Chapter 7

Yona shivered as she fought back the images that haunted her every sleeping moment. Her eyes were blood shot from lack of sleep and rest. She sat, curled up in a corner while trying to drown out the sounds of her screaming companions. Bright light nearly blinded her as the cell door opened with a loud clink.

"It looks like you have had a wonderful night, Princess Yona." Kage's mocking voice called out causing Yona to just glare at him. Although, it was obvious that she was at her wits end. She silently cursed herself as she could feel her spirit wavering. She didn't want to go through another night of torture. She didn't want to hear their screams of agony or feel the piercing stinging pain of lashes across her back. She hated the sight of water or even the, usually refreshing, feeling of it sliding down her dry, stinging throat. She wanted to be free, but being free meant betraying her friends and herself.

They will come for me… I know they will…. I can't give in….

"You know why I'm here. Have you changed your mind my stubborn wife-to-be?" He asked causing Yona to glare at him once again.

"I told you I am never giving in to you." She managed to say, although her throat still stung as if a thousand needles were piercing the inside.

"I see…. You still will not give in huh?" Kage's voice was clearly annoyed as he turned his back to her. "What do I have to do to break you?" His tone almost sounded rhetorical before he turned to her torturer.

"Give her the dose again. Make it even worse, but don't break her mind. I still need her to perform her duties. Push her to the brink. I want her on her knees begging to be release in two days."

"Yes, my Lord. It will be my utmost pleasure." The snake like voice of her torturer agreed causing Yona's entire body to stiffen unconsciously.

"But.. Let me strongly remind her. I don't want a scar on her and I don't want her mind broken. And do not dare kill her. If you do, then you will pay the consequences." The Princess watched as Miren shrunk back into the shadows. A soft 'Yes, my Lord.' Could barely be heard. Kage returned his attention to the Princess who had somehow managed to control her shivering body.

"This is your last chance, Princess. If you do not approve of our marriage by tomorrow, the I will give Miren full range to do whatever he wants with you. I will let him break you, and then you can become my puppet." Yona stopped breathing for a moment when seeing the intensity in his eyes. He looked as if he were a vicious lion about to devour his prey. With those words, he left the room. His aura angry and face in a stern scowl.

You will be mine, Princess Yona, Leader of the Dragons.

…..

The healer studied the vial closely as he looked through an old worn out book. Multiple sighs were the only thing that could be heard coming from him, as a darkened look adorned his weathered old face.

"What were the symptoms again, Young sir?" His raspy voice asked as he looked up at his somewhat impatient customer leaning against the wall.

"Nightmares, Hallucinations, Haunting Memories… Worst fears..." His direct response caused the man to simply nod and return his attention to the book on his desk.

"Memories of a past event that traumatized them, Worst fears being played out before the poisoned persons eyes, inability to rest for a moment before being struck with terrifying images and nightmares. The poisoned one screams, shivers, runs a high fever, can't sleep, has frequent panic attacks. Can result in person taking his/her own life, heart attacks, losing their mind, and night terrors for the rest of their lifetime. Does this sound about right?" Joo-doh nodded at this information before the old man sighed and closed the book with a soft clap. Taking off his spectacles, the healer stared straight into the Sky General's eyes.

"The poison that you have acquired is made of a rare toxin called Xenorine. Since the poison is so rare, not much information is known about where it is made from and what properties it has. Due to this, there is no cure for this poison. The effect is supposed to fade overtime, but still has relapses from time to time, usually in the form of night terrors. It is a method of torture, used mainly for prisoners that they intend to kill. I don't know much else about it. I apologize." The Healer informed causing Joo-Doh to look down and the ground, his fists tightening.

"But sir, wherever you must have acquired this poison from cannot be a safe location. You must be very careful, especially during this timeframe. War is at our doorstep and the Kai empire is no easy empire to defeat, even with the separation. If someone you know is trapped in Kai, I would get them out as soon as possible."

"I know this already." Joo-Doh's voice was stern as if to silence the man from pointing out something so obvious. "Old man.. How many poison sessions could a person take before going crazy?"

The healer was silent a moment as if in deep thought.

"For a man your size, I'd say four would be the max. For a small, young female… I'd say she would be on the brink of losing her mind by the second dose. But it all depends on the persons spirit." Joo-doh didn't say anything as he laid down a few yin coins on the mans table and left the building.

Two doses… If she gets one more dose tonight… That would…. Fuck… FUCK!

The Sky General walks through the village, his mind clearly far from where he was supposed to be protecting. As if in a trance, Joo-Doh finds himself at the edge of the village looking out at the mountain in the distance.

"Joo-Doh, take care of my son. If he so much as gets a scratch on his face, you will be getting it." Yu-Hon semi-joked while punching his arm.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to him, sir. He's the future king after all. I know he will be a great king." Joo-Doh responded while seeing the big wide eyes of the three year old Soo-Won look up at him. Yu-Hon laughed at this.

"Yes, He will be. The greates king of all Kouka History… Well, besides his old man of course." Joo-Doh held Soo-Won's tiny hand in his as he thought of who this little life would one day become.

"Soo-Won? King?" He said in slight confusion causing Joo-Doh to kneel down before his little master.

"Yes, You will be quite the king. Lord Soo-Won." The young man couldn't help but smile when seeing this tiny child's face light up.

"Yay! King! King!" Soo-Won yelled in glee while jumping up and down in a clumsy fashion.

'I will always protect you.' The young man thought to himself as he caught the little boy who had tripped mid-jump. 'I will.'

Joo-Doh sat down on a large rock, a somber sigh escaping his lungs.

I always promised I would protect him, no matter the cost or situation. Yet,….. I want to save her. I want to free her….

"I don't think I've ever seen you this way." A familiar voice caught his attention as he turned and saw Soo-Won standing beside him.

"Well this is a first, you actually coming to find me." The Sky General mumbled while standing up only to have Soo-Won flash one of his glowing smiles.

"I guess there are first for everything." The King stated before sitting down on the rock next to where Joo-Doh was standing.

"I actually came to talk with you… It has come to my attention that people have been captured from this village from Kai soldiers…. But you already knew this didn't you?" The General jumped slightly at this before looking back towards the mountain.

"…. I'm the king of Kouka kingdom. I cannot go across the border without an appropriate reason. This leaves me somewhat powerless and unable to save people… It is very frustrating at times…. But… Just because I am not able to doesn't mean that someone else cannot go in my stead to investigate." Soo-Won looks up at Joo-Doh who is standing stiff as a board.

"What are you saying?" He finally managed to say, causing Soo-Won to just continue to smile.

Shit. I can never tell what he is thinking with that cheerful poker face of his…

"I'm saying that I need eyes in Kai. I need someone trained to infiltrate the prison and rescue those who are suffering unjustly…. Someone who has already been doing this for days now." At this the General hung his head.

"You knew?" Soo-Won laughed ever so slightly and nodded.

"I knew the first day. It isn't like you to disappear at night without first talking with me. I figured that this must be something very important.. Something that I couldn't do." Standing up, Soo-Won places a soft hand on his companion's shoulder.

"I give you full reign to complete your mission. But, if something happens to you, and you are discovered, Kouka will not acknowledge or help you. So be careful." As he says this he begins walking off.

"Your Highness, I can't-"

"Joo-Doh Shogun… This is an order… Please… Save the person that I can never save…" Joo-Doh's eyes widen when hearing this. "I'll be fine for a while without you as my bodyguard…. I have already given you full reign and freedom to do what you need to do. Think of the smartest way and save her… for me."

Soo-Won didn't say anything, nor did he turn around, instead he continued walking down the path back towards the village. Joo-Doh stood there quietly, processing everything.

He knew… all along…

"Joo-Doh, when I grow up I want to be strong like you!" The tiny voice of his master rang through his ears.

"Hah…. You have grown even stronger than me, King Soo-Won…" The Sky Tribe General mumbled to himself. "Thank you…."

…

The Princess' heart wrenching screams caused the guards outside of her door to shift uncomfortably. She could hear the muffled laughter of Miren who had just injected her with the poison, her mind already becoming hazy.

No! No! Please! Don't! Not again! I can't take this again! Her mind screamed, but couldn't voice as she fell into another horror filled nightmare began.

She was surrounded in a room of flames. The silhouettes of her friends circled around her like shadows on a wall.

"No… No…. RUN! YOU ARE ALL IN DANGER! RUN!" She screamed only to see Yun's silhouette light up. He was smiling at her.

"Yona, You look weak. Have you been eating properly? I'm worried about you." His kind voice caused Yona to ease up for a moment as she goes to take a step towards him. Only to realize that ever step she took, he would move that much farther away.

"Yun, Please come towards me! Please!" She says while starting to run only to fall onto the ground. The silhouettes still the same distance from her as before.

"I miss you so much… Please come home." Yona watches in horror, as Yun takes out a cooking knife from his bag and lifts it right above his arm. "Will you come home if I hurt myself, I wonder."

"YUN! NO! I'M RIGHT HERE! PLEASE!"

Her please fell on deaf ears as she watched him slit his wrist, blood flowing out from his hand. He continued this, slitting all the way up his forearm.

"Oh look… I'm bleeding so much…" He mumbled while laughing emotionlessly. Then looking up, he made eye contact with her. "Farewell, Yona."

"NO!" As Yona took off towards him, his body disappeared behind the silhouette which was now that of a lifeless corpse.

"I guess it is my turn then, Princess Yona." Ki-Ja's voice called causing her to turn around and see him directly across from Yun's silhouette.

"Ki-Ja!" The White Dragon didn't stop smiling either as he looked at his clawed hand.

"I have failed you. I have allowed you to endure so much suffering. I, the dragon supposed to save you, I apologize, Princess." Yona watched as hundreds of angry souls latch onto his back.

"Ki-Ja Look Out!" She screamed only to watch his arms and legs be torn from him as he stays there still as a statue, accepting his fate.

"NO!" The princess collapses to the ground as his body disappears into the shadows.

"Yona." Shin-Ah's soft voice captured her attention. She slowly turns to her left to see him standing there. His mask is taken off of his face and now on the ground. Two burning sticks are in his hands.

"I can't find you with these eyes. I can't find you…."

"Shin-ah…. Don't… I'm Right here! SHIN-AH PLEASE!" Yona screamed as he lifted the burning sticks to his eyes. She watched in horror as he plunged the sticks into his eyes. He didn't scream instead he just stood there as the smoldering hot mix of blood and fire practically melted the rest of his face. The Princess felt as if she couldn't breath as the floor beneath her filled with water. She looked to her right only to see Jae-Ha standing there. He has his dragon foot tied to an anchor and is sinking into the depths of the ocean. Yona wants to scream out. She wants to tell him to break the rope that binds him, but she can't breathe. She just watches as Jae-Ha reaches out his hand and smiles. A smile that says, 'I finally found you, Yona-Chan.'

In an instant the water vanishes and she lays there, wet and coughing from the water that is in her lungs.

"Yona….." The Princess' eyes constrict when hearing his voice.

"No.. Not again… I can't… I can't…"

"You don't have to look at me. Not that you can see me anyways… I heard that you have died… That I have failed to protect you." Yona wouldn't move as she listened to him speak. She couldn't look up. She couldn't move. She didn't want to see it.

"I… failed… The only thing that I feel I can do now is give you… what you have always had."

"Hak, Please!" The Princess pleaded only to hear a loud thud hit the ground. Her entire body trembled as she collapsed onto the ground screaming and coughing and screaming some more.

"WAKE UP! PLEASE WAKE UP YONA!" She told herself only to feel someone tap her on her shoulder. The Princess lifted her eyes, instantly regretting her decision. Standing before her was Yun, his arms cut up and dripping blood.

"Found you." He said, his voice weak. Yona sat up only to have something fall into her lap. She let out a scream as the remaining battered parts of Ki-Ja's body lay bloody in her lap.

"Princess Yona… I am overjoyed to know you are safe."

"I can feel you. You are alive." Shin-ah's soft voice said as she looked up to see his eyes completely bare, and face half-melted off.

The clinking of chains could be heard as Yona looks over to see Jae-Ha, purple in color walks up falls down before her. He doesn't say anything, but his face says it all.

'You're safe, Yona-Chan. Thank goodness."

The Princess can hardly grasp what she is seeing as loud footsteps approach closer. She looks straight ahead of her to see Hak kneel before her.

"For you, Princess." He says before lifting extending his hand and showing his heart in his hands.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" The Princess screams with all of her might before feeling something firm smack her across the face.

"Wake up, Princess. I can't have you dying on me." Miren's cold voice ordered as Yona slowly came too. It was then that she realized that she was completely soaked with water and that her arms had cuts on them, but not deep enough to kill. Her eyes stung as if she had salt in them, making it hard for her to see.

"Isn't this form of torture even better?" Miren boasted while letting out a cackle. "Let me guess, you saw someone kill themselves with blades cutting their wrists, a person burning out their eyes, a man drowning, along with many other horrible things…. This is all my doing. Haha! And It's only going to get worse. This was only… the first dream."

…..

Here is the next chapter. Okay, so I know that this torture scene is not as detailed as the last one, and some might say that it isn't as torturous. What I'm trying to add is the horrible feeling of guilt along with pain of seeing her friends kill themselves… Being unable to do anything at all as they willingly take their own lives as a sort of repentance from allowing her to "die". I was super happy to be able to write a Soo-Won/Joo-Doh moment. I hope you guys liked it! We will be entering the next phase soon. I'm really looking forward to it! I hope you guys are too! Thank you guys for all of your reviews and support.