Each time his horses' hoofs impacted the ground, it rattled something inside Soo-won's chest, traveled up his spine. His only relief came when the group stopped for a break, so the horses didn't die of exhaustion. The night was settling in for good, and the forest was treacherous at best, even in the daylight. Yona and Hak slid off their horses and fell into step together. They were walking away.

Soo-won looks at the ground. It seemed too far away.

Neither Hak nor Yona looks at him. His chest grew tight.

They knew.

How did they know?

Soo-won knew it was a stupid question as soon as he thought it. A plan was only as secret as the people within it. People went at their own pace, and all Soo-won was capable of was steering them. Someone let it slip. He had his suspicions. Lady Bin-na vanished before the fire tribe attacked

The horse shifted, and a jolt of pain burst in Soo-won's wound. His vision went white, and he doubled over, pressed a fist against his chest to keep his heart from battering it's way out. He held the building scream behind clenched teeth. He would endure.

The pain did fade, slowly. He found himself doubled over with his forehead against the horse's neck. Soo-won didn't know how long he stayed there, just breathing. When he looked up again, there was a small fire going with something roasting on it. No one was looking at him, and he was grateful because nobody saw him gag.

The palace burned – the town burned. He evacuated, but people had their plans. There was no way to be sure everyone left. How many people died in the fires he set? Humans and animals smelled the same when they were burning. Humans were just meat in the end.

Soo-won squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. The choice was already made. He never looked back, never thought twice, never hesitated. He couldn't afford it with the country relying on him. That was the price he paid for his revenge.

The weight of a country for the life of his father's murderer.

A fair trade.

"Do you need help?" A clear voice asked.

Soo-won didn't jolt, if only because it would jar his wound again. He turned his head to the side and found the yellow-haired dragon looking up at him. His eyes were half in shadow, but there was a small, genuine, smile on his face.

"Please," Soo-won said because not accepting help when offered it was a matter of pride. Pride got people killed.

Zeno smiled.

The yellow dragon felt like helped Soo-won down without much issue. Zeno's hands were gentle, never pushing down on Soo-won's wounds or the many bruises he gained during the fight.

Zeno settled him to the base of a large oak tree, acting as a crutch, quiet the whole time. Soo-won was grateful. His head was pounding like a war drum, thrumming in time with the blood pumping through his heart and wound. It felt like a vise clamping down on the base of his neck.

Zeno sat Soo-won down. It was grounding to sit on the cold earth, mud and all. They were downwind. He couldn't smell the fire from here.

"You need to eat something," Zeno chirped. "You're all skin and bones. Mother Yoon would not approve. Even in life or death situations, there's no excuse to let anyone go hungry, or not eat good food."

Soo-won looked up at Zeno. "Why are you helping me?" he asked.

The dragon tilted his head. "Should I not help you?"

"I would not if I were you."

It was apparent the dragons loved Jeong – and why wouldn't they? Jeong was someone who inspired love.

Soo-won took Jeong's faith and loyalty and twisted it into a shape he could use. Jeong was good at their very core, and Soo-won took advantage of that. If Soo-won found out someone did such a thing to Jeong – well. He was willing to be a hypocrite in that case.

Nothing would save the person.

Zeno smile dropped, and his face became sad. Wise. Weary. He met Soo-won's eyes."I know. I don't like you – but Jeong does. Still."

Soo-won lost his breath all over again. Those eyes felt like daggers, like the moment before the pain hit.

Soo-won looked away first. "Jeong is a fool."

Too kind for their own good.

"Yes," Zeno said. "One of the best kinds of people. Food," Zeno said. "Everything is better with food. Healing is hungry work."

Soo-won studied his hands. There were bits of ash under his fingernails. "I'm not hungry."

Zeno patted Soo-won on the shoulder, gentle.

He returned with food as he promised. Zeno handed Soo-won a wooden bowl. It was rabbit stew, freshly caught, and the spices smelled mouth-watering. It was fit to serve the royal palace. Even the snobbiest of nobles wouldn't turn their nose up at the dish.

Soo-won took one look at it and felt his stomach roil. He stared down at the plate and tried not to throw up. "Thank you," Soo-won said.

"The young master is welcome," Zeno said, flopping down next to Soo-won. "Zeno is starving. Dying takes a lot out of you, you know?"

Soo-won's eyes flicked to the party by the fire. They were mostly quiet, but Soo-won could feel the hole Jeong would slot neatly into, a gap in the loose circle between the young doctor and the one in the mask. He looked back to Zeno. A small tendril of confusion grew up in the back of his head.

"Your brothers are waiting for you," Soo-won said. Why was Zeno still here?

He felt Zeno shrug. Their shoulders pressed together. "Eh. Zeno's brothers will be fine with the young miss watching them. I'm tired."

Joo-won rubbed the grit out if his eyes and every breath ached like being kicked in the chest.

"Yes," Soo-won found himself saying. Underneath the pain, he was tired, the kind of tired that stuck to the body and mind like tar. He pushed the food around on his plate. He needed to eat, but nothing felt less appealing. "It's been a long day."

A long week, long month, a long year.

A long life.

Zeno hummed tunelessly under his breath. "Duty can wear you down. People – their lives, their expectations – are heavy."

Soo-won glanced at Zeno to find him looking up at the stars, age clinging to his unlined face, his bright eyes. Starlight reflected and refracted in them in an endless pattern. He heard things, while he was waking up. Each of the dragons had power – they were all more than human. Soo-won glanced at the ragged hole in Zeno's shirt and the twin on the back; he was run through and still lived. He could guess what Zeno's power was – and why Hak was so wary around him.

How long does one have to live, to gain eyes like that?

Soo-won didn't want to know. "Some things we have to carry, no matter what we want."

Zeno glanced at Soo-won and smiled faintly. "What does little master want?"

He thought of his uncle and blood like a mirror on the floor and felt only grim satisfaction and relief. King Il was a coward, but not in the way people thought. He didn't lack for conviction. He was just as stubborn as the rest of his family.

King Il was a coward because he couldn't stand having blood on his conscious.

"Little master thinks a lot."

"Carelessness is a poor way to die," Soo-won said.

"Was the little master's life in danger?"

Soo-won paused. "...No. I had – someone who protected me, no matter what."

Those eyes, like a deep pool. Swallowing all the light that touched them. "Ah. Little master was lucky, then. Protectors are hard to find."

Soo-won's throat grew tight. "I couldn't keep them. I did something – it didn't last."

"Does anything?"

The night air settled around Soo-won like a sheet of ice. The smell of rain and fresh earth. Smoke, but only from wood. He thought about days by the river bank, and the sweet taste of harvest apples made sweeter by the company he kept. He was younger then, too young to understand the warmth he felt when he saw Jeong's eyes, their face, their gentle hands.

Now he knew.

"It's too late," Soo-won said, but he didn't know to who. The moon, maybe. "I took that bond and shattered it with my own hands. It was a weakness I couldn't afford."

Zeno said nothing.

Soo-won closed his eyes.

(Here was a secret Soo-won would never tell anyone: He never meant to set his plan into motion that night. He needed at least a year more, to settle ties, to gather power.

His uncle summoned him, two weeks before that night. He was severe and unsmiling, standing by the window of his study. "Do you know who you have hired, Soo-won?" He said. "A king-slayer."

Soo-won remembered the way the air left his lungs. "Uncle?"

"I am choosing to believe you did not because otherwise I would have thought you a fool. Xing wants your guard for regicide," King Il said, hands folded behind his back.

The moment of shock passed, and Soo-won's brain kicked in, thoughts racing. Of course, he knew – he checked on Jeong's background the moment he decided to hire them. It was common sense. How did his uncle find out? Soo-won erased every single piece of Jeong's past he could get his hands on. Soo-won kept his face lax, in an expression of shock.

"Are you sure uncle? Jeong has never been a threat to Yona or I. Perhaps there has been some mistake?"

The king sighed. "There is no mistake, nephew. I have confirmation from the new queen herself. Jeong fits the description."

Soo-won swallowed. "W-what do you plan to do, uncle?"

The king looked out the window. "We do nothing for now."

"Then... you plan to let Jeong go?"

"No," His voice was solemn. "I plan to turn Jeong over to them. They will arrive for Yona's celebration. When they come, you will drug Jeong, so that we may hand them over without a fight. Jeong trusts you more than anyone else here." He looked back at Soo-won and sighed. He rested one hand on Soo-won's shoulder. "I know you are fond of Jeong, nephew. It will be hard, but I have faith in your ability to put the country first. This will show our good faith to Xing as well as bring a criminal to justice. All actions have consequences."

Soo-won's heart roared in his ears. He could barely breathe for the hypocrisy of it. "Yes," He said. His voice was rough. "You're right, uncle."

All actions have consequences.

Soo-won remembered the way his uncle smiled, and Soo-won smiled back. Xing was on its way to collect its debt of blood. It felt like Soo-won was suffocating.

Soo-won thought: Jeong cannot stay at the palace. They had to leave.

Soo-won thought: King Il wanted to trade Jeong's life for peace.

Soo-won thought: Ah. Jeong is my weakness.

And Soo-won, looking down at the green glass bottle his uncle pressed into his hand, made his decision.

He would lose Jeong either way.)

"Did you become stronger, when that person was gone?" Zeno asked.

Did he?

Soo-won kept his face smooth only through years of control, even as his heart tore in two. No, he wanted to cry. No, he was not stronger. Soo-won was only more afraid.

Without Jeong to lean on, Soo-won had to carry everything himself.

"I had no choice," Soo-won said again. "And I can't go back."

Can't return to the time when he was happiest. He didn't deserve their forgiveness, their love.

"No one can return to the past," Zeno said. His gaze was far away, looking at something Soo-won couldn't see. The longing in them was enough to make a lesser man weep, but Zeno did not. He looked over to the fire. A smile spread over his face. "But that doesn't mean the little master can't start over."

Soo-won wanted to scoff – he was a prince. Everything he had was for the people.

Soo-won paused. Yona and Hak knew. Neither of them even asked how his injury was and what else would cause such a rift in so short a time?

Yona wasn't the fragile princess anymore. The last seven months were enough to turn her spine to iron. She needed him in the beginning – but now?

Maybe not. Maybe the country didn't need Soo-won at all.

Soo-won slumped against the tree behind and wished it was familiar hands, a solid chest. He wanted to be held in Jeong's arms, the safest place in the world. All his muscles were loose. He covered his mouth with a hand and looked up at the moon.

He was so *tired.

Maybe Soo-won could finally stop.


Yona watched the yellow dragon talk to Soo-won out of the corner of her eye. Soo-won looked pale, outside the light of the fire, more ghost than human. The weakest she'd ever seen him, with his hair pulled back, his pale neck bare.

He looked tired.

She should go to him. Offer to carry his things, see to his wounds. Just days ago, she would have. She would've been worried sick about him but still feel giddy for a chance to have him rely on her and prove how grown up she was now.

Now, the sight of him was like a needle to the eye. Yona turned away. She didn't want to think about that particular wound – they needed to go after Jeong, see what they had to say. Yona would not judge until she had all of the facts. Soo-won wouldn't hurt Zeno – and Zeno was kind. She didn't think he'd hurt Soo-won either.

She watched the dragons around the fire instead. Yoon stirred the blaze with a long stick, thinking far away thoughts. Kija was fussing around Shin-ah, who Yona figured out quickly was the youngest. The green dragon kept his head down, quickly eating. Yona noticed the way his eyes glanced to the side, looking for something that was missing.

Yona understood. Her own shadow was gone.

Hak was out on patrol.

Which was odd.

The dragons were powerful. Zeno was immortal.

They were still strangers – and yet Hak left them alone with her, with an injured Soo-won. He trusted them enough to go on patrol. Yona didn't even find it strange, which was the strangest thing of all. Could Hak feel the pull too? It was like a fist unclenched inside of Yona's chest. She was breathing easy for the first time – ever.

The dragons didn't' feel like strangers. They flickered in the back of her mind, like flames.

Yona looked down at her stew and wondered if Yoon would come to the palace as her chef. Probably not, but she could dream. When Yona looked up again, the green dragon was gone. She looked around, but neither Kija nor Shin-ah looked alarmed.

She could ask, but...

Yona reached for that flame in the back of her head. She concentrated and picked the one that felt like a swooping stomach, that tasted like a fresh breeze. It was freedom, and Yona knew without a shadow of a doubt that it belonged to Jae-ha.

(Unnatural, her mind whispered, nasty.)

It didn't feel unnatural. It felt like something clicking into place, a hole in Yona's chest being filled up.

Yona got up to follow the thread, and both of the dragons looked at her.

"Master?" Kija asked, and Yoon snorted. "Is something wrong?"

Yona dredged up a smile, no matter how little she felt it. "No. I need some fresh air."

"I'll go with you," Kija said.

Yona felt her smile fracture, and Yoon sighed.

"Kija quit hovering. She's survived this long without you. She knows what she's doing." Yoon said. "Besides, I need someone to help me clean up."

Kija scowled. "Why can't Shin-ah do it?"

"Because I said, so that's why. Now get all the plates."

Kija grumbled but went.

Yona gave Yoon a grateful look to which Yoon snorted and turned away. Yona tried not to let it get to her. She had to deal with people who didn't like her as a Queen, but somehow Yoon made them all seem like amateurs. He didn't bother to hide his disdain for nobles in general and her in particular, and it stung. Yoon was kind. She wanted to be his friend.

Yona made sure her quiver and bow were attached before she left the circle of fire. Yoon was right – she could take care of herself now.

She passed Zeno and Soo-won on the way. Yona didn't look at Soo-won at all, but she felt his eyes on her. He said nothing.

Zeno waved at her.

Yona followed the green thread in the back of her mind to a large oak tree. The trunk was so thick Yona couldn't put her arms around it. The highest branch was ten feet off the ground. She leaned back, but the top of the tree vanished into the darkness.

Jae-ha had vanished.

Yona rubbed her face. Her eyelids felt like mountains. "I wish this day were over already," She said to herself.

"You and me both, princess," A voice said from up the tree.

Yona jerked, adrenaline wiping out the exhaustion. Then the voice registered. Jae-ha. That's right – he could jump pretty high, Kija said.

"What?" Yona blinked down at her hands and found her bow with an arrow knocked. She didn't even remember doing it. Yona felt a flush ride up her face. Embarrassing. "Oh. No. Sorry, you startled me."

"I figured."

A lull in the conversation. Yona fought down a flush. She was a queen, and there was nothing wrong with wanting to keep her skills sharp. Bandits were everywhere.

"Did you want something, Princess?" Jae-ha asked without inflection. Underneath that not-tone, Yona could hear a weariness.

It made a part of her ache – the same region where the dragons threads were. It was still her, but it felt older than she was. Much, much older. It whispered that green was for freedom, and Jae-ha should never sound that heavy.

"I wanted to ask you a question," Yona said.

"Ask away, princess," The tree said.

Yona took a deep breath. "Why do you think that I'm the master you people are looking for?"

A moment of silence.

Jae-ha laughed. It wasn't pleasant. "Don't play dumb. You know why."

(Four lines of fire in the back of her head, the smell of freedom. The familiarity.)

"It could be a mistake," Yona said, but she didn't believe it.

"Oh, I wish it were. I didn't ask for some soft teenage girl to have any ties to me," Jae-ha said. "A master like you is no master at all."

Yona glared up into the night. "I don't want to be your master, either!"

"Good for you," Jae-ha snapped. "Too bad neither of us have a choice in the matter!"

"Don't blame me for it!"

"Planning on using that?" Jae-ha asked.

"Who else should I blame? Myself?"

"Maybe!"

"Well, I won't! I'm sick of treating myself like I'm the crazy one for not wanting this bond forced on me. You ask the others, and all they want is to find you, and treat you like a home." A thump in front of Yona as a dark shape separated from the night and dropped in front of her. "I don't need another home. I have one. I will not be owned."

Yona stared up into Jae-ha's eyes, craning her neck back to do it. He was taller than Hak, but not as tall as Jeong. His eyes were hard; his mouth pulled into a scowl that ill fit his face.

Yona doesn't flinch away. Something inside her forbids it. The small voice that wasn't a voice but a feeling saying 'flinch, and you will lose him.'

'You will never find him again.'

The green dragons were always the ones who desired freedom the most.

(How did it know?

The voice remained quiet. Typical.)

"I don't want to own you, Jae-ha," Yona said.

He scoffed. "Everyone wants to own us. Our powers are too useful, too rare."

And again the voice spoke, only this time it was with Yona's mouth. She was present, but the words came from far away, so far away she knew they must be ancient.

'I don't want to own you," Yona said, and it was the truth. How did anyone own freedom? Loyalty? Wisdom? Compassion? "I just want a friend."

Jae-ha went quiet. She couldn't see his expression in the dark.

Yona breath in and out tasted the air. No smoke. Just the smell after rain.

"Can't we just be friends?" She asked Jae-ha and the moon.

She never had many, growing up in the palace. She remembered in the dark time before Jeong and after her mother died, feeling cold no matter how warm the room was, how high the fires built. She was too young to understand loss and how she alone, separate, she was from other children. Even noble children.

Soo-won was her first friend. Her only friend. Soo-won brought warmth back into her world that first night he held her during her nightmares.

She loved him for that.

Yona's eyes grew hot. Now she didn't have that, and never would again. She closed her eyes, but it didn't stop the tears from flowing out.

"Oh, gods, are you crying?" Jae-ha blurred in front of her.

"No," She said, mortified. She thought she was past this part of her life. It'd just been a… long couple of months. Just thinking of the work she'd have to do to get the capital back in order was enough to set off a fresh wave of tears.

"Kija's going to kill me," Jae-ha said. "Please stop crying, and I don't know how to deal with girls when their crying."

Yona sniffled. "Serves you right for being a jerk."

A startled laugh left Jae-ha. "Yeah. You're right. I was a jerk. My apologies princess. You didn't ask for this any more than I did." A gentle hand on her shoulder. Yona looked up at Jae-ha. His eyes were softer now, like spring leaves.

He sighed. "We can be friends."

The weight lifted off Yona's shoulders. She offered him a tentative smile.

He blinked once, then shook his head. "Man, you're going to be lethal in a couple of years, princess."

Yona blinked. "What?"

"Don't worry about it," He ruffled her hair. "You knew Jeong when you were young right? Tell me about it. Particularly the embarrassing parts."

She bit her lip. "One time Jeong threw Hak and Soo-won in the river for being annoying?"

Jae-ha laughed.

Yona told stories most of the night, about what she and Soo-won and Hak got up to in the palace – sometimes with Jeong disapproving, sometimes with Jeong as aiding them.

In return, Jae-ha told her of his travels with Jeong and the other dragons. He was good at telling stories, and Yona laughed and gasped and cried.

(The way Jae-ha spoke of Jeong like they were light. Like it was a joy to say their name, but also with grief. With knowing the feeling wouldn't be returned.

Yona recognized it.)

The darkness faded before Yona knew it, and the first brush of pink morning light filled the air.

Jae-ha glanced up, then looked at Yona with a smile. He held out his hand. "Wanna see something amazing?"

Yona hesitated – but only for a moment. Perhaps it was the bond talking, but she trusted Jae-ha. She took his hand.

He pulled her to his side, looped an arm around her waist. Yona didn't have time to blush.

Jae-ha jumped – and then they were flying.

Up and up and up, until Yona looked down and the tall oak was far under her feet. Everything was under her feet, and Yona was not afraid.

Jae-ha's grip was firm. His hands were warm.

The air tasted clean. For one moment, Yona and Jae-ha hung suspended in the air, and Yona knew what freedom was.

No wonder Jae-ha didn't want to give it up. Yona wouldn't either.

Then they lost momentum. The world reclaimed Jae-ha and Yona, and they fell. Yona still wasn't afraid. She knew that Jae-ha would catch them.

He did. They landed at the top of the oak tree, perched on branches that shouldn't hold them but did anyway. They sat together, but both of their minds were far away.

"We'll find Jeong," She said.

He looked at her and gave a smile. "I hope you're right."

Far beyond the forest, the sun rose.


hey I'm not dead just super busy school is a bitch and so is work have this drive-by update byyyyeeee