Martial Artists and others trained to gather, store, and use Qi, will gain several times more Qi in a year than the average person. How much more depends on the breathing technique used, how dedicated they are to their training, etc. It can be anywhere from 10 years worth of Qi to several hundreds of years worth of Qi. The top martial artists have hundreds of thousands of years worth of Qi.

  Tae jumped from one rooftop to the next. His jump taking him higher and far further than it would have without the Qi enhancement. His footsteps were silent thanks to Qi. He moved from shadow to shadow, altering the flow of the Qi in the world around him to help hide himself. He needed to be as close to invisible as possible if he wanted to manage this.

  Grinning to himself Tae watched as the guards disappeared from view. He jumped, launching himself all the way up to the top of the Palace walls. Even with Qi it should have been impossible. Tae didn’t hesitate before jumping to the garden below. He hid in the shadow of a tree, opening his senses even more widely to the world around him, searching for the familiar Qi that would tell him which direction he needed to go.

  He found it and sprinted from shadow to shadow. Launching himself back up onto the rooftops. He weaved his way around the palace complex, taking care to stick to shadowed areas as much as possible. He could have come in the more conventional way, but that wouldn’t have been any fun. He stopped outside one of the many ornate buildings. The familiar figures of YeJun and HaJoon telling him this is exactly where he wanted to be.

  Tae jumped down from the building to ground level. He then carefully made his way around back. It didn’t take him long to find the room he was looking for. He watched as Min poured over a document at his desk. Tae thought of letting Min know he was there, but couldn’t bring himself to interrupt him. So he waited. Eventually Min seemed to finish what he was doing, and left his office. Tae followed silently.

  He kept far enough back that he couldn’t actually see Min and the others. He used their Qi to track them. He’d come this far, he was going to surprise his lover thoroughly. Min’s senses were keen enough that he’d notice the moment Tae got too close. Tae jumped up onto the top of a taller building, and used that to see which building Min would go into. Once he determined which area was Min’s personal palace, Tae hurried around back. He slipped inside through a window, and hid himself from obvious view.

  “What the…!” Min exclaimed. “Tae-Hwan!”

  Tae laughed and came out from behind the folding screen. Min stared at him in disbelief, a dagger in hand. Min put the dagger away. He muttered curses, but didn’t actually look annoyed in the slightest.

  “You asked me to come.” Tae told him.

  “I didn’t expect you to just show up in my rooms.” Min grumbled. He was trying to be annoyed, but the grin on his face told Tae how happy his lover was to see him.

  “I can’t be the first to have broken into the palace.” Tae teased.

  “No, but you’re the first non-assassin to suddenly appear in my room like that.”

  “Right.” Tae said. He’d forgotten about that in his excitement. “Sorry.”

  “No, I’m glad to see you,” Min reassured him. “I just didn’t think someone as big as you could get in here unnoticed.”

  “Practice.” Tae told him laughing. He walked over to Min. He was going to grab Min’s hand but Min grabbed him by the collar and pulled him down and into a kiss. Tae melted into the kiss, wrapping his arms around Min. He chuckled when Min pulled at his belt and began undressing him.

  Tae quickly undid Min’s belt, disrobing his lover as fast as he himself was disrobed. They barely stopped for breath between kisses. A sharp, pleasant, pain as Min bit his lower lip. Tae growled, picking Min up and taking him to the bed. His lips explored Min’s skin as he made his way downwards. He loved the sounds Min made.

  They immediately lost themselves in each other. The sound Min made pulled a growl from him and Tae stopped being gentle. Afterwards they held each other, panting, and a little dazed. Tae carefully slid himself out, and chuckled.

  “You wouldn’t happen to have a bathing room connected to your bedchambers would you?” Tae asked. “We seem to have made quite a mess.”

  Min laughed. “Thankfully, I do.”

  Tae crawled off the bed. He scooped Min up before the man could follow him.

  “Which direction?” Tae asked.

  “That way.” Min said laughing as he held on.

  Tae went in the direction Min pointed. The bathing chamber was larger than he’d expected. Hot water already filled the large tub. Tae placed Min on the bench beside it, helping his lover get clean. Min returned the favor and Tae growled, fighting the urge to go another round.

  ***

  Tae sat on Min’s bed, staring at the ornate door opposite him. His fingers running through Min’s hair, the weight of Min’s head in his lap was soothing. He bit his lip as he went over the question Min had just asked him.

  “It’s not so much that I mind talking about it.” Tae began. “As it’s a long story and involves things that usually make others uncomfortable.”

  Min turned and looked up at him. He lifted his hand and rested it on Tae’s cheek. “It’s not like I’m going in blind on the topic.” Min’s voice was gentle. “People don’t get the kind of scars you have from living an ordinary life.”

  Tae smiled. “True.”

  He thought for a moment. Leaning into the comfort of Min’s hand. It wasn’t soft, it was covered in calluses. Despite being a prince, Min’s life hadn’t been easy either.

  “You okay to listen to a long story?” Tae asked. “It’s not exactly something I want to explain in parts.”

  Min sat up and grasped his hand. “I’ve already given the order that unless it’s an extreme emergency, no one is to enter. If needed I’ll tell DoYun when he comes in the morning that we’re taking the day off.”

  Tae bit back a laugh at that. Min was almost obsessed with his work and had a heavy workload. The fact that he’d take a day off just to listen to him told him just how much he cared. It was the image of DoYun’s likely shocked reaction that he found so amusing.

  “Alright then,” Tae squeezed Min’s hand. “I lost my father when I was about five years old. I don’t remember him much, just the sight of his body laying in the dirt, covered in blood. His sword was still in his hand. They dragged my mother and I out, passed his body and into an enclosed wagon.”

  Tae felt himself reliving the memories as he told Min his story, not editing anything out.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Tae stood naked and shivering in the cold beside the other children. He didn’t know where they’d taken his mother, but she’d told him to stay quiet and not give the bad men any reason to be mad at him. He was doused in cold water and he coughed from the shock of it. Some of the children began to cry. Tae bit his lip to keep the tears at bay. The ones who cried were yelled at, and the loudest ones were smacked. A bundle of cloth was thrown at him and Tae grabbed it quickly before it could fall and get wet or dirty from the muddy water on the floor.

  One of the men barked orders and Tae hurried to follow the others as they were led into a large room. There were straw mats, and ragged blankets, but nothing else in the room, not even windows. The door shut loudly behind them and Tae heard wood on metal as they were locked inside.Tae shook his white hair out of his eyes and hurriedly got dressed. He then dashed to one of the mats in the middle. That was the area most likely to be warmest. He hid under the ragged blanket that was just barely big enough to cover him, and let the tears he’d been holding back fall. No one could see him, mom would forgive him for crying when no one could see him right?

  The pressure increased on his hand and Tae pulled himself back to the present. Min’s eyes were filled with love and concern. Tae gave his lover a small smile to reassure him before continuing. He told of the hellish training he endured, the beatings, whippings, and how he numbed to it all.

  “I was six, almost seven when I took a life for the first time.” Tae said quietly. He remembered the moment vividly.

  Tae stared at the blood covered dagger in his hand. He wasn’t shaking like the others had, but it was still a shock to his system. Swallowing hard to keep from reaching like his body wanted to, he turned and walked back to where the training master stood. Tae placed the bloody dagger on the wooden table beside the imposing man. He then faced the man and waited for the verdict.

  The man just nodded, handing Tae a piece of wood with writing on it. Tae bowed before turning and leaving the training arena. He kept his pace steady, using his own measured steps to force himself to stay calm. He couldn't break, not yet. He wiped off the blood in the waiting room. Which was little more than a large room with benches, a large wash basin, and two piles of ragged towels.

  Tae exited the room out into the main complex without even looking at the other children. He showed the wooden tablet to the guard before heading to the only place in this hell hole he wanted to be. He wasn’t sure if it was from the shock of what he'd done, but the walk seemed to both take an eternity, and no time at all.

  He showed the tablet to the guard outside a large wooden building. The man said nothing, but opened the door to let Tae inside. Tae was careful not to let himself give in to the urge to run.

  He walked down the hallway until he got to the door he instinctively knew was the right one. It looked like all the others in the long hallway, but to him it was different.

  The wooden slab of a door creaked, Tae stumbling a bit as he used his weight to pull it open. Tae slipped inside, using his weight to help him close the door behind him. Door closed, Tae rushed to the figure sitting in the corner. She heard him and her arms were open when he reached her. The moment he was safely in her arms the control he had on himself broke and Tae sobbed. He buried his head into her soft warm embrace to help muffle the sounds as he screamed and sobbed. She held him tightly, telling him it was okay, reminding him that no matter what she loved him.

  “My mother is the only reason I stayed sane in that hell hole.” Tae told his lover. “Though I’m pretty sure that after I lost her I lost my sanity for a while too.”

  “What happened to her?” Min asked quietly.

  “They beat her to death.” Tae said. His jaw clenched at the memory. “She tried to kill their leader to protect me, and so they beat her to death. The time following that is actually where most of my scars come from.”

  Tae could tell that Min had questions. Tae hadn’t even told him the worst of it yet. Min noticed that this pause was going to last longer and hurriedly got up. Tae watched as Min filled a glass with water and brought it to him. Tae smiled, gratefully gulping the water down. He’d been talking for hours now. He handed the glass back to Min, not sure where to put it. Min set it on the ornate table beside the bed and returned to his spot beside Tae. Tae pulled Min close to him, needing the comfort.

  “With everything I’ve told you so far it’s probably surprising that there’d be something worse than that that she’d feel the need to protect me from.” Tae said quietly.

  “Everyone has a breaking point, things that are so far against their beliefs that they can’t sit still any longer no matter the cost.” Min replied.

  “True.” Tae sighed. “And it was something like that. Though I didn’t know it at the time. I lied to her for years about it.”

  Tae braced himself before launching into the next part of his tale. If Min didn’t look at him in horror after this… if Min still accepted him.. Then maybe, maybe he could one day tell him about Hyuk too.

  Tae held the soft fabric carefully, worried that his calloused hands would damage it and he’d get in trouble. It took him a few tries to figure out how to put it on. He’d been told what to do, but it was more complicated in practice. There were several pieces and they had to be put on in the right order. Once he’d figured out which part was the top and which the bottom he was able to get himself into it.

  Not much of him was really covered. The clothing seemed to be more for show than actual practical use. Tae was more than willing to wear the strange clothing. He’d gotten a bath, warm food, and gotten to see his mother for an extra hour. Plus they’d told him that if he did well his mother would get better treatment as well.

  Tae stood in front of the polished metal that substituted as a mirror. He was pretty sure he’d gotten it right. It looked like the picture he’d been shown. The sheer fabric draped over his shoulders and tied at his waist with a blue silk sash. His arms were exposed, so were his sides except where the sash held things together. The bottoms were basically just a fancy loincloth. His hips and legs were entirely exposed when he moved.

  He undid his hair allowing the white locks to frame his face and body. The fabric was almost the same colour as his hair, and the two seemed to blend into each other in his reflection. He didn’t really understand why, but Master liked it when his hair was down. Tae had already learned that it was better to keep Master happy. When Master was happy things hurt less.

  He bit his lip knowing he’d have to lie to his mother again. He hated lying to her, but he knew if he told her how he’d earned the extra food, the warmer clothing, the additional time with her, she’d get upset. She’d cried when he’d told her there was a way for him to earn favours that didn’t involve fighting. He sighed, he’d just tell her that he’d impressed the trainers again. It wasn’t a complete lie, he had impressed them, but that wasn’t what got him these rewards.

  Tae straightened his shoulders and exited the room. He’d gotten tall enough recently that the doors were easier for him to handle. That made him happy. He was nearly ten, and it gave him a sense of satisfaction that he was well on his way to becoming a man in his own right. Tae entered Master’s room. The dirt covered wooden floors familiar beneath his feet now. He felt a sense of relief when the Master smiled at his approach. Maybe he’d be able to visit his mother tomorrow instead of needing to wait until things healed after all.

  “Tae-Hwan, Tae!” Min’s voice interrupting his train of thought. “Stop. Stop for a moment.”

  Tae blinked and realized he was clenching Min’s hand too tightly. He went to release his hold but Min gripped his hand stopping him.

  “No, not that.” Min said. “Breathe, take a moment. I’m not going anywhere. Breathe.”

  Tae realized he’d been too immersed in the tale and was shaking. He searched Min’s face. The only thing he could read there was concern for him. Tae reached for him and Min wrapped his free arm around him. Tae released Min’s hand and wrapped both his arms around his lover. There had been no judgement in his eyes. No horror, no revulsion. Just worry.

  “It took her a while to figure out what was happening.” Tae whispered. “She broke in on one of the nights I was supposed to serve him.”

  Min stroked Tae’s hair and Tae focused on the sensation, grounding himself.

  “I don’t know where she got the knife.” Tae continued. “She was a far better fighter than I had ever imagined. She launched herself at him. He was stronger than she was though. That’s how he won.”

  Min just continued to hold him.

  “Afterwards they locked us both up in a cell together. I was chained to the wall, wrists, ankles, and neck. I couldn’t even reach her with where they’d tossed her on the cold stone floor. She was unconscious. Later she moved closer to me and held me until she stopped breathing. It took a week or more, I lost track of the days, before they pulled her body out. Took another several days before they let me out.”

  Tae stopped talking and just focused on the feeling of being held. Min didn’t say anything, just kept stroking his hair.

  “I think…” Tae began. “I think that’s all I can manage for right now. There’s more, but the memory of losing her always hits me hard, and you’re only the third person I’ve told about it. And the second that I’ve told this much detail to.”

  They sat together in silence for a while. Min eventually coaxed him into laying down, and eventually Tae felt himself drift off to sleep.