Li Hazara was stunned.
The seven figures atop three horses made his eyes grow wide with a fear he didn't understand. The villager who had gotten caught out shrieked fearfully as he caught sight of them too, volume increasing in unsanctioned levels of terror.
"This is a battlefield." Yona said to the villagers still outside without raising her voice so that she didn't scare them. "Before you get involved, leave this place."
Taking her words immediately to heart, they scattered, leaving the Sen Province army staring down the small band of bandits who had stopped them.
Hazara's jaw locked, having no clue as to who they were. "You aren't soldiers from the Wind Tribe, are you?"
Calling out his name, Yona ordered him to be still and her tone left no room for argument.
"You invaded Kouka Kingdom." The wind swept her hood to the side, revealing that same terrifyingly calm look that Hazara had seen in the king. "In addition, if you frighten the citizens, don't think you'll get off lightly."
He clicked his tongue in disbelief.
Who was this child threatening him?
"Get rid of them." Hazara ordered his army with a wave of his hand.
His soldiers galloped forth, closing the gap between them rapidly.
They didn't get within twenty feet of Yona and Hak before a huge, white claw slammed several to the dirt. Shocked and outraged clamor rose from the enemy's ranks at his power, calling him a monster and scrambling to shoot him down.
But before they could get anywhere, there was movement up above.
"Watch out!!"
A shower of blades rained down on them, a flicker of green the only distinguishable feature of the shadow that flew above the crowd.
Bringing his glaive around, Hak tucked Yona further into his chest so that she was protected as he took care of the stray soldiers, sweeping the large weapon around in an arc.
Shin-ah took advantage of Jae-ha's distraction to attack, jumping down from behind Zeno and weaving in and out of the ranks, Ao tucked safely in the front of his shirt. Alongside Kija, the two of them cleared out the soldiers blocking the way faster than the speed of light.
Hazara couldn't take his eyes off of the scene in front of him as his soldiers were slaughtered as though these monsters were squishing bugs.
Knowing he didn't stand a chance against these mysterious monsters, he turned tail and ran.
Nobody cut off his escape route. Thundering hooves made the earth shake as the remainder of the soldiers followed their leader back into their rightful country, where they belonged.
Shin-ah watched them go, content with letting them go ahead without any more bloodshed. The faint ringing of bells from far away set his heart at ease.
She was close. She was watching and waiting for the princess' call.
But Yona instructed Hak to turn away. They had a bigger fight to quell.
"General Soo-jin."
The foreign voice caused the man's eyes to shoot open. He looked down upon her from his horse to where she was standing.
"So, you were alive..." He deliberated out loud, the jeer on his face almost provoking the dragons beside her into action.
Yona didn't flinch, staying strong with her companions by her side. Hak didn't react as the general clearly showed his disdain, curtailing his temper for the sake of the princess.
Shin-ah's jaw ticked, recalling the way Calista's eyes had flashed with anger and hurt when she told them about their unfriendly encounter on the cliffs many months ago. This man might not have inflicted pain on her directly, since it had been his son who had ordered soldiers to go after them and not him, but the affiliation was enough for anger to swell in his chest.
That, combined with the hard evidence in front of him that this man had lost his way and was too far gone, had him automatically reaching for his sword.
The soldiers however, didn't recognize the flaming red hair as their leader did but their reaction still caused Yoon to sweat nervously. The troops might not know who she was, but at this rate, she was sure to be found out.
However, the princess did not falter once. Not under the elevated pressure, not under the magnitude of soldiers that surrounded them, not even under Soo-jin's obvious and spiteful hatred towards her.
"Even though you are one of the five generals of Kouka Kingdom, you committed a serious crime." Yona announced evenly.
Kija drifted closer to Zeno when he noticed some soldiers advancing a little too close to his liking, tempted to take the yellow dragon under his arm so that his brother was protected, but knew that it wasn't a smart move. And the youngest dragon seemed to know how to handle himself despite not knowing how to fight.
"On top of that, you decapitated one of your own soldiers." The princess continued steadily, calmly, regardless of the anger she was evoking from the wretched general. "Are you going to let his death be in vain?"
There was nothing at first. And then...
"—Heh."
Soo-jin's scoff set the men by her side on edge. Jae-ha's fingers tightened around his knives in preparation should he lash out and Shin-ah's lip curled back in a slight snarl, keeping his aggression at bay.
"A little girl's lecturing me?" Soo-jin sneered at an impassive Yona. "Right now, as King Hiryuu, I'm taking back what's rightfully mine: Hiryuu Castle."
Jae-ha barely refrained from rolling his eyes at how deluded he was. Yoon might've told them that the Fire Tribe citizens were raised with the belief that they were descendants of their founder, the Red King, but that shouldn't mean that they should run this far with it.
The Red King wasn't him, it was her.
"My soldiers will gladly pave a path for me." Soo-jin boasted pridefully, lifting his chin challengingly. "This is what it means to be an honorable Fire Tribe citizen!!"
The defeated hearts of his soldiers were lost on him, but not on the attentive bandits.
Yona's eyes were filled only with sympathy. "Don't be so full of yourself."
He outwardly growled, assertively turning on her only to be halted by a dark-haired man moving in front of her protectively.
Together, the dragons and Yoon took up the empty spots around her until they all formed a circle.
"You don't even know what you make your people live through." Yona shook her head in disappointment at his arrogance and ignorance before the fire lit in her eyes burned brighter.
She readied her bow, nocking an arrow.
"You are not fit to be king." She declared firmly.
Soo-jin's expression transformed from disgust to shock before morphing into rage. Giving the order to execute them all, he wasn't going to stand by and watch. He was going to claim his throne.
Steel being drawn should've intimidated the small group of seven, but on the contrary, their hearts were fueled by a passion to protect the people of their country and wouldn't be snuffed out easily.
Tilting his head back to glance at Shin-ah, Jae-ha smirked, flicking his wrists. "I wonder if we'll be able to get out of here alive..."
"Don't say that, Jae-ha." Yoon said flatly, not amused.
Raising his scaly white hand, Kija's blue eyes held a hint of eagerness. "What are you saying? This will be an easy victory."
"That oddly positive outlook is your only redeeming quality, White Snake." Hak grinned from beside Yona.
Zeno threw his hands up in the air, undaunted by the battle brewing. "Zeno will cheer for you all!!"
Shin-ah chose not to say anything, keeping an extra eye out from where he knew Calista was stationed and drew his sword down to his side.
But before the general could leave completely, Yona stopped him.
"Soo-jin, there is one thing I want to tell you." Her eyes grew fond at the memory that popped into her head and she smiled. "Right now, Tae-jun is leading the people of the Fire Tribe with a completely different method. I want to show you what he looks like now."
The second she finished, the soldiers attacked.
Jae-ha quickly countered the first wave with his leg as Kija followed suit with his hand. The raw power of their moves made them fly back and had the rest withering under their strength.
"Kija, if you don't hold back..." Jae-ha warned.
"I am already!!" He shouted, panting with the extra effort of not hitting any vitals. "Killing the misled soldiers isn't the Princess' real goal!!"
Hak gritted his teeth, automatically pulling Yona and Yoon behind him but he couldn't keep them safe if he was too preoccupied with the army.
Catching on quickly to his dilemma, Yoon extended his arms out to either side, acting as a wall of protection for the red-haired princess behind him.
"Yoon, it's alright!!" She cried out, desperately not wanting to see him hurt with how exposed he was. "I can fight!! I can—"
"Right now the only thing I can do is become your shield!!" He shouted out, mouth pressed in a hard line and immobilized despite the masses that continued to rush at him.
Yona couldn't prevent the sounds of battle dulling into the background as a whirlwind of thoughts filled her mind.
Soo-jin has become so obsessed with the throne that he's forcing his soldiers to keep fighting. And that combined with a threat from a foreign country... This can't continue.
She drew back her bowstring and fired arrow after arrow to anyone who got too close.
Citizens from the same country shouldn't be fighting like this!!
On the other side, Soo-won raised his head as his title was called and he discreetly wiped off the sweat beading on his forehead.
"Have they moved yet?" He asked the Sky Tribe soldier who had addressed him, only to receive a response that surprised him greatly.
Upon hearing that an unknown group of strong warriors had infiltrated the Fire Tribe's main encampment and that they were sending the infantry flying with each attack, Soo-won swiftly urged his horse towards that direction to check it out.
He ignored Joo-doh's pestering to stay behind the line, a light tease on the tip of his tongue to reassure his bodyguard that he would only be gone for a little while.
It died on his tongue the second he saw the image before him.
Warriors decorated in white, blue, green and yellow flitting around three others.
Two of which he would never be able to forget for as long as he lived.
Soo-won's heart skipped a beat and he blinked to hold back the tears that so desperately wanted to spill at the sight of his oldest and dearest friends.
I chose. I chose to put this kingdom first. He reminded himself, locking away his feelings deep inside, burying them so deep that they could not resurface ever again. This country needs a strong leader.
Yona's arrows found target after target, striking them down with a familiarity she did not want to get used to. Her head snapped up as a hawk's shrill cry rang above them.
She followed the bird all the way until it landed on the one person she hoped to never run into again.
It's you...