Chapter Text
"Retreat!"
"We're retreating!"
The cries arrived to the dragons' ears finally. Jae-Ha and Zeno were still facing Ki-Ja and Shin-Ha.
'The Sen Province troops lost!!', Jae-Ha thought.
'What about Kuelbo?!', Zeno thought.
"Dragons!! All of you, get on!!", in the carriage, the soldier was threatening them with Yoon before him, his sword at his throat.
"We're retreating!!", they could still hear.
'Kuelbo's still alive...", Zeno realized.
'Back at square one, huh?', Jae-Ha was deceived.
"U-uwaahhhhh!!", the soldier shouted, falling backwards. Yoon was surprised. When he looked back, the two soldiers had slumped back into the carriage. The soldiers on horseback fell down on their horse as well.
"Hey, what's wrong?!"
Jae-Ha was alarmed. He turned around as he heard a loud thud. "Shin-Ha-kun?! Wait, did you just use your po..."
"Yoon, run", Shin-Ha said.
"Shin-Ha-kuuuun", Ki-Ja called, kneeling by his side.
Yoon jumped from the carriage and joined his dragon friends.
"Ah! This brat!", a soldier on horseback shouted, readying his next arrow in his direction.
"Hold it!!"
"Wait!!", Ki-Ja howled. "We will go with you in his stead. I assume that will suffice?! If the Princess is there, we will not put up a fight"
"Ugh...", the soldier gave up. It felt way too easy. "Tsk... go"
"Go, Yoon", Ki-Ja told him as Zeno grabbed his arm.
"You guys..."
"Hak is fighting alone. He probably has Lone by his sides. If they are wounded, please take care of them", he knew they had fought each other, but he did not want to scare Yoon, despite the fact he already knew as well. Yoon was almost crying. They hugged each other. This would be goodbye for now. Yoon ran away, getting to who he hoped would be both Lone and Hak. He knew in which critical state she would be.
"..Now then. All that's left is to take back the Princess, correct?", Ki-Ja wondered.
"Right after saying you wouldn't fight, really...", Jae-Ha let out.
"Jae-ha, you're too cautious", Shin-Ha said.
"Seiryuu, you're too stubborn", Zeno told him.
***
"You mustn't move right now, you...", an ally tried to tell Hak.
"Let go... Kuelbo, I..."
"We are chasing after the Sen Province troops"
"Don't you dare! You're all Kye-Sook's underlings, right?!", he wouldn't throw the Princess' or Lone's life away that way. He refused to.
"We have been ordered by Advisor Kye-Sook to aid you", he was surprised.
"What the hell kind of..."
"Thunder Beast!", he heard. He turned slightly. Yoon was running his way.
"Yoon...?!", he shouted his name as he got closer.
"I knew you'd be hurt!", he stated, and then looked around. "Where is Lone? Is she with you?", Hak's face lowered and lost its life. "Hak?! Where is Lone?!"
"She was brought back with Kuelbo before I could stop him"
"In what state was she in?", he asked carefully. Hak had to restrain his tears.
"Badly hurt. I don't think she's gonna make it. She asked me to hurt her badly enough so that she didn't have to choose between me or the Princess"
"No... No, no, no. You're kidding. She's gonna survive. She has to! We need to take care of you! We need to go get them!"
"How are you..."
"I was the only one let go... in exchange for Ki-Ja and Shin-Ha", Hak was shocked. He brought a hand to his head in disbelief.
"Those guys... I told them not to come!", he said as Yoon started undressing him.
"It's okay. Where's your wound?", he took off his first layer of clothing. "I think it'll be easier for them to make a move if I'm not there. It'll just be a little bit longer...!"
"Is the Princess... alright?"
"She's fine! Even got a kick in on Gobi!"
"A kick!", he laughed. "The heck's with that...", he said as he started wobbling to the side. "...Yoon", Yoon grabbed him before he fell to the ground. "I'm glad you made it back"
"...Just a little more, and you can see Yona, too. And we can all be reunited again...", he let go and finally closed his eyes.
Sen City - Li Hazara's castle
"Priest Gobi...", Yona called.
"Princess Yona... my thanks for the other day", he had a vicious smile on his face.
"Lord Priest, what business have you here? These are the King's chambers. You are not to enter", Lady Yoo-Lan, Kuelbo's wife, said. He laughed.
"The King's chambers... it seems Lord Kuelbo really does intend on making Princess Yona his wife", it took Yoo-Lan by surprise. Her eyes widened and went rid of life. "And discarding you..."
"That's not...", Yona started.
"Lady Yoo-Lan, I truly do feel sorry for you. After all, the King is planning to raise up the Princess of another country to be the Goddess of War... While she is the second wife, her status will far surpass yours as the first wife... It must seem unreasonable. Why should a beautiful, noble woman like you have to accept this...?"
"What are you trying to say?"
"How about... I take Princess Yona away?", Yona got concerned. "The Princess and King shall be separated. That way, you will not spend the rest of your life burned by the fire of jealousy", he was twirling around, as if taken by the fantasy of a resurfacing dream. "You can just say Princess Yona escaped"
"Priest Gobi!", Yona called. "All you're after is the dragon's power, right?"
"Of course. If I have you, the dragons will surely come to me. I am proposing this idea to Lady Yoo-Lan precisely because our interests align. Lady Yoo-Lan, after I disappear with Princess Yona, all you would have to do is let the dragons escape... So, Lady Yoo-Lan...", she splashed him with the sake she had in her cup. Yona was left pleasantly surprised.
"My emotions have nothing to do with the path that Lord Kuelbo takes. My role is simply to remove pebbles like you from the road he treads. It seems your God is blind to even that", the liquid was pouring down his face, but he did not wipe it away.
"So negotiations have broken down... I see, so this is how it's going to be... if you'd have just given us the Princess, no one would need to get hurt...", behind him, people clad in dark grey clothing stood with sword, masks covering their whole heads, except for the eyes. The same men that used to follow his every move back in Xing.
"What are you...?!", Yoo-Lan cried out.
"Lord Kuelbo making Princess Yona the next Goddess of War is quite troubling to me... If that were to happen, I would not be able to lay a hand on her, you see. Princess Yona, the truth is, I just can't forget... that miraculous dragon God wrapping itself around you...! I should like... to see it once more! Even if it means... chopping you to pieces...!", Ao, that had been sitting on Yona's shoulder, jumped in Gobi's face.
"Pukkyuuu"
"Uwaah!!", he fell backwards into his men. "What?! What is this mouse?! Get it!! Get it off!"
"I'm using your shoulder!", Yona warned, jumping and weighing Yoo-Lan down slightly.
"Wh-", she started, but realized later that she had used the support to kick one of the masked man under the chin. Her feet were still bound together, but she landed perfectly.
"D... damn... this woman...!", Yoo-Lan swiped something from the ground and threw it in their faces. They were alarmed for two seconds and then started grabbing at their faces.
"AHHH! What is this?!"
"Augh, my eyes burn!!"
"This way!", Yoo-Lan yanked on her arm, bringing her out of the room. Yona had no choice but to hop again.
"What was that?", she asked.
"Tully Tribe traditional spices. The strongest kind", Yoo-Lan turned around slightly.
"Amazing!"
"You kicking them with your feet like that was much more so"
"If I don't fight back, I'll end up dead, or my friends will become someone's tools. I must... live, and return home. Please, undo these chains!"
"I cannot. Lord Kuelbo holds their key. The palace guards are this way!", but as they arrived in the hallway, all the palace guards had been beaten down. Not one lived. "This is...!"
"Priest Gobi will stop at nothing. We need to run...", she said, but then something clattered. She swayed to the side as the men arrived.
'Live. Return home', she thought. She pulled on her chains. And then jumped. 'But how...?', she was pushed to the ground. The man grabbed at her hair. 'If only... I were as strong as a host of men...'
"Princess"
'No. I...', she looked up, death lingering in her eyes. She grabbed at a sword nearby and slashed her enemy dead. He cried out and fell backwards. Yoo-Lan was left shocked. 'can surely fight. The most powerful man alive granted me strength, and that remains in my hands'
"Stop! My eyes still burn!", Gobi screamed.
"Can I get down from here?", Yona asked as she peered down the balcony they stood on.
"Yes, but...", she jumped over the ramp and disappeared, Yoo-Lan with her. One of Gobi's cronies followed them and jumped over too late. Yona was standing there, holding a bow in her hands. She shot him directly through the heart. He cried out as he limply fell the rest of the way.
Sen City - Castletown
"Lord Kuelbo has returned!", I jerked awake in the carriage. It rattled against the ground, the horses hurrying in. "Open the way!!"
"The Sen Province army lost to Kouka twice!"
"Is the Kouka army headed here next...?!"
The murmurs of the people were travelling fast.
"No worries", Kuelbo said. "We've got the spoils of war on our side. We have the power of the Four Dragons. With these guys on our side, Sen City will be safe and protected. They'll stamp out the Kouka troops behind us, too"
I looked around. My friends were not there. Barely conscious, I turned my head toward Kuelbo.
"You've lost", he turned toward me.
"What makes you say so? We've got the dr-…", I cut straight through his sentence.
"No, you don't. The Dragons only respond to one person. And the only reason they stand on your side right now is because it's closer to Yona"
"They have no chance to...-"
"I might be dying, but I’m not dumb enough not to see that they have a plan. We are all getting out of this alive, no matter how you see it. Except me"
"What do you know?"
"I'm not telling you. No matter how much you beg. Kill me if you want, I'm dying anyway"
***
"So he intends to have us face Kouka's army right away?", Ki-Ja said.
"We have to fight the mister this time? Someone'll die. Probably us", Zeno let out.
"Zeno will probably live", Shin-Ha pointed out. He was still paralyzed.
"You're finally quipping back, huh, Seiryuu?", Zeno wondered.
"A life concluded with a vicious beating from Hak... Not a bad way to go", he looked over the carriage, wondering if Lone was alright.
"Take them towards the front gate"
"Yes, sir"
"Do you Sen Province soldiers still have the energy to fight?", Jae-Ha wondered, leaning back over the carriage.
"Still wild and ready to go! Jae-Ha-nyan", he said his name lower than the first few words. Jae-Ha was confused for a few seconds. And then, Vold and Algira turned around and raised their helmets. They offered the Dragons a smile.
"Algira! Vold?!", Jae-ha wondered, standing on the carriage.
"Why are you here?!", Ki-Ja asked.
"Shh!!", Algira hurried them.
"We were asked by Lord Hak to come", Vold said, holding the reins.
"Hak-nyan said he was counting on us to help Yo-Nyan", Algira finished. "So we came to help!", Jae-ha was suddenly very grateful. "What should we do? Beat the crap out of all these guys?"
"Hold on. Right now, Shin-Ha can't move..."
"What?! Was Shin-Ha-nyan injured?!"
"He's alright, but it'll be a little while until he can move", Jae-Ha told him.
"Then we shall wait until then"
"Actually, if we have time, I have a favour to ask you two. If all goes well, this war may come to an end shortly"
***
"Damn it all!!", Hazara shouted, letting his fist land on his desk. "Sure enough, the ones to die in battle were my troops...! And now we're supposed to fight with the Kouka army at the gates of Sen City...?! Damn you, Tully Tribe! Damn you, Kuelbo!"
"Pardon me, sir", Vold greeted, still dressed as a Sen Province soldier. "This man has confidential matters to discuss with you"
"...What?"
"...clear the room", Jae-Ha ordered.
"Who is this?", Hazara asked Vold.
"A Dragon", Hazara was shocked. "We've fooled the Tully Tribe and snuck away. Please hurry"
They now stood in the main meeting tent. Hazara looked more confident. "...Now, what does a dragon want with me?"
"Kouka's King is furious", Jae-Ha said. "Not only has the Sen Province invaded Kouka countless times, but now you've kidnapped Princes Yona and the Dragons. The King will not show mercy. He's declared that Sen City be engulfed in an ocean of flames"
"W-w-wait! Hold on!! I have not laid a hand on Princess Yona or the Dragons! Nor did I intend to break our anti-war pact...!! It's all his fault...! I was threatened by Ying Kuelbo... I had no choice! I was desperate to protect my people... the people of Sen Province...!"
"But now what lies ahead of Sen Province is a massacre"
The rumble of an enemy coming sounded outside. Hazara stiffened. "He's... he's here"
"Commander Hazara! Kouka's army stands in front of the city...", a soldier arrived, making the fabric rustle.
"The King of Kouka... has come.. to kill me..."
"There is one path open to you", Jae-Ha said. "If you are prepared to take that route, we dragons will protect this city"
***
"Break down the gate!", Joo-Doh ordered. Multiple men held onto a large wooden pillar, ready to barge in. "Raise the ladders!!"
"So Kouka's at the front door, huh...", Kuelbo realized, wincing. "If the dragons and Hazara do their jobs, we'll make it through. This city's guard won't crumble that easily", I caught myself laughing. "The longer the battle goes, the better of a position we'll be in"
"Lord Kuelbo! At... at the Sen City gate... They're waving the white flag...!!"
"What?! Who ordered...", Kuelbo started.
"Lord Hazara did, sir!", Kuelbo's eyes widened in realization. He had been betrayed.
"Hazara..."
"The soldiers are standing down as well, sir!"
"What about the dragons?!", Kuelbo asked.
"The dragons..."
The laughter built... slowly and roughly. It echoed hysterically in the bottom of my throat. It hurt my wound, but it cleared my mind. Kuelbo turned toward me, shocked.
"I just can't believe I get to witness your downfall with my own eyes. Guess my mind is too strong to let my body go yet", I let out. He approached me and grabbed my arm, tightly. He pulled on it, forcing me on my feet. I found the strength and tried to free myself of his grasp. Tried to run. He pulled tighter on my arm.
"You're going to be my shield"
***
As they exited the tent and ran toward the gates, Vold stopped Jae-Ha.
"I thought you deserved to know if you didn't already. Algira advised against it, but when we passed by Lone's and Lord Kuelbo's carriage earlier..."
"Lone's...?! She's here? I thought she was left behind with Hak?!"
"She somehow made it here with him. She looked really badly hurt. There was blood leaking through her clothes"
"On which side?"
"Her left side, I think"
Jae-Ha cursed. He was revisiting what he should be doing.
"We need to move. To get to the gates", Vold told him, like a reminder.
"Yes... Yes! I know", he had to. He knew. Lone would not forgive him otherwise.
But God did he hope she would survive this.