With only a few hours left until dawn Hak returned to his previous position against the tree, looking agonisingly at Yona's sleeping face and her small frame.
The princess he had sworn to protect had lost so much weight in such a small amount of time, she had cuts and bruises all over her hands and her hair was dirty- a shadow of her former self!
None of this mattered however- she was still alive! That was all that Hak cared about. He didn't care what became of him- but Yona must keep on living.
Unable to shake the feeling of guilt that had welled up within him, Hak reached out and brushed a lone strand of hair away from her face.
"Hak?" Yona's soundly sleeping face shifted expressions as she stirred "sorry… you had a bug on you" he lied hastily as he sat back, shrugging his shoulders indifferently.
Sleeping in these conditions was difficult enough with only the ground to lay upon, but a warm night equipped with a romantic moonlight only added to Hak's sleeplessness.
Please may the sun rise quickly he prayed; how much more torture could he endure? Changing position, he decided that lying flat on the ground would increase his chances of sleep.
Laid carefully beside Yona, a heavy breath escaped him. The fading stars were now shimmering faintly due to a lighter coloured sky, it would be morning soon.
As dawn awoke, Hak watched as the sky was set ablaze. In the fiery colours of the sunrise, he saw Yona's hair flashing against the winds as she fired her arrows.
The beautiful and strong huntress was unknowingly clawing her way deeply into Hak's heart. Clutching at his chest to once again ease the pain, he fell into a disturbed slumber haunted by scarlet hair and feral like eyes.
When his eyes opened against the harsh sunlight, he could tell from the position of the sun- through the gap in the trees, that it was late morning- possibly already into the afternoon. They had slept in!
Hak shook Yona's shoulder gently "Princess? It's late we need to go" wiping her unwilling eyes and stretching her petite arms, Yona stood up unsteadily. She swayed slightly, before following Hak through the trees and on to their next destination.
As they walked towards the next village, the air was filled with an awkward atmosphere. Trying to avoid the temptation he had succumbed to the night before, resulted in a Hak's mood turning foul.
With each curt or sarcastic response, he prayed in his heart for forgiveness. It was causing so much more pain to his heart and the guilt had since become intolerable. However, he knew that no matter how harsh it was- it was the right thing to do to keep her safe. He had to keep her at arm's length.
Yona sighed heavily- noting that Hak hadn't been his usual self today. Had she done something wrong?
They were childhood friends and she had always believed that they were close, but maybe it was all her imagination?
Maybe he considered her nothing more than an annoying and spoilt princess who he felt responsible for because the king had hired him to be her bodyguard?
Glancing down in dismay, she stopped walking; feeling forlorn "Hak… wait!" Looking curiously at her, he dropped to one knee and lowered his head "What is it Princess?"
Nothing could have prepared Hak to receive the look upon Yona's face when he finally looked up- it was pure despair! "I'm sorry you got dragged into this and got stuck with me! But you know, my father is dead… so you no longer need to follow his orders to protect me."
A loud clunk resonated through the air as Hak's weapon fell to the ground, before he rushed forward to embrace the grieving kitten standing pitifully in front of him.
"I don't protect you because the King ordered me to! I protect you because a world without you in it would be so much less colourful. I'm sorry, I know I have been distant today- believe me it has been hard on me too! I recently realised that I have to remember my position- lately I seemed to have forgotten my place!"
After wiping away one lone tear that had emerged from Yona's eye. Hak returned to recover his weapon, smiling warmly in her direction- so that he could thaw out the ice he had painfully created in his dear Princess' heart.
Now walking a little closer, they carried on until they arrived on the outskirts of the small nearby village.
Abruptly holding out his arm- Hak signalled Yona to stop "something is wrong!" His eyes shot in the direction of oncoming footsteps as he swept the Princess behind him and raised his weapon defensively.