Like a thousand times before, her hand slips into his. Unlike the thousand times before, it isn't claws curling around her fingers, like a shield protecting them from pain. But there are fingernails and a strong hand, beginning to wrinkle with age.
And sometimes it seems like every day is another mystery, when spent around the Four Dragon Warriors, but when Yona looks up and meets Kija's blue eyed stare, it is with a hand warming her own, and tears that he tries to hide from her, but doesn't succeed at.
Little tears prick at the corners of pretty blue eyes, and when he turns away and looks around them, Yona just feels safe beside him, despite the lack of a claw encircling her hand, despite the fact that he's the first one to begin aging out of it. Jae-Ha still wears his dragon leg, Zeno hasn't aged, and Shin-Ah still bears the eyes that he often hides. Kija is the first to become more man than dragon.
And Yona's hand tightens in his, an answer to her husband, as she peeks up on tiptoes to meet his gaze. He's not that much taller than her, but he is enough taller than her to encourage her to want to look straight into his eyes, to want to reassure him with all that she can.
"You've got me." Yona doesn't have the words, as easily as they slip away from her, "Kija, I feel safe with you."
And it's true, with the way that even fingernails and a human hand can reassure. Kija's still strong, with or without the claw, and when he looks down at her, even the tears in his blue eyes can't distract from the smile that lights up his face.
"Yona." And it isn't princess or queen or any other title based endearment that lights across his lips, but her name made perfect in the sound of his voice.
"I love you." Whisper soft, as Yona leans towards him, and leaves a kiss as gentle as a touch across his lips. A kiss, he meets so tenderly, forever seems to even be spelled within it.
Here, she is safe, and here, they are together. The most perfect combination that Yona can think of, two hands curled around each other, and a day left before them.
