It was so painful. Sensations tingling all over your skin as if nerve ends had been burnt out and replaced with electrical endings that spasmed at the slighted commotion, enveloping you in erse discomfort. Usually when you had nightmares, the surround was black and endless, but this time purple entrails floated around like incense smoke, the dirty kind burnt in brothels so customers could hallucinate to gorgeous girls and alcohol.

You all of a sudden found a ribbon tied tightly around your neck as if you were a present to be given to someone. The ribbon moved of its own accord, tightening and then lacing into your lips, sewing them shut – each piercing through your flesh as numb and discordant as ever. You tried to open your lips but the red blossoms did not bloom. The noose tightened and tightened and you reached to your neck to pull it off, but nothing would relent. You outstretched our arms, reaching out now and felt coarse fingers grab your hands. The hands yanked you roughly, tugging you awake and then you shot up in your bed, drenched in cold sweat. It was the dark of the night, the exact time where you should feel the most relaxed but your heavy breathing infiltrated the halls like a disease corrupting the silence. You could feel it. You had nightmares like these when the clock became a ticking time bomb. You could feel it under your skin, behind your lids, thumping along to the rhythm of your heart: time was running out somehow… but you didn’t know how to catch up to it. Running a clammy palm along your collar bone, you surveyed your surroundings. You needed to do something; maybe this first nightmare was a sign.

Restless and unable to return to unconsciousness, you slipped on your robes over your undergarments and put on your shoes. You estimated it to be about one or two in the morning; because the days were passed by in hedonism and mediocrity, the girls usually had early nights unless they were called for by the Princes, a feat that hadn’t happened since the last introduction. You thought it be best to steal some male clothes – or even just pants at least, while you were out as the long robes of the harem were getting more on your nerves. They were heavy and flowing and not the best outfit for scaling tall buildings in one bound. You bound up your shoes tightly so that they would support your stability and sneaked out into the corridor.

You didn’t have the best of memories but it wasn’t all bad either. Thinking you yourself, you mentally regurgitated the information told to you this morning. ‘Middle hall, 5^th corridor, something about buildings and a dragon…’ you recited, then trailed off. The night was bitter and cold even though you hadn’t left the building, shaking your bones. You were much more prudent this time, making sure to check the entire environment before taking a step. You hated making mistakes; in your line of work failure was definitely not an option and so repeating a stupid error in being too careless would betray your dignity – you knew that you could do better this time, especially since they’d already know you by now.

When you had managed to sneak so far as out into the court expanse that was usually guarded by then eunuchs – as you finally realised it was where they had their living quarters, you broke out into the wider expanse. The freedom reminded you of how blissful it was to exist without shackles and restraints and you inhaled deeply. ‘Tonight is going to be different,’ you affirmed yourself. Tonight, you’ll do what you have to.

Following as much as you could remember from the directions, you got to the four buildings, but from then on, everything was a haze. One just simply could not be expected to remember so much under such pressure. You dodged the night guards with their lanterns, standing around the area and camouflaged into the shadows. You noticed the small porcelain dragon statue that decorated the edge of the roof on one of the buildings and guessed so much that it was the one you’d wanted. ‘Why are there so many guards out tonight?’ you thought to yourself. It was a wide expanse that you had to cross to reach the building and the path was lit by the moonlight – your shadows could not help you there.

The men stood solid their ground, eyes not once blinking as they stared on solemnly. You wondered if they had to sleep through the day to get such concentration.  Counting them up, there were 5 guards in total that you could see from your hiding point; two in front of the building, the other three scattered around the place. Face-palming mentally, you exhaled deeply in anticipation, deciding in the split second to just sprint past and hope that they don’t see – it was a good 100metres or so, and you’d use force to take them down if they followed.

Prepping yourself up, you began your spree. Like a sudden whoosh of wind, you past the unblinking guards but the trouble now, was finding the entrance: it was nowhere in sight. You had been so caught up in trying to get past them, that you didn’t think about where you’d end up. What was the point in running so fast when you had no destination? Cursing under your breath, you heard commotion behind you as the guards became alert.

“What was that?” One yelled, and another – one of the men guarding the doors pointed at you, frozen with nothing to conceal your presence in the freckled darkness of the outer corridors. “Trespasser! Intruder!” He roared and you felt your skin tighten over your body.

‘Oh, great. I make another stupid mistake when I specifically told myself not to make any more stupid mistakes.’ You bolted for it, the blaze of military trailing after you with swords beared. Somehow you didn’t feel so much as panicked as you did the first time, but irritated and pissed off that it had to come to this. Running down the corridor, you looked for an opening of some description, a door of some kind and you slinked around the buildings in circles as the men became less ordered, stumbling behind your expertise, waking up the entire city. “Stop Intruder! Come back here!” they’d yell and it would echo down the buildings – as if anyone would obey. You just wished they’d stop screaming like girls, it only made them look bad.

Kris closed his eyes and furrowed his brows in distaste. He tensed in his seat and almost cringed with disgust. Who was making that awful and inappropriate racket at this hour? His habit of working late into the night was still alive and ticking. He’d just finished with rewriting the bypass for the trade routes, the large scroll of a map outstretched along the length of his table. Placing his hands firmly on the table, he pushed out his chair and stood up, a grimace on his features that was lit by the flickering candle off to the side.

The Prince walked slowly to his window and opened it, looking out at the stars. Poking his head out, he looked around for the clamour but only saw a blur of purple, before a heavy force lunged onto him, pushing him back into his room. The shouting rang in his head and he groaned. He had been pressed to the floor, a weight keeping him from getting up. Kris lifted his head and blinked in irritation, before his vision cleared, revealing a most peculiarly concubine straddling his waist, eyes bright and hair framing her face in a mess. She was breathing heavily, breathless and in the air in his room gratefully. The Prince looked on in wonderment; she didn’t seem embarrassed, more surprised and a little confused.

He looked at her, the moonlight forming a halo behind her face. 

~

My GAWD, how long has it been lovelies. I'm so sorry for the delay but I have my university entrace exams on tomorrow and things just got a bit hectic. Thanks for being so patient! Enjoy, they'll be another update soon, in an hour or so.