Hairpin of Memories

“… So how are we going to retrieve it?” Jae-ha muttered while rubbing his chin. Yoon had accidentally dropped a bag with Yona’s hairpin in a ditch where it ended up in a small tree hanging over the roaring rapids of the waters, which eventually lead to a waterfall. The group had been standing there for a little while mulling over possible ways to get it after the boy genius came to them in a panic that he had dropped it. Kija had just tried but even with his mighty dragon hand he couldn’t reach.

“… Jae-ha, how about using your leg?” the White Dragon suggested.

The Ryokuryuu looked at him like he was crazy. “My leg…? What do you mean?”

The Hakuryuu bent down, looking over Jae-ha’s boot on his right leg. “I can make my arm enormous, so if you were to focus all your power into one explosive moment, you should be able to extend your leg and do the same, should you not?”

Jae-ha groaned at that one. “If I did that, it wouldn’t be pretty, and I’d never have enough pairs of shoes.” He shook his head. ‘Not to mention the fact there’s no way in hell I’m taking off my boot here in front of all you guys… That leg is so unbeautiful they don’t need to see it, though at least I can hide it fast enough when we bathe…’ As always Jae-ha was extremely self-conscious about his dragon leg. He considered it ugly as his village basically considered it a curse and he felt it didn’t go with the rest of his beautiful self. He even kept them on most times he’d sneak around in the middle of the night during his watch to make love to Yona, much to her protests as she wanted to see his dragon leg. But he was stubborn on this subject, even though Yona had been trying for a while now to convince him otherwise, like she did the other night… Which made his cheeks tint just thinking about what the princess did to show her love for that monster leg…

But Kija wouldn’t take that as a no. “In other words, you could do it if you wanted to, right?”

That’s when Hak suddenly grabbed the Green Dragon’s leg. “What’s that? Hey take off your shoes for a second.”

“Eh?! Wait!” Jae-ha cried, struggling from the Thunder Beast’s grip. “What are you… STOP IT!”

Yoon was bending down behind him. “Show us! Show us!”

“Wait you guys AHHHH!!” Jae-ha kicked at Hak with his human leg, and immediately pulled himself away, sulking in a corner while loosening his robes instead. “I’ve been… Defiled….” He jokingly whimpered.

Kija just huffed. “ARRRGHHH!! You are so…”

Hak just sweatdropped. “He takes off his clothes like it’s nothing, yet he obstinately refuses when it comes to his boots…”

“What a troublesome pervert.” Yoon remarked.

Hak just grumbled and shook his head. “I’ll climb down.”

Jae-ha then adjusted his robes and stood up. “Wouldn’t it be better for me to go?”

The Lightning Beast shook his head. “The ground is unstable here. Even you wouldn’t be able to jump off of it.” He then narrowed his eyes. “Also if I don’t get that back…”

Jae-ha raised an eyebrow at that. “Is that hairpin important to you as well, Hak?” He had often wondered what the hell the story was behind that hairpin, and since Yona never told anyone nor wanted to talk about it this was as good a time as any to press.

“…No.” Hak replied rather darkly. “Honestly, I want to smash it.”

“… Eh?” Yoon blinked, as Kija and Jae-ha suddenly went quiet.

‘Smash it…?’ Jae-ha thought to himself, blinking a few times. ‘He’s got that same sorrowful bloodlust from before, just like in Awa and….’ His eyes widened with realization. ‘… No… It can’t be…’

Yoon seemed to come to the same conclusion. “… That hairpin couldn’t possibly be…. A present from King Soo-won or something like that… Right…?”

Hak didn’t respond, Kija just stood there and Jae-ha took in a sharp gasp.

“… It is really?” Yoon asked, his face going through several emotions from shocked to horrified. “What the heck…? Why did Yona… Keep that hairpin…? Back during the Fire Festival, when I brought out that hairpin, Yona’s face went terribly stiff.”

Jae-ha himself was mulling over his thoughts, rubbing his chin. ‘…. Why would she keep something like that from the man that murdered her father unless…?’ he froze on the spot.

“I wonder… Was Yona…” Yoon hesitated for a moment. “… In love with King Soo-won…?”

Hak once again said nothing, just looking to the side, but his face confirmed it. Kija didn’t seem to know what to say, that shocked expression just stayed on his face… Whereas Jae-ha…

The Green Dragon just looked at the Thunder Beast with eyes of pity, finally understanding. ‘… And this was why you never made a proper move on her, why she’s so certain you two are just close friends and nothing more despite you clearly having loved her for a long time. Her attention was on another the whole time you grew up and she never noticed you Hak, but you kept your distance and let it stay one sided, just like at first I did when I thought she loved you…’ Jae-ha thought to himself, processing this and putting the pieces together. ‘She must have gone through a horrible heartbreak watching the man she loved murder her father before her very eyes, so Hak kept his distance to let her recover and probably figures she still isn’t over him just yet… But still why does she keep something like that on her? Especially now when she has…’ his heart sank for a moment, no he doesn’t dare go and start doubting his princess’ love for him, after all she made it quite clear how her feelings were and broke his resolve to keep it one-sided. But he definitely needed to ask her about this. ‘Perhaps now is as good of time as any to give her that hairpin I got back in Ryusui.’


Yoon though finally spoke up, snapping Jae-ha out of his train of thought. “There’s no need to push yourself and retrieve it, Thunder Beast! I’ll go tell Yona what happened and apologize!”

Hak just smiled, petting the boy genius on the head as he climbed down. Jae-ha’s eyes still on him as he climbed.

‘… And this is why she still hasn’t told Hak about us…’ Jae-ha thought to himself. ‘… Because she knows he’ll worry about her falling in love again only to get her heart broken and destroyed once more, after all he doesn’t have the greatest impression of me.’ He snorted a laugh at that. ‘But that does make me wonder… Does she still love Soo-won? I mean having met him once he did seem like a reliable and trustworthy guy, it shocked both me and Kija when we were told it was him… It’s so hard to believe, was that the way he was around Yona and Hak back in the day? Was all that just an act..? How can someone be so likeable and kind but then suddenly be so cruel and completely destroy Yona’s life like that? And if that’s how he was to her back then, it’s no wonder she fell in love with him, as she said before she was never outside the castle walls until that night her father was killed… It seems you were trapped in your own kind of cage, Yona dear…’ he couldn’t help but mull over while their situations were not exactly the same, it was similar. ‘A glided cage is still a cage, no matter how beautiful it may look. While my legs were chained to the ground and prevented me from seeing the world, her mind was chained from growing and seeing how the kingdom truly was. Who knew we had that in common, Yona love?’

“HAK!!” Kija and Yoon cried, the Thunder Beast had fallen into the river and was being swept away, his head just above the water but he wasn’t swimming or trying to pull himself out, as if lost in thought.

Jae-ha snapped to attention, immediately removing his robe to make it easier to swim. “Crap, I’ll go get him-“ his eyes widened when Kija and Yoon jumped in after him. “WAIT YOU TWO DON’T!!!” he groaned and rolled his eyes, then with a mighty leap jumped into the water ahead of them, grabbing Hak first and then gathering Kija and Yoon who were struggling with the rapids. Once the Green Dragon ushered them all to shore, he grumbled slightly. “Kija what did I tell you last time about jumping into the river with those flappy clothes?! And Hak were you trying to give us a heart attack?!”

“Thanks Jae-ha…” Yoon groaned as he stood up. “You made us panic there, Thunder Beast…”

Hak just looked to the side. “… I got lost in my thoughts for a bit.”

“I thought you were dead!” Kija growled, ignoring the Ryokuryuu’s scolding.

“Seriously, try not to do that again…” Jae-ha groaned as he wrung out his hair, going to put his robe back on.

“Agreed! That was far too dangerous Hak!” Kija shouted.

“He wasn’t the only one I was saying that to….” Jae-ha grumbled, referring to the ones that jumped in after the Lightning Beast. “Let’s just get back before Yona dear starts worrying about us…”

“Right, but where’s the pouch?” Yoon asked after a moment.

Kija held up the purple pouch with the hairpin with his dragon hand. “It’s right here-“ And suddenly there was a loud snap.

“DID YOU HEAR A SNAP JUST NOW?!” Yoon shouted, his eyes wide.

“AAAHHH THE BOX IS CRACKED!” Kija cried as he pulled out the wooden box from the pouch to check.

Jae-ha’s eyes widened. “KIJA, YOU DIDN’T JUST BREAK…”

Kija immediately opened the box with his human hand, sighing with relief when they saw the hairpin was intact.

“Thank goodness! The contents are fine…” Yoon sighed.

Jae-ha groaned and held a hand over his head. “This is bad for my heart…”

Hak just watched the three of them and burst out laughing. “Pffftt! You guys are so worked up… Damn, I don’t even have time to be lost in my thoughts…”

“This is no time to be laughing Hak!” Kija snapped. “It’s soaked!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll dry it off.” Yoon said, taking the box with the hairpin. He then frowned looking at the hairpin. “Seriously… Yona has some painful memories, doesn’t she? When I think about her pain, it’s almost unbearable…”

Jae-ha frowned at that, they all knew Yona had some really painful times and memories since that night her father was murdered and she fled the castle. It was why he wanted to try and help her forge new, happy memories together. He just wanted to keep seeing that smiling face of hers. After all, when he found her just outside Kushibi's Fort, dying of thirst and panicking about Lily getting captured, he felt like his heart was being ripped in half. That she was hurt so badly, that he couldn't protect her and that he was just a few moments away from losing her forever. She was going through such hard times right now, the last thing he wanted to do was bring her more stress or pain. That was why he was fine with keeping their relationship a secret for now, just so she could keep smiling. After all, he was fairly certain their group were not going to simply accept it, sure they would eventually get used to it, but Hak's reaction would be the most violent, he knew...

“I’ll return this to its owner. What becomes of the hairpin is up to Yona to decide.” Yoon spoke up after a moment as he was drying off the hairpin. “You’re ok with that, right Thunder Beast?”

Before Hak could reply, Yona was coming over with Zeno and Shin-ah. “Hey you guys! Where have you been?” the princess asked, blinking as she saw them. “… Why are you all wet?”

“Oh we all thought we’d go playing around in the water, Yona dear.” Jae-ha spoke up first, smiling warmly at her. Hak was looking at him with a raised eyebrow but the Green Dragon elbowed him to go with it.

“Really? I would have liked to see that!” the princess giggled.

“Seeing you all like this, it’s like you’re all still a bunch of kids!” Zeno chuckled.

“This coming from the dragon that's so old we're all kids compared to his age, yet acts like a five-year-old.” Hak remarked.

Yona giggled at that. “The river must have been cold! I’ll go start a fire so you guys can get warm.” She then paused for a moment. “Hey Yoon, can I ask you about something? My stomach’s bothering me again and I was wondering if you could help…”

“Huh? Oh sure Yona.” The boy genius hid the hairpin for now and stood up, following the princess. “But again? You’ve been having stomach cramps for about a week straight now.”

“I know, they usually pass by the morning but this one is being extra annoying.” Yona groaned, sighing as they walked back towards the camp. “I think I might pass on dinner at this rate, I feel like I’m going to throw up…”

“Yona…” Yoon rubbed his chin, he was really beginning to wonder about the way the princess had been lately. “I noticed that lately you've been getting tired more often, maybe exhaustion is getting to you? Also you seem to be taking a lot of bathroom runs in the middle of the night, that or are you having sleeping problems? I woke up a few nights when you weren’t in the tent… You usually came back right before I would go and look for you but…”

Yona blushed madly at that, she didn’t realize the boy genius had woken up during one of the nights she sneaked off to be with Jae-ha. “I-I just couldn’t sleep and needed some fresh air, y-yeah I think just with everything going on lately I can’t sleep right.”

‘…. It’s almost as if she’s… Nah, it couldn’t be that… Could it?’ Yoon thought to himself, rubbing his temple. ‘She couldn’t be…. I mean it doesn’t seem like her and Hak got together anytime recently for her to be pregnant… But she’s been having like morning sickness for a week straight now, not to mention the other subtle signs… Maybe that’s why Lightning Beast had that long pause when I offered him to swap with me and sleep in the tent with Yona…’ he then cleared his throat, handing the bag with her belongings over. “Here, Lily got your stuff back and Hak wanted me to give it to you.”

“Oh! Thanks Yoon.” Yona smiled, taking the bag. She did seem to check inside if the box with the hairpin was in there, but then quickly closed the bag, her eyes straying off to the side. “Ah here we are!” She quickly ran over to start the bonfire.

“Here let me put something together to help your stomach pains.” Yoon said, digging into his bag and mixing a few plants together along with water, then placing it over the fire to warm for a moment then handing the drink to her. “This should help. You sure you still want to skip dinner?”

“I’m sure Yoon, I probably just need to turn in early for the night.” Yona said with a smile. “I’m going to get some more wood for the fire ok? Tell the others to hurry over and get warm ok?” she took the drink and headed a bit into the forest, not going too far though. She sighed as she gathered some pieces of wood but placed them down to check her bag, pulling out the wooden box with the hairpin. She was thinking back to that time at the fort, how Hak and Soo-won worked together to save Lily… That’s the way things should have become, Hak fighting by Soo-won’s side, not the way they were now… “How did we turn out this way…?”

Suddenly, there was a burst of wind behind her, followed by a familiar voice. “You seem troubled, Yona love.”

“Jae-ha!” Yona gasped as she spun around, eyes widening to see the Green Dragon must have landed from a jump to appear behind her so suddenly. “You should get back by the fire and warm up, you must be still soaked.”

“I will, but I was more worried about you right now.” Jae-ha replied with a smile, seeing as no one was around he leaned in to kiss her lips briefly. “Yoon said you weren’t feeling well and was going to skip dinner, I was worried after hearing you were having stomach pains again. So I volunteered to go and hunt down dinner which gave me an excuse to sneak away when he said you went to get the firewood. Of course I could find you from above with a single jump.” He winked.

“It passes after a while, really it’s nothing.” Yona waved a hand carelessly, her cheeks reddened from his kiss. “Besides I think I could use the sleep, since I could always get up during your watch tonight and…” she flushed as she looked away.

Jae-ha smirked at that, kissing her cheek as he wrapped his arms around her. “Mmmm you know just how to entice me, Yona darling… But really if you aren’t feeling well you should get your rest. This pervert can hold back a little bit for your sake. After all you don’t want our little group figuring out why you’re sleep deprived.” He teased.

Yona smiled at that, of course he was being a gentleman as usual but she knew he wanted her just as much as she wanted to be alone with him. But that’s when thinking about the items she got back from Lily reminded her of something she wanted to tell her secret lover. “… Jae-ha, I told Lily about… Us….” She admitted with a blush.

The Green Dragon blinked in surprise at that, smirking slightly. “Really now? Well that sure is progress at least someone knows about it. How did this end up happening?”

“… It just kind of came out when we were having a girl talk…” Yona flushed and looked to the side. “She guessed we were lovers when I kind of slipped about something you said once… I told her not to say anything to the others though she was determined to help me tell them.”

“Perhaps she can help you tell the others and find the right way to go about it then.” Jae-ha chuckled, petting her hair as he held her. “Did Yoon give you back all your things that Lily recovered?”

Yona nodded, stiffening as she thought about the hairpin again which was still in her hand. She pulled back from Jae-ha’s hug to put the case back into her pouch. “Yes I was just looking through and making sure everything was there…”

Jae-ha sighed as he saw her eyes lingering on that hairpin, like many other times he caught her staring at it when she was alone. “… First love is always the hardest to get over.”

“Huh?!” Yona looked up at him with wide eyes, her cheeks flushing again. “J-Jae-ha what do you mean by…?”

“Oh just a theory Yoon and I were wondering about, after seeing Hak’s reaction to that hairpin.” Jae-ha mused, brushing his fingers on her cheek. “… It’s from Soo-won, isn’t it? That’s why you hide it from Hak and worry about his reaction when he sees it. It’s also why you have that sad look on your face whenever you do look at it. But why keep something that causes you such pain, Yona dear?”

Yona looked at him surprised he figured this out it seemed, she flushed and looked to the side. “… It’s a reminder of that night… I never was able to throw it away because… A part of me wants to still believe in Soo-won, the person Hak and I grew up with… I can’t believe all that was fake, what we had. I want to understand him, but I also never want to forget what happened. Do I hold a grudge? I can’t even answer that myself, I’m not driven with hatred like Hak because I don’t want to live my life like that…”

Jae-ha took a moment to process her thoughts, his fingers still stroking her cheek. “… So while I was right that you did love someone at the time, I was wrong thinking it was Hak. Here all this time it was Soo-won that you-“

“It’s not the same.” Yona cut him off, looking into his eyes now. “The way I feel about you is not the same as what I did for Soo-won. I thought it was love, I was convinced it was love, but I was a naïve girl back then. I never was allowed to leave the palace, the only people I ever even talked to were my father, servants, Hak and Soo-won. I didn’t even know many people my age, and the few that did try to court me were awful….” she grimaced at the memory. “My talks with Soo-won were always the highlight of my day and I often looked forward to them, because I was always so happy with being around him I thought I loved him. But now, being outside the castle, seeing the kingdom as it really is without my father’s protection… I’ve met all kinds of people, seen many things… And I got to feel what real love is like…” she smiled, placing her hand over his on her cheek. “… I ran into Soo-won in Awa Jae-ha, right after the battle with Kumji. I was so frozen in fear, panic and unable to raise a sword to him, I couldn’t even speak. What made it worse was he seemed just like the kind Soo-won I used to know, not what I saw that night he killed my father…” she sniffed, fighting the tears creeping up.

Jae-ha’s eyes widened as she explained this. “… Yona… So that’s why that day…” he was putting it together why she was so spacey that day in Awa, and why Hak was radiating such bloodlust. “It’s understandable you couldn’t raise a sword or even speak out to him, you loved him after all. Your world shattered apart in a single moment…” he then looked thoughtful. “But that other time we ran into him in Sensui you held together so well, even glared at him. Perhaps because you were determined to protect Lily dear?” he smiled.

Yona blushed when he asked her about that, she looked to the side, then up at him timidly. “… By that time I had the strength from true love, not just the broken memories of my simple crush… After all when that happened it was just recent you and I had….”

Jae-ha smiled warmly at that, bringing her hand up to place a kiss on. “So that’s why when you saw him you grabbed my hand suddenly, I knew there was something in your eyes but at the time I couldn’t figure it out, not knowing who he was. So you’re saying my love helped you stand up to him?”

“Because what I have with you is stronger than what I had with Soo-won, what I felt for him pales in comparison to how much I love you.” Yona explained with a soft smile. “Besides, it was one-sided anyway. I guess you could say it’s what I was worried about when I figured out I had fallen for you, that I was getting into another one-sided attraction…” her eyes shined for a moment. “But you finally told me that night in Sensui how you felt and I couldn’t be happier.”

‘And yet you never seem to notice your poor Hak’s one-sided love for you…’ Jae-ha couldn’t help but think to himself the irony of that. He gave her hand a squeeze as he leaned in to kiss her again, which she eagerly returned. Once their lips parted, he just smiled at her. “I’m glad I gave in and told you, especially now finding out I’ve given you the strength to stand up to your previous love after everything he’s done, when before you couldn’t even do anything. I’m glad to finally find out the secret behind that hairpin, as I have something I’d like to give you. Something I got back in Ryusui but never got a chance to give to you.” He then reached into his robes and pulled out a wooden box, placing it into her hand that he was holding.

“Jae-ha… You shouldn’t have…” Yona blushed, surprised he got her something.

“Well after all had I known you gotten me that mirror I would have given this to you right away so we could have exchanged gifts, sadly I had this stashed away at the time and could never find the chance to give it to you in private.” Jae-ha chuckled. “At the time I bought it I just wanted to give you something nice, something to think of me sometimes.”

“I don’t need something to think of you, you’re on my mind all the time.” Yona protested, blushing as she opened the box. “Jae-ha…” she gasped, looking at the beautiful crimson hairpin in the shape of a dragon, the stones in the hairpin were beautiful emeralds that sparkled. “… It’s so beautiful.” She said with a smile. “Thank you.”

Jae-ha smiled as he stroked her cheek some more. “I wanted to give you a hairpin that holds happy memories. Not like the one from him, which always makes you look sad, but one to keep that smile on your face always, Yona darling.” He leaned in and kissed her once again. “I love you, princess of my heart.”

Yona’s eyes were sparkling with her tears that glistened with the sun that was starting to set. She threw her arms around the Ryokuryuu tightly, kissing him back deeply. “I love you too, protector of my heart.” She murmured against his lips. She then let out a groan when she realized the others would come looking for her soon if she stayed away much longer. “I wish we didn’t have to wait until tonight…. I…” she pressed against him rather than say the words, but one look in her eyes told the Green Dragon how badly she was lusting for him.

Jae-ha’s cheeks tinted a bit at that, smirking as he continued to kiss her. “Mmmm see you are getting better at teasing me back. Maybe I should let you love my leg more often like the other night, after all you were so bold when-“

“Jae-ha!” Yona smacked his shoulder for that remark, blushing madly. “T-that took a lot for me to work myself up into d-doing! I’m not sure if I could…”

“Awww but you were so beautiful I thought I had died and gods had bestowed upon me a sex goddess in heaven.” Jae-ha teased, kissing her blazing cheek. “After all, didn’t you enjoy having me completely go to mush in your arms? I still can’t believe how sinful and perverted my little princess really is!”

“If I am getting perverted it’s YOUR fault!” Yona huffed, her face still red with her blush. “I-I was just trying to show you that leg isn’t as ugly as you always insist it is!” she then looked away slightly. “…. But you did look really cute with that blush on your face.... I never thought I could come up with something that would surprise you of all people when we…. You know.” She still had trouble saying the exact words, she’d get far too flustered when referring to when they made love.

“Mmmm you are always full of surprises, Yona darling. It’s one of the many reasons I love you.” Jae-ha purred, kissing at her throat now. “You’re unlike any woman I’ve ever met, it’s why you’ve ensnared me so…” he then cupped her cheeks as he pulled back to look into her eyes. “I’m also glad you’ve been learning so fast, so we can show each other our love in so many ways and…” he suddenly let out a groan and rolled his eyes. “… Damn. Kija’s coming, I can sense him getting closer… I guess we stayed here too long. I have to leave you now Yona dear.” He leaned in and kissed her once more. “Until tonight…” he whispered, let her go, and then leapt into the air before he could be seen with her.

“Tonight then…” Yona just smiled as she watched him jump away on that dragon leg. He was so fast that anytime he sensed one of his dragon brothers about to catch them he could quickly move away before they got caught. The only ones he really had to watch were Hak and Yoon, as that built-in radar didn’t work for them. She sighed for a moment, looking back at his thoughtful gift and smiled. She ran her fingers on the hairpin, the emeralds matched the color of Jae-ha’s hair and the crimson dragon shape matched her hair, as if reflecting them together as one. She got lost in her thoughts that she forgot that Jae-ha had just told her that the White Dragon was heading her way.

“Princess?” Kija called out as he pushed a tree branch out of the way as he approached her. “Are you alright? You were gone an awfully long time so I was worried after we heard you saying you were feeling ill…”

Yona flushed as she quickly hid the hairpin back into its box and into her pouch, luckily the case looked just like the one she had for the other hairpin so from the distance the Hakuryuu probably couldn’t tell the difference, as you’d have to look up close to see the one case was cracked from his dragon hand earlier. “Oh! I’m fine Kija just my stomach is still a bit upset, I didn’t want to make you all ill just before dinner.” She finished gathering the firewood she had together just before Jae-ha arrived.

“Let me carry that then princess.” Kija said, taking the load of firewood from her.

“Kija… Do you mind if I ask you something?” Yona spoke after a moment of silence as they were heading back to camp.

The White Dragon blinked, turning to her. “What is it princess? Is something wrong?”

“Well….” Yona’s eyes strayed to the side, pursing her lips together. “What would you do if you well… Liked someone but everyone else thinks they’re not right for you? Would you…. Follow your heart or listen to their warnings…?” her cheeks flushed a bit as she worded this, she wanted so badly to finally start telling her group about her secret romance with the Ryokuryuu, and thought that maybe this could be a way to slowly lead into it.

‘Is she talking about Hak…?’ Kija thought to himself, looking at her slightly worried. Of course he assumed the princess was in love with the Thunder Beast. While he had his own personal feelings for the princess, he didn’t want to act on them feeling his duty to her came first, and that it would be improper to do such to his master. Ever since that incident with the love potion he had convinced himself that when the day came that she’d find someone she had feelings for he would smile and give her his blessing. Although there were times Hak annoyed the hell out of him, and he wasn’t very fond of the way the Lightning Beast teased her… He still knew that the Thunder Beast cared deeply for the princess. “I…. I err ummm...” he flushed a bit that she came to him of all people to ask this. “I suppose I would take their warning under consideration but if that is the person I care for most I would… L-let them know how I feel? B-but I’d still be careful, princess.”

“Well what if it made things complicated though…?” Yona pressed, looking away. “L-like for instance if you suddenly saw me as… W-well not just the Crimson Dragon and a princess?”

Kija blushed madly as he nearly dropped the firewood. “… I-I-I….” he shook his head rapidly. “I-I could never do something so i-improper to you, princess. My duty is the most important thing and that is to ensure your safety. Any dragon that has such… I-Impure thoughts is a disgrace.”

Yona slightly giggled, of course she figured Kija would say something like this. She was already imagining him growling at Jae-ha and threatening him with that dragon hand. “Don’t worry about it Kija, it was just a thought. Anyway why don’t you take that back to Yoon and I’m going to go rest in my tent.”

“Are you sure you don’t want something princess…? Skipping a meal can’t be good for you.” Kija still looked concerned about her despite the blush from the embarrassing subject.

“I’ll be fine.” Yona smiled, heading off for her tent. “Hopefully in the morning my stomach will be better so I can eat breakfast.”

“Princess…” Kija sighed and just watched her go, his heart thumping wildly in his chest. “I wouldn’t dare step over that boundary… But I want you to be happy, hopefully Hak can bring you that happiness…” he muttered to himself.

Yona sighed as she wrapped an arm around her aching tummy, her stomach was still a bit upset which was all the more reason she passed on dinner. Once she got into her tent she sat down and pulled out the gift from her beloved Green Dragon. She smiled as his words echoed in her mind, causing her to blush just thinking about it. Her eyes strayed to her pouch that still held the other hairpin, then back to the new one, her mind mulling over how they represented the girl that she used to be, and the woman she had become…