Hana of the Dusk | Akatsuki no Yona

Chapter 9: Fuuga.

"Hana!"

Taka and Fumiko seized each of her arms and pulled her up onto ground. Hana was panting from the lack of oxygen in the tunnel. She stared at both of the boys who were supposed to be her bodyguards. She touched both of their faces, to make sure that they were real and not just one of her cruel imaginations. "It's really you guys," she whispered.

"We're sorry," They wrapped their arms tightly around her. The sight of her like this broke their hearts, even though Hana had been through worse during her travel. But they didn't need to know that.

"We couldn't protect you," they said, almost on the verge of tears.

When Taka put his head on her left wounded shoulder, she winced, causing him to pull away immediately. Taka tugged the black cloak down, to see crimson blood soaking her blue dress.

"How dare they hurt you!" Taka exclaimed angrily. "This is unforgivable! I'm gonna kill who did this to you!" He grabbed his spear and stormed in the direction of the castle impetuously.

Hana seized his hand to stop him, "Taka, calm down. It's nothing; it doesn't hurt anymore. Please, let it go. I just want to go back to Fuuga."

"We'll take you back there, Hana," Fumi assured her, "that's the reason why we're here."

Taka relented to her plea. He picked her up in a bridal style and carried her to his horse. He carefully put her in the saddle before climbing onto the horse behind her. They rode through the forest in haste, in fear that somebody in the castle had noticed Hana's disappearance.

They stopped in the midst of the forest after they were far enough away from the castle.

"How did you know about the secret tunnel?" Hana asked them while Fumi tended to her wound.

"Hak told us about it. He told us to rescue you," answered Taka, crossing his arms over his chest as he sat across Hana, staring at the wound on her shoulder with a deep frown.

"So he made it home alive? With Yona?"

"Yes," Fumi nodded.

"Thank goodness," Hana closed her eyes and let out a sigh of relief. She had been afraid that they somehow were captured, or worse, killed before reaching Fuuga, and that Soo-won was just keeping it a secret from her.

"What happened to the both of you? Where were you on the night my father died?" She looked back and forth between Fumi and Taka.

"We were supposed to guard your room like the previous night, but we fell asleep in our room. When we woke up, it was already morning, and we received the news that the king has died," Fumi explained as he finished bandaging her shoulder with a new fresh dressing. Hana thanked him.

Taka continued where Fumi stopped, "this one-eyed guy who claimed to be Lord Soo-won's right-hand man came and relieved us from our duty as your bodyguards because he said we failed to protect you, as you were almost kidnapped that night. We were sent back to Fuuga, and ordered to never step a foot in the castle again."

"So, they did it to you too, huh? Should've expected that," Hana muttered.

Fumiko and Taka looked at her in question. "Did what?" They asked simultaneously.

"Some other guards must have conspired with Soo-won about this so they could get rid of you two. They drugged your drink that you must have taken during the celebration. Soo-won did it to me too, and that's why I fell asleep so early that day. It was to make sure I didn't fail their assassination plan. I woke up, but it was too late. My father already died," she pursed her lips and turned her head around to hide the tear that trickled down her cheek. She wiped it with the back of her hand before looking back at Fumiko and Taka, smiling softly, "but I'm glad nothing happened to both of you. I couldn't afford to lose you as well," she stood up from the ground. "Now, let's go back home, shall we? I miss everyone there."