*** UPDATE: Before you proceed with this chapter, I would strongly suggest that you check out my one-shot titled "The Taste Of Seawater" first. As you've seen thus far, we do go through a lot of time-jumps in ITJOTD. Therefore, to better understand the events/characters' actions in Chapter 10, I think it's important to point out that something *ahem, ahem* DID happen between our couple. You can find "The Taste Of Seawater" on my profile page. Oh and btw, it's um...it's M-rated. kthanksbye! ***

A/N: I'm baaaaack! YoSoo fam, where you at?

Forgive me, my darlings. Inspiration's been playing hard to get and life has been incredibly hectic.

AH, BUT LOOK!

WHAT'S THIS?

AN EXTRA LONG CHAPTER?!

Yes indeed, I felt really bad for making you wait so I basically wrote two parts and combined them as an early holiday present! I hope you love it and hopefully this keeps you sated till after the New Year. Happy reading!

P.S. - Oh and once again, THANK YOU for all the epic reviews. Y'all just know how to warm my cold black heart :')

"Your Majesty?"

By the faint light of the candelabra in the far corner, she could dimly make out his hunched silhouette on the wide canopy bed.

She headed deeper into the bedchamber, weaving through the shadows with padded footsteps. As she came closer, she noticed the duvet wrapped tightly around the king's shoulders, his eyes were vacant as he stared at the hardwood floor.

"You're still awake," Hae Soo whispered.

"I couldn't sleep," he said, teeth chattering slightly as he spoke. "It's the chills…the doctor says it's because of the sudden change in weather."

Wang Yo glanced up and caught the worry carved into her face.

"It's nothing," he reassured her, reaching for her hand. "I-It'll pass..."

Her brows furrowed as their fingers intertwined. "Your hands are like ice," she gasped. "I'll go call someone- "

Before she could move away, he tugged her back to face him.

"No!" Wang Yo growled, firmly gripping her fingers.

Like the proverbial deer caught in the headlights, Hae Soo froze at the stern expression on his pallid face. "No," he repeated, softer this time. "I don't want them to see me like this…Mother can't know." His tired eyes flickered up to hers. "Just…stay with me, won't you?"

She nodded, eyes softening. "Alright."

Taking a deep breath, she unfastened the ties of her jade uniform.

"What are you doing?" he rasped, shock registering on his face. Wang Yo's eyes grew dark as he watched her ease the patterned fabric off her pale shoulders.

"Sharing my body heat to keep you warm," she replied. "Did you expect me to let you freeze to death?" she asked as she climbed onto the bed beside him.

She tugged the blanket off his shoulders. Placing a hand on his chest, she gently pushed him onto his back before spreading the duvet over the both of them.

Hae Soo peered at him through thick lashes as her fingers found the ties of his white robe. "We'll need direct skin to skin contact for this to work, Your Majesty," she explained. "May I?" she asked shyly.

Wang Yo nodded his assent, unable to look away as she proceeded to tug on the strings of his robe till it fell open, exposing him to the night air. Hae Soo drew the blanket higher to cover his shivering form and then lay her head upon his bare chest. In seconds, her body was moulded to his own, sharing her body heat as easily as she shared her heart.

"There," she sighed, wrapping her arm around his torso. "Does that feel better?"

Wang Yo cleared his throat. "Infinitely," he replied, unable to contain the amusement in his voice. Winding an arm around her, he pulled her in closer to bask in her warmth. Her sigh of relief was audible as she pressed her cheek against his heart, letting it thunder against her ear.

A deep chuckle resonated from his chest, interrupting the rhythmic staccato of his heartbeat and vibrating through her.

She looked up at him. "What?"

"You love to fuss over people," he mused. "But then I suppose you've always been this way since you were young. It's very amusing to watch."

"Well if I don't do it who will," she pouted. "You won't even let me call the doctor."

A smile twitched at his lips. "You forget that I am tougher and stronger than I look," Wang Yo said, his voice shivered as if to contradict his claim. "This is nothing, I've been through far worse."

Hae Soo languidly stared at the flickering flames of the candelabra by the foot of the bed. The room was quiet for a moment, save for the susurrating whisper of their flowing breaths.

"Your Majesty."

"Hmm?"

"All those years ago, when everyone thought you were dead…is it true that you had fallen off the edge of a cliff?"

"I was cornered, I never had a chance," he said quietly. "After I fell off that cliff, Uncle Wang Shik Ryeom found me washed up on the river bank…wounded, bleeding, barely breathing…"

Her arm unconsciously tightened around him.

"I was very lucky. Had he not taken care of me, I wouldn't have made it."

"You vanished for two years," Hae Soo whispered. "Why didn't you tell anyone?"

Did he know? Was he even aware of how much pain his disappearance had caused? To the Queen Mother, Prince Jung…Wang So?

"I'd committed treason." He exhaled. "Mu may have been a merciful king, but all his advisors would've demanded my execution the minute I stepped through those gates. Looking death in the eye that day and being brought back, it gave me a renewed sense of purpose."

Her eyes drifted closed as he gently stroked her hair.

"Few people will ever understand what it's like," Wang Yo murmured. "To be given a second chance like this…to be reborn."

I understand it all too well, she thought ruefully.

"I knew I could not waste this gift and so I bided my time, hiding in the shadows…waiting for the right moment to claim what was always destined to be mine. I may lose once, but never twice."

"Do you sometimes wish you hadn't survived?" Hae Soo asked softly.

She gasped as he suddenly rolled over on top of her. Wang Yo gazed down at her reddening face, keeping his weight on his elbows so she wasn't crushed beneath him. His brow quirked up at her in question.

"I-I mean, do you ever wonder if it might've been better…for you…if you'd never come back to life?" She looked everywhere but at him, realizing how stupid her inquiry sounded now that it was uttered aloud. "That perhaps you could've saved yourself so much pain and suffering?"

"Why would I want that?" he asked, his voice like velvet. "The heavens are on my side now…why should I give this up? I wouldn't wish it any other way."

She reached up and placed her fingers on his cheek, feeling his skin beneath her fingertips. It was warm, with the tiniest scratch of stubble.

He stared at her intently, his eyes devoid of their rich brown colour in favour of an obsidian glaze. "Besides," he murmured, "if I hadn't returned, I never would've been able to do this..."

He brushed his lips against hers. She stiffened for a moment - but eventually gave in. Her renegade heart thudded against her chest as she kissed him back, beating frantically in concert with his.

His expression was smug when he pulled back to look at her flushed face and reddened lips.

"Or this," he whispered, his voice low. Gripping her chin with his thumb and index finger, he tilted her head, peppering light caresses along her jawline.

His mouth moved lower. "Or this…"

Hae Soo took in a sharp breath as he playfully nibbled at her collarbone. Unable to suppress a shiver, her fingers tightened on his biceps. "You're still ill," she chastised breathlessly. "You should rest…"

Wang Yo placed a tender kiss on her shoulder. "In a minute," he promised, already swooping in to recapture her lips in a long, deep, lazy kiss.

She let her eyes slip closed.

Hae Soo squirmed.

Her legs ached and she could feel her silk shirt start to cling to her back in places as the afternoon sun beat down on her. A rogue breeze blew by momentarily, cooling the perspiration on her brow. She blew a puff of air upwards to chase the stray hairs from her face as she made her way down the stone path.

Wispy clouds scudded across the azure sky above her, taking her back in time to a transitory evocation of summers past…of cold lakes and Soju and little children swimming unattended.

"It seems we've all underestimated you, Lady Soo."

The voice froze her in her tracks. She hadn't heard anyone following her.

Balancing the heavy tray in her hands, Hae Soo slowly turned to find the 9th prince leaning against a wooden column, arms leisurely crossed against his chest as he stared at her.

Her face remained stoic as she bowed her head. "Your Highness," she greeted.

"I'm sure you've noticed by now…word travels fast when one is in the palace," Prince Won drawled. "It's almost as if the walls have ears..."

Fear unexpectedly gripped her chest.

He doesn't know anything. He's bluffing.

"Rumor has it, you've been whoring yourself out to the king," he said smoothly. "A bold move. I must admit, I am quite impressed. I didn't think you had it in you." He was gauging her reaction and she knew it

Her fingers tightened on the wooden tray. "I don't know what you're talking about," she retorted levelly.

The prince smirked. "Oh yes, you do," his voice chimed as he ambled towards her. "You're trying to protect the 4th prince."

Her eyes narrowed slightly. "What?"

His boots crunched against the gravel as he drew nearer. "You think that by gaining the king's favor, he won't use you as bait against the wolf-dog."

She couldn't afford to lose control. Biting the inside of her cheek, she tried to walk past him.

A warped grin spread across Prince Won's face as he stepped in front of her, effectively blocking her path.

"Either that, or you think to buy yourself immunity by spreading your legs for the most powerful man in Goryeo…"

"How dare you," she hissed.

He held his hands up in mock surrender. "Oldest trick in the book."

"I'm afraid you are quite mistaken, Your Highness," Hae Soo said evenly. "The king tasked me with governing the inner affairs of the palace, which is why I often have to be at his side. I haven't done anything wrong. If you are doubtful, you may ask the king himself."

Prince Won raised his eyebrows and stepped closer, looking her straight in the eye. "How I hate being lied to," he said quietly as his sharp gaze bore into hers.

She swallowed sharply. It felt like handfuls of ice were being shoved down her lungs.

His mouth curled into the smallest of patronizing smiles. "You may be able to fool everyone else," he murmured. "But I can see right through your little charade."

Hae Soo set her jaw firm. "I would appreciate it if you would kindly let me pass, Your Highness. His Majesty is waiting and I have duties to attend to."

"Of course," he replied, a tad too politely. He stepped out of the way and with a dramatic flourish of his hand, gestured for her to pass through.

She glared at him as she walked past.

"Don't hold on to him too tightly, Lady Soo!" she heard him call out from behind her.

The contents of the tray she was carrying softly clattered together as she quickened her footsteps.

It was safe to say that the king was no longer in the mood for games.

Following a heated debate with his ministers that morning, Wang Yo had retreated to the prayer hall in hopes of finding some semblance of peace…only to be interrupted by the Queen Mother who had once again taken it upon herself to remind him of the many reasons why his younger brother had to be named Crown Prince.

His patience had run dry.

And now he had to deal with this.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, willing away the headache throbbing behind his eyes. It was all getting so tiresome.

He could see Wang So's lips moving, but could make out none of the words - they swam past his ears in a warped strain as his senses struggled to cope.

Fools. The lot of them.

If he was forced to tolerate yet another idiotic excuse for why the fortress in Seokyeong wasn't near completion, he was going to slit someone's throat.

His fist came down on the table. "What is so important about a few dead slaves that you had to stop construction again?" he barked, cutting off the 4th prince.

His voice ricocheted off the walls, rendering the room dead silent.

"The land in Songak grows weaker by the day," he said furiously. "Even the royal family line is in danger. The priests and shamans have all confirmed it!"

He noticed Hae Soo enter the prayer hall in his peripheral vision, flanked by several other court ladies. Her expression was serene as she glided past the three men standing before him, wooden tray in hand.

"We are lacking in manpower," Wang So reasoned calmly. The bastard stood with his hands clasped in front of him in infuriating composure. "And we do not have enough supplies so our people are forced to work one day and then rest the next."

Wang Yo didn't miss the way the wolf-dog's eyes lingered a second too long on Hae Soo as she knelt down beside him to place the tray on the low table.

Anger swirled like a red tide in his belly, rising to choke him.

I don't think so.

Without warning, he grabbed a cup from the tray and hurled it at the 4th prince. Hae Soo gasped next to him as the porcelain bounced off his brother's chest before smashing into tiny shards on the polished floor.

Wang So averted his gaze, quickly realizing his error.

Nostrils flaring, Wang Yo roughly closed his fingers around Hae Soo's wrist. "I don't care how you do it," he growled. Hae Soo's face scrunched up in pain as he violently yanked her wrist up for all in the room to see.

She's mine.

"If you do not have manpower, do not let them sleep," he said through clenched teeth. "If you are lacking supplies, steal them if you have to!"

Hae Soo winced in pain as he dug his nails into her soft skin. His eyes malevolently bore into Wang So's in challenge. "Squeeze and squeeze and squeeze them out if you must," he seethed, squeezing her wrist harder to punctuate his words. "Get it done on schedule!"

He tightened his vice-grip until Hae Soo whimpered in pain.

The 4th prince fell to his knees in defeat and bowed in prostration. "Your Majesty," Wang So implored ardently. "I have committed a deadly sin."

The king's eyes narrowed at the scene unfolding before him. There sat the golden Buddha, proudly upon the altar, just behind Wang So. Yet, in the end, the wolf-dog was forced to submit to an entirely different deity. He could almost laugh at the irony.

"Your Majesty," Wook interjected. "Please, allow us to discuss further amongst ourselves."

Huffing in annoyance, Wang Yo glanced at the grand-general who had been silent the entire time. Jung was bright red in the face. Fists tightly balled at his sides, he was practically quaking with rage on the royal court lady's behalf.

A smirk twisted the king's lips as his eyes flicked between his three brothers.

Interesting.

He relinquished his hold on Hae Soo's wrist, roughly tossing her arm into her lap.

She rose unsteadily to her feet. Her face was an expressionless mask as she slowly retreated with her head bowed towards him.

As soon as she was far enough for decorum to allow, she straightened up and bolted out of the room.

By the time the sun had set behind the glassy lake, the king's rage had ebbed to dull embers. In its place crept bitter remorse to keep him company.

He was not a kind man, for nothing worthwhile was ever earned through kindness. He gave commands, barked orders and passed judgments. He prided himself on carrying out his duty with fierce brutality and unparalleled ruthlessness.

He never apologized and he certainly never had to explain his actions, which is why he suddenly found himself at a crossroads when the royal court lady walked back into the grand hall that evening.

Hae Soo kept her eyes downcast, blatantly avoiding his gaze as she approached the throne.

Wang Yo smirked. So she was still mad at him.

She knew full well how much it bothered him when she ignored him.

He eyed her intensely as she came to collect the tray that she had left for him earlier. He could already imagine the look on her face later on when she would discover that the teapot was still brimming. Though he had called her into his meetings more times than usual that day, he had been craving something else entirely, and it wasn't tea. In fact, he barely drank any all afternoon. He had merely wanted to see her face.

As he reached towards her, she flinched. Her wide eyes flicked up to his in panic as his fingers seized her wrist for the second time that day.

Though he didn't intend to hurt her this time, Wang Yo's grip was unyielding. He watched her expression shift from fear to fury as she attempted to wrench herself free. She glared at him with unrestrained hatred, enough to burn through his skull.

He smirked. There you are.

It was just the two of them now, she no longer had to hold back her ire.

Using her free hand, she tried to pry his long fingers off her wrist. When he didn't budge, she struggled against his iron hold...eyes blazing like wildfire as she tried to twist her wrist out of his grasp.

His grip remained firm as he pinned her with his gaze.

Hae Soo roughly jerked her arm back, once, twice.

Still, he wouldn't let go.

Brows curling in frustration, her breath hitched on a sob.

Guilt gnawed at his chest. He looked into her eyes, the deep brown like fallen leaves after a winter storm, glistening with unshed tears.

Her bottom lip trembled as he pulled her silk sleeve back to reveal ghastly red marks blooming on her pale skin.

He sucked in a breath through his teeth.

He had done that. Not Wook or Jung or So.

It was all him.

The fresh bruises lay just below the vertical scar she had gifted herself long before fate had brought the two of them together. She was his one ally, yet he only ever rewarded her with pain.

Wang Yo rose from his seat and she instinctively stepped back. He tugged her close again, bringing her abused wrist level with his mouth.

Hae Soo could only watch in what he assumed was a mixture of horror and awe as he skimmed his lips along the delicate skin of her wrist.

If he couldn't erase what he'd done, he would make her forget all that she suffered.

He took his time, softly tracing every scar, every bruise, with his mouth. She nervously glanced over her shoulder to make sure no one was around to witness his ministrations. He nipped on the pulse point on her wrist, bringing her attention back to him.

Keeping his eyes on her, his tongue darted out against her skin and she gasped at the sensation. Her lips parted in wonder as he took a mouthful of her skin between his teeth and sucked, eliciting a delicious moan from her. Pain and pleasure mingled. The darkness in his eyes, which were still on her, left her trembling with need as his kisses on her arm grew more fervent.

"Your Majesty! The Queen Mother has arrived," the guard announced.

Wang Yo lifted his mouth from her wrist. "Just give me a moment!" he yelled back.

He inspected her arm. Smirking ruefully, he spotted the red blotch beginning to bloom on her wrist right next to the one that he had left earlier in his rage. She could conceal it with long sleeves, but she would feel it there.

His fingers grazed her cheek as he gazed at her longingly.

Despite her breathlessness and want, Hae Soo had enough presence of mind to pull away from him. She turned back to the table to collect the wooden tray.

Wang Yo grabbed her hand. "Soo-yah."

He pulled her against him, wrapping his arms around her in a warm embrace. And oh, how good she felt in his arms.

He could never let another close to him like this, but Hae Soo was different. Holding her brought a peace he had never known before, a calming of the storms in his heart. His arms squeezed a fraction tighter and she melted into him with a soft sigh.

Wang Yo kissed the top of her head before she pulled away for a second time.

By the time Queen Yoo entered the grand hall, the king was seated once more on the throne and Hae Soo was already shuffling out of the room, eyes downcast as she quietly made her exit.

END SCENE.

Setting my alarm for 6:00 AM tomorrow. *grumbles under breath*

Please leave me something AWESOME to wake up to - review Review REVIEW! :D

Wishing you all a delightful and relaxing holiday season!

Take care x