The Dragon of Life | Akatsuki no Yona Fanfiction |

10 | Burning

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I woke up to the sound of Ik-Soo's soft humming.

When I rose from the warmth of my blanket, I looked across the room to where he was sitting. The stone tool that he occasionally used to make simple medicines was resting between his legs, and he was rolling some herbs down into a fine, dark green paste.

It's another one of those muscle salves, I realized once the stench of it hit my nose. It stinks, but it really does help with the aching in my arms and legs . . .

My training was still as grueling as ever. It'd been four days since Ik-Soo and I had both fallen into the stream, and not much had changed aside from my growing discomfort.

Ik-Soo had decided that he wouldn't start working with me on my Dragon powers until I built a decent foundation for my future endeavors. He was adamant about me developing a physique that was fit for traveling. Retrieving the buckets of water each morning and afternoon was a good exercise, but it took me ages to complete. I could hardly lift my arms away from my body the morning after my first two trips, let alone get up off the floor. Ik-Soo didn't accompany me to my exercises anymore. He said it was too difficult to watch me without offering his help, but he still got up early in the morning to make me that icky paste . . .

Seeing his smile as he worked reminded me of the miracle that'd taken place at the stream a few days back.

My ungodly snort had ended in Ik-Soo going half-insane. I'd been sitting there in utter disbelief with my hands cupped over my mouth, but he'd been quite the contrary. He was beside himself with excitement when he stumbled over to me and set his dripping wet hands on my already soaked shoulders.

"Did you just laugh?" He'd asked with a beaming smile. "You made noise! Actual noise! This is something to celebrate. If you can express something as joyous as laughter, then you're right on track to even greater forms of expression . . . You're starting to grow, isn't that exciting!?"

It had been exciting. Even though the noise I'd made had been nothing short of obnoxious, the life surrounding me had turned ecstatic, creatures and plants alike. Hearing their giggles and sounds of glee almost made me want to laugh again, but I quickly threw the urge to the side. It wasn't my job to be waltzing around in the flowers with my head in the clouds; I had to get the bucket of water back up the mountain.

And now I'm waking up tired every morning, I thought with a silent yawn as my nose slowly got used to the stench of solvent. I still have a long way to go before I have the freedom to do whatever I please . . .

"You're exhausted, aren't you," Ik-Soo said simply. It sounded like more of a statement than a question. I nodded at him, and he grinned. "Your muscles might be telling you otherwise, but you are improving. Slowly but surely. The Gods are always smiling down at you during your meditations, which is a very good sign!"

I hoped it was. Ik-Soo was good at boosting morale after a long day of struggling, but it was comforting to know someone else was cheering me on from somewhere far away . . . I wondered if the others were doing okay at that village as I got up and walked over to where Ik-Soo was sitting. He took some of the green paste out of the rolling slot and slathered it on my hand for me to use.

After lifting up my sleeves and rubbing the medicine over my arms, I lifted my pants up to my knees and kneaded it into the lower-half of my legs. I winced as I used the brunt of my knuckles to bend out the knots in my muscles. The salve burned my nostrils, but it made my skin tingle and relax.