Be terrified, it's you I love.

~ Medusa, Carol Ann Duffy

♟. . . . . . . . . . . . . .♦️. . . . . . . . . . . . . .♟

The white stallion broke into a furious gallop, rushing into the forest as if it was possessed by a demon from the deepest pits of hell. Its tiny heart was pattering like a machine gun in its effort to escape the enemies that pursued them. Pushing every muscle harder, it sought to reach the destination the rider was guiding them to. An ancient feeling called instinct forwarning it of the dangers getting caught would pose.

"A little bit longer, Yuri! Come on boy, you can make it!" encouraged the young woman on the saddle.

The urgency was painstakingly palpable in the tremble of her voice as she clenched the ropes with one hand and the elegant brown flute with the other. The white hanbok was muddy around the hem, the golden details decorating it lost behind the slime splattered on it. It had been raining earlier that morning, even the skies seemed to mourn her fate today.

The horse scoffed, speeding up when its sharp senses picked up what her human ears couldn't yet catch. Their oppressors were gaining ground.

"We're almost there, hold on, just a little bit longer!" she whispered leaning in closer as she clenched the ropes more tightly, spurring her horse towards where she knew these obelisks would glow in a yellow hue. The Manpasikjeok was in her left hand, her heart beating so fast in her chest, you'd think it belonged to a frightened little bird that had just heard a gunshot. Every heartbeat matched the horse's strides.

She heard the shouting before she heard the soles of their horses clash against the hard ground. She didn't have to turn around to know that it was the Royal Guard that was after her, she knew it was a miracle she made it this far but she had to try, she couldn't always rely on him to save her, her precious King was not her personal guard. Besides she shouldn't need protectors.

The Queen was unlike any other chess piece. And she was one now either she wanted it or not. The soft golden Jeogori that restricted her movements attested to that.

She had to learn so much in such a little time. How to play chess was one of them. A woman whom's earth had only recently become round, had to now learn how to navigate through the dark oceans and blinding suns in a universe so different from the ones she knew. She had always had courage when it was needed, but now she needed to acquire knowledge as well. Royal Court and politics were as difficult to tackle down as would a running away criminal in the narrow streets of Seoul be. She had to learn chess and she did.

Jung Tae-eul has always been sharp. She might not be as educated as her King but she was smart enough to keep up with him. She wouldn't let these unknown challenges intimidate her. When she realized she needed to learn on her own, Tae-eul rolled her sleeves up, tied her hair in a ponytail, and got down to scheming. By the end of the month, she was able to come up with the perfect plan to escape. She had fooled everyone. All the king's horses and all the king's men watching her; yet she still managed to escape.

Lee Gon would be proud of her.

She didn't just sit around to wait for him to rescue her. That wasn't who she was. This Queen was not made of flowers and heart warming manners. This Queen was a warrior Queen that would not take no for an answer. Lee Gon knew that; his counterpart didn't, and that was where he lost the game.

"Underestimate me, that'd be fun!"

She did warn him and he had laughed to her face, she'd wondered who would be laughing after today. He had overestimated his own charm and strategic mind. He had thought she'd just sit around waiting for Gon to save her, or maybe that her attempts would remain as such; attempts at escaping.

He didn't see this coming. She wouldn't wait to be saved, ever since she took her first steps, Tae-eul refused anyone trying to assit her in walking. That was how she lived her entire life. Maybe that was the problem. Her confidence in herself was hybris sometimes. Perhaps this whole adventure would teach her a lesson of humility. Had she been more patient that night, she wouldn't be here right now. Instead, her impatience landed Jung Tae Eul in an alternate dimension with a Tyrant from whom she was running in a wedding hanbok with the Royal Guards quite literally breathing down her neck.

Just her bloody luck!

Her heart stopped the second her eyes met with the cold ones of a certain raven-haired Captain of the Royal Guard. They were catching up way too quickly. The rest of the Guards were pretty far but the captain was hauntingly close. She hadn't realized how terrifying Jo Yeong could be until she met with the worst version of him. His counterpart was the scariest person she had ever encountered, with the exception of the King himself.

She knew Jo Yeong could be dangerous as well. She had seen him in action enough times to realize he a force to be reckoned with. But she never truly feared him, knowing that his lethally precise blunt end of ire would only be directed to these who would harm his King, and harming her lover would never make her to-do list. That and also he had Eunsap's face. She always dismissed his gallant threats as he was always way too confident he would never actually harm her since doing that would directly defy his king's order. His loyalty and dedication were unforeseen.

Unfortunately for her his dedication to his Majesty - please note the irony - transcended all the universes. So in this one, the one she was so set on destroying the man who wore the face of her beloved King, the captain of the Royal Guard was an enemy. The most formidable arch-enemy she had ever had. In this world, there was also the possibility of his King giving the order to bring her back dead or alive.

The captain wouldn't hesitate to kill her. The previous assumption was proven by the gunshot that followed him pointing a gun in their direction. She screamed and clung onto her horse tightly as the poor thing got startled and almost dropped Tae-eul, rising to its back feet while neighing loudly.

"Shhh, boy, hush, I'm here," she shushed patting its head. "Please, Yuri, concentrate. You have to get us to the clearing, I need to pass through the portal or we'll both die. Come on boy! Go!"

As if understanding the urgent terror in her tone, the horse sprung into action, rushing towards the few strides that were left between it and the gate, ignoring the gunshots that followed.

She knew they were catching up to them, the captain quite literally breathing down their neck. She could sense him being there as well, prowling after her, perhaps a few steps behind his captain and men. She could sense his presence in this world too, as she did with Lee Gon. The vibe she got with hin was different though. It was strange how her skin crawled each time she sensed him as if there were invisible alarms going off in her entire body in the shape of goosebumps.

A wicked smile graced her crimson lips when two pillars came into view. The obelisks shone proudly in a red hue as the Manpasikjeok jolted their powers awake. It was a stunning view each time it happened, but she could see nothing other than her freedom approaching and dream of her lover's arms waiting patiently on the other side. She had missed him so much, she had missed her friends so much, her family. She had missed her life.

"We made it!" she yelled happily as the horse snorted in agreement.

Her heart skipped multiple beats dancing with a happy tune as her eyes watered with suppressed anticipation. It had work, it had actually worked! She would finally go back to her world. She would finally be free of him. And he would never again be able to travel another dimension as she had taken his ticket away.

Less than two feet distance from the Gate remained when a gunshot shattered her world. Soon after another one followed accompanied by a soul-shattering whine from her white stallion. Everything from that moment on happened too fast. Given her job, Jeon Tae-eul was used to handling stressful situations and the high adrenaline rush since that was her everyday life, but she felt like a deer caught in these scary headlights when she heard Yuri's wail and they both started to fall.

She landed a few feet away from the horse, losing her senses for a few seconds. Everything around her was blurry and the fogginess made everything seem as if it all happened in slow motion. IT took some seconds for her eyesight to clear up, looking to the side she saw where she had dropped the Manpasikjeok so close to the gate. Try as she might she couldn't move for the seconds that followed. She closed her eyes, commanding her body to submit to her will. It only screamed back that it was exhausted.

She was so close!

She had almost crossed over to safety.

So freaking close!

"You don't shoot the Queen, you idiot!" she could hear Jo Yeong yell at someone, but she couldn't bring herself to turn her head towards where the voice came from.

When she reopened her eyes she was looking up at the afternoon sky. It was all she could do, lay down there, waiting for her body to wake up as a lonely tear found its way down her cheek. She heard a horse halt after a loud snort, footsteps hit the hard ground before breaking into unforgiving strides. She slowly sat up, it took so much effort to even move, breathing hards and watching, watching as the king crossed the field towards where the captain yelled at the guard and with one swift move draw the sword, cutting his neck to the bone.

She yelped surprised, not that he'd do such a thing, but because he had punished him for her. She glared at the spot where the guard that shot her only friend in this hell hole laid lifeless. She tried but she couldn't bring herself to feel bad from him. Even though she knew it wasn't his fault.

A horse wail was what awoken Jung Tae Eul from her daze. Her eyes landed on her beautiful white stallion, now covered in crimson blood, snorting and wailing while fighting for its last painful breath.

"Yuri!" she screamed rushing towards it frantically, cursing her right leg for stinging so much. It took her a moment to realize she was shut on the leg and it wasn't only a spangled ankle caused by her harsh landing.

"No, Yuri, please," she begged, grabbing the wound and frantically trying to get the blood to stop. She knew there was no way for him to survives, unlike her, the bullet had found the horse in the stomach. Hot tears run down her face, her lower lip trembling as her hands pushed harder on the wound. The horse kept snirting at her, using his head to push her away. It even made a few failed attempts at biting and hitting her, stopping right before it managed to hurt her. It took Tae Eul a few seconds to realize that it was pushing her to leave it behind and go on.

That's when she realized there were only a few steps left between her and the gate.

"I'm sorry," she whispered with a broken voice. "I'm so sorry."

She spared one last glance to her beautiful stallion before turning around, meaning to grab the flute and disappear forever from this alternate hell. A desperate growl left her lips as she made the difficult decision. She turned around, hands covered in blood, her hanbok completely drenched in blood. Only she didn't realize her sorrows were far from over. She turned around but before she could get to her feet she saw someone was towering over her, holding the Manpasikjeok firmly into his left hand.

Looking up, she saw the devil glare down at her.

His harsh eyes glistered with a villainous spark. A wave of terror spread like acid through her blood when she noticed the rage dancing into these deep brown orbs of his. His lips were a thin line of irritation she had learned to fear by now. There was enough bravery left inside her not to flinch when he grabbed her by the neck and forced her to her feet. But when their eyes met, she couldn't stop her lower lip from trembling.

One corner of his lips turned up into a mocking smirk.

"Where you think you're going?" he mocked.

The liquid in her eyes turned to ice. She glared back with hatred, remaining silent. What she could say really? He wasn't asking for information, he already knew. By answering him, she would only be confirming treason.

Yes, she had learned the rules of this game pretty well during her stay here.

It was ironic, how her worst enemy wore the face of the man she loved more dearly than life itself.

She jumped, hearing a gunshot. She looked down to see he was pointing behind her. She didn't have to look back to know it was Yuri. She knew, there were no more noises coming from a beautiful stallion that left this world in so much pain. It was a mercy killing, she knew that. But she still hated him for pulling the trigger. She knew he had not one kind bone in his body. He didn't do this to show the poor animal mercy, she did it because he was annoyed by it. The bastard didn't even bother hiding it.

She stilled her heart, reigning the tears in, she was in front of her King, her husband, her enemy. She couldn't afford to show weakness.

He tilted his head to the side watching her intensely with a curious and scolding eyes.

"I told you, Jeon Tae Eul; you can run all you want but you can never escape from me," His voice burned her soul, it was cod and certain, unwavering as he spoke the next words. "You are mine, and I will keep you here at all costs. You won't escape from me, so stop trying."

He caressed her chick drying the wet trail her tears had left upwards as if commanding them to get back in. Tae-eul bit her lower lip to stop it from trembling.

"He will come for me," she whispered defiantly. "He won't give up on me, he will find a way to bend the rules, I know it!"

The King laughed out loud surprising everyone around that looked twice, making sure they heard it right.

When his eyes set on her again, there wasn't an inkling of humor in them. The corners of his lips were a harsh line and his eyes were cold as the blowing wind in the Autumn afternoon. What made him more terrifying was the terrible mark on his face. It looked like a claw mark, but she knew it was from a sword. It started a few inches under his right brow and got all the way to his chin and right down to the middle of his neck. A souvenir like the one her lover curried on his neck from the night of the treason.

"Let him come," he breathed grabbing the back of her head to force her closer, leaving only a breath's worth of distance between them "Let him try to take what's mine."

"You're delusional!" she spat venomously. "I was his way before the day you laid eyes on me."

"Shut it," he commanded grabbing her by the heck. "You belong to me now Tae-eul, anyone that tries to take you from me will be beheaded. Anyone that even thinks of helping you will die a death so profound the Devil would weep. I won't show them the kindness I showed to Yuri."

Kindness? Does he even know what that word means? she wondered.

"I've been lenient so far, but your favors are up, I won't cut you any sluck from no on, not after what you did," he paused to make sure his point got across. "As for you beloved king, I hope he comes, I hope he tries and I hope he succeeds. Only so I would have the chance to kill him before your own eyes. And then Jung Tae-eul, then there'll be no other way for you out of here. The gated will be sealed for you forever."

The King leaned in, forcefully taking her lips without asking.

She wiped her lips while glaring at him through watery eyes. She didn't think, her instincts kicked in and she spat at him. It landed on his shoes.

She heard the gasps around her, they were pretty loud and synchronized. She heard the safety being removed and she assumed it was Jo Han Wo, who first came back to his senses. Her eyes met his stone-cold orbs and for a second she thought he might actually go through with it. He was considering it, that much she could tell. She was him looking over at his captain and shaking his head. Seconds later, the safety was back on and Tae-eul let out a relieved breath she wasn't aware she was holding. That was until she looked back at the Tyrant.

"You are my Queen, Jung Tae Eul, and I won't kill you," he growled in a low threat. "But there are a million ways I can make you wish you were dead. You chose the hard way, even though I was ready to show you forgiveness. That's all right, hard way it is. From now on you will learn first hand why everyone drops to their feet when they see me. I will make sure you will learn who you belong to and how you should talk to your King. When I'm done with you, you'll have learned your lesson. Be certain of that!"

She watched as he stormed away fear clinging on her chest as a leech latches itself on flesh.

One last lonely tear fell down her cheek as her heart called out to her King.

Lee Gon. Where are you?