“Ow” I whined, as the carriage lurched and I jolted with the movement. 

Kyuhyun shot me a worried look,

“Are you sure you’re okay?

I sent him a fake smile and bit out,

“I feel like my is being ripped apart, I feel great Kyuhyun”

Kyuhyun rolled his eyes at my sarcasm, but the worry lingered in his eyes.  I sighed and gingerly made my way over to his side of the carriage.  He looked up at me in surprise, but moved over to create a space for me to sit.  Instead, I placed myself directly on his lap.

“You can be my cushion if you’re so concerned”

He wrapped his arms around me and I leaned back against his chest, sighing in contentment.  Surprisingly, he really did seem to soften the impact of the jolting carriage and I was finally able to relax a little bit.  I moved the curtain slightly and peered out the window, studying the carriage in front of us idly.

The carriage was made of the sturdiest materials and it was decorated lavishly in the colors of the kingdom.  On the side was the kingdom’s seal, decorated with real gold and silver accents.

Guards on horseback flanked each side of the carriage and armed soldiers marched beside the guards.  In short, it was protection suitable for a royalty.

I had yet to see the mysterious princess.  Kyuhyun’s return had distracted me, but even so, the princess was so heavily guarded that only Kyuhyun and Donghae were permitted in her quarters.  Despite no one really seeing her, stories of the princess’s immense beauty spread throughout the camp.  Kyuhyun assured me that while she was pretty, he much preferred me.  I knew he was just trying to placate me, but I still held on to his words, trying not to let the insecurity seep into my consciousness. 

I let out a startled gasp when Kyuhyun pulled me away from the window and back towards him.  He wrapped his arms around my torso making it impossible for me to pull away.  I let out a small whine of protest, but Kyuhyun shushed me with a kiss on the cheek.

“What are you looking at?” he murmured in my ear, making me shiver slightly.

“The princess’s carriage” I answered, even though he already knew.

He made a sound in the back of his throat but didn’t say anything as he nuzzled his nose into the nape of my neck.  I didn’t speak, simply letting his warm breath splay against my skin.

“Don’t worry” he murmured, his lips grazing my skin as he spoke.

“I’m not” I replied, unsure if I was trying to convince him or myself.

He didn’t reply, but I felt his arms tighten around me.  I chewed my bottom lip, hating how the doubt filled me and ate away at me.  I tried to trust Kyuhyun, but it was hard to when the odds were stacked so steeply against me.  It was hard to have faith when I could only see what I thought was inevitable.

It wasn’t so much that I doubted Kyuhyun, it was more that I couldn’t see him faring well considering the circumstances. 

I knew for a fact that his father would support a wedding between Kyuhyun and the princess.  It would place Kyuhyun in a more solid political position, but at the same time the union would better his rank considerably as well.  At the same time, the marriage would also make Kyuhyun unhappy, something that the Head General seemed to strive for.

On the other spectrum, I knew the king would love nothing more than for Kyuhyun to become his real son.  He trusted Kyuhyun wholeheartedly, and I couldn’t see him entrusting his precious daughter to anyone else.  Even if Kyuhyun protested, the king would most likely push the marriage with the hope that Kyuhyun would grow to love his daughter.

Even from my point of view, I couldn’t see anyone better suited to marry the rescued princess.  Even if Kyuhyun couldn’t love her, I knew he would give his life to protect her.  While their union might be loveless, the king could be assured that his beloved daughter would always be safe.

There was also the fact that I was my master’s slave.

The war was over and there was no reason for Yesung to remain in King Hangeng’s kingdom.  I knew he would leave soon, and the departure marked the answer to his ultimatum.  Could I really choose to stay with Kyuhyun in a kingdom that I was not tied to by birth?  And if I did chose to stay, would my master really let me? 

Everything was stacked against us, and it seemed like the world was hell bent on tearing us apart.  Realistically, it wasn’t something I should have been surprised about.  I knew from the very beginning that a relationship like ours would be plagued, if not destroyed by the interference of outside factors.

The question was whether we would be able to navigate the storm, and I just didn’t have the answers.

“What are you thinking about?” Kyuhyun asked, shifting so he could meet my eyes.

“Nothing serious” I replied, sending him the most reassuring smile I could muster.

He nodded, seemingly appeased and he began to fill the empty silence of the carriage with mindless talk of the castle gardens in spring.  I listened, trying to play along with his optimism.

Maybe that’s when the deception began.  But I was almost certain that it was all deception from the start.

*peeks out from behind wall*

Hi guys I'm back....

*ducks behind wall as rocks are thrown at her*

Totally derserved that.

I'm so sorry guys, I am a terrible author.  But I promise you that this story will be finished.  I am finally free and I will finish this story my the end of my summer break if it kills me!

Thank you guys so so so much for being patient with me, it means more than you'll ever know.

I get moving on this, sorry again... dont hate me... love Kyuwook... okay shutting up now