Seonghwa and Yeosang watched at the king paced back and forth. He hadn't said a word while they filled him in on what happened. The queen was still in the bedroom, her condition had gotten worse.

"I guess I'll make the announcement later today. I'll have to come up with some reason as to why she didn't say goodbye..."

"Father!" Seonghwa said, raising his voice in concern.

"We don't have any choice. She was going to have to go with him anyway. It was foolish of you to have her run away. I understand why you did it, but it risked King San declaring war on us." The king said, his words ringing with power. "I'm sorry, Son, but there's nothing we can do besides continue to protect our kingdom."

The prince clenched his jaw, bowed stiffly, then left the room without another word.

Yeosang hesitated, then bowed as well before following the other when the king dismissed him.

They both knew the king was right. If Kita hadn't tried to run away, she would have gone with the other king anyway.

Sometimes being born a royal had its own chains that other people would never understand...

---

Kita moaned softly. Her head hurt and she felt stiff. As she opened her eyes, she was surprised to see she was no longer on the ship.

The next surprise came when she saw a copper-haired man sitting across from her in what appeared to be a carriage. He was dozing, his chin resting on his chest and his mouth was open slightly.

She tried to shift, then realized her hands were bound. They had been tied to a lantern mounted on the inside of the carriage. She grumbled as she pulled herself into a sitting position and tried to remember what had happened.

Looking outside, she had no idea what part of Terra they were in. All she could see was rolling hills and plains.

She tested the rope by pulling on it a little bit. Then she noticed the white bandages around her wrists. Thinking hard, she remembered Wooyoung freeing her so she could heal Yunho after his leg was broken, but nothing after that.

"Wooyoung!" She said suddenly, whipping her head around.

The guard jolted away and blinked rapidly before focusing on her, his face unreadable. "Ah, you're awake. Finally." He stood and went to the opposite door, opening it to step outside and speak with the driver.

Kita tried to twist her hands so she could untie herself, but the carriage came to a stop, causing her to freeze.

Her heart pounded in her chest. Then it stopped when King San stepped into the carriage and sat across from her.

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"Hello, Princess." San said, smiling. He loved seeing the terrified look on her face. "It's a pleasure to see you again."

"H-how?"

"I have my ways. I must admit, I was very disappointed when I found out you had run away from me." He leaned forward and placed his hand on her neck, stroking it with his thumb. "Do you not want to be my queen?" He whispered, leaning so close their lips almost touched.

Her eyes flickered with fear. She knew she was trapped.

San smirked, then leaned forward and kissed her, pushing her back into her seat and pinning her there. She tried to pull her head away from him, but his hand on her neck kept her in place.

He moaned into the kiss, loving how she tasted under him. The intimate contact also made him feel refreshed, as some of her power flowed into him. He started to taste salt in the kiss and he opened his eyes to see she was crying. Grinning, he bit her lower lip, getting her to open her mouth so he could take over even more by letting his tongue sweep around hers.

She whimpered, trying to pull her hands down to push him away. The small sound only succeeded in turning him on and he kissed her deeper.

When he finally pulled away she turned her head away from him and pulled her knees into her chest.

San licked his lips. "Get some rest, Princess. We still have a long way to go. If you're good, I might give you a little treat." He reached out and tucked some of her hair behind her ear before exiting the carriage.

"Stay with her." He said to Jongho before returning to his own carriage.

He nearly lost it when he saw Wooyoung curled up in the seat, hugging his naked body. "Come here, sweet boy." San said, sitting down and pulling the performer's head into his lap, stroking is hair with one hand and letting his fingers trace down his arm.

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Kita didn't move for hours, keeping her face buried in her knees. She wanted nothing more than to disappear. She had no idea how she had come to be here and no idea where Wooyoung was. That's was hurt the most.

She could feel the guard's eyes on her every so often, but neither of them spoke.

When night began to fall, the procession pulled off into one of the fields to set up camp. Her door opened and Jongho reached over to untie the rope from around the lantern, but kept her hands bound. As much as she wanted to stay put, her legs were screaming to move so she followed him willingly out of the carriage, keeping her head bowed.

She was led into a large tent and over to one of the posts. Jongho made her turn around so her back was to it. He untied her hands, only to tie them behind her back and around the pole, before placing a hand on her shoulder to push her down so she could sit.

Then she was left alone, but she knew the king had to come soon. This tent was obviously his.

She was right. A few minutes later he walked through the front flaps and smiled when he saw here. "Ah, you're here. Good. Did she behave?" He turned to Jongho.

"Yes, Your Majesty." The guard bowed.

King San hummed and dismissed him before walking to crouch in front of Kita. "Here's what's going to happen. Your parents promised you to me, so there's no point in trying to get away, and no point in hoping for a rescue if they know what's good for them. The more you cooperate and behave, the easier this will be for you. You will address me as San when we are alone, there's no need for formalities since you are to be my wife. Got it?"

Kita nodded. "Yes, San."

"Good girl." He purred, leaning forward to kiss her softly. "Now, I'll show you just how good I can be to you." He stood and walked out of the tent.

Kita stared after him, confused, then cried out when Wooyoung ran into the tent and straight to her. He pulled her into his arms while moving himself closer since she was restricted. The both sat there, shaking and crying, for several minutes.

Wooyoung pulled back and cupped her face in his hands, brushing away her tears with his thumbs. "Did he hurt you?"

"N-no. I was afraid I'd n-never see you again." Kita strained against the ropes, trying to get closer to him. "Wh-what happened?"

He pulled her to him again and filled her in on what happened with the pirates.

It was then that she noticed the marks all over his neck. "Wooyoung..." She said quietly. He flushed but lifted her head to meet his.

"Don't you worry about me. It's you we need to protect. Kita, listen to me. You need to do everything he tells you to. If we cooperate... Things should be easier for us."

"What's going to happen now?" Kita asked, resting her head against his chest.

He stroked her hair gently, brushing out any of the tangles and redoing the braid. "I don't know. But we need to stay strong, ok? I'm going to get us out of here, somehow." He whispered in her ear. "Even if we aren't together, I will always be with you."

Kita pushed her head into him more, fighting back her sobs.

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San walked into the tent after giving them a little time alone. He wasn't purely evil, and he wanted them to know that. But seeing his future wife and his toy hugging each other like that set something off in him that he had to work hard to force down.

"Well, now isn't this sweet." He hissed, walking over to them. He watched as Wooyoung spun on the spot to hide the princess behind him. "Youngie, the heroics aren't necessary." He waved his hand lazily as he moved to a large chair and flopped down in it. "Did you enjoy your little reunion?"

He could see her trembling behind Wooyoung, and the performer's eyes were narrowed with anger. "Really, Youngie, this is an interesting change from how you were a few hours ago." San smirked when some of the color drained from the others face. "Are you ready for some more fun?"

"Leave him alone!" The princess snapped, raising her head up. The frightened girl was suddenly gone, replaced by a true royal. San felt the fire in him roar to life at the sight.

"Ah, Princess. You too surprise me, standing up for each other. So sweet." San placed the tips of all his fingers together.

"You have me. Please, I'll go with you. I'll be your queen. Please just let him go." She didn't take her eyes away from him.

"Kita, stop..." Wooyoung hissed.

"Kita? Such a cute nickname. It's fitting. But," San pulled himself out of the chair and walked over to the couple, "I'm afraid I can't do that, Kita. You see, Wooyoung is special to me too." He reached down and grabbed the performer's jaw, kissing him fiercely. But he kept his eyes locked on the princess.

He smiled into the kiss when she struggled against the ropes, yelling for him to stop. That just made him squeeze harder. Wooyoung whimpered into his mouth. Then he threw the boy aside and descended on the princess, forcing her against the pole, his hand around her neck.

"I'll do what I want, to who I want, when I want. And it just so happens, I want both of you. You should be thankful because that means you will still get to see each other." He kissed her forehead gently, then released her. She gasped for air and turned to look at the performer, who refused to meet her eyes.

"Come, Youngie." San said, snapping his fingers.

He heard Kita call out to him, but he had trained the performer well. They walked out of the tent together and into other one nearby. "This will be your tent. You have proven yourself to me. Continue to behave and you'll get more rewards." He purred into Wooyoung's ear before exiting the tent to return to the princess.

She had her head bowed in defeat. He walked by her, stroked her head once, then went to lay down and rest before another long day of travelling.