Chapter Text
"Had a winning hand but you threw away the game."
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There is nothing in the world that can accurately replicate the feeling of fear. It’s so distinguishable in its features—clammy hands, hairs standing on end, heart practically jumping into your throat. That’s what you feel as you duck into the hedge maze which sprawls across half of the gardens in the Little Palace.
It’s cool and dark inside. You look around, eyes darting furtively as you venture deeper into it. This is a bad idea, you don’t know your way out. But the idea of being stuck in a labyrinth of leaves is still infinitely less scary than being caught by him.
You’ve made a series of poorly calculated decisions. Today was not a good day to crave Aleksander’s attention. The new general of the First Army was meeting with him with a plethora of revisions regarding troops, supplies and the like. He was too busy and when he got busy, he got annoyed by every miniscule disturbance and after he got annoyed, he got furious.
You just wanted his attention. You wanted him to look at you, acknowledge your existence, anything. If he had ignored you during the meeting, fine, you would have understood. But when he continued to turn a blind eye to you afterwards, it made you angry. And unfortunately for both you and him, when you became angry, you got bad ideas.
You chide yourself now, but it’s too late. There’s no escaping this. You stiffen, thinking you heard footsteps but there’s no sound. Even your senses seem to be playing tricks on you.
Aleksander is so possessive, it’s ridiculous. You tell him that he has nothing to fear, that you would never forsake him for another. He insists that it’s not you that he doesn’t trust, it’s everyone else. You’re sure he considers your little game a betrayal of his trust.
“If you want to remain hidden, my love,” His voice suddenly erupts out of nowhere and you jump out of your skin, “Don’t let the guards see your hiding spot. They’re loyal to me, not to you.”
Your heart is beating so fast that you can hear the rush of blood in your ears. You feel light-headed. This is far more terrifying than you had anticipated. You can’t see him, but you can hear his mocking laughter.
“Tell me, did you enjoy flirting with that First Army fool?” He asks and your blood chills, “Did you want him to fuck you?”
You want to sob out, deny his words. Tell him that it was just a game.
That’s what he’d told you.
“Let’s play a game,” He’d hissed menacingly in your face, “You hide and I try to find you. And if I find you…well,” Smiling, he’d pressed a filthy kiss to your mouth, “Just pray that I don’t.”
You have no chance. This is his fucking palace, he knows every nook and cranny of it like the back of his hand. You don’t know if the footsteps are echoing around you or if your ears are just ringing. You try to press yourself into the hedges, one last, pathetic attempt at winning this.
“It’s a pity,” He says, “I was going to treat you so well for being so patient today. Lay you down on our bed, fuck your pretty cunt with my tongue for hours until you cried. But you just had to go and ruin it by acting like a simpering little bitch around that bastard.”
You let out a shuddering breath. His words arouse you and make you wish he found you but the logical part of your brain knows better. He’s unpredictable and cruel, albeit never to you, but it looks like those circumstances are about to change.
You feel stupid for thinking that you could’ve gotten away with it, or that he would ever treat your games as the trivial things they were. No matter how obviously fake your flirting was, just a ploy to get his attention, he wouldn’t tolerate it. And now, you are in deep trouble. This is not the kind of attention you wanted.
“What do you think I should do with you when I find you, milaya?” He asks, taunting you, “Do you think I should invite that excuse of a man to fuck you, since you want him so badly?”
You press a hand to your mouth to stop from making a sound. You’re repulsed by the idea of anyone else touching you.
“No, I think I will fuck you,” You can hear the mirth in his voice, “I’ll fuck you until your cunt takes the shape of my cock, so you know exactly who you belong to.”
Your thighs clench at his words. It almost sounds like he’s walking in circles around you, every small crunch of a dry leaf beneath his foot, every rustle, reverberating in the otherwise deathly quiet space.
The sharp edges of twigs and branches are digging into your back but you don’t dare to move. It’s like he’s paralysed you. Now you just wait for your inevitable doom.
Then, the footsteps fade. They become interspersed with longer pauses and sound so far away. You move a smidge, if only to crane your neck left and right. No sign of Aleksander. And now, no sound of him either.
You’re not sure what to do. The edge of your kefta brushes against the dry ground softly. You’re both relieved and disappointed. Relieved because you know all his motives come with cruel contingencies you cannot fulfil, and disappointed because well…regardless of his cruelty you still crave him.
You take an experimental step forward. Nothing happens. Emboldened, you turn towards what you think is the way out of the labyrinth. You’re unsure and convinced that you’ll take a wrong turn and end up right in front of him.
You take a few more steps, trying to be as quiet as possible before a hand wraps around the nape of your neck and pulls you back harshly.
“Going somewhere?” He snarls, tightening his grip around your neck. You let out a pained gasp, your hair is trapped between his fingers and it hurts. His eyes are blown dark and his jaw twitches in agitation.
“Aleksander,” You breathe out, a request and plea meshed into one, “I’m sorry.”
When he kisses you, it’s all teeth and anger. He drinks in the whimper that leaves your lips hungrily, relishing in the power he has over you.
“Done playing your little game?” He questions, watching with rapturous attention how your chest heaves as you try to draw in more air. Fear has made you breathless.
You nod shamefully.
“Good,” He says, stepping back and loosening his grip on your neck, “Because I’m not finished.”
Your blood chills in your veins.
“Go hide again,” He smiles, the shadows dancing on his face in a sinister fashion, “And this time if I find you, I won’t let you cum when I fuck you senseless.”