Sons of the Lin Kuei

Warm Welcome

You wouldn't say that you stared. You more so looked. Watched.

Scorpion seemed to carry the boy, that you now knew to be called Tomas, on his back with an ease that seemed inhuman.
It made you ask yourself if he had carried you as well, when you had been unconscious.
Or who had undressed you, to care for the wound on your back.
The thought made you both uneasy and strangely tingly.

Both men were killers. Assassins. The deadly enemy.
They were the Sons, the crown princes, of the Clan that had for decades battled with yours.
The little peace that lay between them was built on grounds of thin ice.
You knew that this would mean war again, would your people now that you had been captured , of all things. Treated badly.
If these men hurt you, touched you - and if news of it would spread - it would mean deadly bloodshed between factions once more.
You knew also, that the Lin Kuei would win that war.

It was best then, for your and your people alike. To play by their rules. To keep this peaceful at all costs.
And then, there was the reason that made this easy for you.
The Men before you were not the deadly beasts or monsters you had heard them being described as.
Your eyes trailed over the younger brother once more.
Tall and strong in build, just like his sibling. His facial features however seemed softer. At least from what you could tell from behind the mask.
Soft as his voice.
And soft as his demeanor.
He had spared you. And clearly did not harbor bad intentions. Or maybe he was just as anxious about the next war as yourself.

His eyes met yours, and you quickly averted them.
Down to your wrists, still noticing them bound by the spear of the man himself.
You were their prisoner. No matter how much attraction you felt towards the men, you had been captured by the princes of the Lin Kuei. Your strange fate was sealed and you knew the danger you were in.
Sub Zero, Bi-Han, as you now knew him, led the way.
He was the one at the end of your leash, pulling you forcefully once in a while simply to taunt you.

It was strange seeing this cold of a man with a chain that was usually on fire.
Then again, much was strange.
Your situation more than anything else.

You had been following them for a day now.
The wound on your shoulder aching with each step. Cold sweat building on your forehead, you noticed you had started to get dizzy.

"I need a pause...", you admitted, out of breath and stumbling along.
The men had an exhausting pace as they made their way through the wilderness. You had been walking for hours on end now. Without water or food and with your shoulder still gruesomely injured.

Scorpion had nodded to you, Bi-Han however had pulled on your leash once more, tugging you, causing you to stumble forward toward him.
With him stepping closer to you, you bumped into his chest, his piercing gaze trained on you.
You once more averted your eyes, knowing restraint would only aggravate him further.

"What? You could fight my brother yet can't keep up?", he challenged, his voice taunting and angered.
Somehow that fight with Scorpion had hurt his pride more than the one of the man you had fought.
Instead of your better judgment, you looked up at him, meeting his gaze in a fierce stare.
"I did not have been impaled by a speer made of ice , when I faced your brother. Maybe once you let me recover you'd like to face me yourself."

He huffed, snarling it seemed, yet his features were still hidden away by his mask. It was only you, who was exposed before them.
Alone with the both men, all three of them once Tomas would wake up, left to their mercy.

You spoke again, softer this time in tone, trying to waver with him.
"I need some privacy. We are in the middle of nowhere. I suppose there is no guesthouse nearby where I could find a quiet room."
He seemed to understand. Then, stayed unwilling to aid you just the same.
"I'll come with you then."
"You will not.", you hissed.

Your stare grew colder and you noticed Scorpions' snicker from your periphery.
You would not have this man stand by while you relieved yourself. It was bad enough you had to stand before him, bound by your wrists, exposing face and shoulder to him.
He did not ease his cold stare, yet his voice sounded somewhat entertained by you and your strong will this time around.
" Feisty . Fine. I'll trust you know there is no need in running from us."

You bowed your head in a defeated nod. Of course you knew that. Your situation was desperate.
Then again, you felt a strange tingle as he began unbounding your wrists. Maybe it was the cold of his. Or the simple touch of a man, after having spent months on the hunt.