Flames and Waves | {Akatsuki no Yona/Yona of the dawn fanfiction} (ONGOING)

Chapter #40: Life or death?

Aria POV

"You brought a disease to our village?!" Kalgan's father shouted at us. Kalgan tried to stop him.

"It could spread to the rest of the village! Get out of here!" He continued.

"Father! Stop—" Kalgan tried, but I stopped him.

"It's fine, Kalgan. They let us stay here and gave us food. If this really is a disease, then we wouldn't want this village to be infected" I said and stood up. I walked up to Kalgan's father and slightly bowed.

"Thank you for everything, we'll take our leave now" I said before turning around.

"Shin-ah, Zeno, can you help me carry them to the tent?" Shin-ah nodded while putting Kija's arm around his shoulder.

"Ryokuryuu can lean on Zeno!" Zeno exclaimed, making Jea-ha lightly chuckle. Kalgan ran out of the hut before I could stop him. I ignored him and turned to everyone else. We eventually got out of the hut, but then Shin-ah noticed something.

"Horses....and soldiers too..." He said while breathing heavily.

"We've got a problem! There's a battle starting!"

"What?"

"A battle?!"

"It's Kouka....Kouka will clash with Kai's army soon!" I froze.

What?! Why? What the hell Soo won!? Because yes, this is totally your fault
But seriously, what are you thinking?

"What?! Why would Kouka...is it because the king changed?!"

"Shin-ah...!" I heard two people hit the ground behind me and instinctively turned around to see Shin-ah and Kija on the ground.

"Shin-ah!" I exclaimed and struggled to run up to him. I kneeled next to him and carefully took off his mask to see his flushed face. He looked at me and I smiled.

"Shin ah, are you okay?" I asked him and put my hand on his forehead.

"You're very warm, wait a second" I said and put his mask back on. I turned to Hak, who was staring into nowhere.

"Hak, help please?" I said and took Shin-ah's arm over my shoulder to help him. Hak did the same with Kija and as we all made our way to the tent Yoon had prepared.

"Again?" Kalgan's father said. I stopped and turned to him.

"What do you mean?" I asked him.

"The village should be fine if it doesn't spread here, but....the king and the distinguished aren't the ones who suffer after the war, it's always us, the common people"

Third Person POV

The fight between Kouka kingdom and the Kai Empire that enclosed the Kin province was and overwhelming victory for Kouka's forces. With the problems such as dealing with groups in the north, the Kai empire's army fighting against Kouka's large army was very weak.
The Kai empire could not deploy a sufficient military force on Kouka's borders, which cost them dearly.

"It came to an end half a day earlier than expected. Thanks to that, we were able to get through on short provisions" The king's advisor, Kye-Sook, said.

"Nevertheless, the number of soldiers was a spectacle to see. It was an unmatched victory as expected. It was a battle for Kouka to mark a strong impression" He continued.

"You did a great job, General Kyo-ga. The fire tribe's leadership was magnificent" The king of Kouka, King Soo won, complimented the newly made general, Kyo-ga.

"Y-Your majesty!" General Kyo-ga called out to the blonde haired king, who turned around.

"I thank you...for trusting me....from the bottom of my heart" He continued, making the young king smile.

"It's nothing, I look forward to working with you from now on" King Soo won said as Kyo-ga bowed. King Soo won walked away, his mind drifting off elsewhere.

Now the defense in Kouka's northwest region is secured. The treaty with Sen province is upholding. The people won't feel pressure from the Kai empire either. All that's left now is...

Aria POV

"It seems like the battle has ended"

"They got close, but it looks like Kouka's forces won overwhelmingly in just a matter of days"

"I see....so it came to an end without dragging us into it this time" I walked towards the tent as the villagers gossiped about the war.

"How are Kija and the others doing, Yoon?" I asked Yoon as soon as I came to the tent.

"Well, their fevers have gone up..." Yoon said. I pouted.

"So their fevers just went up, huh..."

"Don't worry, Miss! The four dragons use their explosive abilities, so it's easy for them to get weakened by it. All they need now is to rest!" Zeno said, happily. I smiled.

"Are you okay, Zeno?" Yoon asked him.

"Zeno's health is the only strong point he has as Ouryuu!"

"I-I see"

"Zeno will tend to them!" Zeno said and went into the tent where the groaning from the four dragons could be heard. I went into a separate tent as Hak followed me. We sat down in silence for a few seconds.

"The villagers said that Kouka won, but...I wonder if Soo won went up against Kai because of the conflict with the water tribe?" I thought out loud. Hak progressed my words before speaking.

"No, I think that taking back this place was planned since the beginning. If anything, the actions in the water tribe was just a good reason for it. Be recapturing earth tribe territory, it strengthens his mutual trust with General Guen-Tae. It also strengthens the morale of the five tribes. This battle was probably not for the sole purpose of taking back land" He said.

"Hak...do you know what Soo won is thinking?"

"....I don't know, and I don't want to either"

If the king hadn't been killed by Soo won, if he would have permitted this battle...would Hak be on the battlefield with him?

Would I have come here? Would I have been killed by bandits or would I have gone on and found the dragons? Would I have had to fight against Hak?

"Soo won may be a good king, but I can't bring myself to side with either him or Kai"

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We have so many tests in school, it's getting hard to write these chapter hahaha
But after tomorrow, spring break is coming and then I'll have time to write a ton of chapters for you all!

Thank you all for your continued support :)