𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐲'𝐬 𝐇𝐮𝐬𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝 || 敵の旦那様 (𝐁𝐋) ✔ [COMPLETE]

62. Measly life

As soon as his orders rang out, a few hundred soldiers from behind overtook him and galloped in bursting rage towards the figure at the gate. They surrounded the figure in a hemisphere and pointed their vicious blade tips in his direction upon which the figure crashed down on the floor, kneeling. One of the soldiers got down and pressed his foot on the figure's head, twisting his arms behind and binding him with ropes. Then the man walked over to General Haoran,

"General," he said, "the war prisoner has been captured and bound." Captured. Ha.

As if.

General Haoran got down from his horse, his feet grinding against the parched ground and dust with each step. He walked on, one step at a time, closing the distance between them. And then he stopped himself at a distance of seven feet away from Fu Lin, who was now forced to crouch down on the ground.

He was only here because he wanted to be here. If Fu Lin didn't want to be here right now, there wouldn't be even the remnants of his breath for Haoran to catch. He was only here right now, fallen miserably in the General's hands, because he wanted it.

"All of you retreat," he said, drawing his sword out. "I have something I wish to discuss before His Highness's death. Alone."

The crowd of soldiers dispersed, standing behind him in a rigid line even as baffled confusion passed on in their faces. Especially the trio of lieutenants side-eyed themselves in silent apprehension.

An eerie silence stretched forth as their eyes met. Fu Lin was holding onto the sand beneath with his fingers digging into them as he gazed at the General unflinching. There was a line of blood trickling from his lips at the soldier's assault of him earlier by pressing his head down. He looked considerably emaciated. His eyes too had drooped down and had lost all its light.

"Looks like you got abandoned by your precious family," General Haoran sneered. "The family that you were so devoted to and so loyal to, the family that had you plotting against me at every instance."

...Haoran was long past the point of feeling bad for him.

"Look where your loyalties got you." He laughed condescendingly. "You're stranded–you have nowhere to run to and have ultimately ended up right in the palm of my hand while your family is busy running away. You're abandoned Fu Lin, miserably abandoned."

"It's not..." Fu Lin coughed.

"What?" the General cocked a brow.

"It's not 'Fu Lin' to you," he said, his gaze burning into Haoran's. "It's 'Your Highness' to you."

General Haoran drew his sword out with frightening speed and thrust it against his neck.

"I think you're forgetting something," he said frostily, rage surging beneath his eyes. "You're no longer a prince for me to address you as such. Right about now you're nothing but a captive–a war hostage whose whole destiny resides in my palm, so you better watch your mouth. I can, and certainly will address you as whatever the hell I desire."

Fu Lin suddenly smiled, his neck pressing against the blade deeper. "Indeed, you shall call me what you desire, but I shall not respond to those calls. Ever."

"I do not care." Haoran pressed the blade harder, drawing a thin line of blood. "You shall not live longer to respond to those calls anyway."

"And what stops you from killing me?" Fu Lin asked, mockery evident in his voice. "Is it that you find it in yourself unable to kill me because of those miserable feelings you harbour?"

"No." General Haoran withdrew his sword and crouched down, levelling his gaze with Fu Lin's. "Because I wanted to get a confirmation of my conjecture for this." He gestured to Fu Lin's posture where he was kneeling down.Then he turned to his soldiers. "Am I right in assuming you've sent a separate troop to the borders early this morning under my orders to capture the imperial family bastards?"

"Yes, Imperial General," the soldiers promptly replied.

"And that concludes the matter, 'Fu Lin'," The name rolled off of the General's tongue like a snake's hiss. "Say, your presence here before me with all those sickening retaliation and dramatic lines were another ploy to get me distracted while your family's running away isn't it?"

Panic flooded Fu Lin's eyes now and his unemotional façade dissolved as he asked,

"What the hell do you want?"

"You know very well what I want."

Fu Lin's gaze flickered as he looked at the General's face just a few inches away from him. His breath quickened as he closed the gap between them. His lips touched something cool, smooth, and smelled like blood. It was a blade.

"That is not what I meant," General Haoran growled, "You know and yet again you feign such despicable ignorance."

"I do not know what somebody as mighty as you could want from a mere captive like me."

"Why are you here?" the General asked, frustrated.

"Did you not answer that question by yourself some time ago? What more clarification am I warranted to provide?"

"You..." General Haoran rasped, furious. "You are here, entrapped and caught in my hands, despite having the chance to escape with your family. While I can concur it is a distraction strategy, I know you better and believe there is more to it than that. What is it?"

Fu Lin stared silently for a split second, then sighed. "I'm here with a bargain." Haoran paused. "Speak."

"I am here to exchange my family's safety," he said softly, "for my life. I hope the General would be merciful enough to spare my family for this measly life."

General Haoran stared at him disbelievingly. Then he started laughing, a wild laughter as he stepped forward and dragged Fu Lin by his hair, making him face upwards.

"You yourself call it measly," he said coldly, "what makes you think I shall have enough mercy within me to spare your family for something as measly as your life?"

"Because," Fu Lin replied in a whisper, "it is valuable to you. My life."

"How cruel." His words were laced with fire, burning Fu Lin one after another. "You know how I feel and yet you came here to take advantage of my affection for you. It doesn't matter to you that I shall die with the guilt of killing you–you do not care for me until the end. Not. One. Bit."

"I do not indeed." Fu Lin's face became impassive. "I really don't."

"And I do not care for bargains that yield no benefit to me." General Haoran raised his imperial sword in Fu Lin's direction and stood before him. "I was hoping you'd have a tiny sliver of affection for me, if not anything. Your bargain has failed me and now perhaps I shall feel a little less guilty, knowing how despicable a human being you are, about ending your horrible person and life."

The sword came down and blood splattered across the dry ground.

* * * * * 

☆⌒(≧▽​° ) Here's another update! 

(눈_눈) Tsk tsk! I must say though, that's not a very nice bargain Fu Lin... Hopefully you can finally rest in peace now. 人(_ _*)

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