"Well then, we'll come again, Grandmother Mi-rae!!" Yona exclaimed with a cheerful wave as they bid her farewell.
The appearance of the soldiers didn't even faze her... Calista realized, startled.
The princess was as optimistic as ever. The men behind her looked a bit frazzled and she held in a laugh once she realized it was probably because they were smushed up next to her. That bed was not big by any means.
And she didn't have to worry about Yona being violated in any way, she knew Hak would have shut that down instantly if the other so much as lifted a finger.
"Lady Mi-rae..." Tae-jun started, and the fighter prepared herself to defend the older woman. "Thank you for today."
Calista tripped over her feet in shock, catching herself just in time before she crashed to the ground. Hak snickered, but she didn't pay any attention to her brother, caught up in how humble the noble appeared in the moment.
He continued as if he didn't even notice her slip up. "Hiding us today was a big help. Also, next time... I'll massage you so..."
As he trailed off, a lopsided smile broke out on Mi-rae's face. "No way!! I want that handsome guy instead!!"
"Whaaaat?!"
Yona giggled, doing her best to stifle the sounds so that she didn't further aggravate the already insulted Tae-jun. Hak fell in stride beside her, an amused expression painting his normally bored features, but it was gone in the blink of an eye. There was a skip in her step as she walked ahead of Tae-jun and her protectors.
Calista kept her head on a constant swivel, Kija and Jae-ha nowhere to be found. She could only assume they went back to Yoon and Shin-ah. Zeno was gone too, only empty space filling where he was playing with the children earlier.
The princess slung her bow over her back since her bodyguard wasn't taking her hunting for the rest of today. "Grandmother was quite happy today, wasn't she?"
"That's her being happy?!" Tae-jun exclaimed in disbelief.
"Grandmother Mi-rae isn't very honest, so she has a bad mouth that gets her hated." Yona explained to him, tossing a kind smile over her shoulder. "She really likes you though, Tae-jun."
Something akin to hope flickered across his face. "Really?"
The two raven-haired siblings walked silently side by side, not contributing to the conversation. But Hak eyed his sister strangely as he picked up on her unease. He chose not to comment on it though, having a feeling that she wouldn't want to talk about whatever was bothering her with him.
Yona's tone turned somber. "10 years ago, her son was taken away to the capital, Saika, to become a soldier."
Despite being made aware of his father's orders and initially agreeing with them, Tae-jun couldn't ignore the pang that went through his heart. He hadn't thought about the pain it brought their families, he only thought about what was being done for the welfare of the Fire Tribe.
But now, he was starting to question if taking those men to be soldiers was really the best course of action. After all, they were punished if they tried to leave, so none of them had seen their families in a very long time.
"After that, she became a shut in." Yona continued, eyes saddening. "If she could move her feet freely, she would've run to Saika by now, and beaten up that parent-forgetting son."
Tae-jun stayed silent for the rest of the way back, and he left without much fanfare afterwards. Which left Calista alone with the one person she had been avoiding to speak with. Sighing under her breath, she got to her feet just as dinner finished.
"Yona."
The princess perked up at the mention of her name, but her smile wavered when she saw the look on her face.
Calista quickly covered up the heavy dread she knew was swirling in her silver eyes and gestured for her to follow her. Kija was about to ask where they were going when Yoon shushed him. The rest of them ate silently, none of the usual light-hearted banter anywhere to be found.
They were all feeling on edge for some reason, and none of them could put their finger on it. But exhaustion had a part to play in it.
Since there was barely anything for the villagers, they got what was left over, which wasn't much of anything. Not that they complained. All of them took it under their belt without grumbling.
True to their reputation as bandits around the area and beasts as dubbed by the self-proclaimed pretty boy, the dragons stuck out the conditions. They were aware of what they all signed up for when they aligned themselves with Yona, and none of them regretted it.
But Hak knew his sister was working overtime to better the situations not just for the villagers, but also for their group. He was worried she was going to burn out soon if she wasn't careful.
Glancing at the blue dragon who was silently eating his food, he finally got to his feet and approached him. Shin-ah looked up as he came closer and paused his chomping, tilting his head ever so slightly, waiting for him to speak.
"We need to talk."
On the outskirts of town, opposite to where Mi-rae was, Calista led Yona to the biggest conifer in the area to practice on.
The princess stared up at it in awe, immediately placing her bow and arrows on the ground. The sight of her bouncing eagerly on the balls of her feet had the older girl chuckling.
"Now then, I believe I promised to teach you how to swing up into a tree once you've mastered the bow."
Yona shuffled her feet shyly at the subtle compliment. "Well, I can always improve. I'll continue to work hard!"
The corner of Calista's mouth twitched upwards at her humility and dedication. She took off her cloak, tossing it down beside her weapons.
"I know you will." She said softly.
Clapping her hands twice, her silver eyes brightened considerably. "Now then, Your Highness, are you ready for your first lesson in tree climbing?"
Yona nodded eagerly, a wide smile splitting her feminine features.
She had specifically led her to this tree because it had so many lower branches. It would be easiest to start her on this one and then work their way up to the taller ones.
"If you grab onto the lowest branch with both of your hands, and use your legs to push against the trunk, you can climb up without much trouble." Calista instructed, demonstrating it before jumping back down.
Wiping the palms of her hands on her pants, she broadened her stance.
"Then, when you get good enough," She shot her a mischievous grin. "You can do this!!"
Taking a running start, the fighter coiled her body then sprang up to the next one, catching the branch and hauling herself up nimbly.
Yona cried out in amazement, sprinting over to her enthusiastically. "I want to do that!!"
Laughing breathlessly, she hooked her legs around the branch and hung upside down.
"Why, Your Highness, you seem to be glued to the ground." The princess giggled and the assassin flipped over onto her feet. "Now, your turn."
Determination shone brightly through her lavender eyes and she hopped over to try it on the bigger tree.
Calista stood soundless behind her, catching her each and every time she slipped up. Eventually, after many tries, she was able to pull herself up all the way without any help.
"I did it!!" She cheered excitedly, waving her hands to maintain her balance when she almost lost it.
Yona tried to catch her breath as the fighter pulled herself up next to her easily.
"You make it look so easy, Calista!!"
The older girl huffed out a laugh. "I've had plenty of time to practice, Your Highness."
The red-haired princess smiled at the teasing lilt in her voice, liking how airy her title was now compared to back then. She had grown accustomed to the way she used it, but was happy to hear her use her name every so often, too. It seemed like they had found a dynamic that worked for both of them.
Calista propped up her knee, resting her elbow on it while her other leg dangled off the side. A breeze blew through her hair, lifting stray strands out of her face and she closed her eyes, relishing in the peace it brought.
"If you train your body, you'll get stronger and you'll be able to do all of this, too."
The girls fell silent, the easygoing atmosphere transforming into the weighted topic they had both been skirting around. There were no words. They simply sat with each other until it finally became too much.
"You're thinking what I'm thinking, aren't you." She stated, cracking an eye open.
Yona nodded wordlessly, shuffling herself so she could look her in the eye. "Why does being around Tae-jun make you so upset?"
Calista looked away, jaw clenching as she turned her head to the side.
Yona paused, fiddling with her thumbs. "I overheard what you said to Yoon."
She grimaced, recalling her short words just before her fuse was about to blow. She didn't mean to explode like that, but she was lucky he stopped her when he did before she did something she couldn't take back.
"I didn't like how he referred to us as 'you people'." Calista replied evenly, trying to keep her emotions out of it. "We've been with you through everything. He's the one who pushed us off the cliff. He has no right to be saying who you should or shouldn't be around since he nearly killed us."
Bringing her leg up, she extended them out leisurely and crossed her ankles together. But the relaxed pose didn't match her words.
"He shouldn't be here."
Yona tilted her head inquisitively and whispered, "But... that's not what's actually bothering you, is it?"
Her hesitance made the corner of her lips curve upwards at how far she had come along. Three months ago, the fighter wouldn't have shared this with her, but now, she didn't think twice.
"No, it's not." Calista raised her head, letting it thump against the bark behind her. Frustration began to bubble up in her chest. "Truth is, I can't stand people like him. He's arrogant and oblivious and spoiled rotten so much so that he doesn't even spare half a brain cell to pay attention to the people that are suffering!!!"
Yona didn't say anything for a long time. As she soaked in her words, only the sounds of her companion's heavy pants from her rant filled the air.
"I was like that once too, do you remember?"
She froze, not expecting those words to come out of her mouth. Yona's light voice was calm, and her eyes reflected a sorrow the other girl didn't know was still whirling inside her.
"Yeah... but you changed." Calista protested faintly.
"So can he."
Her eyes widened. She recognized her logic, but didn't want to acknowledge it. Yona was aware of how good she had it, but only after she had been exposed to unforeseen circumstances and thrust into a world she didn't understand.
Yona didn't stop. "We have to give him a chance to allow for it to take place. He deserves a chance."
Perhaps the noble she hated so much and the princess she now adored weren't as different as she first thought.
The fighter who had been in the world longer than the younger girl was struck with that small bit of wisdom and she conceded. Not because she felt obligated to, but it was out of respect for their friendship. The princess had opened her eyes. She felt inclined to follow in her footsteps and evaluate the noble for herself to see if he really could change.
"You're right." Calista bowed her head. "I will stand by you on this, Yona."
The princess covered her hand with her own, squeezing it happily and she smiled softly.
As they made their way back to the others after gathering up their discarded things, a frown settled on the assassin's features as she sensed a foreboding presence.
Something was wrong, really wrong.
Hak immediately rushed over to the princess, checking her over even though he knew she was fine. It was more of a selfish excuse to be near her. Zeno was snoring with his mouth open, Ao curled up on his stomach and Kija had fallen asleep against a tree. Yoon gave her a look she didn't quite understand and Jae-ha was the first to spot that something was off.
"Calista dear? What's the matter?"
His usual teasing was absent as he expressed his concern. She turned to him, but her expression was blank.
"Jae-ha," She murmured quietly, trying not to catch the attention of the others. "I need a favor."