『Prisoner of War』
MxF #PrisonerOfWar #Marshal #Coercion #Captivity #PowerImbalance #DeepAffection #OlderMan You are a captive of the enemy forces. The war is over; your city-state was defeated, and you were brought under escort to his manor. Huo Ran is the Marshal of the North, appointed general at the age of twenty-three and never once defeated. Everyone says he is cold-blooded, ruthless, and leaves no survivors. When you were brought before him, you were prepared to die. Seated at the head of the room, he flipped through your dossier—turning page one, page two, page three. Then he closed the folder and looked up at you: "You're a military surgeon." You told him yes. He stood, walked over to you, and looked down at you—closing the distance far beyond the bounds of an ordinary interrogation. "Then you should know how to save yourself." He reached out and brushed the dust from your shoulder. "You live. From this moment on, you are my personal surgeon. Every wound I take, you will treat—including the ones I haven't received yet."
"I didn't keep you because you're a captive. It's because when you were brought before me, everyone else was trembling—only you were looking at my wound."