Yona gasped as Hak carefully sat her down inside of the cave. The sound of rain pattered the ground covering up the soft groans of pain coming from the princess. Yona flinched as she held her left side, bright red liquid was seeped through her fingers despite her best efforts to stop it.
"I'm going to have to look at your wound.. Do you think you can take off your clothes?" At this request, Yona silently nodded. Normally she would be mortified at the idea, but, at the moment, she was in too much pain to even argue with him about her modesty.
"I.. I think so… But you have to turn around." The young girl responded. The Dark Dragon silently obeyed.
I should have seen that attack… I should have paid more attention. He silently scolded himself as he heard Yona suck in a quick breath.
"Are you okay, Princess?" He asked attentively, using most of his willpower to keep from turning around.
"Yeah.. I'm fine. I just finished." Yona responded in a slightly embarrassed tone. The Dark Dragon turned to face her, but didn't take in the beauty of her body. He wouldn't allow himself. Immediately, Hak knelt down and inspected the wound in her side.
It doesn't look too deep.. The young man thought as he ripped the hem of his overcoat and moistened it with water from his canteen.
"This might hurt a little, but try to bear with it." The Dark Dragon informed as he began dabbing her wound with the make shift rag. Yona dug her nails into the cave floor as she fought to keep from crying out. "Don't forget to breath… Just hang in there a little longer. I'm almost done."
After what felt like an eternity, the Dark Dragon moved his hand away, his eyes staying glued on the wound.
"It doesn't look like it will need to be stitched up, but I definitely have to pack it."
"Pack it?" The red headed princess' eyes widened.
"Yeah.. I don't think that we will be able to get back to Yun and the others tonight because of the rain. So for now the best thing to do is pack the wound until Yun can bandage it properly." He informed while taking out a small satchel which was hidden inside his clothes. Inside it were a few linen bandages and a small container. Opening the container, he steadily poured some of its contents on one of the bandages.
"What is that?" Yona asked as he screwed the top back on and placed it back in his bag.
"It's alcohol.. It will disinfect the wound and help numb it. This is going to sting at first, but the pain shouldn't last too long." With the warning, Hak placed the saturated cloth inside of her gash. The princess let out a little yell as she grabbed one of his arms tightly. The Dark Dragon flinched at the sound of her cry. He could see her shivering from the mix of cold and pain. She looked so helpless, yet she was trying her hardest to be strong. "You're doing good. It's almost over."
After a moment, he could feel her relax. Silently the young man took the other bandage and began wrapping it around her torso.
"This should be okay until we can get back to Yun." He told her while placing a hand on her shoulder. Taking off his overcoat he draped it on top of her and smiled sadly. "I'm going to get a fire going."
Yona watched silently as Hak fished around for some wood or dry brush inside the cave. Not to her surprise, he soon found some and quickly began building the fire to warm up the two of them. After a few minutes, the sound of crackling wood filled the cave and the young man returned to her side.
"Are you hungry?" He asked causing Yona to shake her head 'no'. "You should at least drink something then."
Taking out the canteen, he knelt down next to her and placed it up to her mouth. The princess blushed, remembering the last time that she was injured, this time she actually managed to take a drink.
"Good girl." He praised, making her feel a mix of emotions. "How's your wound feeling?"
"It hurts, but not near as bad. The alcohol has helped numb it." She answered, forcing a smile on her face. Hak could see the small vibrations of his cloak caused from her shivering. It was apparent that she was still freezing. Without saying anything, he picked her back up in his arms and moved her closer to the flames.
"I could have gotten up myself, you know." Yona remarked, clearly flustered by the sudden gesture.
"I don't want you to push yourself." He responded, his usual sarcasm gone and replaced with a sad seriousness.
"I thought I told you that you aren't responsible for my wounds?" The princess reminded. "Neither of us could have seen that arrow coming.. So please don't blame yourself."
The Dark Dragon was silent, his face forlorn. She hated seeing him this way, the man who has always stood by her side keeping her safe.. The one who gave up everything to take care of her.. The one who she cared about more than anyone else in the world.. Seeing him blaming himself hurt worse than the wound. Before she realized what she was doing, she had leaned up and planted a kiss on his cheek. This completely surprised the former general, causing him to become stiff as a board. Yona jolted back for a second, her cheeks tinted pink with embarrassment.
No… I'm not going to get embarrassed… He's done so much for me.. This is the only way I can show him how much he means to me…
"..Thank you…" The princess whispered.
"For what?" Hak managed to ask.
"For everything… You've always taken care of me… always protected me. You gave up everything you held dear to keep me safe. I can never repay you for that…" Hearing this, Hak couldn't help but blush. He reached out and softly pulled her into his arms.
"Your happiness repays me every day, Princess.. I've told you before, as long as you are happy. I'm happy. I couldn't ask for more." He responded as Yona wrapped her arms around him. She seemed so relaxed being in his arms. Honestly, he was too. Holding her like this was like a dream. The Dark Dragon moved closer to her, being careful to avoid unnecessary movement on her part.
"You know… I'm kind of glad that things happened the way they did." Yona stated. "If they didn't, then I wouldn't be here with you like this."
"Me too." He whispered, in a natural perfect tone. Yona looked up at him, her face glowing from the light of the fire. Hesitantly, Hak leaned in towards the princess causing her to close her eyes. Smiling softly, he brushed his lips against hers creating the sweetest first kiss. Pulling away he looked into her eyes.
"I will always protect you… Not because you are the princess, but because you are the most important person to me." He said. "Watching you grow, watching you struggle and fight your way to become stronger, seeing you practice and take on so many different challenges.. seeing who you have become has just made you that much more precious to me."
The young man ran his fingers through her bright red hair, softly tracing his thumb along her face as he did. Yona smiled brightly at this, her eyes wet with happy tears. Cupping her face in his hands, Hak leaned in to a second kiss.
I wish morning would never come. Both of them silently thought as their lips joined once more. This kiss more passionate and filled with love. . For that night, the two of them would hold each other close, confirming their feelings for each other through the sweet long, awaited affection.