Yuri and Yona of Dawn

Chapter 3 Eternal Friendship

Yuri fingered the yellow pendant as she walked. Her eyes drifted from the trees around her. What happened the last few days were a blur. She didn't know what was happening nor did she really want to know. She slowly adapted to her surroundings. She was finally able to make out figures. She closed her eyes. She slipped into the lake. Her eyes drifted to her sister, standing next to her, in the same state as she was in.

She closed her eyes again, letting the water rinse out her body before sitting on the ledge. She felt something squirming on her leg. Slowly looking down, she bit her lip to stop her screams. Little black things moved on her leg. She felt her sister shift onto the ledge. Yona cried out in shock. "What are these?"

"They're leeches," Hak mused, looking at their legs. "Stay still." he told them, flicking them off. "The live in swamps and ponds. They suck blood."

Yuri stiffened. 'Blood....'

"Blood..." Yona whimpered.

"Don't worry, it's not big deal." he reassured, looking up. His eyes drifted to their naked bodies. He instantly turned away. "I'll leave your clothes here."

Yuri slipped into her undergarments before putting on her dress. Slipping her hair out of her cloths, she looked at the sky. She was dimly aware of her surroundings, but something was off. Someone was near them. Someone was following them... Yuri looked at the trees. She could've sworn there was someone there but she shrugged it off. She followed Yona, who was being led by Hak.

They wandered the forest once again. When they did stop for the night, they both instinctively reached for their cloak pocket. Yona's eyes widened when she didn't feel her hairpin. Yuri felt her heart beat quicken. Her pendant...

"What's wrong?" Hak asked, making them both stop. "Did you lose something?"

They shook their heads. Yuri sat there, waiting for sleep to come. Hak made a fire and everything but only one thing was in her mind, her pendant. While she didn't love Su-Won like her sister did, she did love him as a cousin, a relative. She couldn't just leave it... That pendant was special. She followed her sister. They began searching the woods, walking aimlessly. Yuri finally spoke. "Big... sis, Yona..."

Yona looked up. "Yuri?"

"What do you think will happen?" Yuri asked, eyes widening with fear. "I never told father good night... I didn't thank him once. I only complained and zoned out... I'm a failure as a daughter..." she whimpered.

Yona clutched her sister's hand. "Let's keep going."

Slowly, Yuri lifted her head. A snake? Su Won? What's going on? But one thing echoed in her mind. "Yuri? Come on, smile!"

Yuri and Yona screamed in fright as the snake began to strike. She felt something wrap around her. Yuri opened her eyes.

She felt something shake her. She stared straight at Hak, shaking Yona and her. "I thought since you hadn't come back for a long time... What are you doing at a place like this?! These snakes are poisonous! You could lose you footing and fall in the dark! You came all by yourselves too! DO YOU WANT TO DIE???!!!!" He looked down, staring at all the snakes. "Dammit... is this their lair?" He lifted Yuri onto his back and scooped Yona into his arms.

Yuri squeezed her eyes shut, wrapping her legs around him, hanging on for dear life.

Yuri and Yona watched him wrap his wounds. He smiled, telling them he was alright and that he knew how to treat poisons. Then he pulled something out of his clothes. Yuri's pendant and Yona's hairpin.

Yuri looked at him as he asked. "Was this what you were looking for?"

They shakily retrieved it.

Yuri just knew that she didn't want Hak to die. For Yona's sake. For her sake. For Mundok's sake. For Emperor Il's sake.

She closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep, tears in her eyes.

Yuri opened her eyes. She was in a carriage. Yuri remembered this moment. When she hid herself in one of Su-Won's carriages to go out of the castle. Yuri hummed. She felt the carriages stop. She dove behind some boxes, curling up into a small ball.

"Look. I told you. Who are you? Sneaking into Lord Su-Won's things?!" a soldier asked. Yuri poked her head out. "Huh?"

"Princess Yuri!" he cried, both of the soldiers kneeling down. "We must bring you back! Emperor Il will be very worried."

Yuri sighed. "Wait... I need to go pee..." Yuri told the, lying.

As she ran into the forest, she heard someone call. "Please wait Princess!"

She stopped at a tree. She looked up. A boy? "Hey there! I'm Yuri." she smiled brightly.

The boy cocked his head, looking into her eyes. "Douryuu?" Yuri shook her head in confusion, orange hair shifting in it's ponytail. "Ummm, can you come down please?"

The boy hopped down. "Hey there, I'm-"

Yuri flashed a big smile. "Please don't tell me."

He looked at her in confusion.

"Well, I'm Princess Yuri. I don't want to get you in trouble." Yuri told him calmly. Her blue eyes were sparkly. "But, you are really nice. When I look at you, your aura is a nice cheerful yellow and mellow orange. It feels nice." Yuri hummed.

He laughed. "You are one of a kind aren't you?" He started walking away.

Yuri reached out, grabbing his shirt. "Wait!"

He turned again, "Hmm?"

"Do you think I'll ever see you again?" Yuri asked, hoping the answer was yes.

"Maybe." he said with a shrug.

"If I meet you again, how will I know it's you?" Yuri asked, nervousness in her voice. "Because..."

He just looked at the sky. "I'm not sure."

Yuri then smiled. "I know! When you do see me again, make sure you're wearing this." Yuri told him, removing a bracelet from her wrist. It had 5 dragons on it. It was very important so she knew she would remember that.

He looked at her, eyes showing concern. "Won't you miss this?"

She nodded. "But I think it's more important this way. Take care of it, okay?" she waved, turning and jogging back to the carriages.

Yuri opened her eyes. Hak and Yona were already talking about something. She woke up in time to hear, "My hometown."