Two Months Later

There was a strange air about the town. Something felt off.

"Do you sense that, Rensa?" Ja-ri asked when Rensa had joined her.

"I do.." Rensa murmured, turning in a slow circle to examine the town. It appeared as it always had. A close community surrounded by forested orchards. They were awaiting the return of most of their people from their travels. It had taken the remainder of the month to complete the fruit Harvest, and then Rensa had the idea to also make and sell items with the wood and animal skins they possessed. So they took another week preparing items to be sold. They had been out in the world for less than a month and were expected to return any day.

Though it had not snowed yet, such clouds loomed over the horizon. The men that stayed to hunt were preparing to track the herds that inhabited the land around Hoshu Yet even they were still awaiting the return of the travelers. They could not hunt if they did not have bins of salt to store the meat for the winter months.

Rensa had awoken that morning prepared to help ready Hoshu for the coming winter. She and Ja-ri were working on clearing out the storage room from the old, stale food, to make room for the new grains coming in.

"Why don't you go find Rengi and Shion." Rensa said, trying for a light tone, though she wasn't sure she was able to quite manage it.

Ja-ri immediately hurried away to find her family and Rensa remained in the doorway of the storage house, surveying the street. She still saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"Good morning, Miss Rensa." Ori greeted, lifting his hat as he passed by with a small cart of firewood in tow. He was an older man, with graying hair and wrinkles forming around his eyes when he smiled.

"Good morning." Rensa managed a polite smile, yet she was still watching for something, she could not shake the bad feeling.

And then she caught it. A single movement in a tree across the street and an arrow narrowly missed Ori. Rensa lurched forward to warn the man, but he must have seen it coming because he jumped back, nearly falling into his cart.

Then a large group of men began to pour into the street, all dressed in rough clothes with high quality weapons.

"We are making this town our headquarters." A large man stepped forward, brandishing a spear. "Clear out and no one gets hurt. Fight, and we will show no mercy." He shouted. He wore a shawl of animal skins and his hair was ragged.

"Aww what are you sayin' Chief?" One of the boys in the group whined out. "I wanted a fight." He seemed young.

"That was not the plan." They hissed through gritted teeth.

"But plans change, right boss?" He asked hopefully.

The leader whipped around and started yelling about something. That they needed to wait and plan, and regroup. While he was distracted, Rensa was able to hop over to Ori. "Run." She whispered. "Gather as many people as you can and get out. I'll buy you some time in case they change their minds."

"You will never make it if they get violent, I think I should-" Ori was about to argue but Rensa cut him off with a shake of her head.

"You have a family, and you need to help protect the other families. I can try to talk them down, or at least get more information." She shoved at his shoulder. "Go. Now!"

He took off in the opposite direction and Rensa hobbled forward, plastering a smile to her face. "Good morning, gentleman." She called out, and almost all of their eyes turned on her. A few glared at her, some of their expressions told her they liked the way she looked, a few pairs of eyes flitted from her to their leader who had also turned to watch her approach. "What brings you to the humble village of Hoshu?" She asked as she continued to make her way over to them. The cold air caused her to shiver and bumps to form on her arms. She had forgotten her cloak in the storage hut.

"That's nunya business, lady." One of them spat out.

She maintained her polite smile. "If you are travelers, I welcome you." If they weren't, which she already knew, she didn't know what she would do.

"Of course we ain't travelers. We're here to take over your pathetic town." Another one piped up.

She wasn't getting anywhere with being polite. She had to get them talking about why they were actually there. "Why would you come all the way to Hoshu? There is nothing but forest around for miles, and many people become lost." She stopped walking when she was a few steps away from the leader.

"That's exactly why we chose this location. That Dark Dragon and his Happy Hungry Bunch will have no chance of discovering us until we can come up with a way to attack them." The buff leader stated. "Get outta our way little girl." He brandished his weapon threateningly.

Rensa did not move. There was another group of thugs that terrified this one? What kind of name was that? With a title like 'The Dark Dragon and his Happy Hungry Bunch' how could anyone take them seriously. Were they actually clowns or performers? "I have never heard of this… Dark Dragon Happy Hungry Bunch…" She spoke slowly, watching their reactions.

"Then that is both lucky and not so lucky for you." He replied as a few of his men shifted uncomfortably behind him. "They are conquering many towns, claiming them as their territory. It is lucky that they have not found this town, but it is unlucky because we are claiming this forest." He stated, marching up to her. He had scruffy facial hair and small scars littering his face. He had been in many fights. He was strong.

She was not.

"Hoshu has nothing to offer during the next months. As winter moves in, you will find yourselves starving." She stared right into his dark eyes. "Believe me when I say you will wish you had found somewhere else to build your territory."

"Are you threatening me?" He asked in a low tone, similar to that of a growl.

"Of course not." She replied lightly. "How would that seem like a threat to you? I am merely warning you that this region has harsh winters and no resources."

"It sure sounded like it. Do you know who I am?" He demanded.

"No." Her voice was flat. "I find no reason to gain knowledge of rapscallions."

"You'll wish you had." He growled and reached out, yanking at her hair. The ribbon that she had used to tie it back fell out. He used her long locks to drag her closer to him. "Who do you think you are, standing up to me?" He hissed into her ear.

She cringed away from him, but was not able to get very far. "My being here ensured that my people could get away." She snapped.

"But you didn't, and now you've been abandoned." He taunted, shaking the fist that held her hair.

She gritted her teeth and one of her hands moved to her forehead, hoping to lessen the ache. She would not think of the townspeople in such a way. She decided to stay behind, they were running to survive. "No. I can fight." She stated, and swung her crutch around. She jabbed the point of it into his stomach. Rensa doubted it would do any damage, though it did surprise him into dropping her.

Luckily, she had maintained her hold on her crutch and was able to use the momentum of her fall to land on her foot. She immediately turned and bashed the same end of her crutch into his head. He stumbled away. There was no way she could run. Obviously she had not thought her plan through. Well, if she couldn't run, she could threaten.

"You thought I was weak, didn't you? Well, there's more where that came from." She stood tall and leaned lightly against her tool in case she needed it again at a moment's notice. She was bluffing blindly. She wouldn't be able to fight them all off, she wasn't even sure she could win in a fight against one of them. They had actual weapons. All she had was a piece of wood fashioned into a tool to help her walk.

They didn't buy it, and she knew that.

Suddenly, a noise from down the main street sounded.

"What-" One of the men said. Rensa tilted her head just enough to see a group of men racing towards them. Rengi, Ori, and Shion were in the lead. She wondered why they weren't getting away.

"Don't touch her!" Shion shouted. He was able to run faster than the others and whipped around to stand in front of her.

"What are you doing here?" She demanded of Ori.

"I told them you were staying behind to help us run, we decided we couldn't leave you behind, so we came back." He explained quickly, shifting to stand to the right of Shion.

"I was handling-" She was about to say something along the lines of how she had everything under control, and yet that was a lie she would not continue to say. She was thankful they cared enough about her to return to make sure she escaped with them.

They brandished tools and weapons they would use for the hunting of animals.

"Thanks for coming back." She finally said softly.

Yulro stepped in front of her, flanked by Markon and Woron. Rengi was the one who stepped up, claiming the position of the leader. "Get out of our town." He yelled. He wielded a bow strung across his back and a shovel in his hands.

"Or you'll do what?" Multiple men marched up and twirled their weapons around, trying to be menacing.

"Or you'll come face to face with the Dark Dragon and the Happy Hungry Bunch." A voice shouted from above. It sounded like a girl was trying to speak with a deeper voice in an attempt to sound different. Something about the voice sounded familiar, though Rensa couldn't quite place it.

All eyes shifted around, searching for the person who had spoken. Rensa saw them on a roof just behind the thugs. There were six of them. One was wearing a white hood, and one was wearing a straw hat, the other four were glaring or grinning crazily. Rensa thought she recognized one of them, he was wearing dark clothes and a white mask but just then he jumped off the roof, disappearing between the houses.

"How did you find this place?" The lead man yelled up at them.

"Hoshu village has been under the ownership of the Dark Dragon and the Happy Hungry Bunch for two months. Did you expect to find this hidden town and lay claim to it?" The person replied loudly.

"If we can't have this land, neither can you. BURN IT TO THE GROUND BOYS!" His voice echoed through the trees. Though before they could make any move, four of the people landed around the group. One of them dropped straight from the sky, landing in front of Rengi. Rensa knew who it was as soon as the wind allowed his long green ponytail to settle against his back.

"We'll make you wish you never set foot inside this village." He hissed, and Rensa knew everything was going to be alright.

The fight didn't last long. The Dragons, along with the men from the village, swiftly forced the gang of thugs from Hoshu with more claims of owning the village, and threats of what would happen if they stepped foot in the orchards again. Rengi led a cheer as they departed, something along the lines of them being safe. The men got really loud and Rensa had a hard time finding the man she wanted to see. She spotted the Dragons a little ways away, speaking with Chief Da-ir. She made her way over to them.

"Forgive us, Sir. In order to protect many villages we had to make a name of ourselves, a group claiming territory. We are feared by the right kinds of people. Though the protection is in name only, we do not conquer towns." Yona was explaining, she still wore a hood, disguising her red hair, but she knew it was her. Rensa stopped a few paces away so she could listen in without drawing attention to herself.

"We thank you for your protection." The Chief bowed his head. He was an older man, with graying hair and sun-browned skin. He possessed a staff riddled with charms, signifying his authority over the people.

"Use our name if trouble ever arises again." Yona instructed. "I do not know if it would sway any other thugs desiring your land, but I hope it will continue to protect you and your people."

It touched Rensa that Yona was so concerned about them. Though how they appeared just after the conquerors had, she didn't know. When had they arrived? She hadn't noticed.

"Please, stay for a few days." Chief Da-ir offered graciously with a small swish of his staff. "Regain your strength."

"That would be a good idea. We need to make sure they don't come back." Hak commented.

"Thank you." Yona curtsied politely.

The Chief then turned to Yulro and instructed him to lead the rest of the townspeople back. He agreed to do so and ran off.

Yona glanced around, searching for something, and she seemed disappointed when she didn't see what she was looking for. Kija and Shin-ah joined her. There was no sign of Zeno or Jae-ha, though Rensa knew they were there. She briefly searched around for Jae-ha, and after not finding him, was drawn back into another conversation.

"What are you looking for, Princess?" Kija asked.

"I was hoping to see Rensa, it doesn't seem like she's here yet though." Yona sighed. "If she was able to get away with the rest of them, that means she's safe.

Rensa smiled, touched once again that Yona wanted to see her. She was about to raise her hand and call her attention over to her, except warm, familiar arms wrapped around her waist and spun her around. He was able to turn her in his arms and she ended up facing him, laughing with delight and joy that she was able to see him again. He did not set her back down, a fact she did not mind.

"Hey!" He greeted with a chuckle.

"I'm so glad to see you." She gushed, dropping her crutch to touch his face with both her hands. She brushed his bangs away from his eye so she could see his entire face.

"I saw your fight. The way you handle that crutch of yours leaves much to be desired." He teased.

"I wish I could actually fight." She huffed but the smile never left her face. "You came to my rescue once again."

"That's my job, isn't it? Though I can't take all the credit. The way the village rallied around you to protect you was amazing. You've finally found a place, haven't you?" He asked.

"Yes, I guess I have." Rensa absentmindedly stroked his cheek with her thumb.

"I'm glad to hear that." His eyes sparkled and his grin widened if that was possible. "But you haven't forgotten about me, have you?" He teased.

Her eyes tightened and her smile wavered ever so slightly. "Of course not. I think about you everyday." She admitted.

His arms tightened around her. "I did too." He said softly.

She decided to tease him back in the same manner. "I find that hard to believe. I heard you've been busy, dragon." She laughed. "Or should I say, happy hungry dragon?"

Jae-ha laughed too.

"Who came up with that name?" Rensa asked breathlessly from the laughing and how tight he was holding her.

"I can't remember. Yona and Zeno?" He replied, seeming like he thought a little but didn't care to discover the answer. "It's worked though, the other villages we visit are safer now than they were before, and even have more resources. Yona has accomplished farming and other advancements to help them."

"That is amazing." Rensa was filled with joy that they were able to save others too, and that it brought them happiness. "Have you been safe?"

"I haven't gotten hurt, but fighting is part of the job." Jae-ha hedged.

It was a good enough answer for her. Jae-ha knew how to fight and protect himself and his friends. She knew she didn't have reason to worry about him, and yet she did. A brief thought passed through her mind, she wondered what people thought about them standing in the middle of the street, and if anyone was attempting to eavesdrop. The thought was minor and she dismissed it.

"You're so much more beautiful than the last time I saw you." Jae-ha's gaze flicked around her face, taking in her eyes and smile. "Maybe it's because you're happier."

She could feel a slight heat in her cheeks and unconsciously lowered her face closer to his. "I really am. I've made some friends, and have been able to work. Everyone has accepted me again by now. It's incredible."

"That's good to hear. I worried about you when I left. I wondered if the townspeople were going to continue treating you poorly." He said.

She shook her head slightly. "No. It took some time for them to warm up to me, that's all. Today is when I realized just how accepted I really am. But it's nice to hear that you thought about me." She teased.

"Of course, who else would I think about?" He asked slyly.

"Hmm.. I don't know. You seem to be popular with women wherever you go. You could have run off with someone else. You are a free man, after all." She claimed in a light tone. She wasn't serious. Something about how he treated her told her he had changed ever so slightly. She doubted he flirted much while he was out being a hero. Though that also meant that he had broken some hearts along the way, she was sure of that.

"Who me? Run off with someone who isn't you?" He asked, acting like he was offended, she could tell by his smirk. "How could you say something like that?"

"You were gone for two months." Rensa stated. "It could have happened and I would have never known." It had been a passing thought after he left, that something like that would happen, but then something told her he wouldn't. That he cared about her, and she would be the reason he acted differently towards other women.

He turned serious. "Well, I didn't do anything like that, and I'm finally here with you."

"I know that, and you don't know how happy I am that you're here." Her voice lowered slightly and she could feel herself getting emotional, but she didn't want to cry just then. "But we have established that, we are both overjoyed to be with each other. I want to hear more about your travels!" She exclaimed.

"We'll talk about that later. We have a village to organize and a campsite to prepare." He remarked, except he didn't lower her to the ground, he still held her. Rensa liked him holding her, it somehow gave her the sense that she was home, safe and warm. She really had missed him, and had used her new work around the village as a bit of a distraction, as well as to gain a sense of accomplishment. However, his actions did contradict his words a bit.

"It'll be hard to work with me in your arms." She noted, perhaps a little bit reluctantly.

"Yeah, you're right." He sighed and lowered her just the littlest bit, then all the way after some hesitation. Her foot came into contact with the ground, and he still steadied her. After yet another moment of hesitation, he kissed her forehead, then maneuvered around to gather her crutch to hand back to her. She took it with a whispered thanks.

It was strange. They had moments of closeness, then things became somewhat awkward. Jae-ha must have noticed it too, though he was more smooth about it. He took her hand and walked with her to the other edge of town that was no longer unspokenly forbidden. They had even constructed two more huts, one for a couple who had gotten married, Ren and Kaen, and another for the oldest child of another couple in the village who was ready to move on and live alone. They had even made some changes to her home, they added some windows and Ja-ri had organized some flower chains for decoration over her door.

Jae-ha noticed the changes, yet didn't say anything.

The town filled with bustling people again as they went about their duties preparing for winter. Husbands hugged their wives and children, and all were thankful they were safe and that nothing had happened. The men filled their wives in with the story of what had happened, and that they were now under the protection of the strange travelers from before.

When they made it to the end of the street, she found Shin-ah and Kija were resetting up the campsite next to her hut, like they had it before, and Yun was beginning to cook lunch over an open fire. Hak and Yona weren't there, and Rensa didn't see Zeno until he almost tackled her to the ground, engulfing her in a big hug.

"Zeno is glad to see you again!" He cheered and pulled away, steadying her as he did so. His loud outburst called the other dragons and Yun over.

"Long time no see." Yun greeted.

"Indeed, it's good to see all of you again." Rensa replied, a little breathless. Zeno had scared her a little.

"You seem well." Kija commented.

"Yes. As do all of you." They all looked healthy and happy. "What is it like being a group of supposed bandits?" She asked slyly.

Yun groaned, but Zeno excitedly began chattering about their adventures. "It is so much fun! Dragons scare people, except not the ones in the village. Miss Yona makes sure they know they are safe."

"What got all of this started? I don't remember you being thugs the last time you were here?" She was serious about the question, but her tone was teasing.

"Please don't get them started. They get a little carried away with the theatrics." Yun pleaded, turning away to check on the food cooking on the fire.

"Yun is actually the reason it happened. He had a secret village he would take food and medicine to. He didn't want to tell us about it, don't ask me why. We followed him and it's a good thing we did. The town was attacked by bandits, we fought them off under the pretense that's what we were too. Yona wanted to keep it that way, claiming it was the best way to protect people." Jae-ha explained for her as the other dragons got back to work setting up two tents.

"I was trying to do some good too." Yun huffed. "But it's a good thing you guys did follow me. I wouldn't have been able to protect the village." His words were a little sad, like he had the desire to be strong but didn't know how to be.

"Give yourself some credit, kid." Jae-ha chuckled and Yun simply rolled his eyes.

"Do you like doing it too?" She asked, it was a general question for all.

"Yeah, it's kinda fun." Jae-ha laughed.

"I think we should take it more seriously. We are not to mess around." Kija huffed.

Zeno snickered. "White dragon is too uptight. Zeno bets if he tried to have fun, he would find fighting bandits is a thing that he enjoys."

"I never said that I didn't enjoy a good fight, but we are only disguising ourselves as thugs to be protectors. If it is something Princess Yona is serious about, then that is how we should act." He defended.

Yun sighed. "Except Yona isn't super serious about it either. She has way too much fun pretending to threaten the villages while she gives them the food and medicine I provide."

Jae-ha and Zeno both chuckled.

Rensa sat and watched them talk, it was fascinating to listen, and watch them interact. Shin-ah sat on one side of her.

"What do you think of the situation, Shin-ah?" She asked.

He was silent for a moment, then shrugged. Ao came barreling out of the forest being chased by another furry animal. He ran right into his hands and Shin-ah lifted the squirrel out of the way. The other animal, Rensa noted, was another squirrel, though it hissed and squeaked with rage, pacing back and forth in front of Shin-ah with its eyes on Ao.

Rensa looked at the animal in Shin-ah's hands, it's cheeks were puffed out with the fulness, and then she guessed what had occurred. Ao had taken from the other squirrel's winter storage of food.

"Ao, you can't do that. Maybe because you're around humans more than your own kind you didn't know, but you can't just eat other animals' food." She explained and then gestured for him to spit out what was in his cheeks. He did so, and after wiping off the acorns, she set them in front of the other squirrel, who took them with a hiss and then scampered off.

"That does sound fun. But what will you do when that effect wears off? You can't keep everyone safe all the time." She noted.

Jae-ha sat next to her. "Yona's already thought of that too. Once she began restoring the resources for the town, they were able to regain their strength, and then they'll be able to protect themselves once they're flourishing again. As for when we aren't feared anymore, I don't think we've thought that far."

"That's still good planning." Rensa complimented.

"Yeah, Yona's amazing." Jae-ha said without hesitation. Rensa nodded her agreement.

That was when Yona entered the invisible lines of the campsite.

"Is it just me or has the town gotten bigger?" Hak asked, and Rensa could sense the sarcasm behind the words.

"I noticed that too. It's kind of surprising to see houses built this far out…" Yona noted.

"We've been busy while you were away." Rensa explained, and two pairs of eyes whipped towards her.

Yona squealed and bounced forward, landing in a crouch to hug Rensa, who laughed. "I was looking for you, but you were here all along!"

"I know. Welcome back to Hoshu, Your Majesty." Rensa grinned.

Yona laughed too.

"Oh, you're still here." Hak said walking up at a slower pace. It was another sarcastic comment, and Rensa could tell he wasn't all that surprised by that fact. He was teasing her.

Yona stood up and whacked Hak on the shoulder. "That was rude." She scolded.

"What? It's true, she's sitting right there." He defended like he had done nothing wrong, but there was a smile in his eyes.

"Yes I'm still here." Rensa replied. "And I'm not going anywhere."

Jae-ha shifted next to her, it was enough to distract her from the conversation. She turned to look at him. He was leaning away from her just slightly, and looking off in another direction. The expression on his face was solemn and his eyes were tight.

His sudden mood change startled and confused her. "What's wrong?" She asked, watching him carefully.

It took him a few seconds too long to reply, and even longer for his eyes to meet hers again. "Nothing, I was just remembering something." And the words had a false lilt to them.

It was obvious something was bothering him, but she knew better than to pry, even though she knew he wasn't being honest with her.

The rejoicing continued for the rest of the day and into the night, Yona and the Dragons told her stories of fights and wars and the new King Soo-Won. Yona and Hak became a little sad and pulled into themselves until a different topic or story was started.