Chapter 8

"Princess! Princess, hold on!" She could hear the muffled sound of a familiar voice. Was it reality? Dreams? Nightmares? She couldn't tell the difference anymore. For what seemed like an eternity she had been stuck in the middle of seeing the most horrendous visions and nightmares to feeling the stinging pain of her own body under the toll of the torture. She could feel shaking hands pull her up, instantly being wrapped in a tender warmth. A calloused hand pressed gently against her forehead before quickly leaving. She wanted to say something, if this was even real. However, her body couldn't move. She was trapped, imprisoned in a body too weak to move and a soul too broken to want to live.

"Shit." She could hear the man say. "Princess Yona, please you have to fight." His pleas reverberated within her weakened soul. A stern, yet warm voice that she had known.

Healer…. Yona thought as realization dawned on her weary mind. Thank goodness… You're here…

The sensation of being lifted into the air and carried let her know that he was taking her to the bed. Her entire body ached with every movement he made. Her chest burned from even breathing. She felt as if she were just a lifeless doll, unable to do anything but feel pain.

"Your fever is getting worse." His concerned voice told her as a wet cloth was placed on top of her head. The coolness was perfect. Even in her state, she could feel the state of peace. "You really need to take medicine, but in this state…..…. Princess….. Please forgive me."

Yona couldn't help but wonder why he says this. However, in a small matter of a few seconds, a soft warm sensation touched her lips and cool liquid filled her mouth. Reflectively, Yona drunk the bitter liquid.

"…..Good." She heard him say in a relieved tone. The sensation of his big hands running through her hair made her feel even more secure.

Was that?...

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry that I didn't get here sooner… I'm sorry that I wasn't able to protect you last night…. But I'm here now… I will not leave your side anymore. I will keep you safe until I can get you out of here… So please.. please wake up."

He's not leaving me…. He's staying by my side… The Princess' heart felt an overwhelming sense of relief as warmth filled her eyes and slid down her cheeks. Yes, I will fight… I will wake up… I promise.

Joo-doh was surprised when seeing a single tear fall down the side of her face. At first he thought that she was about to have a nightmare, but her face seemed peaceful.. almost happy.

"Can you hear me? Are you.. somewhat happy?... If you are then you have to wake up. When the drugs wear off, you have to wake up." He whispered to her while wiping the tear from her face. As he does this, the general thinks back to just a few minutes before.

He had arrived early to see the guards standing nervously at the door. They seemed concerned, uneasy, and almost like they couldn't take much more.

"NOO! PLEASE! SAVE HIM! SAVE HIM!" Joo-Doh's eyes widened when hearing Yona's screaming voice from inside of the room.

"What is going on in there?" He asked the guard, barely managing to keep his cool.

"The torture session is still in progress, sir… You are a few hours early today….." One of the soldiers answered, his face seeming slightly pale.

"How long has he been torturing her?"

"Since Lord Kage left this morning…."

Joo-doh squeezed his hands into a fist in an attempt to keep his cool before hearing Miren's cackling laughter from the room.

"I love the way you scream for me." His slithering voice said causing the Sky Tribe General's skin to crawl. Just after he said that, Yona's voice died down to absolutely no sound.

"Hey, Dragon Lady, don't die on me. You still aren't finished with your torture. HEY Wake Up!" The loud sound of a whip slapping echoed through the chamber. "Wake up you little bitch!"

BANG! The door hit against the brick walls causing Miren to look up in surprise. His hand was holding a whip and Yona's unconscious body lay strapped to a torture table.

"You again, Healer? You are always interrupting us." The torturer growled while hitting Yona again. She didn't even flinch, her body lay motionless as he beat her.

"You've done enough.. Any more and she will be dead." Joo-Doh told him, his voice deep and growling.

"Who are you to tell me that I've done enough? I'll be done when I'm ready to be finished. So get your ass out of my torture chamber." He slithered while raising the whip again. Just as he through his arm forward, the whip stopped, completely wrapped around the healer's arm. Bright red blood dripped from his arm, but that didn't stop Joo-Doh. Using his arm, he pulled the whip from Miren and grabbed the man by the collar of his cloak. His eyes were cold, merciless, threatening, and caused the torturer to feel uneasy.

"You listen to me, you filthy jack-ass. I'm responsible for keeping this girl alive and presentable to Lord Kage and you are making my job so much harder. At this rate, she won't even make it through the night, much less be presentable. Whose head do you think that will be on?...… and if you think that I'm going to let a rat like you get me into trouble then you are mistaken. If this girl dies because of you, and I get in trouble. I will promise you that I will track you down, and I will torture you far more slowly than you have ever tortured anyone. So do yourself a favor and get out." Joo-Doh threatens while flinging the torturer backwards. Miren looks at him in surprise before standing and glaring at the man. However, he didn't say anymore and walked out of the chamber. As soon as the door closed, the Sky Tribe General was unstrapping the princess and trying to revive her as best as he could.

Joo-doh shook his head, relieving himself of the recent memories and turned his attention to the unconscious princess.

I will get you out of here… Joo-Doh thinks as he takes off his cloak and places it on top of the sleeping girl's body. A knocking sounds on the door before opening cautiously. Inside steps a big burly man. He is holding a small tray in his hands. The man doesn't seem surprised when seeing Joo-Doh.

"You are the healer, right?" The man says while closing the door. Joo-Doh merely nods in response.

"Who are you? What business do you have here?" The warrior gets straight to the point while holding his hand on the sheath of his sword.

"I'm a soldier over here. I work under Miren… My name is Rine." The burly man responds. "I was coming here to check on the girl… Miren is known for losing control when torturing… I was worried about her."

The man's voice was filled with sincerity.

"Actually, quite a few of the guards are the same as me… We don't think what Lord Kage is doing is fair… But… He is out leader so there isn't much we can do." Rine adds while walking towards the bed where the princess lay.

"I have no interest in any of this. I'm just doing my job." Joo-Doh lies while watching the man's every move with a trained eye.

"….We are grateful to you.. You've really taken good care of her." The burly soldier ignores the healer's comment while continuing to speak. "I keep trying to get her to agree to go with Lord Kage…. I'm tired of seeing her hurting."

"If you care for her so much, why don't you help her escape?" Joo-doh asks only to have the man look over at him with saddened eyes.

"If I do, they will kill my sister…. Many of these soldiers are not here on free will. We are all either in debt to Lord Kage… or we were sold to serve him… My sister and I were sold here. As long as I do what he wants then my sister is able to be safe..."

"I see… So why are you telling me this?" Just as he asks this, Yona lets out a gasp causing the Joo-doh to quickly move to her side.

"….Because… I know the eyes of a healer… and your eyes are not one of someone in this business. That's why I'm telling you…. If at all possible 'healer', convince the little miss to accept Lord Kage's offer. From there, I'm sure you will be able to figure something out… to save her." He informs before setting the tray of food down onto the ground.

"It's not much, but if the young girl wakes up she will need to try and eat something…. I've told the soldiers to allow you to stay by her side so you will not have to worry about being separated from her…. Lord Kage will be here in the morning. Please be cautious when approaching him… He has a short temper despite appearing calm on the surface." With those warnings, Rine left the room. Joo-doh stood there staring at the closed door.

An ally, huh? I wonder if he can be trusted….

"H-Healer…" The soft voice of the princess caught his attention.

"You're awake. How are you feeling?" Joo-doh couldn't hide the relief in his voice as he knelt down beside her.

"Are you really here? Is this real?" She asked, her eyes hazy and still slightly drugged. Joo-doh took her hand in his and pressed her hand to his lips.

"It's real… I'm right here." He told her, causing the princess to smile.

"I know it's real. Your lips are really warm… your touch… it makes me happy. I'm so glad you are here…. I'm so glad…" Yona whispered before coughing ever so slightly.

"I'm not leaving your side again. I'm staying with you." He told her as he held her tiny hand tightly in his.

"Healer…." She whispers with a small smile on her face. Her eyes close again as she falls into a deep sleep.

"Try and rest as much as you can, Princess. When morning comes…. You will be in another battle, but this time… I'm here with you."

….

Phew… another chapter completed! I hope you guys liked it. Added a little sweetness to the mix especially due to some of the things going on in the manga. Not going to spoil anything on here, but those who have read chapter 122 will know what I'm talking about. Thank you everyone for your reviews! They make me so happy! I will see you guys next time! ;D