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2024-10-29 19:42:56I walk down the steps, wincing with every step.
My skin feels stiff, pulling tight beneath my billowy clothing, protesting at my movement. It's been like that for weeks since the incident, most of the scarring having since faded, although still leaving behind irritating remnants.
My physical therapy sessions with one of Tai's healers happens now only once a week. Pain medication is no longer necessary, and I can walk, run and swim as I once did.
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The King’s Possession 39
Midnight snack time.Pressing against my door, I silently pray I won't bump into Tai's strange friends. Especially Arnix, who received a rather firm warning from Tai to stay away from me. Whether he has any reason to listen to his friend or not is another question.I jump as a figure appears in my peripheral vision, standing right at my door."Marek?" I breathe, realising who I'm looking at. He leans against the wall, no weap
The King’s Possession 40
Preparations for the ball took less than a day to set up. Jessa getting me ready felt as though it took longer.My hands are clasped behind me, my palms damp. I've decided that this is the furthest from what I would ever be interested in. I stand in the corner of a room in Tai's estate that I've never ventured to, watching people I've never met dance and drink around me, paying me no mind.I haven't seen Tai since this started, leaving me absently standing by the expensive wine, wondering if I should risk a drink to breeze through the rest of the night. Knowing I've never drank in my life,
The King’s Possession 41
Tai leads me from the ballroom, the gazes of those still inside dancing following us.He doesn't reveal any of his plans until we are out in a foyer, the great expanse of the room making me feel small, the thin fabric of my dress allowing an icy breeze to crawl through it to kiss my skin. I haven't been to this part of the manor, although the grandeur of it suggests it's only for the most prestige's guests.Tai pauses in the middle of the foyer, a pine scented breeze coming through the open w
The King’s Possession 42
I stare at my bedroom door, knowing who lingers outside it.Tai brought me up to my room only twenty minutes ago, having danced with me until my feet ached, which they currently still do. He was almost too polite, telling me firmly not to leave my room before leaving.I may not be planning to leave my room, however it's not as if I'm about to sleep with the alcohol still streaming through my blood. In fact, this strange buzz has me itching to open my door and speak to Marek, who I know is guarding my door like he is supposed to, on high alert due to the increased number of people mulling a
The King’s Possession 43 - Part One
I stare out the window of the carriage, watching the blur of the forest pass by. The last time I was in a carriage like this, it came to a stop and Tai's men interrupted us. Now, not only does Marek sit in front of me, him and his dark clothing nearly melting into the shadows in the corner, Tai sits beside me. Today is the day. Together, the three of us are heading deep into the Jade Provinces main forest, close to my home village outside Tai's territory to kill the Beast. For once, I have no desire to return home, where my mother will be, disgusted by the mention of my name. I'm still numb from that night. Only a few days have passed, and yet every time the thought of my mother passes through my mind, my stomach twists and my heart aches.
The King’s Possession 43 - Part Two
For a moment, there's just darkness, and then I hit water.I don't manage much of a scream as I plummet into the icy cold grasp of pure obsidian coloured water. Pushing up toward the water, I remerge, gasping for air as I cough water from my mouth. Paddling to keep myself afloat, I look up, seeing a bright hole in the shroud of darkness, where two heads look through. I seriously fell from all the way up there?I've either fallen into some elaborate trap created by a hunter, or I'm in some kind of underground pool."Akara!" Tai and Marek yell in unison."I'
The King’s Possession 44
I've never witnessed a more terrifying sight.There is no doubting this is the Beast, standing tall and large at the mouth of the cave, staring at us with striking green eyes, the emerald shade almost exactly the same as the necklace I once wore around my neck, having only tugged it off yesterday morning before we left.It's almost impossible to believe that looking at this creature, it was once human. It stands far taller than all of us, broad shouldered with thick arms that lead down to clenched fists, thick, yellowy claws. There are no clothes on it's muscled, yet bent figure, instead the creature being covered in a coarse layer of brown fur, so damp it's flattened against its skin.
The King’s Possession 45
The panic is unbearable.Crawling on my hands and knees, my body is so numb I hardly notice the painful jabs of sharp rocks against my limbs, my clothing dampening as I fall against Tai's body. His limbs are weighted as I shake him, grabbing a hold of his face with both my hands to try catch a glimpse of the life he had only moments ago.The clatter of Marek's weapons close by make me flinch, as he approaches, grabbing at Tai with the same intensity as I do. The King's usually immaculate skin is marred with dirt and grime, a sight that doesn't belong to him."No...No, you idiot," Marek curses frantically.
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The King’s Possession Epilogue
Eight days later. I stare out the window, but see nothing but my own face staring back at me. The nights here in the Azure Province are long and cold, snow falling ever since we arrived a few days ago. We decided this would be the best place to flee to, hidden in the back of a freight train that Tai smuggled us onto. We almost didn't survive the cold, but we had both agreed this Province would be the last place Marek would look. It's too obvious. The door opens from behind me, the heavy wood creaking on it's metal joints. Glancin
The King’s Possession 56
My hands brush against the wall, letting it guide me down the hallway as the darkness blinds me.I'm not sure where I'm going, but it's far from the commotion downstairs. The screaming has ceased, but there are a lot of people moving, like the rebel group are rounding people up and moving them about. How many are there? Tai should be okay down there, but what if he isn't? He needs to stay for his people, but part of me wishes I had encouraged him to come with me.Suddenly, the lights in the hallway flicker on. Flinching, I cover my eyes until they adjust to the sudden assault of light, and once they finally do, I realise that Vaia is standing in the hallway with me.
The King’s Possession 55
Tai sits on the edge of his bed, a frown etched into his features.Only five minutes earlier, we were downstairs, Tai have to have addressed the guests who he has offered rooms to here. He claimed that Marek has been obsessed with me for months, and that he has been taken into the prisons to be held. None of that is true, of course. In fact, Tai's guards have been unable to find Marek."You don't have to stay in my room tonight, even if our guests will want to gossip seeing you wander around the halls," Tai says softly, finally releasing his frown, breathing in deeply. The guests already have a lot to gossip about tonight after the incident with Marek.After a
The King’s Possession 54
Tai pulls the curtain back, glancing through before closing it again.Beyond, people chatter, seated as they await the beginning of the ceremony. The nerves in my stomach accompany the sound of their unbothered voices, knowing that I'm going to have to step out there soon and exchange vows with Tai, and then kiss him in front of all those people."Don't be nervous," he murmurs, turning back to look at me. Mercifully, Tai has ordered the seamstresses to keep my dress as minimal as possible. The fabric and beading is still decadent and soft, the veil I've pulled behind me is beautifully sheer, hanging off a small crown glittering with silver jewels. This wedding isn't about the show, but about the substance, about what a union will mean for his kingdom.
The King’s Possession 53
The next few weeks past by so quickly, I hardly have time to grasp everything.Tomorrow, Tai and I will be married in front of a strategically chosen guest list. From then on, we will be closely monitoring the rebel presence, and the strength of the local villages support. If all goes well, I may not have to stay here much longer, but that is all hypothetical. Right now, nothing is known for certain.Jessa and I lie in bed together, night nearing on early morning. Sleeping isn't a realistic possibility right now, my mind busy trying to process everything that has been going on. Tomorrow will be a defining moment for all of us."Are you nervous?" Jessa asks sof
The King’s Possession 52
"I can't believe you convinced me into this."The golden glow of the lamp light above guides Tai and I down the street, the moonlight bathing the cobblestones of the street with a pale sheen. The darkness of the night is a stark contrast to this morning, when Tai approached me and asked me if I would come to dinner with him. I didn't expect us to go so far out from the estate."I promise it will be worth it Akara," Tai murmurs. I glance at him, his hands shoved into his jacket pockets, his emerald eyes watching me with gentle intention. He's dressed nicely, simply. There is no evidence in his attire that he is a King, although it's so obvious in his face. He has a regal nature about him, the tilt of his lips, the sweep of his cheekbones...You could see one
The King’s Possession 51
I woke to all the feelings of frustration and anger having vanished, leaving a hollow feeling in my stomach. Another morning of waking up to my own cruel reality, and yet another day of trying to recover from it, trying to move on.As usual, the day dragged on, Tai gone off like he usually is, dealing with both the rebel presence, and the cruel reality of the war, which has been bothering the King more recently. He hasn't shared much with me about the war, other than that it's been a financial and emotional drain, knowing that he is sending men to die.My father never spoke much about the horrors of the war either, leaving much up to my imagination. All I know is that it's a battle between independent rebel groups within the Jade Province and the Scarlet Pr
The King’s Possession 50
I'm going to go home.Hours have passed since I spoke to Marek, since I saw what he was doing under Tai's demands. I've been pacing back in forth in my room since, wondering if I should bother packing the clothing Tai's people have brought from nearby villages. I don't want a reminder of this place once I leave...Even if I don't know where to go yet.I haven't changed, my clothing and hair still wet when I decide want my plan moving forward is.I need to get away, but quickly. If I tell Tai I'm leaving, he will surely allow it, although will attempt to convince me out of it. So I'm going to steal his band, the one that can transport a human from place to place
The King’s Possession 49
Tai spent the next week being closely monitored by healers, leaving me to my own vices.Most of the week I spent writing, trying to make sense of my tumultuous thoughts, finding a place for it all within my brain. When I finally felt like I had compartmentalised it all, I was exhausted, both emotionally and physically. At least I've healed, only what appears to be small scars the last reminder of what happened that night in the cave.Today I've forced myself outside. The morning has been glorious, the dewy grass glistening under the sunlight as I wander aimlessly through the gardens. However dark clouds chased me back inside, yet another storm threatening to roll in.
