Hak's feet pounded against the ground, steadier than the beat of his pounding heart. He had to remind himself several times to restrain his pace to match the princess. Yona's hand felt cold in his own as he pulled her along behind him, her eyes devoid of any emotion, her feet stumbling along unfeelingly. Although he understood her pain, he knew that they didn't have the luxury of being able to dwell on the events that had just transpired at Hiryuu Castle. It was clear that Soo-Won would send soldiers after them to finish the job, and they had to be as far away from the castle as they could get by morning. Hak racked his brain, trying to simultaneously determine their best path through the dark forest and figure out where they should head. He didn't want to make trouble for any of his allies, but the only place he could think of to take her was the Wind Tribe. He knew that they would care for her without hesitation, and she would most certainly be safe there.
The problem was getting there safely. Although he was matching her pace as best he could, it was undeniable that, at this rate, they would be easily overtaken by palace guards. It wasn't a surprise. Yona had spent her entire life inside of the palace, never doing anything more physically straining than a dance lesson. Hak was starting to wonder if it would be better for them to stop somewhere and let the princess catch her breath when she stumbled.
Quickly, he pivoted and caught her body before she fell. "Princess, are you all right?" he asked, leaning close to her ear so he wouldn't have to raise his voice.
She didn't answer, merely staring ahead of her blankly. Hak recognized that look. He had seen men on the battlefield wear that look after witnessing their first killing. Sometimes these men recovered in time to fight back and save their own lives. Sometimes they didn't.
And Hak would be damned if he allowed Yona to get lost here.
Shifting his grip, he scooped her up into his arms, supporting her under her back and knees. She allowed him to move her body with no resistance, although if he had tried to carry her like this at any other time, he could only imagine how she would have protested. He couldn't resist squeezing her into his chest momentarily, feeling like his heart was breaking with hers.
He quickly shoved his own feelings aside. Taking care of Yona was the top priority right now. He certainly didn't have time to get lost in his emotions. Leaning down to speak in her ear again, Hak said, "I'm going to carry you for now, Princess. I'll stop to rest in a while, and then you can tell me if you're ready to run again."
He hadn't really expected an answer from her, but her head bobbed up and down once, almost imperceptibly. He let out an inadvertent sigh, glad to have received any reaction at all.
Gripping her limp form tightly, Hak began to trot swiftly. He didn't dare to run, as he was very aware of the fact that his hands were tied up in carrying the princess, and that she would be the first to hit the ground if they fell in the dark. Carefully, he wound his way through the forest, going as quickly as he dared.
He was so immersed in his task that he barely noticed when Yona shuddered. He looked down at her face briefly, and saw her dead eyes again. He was filled with an urge to protect her, to make her fight again. Leaning down, he whispered in her ear, "I'll always be on your side, Princess. No matter what."
Hoping that his words had gotten through to her just a little, Hak forged on through the night.