A Caged Bird
Misty: Aiiiiight. This is awesome. I'm writing once again with the talented and AMAZING Dani. :33 *glomps and throws rose petals over friend* I got her to watch Akatsuki no Yona, so that is a PLUSSS.
Dani: *flails* Mist you're too kind! She's for sure the amazing one up there ^^^! :D She did, she suckered me into watching it, and I'm so glad I did! It's an amazing fandom to be a part of! :D
Misty: Yup! So I knew I had to write SOMETHING. And a collab is SOMETHING. So here is (you guessed it) SOMETHINGGGG! ^^
Dani: So enjoy our… something… ;3
Misty: OUR NEWEST BABY. OUT OF LIKE 500000000! :D NOW READ YOU READERS YOU! ^-^
Prologue
Lightning cracked, illuminating the outlines of huddled guards along the north wing. Hak squinted into the rain. Why were they huddled like that? They weren't doing their job. What a pain. Lightning struck again. He'd been lured out into the rain by the ominous feeling that something was askew, and in seeing the clump of whispering guards, he had a feeling his suspicions had been on point. Something was definitely off. Of course this had to happen on the eve of the Princess' sixteenth birthday.
He huffed to himself, shielding his face from the rain. He'd go tell them to get back to their posts. All the guards in one spot gave the castle too many openings. Not that anyone would want to go after the royal family, and the rather laid back and likeable king. At least no one this far inside the castle walls.
The minute the guards heard his footsteps in the mud Hak heard the whispering stop, as they all looked over their shoulders quickly, plastering on fake smiles as they greeted him. Yes, something was definitely up. He could see right through them. Which automatically made his mind flit to the princess. Was she alright? He doubted whatever was up had to do with her, but he couldn't be too careful. She was his responsibility, after all.
"What're you all doing? Slacking off as usual?" He tried to keep it casual. He'd joke from time to time with the other staff, although most were strikingly humorless, it seemed. They shrunk under his voice and if he hadn't been sure before, he was now: something was definitely up.
He received varied answers. A guard laughed as if he'd told a joke, another said it was Hak who was slacking, but most gave him annoyed looks, their eyes shifting around as if they'd been caught. What were they doing? He wasn't one to jump to conclusions, or the worst case situation, but he also wasn't one to ignore his gut. And his gut told him that there was something in the air. Maybe they were still drunk from the Princess' birthday party.
Hak's eyes trailed along the castle, finally coming to rest on King Il's chamber doors. There were another clump of guards in front of the King's room, all looking just as shady as this sad bunch. The guards hadn't asked him to leave, but he could sense in their gazes and the auras they gave off that they didn't want him around. The door to the King's room was ajar as well, something mundane, yet something that yet again confirmed his suspicions.
He nodded towards the group of guards as if to dismiss them before beginning his casual walk towards King Il's room. The change was immediate. Those glares from the guards turned sharp, and they acted within a second, lunging toward him as if on cue, the hairs on his arms standing on end as he felt them rapidly approaching behind him.
What the hell? This was a pain. Hak still had no idea what it was that could be giving him the uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach, but having guards attack him was definitely fueling it. There wasn't any way that he could be wrong now. And why was his own kind turning on him? It'd all been so sudden. One minute he was within the safe confines of the castle, out of the rain, and the next here he was with his own kind turning on him. So fast it almost seemed as if it happened in the blink of an eye. It was crazy how quickly someone could go from feeling completely safe, to everything turning upside down. That was one reason why he constantly kept his guard up, he guessed.
In a second his halberd was unsheathed and in a precise swipe, the guards coming at him with swords were swept backwards, hitting the ground with dull thuds. He'd never dreamed he'd have to attack allies. Although, then again they'd lunged at him with the intent to kill; he doubted he could call them allies any longer.
He heard running footsteps and turned to find the group of guards at the King's door were now coming for him. What were they doing? What had triggered this? He spotted faces he'd worked with for years; what had gotten into them? Hak shook the water from his eyes. He should be worried, not confused. His job was to protect the Princess and to keep the family safe. If they were all clumped here, not only did that leave the other entrances to the castle vulnerable, but also posed the question of what the guards were trying to hide, and why they were dedicated enough to attack him for it.
In another blurred swipe, the second round of guards were out of his way, strangled yells coming from their mouths as they hit the wet grass, their blood mixing with the rain.
Hak's feet moved deftly as he sprinted towards the King's chambers. Although he didn't have the slightest clue as to what was going on, he had a feeling of where to start finding out. Without hesitation he threw open the door, his hand already tensing in preparation to wield his weapon once again, but as his eyes took in the sight before him, he faltered.
King Il was on the floor… on his beautifully lush hand-woven rugs, a pool of blood slowly forming beneath his body. Hak blinked; this couldn't be real. He was just there; just almost next door waiting at the ready as he always did, poised for a fight at any moment should there be an intruder. Yet he hadn't heard this. There wasn't any question of whether or not the king was alive. His body was completely motionless, all signs of life slowly draining from his features. This was a dead man, and Hak had been just mere yards away when it'd happened.
It was his job to protect from intruders, but as his eyes slowly trailed up to the culprit behind the murder, the still tainted sword in the man's hands, if it came to specifics, he'd technically not failed in his job. Soo-won, his face smeared with the blood of the king, eyes sharp and deadly, stared back at him, his hands steady as he held the sword. Soo-won, someone the King willingly let into the castle, someone who was a friend, an ally, held the weapon that'd taken away his life. No, this couldn't be.
Soo-won's lips twitched toward a smile. "Ah, Hak, I had a feeling you'd come."
Hak's eyes narrowed. How was he supposed to take that? Was Soo-won going to turn on him now in the same way he had cut down King Il? Gripping his halberd in a tight fist, he poised, ready to attack Soo-won. "You killed the King," Hak said, his voice chillingly calm, even to himself. "You betrayed the trust of the royal family."
Soo-won lowered his sword a little, blood trickling down the blade to soak into the rug, leaving a new pattern on its surface. "That's where you're wrong, Hak," the traitor replied. "This is for the good of the people of Kouka. King Il was the only obstacle in the way of freeing this kingdom from oppression. The country will be thankful."
Hak wasn't blind, he knew of the poverty and corruption outside of the castle walls. He knew of people who wanted King Il's head. However, he'd never thought Soo-won to be one of them. Hak stepped forward and held up the spear with a tense, muscled arm. "You have made a mistake and now you'll pay the price," he stated. "With your life." This was his job. He'd strike down the man who'd killed the king without question, even if it was a childhood friend. Plus, the evidence was right before his eyes. Soo-won had killed the king; he needed to take out the threat.
Soo-won didn't make a motion to move as he suddenly smiled, an almost maniacal expression covering his face. He raised his sword just a bit. "Perhaps," he said, as Hak advanced, slashing at the killer's chest with a flick of his wrist. The clang of metal upon metal echoed through the room as both young men crossed blades over King Il's motionless form. "Or perhaps not."
"What makes you say that?" Hak growled, as he jerked back and swung once more. He was so calm it was infuriating.
Soo-won parried his blow, his smile still present. "I haven't done this blindly, blundering around like an oaf," he told Hak. "I have backup plans up my sleeves for those of you who oppose this...change in kingship." Change in kingship? Hak slammed into Soo-won, their weapons at close range with one another. Each could feel the hot breath from their opponent. Soo-won intended to take the throne after killing the previous king? And "those who oppose this"... Soo-won had thought this through far enough to anticipate that people would rebel. This happy-go-lucky boy who seemingly couldn't hurt a fly had done a complete turnaround. What was his angle? Was freedom and rejuvenation of the region really enough to make Soo-won snap enough to kill the king to take the throne? Hak didn't reply to Soo-won's words, so the speech picked up once more. "If you make one move against me," Soo-won spoke lightly, even though they were pressed up against one another, "I'll take the light out of your life."
The light of his life… What on earth was he talking about? Hak's glare at Soo-won didn't falter until suddenly it struck him what could be the reason for these words.
Yona.
"Soo-won," Hak said dangerously, his eyes lighting up with an intense fire. Any lingering pieces of faith Hak had in Soo-won's innocence or sanity were blown to smithereens. With just a few words he'd put the princess' life in danger. And while Hak doubted Soo-won could kill Yona, he'd also not thought him able to kill the king, and the body on the floor was enough proof to lay that doubt to rest. Bastard. How dare he threaten him with Yona.
The sword carrier backed away from his glowering opponent. "Yes, Hak," Soo-won said, "I will cut down Yona if you even think of taking word of what happened in this room out to the citizens of Kouka. So I suggest you lower your weapon, soldier."
Hak stood stoically, his hand gripping the shaft of his spear so tightly it threatened to snap. He couldn't move. He couldn't think straight. His mind echoed Yona's name.
Yona, Yona, Yona…
He could almost smell the triumphant air around Soo-won at forcing him to lower his weapon for one girl. His eyes were locked on Soo-won's feet. He couldn't make himself look up, to acknowledge the fact he had even backed down. It was pitiful in a way that he'd completely crumple for one girl, but her life was his priority, and while he was willing to bet he could save her from whatever Soo-won was planning, he wasn't willing to bet her life. At least not until he had far more information about what was going on.
"Kneel." The command hit his ears harshly, almost worse than a flesh wound. His legs bent, and he fell even lower than he had been moments before.
The sound of soft padding reached his ears as Soo-won stopped right next to him, completely relaxed. Hak tensed. Soo-won leaned in to his ear. "I'm glad you chose the right thing to do, my friend," he said quietly. "So now welcome your new King."
….
Misty: SAY SOMETHING DANI! :D
Dani: Erm… well there it is! A little prologue! We're switching up the timeline and happenings and whatnot of the anime. We hope you enjoyed the prologue! :D
Misty: Basically took the characters and cut the plot to ribbons then sewed it back together like a terrible patchwork quilt… o.o
ANYWAYZ, read the extra below and hopefully laugh at our little...thing? My mind was in stupid land the entire time we wrote this so I apologize now for all the weirdness. ^^
(^Dani seconds that apology)
Dani/Misty: BYEEEZ! 3