Flashing Feet amidst Flaring Flames

A little heads up, this one was half inspired by the dance Yona did during the fire festival and half by my love for the wild whirling music of the Irish (Something like Haste to the Wedding, Toss the Feathers or Old Hag by the Corrs). While that might seem a huge culture clash, just imagine whatever music makes you lose your feet to the rhythm and that's what I was aiming for and felt inspiration for with this fic. Enjoy! And a huge thank you to everyone who gave me some helpful advice on how I may improve! As always it is much appreciated. Hopefully I was able to correct some of those minor mistakes with this fic but be sure to call me out if I missed any again. 3

{*****}

Earlier that day, the Dark Dragon and the Happy Hungry Bunch had passed by a small village and thought little of it as they set up their campsite a little ways off the main road. That evening however they could hear loud music and the whoops and hollers of the locals and decided to go and see what all the fuss was about.

As it turns out the village was holding their annual festival that night, one man explained that it was their way of annually thanking the Dragon Gods for watching over them throughout all these centuries since their return to the heavens.

At this notion, Kija seemed to swell with pride and insisted that they should stay and join these wonderful people in their festivities, to which the friendly locals happily agreed.

And with that, the matter was decided and the group split up.

Jae-ha immediately made a bee line for the band, his flute already in hand as he introduced himself and sat down to join them and discuss what they should play.

Zeno was soon lost to the crowd as he went off to play with the little kids, amusing them with piggy back rides, juggling and tales of the ancient Dragon Gods making the children laugh and squeal with joy –Tales that were suspiciously accurate if there were anyone other than Zeno still alive that was able to verify them.

Yun had demanded that if they were going to stay, that at least Kija could make himself helpful by carrying the new supplies Yun planned to purchase while they had the chance to restock.

Shin-ah simply sat by the fire with Ao in his shoulder as the locals started to offer him various specialties they had made for the occasion that they insisted he "simply must try before he leaves!".

With the others all scattered, Hak and the Princess soon found that they had been abandoned in the masses.

Yet, it wasn't long however before Hak would find himself completely on his own.

One woman had spotted Yona's Crimson hair reflected through the light of the massive bonfire they had created and no sooner than she had, was she dragging the princess away by the wrist insisting that she dance for them as "Such wonderful hair should be shown off and not hidden away!".

Caught up in the contagious merriment of the night and these people, Yona found that she simply could not refuse and let herself be dragged into the centre of the village where a space had been cleared for dancing.

Unlike the fierce, yet respectful dance she had performed for the fire festival, what felt like years ago, this type of dancing was different than any she had seen before.

Upon entering the clearing, she found herself awestruck at the way these people danced with such raw abandon.

It was wild.

It was fierce.

It was beautiful, and she was more excited now than ever before to join the fun.

As the woman let go of her wrist to go and dance with her husband, Yona took off her cloak and tentatively stepped into the ring.

Looking up to the band, she spotted Jae-ha and once they had made eye contact, he quickly stopped, whispered something quick to the rest of the musicians and with a sly wink her way, struck up a new tune.

It started with the quiet, steady beat of a drum and a few whimsical notes of Jae-ha's flute, then the beat of the drum became louder and the other musicians joined in, creating an upbeat reel that seemed to have more control over Yona's feet than she herself did.

One step led to another.

And another after that.

And that step lead to a jump and a kick and she was off, lost in the beat of the drums and the beat in her heart.

Soon people stopped their own dancing and moved to the edge of the clearing to watch this wildfire in a dress lose herself to the music. Each step full of a joy and life, each kick and leap into the air, full of a ferocity comparable to a flame.

She was stunning.

Beautiful.

As wild as the bonfire that raged behind her and with hair to match the sparks in her eyes.

By now, Hak had found where she had been dragged off to and was standing at the front of the clearing, everyone else now crowded around to watch Yona dance as the music picked up speed, her feet flying as she kicked up dust and her skirts flew around her.

Yet he could barely hear the music as he was paralyzed by the sight before him. Her dance for the fire festival had been beautiful to watch, but this was something else entirely and he found that he was simply unable to look away for fear of missing a single moment.

Suddenly there was a dip in the music as the drums and flute took over and the other instruments dropped out, quieting down for a moment.

Slowing down to match the tempo, Yona momentarily caught her breath from her dancing and looked up only to realise that everyone else had long since left the ring and was now watching her instead. Slightly embarrassed now, she blushed and slowed a bit more before she caught sight of Hak at the front of the crowd that had formed.

Seeing him brought back the grin to her face and she extended her hand to him, wanting him to feel the same joy in his heart that this kind of dancing brought to her own.

He gave her a confused look for a moment, as he stared at her outstretched palm before smiling slightly as he shook his head in refusal.

He would not dance.

That was not something the Thunderbeast did.

He was made for the art of battle, not the art of the movement to music.

Yet as she stepped toward him and a frown slowly started to melt her grin from her face, someone amongst the masses decided that this simply wouldn't do and pushed him stumbling forward until he caught the Princess's still outheld hand to keep himself from falling face first into the dirt.

Catching himself and taking the time to briefly scowl at whoever had shoved him, he looked up to the sound of her laughter as she eagerly took his other hand in hers and dragged him into the next reel as the music began to pick up the pace again until they were practically flying.

Hak found himself stumbling at first, unsure of how and where to put his feet, but looking at the unbridled, and unrestrained joy on Yona's face soon had him forgetting what he was even doing as they stepped and twirled from one end of the village to the other all while the bonfire raged behind them.

It almost felt as of they were apart of the smoke, that twisted and twirled into the night as it was blown by the breeze.

It felt as if they were the fire and the wind. The breeze making their flames together dance higher and brighter into the night.

As they danced the night away however, Hak could see Yona was getting a little tired on her feet after hours of running about.

Twirling her about once more, her started to lead her to the edge of the crowd as others moved in to take their place with the rest of the couples still dancing away.

Once they finally stopped, Yona bent over and took in breath after ragged breath. Only now did she realise how tired, thirsty and completely out of breath she was, but it had been so worth it. She couldn't even remember the last time, if ever, she felt so reckless and free, so filled with the joy of movement and sound.

Gently wrapping an arm around her waist to keep her upright, Hak lead her over to a boulder near the edge of the forest where she could sit and cool down a bit.

By now, the moon was full and high in the sky and most of their comrades had already found them and yelled over the noise that they were heading back to camp for the night after they thanked the villagers for their kindness and hospitality.

This excluding Jae-ha of course, who had long since abandoned his flute playing for the company of a lady or two and more than a few drinks.

After returning from grabbing them both a drink of water, Hak sat down next to the Princess and let the night air cool him down.

Despite being incredibly fit, dancing for hours by a roaring bonfire still brought on quite a sweat. The Princess seemed no better, her hair now a knotted mess from being flung around for hours on end. Yet even as tangled and messy as it was, Hak still thought her hair was beautiful.

So vibrant were her locks that he often thought to himself that she truly was the tiny flame that lit his heart. He'd be damned to admit it, but he couldn't even remember a time in his life where this little firedrake hadn't been sat there, smoldering in his heart.

He sighed.

Love could be so rough on a guy sometimes, he thought.

At his sigh Yona looked over and saw him looking just as tired and worn out from their night of fun as she felt. So, with a small flick of her water to his face, claiming 'she was just trying to keep him from falling asleep' and receiving a doubtful look in response, they decided it was about time they both headed back to camp for the night and get some well-deserved rest.

As they walked down the path however, Hak noticed that the princess seemed to be swaying on her feet much more than he'd like. So, without another thought he scooped her up into his arms and continued to make their way back to camp.

"Hak" she mumbled sleepily against the fabric of his robe as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"I can walk on my own two feet, I'm –*Yawn*. . . I'm fine" she managed to get out.

"Whatever you say Princess. I would just rather this than you deciding that the bushes look like a comfy enough bed and giving up there before we even get back" he replied in a teasing but fond tone.

Barely able to register what he was saying as she was distracted by the sound and feeling of his deep voice as it rumbled through his chest, she just barely managed to quip "Ya well, if a tree is good enough for you, a bush is good enough for me. Besides, that one right there looks fairly soft anyway".

"You want to test that theory by me dumping you in it?" he asked, his voice threatening he was tired enough himself, that he just might try it.

"On second thought, you carrying me is just fine. Plus, you're more comfy than a bush." She replied as she wrapped her arms around his neck and snuggled closer.

At this, he woke up a little more and a smile again came to his face.

"Oh I am, am I? Does that mean you're going to use me as your personal pillow when we get back?"

"Only If I fall asleep before we get back" she said, another Yawn almost interrupting her words again.

Hak rolled his eyes.

As he continued walking along the road, It wasn't long until he felt her breathing even out as she fell asleep in his arms. It wasn't the first time he had found himself carrying a sleeping Princess Yona off to her bed, nor did he think it would be the last.

Yet as he thought about how much she had smiled and laughed that night, how happy she had been, he couldn't help but feel his own joy bubble up to the surface again, just at the memories.

As she turned her head to tuck her face in against his neck, He shivered slightly as her warm breath tickled his hair.

Yes, his little flame could always bring a smile to his face, with nothing more than expressing her own affinity for life.

And as they slowly reached their campsite, and as he quietly grabbed a blanket before sitting down with her in his lap, did his pull her close and press a kiss to her forehead.

How he loved his little firedrake, and how he could not wait to see her smile like that, see her burn with such passion and reckless abandon, again.

Again, he thought.

I could watch her like that again and again and never get tired of the sight.

Holding his little Firedrake close, Hak closed his eyes for the night and quickly fell asleep as well, a smile still noticeable on his lips as he dreamt of flashing feet amidst flaring flames.

{*****}

Sorry this one wasn't as long at the last. My inspiration kinda only comes in small quick images that I try and expand into a story. I strive to be able to write longer and better stories but until I get the hang of it, most of my Akayona works will probably just be one shots. On the brightside, because they aren't exactly specific you could read them in any order as if they were chapters/little anecdotes.

And yes, most of these stories end on a sleepy note, because I tend to write late at night when I should be sleeping myself 😊

Thank your for reading this far 3