Dawn of a New World - Akatsuki no Yona

Chapter 30

"Okay..." Yoon mumbled as he stared at the map of the area as we all crowded around him. "Following the direction Ki-Ja pointed out, the Green Dragon should be in this area." Yoon declared. Ki-Ja and I nodded in agreement. You see, this morning, Ki-Ja and I were finally able to sense the Green Dragon and it's location. So naturally, we're going off in search of him. Hak hummed, staring at the map with furrowed brows. "If we keep heading this way, we'll run right into Saika and Hiryuu Castle." he pointed out. Yoon sighed, "You're right." he then looked to his right to glance at Ki-Ja and I. "We should follow the mountains, and verify the Green Dragon's location as we go." When he had finished speaking, he was facing Yona, whom had nodded in agreement. "Yes."

I turned to face Shin-Ah, who of which had been silent during the entire conversation. "Hey, Shin-Ah? Could you get up into one of these trees and have a look at our surroundings just in case anyone's around?" He nodded, before bending his knees slightly and then leaping up into the canopy of the trees. Holding a hand over my eyes to block the sunlight, I watched him as he lifted his mask. His eyes narrowed as he focused and I could hear a slight hum from his lips. Yona stepped up next to me, "Shin-Ah, is anyone there?" she called up to him. He jumped down, landing quite gracefully before shaking his head. Yoon grinned, "No? Then let's go."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Your long-distance vision is fantastic! It makes searching deserted places so easy." Yoon gushed in excitement as he stared at the map. Ki-Ja grinned , turning to Shin-Ah. "You are useful, Blue-" Ki-Ja drifted off, realizing that he now had something to call the Blue Dragon. Shin-Ah turned to look at him in slight confusion. "I heard the princess's gave you a name. 'Shin-Ah'... it's a good name. You should treasure it." Shin-Ah, although still confused, nodded. At that moment, Ao's acorn, which she was holding onto for safe keeping, fell out of her hands and she squeaked. A small pout formed on the critter's lips as she sulked.

"The story of the five dragons reaches back to Kouka Kingdom's birth..." I blocked Ki-Ja out as he began telling the story of the origin of the five dragons to Shin-Ah. From what I could tell, Shin-Ah was actually quite intrigued by the subject. The sight of him caused a small to make it's way onto my face. I don't know how he makes me smile so easily? Just the thought of him makes me fill up with joy and feel all warm inside.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

During our travels, we came across a desolate village. One that had been overcome by starvation and many other sickness's. The houses were all rundown, nature seeming not to exist anywhere in the area. Not to mention the people that lived here. They were all depressed, starving, and desperate for help. As we walked through the village, we passed a worn out mother clutching her son. Many other villagers littered the streets, all seeming to not have enough strength to even move.

"This village has been abandoned by the generals and the king." Yoon's words caused a stir in my heart. along with Yona's. We both winced at the word 'king'. "For years, this area has been barren and dry. The men must have been taken to the capital to be trained as soldiers. Disease plagued the village, and those who lacked the strength to move were forced to die here."

A sullen expression washed over Yona's face, her eyes filling with grief. "How awful." I hummed in agreement as I looked around. "The village I was born in was like this, too. The Fire Tribe's territory is broad, but most of the land is infertile. But the chief, General Gang Su-jin, keeps spending money on the army." An irk mark appeared on Ki-Ja's forehead "What a fool." he remarked grumpily.

The sound of coughing resonated through our ears and we all turned to see a man hunched over on the ground, coughing into his arms. "Are you all right?" Yona made a move to walk over to the man, but Yoon stopped her before she could. "Stay back. You'll get sick, too." he instructed. Yona's brows furrowed and her eyes crinkled in worry. "But..." Yoon then walked over to the man, pulling out a bottle filled with water. "It may not help much, but here's some water and medicine." The man slowly raised his head, gasping for air. "And also some fruit." Yoon held out an apple to the man.

Without any of us even realizing, Yona had managed to walk over to the man. She picked up the bottle of water, held the man up and then helped him drink. "Here." Yoon smiled softly at the sight of her risking her own health to help those in need. After swallowing the water, the man coughed. "Are you from Saika?" he asked, his voice husky after not using it for a long period of time.

Yoon lightly shook his head, "No, we're travelers." The man nodded, "I see. Have you been to Kuuto, then?" the man then asked. "They say a new king has been crowned. I wonder what he's like..." Hak began to walk forward, worry filling his entire being at what words might come out of the man's mouth. Yona simply glanced at him with a reassuring smile.

"The previous king, Il, was a terrible king." Yona gasped, reeling back in shock. I was also a little shocked at his words, even so much as to flinch. "He crumbled under pressure from other kingdoms, focusing only on not creating waves. The five clans were divided, and the kingdom fell into chaos. He wouldn't even save weak commoners like us. Whose king was he supposed to be? I hope the new king is a good man. I hope he changed this kingdom..." The man that looked at Yona with a look of gratitude. "Thank you, miss. It's been years since someone has touched me." By this point, just by looking at Yona's shoulders, I could tell that she was greatly affected by his words about our father. "It's all right. Please take care." She mumbled in an almost hollow voice. Hak and I glanced at each other in worry.

A little bit down the road, Yona suddenly ran forward a bit before turning to face the group. "I need to use the bathroom. Don't follow me." She stuttered, an unconvincing smile dawning her lips. She turned and ran off before any of us could utter a word. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Shin-Ah glance down to Ao, who was sitting on his shoulder. Ao, being the clever creature that she was, seemed to understand what he wanted her to do, and leaped off his shoulder to chase after Yona to give her some comfort.

As we waited, Yoon sat down beside one of the houses, leaning his elbows on his knees as he narrowed his eyes towards the ground in front of him. "I couldn't say anything. I didn't think highly of king Il, either. But to Yona and you, Amaya, he was your only flesh and blood." I clenched my fists in order to keep my emotions at bay, not wanting to show how upset I was. "It is likely no one grieves for the late king. He will go down in history as a foolish king. No one cares about a couple of princesses." Ki-Ja muttered, quiet enough so Yona couldn't hear. "You're right." Hak agreed, causing my head to swivel in his direction. "A world without weaponry and war, where no one gets hurt, is but a pipe dream. But I could never think of the king as a fool for his unwavering belief that such a world was ideal. He hid his own wounds. I didn't see him as a coward at all. I would never serve a fool." Hak then moved his Hsu Quandao so it was at arms length from him. "I'll probably regret my inability to save him at Hiryuu Castle for the rest of my life." Hak's expression was filled with grief, and most of all, guilt.

Yoon glanced up to look at Hak, "You acknowledged king Il as your master, regardless of the fact that he was Yona's father." Hak closed his eyes for a brief moment, "Of course." When Hak's eyes opened, they moved over to me, observing my clenched fists and trembling form. A small sigh left his lips as he placed a hand on my shoulder. Feeling a hand take hold of my own, I looked up to see Shin-Ah with his head tilted to the left. I smiled at the both of them, before taking a deep breathe in, and then exhaling. As if I was washing away my emotions.

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