Hana of the Dusk | Akatsuki no Yona

Chapter 12

"Good, you're back," Yun nodded. After arriving earlier, Hana went to get a bath at the river and returned back to the small hut with fresh damp hair and fresh clothes. Yun handed her a plate of orange slices, "feed your sister. I already fed that guy."

Hana obeyed. She sat next to Yona's body and started squeezing the juice from the orange, muttering a prayer to the gods to let her sister and best friend wake up again. They must have heard her prayer, because a few minutes later, Yona's eyes fluttered open. Her big purple eyes stared up at Hana's ocean orbs.

"Nee.." Yona trailed.

"You're awake!" Hana threw her arms over Yona's shoulders.

"Nee-chan... is this really you?" Yona muttered, touching Hana's bright orange hair.

Hana pulled away from Yona to look at her face, "yes, this is really me," Hana smiled widely.

Yona wrapped her arms around Yona's neck and clung to her like she was the only thing that's keeping her alive. "You came back," Yona whispered, tears falling from her eyes. She was crying of gratitude, for she thought she would never meet her older sister again. Yona heard the news that Hana would be wed to Soo-won from Mundok. She thought her sister would be imprisoned in the castle for the rest of her life, until she bore a few children for Soo-won.

"I did. I made a promise to you."

"Please don't leave me again," Yona said.

Hana held Yona's face and brushed away the tears streaming down her cheeks. "I've been away from you for far too long. I will never leave you again, I promise. I will protect you if it means giving up my life if I need to."

—

"Just sit there and wait for your friend to wake up," Yun scolded Hana when she tried to help him with his chores. After Yona woke up, Hana insisted on helping Yun while waiting for Hak to wake up.

"I'm indebted to you for saving my sister's life. Please, let me help you," Hana said, almost to the point of begging him to let her help him.

Yun narrowed his eyes at her. He was still suspicious of her despite her genuine intention to help him. In the end, he just looked away and continued with his chore, "don't be stupid; you can't even do your own laundry. What can a princess like you do?" he snickered.

"A lot," she replied confidently.

"Like what? Dancing, reading, playing musical instruments?" Yun scoffed.

Hana sighed in exasperation. She didn't like his judgement on the royalty, thinking that every noble was snobbish and useless. But she couldn't blame him for that. He probably had that opinion because of his own experience. Nonetheless, she's willing to do everything to change his perspective on her.

An idea popped up in her mind. "Say, if I hunt something today, will you let me help you?" Hana asked.

"Hunt something?" Yun burst out into a fit of laughter. "Are you a princess or a comedian? You really are ridiculous. Don't do something you've never done before."

Hana ignored his comment; she instead proceeded to grab her bow and arrows that were placed by the wall, slinging the quiver across her back. "I'll be back in two hours."

—

"Impossible," Yun muttered when Hana returned home in less than two hours, carrying a dead deer on her shoulder. Dry blood left a trail from the deer's neck, where the arrow had pierced. She placed the deer on the ground at Yun's feet.