She was his shining dawn.

His eternal flame.

And how he would burn for her.

As they lay down for the night, huddled close against the chill of the night air and the rain howling outside their tent, Hak was left to his thoughts as he gently stroked Yona's hair.

She was asleep of course, he made sure of it before ever indulging himself in such a moment of weakness as he was now.

It had been a long day, full of the chaos of battle and the mess of its aftermath and Yona was worn out beyond recognition.

The battle had taken a toll on all of them of course, but Yona had managed to get nicked by two arrows in a vault of return fire.

There had been nothing anyone could do, as the warriors had been pulled deep into the heart of the fray while Yun and Zeno had been trying to help evacuate citizens of a nearby village. And with Yona being Yona, she insisted that her gashes were barely even a bother and that they were her responsibility alone until everyone finally let the matter go.

After they had patched everyone up, Yun had offered for Hak to share the tent with Yona so that everyone would be less cramped while they slept their injuries off.

With less than an exhausted mumble of agreement between the two of them, they both had entered their tent for the night and flopped down for their well-deserved rest.

Yet here Hak was.

Awake, and thoughtful.

Not his usual insomnia that came with having Yona asleep beside him. No, for once having her there, sound asleep and tucked up under his chin as she lightly clutched his collar in her small hand, did not send him into a wave of longing and emotional torment with his self restraint.

No, tonight just having her there within his sight and within his arms' protective embrace brought a sense of peace to his mind.

She was here. She was safe. She was content and asleep in his arms - a gift if ever there was any for him.

What kept him up as he continued to run his fingers through her vibrant locks, was the lingering thoughts of the past and all that had lead them to where they were now.

Still, he found himself unable to let go. To move on. To in anyway find acceptance in his heart for what had happened. How Su-won had been able to look Yona in the eye as he crushed her world around her. Look him in the eye and dare to threaten the one they had once both held so dear -at least he had always thought, was dear to the both of them - was beyond his comprehension or acceptance.

His light.

His fire and flame.

His Dawn.

Anything. He would do anything to take away the pain she felt, despite knowing how far she had come and how strong she is to have healed as much as she has.

He loves that about her.

The fire and flame that burns within her eyes when she sets her mind to something as her determination sparks.

It brings a small smile to his face, just at the reminiscent thoughts of every time he had been graced with that look and at this, he holds her a little tighter against him.

Lays his head atop hers when she doesn't stir at his actions.

Anything for this dawn.

As much as he had resigned himself to letting her and Suwon be happy together back during their days at the castle, looking back on it, he can see that even then Su-won hadn't deserved her.

No matter how close they had been, Su-won did not deserve the light that he could not bother to see.

How he never took notice of how resolute and determined she could be even back in their childhood years. Those moments that Hak so dearly treasured and looked back on.

To have his wish come true in the worst form imaginable seems such a cruel twist in fate. As if the gods enjoyed watching him suffer. Well, his wish had come true. Su-won had taken the throne, but at the cost of his love's own world as he trampled over it in his path to power, leaving Hak to pick up the pieces of her in the hopes that one day she may put herself back together again.

What he realises now is that many of those shards of broken heart had been his, just as much as hers. And while she seemed to slowly find the right pieces that fit together, he could barely even begin to sort through the mess of his own shattered heart.

His Dawn. His hope for the new day.

Yona.

Feeling her shift beneath his chin as she snuggled closer in an attempt to escape the damp earth as it leeched the heat from their bedroll, Hak resigned himself to put these somber thoughts away and simply let himself rest. After all, he had to be at the top of his game everyday if he was going to continue on this journey with her.

Pulling the blankets higher around the both of them, Hak rolled onto his back pulling a shivering Yona along with him. Wrapping one arm around her waist as the other continued to cradle her head while his fingers ceased their movements in her hair, he let her flop half on top of him and share any heat he had to offer to keep away the chill of the ground.

Before she wakes up the next morning he knows he will have to release his hold on her so that she'd never know, but for now he was content to hold his candlelight close and keep her flame bright against the cold of the world.

Closing his eyes, he pressed a soft kiss to her brow and let sleep pull him away.

{*****}

She was not as asleep as Hak seemed to believe. Cold and worn out from the carnage she had witnessed that day and with gashes stinging worse than she'd ever admit, Yona did not have it in her to feel any embarrassment or awkwardness as she snuggled closer to the warmth of Hak's chest as his fingers gently ran through her hair.

With her. He was always gentle.

Despite how ferocious she knew he could be in battle and the strength that he wielded, to her, he was never really the thunderbeast. He was only ever Hak. The man who had stayed by her side through thick and thin. The man she now found her heart stumbling for.

Each caress of his fingers through her hair was so soothing.

As if untangling the horrors of the day from her mind.

She had grown somewhat used to seeing battle. Its not as if she had not been plunged into it herself, yet as strong as she had become and as brave as she may be, she does not wish to witness violence like this.

She will learn to fight in order to survive.

To protect herself and those she cares about. But as tough as she now is on the outside, inside her heart remains soft.

She felt Hak pull her tighter to his chest. Heard him sigh deeply as he rested his head atop her own.

Safe.

That was the word that came to mind within that moment.

Yet as safe as she felt from any tormenting thoughts or outside threats, this could not seem to keep the cold away as she began to shiver within his embrace.

The ground had become increasingly damp with the rain and as it did, it continued to leech out any body heat she managed to retain. Even as she snuggled closer trying to steal his warmth, the cold seemed to follow, pulling her further from her rest rather than letting her sleep.

Just as she thought one of her toes was about to freeze she felt Hak tighten his hold on her again as he flipped to his back, bringing her with him so that she was half sprawled on top of him.

With less of her touching the ground and the added body heat Hak shared with her, her shivers soon cease as he pulls their blankets up higher around them both.

She is not embarrassed or flustered at the new arrangement - couldn't bring herself to be. Only contentment came as she lay her head on his chest and wrapped a sleepy arm around his torso as her body began to lose its tension from the cold.

She figured if he could keep her from the cold of the ground, the least she could do was act as a second blanket to keep him from freezing too.

It was just as she slipped into a dream that she felt the gentle press of warm lips against her brow.

Always gentle with her.

Always warm.

{*****}

They awoke early in the morning, the sky still dark as they found themselves tangled within each others' arms, but neither could bring themselves to part.

She was pressed against his side with her head in the crook of his arm while one of her arms and legs was hooked around him in a bear hug. His own arms cradled her against himself, keeping the two of them in a small cocoon of warmth against the outside world.

Yona looked up into Hak's electric blue eyes, still only half open as the remnants of sleep weighed them down as he gazed back at her. Not a word was spoken between them, yet there didn't seem to be any need for words to disturb their peaceful silence.

Bringing her hand from around his frame, she rested it against his cheek before slowly tracing the lines of his face. She studied his features as she had done once before, starting at the corner of his eyes this time, tracing their crease to his temple with her thumb and down his jaw before resting at the corner of his mouth where her hand stayed. He shuddered beneath her touch.

The entire time she did this his eyes never left hers. And when her hand stopped its tracing he lifted his own to explore her features in turn.

Mimicking the path she had made, he started by her violet eyes and eventually tracing down to hold her chin between his forefinger and thumb before slowly learning in and brushing his lips against hers.

To say he felt electricity pulse through his veins at the act would be an understatement, but what he felt in his heart as he felt her softly return his kiss was beyond what even he could describe.

She was clumsy and inexperienced of course, but so tender as she continued to kiss him and run her own fingers through his ebony locks and it made his heart both feel as though it would burst out of his chest as it soothed it into a sort of peace he had never experienced before. The kiss was passionate, but it was calm all within the chill of the early morning.

As they broke apart they stared into one another eyes again before settling down deeper beneath their blankets.

Still not a word was spoken between the two, but neither felt any inclination to do so. For there was no need, what they saw within each others' eyes and what they each felt within themselves were beyond the explanation of any mere words. It was the sort of thing only two who had known each other as long as they had could possibly understand.

This was calm and soothing to their tattered souls. This felt right. This made them both feel whole in a way they could never even have hoped for.

And so, as the sun began to rise they drifted off again, still entangled within each others' arms and when the others came to check on them after they all had woken and made breakfast, they did not have the heart to disturb the two as they slept the day away in their own warm little world.