Yona of the Dawn; Naomi's Story

The Harsh Truth

Naomi's POV:

"But why?" Princess Yona asks Lord Su-won after hearing the shocking words about how he's been wanting to kill the king.

Princess Yona is kneeling on the ground with her father's head laying on his lap while I stand behind her, protecting her from the man who murdered her father with no regret whatsoever.

"My father loves you," Princess Yona reminds him, "He's taken care of you and helped raise you for years, ever since we were little."

"I loved him too, that may sound crazy right now but it's the truth," Lord Su-won admits his feelings towards the king, "People always called him a coward for hating weapons and conflict. But I respected his pacifism." He turns his back to us as he continues to talk, "I thought it was because he was kind. But your father was not kind, he had blood on his hands." He turns his attention back to us and asks us both, "It's been a long time, but surely you two remember my father."

'Lord Yuhon?' Of course I remember Lord Yuhon, how can anyone forget him? He was the older brother of King Il, a great warrior who was practically a war god on the battlefield. The people of the Kouka Kingdom respected and adored him.

"As a child, my father was brave and wise beyond his years. When he grew up, he became a warrior. Time and time again, he lead his troops to victory. Everyone wanted him to be the next king, he was the best and most likely candidate. But 10 years ago, the late King Junam crowned Uncle Il as the ruler of Kouka instead. No one understood this decision since my father was the oldest child and so loved by the people. He should've been king, he earned that right in battle. Why give the crown to the second son who was weak and soft-hearted? My father took everything in stride and laughed off the slight. I was so proud of my father, I couldn't have respected anyone more. It was my dream that one day I would be strong enough to fight alongside him, keeping our land safe and honoring our family name. But King Il killed that dream. Shortly after taking the throne, he murdered my father, his own brother, in cold blood." Lord Su-won told us his story.

I didn't believe that last part I just heard. King Il was a kind-hearted man whose never used a weapon before in his life. So how could he have killed his older brother?

"You're lying!" I denied his story, "King Il would never do a thing like that! Especially to his own brother!"

"It's true," Princess Yona agrees with me, "Yuhon died in an accident."

"That was just a lie to save face," Lord Su-won tells us. "He even did it himself. King Il ended my father's life with his own hands. Do you two understand now? Your damned father, your deceitful king, who always talked about hating weapons and conflict, put a sword through my father's heart and killed him."

No, it can't be true. King Il would never harm a living soul, especially if that soul was his dear brother. He loved his brother, so why would he have reason to murder him?

"No," Princess Yona tried to deny him with a weak voice, "you're lying. He couldn't..."

Lord Su-won stares at us with no hints of lies in his eyes. "You know I wouldn't lie to either one of you."

That is true, Lord Su-won has never lied to us before, he's always told the truth. That might mean he's telling the truth, about all of it. But why can't the death of Lord Yuhon be a lie?

"And so to avenge my father, and to bring honor back to both my family and the throne, I will lead. I will take the crown for Kouka Kingdom!" He had determination written all over his face. He was really gonna take the crown from the deceased King Il and become king of this great kingdom.

I felt dread as I stared at the man who was once my childhood friend. No longer did I see his kind eyes, his gentle and loving smile, his cheerful and compassionate personality. It was all gone, not one trace of the old Su-won left.