Unforeseen

9: The Unexpected

The king's body feels hot when he identifies the challenging look in her eyes. Right when the words, "I dare you," escaped her mouth, her eyes no longer kept an emptiness to them. He wants to rip the challenge out of her eyes.

The king's eyes dart to Tiana's brown hand holding onto his wrist. She has a tight grip on it and the tips of her fingers dig into his wrist. His eyes darken as he looks back at her.

"If you don't take your hand off my wrist, I will have my sword piercing your throat," the king says with venom in his voice.

A chill runs down Tiana's back as she watches the king's calm behavior disappear.

"Do it," Tiana taunts. "At least I'll be far away from you."

King Yoongi inhales through his nostrils and twists Tiana's shirt in his hand. 

Tiana knows she's playing with fire, but she has had enough. She rather get burnt all at once than feel it gradually. She's tired of being in this palace, tired of being cooped up in that awful room, and tired of dealing with the king. He makes her nervous and puts fear into her heart. There were times she woke up sweating from a nightmare of him being at the end of her mat with a sword dripping with blood. It was dripping with the blood of all the victims who lost their heads to his sword.

"Now, you won't be getting what you wish," the king growls. "That'll be too easy for you. I rather you suffer."

Tiana's eyes widen at the king's response, making the smirk she had buried in the dirt come out of the ground. 

The king lets go of her shirt. Tiana's shirt is wrinkled at the collar and it is stretched, revealing the side of her sports bra. 

She unlocks her fingers from around his wrist.

"You may be dismissed," he says with a menacing smile on his face.

Tiana scrunches her face at the king as Namjoon yanks her from the pillow. Her heart beats so hard that Namjoon can feel it when he hoists her into his arms. She clenches her teeth together, trying to keep the tears from flowing. She doesn't want to satisfy the king even more with her tears.

When Namjoon makes his way to the entrance of the king's bed-chamber, King Yoongi speaks.

"Oh, and Tiana, you'll be seeing me more, especially when your ankle is healed."

Tiana turns her head towards Namjoon's chest as she feels hot tears making their way down her face. She wants to leave. She wants to escape this nightmare. Other than death, the only thing she can come up with is escaping, but where would she go? 

Namjoon takes Tiana to her room and places her on the soft silk blanket on the floor. After Tiana's on the ground, Namjoon stands up and looks down at her distraught form.

"Why'd you do that?" Namjoon asks.

His voice fills the quiet room.

Tiana looks up at Namjoon. Her eyes are red from her tears and her eyebrows are scrunched towards one another.

"What do you think, Namjoon?" Tiana asks him. "I did it to escape this Hell."

Tiana's glare burns holes through Namjoon's face. He doesn't understand why every time she looks at him, she looks at him with a terrifying facial expression.

Namjoon crosses his arms in front of his body.

"So dying?" Namjoon asks.

Tiana looks away from him and looks down at her bandaged ankle. Dying is the only thing she could come up with, but when Namjoon says it out loud, it makes her heart hurt.