Birthright [[Akatsuki no Yona - Jae-Ha]]

Chapter 8

It was a foggy morning, and dawn hadn't yet broken over the clearing in front of the cave. Seoyun moved through the mist, walking back and forth as she carried a fussy Sho, only limping a little. The baby had been awake for about an hour already and didn't seem inclined to go back to sleep. Not wanting to bother anyone once he started getting louder, Seoyun had taken him out of the cave and into the dark grey morning.

Seoyun kissed Sho's soft, fluffy green hair and gently swayed as she walked, hoping he would settle down. He wasn't hungry and she had already changed his cloth, so she supposed he was just grumpy. She wished she could ask her mother what to do or go to one of her friends. The women she had thought of as friends. They would all spurn her now, especially since she had run away from the village.

What if they sent more people after her and Sho? She was going to need to learn to protect herself and her baby. Yes, she had some skill with a knife, but it wasn't enough. There was absolutely no way that she would let them take Sho from her, and she would do anything to keep him safe. If that meant taking up a sword, she would do that. She just needed to find someone to teach her.

Shushing Sho, Seoyun turned and walked back the other way, stepping around a decent-sized stone in her path. Sho whimpered as she whispered to him, trying to comfort her tiny son.

"You're all right," she said, "Shh, shh. What's with all these tears?"

"You're going to wear yourself out."

Seoyun jolted at the sound of the familiar voice, pulling Sho closer. Jae-Ha was leaning against the mouth of the cave but he pushed away and came toward her when their eyes met. Seoyun pulled her shoulders back and kept walking, attempting to ignore the older green dragon. She was acutely aware that he was following her, so she went farther than she had before, moving through the trees as she left the security of the cave.

Although Jae-Ha was confusing, she knew that she and Sho were entirely safe when he was around.

Every day that Sho grew older, he would steal a bit of Jae-Ha's power until Jae-Ha had nothing left to give. By all rights, Jae-Ha should have resented Sho, but he hadn't shown any signs of disliking him. In fact, he didn't seem to want them to go, which made absolutely no sense to Seoyun.

"You know, I'm not used to women running away from me," Jae-Ha said.

"I wouldn't call this running," she replied, "It's more like a slow walk." Seoyun glanced over her shoulder at him. "I am slowly walking away from you."

Jae-Ha half-smiled. "Would you care if I caught up?"

"I guess not."

He lengthened his stride until he was beside her. For a few minutes they wandered through the woods in silence as the sun rose and burned away the mist of morning. Sho fussed and wriggled, still refusing to settle down.

"Let me take him," Jae-Ha said, holding out his hands.

Seoyun shook her head. "It's all right."

"Please?"

She stopped, looking up at the tall man beside her. He genuinely looked like he didn't mind holding Sho...

Seoyun was torn. She wanted to question him, but she had spent practically every moment since she had met Jae-Ha second-guessing him while he hadn't really given her any reason to doubt him. Actually, he had protected her and her son...

Gently bouncing her crying baby, she took a deep breath and nodded. "All right."

Jae-Ha blinked, surprised at her answer, but he carefully took Sho from her. He rested the infant against his shoulder, patting his back.

Seoyun stretched and bent down to rub at her sore ankle. It was starting to feel better, but it would be a while before it was back to the way it had been before. Yoon was amazing with herbs and medicines but some things still needed time to heal.

After a few minutes, Sho settled down and stopped snuffling and sniffling. The silence was peaceful, and Seoyun relished it.

"Are you still thinking about leaving?"

She straightened up and leaned against a tree trunk, looking up at Jae-Ha warily again. Why was he bringing this up again? It had been a few days since he had asked her about it, and she thought he was going to let it drop. It was obvious that she and Sho couldn't stay with his group. For one, they weren't exactly inconspicuous and she was already going to have a difficult time trying to hide a baby with green hair and a scaly leg. Traveling with the group would just be asking for more attention. And honestly, wouldn't it be awkward for Jae-Ha and the other dragons? Did he really want a constant reminder that he was eventually going to lose all of his powers?

"I should be able to leave in a couple more days," she said, "I'll take Sho somewhere safe, like a border town."

"You won't be able to hide there for long," Jae-Ha said, shaking his head, "And dragons need to stay within the borders of Kouka Kingdom."

"Why?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Because we weaken when we're away," he said. Sighing, he stepped toward her, his violet eyes dark as he looked down at her. "I know you're afraid, but I'm not the person you need to be scared of."

Seoyun frowned. "I'm not—"

"You are too," he said, "I don't know why, but you always act like I'm going to hurt you or Sho."

Is that how he saw it? "I don't...It's not that."

"Then what is it?"

A chill raced through Seoyun's veins as she met his eyes. "Sho is basically a death sentence for you, Jae-Ha," she said, her voice quiet but firm, "I'm sorry, but it's hard to believe that you actually care what happens to him."

Jae-Ha pulled back and turned away from her, taking a few steps through the fallen leaves. When he turned around, there was small, sad smile on his face. "I can see how you'd think that." He rested a hand on Sho's back, his fingers brushing the baby's fuzzy hair. "But this is simply how the dragon legacy works. I don't like it, but I can't change it so I have to live with it."

"But that doesn't mean you have to take care of him," Seoyun said. She reached forward, hesitating before she touched Jae-Ha's arm. "It's not your job to look after him. It's mine."

"You've made that very clear," Jae-Ha said with a smirk, and Seoyun's cheeks grew warm with embarrassment. "Still, I know it might not make sense to you, but he's my legacy. I want to make sure he's safe." He half-smiled at her. "You, too."

"I appreciate it, but I don't need you to protect me," Seoyun said stubbornly, "What I need to do is learn to do that myself."

"But you can't right now," he pointed out.

"I'll be better soon."

"And who's going to teach you to fight? You're not particularly trusting..."

Seoyun lifted her chin, but she was starting to see his point. If she and Sho stayed with Jae-Ha and the others, at least there would be some protection there. But wouldn't they be upset with her and Sho about what would happen to Jae-Ha? Or maybe she was judging them too harshly. Perhaps they all held the same view as Jae-Ha, that this wasn't really anyone's fault, it was just the way of the world.

The world was so unfair sometimes.

Sho squirmed in Jae-Ha's hold, and she reached up to trace the baby's cheek, wanting to calm him.

Jae-Ha's free hand darted out and caught her hand, squeezing her fingers gently. "Seoyun, the Green Dragon Village won't give up so easily, and you know that. I want you two to stay with us, at least until we find somewhere that's actually safe."

Seoyun pulled her hand away. "I'll...I'll think about it." That was all she could promise for now.

Jae-Ha's hand lingered in the air, moving toward her face for a moment, as if he was going to brush his fingers against the bruise around her eye. She flinched, and he let his hand drop. "Maybe one day you'll trust me, hmm?"

Right now, after having been shunned by her village and chased across the countryside by her husband, she wasn't inclined to trust everyone.

But there was a chance she could learn.