Hana of the Dusk | Akatsuki no Yona

Chapter 5: Betrayal.

"What do you see?" Hana asked as she leaned against the wall next to Hak, Yona was still in her protective embrace, still silent as though she was robbed off her voice.

"Six soldiers guarding the rear gate. The rest are waiting to ambush," Hak replied.

"I'll draw them after me."

They turned to Min-soo who had newly arrived. He returned from Yona's room after fetching a random kimono in Yona's collection to use it as a disguise. Min-soo put the kimono on his head and it covered the rest of his small body.

"Onee-chan, are you gonna leave me?" Yona whispered and looked up at Hana, tears brimming her eyes. Hana smiled softly at Yona, although her heart was breaking to see her sister in this condition.

"I'll come back to you-" Hana tried to comfort Yona, but the red-haired princess cut her speech.

"No!" Yona shook her head persistently. Her arms tightened around Hana, refusing to let go of her. "Soo-won's gonna kill you like he killed Father. You cannot leave me," Yona's voice was muffled as she buried her face inside Hana's chest, and also from crying.

"Yona, look at me," Hana grabbed Yona's shoulders and pushed Yona away from her chest. Hana cupped Yona's face in her hands, wiping away the tears rolling on her cheeks, "I'm gonna be fine. I'll find you soon, don't worry about me. And don't be afraid, Hak will protect you."

"I-I don't wanna l-lose you," Yona hiccuped.

"You won't," Hana whispered, although she wasn't sure about it herself. With what had become of Soo-won, she couldn't say what he would and wouldn't do to her. When she saw him earlier, with her father's blood still smeared on his face, it's like she was looking at someone else- a complete stranger. The Soo-won that she knew her whole life, had changed.

"Take care of her," Hana told Hak. Hak clenched his jaws while nodding; he wished he could take Hana away too. King Il entrusted him with not only Yona, but Hana too. His duty was to protect Hana as well, but it seemed like he had failed his part in it.

"We're heading to Fuuga," Hak informed her, "when you escape, find us there."

"I'll catch up to you. Take Yona away, now," Hana pushed Yona towards Hak even though her sister stubbornly clung to her.

"Onee-chan, please don't leave me," Yona pleaded, reaching for Hana desperately. But Hak held the younger princess back and dragged her away with him.

"Let's go, Min-soo," Hana walked away with Min-soo.

"Hana," Hak called. Hana halted and looked over her shoulder to her childhood friend. "Come back alive," Hak said.

Hana shone a smile to sooth his worry for her, "when have I ever not?"

With that they went on their separate ways. Hana and Min-soo purposefully ran out to the open view to bait the guards. And it worked.

"There! The princesses are there!" One of the guards pointed at them. Now all of them were hunting them down, successfully averting their attention from the rear gate.

"Don't kill Princess Hana; Lord Soo-won wants her alive!" The same guard commanded the others.

Hana wondered why Soo-won wanted her to be alive, but she didn't ponder too much on it. Instead, she focused on fighting the guards who were coming after them. Archers were targeting at Min-soo who was allegedly Princess Yona. Hana took out the knives from her pouch and flung them at the archers. Some of the archers caught the knives in the throats and chests while the rest dodged them.

But no matter how many archers she had killed, countless arrows still rained upon her and Min-soo. One managed to pierce through Min-soo's leg. He stumbled, but held the kimono tightly on his head so it wouldn't fall off.