p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 19pt;"This was actually the first story I got the idea for, but I can't seem to get it out quite the way I want it to. I hope it comes across ok. I've taken some artistic license with this one. I know the dragons can feel each other's location, but I don't remember them getting a sense of what the others feel. I like the thought that they can not only feel each other a bit more, but that they can feel Yona, as Hiryuu's reincarnation, as well. This takes place right after the battle of Awa. Constructive criticism is always welcome. /span/p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 22.7px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 22.7px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 19pt;""Yona"/span/p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 22.7px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 19pt;""Soo-Won," she breathed. She was in shock. Frozen in fear. She had to be. There was no other reason why she wasn't fighting, or at least running as fast as she could in the other direction. Why was he here? She was on the other side of the kingdom, far away from the capital. They had just had their first major victory. Was he coming to ruin this too? Just when her life was started to come back together again, he came sweeping in again to knock her feet back out from under her. Was she not allowed happiness? He started to reach for her, but she flinched away, her mind flashing back to his sword running through her dear Chichiue. He was speaking, but it was nothing more than a distant murmur, unintelligible and incomprehensible./span/p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 22.7px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 19pt;"Hak flashed through her mind. Oh how she wished he were here with her. But wait... No... She couldn't always depend on Hak to save her. She couldn't let Hak see Soo-Won and cause him even more pain. What could she do though? How could she get out of this? She had no weapon. No way to defend herself, and even if she did, Soo-Won had many years of training she couldn't possibly overcome. /span/p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 22.7px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 19pt;"She heard quick, heavy footsteps coming their way and turned to run. She didn't even get a full step before her arm was grabbed and Soo-Won's long full cape swept around her, blanketing her in his familiar warmth and smell. What?... Why?... If he wanted to kill her, why hide her? If he didn't, why try at the palace? Does this mean he didn't want to kill her? She caught a glimpse of his sword. Blood soaked memories assaulted her yet again. His heart pounded beneath her ear, almost fast enough to complete with the humming bird her own had become. Reaching for the beautiful weapon, she pictured it going through his heart. His hand stopped her though and she froze as she heard him mention Yang Keum-Ji and the human trafficking. So that's why they were here. /span/p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 22.7px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 19pt;"She wished even one of her companions were here with her. Yun was even younger than her though, and, while he was most certainly a genius, had no desire to fight. She couldn't ask him to save her, even if he was here. Kija and Shin-Ah were both very good fighters and definitely able to protect her, but what of Soo-Won's companions? She could hear General Joo-Doh, but how many others were there? Were there any she knew from around the palace? She may not have been close to Joo-Doh, but could she bare to watch him and the others die at the hands of her protectors? The traffickers and mercenaries were one thing. They were harming her people. She didn't know why Joo-Doh and the others had chosen to side with Soo-Won, but apparently she didn't even understand that situation anymore, what with him hiding her and being there to stop Yang Keum-Ji. Plus, even if she had a way to call them, could they get here in time? That left only her newest dragon. The beautiful Ryokuryuu, Jae-Ha. He may not wish to join her, and she would never try to order him, but she felt the connection regardless. If only he were here.../span/p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 22.7px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 19pt;"XXXXXXXXXXXXX/span/p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 22.7px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 19pt;"Down by the docks, amidst all the feasting and revelry, the green dragon suddenly looked up, a sliver of unease trickling down his spine. He looked around, but nothing seemed out of place. However, he'd relied on his instincts too long, and they had saved his life to many times, for him to consider discounting them now. He spotted Hak across the way and wove through the festive crowd to reach him. He'd never met another man he could respect and admire quite like him. Only the Captain had held it before now. He couldn't deny what he'd seen in the younger man though, and trusted in his instinct too. /span/p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 22.7px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 19pt;""Hak" he intoned as he approached. Hak turned away from his companion towards Jae-Ha, vestiges of carefree laughter on his face. He took in Jae-Ha's serious expression and sobered instantly. "What is it?" He asked, dropping into general mode. "I'm not sure," the green haired man replied, "but something doesn't feel right. Do you feel it too?" Hak glanced around, scanning the area with his diligent eyes. "Nothing looks amiss, but I don't see Yona-Hime anywhere. She may have just wandered off to get some quiet, but I feel it too. Will you help me search for her?" /span/p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 22.7px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 19pt;"Jae-Ha nodded once and then leapt into the sky. Houses passed far beneath him as his sharp eyes searched the streets for her. He caught sight of a group of men he hadn't seen before and landed silently on the nearest rooftop to spy on them. Warily, he watched the soldiers leave and turned his gaze back to the beautiful man in white. What can he say, he admires beautiful things wherever they may be, and in whatever form too. Suddenly the young man unwraps his cloak, and to his shock, there stands Yona. He's never seen her like this, frozen in terror. Not even on the cliffs leading to Cape No Return. Then at least, she kept moving forward, even through her tears. He had watched only this morning as she had stood tall and strong against the dawn and shot true, killing the man that had been plaguing this town for years. The man reached forward to gently cup her face and as she flinched slightly, Jae-Ha couldn't stand it any longer. Pushing himself off the roof, he landed softly behind Yona and pulled her into a protective embrace. /span/p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 22.7px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 19pt;""Who are you and what have you done to my Yona Chan?" While he may have used a pleasant tone, he was fingering one of his daggers in a vaguely threatening manner. The man in front of him seemed shocked. Not an unusual reaction actually when others first saw his power. /span/p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 22.7px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 19pt;"When the man didn't speak, he turned gently to his young master... no, not master... he had no master... and yet... She was clinging to him tightly, eyes squeezed shut, trying desperately to shut out what ever was causing her so much terror. "Yona Chan," he asked gently, "are you all right?" "Jae-Ha." Her voice trembled slightly. "You came for me?" /span/p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 22.7px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 19pt;""I did." He didn't know what else to answer. It brought up questions he hadn't completely come to terms with yet. Wanting to follow her, but not wanting to be chained to a master. /span/p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 22.7px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 19pt;"His answer seemed to calm her somewhat and she was able to loosen her grasp and look up at him. The younger man also had shaken off his shock and started towards them. "Who are you?" He asked. "And how did you get here?" /span/p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 22.7px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 19pt;"Yona turned towards him still keeping a hand curled in the soft fabric of Jae-Ha's sleeve. It seemed to ground her somewhat. "This is Jae-Ha, and he's my friend." A hint of defiance crept into her voice, just a glimpse of the strength he'd seen in her this morning, but it was there once more. Slowly fanning back to full brightness as her courage returned to her. "Jae-Ha, this is my cousin Soo-Won, the new king. He killed my Chichiue in front of me and then tried to kill me. Hak saved me and we fled." /span/p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 22.7px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 19pt;"Jae-Ha instantly pulled her closer to him and stepped into a more defensive position. Soo-Won spoke then. "I know you must want to kill me Yona, but I can't die yet. I still have things I must do." "Yona Chan. What do you want me to do?" "Take me away Jae-Ha. Please. He killed Chichiue and drove me from my home, but he protected me today. I don't understand. I'm too confused. Please, let's just leave." /span/p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 22.7px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 19pt;"Picking her up gently into his arms he turned back towards the king. "For Yona's sake, I hope we don't meet again," and with that he leapt skyward, carrying the young princess far away, not bothering to spare a glance behind him. /span/p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 22.7px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 19pt;"Soo-Won stared after him for a moment, possibilities flashing like quicksilver through his head, before shaking them off firmly and turning to rejoin his guards. "We'll stay one more night," he thought. "Maybe we can find out more about the slave trade and the battle tomorrow."/span/p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 22.7px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 19pt;"XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/span/p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 22.7px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 22.7px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 19pt;"The following day as Soo-Won and his guards slipped into town, they passed a group of inhabitants talking about the battle and some visitors. "So she left with them? I thought she was too cute to be a pirate." One of the older girls stepped forward a bit. "She may look cute, but she's as strong as any soldier. She's the one who took down Yang Keum-Ji. All she needed was one arrow. It was one of the best shots I've ever seen!" His guards may not have understood the significance, but Soo-Won spun towards the girl, shocked speechless for the second time in as many days. Only one thought ran through his head. "Just what happened to her these last few months!"/span/p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 22.7px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 22.7px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 19pt;""Yona"/span/p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 22.7px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 19pt;""Soo-Won," she breathed. She was in shock. Frozen in fear. She had to be. There was no other reason why she wasn't fighting, or at least running as fast as she could in the other direction. Why was he here? She was on the other side of the kingdom, far away from the capital. They had just had their first major victory. Was he coming to ruin this too? Just when her life was started to come back together again, he came sweeping in again to knock her feet back out from under her. Was she not allowed happiness? He started to reach for her, but she flinched away, her mind flashing back to his sword running through her dear Chichiue. He was speaking, but it was nothing more than a distant murmur, unintelligible and incomprehensible./span/p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 22.7px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 19pt;"Hak flashed through her mind. Oh how she wished he were here with her. But wait... No... She couldn't always depend on Hak to save her. She couldn't let Hak see Soo-Won and cause him even more pain. What could she do though? How could she get out of this? She had no weapon. No way to defend herself, and even if she did, Soo-Won had many years of training she couldn't possibly overcome. /span/p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 22.7px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 19pt;"She heard quick, heavy footsteps coming their way and turned to run. She didn't even get a full step before her arm was grabbed and Soo-Won's long full cape swept around her, blanketing her in his familiar warmth and smell. What?... Why?... If he wanted to kill her, why hide her? If he didn't, why try at the palace? Does this mean he didn't want to kill her? She caught a glimpse of his sword. Blood soaked memories assaulted her yet again. His heart pounded beneath her ear, almost fast enough to complete with the humming bird her own had become. Reaching for the beautiful weapon, she pictured it going through his heart. His hand stopped her though and she froze as she heard him mention Yang Keum-Ji and the human trafficking. So that's why they were here. /span/p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 22.7px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 19pt;"She wished even one of her companions were here with her. Yun was even younger than her though, and, while he was most certainly a genius, had no desire to fight. She couldn't ask him to save her, even if he was here. Kija and Shin-Ah were both very good fighters and definitely able to protect her, but what of Soo-Won's companions? She could hear General Joo-Doh, but how many others were there? Were there any she knew from around the palace? She may not have been close to Joo-Doh, but could she bare to watch him and the others die at the hands of her protectors? The traffickers and mercenaries were one thing. They were harming her people. She didn't know why Joo-Doh and the others had chosen to side with Soo-Won, but apparently she didn't even understand that situation anymore, what with him hiding her and being there to stop Yang Keum-Ji. Plus, even if she had a way to call them, could they get here in time? That left only her newest dragon. The beautiful Ryokuryuu, Jae-Ha. He may not wish to join her, and she would never try to order him, but she felt the connection regardless. If only he were here.../span/p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 22.7px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 19pt;"XXXXXXXXXXXXX/span/p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 22.7px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 19pt;"Down by the docks, amidst all the feasting and revelry, the green dragon suddenly looked up, a sliver of unease trickling down his spine. He looked around, but nothing seemed out of place. However, he'd relied on his instincts too long, and they had saved his life to many times, for him to consider discounting them now. He spotted Hak across the way and wove through the festive crowd to reach him. He'd never met another man he could respect and admire quite like him. Only the Captain had held it before now. He couldn't deny what he'd seen in the younger man though, and trusted in his instinct too. /span/p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 22.7px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 19pt;""Hak" he intoned as he approached. Hak turned away from his companion towards Jae-Ha, vestiges of carefree laughter on his face. He took in Jae-Ha's serious expression and sobered instantly. "What is it?" He asked, dropping into general mode. "I'm not sure," the green haired man replied, "but something doesn't feel right. Do you feel it too?" Hak glanced around, scanning the area with his diligent eyes. "Nothing looks amiss, but I don't see Yona-Hime anywhere. She may have just wandered off to get some quiet, but I feel it too. Will you help me search for her?" /span/p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 22.7px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 19pt;"Jae-Ha nodded once and then leapt into the sky. Houses passed far beneath him as his sharp eyes searched the streets for her. He caught sight of a group of men he hadn't seen before and landed silently on the nearest rooftop to spy on them. Warily, he watched the soldiers leave and turned his gaze back to the beautiful man in white. What can he say, he admires beautiful things wherever they may be, and in whatever form too. Suddenly the young man unwraps his cloak, and to his shock, there stands Yona. He's never seen her like this, frozen in terror. Not even on the cliffs leading to Cape No Return. Then at least, she kept moving forward, even through her tears. He had watched only this morning as she had stood tall and strong against the dawn and shot true, killing the man that had been plaguing this town for years. The man reached forward to gently cup her face and as she flinched slightly, Jae-Ha couldn't stand it any longer. Pushing himself off the roof, he landed softly behind Yona and pulled her into a protective embrace. /span/p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 22.7px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 19pt;""Who are you and what have you done to my Yona Chan?" While he may have used a pleasant tone, he was fingering one of his daggers in a vaguely threatening manner. The man in front of him seemed shocked. Not an unusual reaction actually when others first saw his power. /span/p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 22.7px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 19pt;"When the man didn't speak, he turned gently to his young master... no, not master... he had no master... and yet... She was clinging to him tightly, eyes squeezed shut, trying desperately to shut out what ever was causing her so much terror. "Yona Chan," he asked gently, "are you all right?" "Jae-Ha." Her voice trembled slightly. "You came for me?" /span/p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 22.7px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 19pt;""I did." He didn't know what else to answer. It brought up questions he hadn't completely come to terms with yet. Wanting to follow her, but not wanting to be chained to a master. /span/p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 22.7px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 19pt;"His answer seemed to calm her somewhat and she was able to loosen her grasp and look up at him. The younger man also had shaken off his shock and started towards them. "Who are you?" He asked. "And how did you get here?" /span/p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 22.7px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 19pt;"Yona turned towards him still keeping a hand curled in the soft fabric of Jae-Ha's sleeve. It seemed to ground her somewhat. "This is Jae-Ha, and he's my friend." A hint of defiance crept into her voice, just a glimpse of the strength he'd seen in her this morning, but it was there once more. Slowly fanning back to full brightness as her courage returned to her. "Jae-Ha, this is my cousin Soo-Won, the new king. He killed my Chichiue in front of me and then tried to kill me. Hak saved me and we fled." /span/p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 22.7px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 19pt;"Jae-Ha instantly pulled her closer to him and stepped into a more defensive position. Soo-Won spoke then. "I know you must want to kill me Yona, but I can't die yet. I still have things I must do." "Yona Chan. What do you want me to do?" "Take me away Jae-Ha. Please. He killed Chichiue and drove me from my home, but he protected me today. I don't understand. I'm too confused. Please, let's just leave." /span/p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 22.7px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 19pt;"Picking her up gently into his arms he turned back towards the king. "For Yona's sake, I hope we don't meet again," and with that he leapt skyward, carrying the young princess far away, not bothering to spare a glance behind him. /span/p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 22.7px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 19pt;"Soo-Won stared after him for a moment, possibilities flashing like quicksilver through his head, before shaking them off firmly and turning to rejoin his guards. "We'll stay one more night," he thought. "Maybe we can find out more about the slave trade and the battle tomorrow."/span/p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 22.7px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 19pt;"XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/span/p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 22.7px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 22.7px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 19pt;"The following day as Soo-Won and his guards slipped into town, they passed a group of inhabitants talking about the battle and some visitors. "So she left with them? I thought she was too cute to be a pirate." One of the older girls stepped forward a bit. "She may look cute, but she's as strong as any soldier. She's the one who took down Yang Keum-Ji. All she needed was one arrow. It was one of the best shots I've ever seen!" His guards may not have understood the significance, but Soo-Won spun towards the girl, shocked speechless for the second time in as many days. Only one thought ran through his head. "Just what happened to her these last few months!"/span/p