"Yaaaaaah!" Yona yelled in frustration as she tried to hit Hak with her wooden blade. He'd been babying her less and less lately, and she couldn't seem to reach him in any of their sparring matches as of late. It was frustrating.
"Aw, c'mon Princess! You can do better than that!" Hak dodged easily and swung his own wooden sword at her back shoulder as she passed him. He knew she'd be able to deflect it, but he wanted to keep her on her toes, anyway. Wham! Yup, she pivoted instantly and blocked it beautifully.
"Good girl. Now come at me."
Panting with the effort of the last two and a half hours, Yona readjusted her grip on the hilt of her sword. She took a deep breath and tried to attack from below this time- Wham! Hak saw it coming and blocked it once more. It's no use- I can't beat the Thunder Beast… Yona was tiring out, and Hak could tell if they didn't stop soon, she might actually faint from overexerting herself.

"Again," Hak said. She was getting so much better with the sword- they just needed to get her stamina up a bit. Looking him straight in the eye, Yona took one step towards Hak and gasped as her leg buckled underneath her. Hak caught her around the waist before her knees hit the dirt.
"I gotcha, I gotcha. Are you alright, Princess?" Hak kneeled to the ground with his arms still around her, letting her rest on his lap instead of on the dirt. He couldn't help but notice that she was light as a feather, yet had curves that he was pretty sure weren't there a few months ago. Her body had developed since they fled the castle. Yona leaned her face into his hard chest and nodded, too worn out for words.
"You're getting so strong, you know that? It's amazing." Hak took this opportunity to plant a quick kiss on the top of her head before picking her up in his arms. "Let's head back to camp- I bet Yoon will have made something to eat by now."

Jae-Ha was the first to notice the pair return to camp. "Geez, Thunder Beast, what did you do to Yona Dear?!" Hak lifted an eyebrow and glared toward the Green Dragon as he ran up to them. Zeno had already caught up to them with a flask of water and was holding it to Yona's lips as Hak continued to carry her toward the tent she normally slept in. "She's training hard and needs to rest and get some meat and water in her, that's all." Yoon brought over two bowls of the pigeon stew he'd made and passed both to Hak. "Here, make sure she eats all of this. You too, Dark Dragon. We can't have either of you passing out on us. When you're finished, bring me the bowls and I'll give you some herbs that will make her feel better. Everyone! Let's leave them! They both need rest!" Yoon shooed away all of the Dragons one by one, and closed the flap of the tent behind him, leaving the Dark Dragon and his master all alone.

"Princess, here, let me feed you-" He shifted Yona so her back was leaning against his chest. He winced as he saw the stiffness in her movements. She smiled up at him and accepted his help, content to have his arms around her forever.

Outside the tent, Yoon and the Four Dragons were getting ready to bathe. They'd just come across a lovely river, and it had been several days since any of them had had washed themselves properly. Shin-ah, Ao, and Zeno would go first, and when they got back, they'd stand guard while Yoon and Kija took their turn. Yoon was busy grinding something in his poultice for Yona right now, anyway.

Twenty minutes passed before the Yellow and Blue Dragons returned from their bath. "How is Yona?" Zeno had just reached the edge of camp with Shin-ah as he called over. Hak appeared next to Yoon with the empty bowls and cringed slightly as he admitted to the group, "She'll be okay…She's just…overworked. She's tired and sore more than anything else. It's a good thing we have a few days to recover." Yoon stood up and handed Hak a small pot of the stuff he'd been grinding up. "Here. This is oil mixed with lavender- it'll help relax her if you rub it into whatever sore muscles she has. Or I can do it, if it makes you uncomfor-"

"I'll do it."Hak removed the lid and sniffed lightly at the contents. It smelled nice. He replaced the lid and hoped the others did not notice the tiny tremble in his voice when he had spoken. Hak trusted Yoon- he was the one with the most medical knowledge, aside from himself, but he wanted to be the one to soothe away Yona's pain. It was his fault she was feeling fatigued in the first place.
Yoon nodded, seeming to understand where Hak's thoughts were coming from. "Okay then. Make sure she drinks lots of water afterward, too. Jae-Ha and I are going to bathe now, so it'll just be Zeno and Shin-ah for a bit. You shouldn't be interrupted. Whenever either of you have the strength, maybe a bath would be a good idea for you, too." With that, Soon picked up his towel and draped it over his neck as he grabbed Jae-Ha and steered him toward the path leading to the river. Hak blushed and without another word, turned on his heel and headed straight back for Yona's tent.

The sound of deep breathing greeted him as he quietly pushed open the tent flap and sat down beside his Princess.
"Hey there. I have something for you from Yoon." He leaned down to let her see the contents of the pot.
"What is it? Do I drink it?" Yona lifted her head up from her mat, and Hak admired the way the blankets shifted and clung to her silhouette.
"Hmm-? Oh, no. No, you rub it into your muscles when you're sore. Massaging it in will help soothe the aching. I was going to do it for you Princess, but- I- ah… That is, if you don't want—" Hak was getting flustered and why was it so hard for him to think about his hands caressing, savoring, massaging her body… He just wanted to make her feel better, this wasn't supposed to be about him or his comfort level. What was the matter with him? His thoughts were cut off by a small hand gripping his wrist, slender fingers daring to trace the palm of his hand. He looked down to see her looking up at him with the most intriguing look… Admiration? Fear? Love? No. Trust. That's what that look is. Trust. Hak breathed a sigh of relief and took a deep breath, bracing himself for his next words: "I'd be happy to do it, if you're okay with that…?" He heard no objection, only felt her fingers intertwine with his. His heart melted and he steeled himself: "I need you to remove your clothing so I can properly rub this oil in. I don't have to see anything! Just… Keep a blanket over yourself to protect your…modesty." Hak was starting to turn red once more, but Yona, though her eyes widened, didn't look surprised by this information. Of course she's had servants massage her before- She's the princess! This is nothing new to her. Hak turned to face the wall of the tent to let her undress and get situated. In a few moments, he heard her soft voice behind him.
"Thank you, Hak. I'm ready." He turned around and- gods above, she was gorgeous. She was lying face down and had covered her lower region with a folded blanket. She wasn't really showing anything, but there was still so much skin bared to him. He was almost panting at the thought. She was totally bare under the blanket, and there she was, so relaxed and calm. She trusts you, Hak. Don't fuck this up. He let out a huge breath he didn't know he'd been holding and dipped his right hand into the pot… "Just tell me where it hurts, Princess."