Chapter 4: Sweep in the streets, I used to own
Hak 1
Hak glares at the headband on his face. He hopes it will burst into flames as he walks through the halls of this stupidly large palace. His eye twitches as he remembers the sheer preparation the old man made him do.
'Grandson, who are these three people right here?' The Geezer had started, pointing at a portrait.
'Chubby, goatee, and an even older man.'
"YOU BRAT! THAT IS THE ROYAL FAMILY, AND YOU WILL SHOW RESPECT!"
His hands still hurt from the sword swings the old man put him through, and when he had glanced at the Hsu Quando. The Old Man had given him another set of swings to do.
It's not that Hak minds the work, but the headband gets itchy, and the Old Man has been such a pain in the rear. Nagging Hak about proper manners, and respect. Insisting he eat with the rest of the family.
(A deep part of Hak, the one he's buried along with memories of two bodies that won't move, is glad that Mundok cares for him so much.)
So, Hak decides he'll show up to the dinner on time, and go through with the proper manners, and with the old man's hopes up. He will then call him geezer just so he knows what's what. He turns the corner and-
Somebody runs into him hard, and Hak is staring up at the very pretty ceiling; blinking hard to get the stars out his eyes.
He blinks for the fourth time, and he freezes. Two violet eyes are gazing into his, and he stops blinking, because he's never seen somebody with eyes like that. He blinks once more, and the violet's been consumed by black, and quickly disappears from his vision.
Hak pushes himself up, and looks at the face attached to the eyes. She's really small. Though not like the one's he's seen. She has red hair which is weird. She's wearing a crimson kimono that he knows for a fact the geezer would have to pay a pretty penny for.
Hak rubs his forehead, "You should watch where you're running." He grumbles and then freezes because oh crap. Her pupils have become pinpricks, and her mouth is opening and closing. Her hands are frozen halfway from Hak's form like she thinks he's a monster.
Hak leans forward ignoring the pain from the back of his head. "Hey, you're not hurt are you?" His eyes narrow, "You're the one who ran into me." He grumbled eyeing her, she doesn't look too hurt.
"Of course, I'm so sorry." The girl mutters bowing before Hak, and his eyes narrow. He still isn't used to people bowing to him, and he had been glad that they'd been leaving the Wind Tribe specifically for that reason, and well seeing the Royal Palace
"Oi, do you just bow to total strangers? I get that it's the royal palace, but this is getting annoying."
(Soo-Won and Hak will later agree that this demure Yona was obviously a good twin that was replaced by the Yona they grew up with. Hak, a second later, would dodge the fine china the Princess hurled at him.)
The girl opens her mouth, eyes narrowing into slits, and Hak grins. This is much better than the demure girl who ran into him. That changes when she freezes again.
Hak sighs, maybe it's just that girls are weird, he supposes. He nods his head, "I'm Hak." He bows, some of the lessons the Old Man's drilled into him coming to the forefront.
The girl takes a deep shuddering breath, "Pleased to meet you, Hak. I'm Yona." She says returning his greeting
Hak tilts his head...The name feels familiar for some reason...Eh it's probably nothing.
Prince Il gasped as the drinking glass, in Mundok's hand, was shattered by pure force
They're just staring at each other now, and it's really awkward, in Hak's opinion. "Do you know your way around here? Cause I don't know where I'm going." He mutters stepping closer to her.
She smiles at Hak, "I'd love to" she says, and then she grabs Hak by his sleeves, and starts to lead him through the palace.
Fifteen minutes later, Hak realizes he likes her smile. It's a strange thought to have, but when the corners of her lips go upward, Hak feels warm. He can't really put into words, and when he his cousins will start laughing at him. They're obviously jerks and idiots.
Hak's eyes go wide when he catches sight of the armory. He stops, and stares at it.
"No." His guide states flatly, and Hak's eyes goes to looks amused and annoyed at the same time.
Hak crosses his arms, "What do you mean, No?"
She stands on her tippy toes and holds up a finger to his face, face uncomfortably close to his own. "I mean that daddy says that children can't go in there."
Hak snorts, what a chicken, then he smirks and looks down at her. "Oh, so you're a big chicken."
She grabs his robe and pulls him down. "I am not a chicken, and you take that back."
"Bawk, Bawk." Hak shouts, and smiles because while he likes Yona's smile her anger is great too.
"Not a chicken." She shouts at him, and Hak glances around to see if anybody is around. All the guards have been relocated to the lower floors for the dinner. He smiles with his teeth. "Don't worry chicken I'm sure everything will be fine."
Hak hisses through his teeth as Yona applies the salve to his arm.
"I told you, but no, I'm not going to listen to the girl who's lived here." The younger girl whines as she wraps the inside of his arm. "I'm surprised you could pull the string back...you're really strong."
Hak turns his head to the side at the praise..."How do you know about healing."
He looks at her, and catches the way she freezes. "Oh, I watched Kem-Su a lot."
"You aren't the doctor's apprentice?" He questions because she certainly moved like the doctors at the Wind Tribe.
She ties the bandage, and then straightens out hands going to her hips. "I am Princess Yona."
Hak's eyes widen as he remembers what the old geezer had said. 'Prince Il has a young daughter, and if you don't show her proper respect, you won't even look at weapons until you're twelve." Hak had promptly ignored him, because that provoked Mundok even more, and he made funny faces when he was angry.
His eyes widen..'A princess actually cared for me.' The thought is quickly buried by his whole being short-circuiting in an effort to come to terms with this revelations.
(It only takes the five longest seconds of Yona's life.)
He pokes her eyes wide. "What kind of princess knows how to heal people?"
"The Best Kind." She shouts at him cheeks flushed.
It is the start of something wonderful.