The Martial Arts Tournament: Part 4
Lee Geun-tae.
The general of the Earth Tribe, and (while he wasn't proud of the latter title) political associate of King Il.
Paying no mind to the incessant cheering from all partitions, "LORD GEUN-TAE!", he strode with ease across the arena, approaching the young lady wearing Water Tribe armor too big for her frame.
Geun-tae smirked with anticipation, chin high. Leisurely clutched his Dao sword, he sized her up.
This girl looked less than 15. She looked weak, but so had Ayura of the Water Tribe, and just now, that one disarmed and kicked rocks in the face of scheming Soo-Jin's son. He'd never underestimate anyone from there in a one-on-one, to hell with how delicate they appeared.
The problem with these Water tribefolk and An Joon-gi – not like he'd tell them – wasn't that they weren't strong, but that they weren't active. They came prepared for their individual matches, but they rarely came to tournaments.
They were strong, but their diplomatic wait-and-see stance was too similar to King Il.
And Il was especially irritating him this year. Geun-tae even opted out of the group matches because the declining military power under his reign. Where were youth getting the proper training to bear the weight of the future under that king?
With Sei and Xing taking Kouka lightly now, and the Kai Empire's powerful families rising up in the flames of rebellion, it was only a matter of time before all 3 foreign countries would attack Kouka, and Il was completely unprepared. Geun-tae hadn't decided a course of action, but it was growing harder to stand by as the kingdom bowed in humiliation.
8 years had passed since Geun-tae first monitored Il's rulership, and now he was secretly considering rebelling against the Sky Tribe.
He wasn't the only one. Without batting a sweat, Soo-Jin was already cooking something big.
Hmph, so the Fire Tribe won the group match. Maybe I shouldn't have copped out?
The Wind Tribe was another matter. The old geezer, Mundok, supported Il avidly, and Geun-tae last heard they'd made some deal this year to hire the Thunder Beast to protect Il's daughter, Princess Yona.
Ahhh, the Thunder Beast.
The name itself brought chills down Geun-tae's spine. Geun-tae was fascinated with that kid; how could he not be? A genius in all sorts of combat, without even having stepped foot on the battlefield. Son Hak could even be said to possess the strength of 1000 men. He'd won against Geun-tae at the mere age of 13, become a general at 15, and just today, he'd defeated Geun-tae's favorite teasing target, Joo-doh.
Without doubt, that kid was Il's only saving grace. For someone who had no drive, Il had the right idea to put him near his daughter. The Wind Tribe was benefitting from it, and raising their morale and loyalty, Geun-tae didn't expect a rebellion from their side.
If anything, they were actually the closest to the throne. There were also rumors that King Il and Mundok were intending an engagement between the Thunder Beast and the Princess, which didn't sound that out of bounds if Il wanted to secure the throne for his daughter.
Which Geun-tae didn't mind, but even before the Thunder Beast and Princess Yona married, the Kai Empire might have already attacked. Plus, while the Thunder Beast was no fool, did he have the ability to fix all the mistakes Il had already made? No, wasn't the Thunder Beast fine with the way Il ran things?
That's right, the Wind Tribe had suffered numerous casualties from the Xing war 15 years ago, but they weren't boasting any issues in neighboring villages. They kept to themselves and relatively lived peaceful lives. For all Geun-tae knew, Mundok and the Thunder Beast could be fine with Il's rule as long as he benefited them. Especially Mundok, who was getting too old to take on all responsibilities. Geun-tae had heard that he heavily relied on his youth.
And regardless of how little he really understood about the Wind Tribe's ways, Geun-tae didn't like the sound of relying on the weak youth of Il's era, regardless if from Mundok's place. He didn't like the sound of Soo-Jin or his sons – one was weak, the other was an idiot – gaining any leverage either. Kouka needed a strong, fearless leader that could unite the tribes, not a tyrant.
Yeah. Maybe it was really time to consider rebellion.
"START!" thundered the Sky Tribe announcer.
And that was the stance that the Princess of Kouka most dreaded from him.
General Geun-tae was someone like a distant uncle to Yona. Like all generals, she had vague memories of him travelling by carriage to Hiryuu Castle for her father's coronation and thereafter, 5 Tribe meetings.
Yet never had she looked or spoken to him directly for more than a few seconds. As a child, Yona always hid behind the regal red robes of King Il, peeping out shyly as Geun-tae made a polite – though rather bored? – greeting to them both outside the conference rooms.
That was all she knew of this man to begin with.
Thus upon this arena, caught in a one-on-on confrontation with this distant uncle, who suddenly broke into an outright sprint at her, wildly swinging his huge sword, cackling like a maniac...
...the 14 year old could only ogle at him, much like a frightened rabbit motionless in its tracks.
Like prey to the predator.
...ove.
Move.
MOVE!
MOVE MOVE MOVE!
Yona's feet involuntarily pivoted, and rocketed away as fast as they could from Geun-tae in the opposite direction.
"AAAAAHHH!"
Yona was screaming, stumbling clumsily in her bulky Water Tribe vest. Her taut belt suffocated her by the waist (no thanks to Lili) and her clunky boots were a liability. The heavy sword that Tetora had entrusted her with was in its leather sheath; her hands shook as she failed many times to loop it into the belt.
She had to get away from him! General Geun-tae would strike at her before she could even surrender!
Darting blindly across one end of her arena, past the screaming and whooping of the spectators, Yona struggled against the tides of her first-ever battle.
The Sun was blinding. Too much crowd – all eyes, near and far, on partitions, in tents, surrounding the arena's periphery – were on her, she had no idea what to do now that she was actually standing in the arena itself. "Run" seemed like the only option.
But the sheath and armor was too heavy; her head was pounding, her stomach was spinning, she couldn't breathe. When was the last time she'd ran this hard? Even with her hallucinations backing her, she wasn't used to this. She was too slow.
No kidding, I can't go against the damn general of the Earth Tribe and win without proper training, even as the proud Princess of Kouka!
Yona really would barf in the arena if she didn't numb the shock she had felt when she'd first spotted him here.
This was a nearly 40 year old general she was going against – as a mere 14 year old with absolutely no battle experience.
She never had a chance. There was no need to feel shame at surrendering in a rigged match such as this.
General Geun-tae was only chasing her now, right on her heels. She wouldn't make it.
He'll catch up, he'll catch up, he'll catch up, he'll – !
Her boot caught on a small lip in the tarmac floor, preventing Yona from leaping another step.
She didn't know what had happened until she was rolling several feet across the floor and her body had dragged her hands up in front of her face to protect her.
Yona's stomach churned wildly, signaling. Contact.
Her hands were now grazed, pain shrieking through her palms in horrible stings.
Dizziness from the trauma of her head jerking so suddenly whipped through her neck.
"Uhh..." Yona groaned, gingerly pushing slick black hair that blocked sunlight out of her face.
Rubbing her neck, she sat herself up on the floor.
Ringing shot past her ears. Yona shook her head.
Lifting her hands, Yona now found them covered in grit and ink.
Before she had any time to react, she heard a sudden yell and clang of the sword.
"YAHHHH!"
General Geun-tae was now just a meter away.
"I SURRENDER, GENERAL GEUN-TAE!"
She screamed, shielding herself with her hands and squeezing her eyelids shuts.
Would this pathetic look stop the general in his tracks?
The crowd was laughing at her at how bad of a performance she had exhibited; Yona could hear it, and her cheeks burned with humiliation.
This was what Lili was expecting from her, right?
"Whoever you go against, you can just call it quits and surrender in the beginning, before getting hurt."
That was what she'd placated her with, and yet...
Too late, Lili. I'm already hurt. Why did I agree to something so troublesome?!
But that was her fault. She'd hurt herself. That was why everyone was laughing.
What an idiot she was. Could the announcer just disqualify her already?
But even after a few seconds, Yona realized that she hadn't heard much of a response from the announcer.
"...Huh...?" She looked up, confused, wondering if her ears had missed the call that the match over, but found herself face to face with General Geun-tae, whose sword was pointed right at her.
"Ah – !" Her hoarse voice caught in her throat. Instinctively, her hand caught at her sheath, and before she'd known it she pulled out her sword. "Wait!"
"You say you surrender?" General Geun-tae now said, circling around her with an eye on her sheath. "No one heard you but me. You're still alive and kicking if you use a weapon."
She studied his face. An untidy ponytail, a stubble, and striking amber eyes that resembled a wildcat studied her back.
Geun-tae looked serious, jabbing the sword closer to her face, a smile no longer on his.
Fear flooded through Yona's veins as she eyed the sword. It was broad, used for chopping and slashing.
It could kill her instantly with a single flick.
"Y-you're too strong for a child like me, General Geun-tae, so –"
"So?" He prodded further. "The Thunder Beast was a child!"
Eh?
"But – " Yona stammered, "but the Thunder Beast is a prodigy!"
I'm not a real warrior or a prodigy, I'm a weak Princess who'll suffer wounds if I fight you, Yona wanted to say. I may even be killed!
"So what? Just because you're not him, you won't put up a fight?!"
"You'll destroy me!"
"Are you mocking me?! For what purpose did you even step into this arena?!" Geun-tae roared, ponytail now flying in the wind. "I came all the way here, opted only for individual matches, just to go against a warrior who'd throw the match like it's fixed?!"
He couldn't believe this girl. Geun-tae absolutely hated fixed matches, didn't everyone know that?
All 5 partitions cheered loudly at the sight of the general arguing with the girl.
Yona knew it couldn't be, but their cries of assent after Geun-tae's roar sounded as if they could hear everything.
"If this were a real battlefield, you wouldn't have a chance to surrender!" continued Geun-tae. "The dead wouldn't come back! That's what's wrong with this country, people in your generation are too lax! Show some guts like the girl before you! She and I, any real warrior would still fight even with 1000 enemies before our eyes!"
Yona paused.
"Fight for Lady Lili, won't you, Miss Sheela? That child these days is extremely sour."
Tetora's breathless plea. What had she meant by Lili being sour?
It's true that General Geun-tae fought on the frontlines during King Joo-nam's era. Someone with no battle experience like me has no chance against him.
But Hak was the exception to that rule at age 13.
And now, even at age 14, I cannot be that exception too? Do I need Hak to stop me from using weapons?
Yona recalled her thoughts on the day of her archery fiasco in the armory.
Hak and Soo-Won are allowed to yield weapons. Why does Father want to protect me from this?
For some reason, Geun-tae had unknowingly realized there was something off about the situation too. Geun-tae coveted a real opponent.
Yona was anything but that, but...
I'm the Princess of Kouka, shouldn't I know how to defend myself?
...to quit would be disrespecting General Geun-tae as well. What was she doing?
"You should see the look on your face!" Lili had laughed at her. No wonder you don't have confidence in the little girl, when you lack such confidence in yourself!"
Yona had made the decision to break her father's rules, because the situation could have been that bad.
Everything that happened afterwards was on her. She had to take responsibility for everything.
Yona had disappointed Rin-go, who was still without a stable way of income.
Yona had already disappointed Lili by deciding to not help her with the Nadai crisis.
Yona had decided to fight in the arena, even if it was against General Geun-tae, even if she hurt herself.
Now she was backing out?
Lili was watching all this.
All of a sudden, Yona began to sweat by the palms as she realized what Tetora meant by Lili being "extremely sour".
She looked down tentatively.
Quickly, she glanced back up to the general's face.
"Will you take up the gauntlet or stay idle?" He challenged her.
"That's what's wrong with this country, people in your generation are too lax! Show some guts like the girl before you!"
The image of Ayura counterattacking against Kyoga.
Jumping up, catching her butterfly sword and landing on her feet with sheer willpower.
Yona sharply sucked in a breath.
What had her father thought seeing Ayura win? What made Yona so different in his eyes?
What was King Il thinking right now, watching her collapsed on the floor?
"None of the 5 Tribes are united, and foreign nations are going to attack us sooner or later because of his pacifist vibes."
If he knew "Sheela" was Princess Yona fighting against General Geun-tae, what would he think?
The country's stability outside the castle was worse than she could fathom.
Should I stay powerless and do nothing until the day you are killed, Father?
No.
Idle? Princess? They don't go together. I am THE woman of this country. I will not let you die.
At that thought, her blood boiled.
A familiar massive urge boosted through her right arm.
Before Yona had registered her actions, the sword had been raised to Geun-tae's face.
Controlling her breathing, she rose from the ground with shaky legs, and got into a defensive stance she'd seen Ayura do, her dominant right hand right below the guard, and nondominant left hand on the pommel.
Huh? This sword...
Looking at it, the leaf-blade was medium-sized, fine, sharp, metallic, and had an ornamented scabbard of a... dragon.
What was so familiar about it?
It perfectly fit in her hands, initially heavy in the sheath but now light.
Where was her fear holding an actual sword for the first time? Did it not register in her mind that this could actually kill her?
Or, perhaps... there was a hallucination where she'd also held a sword?
Yona closed her eyes –
"It's troublesome, so kill and throw her in the ocean, please."
"TETORA!"
Lili screamed, hands flying to her mouth.
It was during the night of a full moon.
Yona had been spending time with her, Tetora, and Ayura, in a well established inn in Shisen that Lili had invited her to as gratitude for saving her in a bar infested with Nadai.
They'd just finished bathing in the hot springs and changed into yukatas. Yona had decided to call for Yun and the others. Lili had suggested walking with her to ask the staff for tea and sweets.
In the end Tetora had been the one who asked the staff, and was walking back to their room, when all of a sudden, they'd found Tetora stabbed in the back, collapsed on the floor, three other crooks surrounding her bleeding body.
"Lady Lili..." Tetora managed to rasp. "Run..."
"Tetora!" Lili wailed, about to rush in, but Yona blocked her, "No! Step back!"
Tetora struggled to form words.
"...Yona... take Lady Lili and run... this person... has Nadai... He's the smuggler who brought it into the Water Tribe..."
Yona felt a chill run up her spine. "...This person?!"
The man in front of her right now, a long-haired man with a scar on his forehead and really nasty eyes, had a darkness enveloping around him just like the Nadai she'd seen at the bar.
She had to run, take away Lili from here as soon as possible...
No! She couldn't! If she ran, this person would immediately kill Tetora!
"Hurry up and take care of those two," the man stroked his hair, casually looking at his circular mirror.
Yona unsheathed and brandished her sword with both hands.
If she couldn't run, then... she had to fight!
– the knowledge dawned on her.
Yona's legs stopped shaking, and she opened her eyes with a new fire.
"...I'll take up the gauntlet."
She glared at him with the dignity and fire of the Princess she wanted to be, the Princess she wanted everyone here to see.
The ends of Geun-tae's lips curled into an imprudent grin. Finally. He liked the look in this girl's eyes.
"Well then, I don't mind if you come at me all at once!"
Hak briskly strolled through the periphery of the arena, below the partitions and past the pedestrians, business owners, and tents.
For nearly 40 minutes he'd been looking for a dress belonging to the Princess, or a side tail belonging to Lord Soo-Won.
Yet so far he hadn't been able to find either. What was going on?
"Mister, care for a deep-fried dumpling?"
A bald street vendor gestured him to a stand where colorful dumplings were floating in a fry pan of boiling water and bamboo steamer insert.
This was the third person who had called Hak over.
The first was from the Earth Tribe looking to sell underwear that smelled like fish, the second was a woman from Sei who'd only come Kouka to find a "hot foreign boyfriend". He'd rejected both without a second thought.
"No thanks," Hak held up a hand, scanning the streets once more.
"You're sure you don't want to try it one more time?" The street vendor asked.
"No, really, I'm good – " Hak started, then stopped.
He turned around to look the man in the eye, with an arched eyebrow. "One more time?"
The man raised his eyebrows, as if akin to: "Don't you remember?" and suddenly he did.
"You're...!" Hak exclaimed, surprised.
That's right, he recognized this man.
From back then.
8 years ago, Lord Soo-Won had led the Princess and him down a secret passageway located in a castle garderobe to sneak out to capital Kuuto.
The capital had been bustling that night, much like the arena now, and during their tour of the city, the 3 friends had come across this same street vendor selling deep-fried dumplings.
"Long time no see," Hak grinned at the street vendor.
This guy had watched the 3 perform those antics and angrily barked at them to pay up.
"Want a dumpling?"
Hak had many dumplings after that night in much of Wind Tribe cuisine, but not like the vendor's.
"Sure." Hak rummaged through his pocket and brought out 50 rin. "I'll take 3."
The street vendor took the rin, poked through 3 rows of the circular dumplings with 3 skewers, and handed them to Hak.
"You know, I never expected you to remember me," Hak commented, holding the 3 skewers. "At least not in such a fond way as you imply."
The street vendor smiled. Wrinkles now creased at his forehead and eyes. He'd grown older.
"But, you weren't the one who devalued my dumplings as poison, were you, Lord Son Hak?"
Hak felt a laugh rise in his throat as he recalled enacting as the Princess's poison taster.
That night, Lord Soo-Won had spotted General Joo-doh looking for them, and pushed him and the Princess down to hide. But only that created a misunderstanding where Lord Soo-Won and the Princess ended up beating the crap out of Hak because they thought he'd been poisoned.
Those two were truly more trouble than the kids back home.
"No, I wasn't. You know who I am?"
"How could I not?" The street vendor plucked out a lengthy rant. "The face of the kid 'poisoned' belonged to the Thunder Beast who defeated General Geun-tae at the tournament I attended a few years back... the grandchild of Wind Tribe hero Mundok! Kuuto was all over some girl getting kidnapped, I didn't really know what was going on, but on the way back, I happened to see your grandfather deliver a blow to the head of the girl's kidnapper. With just a palm!"
Hak fell silent.
"...He's not my real grandfather. I'm adopted."
"Oh," said the street vendor. "But does that make a difference?"
Hak paused.
"...Not really," he replied after a moment, "...after all, everyone in the Wind Tribe is famil – "
"LORD HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAK!"
The call in the crowd shook both Hak and the street vendor out of their conversation.
It had come from Hen-dae and Tae-Woo. They had left the Wind Tribe partition tents to find him.
"Excuse me," Hak said, and the street vendor bowed as Hak strode away from the dumpling stand.
Hen-dae was running at him. Before Hak had time to react, he'd grabbed his shoulders.
"LORD HAK, LORD HAK, LORD HAK!" Hen-dae yelled, shaking his shoulders. "WHERE DID YOU GOOOOOO?"
"Cut it out, Hen-dae! I'll drop these!" Hak mentioned to the skewers, shaking him off.
Tae-Woo watched the two from behind with a silently amused expression, arms crossed.
"Sorry!" Hen-dae apologetically let go. "But why'd you go away? The elder wants you to come back!"
"The old geezer?" Hak questioned. "Tell him that King Il ordered me to track the Princess and Lord Soo-Won's whereabouts."
"Ooh, Lord Soo-Won too?" Hen-dae's eyes became starry. "You're so amazing to have friends in the royal family, Lord Hak."
Hak looked down, not knowing know how to reply.
It was true that he considered it an honor to be acquainted with both the Princess and Lord Soo-Won, but he never talked about it much. When these guys brought it up, it just sounded off.
Like they were making a big deal out of it more than him. They didn't really understand him.
"...Gotta go, I'll talk to you guys later," he mumbled, and began to leave.
But Tae-Woo finally spoke up: "Did you forget about Hen-dae's match or what, Lord Hak?"
Hak stopped and turned around. "Oh, Hen-dae. You were against some Earth Tribe guy, right?"
"Yeah, but don't you care about if I won?" Hen-dae pressed.
"Well, did you?"
"Did you watch?"
Hak shrugged. "His Majesty Il told me to look for the Princess a while back, so no. But you were always the fastest guy of us all."
Tae-Woo wasn't pleased. "It's been months since we've talked, and you didn't even watch his match. Wow."
Hak scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, Tae-Woo, sorry." He felt their disappointment. "I missed you guys, I've just been... busy."
"Your mind is somewhere else even while apologizing, Lord Hak."
"Well yeah, I have to find the Princess." Hak looked around again.
Right. Lord Soo-Won's case I trust, but as for the whereabouts of the Princess...
"What is it with you?" Tae-Woo interrogated him. "You even skipped New Year's to hang out with Princess Yona."
"Huh?" That snapped Hak back to attention. "Of course. She was lonely, she didn't have anyone to celebrate with. The king was too busy, and Lord Soo-Won had relatives to visit. Was I supposed to just leave her?"
"Are you going to do that this year too?"
"Well, if need be..."
Tae-Woo scrutinized Hak. "Hmm... you seem to like that Princess even more than your tribe. Is she your new obsession?"
Now Hak was getting annoyed. "What are you getting at, Tae-Woo? The king hired me; it's my job."
"But we never even get to talk, Lord Hak!" Hen-dae groaned. "You're Wind Tribe general, not the Sky Tribe's! Tae-Yon, Elder Mundok, Ayame, we all want to talk to you! When will we talk?"
Hak didn't answer. To be honest, he didn't know.
"Look, you guys," he finally said. "I can't talk right now. Maybe another time."
He brushed past them and walked away.
Why would King Il send me away to find the Princess?
The Princess had been acting extremely strange recently. Ever since she'd picked up his guandao and fainted.
That day... something was very off with her. She'd injured herself, but she'd also been able to use it. Her arms had swung at just the right inflections to bring out the wind, to slash out the roots of trees and even the wooden gazebo.
There was no mistake – the Princess had demolished the entire back courtyard gardens all by herself – it was surreal seeing all the damage.
Yet she hadn't remembered a thing about it.
That is, until King Il had refused her wish to practice archery with Lord Soo-Won and him, and he'd found her in the armory.
The Princess that had never left the castle, that knew nothing of grime or hardship, had shot a bullseye using an 80 lb war bow!
Was that the Princess? How was she able to use weapons, that heavy, like a force of nature?
Finally, why was she acting like the victim in these situations?
She'd broke into tears at disobeying her father's pacifistic code. She'd promised to not use a weapon again, but also made him promise to not tell her father what had happened.
Not to say that she wasn't a victim – she'd fainted. She'd hurt herself. She obviously felt awful with herself.
But she also could have hurt others.
No, those were lucky shots, he'd tried to tell himself. He had to be the strong one. He couldn't doubt or fear. It was his role to protect.
The Princess had gone pale and sweaty after being caught.
"Yes... Yes... I felt… an urge to use a weapon. My hands and legs were trembling… not with fear, but anticipation and excitement. I felt it yesterday, and now I'm feeling it again. Is this what they call... bloodlust?"
No, he'd told her.
Hak hadn't heard of the Princess since then. She looked too afraid to use them again. He didn't think that she would dare sneak back to the armory.
There was no way she was trying to go through to the back courtyard gardens with other guards blocking the way, either.
So where had she gone? Why would she be missing?
Why did King Il ask him to look for Lord Soo-Won too?
Was it that Soo-Won knew where she was? Maybe Hak would have to find him first instead.
Tae-Woo and Hen-dae watched Hak's faraway figure recede into the crowds, feeling displeased at his cold shoulder.
"Hey, aren't you going to give us those 2 dumpling skewers?!" Hen-dae hollered after him, but Hak was too faraway.
Hen-dae sighed.
Tae-Woo put his hand on Hen-dae's shoulder. "It's all right, Hen-dae. Lord Hak didn't remember to ask about my match either."
Hen-dae looked down.
"This whole time, I'd thought that Hak complaining to the elder about being Wind Tribe general was just a joke, but..."
Tae-Woo nodded.
"Yeah. Lord Hak really doesn't like being our general, does he."
The great dining hall was still packed, when Hak had entered, but now just with conversing guards, court ladies, cooks, servants, and a few nobles.
Hak had asked the Sky Tribe guards about the Princess' whereabouts, but they had only confirmed his suspicion: they didn't even know that she was missing. So surely she hadn't tried to sneak out to back courtyard gardens. Neither was she in her room.
The last time he'd spoken to Lord Soo-Won was in the early morning. Lord Soo-Won had visited the Wind Tribe tents, greeted Mundok, given Hak a sporting smile and wished him good luck during his match.
As usual, Lord Soo-Won wasn't participating in the tournament this year. He'd promised Hak to attend the tournament and watch his match after visiting the library to do some good reading, but Hak hadn't spotted the young lord in the arena. Had he even left the library?
Wait, hadn't his Majesty said that the Princess was last in the library too?
Lord Soo-Won and the Princess might have greeted each other there.
Then, both the Princess and Lord Soo-Won had to be within the castle. Either somewhere together, or in separation locations.
"Lord Hak," the guards posted at the main entrance bowed down at seeing him. To them, Lord Hak was somewhat like a superhuman, too far to reach but easily recognizable.
"Do you know of Lord Soo-Won's whereabouts?" Hak asked. "Did he exit this main entrance?"
"Yes."
"Did he return?"
The Sky Tribe guards looked at each other furtively, then back at Hak.
"Yes, but his current whereabouts are unknown." One of them said.
"I see. I'll go look for him."
"W-wait!" Another soldier stopped him. "Of what urgency do you look for Lord Soo-Won, Lord Hak?"
Hak raised an eyebrow. "King Il has ordered a summon. I came to escort him."
"...We thought we saw Lord Soo-Won with Min-Su earlier."
"Min-Su? Isn't he in the Sky Tribe medical tents with the other medical officers tending to General Joo-doh?"
Hak suddenly stiffened after mentioning Joo-doh, remembering the dark and sour frown the Sky Tribe General had showed towards him, gritting his teeth, lurching forward, bleeding through his armor.
"A-are you... looking... down... on me? Thunder Beast."
"I'm not letting you help me up, Thunder Beast. To think I'd be defeated by a mere child in front of all 5 tribes with one move. That's enough humiliation for a lifetime."
"Lord Soo-Won seems to have invited Min-Su personally to join him in a discussion."
"Oh? Why is that?"
The Sky Tribe soldiers hesitated. "We're not sure."
What business did Soo-Won have with Min-Su that was so important?
Hak nodded, turning his back to the soldiers, and headed towards the screens passage.
I need to be aggressive, Yona thought, beads of sweat running down her forehead. Like Ayura.
There was no time. This was no place to doubt her abilities.
She'd made up her mind to fight, and she would fight to win, against all odds.
This involved taking full responsibility for her decisions and consequences. Being proactive.
Yona gripped at her leaf-blade, and holding it up in an arc – then guiding it – charged at General Geun-tae.
"IYAH!"
Geun-tae's Dao sword easily blocked her attack with a clang.
Yona's head reached just his shoulders, and General Geun-tae's sword had the upper cut.
Geun-tae scowled; he could see the girl was panicking.
His sword overpowered hers, and lunging forward by extending his fight foot without overstretching, he extended his sword arm and engaged the girl with a hacking counterattack.
Yona leapt back, unable to completely dodge his sword with a scream.
The blade clashed against the armor strapped to her arms, sending sparks flying in the air.
Geun-tae was quick, uppercut slashing to catch the girl in midair, but with a sidestep, his blade passed a hairs breath from her shoulder.
Falling back without tripping, Yona managed to maintain a good distance between her and the general.
Geun-tae's boots slowly paced right, as Yona's boots paced left. They circled each other.
I'm not sure where, but I was wounded.
She'd managed to not trip on the platform floor, but her heart was dropping like a weight.
I was distracted by our glaring height difference that I didn't take an opening in this defense. I hesitated.
She felt tears beginning to form in her eyes, breathing heavily as her view of the floor swung and became blurry.
Geun-tae eyed her suspiciously, eyebrows furrowed, mouth in a frown.
I'm not Ayura... I'm afraid...!
I act as if I can't doubt, as if my hallucinations make me invincible, but when it comes to actually carrying it out –
"Someday is too late."
If hesitance was an unchangeable truth, what was she fighting for? Had her fire as a Princess gone?
No, wait. Stop.
Yona blinked several times.
This wasn't the time to to put out the fire with tears.
Her father was watching her every move.
Lili was watching her. Hak was watching her. Even if they didn't know who she was.
...Soo-Won knew.
Yona's skin tingled within her armor.
...wait, what...?
No, Soo-Won didn't know who "Sheela" actually was, wherever he happened to be. He couldn't.
Yona shook her head, focusing on the opponent in front of her.
Being physically weaker than her opponent, Ayura redirected the environment against him.
But kicking rocks in General Geun-tae's face won't help. Earth is his natural element, he'll be able to dodge or hack at it.
As for my natural element, what can the sky do for me?
I have to attack again.
But this time, Geun-tae took the opportunity to attack, and the next thing Yona registered was his blade coming straight at her.
Instinctively, she moved to block it in record time.
The swords clashed once more.
CHINK!
"Ugh!"
Yet her reaction was too late.
Geun-tae's sword scraped against the metal of Yona's blade, and slashed at her face at lightning speed.
Yona fell back, clutching at her right cheek.
Even if she'd successfully blocked his offensive, she had been too close.
But Yona had little time to react, because just after that, Geun-tae swung his sword yet again.
Yona bent her back, dodging his next few flurry of attacks just by an inch.
She ducked and attempted another offensive, but Geun-tae was too quick, whipping in a motion trail to keep a barrier.
Realizing that the circle in which they had fought changed position within the arena platform, Yona hastily strode to a different patch of tile.
He just keeps coming closer... I need test his reactions and find an opening, but he's making that hard!
Geun-tae attacked again, but this time, Yona decided to exchange her own blows, and caught the end of his sword with hers by the tip.
Yona's eyes widened –
Yona had fallen to the floor, Lili gaping at her in horror.
One of the crooks had a sword that was too large and heavy for Yona's. She was no match for it.
"You..." Lili watched her wobble, "S-Stop it... It's impossible with just you..."
But Yona got up and once again clashed with the sword, grimacing as both she and the crook fought for dominance.
The crook bent his sword in a circle parry of four, deflecting her blitz. "You brat!"
"What is he doing, playing around with that little girl?" One of the other two crooks remarked.
The man with the scar who smuggled in Nadai carefully watched the two engage in battle.
Lili was sitting helplessly, tearing up in despair. "Ugh..."
"Lili."
Lili looked up.
Yona stood in fighting position with a grim, hardened expression. "Don't move away from me!"
"You cheeky little - " The crook cried, carrying out a flunge that Yona repelled. "Who do you think you can protect? You're already at the limit defending my attacks! THE VICTOR IS ALREADY DETERMINED!"
Yona struggled, evading yet another attack.
"You're right, I'm not strong, but your blade is dull," she replied coolly now, positioning her sword to her right side. "I know of a weapon that is a hundred times faster and stronger than yours."
– Hak's guandao.
Hak had won against General Geun-tae in a fight. What had he learned from his opponent's style?
General Geun-tae had quick reflexes. He was ultra-offensive.
Even with good timing, even with a good distance to avoid danger, Yona couldn't last forever. Her dodging reflexes weren't quick.
...But maybe her offensive reflexes were.
As an untrained novice, she would have a better chance at winning if her actions were too wild and unpredictable for Geun-tae to understand.
Or... if she confused him so he wouldn't react properly, she could overpower him. Although she would only get one shot.
Yona tapped at his sword one more time. Geun-tae reacted at that instant, swinging his sword to deflect hers, but instead of leaning in to try it again, Yona dropped her stance under his, and attacked from the other side.
Geun-tae's sword was too far away to respond in time, and her leaf-blade slashed at his waist, cutting through his pelt.
With a short yell, he fell to the right, almost tripping, but kept balance.
Ah. I finally got a hit.
Paying no attention to the worried crowd, he grinned, raising his sword once again and clutching his waist with his right hand as he staggered slightly. "Not bad. But it'll take more than that to defeat me!"
"I know," Yona grinned back, breathing out in relief.
This time, both launched themselves at each other, metal screeching –
"Your side is wide open."
Hak's voice from a hallucination reached Yona's ears –
"A kick is coming. Lower your stance."
Yona ducked at General Geun-tae's swinging leg –
"once you dodge his kick..."
Hak's voice trailed off in an echo, and suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew.
The sound of wind chimes grew louder and louder.
Yona, General Geun-tae – seemed both frozen in time.
Her hair, black and slick like her mother's, and Geun-tae's ponytail, were flying in the fluttering gust of wind.
Flying... as if they were in midair. In the sky.
Sky.
"As for my natural element, what can the sky do for me?" –
"The Heavens can only show you a path to take. Whether you walk that path is up to you."
Ik-Su told her.
– The Heavens. Of course.
"But did you know? That King Hiryuu's spirit is enshrined within that crest? His spirit will bless you, and our country."
As her father had said.
If my natural element is "sky", if what Father alleges about me being the "reincarnation of King Hiryuu" is accurate in any way, let me test it!
I choose to take that path right now. Let the Heavens be brought forth as my ally!
Yona's eyes flashed, and time seemed to unfreeze.
"...Hit his pivoting leg!"
Kneeling down and lunging forward, Yona dipped, brutally flicked her blade, and slashed downwards, right through Geun-tae's knee.
The wind was knocked out of Geun-tae, stunning him for a brief moment.
"GYAaA! My leg!" The crook had crumbled to the ground in pain.
Yona panted, on her knees, right hand on the guard of her sword stabbed into the ground.
"Y-you..." Lili's hands covered her mouth, nonplussed.
Suddenly, Yona twitched.
The crook was about to attack Lili!
"WATCH OUT – !" Yona yelled, protectively shielding Lili, and the next moment, her back was slashed.
As if an icy sheet had pricked her entire back wound with sharpness, Yona felt like two sides of her body had been separated with the severed skin. It was as light and itchy as a paper cut in action, yet so deep and profound in pain.
Yona could feel blood leaking out behind her back from the slash, and feeling dizzy, fell on top of Lili.
"KYAAAA!" Lili screamed as she held the injured Yona in her arms, crying hysterically. "N-no... no way, I don't want this!"
"Get yourself together! What are you doing?! You became my shield even though you have no strength or technique!" Lili shrieked, outraged.
"Why... how can you do something so self-sacrificing! THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOU!"
And yet...
"...Self-sacrificing? Me?"
Somehow, Yona was miraculously able to pull herself up when Lili said that. She laughed.
"I fight to survive," she smirked, eyeing the crooks with fire. "I have no desire to bow down to unjust power."
Hak walked up the staircases, checking each floor.
While walking through one of the grand hallways where no one was passing by, he felt a shiver run down his spine.
I recognize this sense...
Hak swiftly turned around.
At the very end of the hall, near one of the castle solars, stood a lone, long-haired, cloaked man within the dark shadows.
He had a large, ugly scar mutilating one side of his face, and his eye stared Hak down with the eeriest look.
In the silent hallway, the only noise that ears could pick up was of a pin drop.
Hak had found himself face to face with that bodyguard of Lord Soo-Won's.
The man was terrifying, much taller and formidable than Hak.
Lord Soo-Won's sword-master.
The man glared at him silently. Hak stared back at him without a word, sweat falling down his face.
But if this man is here... Lord Soo-Won has to be nearby.
Suddenly, Hak's ears perked up as he heard his voice, quiet, drowned out by the carpet flooring and thick walls.
"And so, Mister Min-Su, please inform me further if anything about the castle affairs has changed the next time I visit," Soo-Won's silvery voice became louder.
"Of course, of course, Lord Soo-Won!" Min-Su's animated voice also grew louder.
Neither Hak nor the bodyguard moved, until Lord Soo-Won and Min-Su's figures had come into view.
Hak gasped as he recognized the familiar side tail, billowy robes of the young lord, and the medical officer headband and clothing of Min-Su.
"Lord Soo-Won! Min-Su!" Hak sighed in relief, staggering forward to approach the two. He'd finally found them.
They, who had been idly chatting, suddenly noticed his presence.
"Lord Hak!" Min-Su bowed down to him.
"...Hak," Soo-Won said, eyes widening in surprise. "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be outside?"
"His Majesty Il has summoned you!" Hak put his hands on his hips. "I'm here to escort you back!"
"Eh? Why?"
Hak shrugged. "It was just his order."
A second later, Soo-Won had gained composure.
"Ah, I see." He smiled. "All right, Hak, I will go with you."
Soo-Won turned to Min-Su. "Mister Min-Su, may we continue our conversation another time?"
Min-Su bowed to him. "Yes," he replied, heading towards another hallway, "I best take this shortcut to the medical tents, there's always a shortage of officers!"
Lord Soo-Won and Hak waved to him, and then they were left alone.
Hak warily looked back at the bodyguard watching him and Soo-Won from the other end of the hallway. Hak understood that Soo-Won already knew he was there and most likely would continue to stalk them from the shadows, but as of now Hak paid little mind.
"Shall we go?"
Soo-Won and Hak left the hallway together.
After a few moments of walking, Hak questioned him.
"What did you want to talk to Min-Su about, Lord Soo-Won?"
"Oh, nothing important. How life in the castle is, for him, for everyone. We have not talked in some time."
"I see."
Soo-Won changed the subject. "I saw your match by the way, Hak."
He clapped his hands together, delighted. "It was amazing!"
"I thought I didn't see you in the crowd, but you did?"
"I promised, right? As if I would come all the way to Hiryuu Castle just to miss it!"
Soo-Won excitedly began to gush all the details of Hak's match.
"...and then with a bang, you just waved your guandao, and finished him off with one swoop, Hak!"
"That's a way to put it. I get the unpleasant feeling that General Joo-doh doesn't like me for that..." Hak confided with his best friend.
Soo-Won laughed lightly. "Probably not! You gave him quite the fright as an opponent."
Hak began to feel embarrassed. "Come of it, Lord Soo-Won."
Soo-Won looked at him with pride. "I'm serious. You've defeated General Geun-tae as well. It's too incredible. You're going to be the strongest soldier of 1000 years, I think, Hak."
Hak grinned.
"A humble offer, Lord Soo-Won." He handed him one of the skewers as they went down a staircase.
Soo-Won's expression became surprised. "...Eh? This is..."
"Yep, they're fried dumplings." Hak finished for him.
"But these are the same ones from – "
"Kuuto, yeah. I met the same guy from long ago too today."
"Really?" Soo-Won broke into a wry smile, now chewing on a dumpling. "That's nice, tell him I said hello."
Hak snickered. The street vendor would not be pleased.
"You really didn't have to do this Hak, this tastes really nostalgic! Thank you!" Soo-Won thanked him.
"No problem," Hak returned happily. "And by the way. I'm not just going to be a strong soldier. I'll be your soldier."
"Eh?"
"I told you: once you marry Princess Yona and become the next king, I'll be your righthand man!"
Soo-Won smiled ruefully. "That's the second time you've said it, Hak, but maybe you should reconsider."
"Didn't you sigh in envy about how lucky the Princess was to have me as her guard?"
"That was just a figure of speech! Besides, it's only a hassle when you've already got Yona to look after – "
"Oh yeah," Hak remembered, wracking his head. "Speaking of which, where is the Princess?"
"Hm? Isn't Yona in the library?"
"Apparently not. His Majesty told me to find her."
Soo-Won was perplexed. "Where could she have gone?"
"I don't know. Were you with her at all today?"
Soo-Won paused.
"...Yes. She came to the library. We spoke a little, then I left to watch your match."
Hak noticed Lord Soo-Won's pause. "Did she say anything about where she was headed?"
"No. She just..." the young lord trailed off. "...asked me a history question."
"...Oh."
They had reached the doors of the library. Opening the doors, they stepped into the room, and a sudden coldness punched Hak in the stomach.
The library had transformed into... shambles.
Chairs were toppled over each other; ink was spilled all over the floor and stuck to the walls and shelves; a desk was completely demolished.
A calligraphy toolkit, paper weight, and textbook was sprawled too, near a long, thick piece of parchment almost completely soaked with ink.
"...What the f..." Hak breathed.
It was as if they were looking at a disorderly piece of art. The library in its current state looked unlike any room within the castle. It was as if it exploded. Surreal.
There was no mistake – the Princess had demolished the entire back courtyard gardens all by herself – it was surreal seeing all the damage.
"...She's... done it again," Hak wanted to laugh. "She's done it again. First the gardens, now this. Oh shit."
Repeating the words didn't help. Just looking at this shit made him feel like he was going to go mad.
"WHERE IS THE PRINCESS?" Hak bellowed. "PRINCESS, ARE YOU IN THIS ROOM?"
But no one replied. The library was completely empty; the Princess was not there.
"Shit!" He hit a fist against the door of the library. "King Il is going to kill me when he finds out what happened here. I should have been with her!"
He couldn't feel anything. He couldn't feel pain. Was he going mad? He really was.
A hand softly touched his shoulder.
"Hak." Intense shamrock eyes quietly gazed at him, bringing him back to his senses.
Lord Soo-Won.
"Don't worry. We'll definitely find Yona." His voice was tranquil, solid, reassuring.
That's right. He's right beside me.
Hak was in disbelief, as his friend creaked open the door and coolly walked inside the room as if nothing about it had changed.
How can he be so calm?
"It appears Yona was practicing her calligraphy," Lord Soo-Won spoke steadily, kneeling down near the textbook. "We'll have to pick these tools up and rearrange the chairs. Can you help?"
Recovering a little at his request, Hak walked inside the library and up-righted a few of the multiple toppled chairs.
How the hell did she do all this? First she picked up my guandao, then an 80 lb war bow, now a row of chairs?
"On top of the garden renovators, now this," Hak groaned.
"Yes," Soo-Won sighed, reaching to pick up the textbook that luckily was not destroyed, and arbitrarily looking at the title, "We'll have to call someone in to refurnish the – "
Kouka Kingdom's Priests: A History
Soo-Won's fingers stopped dead.
Hak curiously walked up from behind him. "So this was what the Princess was reading?"
"I need you to tell me something: why did Uncle Yu-Hon drive out Priests from this castle?"
Soundlessly, Soo-Won's fingers fluttered and grabbed at the long and inky parchment nearby.
It was tough to read, but turning the parchment in different angles where the sun would shine, a few of the characters in semi-cursive Gyosho style script were legible:
Holding the parchment to his face, Soo-Won's eyes wandered down the page, and as he read further and further, the cogs in Soo-Won's brain began to escalate:
God
Dragon
Heaven
King Hiryuu
Crimson
Hair
Fight
Fate
Soo-Won's brain stalled, but it did not register on his face.
His hand lowered the parchment.
"...Lord Soo-Won?" Hak questioned.
"Hak. Yona definitely left to go somewhere."
"Huh?! Where?!"
"Somewhere," Soo-Won repeated vaguely.
All of a sudden, Hak had left the library and was running down the hallway.
All that was in his mind was the armory.
Impossible, Hak thought, racing towards the next staircase. She promised to not go!
"HAK!" Soo-Won called from the other end of the hall. "Wait! You're too fast!"
Hak slowed down his pace for the young lord struggling to catch up with him down the hall.
"How did the Princess do this to the library, Lord Soo-Won?!" Hak ran his hands through his spiky hair.
"Well, it's certain that Yona didn't use a weapon in this room, as I didn't see her armed," Soo-Won replied matter-of-factly as they now ran, side by side. "But..."
"King Il told you about archery terms?" Soo-Won had asked her.
"That's only because he wants me to understand that using weapons and all that violence is bad. Besides, I'm not allowed to see the tournament, anyway!" Yona had twirled her hair, looking sideways.
Soo-Won's eyebrows narrowed, and he halted at the middle of a staircase, clutching the rail.
"But what?" Hak said, stopping at a step to look up at him.
"...It's a sensitive topic. It's probably better you ask your father about it instead of me."
"...Perhaps..." Soo-Won slowly hypothesized, one hand on his chin. "Yona went to see King Il..."
She must have come to some revelation, the way this looks. Did she want to question him?
...Or he summoned her to start with... perhaps...
"Huh? You mean the Princess went to the arena?" Hak asked. "I didn't see her there either."
"It's just a guess. You didn't find her in the castle at all, did you? Or the shrine under the throne room?"
"Yeah. The shrine is empty; so is her room. It's not like the garderobe passageway leads to the arena either. But if she went to see King Il, he found out that she was missing before she even reached him," Hak commented. "Besides, guards would have caught her leaving the castle immediately."
"...What if she managed to slip through them?"
The nonsensical words had been uttered before the idea could be entirely wrapped around Soo-Won's brain.
"Eh?" Hak was surprised. "What do you mean? The Princess couldn't."
Soo-Won opened his mouth to reply, but at that instant, they heard a shout from outside the castle –
"NEITHER OPPONENT HAS MOVED AFTER 10 SECONDS. THE MATCH HAS ENDED IN A TIE BETWEEN GENERAL GEUN-TAE OF THE EARTH TRIBE, AND SHEELA OF THE WATER TRIBE!"
Both Hak and Soo-Won froze, on the middle of the final staircase leading to the screens passage.
"That's the announcer in the arena," Hak realized.
There was a sudden deafening outcry of the crowd, reverberating through the castle walls.
"...General Geun-tae... didn't win?" Soo-Won said, stunned.
Hak shrugged. "He didn't lose."
"But Hak, this means a person from the Water Tribe is around your level, no? To pose a threat to General Geun-tae..."
"Well, I bet anyone can do it if they try hard," Hak commented roughly. "Anyway, if the Princess did manage to slip through, watching even one fight would make her bawl like a brat. She's probably lost somewhere. I'm going back to the arena. Lord Soo-Won, you needn't trouble yourself by joining me."
Hak began to run down the staircase.
Soo-Won's mind began to jumble pieces of information together, and his face formed an inscrutable expression.
"...Hak, I'll join you."
The 4 Tribe partitions had gone simultaneously tremendous, vociferous, and sincere with cheers and hollers.
The air was thick and humid, not only with happiness but surprise.
The Earth Tribe partition, however, held mixed feelings.
Because while their beloved Geun-tae had not lost, neither had he won.
Meaning, this girl who they'd thought would lose... hadn't.
But they took it, as long as their favorite general didn't take another loss from a couple of years ago.
The girl in the middle of the arena hadn't taken it. She still wasn't able to fathom that she actually hadn't lost, wounded and scraped in many areas through her armor. How was it possible?
Carefully, Yona untied the belt that Lili had tightened, and removed the armor from her arms, torso, and legs, revealing her dress completely dyed in ink.
Yona clenched her teeth. All of a sudden, the adrenaline that had washed away her pain was drowning out.
The leaf-blade she'd held was splayed a few feet away, on the floor. It was covered in blood.
"So, how long have you been fighting, kid?"
Yona jolted. General Geun-tae was too on the floor, with a lacerated knee, yet already striking up conversation.
"A few... days before," Yona said under her breath.
Geun-tae held a hand to his ear. "Hm? Didn't hear you correctly."
Yona sighed.
Oh, you heard me all right, General Geun-tae.
I'm just too tired... can't lie anymore.
"This is actually my first real fight, General Geun-tae," she tried again, panting.
"You're one spunky kid. I'm impressed, I thought I just heard lightning in the sky just now," Geun-tae grinned.
"...Eh?" Yona was confused. "What do you mean?"
His Dao sword was now back in his sheath. "I mean," Pressing his hands on his knees, he pushed himself off the ground, quickly moving on to the next topic as he waved to the crowds. "You might even be on par with the Thunder Beast. I guess the youth of your generation aren't that bad... if you get the proper training. You must have been taught well."
That was the last thing Yona expected to hear.
"But... I didn't win..." she puffed, knelt on the ground. "Didn't... the Thunder Beast win against you?"
"HAHAHA!" Geun-tae cackled uproariously. "That kid..."
His gaze thoughtfully scanned the arena from one end to the other, as if scanning through the crowds for one face belonging to the man with spiky black hair and nonchalant eyes of beetle.
Geun-tae turned back to Yona again.
"Fast as a beast of lightning, yet we might have tied just like you if my right arm hadn't been injured fighting that Joo-doh."
"Your right arm was injured?" Yona looked up, surprised.
Geun-tae smiled.
To have Geun-tae suddenly talking out of his heart about his battles, seriously to someone like her...
So this is what General Geun-tae is like?
General Geun-tae's mouth suddenly twisted into a sly grin.
"THAT JOO-DOH LOST EVEN BEFORE HE GOT TO FIGHT YOU, WHAT AN IDIOT! I WANT TO SHOW HIM TO YOU RIGHT NOW! THE WATER TRIBE HAS SOME STRONG FIGHTERS!"
The crowd went wild at General Geun-tae's shouts; they were comparable to his famous war cries during King Joo-nam's reign.
"Eh?" Yona smiled cluelessly. "Was that that to the audience?"
General Geun-tae sure could rile up the people around him.
"Sure was," General Geun-tae eagerly affirmed. "Why don't you get excited like a normal kid? You didn't lose against a general like me!" He guffawed. "All my followers over there – " he pointed towards the Earth Tribe partition, " – including assistant are astounded. My wife Yuno would love to meet you! If you hadn't taken up the gauntlet, would you be here? You're famous now!"
Sky Tribe soldiers marched onto the arena platform, and before Yona knew it, they circled around Yona and Geun-tae, holding cool buckets of water for Yona, and a bucket of sand for Geun-tae.
Yona felt her muscles weaken. "Wait – !" She protested to the soldiers, jabbing her head to the side, but as she turned, she found herself looking at the 5 partitions of the crowd, and among the numerous faces watching the fight between the Earth Tribe general and Water Tribe warrior close up...
...a familiar pair of intense shamrock eyes bored into hers.
Yona's heart skipped a beat.
Standing with Hak near the Wind Tribe partition tents, Soo-Won watched her with shock across his face.
Yona's mouth fell slightly open, frozen in place.
...Soo-Won knew.
Time slowed down as they exchanged astonished stares at each other.
Then, the water was ceremoniously doused on Yona, while the sand was dumped on Geun-tae.
For a split second, Yona couldn't register anything but an irrational sense of panic, the ice cold feeling of the water doused, babbling and soaping all over her clothes in a quick fizzle, spilling and washing out the ink.
Then... she returned to reality, and...
The ink had completely dissipated.
Unfurling wet, gleaming, red hair like a carpet that caught the light of the Sun, was revealed to the audience.
Seconds passed where no one in the arena spoke a word.
Until finally, the silence was broken.
"...P-Princess Yona...?"
Geun-tae sputtered, eyes bulged.
Yona was mortified. She had been recognized at the tournament. Completely sopping and drenched.
The Sky Tribe soldiers surrounding them were mortified. The 5 partitions, the tents, the onlookers...
Suddenly lifted to the ground by the hand by General Geun-tae, he raised her hand up high with the crowd and shouted gleefully, "EVERYONE! THIS IS PRINCESS YONA!"
...The entire crowd went into an uproar, an utter pandemonium. Yona thought she could even hear the sound of a distorted trumpet.
As if it were a part of the show, General Geun-tae. had expertly managed to smooth over the divulgence of Sheela's true identity to the audience.
"PRINCESS YONA! PRINCESS YONA! PRINCESS YONA!" The crowd began chanting.
"This is just great!" Geun-tae exclaimed to Yona, who was rooted in place with shock as the chanting continued. "I'm surprised that King Il allowed his daughter to participate in the matches, this will probably lift his ratings amongst the people. Maybe rebellion is unnecessary after all."
Lift his ratings? Rebellion? Yona thought she hadn't heard the general correctly.
Immediately, she looked towards the main end of the arena within the chaos.
And when she found her father, still sitting on the single throne on a raised platform, surrounded by several discombobulated Sky Tribe soldiers, her breath caught in her throat.
King Il looked livid beyond disbelief.
The next thing Yona registered was the swarm of soldiers surrounding her and General Geun-tae, voices from the crowds buzzing agitatedly, harsh comments about how King Il's reign had thus far been distressing to the nation, and how Princess Yona had not only destroyed the back courtyard gardens of Hiryuu Castle, but was now fighting in a martial arts tournament, and seemed to be very different from her father.
"Princess Yona?"
"That girl is Princess Yona?"
"Her hair was black just a second ago... that's actually Princess Yona?!"
"I've never seen her before this close, she's so beautiful, even while fighting!"
"Did you see her? She doesn't play around!"
"She looks like my type!"
"Haha, that's the Princess, you're out of her league!"
"Look at her hair! It's so red!"
"What an unusual color!"
"So the rumors are true! The Princess must have destroyed the castle gardens if she fighting on the arena!"
"Princess Yona is crazy strong!"
"The Princess fought as well as a general! Was King Il hiding a secret weapon this whole time?"
"Will she lead Kouka Kingdom out of destruction?"
"Imagine her out on the battlefield!"
"No, she's just crazy! She's the spawn of a no-good King!"
"She's nothing like her father, though, look at her!"
"Oh, but if she is like her father? What if King Il has been training her?"
"Perhaps that king hid some tricks up his sleeve."
"Maybe King Il has decided to send out a decree of war soon!"
"That pacifist Il?!"
"What's going on?!"
"I can't believe that's the Princess of Kouka!"
Is Lili watching this in her tent? Yona wondered. I've... fought for her sake. Both in this fight, and my hallucinations.
An outpour of government officials, commoners from the partitions, and nobles came rushing down to the arena platform to greet and interview Yona in an excited chatter.
Up until now, the Princess of Kouka had never shown her face in public.
"Princess Yona! Princess Yona!"
"Congratulations on tying with General Geun-tae!"
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Princess Yona!"
"How did you learn to fight like that?"
"What is it like being the Princess of our nation?"
"What is the relationship between you and King Il?"
"How do you intend to rule when you become the next Queen?"
"How did you learn to fight so well?"
"Have you a fiancé or a special lover?"
"When will you be ascending the throne?"
Encircled by so many people, Yona's view was blocked, and she was overwhelmed. She felt as if she were about to be trampled, pushed and pulled around, by a mob. She was dazed at her new-founded popularity.
She couldn't breathe. She gasped for air.
Suddenly, a spiky black-haired man yielding a large guandao, pushed the clamoring people away with one hand, and guided her away from imminent suffocation.
Hak.
King Il eventually came down from his platform to get his daughter, supported by Sky Tribe soldiers during all this commotion, and after speaking with General Geun-tae for a few minutes, shoed all the public and paparazzi away.
The tournament had ended with this extra match, Yona becoming the star of the show.
"Yona," King Il had finally approached her, face stone cold.
She shrank at the sight of her father, cuts and bruises all over her body, hair in chaos, clothing torn.
She had fought with the dignity of a Princess. They were nearly the same height now.
Yet he looked taller than ever, looking down at her as if she were a complete stranger.
"We need to have a talk."
So it had finally culminated into this.
Of course, Father is angry, Yona nodded grimly, Hak firmly holding her by the shoulder. Soo-Won is sure to be blamed for my disobedience...
Soo-Won?
Was he still watching her?
She whipped her head right and left through the countless mobs, searching for a sign of his face in the Wind Tribe tents, in any tent, anywhere from afar.
The realization hit her like a brick.
Soo-Won had left the arena.
A/N:
It's been 2 months. Thank you all for being such patient readers!
There are many, many layers to this chapter, gosh! It was very tough to write, and I'm afraid I made many mistakes. Most likely my writing has suffered due to how challenging it was, but I'll trust YOUR review and thoughts about it.
It took tons of effort so I don't have much to write here, besides that need to shorten the length next time!
Thank you for the positive comments about last chapter and wishing me better health (still recovering here)!
Please continue commenting/suggesting if you liked it!