I wasn’t surprised to find Kyuhyun at the archery range, it was a fitting choice.  No one had visited the area since the attack and I was sure Kyuhyun picked this place so he could be alone.

I stood at the edge of the clearing watching Kyuhyun as he paced angrily.  I was too far away to see his expression, but I didn’t really need to.  It didn’t take a genius to figure out that he was pissed.

I hesitated to approach him.  In all honesty I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do or say.  I was actually tempted to just leave him alone and head back to the castle.  I turned to leave, but something stopped me.  I looked back at Kyuhyun who had stopped pacing.

He was now seated on one of the stone benches.  Instead of the anger that seemed to radiate off of him before, now he just seemed depleted.  I bit my lip as indecision washed over me.

“Oh ” I hissed as I trudged through the snow towards Kyuhyun’s slumped figure.

He didn’t glance up as I awkwardly sat beside him on the cold stone bench.  I swung my legs anxiously, kicking up little showers of snow.  I glanced at Kyuhyun out of the corner of my eye, wondering why I was even here.

The silence was deafening, unnerving.  Normally, silence didn’t bother me, but this case was different because it was so painfully obvious what we were trying to avoid. 

I snuck another glance at Kyuhyun to see his jaw clenched and his lips set in a rigid line.  His shoulders drooped and his hands lay in his lap, no longer balled into fists.  It was clear he wasn’t going to strike up a conversation so I finally broke the silence.

“You okay?”

He didn’t even look up as he snorted,

“Do you really care?

I paused slightly and pondered his words.  Did I care?  A sense of dread fell over me when I realized I did.  Despite my best efforts I couldn’t lie to myself, I was sincerely concerned about him.

“Unfortunately, I think I do”

Finally Kyuhyun looked up, his eyes startled.  I met his stare nervously, knowing that I would never be able to take back my words. 

I tried to steady my gaze.  It was too late to feel regret, after playing with fire for so long, I had finally jumped into the flames.  It was too late to jump back out and save myself.  I could only burn.

I stared into Kyuhyun’s eyes, waiting to see what he would do.  Waiting to see if he would join me in the midst of the inferno.

Kyuhyun realized his position clearly, I could see it in his eyes.  He knew I had crossed a line.  Indecision clouded his face, and he let me see it.  He let me see every emotion that passed through him.  He let me really see.

I swallowed thickly, my heart pounding wildly, and asked again,

“So, are you okay?”

His eyes darkened and they sparked with alarming intensity.  His gaze bored into me and he slowly shook his head,

“No… I’m really not”

I opened my mouth, but no words came out.  Kyuhyun’s eyes were still locked on mine, no longer hesitant, but rather challenging, like he was waiting to see what I would do.  I narrowed my eyes, silently accepting his dare.

“You gonna tell me what that was all about?” I questioned, arching my eyebrow.

“Do you really wanna know?” he asked contentiously.

I rolled my eyes and couldn’t help but think that his little game was getting a bit annoying.  I sighed and it up.  If he wanted to play, I wouldn’t stop him, I would let him do what he needed to do.  Either way I was going to end up with the information I wanted.

“Would I be asking if I didn’t want to know?”

Kyuhyun smirked slightly when I answered his question with a question. 

He seemed rather amused that I had caught on.  I breathed a small sigh of relief.  Kyuhyun’s smirking face was familiar, and I felt like a little bit of the tension had dissipated.  I was uncomfortable with Kyuhyun showing so much intense emotion, I wasn’t used to it.

“Are you sure you can handle the truth?”

“Are you sure you can handle letting the truth out?”

At this question, Kyuhyun paused, uncertainty flashing in his dark eyes.  I nudged him and shot him a glare which he smiled at.  It seemed he had made up his decision because he asked,

“What do you know?”

“I know you’re messed up… maybe more messed up than me”

His eyes turned dead serious.  Not even a trace of humor could be detected.  He nodded slowly, averting his eyes to the snow covered trees that surrounded the archery range.

“Yeah, I’m pretty ed up” he mused, not sounding emotional, but rather detached.

He continued to stare straight ahead, a faraway look in his eyes.  I watched him carefully as I requested,

“So tell me, I really do want to know”

He showed no change, but instead remained stoic.  Like a machine without feelings.  Honestly, it was a bit frightening.

“The Head General and I… we have some… issues”

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and snort, “duh”

“I’m not supposed to be here.  I was never meant to live in a castle or be a Commander, hell I wasn’t even meant to live in this kingdom.  I’m a stranger, and in the case of the Head General I’m an unwanted alien”

I furrowed my brow and couldn’t help but ask.

“But aren’t you his son?  He needs you to be his successor”

Kyuhyun snorted scornfully and his brow furrowed slightly.

“He wishes with every fiber of his being that I didn’t share his blood.  The feeling is quite mutual”

I rolled the thought around in my head, a dim understanding beginning to form.

“You’re a bastard child?”

“In every sense of the word.  I was a mistake and he never lets me forget it”

He turned and looked at me, making me shift uncomfortably under his gaze.

“My mother was a concubine”

I froze, not daring to look at him.

“But she wasn’t the Head General’s property, she belonged to the prince of a small kingdom.  She once told me that he really loved her, loved her enough to make her his princess”

His eyes darkened as he continued to speak, his voice never straying from his monotone consistency.

“The Head General stumbled upon the kingdom and he took the place over.  He took the land and all its people, including my mother.  She tried to fight back against him and he personally made her his slave.  One night, he got drunk, he her and I was the result”

I cringed slightly at the emotionless way he recounted the story.  His unaffected manner was highly disturbing.  It was like he was telling another person's story, he seemed so uncaring.

“When my mother found out she was pregnant, she fled.  She managed to make it back to her land and she hid herself in a small village that had survived the Head General’s attack.  Eventually she gave birth and she thought we would be safe.  He hadn’t come to look for her and even if he had, it would have been nearly impossible to find her”

Something flickered in his eyes, but I wasn’t sure what it was.  It almost looked like guilt.

“For 13 years we were safe, and my mother finally let her guard down.  Everything would have been fine, but soon there was too much talk.  From an early age, it was obvious I was special.  By the time I was turning 14, stories about my archery skills had made their way back to King Hangeng.  He was interested in me and he came to scout me for his military.  Naturally, he brought the Head General with him.  When they came, the Head General recognized my mother and it didn’t take long to figure out I was his child.  The king didn’t know about the relationship between the Head General and my mother, he only knew she was his former slave, but he took a liking to me.  He did everything he could to persuade my mother to return to his kingdom.  Finally, my mother agreed, thinking it would bring me a better future.  When we arrived at the castle, the Head General’s wife recognized my mother instantly.  She knew about my mother’s pregnancy, and she hated her immensely.  She hadn’t been able to produce a male heir so she felt threatened by my mother and she worried that she and her daughter would be cast aside”

He paused and I noticed that his hands clenched into fists.  Despite this little change, his voice remained stoic.

“She had my mother killed.  My mother was shot right before my eyes, the arrow went right through her heart”

I gasped softly, my eyes widening in horror.  Kyuhyun shot me a quick glance before continuing.

“I got my revenge.  The Head General’s wife and daughter both died by my hand.  I killed them like they had slaughtered my mother.  He tried to kill me of course, but the king saved me.  After he heard everything he forgave me, but he asked me to stay.  The only way I could pay for my sins was to work for him and eventually become the Head General’s heir.  I respect King Hangeng, he spared my life and he has treated me like his son.  The king kept me a secret and I became his deadliest weapon, his infallible sniper.  I wish to God that I had had the chance to kill the Head General too, the fact that his blood runs through me makes me sick”

Kyuhyun finally turned and looked down at me.  His eyes were black and they glinted with a dark light that made me shiver.

“You asked me once if I knew what love was.  I did.  I loved my mother, she was the only one I ever truly cared for”

I stared up at him, hypnotized by his eyes.  They seemed like they were burning, but I didn’t know if they were burning from emotion or just plain insanity.  I finally managed to stutter,

“D-did?”

He nodded stiffly.

“It’s all in the past.  You told me that beauty was something that touched you or moved you in some way.  I wasn’t lying when I said there was nothing beautiful to me anymore.  All the beauty died along with my mother, she was the last and only thing that could touch my heart”

I bit my lip, trying to stop the words that threatened to spill out.  I tried to contain them, but they couldn’t be stopped.

“Then what about me?” I whispered, regretting every word that slipped out of my mouth.  "Why did you choose to tell me this?"

I looked up hesitantly, not sure I wanted to see his reaction.  Kyuhyun stared back at me, his eyes wide and for the first time he looked startled.  He opened his mouth, but I was met with silence.

Silence of the unknown.

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And Kyu's past is finally revealed!

Sorry if it isn't as dramatic as you guys were expecting, but hopefully this should answer some of your questions

As always, thanks for reading and comments are always appreciated ^^

Music: "Nu Abo"- f(x)