Black Dragon

Awa

We finally arrived in Awa after a long journey. Soo-won had heard rumors about human trafficking and drug smuggling while we were in Chishin and he decided to check it out for himself.

But when we arrived there seemed to be some sort of celebration going on.

"What's going on?" Judo asks a man walking by.

"Yang Kum-ji is dead! Our city can rest easy now!" The man says. He was incredibly drunk and slurred his words. I don't even think he recognized Soo-won.

"Sir, we're going to have to establish some kind of order until a new feudal lord is chosen." Judo suggests.

"We can do that tomorrow. The people deserve to celebrate their freedom, but until then I suppose I should find a way to get in contact with Geun-tea over the matter. He'll need to send troops. And of course we'll have to find a new feudal lord..."

"I want to look around." I say. "You and Judo go handle whatever business. I'll go with Bahk and Li."

Soo-won looked at me hesitantly be reluctantly agreed, and we parted ways.

We started walking around. I didn't particularly know where I was going and then all of the sudden Kiyohime appeared to me.

"He's nearby, we have to destroy him!" She was seething with rage. I shook my head not trying to draw attention to myself, but that only seemed to make her angrier. A sharp pain struck my arm and it started to turn scaly like a lizard's. I clutched it to my chest and hunched over, not able to breath. I fell to the ground gasping for air. What was going on?

"My queen!" Bahk and Li yell.

"Go find Soo-won." I manage to get out. The two go running in opposite directions and I roll over onto the ground. Everything hurt. I didn't understand. I needed help.

"Meissa..."

I tense up at the sound of his voice, almost completely forgetting the excruciating pain I was in. I was scared to look at him to see if it was actually him. He was dead, I watched him go over the cliff. It couldn't be him. I finally look up from the ground and rest my eyes on him, taking in the sight of him. I felt as if i was looking at a ghost and I was completely mesmerized by the sight of him standing in front of me.

I blinked a few times as I was brought back to reality by several tears that had fallen onto my hand. I wasn't even aware that I had been crying.

"Meissa, are you okay? What's the matter?" He asks as he kneeled down and grabbed my arm to examine it.

"Hak..."

He looks up from examining my arm. His eyes were full of worry. "Did you injure your arm somehow? It looks alright, but you looked like you were in a lot of pain."

"Hak..."

"Is that all you can say? Meissa, I asked you if you were okay." he says slightly annoyed.

I reached out to him and gently stroked his face, almost afraid to touch him. He flinches under my touch and I pull my hand away quickly. "Are you real?" I ask quietly, my voice barely above a whisper.

He takes my hand and holds it to his chest. I could feel his heartbeat. He was alive. I throw myself onto him, engulfing him into a hug. Which caught him by surprise, causing him to fall back. "I thought you were dead!" I wail into his chest.

"I don't think it's very appropriate for the queen to be crying into the chest of a fugitive." He says.

I tense at that and quickly climb off of him. He was right, I was the queen.

"I'm sorry, I forgot." I had actually forgotten that between the pain I was feeling earlier, and the shock of being reunited with Hak.

"You forgot that you were the queen?" He asks with an eyebrow raised. "Let me guess, you also probably forgot you were also married to another man." His tone was bitter.

I hug my knees to my chest and bury my face into my arms, "Do you really think it was just easy for me make the choice to marry him? I had to do it. It was the only way I could make sure I didn't lose him like I lost you."

We sat in silence and I avoided looking at him, afraid of what I might see. "I'm sorry that I married him."

He sighs and kneels in front of me. "Don't say that Meissa. You love him and you know you do. I've never stood a chance when it came to him."

I shake my head, "I ran away with you because I wanted to be with you. I was willing to give up everything. You have to believe that. It tore me apart when you went over that cliff. I wanted more than anything to go over myself, I love you Hak."

I was crying at this point. I felt weak. "Hak, I love you and I am so sorry that I didn't wait for you. But please understand my situation. You were dead, Soo-won was all I had left. I had to make sure he wasn't taken from me."

"I understand Meissa, but it's too late now. You chose him." He stands up and I grab his leg.

"No, you can't leave. You can't leave me again. I love you, Hak!"

He stops, "You can't say that now. Let me go."

"I'll come with you, I'll be your wife, I'll do anything! Don't go!"

He bends down and presses his lips to my forehead. "We'll meet again in the future, and when everything is over and done with you can make your choice." Suddenly we hear weeping and he tenses. "Yona..."

He springs up and starts running and I lose sight of him when he turns a corner. I lay there in the street for several more minutes before someone approaches me.

"Are you okay?" I look up and am greeted with purple eyes.

"I know you." I manage to say after taking in the sight of the girl.

She smiles. "Hello, mother."