YONA

There was no more room left for argument. Her lord father had made it his final word.

A week after her brother's birthday, her father announced of her parting.

Tomorrow, Yona would go south, to the royal castle. Away from her home. To learn the ways of the court, her father had said.

Sadness, anger, she doesn't even know what to feel anymore. She couldn't do anything, like a hopeless, helpless little girl.

But at least Minsoo would be coming with her. He was the only one she truly trusted right now, it seemed like all the other serving girls were spies to her stepmother, and would always always bow their heads and never meet her in the eyes. It was a stupid thought, truly. But she couldn't help but wonder all the same.

Yona hated them all. She missed her nurse. If Nanny was here, she wouldn't let her be sent away...

Today, she decided she'd go to the lake at least. It only felt right, to say goodbye to the land where she was born. And for some reasons she couldn't fathom, it was like something else was drawing her, pulling her towards that place.

She went alone.

This time, everyone was so busy in preparation for her departure. Nobody even paid enough attention to her when she put on her plain clothes and a hood above her head, with Minsoo walking beside her, till they made it to the postern gate.

To both their surprise, it was unguarded. Yona wondered where the guards went. But nevertheless it saved Minsoo from trying to distract them.

"Please be careful, my lady," Minsoo said when they had reached the gate.

"Thank you Minsoo," Yona replied. "I'll make sure to get back before dark."

Within the vicinity of the castle, there was never danger. Sentries were always watching at the towers, and the woods kept thin and low around, so that anyone approaching a hundred miles would be spotted right away.

The nearest town is miles away from the castle, and there were very few travelers wandering in these areas.

They border the northern part of Kouka, and between the castle and the land of Kai Empire on the other side there were vast mountains, and woods so dense.

Yona pulled her hood away from her head as she walked through the forest floor. It's summertime, and the earth was dry as it can be. Twigs crunched and crushed beneath her shoes, and an occasional tweeting of a bird can be heard. Aside from that, the woods are quiet.

She smiled when she caught sight of the blue waters. So still, so reserved.

But when she reached the shore, she saw that she was not alone. Two men were standing facing the lake.

Wary, she hid behind an oak tree, watching. A white-haired man and a blue-haired man. They seemed to be talking, no, laughing ... Yona almost jumped from her spot when the white-haired man turned his head in her direction.

He smiled at her.

The other blue-haired man turned his head too, and when Yona saw his eyes she was mesmerized. His eyes, they remind her of gold, of beauty and sunshine...

Yet they never spoke to her. They only returned their heads back to the lake and resumed talking. Try as she might, she couldn't decipher their words. Another language, perhaps?

She debated whether to stay or to return to the castle. Just when she was about to go away, the two glanced at her, and then they bowed. And after they bowed they left, walking towards the dense part of the woods.

Yona kept staring at them. It seemed a bit strange, has she been encountering some magic these past few days? Now that she was here, she remembered the black-haired man she had met before. These two looked just like him ... almost unlike human beings.

Walking over to the lake, she removed her shoes, then stepped into the shallow part. Then she sat on a large rock and closed her eyes, enjoying the sun in her face.

She tried to remember, recall, reminisce her memories. Her mother's face, her voice, her warm hands. Her nurse's smile, and the taste of her cooking, and the bedtime stories she had told her. All of them seemed distant now, so so far away.

She stayed there for a while, and after a while she felt sleepy.

Glancing at the sky, she figured she still have a few more hours before it would get dark. A few minutes of nap would do her no harm, so she got out of the water, spread her cloak on the ground, and lay down.

Yona dreamed of fire. Of men shouting, women wailing, dogs barking, horses screaming. She dreamed of blood, of cold and of a gleaming sword.

When she woke up it was dark already. Swift as a deer, she sat up and caught her breathe. She was panting, breathing heavily.

But then the woods was still quiet.

She quickly gathered her cloak on the ground and headed towards the castle. It was so dark, the moon didn't show up, and she stumbled along the way many a times. She was half walking, half sprinting, hoping nobody has noticed her disappearance.

The postern gate was unguarded, still. Strangely.

She crept back inside the castle, and very oddly, no one's outside. How many hours had she been asleep? But no, even at midnight, guards would be walking, patrolling the whole castle...

Inside her chamber, Minsoo was tidying her things.

"My lady!" Minsoo half shouted when he saw her. "I am relieved you're well."

Yona hurriedly closed the door behind her, ran to the nearest chair for support. Still panting, she managed to say, "I-I'm really sorry for the trouble."

"It's fine. It's fine, my lady! I couldn't come get you for it would rouse suspicion should I leave your chamber. I told them you've gone to help me fix your things and skip the dinner."

"Thank you, really. Is the dinner over?"

"Yes, my lady. It's past bedtime now."

Yona sighed in relief. "You may leave now, Minsoo. But one more thing, remember the postern gate we went through earlier? It was still unguarded. Please tell the captain of the guards."

Minsoo nodded, bowed and left.

Yona ran to her wardrobe and quickly changed her clothes. It felt like such a long day, though she slept through half of it.

She was now lying in her bed when she remembered, she would leave early tomorrow.

Her father would surely see her off, but they wouldn't have time enough alone. Although she hated him, still he was her father.

He's still awake, Yona knew, in his solar, sorting papers. Father usually sleeps very late.

Yona got up and made her way out.

Only that it seemed very strange, that the hallways were so dark. The servants couldn't have surely forgotten to lit the corridors.

Nevertheless, she made her way through the darkness, silent.

...

Notes: Hello readers, I'm so sorry I haven't updated in a long time. I'm in college, and I couldn't find enough time to write these past few months.

But I've written these holidays, yayyyyy. And I'll try to update as much as I can.

Thank you so much for your patience!

And lastly, pretty please? I need comments, and constructive criticisms. I'm really insecure about my writing style :((((

Please tell me what you liked, what you disliked, and how I could improve my writing. Also, I'm thinking about changing the title, really. I just don't feel like the title suits the story. Please tell me your thoughts. Tysm!

And a little warning: the next chapters might get a little dark.