by L. S Bethel
“Don't question my loyalty. My family has served this country for generations. While yours, yours fought against the crown,” Satori reminded Kyril.
Kyril gave a half-smirk. “Ah, yes, my father did love telling stories about defeating your family in battle. I'm sure your grandfather died honorably.” Satori jumped up ready to charge at Kyril only to be stopped by Yu.
“Why are you here?” Yu demanded.
“I wanted to offer you a chance to be the loyal man you claim to be and helping the people.”
“You mean helping the Queen,” Satori spat.
“Why must you separate the two?” Kyril sighed. Satori narrowed his eyes. “We can come up with a successful plan together if you are willing.”
“If you want to risk your men, you're welcome to, I will not,” Satori replied.
“Why don't you try caring about the people you always claim you're working for? If we leave the North to fend for themselves Katsuo gains followers. Is it not better to show the people who will fight for them and keep them safe?” Satori didn't want to, but he considered Kyril’s words. He was not wrong. And he had never wanted to abandon the people, but the risk had always been too high.
“What is your plan?”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Kang-Dae had just left his study, another headache grating on him. He was about to go lay down when Hui came running up to him with a distressed look on his face. ‘What is it now?’ he thought to himself. “My King, someone has ransacked the medicines!” Kang-Dae rubbed at his temple. He didn't want to deal with this now.
“What was taken?” he asked impatiently.
“It's hard to say. A lot of it was in the secured chest where I keep the more dangerous items,” Hui explained.
“Someone stole poison from you?” Kang-Dae questioned.
“It would appear so my King.”
He shut his eyes in frustration. “Find out who was seen around the area today.”
“I already know my King,”
“And?”
“The Queen.”
Kang-Dae went stock still. “What exactly are you trying to say?” He asked slowly.
“Nothing my King. I just thought you should know,”
“Know what?” Kang-Dae growled, losing patience. Hui began to stammer.
“I was just reporting what was told to me. I did not mean to accuse the Queen,” he said. Kang-Dae’s fists clenched at his sides, his anger pulsing within him at the mere suggestion of Serenity's culpability.
“I suggest you look into another suspect.”
Hui nodded. “Yes, my King,” He said quickly before scurrying away. Kang-Dae tried to dispel his anger but he couldn't. The idea that Hui or anyone would try to implicate Serenity for something so nefarious was infuriating. He knew his focus should be on the thief and their plans for whatever was taken but he was far too angry.
He went into the room hoping seeing Serenity would provide him with some peace. She was quietly reading on the daybed. The sight managed to quell some of his fury. Her emotional state had improved greatly lately. She smiled more but still not as much as before. She was being affectionate with him little by little. They had not reached the same level of intimacy as they'd had before for that night, but Kang-Dae wasn't disappointed. To her, resuming their relationship was a final seal that she would live out her days here. Kang-Dae knew she wasn't ready to completely accept it just yet. It was alright, Kang-Dae had no problem waiting on her. Even if she never kissed him again, he would be fine. The most important thing was her happiness. What he wanted didn't matter.
Serenity noticed him watching her. She stared at him only for a second before asking, “Is it your head again?” He was impressed at her ability to read him so well in such a short time. He nodded. She put her book down and beckoned him over. He laid his head in her lap as she gently took it in her hands and rubbed at his temples. It was a small relief but the action itself was what meant so much to him. She was taking care of him. Though he didn't deserve it, he could never reject it. “Serenghe,” he said to her.
“You still haven't told me what that means,” she said. He took one of her hands and laid a soft kiss on her fingers.
“Keep studying,” was all he said.
***
“It isn’t working. He’s become even more loyal to her. He won’t even consider investigating her involvement in the theft,” Yoon spoke to his co-conspirator.
“The expectation was not that he would suspect her right away. The main goal was to plant the notion. Once everything begins to come out, he’ll begin questioning everything about her,” the man answered.
“With their excursion to Kah Mah coming up, the King will not be within our reach. It’ll set us back.”
“Once they return, we’ll increase his exposure. In the meantime, in their absence, this will grant us an opportunity to mold the people’s opinion of their Queen. We can start in the palace, poison the nobles against her. They will be the easiest to turn.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Serenity's feet refused to move. In her absentmindedness, she’d forgotten that going on this adventure required getting on a ship, more importantly facing the water. She'd honestly thought she would be okay since she had braved the lake that when she thought she was going home, but she supposed it was her desperate desire to see her family that had helped her overcome it. Without that, the fear had returned full force and now it was accompanied by that soul-crushing sorrow as the memories of that night resurfaced. If she could just make it to the ship, she would be fine, but one step onto the dock had left her paralyzed. She could almost feel that coldness seeping in once more. That horrible feeling of her body being completely at the mercy of the rough river had emerged causing her heart to race erratically.
‘I can't do this,’ she thought taking a step back right into Kang-Dae’s chest. “Shut your eyes.” She felt the rumble of his voice as he spoke. Suddenly turning back to look at him seeing his warm brown eyes staring down at her. “Do it,” he prompted. She obeyed without question. As soon as she did, she felt herself being lifted. Her arms instantly reached out to wrap around his neck. Even though she could no longer see the water ahead knowing she was heading over it continued to fill her with dread. She clung to him a bit tighter. “Did you know you talk in your sleep?” Serenity moved her head to where she assumed Kang-Dae’s face was.
“What?”
“You talk in your sleep. Very interesting things, I must say.”
Confused as to why he was bringing up this obvious lie, she retorted, “no I don't.”
“Yes, you do. I do not know what you were dreaming about last night, but I believe you said something about catching the flying poodle because it was too cute to live.”
Serenity's jaw dropped. She didn't recall having any dreams last night let alone one where she had homicidal tendencies toward small dogs.
“I -I didn't,” she continued to protest weakly.
“What exactly is a poodle and how does it fly? Do you normally try to kill things that are deemed too cute in your world?” He asked only making her embarrassment that much stronger.
“No! And I didn't say that that!” she whined burying her face in his neck to hide her embarrassment.
“I am very certain you did.”
“Did not.”
“You did.”
“No, I didn’t”
“But you did.”
She opened her eyes so she could look him in the eyes before killing him only to pause when she saw they were no longer outside. Inside what she assumed was their cabin on the ship she stared up at him with confused eyes while he just smiled.
“We are here.” he set her down gently although she still had to study herself due to the movements of the ship. She was shocked that he'd managed to carry her the entire way and kept her from him thinking about her overwhelming fears. She wrapped her arms around him.
“Thank you,” she said so grateful for his actions, grateful for him.
He responded with a kiss on top of her head.
The trip to Kah Mah was not a long one, which was good because Serenity didn't know how long she could stay cooped up below deck. She was unwilling to take a chance of going above. She entertained herself with books she’d brought, braiding her hair (she even taught Kang-Dae, so he could help her), stories from Kang-Dae’s childhood, and long dinner conversations with Amir who’d joined them on their trip. Amir’s father was from Kah Mah, so he knew the language and culture better than Kang-Dae. He had insisted on accompanying them, wanting to help with the negotiations. Serenity enjoyed his company, having not spent too much time with the youngest councilmember. He was more mild manner than the rest and seemed to lack a bit of confidence here and there, but he was kind and clever. According to Kang-Dae, his father had grown ill and wanted Amir to take his position. Kang-Dae allowed it because he had grown up with Amir and knew he would do the job well.
After only two days of sailing, they docked. The first thing Serenity saw when she opened her eyes while still in Kang-Dae’s arms was a line of people before them. They were dressed for the warm weather. Though the soldiers wore armor their arms and legs were still exposed. The few women with them didn't wear the many layers that she had been subjected to all these months. The off-shoulder wraps were fitted above a wrap skirt that was brought together with a large sash. Kang-Dae put Serenity behind him protectively while his guard stood in front of both of them. The soldiers in front of them had their hands resting on the hilts of their swords and more than a few of them had bows out with the arrows in a resting position. The man who stood in front of them yelled something in an unfamiliar language. Serenity looked up at Kang-Dae for help, but she could see he was just as confused as she was. The leader repeated himself more aggressively. The guards tensed and their hands went to their weapons. The soldiers unsheathed their swords and several prepared to release their arrows.
Amir’s voice rang out, speaking what seemed to be the same language back to them. The leader paused. Serenity clung to Kang-Dae’s arm. ‘God, please don't let me have brought us here just to die.’ The standoff lasted only a few seconds, but it felt much longer. The leader gave his men a sign with his hand and they all put their weapons down. Amir spoke again, gesturing to Kang-Dae and her. The leader moved toward them. The man looked at the guard expectantly. Kang-Dae figuring out what the man wanted, gave the order for his men to stand down. Once all weapons were away, the line of soldiers parted and a woman, looking to be in her late thirties, with tanned skin, came through. She had a gold headpiece atop her head. Her style of dress matched the women around her but the colors she wore were brighter. The line of men bowed as she came by. Amir stepped forward before he started speaking once more. The woman held up her hand to stop him.
“Welcome to Ka-Mah. I am Prija, daughter of the late King Shin,” she said in very good English. Kang-Dae took Serenity's hand in his.
“Thank you for meeting us.” The queen nodded.
“We have prepared a place for you and your people where you can rest well from your journey. Tonight, we will have a great feast to celebrate your arrival,” Queen Prija informed them. “I hope you find our home most welcoming.” With that said, she turned and began walking off, her man trailing behind her. A couple of the females hung back to lead Kang-Dae and Serenity. Exchanging looks, the couple followed behind.
The place that was prepared for them was a private wing in the palace, which was relatively smaller than their own, but no less extravagant. The main hall was housed in a very large building with multiple dark brown rooves stacked on top of one another. The wooden walls were colored yellow. There were two smaller structures on both sides but with similar designs. Gold statues sat at the entrances.
Their room was moderately sized, and the bed had a large tapestry above it with sheer green curtains falling around it. Serenity was delighted to see she had been given several dresses and outfits for her stay. “Goodbye, hundred-layer dresses,’ she thought to herself gleefully. Kang-Dae hadn’t been too thrilled, especially with the ones that exposed a small part of her stomach feeling it was a bit inappropriate but Serenity just argued that she couldn’t turn her nose up at gifts from the people they were asking for help from. After she had tried one on, his tune had changed considerably. The red and gold dress she wore was fitted, showing off the curves of her body. Completely sleeves less and strapless her arms were bare, allowing the breeze to cool her just right. The dress had a sewed-on sash that lay on her left shoulder and fell behind her, reaching her thigh. Circles of gold were belted around her waist.
The look Kang-Dae was giving her when she emerged brought butterflies to her stomach. She felt naked under his dark stare. Clearing her throat, she reminded him about dinner. He approached her slowly, his eyes never losing their lustful glint. Serenity swallowed hard as his arm slid around her waist making her shiver. “At dinner, I will be sure to thank the queen for her generosity.” He said huskily.
Serenity was blushing like crazy. “We’re going to be late,” she told him trying to redirect his attention from her. Kang-Dae smirked and leaned down to kiss her. Serenity turned at the last second, missing the disappointed look on his face. “Come on. We need to go,” she claimed pulling him by the arm and heading for the door.
The hall they were brought to had high ceilings with a beautiful gold chandelier in the shape of a rose hanging from the ceiling. There were no chairs only mats for everyone to sit at the low tables. Queen Prija arrived last after the food had been set out. Everyone stood as she answered. Serenity wasn't sure what the protocol was when two monarchs meet one another so she followed Kang-Dae’s lead. When he stood, she stood, he however did not bow the way that others had so she followed suit. Once Queen Prija sat, everyone else did as well and it wasn't until she took her first bite that everyone began eating. Serenity looked at the different food around her not sure where to start. Kang-Dae sensed her apprehension and offered her something he thought she’d like. Trusting him, she accepted it and wasn't disappointed.
“I was surprised when our look-out spotted your ships. I wasn’t sure you would come. When I first received word from your people, I thought it was a mistake.” Queen Prija’s low but commanding voice spoke causing the rooms to go silent.
“No mistake. It's been far too long since our two countries had any interactions,” Kang-Dae said.
“This is true, our nations were great allies long ago.”
“I see no reason why it cannot be so once more,” suggested Kang-Dae laying the ground for them to make their plea.
Queen Prija let out a soft chuckle. “I believe our predecessors would disagree.”
“They are not us,” Kang-Dae reply. Eyes shifted back and forth between the two monarchs. Queen Prija took a sip from her cup. Everyone slowly began to focus on the food before them breaking into their own conversations. Serenity placed her hand on Kang-Dae’s knee.
“Let's give it some more time,” she whispered in Xianian. Kang-Dae wanted to continue to press but decided to take Serenity's suggestion. They continued their meal and awaited their opportunity.
After dinner, they were ushered into another hall. This one housed a gorgeous and enormous chair that sat atop multiple steps. A long beige carpet made a path from the chair to the doors. Kang-Dae and Serenity were asked to the front. Queen Prija stared down at them from her throne. Not wanting to draw things out any longer Kang-Dae began.
“We would like to begin anew in our international relations.”
“Oh, and why is that?” Queen Prija inquired.
“Do we need to say?” challenged Kang-Dae.
The Queen smiled. “No, I suppose you do not. Even in our isolation, we make a point to know what is going on out there so we can prepare if dangers are close to our shores.”
“They will not touch your lands,” Kang-Dae said.
“I'm sure you believe that, but we have not prospered this long without being cautious.”
“That
is reasonable.”
“What about what you ventured here for? Is that reasonable?” she questioned.
“We could use your assistance. It will become difficult to keep our people fed during this time. We would like to come to an agreement that can benefit both our people,” offered Kang-Dae.
“And what would that be?”
