[Arthdal Chronicles] Fight for freedom

FLASHBACK CHAPTER 5: Was that love? (EDITED 06/22)

- Yangcha's point of view – Few weeks later

We always trained when I was able to slip away from the camp. Sometimes I was able to see her several days in a row, sometimes several days passed without the possibility for me to go to her. She became better quickly. Her Igutu's instinct, allowing her to easily remember everything she saw, helped. Yet, remembering and applying what she saw were two different things. She was still not good enough to go to Arthdal and achieve her purpose and I hoped she would never be as I didn't want her to go.

We didn't talk that much. I only wrote in her hand what she couldn't understand through my eyes.

She was always on the defensive, probably afraid I would change my mind and kill her on a sudden impulse, after all I was a Daekan and she was an Igutu. I respected the distance she put between us, she had been clear, she was using me to reach her goal. And, yet, I didn't care being used as long as she was the one using me. Every encounter made my heart beat faster. It was a new sensation for me and I tried to understand it.

Training with a girl was definitely different than training with men. She had less strength but it was compensated by a sort of lightness which allowed her a certain quickness in her movements. I was trying to be as gentle and patient as I could, even though I wasn't used to being like that.

Doing my best to be good to her seemed to pay off and slowly, I got the feeling she relaxed around me, maybe because she was slowly realizing I really had no intention to kill her.

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I got injured during the hunt. The Neanthal we had hunted had not given us a break and if we had been a little less numerous he would have killed us all. The wounds weren't deep, and it was nothing compared to some of my comrades, but they were still bleeding. It was sunset, we were all supposed to rest and so, it was the perfect time for me to sneak out from the camp. I quickly covered my injuries with a strip of clothes, took back my sword and chains then I slipped away from the camp to meet her.

It was easy to find her, she always left small traces only I knew were left on purpose. When she saw me, her eyes opened wildly.

"Yangcha, you are hurt," she murmured as she had put a hand in front of her mouth. She approached me, examined my wounds, "how did you get- nevermind," she interrupted herself, "this bandage, you did it yourself, didn't you? I am sorry to say that but it's not really well done."

How did I got injured ? She knew it well, that's why she couldn't finish her question. I looked at the bandage I made, she wasn't wrong, I really didn't do it correctly, because I wanted to slip away for the camp as soon as I had the occasion to.

"Let me do that bandage again. Sit down," she ordered, and I was surprised how authoritative she had sounded.

Confused, I frowned. She had told me she was just going to use me and I was ok with that so why did she want to help me treat the wounds I got from hunting her people ? Did she actually care for me now ?

She sighed seeing me standing still, she led me to a small stump near the river and made me sit. She removed the bandage I had improvised on my arm and put it away. She didn't seem bothered by the fact my blood had got on her hands. She took a piece of clothes and humidified it, then she squatted in front of me and started to wipe the blood I had on my arm.

Then she stood up and went away for a short moment before she came back with wild flowers. She explained to me that those flowers were going to help the wound heal faster and so she mashed them and applied her preparation on my wound. The contact of her mixture made me groan in pain and she apologized. I shook my head, it was nothing to be sorry for. She gave me a small smile before she wrapped the wound with a new bandage. I didn't realize I was staring at her until our eyes met and we both looked away. I wondered if she could actually hear how my heart was beating faster than it should be.