The King's Pet

Chapter 6: In The Water

Makita's P.O.V

"King Hyunjin is taking me to watch the swimming today." I said, speaking with one of the cooks, Zara. "That sounds lovely, I hope you both have fun." She replied happily. Since starting tutoring with Mrs. Xiuying, I'd come to meet several tradesmen and women and Zara was one person I met and clicked with. She wasn't that much older than me so when she began initiating a friendship, I took to it. I found out that we were basically from the same kingdom and that she moved a year after Jian became king. Although she was born in the Central Kingdom, she moved to the South-West at a young age with her family. It was nice having another South-Westerner to speak with.

Mrs. Xiuying was also a great teacher. I'd only been learning from her for a week but I was already learning so much. Around this time I became to develop a love for visual arts after learning about some famous works of art. I didn't think I'd enjoy schooling when Hyunjin first suggested it but it turned out I liked learning new things. Even better was the fact that I could tell Hyunjin all that I learned at lunch, so we had more to talk about.

"Well I'll let you go now Makita, I have to collect some ingredients for the head chef." She said before hugging me and leaving. I watched her walk away and when she was out of view, I turned around to leave. Though I was stopped when I bumped into someone. Unlike I expected, I didn't fall back, matter of fact I was pulled closer to who I bumped into.

"I've been looking for you everywhere Makita." Hyunjin's familiar voice rang in my head as I registered that it was him. I blushed at how close we were due to him holding my waist to keep me from falling, and to make it even worse my hands were on his chest just by happenstance. It was the first time we touched each other so intimately.

"Sorry to make you look for me, I was walking with Zara, my King." I responded apologetically, bowing my head slightly. Hyunjin chuckled softly and let go of my waist before offering me his hand. "Let's get ready for the competition." He said with a smile as I took his hand. "I'm glad to see you've made a friend, Makita." He commented. "Oh yes, Zara is very nice to be around." I responded happily, pleased that I managed to make a friend. "I'm happy to hear that. And Mrs. Xiuying told me you're interested in painting, she suggested I get you an easel and some paint, would you like that?" Hyunjin offered kindly.

I smiled up at him, ecstatic that he was willing. "Would you really get that for me my King?" I asked with shock disbelief. He looked at me with a soft look and a cute smile on his face. "Of course I would, Kita. Even if you don't end up liking it, I'm just happy to see you exploring your interests." He answered, squeezing my hand softly which made my heart skip a beat. I decided to do it back, though it wasn't so much a decision I made than an impulse I couldn't fight. I looked at him only to see a look of pleasant surprise on his face, which made me feel that it was okay for me to have done that.

We continued walking in a comfortable silence, moving closer alongside one another. The feeling of being so close to him was amazing. I felt at home being next to him and because I'd acknowledged my feelings for him, being close to him like that made me feel as though I were walking on clouds. I was so content in the moment that I began to smile to myself. I felt like a child again.

 "Are you going to be taking part in the competition my King?" I asked as we got to the castle. "I might compete but I haven't decided yet, it's been a while since I swam competitively." He answered, walking me up the stairs towards our rooms. "When was the last time?" I asked next. "When I was a teenager my parent's kind of forced me to do it. I had to choose a sport and I was being fussy about the options so they just told me to try swimming. But once I became king I lost the time for it, I suppose after swimming for 6 years I would have retained the muscle memory though." He responded as we got to his room.

He opened the door and stood still in my tracks, not knowing that he was opening his door for me to go in. "Go in, Kita." He said with a friendly smile. I looked between him and the open door, unable to override the fourteen years worth of horrible experiences I had when serving King Jian. A look of realisation swept over Hyunjin's face and he closed the door again, which helped me to come out of my shock. 

"Makita, did that remind you of something bad?" He asked and all I could do was nod. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asked next and, again, all I could do was shake my head in response. I braced myself for him to insist but he didn't. "That's okay, may you wait for me out here?" He requested sweetly, very unlike what I anticipated. "I can do that." I replied, happy to comply. He smiled back before going into his room. 

As I waited for him I basically scolded myself. At the time I didn't know what I was doing was a trauma response from all the abuse I faced when I was Jian's jester. I thought the involuntary behaviour was me being unnecessarily hostile and unfriendly and that was the last thing I wanted Hyunjin to think of me as. Little did I know he understood completely.

He came out with a large bag and we were off to a carriage waiting to take us to the venue. When we got there the air smelt unusual for a while before I got used to it. We sat with his parents from an enclosed platform that allowed for the best view of the swimmers. The day went by pretty fast and before long the competition was over and people were heading back to their homes. Hyunjin and I stayed behind to watch the sunset together from the pool. 

When he was in his room packing his bag, he'd packed a few swimsuits for me so I'd be able to swim with him. It was such a thoughtful gesture and it only made me want after him even more. Well that and the fact I was seeing him shirtless for the first time. Seeing his body like that for the first time was like seeing a diamond, surreal and incredible. 

When we got into the water it wasn't as cold because of the heat during the day. It was like taking a bath just with more space to enjoy the weightlessness the water gifted my body. Because I didn't know how to swim, Hyunjin and I stayed at the shallow end of the pool for a while so he could teach me some techniques. Then we swam out a little more and a little more until I was on the very tips of my toes. 

"My King I can't go any further." I announced making Hyunjin turn back to me. "I'll hold you up, is that okay?" He asked sweetly and I couldn't have said 'no' even if I wanted. I nodded and with my consent, he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me towards his body. I could feel the heat of him despite being in a relatively cool body of water, it felt inviting and comforting. 

We moved a little closer to the center of the pool and watched in a soothing silence as the sun began to set. As it slowly came down, I thought to apologise for my earlier behaviour. "My King, I'm sorry for how I acted at the castle. I don't know what came over me." I said, not wanting to look at him. I felt as he pulled me closer to him, which made me look at him. "You don't have to apologise Kita, your brain was trying to protect you." He replied with a soothing and understanding tone. 

"Even though I don't know what happened exactly, I can tell Jian did things to you that really traumatised you." He continued. I looked at him with a lost expression and defined traumatised for me. "H-how do I stop it?" I asked desperately. "It takes time and even after waiting so long it might not go away completely, my best advice would be for you to talk about it with someone you trust just so whatever happened isn't stuffed up inside of you." He advised. 

"Can I...can I tell you my King?" I requested almost immediately after he spoke. A look of surprise briefly adorned his features before he nodded. I took a deep breath, preparing myself to revisit the pain I felt when it happened. I then proceeded to explain everything to Hyunjin. How Jian offered to show me his room and out of the submission to royalty I was taught, I didn't listen to my instinct telling me not to trust him. At that point he'd had me lashed after I fell for his trick and he'd been verbally and emotionally tormenting me every chance he got. I was only thirteen, twenty-one years his junior...

I remember vividly, even now, how the sound of the door locking behind me crept up my spine and made me shiver. Jian asked if I was cold but before I could answer he forced me onto his bed and stripped me, all while telling me it was my duty to please him and his to make me warm. Ironically, despite the heat one would think was a natural occurrence during s*x, I felt a painful cold worse than any other I ever felt before as he forced himself into me. It was agonising and freezing, so much so that I couldn't scream out loud.

All I could do was wait until it was over and, thankfully, it was the last time I ever saw the inside of Jian's room.

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