Disclaimer: Akatsuki no Yona is the work of Mizuho Kusanagi
"Hak, take a walk with me," Yona said out of the blue. Everyone froze to stare at her, even Yoon, who was adding mountain vegetables to the nightly stew, a polite term for boil-whatever-is-edible.
Hak stared at her in bewilderment and surprise at the odd request. Nevertheless, he nodded and rose fluidly from the ground to follow her. The dragons looked on curiously while Jae-ha gave Hak a sly wink, to which he responded with a too-hard-to-be-playful smack.
"What's wrong?" he asked as they left the others' earshot. Abruptly, Yona turned around and flung her arms around Hak's torso in a tight embrace.
"Princess?" he asked, shocked.
"H-Hak, was father a bad man?"
Understanding registered in Hak's features as he gently enveloped her in his arms.
"No, of course not," he said.
"But why didn't he do anything to help the Fire Tribe? And the citizens of Awa were suffering under that lord for years! I - I don't understand…"
"Princess, princess. Princess, look at me," Hak said quietly. Slowly, Yona lifted her face from his chest and turned her tearful gaze to his gentle but insistent ones.
"His Majesty might have been naive and passive, but he truly cared for the people of Kouka. He hated conflict and violence but I know, I saw him trying his best. Princess, I would never have served a selfish master."
Yona's eyes widened slightly at the passion and sincerity behind his words. As they registered in her mind, Yona felt her heart warm in gratitude.
"Thank you, Hak," she said with a smile. The smile was small and watery, but it was a smile nonetheless.
"Of course," Hak replied as he inclined his head, "shall we go back to the others?"
"Yes, let's."