𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐔𝐍𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐒𝐒 ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳ 𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐚 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐰𝐧

⇛ 𝐂𝐇. 𝟕

"is shin-ah going to be okay?" kaho asked, sitting beside him and yun. after shin-ah passed out next to her and yona, the others shortly arrived. yun was quick to treat them all.

"yes." he replied. "how's your leg doing?"

"it feels much better! i'll be able to walk properly in no time, thanks to you, yun."

"n-no problem." he replied, a blush on his face that he quickly brushed off so no one would notice.

"thank goodness." yona sighed.

"blue dragon! blue dragon! do you know this is zeno?!"

"you're being loud!" yun yelled.

"how is his paralysed body?" kija asked.

"it seems he used his powers in the past before so he should get better soon."

"i see. i see." he smiled.

"you have a cute smile, kija." kaho said, the words slipping out her mouth.

"huh!" he exclaimed, going red.

"i didn't mean to say that out loud. oh my." kaho fell onto the sheets, drowning in embarrassment. she smacked her head against the floor.

"how embarrassing." hak said, having just walked into the room and witnessed what happened.

"we're back." jae-ha followed behind hak. "we threw the bandits out on the road. the officers will pick them up later."

"thank you."

"princess, it looks like they're holding a burial for the kid that was killed by the bandits."

✧

the group made their way to where the burial was taking place. there was a large fire with many people standing around it.

"i couldn't help him." yona muttered. yun reached out to hold her hand.

kaho walked over to the mother and father of the boy who were on the floor, crying.

"i'm so sorry." she whispered, kneeling down carefully because of her leg, beside them and holding the mothers hand for support. "if only..."

"you helped save our village. thank you." the father interjected knowing she didn't have to apologise for something out of her control. yet tears left kaho's eyes as she took in the sight of the fire.

he never should have died.

✧

"oh, that's right. i can't use the tent." yona mumbled.

"sorry, yona. i have to stay beside shin-ah." yun said.

"it's fine! i'll sleep outside with hak!"

hak who was carrying logs, suddenly dropped them. kaho burst out laughing. she could tell there was something going on between the two. there always was something from the beginning. she had been waiting for things to get more interesting.

"oh. where should i sleep yun?" kaho asked now that shin-ah was resting in the tent.

"since you're also injured, i'm sure i can make room for you to sleep beside shin-ah."

"i don't mind sleeping outside." she replied.

"no. i can't allow that." kija said.

"zeno, will sleep close to the green dragon!"

"i'll pass." jae-ha said not wanting to sleep beside the way too excited boy.

"yun, i have a problem. my chest hurts a lot." kija held his chest. 

"i can't help with that."

"it's an incurable illness?!?"

"kija silly." kaho laughed at him.

"what. why are you laughing? i could die!"

"you're not going to die." she said, messing with his hair.

"maybe i'll recover in the morning." he muttered going to sleep beside zeno.

nodding at him, kaho made her way over to the tent. yun was already trying to sleep by shin-ah but there wasn't much room left. she tried snuggling beside them but ended up staying wide awake because it was such a tight space.

"sleep well." she whispered to the two and left the tent. everyone but jae-ha had a sleeping buddy. quietly, she plopped down next to him and laid on the floor. one of his eyes opened slightly. he held her wrist and tugged her closer.

"you don't need to be shy. there's enough room."

"thanks." she said snuggling under the blanket. "night."

"night."

"if you're going to sneak up on me in my sleep. can't you do it sexier, princess?"

kaho let out a groan hearing hak harass yona.

"but, hak, if i can't even do this it's likely you won't be my swordsmanship partner."

"so when you said i was fine, you meant it like this?"

kaho and jae-ha stared at each other trying to hold in their laughs.

"i want to laugh so bad." she whispered, her stomach hurting.

"me too." jae-ha covered his mouth. "don't start laughing. you have to sleep."

"sleep is for the weak." she replied.

"you need beauty sleep."

"i'm already beautiful." she mumbled, shrugging.

"can't deny that." he nodded. "still, tomorrow will be tiring and yun will surely kill you if you start dozing off while he's talking. plus, you seem to get hungrier when you're tired."

"that's not true. anyway, yun loves me. he would never kill me."

"not sure about that..."

"you'll see..."