The Warlord's Prize

Chapter 17 - Apologetic

I have departed this world almost peacefully as I have wanted to. I am free from him; free to join those who cared for me. No more shall I ever live my life in fear as of now I go to a better place.

I am imagining Nai smiling as she plays with her doll and invites me to join her in the beautiful meadows of heaven. I ran to take her hand hoping to start anew, but that was when everything changed. The beauty all around me suddenly became a dark void filled with bubbles as I find myself rising to the surface I tried to stay beneath.

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"Breathe Emily! Please come back to me!" those were the first words I heard when I woke up,

My eyes suddenly popped open and all I saw before me was a grey blur with golden dots. I shut them again as water leaked out and I coughed intensely struggling to breathe. I felt like my lungs were full of fluid from being underwater as I slowly sat up rubbing my eyes with one hand and coughing into the other. Did I drown and go to the other side?

I opened my eyes again once I felt they were dry and looking back at me was the face Shan Yu. My heart jumped, no...it can't be! I tried to crawl backwards away from him but then I suddenly slipped on a wet rock from behind. He lunged forward and broke my fall with one hand pulling me towards him.

"Careful now, thank the gods you are alive. I thought I had lost you." He said with a deeply concerned look and it was concern for me.

All I could do was stare in him in shock like hell was about to freeze over. He was never this kind to me even in all the times I obeyed him, and yet he stopped me from suicide. The question was why did he?

He let go of me and undid his pelt scarf and hood, "Here, you need it more than I do right now," he said, offering it to me.

There was no denying that he was right about that as I sat on the rock wet and shivering and took it from him wrapping it around myself. I had to find out the truth from him now. If he went through all the trouble to revive his prize and be nice about it, then there was something I did not know.

"Shan Yu.....why? Why did you save me? After all you've done to me why? Can't you see you've already broken me enough?"

Shan Yu sighed and shut his eyes briefly before looking at me again. "Come sit by the waterfall with me and I will explain everything. You have to trust me on this,"

"Why should I listen to you?" I asked, and at that very moment I felt my assertive personality return; I had not seen it in me since the day he destroyed my only home in China,

"Emily I know you have your doubts, I really do. Please just let me talk first and then you can say anything you wish," He replied and there was sadness in his voice as he held out his hand,

I looked into his eyes and deep down something in my heart told me that this was definitely not a trick. I slowly reached out and took his hand, "I'm listening,"

He helped me to my feet and we walked side by side for the first time and sat at the edge of the pool by crumbled rock wall viewing the side of the waterfall. It thundered immensely creating a misty cloud that rose halfway up to the top of the cliff and the stars were appearing in the sky above us.

"I've been trying forever to stop treating you like this, ever since I found you in the mountains I thought you were the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. But inside I knew my men were expecting me to treat you like an object because that was what they knew me for: A ruthless warlord who enjoys a fight and a good fuck after the fight is won. As soon I realized you were more than just a pretty sight I did everything I could to resist but it was nearly impossible," Shan Yu said with a sincere voice that I did not expect,