YEAR: 945

It was for the second time that Hae Soo sat in red wedding robes, waiting for a king to make her his bride. Richer than before, her clothing and body were hung with gold, jade, and silver ornaments, earrings, necklace, and rings. The court lady who helped her dress told her that the king had spared no money in getting her a bridal dress fit for a queen. Soo had said nothing to that, staring blankly as she was hung and wrapped with rich, heavy silk cloth.

She had unfrozen at least enough to tell the women that she would like to do her own makeup, and she did; her reflection in the mirror looking back at her with empty eyes. Red lips, pale face with a touch of pink powder at the cheeks. She was the epitome of the blushing Goryeo bride, a woman soon to be the king's third queen. If she was able to muster the strength or humor to do so she would have shaken her head wryly.

Queen? Rather a hostage, the King's hold over his brothers. Besides, she wasn't blushing; her cheeks and lips paled under all the red paint. All she could do was accept her fate, so that nobody would be hurt. It was all she could do. If this was fate, then she would accept it, if only to protect those she cared most about.

As she vacantly waited in the chamber, her thoughts drifted idly. 'I should've really paid more attention in high school history classes. The one that came after Taejo was Hyejong, then this one is Jeongjong. …I wonder what else I'm wrong about.' She finished outlining her lips, and she looked down at the 'BB cream' she had made and popularized in this era.

Scooping a thick brushful, she rolled up one of her sleeves, and began to cover her scar. Appearances mattered tonight. But afterwards… The uncertainty and emptiness that came with the lack of control over her future colored the world gray with despair. The makeup was cool on her skin, and soon it looked as if no scar had been there in the first place.

/

Soo had been serving tea to the king, silently doing her duty as a court lady, just like any day, under any king. It had not even been two months into Wang Yo's reign, of serving tea in the throne room, but she could never quite get used to the way the king smirked at her, the way his eyes seemed to try and cut through her, waiting for her to snap, and try to stab him (or something). He would ask her questions, sometimes completely incongruous, and they would throw her off balance, though she would not give him the satisfaction of seeing that. He played with her, and she resented it, unable to do a thing.

Today, his mouth twitched into a much wider smirk than usual. Soo kept her head down and her gaze empty, her movements graceful with practiced care as she served tea. The king watched her, and as she finished, he motioned for her to stay. She bowed slightly, obeying, readying herself for whatever was to come. Wang Yo looked at her appraisingly over the edge of his teacup, then seemed to come to a decision. "I wonder if you realize exactly how much you're worth, Hae Soo," he said lightly, as if simply talking to himself.

"I am but a simple court lady, Your Majesty," Soo said quietly, keeping her eyes down.

He smirked. "A court lady that has most all my brothers wrapped around her little finger. Not so simple, Lady Hae." He motioned for the servants by the doors to open them, and they groaned open – the fourth, eighth, ninth, thirteenth and fourteenth princes being announced. The young men all stepped into the room one by one, bowing and murmuring their greetings to their new king.

So's eyes were narrowed, his thoughts plain for all to see. All but the ninth prince seemed surprised to find Soo there, but not half as surprised as Soo herself was. She stood, immobile, until Wang Yo turned to her. His hand shot out and grabbed her arm, pulling her around to the front, showing her to all the present princes. His grip was tight and Soo bit her lip, refusing to show her fear. "Look at this girl," Yo said, shaking his head with a snort. "Look at her."

Soo was immobile, but her eyes sought out So, then Jung and Baek Ah. So's jaw tightened, and Baek Ah exchanged worried glances with his younger brother. Wook's eyes widened for a moment, but his face relaxed into a too-blank mask of polite confusion. Only Won seemed to be relaxed, smiling slightly up at the king. Yo continued, not letting go of Soo's arm. "This girl seems to be a lot more important than she looks."

So's teeth gritted audibly. "Your Majesty-"

Ignoring him completely, Yo cut in, "And since she is so important, I'll take her for myself. After all, the king should be in charge of all important things, don't you agree?"

The look on Jung's face turned into frightened confusion, Baek Ah's expression was that of a terrible realization, and So looked as if he had been punched in the stomach. Won smiled, as before. Wook kept his head, but only by a little. He stepped forward. "Your Majesty, surely you are not speaking of marriage-" he began, speaking too quickly and smoothly.

"And if I am?" the king asked, amused. His grip on Soo did not loosen.

So stepped forward, fury blazing in his angular face. "A woman with a scar on her body can't marry a king," he growled. "…Your Majesty," he added, too late.

The smirk on Yo's face widened as he pushed Soo's sleeve up, exposing her marred forearm. "But this important girl can make scars disappear, brother, you would know that best out of all of us." He let go of Soo's arm. "Of course, I must invite my tenth brother to the wedding, and there will be much planning and festivities for the occasion," he said, smirk widening. "That way, you have some time at least, to say goodbye, before she's mine completely."

Horror was written over every inch of Jung's face. Baek Ah looked concernedly and worriedly at Soo; and So's anger had doubled, his fists clenching. He looked as if at any moment he would leap onto the throne and rip the king's throat out, earn the savagery he was credited with. Wook's eyes were too narrowed, his jaw too stiff, and his lips pressed together tightly and bloodlessly. Only Won bowed and smiled genially. Herself, Soo could not move, mind blank with panic, the rushing in her ears blocking out all sound for a moment.

When the princes had left the room – either almost running, casting glances at her over their shoulders, or with too perfect a posture – Won stayed behind to congratulate Yo on his engagement, before leaving last.

Finally, when the door of the throne room slammed shut, Soo's legs could not hold her anymore and she collapsed into a kneeling position on the floor, staring at her shaking hands, rubbing her wrist where Yo had left red marks with his tight grip. Yo watched her curiously, but said nothing, until finally, she found her voice. "Your Majesty, I humbly beg you to reconsider-" she began hoarsely.

"No," said Yo flatly. "Don't try."

Soo said nothing, but willed tears not to fall.

Yo still looked at her. "You're intelligent enough to know why I'm doing this, and why I will not back down," he said. "Don't try to run. My brothers may care about you, but it goes both ways. It would be a shame if something were to happen to, say… The thirteenth prince." He raised an eyebrow and met her eyes for a long moment, before finally taking a sip of tea. "You have two weeks to ready yourself."

She took it as a dismissal, and he did not correct her.

/

The paste of the 'BB cream' grew even colder on her skin, the touch of the brush making her shiver. Somehow, the cold seeped through her skin and deep into her bones, even though she was wearing more layers of clothing than she ever had in her life. Soo set down her brush, shaking her many heavy layers of red silk sleeves down to her fingertips.

The court ladies began to pack her makeup away, and one of them looked sympathetically at her, a woman a rank below her who was in charge of clothing. "You look beautiful, Lady Hae. …I- We will miss you," she said, bowing. "We are happy for you. It is a great honor to be the third queen."

Soo couldn't find it within herself to smile back, but she nodded, stiff-necked under the weight of her queenly chignon and its hair extensions, and ornaments. Her tone was only slightly bitter when she said, "Isn't it?" She opened her mouth to say something else, but nothing came to mind and the other court lady's eyes saddened as she bowed and left Soo alone. Soo sat still and silent, her immobile eyes fixed on the door, unconsciously biting the makeup away her bloodless lips.

/

With shaking legs, Soo left the throne room, the teapot and cups rattling on her tray as her hands trembled. What was going to happen now? A junior court lady took the tray from her, yet Soo did not move, standing perfectly still in the hall, still rubbing her wrist, as if somehow – if she rubbed away the marks of the king's grip – then she could erase the past few minutes from time. What was she going to do? That thought was the foremost in her mind. No answer appeared.

"Soo!"

She turned, shaken from her thoughts by the urgent voice. "Your Highness," she said, looking up at So, forcing the tremors wracking her body to leave her.

"Let's run," he said firmly. "Where no-one can find us. You always wanted to travel, right?" He drew her close, his hands gripping her upper arms, his eyes both dark with barely concealed rage at Yo, and his tone full of desperation.

She saw him, and she knew what to do. Tears coming to her eyes, she smiled, laying her hands on his arms. "No, Your Highness," she said. "I'm sorry."

So's jaw tightened. "Why not? We can slip away in the night. I'll take a horse, I'm a prince, I have money. We'll take a ship to Later Jin. I have contacts in Khitan, we could go there. Maybe we'll even go to somewhere where people haven't been before!"

"His Majesty anticipated your reaction, Your Highness," Soo said softly. "If we run, then Baek Ah is in danger. He made it very clear to me."

"We'll take him with us!" So said quickly.

"Baek Ah won't leave Woo Hee – and she can't leave the gyobang. His Majesty will threaten the tenth prince and his wife, he will threaten General Park through her, he will even threaten Chae Ryung. Many people will be in danger because of this, many people will be hurt if we run. His Majesty knows this, and he's counting on it." Soo's voice rose as she spoke, and tears spilled over her eyes and down her cheeks. "I can't let that happen, Your Highness."

So seemed to deflate, his hands dropping down loosely to his sides, his eyes downcast. "Then what will you do? Will you let this happen?"

"There's nothing else I can do so that nobody gets hurt."

"Soo…"

Soo swallowed down more burning tears. "Your Highness, the more you care about me, the easier it is for you to be hurt now." She closed her eyes for a moment, but the absence of sight for that one moment did not make the words easier to say. "Wouldn't it be easier to forget me?"

"Don't say that," he growled hoarsely, pulling her to himself in a tight embrace. "Don't you dare. You're my person. I won't forget you." His hands shook as they tightened around her shoulders, and his heart was beating quickly, Soo could feel. "Even if he takes you away from me…"

/

Soo's skirt rustled as she walked to her wedding feast, her court ladies trailing after her with their heads down. The moon was rising, and lanterns were lit around the grounds. There were the sounds of revelry outside the walls, but as they arrived at their destination, Soo thought she had seen funerals more cheerful. The upbeat music played by nervously sweating musicians was a sick, stark contrast to the mood of the room.

At the head of the long table Wang Yo sat, relaxedly drinking, his gold-threaded finery glinting in the bright light of candles, festive lanterns and lamps. His eyes were narrowed and flicked to her as she appeared in the doorway, a momentary smirk on his face. On his right sat So, his jaw tight, his knuckles white around his knees. When he looked up at her, she saw both rage and an overpowering sadness in his eyes. Wook and Won sat to Yo's left.

Won was smiling and he inclined his head at her, then cheerfully stole a piece of beef from Wook's untouched food. The eighth prince was perfectly still and did not even look up when she entered, but Eun did, and he looked like he was going to cry. Soon Deok looked sad and shook her head almost imperceptibly. Yeon Hwa sat beside So with a ramrod-straight back. She looked at Soo and her smile was fake, her eyes sharp and full of hate – the red of her mouth like an open wound. Jung still looked confusedly horrified, but he tried to smile at her – and for that, Soo was grateful. 'Fighting,' she read on his barely moving lips, and almost smiled. Baek Ah simply nodded, his face pale and his eyes full of sympathy, the shakiness of his hands showing that he had already drunk quite a bit before she had arrived.

Further down the table, more and more people sat; high-ranking officials, a few royal uncles – Soo noticed the obvious absence of the Queen Mother. She supposed that Queen Yoo did not approve of her eldest son's marriage to her.

"Here is my bride," announced Yo, taking a sip from his cup, immediately refilled by Won. Soo looked down, and sat formally as far away from Yo as she could at the head of the table. She was sure that despite the makeup she still looked pale, and no amount of makeup could cover the tired resignation in her eyes. She did not touch her food, and saw that So could not either. Eun and Jung were picking uneasily at theirs, Wook's movements looked like some sort of robot – and Baek Ah was only drinking heavily.

They did not speak, except for Won's occasional exclamations of congratulation, remarks on the recent weather – and comments on how good the food was. Yo watched everyone lazily from under his eyelids, and soon enough, Eun and Jung joined Baek Ah in his heavy drinking. There were murmurs of conversation further down the table, but Soo's attention focused on So, who was staring down at his plate. Soo could see that his fists were clenched so hard that his nails dug into his palms, and were staining his hands with blood. Yeon Hwa smiled occasionally, making sweet, kind and politically ambiguous remarks – as was expected of her – and soon enough, Wook joined in, his eyes completely empty. The bride looked so very beautiful, and was very lucky to be marrying the king, wasn't she? The festivities were very enjoyable, it must have taken a lot of effort, right? These questions did nothing to dispel the tenseness of the mood.

Finally, Yo set his cup down on the table with a finalizing 'bang'. At the startling sound, one of the musicians' hands slipped and a squawk came from his instrument as the music faded away. Everyone stopped talking and looked up the table at him. The king's smirk was unpleasant. "Why is this party so quiet?" he asked testily.

Nobody broke the silence and answered him. Soo looked worriedly at the princes, her eyes finally landing on So, the set of his shoulders and the hair dropping into his hatred-clouded eyes.

The corner of Yo's mouth twitched. "It's almost as if nobody is enjoying themselves."

Won looked shocked. "Your Majesty!" he exclaimed. "I am very sure this is not the case!" He smiled apologetically and shrugged. "Perhaps everyone is overcome with happy emotion for your and your bride's future, my king," he suggested disingenuously.

Still, no-one said anything. Yo raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps that is the case," he said with mock thoughtfulness. His smirk widened. "Then," he said slowly, turning to So, "I am sure, brother, you will offer a toast to us?"

Soo flinched, and there were gasps as the fine china cup in So's hand shattered from his tight grip, shards clattering into the table and cutting into his hand, blood dripping onto his robes. The look in his eyes was pure, dark rage, but he stood up and took another cup that an uneasy court lady filled.

Everyone watched with bated breath.

So jerkily lifted the cup in his bloody hand, meeting Soo's eyes as he did so. "I offer a toast to the bride's good health," he said roughly, then downed the contents of the cup in one gulp, blood running down his wrist and down his arm, into his sleeve. He stood still for a moment, his gaze transitioning to Yo for a few seconds, a challenge in his cold eyes. Yo looked back, still smirking, and watched as So sat back down heavily.

"To the bride's good health," everyone at the table murmured, and took sips from their cups.

Yo nodded with satisfaction, but he did not seem to be done yet. "Ah, I think… Baek Ah," he said lazily, "On such a festive occasion, surely you will honor us with a song?" The sarcasm in his voice was thick as he said it – and he motioned to a musician to stop playing his lute and give it to the thirteenth prince, which he did – almost tripping over his own feet.

Baek Ah looked up at the king, then down again. His voice was barely audible. "As you command, Your Majesty," he said.

Everyone fell silent, even the musicians stopped playing as the young prince twanged a few strings in test. He cleared his throat and began to sing softly, accompanying himself on the lute.

"Days pass by painfully, in the stillness of the day and wind. Because I like the sunshine, I smile."

Soo bit her lip to stop tears coming to her eyes – but she could not. She remembered singing the song for the tenth prince's birthday, during days that seemed like sun-filled paradise, when all she could worry about was her next scolding from Court Lady Oh. 'You should all get along like this, always,' she remembered thinking, 'Who cares if you don't become king? Don't forget this moment, right now. Okay?'

How ironic that she heard this song now, when the crown prince had been killed by his brothers, when the eighth prince had turned his back on her, when the third prince had become king and turned everything on its head, and was unafraid to destroy anything and anyone in his quest for power – and, she learned from So – his mother's approval. She looked to So, whose eyes were glassy with suppressed emotion, then to Eun, who had buried his face in Soon Deok's shoulder. Wook's jaw was tight and he looked into the distance without seeing anything.

"Passing by so busily, even among those heartless people. Because I like my friend, I smile."

The look on Yeon Hwa's face for a single moment was that of pure rage, and a vacant smile was on Won's lips. Jung wept openly – and at the head of the table, by her side, Yo watched everything from under lazily half-lidded eyes.

"…If I find a place without loneliness, come with me to that place. Let us go together, friend… My friend… …Thank you for being you-"

Baek Ah was cut off.

With a clattering of dishes as he bumped the table, Jung stood suddenly, unsteadily up. His eyes and cheeks were damp and he avoided everyone's eyes as he thickly said, "Bathroom," and staggered out.

Baek Ah stopped singing and his fingers stilled on the strings of the lute. He took Jung's cup and emptied it in one swallow, doing the same with his own – and slowly looked up at the king. "I apologize," he said mildly, slurring his words a little, "I seem to have forgotten the rest of the words. I do hope you will forgive me, Your Majesty." He handed the lute back to the musician, who scuttled back to sit with his troupe.

Yo laughed suddenly and briefly, then began to clap slowly. Won joined in with more enthusiasm, then the rest of the table. So did not move at all, save for his eyes meeting Soo's again, like a brief, secret, gentle touch. There was a lonely, awkward cheer from somewhere at the foot of the table, but it seemed to be cut off by someone slapping a hand over the offender's mouth. A single tear built up in Soo's eye and fell onto the red silk of her robes, soaking in, then disappearing as she blinked. She noticed Yo's eyes on her, and concentrated her attention wholly on the backs of her hands. She could her him let out a soft snort, whether at her pathetic state, or at his cleverness in making everyone miserable, Soo didn't know.

Yo drew the table's attention to himself again. "I think it's best that we end the party now," he said. "It seems my young bride is tired of all the fun she's been having. After all, I don't want to tire her out too much before the night is over."

There were a few nervous titters and people seemed only too happy to get up. Soo could hear a soft growl escape So's lips. At a gesture from the king, the princes stayed at the table, and as Jung came back in, he was firmly pushed into his seat by Won. The king waited until everyone was gone, then settled back and looked at his brothers. So was as still as a statue, blood from his hand still dripping onto the table. Jung seemed to have dunked his head in cold water and Eun was rubbing his sleeve across his face. Soo did not move, her eyes still downcast

At first there was silence as the princes looked expectantly at the king.

Then, Yo's hand shot out and grabbed Soo's chin, forcing her to look up at all of them. His grip was not tight enough to hurt, oddly enough, but the teeth in his smirk were more painful than any knife as he said, "Take a good, long look at her. Look at this important Hae Soo girl very carefully. As if you are looking for the last time."

Soo saw So's eyebrows draw together in sorrow and his teeth grit audibly, saw Wook look down and away, saw tears rise to Eun's and Jung's eyes – and immeasurable sadness for Soo's fate in Baek Ah's. Only Won was smiling pleasantly, and in that moment, Soo hated him for it.

Yo let her go. "…You very well might be," he said.