Previously

The princess pulled back and took his face in between her hands so he would look straight into her violet eyes. "I promise you Zeno, I will do everything in my power to make sure that you won't ever be left alone again."

His blue eyes began to water and tear up, "Zeno would like that very much mi…. Yona."

A new kind of warmth appeared in the yellow dragon's eyes. A warmth that she had never seen before. It was as though centuries worth of waiting had just ended. She was captivated by his eyes and just sat there staring at them.

Without realizing what she was doing she leaned in and lightly kissed him on the lips. The moment their lips touched, she felt the warmth in his eyes spread throughout her entire body. Zeno was her sunshine, and she didn't ever want to ever let go of her light.

-x-

Present

Zeno felt like he was in heaven. The princess cared so much for him. He didn't know until Yona said those words that those were the words that he had been waiting for. Whenever he looked at her, there were some things that reminded him of the old king. Her kindness, her determination. When it comes to the princess though, everything about her she developed by herself. She was once king Hiryuu, but now she is princess Yona. One of the kindest, strongest, most elegant creatures that he had ever seen. The king was one that held his admiration, but what he feels for the princess is something else.

When he felt something soft touch his lips, he felt as though that a missing piece of himself was falling into place. He realized that it was Yona's lips that he could feel. Joy filled his heart as he pulled the princess in closer to deepen their kiss.

He poured his very being into that kiss. He wanted to make sure that within this moment, she knew that he would always be there for her. All that he is and will ever be was now hers. He was her shield that would protect her from any danger that she finds herself in. She was the light of a new dawn that he could feel stirring within him.

Yona couldn't believe what was happening, once she realized that she was kissing Zeno, she was about to pull back and apologize when he pulled her closer to him. She could feel waves of love being spoken through their dancing lips. Each kiss felt like a whisper to her very being. In that instant, she knew that she loved him.

He pulled back and rested his forehead against hers. "Yona… I will forever be yours. Not just as your dragon, but as your shield. I will never leave your side until you no longer want me there. My heart, my soul, and my body are all yours Yona." He gazed into her eyes and saw his proclamation being reflected at him.

She realized that he referred to himself in first person. She smiled and leaned in closer, her next words brushing against his lips, "My sunshine, I am yours as well." She sealed their love with a passionate kiss.

Zeno wrapped his arm around her back and tangled his fingers into her blazing red hair. He ran his tongue across her bottom lip for permission to enter and she eagerly opened her mouth.

The caverns of her mouth tasted like fresh strawberries while her sweet tongue tasted like delicate cream. She was divine. He could sense that she was nervous, it's probably her first kiss, so he removed his hand from her hair and caressed her cheek.

Under his soothing touch she melted into him. He could feel a hand tugging at his outer robs while another was creeping in between his outer and inner robes. He pulled back before they went too far.

"What's wrong?" a look of hurt and rejection was swimming in her eyes and it hurt his very being seeing her that way.

"Miss… I-I" a small finger pressed up against his lips.

"Yona." She corrected.

He nodded and waited until her finger left his mouth before he could continue. "Yona, I don't want to make you do anything that you don't want to do. I have waited this long, I can wait a little longer. You are a princess and will one day sit back on the throne, you need to be sure on who you want beside you. Your body is not mine to claim, whomever you choose as your husband will have that honor. I am your shield, I will protect your honor until then."

Yona smiled gently at him, "I appreciate you wanting to protect me, but I want this. I want you, and I want you to have me."

She cupped his flushed cheek with her small hand, "I may one day rule this country, and when that happens, there is no one I would rather have at my side Zeno."

He sighed and gently pulled her hand away from him. "Yona, a lot has happened in the past few days. You need to rest. If you still feel the same, then I will be here for you. I want to make sure that you are making this choice for yourself. Your heart is not something that you should give to anyone. You need to be sure of your decision."

He stood up and placed her hand onto her lap. "I'll sleep on the floor tonight. Goodnight princess."

-x-

That night, Yona dreamed about being Hiryuu again. This time however, the dreams were all focused on Zeno. The fear and sadness that she felt as Hiryuu for the young boy was agonizing. Back then, her soul had watched happy-go-lucky Zeno never aging and knowing full well what his fate was. Hiryuu never wanted Zeno to fight because he knew that the boy would have viewed himself as a monster. Not allowing him to fight was the only way to keep Zeno from fully realizing what he was. The final memory of Zeno was when he was clinging onto her begging her to tell him what the Ouryuu's power was. Hiryuu had died a few days later taking that secret with him to the grave.

Her dreams shifted to Hiryuu's shrine that was hidden underneath the throne room. She remembered that as a child that was the place where she was the most comfortable. Looking back, it made sense since the shrine kept the king's spirit while her body harbored his soul. They were connected.

In her dreams, the shrine felt like it was pulsing. As she got closer to it, she could feel something pulling her in. As she opened the door to the shrine, she saw something red and golden begin to shine. Before she could open the door all the way to see what it was, she had woken up from her dream.

Sitting up in the bed, she saw Zeno sprawled out on the floor barely in his bedroll anymore.

She smiled warmly then leaned down to hug her knees. 'I have to visit the shrine. If anything, maybe I can find a way to help Zeno.' She thought to herself as she saw the sun begin peeking over the horizon allowing dawn to bleed through the window.