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#1: Not a Princess, But a Warrior
"Urgh!" Yona grunted as she parried yet another blow.
Sweat beaded her forehead and dripped into her eyes. The sun was beating down on her, suffusing her with warmth. Her entire body was aching from the training. Her throat was parched; there was nothing more appealing in this world right now than a cup of water.
She'd watched Hak fight numerous times before. He'd made fighting look easy. Now, she understood why people had nicknamed him: The Thunder Beast of Kouka. She wondered whether she'll ever reach his level of skill, even if she trained for another century. Probably not, she thought as she parried another onslaught of his relentless blows.
"Are you concentrating?" Hak asked, bringing his spear down again.
Snapping back into focus, Yona bought her sword up and it clashed against his spear. A jolt of pain shot through her wrist. She clenched her teeth, enduring the pain as she stepped back. Yes, it hurt, but she'd been through more pain than that. Biting her lips, Yona dashed forward and aimed a slash at his legs.
Her determination dwindled as Hak gave a fierce upper-slash at her own sword. The force of the blow knocked the weapon out of her hands and sent it flying into the air. It plunged into the ground next to her. Nothing more than a useless piece of metal.
Yona breathed heavily and bent to retrieve the sword from the ground. For a moment, she stared down at her weapon. It had once been a perfectly smooth blade that was carefully forged that had balanced perfectly in her hands. Initially, Hak had been strongly against training her, but after a while, Yona had managed to persuade him. Now, her blade was jagged and blunt, with chipped edges—as a result of her intense training.
"It's getting late," came Hak's voice from behind. "We should return back to the camp and get some rest. We'll continue this tomorrow...if you want."
Then, his voice came through her head: Think of me as a shield. He had told her. Use me as a tool. But for every wound, cut and gash on his body, Yona couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt inside. It was her fault that he was hurt. Her fault that she wasn't strong enough to fend for herself. Her fault that she was weak.
"No!" she demanded. Her eyes flashed with dangerous determination. Her fiery, crimson hair billowed in the wind. She pointed sword at him. "One more time, please. I'm ready."
In that moment, she caught a flicker of surprize in Hak's eyes. "Very well then," he smirked. "Just one more, then that's it."
With a battle cry, Yona lunged forward and jabbed at him, aiming for the head. There was a blur of motion as Hak's hand snaked out and grabbed her wrists. One moment, Yona felt the sword slip from her grasp. The next moment, Hak had pinned her against a tree. She gasped as he leaned forward, holding her wrists above her head.
He was smirking. "I've never met someone quite as persistent as you, princess..."
Yona felt her cheeks flush with colour. "H-Hak?" she stammered.
Her heart was pounding rapidly in her chest. Up close, she could feel his hot breath against his skin. He had profane-black hair, sharp features, a strong jaw-line and beautiful, dark-blue eyes that seemed to glittered under the light. She felt a fluttering feeling in her stomach as his intense dark eyes gazed into hers. Strangely, they held a hint of…sadness and longing in them—something she never seen in him before.
"Why do I feel like that you're slipping gradually away from me?" Hak breathed. "With every sword you hold, with every arrow you shoot, I feel like you're slowly changing. Changing into a warrior."
Yona gazed into his eyes and replied. "But, that's what I'm destined to be, isn't it? I wanted to be able to protect you, as you protect me."
At that, she felt Hak stiffen. He was about to reply when a familiar voice shouted behind them. "What the heck do you two think you're doing?"
Suddenly, Yona realized the awkward position they were in. With a high-pitched yelp, she shoved Hak roughly in the chest, causing him to face plant on the ground. As she turned, she found Yoon standing in the clearing, staring at them with a spoon in his hand.
"Hold on," Yoon said, blinking. "Did I interrupt something?"
Text © 2015 Loralie
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