[CONTENTID1]CHAPTER SIX - SOON[/CONTENTID1]
[CONTENTID2]

And so, I was engaged at seventeen. Only to one of the most influential generals in all of China. If I didn't respect myself so much, I'd call my younger self a complete and utter moron. But, even back then, I knew what I was doing. 

"What the were you thinking!?" Jackson roars but I keep my face neutral. Henry has one hand in his hair and the other around a bottle of medical alcohol. All I can think about is how much of a waste it is for him to be drinking it. He takes another swig of it and gives it to BamBam, who is pacing around the room. "Are you even listening to me, Hyerim!?"

"Yes, you don't need to shout," I say, my voice calm despite how fast my heart is beating. "I don't know what you're all so worried about--"

"YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED TO A PSYCHOPATH!" BamBam screams and I clamp my mouth shut, allowing him to calm himself down before I speak. 

"He's a disgusting, filthy , a killer and a , I know that," I tell them. "I know it's risky and probably stupid but what better way to get information than to get it from its primary source?" 

"You're too close," Jackson growls. "It's bad enough that he s you against your will, as a slave. Now, he can do more." I flinch at his choice of words but still, do not raise my voice.

"I doubt there's more he can do to me that he hasn't already," I whisper, looking down. 

"He can force you to bear his children now. Is that what you what?" Henry hisses and I close my eyes. They are dry, my body seemingly no longer capable of making tears or perhaps just tired of having to wipe them away. "Hyerim, please rethink this."

"I know you're worried about the plan but I promise--"

"I don't give a about the plan!" Jackson shouts, his hands grabbing me by the shoulders. I freeze, my eyes shooting open as I stare at him. "I give a about you. You, Hyerim. Don't do this." My words are stuck in my throat.

"There's nothing I can do now," I mumble and the disheartened look in his eyes hits me in a way I didn't think I could be hit anymore. "I never really had a choice. You know that, right?"

", she's right," Henry grumbles, kicking a chair over, making it hit one of the walls. He snatches the bottle back from BamBam and downs the remains of its contents. "She would've been forced to say yes either way." 

"It's better that I answered willingly," I say, cupping Jackson's face. "You don't have to worry about me or the plan. Just keep teaching me the way you have and I'll be fine."

"Why can't we just kill him now? We're skilled enough to do so," BamBam remarks and Henry rolls his eyes.

"Yes but we're greatly outnumbered. Wú Yì Fán has an entire army behind him," he reminds the shorter male. "There's only four of us." 

"," BamBam mutters. Jackson lets out a frustrated sigh and I realise that I still have my hands on his face. I'm about to retract them but he throws his own hands over mine, keeping them there. He moves slightly closer, not close enough for our noses to be touching but enough for my heart rate to quicken. 

"Fine. But promise you'll tell me - us, if he tries anything else," he says and I nod, uncaring that he just gave me an order. To be cared for not only be one male but by three gives me a sense of security. It's refreshing and encouraging to know that not all men in this screwed up world are monsters. I thought that perhaps there were no good ones left after Appa, Jungkook, Taemin and Jongin were taken from me. I was wrong. 

"I promise," I murmur. Jackson releases me and I step back, grabbing a staff from behind me. In a swift motion, I whip him across the chest. He yelps and flips backwardly, getting a few feet away from me before picking up a stick of his own. "C'mon, is that all you've got?" He grins but before he can advance on me, Henry lashes out to my right and I narrowly dodge his punch. "Not cool!"

"Can't even handle three on one?" He teases and I narrow my eyes at him. I jut my leg out in a split second and strike his face, snapping his head back. He falls flat on his back and BamBam jumps in his place, nunchucks in his hands.

"Seriously?" I grunt and he smiles innocently. The four of us spar for another hour or so before collapsing on the large mat, sweat smeared across all of our foreheads. Being the fiancée of a powerful Chinese General has gotten me more liberties. The clothes I used to share with the other slaves have been replaced with the finest of materials such as silk. I no longer have a curfew, so long as I inform one of Master Wu's men of where I am going and allow them to accompany me. Right now, one of those men is searching the marketplace for me after I ditched him to come here. 

However, it also means I have to share a bed with Master Wu and there's nothing I'd love more than to stick a knife through his brain. Unfortunately, I must hold myself back...until the time is right. I've stuck out this long, I've endured years of pain and torment - I can endure however many more. I can admit that my favourite perk of being engaged to the man is that I get as much food and water as I want. I often give more than half of it all to the slaves, even the ones that left me for dead in the laundry room. 

"In a year or so, it'll be ten years since The War started," Henry utters, breaking the silence. We moved and are now lying on the grass outside, staring up at the clear sky. The sun is shining brightly and there is not a single cloud in sight. Not a white one, not a grey one, not a black one. Years ago, back in Korea, whenever I looked up all I saw was a black mist made from ashes, toxic fumes and the broken mentalities of my people.  "I was eleven." 

"Me too," Jackson says.

"I was nine," BamBam reveals.

"Me too," I say and we look at each other, grinning despite the topic of conversation. "Favourite TV show?" 

"Oh, man," he sighs, sliding his arms under his head and resting on them. "Probably Dexter's Laboratory. You guys remember it?"

"Remember it? I lived for that cartoon!" I exclaim, jerking upright. I fold my legs, excitement suddenly gripping me. "Am I the only one who got super annoyed at Dee Dee? Aish!"

"If you wanna talk about annoying characters, let's talk about Ed from--"

"Ed Edd 'n' Eddie?" I interrupt Jackson, clapping happily. "I loved that show! Aigoo, those jawbreakers looked delicious." 

"That crushing disappointment when you found out no real companies made them that big," Henry laughs and I pout, nodding in agreement. "Why do I get the feeling Hyerim is just the biggest nerd ever?" This time, it's me who laughs and I extend my leg, reaching over to him and kicking his shin. "Ow! And violent, too."

"Oh shut it," I snort. "What kind of music did you guys listen to?" They hum in thought and Jackson sits up.

"The old school hip hop stuff," he replies, grinning. "Just hip hop in general, actually. Y'know, Snoop Dog, Eminem, Busta Rhymes." 

"Me too," BamBam agrees.

"I'm more of a pop, dance, R&B kind of guy," Henry admits. "I kind of like ballads, too. What about you, Hyerim?"

"I like the really old stuff. Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley...that kind of thing," I mumble, suddenly