Black Dragon

Caught With Hak

I choke slightly. Was he serious right now?

"Who are you?" I ask raising an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"The Hak I know would never be caught in this kind of position." I point out.

He chuckles. "I've matured as much as you, Meissa. Although it seems only you're appearance has changed."

"And what is that supposed to mean, Hak?"

He looks me up and down and sighs, letting his arms fall to his side. "I really shouldn't do this."

"Hak, what's going on?"

"I-I have to go..." He says as he turns away.

I grab his arm and spin him back around. Neither one of us were expecting what happened next.

We hear a throat clear and my eyes widen as I shove Hak away and take a deep breath. My lips were numb aside from a slight tingly feeling. Did I really just do that?

I look over to the person standing in front of me and my eyes widen.

"You know Hak, when I asked you to keep my sister occupied this wasn't exactly what I had in mind."

My heart was beating fast and didn't know what I was supposed to do. Why did it have to be Soo-won?

"What just happened was all her Soo-won, I stopped myself."

I look towards the ground, I didn't want Soo-won to see me like that. "I shouldn't have come here."

"Meissa-"

I push past the two and run, not really having an idea where I was going. I shouldn't have let Hak get the best of me, my only priority is Soo-won and his safety.

I sat underneath a cherry blossom tree in the gardens. I wasn't particularly hidden, but I was in a direction that anyone from the castle wouldn't actually look in, so that's probably why I hadn't been found yet. Although I doubt anyone was looking for me in the first place.

I felt a drop of water fall onto my foot and it snapped me out of my thoughts.

The sun had just set and the first few stars were starting to appear and soon that tiny drop of water turned into a down pour, making it hard to see anything.

The weather reflected my mood and made my thoughts heavier on my conscious. I still couldn't believe I had betrayed Soo-won that way.

I felt someone stand over me then sit down next to me.

"You know, this tree reminds me a lot of you." He says.

I don't respond.

"It is strong and sturdy, yet beautiful."

"I'm not beautiful, Hak." I mumble.

"You are to me." He says simply.

"Does Soo-won hate me?" I ask.

"He's very worried about you actually. He was the one who found you, but he came and got me to come talk to you. He's afraid that he embarrassed you." Hak explains.

I bring my knees closer to my chest. "I betrayed him. I promised I would protect him, and I was doing a really good job at it. But now I'm scared to face him. I don't want him to think I'm weak."

"It's okay not to be strong sometimes. You're always prepared to fight, and even now you are. But earlier, you let your guard down for once. And while I love you for who you are, I loved seeing you vulnerable for once."

I shake my head. "I have to be strong, I promised Soo-won I'd protect him, because he's all I have left. But now I have to be strong so that I don't get married off. He and I both know I'm of age, and the only way we've been able to put it off, is by telling my suitors that they have to beat me to have my hand." I explain.

"No one has been able to beat you?"

I shake my head. "Don't act so surprised. I'm one of the strongest in the land. Stronger than my father even."

"Well, what if I beat you?" He asks.

"Oh, that's something that's very hard to-" I pause and look towards him. "What are you saying Hak?"

My heart had begun to flutter and my stomach turned. I wasn't expecting any of this.

"I'm saying that when you walked away from me four years ago I realized that I never wanted to see you do it again."

"Hak... I can't."

"You can't what?" He questions.

"I have to protect Soo-won, he's all I have left." My chest hurt. "And not to mention, King Il would never allow it."

"I don't see what he would have against it."

"Hak, I feel like sometimes you forget that I'm as much as a princess as Yona. At the moment I am third in line for the throne and you're not royalty. He would never allow me to marry you and besides, you have to protect Yona."

"I don't care about any of that and I know you don't care what your uncle says." He points out.

"He's not my uncle, I hate him."

"So why does what he say matter to you?"

"Because I don't want to get married!" I say firmly. He jumps slightly.

I sigh, "It's not you, I just can't leave Soo-won. I have to protect him."

"He can protect himself, Meissa."

"You don't understand, I would rather die protecting him than live without him. I can't lose him."

"You never answered my question." He says.

"What do you mean?"

"If we fight and I beat you would you marry me?"

I pause. I didn't want to marry, but if I had to I wouldn't mind marrying him. "You must speak with Soo-won on that matter, and if he gives you his blessing, then I will fight you the day before we leave to return home." I say.

He smiles and stands up. He holds his hand out to me and I take it and stand. Once I'm up he backs me up against the tree and presses his forehead against mine.

"Yes?" I ask.

"You're not going to make this easy for me are you?"

I shake my head. "Have I ever?" I say with a smirk. "But..." I press my mouth to his and everything around us slowly became irrelevant, as if the only thing that mattered was each other and that moment.