Disclaimer: I don't own Akatsuki no Yona or any of the characters.

Note: The story includes headcanons that may or may not be valid by the time the manga concludes.

"Nothing is ever really lost to us as long as we remember it."

― L.M. Montgomery, The Story Girl

Rays of sunlight pierce through the heavy curtains making the room look somewhat ethereal. They bounce off the gilded dragons decorating a large bed where an old woman is resting quietly. Her face is wrinkled and her hands are unsteady, amethyst eyes are dull and can barely see, but her hair is still vibrant crimson, just like it was in her prime.

Suddenly the door busts open and a small boy runs into the room.

"Granny! Granny!" he calls. "I heard you feel worse! Are you okay?" His shiny blue eyes are filled with genuine concern.

"I'm fine, my dear," the woman gently pats the boy's messy black hair. "Thank you for visiting me."

The door opens once again, this time revealing a girl, just a couple years older than the boy who had just ran in.

"There you are! Don't bother granny, she is sick!"

"B-b-but she said it's fine!"

The girl comes closer to her great-grandmother's bed and bows slightly.

"I'm sorry for my brother's behavior. We'll leave at once!" she takes the child's hand and tries to lead him away, but the woman stops her.

"It's not a bother at all. You may stay, both of you" she smiles. "Would you like to hear some stories?"

That settles it, the children always love granny's stories, and even though they heard them many times already they always kept asking for more.

The girl pulls up two chairs, for herself and for her brother, and they sit down comfortably.

"I'd like to hear about our great-grandfather! How you realized that you were in love with him!" she asks slightly blushing.

"No, about dragons! Tell us about dragon warriors!" the little boy interrupts.

The old woman laughs. She can tell it all at once, as it's all connected. So many years have passed, but all the memories are still bright and detailed, as if it all happened just yesterday.

"My journey started on the night of my 16th birthday, and nothing would have been possible without him …"

She weaves words to create a story, like a picturesque tapestry, with vivid images of breathtaking adventure, the tale of friendship, of love and betrayal, of wars and peaceful times, of the days she spent as a careless princess and the days she was nothing but an exiled wanderer. The scenes changed, the times changed, and yet there was only one and constant thing in her world: Hak. Her bodyguard, her precious childhood friend, her lover. For the longest time little did she realize how much he had done for her, what he had sacrificed to be with her.

"Your great-grandfather was a remarkable man. He drove me crazy sometimes with his sarcastic remarks and stupid jokes" – the old woman laughs, as she concludes her story.

"But he's cool! I want to be like him when I grow up!" the little boy says.

"I hope I fall in love with someone like him," his sister adds, almost at the same time.

The siblings smile.

Suddenly they hear a polite knock at the door.

"Excuse me, Your Majesty", it was one of the ladies-in-waiting, "Dinner is ready."

The children thank their grandmother for the story, bow and leave the room quietly, but as soon as the door closes behind them they immediately start a heated discussion about who of the Four Dragon Warriors was the strongest.

"Kija's arm is unmatched!"

"No! It was Zeno! Zeno, I tell you! He was stronger than anyone!"

Telling the story took all day, but she didn't mind. She lets herself relax on the soft pillows and closes her eyes.

She dreams of a rocky plain, filled with sunlight.

Zeno is the first one to greet her.

"Miss! Zeno was waiting for you! Have you brought any food?"

"Is food the only thing you think of, yellow?" Yoon sounds irritated as he always did, but a happy smile gives away his true feelings.

"P-p-princess!" is the only word Kija manages to say, wiping snot and tears with his sleeves while Shin-Ah pats his shoulder, giving Yona a nod. He no longer needs to wear his mask, but still keeps it, perhaps as a memento. Ao is playing with an acorn at their feet.

"Yona, dear! Let me kiss you!" Jae-Ha runs up to her with his arms open for a hug but is immediately stopped by Hak, pulling his long green ponytail. – "Stop right there, droopy-eyes!"

Jae-Ha steps away with a mischievous grin.

"You surely are taking your sweet time to greet the princess, Hak. Naturally I was going to kiss her first!"

Yona stands there, smiling, happy to see everyone again – they all look exactly how they did at the start of their journey, Yona herself a sixteen-year old girl – her eyes fixed on a tall black-haired man. She makes a step forward and immediately gets caught in a tight embrace.

"Hak!" she whispers, and for a moment she loses awareness of her surroundings, getting completely absorbed in a long and passionate kiss.

"Hey, kids, don't look! Too early for you!" Jae-Ha turned to the others, immediately getting lectured by Yoon about how stupid he is and how this genius pretty boy is so done with everything.

"Thank you, everyone!" Yona's cheerful voice drew all attention to her. "You've all been waiting for me…"

"Of course we would!" Kija assured her. His eyes were still red but he was smiling.

"Zeno was cheering everyone up!" the former Ouryuu, no longer immortal, was the first of them to leave this world, and waited the longest. But he was used to it and waiting a little longer wouldn't make a difference.

"Well then, shall we go?" Yona asks eagerly, as she watches each and every one of her friends nod in agreement.

Her fingers intertwine with Hak's as they walk and she feels happy and light-headed.

And then The Dark Dragon and the Happy Hungry Bunch, together once again, disappear in the light of the dawn.

The next day it was announced that Her Majesty Yona passed away peacefully in her sleep. The Kouka Kingdom went into mourning for a week, until the throne's successor was announced.