The party of travelers came back just as the light outside was beginning to darken. Rensa had spent the day gathering herbs and fruits from the nearby trees that had not been harvested yet. She had also built a large fire pit into the ground near her hut, with enough space that the men could encamp around it. She had just gotten a fire started when they returned, laughing and talking amongst themselves.

"What's all this?" Yun asked when he spotted her sitting by the flames.

"I was hoping to make your stay as comfortable as possible. This was all I could do for you." She gestured to the fire and to the basket of food beside her.

"Thanks." He said as he walked around her to inspect her findings. "You guys have some good herbs around here. Are there any animals?"

"Yes, we get many herds of deer and flocks of birds around this time of year, because the fruit trees have ripened." The villagers did hunt the animals, but only on the last day of the Harvest, to ensure they would have enough meat to last the winter.

"Jae-ha, want to catch something for dinner?" Yun called out to the tall man.

"Sure, what did you have in mind?" He asked as he leisurely made his way over to them.

Was he a hunter? He did not carry any weapons, like a bow or spear to catch the animals.

"Anything you can find." Yun replied.

Rensa then watched something that shocked her more than anything she had seen that day. Jae-ha got a running start and then leaped into the air. He soared high into the sky and then dropped somewhere far into the trees. Her mouth dropped open and she felt like her eyes were going to pop right out. He could fly?!

"It amazes me everytime I see it." Yona sighed happily and sat on the other side of Rensa.

She couldn't come up with anything to say. Should she ask them just who they were? What Jae-ha was? Normal people did not fly right off the ground.

"He just likes to show off." Hak mumbled as she sat across the fire from them.

"W-wha?" She finally managed to breathe out.

Zeno laughed. "Zeno thinks Miss Rensa is too shocked to speak."

They all looked at her.

"Right, I supposed normal people aren't used to seeing people flying." Yun said as he set up a large cooking pot above the fire.

What did he mean by that? Were they all not normal? They all appeared to be, though she guessed she couldn't tell if they were hiding other abilities just based on their appearances. They all had their quirks, that was for sure. Kija and Hak bickered with each other, Shin-ah sat watching Ao play around in the dirt. At least that is what she thought he was doing, she couldn't tell through the mask he wore.

Yun was making something that already smelled delicious and Yona and Zeno were happily sitting there watching the others.

"What did Yun mean? Are you people not normal?" She finally managed to ask.

Yona giggled. "No, I supposed we aren't." She did not elaborate.

Rensa knew better than to pry but she was suddenly curious. "Can all of you fly?"

"The Green Dragon does not fly. He simply jumps." Zeno said.

Rensa couldn't believe how casually he spoke such strange words. What had he meant by Green Dragon? Was that a nickname because his hair was green, and he appeared to fly like a dragon?

"Have you ever heard of the legend of the Crimson Dragon?" Yona asked thoughtfully, like she was getting ready to tell an amazing story.

"No?" Rensa struggled to be polite due to her shock and confusion.

The others quieted and Yun continued cooking as Yona began a beautiful story about a red dragon who wanted to become human because he loved them, and about white, blue, green, and yellow dragons who gifted amazing abilities upon four worthy human warriors to protect the Crimson Dragon King. Then when the king and all the dragon warriors had passed on, a new generation of dragon warriors were born. The bloodline was passed through generations as the warriors awaited the return of their beloved Crimson Dragon.

"That's just a legend though, a story from a long time ago, right?" Rensa asked doubtfully. She didn't know what she knew.

"It's more than that." Yona said. "The dragon warriors are here, still waiting for their king to return." She smiled at three of her friends specifically. Kija, Shin-ah, and Zeno.

Rensa could not believe what she was hearing. The Dragon Warriors were there with her? Characters from a new story before her very eyes? Was Jae-ha the fourth? Was that why their hair resembled the colors from the story? White, Blue, Green, and Yellow? What were the abilities they possessed if the Green Dragon was the one who could fly? Or… Jump?

"I've brought them together to protect me. I have had a long, hard journey, learning how to survive after spending all my life being served with a silver platter." Yona was nonchalant, like her words were just passing thoughts she was saying out loud. "And I am thankful. I've never had better friends than the ones I have found along the way."

"It is our pleasure to follow you, Princess!" Kija stood and bowed before her.

Yona just giggled at his antics.

"Sit down, White Snake." Hak ordered and narrowly dodged a punch aimed at his face.

Jae-hae returned the same way he had gone. He dropped from the sky, landing a short distance away from them, carrying a large bird.

"Yay! Zeno loves stewed goose!" He laughed excitedly.

Jae-ha handed the dead animal over to Yun and then sat alone between Rensa and Hak. "What did I miss?"

"Your little show startled the newcomer." Hak accused.

"Really?" Jae-ha's pitying eyes swiveled back to Rensa and she huffed.

When had she become part of their group? This was the only time they had spoken extensively… aside from Jae-ha's judging observations.

"I was not startled. It was just something I had never seen before." She pointedly defended herself.

"She does not believe in the Four Dragon Warriors." Zeno said with a hidden humor in his tone.

Jae-ha chuckled in understanding.

How did he know she didn't believe the story? Was that his abnormal power? Reading minds? "I never said I didn't believe... It's just a story, and new, and your group is strange." She muttered her excuses.

They erupted into a knowing laughter and Rensa couldn't help but feel embarrassed.

By the time Yun was finished cooking dinner, it was dark outside and the people were lit by the flickering flames of the fire. She could make out the faint chattering as the villagers returned home for the night. None of them came to bother the visitors, though she was sure they must have known they would be with her.

"Why don't you help with the Harvest?" Yun asked when he finally had the chance to sit down after serving everyone else first, he had even scooped some delicious smelling stew into a bowl for her to eat.

"I am incapable of providing my efforts." Rensa sighed.

Her mouth began to water. It had been a long time since she had the opportunity to eat fresh meat. She sipped on the broth and decided it tasted better than it smelled. Yun had a gift for combining the right herbs into something amazing.

"Thanks for the food Yun!" Yona called out and began to eat as well.

"You aren't treated very well." Hak announced his thoughts from across the fire. "The other villagers treat you like you're worthless."

Rensa wondered if Jae-ha had spoken to his friends about her situation, though he did not know her story, or if they were Hak's own observations. Before she could put together words, Yona spoke.

"You treat yourself like you're worthless too." Her voice was soft, though everyone heard her. "Why?"

The fire crackled in the sudden silence.

They were strangers, yet they read her like they knew her. She wasn't sure if she appreciated that fact.

"I suppose you are right about all that." She mumbled.

It was Shin-ah who answered Yona's second question with three simple words. "You were hurt."

She gaped at him. How did he know? She wore long dresses so no one would notice, they would only see her limping with a crutch.

"What is he talking about?" Yun turned his searching eyes on Rensa like he had earlier when he was checking her for injuries.

She pursed her lips and pulled her dress up past her knee, revealing where her leg had been cut off.

Some gasps whispered around the fire, and someone asked what they were all thinking. "What happened?"

She could not process who had asked the question, and she did not want to remember what changed her life forever. "I was injured in an accident, and then I got sick. This was the only way they could save me." She whispered. Though what was supposed to be saving her was actually her condemnation. The people who once fought for her to live were long gone, and now the village wanted her gone too.

Conversation after her reveal was sparse. They ate in silence, and then Rensa gathered up her crutch to stand and walk to the house, ignoring several offers of help to get her back on her foot. They were treating her differently already. Just like the rest.

Yona followed her, matching her slow pace.

Rensa crawled into bed, and Yona got comfortable with a blanket on the floor, surrounded by her companions' things.