Their New Home (Yona Of The Dawn X Oc)

Chapter 10

"It's been a while, kid. I've been waiting for your medicine," a merchant commented, trading some rice for a pouch of medicinal herbs.

The group had just left Ik-Soo's place after a teary goodbye and the first thing Yoon wanted to do was get some food for the journey.

So there they were, trading with a passing merchant.

"Oh, by the way, who are those two? I don't think I've seen them before," the man asked, gesturing towards Aiko and Hak (who was carrying a bag on his shoulders).

"We're his business partners," Hak spoke up, "We're going up to the border for work."

Once the merchant left, Yoon and Aiko sighed in relief. It was risky to have the Thunder Beast out in the open like that.

Meanwhile, Hak gently placed down the bag which was on his shoulder and opened it, revealing a dishevelled Yona who was scowling in irritation.

"C'mon, Princess, don't give me that look. Why are you so mad? Is it because I suddenly stuffed you in this bag? Is it because I wasn't gentle with you? Is it because I was feeling you up?" Hak teased, causing Yona's face to heat up in anger.

"ALL OF IT!" She snapped, chasing him around. Hak climbed halfway up a tree and watched amusedly as Yona continued to fume.

"I was starting to freak out when the bag that was supposed to have clothes in started squirming," Yoon mumbled, clutching his chest in an attempt to calm his racing heart.

Aiko held one hand on his shoulder, whilst doubling over and panting, out of breath from the stress of almost getting caught, "This isn't good for my heart."

Once Yona and Hak both calmed down, Yoon gathered them up and began his lecture, "Red-haired princess, Thunder Beast, 15-year-old with a sword and a pretty boy genius. We stand out no matter what so we need to be careful. Plus, we're heading to a place right next to the Capital and the Fire Tribe. Do you know how dangerous it is for you to get caught?"

"Yessir," Yona, Hak and Aiko chorused, feeling like soldiers being lectured by their general.

"In that case, let's get going! Ah, I'm finally outside and I can't wait to get to the phantom village. Oooh, I'll make a record of all my journeys throughout the kingdom!" Yoon then grinned in excitement, very quickly switching up moods.

Bursting his bubble, Hak commented, "Is it just me or are your eyes still red from all that crying?"

"Well he was crying a lot," Aiko then mused, only for her and Hak to get punched on the head by the boy.

"SHUT IT!" He exclaimed in embarrassment.

Within the span of a few minutes, Yoon had seemingly experienced the full spectrum of emotions already and Aiko's mind was spinning just trying to keep up with his mood changes.

The trio was so caught up in their comedy act that they didn't notice a merchant approaching. Thankfully, Yona spotted him before the others and pulled up her hood, continuing to walk straight ahead with her head held high.

Aiko hurriedly skipped over next to the redhead, eyeing the merchant cautiously.

When he passed without taking a second glance at the group, Yoon and Aiko sighed in relief simultaneously. It was as if the stress was wearing them out more than the walking.

"Princess-" Hak was about to scold Yona, only to meet her unwavering gaze.

"Your injuries haven't healed yet. You can't carry me on your shoulder this entire trip. Besides, I want to see the kingdom with my own eyes," She explained, once again rendering Hak speechless.

"Fine but you need to be carefu-" the Thunder Beast began, only for Yona to disappear, "Geh, where did she go?"

Meanwhile, Yona and Yoon were staring at a rice field in awe. As neither of them had left their homes before, even the most mundane of sights was incredible to them.

Aiko chuckled at their enthusiasm, finding it incredibly endearing. Although she didn't leave the wind tribe often either, she had been on a few trips with Mundok and Hak and was therefore familiar with the countryside.

"All your food would've come from here," Yoon commented. The ex-princess stared at the field thoughtfully for a few seconds before bowing in gratitude.

Hak smirked proudly, clearly impressed by her growth. Being someone who had grown up with Yona, he tended to notice the subtle differences quicker than others.

"Hey, can we go to a weapons shop? I wanna get another sword," Aiko asked, breaking the somewhat peaceful atmosphere.

Hak shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, "I'll go with you, then. I've got something I wanna buy from there too."

Once they reached the nearest village, Yona pulled her hood back up and the quartet stuck close to each other. They decided to focus on food and clothes at first, before resting at a nearby restaurant.

"Do you wanna go to the weapon's shop now?" Yoon asked, "We can wait here until you're done."

Hak seemed uncomfortable at the prospect of leaving Yona alone in such a dangerous place, however, after being reassured multiple times that everything would be fine, he finally left the building, joined by his sister.

The duo silently headed towards the weapons shop, too lazy to argue like they usually would.

Remaining silent even as they entered the shop, they split up, with Aiko practically gravitating towards other swords.

The girl picked out ones that seemed to be a good size, giving each one a test swing. After having miraculously survived the attack from the Fire Tribe, Aiko realised she still needed to get stronger. Thus, she decided she should wield two swords rather than just one.

With training, she was certain that she could become strong enough to keep all her companions safe.

After buying her weapon of choice, Aiko waited outside for Hak to finish off his shopping. However, after a few moments of daydreaming, she saw a group of people wearing a familiar uniform.

'Fire Tribe soldiers?'

That's when the panic sunk in. Yoon and Yona were in trouble.

A/N
It's honestly incredible how Yona was able to stay incognito for so long without having a mental breakdown every time she almost got caught. As always, thanks for reading and have a nice day. <3