He Walks Alone in the Moonlight [COMPLETED]

AND THE DESERT SAW RAIN THAT DAY

Chaesung could not refuse the Crown Prince's orders, even if it was to do something so insufferable as to catch the eyes of the maidservant that had been pestering her for years. Chaesung did not often stay at Horangi palace, but when she did that young maidservant, Munyeong, attached to her like a leech. That's what she seemed like to Chaesung. A human leech that latched on and drained her energy. For a woman like Chaesung who hated to talk and preferred life in the shadows, Munyeong was her perfect foil. A social butterfly who let off endless chatter, and not a discreet or cautious bone in her body. In fact, if it hadn't been for her ineptitude in watching the crown prince's fated, she would have avoided this whole mess. That is to say, Munyeong was the very last person she wanted to see at the moment.

"Chaesung! Lady Chaesung! Wait!" As expected, Munyeong came crashing out of Jihyun's abode and racing after her. There was no point in hiding from her, which is what frustrated Chaesung about the prince's command. She would never be able to let Munyeong just see her. The girl had a six sense and was the only person Chaesung had met that could find her no matter what. Like a dog trained to track her scent, Munyeong could trace Chaesung's path anywhere inside or outside the palace. It was deeply unsettling and yet another reason why she disliked the maidservant. Against her better judgement, Chaesung slowed her steps, allowing Munyeong to catch up to her.

"Are you alright? Did His Highness do anything to you?" The words were a pant as Munyeong placed a worried hand on Chaesung's arm.

"Did he do anything to you?" Chaesung spat back, flinging the hand off. Munyeong flushed, ducking her head.

"No, there's no need for you to worry about-"

"I'm not worried. If the Crown Prince did not punish you, do you think he would do anything to me?"

"Oh. Right. You're right. He just seemed quite angry, was all."

"Because you failed to do your duty of attending to his guest." Munyeong's eyes lit up, excited to reveal Jihyun's identity to Chaesung. It was not often she knew something the spy didn't.

"But he's not just his guest! He's-"

"I know who he is now. But as far as I'm aware, you are not supposed to be going about revealing his identity. You are young and foolish, but you should know that much."

"Ah, right. You are right. Again." Munyeong nodded, pressing her lips together and tapping them with her fingers. Chaesung scoffed, turning away.

"Wait!" Munyeong's hands shot out, grabbing Chaesung's arm yet again. The spy twirled, sweeping Munyeong's legs out from under her and forcing the maidservant onto her back.

"I have told you many times not to grab me. Do you not understand the words coming out of my mouth?" Chaesung growled, refusing to look at the maid. Munyeong couldn't respond, opening her mouth in attempt to draw in air after getting the wind knocked out of her. Tears pricked her eyes as her chest began to burn. Munyeong clawed at the air, trying to sit up. Intrigued by Munyeong's silence, Chaesung turned, her eyes falling to Munyeong struggling on the ground. Her eyes widened, only a fraction, before she stooped down and yanked the maid up into a sitting position. Munyeong gasped, beating a fist again her chest as she sucked in air. One of her tears escaped and traced a path down her round cheek. Chaesung hid her alarm.

"There is no need to cry. I did not throw you that hard, you will be fine," Chaesung lectured, releasing Munyeong and standing. The woman sounded more so as if she was trying to convince herself. Munyeong still could not speak, her eyes unfocused as she took short, painful breaths. "I did what was asked of me, so I will take my leave. I trust you can find your way back." Munyeong leaned forward, grabbing the cuff of Chaesung's pants.

"What is it th-" Chaesung paused, pressing her tongue to the roof of her mouth to stop from speaking. After a deep breath, the spy turned, crouching down to Munyeong's level. Gently this time, she pried the maid's fingers from her ankle, pushing the shaking hand against Munyeong's heaving chest. Her mind tried not to linger on the fact that she could feel the girl's heart, her warmth.

"Do not follow me this time. I am going somewhere you cannot be anyway." Munyeong clasped her other hand over Chaesung's, pulling it closer to her chest. Her thoughts stuttered, mind blanking as she felt the shift of the soft hills of Munyeong's breast beneath her hand.

"Will it be dangerous? You must be careful." And by the moon if this was not the part of Munyeong that Chaesung loathed the most. Her earnesty, her unabashed affection and worry and adoration. Those bright eyes that bored into her dark soul, that punched through the ironclad defense around her heart and set a pain flaring in her chest. The desperate clutching at her murderous fingers as if the maid could rub away the sin there. She could not, would not, touch Munyeong with those fingers, hold her with those hands. Chaesung was not a young woman anymore, her life was already settled, her course chosen. Munyeong had her future ahead of her, a wealth of opportunities. Chaesung knew, if given the chance, Munyeong would throw all those opportunities away for her, and a greedy, lustful part of Chaesung grinned at that fact. But the spy must hold out, must bite back her carnal desires and swallow them. Yet it was so hard, with those glossy doe eyes staring up at her, without fear, even now. Who else would look at her like that? Could she not give in, just this once? These thoughts pushed Chaesung closer, inching her face so close to Munyeong's she could feel her cool breath fan her face. Chaesung's fingers twitched against Munyeong's hold and the maidservant's grip slackened, allowing Chaesung's hand to break free and slither up her chest, Chaesung deft fingers dipping below the neckline of the fabric there. Munyeong's breathing stuttered as Chaesung's fingers dragged across bare skin and traced a path up her chest and around her neck. The spy's hand settled there, callouses catching on Munyeong's fine hair. Moving from her crouch, Chaesung settled herself onto the lap of the still-kneeling maidservant, placing her knees on either side of Munyeong's thighs. Munyeong's head tilted back to accommodate Chaesung's sudden elevation, exposing the pale column of her throat. Chaesung groaned, lowering her head to run her nose up the length of Munyeong's neck.

Could she not give in, just this once? Would it be so bad to cave, when Munyeong so clearly wanted the same? As if sensing Chaesung's internal war, Munyeong's hands gripped the spy's waist, preventing her from standing. The maid pressed herself closer until the women were flush, soft chests molding against each other. All the years Chaesung spent avoiding the younger woman, all the excuses and painstaking effort convincing herself to simply not, fled her mind at Munyeong's insisting touch. She had not imagined her first time with the maidservant to be in the recesses of the Crown Prince's overgrown gardens. For she had pictured it, many many times. In some of her darkest moments, imagining Munyeong writhing and bare beneath her had gotten her through. Determined, Chaesung pulled away from Munyeong, the maidservant letting out a sound of protest that set Chaesung's core on fire. The spy removed her outer robe, reaching behind Munyeong to lie it on the grassy path. With a slight press of her knees, Chaesung sent Munyeong sprawling back onto the fabric.