Draconicmaw sighs. "I've been forgetting a disclaimer this whole time. I do not own, nor make any material profit off of, Akatsuki no Yona. Also, this chapter is mostly a memory inside of a dream, so forgive the patchy dream logic."
Chapter Four: Distant Skies
Tears leaked through shaking fingers and dripped onto the ground. Yonin watched, his own cheeks wet. 'Please don't cry, Mother. Father's gone, but I'm still here. You're not alone, and..'
Hands linked, together, he was dragged outside.
'I have Wan-soo with me.'
"Yonin!" she called, spreading out her arms and twirling. "Look, it's snowing!"
"Uh-huh," he hummed back.
She stamped away, feet crunching in the snow. Yonin just looked at the fat flakes floating down from the sky.
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"I brought you a dumpling!" Wan-soo chirped.
Yonin stared.
She stamped off again. She came back with a paile of snow that had some twigs sticking out of it. "Look at the weird snow animal I made!"
Yonin stared.
"Yonin…?"
"Oh!" he gasped, eyes blinking and wide. "I'm fine." He grinned wildly and hopped up and down."I need to stay cheerful so Mother doesn't cry." Snow kicked up when he whirled and made to frolick-
"Guh!"
- and his foot landed on something that certainly didn't feel or sound like snow. He looked down.
A dark-haired little girl laid on the ground, the snow pillowing around her, with Yonin's shoe firmly planted on her chest. "You're heavy," she grunted.
"Hae?!" he squawked, springing back.
"Yay, it's Hae!" the blonde cheered.
Haae glowered at the two. "Keep away from me. And watch where you put your big feet, your highness. I was in such a good mood, too."
He huffed, his breath steaming in the cold air. "Why are you lying down there?"
The snow clumped and piled with the slow motions of Hae's arms. "I'm making it so that everyone who passes by knows I was here. I exist." Then she shrugged, white clinging to her shoulders. "And wanting to relax in fresh white snow is only natural."
Hands over her cheeks, Wan-soo gaped down at the other girl in awe. "That's so cool, Hae!"
Pomf!
A ball of fresh white snow smashed into Hae's smug face.
A couple feet away now, Yonin mashed up more cold, cold fluff in his hands with a devious grin. "And it makes you the perfect target for snowballs."
Hae bolted up, sneering, snow falling from her face. "Oh?" She lunged, throwing her own handful right at Yonin's head. "Graaah!"
Yonin ducked back and pelted Hae with big globs of white, his wild red hair swaying and fanning with each motion.
"That's amazing, Hae!" Wan-soo exclaimed, "You cheered Yonin right up! Thank goodness. Now, let me play!" She got a snowball right to the face.
The next day, Yonin laid in bed. Each breath was a hot puff, and his cheeks were flushed with fever, which the rag on his head didn't seem to be stopping.
Wan-soo wept. "Yonin isn't feeling good anymore…"
Both she and Hae were kneeling at the side of his futon. "Playing in the snow was too much for him."
Wan-soo sloppily brushed her sleeves against her cheeks. "I'm sorry, Yonin."
The nurse, who had just applied the wet rag, shook his head at the children's antics. "He'll be fine as longs as he takes his medicine and rests."
A frail, hoarse voice rose quietly from the little boy, "Um…" He blinked tiredly. "Where's my mother?"
A certain stiffness captured the nurse's smile. "Her majesty is extremely busy. She only recently ascended to the throne, remember?" He patted Yonin's sweaty cheek. "But I'm sure she'll visit when she can."
Yonin's expression crumbled even more.
"Don't worry, Yonin!" Wan-soo piped up.
"Yeah, when she hears how sick you are, she'll come running to see you," Hae added.
They drew the attention of the nurse. "And you two can leave now. You shouldn't get too close to the prince."
"We'll be fine! We're strong and healthy! In fact, I'm warm all over!" Wan-soo assuaged with a smile, though her face was taking on a suspicious red tint.
Hae's eyes began to roll about deliriously. "I think I played too much. I'm still seeing snow balls." The two girls slowly wilted and slumped together.
"Nurse! You have more patients!" Yonin cried.
All three caught a cold, and they laid side-by-side in futons, Wan-soo, Yonin, and then Hae. "That explains why I thought snowballs were flying around me…" Hae muttered.
"Shouldn't you two head home?" Yonin asked, blearily gazing up at the ceiling of the infirmary.
"It's better if we recover here so we don't get anyone else sick. Also, the nurse here is great." Wan-soo shrugged and rolled over to face the others. "Anyway, lately I've been holding Yonin's hand while we sleep, so this is just like normal." The prince's fever-warm cheeks turned even redder, and he pulled the covers up to his nose.
"You do what?" Hae snatched the cold compress off of her forehead and sat up. "I think I should leave. I'm in the way."
"What?! But we should all hold hands!"
"You can't be serious," Hae grumbled back. Caught up in conversation, they didn't hear the angry stomps down the hallway. The door slammed open.
"HAE!"
"Aagh!" the dark-haired little girl squawked at the sight of an enraged, one-eyed old lady. "Grandma!?"
The gray-haired old woman stood imposingly over the girl, the aura hanging about her shoulders dark. "You brat! I heard his highness fell ill because you were throwing snowballs at him!"
Hae chuckled nervously. "If there's snow, it's protocol to throw it at people. You make it sound like I cursed him or something."
The words did not sooth her grandmother's ire. "You whippersnapper! Get ready for a whooping!"
Hae desperately tried crawling away. "Nooo! Not that!"
"General!" the nurse snapped reproachfully, "Please stop! They are sick and need their rest!" Shoulders hunched at being scolded, Grandma slunk out of the infirmary.
"I think I have to stay here," Hae whispered, burrowing back under the covers. "If I go home, she'll kill me."
"Was that General Mon-yeong, chieftess of the Wind Tribe?" Wan-soo gasped, starstruck.
"Yup."
"She's so cool! I've never been so close to her before. Everyone says she's the strongest of the five generals. She's my hero!" She giggled. "I didn't know she was your grandmother!"
"I'm an orphan," Hae explained, fairly bland despite the sad statement, "so Grandma and I aren't actually related. She adopted me into the Wind Tribe and her family."
"Oh, I see."
"But…" Yonin cut in, quiet and raspy, "Mon-yeong still came to see you." He weakly turned his head to look at Hae, a small smile on his flushed face. "She must really love you, huh?"
Hae rolled her shoulders. "I guess." This time, they all heard the lighter, slower footsteps that echoed from the hallway. "Someone else is coming."
The door opened again, and a tall figure strode through. She had narrow black eyes; stern, thin eyebrows; downturned lips; and long black hair bound in a warrior's bun. The hard set of her expression and the slight furrowing of her brow gave her an intimidating appearance. Yonin tugged the blanket up to his nose again. Even her smooth, blunt grace was scary.
"M-Mother!" Wan-soo cried before coughing raggedly. When she regained her breath, she eagerly looked back up. "What are you doing here?"
The woman knelt next to her daughter's bed, her expression still blank and hard. "Is it strange for me to visit my daughter when she's sick?"
The little blonde lifted the blanket up to her mouth and blushed. "But what if you get sick from being near me?"
The woman smirked, and one of her eyebrows winged up. "Do you think I'd let some paltry illness defeat me?"
"O-of course not! But I heard you're very busy right now…"
Yonin rolled onto his side, the rag on his forehead falling off as he buried his face in his pillow. 'Aunt Yuon.. she's so tough and stern. She's nothing like Wan-soo.' Soft and sweet Wan-soo.
"Ye-jun was determined to come, too," Yuon continued.
"Father?!" Wan-soo echoed, concerned and surprised.
"But in his condition, it would be dangerous for him to fall ill, so I made him stay home."
"Whew…"
"You mustn't make your father worry. I want you to slaughter that sickness as soon as possible."
"I will!" Wan-soo chirped.
'Slaughter?'
"As for you two…" Hae and Yonin ducked beneath their covers. "I'll send some get-well gifts later."
The door slid shut behind her, and Hae shuddered. "Heh. She's always so intense. I get chills just being near her."
Yonin's pale fingers curled around the edge of his blanket. "I was… so scared…"
Wan-soo flopped back with a contented sigh and a smile that stretched from ear to ear. "What a wonderful day!" She giggled. "I'll definitely do my best to slaughter this sickness! Take that, and that!"
"Go to sleep, idiot," Hae grumbled.
The little redhead between the two stared up at the ceiling with wide, sad purple eyes. 'Mother, it hurts so much, Mother.' He curled onto his side, his arms wrapping around himself. 'Why won't you visit me? Don't leave me alone. Don't abandon me.'
All three had small trays laid out before them. Each covered in food, but Yonin's remained untouched.
"Just have one bite, please, Prince?"
"I don't want any," he murmured.
"You need to eat a little, Yonin," Wan-soo urged.
"If you don't, you'll get even uglier, your highness," Hae chided, trying to appeal to Yonin's vanity or insite his ire.
But he didn't reply, and a thick silence fell over the three.
Out in the hallway, a female voice asked quietly, though not quietly enough, "Her majesty hasn't come to visit him?"
"No," the nurse replied, "I informed her about his highness, but…"
"How typical of her," the woman scoffed. "I'll bet she doesn't want to go near her son becuase she's scared to fall ill."
Tears collecting on his lashes, Yonin stared down at the food. Was it true? Was Mother avoiding him on purpose?
"Be quiet!" Wan-soo snapped.
Purple eyes turned to her in surprise. In the hallway, the only sounds were that of feet rushing away.
"Your mother is the empress," Hae said quietly. "She's doing her job even at a time like this." Her husband dead, her son ill. "I admire that."
Wan-soo nodded and rubbed her aching throat. Yonin wiped his tears away and smiled. "Yeah."
'I'm sorry.'
"Let's sleep close together tonight!" the little blonde exclaimed.
"Don't get near me! I'll get sick!" the other girl hissed.
"But you're already sick."
'I'm sorry for thinking I was all alone.'
The candlelight flickered and casted dancing shadows on the walls. Yonin watched them silently, blanket pulled up to his nose. A hollow ache crouched in his belly, and it was building -
GroOoOwl…
Wan-soo sat up quickly. "Oh! Are you hungry, Yonin?" She turned to her other side. A shiny little bell dangled from her fingertips. "I'll call for some food."
"That was a loud growl. It woke me up," Hae muttered into her pillow. A fist knocked into the back of her head. "Ow!"
Eventually, an attendant came in, a tray with a steaming bowl balanced in her hands. The vapor wafted up the the prince's nose as the tray was set before him. 'Chicken and porridge! My favorite!' He eagerly scooped some up on his wooden spoon and puffed some air to cool it down. When it was at an acceptable temperature, he placed it in his mouth. It made his tongue curl… with disgust. "It's awful," he choked. "Unless the cold is messing with my taste buds, it's horrible."
Someone at the door tittered. A formal cap and bubbly smile.
"Mother!?" Yonin cried, perking up instantly.
"I made it for you," the empress said sheepishly.
"What are you doing here?" Yonin asked. Like Hae said, wasn't she busy?
"I was worried, so I came to check up on you. The nurse told me you didn't eat, so I wanted to cook your favorite dish to make up for not visiting sooner." Her son stared down at the bowl in awe. "I followed the recipe as best I could. I'm sorry that it didn't turn out." Spoonful after spoonful, the prince shoved the porridge into his mouth. Ila blinked. "Hmm? I thought it tasted bad."
A cheerful smile and happy tears. "It's really terrible."
Hae and wan-soo exchanged small grins.
They could finally get some fresh air. Hae stretched dramatically. "Ahhh!"
A sigh left the prince's healthy lungs. "I'm all better now."
The three best friends sat on the top of a giant staircase leading up to Hiryuu Palace.
"You sound disappointed, your highness," Hae teased, nudging him with her shoulder.
"Not really," he replied primly.
Wan-soo leaned back to gaze up at the sky. "I'm disappointed."
The raven-haired girl snorted. "Because you can't sleep next to his highness anymore?"
"I can sleep next to him anytime I want."
"What?!" Yonin gasped, face hot, and not with fever.
Wan-soo's face was angelically serene, the blue of the sky reflecting in her green eyes. "I wish we could all sleep next to each other forever and ever, even if it meant having that cold." Slowly, the three children were leaning back into one another and supporting each other's weight.
"You know…" Hae started, propping her wrist on one bent knee, "We don't have to be sick. Staying together is pretty simple."
Yonin smiled at the fluffy white clouds and the warmth of his friends' bodies. "Wan-soo, Hae, let's play again tomorrow."
'Let's play forever and ever…' The, black rushed in like a wave that swallowed the sky. 'Huh?' It washed it all away, and then Yonin was all by himself. "Where did they go?" He looked around at the blank landscape. "Oh!" A familiar robed figure stood in front of him. "Mother!" His small hand curled into the back of her clothes, and swe swayed backwards. Suddenly, Yonin was taller than her, and she fell into his arms, her dead weight bringing him to his knees. Blood. She was drenched in blood. "Mother…"
Dread chilled his veins, and he slowly looked up to the dark silhouette looming over him. Green eyes, eyes no longer reflecting a deep blue sky, green eyes that enclosed Yonin in darkness, leered back.
"W-Wan-soo…?"
A tainted sword rose above his head.
Yonin jolted awake with a lung-wrenching gasp. The bark of a tree was rough on his cold, aching, heaving back. Cold sweat caked his body and made him tremble. His eyes darted all around, to the dark night sky, to the black shadows hanging thick between branches, and he waited for the strike, though he knew it was only a dream. Trembling, his aching body leaned forward. Where was Hae? He quickly looked around the trunk of the tree. All that stood behind it was silver-dappled forest. He jolted up, pacing, eyes darting all around.
Leaves rustled close by, and he flinched down, whirling, body tensed, heart roaring in his ears.
Hae blinked at him, surprised. Tucked under one arm was a bundle of sticks, in the other hand her bamboo canteen. "You're awake? Sorry. I was getting some water to drink."
The silver moonlight reflected off of the sweat gleaming on the prince's face and the moisture pooling in his eyes. Hae watched, silent, paralyzed, stunned, as Yonin collapsed to his knees and sobbed brokenly into his hands.
'The three of us always used to gaze up at the sky together. That sky is no where to be seen now.'
The first rays of sunlight tinged the sky red. Up there on the ramparts, the wind was harsher, colder, tugging her hair from its loose ties and sucking her clothes tighter to her back.
"Lady Wan-soo!" a pair of guards saluted. "His highness and General Hae are no where to be found within the palace nor in its vicinity."
Her solemn eyes looked down upon the red-washed capital. "I see."
"I'll dispatch some men to pursue them-"
"No," Wan-soo cut in, "We can ignore them."
"What? You're going to let them live? But…"
"Now that they've left the palace, there's nothing they can do to us. Anyway…" Her face hardened. "... We've more important things to do.'
CHAPTER FOUR END