-', 𝗡𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 𝗕𝗘𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗘 𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗚𝗘𝗗𝗬ˎˊ˗
❱˚ the wanderer : 旅がらす ! ˚ˑؘ
Ahn Rei's POV
"I'm always ready, you know? King Hiryuu." I looked above the blue sky that was shrouded with clouds. Sitting above the field of grass, ignoring the sound of the woodpeckers that starts to hit the trees.
"Well, what am I waiting for? It's not like I would receive a respond. I should get ready with my breakfast." I stand up from my position, and looked for my packed foods that is wrapped with big washed leaves. I got my rabbit, hare like meat, left for only today.
The breakfast, lunch, and the flame light at dinner. So let me recite my prayers and appreciate today's breakfast.
My cooking was never so good, until I get to learn a little from pain and bitter taste. I have eaten a poisonous herbs before, but don't mention it. I got myself some salt and black pepper, which make a little taste for today's food.
The after taste was never delicious, because I have some habit on feeling disgust, even if it was a wonderful food I get. But my will of attacks, the technique that was taught to me didn't ever fade.
Heavy steps, thousands of it inched closer behind me.
"Everyone! Get your butt faster or I'll whip them off! We don't have all day!" Said one of the man that leads in front, who's breathing heavily. It was the fire tribe soldiers— about twenty men was tiredly marching pass the way.
I take my stuffs and hid behind the tree.
'But why are the fire tribes taking the deadly routes? Why are they coming so far here?'
I felt curious and follow them. But no further, as I stopped in the middle of their journey. Because, as far as I followed them, the intense sense from the Kouka castle became more wider.
'What is this shattered aura?'
Yona's POV
Soo-won. My kind friend that usually stays beside me since childhood.
"You are as energetic as always, Princess Yona. Why's the rush?" Ask Soo-won politely with his fond voice.
"I-I heard you had arrived, so I came to meet you." I answered, managing to not stuttered more than I want to avoid.
"My, what a good girl~" he pats me on my head, ultimately making my cheeks as red as my hair.
"Y-you'll stay around longer this time, right?" I ask while keeping my heart beats controlled.
"Of course! I came to celebrate your birthday in a week after all. Wow. You're going to be sixteen years old! You really have grown." Soo-won adored, then petted my head once more.
As I opened my mouth to speak once more, but he beat me to it.
"So, where are Emperor Il and Hak? I must look for them!" Soo-won ran off before I could grasp his sleeves.
Yet again, the blonde hair never acknowledge my feelings towards him. Years and years of it, growing as each second pass, yet it doesn't seem to reach his attention
"He treats me like a child, like a child, like a child!" I sigh in frustration.
Looking down at my clothes, my pout scrunched even more, "I've even perfumed my clothes with the finest incense all morning, and applied the highest lotion and makeup."
"All that hard work has gone to waste."
Hak mumbled from behind while eating a Manjuu.
"Be quite you! It's none of your business!" I smack his hand.
'Stupid Soo-won.'
To Soo-won, I'm still the same as I was back then— back when I was a child. Since my mother passed away, he's been the only one that kindly stays beside me, and support me when I feel lonely.
You are my most special one.
3rd Person's POV
Yona stayed on her room while the others got their private time. Much time have past, lunch quietly ended, and with a quite boring day for Yona, the time has finally arrived to an evening. Everyone was going to the dining room, while Yona was out, looking for Soo-won to call him out to dinner.
She passed the garden and noticed that there was three to four guards standing near the pond. Yona called them over, to ask if they've seen Soo-won. But before she called them, another guard appeared before her with a piercing eyes.
Yona felt strange, it was the first time she experience seeing such a hatred in a single eye. Yona tried to raise her voice to stop him from glaring upon her. But before she did, Min-soo called out her name, with Hak beside him.
"Princess, the dinner is served. Let's go before dinner get cold." Min-soo kindly invites and lead Yona the way. Apparently, the guard take their way off to the backyard, quietly running away.
But the beast eye was never be fooled. He suspected something was strange.
"Fire tribe troops." said Hak. Soon, Yona approached Hak and called out his name.
"Hak, did I did something wrong?" Yona whispered, lowering her head, "Those guards were glaring at me. I wonder why..."
"Oh, princess. Just rest assured. The guards here is highly worshipped by Emperor Il. There's no unexpected evil doing from our side. If there is, it will only backfire themselves." Hak answered.
"Let's go, princess. Min-soo is also waiting." Hak said.
Yona, Min-soo and Hak successfully reached to the dining room. But with King Il and Soo-won missing.
"Aw... Father is still busy! But I wonder where did Soo-won had gone to?" Yona said with a little disappointment.
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Rei end up going a little closer to Kouka Kingdom, but never dared nearer to the palace. Her oath could not be broken now, and not never. But on serious thought, her stomach was making insulting sound that it disturb her focus. It was yearning for a precious bite.
'Should I go hunt before I eat?'
Looking towards the sun on the sky, Rei gasped, "Eh?! I was really focused to the fire tribe troops, that I forget about the time! It's already this dark!"
As she had eaten lunch a little while, sparring dinner had come to an option— even though her stomach said other wise. Planning to find some herbs and fill her bottle with water, Rei set out to do so the first thing tomorrow in early morning.
Experiencing surviving in the forest for a long time, the wanderer mentally hit her head at the clumsy fault, as she goes on to find some fine wood to light a fire, and a nice tidy and comfortable place to rest in.
"Shriek!"
A hawk flew away from a tree Rei was close to. It came out with a surprise, and the fellow gives the wanderer a chill down her spine— enough to make her stare back.
It was indeed a big hawk and a fast one, and not the one which lives in the wild.
'Is it looking for the fire tribe? Or did it sense that I was following them?'
As it is almost completely dark, the hawk must have made its way to its owner. It circles the surrounding once, and was then gone to its way. It eyes were buried by darkness, before flying away with one last shriek.
"A messenger of warning, huh?"