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"You know we look rather suspicious." Yoon pointed out an hour after they had started walking." We have the red-haired princess, ex-general beast Yajuu, the genius pretty boy and the pretty girl."
"Hey! Being pretty isn't all I am!" Yara complained, throwing her hands up into the air.
"Oh, then what else are you?" Hak smirked and rested his arm on her head. Yara was just the right height for an arm-rest and Hak was enjoying himself. He had only just met the girl, but her reactions intrigued him. She was intriguing...
"Um..." Yara pondered it for a moment. "What else am I?" She really didn't know how to answer that question.
"It looks like you are nothing more than a pretty face, huh?" he said teasingly. Yara felt her face heat up.
The Thunder Beast continued to tease her, and their voices filled the silence.
"Quiet down you two!" Yoon scolded them. "This place is near the Fire Tribe and the capital city. It would be dangerous if the princess and the Thunder Beast are found."
"Yes." Yara hung her head and tried to ignore Hak, who was keeping up the smirk on his face.
They continued walking with the location they had set in their minds. They were headed for the fog-hidden village that was near the mountains, close to the border. Hak was still trying to annoy Yara, who was trying hard to take no notice of him. Yona seemed to be mulling over something and Yoon had a foolish grin on his face.
"I've finally entered the outside, so I'm really looking forward to checking out this phantom village. I'm going to write a record about all my travels throughout the country!" The silly grin seemed to grow wider and was now stretched from ear to ear.
"And I'm going to taste all the different foods!" Yara pumped her fists in the air and her smile matched her brothers.
"You'll get fat you know," Hak said bluntly.
Yara just hmphed in response, and walked next to Yona instead; she'd probably be better company than that beast.
As they continued walking, it was once again quiet, that was until Yona spoke up. "I need to learn swordsmanship." Well, that came out of nowhere... "Hak, you told me you would train me, right? You can train me even when we're on the road." She said, pulling her hood over her red hair, "I want to repel anybody who comes and attacks."
"Princess..."
"Can you murder a person?" Yara interrupted Hak. Yona visibly flinched.
"Ra, what are you doing?" Yoon pulled on his sister's arm.
"What? I'm just asking the obvious." Yara shrugged and turned back to the princess. "Even if you repel them, you can't provide the enemies with the chance to flee."
"She's right." Hak agreed with her. "If you attack someone, you need to hurt them to where they're beyond recovery and kill them. Can you do that?"
Yona clenched her teeth and looked down, her hair now hid her face.
"At that time, even though you had a sword, you didn't use it at all."
The princess raised her head, determination shone in her eyes, and she said, "even if I can't match up against them or kill them, I want to at least create an opening for you and me to get away."
Hak thought about what she said and then nodded in agreement. "Swordmanship for self-defence, you'll definitely need that."
"So you're training me?"
"That's right." Hak handed her the bow that had been lying next to his feet and the bag of arrows. "Well then, take this. I'll do all the fighting, and you will hide and shoot the enemies."
"Yara will hide too." Yoon joined the conservation.
"No way! I know how to fight." She pouted. "Yoon, you know how good I am with a bow and arrow. Plus, I know how to fight with a sword."
"There's no way I'm going to permit to you fight Yara." Yoon ignored her protests. "You are my precious sister after all." He patted her on the head.
"Don't treat me like a child!"
A while later, Yara broke the silence that had returned once again, and asked Yona, "I wonder if you can kill birds and rabbits with the bow?"
"I agree," Yoon replied. "That would kill two birds with one stone. If you can capture one, then dinner won't be a problem. If you don't mind, princess?"
☽
"Hak, I can't strike one. What can I do?"
Hak took the bow out of her hands and launched the arrow upwards. A bird fell from the skies and plopped on the ground, an arrow sticking out of its breast. "Like this."
"Nice one!" Yara grinned and nudged the bird with her foot.
"How did you do that?" Yona asked. "I aimed. I don't get it."
"What?" Geniuses don't understand the feelings of people who aren't able to do something.
"Hak you can't be a mentor." Yona turned around and began walking away.
"Hold it. Hold it!" Hak held Yona by the arm and helped her aim the arrow. "Are you ready? Basically, you don't have enough strength."
They pulled back the string, with the notched arrow and released it into the air. "Draw the bow without shaking and put all strength into it. Then shoot on instinct."
Another bird fell to the ground.
"A true bow and arrow expert can shoot their target even with their eyes closed. It's so they won't be distracted by what their eyes can see. Anyway, for now, think about aiming the arrow straight."
Off to the side, Yara sat on a log with Yoon and observed the exchange between the princess and Hak. Her chest tightened with every second and Yara couldn't place her finger on why she was feeling like this.
Could it be jealousy? Impossible... She hadn't known Hak that long and for most of the time that she had known him, he had been unconscious.
Was it really possible to feel jealous after only knowing someone for such a short time?
It was one of the many things Yara wanted to find out...
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