Chapter Text
ona was always an eccentric sort of girl. Her hair only amplified that as much. Even if she didn't admit if she loved the attention. Everyone around her in the palace was wonderful to her, well. Minus Hak. He seemed to get a kick out of teasing her all the time. It embarrassed her more times than she can count. Yet, she still appreciated his presence. Being alone in her room all the time bothered her more than anything. Her father says it's only for her own safety. While everyone is out having fun at a festival or event, she remained cooped up in her room. But no matter the event, hak was always there to cheer her up.
Then there was Soowon. He was also someone she cared for a lot. He had been with her since before she could remember. It was only fair that she developed a bit of a crush on him. Her father on the other hand disliked Soowon. Even if he didn't admit it, Yona always sensed a somewhat wave of uneasiness between the pair. She couldn't place it. No matter how she looked into it.
I wish i never did wonder.
It was her birthday. Everything was going great! Everyone was having fun and the attention was on her, where it should be! Hak laid off the teasing a bit today. a bit. Doesn't mean he didn't tease her at all. It had gotten late, she felt herself being watched. All day. It was making her extremely anxious.
She decided she wanted to bring the issue up with her father. He was the one who was always so concerned with her safety after all! Hak was out keeping watch so she couldn't exactly talk to him right then. even if he was near she didn't wanna seem like a baby in front of him. Who cares what he thinks anyway she thought. Snapping her mind back to the task at hand.
Her father's door was locked. That's.. unusual? He never locked his door. He never needed too, he had guards everywhere to keep him and yona save. She decided to run out the back to check could she see him from the window. She tipy toed out the back. Definitely getting her new dress all dirty and mucky. Great. Father is going to kill me! She thought. Focus.
She climbed on a piece of firewood placed at the back. Helping her peek through the window. She squinted her eyes before falling to her feet.
She saw blood. Her father's blood. Stained on Soowon's clock nevertheless.
She covered her mouth to keep herself from screaming. She didn't even have a chance to process it before a shady figure appeared behind her. Grabbing the collar of her dress roughly. He had a knife. She knew if she screamed it would alert the killer in there. Soowon. Never in her life had she been so afraid of someone in her life. And now that person is Soowon. Someone she grew up with. Someone she loved. Someone she cared for. Someone she valued, killing her reason of life.
She didn't think clearly, just followed her gut. quickly grabbing a piece of firewood she had been standing on earlier and bludgeoning him over and over again. No thought in mind. Just hit. And hit. Over and over again. She had fully knocked him out. Blood on the wood. Her mind came back to her when she had realised what she had done. She dropped the piece of firewood and stood up from the body. The wood was stained almost the same colour as her crimson hair.
She quickly ran back to her room. Packed whatever useful item she could find. She couldn't stay here. Not that she saw what happened. Not what she did. What did she do? No clear thought. Just run. Run.
She had remembered a back exit to the palace Hak had shown her when they were little. He got in massive trouble when Yona tried leaving to get a ball she had accidentally thrown from her room over the wall. It was slightly run down, just a simple door in the wall. Very small surveillance. Perfect.
She quietly made her exit. Late at night. Where no one would notice. Blood still on her dress. It was surprisingly easy to escape. Living outside would be the real problem. She ran for hours on end. No destination in mind. Just run. Run.
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When Yona awoke she found herself in someone's run down cottage. Wrapped in a blanket. She couldn't recall much. What happened. She took a moment to think back.
She had been running for a couple of days. The only food she had packed in her bag were sweet treats she had been gifted and had been ruining low. She hadn't been getting proper nutrition. Her body was beginning to fail her. She collapsed by a river while trying to get some water.
A young boy came through the entrance. His slightly ginger tinted messy hair was the first feature Yona noticed. The boy looked up from the book he was reading to see Yona had awakened.
"Oh you're awake." he softly said. Not giving it too much thought as he walked over to check her temperature. His cold hands made Yona jolt as it touched her forehead. "Wow jumpy much? Did you know you are extremely skinny? Have you been eating?"
First of all, how dare he comment on a ladies weight! Who raised him?! She pouted before clearing her throat to speak. "You shouldn't comment on a ladies body! Hmph!" The boy just laughed in her face.
"Lady? You aren't no lady. You're an extremely malnourished girl." The boy said as he handed her a bowl of chicken soup. She didn't wanna accept it due to his cocky attitude. If she didn't that would basically just mean she was saying he was right. But she was so hungry. She shyly took the bowl and began eating.
"Not even gonna ask my name before eating my food? Well im Yoon, the pretty boy doctor." He said confidently with a wide smirk on his face. Definitely has a bit of an ego. Before she was gonna make a smart remark at him a tall blonde man with his hair covering his eyes walked in, almost tripping on the door frame.
"Oh Yoon, is our guest awake? Hello little miss, im Ik-soo." the man softly smiled. Way nicer. Why couldn't she had awakened to him instead of this brat. She chewed on the piece of chicken she was eating then swallowed. "Im yona.."
"Nice to meet you Yona. We found you collapsed by the lake, seems like you hadn't eaten in days. I do hope you are fairing well?" The kind man said, now known as Ik-soo. She didn't know whether it was safe to say what she'd had been through. She was cut off from all matters of the palace since escaping. She didn't know what was going on there. How everyone was doing. In some aspects, she didn't want to entirely know.
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Hak was on duty with some other guards. He was getting slightly tired after standing around for hours. He swear he only closed his eyes for two seconds when a frantic guard ran over them. He was spitting all sorts of nonsense no one could make out because the guard was out of breath. He made out one sentence. "Princess Yona is missing." It sent him into pure rage. He passed by the guard and ran off. Straight to Yona's room. She was gone. He tore apart the room looking for her. Fuck. Where could she have gone so late?
He was called to a conference with the other generals, fully expecting king il to emerge and discuss Yona's absence. But instead he was met with Soowon and a sketchy weird advisor. Something about this felt so off he felt like getting sick.
"King il is dead."
He heard the words but a buzzing noise just took over. What. Firstly he hears Yona is missing, now king il? What the hell is happening. The generals all gasped and talks amongst themselves. Mundook looked to Hak with an unreadable expression on his face.
"Princess Yona is also missing. We are currently looking all over the palace for her, if you hear anything. Please come to us first." Soowon said unemotionally. How was he so composed. Hak couldn't do it. He stormed out.