scarlet heart | exo

Rescue

She thought she was dreaming, hallucinating. Her mind, broken from the wounds and pain that littered her body, must have conjured up the mirage of her protector, her saviour. He couldn't possibly be here, could he?

But there he was, in the flesh, without a shadow of a doubt. She was seeing him, all strong and determined, sturdy grip on drawn sword, with her very own eyes.

She should be calmed by his presence, as she always was.

Yet, drawing her ripped robes around her shoulders to hide herself, Xuefeng felt her heart palpitating at a speed she didn't know if was even capable of running at.

Her saviour was here. Yet why was she so terrified?

She let out a breath she hadn't realised she had been holding, and tried to draw in another to replace it. But the air caught in her throat, cutting her windpipe with a jagged edge.

She instinctively drew her knees to her chest, as tears flowed and fear consumed her.

I must get the hairpin. I must stab the man. He's too close to me.

Her senses and instincts were commanding her to do things, but at the same time, a part of her brain was telling her to resist, to not do those things.

But slowly, the voice of that part of her brain grew fainter and fainter, overpowered by the compelling cries, until they were all that was left.

The enemy is here! It is dangerous here! You must fight! You must get out!

The panic consumed her, and all she could do was scream.

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"Aaaahhh!!"

The high-pitched scream of a woman and a low-pitched cry of a man rang out simultaneously.

The low-pitched cry was halted in seconds, as the enemy leader's legs buckled and he collapsed to the ground, multiple stab wounds dotting his abdomen.

The high-pitched scream went on, growing increasingly pained and desperate by the second.

Zitao breathed a few heavy breaths, then sheathed his sword, still damp with the fresh blood of the enemy leader he had just slain. A small smile on his face, he turned to greet his wife -

Her eyes were wide and red-rimmed, pupils trembling as tears marred her visage. He registered her ripped robes, and through them, the bloody arcs from where leather whip had torn skin and flesh.

He was by her side in the next second, reaching out to hold her hands, possibly the only place he could touch without hurting her wounds - but she retreated from him hastily, hissing.

It was enough for him to notice the silver pin she was grasping fiercely, so tightly that her knuckles and nails were white, almost pressing hard enough into the flesh of her palm to break skin.

"Xue?" he tried hesitantly. He had seen and dealt with the shock of freshly-recruited soldiers after their first battles, but this was like nothing he had every encountered before - and he had no idea what to do.

One thing he did know though - he had to get Xuefeng to let go of the silver pin, before she injured either or both of them with it.

"Let go of the pin." He tried his commanding voice, the one which he used on his soldiers, hoping that the calmness of it would soothe her frantic nerves.

She graced him with a brief glance, but kept her vice-like grip on her lifeline.

"Let go." He tried his happy voice, the one he used with his brothers when they were still teenagers and played games, hoping that the lightness of it would convince her.

Her gaze wavered, as if assessing the situation and him, but she shook her head once more and buried her gaze between her knees.

"Xue... Please, let go." He tried his gentle voice, which he only used with Xuefeng, in the privacy of their chambers. Hoping that the uniqueness of it would evoke memories, move her and call her back from where she was lost.

She raised her head to look at him again. He continued to stare at her. She trembled just a little less, and her breaths evened ever so slightly.

"Hey, Xue." He tried to muster a smile, but it came out a grimace. "You're gonna be okay, do you hear me?"

Masking the sounds of his movement with his voice, he moved his right arm behind her, hilt of his sword directly above the base of her neck.

"I'll be right here when you wake up."

The pin clattered to the ground.

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There was a bell.

It didn't tinkle, like a one you would find tied to the door at a florist. No, it was heavy, echoey, sonorous; like the tolling bells of a Buddhist temple.

But it was morphing. It was becoming higher, sharper, less unified - the distinct sound of chainmail clinking as soldiers marched.

A solid cream colour was all she could see.

"Oh!" A breathy, familiar voice. "Sorry, you scared me - I mean, I wasn't expecting - Xuefeng? You're awake?"

A hand came to touch her arm from above the sheets, and Xuefeng almost flinched, but the touch was small, light and warm.

"Hey." A face came into view, blocking the cream colour of what Xuefeng now realised was the fabric roof of the Qing armies' tents - it was Yizhen.

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A fist slammed into a wooden table, clattering the various small daggers, medicinal vials and knick-knack strewn all over it.

"You're telling me to leave her alone? Leave me wife alone? After what she went through?" questioned Zitao incredulously.

"It's for the best," reasoned Luhan. "Remember the breakdown she had when you went to get her out? Yizhen told me that Xuefeng's not over the trauma of what she went through, and it will take her time to recover from it. I know you love her, and I care for her too; but as men ourselves, we're not the best persons to help her, and we might make things worse if we try to get too involved. Right now, the best thing is to let Yizhen, a woman she trusts, take care of her. She'll seek you out when she's ready to."

It hurt him, it really did. To be powerless as such, unable to do anything to alleviate Xuefeng's pain. All he wanted to do was to run to Xuefeng's side, and to just be there for her, to hold her hand and guide her through the pain she was going through.

But that would be selfish. Luhan was right; he wasn't the right person to help, and Xuefeng was far too scared of him. He would only make things worse, and cause Xuefeng more pain.

Perhaps, the best way for him to help her was to stay away from her.

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Written by CrystallineSnow