Hamstung Imperial Palace
The windows were left open, the curtains swaying restlessly as the night wind rushed in.
With the candles long burned out, the room surrendered to the thick darkness.
The curtains stirred with the wind, briefly parting to allow the pale moonlight to creep in, only to vanish again as the fabric fell back into place.
On the bed lay a single figure, curled beneath a heavy blanket meant to keep out the chills.
As she slept, Joya's body rose and fell, the blanket lifting gently with each breath. In the stillness of the darkened chamber, that quiet motion was the only sign of life.
The night was far gone, left alone for the creepy creatures that emerged in the darkness.
The distant chirping of insects could be heard, and the hoots of owls perched on nearby trees echoed.
Suddenly, the air shifted.
A chill crept into the chamber, unnatural and unexplained.
Joya, still lost in sleep, stirred at the change. She shifted restlessly, turning onto her other side as her body instinctively sought warmth.
She drew the heavy blanket over her shoulders, its coarse fabric rustling softly in the dark.
Her breathing remained slow and even, unaware of the sudden cold that now lingered in the room, settling quietly like an unwelcome presence.
But just as she adjusted the blanket, a sudden rush of wind grazed the side of her face.
Her eyes flew open at once, her breathing turning erratic as the cold bit into her skin.
She remained still for a moment, then slowly adjusted her sight to the thick darkness, blinking several times as her eyes strained to make sense of the room.
With a tired sigh, she threw the blanket aside. Then she climbed down from the bed before moving cautiously across the chamber.
She made her way toward the window, which groaned and rattled as the wind pushed against it.
The curtains thrashed wildly, filling the room with restless, uneasy noises.
Just as she stretched her hand toward the window to pull it shut, a sudden awareness prickled along her spine; someone was behind her.
Her blue, doe-like eyes flicked sideways as her body stilled almost immediately, but her thoughts twisted in a chaotic swirl.
She could feel it: an intense gaze, piercing her from behind, lurking within the darkness.
But in order to chase any thought of awareness from whoever was standing beside her, she feigned, reaching out to close the window as if nothing was wrong.
But her other hand slipped quietly to the knife tucked into a fruit basket on the table, just beside the window.
Her pulse soared with sudden adrenaline when her hand blindly found the knife.
Then it happened.
With a swift motion, she turned, thrusting the knife forward toward the unseen presence behind her.
Her plan was simple: strike first, strike hard.
But before the blade could meet its mark, a strong hand shot out from the darkness, wrapping around her wrist.
It seized her arm midway, stopping her thrust with an unyielding grip.
The cold metal of the knife pressed uselessly against nothing, while her own strength struggled against the firm, overpowering hold.
Her breath caught in her throat as every muscle in her body tensed.
Her gaze crawled upward, searching the darkness, but at first, she saw nothing.
"Who are you? Show yourself!
She screamed, gathering courage.
Then, languidly, a shadow evolved.
The figure that had lingered in the deep darkness of the room stepped forward, moving into the pale, silvery moonlight spilling through the open window.
When Joya could finally make out who the figure was, her heart sank like a stone, and her mouth fell open, words dying unformed in her throat.
Her fingers flexed, both from the chill that had crept into the room and from the sheer dread that radiated from the presence before her.
She remained frozen, caught between fear and disbelief. The moonlight revealed the person fully now, and with that came clarity.
"This is not possible," she murmured, disbelief gnawing at her features.
What she was staring at made her mind reel, a perfect reflection of herself.
Same face, same sharp jawline, same delicate nose, those lips… and those icy blue eyes that seemed to pierce right through her.
It was as though she were staring into an invisible mirror, yet moving independently, alive and breathing.
And yet, deep down, she knew it could not be her.
"Katie?" she whispered, the word tearing from her lips as if speaking it aloud could make sense of the impossible.
Katie's face looked pale, almost white, like that of a ghost.
"You… I thought you had left."
"Run!"
Her voice came in a jagged tone.
Joya felt her heart leap violently in her chest.
"What… what?" she stammered, struggling to make sense of what had just been said.
"Run, Joya! Run!"
Katie's face began to fade away, contorting into something unrecognizable, as if it were melting and losing all shape.
"Wait…run from what?"
Joya's hand shot out but grasped nothing but thin air; it was a ghost, Katie's ghost.
"Katie?"
She now looked around; there was no one there anymore.
"Katie!
...….
Joya jerked awake, gasping for air. Her chest heaved violently, each breath ragged and uneven.
Sweat glistened along her brow and trickled down her face, soaking the hair that clung to her skin. Her hands clutched the blanket as if it could anchor her to reality.
Her heart slowly began to settle, though the echo of the scream lingered in her ears.
It had been a dream.
Only a dream.
She sank back against the pillow, wiping the damp hair from her face, trying to shake the lingering terror.
Katie, she had appeared to her through a dream after months of vanishing.
Joya was scared out of her wits.
"Why did she come?
She had barely had time to ponder the question before the chamber door slammed open.
An outstretched sword was pointed in her direction as a voice cut through the air like steel.
"Seize her!"
.... MOMENTS EARLIER.
The melodious tone of a harp playing in Vagor's chamber lifted the air, making the room a sanctuary to be craved.
The musician, the one entrusted to play, seemed lost in a world of his own, enchanted by the mere rhythm of how his thumb pressed across each string.
"This wine has a fine taste."
Vagor said to Doeg, and he nodded satisfactorily to his comment.
"I save the best for last."
He answered before gulping down the last drop of wine in the cup he was holding.
Vagor was laid out on his bed, legs outstretched, with a single line wrapped around his waist. His upper body was exposed, and that was where his male lover leaned on.
Doeg ran his thumb on Vagor's skin, grazing it with lustful intent. His thumb entangled and pulled on Vagor's chest hair, earning a low grunt from him.
"I have ordered the best wine. Even called upon a musician to play for you, yet you do not seem to be in the mood."
Doeg whispered in Vagor's ear, knowing very well he had the king exactly where he wanted him, drunk and out of place.
"More wine!
Vagor's voice cut through the music across the room where a maid stood dutifully holding up a jar of wine. The maid glided to where he was and refilled his cup with wine before drifting back to her position.
"Stop!
Doeg thundered at the musician, who was still playing the soft music.
"You may leave."
He commanded before climbing down from the bed. The musician, a frail old man skilled in the instrument he was trained in, bowed slightly and then took his leave.
Vagor's brows shot up as he narrowed his gaze to where Doeg was at the corner of the huge chamber, smoking from a smoking lamp.
"Why have you decided to ruin the fun?"
Vagor questioned but got no reply in return.
"I am your king; you will speak to me when asked to."
"And I am human, my lord!
Doeg barked before exhaling a cloud of smoke from his mouth and nostrils.
"I should at least be treated as such. You lure me to your bed and then turn away from me."
"I did not turn away from you, Doeg. I was simply clouded with thoughts."
Vagor replied before climbing down from the bed. The linen wrapped around his waist loosened and then fell to the floor.
The maid standing at the corner quickly looked away; seeing the king's nakedness was a taboo.
Vagor ignored the linen on the floor.
He changed into a nightgown and then made his way to where Doeg was and snatched the smoking lamp from his grip.
"Your thoughts have begun to feed on you. They are all you ever think about."
Doeg said lightly, before going ahead to settle down on a rocky chair. Crossing his legs lazily, he picked up a knife in a fruit basket beside the chair he was seated in.
Picking up an apple, he began to peel off the skin skillfully.
"I have seen her somewhere, the woman Prator brought to the castle."
Vagor murmured, his hand brushing his beard as he spoke. His mind flashed back to when he had caught them in a moment, outside the chamber, laughing happily as Prator tickled her.
He had caught a glimpse of her full face, and now it remained imprinted in his head.
"This is about a woman?"
Doeg questioned with a surprised face.
"Not just any woman. A woman that seems to ring a bell, but her face I cannot quite place."
Vagor said before inhaling from the smoking lamp. He exhaled the smoke from his mouth; it curled into the air before dissipating into the atmosphere.
"Of what value is a woman the chief officer picked up from the slums?"
Vagor cast Doeg a dreadful glare before proceeding to drink from his cup half filled with wine.
"If I remember a woman's face, it must mean she played an important role in my life. I am not into women; the fact that I seem to think about one should arouse you."
Doeg shrugged nonchalantly before taking a bite from his peeled apple. With two more bites, he finished the apple and then jumped to his feet.
"I do not care about your thoughts. What matters to me is that I am all you think about when desire flares up without your groins."
He made his way to where Vagor was, then pushed him to the wall before pressing his face into his neck. Vagor groaned in pleasure, shutting his eyes closed as Doeg laced the nape of his neck with kisses.
"The maid…"
Vagor whispered, remembering there is a maid standing at the corner of the room.
"Let her watch."
Doeg replied, throwing caution to the wind, as his hand pushed through the nightgown, grabbing Vagor's throbbing cock.
Just as Doeg was fully immersed in the moment, Vagor pushed and shoved him aside.
Doeg was surprised but, more than anything, filled with rage.
"Have you lost feelings for me?"
He lashes out before running his thumb along his bottom lip, which was bruised from the intense kiss they had.
Vagor didn't reply to him; he simply stared into thin air, his face blank.
"I remembered her…the woman. I remember who she is."
...PRESENT.
It had all come to this moment.
After all this time of running and never truly escaping her past, Joya found herself being dragged out of the chamber bundled in the hands of the guards like some kind of criminal.
She was pinned down by two hefty guards and made no attempt to break free.
He must have remembered her; definitely, Vagor could not have forgotten her so easily.
The woman whom he had told about his unnatural attraction to men somehow got to the ears of his father.
Now she was finally going to pay for a crime she never committed.
Vagor drew closer to her as she was pinned in place, her face cold.
"I remember who you are."
He began placing the tip of his sword on her chin, forcing her to look at him.
"Your name is Joya."