The red in Yoon's cheeks peeked out from beneath my hand, my forehead bumping gently against his as I spoke. "Yoon," I could see his eyes grow wide as he heard my voice and I could feel a small shiver pass through his body as he registered the sound of my voice, "I don't mind." It only took a fraction of a moment before Yoon's blush faded from his cheeks, his shocked face replaced by a deadpan expression.
He grabbed my hand and gently removed it from his face and sighed, "Of course you don't. I forgot that's the kind of person you are." Yoon muttered in a frustrated manner, he rolled his eyes and motioned for me to sit down again as to not irritate my injuries. "What a bother." Yoon growls halfheartedly under his breath as he finally retrieves the herbs he needed, he walks over to me and I hand him the mortar and pestle.
I never did get along well with herbal plants and their medicinal properties, that was what Yoon's excelled at and I was proud of him for it. The most I knew was how to properly bandage wounds and treat minor injuries, I know for a fact that anyone with injuries similar to Hak would have perished in my care without assistance from Yoon. However, where Yoon excelled in medicine, I had to excel in combat.
I refused to some useless child who had to watch from the sidelines, I refused to be a burden to Yoon. Every night I went out a good ways past Ik-Soo's area of meditation and trained until my legs gave out, they I would drag myself back home and get some rest. I remember the first time I had defended Yoon, the way he looked at me with such awe, it was moments like that that kept me from giving up.
I had to protect him, he and Ik-Soo were my everything. I couldn't live without them. I wouldn't live without them. My mind snapped back to reality as Yoon spoke, "Why is he so devoted to you? Is he your lover?" Both Yoon and I looked back at the redhead, I was only slightly surprised at her answer. She answered without a second thought, "No, not at all." I could feel the second hand embarrassment for the guy, he had it bad for her. She who was to blind, or rather oblivious, to see his affection for her.
He who was willing to put aside said affection for her happiness, in a way I sort of admired him for it. Yoon looked at me as if to say, 'Is she serious?' I sighed quietly and nodded at the unspoken question of confirmation. "I see ... I feel bad for him." I nodded in agreement, thankfully it seems that the princess has somewhat forgotten my existence entirely. It didn't really bother me, it confused me in a way that I could sort out through logic.
Yes, she was the incarnation of Hiryuu, but when Mother drank King Hiryuu's blood that changed something in the connection between myself, and Hiryuu's reincarnation. However, the way that Mother described the way that I would feel was different that what I did feel. Mother had said that my wings would burn, almost as if the very blood that ran through my veins was liquid fire and the blood that I did have would rush in the opposite direction.
I would hear the booming voice of the Kuroryuu in my head and I would most likely collapse, but I didn't. Something told me it wasn't just because Mother had drank the blood of King Hiryuu, but I didn't know what it was. I looked towards the doorway and gave a look to Yoon as I walked out into the surrounding forest area. The trees were dancing softly once more, dressed in their emerald clothing, the beautiful green of the plant life littered with gems of a thousand shades and colors sprouting from the ground to grace those willing to look closely enough with their beauty.
They played about in the earthy hues, decorating it with bursts of floral beauty. On the branches reside fruits of all different kinds, plump and ripe for the picking, their colors shining brightly as the sunlight hits them at just the right angle, allowing them to shine with all the colors of the rainbows after light showers and a rainy day. Tree trunks hold delicate fungi that drape across the bark and surrounding soil, the toppled tree trunks gently lay across the soft soil making the ground level rise slightly as nearly none of the beautiful soil could be seen.
Countless pieces of fallen trees made an obstacle course of countless opportunities to trip blanketed by a vibrant layer of moss. My body subconsciously knew the way to go, hopping from place to place I slowly made my way toward the most beautiful of clearings, my favorite spot in the forest surrounding our home. As I reached the end of the invisible path I came across a wall, which I knew the secret entrance to. (A/N Picture above that I forgot to add, sorry)
Slowly and gently I moved the layer of thick vines that made it near impossible to see through, careful not to rip or tear any of the vines, not wanting to ruin my sanctuary. Once I passed through the entrance I wove in between the rock formations and towards my pride and joy. As the forest comes to life with movement and sounds, my body's stress and tension seeps away like the trickling of a gentle stream down a small hill.
I take in the freshly calm air with that hint of an earthly aroma, the fragrance of home. The scent of flora and fruits hits my nose and a pleasant smile graces my lips, a strong breeze whips through my black hair. The breeze knocks carries a few blooms from their perch to the ground, a couple petals and flower blossoms tangle in my hair and dance around, happily free to move about as they please.
Rock walls rose tall in all directions, and at the edge of the walls were thick trees that loomed high above the edge of the stone. As a young child I had theorized that this was where a body of water used to be, but I never out any though into it. The leaves filtered the sunlight as they moved to and fro at their own pace, a couple loose leaves falling through the air giving the area an air of tranquility. The sound of the forest is that of an orchestra within my mind, playing one enchanting symphony after another. Her leaves dance to an unheard beat, whispering their songs to the wind.
Here in my sanctuary, sheltered by the mighty trees, is every kind of life, from the humble beetle to enchanting birds of every color. The sky vanished almost completely behind a sheet of impossibly green leaves, leaving only a few fragments of blue remaining, like scattered pieces of an impossible puzzle. The air is rich with the fragrance of leaves, flowers and fresh water. Outside is the noon daylight, the powerful rays of early summer, but in here everything is cool and the colors have the softness of that time just before dusk.
The only movement is the occasional bird, roosting in a tree or a squirrel dashing up a nearby trunk. The sound of running water in the brook has the same hypnotic quality as music, I want to stop just to drink in the sound. The huckleberries are mostly red, tart but with just the right amount of sweetness. I take in all the air my lungs will hold and expel it slowly. However, something told me that something was disrupting the place that had been my sanctuary for the time when I was here as a child.
I closed my eyes and listened to the surrounding sounds, fighting against the fatigue beckoning me to sleep. I could feel all of the noises of the forest surrounding me, though I could not sense exactly where they were. The sounds of chirping avian creatures fills the tree tops as the rustling of leaves and the pitter-patter of feet on the stone and soil floor can just barely be made out from they symphony of silence that they forest had to offer.
One thing that stuck out in my mind was the unnaturally loud of the water hitting against something and unless a stone had disrupted the calm creek then something else had caused the disturbance. Slowly, and cautiously I made my way towards the creek, stopping every few paces in an attempt to remember the way to the water's edge. Thankfully, I managed to stumble across what was making a disturbance in the otherwise calm water flowing through the creek.
The glaive from Hak had gotten stuck between a couple of the rocks that line the edge of the creek and poked through the water. The wide blade was perpendicular to the creek bed, causing waves to crash against the metal in an attempt to get back on its original course. Leaning down for a moment I rolled up the pant leg of my monochromatic outfit and waded into the cool water, I stopped before the weapon noting that the creek had washed the blood from the soldiers off of the blade.
I tensed up my arm, not stupid enough to think that I could carry a weapon that was taller than I was and most likely heavier as well, and grabbed the shaft of the weapon laying it against my good shoulder to relive some of the weight from my good arm. Taking a moment to wiggle my toes childishly into the mud at the creek bed before making my way back to where I was and stomping my feet to unravel my pant legs back to how they were before.
As I exited the creek I examined the weapon in my hand, I guessed the blade to be about 20 inches or 1 foot 6 inches (about 51 centimeters) and the shaft to be about 70 inches or 5 feet 10 inches (about 178 centimeters). Using my estimates the entire weapon was about 90 inches or 7 and a half feet long (about 229 centimeters), though using myself as a measurement it was only about 6 inches (about 15 centimeters) taller than me, putting it at about 6 and a half feet (about 198 centimeters).
I lifted it slightly and hummed in thought, the glaive I used to train with was about 20 pounds (about 9 kilograms) but this one seemed a lot heavier. I would put this at about a little over 200 pounds (about 91 kilograms), which would make sense considering how my arm wanted to fall out of its socket when I lifted it up from the water, I was suddenly very thankful that Mother insisted I train with both arms.
If I had not I doubt I would have been able to lift something so heavy with my non dominant hand, I could use both but preferred to use my right arm for most things. My mind clears as I suddenly realize my train of thought, 'Why did I feel the need to think that?' I stare at the glaive in my hand as if it will give me answers but there was really no big surprise that it was just a regular, though really heavy, glaive.
I lay the glaive on my good shoulder and gently make my way back out to the forest area surrounding the house. As I make my way back home I started to think about how the glaive got into my sanctuary, obviously through the waterfall that lead to the river which became the creek I pulled it out of, but it was too heavy for water to bring it across on it's own. Maybe someone moved it? But who?
I didn't know anyone who would do so much for a stranger, except maybe Yoon, Ik-Soo and Mother, but he was back home tending to Hak and Yona. Not to mention the fact that he doesn't exactly have the strength to lift something so heavy, so maybe someone who knew the princess and her bodyguard had moved it to my sanctuary, intending to come back for it and give it back to them? Or maybe they were intending to keep it to themselves?
The possibilities are almost endless and I didn't want to hurt my brain too much by thinking of every possible outcome. As I exited The Sanctuary, I saw a flash of something golden in the trees and for some reason, I felt hopeful ... but also guilty? I had Mother's memories but they were foggy at best and they had faded into the back of my mind as I had no need to remember them, no matter how much I longed to hold onto one of the only things left that I had of Mother.
As I searched my mind for a cause of such emotions, only one thing came to mind, but I couldn't remember where I heard it from. Random memories suddenly fought to be seen as I stumbled back into a tree, confused and somewhat frightened at the onslaught of unknown visions. 'Yellow hair flowing in the breeze ... Bright blue eyes with a childish glint ... A sense of maternal affection towards the unknown person ... The scent of a warm kitchen ... The scent of flowers and a momentary image of a crimson red flower crown ... The quiet giggles of amusements at what seems to be a prank ... The feeling of having soft delicate hands weave a multitude of flowers into the long locks of my hair ... Loud crashing sound of thunder and blinding flashes of lightning ... A soft and beautiful melody flowing through the night ... A peaceful face sleeping soundly through the storm'
"Zeno?"
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Word Count: 2338
(A/N) I apologize for not updating during the last portion of break, something personal came up and I couldn't find the inspiration to write, but now I have! We had a snow day today so I was finally able to write and publish the next chapter in my book. Also, I'm not sure if all of you saw my comment last chapter but I have a little Easter Egg hunt set up, I'm not really the best at being sneaky but that was my attempt. If you do manage to find the 2 Easter Eggs, please note that as stated in my comment I will not give away major information or a big plot twist that I may or may not add. The first 3 people to reply to my comment or make their own comment with the correct answer will get to ask one question about the story. If you guys like the Easter Egg hunt then just comment asking for more and I'll do my best to implement them into the story. Anyways, I'm not going to take up any more of your time, if anyone actually reads these, so I'm going to end this here. Thank you for reading my story, which I hope you have enjoyed thus far, and I hope that you keep reading despite my lack of a proper schedule. Vote Comment and Share!!!
-Liz D. is out!!