Hobson's choice- in which Jae-Ha's options are dwindling, fast.
AN: Somewhere around here -I should probably have done so much earlier- I would like to insert a disclaimer:
I am by no means a health care professional and whatever you read in here is the result of google researching of hypothermia, near drowning, complications, and old school healing techniques, aka: from before antibiotics, oxygen and all the other goodies modern medicine can offer, was invented.
Zepuka, my friend, my hero, has once again helped me by beta reading this chapter. She's awesome.
"…your friend is very ill, and I am by no means a trained healer."
The words sent a surge of dread through Jae-Ha's chest. "Is there someone else here then that I can ask for help?" He asked, only to receive a weak smile and a head-shake in return before the elderly lady focused on Hak to see what she could do for him.
"Not really. You were lucky it was my door you knocked on first, but I have a feeling that was more because you just crossed the mountain and my house was the closest… Anyhow, I've picked up a few things here and there and I'm the closest this village has to a healer, but I never received an official training." She explained before briefly disappearing out through the door to fill it up from a barrel outside the house. Once she returned, she sat down next to the sick man on the bed again, dipping a rag in the water and wiping down his sweaty forehead with it. "I'll do what I can, but as I said, I've only picked up a thing or two here and there out of necessity, to help the people in the village when I can. We are at least a couple of days away from the capital with horse and carriage you see," she sighed, before continuing. "The best solution would be to take him to the capital. They have great healers, but… as I said, it does take a couple of days to travel, and while I'm sure that we could borrow a horse and carriage from the baker, I honestly don't think he'd be able to cope with a trip that long."
Jae-Ha nodded to signify that he had heard and understood. Subconsciously, his hand moved up to the inner pocket of his long tunic, grabbing the small pouches Yoon had given him only a few hours earlier, and clutched them until his knuckles whitened. Wouldn't they be enough? Why wouldn't a warm bed, fluids, and the fever-reducing medicine Yoon had given him be enough? Then again, if it wasn't...
He knew Hak was opposed to going back to his hometown, and that he had good reason to, but the green-haired dragon was running out of options, fast.
"I can get him there much quicker if you're sure they'll be able to help him?"
…
The sun was set high in the sky when Jae-Ha finally spotted the capital in the distance. A big town was spreading out in front of him, with the biggest, most eye-catching building seated upon a hill behind the rest of the town. Groaning in annoyance, he shook his head. Of course the mansion, which must be the home of Hak, had to be built on a damn hill… He landed at the base, still not sure that falling down from the sky without any notice would earn him a warm welcome, and set to carry Hak up the stairs to his home. The other man hung limply off his back and shoulders, and unlike when they had landed the last time, he did not stir, not even once- an alarming fact that made Jae-Ha, despite his fatigue, quicken his pace, practically running up the steep angle to the manor.
…
Tae-Woo had just gotten out of another boring lecture from Elder Mundok about when in the season to set new rice seeds to ensure a rich harvest. He crossed the court-yard and joined Saki and Han-Dae on their watch duty which, in reality, comprised of the two blondes playing dice and accusing each other of cheating. He stood above his two friends who were seated on the ground at the gate and therefore spotted the odd sight first. A green-haired man approaching, carrying another on his- wait, Tae-Woo recognised the blue clothes and the dark hair… Hak! It was Lord Hak, and he was obviously not well.
In that moment, the green-haired man spotted the three youngsters, sighed in relief, and shouted at them to come and help him. With wide eyes, all three of them rushed to meet the stranger.
"Hey," the man panted, sweat coating his forehead despite the chill in the wind. "Man, am I glad to see you guys. Hak needs help; you know him, right?"
"Yeah, of course. Here, let him down; we'll carry him for you," Tae-Woo quickly replied, already grabbing onto the unconscious man in order to take over, though he swiftly pulled his hand back in surprise when his fingers touched the flushed skin, eyes widening again.
"He's burning up. We'll have to get him inside, right now!" The young general ordered. Quickly gathering himself from the initial shock of seeing his lord returning home in such a terrible state, he addressed one of the other teens. "Han-Dae, run and get Elder Miku. Saki and I'll take Lord Hak to one of the guest rooms; tell her to meet us there."
"Yes, Lord Tae-Woo," the blonde nodded, bolting towards the house.
"…and stop calling me that!"
As they carried Hak across the courtyard, the blonde - Saki, looked over to the other. "How is this possible…? I thought?" He said hesitantly, in a low voice.
"Yeah, so did I, but it doesn't matter, he's here now," the one called Tae-Woo answered, equally subdued, and Jae-Ha looked up when he heard how thick his voice was. The kid was close to tears…
As soon as they eased the shivering bodyguard down on the empty futon in the room they had brought him to, and covered him in a thick blanket, the teen named Tae-Woo spoke to his friend, giving a quick order to find Elder Mundok. The blonde nodded and disappeared down the corridor just as Hak began to stir, pulled back to semi-consciousness by the shift in altitude and position. He groaned in pain as another suffocatingly wet coughing-bout took hold, making him roll over on his side and curl into a ball. Cradling his chest and gasping for air in-between each cough, he fought to force the oxygen down, helped by Tae-Woo and Jae-Ha who quickly lifted him up into a semi-upright sitting position. With his face scrunched up in pain, he bent his head down further and it almost sounded like he was choking on something as he desperately tried to rid himself of the suffocating phlegm stuck in his chest before coughing up a mouthful of rusty-coloured mucus into his fist.
'Well that's new, and gross,' Jae-Ha noted dryly, nose wrinkled in disgust, and quickly pulled out an intricately decorated hankie out of his inner pocket. He quickly handed it over to the bodyguard before Hak could come to think about wiping it off on the blanket, which was the only other piece of fabric readily available. That poor piece of material would have to be burned later...
He shifted his gaze away from the sight for a moment, making a deliberate decision to ignore the fact that Hak was now coughing up blood-specked gunk.
"W-Where am I?" Hak rasped out as his gaze trailed the room, trying to focus on his surroundings; teeth clattering miserably as he ditched the tissue on the floor.
"Your fever must be pretty bad if you don't recognise your own home, Lord Hak," Tae-woo commented, lips pulled into what he hoped could be taken for a reassuring smile, drawing Hak's attention to himself.
"Tae-Woo? What are? …How?" Hak forced out, and the younger man cringed internally when he looked straight into the eyes of his previous commander, noticing well how the usual sharpness had been replaced by fever-dulled confusion. Then he saw recognition glimmer for a second in Hak's eyes before he glared at the man who brought him there. "Why did you… take me here… you know we can't… go to Fuuga," he questioned while pushing himself up so that he sat up without support.
"Ah, but I really wanted to meet your family; they seem very nice. Besides, decision-making is only for the conscious. If you wanted to be a part of the process, then you shouldn't be napping," Jae-Ha countered in jest. Avoiding the notion that it had been the last resort when it became clear that Hak needed more care than the old lady they had first imposed themselves on could provide.
"Whatever… we're leaving, now," Hak stubbornly maintained, glaring at the dragon and pushing himself up to his knees in order to stand, ignoring the dizziness that made his head spin and his vision blur. He didn't get very far though as he was halted halfway by a familiar voice and two palms on his chest gently pushing him down again. He found in dismay that he simply lacked the strength to resist, weakly falling back onto the futon
"If you think I'd let my own grandson walk out of here while he is so sick he can barely sit up, then your illness must have rendered you delirious."
"Gramps, I can't stay. You know-" Hak still tried to argue, even as he was being pushed further down on the bed, but was cut short by another set of harsh coughs that left him breathless and dizzy. Accepting the handkerchief Jae-ha had reluctantly retrieved from the floor when he'd resumed his coughing, Hak spat out another lump of mucus into the already-soiled folds.
"Yes, I do know, and that's another discussion, for when you're feeling better. Now rest. There isn't much more you can do. I'd like to see you try to take on all of us to fight your way out of here…"
As much as he hated to admit it, the old geezer was right, there was no way he could leave if they put their minds to making him stay, not when he could barely sit up without swaying. Besides, the short argument had left him feeling drained again, and soon his faint grasp of consciousness began to fade once more.
Once he was sure his grandson had returned to sleep and would not try anymore ridiculous flight attempts, he turned to the strange man that had taken a step back to quietly observe the situation when Saki and he had entered the room. Mundok had seen a lot of strange sights in his life, and he hadn't thought much could surprise him anymore, but hair as green as grass was a first, he had to admit. He had many questions to ask, though he was halted before he had a chance to voice any of them as Miku joined them with Han-Dae in tow. The latter had his hands full of blankets, rags, and a basket filled with small herb-jars. The elderly woman quickly took in the situation, barked an order for the youngster to put the herbs down next to Lord Hak, and sent Saki to fetch water - both a cold bowl and a boiling pot - before getting to work. She began by checking his vitals, taking in his overall appearance, frowning when she felt the hot forehead against the back of her palm and the accelerated pulse underneath her fingertips. She looked up and signalled for the green-haired man to come closer.
"You there, you're the one that brought him here, yes? Can you please tell me everything you know? It will be faster and more efficient than me searching for what's wrong."
"Yes, of course, my lady. Now, I wasn't actually there when it happened, but from what I've been told, Hak was protecting…" Jae-Ha stopped himself for a moment in hesitation before resuming his explanation, "…a friend, when he was shot." He paused, and pointed his chin towards the bandage on Hak's thigh, just above the knee. The old lady nodded absently as she continued her own investigation while listening, pulling apart his tunic to get a better view of the bandages she could feel underneath his clothing.
"…And fell into a frozen river. I am not exactly sure how long he was in there, but it was long enough I'd say, and he swallowed a lot of water," Jae-Ha explained, shuddering in remembrance of just how much water Hak had brought back up when he vomited, how cold he'd been when Jae-Ha pulled him out, the dread when he wouldn't wake up, and how long it had taken them to get him warm again. "He has a couple of broken ribs too, and he took a blow to the head," he continued before stopping himself as the old woman promptly dropped her ear down on Hak's chest while holding up a finger to signal that she needed the room to be quiet for a moment. She didn't stay down long though, and when she pulled herself back up to sit upright; her frown had deepened as she nodded for him to continue.
"That was… two days ago. He has a cough that only seems to be getting worse, and last night the fever started. Also, he um… insisted on spending yesterday walking… that probably didn't help much," Jae-Ha finished, habitually flicking his locks out of his face with his wrist.
"He did what!? Out of all the idiotic…" Puffing her cheeks out in irritation, she let out an irritated huff before taking a deep breath to compose herself. "I see, thank you, young man. That will be all. Han-Dae, can you please bring more pillows, it will be easier for him to breathe if he isn't lying down flat. The rest of you, out of here, now," she finished, directing her order to all the men in the room before adding in a short 'please', almost as an afterthought, and they all obliged without any protests. Even Jae-Ha, who only met the elderly, tiny lady a few moments ago, quickly realised she was used to being obeyed, and, trusting her to take good care of Hak, left the room with no objections.
When they stepped into the corridor, they found a large group of people impatiently waiting, with Saki in the middle. He was carrying a bucket of water in one hand and a steaming pot in the other, donning a sheepish expression.
"I told them that Lord Hak was home, and they all wanted to come and see for themselves," The blonde teen explained before the crowd broke into an excited chatter, bombarding the small group with questions. Jae-Ha could only make out the occasional sentence amongst the excited commotion, such as 'Is it true?', 'Is the young Lord really home?', and 'Saki said he's sick?' from among the din, but before he could answer, Mundok stepped forward to address the crowd.
"Calm down everybody. Yes he's home, but this cannot be publically known… and yes, he's ill, and what he needs is rest. Now, go back about your day and you can all meet him when he's feeling better," he answered the wound-up crowd, and they obediently scattered, muttering excitedly among themselves.
Jae-Ha filed all these interactions away as he took them in: the crying teenager, the sensible grandfather, and the gathering of people outside Hak's door. Despite his worry, he could not help but find it fascinating to see Hak's people reacting to his unexpected homecoming. It was clearly invoking a lot of feelings and the respect they held for their previous commander seemed true and honest. While Jae-Ha had seen all sorts of family interactions since he left his own village, it never stopped to intrigue him how others interacted with their kindred. He could not help but draw parallels, images and memories of his own upbringing flicking through his mind. Somewhere, deep down, he could not help compare the welcome Hak was given, and in extension his own, to the less friendly one he would receive for sure if he ever were to return to the place where he was born. Being thrown right back into shackles, treated like a criminal whose only offence had been to be born, punished for daring to wish for something as simple as freedom, that would be his fate. He was certain of one thing; the kinship Hak clearly shared with his tribe was something Jae-Ha would never experience with his own village. Deep in thought, he almost failed to notice when the elderly man that Hak had called 'gramps,' spoke to him.
"As an Elder of the Wind Tribe," I would like to express my deepest gratitude towards you who brought my grandson back to us."
"Ah, don't worry about it. We've all be worried and I only did what I thought was best for him, despite him not being particularly happy about it. I imagine he'll want to flog my hide and decorate a wall with it when he wakes up again," Jae-Ha joked, but the look on the older man's face soon stopped him.
"We…? So there are more of you? Tell me, were you possibly travelling with a young girl? You said he was protecting someone, was it her?"
"You know her then? Yeah she's fine; she and the others should be here in a few days' time. We had soldiers at our heels though when I left them to cross the mountain and… Are you all right sir?" Jae-Ha stopped himself when he saw the distant look in the eyes of the elder man.
"Oh, um, yes absolutely, it is just very comforting to hear that she is well. Thank you for bringing us the news. I doubt they would dare enter our territory, but we'll be prepared if they do. Now can I offer you some food and something to drink?"