Rensa's P.O.V.

It had taken her a long time to crawl over to a tree, and then even longer to struggle to her foot. Her hands were still bound and were starting to swell. She studied the distance between the tree she used for balance and the next tree she needed to make her way to if she was going to fight her way back to the village.

After wallowing in her self-pity for a while, she decided to get up and get herself out of the tough situation. She was going back to the village and was going to fight if they wanted to get rid of her again. She no longer wanted to live in the background. She wanted them to know she was there, and know she was strong, and know she wanted to help and support them. And she wanted to see Jae-ha. She wanted him to tell her more stories, and she wanted to see the world more like he did. Even where she was alone among the trees, once she was up and trying to get back, she noticed the trees were vibrant shades of green with velvety-rough trunks, and the sun made the wild grass seem to dance in the warm light. It was beautiful. She wished she could share it with him. So she made the leap and hopped on one foot, tripping over a rock and stumbling into the next tree. She groaned, making it back on foot was going to take an exhaustingly long time.

She did not know how far she had gone by the time the sun was high in the sky and heading towards the evening hours, but strange sounds made her paused in her endeavors. There were many snaps of twigs breaking and leaves rustling. She gasped and sunk down, hoping to hide from whatever was coming. She covered her mouth to keep from breathing too loud and wriggled yourself around the tree to keep herself out of sight. Her leg was sore and her whole body hurt from the way she had been tossed around and dropped. She could not feel her hands anymore because of the tight rope cutting off the blood flow to her hands, which were a purplish color.

"You said she was here." A familiar high pitched voice accused. "Where is she."

"I swear, this was where we left her this morning. Or at least somewhere around here." One of the male voices she had heard from that morning replied defensively.

She gasped again when she realized the villagers were looking for her. What were they going to do? Were they going to hurt her? She curled up and prayed she would not be noticed.

"Zeno does not see anyone. Is it possible the girl was taken by others?"

Rensa paused in her panic. Zeno was there? Why was he with a villager? She carefully moved to peek around the trunk to see if she could catch a glimpse of the group, but could not see them from where she sat.

"There are no other towns for hundreds of miles."

Another loud sound crashed in front of her, followed by a thump. She whipped back around and saw familiar dark blue fabric and white boots. She raised her eyes and found Jae-ha standing in front of her.

She smiled with relief and allowed herself to relax against the tree trunk.

Shin-ah was also sitting on the ground with his bottom lip pushed out in a pout. Glancing between the two men, Rensa guessed Jae-ha had been carrying him and dropped him when they hit the ground.

"How did you guys find me?" She asked softly.

Jae-ha crouched in front of her. "We had a villager lead us, and then Shin-ah was the one who saw you." He replied just as soft as her, and carefully held out a hand for her to take, as if afraid to scare her, or that she would reject him. She raised both hands to rest her palm against his and his fingers curled around her hand. With his other hand he slid a blade from his sleeve and cut the rope from around her hands

"Are you alright?" He inquired, looking her up and down for injuries.

"Yes. But I can't stand anymore. I need your help." She whispered as she stared right into his eyes.

A soft smile played at the edges of his lips as he slipped his arms around her back and under her legs. He lifted her with him as he stood. She was comfortable and felt safe in his strong arms she knew could lift her with ease. Her head started to hurt and her eyes began to droop closed, not wanting to open when she tried to force them too. Suddenly exhausted, she rested her head against his shoulder and quickly fell asleep.

When she woke up, she wasn't sure what time it was and it took her rubbing her eyes to see clearly to let her know that she was back at home. The only difference from the norm was the crowded room. Jae-ha sat next to her with Yona's head laying in his lap.

Kija and Shin-ah were asleep sitting up by the door and Yun was laying on the floor next to a sprawled out Zeno, where Yona usually slept. She tried to shift into a sitting position but her body protested with sharp, sore pains, so she stayed laying wrapped in several warm blankets.

Jae-ha stirred next to her and opened eyes that were droopy with tiredness. He brushed his bangs away from the one eye they covered and tilted his head to look at her. He seemed surprised when he found her watching him.

"Good Morning." She greeted quietly, as to not wake the others.

"'Morning." He mumbled back. "How long have you been awake?"

"Just for a few minutes." She replied. "I was disoriented. I'm glad to be home though. Thanks for saving me." Rensa smiled warmly, as she blinked she suddenly saw him in a newer light than before, even though her surroundings were dim. She trusted him, relied on him, and even found him attractive. She liked talking to him, learning about him, and hearing his stories.

He smiled back, though his was more relieved. "I couldn't just let them leave you like that."

Their conversation did wake Yona, who sat up with wild hair that was wilder than normal. She yawned and then greeted Rensa.

"Sorry for waking you."

"That's alright, I think we should all get up now." She called out, effectively pulling her comrades from their slumber as well.

A cacophony of good morning greetings slurred from everyone else and they stood to prepare for the day. Yun groaned as he walked out the door, saying something about getting breakfast ready.

"How are you feeling?" Yona asked.

"Sore, but that was because I was hurt. I'll be-"

She was cut off by Jae-ha slamming a hand against the floor. "They hurt you?!" He demanded.

Surprised she looked him in the eyes again. "Not in the way you're thinking. They just tossed me around, that's all. I landed wrong a few times…" She explained.

Jae-ha growled and glared at the door. "I ought to find them and throw them around."

Yona sighed and placed a firm hand on his shoulder, restraining him, though Rensa knew Jae-ha could easily leave if he wanted to, he was stronger than Yona after all. "Jae-ha was worried about you."

Rensa slowly nodded her understanding.

Yona turned and stared into Jae-ha's eyes, catching his full attention. "I think you should stay here. You can't beat up people without reason-"

"I have a reason, they tried to get rid of her, Yona." He was obviously angry about what had happened to her. Rensa was hurt, but she had made her decision because of the experience, she wished he knew that. He would be less angry if he knew her thoughts.

"That may be, but we brought her back. Unless they try to hurt her again, I don't want you getting into a fight." Yona commanded.

She was silent through their conversation, not wanting to interrupt. She watched them carefully as Jae-ha leaned towards Yona, taking in her words. "Stay here with her."

Jae-ha dropped his gaze, pouting. "Fine."

With that, Yona stood and left.

The girl sounded regal, and like she was meant to command and inspire, it was fascinating to watch the interactions between the Crimson King and the four Dragon Warriors. She wondered how Hak and Yun fit in, though that was just a passing thought.

They sat in silence for long moments, Jae-ha stared at the door and Rensa watched him. She contemplated asking him if he had feelings for Yona, but thought better of it. Then decided to go ahead and ask. "Are you in love with her?"

His attention immediately snapped to her. "With who?"

She was surprised and flattered that he would pay such rapt attention to her. "Yona."

He blinked once before answering. "No. Does it seem like I am?"

"Sometimes, with how you speak so highly of her, and the way you two spoke just now." Rensa explained, feeling a little sheepish… and awkward.

He nodded, as if he could see why she would think such a thing. "As you've probably guessed, she is the Crimson Dragon King of the legends. We Dragon Warriors are bound to her, we are supposed to serve and protect her… Yet she is not weak, and desires to keep us safe too." The smile that spread onto his face was one of fondness. His purple eyes sparked, even through the long fringe that hung to cover the one side. He was attractive, she had thought so when they had first met, that is, before he opened his mouth. The other women in the village had thought so too.

He must have had women falling all over him wherever he went. She hadn't, because she was independant and on top of that didn't like him before she learned to. She briefly remembered how he had flirted with the village women before she literally stumbled into the conversation. He was a flirt and was following a girl. She did not understand how he did not have feelings for her. "How do you know the difference between your connection with her and love?"

He pondered that question for a time, and she let him as she gathered the strength to sit up and shift to lean against the wall.

"Because it's my decision." He said with a finality, he knew the answer and she could tell it was true. "I made the decision to follow her, but I am no servant. I am free to leave, yet I don't want to. It is my decision if I love her, and I don't."

Rensa did not understand what he had gone through to warrant such a firm sense of freedom, but she agreed with where she was coming from. It was his choice, and it was her choice. They were free, even if at times it did not feel like it.

"Why are you suddenly asking me questions like these?" He asked curiously and a little suspiciously, like he suspected her of having feelings for someone. Though his eyes were suddenly guarded and not quite into the teasing. Rensa's eyes narrowed with her own observations.

"I just wanted to know, I guess. I've been asking questions about you since… yesterday?" She did not know what day it was, since her ordeal she was slightly turned around.

"Good point… I haven't asked you anything, have I?" He asked teasingly.

Rensa grinned. "That counts as one."

Jae-ha laughed. "I know that. But can I ask you a few things?" He became serious again.

Rensa nodded, feeling a little anxious, but she was willing to answer honestly.

"What is the story about your leg?"

She should have known that would be the question he would ask, and she was afraid to relive the accident, but would be honest. He would know the whole truth, that's more than most people would know.

They had just completed the harvest and were making preparations to cart the produce to the neighboring towns and villages to sell. Half of the village would stay behind to ensure the safety of their land, and the rest would tour the land to gather supplies for the winter. Rensa laughed as she hopped into one of the carts to sit among the fruit baskets, just behind where her mother and father were controlling the horses.

Her mother giggled at her happiness. "What has got you in such a good mood?"

She selected an apple to toss back and forth between her hands. "This is my favorite time of the year! I love to see how other people are living. We don't meet anyone new and life here can get kind of dull. Besides! I get to help sell the fruits I helped harvest!" She spouted off her reasons in just a few breaths and then placed the bright red apple back into the basket.

Her mother laughed again.

"Rensa, remember we are going to work. We must make the sales so we can survive the winter." Her father interjected. He was down the earth, but enjoyed her happiness.

"I know father, I will do my duties. It's still so exciting though!" She promised before gushing and bouncing even higher to the bounce of the slow moving cart.

Several weeks later they had arrived into the last town they had mapped out, after selling the last few baskets quickly, Rensa and her mother were sent to purchase large buckets of salt and grains to take back to the village. As they were walking out to meet her father, everything happened quickly, too quickly for her to react. Her mother gasped and reached for her, but it was too late. A fast moving cart pulled by stampeding horses swerved and hit her. She crashed to the ground and could hear the snapping sounds of a few bones, but that pain was nothing compared to that of having her leg run over by the wheel. Rensa screamed.

They spent many days in with the town doctor who bandaged her up and watched her carefully. With a mixture of a few herbs, the pain was lessened and she was able to rest well. Her ribs were broken and her leg was too, though the doctor did not know the extent of the damage. There were other villagers from Hoshu in the town, so her father sent them with some goods and a letter to the village chief explaining what had happened.

A few weeks later word was received that they were not to come back until she was healed, or at least stable enough to be transported back to the village. She apologized profusely for being so careless as to get hurt. Apologized because her parents could not return home. And everyday they remained in the town where she was being cared for, the more fear crept into her heart. She was afraid they would not accept her, if the damage was too extensive.

After a few weeks her ribs were healing nicely, it no longer hurt to breathe or move. The doctor, a man named Ha-shi, wanted her to stay until he was sure she was healed. Except, her leg was not healing. There was a constant pain just below her knee, and she could not feel where the rest of her leg attached. They remained in the town for the rest of the month, and then she told her parents she was ready to return home. After receiving the Doctor Ha-shi's permission to leave, with strict instructions that she was to remain in the back of the cart.

The journey was alright until the cold began to move into their path, bringing dust filled wind. They coughed and shivered. By the time they had returned to Hoshu, Rensa was beginning to fall ill. Her parents kept her contained within their home. She was racked with a high fever and coughs, and intense pain radiating from her right leg. Her mother had unwrapped the bandages and found the beginning of an infection. She harvested herbs to make into a poultice, hoping it would help heal. Other villagers also helped, by supplying her family food and homemade medicines. The infection became worse, spreading throughout her leg. After weeks of being sick, her father had sent for the doctor, Ha-shi from the village. He arrived and the diagnosis was… he was not able to save her leg. To avoid further spread of the infection, or worse, her dying because of it, he would need to cut the infected part off.

Her parents, knowing there was no other way, but with much grief, agreed that it was the only way to save her. The doctor gave her herbs to numb away some of the pain. However the operation was excruciating. He had to slice through the bone to remove the bottom half of her leg. It took hours for her to stop bleeding.

She was sure she almost died. But she did not. She survived, and the healing process began.

Her parents did not leave the house until she was well on her way to becoming better. Word did not spread of her sickness until after she had lost the part of her leg. The village then decided she would be too much of a burden, they wanted to abandon her, to give her to another village, maybe the one that doctor was from. Her parents fought, vowing they would care for her, help her become stable and self-reliant again. Her people grudgingly agreed.

It took her a year to come to terms with the loss, and to learn how to move around on her own. After that year, both of her parents had fallen ill with an incurable sickness and passed away, leaving her to survive on her own. That was when the villagers began targeting her. It was another year of her figuring out how to live within a village that hated her for her weakness. For her lack of ability.

And that brought her to the present tense, when she had met Jae-ha.