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Hak fastened the tent flaps from the inside, shutting out the world and immediately feeling deep fatigue settle in his bones. It pressed into his shoulders, threatened to buckle his knees. He heaved a sigh with closed eyes, giving himself just a moment to lean into that exhaustion.
“I bet you’re going to tell me I shouldn’t have done that.”
Hak’s eyes snapped open at her voice. He turned and appraised his princess inquisitively. She was standing further in the tent, eyes downcast and hands clasped in front of her. At first glance, her posture appeared subdued and abashed, but as she brought her chin up, he saw the fire blazing in her eyes. Her hands fell to her sides, fists balling so the whites of her knuckles were stark against her skin. She wasn’t a dismayed girl ready to be scolded for her foolishness, but a princess seasoned in conflict, hardening her resolve for an argument she planned to win.
Small tendrils of shame seeped into Hak’s skin and needled through his heart. She clearly expected him to lecture her for such a risky plan: getting intentionally captured by Chagol’s men in order to infiltrate his inner camp and save their friends, fighting against Chagol directly when the plan went awry… standing resolutely between Chagol’s weapon and Hak’s own turned back.
The image of that monster pinning his princess to the ground still played in his mind, filling him with a black, writhing rage that challenged the control he was keeping over his emotions. His aching body be damned, he wanted to track Chagol down without delay. Rip his throat out and snap his wrists so he could never again degrade Yona with derogatory remarks or lay a hand on her with murderous intent.
But that rage wasn’t meant for her, and mercifully, it was she who stood before him. He met her steely look and tried to relax his body taut with violence both spent and promised, even as he noted the bruises already forming in the shape of crushing fingers along her neck. The anger tried to flare again, but he beat it down. He would withhold it for this moment, because she deserved to know the things that were churning inside him after witnessing her actions in that camp. He urged sincerity into his voice as he spoke low and firm, “No, that’s not what I was going to say at all.”
Her eyes briefly flashed with surprise, but she was otherwise unmoved. She kept her glare fixed and her fists clenched. He continued, taking a careful but deliberate step towards her. “I was actually going to tell you how inspiring you were out there.”
Now that got her attention. He could see the fight drain from her muscles, replaced with a bright, hopeful thrum of tension. This visual shift warmed his heart, despite the slight discomfort he felt at speaking so plainly to her, no hint of teasing to mask the depth of his feelings.
With another step, he was directly in front of her, her head tilting back to look up at him and his heart thundering in response. The steadiness with which she held his gaze was enough to render him mute, but he had to keep going. He lifted his hands and rested them slightly on her slender arms just below her shoulders.
“You were incredible,” he said, quiet but unyielding. “As much as it terrified me, your strength left me with more pride than I know what to do with. I’m… I’m in awe of you.” His words stopped short and felt wholly inadequate. He was unsure what else to say, how to capture and release the way her power both mesmerized and tormented him.
Yona’s expression in turn was open, her astonishment on full display. “Truly?” she breathed, unable to keep the smallest tremor from escaping with her question.
There was hunger in her eyes, her body as she leaned imperceptibly forward, hanging on his response. She longed for his approval and validation, that was clear. And he would not keep her wanting.
A smile tinted with mischief stretched slowly across his face as he slid his hands leisurely down her arms and around her waist, tugging her closer and savoring her warmth against his torso as her hands came to rest on his chest. His pulse turned molten as he drank her in, the pink of her cheeks blooming a shade brighter. He dipped his head down, stopping when his mouth was just a breath away from her ear.
“Truly,” he vowed, grin widening at the answering shiver that went through her frame. He was meant to be assuring her of her bravery, her strength, her resolve, and already he was getting distracted. But god if those parts of her weren’t the very things making him dizzy with want at this very moment.
Yona’s body language shifted suddenly, disrupting Hak’s heated daze. Before he could figure out what was wrong, she threw her arms around his neck and clung there determinedly, a surprised oof escaping him in response. He could feel her nose scrunched against his skin as she buried her face in his neck. She was nearly vibrating due to the tightness of her hold, though his own hold on her slackened slightly in shock.
“Thank you,” she murmured into him, her soft voice thick with emotion. The liquid heat that had been pulsing through him slowed but hummed pleasantly at her earnest delight. He strengthened his hold of her again, arms securing her against his body so that her figure was impressed there. His head bowed with the embrace, face folding into the hollow between her shoulder and neck, nuzzling the soft skin.
He whispered to her again, this time without the heat of desire but all the pride swelling within him. “Thank you, for fighting at my side and my back. It was your strength alone that protected us in the end.”
She pulled back to face him, arms loosening but keeping her hands clasped around his neck. She was extended on the tips of her toes in order to reach his height, and the sight made his eyes crinkle in the corners with tender affection. Her smile was just as gentle but tinged with wistfulness as she said, “I still don’t have the strength of a thousand men, though.”
He let his eyes close and his forehead fall until it rested against hers. “You’re right, of course, Princess.” He felt her give further into him, and he imagined her eyes closing as well, the small smile lingering on her lips. “Your strength has far surpassed that now.”