Akia wasn't afraid to go into the palace, she had been there many times. Most times it was to bring her brother oil scents, pastries and clothes she had sewed together with her own hands. Other times to receive honor for their father's victories in war.

She was not afraid of the king either, father said he was a kindhearted king who ruled with the fear of the Gods in his heart. Akia never had an experience with him that went against that.

Akia was led into the palace, Clast on her side and the royal guards behind them.

Once they went through the tall gates of the palace's throne room, they were met with the gaze of the king.

The guards all kneeled in the king's presence.

The king had changed into his night robe. A red and gold intricately designed wrap made by the most talented tailors. His long midnight black hair which was usually tied behind his head was left to flow down his shoulders.

Akia was taken closer to the king, where her and Clast got on the floor and bowed in front of the king.

"You sent for me your highness." Akia said making sure not to raise her voice in the throne room. A lesson she had learned her 5th time at the palace after a stern upsetting lesson from her angry mother.

"How old are you Akialine?" The king said eyeing her carefully.

"I have reached my 19th year your highness." Akia replied quickly.

"Ah- is that so?, you're at marrying age."

"Will you marry me off your majesty?" Akia said mostly as a joke.

Although she wouldn't mind being married off by the king, it was an incredible honor for the king to marry off your child. It shows he favors the bloodline and most times the marriages advances high bloods to more superior positions.

She knew her father would never allow it though. Knowing her father would never allow her to be wed for any reason other than love.

She smiled to herself just thinking about the type of love her father wanted her to have.

Nobody noticed since she spoke never lifting her head from the floor.

The king's lips tightened and he cleared his throat.

"You shouldn't worry about being married off, I'll take you as one of my own." The king said and Akia's head raised from the floor.

His words were usually well calculated and never something he went against once he uttered them. The fear that settled inside her after the words came out of his mouth was unmeasurable.

"Your majesty, I'm not worthy." She gasped out in one go, knowing better than to object to his words.

Her body began to heat up quickly, sweat pinning her inner gown to her skin.

The king looks into her eyes and she feels even smaller in front of the gigantic gold throne on it's tall 3 stair placement than before.

"take her. Prepare her for the position." The king said before standing up and walking out of the throne room followed by his many maids.

The same royal guards appeared behind the girl, waiting for her to stand up herself and follow them. Not expecting rejection of the proposed position. She hesitates for too long and one of them reaches out for her. She jolts out of his hold and shakes out of fear when another one of them grabs her shoulders.

She screams as she's lifted off the floor.

"Be gentle with her." Clast says watching silently by the wall.

"Brother.. BROTHER WHAT'S GOING ON?, BROTHER SAVE ME PLEASE." Akia screams and she reaches for her brother who remains unmoved as the royal guards carry her away. Taking her further from the life she knew.

"Go silently." Clast mouthed to her and she barely sees it through blurry wet eyes.

"I trusted you, please help me." Akia said loudly to her brother whose head falls in utter shame. The unbearably hot waves of regret shots through him.

The moment Akia and the royal guards disappeared through the giant double doors. The personal guard falls to his knees.

He shoots up after the passiveness of just crying seemed to do nothing but increase his bitter disappointment over his decision to betray his sister.

The personal guard walks towards the king's side of the tall building, he climbs up the tall wide stairway leading to the king's chamber doors.

There are guards who stand on either side of the stairway.

Clast hesitates before knocking on the door.

A maid opens the door, holding a tray of a tea kettle and a cup. She politely greets him and he does the same moving out of the way to let him in.

The king sat up on his towering bed with a tea cup in his hand staring at a painting on the wall, just above his fire place on the other side of the large room.

The personal guard gently closes the door behind him before looking at the king.

The personal guard got on his knees on the black marble floor of the king's bedroom.

"Your highness, I beg of you. Please reconsider."

The personal guard begged, tears rapidly rolling down his scarred cheek.

"What you ask of me is impossible for me to provide." The king said low and slow, a sense of empathy behind his words.

"Your majesty please." Clast said even though he knew his plead was useless.

"What type of man do you deem me to be?, do you think I take pleasure in the actions I took today?"

"Your highness.. she's just a child." Clast said pitifully and the king leans against the wall staring up at the glass painting of the sun goddess on his ceiling.

"Everyone is a child to me, Clast. How can I do nothing when our kingdom can be easily destroyed?, the faith of our kingdom rests between me and your sister. You must understand the choice I had to make." The king said.

"Your highness please reconsider." The personal guard repeated until the king groaned.

"Guards" The king called out and the men standing outside his chamber rushed in.

"Get him out of my sight. Punish him for making sure an egocentric plead." The king commanded.

Personal guards were trained to tolerate pain. It wouldn't be enough to flog him or drown him. Instead they would rip off his skin and reattach it.

That's what it meant to ask for something so selfish in the presence of the king.

Akia was carried on someone's back around the otherwise beautiful place.

The palace was an architecturally superior place, reminiscent of the high rise castle, the king used to live in before it was burned down.

It was a large temple like place with the palace hall in the middle and two large buildings behind them, including two smaller buildings on both sides of them.

At night it was brightly lit with coal fueled fires surrounded by fire brick and candlelit walkways.

She was taken to a brightly candlelit room.

She is gently placed on a shiny marble floor, she crawls to the furthest corner of the room and grips her knees to her chest. She's left alone with only her frightening thoughts about what all of this meant.

Suddenly an older woman with a cane opened the door and entered, her eyes were very small and so were most of her features. Tiny nose and a prominent line leading up to where her eyebrows were supposed to be but weren't. with long shapely ears. Akia has never seen someone with those sort of features. Akia wasn't a very tall person but the woman was much smaller than her.

"Strip her bare, we must inspect every inch of her skin. If we let the majesty touch someone scarred or already touch by another we will be deserving of death." The old woman boomed and 3 bigger woman moved from behind her and began approaching Akia.

They grabbed the younger girl.

Akia attempts to push their hands away or get out of their grip but they lifted her up despite her cries and held her arms above her head.

"Please stop-" she pleaded as they began unwrapping her robe. She buckled her knees and tried to wiggle out of their holds as they grabbed the rim of her dress pulling it up her legs.

Akia sobs when they let her go, she's bare now. Her protective undergarments were also pulled off her despite her protest. She moves back into the corner, wishing she could sink into the stone wall.

"Start the search." The old woman barked.

3 more women appeared and the 3 from before pulled her up from her sitting position, Akia stomps her legs on the floor, attempting to shake their hands off her.

They carry her towards the older woman and then they set her on the floor. One went behind her, another to her side while another went to her legs. The one behind her pulled her down with strong arms and then the other grabbed the limps they were near. Akia attempted to sit up but the one behind her grabbed her head and tightened her hold on her head.

"Every inch of skin must be without flaw." The old woman said and the other 3 women start by gripping her hands and looking at every pore.

Akia struggles and cries but they're too many and each is far too strong on their own. She felt humiliated and completely powerless.

Then came her breast, where they groped her carelessly and then left for her legs. Multiple eyes travel from her knees to her core.

"We need to shave the hair in order to see if there's any scarring, otherwise it's hard to tell, Doula." One of the 6 women said.

"I should check her insides before we do that. If she still has her virtue then there shouldn't be any scarring." The doula said before dropping her cane and walking towards the naked spread out girl.

"Your handwear." One of the women said. The doula thanked her taking the thin sheep gut lining glove and sliding it on.

"Young one, do not cry. If you get ill the majesty will feel too guilty to take you. What will our kingdom do then?" The doula said gently attempting to comfort the terrified girl before promptly shoving a finger inside her.

Akia gasped as pain shot their her body. She screamed and a hand is placed on her mouth.

"Please have some patience lady Kenya." The woman holding her head advised.

The girl lets out a mumbled cry as another finger enters her.

"She's pure. Take her to the royal bathhouse. We should prepare her." The doula cheered her voice dripping with pure happiness.

"The Goddess have blessed us. Oh our faiths are already changing." She exclaimed over the sound of Akia's cries as she's taken away from the room.

"The sun has come again your highness." The royal doula said the next morning in a room full of officials.

The crowd of officials praised their king on his actions.

"Your majesty, may your grace never end." They said in unison, bowing their head towards the table full of well cooked meals.

"May your home be blessed with 100s no thousands of sun children." The young overly enthusiastic official of education cheered.

"Let's not get greedy." The king said chuckling as a court lady poured his morning wine. The officials shook their heads some mumbling praises.

"We will continue to put our trust in you, Your majesty. You have yet to fail us." One of the officials said.

"Sir, a hawk has come from the military, General Kenya made a reply to your letter."

General Kenya was one of the leading officials, a very important man who was essential in keeping the peace in the kingdom.

if he were to disapproval of the king's actions then the king would have no choice but to strip him from his position and send him into exile.

He would however still impregnate his daughter seeing as he had no other choice.

"Excuse me." The king said as he's handed a scroll.

The king unrolled the scroll and then read the message out loud.

My king, I'm happy to inform you that the moon's people are beginning to fear my wrath.

I was very happy to see you'd sent me a letter, especially one saying you've decided to make my daughter a member of your family.

I hope my daughter will be of great use to you. She's very strong so she'll bare you champions. Everyone says that she's like leather made from a bull.

Signed yours truly

General Kenya.

The king finished with a quiet breath of relief and the men cheered.

"Leather made from a bull huh?" General worship, General of law says.