The King's Queen

Chapter 2

Your limbs groaned and ached as you shoved hay into the barn. With the storm passing by came the blistering heat that made you cry for winter.

Your eyes had dark circles around them due to lack of sleep.

Ever since that day in the woods, you felt as if something was following you. The shadows shifted too much, and every sound made you flinch or jump.

It got so bad that, after getting spooked by a rabbit and accidentally spilling a large dish of soapy water on your aunt. You had been relegated to barn duty.

'What a shitty chore...' You thought as you had to clean off some manure off of the dirt floor in one of the cattle's sleeping pens. "Literally." You grimaced at the smell before shovelling it with the rest.

It was smelly, but it was still useful in the garden.

It wasn't long before you had finished your torturous duty. Just in time, as the sound of bells chiming and hoofs beating down the earth approached the barn.

A young boy, spritely as he bounced beside the eight cattle your aunt's family owned. He snapped the small whip on his thigh lightly as he made odd noises only a herd boy could use while guiding the small calf beside him.

His face was stained red, and his hair was scruffy with twigs and stocks of grass stuck in it. Meaning he had snagged a few snacks from the berry bushes by the grazing field and probably rough housed with the other boys all in the name of a friendly faud.

"Hey, Y/n-one-san, you finished in here?" You nodded, observing the wide grin on the boy's face as he grabbed the rope around a large bull, pulling it to one of the sleeping pens. "Kato-shounen, it seems like you have it handled here. So I will leave you to it." Kato nodded and waved her off before handling his cows.

You wearily looked at one of them before speedily racing to the entrance. Cattle were not something you wanted to be close to, especially after one had galloped to you and tossed you over its body when you were but a mere 11 year old girl.

Luckily, you hadn't been too hurt by that. Though the incident had left you severely traumatised.

You moved with purpose as you made your way to the clothes line. Yuna greeted you with a small smile, looking up from the clothes currently in her hands. "I see you finished your work at the barn." Mitsuki's voice rang out as she peeked her head through the curtain of wet clothes. Her dark blue eyes scanned your visage before subtlety shaking her head.

"You look like death, my dear otouto. Why don't you rest while me and Yuna finish up the laundry." She suggested softly, yet you could hear from her tone that there was no room for arguments. You gave her a reluctant smile before sitting down beside Yuna, who gave you a very wet head pat, and rested your back on her thigh. Soon, you fell into a deep slumber.

After not sleeping for five days, you weren't able to fight the exhaustion.

You wished your sleepless nights were the outcome of just your night terrors or your overactive imagination. However, you would only be lying to yourself.

It all started the day after the forest.

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You had managed to avoid suspicious the whole day, with only a few worried enquiries from your sisters about the dark circles forming deeper underneath your eyes. Which, you managed to brush off completely with vague explanations.

By the time the sun had set, your body begged you to allow it to rest.

The persistent ache was driving you mad with its presence, rendering even the smallest task. Sluggish movement and eyes that blinked longer each minute had you spending ages on a single chore that would only take a few minutes normally.

It was so bad that throughout the day, your sisters____ much to your self-loathing_____ had to pick up on your slack. That just made you feel worse.

If you hadn't gone outside that night, you would have been able to do this on your own.

If you hadn't spent your time trying to act like a hero. You wouldn't have to hide your sprained ankle like a coward.

If you weren't so bloody emotional, your sisters wouldn't have to tire themselves while they help you with your mess.

You let out a bitter sigh as you sunk into your futon. The room was already slightly dark, save for the moonlight passing through the shoji paper. The moon was merely nail length, having just started it cycle once more.

Just as you closed your eyes, silently begging for sleep to come to you easier tonight.

A small tapping sound filled the room. It was coming from the shoji. From the faint breathing, you could tell Mitsuki was already fast asleep. Moving the large blanket from your face, you were met with a tall, thin silhouette just outside the door.

Lightly tapping away at the paper. Your eyes widened in horror before swiftly covering your head. The curse from the night before had come for you.

A good thing, too, because you felt its presence appear right at your bedside, where you were facing.

Breathing became labouring as you tried to breathe as quietly as possible. It soon became so unbearable that you covered your mouth, feeling your eyes tearing up.

The wood groaned under your ear at its weight, making it all the more real.

It stood there for the whole night.

You couldn't sleep at all. Your thoughts were too tangled with the threat in your room, Mitsuki sleeping peacefully on the other side of the room, and the fact it had followed you all the way back.

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The next night was not so different, though it did murmur intangible sentences.

It had been three days since the storm. You were now surviving off of sweet naps under the sun. It never appeared during the daytime. Actually, it usually left when it was close to dawn.