Awaiting The Dawn

12: King Soo-Won

"Princess." Hak called while she walked on ahead. "Princess~!"

She ignored him.

"What are you so upset about? Because I stuffed you in a bag and lugged you around? Because I said you were a sack of clothes and handled you roughly? Because I took advantage of you being in a bag and touched your butt?"

"All of the above!!" She lashed out, chasing him around and trying to punch him.

"Pft...ha." Hisa didn't know the thunder beast was so shameless.

While they were walking, a merchant had passed by the trail. Because of that, Hak forced the princess into a bag so that their identities wouldn't be discovered.

But it went fine since the merchant seemed to know Yoon and wasn't all suspicious. He even started chatting with Yoon for a little bit.

As the princess forced Hak to climb a tree or face the wrath of her angry fists, Yoon talked to himself like he didn't hear those two bicker. "I was so afraid we'd get discovered that my heart was pounding." He turned his attention to their group. "Listen you three."

Hak dropped down the tree, and the princess stopped trying to attack him.

Everyone turned their eyes to Yoon, who started pointing at each of them. "A red-head princess, an ex-general beast, a pretty boy genius, and a dagger-wielding priest. We all stand out! So don't draw attention. We're near the Fire Tribe and the capital. You understand it'll be bad if they find us, right?"

Hak and the princess uttered a "yes" simultaneously as Hisa nodded.

She agreed that their group didn't blend in, but Hisa was arguably the least eye-catching! No one would look at her and think she was a priest, and having a weapon on hand while traveling wasn't uncommon.

Also, her veiled hat hid most of her face from strangers. Unless someone got especially close, they wouldn't see past the covering.

"Still." The ex-general spoke to no one in particular. "The priest and the four dragons really do live in the middle of nowhere."

Hisa was inclined to agree, as that description was true for each of the dragon villages.

Before they departed, the group needed to know where to go. Ik-Su told them he didn't know exactly where, but he gave them a location to a place where one of the descendants likely lived.

If Hisa remembered right, the princess was going to find the white dragon first, then they'd head to the blue dragon.

After they stopped by a village to get supplies, Hak split off from the group to buy a new bow.

While they waited in a tea shop, the table next to theirs started talking about the newly crowned king. It might have bothered Princess Yona, or maybe she felt even more aware of the danger of being discovered, because she left the shop without waiting for Yoon and Hisa.

They rushed to follow her after Yoon paid for the tea. A pair of Fire Tribe soldiers were at the end of the alley, where they and Yona were walking, but they managed not to get caught.

It was good that Hisa didn't need to use her knives. It would've caused a scene.

Yoon had just finished adjusting her blue vest to have reinforced pockets on the inside. They could fit about three throwing knives, her preferred weapon.

Later, by the rendezvous point they agreed on earlier, which was a big tree outside the village, Hak apologized for being careless and leaving them alone. He was hiding in the alley as well, and saw the potential danger they were in.

It appeared that he, Yoon, and the princess all felt guilty about what could have happened, even though it wasn't really their fault.

As they walked, Hisa noticed there was a lot of talk about the new king, criticism of the old one, and disbelief that anything would change.

It wasn't something she needed to hear.

She knew from her travels just how much the people suffered. She knew that the bond Hak and the princess shared with the new king, Soo-Won, was heartbreaking.

Hisa had already been shown the state of Kouka: the good and the ugly.

She didn't need others to remind her. She didn't want to hear it.

If she thought about it too much, Hisa knew she'd only feel miserable. And she tried not to.

Those with the sight aren't supposed to change the course of fate.

But that thought, which her father had said to comfort her, made her want to cry.

.

Later that evening, a vision came to her. Through another's eyes she was—

The king.

Sitting in his study, hearing his adviser, Kye-Sook, make his report. He had dismissed a man who was accepting a significant amount of bribes.

Some progress in improving this country had already been made thanks to their hard work.

But it wasn't enough.

The corruption ran deep, and he had to scrape off the grime himself for anything to get better.

"Hisa?" A boy stood in front of him, bowl of hot food in hand.

Where was he? This wasn't the palace.

And who was Hisa?

He opened her mouth to speak, then clamped it shut.

No, she wasn't Soo-Won. She wasn't a man. She wasn't the king.

Hisa. Her name was Hisa.

She looked at the boy again, using his features to figure out his identity. Feathers tied to apricot hair. Curious blue eyes. Very pretty.

Yan? No, Yoon. Yes, Hisa was traveling with Yoon, Hak, and the princess.

"Hisa...?" Yoon asked again with a frown. "Take it already."

'Take what?'

She looked at the others, who she realized were all staring at her. They were also holding food.

'Right. Dinner.' She blinked. 'They were eating dinner.'

Hisa's head finally cleared, and she accepted the bowl Yoon had offered.