Chapter 18: Dreams and Dragons
Kija panted as he came awake. He had just had the most frightening dream he'd ever had. Soldiers coming against the palace with Lord Yu-hon as their leader. Blood was everywhere, including on his own person. Looking at his clawed hand, he saw that it was as white as it ever had been. His heart, however, was still racing from the images in the dream. In it, had been the golden eyes of the Seiryuu. He believed that it was a warning of a rebellion.
Standing from his bed, Kija exited his chambers. Across the way, he saw Jae-ha was awake as well. Walking towards the other boy's room, Kija gave the door a light tap. Jae-ha turned his attention towards Kija and waved him inside. "Couldn't sleep?" he asked the younger boy.
"Strange dreams." Kija told him as he took a seat next to the older boy who was snacking on some fruit. "I think Hakuryuu is warning me of something."
Jae-ha scoffed. "The old ones don't really care about us mortals." he stated, his own anger towards his ancestor was still evident in his tone.
"Perhaps, but that is your belief Jae-ha, not mine." Kija touched his chest with his scaled hand. "When I was taken from my village I swear I felt Hakuryuu's presence. I know he saved me from my kidnapper." Jar-ha rolled his eyes at him. "Now I believe he is using my dreams to speak to me." He closed his eyes as he tried to make his older brother understand.
"So what is the great Hakuryuu trying to tell you?" Jar-ha inquired. Just because he didn't believe didn't mean he didn't want to hear it.
Kija got a very serious look in his eyes. "Princess Yona is in danger." Jae-ha froze in mid-bite of a red fruit at the seriousness of Kija's voice. "Lord Yu-hon is going to create a rebellion, overthrow his father and attempt to kill Princess Yona." His usually gentle eyes looked angry. There was a spark in them that Jae-ha had never seen before. He was very serious about this accusation.
Shit. Jae-ha thought as he pulled the fruit from his mouth and sat it down. "When?" he inquired, having enough sense to know that this was probably true.
"After we find brother Seiryuu." Kija answered. "I have been feeling extreme sadness coming from him."
Jae-ha nodded in agreement. He too had felt the same thing. "Mundok wanted to find that kid soon too." he mumbled off handedly.
"After the Princess' birthday next week," Kija told him, gaining a surprised look from Jae-ha. "to be precise."
Jae-ha leaned back on his hands. The teen didn't like the sound of this. With Joo-nam being ill and having finally decided his heir, whoever it may be... "Next week is going to be tense." He stated, knowing Kija already knew this. "The King announces his heir by week's end next week." He looked at Kija in the eye. "I'm certain it's going to be Yona."
Kija frowned at this. "Then the rebellion..."
"may occur within the month." Jae-ha finished for Kija, his stomach suddenly feeling tight and nauseous. The two sat in silence at the revelation they had both had.
A blue haired boy awoke in a field of grass. With a beautiful blue, cloudless sky above him, he felt happy. Sitting up he saw a young girl appear in front of him with red hair, beyond her was man with the same color of hair. The young girl held out her hand towards him. Reaching out to take her hand, he watched as first her hand turned to ash before the rest of her body followed. His golden eyes became wide as the man began to crumble as well. Suddenly the sky turned grey as dark clouds appeared overhead. Standing, he watched the woods begin to shake as the wildlife ran away passed him. A burst of energy knocked him on his back as the air became unbearably hot. Sitting up, he was everything was on fire as soldiers began killing each other in the field he was in. A youth with a dark face appeared in front of him with green hair as another appeared with white hair. Arrows flew through the air, the youth with white hair flung his white scaled hand at the arrows, smacking them away as the youth with green hair flung knives at the soldiers. It was then that spears whistled through the air and not their targets, the backs of the young men. They were dead before they hit the ground.
With his heart beating heavily in his chest, the young boys haired boy was the soldiers turn towards him with their weapons. With no sword, he felt helpless. Cowering against a burnt tree, the young boy awaited his fate when a road was heard above. Lifting his head up he saw the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, a blue dragon. The dragon spoke. "Will you cower when you have the power to stop what is going to happen boy?"
"I have no power of my own. " he spoke with a quiet voice. "The power I do have is frightening." He looked away with shame before yelling. "Ao said never to use it!"
"Yet you have used it." the dragon stated with pride in his voice. "You are a weak child, but the man whom you come from, your ancestor, was a strong willed man who didn't care what others said about him and only cared about his beliefs; which led him on a path towards greatness. You were chosen to carry his eyes not because it is a curse for you to carry, but because of the potential greatness that lies within you." The dragon looked at him with its own golden eyes. "With time you will become stronger than he, however, if you do not act now, your gift will be taken from you and given to another.
The boy recalled the girl from before. "If I do use them, will this mean she won't be hurt?" he asked, not knowing why he cared. He did not know that girl, but for some reason he wanted to pull her to him and keep her safe.
"If you throw away the hatred your village shows towards you and leave now to find your brothers, then yes, you will be able to prevent her death." The dragon looked at him with a serious look. "But once you leave, do not look back. You are not their protector as they have led you to believe, rather you are hers."
The young boy reached up to the mask he wore and took it off, his golden eyes looking into the pair of matching ones from the dragon before him. "Where do I go?" he asked, the dragon smiled before the vision dissipated.
Upon waking from his sleep the young boy grabbed a few items before beginning to walk out of his home. The catacombs of tunnels led him to the entrance of the cave system. At the entrance the village elder stood with others. The men backed away as he walked away towards the path down the mountains .
"Seiryuu..." The elders voice stopped him in his tracks. "today there is not going to be a hunting trip."
The boy turned his masked face towards the elder. "I am not going hunting."
"Where are you going then?" the elder inquired, his voice shaking slightly.
The boy was silent for a moment before answered. "I am going to a place I am meant to be." He answered.
The men beside the elders went to grab their swords to stop the boy from leaving. The elder held his hand up to stop them. "Where is that?" he asked.
"At the side of the girl with hair like fire." he answered before he began to walk down the path away from his village and towards the rising sun in the horizon.
It was several days after Jae-ha and Kija had their conversation when the birthday week came. Yona drug Kija through the gardens giggling happily as she chased after Su-won and Hak who were chasing after Jae -ha who had a red ribbon tied around his dragon leg. The goal of the game was for someone to grab the ribbon from him and first to do so got a prize. However, because he could jump high in the air away from everyone it made catching him a bit harder.
This game also served to keep the younger children away from the adults who would rather do more adult things or talk to each other without little ears nearby. The game had been suggested by Lady Kashi, Prince Il's beautiful wife and Yona's mother. It would serve to be entertaining for a few hours at least and have Jae -ha a moment of two to practice his jumps.
After a few hours Jae-ha jumped behind Kija and placed the ribbon around his scaled arm which meant he was the one to be chased, this let Jae -ha find a place to hide and rest for a little while. Finding a free to hide in he settle in for a small nap when he heard voices. Looking in the direction of the voices he saw the new newly appointed General Lee Geun-tae with his new wife, a former lady-in-waiting, Lady Yun-ho. The young woman giggled as she walked away from her new husband leaving him behind.
Frowning, Jae-ha stood from his position before jumping to the room of the walkway peering over the roof to the general, he spoke. "You're not allow in the back garden."
The brunette looked away from the beautiful garden before he looked towards the green haired teen. He raised an eyebrow. There had been rumors that King Joo-nam had found a few of the dragon warriors, but nobody ever saw them, so the public; including Geun-tae had never believed those rumors, but now he was beginning to wonder if they were true. "Says who?" Geun-tae challenged the teen.
Jae-ha pulled himself back up before jumping filling from the roof. "Lady Kashi." he said looking over his shoulder at the man. "Only the royal family is allowed back here."
"Then why-" Geun-tae began when suddenly Kija came running passed them. The general freezing up at the sight of the white haired boy. The stories of the first earth general being the Hakuryuu who served Hiryuu was still strong within his the no matter how much Lord Yu-hon tried to squash that belief across the nation. So beliefs were too hard to just throw away. "Who is that boy?"
Jae-ha just smiled before answering. "One of my brothers." he stated before surprising the general by jumping at him and knocking him out with a kick to the face.
M-Angel: Sorry for taking so long to update. I've been busy all weekend. There was a con going on and I couldn't miss out on going this weekend. Any way, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter.