Eternity Bound (Prequel) - A Pre Yona of the Dawn Fanfic

Chapter 2 - Her First Friend

Word Count: 2,300+ Words

"Nari!"

"Nari, please!"

"Miss Nari, please don't leave!"

"NARI!!"

"How could you abandon us...?"

"It's your fault."

"May the heavens rain down judgment on you!"

"You promised to save us all... how could you?"

"NO!!"Nari awoke with a sharp gasp, sitting bolt upright. Panting heavily, the woman's eyes darted around to her surroundings, beginning to calm herself slowly. "It was a dream... again."She sighed, wiping the cold sweat from her brow and smiling to herself. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, everyone."She murmured, pulling her knees to her chest and burying her face in then, the little smile still clinging to her face.

Uncurling her body and unburying herself from her sheets, Nari stood up and neatly set her bed. It's been a week since I started living in the Palace, I think I'm finally starting to get the hang of this. She thought, looking up when she heard a loud bell toll far overhead. Yes! I finally beat the bell! She pumped her fist in the air at her small victory over her usual wake up call, gold and blue pendant swinging around her neck.

Walking around the bed to her closet, Nari pulled out what she'd dubbed as her "Uniform" and began to change out of her evening robe, sliding on her shoes, and looking in the nearby full body mirror, running her fingers through several tangles in her hair while ruffling her bangs over her eyes. I wish I had a brush... I could've sworn there was one the first day I got here, but it'd disappeared by the time I got back. I must've been seeing things.

After braiding the ends of her hair together and tying them together with a ribbon, Nari brushed some wrinkles out of her skirt and turned in a circle to make sure nothing was out of place. "Right!"She exclaimed, pumping her left fist in the air. "It's gonna be another perfect day! I know it!"

Walking out of her room, Nari made sure to close her door behind her before cheerfully skipping off to the Dining Hall for breakfast. She'd forgotten to do so the first two or three days she'd been living in the Palace, and Gyeong-hui had given her a serious earful about it each time, so now Nari made a point not to miss it for fear of the head maid popping a blood vessel.

"That girl is so strange..."

"Right? She's so... bouncy."

"What's with her hair, too? She really needs to cut those bangs. They're way too long!"

"Can she even see?"

Promptly, Nari spontaneously tripped and fell flat on her face with a squeak.

A few other servant girls who had been heading to the Dining Hall snickered, turning and continuing on their way while Nari picked herself up with a cheery smile. "Oh, well!"

Unfortunately, since her arrival, Nari had difficulties making friends with other servants. She was still as forthcoming as ever, but most of the other girls seemed to rather prefer keeping to themselves or to whatever group of friends they already had.

Walking into the Dining Hall, Nari fetched her usual wooden tray of food: a bowl of rice, some fish, and a fruit of her choosing; today, she picked up an apple. Choosing to sit at a distant table alongside a window in the far corner, Nari hummed softly to herself upon starting to eat.

Unbeknownst to her, she was being watched by another table of girls across the room.

"Ji-Yeong, check out the weirdo over there."