A/N: This fic is my imagining of how Yona, the Darkness Dragon and the Happy Hungry Bunch wind up. There are some sad, angsty moments, not because I believe that they deserve it, but rather to emphasize that life is not happy endings and sunshine. I do hope you guys will enjoy this!
In a roiling sea of change, he is the only one who stands with his feet steady on the ground.
Yona is crowned queen. She sits atop a throne so huge that her feet dangle at the base. Her robes hide this fact, but Zeno knows because he can see her fidgeting on the cushions. She may be the new ruler, but her large eyes haven't lost any of their usual sparkle, and for that he is glad.
The Four Dragons are her guardians ever. They stand sometimes in the shadows; other times they stand on the ramparts of the castle. They learn to be omnipresent.
Hak stands behind the throne, at the right arm of the queen. He wears the armor of a general. Yoon stands to her left. He is an advisor.
The years pass. The country flourishes.
Zeno watches them all grow. There's a small part of him that wants to repeat the old cry. Let me grow old with them. But he doesn't, so instead, he contents himself with watching the Happy Hungry Bunch thrive.
Sometimes, there are moments when Zeno catches glimpses of the original Four Dragons in their successors. He sees Guen's reckless attitude in Kija when the White Dragon charges into a group of bandits who were threatening to kill a peasant family. He sees Abi's love for beauty in the way a fascinated Shin-ah watches the stars. He hears Shuten's lazy drawl in Jae-ha's voice when the Green Dragon bows low before a lady ambassador from another country.
And yet…
They are their own selves.
Zeno watches them all come into their own, and learns to let go.
On the day Yona and Hak finally, finally wed, there is a grand celebration in the capital. The miss is so beautiful, arrayed in robes the color of fire, and Hak looks dazed and happy when she steps onto the podium, with Soo Won leading her by the arm.
The former ruler smiles softly at the couple, lost in each other, and he slips away. Soo Won is never again seen in public by the country, or by any of the group. Only Shin-ah can say where he is and what he is doing, and the Blue Dragon only said once that, "…he looks content."
And that was enough.
O.O
Yona loses her first child.
It is grievous. The queen won't let go of the tiny, oh so tiny, body, saying over and over in a weak and delirious voice, "She just needs milk. She just needs milk. Let me comfort her…"
Zeno has never seen Hak's face that stricken before.
After the quiet, private funeral rites, the queen lies in her bedchamber for days. Yoon emerges from her rooms every time with a sorrowful face and a barely-touched tray of food. Hak refuses to leave her side, snapping angrily at whoever tries to draw him out.
And so, the Four Dragons are left with the kingdom. None of the younger ones have any clue what to do, and even Jae-ha admits with a pained laugh that all he can truly command are pirates.
And so Zeno stands tall, breathes in, and begins issuing orders to the saddened servants to bring him messengers and advisors.
It seems that King Hiryuu's kingdom has come into his care once more.
O.O
When Yona comes out of her chambers to eat for the first time with the group, the Dragons are shocked.
Though it was obvious she had put in an effort to look decent, the queen looks exhausted. Her eyes are the color of stone, and her smile, usually as radiant as the sun, is but a wavering candle. She leans heavily on Hak's arm.
"Hello." She whispers, and Kija stifles a sob.
Jae-ha, straining for his usual, easy demeanor, pulls out her chair for her. "Please, Yona dear, come eat." His voice is gentle. "There's a veritable feast prepared for tonight."
Ao squeaks, and Shin-ah nods.
After a moment, Yona smiles wanly. The Dragons relax infinitesimally, for though the smile was tired, it was genuine.
They eat in silence for the rest of the meal.
O.O
When Yona finds out she is with child again, she breaks down sobbing in front of the grave healer.
"I can't…What if it…I don't…." The queen is gasping, her hands clamped over her mouth, and Zeno, in the place of Hak who has gone to quell insurrection on the south, places an arm around her.
"It'll be okay, miss." He soothes, petting her hair. "It'll be okay. We're all here for you, Yona."
The queen buries her head in his golden mop of hair, and cries.
O.O
It is a son.
Curled in the crook of Yona's elbow, so small, so fragile. His fist is clenched around Hak's finger, and the usually brooding man looks ready to burst with pride.
"Look at that grip." He tugs at his finger, to no avail. His son looks somberly up at him, and tightens his grip even further.
Hak beams. "Isn't he strong? I bet he will all knock your own sons silly!"
"Who says I'm getting a son?" Jae-ha tosses his head. "These looks would be wasted on men. My future daughter will manage to look beautiful AND be able to break your son's heart and trample him without even batting an eyelash."
Yona laughs, holding her son close. "Don't be threatening my son now, Green Dragon." Her voice is light, but they can all hear the threat in her tone. Jae-ha hides behind Hak.
"...name?" Shin-ah asks, staring in awe at the infant. "What's…his name?"
Yona closes her eyes gently. "Gi-dae." Her voice is soft, barely discernable. "It means hope."
O.O
He misses her dearly.
There are nights when he would roam the palace restlessly, talking to her as she were still at his side.
"Look, Kaya, at the pillars!" He would say, pointing at the red supports. "Aren't they grand? To be able to look so pretty and yet hold up an entire building…that's amazing!"
Yes, it is amazing! She would say, clapping her hands like a child, her beautifully sweet smile spreading across her face. So cool!
And then only silence would greet him, and Zeno would smile ruefully and pat the pillars. "Kaya…you would've loved being here in such a lovely place."
The hurt has never fully healed. His regenerative abilities could never erase a scar that deep.
There are days when he would feel that pain more than usual. It throbs whenever Zeno sees Hak staring down at Yona, his chiseled expression softened to that of softest tenderness. It hurts when Kija comes back to the palace with a bright little lady from his village, both grinning like love-struck teenagers.
It burns when he catches Shin-ah sitting transfixed at the feet of one of the court musicians, the girl laughing as she plays a carefree little tune. It stings when Jae-ha mischievously pulls the hair of the scoffing ambassador, a telling blush giving everything away nonetheless.
But it's a welcoming pain. Zeno relishes it, smiles in spite of it. He's happy for his friends, his family. He teases the others until they stutter and flush, and makes like an old man and muses in a funny voice on how times have changed.
But it's true. And the others see that part of him that he keeps hidden, no matter how hard he tries to keep it from being too obvious.
Yona speaks to him about it, as they watch Gi-dae playing with Hak in the courtyard of the castle.
"Zeno." She sounds thoughtful and just a tad nervous, and the Yellow Dragon perks up his ears. "Yes, miss?"
"When all this is gone…." The queen gestures expansively with her hand, "will you still be around?"
Zeno falls silent. Yona looks very nervous now, as if she had just asked a question she wasn't sure was proper to voice aloud.
After a moment of tense, pregnant silence, Zeno finally speaks. "It's hard to say." He says cogitatively. "I mean, Zeno doesn't know for sure if there will be another reincarnation of King Hiryuu. If it were true, then it'll be many, many centuries later. All Zeno knows is that he will stay around for as long as the miss and her descendants need him to."
Yona looks touched and stricken at the same time. "Zeno…you don't have to do this." Her voice is a bit wobbly, and Zeno just smiles and pets her hand.
"It's okay, Yona." He says with confidence. "I'm honored to have served such a line as yours."
O.O
Years pass. Queen Yona bears three more children, and so her lineage is set. Their laughs and calls fill the palace, and the kingdom fawns over the four royal scions.
Yona smiles at the praise, but sometimes she will stare wistfully away into the gardens, where there is a small marker by a miniature grave, with huge flowering trees shielding the sacred place from prying eyes.
Jae-ha comes to the palace one day wearing a triumphant grin softened by adoration. A tiny girl rides on his shoulders, her curious eyes wide with wonder at the opulence of the castle, her emerald hair whipping about her face in short ringlets.
Hak bursts into laughter at the sight, and when the Green Dragon demands an explanation, the General gasps out between guffaws, "She's got your droopy eyes!"
Jae-ha then places his daughter on the ground, sweetly asks her to wait for him, and then proceeds to fly towards Hak with half a dozen knives sprouting from his fist. Hak charges towards him, still laughing, and the two collide in a tumbling scuffle.
The little emerald girl promptly wanders over to where the chuckling queen was sitting, and says in a dulcet voice, "Father says to tell you that my name is Cheon-su. It is nice to meet you, ma'am." She bows prettily.
Yona inhales quickly. Memories flood back, of a treacherous cliff side, a roaring ocean, scraped hands soothed with honey, and elusive green plants hiding in a cleft in the rocks. Something in her warms to Jae-ha in a way she never felt before.
"Well, Cheon-su, it is good to meet you too." She finally says, smiling at the frank little girl. "Would you like some tea and snacks?"
O.O
Kija is laughing as Gi-dae and his little sister cling to his arm, the White Dragon indulgently swinging it around as the children shriek with delight.
"Faster, Uncle Kija, faster!" The bolder son demands, and little Ae-ra yelps. "Not faster, not faster!"
"You two are heavy." Kija gasps exaggeratedly, letting them clamber off his arm. "Go run a little, and get rid of some of that weight!"
"I am not heavy!" Gi-dae whirls to his father, who is polishing his glaive and trying hard not to chuckle. "Father! Uncle Zeno! Uncle Kija says I am heavy!"
"Yes, Uncle Snake is right." Hak says in a comically grave voice, striking the ground decisively with the butt of his weapon. "You two are positively burdensome."
Zeno laughs, waving his arms at them. "You two are so round, you can roll around the floor!"
Gi-dae squawks, a look of pure betrayal clouding his face. He sputters for words, only to have his sister tug at his sleeve. "They're just being mean." Ae-ra crosses her arms. "We will find Mother to ask her if we are heavy. Come on, Gi-dae!"
The two kids scamper off, their slippers scraping pleasantly against the stonework of the courtyard, and Hak beams after them affectionately.
Zeno catches Kija staring after them with a faraway look in his blue eyes, and bites his lips. He doesn't voice out loud what is hovering there, unspoken; questions on why Kija has remained childless all these years, or why his wife begs on being the official caretaker for the royal children.
He doesn't speak of the one time he found the great White Dragon sobbing over the crib of the youngest heir, clutching the cradle as broken sounds emerge from his heart.
Instead, Zeno stays quiet, and asks Hak to let Kija play with the children as often as he wants to.
O.O
The palace is blanketed with the dark of the night when Zeno unexpectedly stumbles upon Shin-ah in the hallways of the castle. The Blue Dragon stands uncertainly, his arms holding something awkwardly in his grasp. His whole body is tense with a fearful, unexpected revelation.
"Blue Dragon?" Zeno calls. "Are you okay?"
Shin-ah turns slowly to face Zeno. His arms are cradling a tiny blue-haired infant, with red face markings and blinking golden eyes.
Zeno breathes in sharply.
"…I have to give up that name now." Shin-ah's voice is quiet. "Don't I?"
Zeno stands stock still for a few moments, his mind spinning with a horrible, nearly-audible question. Does this mean that Shin-ah's life will be drained by his own son's newfound abilities?
Shin-ah is tracing his child's markings with a tentative finger; so gentle, so careful. His expression is pained, but it's calm as well, a sort of peace settling over his face.
"He will grow up strong." The statement is murmured in a tone unshakeable by fear, doubt, or worry. "I…will make sure of it."
Zeno reaches out and touches Shin-ah's shoulder, his throat closed up by an emotion too strong for words. The Blue Dragon looks down at Zeno. "The others…" His eyes are troubled. "They'll worry."
"I will help tell them." Zeno says quietly.
The two Dragons stand together silently, in a corridor drenched in moonlight, watching the new Blue Dragon sleep soundly in his father's steady arms.
O.O
The years begin to fade rapidly into each other.
Zeno watches Yona's vibrant red hair turn slowly into silver. The queen rules for many decades, and the kingdom is at the peak of what people are now calling the Golden Era.
General Hak retires from the service kicking and screaming and the once-small, frank little daughter of the Green Dragon takes his place, her youth not even a subject to be broached when she disarms twenty soldiers in under two minutes.
Jae-ha shines with pride. "Look at her." His voice is roughened by age but is still as sly as ever. "The light of my life."
"Father, you're embarrassing me." Cheon-su says bluntly, ignoring her father's gasp of betrayal. She strides off, sheathing her sword, and Zeno catches Gi-dae staring open-mouthed after her retreating figure.
To think that time is passing so quickly…
Shin-ah listens to the noise with a small smile on his face. He is now completely blind, but other than the loss of his sight, the former Blue Dragon is still as alive as ever. His son, the new Seiryuu, is practicing swordplay with Gi-dae, sighing at the besotted prince to focus on the duel and "Not on the droopy-eyed siren."
Kija is fussing over the two duelists, being his usual nit-picking self, and Yona laughs at them all, her frame just starting to show the first signs of age. Hak has mellowed out of his usual surliness, and smirks fondly at the Happy Hungry Bunch making a ruckus in the courtyard. Ao has made sure to have many successors, one of them perched on a long-suffering Yoon's shoulder.
Zeno closes his eyes, and commits this image to memory. Eons later, he will open his eyes to see nothing more than an empty, howling ruin, but he forces that pessimistic thought aside and instead, hops down to join the fray.
After all, if there was one thing the Yellow Dragon has learned from all these centuries of life, is that constancy is a blessing at times like these.