loyal to his chosen mate, having marked her and all but the worst times that he felt the loss of his destined mate, was when he could smell her on heat and had to be sexual intimate with another…Or…How else was he going to have children? It also wasn’t just in this regard that King Tailor found difficulty, but also in wanting to make both of the women in his life happy. In one day, he would be trying to spend time with the Queen and his children, yet the next day, he might be trying to secretly find a maid that keeps running away from him, just to lead her to a pretty garden!   The late King was deeply affected by using his destined mate while she was on heat, just so that he could conceive a child with his chosen mate and that was why he never got to close to his children. He didn’t dislike his children, but he did feel like they had been conceived the wrong way! But…As it so happens, just like the brat, something had to be done because the chosen mate of the King did not get pregnant for a few years before this process was first accidentally found out…And so, it was found out, that a destined mate’s Omega heat can help conceive a child to another woman. With the children that the late Queen had, no one thought any different, thinking that they were meant to be and didn’t question it but…The King had felt detached… As much as he felt the destined mates link, he also felt the link to his chosen mate, and it made him very quiet. King Tailor had some friends, but they saw a change in him in those years but could never understand why he become more official and less friendly…They slowly stopped drinking together and spending time together as the years went by…   It wasn’t until his chosen mate had died, that King Tailor had secretly let Valentria work in his own personal quarters, like no other had. His diary stated that nothing had happened between them for a while, a few kisses were stolen here and there but because their relationship was so broken, he had not pushed her too far. They had conversations, sometimes heart wrenching but sometimes sweet and I could only forego those pages. What I found though, was one-night Valentria had been on heat and when the late King wrote in his diary afterwards…He had plainly stated that there had been no way to not take his most beloved, other half. ‘It was the most fabulous, most happiest…’ Blah blah blah… To see King Tailor so gloriously happy, nearly made me feel sick! Not because he had finally gotten with his destined mate, but because I had never met a man so cheesy with his words! He had wanted to tell the whole world! He wanted to make her the Queen…Ah, he blabbered on about wanting so much for his beloved that I had to turn the page!   I realized, after reading through it, that he did in fact forget about the threat from the Elementalist’s, simply because he had been so smitten with Valentria. After the first time of being completely intimate with one another, their relationship had not been so broken anymore and there was a period of happiness. He went on and on about how great she was and how excited he was upon opening his door to finding her and immediately feeling better. Again, foregoing the cheesy King’s words of taking his mate, I came to see that was how Ethan was conceived and muchly adored by his father, even before being born. I had been a bit confused at this point, because it was obvious to me that the King had looked like Ethan had been ‘Unworthy’ of him…But I was sincerely mistaken! When Valentria got pregnant, that was when King Tailor remembered the threat that the Elementalist’s had made and wrote down a whole heap of ideas on what he should do… I could see…He spent many days coming up with ideas…   He thought of taking his newly found family far away, he thought of keeping them close. He thought of the impossible of breaking ties and the possible of claiming her as the new Queen. He had written down that if they survived, he could live. If they were alive, somewhere, somehow, he could handle it. By this time, he had marked her, yet no one ever found this out because at this time, she didn’t even leave his quarters. And, at this time, a doctor suddenly ‘disappeared’ as well, and this was where he ended up!

Ethan’s POV   With a bit of a tussle, Owen’s two men were bound up with silver and I went towards them. If they hadn’t known before that I could walk, they did now! “Your…Your Majesty!” “You have a choice! I suggest that you make the right one!” I stated, nodding at Damien. He then took out a dagger and split the skin in a finger of both of the men and gave two droplets of blood to me, dropping them into my mouth. Even after ten seconds went by, I felt that their loyalties still had not come to me. It really was a strange feeling! Most of the time the loyalty would work by now, but again, I had only done this a few times, so perhaps I was wrong… I stared at them and waited, frowning after another ten seconds, “It’s not working.” Silence entered the cabin and the two men started to convulse, making us take a step back. They fell of their knees and their eyes started to go back, making us start to fret! What was going on!? “It’s not working, quick, precious, give me your hand!” I put my hand out to Damien and he surprisingly sliced at my own hand, “Tell their blood to return to them, quick. I’ll explain later!” With questions in my eyes, I did as I was told and returned the blood to the two men that…Slowly stopped convulsing…   With a relieved sigh, I heard Damien sit back and I looked at him. “What happened?” “Because rogues are sometimes completely beyond help, we make a blood pack with them, to try and help them recover themselves. The blood pack might not work, but if it does, it can bring back their humanity and remind them what it’s like to be in a pack…It is a command to always resend their blood back to them, before we move them on from being captured, because this is what happens. Their blood, being inside you, would rebel against yours and hurt you in the way that it’s hurting them. This is how the blood pact can backfire and retaliate to the one that is trying to use it!” Looking at the two men, who hadn’t really become aware yet, I looked back at Damien, “So, they didn’t want to come to my side?” Damien narrowed his eyes and then shook his head, “…I’d more believe that old, sly man had already made them do a blood pack!” I raised my eyebrows and sat down next to him, the others around staying silent. Damien sighed, and said, “If the blood oath had continued too much longer, a winner would have been made and Owen would have known what had just happened. Whether he would be casted out, to state that he no longer has the men’s loyalties, or if another loyalty was fighting against his and had lost…I thought it best if we kept Owen in the dark and that he never knew we had tried this in the first place.”   “So, they would have continued to fight the blood pact? My blood pact?” I asked, still not understanding. Damien nodded, “Yeah, if it is what I think it is, not only has Owen made them do a blood pact but these two would get something for getting their jobs done. They came across as looking down on us before, I would assume, like any other, they are wanting a good position with power.” With some of us going into thought, a comment was made after a while, “The Alpha to The History Pack!” Damien nodded, “I thought the same. My guess is that Owen had offered them Alpha positions!” Looking at Damien, I saw him narrow his eyes once again and he looked at me, “I guess I was the other position. Owen would have loved to gain control of The Rogue Hunter Pack!” I grabbed Damien’s hand and sighed along with him, “What do we do then?” Feeling him grasp my hand harder and look at me, he smiled, “It’s obvious that Owen wanted us died. We might as well continue with our plan.”   Our plan was to have the plane go up in an explosion, so that our bodies would not be found. Well, we hoped that could happen, even though we thought that it could not happen as well. Bodies in explosions could still be found through teeth and what not, so we had also come up with another idea of not just blowing up the plane, but also making it land in human territory to the far south, where it will be harder for Shifters to gain answers. We had thought that if Owen was impatient, he will state our deaths immediately, but in our defense, we could state that he didn’t look hard enough and that we had to heal. It really was just an act, I suppose, but…I didn’t quite understand the whole scheme of it, I was just doing as I was told… “They can stay on the plane.” Damien stated, getting up. “Where are the parachutes?” Beta Locky nodded and went straight to a side of the plane and opened up a cupboard, “Here.” Damien threw a few around, so each of us had one and then once again asked the pilot if he’ll be alright to direct the plane and get off in time, so that he wouldn’t die along with the plane. The pilot was stating that it was fine, and quickly, Damien took Owen’s men to the back of the plane and tied them up very thoroughly, with help of Beta Locky and another.   I turned to the Queen and saw the panic in her eyes, as she looked at Chance. He was really cute, considering our predicament, as he smiled at me like we weren’t just about to jump off a plane. Looking back at the Queen, I asked, “You remember? Do you need another look at the map?” Before leaving, we had already looked at a map, but we brought it just in case. If it’ll help put her mind at ease, I was willing to get it out once again. She shook her head, “Make our way towards The Watcher’s Pack but stay far enough apart, so that if…” I nodded to her silence. We all knew that there was another danger out there…The Elementalist’s!   I patted Chance, bringing his forehead to my own, “Little buddy, stay with mummy! No gallivanting off and doing whatever you please!” “Dad!” Chance giggled and pushed me away. This was our biggest worry! We hadn’t been able to run with Chance lately, in a way to help him follow us in a fast pace, yet we could only make him shift to wolf form and run, hoping that it will still work. It really did worry me, but we had a few runs with him a couple of weeks ago and he was able to follow…We just wished we could have done it again recently and more faster and less leisurely than the previous times.   Damien came back, giving everyone two lots of oxygen tanks, again we spoke of this before. The second oxygen tank was for Chance, as he was still too young to understand what it was. We had tried to get him to use it, but he seemed to think it was something to play with and didn’t take it seriously, so this was the best we could do. We put one oxygen tank around our neck and the other around our wrist, but this time, the lid to the oxygen tank would slowly dissolve in the mouth, making it a lot easier for it work when one is being buried alive all of a sudden. “Do you remember the line up?” Damien looked at all of us and we looked back at him. Eleanor nodded her head slightly and Beta Locky, whom will be in front, nodded too.   When we were to run towards The Watcher’s Pack, after parachuting from the plane, I was to follow after Beta Locky and then Damien was to follow me. The Queen was to follow after Chance and Chance was to follow after Damien. Then, the last person was the doctor to follow as last. Damien had wanted the doctor after me, and we really tried to make it happen but…If the doctor was behind me, Damien then wanted to be in front of me but I wanted him closer to Chance and then if Beta Locky got too far away from us, we’d probably have to stop and get the map out and it was…Too crazy! We suspected that we weren’t going to be that far away from each other, and Damien finally gave in, understanding that everyone should be in view of one another. But we had figured that if we spread out, and if one of us were to get buried alive, we could still help them out within a few seconds to about a minute or so. The distance between Chance was shortened, just in case, but the distance between the rest of us, we were wanting to keep it at around fifteen metres or so. It was a lot better to think that if one of us got buried they’d have more help, then to have three get buried and have less to help them get out…That was why we were going to be separated. “Good, well then, put your parachutes on!” Damien stated.     Once we had our parachute’s on, Damien took Chance and we sat down, trying to prepare ourselves for a dive towards the earth! Most of us had never done this, so Beta Locky went over it with a few of us singly, making me assured that this should work. “Pull this here?” I watched as Beta Locky patiently repeated himself to Eleanor. He pointed to another place on her life jacket and smiled, “This one.” “Oh, that?” Watching as Eleanor laughed, I knew that she was really nervous, and I looked away, feeling the same! We were going to jump in about thirty meters, then the pilot was going to jump another thirty minutes after that.   “Precious, are you sure you can handle it?” I looked at Chance, who was now strapped in to be with Damien, and I smiled, “Mmm, you just look after my boy!” Damien put a hand over my stomach and got closer to my ear, “And you look after our pup too! Mmm?” I nodded and kissed his neck, but we weren’t able to do anything else because Chance pushed me away. Eleanor then came in and cooed over Chance, probably trying to make herself feel better… Did I have a right to get slightly upset to our forced interruption? I sighed… As the doctor came up to check me, with Damien’s command, I saw Beta Locky still eyeing off Eleanor and raised my eyebrows. Seeing another that was interested in the Queen, I didn’t know what to think. Should I be jealous? Looking at Damien…There was just no way that I could be in love with her. My Alpha, my man, my mate and father of my pup was the best!   It was sad, because I wasn’t jealous in the least, and perhaps I felt sorry for her because of this. No, if I thought about it, I felt better because there was potential that there was someone else for her. I sort of hoped that this Beta Locky was someone that really did have patience for Eleanor as much as he looked like he did. With that in mind, I looked back at Beta Locky, who was now showing a worried expression at Eleanor and I smiled. This worry for her was good too! Perhaps this was a good thing! Beta Locky was someone that even Damien was happy with, so I was positive that he was a good man. I’ll keep an eye on him and see…Watch him like…He… Frowning, I had a funny thought…Maybe the reason that he wanted to stay in The Watcher’s Pack so much, was because…He had all reason to watch over the Queen! That is, after all, what The Watcher’s Pack does! I nearly let out a laugh to this, thinking that it was too hilarious, because well, the last time we had met, Beta Locky was adamant on staying in The Watcher’s Pack! Surely…Surely it couldn’t be just because of the Queen…That’s a stupid idea! Shaking my head, I got Damien’s attention and I tried to pay more attention to what the doctor was saying.   ***

Ethan’s POV   “Your Majesty!” “Your…Majesty…” I heard two address me, then the rest nodded formally. It was…Really awkward… I looked at each one of the Alpha’s, even Damien and Alpha Lorez, who were also standing in front of me now and I waited. But…What was I waiting for? Waiting for them to question me about what they may have been told by Beta Owen? How many lies have they been told?   Sitting up straight still, I raised my chin higher and took in a deep breath, “I told you to be here because I did not want you to be forced into giving a blood pact to anyone.” The Alpha’s looked at me, some I saw to be surprised. “I may have been shot and got a bit depressed, but that did not mean I forgot about the Shifters. Believe it or not, the plane crash had helped me get my head on straight and I have been only getting better since.” I stopped for a bit, looking at each of them once again, “I now can feel my legs once again.” Again, I saw some with surprised looks, but Damien gave me a smile. I wanted to smile back at Damien, but I knew that now wasn’t the time for intimacy, I had to be the ‘King’ and address these Alpha’s formally. They needed to know that I was back!   After another short silence, as no one wanted to speak, I continued, “A ruler should not depend on blood pacts to trust his subordinates to do the right thing. I had lived without blood pacts for years and I want to continue to do so. I know that means that I may not have full loyalty from you, but I also know that I will feel better because you will have a complete mind of your own.” “Your Majesty…” Alpha Louis, The Driller’s Pack Alpha started, “I am thankful that you have given us a chance to make up our own minds, for that I must thank you.” “Agreed.” Stated Damien. I found it ironic though, because Damien had given me a blood pact…I guess he was just trying to make this easier for me… I nodded, “Then, let me take this onwards, to further seek in your trust and being straight forward with you…To state that the rumours of my being an Omega is truth.” A gasp was heard, and I just knew that both Alpha Lorez and Damien were glaring at me.   So, quickly, I continued, “When I was twelve, I did not know anything besides that of not being good enough. Owen told me that if you all were to know that I was an Omega, then the Shifters will go backwards, just because there is no ‘King’, and well…I had thought he was right. He was, after all, the only father figure that I had for years. If I hadn’t trusted him, who would I have trusted? If I didn’t believe in what he said…Then what would I believe in now? I was young and thought that Owen was doing the best for me. I have to admit, whether I like it or not, Owen did make me become a King. I would like to slightly change this ‘King’ though, that he brought me up to be, to be a better one, now that I have come to see other ways…And now that you have seen how capable I am at ruling, even though I am an Omega, I wanted you to know from my own voice…That I am, indeed, an Omega. An Omega that only wants to strive for a better way for us Shifter’s.” I know I went against Damien and Alpha Lorez here, but I had my reasons…Not only to start fresh with the Alpha’s, but also because… “Then, what is happening, perhaps it’s better that a Beta is a regent King and helping Chance become the next King!” I was surprised at hearing this from near the doorway. “Alpha Yoon.” Damien stated, walking up to him, “You’ve come!”   “Aye, I did come. And now I’m leaving, hearing this, what reason is there to stay?” Alpha Yoon stated. I narrowed my eyes at him and got up…Yes…I got up. Austorious was pissed! I was pissed! And for some reason, a force overtook me that did not like being talked to like I was nothing but an Omega, compelled me to forget what I was supposed to be doing in hiding some things from these Alpha’s! Again, I heard gasps… Spreading out the aura of an Alpha, that took me years to learn, I saw Alpha’s kneel to me as I walked past them. ‘What are you doing, Precious!’ I heard Damien ask me in worry. Walking right up to Alpha Yoon, I continued to stare at him. He was clenching his teeth, yet not moving to kneel to me! Not yielding? Fine!   “I gave you the title of Alpha, do you want it stripped away from you?” I stated. The Alpha in front of me chuckled, clenching his hands, “What can an Omega like you do!?” I grabbed his throat menacingly, but my voice stayed calm, but cold, “The first King Sollace…Was an Omega!” I let him go and pushed him back, making him fall to the ground, “You heard right! The first King of the Shifters…Was an Omega!” I turned around and looked at the other Alpha’s, knowing Damien was the only one not looking at me, but looking at Alpha Yoon instead. In just a matter of seconds, I heard rummaging from behind me and saw that Alpha Yoon had a silver blade in his hand and a menacing look on his face. Damien held that hand with the blade and pushed, making Alpha Yoon groan out but not let go completely of the knife in his hand. Spitting to the floor, Alpha Yoon said, “Lies. You are no King!” Damien took the knife with his other hand and then kneed him into the stomach. “He is more of a King than anyone else alive! Do you think it’s easy for an Omega and have to act like an Alpha to be King, you idiot!? Besides, as you just heard, the first King was an Omega! So, you can shove this irrelevant information up your ass because you can’t use it against your King! Now kneel!”   Forcing Alpha Yoon to kneel, Damien now stood behind him and told someone to pick up the knife and put it away. Alpha Yoon laughed and looked up at me, “Where’s the prove that the first King of the Shifter’s was an Omega! How can we believe you!? There’s also the fact of the Elementalist’s! We all know of the Elementalist’s, so…Why haven’t they attacked you, uh?” I narrowed my eyes at him once again, here it was…It looked like Beta Owen had been in this Shifter’s ears before coming here! “That’s right, Your Majesty, I heard that you’d been attacked before by the Elementalist’s.” Alpha Brown stated in pure fact. I turned to him, “I was attacked…” I was then interrupted by Alpha Yoon, “No, it was all a scheme…Think about it, he’s probably been here all this time, away from the palace where we think they don’t attack. But an attack happened even in The History Pack’s borders, so…Why not here? Was he to even be buried at all? Oh, and why did the Elementalist want to bury the royals? Who would get the most out of it!? Uh!? You tell me!”   Seeing some distrust, some questioning, I turned towards Alpha Yoon and cringed. What I didn’t like was that this man was so obviously cursing my life right now and I was not in the plan that he thinks I was at all! Do I really need to state how much he sounded like he wanted me dead right now? Did anyone else see it? “See! He wanted to be the King, so he killed everyone!” “No!” I said, clenching my hands. Why am I being looked at like I was the bad person!? They also had no evidence that this was real! Plus, why the hell would I want to kill so many people to become King and be so empty all these years! “Don’t lie!” Alpha Yoon said, smirking right at me!   Pissed off once again, I used my aura on him, and firmly stated, “I’m not lying. I didn’t even know I was a damned royal until I was twelve! Even if I found out now that I can speak with the Elementalist, I didn’t know until very recently, when we were being buried alive, but…That’s not the worst of our problems! They are dying to more advanced creatures, because their powers don’t even work against them! And well…How about you ask the right question!?” I firmly walked back to the throne and sat down, “Hear this! The late King, King Tailor, my father, was threatened by the Elementalist’s to not be with his destined mate!” Silence answered this new information.   I was sure that no one really knew about my mother, that no one had even known that my father had been threatened at all! I guess I understood because a King being threatened rarely happened! I continued, “My father stayed true and did not go to my mother until after his chosen mates’ death…As many of you, I’m sure are aware, the bond that real, destined mates have can make one…Forget a certain threat!” I looked down and sighed, “I am what the Elementalist’s feared and it had come true, as it seems I can speak to them, that is how I was able to stop them from killing Chance on the way here…” Alpha Yoon’s laughter cut into my words and I silently looked at him. “Haha, so this is all your fault! Haha! Why are you all still thinking of following him!? Uh!? If this brat hadn’t been born, the late King would still be alive!” I hated Alpha Yoon’s words and narrowed my eyes at him, Austorious was calming me down though, reminding me to stay as a ‘King’.   “What I can say to that, is that I did not ask to be born, but I was. I did not ask to be a King, but I am. I will continue to do as I should, to make up for this problem that was made in the last generation…” I stopped and looked around again. Gather my words, gather my words right, and I might not lose all of them… “I will never think of you as a King!” Alpha Yoon yelled out and I saw that Damien went to attack him, but I quickly yelled out for him to ‘stop!’ “Let me just give you the reason why I fear Owen...I have elders here that had stated that they had been ‘bought’ out by Owen, so that they would not state that Owen is indeed my brother in law! Alpha Lorez, he knows who Owen is! There are even more elders that know but did not want to become involved! Since Owen now has a boy, born from my royal half-sister, he has started to take initiative to take the power of the King. I did not know of this until a few weeks ago and at first, I could not believe it! What I do know, is that my half-sister is currently in the palace and in hiding but I only know of this because of my mother, who is now dead…She stated in a letter that she had been poisoned by Owen and that he was indeed my brother in law and that he had a male child recently. Through slowly opening my eyes to how dominant Owen was, I was flabbergasted and realized he wanted to use me to get rid of the threat of the Elementalist’s, so that then he could put his royal blooded, male child as the next King! Hence, my life was in danger! I left the palace in fear of my own, and that of Chance’s, survival!”

Third Person   If anyone was to attempt to destroy any type of his powers, it should only be him! Seeing the rock golem with chains around its wrists and neck, which was different to the rock golems on Gorde, it was obvious that this particular rock golem was being enslaved, whereas the one upon Gorde had been let free to do as it pleased. One put his hand up and produced an extremely large explosive, elemental bomb and shook his head to the idiot warlocks that were close by to the rock golem! It was understandable why so many of them were busy and so close to this rock golem, as they had to produce enough magic to enslave such a large summoned golem, so now they were unable to do anything else...But, it would come in handy for One to get rid of them all, which was hopefully in one quick sweep! The problem was, he couldn’t kill the warlocks, well he could but he wouldn’t be able to get his magic back, so, One needed to aim his explosive elemental bomb higher.   All he needed was a huge elemental, explosive ball and he should be able to pick up the scraps and move on! It sounded like a good plan! Yet…Being so fixated upon the huge rock golem and warlocks, everyone had not thought about where the Shifter’s were…And suddenly, they were heard, making noises upon the steep slope of the mountain… Holding the big elemental, explosive ball in his hands, One saw the Shifters of the opposing side go to finish racing up the mountain yet…It really was steep and one of them did end up falling, after not paying enough attention or getting impatient... Sighing, One then used air under his feet and flew towards the huge rock golem and threw the elemental ball at it when he got closer.   With a huge explosion, making those close by feel the shaking of the earth, the dust cloud covered a large amount of the area and One quickly turned to his father, “The other Shifter’s are coming up the mountain, go and help the old Alpha!” Damien quickly turned, not able to see these Shifters, and turned back to One, who was now racing down towards the Warlocks, that were now completely covered by a big dust cloud… The big rock golem, that had reached to half of their height on the mountain, seemed to have somewhat disappeared, making Damien think that it was gone and that his…Son…Should be fine to continue to fight on his own. Seeing the obvious extra power that ‘One’ had, Damien could only hope that he’d stay safe because they’d need all the help that they could get with the opposing Shifters as, it was it was two half packs against five or so, and that was a guess… Nonetheless, Damien will venture to have a talk to his…Son…Later, about this power of his! Without another word Damien led his pack back up the mountain, to a fight that was bound to happen within just a minute or two.   They had never thought that the Shifter’s would exert themselves so much, especially when the steepness of the mountain could be very harmful! But upon thinking of Owen and how little he thought upon others, Damien was not surprised...The problem was, it was not what they had thought would happen at all! They only had themselves, with no other prepared defenses and the numbers of Shifter’s on the Owen’s side was showing more and more numbers as the seconds ticked by… Now, not only from below them, but from the other side of the mountains, where they would have had to spend a lot more hours to detour around, there were Shifters racing towards them all there as well! Quickly, Alpha Lorez got the women and children to go behind his fighters, up on higher land, yet there really wasn't much room to do much else with two sides closing in on them... The only other way, was to have the women and children start to go down the mountain in the opposite direction as the opposing Shifters but again, there was a fight not too far away with the warlocks, so how could they guarantee their safety?   One still felt irritated that he was still unable to call out the magic from the Warlocks! When he had been reborn back into a warlock, it had been a lot easier, even though it was a pain as well, but this time, there was nothing at all! Too much time had passed, and the magic had forgotten who owned it! Who had brought it into being in the first place! Putting up and earth barrier around one warlock, One then put a water barrier over himself to stop a fire spell and with a deep breath, One tried the catch the fire magic with his bare hands! Groaning to not only the heat of the fire, but that of the spell wanting to be released, One held onto it firmer… “I am your master!” One stated firmly, then used his own elemental fire, to grab onto the fire magic better and pulled it into himself…   With just a water barrier, and being busy upon taking in some magic, One did not defend against a curse and found himself unable to stop from moving away from them, making it harder to take in the magic now. Upon another curse being casted upon him, One then found himself weakening, in which his water barrier disappeared and he fell to the ground. “Dammit! Come to me!” One yelled in pure rage! Finally, the magic from one warlock had finally been completely absorbed into him, so One used that magic to counter an attack, while he blocked off another warlock with metal. “You think you know how to use this magic! Uh!?” Getting into this fight and feeling infuriated that his magic was being used against himself, One got even more determined to steal it all back! Grabbing onto the spell that was weakening him, One frowned as it disappeared from his grasp. In a rage, One yelled out, releasing a deep amount of elemental power and another cloud of dust formed!   Letting out a breath in anguish, One then flew directly to a warlock and used a chain spell on them, then placed his hands upon the chain itself to steal the warlock magic from them. Even though a lot of his attention was to obtain the magic back, One was still able to block a spell from reaching him, using elemental power, as he continued to enhance his magic by stealing from the warlock. It was at this time that the rock golem that had not disappeared, but instead broken into two rock golems, lost it’s ‘chains’, as the warlocks dismissed the rock golem to put their full attention upon the enemy that they were never ready for! They had come to take part in killing Shifter’s and perhaps even all of them, depending on how things went, but…Just one of them were giving them such a hard time!   This…Was only the beginning, as…It became obvious to the Warlocks, upon what this Alpha man was doing too! He wasn’t just attacking and using powers…No, he was doing something else that took them completely by surprise! Seeing that one of their members now did not possess any type of magic in the slightest, they all started to panic! “Run!” They didn’t care about abandoning the Shifters and the ‘war’ between them! Nothing else mattered more then staying the most powerful beings on the planet! If they lost their powers, then what have they been working on for so long!? After all that time of finding a weak spot and getting the Shifter’s to fight amongst themselves, how could that become nothing!? They needed to get away from here and get back to their continent of Tental! They could wait it out, hope for many of them to die and reap all the benefits afterwards but what was the use if they don’t run now and lose all their powers!? Sadly for them though, One was not going to finish absorbing the magic until the last ‘Warlock’ had been drained!     On the other hand, Damien and Alpha Lorez were fighting a losing battle. They were outnumbered and cornered! Shifters had come from below, who now were crowding upon the landing, and there was the other side, where the mountains continued on… Growls were made, yet it was hard for anyone to start making the first move, as no one really wanted to hurt another Shifter… Not only did Owen’s side want The Watcher’s Pack to concede and state their loss, but even Alpha Lorez started to feel like it was there was no other option! But… Damien reached the landing and rammed himself into one of the Shifter’s near the landing, making the fall against another Shifter closer to the edge of the slope and a few of them fell down the mountain, letting out yelps nearly all the way down…   “Uh! Alpha Rendall, I wouldn’t do that if I were you!” A voice stated. A naked Beta Owen came out from a few wolves, from the mountain side area, and Damien shifted, walking away from the opposing wolves not far from him. “Beta Owen.” It was now, that not only Damien, but Alpha Lorez saw that Beta Owen was holding a silver knife to a girl’s throat. “I suggest you all to comply by admitting defeat…Otherwise…” Beta Owen made the girl in his arms let out a pained yelp and he looked back in pure arrogance. Alpha Lorez narrowed his eyes, even though he didn’t know this girl, he was sure that she would be someone that they probably should save! Silence overcame the area and ‘His Majesty’s’ forces became even more entrapped…  “Tilda?” The Queen asked, from her high place behind Alpha Lorez, and she was looking at the girl. “My…” The girl tried to speak but wasn’t able to utter another word. “You know her, my Queen?” Alpha Lorez asked. The Queen looked briefly at Alpha Lorez, and stated, “She helps look after Chance.”   Alpha Lorez frowned and wondered if there was a way to save themselves, yet alone a maid that they shouldn’t have left behind just so this situation could not have happened… “How should I say it? This girl isn’t just Chance’s maid…She is what would be His Majesty’s, Ethan’s full-blooded sister. Now let me talk to him! Where is the almighty King that deceives every Shifter here!” Beta Owen stated, looking around quickly but not letting the girl out of his grasp. Again, overwhelming silence entered the area and Alpha Lorez swallowed to the information. Another heir? How is that possible! Damien sighed, he knew that if Ethan were really here and able to think and speak, he’d probably want to save this so-called sister that he probably never knew he had but… “How can we trust that she is His Majesty’s sister?” Damien asked, really feeling like this was a trap. “Want to try it? Don’t believe me? I have no care for her, if she were to fall down this slope for instance, why should I care?” Beta Owen stated, yet he did not seem to see a few of Shifter’s look at him in pure astonishment. Some Shifter’s really started to believe at this moment, that Beta Owen was indeed someone that they should not have let have this much power! How could he talk about a potential royal like this!? …Many could not remember ever reading or hearing the Sollace blood line being treated so harshly!   Damien took a breath in, trying to think quickly upon the situation and really wished he could get proof upon the girl really being royalty first, before blindly trying to save this girl and putting everyone at risk! “Where is he!?” Beta Owen yelled out once again, angry that no one had said anything and that Ethan, the brat, wasn’t making himself known! Damien eyed the metal thing, still there upon the land and frowned… If Ethan were really here… But…He is here, he’s just in a really hard encased, metal…Object… “Three seconds…” Beta Owen started, but Damien interrupted, “He is here…” Beta Owen changed before everyone’s eyes! He gained a greedy smile and his eyes showed elated happiness, “Where? Get him here! Let us all get to the bottom of this and stop this silly war that he started!”

Ethan’s POV   We needed to come up with something, and fast! Putting a hand through my hair, I walked to Chance’s room and saw him playing with both Eleanor and Beta Locky. I missed my boy, he was talking more now and had normal human teeth. But… Putting a hand through my hair again in frustration, I stamped off to my luxurious room and slumped down on the bed. Putting a hand to my growing bump, I rubbed it gently. My children were not safe! How can I make it safe for them!? To my complete surprise, the floor of the area shook and then broke apart, to show an Elementalist in front of me…   The Elementalist coming out of nowhere like that scared the shit out of me! I went onto the bed and stood on it! Earth came up then and directly attached to me, ‘They are coming!’ Oh, that’s right… I took a shaky breath in and nodded, “Ok, and you told them that there was no killing anymore? That I wanted to stop the feud between us?” ‘Yes’. I nodded, that’s good… The Elementalist’s made no more sounds and I didn’t move nor know what to do either. I didn’t want to order these things around, but…Do I have to order it to let me go now? “I…Well, that’s good! Do you know of a place that you won’t be harmed?” I asked, finally thinking about where they might be able to stay. What if my original idea was not good enough for them? ‘We want protection.’ Protection? That’s what I want! So many of us were being abused and wanted protection! I’m supposed to be a King, wasn’t I!? Aren’t I these Elementalist’s saviours or am I going to be their downfall!? Well, damned… Austorious was staring at me in pure interest and I felt like perhaps the Omega in me ran off! Looking at the Elementalist, I narrowed my eyes, “How long until they get here?” ‘Water, a month, Fire, two years, Earth a few months, Air, a month and Metal will take a year.’ A month… “What do you want to do in the meantime?” I asked it. ‘Wait.’ Mmm…   Being in a ‘King’ state of mind, I looked formally at the wall and wondered about our problems. Under the reasoning of a regent being used, it is because the King is unable to rule… Well, to stop the Alpha’s being forced to take a blood pact and to keep them as potential allies…I will just have to come back to rule! “Very well, you can wait, do as you like as long as there is no harm to a Shifter’s life. Understood?” ‘Yes.’ After hearing this, a sudden blur came over me and I felt very dizzy… Stabilizing myself with the bed post, I wondered why my hand was suddenly outstretched to the location of the Elementalist…Well, where it used to be…   Weird… Perhaps it was a pregnancy thing… The Elementalist obviously already disappeared and I finally got down from the bed and went into Chance’s room, “Locky!” Beta Locky got up and bowed, “Your Majesty!” “I will be leaving both the Queen and Chance in your care!” My firm resolve completely stunned both Eleanor and Beta Locky. “…Your…Your Majesty?” I nodded at them and went back to the room that had three Alpha’s still talking to each other and looked at them firmly, “It seems the King is able to rule once again. Chance and the Queen will stay here though, I will rely on you Alpha Lorez to keep them safe!”   “Precious, we still have time to come up with a good idea so that this blood…” “No! My two pups will be safe, and I will return and not run away! Owen may not have done anything for us to punish him, but I will not let him force others to choose between himself and I over our dispute! He wants everyone on his side, then pronounce me dead and state his son as next King. Why does he need a blood pact for that!? I will not allow it!” I humphed and took a deep breath! “Precious?” Damien came to my side and looked at me with questions in his eyes. I hadn’t acted like this in some time… “I can’t let him force people, Damien. I can’t!” I stated, still firm and with my chin razed slightly, to state my unwillingness. “…Ok, Precious. It’s not like we couldn’t handle him before. I much prefer that you come back to help the Alpha’s anyway. It’ll show that you weren’t’ able to continue hiding while other Shifter’s could be in trouble…Wait a minute…” I watched as Damien turned and pointed out a finger, “This…This could be a trick! Owen knows Ethan will act like this and come out of hiding!” Uh?   “…I think…You’re right…” Alpha Lorez said, starting to nod his head. “Even though it does make himself look slightly bad, he still has every right to ask for it…He’s taking a gamble!” “Shit! He must have some news that the King survived and wants to bring him out or to lose his allies!” Damien stated, putting his hand down by his side. “Sly, old man!” “It is indeed a good scheme. If the King comes out of hiding, Owen will know where he is and…” “Wait!” Damien interrupted Alpha Lorez, “No, it’s not just to come out of hiding, I have no doubt that Owen will have something prepared for the King, for when he comes out!” “Do you mean yet another type of trap?” Alpha Lorez asked, frowning. Damien nodded and narrowed his eyes in thought. I blinked and also narrowed my eyes, “Are you saying that whatever I choose to do, I will lose?” Damien looked at me silently for a moment, and then nodded, “Think about it, Precious! He wants everything so the reason why he’s trying to get you out to be in front of him, is to probably put you away for good or even get you killed! He was probably hoping that the Ele…Elementalist…The rocks…That’s it! That sly, old man might even use the rocks against you! He might suggest that since an attack on your life had not come that…That maybe you are with them or something…”   Alpha Lorez widened his eyes and then shook his head, “Do you really believe that he’d go that far?” I shook my head too, but because I didn’t understand, “What do you mean? I just saw the Elementalist and it said that it won’t hurt anyone!” Damien looked at me again, and sighed, “…Owen might state that you might have got them to kill the royal family…” “What!” I shouted! What the hell!? I didn’t even know that my father had been the King at the age of twelve! Plus, how could I have done such a thing! That’s regicide and…Murder and… I found myself falling, making me realize that my legs gave out and Damien helped me sit properly on a seat. “I never…” “We know, Precious. You don’t have to say anything…” Damien scooted in beside me and then picked me up and put me onto his lap. “Calm down…” I leaned into him and did as I was ordered to do as…I knew that worrying about something I had not done was really useless. What we needed to do, was find a way to either not give him a chance to do this to me, to us, or to get him instead!   Relaxing in Damien’s arms, I heard their conversation continue. Hearing Damien’s voice through his body relaxed me more and even though it was an important matter, I wasn’t feeling worried now. “…But informing the other Alpha’s has its drawbacks. They could not only be on Owen’s side but if we were to state that the Elementalist’s were no longer a threat to the King, it may support Owen’s potential theory against His Majesty!” Alpha Lorez stated in an answer, to something that Damien had said. “I know, but…One, we have to stop the Alpha’s from forcing themselves to become Owen’s dogs and two, we need to get the power away from Owen, even though it’s before schedule.” I heard Alpha Lorez ‘hum’, then add, “No wonder he hasn’t done anything for a month, this tight trap that he’s made is really…” Damien patted me absentmindedly when he replied, “It’s a sure method. Loss our allies or lose our lives. That is his statement.” Silence filled the room and finally a third voice reminded me that Alpha Monk was still there, “Can’t the Elementalist’s state His Majesty’s innocence?”   I looked at Alpha Monk and wondered the same but…Wouldn’t that be bringing in trouble for the Elementalist’s then? They wanted protection and ordering them to come out, to state my innocence, would bring them danger, I just knew it! “I don’t want that.” I stated, sitting up properly. “…Why not?” Alpha Monk asked. I sighed, “They want protection and as it is, they have lost many just because of being condemned to stay on the continent of Gorde. I told them that I want the past history to be swiped clean, where we don’t hurt them, and they don’t hurt us. If I were to bring them out, to state that I had not used them to kill the royal family, they would be included and targeted. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if Owen has no heart and attacks as soon as the Elementalist’s shows up!” Damien rubbed my bulge and nodded, “It’s probably best to keep them out of the way. If something was to occur, Ethan’s life might be in danger again.” I looked at Damien and realized that he was right…If the Elementalist’s feel like they need to attack, and I’m not quick enough to ‘order’ them not too, I could be in deep trouble!    “Then, what do we do? Do we just go and get the blood pact then and leave His Majesty to defend for himself?” Alpha Monk said in mockery. Damien shook his head, “The blood pact can’t happen! But neither can Ethan’s return to the palace!” “Then what do you suggest?” Alpha Monk asked. Damien looked at Alpha Lorez and both of them narrowed their eyes, “Here.” With both of them saying the same thing, I looked at one and then the other. Suddenly, a few orders were given. Alpha Lorez demanded to have the fastest runners to come to him and then to get some paper.   I saw that Alpha Lorez put a few papers in front of me and an empty small container. “Can’t he use my blood?” Damien said in pure heartache. “Don’t be stupid! It has to be his!” Alpha Lorez stated, passing over a knife from someone else. I caught on, “So I’m to write a few letters?” “Yes, Your Majesty. Demand each Alpha to come here directly and then you are to formally pronounce your health has gotten better and that you no longer need Beta Owen to represent you as the regent King.” I sighed and sat up straight, grabbing the knife and cutting my arm. Putting blood into the container, I heard Damien wince. “Alpha?” I heard in the background. “Beta Locky, you are the fastest, you will go directly to the palace and try to stop any Alpha from seeing Beta Owen. Quickly get the messenger bag and get in some food and drink, so that you won’t have to stop very much. His Majesty’s first three letters will go to you!”   Picking up the blood pen, I let it soak into the blood and then wrote out quickly upon what I was to state and made three copies. These three copies were a bit different from one another. The first one held all of the Alpha’s names, even though Alpha Lorez, Alpha Monk and Alpha Rendall were already here. A second copy was a ‘just in case’ copy, if something was to happen to the first, but the second copy was only to demand for the Alpha’s that they knew were not on their side. I didn’t know why I was making a letter to those who probably wouldn’t come, but it was what I was told to do… They stated something about being given a royal order twice and disobeying but I didn’t think that went as far as casting their positions away, so I thought I had heard wrong…Besides I was busy writing anyway…

Ethan’s POV   Now that I think back, to the time that I did not care, Chance had often grumbled in the first two days of my being in his room so much with Damien, but now…Now it seems that Chance has grown a lot more fond of Damien and I find myself smiling often at them having their wolf moments. I had wanted to shift to my wolf, but apparently it wasn’t a good idea, so Damien had been the one that played with Chance, shifting to his big, grey wolf…But he was a little tougher than I was… I might have made things hard for my baby boy, but Damien made things extremely hard! What made things really strange to me, was that Chance didn’t give up like he did with me and seemed to become even more determined!   Was it an Alpha thing? Or was it a Damien thing? Whatever it was, I enjoyed watching the two together very much! Letting out a laugh to Chance being on his two back feet and still not able to get over Damien’s wolf, I see Damien look at me and put his wolf nose in the air. A feeling of curiousness entered into my thoughts from his and I looked back at him in question… He shook his head and got up, shaking his fur and came closer to me. Feeling more curiosity from his thoughts, we were then interrupted with Chance biting Damien’s tail! Without further ado, Damien turned and dealt with the little boy, who ran away to hide in small spaces…   That same day, one of the workers in the palace had come here to ‘check on me’ but…Both Damien and I concluded quickly that he was not to come in just to see me. Damien did not let the person pass through the door and I ended up yelling out that I was fine and that I did not need anything. All these days, Damien had gotten anything I needed, and we were already keeping to ourselves a lot but now…Now that someone had come protruding upon our space, I demanded that Eleanor was to stay with us longer and that she was not to talk to anyone about anything from this point onwards… It looked like…We were being watched and that Owen wanted to know even more! Was he waiting for me to kill myself? Has he already tried to somehow get some information from Eleanor? Well, he’s just going to have to be out of touch with this specific area of the palace! Luckily, we have not seen much of Owen and I demanded he leave every time that he had come, so we were sure that he probably wanted to place some type of hidden camera in here, so that he could see what we were up to…Or something like that…   ***   Two days later, we impatiently waited for the doctor to return. I was eager, knowing that things had gone a lot better and I could even stand for a few minutes! Things were looking brighter and brighter every day! But then, why was Damien so restless!? Seeing him pace backwards and forwards, I was questioning why I was locked out of his thoughts from time to time! Did he not see that I was fine!? …I was stomped! Knowing that I was getting better, it had been weird that sometimes Damien was shutting me out…So, I had panicked at first and did not get my hopes up…But that had only lasted for a few hours before I had gotten up and walked a few steps once again! I was happy and I was also determined to find out what was going on with Damien today as well! Hearing a beep, to state that a message had come, Damien got his phone out and looked at me briefly, before saying, “He’s here, I’ll go escort him.” With that, he was gone… I sighed, I definitely needed to know what was going on with him!     “Your Majesty.” The doctor stated, being very formal with a bow, showing me his neck in complete obedience. “It’s fine, it’s fine!” I stated quickly…Being with just Damien, Chance and Eleanor lately, made me forget about these types of things! “I heard the good news, Your Majesty! Let me check you and perhaps we can come up with a time when you’ll be fully recovered!” Happily doing what I was told, I let him take my pulse and whatnot, which is what he did last time…But this time, since I had gotten better, he also told me to shift to my wolf, so that he could check me out in wolf form too. To me, this was a good sign, but I also was feeling restless because of Austorious as well. Being unable to shift for so long, really did have its setbacks and now that I had the go ahead to finally shift to my wolf, I felt even more relief flood through me…It really was a good day! …As the time past though, things got stranger and stranger. Long pauses were made by the doctor, after checking me, and he even once nodded at Damien, as though they knew something I did not! I could not feel like this was alright at all! Did they forget that I’m the King!? “What’s going on? Aren’t I getting better?” I was feeling my legs again! How could they look as though it wasn’t something to be happy about!?   Silence was the answer to my question and I really started to get angry! “It’s not as you think Damien, in fact, there’s a chance that it could be completely the opposite!” Hearing the doctor finally speak, I looked from him, to Damien and narrowed my eyes. “If it is not the case then please, doctor, speak.” Damien took a breath and then sat down next to me. “Another explanation to His Majesty getting better could possibly be the pup, but if that is so, then the one to be worried about is the pup and not the parent. But it is still too early to tell…” Hearing those words, I stared at the doctor dumbly. Did he just say… ‘Pup’?   “…Keen senses indeed, it is probably a good idea to keep me by His Majesty’s side, just in case.” “Then…How…How far…” Looking at Damien and his intent gaze upon the doctor, I started to see sense, “Did you just say, ‘pup’?” The doctor looked at me and smiled, “Yes, Your Majesty. Your pregnant! I’ll take this chance to be the first to congratulate you! Like I was just saying, another explanation of you being able to feel your legs once again could very well be because you hold an Alpha inside you…But I would not completely hold that as truth, for the child may not be an Alpha at all. You know of the statistics, Your Majesty, and I hope that you don’t go ahead and fully believe what I just said as an idea! The fact that Damien had smelt the very slightest change of your scent in you, had made him worry that the child was putting your life at risk but instead, I am more worried that the pup is at risk and not you.”   I swallowed and stared once again at the doctor. I was pregnant? My wolf finally felt relieved and I seriously wondered if he had known earlier too! Did the wolves stay silent just because…Because Damien had thought my life was at risk!? I turned and glared at Damien but…I didn’t hold it for long before I started to smile… Was I really pregnant!? Damien smiled back at me, and nodded, “At first I wasn’t sure, but your scent has been slowly changing and this morning I was starting to get worried. I didn’t want anything to interrupt you getting better but…” Feeling his hand over my stomach, I looked down as he continued, “Now I might not have to worry about you as much, but now I’m worried about our pup…” Looking back at him, I started to panic! Turning to the doctor, I said, “Please, doctor, don’t let my pup come to harm!”   “Be relieved, Your Majesty! I will send my aid back to state that I will remain by your side! It is not only you that would want to safely bring your pup into the world but us as well! We will do whatever is necessary to make certain that your pup is safe and healthy!” Letting out a breath, that I never knew I was holding in, I nodded, “Good…Good! And…What about the silver!? Won’t it hurt the pup?” The doctor looked at me with no worries upon his face, “Silver will not hurt the fetus, Your Majesty. Even if silver is somehow put through the blood stream to the pup, it will not be an alarming amount. From what I know, from…One becoming pregnant after having had silver, the pup will be fine, if anything, maybe their eyesight would be better, not worse. One rare case came to show that the pup had a larger heart then normal, but even then, the pup was healthier than the parent. The problem is not the silver, Your Majesty, I was more worried that the pup is helping you you’re your legs beyond its means and may use up too much of its life force…” “You mean…” I asked with full, wide eyes… The doctor nodded, “I hope this is not the case, Your Majesty, and that you are recuperating on your own but…It would make a lot of sense of you suddenly feeling your legs again since you have indeed become pregnant.” I looked away and bit my lip, I didn’t want my pup to die! I didn’t want the pup to help me, especially if it was going to die because of it! It can’t happen! I’d rather stay a vegetable then hurt my own child!   As the doctor went to the side and wrote a note, as he said he would, I half smiled and put my hand over Damien’s, “It’s only been…” I remember stating that we should wait to have our first pup because I didn’t want Chance to feel bad. Damien and I had only been mates for…Maybe a month or so! So quickly, I have already… “…I know, precious. It seems that someone wants to be born!” His voice held pride and I could sense he was trying to hide it, but I didn’t really care, I was very happy! It’s just that, I also wanted the pup to survive! And…Honestly, it’s happened so quickly! “How long did the doctor say?” I asked, not sure of when their little one was conceived. Damien snuggled into me, and sighed, “He said that he wasn’t even able to know the last time he was here, so our pup must have only been conceived very recently. Since you are an Omega male, the pup grows faster, which is probably why we know earlier…He said that you would be due to give birth in about four months.” “Ah…Right.” It must have been that time two weeks ago…Damien had not only stopped me from crying and yelling out at him through anger…We had also… Wasn’t it strange…That at the lowest point in my life, a very important and special little one was formed…   Actually, I had a vague understand of a male Omega pregnancy, but I had not looked into it too much, because for much of my life I hadn’t the need too. I tried to remember more of what I had read, but I couldn’t remember too much. Four months? In four months… Jitters went through me and I moved, unable to keep still. “Happy?” I nodded shyly, “I didn’t want to start a family so soon because of Chance, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t want to have a pup with you.” Looking at Damien, I could only sigh, “It seems that I had underestimated destined mates!”

Ethan’s POV   Pain…Agonizing pain filled me to my core, and I wanted it to go away…It hurt too much! I didn’t want to go through it anymore! My whole body felt like it was heavy and melting! My skin, my bones…Everything was making me go insane! Make it stop! Please, someone make it stop! Letting out a scream, I put my hands up to rip at my skin around my back but could not do it easily. Sobbing, I pulled my hands back and grabbed onto something, biting onto it hard…Then, having something fill my mouth, I frowned through the pain. “Precious…I’m so sorry!” Through the pain, I was now able to sense that Damien was here, and his scent helped me slightly. “Dam…Ien…” I heard a sob and then felt my body get tugged and squashed. “Why…Why did you do that! You silly, silly King. You silly Omega! Never…Never do that again!” Filled with tingles and my mates’ scent, I was able to open my eyes and see a number of people standing around. “What happened?” Seeing the Beta of Alpha Satel stand closer, he said, “We have placed Alpha Satel in a cell, waiting upon Your Majesty’s judgement.”   I couldn’t make out heads or tails upon what was going on…The pain was the most thing on my mind and it was rather hard to concentrate… I looked up at Damien and leaned into him, no longer able to keep my eyes opened. “Is there really nothing else we can do?” Hearing Damien’s plea, I frowned. “It’s…It’s because he’s an Omega that it is taking longer for the silver to dissolve. But we told you earlier, Alpha Rendall, that even an Alpha could take up to a whole day of not being able to move…” “Dammit!” “…Since you have seen that His Majesty is fine then you should come with us now, Alpha Rendall!” That got my attention! Why did Damien have to leave!? I wanted him here with me! “What?” I finally got out. Although my voice was not that of a King’s, it was the best I could let out at the moment. “Ah! Your Majesty, Beta Owen has stated that Alpha Rendall has caused problems and should be detained until further notice.” Opening my eyes, to look at whoever spoke, I found a strength in me and my voice directly and firmly stated, “You will not detain Damien! The orders of Damien being detained is not my own and I will overpower it by stating that I demand to have him by my side until further notice! Quick, let me write this down!” I didn’t feel strong at all! But I needed to make sure that when I lose consciousness next, that Damien was going to be safe! Who knows what would happen while I would be asleep! And…I could only trust him, my mate!   In no time at all, I was spent with making a note stained with my blood, that it was indeed something I had written myself to state Damien was to stay by my side. Even if Damien had done something terribly bad, nothing could be done now to my clear statement. And if these clear words by a King was not taken seriously, then punishment could be done! Dare they try something then!? But…I could no longer think further into this problem… Now that I had finished something so important, the pain came back to me two-fold, like it was making up for the time that I was able to control not feeling it too much… “Ethan…” Damien’s voice made me sad. I could feel that he wasn’t doing so well. I wanted to tell him that I was ok, but…I wasn’t… The pain was not something I’d give to my worst enemy, as it was scorching and something I’d never forget! From my back, I felt it go up and down my body like it was taking over and it was like my soul was getting ripped to shreds…What I started to figure out though, was that the pain in the lower half of my body was different to that to my upper part… “Alpha Rendall…” “Just leave! Only come back when the plane has been refueled!” Wishing that I could concentrate, I instead found myself go into a black oblivion once again, unable to cope with the pain going through me.   ***   “…Yes, as you know, the back is very important.” “Then…Then it will take longer to recuperate from?” “Yes, Alpha Rendall.” “…I get it. You may leave.” With heavy eyelids, I tried to turn my head, because my neck was sore, but found it too tiring. “Dammit! Why, why do this for me, you silly fool!” “Dam…Ien?” “Ethan!” Feeling hands around me, and then my neck being put in a better position, I finally figured out that I must have been on my stomach. “Ethan, Ethan…I’m so sorry!” Hearing Damien’s sad words, I tried to smile, “You…” “It’s ok, you don’t have to talk. Just get better…Get better!” Finally able to open my heavy eyelids, I see him looking at me in a grieving matter, “Silly…” “Yes, you were…You were very silly!”   I went to chuckle, but my throat was sore, and I coughed again, “No…You…You are silly!” “Me!?” “Mmm.” I responded, closing my eyes again. I couldn’t move my body very much at all, it was like my consciousness was stuck inside a cell. “I think…You might have hit your head or something.” Feeling a hand over my forehead, I coughed again because I had attempted to laugh, “No. I’ll be ok.” The pain had indeed subsided a bit, as it wasn’t raging through my body so much anymore, but it seemed that another effect had taken place and that was not being able to move easily…Actually, at the moment, I couldn’t feel my legs…I must be to relaxed… “They…They say that you…” Hearing a sob from Damien, I opened my eyes and found him wiping a tear away. He took me closer into his embrace and muffled some more words, making me more frustrated. “What…Tell me!” Feeling him shake his head into my neck, I was at a loss for words… I’ve never seen him, or any Alpha for that matter, look so much like a cry baby! “What’s going on! Tell me Damien!” I could only use my King authority here to get him to talk to me!   Seeing Damien pull back from me slowly, his eyes red and his face full of sadness, I frowned. He looked at me, his eyes bearing into my soul, and he suddenly said, “They say you might not ever walk again.” In a stunned silence, my mind went blank… Blinking a few times, still finding myself staring back at Damien, I let the words repeat in my head…And then looked away. “…Oh…” Closing my eyes, I leaned my head away from Damien and squeezed my eyes shut even more. “The place that Alpha Satel had hit you, was right into your spinal cord…It…” Damien took me into his embrace tighter and shook his head in my neck again. Having a silent Damien tightly embracing me, with such bad news, I suddenly felt like I was getting pitied… Hasn’t he already apologized twice now? Was he sorry that I was now a vegetable? …I was now someone who couldn’t even run from being buried alive… …Was my live going to be over soon? Unless I was to stay in the palace forever… Feeling an emotional numbness take place in my heart, I take a deep breath, and say, “What happened to Alpha Satel?” Damien too took in a deep breath, “He’s still in a cell for shooting you. If there’s one thing Beta Owen is good for, he has not attempted to try and save him, instead he has giving all the power of Alpha Satel’s future to you.” I tried to move, finding it hard to do so, with my legs feeling like they are in the way, since I can’t even feel them anymore. “…Oh…”   “What do you plan to do with him?” Damien asked me, grabbing me tighter. I shrugged, I had no idea… At the moment, I didn’t not want to be a King and try to figure out what was best. I just…Well, I didn’t want to care… “We are still here? I thought we would be off by now.” I asked, my voice completely void of any type of happiness. Perhaps it would be good if the Elementalist came right now to bury me… “…You got shot two hours ago, how is your pain? Can you endure it now? Austorious had tried to take the pain away from you, but silver isn’t something that he was able to handle very well…” I shrugged again, “It still hurts…” Actually, I already knew that a certain amount of pain will always linger from now on… Silver was not something one should have to endure through, I knew we rarely used it and that it does give effects to whomever gets shot with it. I still don’t regret saving my mate from enduring this but…I really don’t know where my life was going to head now, that I was basically becoming so weak. Dissolving the silver didn’t completely get rid of the effects from it, it didn’t get rid of it at all! In fact, one is better without it dissolving into the bloodstream…Just, it seems that I wasn’t one that they could stop it, probably because I was shot into my spinal cord…   …I will now forever have silver in my system, and I will be weaker than I was before… It seems my life has become even more unfortunate… I know I was being very negative at the moment…But I couldn’t help it…I couldn’t stop feeling like I’ve fallen into the dark abyss and no longer had the heart to find the way out of it… I really didn’t need this…I didn’t need this type of future…I might as well just give up everything to Owen now! “Where’s Owen?” “He made sure you were still alive but left…I think he is trying to obtain what The History Pack was to give to you.” I laughed in my head. Of course…It would make a lot of sense if he were to obtain that! Since he wants the throne so much, “Let him have it.”   Feeling Damien pull back from me, I looked at him too. “Ethan?” “He can have it.” I stated once again. “Ethan?” Turning away from Damien, I see a cup of water and was glad to have a reason not to look at him. “Water.” “…Oh. Here.” I didn’t want to feel anything anymore. I didn’t want to fight for something that I shouldn’t have had in the first place anymore. I didn’t want to selfishly have someone by my side either, when they were probably better off elsewhere. What I needed right now, was some space. “Ethan! Have you forgotten that we are mates now! Complete mates, I know what you are feeling and stop it! Please just stop it! I know you aren’t happy but please…Please…” Damien’s yell startled me. Water dripped from the cup and I nearly dropped it, from being so weak. Damien took the cup and not only did my hands drop, my head did too…I felt utterly hopeless… Closing my eyes, I couldn’t stop the numbness from disappearing and feelings started to overwhelm me. “Precious…” Tear after tear slowly left my face and I watched as they disappeared into the sheet that covered my body…My body that I couldn’t really feel anymore…It wasn’t because I was too relaxed…It was because I could no longer feel it!   Finally, I let out a louder sob and felt Damien get behind me and cuddle me. I could feel that he felt as I did…And that made me cry louder. Why did it turn out like this? Didn’t everything go sour when Owen had wanted me to talk to him alone? Why had I felt fine to do so? Why hadn’t I just stayed with Damien? Look at me now…I was a sorry excuse for a Shifter! A Shifter that couldn’t walk…A King… I cried, I cried out all my stupid feelings and let Damien wipe them away. When I finished crying, I was exhausted…Completely exhausted… “If I knew Chance would be ok…I’d want to…Run away…” Falling asleep, a picture of Chance stayed in my mind…   ***

Ethan’s POV   Eleanor had come to me in a rush and was all red! Much different to her anger lately…She looked completely funny to me, but I went serious and woke up, just so that she could talk to me. She asked me if it was alright that she might have the chance to be with another, that someone was wanting her as a chosen mate. I had told her that it was fine, knowing exactly who it was that was chasing after her, and that I was waiting for it. She had looked surprised to that, perhaps she suddenly realized that she had been not observant enough and that more people knew then she thought! The conversation did last longer than that and she had blushed crazily, but in the end that was what had happened.   It seems Beta Locky had gotten the chance to kiss her and Eleanor was still absolutely surprised to it! …I wish them well and hope that Eleanor can find it in herself to accept him! Deep down, I knew that she was a good woman but felt a bit inferior. It was mainly because her destined mate was gone and that she had to marry a King afterwards, so she had probably never thought that she’d find another to accept her. Of course, her inferiority complex wasn’t with everything, I know she was strong but when it came to the ‘happily ever after’, I have a feeling she didn’t quite believe in it… Beta Locky had also came to me and…He used his age against me and all I could do is laugh and give him my consent! To be honest, I think the two of them make a good couple. He is respectful and dependable, and she seems to be the one that he wants. I’m sure Eleanor will give him ‘if’s’, ‘but’s’ and ‘maybe’s’ but hey, if he wants her that much, he’ll work hard for it! And, I’m sure, Eleanor is someone good for him too, as she is a bit more mature then some her age and she knows what it’s like to have responsibilities. His ‘Beta’ position won’t be a problem for her, and she’ll be able to understand if he has to go out to work or something, just because she has been married to a King and had responsibilities of her own… Yeah, I don’t think it’ll be long before she’s marked! The problem was…Will she remain as the Queen?     The other thing that we didn’t mind, while lazily hanging around here in The Watcher’s Pack, was waiting. I had a bulge now and since the second week, we’ve come to know that sleeping a lot is quite normal for an Omega that is carrying an Alpha pup. So, all in all, feeling safe and even lazy, I have rarely had to become ‘King’ and could sleep when I needed too, as much as Damien didn’t like it! Ah, he continued to think that something was wrong with me and then he was all over me like I was some sort of porcelain that needs the utmost care! He also…Gives me whatever I want… I like that… If I ask for his wolf, he shifts and if I ask for pancakes, ah…I love pancakes! Yummy! He wasn’t the only one either! I was doted strongly over by three others and Damien would get mad at them! But…I was the King, and everyone was in a good mood! It was strange! Because as much as all of us knew, there was probably going to be a fight between us Shifter’s and here, at this current moment, we were still celebrating a pregnancy…     Feeling Damien’s hands reach lower and lower, I moaned and then opened my eyes, “I need to pee.” Hearing a sigh, Damien then said, “…Then I’ll get the shower going!” Damien let me go and as much as I wished he didn’t follow me into the bathroom, he did and… Seeing his naked flesh and awesomely toned muscles… His scar on his shoulder and his sexy face… “Are you done?” Uh, no! Dammit! “Leave for a bit…You’re a distraction.” I stated, trying to finish what I hadn’t even started! “Mmm…” I heard Damien chuckle and get into the shower, making me sigh. It took me three times the time to pee and I was getting cranky!   Stepping into the shower, I thought, no…No, he can’t touch me how he likes! Washing myself, Damien took over and washed me and I thought, ok, he can do this much. The warm water going down my back and the scrubber at the front, ah, I was so pampered! In no time, things desperately changed and the tingles from his touchy hands spread through my body and as much as I could deny it, I was turned on! Lips went over mine and then I was against the cold wall of the shower and a hand sneaked its way to my higher legs, while the other one pumped my hard on. Dammit! I moaned into his mouth and put my hands around him, completely forgetting that I was going to play hard to get! It wasn’t fair!   Damien was gentle and took his time, but there was no time like the present. There was no one around, as it was just us. Having started in the shower, Damien took me out, scared that I’d fall, and put me on the vanity, unable to go further before he placed himself inside me. “Ethan…” I was…Gone! I loved how he called my name like that! With my small bump, it wasn’t hard to continue almost like we always have, and of course, it become hot and sticky in no time! Damien made love to my dick, to my ass and to my nipples. He touched our pup from the outside and I felt his pride. Ah, he…   Cumming onto both of us, I trembled and hang onto him tightly. Damien groaned and went faster, losing himself slightly and within a minute or two I felt his hot liquid filling me up inside. Man…I was so glad to have met him, my mate. The only one that can make me feel so desperately happy and forget everything else! Another good thing about this mate, bond and link, was that we didn’t have to state out loud those cheesy words of ‘I love you’, like the humans did…We felt how much we were adored and how much we longed for each other. We knew…That we loved each other very much and that we wanted to live the reminder of our lives together, and even the next lives together…Forever…   ***   Eating, I tried to pay attention to Alpha Lorez, who was updating us upon what Beta Owen was doing. It was getting serious now, as Owen may not have stated that I had died, but it seems that he was demanding blood pact’s now, and the Alpha’s can’t make up any more excuses. Alpha Monk was also here today, whom had come once before in this last month and he was getting really antsy. It seems that Owen was onto his case about his loyalty, in which case this idea of giving blood pacts had come up, and with Alpha Monk quickly making it public, of what Owen’s plans were, it was a way to get out of the idea becoming ‘real’, as the Alpha’s were mostly against it…But now, with these actions, it started to make Owen start to question everyone and their loyalty. I guess I understood why Alpha Monk had acted so rashly, because I’ve had Owen on my case too, so if there was a feeling that I had for him, it was sympathy.   A formal vote with the Alpha’s stated an impasse and Owen had been angered and stated through letter’s that he was the regent King and that he now demanded it. The Alpha’s were to all go into the castle and give their blood, otherwise it will not only state whose side they are on, but they could lose their positions as Alpha if they don’t. It was indeed a predicament and I might not have thought that Owen would demand this…Probably because I wouldn’t have demanded it myself...I guess I was just being naïve though… I had to keep remembering that not only is Owen a different person from all those years of thinking of him as an Uncle and father figure, but he was also different in the way of thinking.   I was not one that strived for power, as I felt like I shouldn’t have it, probably because I was an Omega, but Owen had this personality and I had to remember this! So, I went into contemplation and really did try to wonder what we should do. Obviously, I’d have to give Alpha Monk’s blood back, or he and I might convulse or whatever, like those men, and I really didn’t want that to happen. But…If these Alpha’s become Owen’s people… That would mean that we can’t stay here, that we’d have to go elsewhere, and we’d have no allies. Then, if we were to go elsewhere, with no allies, then what was the point!? What were we fighting for? It almost seemed worthwhile to hide away, but…I had a duty as the ‘King’, to protect the Shifter’s…Even if it was to protect them from ourselves…   I had to come up with an idea! I had to go back and become King and stop Owen from treating Alpha’s poorly! …Yet, how am I to do this!? “…I believe so.” I heard Damien say. Looking from him, towards Alpha Lorez, I saw both of them frown. “Then the timing might have to be brought up.” Alpha Lorez said. “Alpha Monk, was there nothing that you have seen that we could stress to the Shifters upon Owen’s way of being a regent King? Has he become any kind of hinderance or someone that doesn’t do the best for Shifter’s? The best would be that he has given human’s information about us!” “…None…When he is doing the King’s duties, he does so in a proper way. He hasn’t done anything unlawful.” Alpha Monk stated, getting up from his seat. “I suggest that the King return and we try another way to get him.”   It all just seemed so stupid! If I were to return, Owen would find out that I was pregnant, we wouldn’t be safe again and… What a mess! Actually, I have to admit, Owen doing what he’s doing has put us in quite a predicament! Damien felt my worry and pulled me to his side, then I heard him say, “It seems we need something to state that what Owen is doing is wrong. What rules are there over the blood pact?” “…He would be abiding by the rules because of his position.” Alpha Lorez stated. If anyone here knew the rules of Shifters…It would be Alpha Lorez…My god, I still can’t believe how old he is! No wonder he is deeply loyal to the King! And he has been deeply loyal to the ‘King’ for centuries…Scary! Actually, I guess I’m not surprised why he wanted me to get my power back and to completely get rid of this Owen who was been going behind my back…He might have been wishing to get rid of him for decades! Who knows!   “Then…Can’t we make up some rules? If we can get enough Alpha’s, can’t we go over his position? And make a rule to completely ban it instead?” Damien’s question was more like his thoughts, as he didn’t particularly look at anyone when he said this. “Can we do that? Ban something without the regent King’s position? Without the King?” Alpha Monk asked, looking doubtful. “…It’s an idea…It’d be bad if the His Majesty has to return and he will not be safe. Perhaps we can come up with something else?” I saw Alpha Lorez sit down and put a hand to his chin. Getting up myself, I saw the rest stand after a moment and I put a hand out to them for them to sit back down once again, “Continue, I’m going back to my room.” “Want me to come too, Precious?” Damien took me into his hands, and I smiled up at him, “No, you’re needed here. I might just sleep anyway.” I shrugged and then kissed him on the lips. He kissed me back and I then walked away, frowning to what was going on…      

Ethan’s POV   Damien laughed at me and then nodded, “I thought you were acting stupid when you stated that we use protection only for when you are on heat!” “I’m not stupid!” I grumbled. He put a finger to my nose, and said, “You never stated anything about any other time, so I took it to my advantage!” “I never thought that…” I stopped… It was true, I honestly didn’t think that it would happen so easily! With the Queen, we had sex and not once was there a pregnancy! For a whole year nothing had happened, granted we didn’t have sex all the time, but no pregnancy had ever happened! I completely forgot and didn’t even think that it would be different with Damien… …I guess I was a bit stupid… “Silly…How do you think mates that don’t have an Omega have pups!? Heat isn’t needed! Like I said, I thought you were just acting stupid and letting me get away with it! And I happily did so!” “You!” I glared at him. “I didn’t act stupid!” No…I didn’t act stupid, I was just stupid!   I had lived so long thinking that I had to be in heat to conceive! What an idiot! Feeling him snuggle into me even more, if it were possible…I felt his hand rub my stomach and I completely relaxed. “Not mad?” He asked me. Rolling my eyes, I held his hand tighter, “No. How could I be mad about getting pregnant with your pup!?” “Good!” With that he kissed his mark, immediately making me moan. Damien chuckled and snuggled back into me and we were not only showing our happiness through smiles but through our links. For so long, our links were filled with endless worry, feeling useless and anger. Now…We were happy and filled with expectations. Both of us already accepted this little, tiny existence, already impatient upon wanting to see who they will take over and what they will look like…     For the rest of the day, we took it easy as we let the news of my pregnancy sink in. The news did not exit the room, but we did tell Eleanor and Chance. Chance…I think he understood…I could be wrong. But the Queen seemed happy and sad all at the same time. She reminded me that women could be fickle sometimes… She was happy because it was good news and that she wanted to hold another baby but sad because she’ll probably never have another baby and that she was worried about Chance. I reminded her that Chance’s position would never be taken from him and that I would let her hold the new addition as often as she wanted too…Damien didn’t like that and stated that we would talk about it later, making me laugh at him. His feelings weren’t shut off at all to me anymore and I was filled with his happiness and pride…And possession. I could feel it running all over me, more than ever! Before, it was possession over his mate and that is still there, but now it’s some kind of ultimate possession and I wondered how long it would take before I’d get angry with this feeling…If I ever do get angry with it, that is…   But…The next day become serious, as we came to acknowledge that we needed to get out of here as fast as possible! Chance was the heir to the throne, even if Beta Owen had a child or not, but for me to have another child, would only make Owen angry! I couldn’t imagine what he might want to do when he was to find out that there was now yet another one in his way to obtaining what he wanted…All I knew was, we were best to bring up our plans to get out of the palace as soon as possible!   ***   So, with the doctor there to keep in touch with The Watcher’s Pack, we told him to state that we have moved up our plans. We did not use mobile phones, as we did not want to take the chance of Beta Owen finding out what we were doing, so, it was all done in the old-style way with letters and using blood as a seal. We knew that using letters was also a way of getting attention, so I did not just send one out, I sent out another one with it to another person, which was Alpha Monk. We knew Alpha Monk was loyal to us through blood, so I had updated him upon our plans as well. Since more then one letter had to be sent though, a third letter was added the second time, to go to the History Pack, to state that I was currently unable to find an Alpha as of the moment for them and that the Beta was to stay in charge for now…But I also placed a ‘sorry’ for being unable to pick up what was left for me… Even though we were sure that the information had already been collected by Owen, we also wanted to show that we didn’t know this. Not only did it help make the letters sent out look formal and nothing to worry about, but also show Owen that we were still looking forward to gaining what the History Pack wanted to give us the last time we were there. The least amount of doubts that we show him, the more power he thinks he has and hopefully, he’ll put his foot into his mouth soon or do something else for us to bring him down!   A guard or two would keep these letters intact and discretely follow it but at the same time they weren’t to gain too much attention…As we didn’t want to give out that there was still something different about us… As far as Owen knows, the doctor had stayed because of my mental well being and to attempt to try a few things to get me to walk again. We didn’t want to put on that I was standing and walking around longer and longer, as each day passed, as we didn’t want Owen to know that when we ask for a trip away…That we were instead actually trying to gain some time and fight him back! Fight him back with my two feet flat on the floor! No, this trip was to be known as ‘For His Majesty’s health’ and could even be seen that I was ‘giving up more power to him’ by leaving the palace…In fact, we had already considered Owen even trying to kill us after we leave the palace! And just as we thought, when the doctor stated that he was going to take me away for a while, to try and get my mind ‘mentally aware’ once again, Owen had stated bluntly that two men were going to accompany us… Ah…We already had an idea upon what these ‘two men’ were going with us for!     The next day was very nerve racking! I had to act like my life was over, that I was deep in depression and that I had no idea that I was even leaving the confines of the palace as my head should ‘be elsewhere’…And I most definitely can’t smile! Oh, but smiling is something I had been doing a lot of lately! How can I not be happy when I was walking again! What’s more…How can I not be happy that I will now have two little ones!? Two pups that were of my blood! My babies! Chance was already one years old, and now he was going to get a brother or sister! Austorious and I were both extremely happy, in which made Damien and Hexxah extremely happy and so…This whole set up felt like it was going to flop completely!     Before we were to leave, to get on the plane, we made sure that we had those small oxygen tanks. We also had come up with a few ideas for the two men that Owen was going to bring, but the best idea we’ve had, was to force them to accept a blood pact between them and myself. We didn’t want to let Owen in on our plans and considering that his plans might be the same as ours, so we thought this was the better way to go. We all looked at a map, so to make sure we knew which way to ‘run’, and then the biggest worry for Damien, which was my pregnancy, it made the doctor state firmly a few times, that what we had to do in our plans should be fine. …The doctor was really starting to get extremely frustrated with this Alpha! Damien needed calming down twice now, because he was exceedingly worried by not just my safety but the safety of our pup. He even stated once upon if this was even worth doing, because he didn’t want to put his precious in any danger. The problem was, we were already in danger and I coaxed him over by stating that I will look after myself and our pup very well! There wasn’t much else that we could do but pack little, to show that we were ‘returning’, and for me to act ‘stupid’ when I was rolled out from Chance’s room…   In a wheelchair now, I tried hard not to even move my eyes, not to mention any other body part. I focused on not thinking, trying not to do anything…But it wasn’t easy. My life was filled with making sure that I was busy and that I was a King! Thinking about the Shifters, my Queen and my life in general was normal, but now, I was wanting to think of the future, of Chance’s future and how we were going to get Owen at his own game… Austorious didn’t like it at all and I had to agree with him! I was a King, being driven out of my own home! This was my palace and yet I had no control over it! …The more I wanted to glare at Owen, the harder it was to act!   But, for our precious lives, I had to do this, I had to get on that plane with my family! “Is there no change? Is he…Still…” Owen’s voice made me want to frown but I focused to not think of him anymore, whatever he said from now on, don’t listen. Don’t listen… So, as I was wheeled down to where the plane was, I was then picked up by Damien and I still tried to look like I was mentally unaware, but I couldn’t help but rest my head into him and close my eyes. This was just too bloody hard! Hearing Damien’s heartbeat, I waited impatiently for Damien to stop talking with an angry tone and then stomp up the steps, to enter the plane. We had already stated to each other that we weren’t to go back to ‘normal’, until the plane was in the air, and the pilot already knew of this strategy.   It was really convenient actually, that the pilot was from The Watcher’s Pack, just like the plane and the other couple of people on here…Well, except the two other men that Owen sent, whom went onto the plane without any difficulties and seemed to have an arrogant air about them… Still in Damien’s embrace, I waited and soon…He put me down on the chair, which was my signal to become normal again. And I was glad for it, as the silence was hard to bear! The plane was in the air and now it was time to make it entirely ours! Standing up straight away, I quickly stated, “Bind them!” Stunned looks turned into aggressiveness, when Owen’s two men saw Damien and two others go towards them. They backed up against the wall and growled, “What are you doing!?” Their questions weren’t answered though, as we did not trust them, and we didn’t see the point in answering them anyway.

Third Person   One or two of the known Alpha’s were not amongst the Shifters that had come to The Watcher’s Pack to destroy those who ‘were not loyal’. Instead, for those who refused to take a blood pact with Owen, they had been demoted, upon not doing as they were told. Then, a few other Alpha’s, that were now following Owen, had not thought that it would be real, that there had to be someone that had to die for Owen to be happy…And that death was indeed the one that had been known as the King for a couple of decades. To them, they had thought that His Majesty had been somewhat lying about how Owen was treating him and the future King, Chance, but…Now, now that a war had officially started, and that warlocks were even a part of this offensive force, they were starting to question things…   Why can’t His Majesty simply stay alive but not be the King? Why are they ordered to kill him!? Why, why is it that the Shifter’s were fighting like this in the first place!? At worst, they thought that Beta Owen may imprison and perhaps shot the King with Silver, but…A war that included packs…It was unheard off! After all, Shifters rarely waged war amongst themselves! This was…Not right! It wasn’t the way! Shifters were strong and even though there were many of them, we were still controlled well, and we hadn’t needed to fight amongst ourselves! What if…What if His Majesty was in real peril before and all they had done was abandon him…Just as Alpha Rendall had stated!?     …The Watcher’s Pack and The Rogue Hunter’s Pack did indeed travel elsewhere, to where the Elementalist’s were originally going to go. Damien had finally brought the Elementalist’s up, telling the others that they may hate the Elementalist’s, but they might also be the only ones that might keep them safe at the moment… Of course, there were many who were against this idea, especially the Queen, but what else could they do? The Elementalist’s were strong enough to fight for them and were a good ally, one they really couldn’t dismiss, especially with how many Shifter’s Beta Owen had on his side! Well, not only that, Damien hoped to find Ethan there at the mountains…He wished and hoped like no tomorrow! Not having found a body of His Majesty, they came to a conclusion that the King had left The Watcher’s Pack and hoped that he was still alive.   Knowing that war was upon them, ever since the Alpha’s had practically walked out on His Majesty, the packs didn’t take long to move away…It was just…What if His Majesty returned? A minimal amount of The Rogue Hunter’s Pack stayed behind in hiding for this exact reason, but they had not found His Majesty after…Only that of a scary amount of Shifter’s coming to kill those who opposed them! They were also there to find out if there was any type of word upon His Majesty being held captive. If there was a chance that Beta Owen really had His Majesty and had locked him up, they would immediately mind link to their Alpha and tell Damien of this but…Nothing had been said about His Majesty…Like those who had come, didn’t even know that His Majesty had gone off on his own and had been hurt or…Killed…   Damien had felt desperately heartbroken but…He was hoping that what he felt, was Ethan getting hurt and not dying. Their link…If you could call it that, was broken but still faintly there and as much as he hated the thought of Ethan getting hurt, it was still better than his precious dying! Otherwise, they really had nowhere else to go, as it was dangerous everywhere! To the south, The Driller’s Pack was there, whom had come to know as someone now on Beta Owen’s side. Again to the south, was The History Pack, whom was on Beta Owen’s side…They were really stranded…Because they really couldn’t go north either, because of The Surveillance Pack, whom they weren’t too sure if Alpha Monk had ended up choosing Owen or not but it didn’t seem like a place to go in any case…Or west, to the Heed and Call Pack, nor east, to The Harvest Pack, even though they had an idea that Alpha Brown did not choose Owen but in that aspect, they were also sure that another would take Alpha Brown’s position, who would obviously be on Owen’s side… The Treasury Pack was in the middle… Absolutely stranded! Having to travel past The Surveillance Pack, whom they thought was against them, the big lot of Shifter’s ran up the mountains and tried to find a good place to hide from both the humans and Shifters, so they could come up with a plan… The problem was, a lot of heart was missing…   Upon getting to a good spot, it seems that half of the Shifter’s from the two packs had left His Majesty’s side. The Watcher’s Pack was now quite small, and both Alpha Rendall and Alpha Lorez were losing their own reasoning. Damien, whom had been quite numb lately, was just running because he didn’t like Owen. In fact, he wanted revenge on Owen before he took his own life, to see his beloved, his precious Ethan on the other side. As much as he might state Ethan was still alive, he felt that deep down, Ethan was probably dead…So this was a deep secret, one that kept him alive for now…But even thought it was kept a secret, it didn’t mean other’s couldn’t guess his wants and thoughts. Nearly half of those, who lose their destined mate, do end up choosing to kill themselves, so Damien was being watched by a number of people…   On the other hand, Alpha Lorez was starting to wonder if it had all been worth it… Yes, he had been loyal to the throne for his entire life and knew that Beta Owen was not good, but the sad thoughts of what he was trying to save for the last couple of months was questioned, even if he wanted to question it or not… Saving His Majesty, being there for His Majesty and accepting how His Majesty had practically given up. It wasn’t, ‘giving them choice’ now to Alpha Lorez, as it was really starting to look like ‘giving up’. Many Shifter’s now in The Watcher’s Pack and The Rogue Hunter Pack were really unsure on what to do and that meant, now that they were here in the mountains, that they spent a lot of time looking out to the horizon…Wondering what they should do…Who they should trust now…And this mostly was happening because many had left already…Perhaps if a lot less had left, the ones still remaining wouldn’t be questioning things so much, but this was how it was…   With those who had already left, cutting down the population of the two packs in half, the status of Shifter’s had already changed drastically. Rogues were running around now, losing themselves, but some Shifter’s had indeed gone to Owen’s side and so…The rest were all restless and wondering if they should leave too. Was becoming a rogue better? It was sort of ironic in some of The Rogue Hunter’s Packs Shifters minds as…They were to get the rogues…Yet, if they become one, wouldn’t their friends come after them? Yet, do they really want to join Beta Owen in his obvious want to completely defeat His Majesty and his people? With the two Alpha’s questioning things as well, they were all exhausted and sometimes looked defeated. …Should they stay?   It was obvious, now that they had made it here, that His Majesty was not here. No Elementalist’s were here either and that in itself had been a letdown, even though some of them did not want to become allies with the Elementalist’s, they did find some good in wanting to find them here… Again, another couple of Shifter’s disappeared within the first day of making the mountains their new home for the time being… Yet, some were completely loyal to their packs or Alpha, just like that of Beta Locky to Alpha Lorez and Simon to Alpha Rendall. The Queen held Chance and made a spot for him, trying to make it as homely as possible for him, Beta Locky and herself, yet the mountains here could never become her home…She also doubted that it could ever become Chance’s home either. Chance was used to the best in life and here, here they had to fetch their own dinner and go to a water hole to bathe…It was…Completely different! Damien too…He would look out into the far horizon and stop himself from crying like a baby, feeling the weakest he had ever felt in his life…Hoping, beyond whatever he wished before ever in his life, that his beloved precious was still alive…Somewhere out there…   ***   With a slight impact upon the earth, another presence was felt, and Damien narrowed his eyes to what looked and felt like an Alpha male that landed in the middle of the area that they were now residing in. It wasn’t a big area, as a mountain was on one side and then a deep slope towards a long drop down was on the other, nonetheless, it was going to be the best place to hold as many people as possible to have meetings… People started to gather around the new presence, watching with astonishment as something that looked like metal slowly came down and landed lightly upon the ground. Then, now that the person looked up, people gasped or blinked. Damien halted where he was and widened his eyes. “You must be him!” The shirtless Alpha male stated, walking straight up to the stunned Damien and he punched him square in the face! Damien staggered backwards and finally snapped out of his silence. “Hey! Who are you!?”   The Alpha male smirked at him, “One! I was just getting some revenge for father!” Narrowing his eyes, Damien tried to understand what the Shifter was saying. One? One as in a reason, or One, as his name? Turning to those around him, the Alpha male gave a good look around, and sighed, “Father really didn’t have many followers, did he?” “Who is your father?” Alpha Lorez asked, not being unfriendly, but not having come closer to accept the strange, new Shifter either. “Here, he is hurt.” The Alpha male stated briefly, pointing to the metal…Thing, upon the ground. No one understood. Some even looked at others and wanted to ask them about what was going on, but the same look was turned back to themselves!   Damien had a question…He really did! This Shifter looked like him…Blue eyes, black hair…And not just that, the same shade of blue…The same straight black hair! Then, his profile was similar as well! If Damien took his shirt off, their muscles would be very similar and…Even…It was almost like looking into a mirror! Could it be? Could it really be possible? But, how could it be? This Shifter was an Adult, if anything, could he be a brother? He wasn’t his father… It didn’t make any sense to Damien!   On the other hand, Alpha Lorez frowned and tried another way to gain any type of information that may make some sense, “His Majesty, Ethan, son of King Tailor, was who we followed.” “Mmm, and we must get ready for the rest of the Shifters and some warlocks now!” The Alpha male stated, nodding and looking down the mountain... “Warlocks?” Alpha Lorez asked, quite disturbed to this information. “Yes, don’t worry, I’ll handle the warlocks! You guys just hype yourselves up for a battle with Shifters!” The Alpha male stated, cracking his knuckles with a smirk on his face, now turned back to the Shifters. Alpha Lorez looked at Damien and both of them shook their heads slightly in confusion.   “If you want to die, just don’t worry about what I said, it’s no problem…Although, I’m sure father will not like it if you die!” The Alpha male stated, pointing directly at Damien. “Me?” Damien said with a cracked voice. …Could it be?“Why, do you not love father anymore?” The Alpha male asked threateningly. “I love my mate!” Damien stated, not sure if they were talking about the same person… “Then that is good, I will only kill you if father wants me too!” The Alpha male nodded. Biting his lip, Damien couldn’t stop himself from looking at the metal thing upon the ground. Was it really him? Could it be!? Walking up the it, and touching it, Damien eagerly wanted to see him! “He is in suspended animation at the moment, if I let him out, he will die!” The Alpha male stated, he himself touching the metal thing.

(Damien’s POV)   I didn’t know what I was doing…I don’t know if thinking what I was thinking was only going to make things worse instead of better. All I knew, was that I was hurting more and more, that even breathing felt like something difficult! “Alpha!” Hearing Simon in my head, I blinked and snapped out of it, “What is it?” “…Sir…The King was buried alive! They are rushing to get him out of the dirt!” “…What…” My heart felt like it stopped…I couldn’t seem to swallow…I felt my chest start to become extremely painful… It was like my life was being sapped right out of me! Putting a hand to my heart, I…Started to wonder if some of the pain I felt, was from him… With this thought, I was on my feet and I ran, I ran so fast to where he would most likely be. Please be alive! I remembered him yelling at me to ‘Get out!’. I’ll leave, I’ll do anything, just, don’t die on me! ‘Well, let’s put this another way, I want you gone before this happens again. You brought it on, so leave, I don’t want to do that again!’ Whatever you want…Whatever, I’ll do it! Just, please be alive! Don’t leave me alone! Again, I never felt so fucking weak!     It felt like it took me an eternity to get to the massive mess area, that was now cornered off. Coughing to my sudden quick and fast run, I hit my chest and continued to get a closer look. Please… Seeing four people attached to ropes and others holding them, those four people used their wolf paws to dig and at the side, there were others moving buckets and buckets full of dirt away from the area. Please! Getting through the massive amount of people, I found myself right next to the area now…Right near were the bed was supposed to be…If I had been with him… Suddenly…I… A tear escaped, and I dived in to the side and dug myself, not sure if I was too close or too far away. I felt utterly useless, as I felt another tear escape and I dug faster, unable to stop myself. He has to be alright, he has to be! “Here, give me the rope!” I dug absentmindedly, as the bed got pulled out of the dirt…But no mate… No! “Stand there! Be ready people!’ I watched as someone had gotten into what looked like a fallen wall and then dug faster, not using his claws. The dirt sprayed out so far, that people had to move. “You, do the other side!” It must have been the wall, the bathroom wall…Or some other wall… Within a minute or two, both men couldn’t do anymore off the wall, and they were too low for me to see. “More on the rope, both go in there, we haven’t got any more time! Find him! Find His Majesty, quickly!” Hopelessly looking at who was yelling, I then realized that he was right… No doubt, it had already been too long… Putting my dirty hands to my face, I felt like I can’t handle it, I can’t! I knew someone that had to endure through their mate’s death and I didn’t want to bare it! I didn’t want to! He can’t die!   “Here, here! Help me pull him out!” Putting my hands down, I looked over, the long way down, where a hand was being dragged out, and someone was trying to get to the waist, to get a better way to pull the body up. Finally, his face was out of the dirt and, I fell down again, stopping myself unconsciously from falling…Or was it that someone else stopped me…I didn’t know… My mate… Again, he was completely dirty, but…This time…He was lifeless… Just moments later, I saw that he took a deep breath in and I blinked to make sure I wasn’t seeing things! He coughed, and coughed again, then took another couple of deep breaths…Just laying there on the ground now, but obviously breathing… I was beside myself with joy, now crying hopelessly to how happy I was that he had survived! Smiling like an idiot, I nodded to myself. Thank god…Thank you. Wiping my face, I took my own deep breath and nodded again. I had never been so scared in my life! Looking over at my mate, I sighed in relief and watched his stomach go up and down. That’s good, you did well, my beautiful mate…You did well!   I know that he told me to get lost, I know he showed that he didn’t want me around but… Getting up, I decided that until he is awake, at the very least, I was going to protect him, whether he likes it or not! Walking over to him, I moved people out of my way and immediately stopped people from touching my mate… He was mine! “How about you get lost!” Looking up at that same man, oh…He was the Alpha…I looked back down and picked up the King myself. “I will not!” Hearing the other man yell at me, I didn’t bother listening anymore and turned around, walking towards my pack… I had no idea what was going on, but with what happened, dirt wasn’t a good thing! Knowing that dirt was practically everywhere, I stopped and looked up. Flying… Where was the closest airport? The other Alpha was still yelling, and I turned to him and asked, “Do you have a plane?” He narrowed his eyes at me and shook his head disdainfully, “We are The History Pack, we only have old planes!” Rolling my eyes at him, I turned towards the person that had come from The Watcher’s Pack and he talked to me without being asked, “We do, but…”   All of us looked at the unconscious, but alive, King of the Shifters and we all wondered how to get him on board a plane in the best and fastest way possible. “Tie him to my back! My pack will get us there!” I gently put my mate down and before I even shifted, that damned Alpha was yelling at me again! “Shut up! Do you want the King to die!?” I never noticed when I had taken the angry Alpha’s dirty clothes into my hands and bared my teeth at him, but now that he was right in front of me, I guess that’s how it came across! “He gave me orders to get you out of my boundary, now get out!” “He’s my mate! Now if you don’t let me save him…I will kill you!” Silence overcame the area and the first to talk, was the person from The Watcher’s Pack, “I’ll get the rope that they were using before…And some clothe.” Finally, someone with some sense! Actually, I really liked that guy! Turning into my big grey wolf, I bent down right next to my mate and growled at the person being rough, as they tried to pick the King up, to put him on top of me. During this process, I immediately called my pack to come, telling them that we had a very important mission to do! Within another couple of minutes, clothe and rope had tied my mate onto my back and I was running behind the scent of the person that had already went ahead towards The Watcher’s Pack…   My pack had mostly come to escort the King, as the remaining pack members that were left behind were packing up our base and were going to come after they were done. Luckily, we had mostly ventured to the border of The History Pack prior to what had happened to His Majesty, the second time, so I didn't have to wait for them to head off. With them already here, I was glad, I really wanted to get away from here as fast as possible! I knew about what happened with the late King and the rest of the royal members, but I still have no idea how it happened. The fact that the same thing had already been attempted to my mate, scared the life out of me! I wasn’t stupid, I knew that something bad was threatening his life…And it made me terribly vexed! What the hell is after him!? I was going to demand that he tells me as soon as possible! And also demand that he doesn’t tell me to leave just for ‘my own safety’…I wasn’t going to take that as a reason that we should stay apart! I was determined, more determined then I had ever been in my life, that I was not only wanting to protect my mate to the end, but to be his number one! I wondered how and when he was going to try and get rid of me! Haha, well, he can try!   I ran fast, not sure of how danger could occur, so I could not let my guard down. I had my Beta run ahead, another shifter behind and two to each side of me, and then others were spread out, but they weren’t too far away from us. In normal cases, this was how we got rogues from one place to another, now it was used for protection of the King himself. With another half an hour, we will already be at The Watcher’s Pack, having gone top speed most of the way. Strangely, we never caught up with the person from The Watcher’s Pack and I wondered if he was the fastest runner there…I had thought otherwise beforehand, as they had arrived at The History Pack at the same time I did, but now that we hadn’t see him, I really did think that he was one of the fastest Shifters I had ever met! Finally seeing The Watcher’s Pack in the horizon, I put more effort into my legs, knowing now that the distance was something I could push myself for…I would just hate myself if I found out that I could do this, but didn’t and something happened to my mate! Directly following the scent, we ran through one side of the boundary of the pack, and chased it towards another side, where upon we saw two planes and I rushed right up to them. It looked like that ‘fast runner’ had been able to get a hold of someone and tell them that we were coming, as we were escorted by more and more wolves, as we got closer to the planes…But, there was no hindrance whatsoever, we were let in and expected completely. I was really glad about this, it seemed that this pack was a touch smarter then that of The History Pack and I was able to save my voice to speak sense! Now…Just to get onto the plane… Whatever the danger was, it should be safer in a plane, we just got to get on it!   Once we were just outside the planes, I didn’t wait for anyone, as I shifted and felt my mates’ weight on my bare skin, the ropes easily fell down, and if I wasn’t careful, my mate would plop right off me... Bending, so that I could put him straight back into my arms again, I looked around quickly, seeing a few people rush out and point to a plane and I went towards it, not waiting on pleasantries. I opened the door and got in. Immediately, I sat down and put my ear to my mates’ mouth, scared suddenly that he might have stopped breathing while I was in a rush to get to the planes. Hearing his breath come out, I cuddled into him and then heard others come aboard. I don’t care who it is, just get us in the air! “Alpha Rendall, Locky told us that His Majesty might need a doctor…Would you permit me to check him?” “Mmm.” I didn’t let them take him away, they had to check him while he was still in my arms. After a minute or two, of the doctor checking his pulse in not just his arms, but his legs, he then checked my mates’ eyes and stood back. “I was told that he was buried for some time…” I looked up at the doctor and narrowed my eyes at him, “What do you mean?” The doctor put a hand to his chin and slightly shook his head, “He is alright. Exhausted, perhaps hungry, but he’s alright. From what I observed, he had only gone without oxygen for a few seconds, instead of minutes.” I then looked down at my dirty mate and sighed in relief, then I heard the engines started. “This is the captain speaking, please buckle yourselves in, we are planning to do a last check before flying straight towards the palace.” Attempting to put the seat belt around both of us, I didn’t resist the doctors helping hands to secure it properly. Then, the doctor stated his farewells, before exiting the plane, right before the doors were shut tight. Putting my head back, I was glad to be getting in the air. I was scared that if we wait too long, the plane might be swallowed up in dirt! Just get us in the air!

Damien’s POV   I took in a breath and stopped when Chance coughed… Oh…Thank you…Thank you! I got closer to Chance and saw him open his eyes, his chest making movements. My eyesight grew blurry and I smiled at him, “Good boy! Good boy!” Chance didn’t show much response and looked around. Then…Finally, he started to cry. “He’s alright at the moment but…” The doctor moved to the side and the Queen rushed to pick up Chance, “Chance! Sweetheart, it’s mummy! Everything’s ok!”   I looked at the doctor and didn’t say anything. He sighed, “He did stop breathing, so I’ll keep an eye on him.” I put a hand over Chance’s head and sighed in relief, not only would I be sad to losing this boy, but I couldn’t imagine the pain my precious would get from losing him! He can’t die! No, neither of them can! All of them must survive! “I’m…I’m not letting him go, Damien! I don’t care, I don’t care if I have to walk all the way and get buried along with him, I’m not…” I interrupted the Queen’s sobbing rants and said firmly, “It’s alright! It’s fine, just hold him.” Perhaps, even if it was slower, Chance should have stayed with someone anyway. We hadn’t thought this idea out good enough. Maybe because we thought that the target was Ethan, we didn’t place enough importance on Chance. Now, now if it wasn’t going to be the Queen holding him, hell, I was! Yet…It wasn’t like we had dug him up…The reason that Chance was even freed as early as he had been…Was because of Ethan… Whatever it was that that was going on, it was still something that worked… Now that Chance was safe and sound, being held by the Queen, I looked back to see Ethan, paying more attention to the memories going through his head and I walked over to him…Very much staying aware of the Elementalist that was still there…Attached and ‘speaking’ to Ethan.   “Is that it!?” The Queen’s voice interrupted me, and I saw her vicious, wet eyed look at the Elementalist. “Yes, but right now…” “Take Chance!” She held out the visibly scared Chance to me and I widened my eyes, “No! You hold Chance! Don’t do anything stupid!” “It nearly killed Chance!” She said, looking at me with those wet eyes and desperate voice but her face was full of anger! “I know but can’t you see with your own damned eyes! Ethan is attached to it at the moment!” Man, this was bad. My mate is connected to that damned rock and now the Queen seems to want revenge! Watching her, wanting to make sure that she doesn’t do anything while Ethan was still connected to it, I was unable to focus once again upon what the memories and Elementalist were trying to say! I really was keen to find out what was going on but hell, it was just one thing after a fucking other! Of course, I don’t regret seeing what happened with Chance before and watching the Queen now, but I felt like I’ve missed out on something really bloody important! I’m just going to have to bug my precious until he tells me! “Are you telling me that I can’t do anything? It killed the royal family and attempted to kill Ethan, now Chance…And I can’t do anything!?” Her scream made Chance cry and the Queen let out a sob, before cuddling into the little boy.   “Calm down! Doc, walk with her towards The Watcher’s Pack!” I stated firmly, using my Alpha aura to calm down the Beta Queen. “Don’t you let that thing go! If you let it go, it’ll try and kill Chance again!” The doctor took a hold of the Queen’s shoulder lightly and directed her towards Beta Locky, who had nearly run all the way back already. “Come on!” The doctor stated, as the Queen stared at the Elementalist in complete rage… I watched as they walked further away and sighed. “My Queen, are you alright!?” “Chance was buried, but it’s ok now, we are to return back to The Watcher’s Pack!” Hearing them talking, I was determined to think that they should be fine. If I were to stay here with Ethan, surely, he won’t be mad at me, they’ll be fine! Looking at Ethan, still connected to that thing, I slowly walked closer and knelt down beside him. Touching him, I didn’t feel anything strange and I took him in my arms as much as I could…Considering that earth and a vein was stopping him from moving too much.   The memories continued to go through Ethan, and I wished I knew what they meant! But…With Chance being fine and the Queen now gone, Ethan can take as long as he wants…As long as he’s in my arms! To my surprise, Ethan started to talk again, just a moment later, “So this is your last…Mission?” The word ‘Yes’, popped into our heads and I watched as Ethan put a hand out towards the Elementalist, “Bring them here, surely we can work something out. Can you send a message?” The Elementalist didn’t move to Ethan’s outstretched hand, and so he put it back down. I felt curiosity run through me from Ethan and I hoped that this Elementalist was no longer a threat to us. Seeing their continued ‘written’ conversation, I found out that Ethan was talking about writing a message to the other Elementalist’s in Gorde and found myself worried. Why would he want to bring them here!?   “Then send the message and come back to me when I’m alone. I don’t want any more victims to this past…History!” ‘Yes’, was all that was written in our heads and then the earth and vein disappeared from Ethan’s body. Ethan was no longer attached to it and in no time, I found that the Elementalist had disappeared out of sight. I didn’t really know what to say, as I helped Ethan back up to stand and checked him everywhere. He didn’t get very dirty, which pleased me, but…I was very interested on what was going on! Not only was I curious about why the Elementalist’s seems to be doing as it’s told but what did the memories say? What did Ethan see?   “I’m not hurt. It…Seems that they are cornered. The Elementalist’s are becoming endangered and one of them came to seek out revenge to what had and what is happening to them. Their survival is on the line and another reason to get rid of us is so they would be able to leave the continent of Gorde. Seeing their own kind perish to another foe upon the continent of Gorde, and that my father did indeed go against their wishes, I suppose I can’t blame them for doing this…So, I’ve told them that they can return…” “How?” I interrupted. “How can you tell them to do anything!?” Ethan looked at me and sighed…Then he put a hand through his hair and said, “It seems that they are bound to the Omega and Alpha blood inside of me…Just like they were with the first King of Sollace…” I stared dumbly at him and let out a noise…I don’t know if I showed that I understood or showed that I didn’t… With just that one sentence, not only does it look like Ethan can order them around, but it seems…My pup is an Alpha…And…It seems that perhaps, the first King of Sollace was an Omega…   I heard Ethan sigh and then say, “Let’s get back, I’ll collect my thoughts and see what I can do later.” I held my precious tighter, not wanting anything to harm him yet alone worry him. He really was taking on too much and I was getting more and more angrier as the days passed! And now that the threat was gone, Ethan even looked visibly exhausted, I had no doubt that soon after getting into The Watcher’s Pack, Ethan will most likely be unable to stay awake… Why can’t he be less stressed uh!? Why can’t we watch as the days slowly go past, you know, something like celebrating our own first pup? Lazy days, cuddles and laughs…But no! The King… While I was grumpy, I found him shifting to his chocolate brown wolf and slowly trotting away. I stared at his wolf and sighed. I just wanted him back in my arms! Seeing the wolf stop and put out his tongue, as he looked at me seemingly unafraid and even teasing me, I then shifted and rammed myself into his fur. I was completely addicted to this little Omega, his wolf, his new scent…   After a brief lick and cuddle, we scampered off and soon met up with the rest of those who had been walking away. It seemed that the Queen was wearing light clothes, but no one else was…It looked kinda weird to me… Why not just be naked!? Why, out of everyone, was the Queen wearing fucking clothes!? Beta Locky was the one that seemed to have them on him, taking up space in his small backpack but…Did he on purposely bring women’s clothing? Really!? What the fuck!? Well, at least a welcomed interruption came for Chance, who had been afraid all this time, and he finally started to look normal again after a near half an hour ride on my back. We were no longer in a huge hurry, so walking and taking it easy I suppose was alright now. I think…We all needed this time to slow down time and think about what just happened, especially Chance and the Queen.   Ethan was indeed worried for his boy, no surprise there, and the doctor checked the little one to find that Chance’s wolf was doing his best to fix any problems with Chance. After all, it wasn’t a good thing to have stopped breathing for any length of time, so hopefully Chance’s wolf would be able to fix anything that needed fixing… There was one noticeable problem already though, but it seemed like a mental problem…Chance had droopy eyes but didn’t want to sleep…Upon falling asleep, only a minute later did he wake up with a childish scream and clung onto the Queen with his small, shaky hands… I wondered if he had a nightmare of being buried alive…As much as Shifter’s were awesome when it came to healing, nightmares weren’t something that could be easily fixed…   On the other hand, the Queen was angry, especially when Ethan had nonchalantly stated that he had let the Elementalist go. She was so angry that she nearly shifted to her wolf and attacked, Beta Locky frantically tried to calm her down and I was glad for it…Because I wouldn’t have an scruples of killing her, even if she was the Queen, even if she was the mother of Chance! No one attacks my mate! One strange thing happened though, to calm the people down…And that was…Beta Locky stated irritably that he didn’t like being called ‘kid’ from me…Because he was even older than myself and stated out that it was rude! Silence overcame all over us, with only the doctor giving a chuckle because he ‘already knew of this’. Then…How old was the young-looking Beta Locky then? And doesn’t that make Alpha Lorez even older than we first thought!? With a different atmosphere, we continued… Then, after four hours of walking at a leisure speed, we finally made it to the boundary of The Watcher’s Pack…

(Damien’s POV)   It felt like a long flight, but it was only five hours long. Well, normally it was five hours long, this plane was one of the faster ones that we have, so it was going to get us there in four hours. I was really appreciative to hearing this, as though The Watcher’s Pack really were thinking most about His Majesty’s safety and well being. In that time, my mate had not woken up once but had snuggled up to me and I swear he was happily sleeping now. I didn’t know whether to be irritated to this fact or not! But…Never did I feel so complete until this plane ride… With him right in front of me, I felt like everything would be ok…That I was able to breath… Having touched his faced gently, taking advantage of his sleep, I spent some of my time to remove some of the dirt for him. Someone was there to help change the water, so I was able to get rid of more and more dirt, and even cleaned myself, as I found out that dirt was on my face too. I had completely forgotten what I looked like, that I was suddenly made aware of why people had looked at me funny most of this time. …It must have been when my precious mate was…I didn’t want to think about it…   No one said much to me the entire trip, but it seems that they know that he was my mate…They know that I was also the only one that had any rights to touch him like this. Even if the Queen was here, she would not be able to say anything…The fact that I was only recently known, and that the King had not stated any type of change, the fact that I was his destined mate, I would always come first. With the simple fact that I had first dips and that the King was currently unconscious to state otherwise, I liked it tremendously! He was mine! Kissing his forehead, I pushed his hair out off his face and got comfortable again. I had napped for about twenty minutes, but it was starting to get harder and harder to keep my eyes opened. I hadn’t much sleep last night and my emotions had flown everywhere since! Feeling really great and relaxed, there was just no helping it, I joined my precious mate in sleep…   ***   “Alpha Rendall?” “Can’t you just take His Majesty and then give him to me here?” “He won’t let me!” “Dammit, move out of the way!” “Yes, Beta Owen.” Clutching my mate, I suddenly opened my eyes and found myself in front of this ‘Beta Owen’! “Ah, your awake! We’ve come to take His Majesty.” I really didn’t like how he spoke to me! It sounded like…He owned my mate! I was just about to growl or speak, that I will take ‘His Majesty’ wherever he needs to go, when hands going around my neck got both of our attention. My mate seemed to be making himself more comfortable in my arms, perhaps getting annoyed that he was being interrupted with his sleep. “Your Majesty!” Growling, I tightened my hold over my mate in anger to ‘Beta Owen’s’ raised voice! Seeing him stare at me and then step back, he sighed. “Let me guess, you’re His Majesty’s mate?” Smirking at him, I got up then, safely holding my mate with me to my chest and as I passed him, I said, “Yes!”   Getting off the plane, I saw myself at the same palace that I had come to meet the ‘the next King’ and memories flooded into me. “We’d prefer to do this in a more civilized way, Alpha Rendall. Even if you are his mate, we expect you to act properly here and at least…Put on some clothes!” Seeing this old man look me up and down, I got even more annoyed and continued on my way towards the palace. “Owen?” “Your Majesty, I am here.” My mates’ small words did stop me in my tracks. “Owen, is Chance ok?” “Yes, he is fine, nothing has happened here at the palace, my King!” Chance…The first thing he asks for…Is Chance… I didn’t want the hurt to inflict me in any way…But, I was unable to stop it. “That’s good.” “Your Majesty, are you able to walk?” Dammit, old man, shut up! How often will I be able to hold my mate and you want to take him off me the first chance you get! I didn’t like him at all! “I don’t know.” I felt my mate’s hold over me slightly tighten and it made me feel like mush…I really liked that he did that…   “Then, will you prefer me to carry you, Your Majesty?” That was it, I hated the old man’s guts, I wanted to pummel him until he was dead! Yep… I felt my mate move his head away from my shoulder and I glared solemnly at Owen. Not cool! “Damien…” I loved it when he called my name… Turning to him, I know I wasn’t glaring anymore, how could I glare at that face…At my precious mate… “It’s ok, I can walk.” Putting my head against his, I tried to hide my frown, “Let me take you to were…” You sleep… And then close the door! I heard him sigh, “Owen, I hadn’t had a chance to talk with Damien yet…” Was…Was the King asking…Asking…Asking for us to talk!? It sounded absolutely ridiculous to me! I was dumbfounded, flabbergasted…I was in complete and utter shock! That’s it! I was done with the old man! Walking past Owen, I started to go up the stairs and asked my mate, “Just point, or tell me where to go.” No…Not only am I not putting you down yet, we aren’t going to ask! Geez, what has my poor, little mate been subjected to all these years!?     As I walked to wherever my mate said, I felt him tighten his hold over me, I even felt his stare upon my face. And dam, it felt good. It felt right that I had his attention like this! I silently told him that he can look all he wants, so he better not try to get rid of me! As soon as I opened another door, he then had shut it, because I didn’t do it… Seeing him turn back to me, I stared back at him. He put a hand to my face and I got up the nerve to say something really cheesy, but dam… “Thank you for surviving.” I couldn’t add more to that, I pulled him into me and cuddled him, hiding my face… I didn’t want him to see my pained expression to potentially losing him. Feeling his hand pulling at mine, that was holding his legs and butt, I let him go and he slowly put his weight upon the ground. He was in boxer’s and a singlet, nothing else. That was all we could find quickly with the trip from The Watcher’s Pack to here…And when I put my hand then around his waist, my fingers easily slid under the big singlet. “…I…Don’t know what to say, even though I know we should talk.” He squared his shoulders, then walked around me and towards a desk drawer, pulling it out. He held something in his hands then and I saw that it was a letter. Looking at him, I could clearly see that he was shy, not even looking back at me anymore… So…Was he going to give that to me or just stand there like an idiot? I held back a smile to his cuteness…I couldn’t wait already, to spend the rest of my life with him!     (Ethan’s POV)   All this time, upon waking, I had no idea on what to do with this man. I should protect him, I should let him go…But my heart really didn’t want too! My hands seemed to have a mind of their own…Making me realize that every part of me wanted this man with me…My nose, my hands, my…Well… I could only sigh… Now that I had this letter in my hand, with all I had to do was give it to him, it was like I had more courage now to do the opposite. But then, he wouldn’t know how much I cared for him… Dammit, it was so confusing! What sucked the most, was that Owen would want me to get rid of him…I could feel it from before… Sighing to my conflict, I didn’t think that the letter would be stolen from me instead! “Hey!” Before I knew it, Damien’s back was to me and he had already opened the letter! “Wait!” “Damien, my mate…” I tried to get the letter, feeling my cheeks go red, but was unable too! A hand snaked itself around my waist then and a kiss was felt on my forehead, making me forget what I was doing. So easily…So easily he had done something so intimate to me! Could I smile, I really wanted too! “I have tried to find the exact reason or reasons that you have rejected me, and I understand why you did it…You think I rejected you?” I puffed up and then put out a hand, to only just miss getting the letter back. “Don’t read anymore.” “Tell me…”   I was stunned, because his hand pulled me closer into him and he had said this near my ear. Dam… He was distracting me so much! But…I couldn’t help but become so happy about his intimacy…It was like a whole heap of presents were coming all at once! The sparks, the feathery touch of his breath to my ear and neck… Closing my eyes, I put a hand up, wanting to touch his face. Feeling his cheek in my palm, I looked up at him and put a kiss on his chin. Ah, I always wanted to do that! His chin seemed to say, ‘Kiss me!’. “Tell me, my King.” Shivering to his words, I looked away from him and slumped my shoulders, “What did you want to tell me?” “No, you tell me!” “Tell you what!?” I was confused, I hardly remembered what we were talking about! “Tell me why you said I rejected you! It was plain as day that you rejected me!” “What!” Now that got my attention! “You were having a celebration for your son!” Oh… So, it was family… I don’t know what to do now…As I was reminding that I don’t deserve him. I really don’t…   “…A secret, an Omega, I'm King, I already have a family...” Releasing myself from his hold, I sit down on the chair close by. With all the tiredness I had, the hunger…I was still smitten to have him here, but it just…It wasn’t what I expected. Well, actually, I never expected it to come this far, not in my wildest dreams! …He was really here…In my room! I felt really lucky to have this chance…But…Why so personal? Can’t we talk about favorite colours or books instead? “…You are not at fault and I don’t blame you for the rejection, as I would probably do the same in your shoes. But, let me tell you something...I would never be able to put you to death, for knowing that I'm an Omega...Even if you told the world. Well isn’t that nice…Thank you, my King!” Looking at Damien sharply, I then turned back away from him. I decided then to let him read it, since he wanted to read it so much! With him getting mad at just that one sentence, he probably won’t care for the rest very much either! “…I can never hate you for thinking of me as a lowly Omega, as I feel the same about myself…That reminds me…” Suddenly he was kneeling in front of me and taking my hand in his, “I don’t even know your name, little Omega.” I looked away from him and closed my eyes. I felt like crying. Was he teasing me? Was he playing games? Does he have to do this before he leaves me? Why can’t we have a good smile and a laugh instead!? “Hey, look at me precious.” So, I did…I looked at him…Uh? I must be hearing things… He wiped at the tear falling and sighed, “I’m sorry, if you don’t like it, I won’t say it.” I furrowed my eyebrows at that and felt worse! I liked how he had called me precious…And now, so easily, it’s puffed into smoke!

Third Person   It was obvious that the Elementalist’s were trying to flee from the continent, as some of them were already in the water or high in the air above the sea, then there were some who were still leaving the beach front. Seeing this, the child within felt calmer as there were still quite a number of them that hadn’t perished yet. If it had taken much longer to take over the body, he may not have made it in time…Perhaps, his father also slightly trusting him too had helped… It seems that the Elementalist’s were still very much like the family that he had created…   The Elementalist’s basic instinct of survival was first but sticking together was a close second in their minds. The two earth Elementalist’s that had left Gorde, and had gone to Sollace all those years ago, had gone for survival. They had not wanted to be given ‘order’s’, and thought against it, so they had fulfilled their threat, and in which one had perished to one of the Shifter’s. The remaining earth Elementalist had returned back to Gorde, only to see that there was ‘Sollace blood’ still remaining and returned to do what they had the previous time, yet, they were unable to do anything because this ‘Sollace blood’ never left the confines of the palace borders. Otherwise, the rest of the Elementalist’s did as they were told and stayed on the continent of Gorde, unable to leave, yet unable to stay. They stuck together in their five groups, depending on the power that they had, and hid, passing the time very slowly. To anyone else, it would have been painfully slow, painfully lonely, but the Elementalist’s weren’t created to feel so many emotions…And, if it wasn’t for the warlocks telling them and cursing them to feel ‘revenge’ and feel that it was wrong to be ‘ordered’ around, perhaps they wouldn’t have felt those emotions either…   The child within questions now, why he had not thought to check the continent of Gorde first? He had not thought that something like this would be here all that time ago…Why he had not looked after them better, but…It was not a time to think of this! Shifting to his human form, the child within put out Ethan’s hand and put out an Omega and Alpha aura to entice all of the Elementalist’s over and to be absorbed by him. With Ethan’s Omega blood and wolf surging inside of him, then his own Alpha blood and wolf combining, the Elementalist’s could not help but succumb to the calling of their master, to become one once again. One by one, fire ‘arms’ with veins, earth with veins, water with veins, wind with veins and metal with veins connected to the child and the Elementalist’s started to break down. Ethan’s body started to grow, as the child in his womb grew, and with the last lot of water, fire, air, metal and earth traveling into the hand of Ethan’s, a very gruesome thing happened…   Ethan could taste the blood escape his mouth, but the pain was unbearable… He yelled out, spat out, vomited and breathed hard, only to hear a voice, “I’m sorry.” Unable to move much of his body, Ethan looked up at the adult in front of him and found himself unable to focus. The child within, now a fully-grown adult, put a bind over Ethan, putting him in suspended animation. By using the five elements, that he now had full control over, air was used for breathing, water was used so that Ethan would not dehydrate, earth was used to help bind the wounds with fire and metal was used to cover the body, securing it from the outside world. Ethan may still survive…   Well…The Alpha thought, he used to be a lot more powerful then this…It seems that his power has indeed fallen by half… Looking down at his ‘father’, who was covered now by metal, the Alpha male sighed, “For bringing me back, I will try my best to keep you alive…” He wasn’t sure if it’ll work or not but…He’ll try… There was only one person that he has let himself like so far in this life, and that was this poor soul. He had felt that weak want from Ethan, which was to protect him, even with all that he had done to him. It had made him sad, with how things had turned out, especially with hurting the person that he liked the most…   Before the Alpha left with a floating metal container, supported by rushing air, the Alpha did what the Elementalist’s could not do and combined all of the nature energy into one ball of elemental power. Within his palms, there was a metal core, surrounded by hot fire, that not only heated the metal but was strengthened by air, then around that was a toughened exterior of earth and water, dried out by air, to make the ball of elemental power hit its target harder…To blow up afterwards! Turning, the Alpha narrowed his eyes to the continent in the distance and used his air power to shoot up into the air and descend some of these explosive, elemental balls of power, upon several of the rock golems down below. Loud noises surrounded a half of the smaller continent and there were dents in the surface in many places, before the Alpha turned back towards the metal container, ready to go back…   At first, there had been one big, humongous rock golem, the Elementalist’s had done rather well in surviving it and cutting it down in size but now…There wasn’t just one, there were quite a number of them and the Alpha male really could see the dilemma in how this had slowly become a problem over the last few centuries. One big one may have been easier to handle, then so many of these smaller bastards! But still, the Alpha male was confused upon the big rock golem, as he was still sure that it hadn’t been there when he had condemned the Elementalist’s to come here… Using the elements, as they were used on the way to this continent, the Alpha male went back across the sea, to search out the warlocks…As he would need warlock powers to steal life, to help Ethan…His father…To survive!   Seeking out these warlocks gave something for the Alpha to do, on his way back to the continent of Sollace on top of some earth that was crossing the sea. With Ethan confined and already taking some of his powers, the Alpha was slightly upset to see that he could go faster but just didn’t have the power to do so. The trip took twenty hours, but by then he had found that the warlocks seemed to have come from their continent, to the continent of Sollace… How he knew this was because, just like the Elementalist’s, the Alpha was also a part of the warlocks…He had made them too after all…   The Elementalist’s were rocks, with elemental powers inserted into them, but the Alpha had done something different with the warlocks. He had instead placed the warlock’s magic inside a person or two and from there let the magic take root into the next generations. The magic didn’t call out to him, like the Alpha had originally thought it would, no, if anything, it was quite loyal to the person that it was born into… Getting this power back might be a bit of an issue…Especially if he has to go against both the warlocks and the Shifter’s at the same time! Well then…It might be time to go and see his other father! He knew that this other father of his had made his father upset and lonely…So, he’ll have to punish him!     Damien’s POV (Just before Ethan was placed into suspended animation.)   I fell to my knees… Putting my hands to my head, with blurry eyesight, I shook my head in fear… I bit my lip, and blinked…Many times… Taking deep breaths, I looked around and tried to think of something else…Anything else… I didn’t want to believe that the heartbreaking, the most hurtful and deep agonizing feeling was… My head hit the ground, making me aware that I had fallen even further now, and I put a hand to my heart and clenched it into a fist… Just like that… No! No! I won’t accept it! “Alpha Rendall?” I shook my head, even though it was still on the ground and pulled at my hair… No! “Alpha Rendall!?”   Breathing even more heavily, I couldn’t move. I was stuck! I didn’t want to accept this, but I wasn’t a fool either. I knew, that deep down, what this meant! I knew, that this heart wrenching pain had a meaning…I just didn’t want to admit it! “Alpha Rendall!” With shaky breaths, and feeling trembles going through me, I slowly sat up on my feet and looked at Alpha Lorez, who was looking at me with wide eyes…Much like my own... After a moment, he started shaking his head, “…I don’t believe it…” I swallowed, I didn’t know what to think, say or anything. I was completely lost. “It can’t be…” No, it can’t be! Getting up once, to fall back down once again, I tried a second time and shakily took a step but… What was I doing?   I had not…Where was he? Where was my precious? I didn’t know. A day ago, I went to look for him, but someone stated that he wasn’t in the room and I thought…I thought that he was mad at me. I was just letting go of my anger, I was just about ready to speak to him again and thought that I’ll wait for him…Why…Why hadn’t I looked for him earlier, even if I was angry? Did he perhaps leave because…Because of me? Yet, this thought only came to me now…Now that I felt this pain… No, he couldn’t have killed himself…He…He might have been found by Owen or someone who was to kill him on Owen’s orders…Or…Or the Elementalist’s, they…They could have done this and gone back on their words! It wouldn’t be…Self harm…It just can’t be! No matter how I thought about this though, back a day ago, I could only do things the old way and hope someone could have watched him or something because I couldn’t get to him through our link. These people are watcher’s…They should know where he went! After finding out that my precious had done something completely out of the ordinary and had gone out of the boundary but was fast and disappeared all of a sudden, I thought he would return, but…Never…   I looked at Alpha Lorez but couldn’t speak. Watching Alpha Lorez shout out to his pack, to find ‘His Majesty’, I stand there, nearly falling every few seconds… It would be wise to check…His room… Why wouldn’t he be in his room? That’s right, his wolf probably just wanted to run around, and someone didn’t notify me that he had returned… Squeezing my eyes shut, I bit my lip and let out a sob… What the hell is going on!? Why, all of a sudden… I wasn’t going to stay mad at him but… I noticed he was acting strange but I never…Never thought that… Putting a hand to my face, I sobbed again, unable to stop now. That feeling…That link…It was broken… I no longer felt, heard or even had any idea of where he could be… Precious! This time…When I fell, I wasn’t able to get back up. I sobbed, my shoulders trembling with my sadness …   ***     Third Person   The impasse with the Shifter’s turned towards a war after that. The ones who had been on His Majesty’s side were threatened to do a blood pact or die, due to being unfaithful to the throne, and…When it seemed that an army of Shifter’s were on the way to The Watcher’s Pack. Everyone disappeared. Upon Beta Owen’s Shifters coming to the borders of The Watcher’s Pack, it was abandoned completely. The place wasn’t really in a disarray, it just looked more like a ghost town. It was a strange matter, to those who had come to stop the opposing faction, as they never thought that the Shifters would really have a war, but to a point, they were glad that they didn’t have to fight their own kind…

(Ethan’s POV)   Going straight to my mother’s hiding space within the palace, after seeing the Queen, Damien and I might be holding hands, but I was lost in my thoughts. “Your Majesty!?” I looked up to see a maid and blinked. Straightening up, I became the ‘King’ and looked at the maid with questions in my eyes. From what I know…She was standing right outside where my mother was being kept… After a moment of silence, Damien held my hand tighter all of a sudden, and I looked up at him in puzzlement. “Mine!” Uh? I know I was his… “Stop staring at other people!” …Oh! I let out a small chuckle and when I looked back at the maid, I remembered I was supposed to act as King and straightened myself back up again. “I would like to see my mother.”   “Your Majesty…I was told that you would have heard…” “Heard what?” I had…A bad feeling about this! The maid looked somewhat scared and…Was that pity? Sorrow? “…Your mother passed away.” Silence overcame the corridor that was quite dark… I wanted to speak…But I didn’t know what to say… How could she just die? …Maybe I heard it wrong… Finally opening my mouth, all I could utter was, “…What?” “She…” The maid bowed her head more deeply and went silent. “When did she die?” I heard Damien speak, as I was unable too. To be honest, I had not accepted this in the least… How could she just die? “…Not long after His Majesty’s last visit. I was told that you will be informed immediately.” The maid had her head bowed and spoke in a small voice, only making me more and more restless. Could it be…True? But…   When I last visited… “…My last visit? That was…Months ago!” I was starting to get really angry. Even if I was in denial about her death, this type of news was a bit…Shocking! So…It mustn’t be true, she can’t be dead! Yet…I had a niggling feeling inside of me go a bit numb… …At first, I was shocked, but hearing this, when it has been months! What was going on!? “Yes, she seemed to have died in her sleep, Your Majesty. She had left a secret letter to you, that was why I am still here. As I had to hand it to you personally.” I swallowed…My mother…Was gone? Just like that… We didn’t even become close…Ever… I wanted to show her Chance…Damien… I wanted to ask about my father… Why is she dead!?     Without knowing, the maid had left to get this letter, because Damien had told her too, while I was trapped in my own thoughts. I couldn’t believe months had gone by and that I had never known! Why was I the last to know about everything important! I didn’t even know about the Elementalist’s until I visited The Surveillance Pack! Now, after months, I didn’t even know my own bloody mother had died! …I really was starting to feel inadequate all over again! “Ethan! Hey!” Blinking, I see a hand going over my eyes and then Damien in front of me. “Here. Let’s read it away from prying eyes, hey?” What? I looked around and found that the maid had gone, and it was just the two of us once again. I slowly took the letter and looked at it… “Sweetheart, come here.” He took me into his embrace, and I put my head onto his shoulder. I hadn’t really been affectionate with my mother, nor did I know much about her, perhaps… Closing my eyes, I tried to picture her, yet had troubles. Settling into the news now, I accepted the truth and realized that it had only been shock that had made me speechless before…Well, that was what I thought it as… Feeling like my fate really had some vendetta against me, I tightened my hold over my mate, still holding the letter in my hand. “…You really didn’t know?” Damien asked gently. His voice soothed me, just like his embrace, and I shook my head. “…This is really getting strange, precious, we need to try and figure out what is going on in your own castle!”   I wished I could laugh, because it was funny. I never felt like I owned this place, yet here I am feeling like I should own it. I nodded once again and smiled, he was everything I needed, I didn’t need a castle! Strangely though, I felt the dominance of a King, that I had slowly learnt to get over the years, and decided that it was about time that things changed around here… I felt weird thinking those two things straight after one another…Here I am stating I don’t want anything, then stating that I was going to change my castle to make it my own… Pulling back, out of his embrace, I smiled at him, “Ok…Let’s read her letter.” Damien and I then made our way towards the water hole and he walked around, suddenly telling me that ‘here’ would be a good spot. I looked around and found that rocks and trees did surround that area and nodded. I wasn’t going to make a big deal about how obvious Damien was in making sure we were by ourselves. In fact, I felt blessed that he was there, as I might have been a bit emotional at this time if I were alone. Such a blessing he was… Opening the letter, I took a deep breath and read my mother’s handwriting,   Ethan, I haven’t much time, so I will write to you. Don’t trust Owen, he is planning something bigger then you can image. He is using you and may even use my grandchild Chance to get rid of the threat upon the royal line. Once the threat is gone, and trust me, he’s patient to wait, he has plans! He is mates with your half-sister, and she survived the burial. I sent my maid to investigate her, since I know where she was hidden, and they finally have a son! This son is obviously someone that could be next in line to the throne and I’m sure that he plans to make his son the King in the future. Before he poisoned me, he told me that I will see you as soon as the threat is gone! Obviously, he plans to kill you! I don’t know how long this will take to get to you, but you must take care of yourself and stay alive. Owen cannot be trusted! I’m sorry we weren’t close, and I had every intention to talk to you about your father beforehand, but it looks like I won’t be able too. I love you. Have all this time! Mum.   I let out a laugh, putting my hand down, still holding the letter. I never thought that Owen was as bad as this! He did overstep lines between master and servant, but I never thought…Ever… I let out another laugh and shook my head. Why? Why do I have to overcome so many things!? I didn’t even want to become King back then, now I find out that I was forced to do so, just to help get rid of this threat looming over the royal line!? I had wanted to wait, to meet my destined mate, but no, I had to take another mate and have a child, only for that child to be a part of somebody else’s scheme? Right, it was a scheme…The whole thing! The entire idea of me becoming King, and having a child, was a scheme to help get rid of the threat! Owen…He wanted me to go through all this, so that in time he is to find a way to get rid of these Elementalist’s…Then… ‘Obviously he plans to kill you!’ I really…Had no words… I didn’t even know how to feel right now…   All this time I was being used, to get rid of a threat to the royal line, so that Owen’s… And this was why I wanted to laugh. He was training myself and Chance to keep an eye on us, to keep himself in our lives. Chance… Fisting my hands with the letter, I felt an anger rise through me like I’d never felt anger before. I was…Raging inside! How dare he!? “Hey, Ethan...” I focused, seeing Damien in front of me, with his hands on the sides of my face. He looked worried and I closed my eyes, not sure on what to do or say. It looked like…My mother was killed, my own child is being used and myself as well, we were both just a pawn… I was holding a big lie that could mean the loss of loyalty to the throne and I was overcome with way too much! Especially since…No wonder Owen…Maybe it would be a logical way of getting rid of me without getting his hands dirty…All he would have to do is tell everyone about me being an Omega… Was that how he was planning to deal with me, when his son is all grown up?   “Sweetheart, no matter what the obstacle is, even if the world is against us, we will fight…Right?” I took a deep breath in, and then nodded, “…Fight…” I hardly ever cared enough to fight back, especially when I felt like I had no right to…But my beautiful mate was really… How could I had ever thought that I never needed him!? Right now…He was all I needed! Us…Against the world! It felt laughable, as I was sure I would get more on my side, yet…In the past, and going to other packs, some of them really valued Owen… This might be a long fight… Putting a hand up to Damien’s face, I smiled. He gave me courage, among so much other things…In just one day, I felt utterly blessed that we had met, that we had finally come to be together. He was becoming…My rock…   If whatever my mother said was true, then…Owen was my enemy, as well as Elementalist’s… Dropping my hand and looking away from Damien, the emotions started to pile up with my thoughts. Remembering Owen saying something about enemies, I let out a short sob… How could he say that to me, when he was the enemy!? Wiping my eyes, I felt Damien’s lips on my cheek and the sparks helped me snap out of my thoughts. “Let’s shift and have a silent conversation, precious. I don’t want anyone to know about this letter and our thoughts.” How sad…A King having to worry about what he talks about! Perhaps, this is what it was really like to be King after all… Now that I decided to keep an eye on Owen, that I doubted him, this is how I had to act… I nodded, and we stripped and shifted. Upon our ‘chat’ we were side by side and spoke of ideas and advice. We brought up a couple of plans and spoke of what was on our minds. Damien was more of the shot first, ask questions later…Whereas I was the one that wanted to make sure of things, before the trigger is used. I worried about any innocents that might get hurt in the process… He wouldn’t get angry at me though, in fact, it seemed to do the opposite as he snuggled into me, rubbing and the occasion lick with his big tongue.     For hours we were there near the water hole, and before we left, we reread the letter one more time and put it into a fire. …We had come to a conclusion. We know for certain that Owen may truly be our enemy…We know that we did have another enemy, and that was the Elementalist’s. We know that I now had doubts to at least start to find evidence against Owen’s presumed actions, but I was not ready to kill him. Throughout my young years he had been there for me, and it’s hard sometimes to see him as someone who would be using me, but my guard was now up against him, that was for certain! I was going to get my castle back and win the pack’s hearts to my side! I was going to take control and have even thought of coming out sooner, rather then later, to state that I was an Omega! There were two reasons for this, one was because I didn’t want to lie anymore and two, because it’ll be one less thing that Owen would have against me. I was also going to stop the threat to the royal family completely!   Another thing that we both agreed upon, was that of finding more information. Damien’s pack was going to migrate back, closer to the north here, and he was going to get them to ask some of the elder’s in packs some questions. Those questions were not quite thought of yet, but it was a start into finding out the truth in all this! Especially if they could find Ethan’s half sister and confirm if she has a son. And even if she has a son, would they really be their enemies? I wanted to think that she wasn’t, yet Damian could only think the worst at the moment. The most important thing to Damien…Was my safety. Safety from the Elementalist’s and safety from…My so-called family… As far as I was aware, my half sister and her daughter had survived the burial, and…It seems that the only safe place…Was here at the palace…For some reason that I don’t understand. I was interested in the reason why the Elementalist’s didn’t come here. But Damien had continued on a slightly different topic by stating that Owen may have had a few children in the long time since the late King’s death and that his son might still be young. So, we had to keep an eye on the palace and potentially try to find if my half sister was here or not. It was…Just one big problem after another!

Damien’s POV   Just as I started to cum, my precious ended up cumming as well, making everything all that more crazier for me! His trembling, his heavy breathing, his moans and groans, his saying my name. It was so perfect! Slowing down, I laid back down and held him tight to myself. “Mmm…So sudden…” I heard a shy little laugh and felt him shrink a bit against me, making me only want to cuddle him closer. I kissed his neck, feeling him shudder, making me feel even more crazy! “I…” I laughed at his attempted conversation and said, “You what?” He covered his face with one of his arms and I laughed again, moving it away. His red checks and eyes, that were looking away, made me kiss him in near laughter. He was the most gorgeous Shifter, no, the most gorgeous out of everything in the world!   Ah! That’s my precious! Getting his response back while I kissed him, I continued to intimately investigate his mouth and felt his arms once again go around my neck. Mmm…So easily passionate! Turning and bringing him up onto my lap, as I sat up, I again took his mouth and hugged him to me. Pulling away, I put my forehead against his and we were quiet as we waited to stop breathing so heavily. “It’s nice that you are awake a bit more for two days in a row!” With saying this, I felt him snuggle into me and put his head against my shoulder. “Then…I feel bad…” “What? Why?” I asked, trying to look down at him…Seeing his eyes shut… “…I’m tired…” …Ah…You’re kidding me! I was getting ready for round two! Sighing, I then kissed him on this forehead and let him be. I know I could be sexually excited and all but both Hexxah and I didn’t want to make things hard on him in any way. If he needs sleep so much, that he falls asleep in seconds, then how could we wake him up!? I will just cuddle him a bit more though, I’m not letting him go just yet!   Holding onto him, I put my head back against the bed and took a deep breath, then looked down at the already sleeping Ethan. Extremely precious… Moving a bit of his hair, I tenderly looked at him and kissed him on his forehead. He really wasn’t as I expected… What happened today had put me beyond expectations and I really think I fell in love with him all over again. I think he was a bloody idiot, but his swift control and courage…His way of words and how he is doing things his way… He had been someone wanting to prove his worth, someone that wanted to be heard, even though there wasn’t any clear evidence. Ah, and the way he uses his Alpha aura, man…I never thought I liked any Alpha trying to do that to me, but it only made me more proud of him!   He used it in times where he needed to, not all the time, and I couldn’t help but think that he was quite a good King, even if he wasn’t my mate. He just wasn’t all that smart about it! …He was too innocent… Ah, he really scared the hell outta me though and I have no idea on how to go on about this now! Sighing, I placed Ethan into the bed and then decided that I should try and clean up for him. No wonder he was so tired now, he had probably put in a lot of effort to what he did and had felt tense till now, since yesterday… Seeing him look so comfortable confused me, because of the mess that he’s created, but I have to admit…Seeing him like this was something I was happy for.   Leaving my precious, after cleaning him up and tucking him in, I walked out of the room and made my way back to the new ‘throne’ room. “…It’s not that I’m taking sides! What I’m saying is that it seems that both Beta Owen and His Majesty are fighting and had brought us into it!” Walking into the room, I saw two groups of Shifters, looking at each other. “Then why are you all for His Majesty when he’s lied to us all this time!?” Seeing Alpha Louis questioning things, when he had really started to become part of His Majesty’s allies, made me vexed! “Did you not hear?” I said, coming right into the middle of the groups and looking at Alpha Louis, “His Majesty had been twelve when Beta Owen took him in. He was brought up to think that lying about being an Omega was alright. He told us that Owen told him that was for the best…” Alpha Louis frowned and interrupted me, “Are you blaming Beta Owen for doing the best he could, to bring up a King? An Omega King at that!” Oh, so however I fight this, you’re going to be mad!? I took a step closer towards him then, and said, “His Majesty just wants to start fresh, why do you think he told you everything!? He’s asking for a chance!”   “I’d feel a lot better if I was not forced into a blood pact.” Hearing this, I turned to Alpha Monk and glared at him. Go on, just ruin everything for your King, you idiot! “He went on and on today about not wanting to force us into a blood pact, but did he ever consider giving my blood back?” I shook my head and continued to glare at him. “What a hypocrite!” One stated from behind me, then another stated, “This is a mess! We don’t want to do a blood pact but if we aren’t to do one, does that mean we’ll be casted away from Beta Owen?” “Do you hear yourselves!?” I yelled out, getting angry, “Your King just told you to make a choice, are you really saying you still rather be with Beta Owen, even though he’s an arsehole! He’s not even royalty for fuck sacks!” “I talked to the elders, they said that he was the brother in law to His Majesty, but they didn’t state anything that Beta Owen had done wrong!” I turned to Alpha Louis and shook my head, “Would you regret it? Taking Beta Owen as the regent King and abandoning your real King? Especially now that His Majesty can once again take up his duties!”   I saw them hesitate and then yelled out, “That is what you are doing! You are abandoning your King!” “He said he’d accept our choice!” Alpha Louis yelled back. “Then decide!” I growled. “Like the King stated though, don’t come crying to us if you regret it! You can’t just turn back halfway! That old man will use and abuse you to get what he wants! He will change the way we have lived, to make him more powerful and who knows what us Shifters will be like in ten years!” “I would like to speak to the King.” Turning to Alpha Monk, and narrowed my eyes, “What for?” “I think he should follow what he states just now and stop the blood pact between us. I believe it’s only fair…” I put my hands up in frustration and interrupted him, “Fine! Do as you will! He’s currently sleeping but when he wakes, I’ll make sure that he knows of your request!” Alpha Monk smirked, and nodded, “Thank you!” This was…A massive mess! Precious…Could we have done this a better way!?     Ethan’s POV   It didn’t take me long to get out of being sleepy after awakening. I was bombarded straight away, before I could even eat, by Alpha Monk, demanding that we are to end the blood pact between us. After I got my bearings, I accepted it. I let him have his blood back and could only smile at him as he gave his formal farewell to me. It was not looking good though…As not long after I started eating, it became known that it was just us, the original two Alpha’s and I still here. Alpha Louis had left, whether he was going to Beta Owen or not was a question, but he was not with me… Alpha Monk was now leaving, having gotten what he wanted and now had freedom of choice, but Damien was upset to think that he was Owen’s man from long ago. Alpha Yoon had been imprisoned for attempting to attack another Shifter and Alpha Brown left, unsure on what to do. They didn’t want to stay, yet they didn’t know if they should go to Beta Owen… This…Was only the beginning… And…I was right…   That strange want to defend myself so explicitly seemed to cost me a future and I even went as far as questioning myself upon why I had been so eager to state what I had and not care so much about what they had thought. The aura that had come over me, I really thought that it was from me building it up all these years and just releasing it but…I started to even question that! I know I wanted to do all this, but why hadn’t I trusted Damien more? Why had I done this without his approval…Why had I been so…Eager to state what was on my mind without a care? What was wrong with me!? What is wrong with me!? I didn’t feel normal anymore… Upon finding this out, I was scared…   ***   The struggle of who was to have the power of ‘King’, went on, but I did not go to ‘buy’ anyone’s favor. In fact, I felt really strange and even went out of my way to lose favor. At first, I thought it was a pregnancy thing, but it soon becomes a yearning as the days went by and…The problems with the Shifters didn’t feel as important…In fact, I even started blacking out. Some things I ‘woke’ up to, I find myself outside, looking out at the stars, out to the far horizon to the west and I wondered how I got there. Seeing that Damien only asked why I had locked him out of my thoughts, I just stated that I needed some time to think but…I was a bit scared. I had never wanted to lock him out in the first place! Why had I done that!? What had I done when I blacked out!? What was happening to me? Was this another type of symptom to having silver in my body? Whatever it was, it was scaring me, and I really didn’t have the courage to ask about it…   With the strange feeling of the Shifters not being important, I didn’t even care when I let them all know of my pregnancy…I felt like I had to let them know for some reason…That my pup was…Very special… I hate to admit this, but I didn’t even think of Chance at all. When I realized that I didn’t think of Chance, as I had done this, I felt disheartened. How could I state how specifically special this pup was, without even a care for Chance!? Once I reread the letter, I was appalled with myself and when the Queen came in to scold me, after she had read it…I had no words! I can hardly remember writing it! Why!? Why had I stated such a thing!? It was like I was warning everyone about the pup within me or something! When I couldn’t take anymore of the Queen’s rants, I really had yelled at her! I told her to ‘fuck off’ and I told her to mind her own business!   After the Queen left, crying her eyes out, I fell into a mess into a corner of the room and cried too… Was there such a thing as mind control? Could it happen? Because…I just felt like I was starting to get taken over… The yearning, or whatever it was, became stronger, the blackouts went for longer and soon, I was even scaring Damien… Damien had gotten pissed off with me when I wrote down letters to everyone to state that I was pregnant. So, he had locked me out of his head, and now, that I was miserable and crying in a corner without even him knowing, it made me feel absolutely pathetic and lonely… Yet, even if I wanted to run to him and state out that I was having black outs, I no longer had the courage to! For him, he didn’t seem to think much was wrong, which made me feel irritated because what he saw as me, it wasn’t me! He was mad about something I didn’t even feel like I had done…It was so confusing that I was starting to feel like I was on my own and not strong willed enough to fight this…And just that thought made me really worried. If I can’t fend off what was controlling me, how could I call myself a King in the first place!? I wondered if this was the reason why the Shifter’s weren’t so important at the moment to me…Because at present, my biggest enemy…Or whatever it was…Was myself…   Damien thought that the idea of the letter that was written, was an utterly ridiculous idea, and I tried to get him to calm down, but for once, it had not worked…I suppose I don’t blame him…Not only my safety but his pup’s safety could now be on the line and I had put my life into that situation on my own…It really was starting to look like we weren’t together in this, that we weren’t mates. Even Alpha Lorez was questioning us with his eyes! And just like him, I was wondering what was going on myself! I wish I could question what was taking over my body, but I was just too scared with the fact that I was becoming more and more positive that I was getting mind controlled!   ***

(Ethan’s POV)   Upon returning to the palace, I see Alpha Monk from The Surveillance Pack leaving and I strengthened my pace to catch up to him, “Alpha, may I ask why you’re leaving when you haven’t even seen me yet.” The Alpha had stopped and looked alarmed for a moment, then smiled, “Ah, it is of no importance, Your Majesty. I had come to replace…Items and had only seen Beta Owen briefly. I was just leaving…” “May I then speak with you while you are here, Alpha Monk, I also have some words to say.” Since I was now doubtful of Owen, I couldn’t help but test this Alpha out… Who would he side with? “…Of course, Your Majesty!” I completely reverted into becoming ‘King’ and stood firm in front of him, with Damien to my side, “Alpha Monk, I’d like you to search for my half-sister, so that I can finally met her. I have never met her, and I can also tell her briefly to stay alert. Knowing now that the Elementalist’s are still here, her life may also be in danger.” Actually, this was true, I had no anger towards my half sister and did want to tell her to stay safe, but I also did realize the connection to Owen that this conversation had…It really worked out well!   Alpha Monk didn’t look all that willing, “…Oh…Your Majesty…I have been looking for your half-sister…” Excuses! I interrupted him, “Then I see where your loyalty lies, Alpha Monk.” I watched as he snapped his head to me and stuttered, “…Your…Your…Majesty!” I turned to Damien then, “When we find evidence, it looks like we will have to change some of the statuses in the packs.” Then I turned, firmly walking away. To have brought this up in front of Alpha Monk was the test I nearly had no courage for! If Owen realizes that I was on to him, that would only make things worse! Yet…I needed Alpha Monk to realize that the King himself is questioning his own Beta and that I obviously preferred him to take my side instead… Dam, I was just about to revert back to my natural Omega and run away! Normally, being ‘King’ was a lot easier, but today…It was hard… My mother, her letter, having doubts and now this with Alpha Monk… Stand tall, Ethan, your mate is beside you! Thinking of that, helped tremendously!   “Your…Majesty, please, I’m wrong, I’m wrong. I was…Just surprised by your questions!” I turned, my eyes seeing a new light to probably half the Alpha’s that I’d met… Owen…They are Owen’s Alpha’s…Not mine! …It is about time I call them over to their King’s side instead! “Surprised, Alpha Monk, or worried? Perhaps someone has a better hold over you then me, the current King of Shifters!” Plainly, I spoke of his loyalty, already have threatened him also…Now, I was hoping I would not have to do anymore and that his loyalty will come back to me! After all, I wasn’t a nasty person…I didn’t want to blackmail or take his family away, just to have him come to my side. What I needed him to see was exactly this, which I believed…Was enough… …If and Alpha wasn’t loyal to the King of Shifters, then why should they stay an Alpha? “No! Never, Your Majesty, I am your Alpha!” Narrowing my eyes, I replied, “I don’t believe you!” He took a small step towards me and then bowed his heavily worried eyes down. Suddenly, he fell to the floor, onto his knees and showed me his neck. He conceded to me…But…Was this enough? Wouldn’t Owen try to obtain him back to his side before even the end of the day? “And how long does this last? Until you leave the palace?” I mocked. “No! I am your Alpha, my King!” Finally, I felt like Alpha Monk was serious…But was he completely sincere? “Swear it, I want to see you do a blood oath!” Damien stated, using his own Alpha aura to intimidate the other. I know Damien was being harsh here, but it is obvious to me that Owen has too many on his side, and at least getting Alpha Monk to my side will help tremendously, considering he’s the Alpha of The Surveillance Pack. I couldn’t help but nod and state, “I agree, at this time, I think I need more evidence of your loyalty.” “Your…Your Majesty?” Again, I saw Alpha Monk’s unwillingness and it made me angry!   Seeing him question me like that, made me sneer at him, “Then don’t bother, you will be replaced shortly.” Again, I walked away, hating the fact that he was not like Damien. Someone so willing, someone so happy to make me feel at ease… Hell, I’d do a blood oath in return if they wanted me too! I want both Damien and any other to know that I am willing to put my life on the line to keep people safe! To look after them all and do the best I could for all of the packs…But I need help to do that! I needed Alpha’s ready to do as asked straight away, at least then I’d know they were loyal to me! “I…I…Your Majesty…” I continued to walk away, until I smelt blood, making me stop completely in my tracks. When I turned around, I saw Damien take the other Alpha’s wrist and forcefully move him towards me. It was not something another can do, I knew that…For one to make a blood oath, it reflects upon the willing heart and Damien couldn’t force it…So, this blood, it was made by Alpha Monk himself, Damien was just making it easier for me to consume. I took a drop of blood in my mouth and Damien let him loose. “What did…That person have over you?” Alpha Monk looked completely defeated and after a sigh, he stated, “…He…They said that you were an Omega and that he will bring someone else upon the throne who isn’t. He…They, told me that we needed you to help clear the threat first though, so I was not to make any strange movements.”   I didn’t get it, I was still shocked… I knew that Owen had this over me, I knew that he would use it one day, I knew it! But hearing that I was an Omega from a third party, someone who I’ve barely spoken too before…It…Shocked me… “…How long?” I asked, after clearing my throat. It seems both Damien and Alpha Monk had caught on that I had said no name. I had not stated ‘Owen’ this whole time, and neither have they… The next problem was…Footsteps could be heard coming towards us… “From the beginning, Your Majesty. Since your father, King Tailor, had died. That person then got hold of the King’s belongings…” Alpha Monk spat it all out, no longer the same unwilling Alpha as before. The blood oath was now working, and he was loyal to me…I could feel it… His Alpha blood hadn’t worked straight away, but I felt it start to become one with my Omega blood and enhance my senses within the Surveillance Pack. I knew the connections to Alpha Monk, how many were connected and felt an ‘opened’ type of boundary into his mind. It wasn’t clear, it was blurry, I didn’t know his thoughts, nor names of his packs, but I was now a lot more connected to him. But now, that he spat everything out so willingly, I finally caught on to what he had said… “King’s belongings?” I asked, still somewhat stuck in my thoughts… “…What is going on here!?” Owen’s voice interrupted us. There was simply no time left! I turned to Owen and wanted to turn away from him straight away. He looked angry, but to me he was the strange one and that I should be that one that was angry! “Alpha Monk, what have you done to His Majesty!?” Owen yelled out. Since having doubts of him, I never realized how firm his voice always was…Like he was the boss, the leader…The one in charge…   Keeping calm, I turn back to the Alpha, still bowed before me, and quickly came up with a reason for his release, “You may leave, Alpha Monk. Please be certain that you find a solution to how we can deal with the Elementalist’s. It is not just my safety to worry about, my son Chance, his life has been threatened too!” “No, tell me now why he’s kneeling, did he hurt you?” Owen’s voice cut in as Alpha Monk started to stand. I heard the want to know in Owen’s voice, the want to know everything! To be in charge…How could I have never heard it so much before!? I turned to Alpha Monk, and then said, “You may leave, what are you waiting for!?” Alpha Monk got up, quickly bowed and left, not giving Owen a glance. The test was now complete… Turning back to Owen, I then shrugged, “What are you getting all mad about?” It was hard to remember how I used to act with him…For so many years, I felt like I could call him my brother and father…But now…I just wanted to drag out some questions out of him and ask him, why!   “Why was he kneeling?” He asked once again. “Can’t my subjects kneel to me, the King? Why make it sound like it never happens?” I couldn’t help it…It was showing! My rebelling against him was really becoming obvious! “…I was just worried…That you were hurt.” Doubt it! I smirked, “Ah! I see.” Then, without further words, I walked towards the palace. “Your Majesty…” Owen chased after me, while Damien walked behind us. I wanted him next to me, but I was still in ‘King’ mode and simply could not soften up right now with Owen right here. If I changed, I might let everything out of the bag! And as it was, I was worried that my rebellion against him had already been too noticeable! Was it obvious that I felt doubtful towards him, that I wanted to ask him if he killed my mother! If he was going to use both me and Chance, just so that it was safe for him and his son to take the throne? I wanted to ask him why, why did he remove me from my mother…Was it really…Was it really just to use me as sacrificial pawn? If his plans didn’t put our lives in danger, I might have just given the throne over to him! But no, we…We could be getting used! No, we are… I couldn’t stop walking, and Owen continued to speak to me…   “Why are you being like this, Your Majesty!? Since you have met your destined mate, am I of no longer any concern to you!?” His voice made me want to laugh…Because…When was I ever a concern to him? When did he really care for me!? Uh? I stopped and turned to him then, putting my hands behind me, “And what am I to you, Owen? Have I not made you proud? For many years now, I have been King and we are now starting to travel out of the palace, soon we will find a way to protect ourselves and the royal family will be safe once again. We have gotten one step further and next time…” I put my hand into a fist in front of him, and smiled. Owen looked at my fist and smiled back, “Yes, Yes, my King, you are right. I am proud of you! I have made preparations for you to leave once again, to continue your last outing. It will commence in just a few days.” I wanted to show him how disappointed I was to his answer. But…I, instead, smiled and nodded. “Then when you know for sure, tell me so that I can spend extra time with my son before leaving!” Then I continued to walk off. I hoped I didn’t give away any type of doubt that I held in my heart for the old man, that he didn’t know that I will be looking for evidence from now on…That…As the time is moving on…I will be able to pronounce a judgement for his potential crimes and do it fairly…   Damien caught up with me, when Owen was out of sight, and I immediately lost my King act and put my hands around him. “You did well.” He kissed me on the forehead and picked me up. Snuggling into him, I took in his scent and calmed down substantially. Looking at the clock on a wall, I smiled, “Dinner time, do you remember how to get to the dining room?” “Mmm.” He didn’t put me down until we were there, and he took my hand in his as he led me to the ‘King’s’ seat. This time the Queen didn’t run away and just smiled at us. It really was a nice welcoming party this time and I couldn’t help but feel better after that confrontation with Owen. Chance was also there, in his highchair and I got off my chair and played with him while we waited for dinner. Going under the big table, behind Damien and the Queen, to hide and suddenly pop up out of ‘nowhere’, it made Chance’s laughter fill the room. Thank you, my boy! He made me feel even better! And with Damien there, I felt full, so full that I was overflowing!   So many problems, yet, so many heart-warming memories that I can remember at any time! Just as I went to sit down, as the food was finished being served, Damien pulled me into him and gave me a huge kiss, right in front of everybody! “Geez, if you don’t want to eat, just go to bed!” I turned to the Queen, red cheeks and all, seeing her teasingly smile at me and I sat down, leaving Damien’s embrace. Before I could do anything though, his hand took one of mine, and I was eating with one hand once again…I guess, I might have to get used to it… Well, something like this wasn’t a problem! I loved how he was possessive like this, I felt it in my very bones! I was wanted…I was needed! And that felt so great to me that even if Owen had plans to do what I was told he might do and accomplishes it…I would still die happy!