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Darkness. That was all that permeated your vision, and you tried to move your limbs in confusion. At once, a bright light flashed in your eyes, and you blinked a couple times as you took in your surroundings.
You were back at Castle Hiryuu. What was this? A dream? The last thing you remembered was being on one of the pirate ships with Yona. You were fighting to free the captured maidens. And then... And then...
Eyes widening at the memory, you quickly checked your stomach in panic, expecting to see a gaping hole where the sword had slashed you, to see the red staining your clothes. Instead, you saw nothing, your outfit being normal. Oh dear Hiryuu, you weren't dead, right? Right?!
Hearing shouting, you looked up, clear confusion written all over your face. You were safe and dry underneath one of the castle hangar's, but it was night time, and pouring out to boot. However, you recognized the one voice that cried out so painfully, and you ran down the hall in panic, coming to a sliding stop as you peered in the room the noise came from. Your stomach turned at the sight, sorrow gripping your heart painful.
This wasn't a dream. It was a memory.
Collapsed on the ground in shock was a woman you were all-too-familiar with, Princess Yona and former heir to the throne. Staring ahead in shock, you could see why she had cried out. On the ground, deceased, was her father, King Il. And the perpetrator?
None other than the man you had sworn your life to serve, Soo-won. Even as his lady-in-waiting were you shocked, and your throat seized up as his eyes went from Yona to you, his face hard.
"[Y/n]... Yona... Neither of you should be out."
You rushed forward to shield Yona from the grisly sight before her. You wanted to curse him into oblivion. To cry and scream and ask why. You had no control of your voice though, for you could not change the past.
"Soo-won... How could you?"
A few guards came into the room, but you knew they would not help you as they pointed their swords at you. No, they needed to get rid of the evidence - evidence being you and Yona.
Forcing the younger princess to her feet, you had rushed out, in search of a weapon you could protect yourselves with. The princess was stumbling behind you, clearly dissociating from the scene before her. If it had been any other time, you'd be attentive and try to calm her down, but you didn't have the luxury or time to stall for even a moment. A moment of hesitation would lead to your downfall.
Feeling tears prick your eyes, soon enough you and Yona were cornered in the courtyard, and Yona collapsed onto the muddy ground, clearly giving up. You tried to go back to her, but you were seized in an instant, a sword threateningly held up to your neck to prevent any movement.
Yona...
You felt rage well in you. How could they do this to somebody so sweet? How could Soo-won, the man you thought you knew best, do this?! A scream ripped through your entire being, and you bashed your head back, hitting the soldier who had you in his grasp square in the face. It was with enough force to cause him to fall back, his nose a bloody mess, and you grabbed the sword from him, spinning it around once before going to save Yona.
"[Y/n], get her out of here!"
A new voice joined the fray, and you spared Hak a glance and nodded, rushing to Yona and gently bringing her to a stand. For a moment, she tried to pull away, clear distrust of you and confusion, and you made an attempt to calm her down.
"I'm here for you, princess. I'll keep you safe, even if it means laying my life down for your own."
Slowly, your surroundings began to fade into blackness, but not before your eyes met her purple ones, sad and defeated, but still trusting of you.
And you only had one thought.
I'll always fight for you.
She was crying. Hovering over the battered and injured body of [Y/n], her most trusted friend, Yona couldn't help the tears and worry that racked her body, even with Yoon's reassurance that you would be okay. After all, wasn't it her fault in the first place that this happened? Her fault that you were injured? Her fault that you were even here? By all intents and purposes, you weren't even supposed to leave Castle Hiryuu with her. You had been Soo-won's lady-in-waiting, after all. Would he had spared you if you had stayed?
"Please... Please, [Y/n]... Wake up..."
You stirred lightly, feeling something wet drop down onto your face, and you winced as a sharp pain reverberated throughout your entire body. Somebody was crying for you, a voice that sounded familiar, but who?
"Mm..."
You tried to speak but your throat felt drier than cotton. The small noise was enough to grab the person's attention, though, and they quickly left, presumably to go get somebody else. Moments later, a cool compress was pressed to your forehead, and you found the strength to flutter your eyes open. Standing over you was Yona and Yoon, Ao perched comfortably on the former's head.
"How are you feeling?"
You blinked once at Yoon, slowly processing his words. ". . . I've been better," you rasped, wincing at the way your voice sounded. How long had you been out?
As if reading your mind, Yoon helped prop your head up, giving you a sip of water from his flask. "You've been out for 3 days. You worried us all, you idiot!"
While his words were brash, you could tell they were sincere, and you offered a wobbly smile, grateful for the water. "It's fine. I would do it all over again if it meant the princess made it out unscathed."
On cue, Yona started to sniffle again, taking your hands earnestly. "No! You can't put yourself into danger like that again! Let the other's fight, but you and Hak... I can't lose either of you."
You felt a pang in your heart, and bitterly smiled. "I cannot just stand aside while our allies fight, princess."
Clearing his throat, Yoon stood up, going to exit the tent. You could easily tell he didn't want to be present for the fight that was brewing between the two of you, and he quickly made a half-hearted excuse about how he had to go see to the cooking so the "exotic beasts" would stop complaining. Ao scurried after him, leaving you and Yona completely alone.
She started to cry again, and you felt your heart drop at causing her so much pain. Struggling to sit up, and ignoring the pain in your abdomen, you cupped her face. "Princess Yona," you started, causing her to cry more. "I'm fine, aren't I? Just let me protect you. Please."
She shook her head, her hand going up to hold your own. "But why? Why do you want to protect me so much?"
You couldn't help the laugh that bubbled past your lips at her own obliviousness. "Why did I leave Soo-won to protect you in the first place?" You retorted, before sighing. Now was as good a time as any, right? "I want to protect you because I love you, you big dummy. I'm already at a disadvantage considering I'm a girl, and I don't care if it's taboo, but I love you and will lay down my life for you if I have to."
Your confession had stopped the flow of tears, and she blinked in shock at you. You could already feel disheartened. Who were you, after all, compared to Hak, or Jae-ha, or even Ki-ja?
Averting your eyes, you let your hand drop down to your lap. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, princess. I won't speak of it again if it bothers you."
"No."
The word came out so defiantly that you reeled for a moment, eyes going back to meet her purple ones. "Wh... 'No'?"
"No," Yona repeated, a newfound fire taking place of the sorrow she had previously been feeling. Your heart sunk. Oh dear Hiryuu, she was going to ridicule you for your feelings, wasn't she? After all, a woman loving another woman? If only society was that progressive. She pressed on, seeing your heartbroken face. "It's not... You didn't make me uncomfortable."
Wait, what?
She fumbled for her words for another moment, her face slowly growing into a shade of red that rivaled her infamous hair. "I... I mean, it's just. I don't want to lose you." Her words came out in a rush. "I just... Agh!" Growing frustrated, she grabbed both of your hands and tugged you forward, nearly causing you to topple as you winced from the movement. "Sorry, [Y/n]!" She hastily apologized. "It's just, I love you too, which is why when I see you behave so recklessly it hurts me! Especially when you say it's for me!"
For a moment, the world stopped moving. You looked at her with wide eyes, a light pink blooming over your face too. Were you hallucinating? Was it possible you were still passed out and this was a dream? Perhaps, maybe, you really had died and this was heaven.
"You... Love me?"
Yona nodded sharply, and you leaned forward hesitantly to place a short and sweet kiss on her lips, just to confirm that this was real. While the action took her by surprise, she had only just started to respond before you pulled away, a goofy smile on your face.
"Does this mean you're going to be my own personal nurse as I recover, princess?"
Yona immediately pulled away and smacked you on the head, blushing profusely. "Y-you're just as bad as Hak!"
You giggled, clearly love struck and happy with the change in events as you pulled her down again. "That's only one of the reasons why you love me though, right?"
The two of you started to kiss again, soft and gentle, before the tent flap opened.
"[Y/n], Yoon told me you had recovered and that the Princess was seeing to your - AH!"
Ki-ja, the unfortunate sap, jerked away violently and hit the ground as you and Yona pulled away slightly. Curiosity clearly had hold of the others, and soon Jae-ha and Hak were both peeking in, a smirk on the former's face.
"And what do we have here? I do believe, Thunder Beast, that you owe me money."
"Wait, you bet on us?!"