The king agreed to the compromise, as long as Kyuhyun came to the meeting, he was fine.  Donghae was also happy to us back to basecamp, riding bedside the carriage almost like a royal .

Kyuhyun whined a bit about not being able to ride Starcraft (apparently his beastly horse had a name), but he stopped when I reminded him the windows were open and the others might hear.  He might have been perfectly fine showing his emotions to me, but he a reputation to uphold in front of Donghae and his colleagues. 

As we drew closer to basecamp, Kyuhyun grew more and more restless.  I found myself on edge as well, but for entirely different reasons.

Upon my return, it would be necessary to check in with my master.  Although I was acting as Kyuhyun’s personal servant and companion, my duty to Prince Yesung could not be overlooked.  I dreaded meeting him, especially now that I had established a tentative relationship with Kyuhyun.

I was sure my master didn’t know about this development, but I worried what would happen if he found out.  To make matters worse, I hadn’t checked in with him since I had first stopped going to training with Kyuhyun.  I knew my master would be displeased by this fact.

I chose not to voice my concerns to Kyuhyun.  He was already nervous and I didn’t want to burden him with the extra strain.  I knew Kyuhyun and my master didn’t get along and I knew if I told him, Kyuhyun would make sure he didn’t let me out of his sight.  This was something I would need to take care of on my own.

I glanced up when Kyuhyun took my hand into his.  He wasn’t looking at me, but he began to fidget with my fingers absent-mindedly.  It was a nervous gesture on his part, but the contact was comforting to me.  It was reassuring to know that I could reach out to him like he was to me.

Before long, the carriage slowed to a stop and Donghae announced our arrival.  I gave Kyuhyun’s hand one last squeeze before hurrying to open the door for him.  I bowed low as he stepped out of the carriage, making sure to play the part as the devoted servant.

Kyuhyun slipped into his usual role, nodding at me emotionlessly before surveying the camp with unreadable eyes.  I went to gather Kyuhyun’s belongings and made my way towards the tent.  Donghae quietly offered to me, but I remembered where to find it.

Sure enough, the massive tent was still in place and its overly lavish interior was well kept and unchanged.  I refrained from rolling my eyes as I quickly arranged Kyuhyun’s clothes and various other items.

When I re-emerged, I noticed the soldiers that had previously been roaming around were now clustered at the center of the camp.  It didn’t take much to figure out that Kyuhyun had summoned his men to talk.   I contemplated walking over to join him, but decided against it figuring that it would be best to lay low for the time being. 

I edged my way towards the Southern-most area of the camp knowing that Yesung’s quarters were there.  I located my master’s tent, it was the largest and most luxurious in this particular area.  I decided to wait for his return and I stood quietly by the entrance.  I swallowed the dread rising in my throat and breathed deep, trying to resign myself.

I had become too accustomed to living with Kyuhyun.  My subservient nature was still present, but it was no longer my immediate response to any given situation.  I worried I wouldn’t be able to hold my tongue around my true master.  I worried my disgust for what he had done to me might lead me to act inappropriately.

I wasn’t supposed to be, wasn’t allowed to be Kim Ryeowook.  To my master, I was his 'Wookie'; his good, obedient, little slave.  The main problem was that I was allowed to be myself with Kyuhyun.  I was given the power to refuse, the power to disagree, the power to say no.

This luxury was not one my master afforded me, so I needed to prepare myself to play a role. 

Before I had the chance to fully gather myself, the tent behind me flapped open.  I spun around quickly, my eyes widening in shock.  My master emerged from the tent, pausing momentarily when he met my gaze.  He slowly straightened until he was in a standing position, never breaking eye contact.  I tensed as he studied me.

I bowed deeply before asking politely,

“How are you master?”

He smiled slightly in response and I took it to mean he had been fine.  He was still examining me very thoroughly and I did my best to avoid eye contact.  Looking to interrupt his current inspection I asked,

“You’re not attending Commander Cho’s meeting with the rest of the troops?”

At the mention of Kyuhyun’s name Yesung’s face hardened and he averted his eyes with a look of displeasure. 

“No, I didn’t feel the need” he replied breezily, but it was obvious that he was upset.

I contemplated pushing the subject just to see him grow more irritated, but decided that such passive aggression would not bode well with his image of me.  I didn’t make any moves to break the silence that settled between us, so my master took the initiative.

“So the last I heard you were working in the hospital”

The statement seemed harmless enough, but I could hear the deeper meaning of his words.  He was obviously trying to decipher how much interaction I had with Kyuhyun.

I felt my heart begin to accelerate slightly as paranoia began to set in.  Yesung could not find out about my relationship with Kyuhyun.  So far my master had played nice.  He had showed restraint and allowed Kyuhyun to use me as his slave for the time being.  However, I knew that his generosity would not overcome his possessiveness if he found out about our affections.

As much as I would have loved to shove our relationship in his face to spite him, I knew that the fall out would be disastrous.  My master would immediately reclaim me (violently no doubt) and possibly even pull out from the alliance binding his and King Hangeng’s kingdoms.

No, it was much safer and much smarter to keep things between me and Kyuhyun quiet. 

I kept my eyes lowered in a demure manner as I answered,

“I was working there when the Commander was first admitted.  After he was recovered slightly, I was ordered by his doctor to aid Commander Cho in his recovery.  Seeing as I am to ensure his safety and health, I am to accompany him from now on”

I glazed over the details of the story, making it seem more like I was reacting to orders as opposed to my heart.  A part of me felt guilty like I was discrediting what I felt for Kyuhyun, almost as if I was ashamed.  This feeling settled heavily in the pit of my stomach and I wondered what Kyuhyun would have done if faced with the same situation.  Would he pretend there was nothing between us, or would he announce our relationship with pride?

I had the feeling Kyuhyun would lean more towards the latter option, but there was nothing I could do at this point.  Kyuhyun was in a powerful position and he carried a considerable amount of authority, I was nothing but a slave, one bound to another master at that.  Kyuhyun could afford to reveal our secret, but I was not as blessed.

I bit my lip as I realized I would have to ask Kyuhyun to keep quiet about our personal matters.  I mentally cringed at the thought, I didn’t think that such a conversation would end up going over too well…

I snapped out of my troubling thoughts when I realized my master had been talking for quite some time without me noticing.  I silently scolded myself and tried to figure out what he was saying.

“So the ballroom is newly restored and my mother has been overseeing the construction of a new library.  It’s not like we really needed to renovate, but I think it distracts her from worrying over my father”

I realized he was talking about the king’s illness.  He didn’t express his grief, but I could see the distress in his eyes.  His father had been sick for quite a while now and it didn’t seem like he was getting any better.  It seemed my master would have the throne much quicker than anyone had expected.

I placed my hand on his arm without thinking, patting it in a consoling manner.  He caught my eyes and shot me a grateful smile.  He placed his hand over mine and squeezed, as if to thank me for empathizing with him.

It was times like this that reminded me that Yesung wasn’t a monster.  He had done some terrible things, hell he had me for heaven’s sake, but he wasn’t an evil person. 

I was about to open my mouth to ask about the king’s condition when my master’s face went through an abrupt change.  In an instant his eyes hardened and his lips set in a grim line.  I stared at him for a moment before following his gaze.

I quickly removed my hand from Yesung’s grasp when I found Kyuhyun standing several yards away, observing us quietly.  I felt Yesung tense beside me as Kyuhyun came towards us.  I panicked slightly when I could see the anger in Kyuhyun’s eyes and I shot him a pleading look as I bowed to acknowledge his arrival. 

Kyuhyun sent me a blank look before turning his attention back towards my master.  His jaw was set and his eye brows arched in a mix of arrogance and challenge.  I winced slightly, knowing Yesung would not take Kyuhyun’s impertinence well.

“Hello Commander, it’s nice to see you fully recovered” Yesung spoke shortly, and it was obvious that his words did not hold genuine pleasure at seeing the other.

Kyuhyun smirked and replied,

“It’s good to be back”

The tension between the two was almost unbearable and I was tempted to sneak away.  They glared at each other in some sort of convoluted staring contest.  The hairs on the back of my neck rose and I quickly broke the charged silence before things could escalate.

“Commander Cho, we should return to your quarters now.  The doctor said you shouldn’t be on your feet for too long”

When Kyuhyun didn’t make an effort to respond I nudged him until he started to walk away from Yesung, not bothering with a farewell.  I followed after Kyuhyun for a few steps before turning around and bowing deeply to my master.

“I’ll check in on you later master”

He closed the space between us and leaned down towards my face.  I immediately stiffened, my eyes widening in surprise.  However instead of leaning towards my lips like i feared, he angled his head to whisper in my ear.

“My offer is still being considered, right?”

My stomach went cold and unease washed over me.  Before I could even organize my mind to make a coherent response, my wrist was seized and I was yanked away from Yesung rather harshly. 

Kyuhyun dragged me away, walking with heavy steps that revealed his irritation.  I sighed silently and obediently followed his lead.  I shot a backward glance at my master and saw he was livid.  I heaved another sigh and wondered if things could possibly get more strained between the two.

Such thoughts flew from my head as Kyuhyun tightened his grip on my wrist.  I flinched but remained silent, hoping Kyuhyun would burn off some of his aggression before we ended up alone.

“I need to talk to you” he growled and I lost any hope of having a mature and rational conversation with him.

This would no doubt escalate.

Ta-dah!  Finally some Yesung drama for all my lovely readers!

Personally, I have a hard time with Yesung's character, it's rather hard to make a seen not horrible...

But I'm rambling, so I'll stop now.  Hope you enjoyed this update because I think things will get a bit more interesting from here, yay! ^^

Music: "Wolf"- EXO (B/c part 2 of the drama ver. just came out and I have some serious feelz)