Kingdom Come [Yona of the Dawn]

Done Dirt Cheap

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     A voice.

    She skid to halt, heart stopped, and her blood sang like thunder in her ears, into her mind. Her feet moved on its own, but never had they danced so swiftly than in their turn to meet speaker's gaze.

    "You are the Black Dragon, yes?"

    The words left her lips like a bird's first flight: ungraceful, but full of wonder, anticipation. "King Hiryuu."

    Kneel! The red that flowed through her crashed and jumped against her skin, as if to the reverse the tides of every mechanism her body had to preserve her own life. Her throat scorched so hot, she thought she gurgled fire. Kneel! Her ears clanged with the cries of thousands, the heavy mission bells, and the roar of something else, some voice she knows. Kneel!

    The Black Dragon dropped to her knees.

    Warriors of the five dragons, you are now our other halves. With Hiryuu as your master, you will protect him, you will love him, and you will never betray him.

    Light footsteps pattered to her side instantly, and the presence knelt before her, "Are you alright?"

    "Of course not, she smacked her head into the wall earlier," Yun answered in her place.

    The Black Dragon ground her teeth together, denying, "I'm perfectly fine—"

    "Is that true?" Though Hiryuu touched her injured head gently, it felt like flames blossomed there and crackled at her skull, "Let me see."

    Gently, the Black Dragon brushed her hand away (the dragon felt like she was committing some sort of blasphemy by doing so). "I'm fine. It's me— agh, it's because you're outsiders so you don't get it," she muttered as she stood up once more. Pulling down the cloth to hang limply over her collar. Indeed, she was young. Indeed, wondrous, black scales crawled up the sides of her neck. "If the White Dragon and King Hiryuu are here, then I guess it's... open and shut," she settled for the lack of better words.

    "Um," the girl before her started with an awkward beam, "I'm sorry but I'm not... King Hiryuu. My name is Yona."

'Hiryuu's hair was red, like the sun breaking through the night...'

    She glanced at the short, fiery wisps curling around Yona's delicate, porcelain face and muttered, "Could've fooled me."

    "Sorry?"

    "Nothing," she said, and with some hesitance, added, "I'm called Miok. I guess... you're here to gather the dragons?"

    Yona nodded, pleased on Miok's quick uptake and sharing of her name, "Yes! Would you like to meet my companions? They were searching for you earlier..."