The King's Concubine

Chapter 8

Serena’s powers were awakened in an entirely new way. The king knew how it would come to be, and while she slept beside him, abused and used, he thought of how to make her realize the change. She tossed and turned in her sleep, and it was his knowledge that he would not have to make her aware. Her back arched, her body fought, and suddenly she was bowed so far back Orphen thought she may split in two. It last only a few moments, enough moments to have the king worried she was going to hurt herself before he had the time to take advantage of her new status as visionary. Oh, she would be a visionary, but she would not be like her mother. Her predictions would not be vague, she would not tell him what might happen if he took a course of action, he was going to go through scenarios with her and she would have to answer each one. She would have to answer him, because he was now her master.

She awoke sweating and panting, half curled off of the bed. It took her almost a half an hour to grasp her bearings and realize she was not in her room, or still in the library. If she had not felt so panicked she would have taken in the beautiful interior of red and golds and blacks that made an exquisite room because magnificent. Everything was draped in the colors, even the wood of the bedposts on the bed golden.

Orphen was standing in front of her, completely nude. He was watching her face, searching her eyes, and finding what gave off the hint of being under control. Those magnificent emeralds that had always decorated her face like perfect rings had turned a deep shade of crimson, almost the color of garnet. She now belonged to him, completely to him.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, testing his new power over her more than truly caring how the girl was feeling.

“Awful,” she said honestly, her voice hoarse.

“How did your visit with your mother go yesterday?” He crossed his arms across his chest and watched her.

She shrank in on herself as her body bowed again. She was trying to fight it, fight the words that were on her tongue, but she must answer him, and she must answer him with honesty. He was her master, and she was nothing but a slave.

“My mother told me things I did not want to hear,” she said.

He smiled a bit at her vagueness. She was still fighting it with sheer will, but Serena’s will was weak. He would have her broken easily. He gave her a week, at the most, but thought that by the end of the day, if he badgered her right, he would have broken. He wanted to see that line fall to his feet and worship the ground he walked on. And though he was sure Serena may never worship the ground he walked on, he knew that her children might, and their children. He would forever be their king, even if he lost the kingdom itself.

“Serena,” he smiled softly, “do you realize what I have done to you?”

Serena shook her head, afraid to speak. She did not know, quite frankly, she had no idea at all. It scared her and she bit her lip.

“I have made you my visionary,” he laughed. “Until the day I die you will forever be my visionary, telling me the future and the words of truth I ask. You may never answer a question that anyone has asked you, but me, and you may not see visions for anyone but me. You belong explicitly to me. And if I die,” he added, seeing her eyes dart around the room, looking for a way out, or a weapon, “you will die with me.”

Serena’s will began to evaporate. Orphen smiled and he stretched out a hand to the nude figure of the fragile girl. “Now,” he said pleasantly, “the first way to break a girl is to continuously do something until she wants it. So, let’s try something again.”

Serena knew exactly what it was. She tried to stand, to run, but when Orphen told her to come over to him, she did exactly what he said. She had to lay down and take it, succumbing to his very needs.

A/N: I\'m sorry this is a short chapter, the next chapter will be better, and have the actual next scene, but I had a lot of distractions today, namely another story. Love my readers! This will be back!