Anna rifled through the wooden shelf stacked precariously with various herbs and medicine, rushing to find the jar of turmeric known to aid inflammation in a slight panic. Though she was one of the top medics in her small tribe, she had never actually dealt with any sort of injury more serious than a light scrap or a headache. In her few short months of working as an official healer the community had blissfully managed to avoid any grave illnesses or wounds.

That certainly wasn't the case now, Anna thought in dismay.

Her fingers lightly brushed over the telltale clay cover of the turmeric jar and she sighed in relief, grasping the pot of spice in her hand and turning for the exit. She paused as she remembered she needed bandages and a cutting knife as well, grumbling about wasted time as she whipped her head around the room in search of the items.

"Now where the…" Anna started impatiently.

"Annalise! What in the world is takin' so long? This is an emergency!" an older woman who went by the name of Mae shouted from outside the small shack that Anna was currently rummaging through in her endeavors. Mae was a short and stocky woman, with a thick accent from who knows where. She had turned up at the village long before Anna had but rumors spared no one in a small community and that included Mae. The fact that she kept her past hidden behind lock and key garnered much suspicion from the villagers, though Anna couldn't bring herself to care. She had proved an excellent teacher, not to mention past didn't matter here anyways. Everyone had a bit of mystery shrouded about them, being a village founded from misfits.

"Ah!" She shouted once she spotted the glint of the knife hidden underneath a dilapidated cabinet. She crouched on her knees and reached for the tool, pleased to discover the bandages had rolled under the same cabinet as well. "Sorry Mae, I'm trying to move as fast as I can, which might be easier if this place was kept orderly after I worked so hard to organize it." Anna shot her a defeated glance. "Alright, let's hurry," she huffed, bouncing to her feet and darting out of the hut.

She rushed across the sandy ground of their village with Mae leading the whole way. While she had to admit her nerves were still tightening her chest in anxiety, Anna knew that it was important she retain a collected composure while on the job. It wouldn't do anyone any good to have an emotional wreck of a healer. She made an effort to still her trembling hands.

It wasn't difficult to locate where they had taken the wounded stranger. If the deathly groaning emanating from the guest house veranda were any indication of the severity of the injury, Anna worried the situation might be out of her realm of expertise.

It can't be helped… Anna mused while nervously worrying her bottom lip. The closer the two got, the more clearly the scene unfolding before them became, and the more drastically Anna's mood changed for the worse. The general sat stoically cross-legged at the foot of the injured young man, who was lying on his back as a few villagers fretted over how to help. Their hands waved over his body but never came to rest on his skin, in fear they might hurt him even more.

"Medics coming through! Everyone except General Lei please vacate the premises," Mae bellowed, her hands hiking up the skirt of her tightly-fitted dress as she stepped onto the wooden porch. Anna remained silent as she carried the medical supplies, the hem of her long gown billowing behind her as she loped dutifully after Mae.

The crowd quickly dispersed, leaving only General Lei, Mae, the stranger, and Anna on the porch. Anna set to work preparing the the tumeric and bandages while Mae inspected the large gash across the man's shoulder. She couldn't help but glance over at the two curiously from time to time, wondering what was taking Mae so long to assess the situation. Anna turned her gaze downward and studied her hands. The wound must've been worse than they first thought.

After a long moment Mae finally broke the nauseating silence. "The cut is mighty long, I'm not sure how deep it severed the muscle but it's probably enough to cause immobility for a while after the adrenalin' wears outta of his system," she concluded. "We'll have to stop the bleedin' and dress the wound, but after that it's up to him to survive." Her face turned solemn and it was clear that she didn't hold much hope.

Biting her lip to keep it from quivering, Anna stood with the fabric in one hand and a cutting knife in the other. She sat opposite of Mae and looked to the man's shoulder. The cut started at the juncture of his arm and shoulder and trailed over his bicep to end mid-forearm, bleeding consistently but noticeably less than when the village had found him. Maybe that was a good sign.

Deciding not to waste any more time Anna used the knife to separate a smaller strip of fabric from the spool and wrapped it at the base of his shoulder, just above where the gash started. She pulled as hard as she could before tying the ends together to form a tourniquet.

"Ahh," the man managed to wheeze out in pain between labored breaths at her sudden action.

Anna winced. The reality that sometimes hurting a patient was necessary to aid them had always sat like a cold rock in the pit of her stomach.

Once the bleeding had slowed even more she lifted his arm as carefully as she could and held it out for Mae to grasp. "Will you hold his arm up so I can wrap the wound?"

Mae nodded and took over the task so Anna could reach behind her for the rest of the bandage fabric. Firmly, but delicately, she wound it methodically around his bicep before moving to the forearm, trying to ignore how cold and clammy his skin felt to the touch. Like death, Anna thought with a shudder. She made an effort to force out any lingering negative thoughts and focus only at unwinding the spool of bandage over the wound. It was important to hold the two sides of skin together for them to heal properly, but if the bangade fit too snug then it would cut off an unhealthy amount of blood circulation.

Anna was pretty sure the man had passed out at this point, and while it made her nervous for his safety it also brought a sense of relief. Spared from his prolonged moans she could now relax the muscles of her shoulders that had been drawn taught together a little more. At least he couldn't feel anymore pain while he was unconscious.

Anna finished the job by tying the loose end of the bandage in on itself and let out a sigh. Mae surveyed her work with a nod and rocked back onto her heels.

"Fine work, for a student," Mae acknowledged her with a smile. Though she tried her best to seem confident Anna could still see the twinge of unease in the worry lines circling her eyes.

"Thank you." Anna glanced down and smoothed a shaky hand across her gown before lifting her eyes to the general still sitting silently before them. Her eyes were closed as if meditating, however when Anna's gaze landed on her they suddenly opened.

"I appreciate the efficient work, Mae," General Lei turned to bow her head in Mae's direction as a show of acknowledgment. "Anna," she continued, while lifting her head and repeating the same motion towards Anna. "You can probably imagine how much of a shock it was for the gatherers to spot a man near-death in the bushes en route their usual trail. I must be favored by the gods to have such competent medics."

Anna returned her warm smile. "It was nothing, General." Though that was a lie, as she had practically been worried out of her skin the entire time. Anna glanced to the side in fear General Lei might see the truth in her gaze. It would do no good to give their leader a reason to doubt her capabilities.

"I trust you two are able to handle the situation from here?"

Mae nodded and waved her away. "I'm sure you have much more important matters to attend to, General. Please, allow us to clean up here and I will meet you later to discuss the situation."

General Lei spared one last look at Anna before turning and starting her way to the village center.

The gesture puzzled her but she shook her head and met Mae's eyes. "Mind helping me lift him to the bed?"

Anna found herself being overwhelmingly grateful for Mae's more muscular build. Even with the two of them, it took every ounce of their willpower to drag the giant of a man into the guest house and lay him on a cot. She could only imagine the struggle if she had to manage on her own.

Mae plopped down on the floor for a breather, clearly as spent as she from having hauled what seemed like the weight of two cows across the room. "Why doncha' have a sit there, Annalise. A tiny little thing like you ought to be exhausted."

"Nothing to worry about Mae, I feel fine." Anna ignored her slightly heavy breathing and snatched up a scrap of leftover fabric, dipping it in a bucket of drinking water in the corner of the room. "Though I may occupy my time by wiping the blood and grit off the poor fellow, he looks filthy."

She kneeled by his side, taking the chance to let her gaze sweep over the stranger. She realized then that his heavy weight was due to the very defined, sinewy muscles making up his arms, chest, and stomach. Though they were covered, she guessed the bulging muscles would continue downwards to his legs as well. His hair was as dark as a moonless night, slicked with sweat against smooth ivory skin, and thick lashes of the same color as his hair fanned over his pale cheeks. Plush lips tinted a faint pink sat above a strong jawline. His face was very misleading, presenting a state of peace in spite of the dire wound on his arm. Anna seemed to be mesmerized by the rhythm of his breathing.

She shook her head as if to clear it and ran the soaking cloth down his uninjured arm, swiping away the dirt that must have gathered while he was laying in the bushes and leaving behind a glistening trail of water. She gently lifted his hand and slid the cloth across his palm, noticing how small hers were in comparison and secretly relishing the feel of his warm calloused skin. Though it was highly inappropriate she couldn't help but feel attracted to him and all his distinctly male qualities.

The sound of feet thudding across the ondol floor startled Anna away from the man, letting his arm fall back to the floor. Her cheeks flushed red. She had forgotten Mae was just behind her the entire time. I hope she didn't notice the unbecoming look on my features, Anna thought before starting her work again.

She didn't spend nearly as much time lingering on the rest of his exposed body, in fear of looking improper in the face of company. A twinge of regret that she wouldn't be able to appreciate his abs in more detail flitted across her mind, but as soon as it had appeared Anna banished it to the back of her thoughts.

As if my half-debauched gaze isn't shameful enough.

"Oi, Annalise," Mae started, shifting her body to catch Anna's attention. "I think it to be about time I went to speak with the general. I'll be expectin' ya to finish up here. It'll be good practice."

"Of course, Mae. I'm sure I'll be able to handle it, after all my teacher is the best medic in all of Korea." Anna flashed a teasing smile. After a second her gaze turned serious. "Do you think he'll live?"

Mae rolled her tongue in her mouth, her nose scrunched up in contemplation. "I think before the next fortnight we'll be knowin' jus' how strong his will to live is." Though her answer was vague Anna couldn't help the flow of hope that spread towards her heart. She didn't state explicitly that he would die.

After Mae had left her to complete her duties Anna rummaged through a cabinet to find a spare sheet, which was a little dusty but would have to do at the moment. She aired out the material before bending down to lay it over his still sleeping body, fully intending on making her leave quick and fetching a guard to keep lookout for when he should awaken. Despite her intense fascination with the stranger she still had many daily runs around the village to complete to make sure everyone else's health was in order.

At least, that was her plan, until suddenly a sharp pain shot up her wrist, where the same strong and masculine hand she had been admiring a few minutes prior held her captive.

Anna let out a small yelp and fell back on the floor, the man's grip losing no strength. His eyes were now half-opened to reveal the bluest irises she'd ever seen. If it weren't for the current predicament she might've let herself get lost in the intensity of his stare.

"Who are you? Where am I?" He demanded more than asked.

Anna winced and attempted to tug her wrist from his grasp. For someone so injured she was surprised he had woken up that quickly, much less been able to hold her in a fierce vice.

"You're hurting me," Anna pleaded, fear slowly beginning to pump through her veins. Why did I assume he'd welcome us with gratitude? Stupid.

"Tell me."

Her lip shook before she managed a reply. "We found you bleeding outside our village and took you in to heal you. That's all, honest."

His eyes flickered between her own before he relaxed back onto the floor, letting her arm slip from his grasp. A deep groan rumbled in his chest as he ran a palm across his face.

"I need to leave."

Anna shook her head frantically. "Unless you plan on dying you had better get as much rest here as you can. We weren't even sure if you'd make it, and now that-"

"You don't understand. I'm stronger than you think, and I have a job I need to get back to immediately." His muscles tightened again. "I'm leaving."

Anna's mouth twisted in annoyance, her brows furrowing together. If he tried to get around on his own out in the woods he would most definitely die, and there was no way that was going to happen. Not if she had anything to do about it. "You will not leave this house. Not until I deem you are in good health for travelling."

His eyes narrowed. "You have no power over me."

"The way I see it, we used our valuable resources to help you, so you would do well to think of yourself as being indebted to our village. Now you can either go back to sleep and rest or I can bring our general here and this can turn into a bigger issue than it needs to be," Anna commanded, suddenly feeling a rush of confidence as her irritation grew. Her words surprised herself as soon as they left her mouth. She was not one to speak out of turn, but something about the stranger made her bristle more than anyone she had known before. A stark opposite to when he had been unconscious.

He sighed, turning his head to the side and away from her, seeming to deliberate her words for a few seconds. "Fine. I am a bit tired. But I will bring up this conversation again tomorrow."

Anna nodded. Even though she would prefer not to argue at all, this was probably the most cooperation she was going to coerce out of the stubborn man. She abruptly stood and headed for the entrance, not wanting to stay in the tension-filled room any longer. But she paused before leaving, tilting her head back to study him for a moment more.

"May I ask your name?"

The man sucked in a breath and stayed silent. When he looked over at her something in his gaze changed. Trust? Maybe, but most likely not. Anna had gotten a glimpse of his personality and she couldn't imagine a person like him trusting another so easily.

"Hak. It's Son Hak."

Anna lifted the corner of her mouth in a half-hearted smile. "I'm Anna." Then she rotated on her heel and continued the way out of the guest home and back to the village center.

Unease welled up in her stomach as she realized this Hak was probably going to bring a lot more difficulty to her and the community than he was worth.