Yona did not know how many hours had flown by as she drifted, restlessly, in and out of the clutches of sleep. Her wounds, sore and bruised, tingled uncomfortably, her back ached from the position in which she was forced to rest. She wished to be back with her friends, sleeping in the tents, laughing with them. Odds are they were not laughing anymore. They were probably diligently searching for her, just as restless as she is, and assuming the worst… that she is being tortured.

No.. Don't think about that…

Yona gritted her teeth as she attempted to somewhat reposition her body. The wooden chair grinding into her sutures causing a sharp pain to shoot through her back.

Dang it…

The new position only made it worse… She was too afraid to move again. Just as she had felt the slightest bit recovered, the door to the cell opened. The light illuminating the frames of the men. Her face hardened as she recognized the man in the purple robes, his indifferent aura causing rage to swell in her heart.

He scoffed slightly, when seeing the state in which Yona was in.

"Looks like Miren didn't hold back… How was it? Your first night of torture?" He asked, moving towards Yona. Her reply was the best death glare she could muster, her defiance still evident. The man sighed before bending down near her face, the scent of lavender tickling her nose. Never had she despised that smell as much as she did in that moment. "Still not going to give in Leader of the Dragons?"

Yona looked over at him, her eyes burning with rage. This caused the man to get closer to her, a slight hint of anger setting into his calm face. The princess liked that look, it showed him slightly unravelling.

"Answer me." He hissed through a semi-smiling face. This caused Yona to smirk before spitting in his face. The man jumped back, wiping his face to clean her saliva from it.

"Lord Kage." One soldier called out in concern, but he merely lifted his hand to silence him. Clearing his throat and taking a breath, the man returned to a smile.

"It seems you need another night with Miren to change your opinion on the matter." He tried his best not to growl. "Make sure she has no food. Do not do any permanent damage to her body.. Worst comes to worst, I can sell her for profit… A Leader of Dragon's would be a prize to bed for the noblemen." He mentioned as if informing the Princess of her future. She could see Miren smiling erotically as he looked her up and down. The things going through his mind were best left unspoken.

"Miren… No permanent damage." Kage repeated causing the creepy monster of a man to bow before his master.

"Yes, Your Greatness." His response sent shivers down Yona's spine as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Without another word the group of men left the room, the loud clank of the iron doors bringing slight relief to her. Still, even though she was alone, her body continued to shake from fear and pain. She fought to keep her anxiety under control and to get prepared for another battle… A battle of mind and endurance.

"Joo-doh… Joo-doh shogun…" The calm voice of the King called out capturing the Sky Tribe General's attention.

"What?" He asked gruffly only to have a cup of tea set in front of him.

"Village style teas are always very interesting, aren't they?" The king said nonchalantly as he smelled the aroma wafting from his cup. Joo-Doh merely looked down at the drink.

"Ah…"

Has she had anything to drink today? I doubt it… I doubt she would take it even if they give it to her… Are they torturing her? Is her small body being beaten as I just sit here? What are they doing to her right now? Unconsciously, his grip tightened around the tea cup, his heart picking up speed. He wanted to go there.. He wanted to go there this moment.

"Joo-doh?" Soo-Won's voice held slight concern, almost clearing the man's mind. Looking up, he could see his king.. The man he had sworn to protect…

Protecting his majesty is my duty… I can't abandon my loyalty to my king… I'll go there tonight… I can't leave his majesty during the day…

"Are we just going to sit around drinking tea all day or are we going to get stuff done?" The Sky General asked, his usual nagging personality coming into play. The king laughed, airheadedly, before taking a sip of his tea.

"We are assessing our surroundings. At times it's nice to just blend in and get a feel for a village. It might be troublesome for you, but please bear with it for a while longer." The blonde-headed man explained as he watched children play. The little boys with a smaller little girl laughed just outside the restaurant where they sat. They reminded Joo-Doh of the three of them, Hak, Yona, and Soo-Won. Who would have known that life would change their paths so much?

Thank you…

Her small weak voice echoed in his mind causing Joo-Doh to set his cup down with a loud clank.

"I'm going to investigate the area. Gin, stay with King Soo-Won… Don't let him sneak off without you." He ordered before walking out of the restaurant. Soo-Won just watched him leave, in deep thought.

Get a grip… Get a grip on yourself… Right now you aren't the masked man… Right now you are General Joo-Doh of the Sky Tribe… Your duty is to protect the king. Don't think about her… Don't think about her….

He scolded himself as he punched the side of a building in the alleyway. Breathing heavily, the man leaned his head against the building he just hit.

Night… Please hurry….

Water… The essential fluid for survival, who knew it could be this brutal… this terrifying. Yona struggled to catch even a single breath as anxiety filled her entire body. The wet cloth that was covering her face petrified her. She couldn't scream even if she wanted to. She couldn't calm her racing heart as she fought to remain conscious as another round of water flooded the cloth and her nose. Her body writhed around against the restraints that had her bound, desperate to get away, desperate for air.

"Miren! That's enough! Let her breathe. Our goal is torture, not killing her." Rine's loud voice filled the room as the cloth flung off of her face. Her body lurched in forceful coughs as it forced the liquid from her airway. The world around her was blurry as she fought to catch her breath. Her lungs burned from the stress, her eyes stinging from either the water or her tears, she wasn't sure.

"Rine… You're no fun.. It's good to make her feel death's door every once in a while." He hummed as his bony hand caressed her wet hair and face. Yona didn't have the strength to move away. All of her focus was the beautiful feeling of inhaling oxygen. "Today's torture segment is with breathing… Since we have to give her body time to heal I thought this session would be just as brutally amazing. Don't you think, Dragon Lady?"

The Princess didn't say anything as he tightened the ropes on her wrists and her feet. She lay there, soaked and shivering, completely vulnerable to whatever attack he had in store.

It's okay… It's okay… I'll be okay…

She watched as he took out a feathers from a small box and handed one to Rine.

"I guarantee she will love this one, Rine." He hissed in the most gleeful tone as he placed the feather gently up against her skin. Yona fought back a shriek as the tingling sensation flew through her side.

"No… Don't." She gasped as she tried to fight back a laugh. It was to no avail. Forced laughter left her body, her lungs instantly feeling as if they were going aflame. Tears fell from her eyes as she gasped for air through the overwhelming tickling sensation. The man was very skilled at this… Too skilled. She couldn't even muster a scream. The pain intensified with every inhale as her body shook against the table which she was retrained. Yona closed her eyes as she heard the sound of her laughter filling the room. She couldn't even feel herself breathing anymore.. Was she breathing? Was she dying?

No! No! Make it stop! Please Someone…. PLEASE!

She thought as her consciousness faded.

Hello everyone! Sorry this chapter is kind of short, but I wanted to give you guys a little something tonight, even if it was small. I've been busy with multiple stories both on here and my originals on fictionpress (same username btw if you want to check them out). Anyways, I didn't want to leave this one hanging around without an update. I will try and update another chapter in the next few days for you guys! Thanks for reading, reviewing, faving, and following! It makes me so happy to hear from you guys! J

See you next time!