He could hear her splashing in the water. She had been quiet since she had gotten in. He would have preferred their usual banter- if there was any time he needed a distraction, it was now.

"Aren't you cold by now?" he asked idly, sitting down against the wall.

"Stop worrying about the temperature. They'll bring up more water for you if you ring." He chuckled.

"You wound me, Princess, thinking my motivations for asking so selfish. I merely worry about your well-being." She did not rise to his baiting, which was strange, for her. He fidgeted- drastic measures would have to be taken. "You are so quiet tonight, Hime. Shall I come check on you?" Her immediate gasp brought a grin to his face. He could almost hear her scowl.

"You wouldn't dare."

"Hime, it's nothing I haven't seen before." That was true. "Not at all arousing." Now, that was both a half-truth and a bold-faced lie. There was nothing sexy about her bare skin when he had seen it before- the times when she was in danger, injured, or needed help. In those moments, nothing but her safety occupied his thoughts. There were other nights, though…. Nights where she drew him towards her like a moth to a flame. Nights when she mesmerized him, unknowingly tested every inch of his resolve and self-restraint. Nights he almost kissed her. Nights when they were safe, just enjoying each other's company, when urgency and danger were put on hold for a few hours' time. Nights like those celebrations in Awa and in Senri. Nights like this one.

"You're terrible."

"Honesty is important in all close relationships," he volleyed back.

"Are we close?" He froze. Those words brought him swiftly back to the last time she had asked almost that very same question.

"That's a… a ridiculous question." Then, in an attempt not to be a jerk, he added, "We've been travelling together for months. Leading a life we never could have imagined. There's not much closer to get," he added as an afterthought, trying to recover his scattering thoughts about how much closer they could get.

"I guess not." Her silence was beginning to unnerve him. Unfortunately, she continued the unusual reticence through the rest of her bath, the servant's exchange of bath water, and Hak's own bath. He scoured his body quickly, dallying just enough so that she would be asleep by the time he was done. Neither of them needed to be distracted tonight. It would be a terrible night to complicate things- they needed to be at their sharpest tomorrow.

When he redressed and stepped out, the sight of her curled up on the bed made him snort. Despite her insistence that he did not need to sleep on the floor, she takes up whole bed. Stifling a chuckle, he sits down on the floor, next to the door, pushing his back up against the wall. Spear at his fingertips, he let his eyes close, listening to his heart. It was annoyingly loud, and quicker than usual.

"Do you always sleep like that, when you aren't with me?" Hak cracked an eyelid- the princess was awake, peering out from the blankets at him. "With a weapon in hand?"

"You'd fall on it, if I brought it with me."

"Aren't you worried about falling on it?" Her curiousity makes him grin.

"Nope." Her eyes narrowed, and Hak felt obliged to return her gaze, despite the urge to look away. They were quiet for a long moment. Then Yona sat up, tapping the space next to her.

"Leave it there and come here."

The casual order make Hak's pulse thunder in his ears. For all their innocence, they rang with a familiarity- an understanding- that had been growing more and more between them. Somehow, it had become the norm for him to sleep by her side, so much so that now she was going to insist he come to her. He could feel his cheeks warm, and thanked whatever gods there were that it was dim in the room- she probably wouldn't even notice.

"Hard to protect you without a weapon." Her short, exasperated breath brought a smile to his lips.

"Then bring it, if you aren't worried about me falling on it," she muttered. He laughed.

"I'll leave it out of your reach."

"Nice to see you've thought of everything." Her sniping made it easier for him to approach her, to roll onto the bed, to lie down, and then to turn towards her.

"Always, Hime," he chuckled, his face inches from hers. Her eyes were wide- maybe, for the first time, realizing how close they would be on the small bed. It was true that she and Yun probably would have easily fit- but that was not going to be the case with Hak. Had she really not realized? She would feel silly rescinding her offer now, but the last thing he wanted was for her to be uncomfortable. He quickly propped his head up on his hand, creating some small amount of distance between their faces. "You should sleep." Yona smiled.

"I'm not the only one," she retorted. The princess curled up, putting her head in the space under his arm. "You need to rest, too." There it was- the hint of concern that made him want to take her into his arms and not let go. He stayed still.

"Good night, Hime."

She stopped shifting around, and soon the only sounds he was aware of were her breath and his heart. It had been silly to lie down next to her- he was tense, so tense he was a little worried that he would fall off the bed and onto his own spear. What a way to go. Jae-ha would drag him back from the dead to laugh at him. Then Yona spoke again.

"Are you worried about the plan?"

"No," he lied. She was quiet. "Are you? "

"Of course I am," she retorted. Then her voice fell. "Hak…. we are going to see him." He looked up at the ceiling as she sat up.

"I know."

"We are going to ask him for help." He swallowed a bitter lump in his throat. Somehow, he had managed to put all of this out of his mind. Not the tactics and plans themselves, but all that emotional meaning? He would rather it stay tucked away in the back of his mind.

"I know."

"He'll have guards and-"

"Maybe." Hak really was not too concerned about bodyguards in general. She was still trying to catch his eye.

"-we don't know what he'll do."

Maybe Yona thought they didn't, but Hak knew.

At least, he thought he did. Last time they came across each other, the Sky Tribe would have had his blood spilled across the dirt if Soo-woon had not called them off. Hak had wondered, for a brief moment, if Soo-woon had interfered out of affection- but it had been because of the dragons standing by his side.

Without their presence, the situation would have turned into a bloodbath, with the Wind Clan pulled in on top of everything else. Now they were going to go, without that assurance, that backup.

Soo-woon would want his head. It was not a thought Hak wanted to entertain.

But then there was Awa.

When Yona and Soo-won crossed paths, and he let her go. As far as Hak knew, as much as he could discern on such short notice, Soo woon had concealed Yona's presence from his men. He had protected her.

But Hak could not pretend he knew what the king was thinking anymore. Did he have some longer end game in mind? Did he have another plan Hak could not discern?

He wanted to absolve his old friend- somehow, another story would emerge, one that made sense.

To dwell on such possibilities was foolish, even dangerous.

Soo-won had always been good at surprising him. Hak would have to be ready for anything.

"Hak," Yona solemnly broke through his musings. "You came all this way, you don't have to- to-" She steeled herself. "To come with me. To do anything about this." It seemed that she had taken his silence as hesitancy.

"Oh Princess," he chuckled darkly. "As I'd have a choice-" She took that the wrong way.

"Oh, Hak- of course you do!" Her obvious reluctance shifts to earnest concern. "I couldn't ever order you to do this, not when-" Sighing, he turned towards her. Now he had done it.

"Princess-" She held her hands up.

"No, no, I know what you are going to say-"

"I-"

"It would be selfish of me to ask anything more of you-"

"It's not-"

"If you tell me to order you, I-" He reached for her.

"Yona!" He was not sure if it was the sound of her name or his hands on her shoulders that quieted them both for a moment. "It's okay." He ran his thumbs along her sleeves gently. "I'll be there." He cocked his head, smirking at her. "You are a terrible listener sometimes."

"Only sometimes?" He chuckled. She picked up the corner of his vest, and fiddled with it, her eyes fixed on it. "Why are you doing this? You do everything for my father as he asked, and he would not want this."

"I think he would want you to chose peace. To pursue it, in a time of war, is very much something King Il would have wanted," he responded softly.

"But he would not want me here."

"You, on the front lines? No, probably not." Definitely not. He was not too fond of it himself.

"Hak…"

"…. Princess?" She stiffened in his hands, and turned her face up to his. Her face had changed- grown somber and determined.

"You will always follow me because of my father's orders," she said, her voice sounding unusually hard and rehearsed. "You are loyal, you are good- you have made good on that promise." These were all good things, so why did he suddenly feel so shaken?

"I-" She held a hand and he fell silent.

"Hak…." She reached for the pendant around his neck. The promise of good fortune. "Hak, I release you from your vow to my father."