Nari's breathing was shallow and her body had turned too cold from the endless snow drizzling from the sky and he felt her shiver.
"Nari." Hwarang called with a low voice, he checked up on her every five minutes in case she was unconscious.
"Huh?" She answered weakly and he breathed out a soft sigh in relief. He sauntered in the forest for some time before his eyes caught sight of a village just below the hill.
"I'll take you to a physician." Hwarang stated out and she gave out only a weak hm. He wore a black mask to conceal the lower half of his face, before proceeding toward the village.
The assassins were certain to exhibit his portraits all over the country and portray him as a fugitive and wanted for treason and probably place a price on him, for whoever informed them of his whereabouts, so he had to be cautious.
He strode toward the village with quick movements as he clambered down the hill carefully. Few villagers sauntered back and forth in the village grounds carrying out their daily activities, straw houses were situated randomly in the area as well as stalls where the marketers distributed their wares.
The villagers looked at the strange man in their midst who was obviously a foreigner, clad in an expensive black robe and a mask concealing his face which made them eye him suspiciously, his domineering aura sufficed with menace made the people even more mindful of his presence.
Just merely observing him, they could tell he was someone with a high rank of power and status, and their faces were etched with confusion about what the powerful man was doing in their insignificant village.
They paved the way for him as he walked past them and soon, inaudible murmurings resonated among the villagers. He halted in front of a male villager who was rather concentrated on his business as he traded his fish.
"Where can I find a physician here?" Hwarang asked with a hard tone with an air of authority and the man whipped his face toward him as he scrutinized him warily, before giving a reply.
"Ah...Physician... it's right after the right alley." The man stuttered. Hwarang moved mechanically toward where the man directed and within a few minutes he halted in front of the Physician's residence.
He blasted through the wooden gate open and emerged into the spacious compound, it differed in contrast to the village outside. It was clean and the house was rather a wooden house, with medicinal flowers and plants adorning the place, giving it a touch of serenity.
He clambered on the low stairs leading to the entrance of the place, when a maid came into view. The maid froze in position as she gaped at the strange eerie man and then her gaze dropped on Nari.
"Where's the physician?" Hwarang queried with a stoic expression as his black soulless eyes peered into hers and the maid fluttered her lashes as she opened and closed her mouth in puzzlement.
"Who..are you?" She asked as she screened him from head to toe, dragging her feet backward as her gaze fell on the sword in its scabbard.
"Where is the physician? She's injured." Hwarang enunciated firmly with irritation coating his voice and she gulped softly before answering.
"She's inside." The maid quickly replied, seeing how impatient the dangerous looking man was.
"Take me to her." Hwarang ordered and she nodded meekly before leading the way as she scurried into the house in silence. They moved past a few hanji screened doors before halting in front of one.
"I'll call the physician right away, you can wait in here." The maid notified. He went through the hanji screened door into the room without giving a reply and the maid immediately disappeared from his sight.
He gently placed her down on the low mattress. Her skin had turned pale and her bright pink lips were now chapped and pale from the cold.
He tucked her in as he pulled the sheets over her body that was still trembling from the cold as she lay unconscious to convey warmth.
"Nari." He called gently and he saw her lashes flutter softly as she strained to open her eyes.
"I'm fine, just cold." She said with a low hoarse voice that floated like a whisper into his ears. He placed his hand atop hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. It was as cold as ice, although he was immune to the harsh temperature having an effect on him.
He didn't say anymore and rather watched her in silence as she closed her eyelids which were too heavy to keep open.
His observations were abruptly disrupted when the hanji screened door was pulled open to reveal a middle aged woman walking into the room.
"Who are you?" The woman queried with widened eyes as he stood on his feet towering above her with an intimidating gaze.
"Treat her. She's sick and injured." Hwarang said, ignoring the woman's question. The physician didn't question anymore and narrowed her eyes at the girl with a sigh.
"I'll treat her, you can leave." The woman said as she placed a small receptacle with a bowl of warm water and clean cloth beside her. She placed the heating jar beside her to subside the cold as she crouched down next to her.
"I can't leave. Treat her." Hwarang ordered and the woman looked at him for a few seconds before nodding in affirmation, aware that no amount of argument would shake the man in front of her.
Although, she was curious about why the dangerous masked man was with the injured girl, she kept her lips sealed aware that any more questions might tick off the suspicious man and with the fact he had a weapon, she wouldn't dare anger him.
She silently pulled the sheets away from her body as she took a bottle and poured the contents into her slightly parted mouth.
"It'll help with the cold and the fever." The woman spoke but he didn't reply and continued watching her intently.
The woman gave him a nervous side look before proceeding with the treatment as she disinfected her wounds and bandaged it after stopping the bleeding with medicinal herbs.
"She needs to be changed. Her clothes are wet from the snow and she needs to be warm to recover." The woman said nervously with a pleading tone.
"My presence isn't refraining her from being changed." Hwarang replied with a flat tone.
"Ahh I see. I understand she's your wife, but still, some privacy won't hurt. I promise your wife will be in safe hands." The woman said with a nervous chuckle.
"She's not my wife." Hwarang said almost immediately in a rushed tone and the woman's laughter seized abruptly.
"I'll wait outside." Hwarang said in a clipped tone and a stoic expression as he walked out of the room and stood outside the hanji screened door, while the woman ordered maids for new clothes.
Immediately Nari recovered, they would leave the village as soon as possible since they weren't far from the vicinity where the assassins had attacked them, so they weren't safe from danger yet, although he pondered on why the assassins had retreated and ceased with the pursue when he was aware of just how relentless and unforgiving they were.
He suspected they had an ulterior motive and he would physically and mentally prepare himself for their next attack. He had chosen the obscure path for himself, so he'd do everything to protect her till death, even if that meant wiping out the entire Hwarang assassin.
"She's all changed, you can go in now." The woman's voice broke him out of his thoughts.