Ever since the night of the celebration of King Su-won's ascension, Sen had been more isolated from the pirates than ever before. It had not happened on Gi-gan's command, rather as a form of solidarity against this woman who had harmed one of their own. Even Jae-ha's visits had become less frequent and Ba-luo had disappeared from her life entirely. As a result, Gi-gan had given her more freedom and allowed Sen to leave the ship for days at a time as long as her work was not affected by it and she consulted her decision with the captain beforehand.
On one such day, feeling particularly lonely, Sen decided to go out to a small town north of Awa. After notifying Gi-gan of her plan, she took a pleasant stroll through a friendly forest. As she walked past a tinkling brook, she noticed a man standing by the shore with a cauldron in his hands. The man was about as tall as Sen, dressed all in white and had nearly translucent skin. Despite his head of pure white hair, he did not seem to be a day older than twenty. He caught sight of her as well and they eyed each other suspiciously for a while.
"Hello," Sen said after deciding that the stranger did not pose a threat to her. He seemed to have come to a similar conclusion and bobbed his head in greeting.
"Hello," he said. "Who are you and where do you hail from?"
"Awa," she answered. "My name's Sen. Is there anything I can help you with?"
"I am called Ki-ja," the man told her politely, but his mind was on something else. "If you're from Awa, have you heard of the Green Dragon?"
Sen's heart lurched. This is bad.
"The legendary Green Dragon?" she asked in surprise, thanking her stars for her acting abilities. "So he does exist?"
"I—I hope so," Ki-ja stammered. "I've been told I might find him there."
"Perhaps there's been some sort of mistake—I've never heard of him and I've lived there all my life. But if I ever come across a trace of him, I'll let you know."
Ki-ja beamed at her.
"I simply can't express my gratitude enough," he said, bowing to her deeply. "May I ask you to stay for dinner? My companion is an extremely talented cook."
"No, I'm on my way to Ki Yaen," she said, shaking her head. "I'm escaping Awa—and you should too. It's no longer possible to live there well and would you not die there immediately, you would not lead a life worth living."
"I'm afraid I cannot stray from my path, as I must find the Green Dragon," Ki-ja explained, not feeling worried in the slightest. "I refuse to leave with my job unfinished."
What an annoying creature. Although he was quite beautiful, Sen only saw the personification of a cockroach standing before her.
"You don't understand how dangerous Awa is! Its people are sold as slaves, and believe you me, travellers aren't treated any better. Come with me," she offered, "come to Ki Yaen. My relatives are giving me a small hut there. It won't be luxurious, but it will be safe. I won't mind you living there."
To think such kind people exist, Ki-ja sighed in his heart. The little faith he had lost in humanity since the beginning of his journey with their master was mostly restored.
"Although we've just met, you treat me like a brother," he exclaimed, touched. "I've never met anyone so selfless! You really should meet my master, she's similarly altruistic. I think you'd like each other."
"Selfless?" Sen said, biting her lip. I'll bet crying would work on this fool, she thought as tears welled in her clear eyes, threatening to fall. "You are too kind. No, it's only because I once had a brother your age, and Kum-ji… Kum-ji…"
"Oh, please don't cry," Ki-ja said, flustered, but Sen began to sob.
"He was such a nice boy," she told him with a quivering voice. "Around your age…He was to marry his sweetheart next summer, but then Lord Yang took his bride away and had him killed. Having no family left to stay behind for, I escaped with his ashes..."
"Lord Yang?" Ki-ja asked, his eyes narrowing. Sen nodded.
"The overlord of our town," she replied. "He is a cruel and lustful man. Were he to set his eyes on you, my friend, he might want to take you for his own."
"I see," he said, lowering his head. Just as Sen rejoiced that he would finally give up, he lifted his head and vowed with his hand above his heart, "I, Ki-ja, promise to avenge your brother and his bride, no matter the cost!"
"NO!" Sen shouted, taken over by genuine anger. "What do I have to say to keep you away?" As the words left her lips, she regretted it. Even the gullible idiot before her stared at her in surprise, making it evident that her mask had fallen. Hoping to regain his trust, Sen covered her eyes and sobbed, "He's already dead! I can't let another life fall to ruin just because it might give me satisfaction…"
"Sen, listen," he began, when he was interrupted by a dark man in a blue outfit.
"Hey, white snake, what's taking so long?" he called. Ki-ja turned and shook a fist at him.
"I'm NOT a white snake. May the anger of the four dragons strike you dead!" he shouted back. The offender laughed and disappeared. After shaking his head, Ki-ja turned to Sen again.
"I hope we meet again, Sen," he told her, then filled the cauldron in his hand with water and turned to leave.
"Wait!" she cried. "Before you leave, promise me you won't go to Awa!"
Sighing, Ki-ja took her hand in his in an attempt to comfort her. Uncomfortable with him touching her, Sen repressed the urge to run away and tried to maintain a woeful expression as he said, "I cannot promise that, Miss, but I will avenge your brother and bring peace to Awa so that one day, you may return."
"Please refrain from doing that, kind sir," Sen replied, no longer sure if her words made any sense. "The best revenge is living well. For the sake of my sanity, do not get yourself into danger and leave."
At that moment, the tall man in blue appeared again, shouting, "White snake, hurry up! Yun says he'll not give you any food unless you're there in five minutes."
He then disappeared once more. Ki-ja nodded and ran as if an army was chasing him, not even bothering to say good-bye. Sen watched him with narrowed eyes until he was out of sight, then disappeared into the woods.
...
Protected by mountains and treacherous cliffs, the town of Ki Yaen was a sleepy little place, especially in the middle of day. No one was in a rush, no one had anywhere to go. Everyone seemed at peace with their place in life, as there were no rich and there were no poor.
Sometimes, an adventurous stranger came along, in search of long-lost treasures and secrets yet to be uncovered. None of these ever left. They tried to wake the town but became part of it instead, built their homes there and married locals. In a few years, they could barely imagine what life was like before they had arrived.
Being so isolated geographically, Ki Yaen was probably the only town in Kouka unaffected by Il's reign. Neither tax collectors, bandits nor mercenaries felt the risk of falling to their death or getting forever lost in the thick woods worth the gain.
After finding it with ease, as though having lived there all her life, Sen walked along the main street and slipped into an inn, rarely used but still standing. Sometimes, the townsfolk went there for a drink or two just to keep the man's business going. They would never let their own citizens go bankrupt. The owner of the inn, Ke-sel, had a strange accent and an even stranger beauty to him. Despite his short stature, women and some men took notice of him, but he never returned their interest. He came from far away, from the far south. No one knew about his previous life, and no one was interested in it. The past was the past, it only ever caused misunderstandings and pain.
"Drebet crey!" Sen greeted, as she saw the man she was looking for. Ke-sel raised an eyebrow at her.
"Since you want to greet me in my native tongue, why don't you do it properly?" he asked. "I thought you were good with languages. Dreyvet cra, to you, too."
"Dreybet crae!" she tried again, after clearing her throat. The man shook his head.
"Still not it. Practice until next time we meet. It'll probably be a few months until then, so you have time."
"I hope I can—I can barely leave that sad hole of a room," Sen complained, flopping down into a chair. "This pirate business is no fun."
"At least you no longer have to fight," Ke-sel replied. "That must help you sleep better."
"Yet it does not," Sen said, closing her eyes. "Maybe it's the stress that does it? Lack of human interaction?"
"You've come for more aafim, haven't you?" Ke-sel asked, eyeing her suspiciously. Sen smiled at him innocently.
"Whatever makes you think that?"
Sighing, Ke-sel told her, "I don't have any."
"Don't be ridiculous," she said, rolling her eyes. "Look, I said I'd pay you. My friends will send you the money as always."
"I really don't have any," Ke-sel repeated, mustering his most earnest expression and looking her dead in the eye. Sen clenched her teeth.
"You're taking me for a fool, Ke-sel."
"Look, how was I to know you'd come here today?" he asked, raising his hands defensively. "Plus, I hurt my leg a few days ago. If you really need it, go to Awa and get some. Otherwise, come back in two weeks. Maybe your parents' letter will arrive by then too."
"But I can't go to Awa," Sen told him, exasperated. Ke-sel rolled his eyes.
"Of course you can," he scoffed. "The merchant lives in the outskirts of Awa, on Haoshuu street."
"But—"
"Or, of course, you can wait two weeks. You don't really need sleep, do you?"
"I'll do it," Sen said irritably, standing up and starting for the door. "If my ghost appears to haunt you one of these days, you can only blame yourself."
...
During lunch, Ki-ja, the White Dragon, ate very little and spoke even less. Noticing that something was wrong, Yona, the supposedly dead princess, sat down beside him.
"Are you okay?" she asked. Hak, the man in dark blue and once her bodyguard, snickered.
"Maybe the snake misses that girl I saw him with," he said. "Your girlfriend will be fine, Ki-ja."
"Our relationship is nothing of the sort," Ki-ja snapped. "And who would take advantage of a mourning young lady's woe?" Sighing, he turned to Yona. "The poor woman suffered so much… yet she insisted on putting my safety first."
He then relayed the entire story he had been told by Sen, putting emphasis on her compassion, kindness and deep sorrow upon losing her brother. Yona listened quietly and understandingly until the very end.
"So Awa is another town ruined by my father's negligence," she said, her tone laced with guilt. The Blue Dragon, Shin-ah, gave her a look filled with sympathy and Ao, his squirrel rubbed its head against her hand. Ki-ja immediately regretted telling her and glanced at Hak, hoping that he might have something cheering to say.
"Nah, no way," he said. "Awa was fine last time I visited with Gramps."
"Things could have changed since then," Yona replied softly. Hak shrugged, unconvinced.
"I think snake boy's been had," he told her. "The woman wasn't in mourning."
"Maybe she's poor," Yun remarked. "Back in my village, I never saw anyone wear white at a funeral. You know how much that stuff costs? And it's impossible to clean, too."
"So you think she was telling the truth?" Yona asked, feeling increasingly sorrowful. Yun stared at Ki-ja thoughtfully.
"Not really," he said after a moment. "She might have wanted to get rid of us and our friend can be a bit gullible—"
"Her tears were real," Ki-ja interrupted, slightly offended. "And whenever have I been gullible?"
"But on the other hand, it would be better to investigate," Yun finished, ignoring the White Dragon entirely. "If there's nothing out of ordinary, we can still look for the Green Dragon and buy some food in town."
"Okay, let's go!" Yona sang, and pulled a hood over her head to cover her bright red hair. Hak picked up his spear, Ki-ja walked up next to Yona, and even Shin-ah stood up.
"Oh no you don't! We'll attract attention. Especially you with the mask," yelled Yun. "Do you guys even know what subtle means?"
Shin-ah curled up into a ball, obviously deflated. Ki-ja tried to cheer him up, while Yona asked: "Who shall we send, then?"
"I vote for Hak, as long as he leaves his weapon here," said Yun. "He looks the most... normal. Plus he's been there before."
"I am against it!" cried Ki-ja. "He is no better than I, least of all in accomplishing such a meager task."
"Hak, I want to go with you," Yona whined. "As a princess, I must!"
Hak disapproved of the idea. For what if something went awry? Awa was no small town even back when he had first visited and it was bound to grow since then. What if she got lost in the sea of people, never to be found again? He checked and double-checked the princess to find fault with her. When he did, he grinned.
"Miss, you've become awfully ugly lately," he stated, pinching her cheek.
"What?" she cried unhappily. "Hak, I hate you so much sometimes!"
"That's not true, the princess is b-b-beautiful!" yelled Ki-ja. "I've always suspected your eyes to be flawed, you miserable excuse of a man."
"There are circles under your eyes. You should stop and take a rest," Hak told her, ignoring Ki-ja's insults for once. "We can go together later."
Yona thought for a moment. Even though she felt she had taken enough time to herself back when she was a princess, she sensed that Hak was truly against her joining him this time.
"You might be right," she admitted. "Please hurry back."
"As you wish, princess."
Hak bowed, and trotted off to Port Awa. Yona watched as his back became smaller and smaller until disappearing entirely from sight, a strange emptiness appearing in her chest.