thenearshore | [Open-ish]

[Hak isn't normally a late sleeper, usually up with the sun when it peeks over the horizon in the mornings. He enjoys the quiet within the temple grounds and will typically wander through them to clear his head before the others are up and making noise. However, the morning of July 31 is a bit different. The sun is already crawling to its peak in the sky when he stirs in his bed, his sheets in a disarray.

The dream had started out with the familiar motion of his spear swinging out and around in front of him before spiraling quickly into feelings of anger, hatred and betrayal as he yelled across at a man with long hair and dressed in even longer robes - the man named Soo-Won. And then there was the sound of metal against metal as he fought with every bit of strength he had. No matter how hard Hak tried to pull himself free of this nightmare, it kept him there to witness all of it from his own perspective. At first, he didn't think it was him but as they repeated his name over and over and the voices become more and more familiar, it became harder to deny. Hak is the one fighting this man, and Hak is the one with the blades pointed at his neck.

His arms begin to feel heavy with the weight of a limp body in them, tucked beneath one arm with his spear in the other, and he's running in a frantic manner, the feelings of anger still there. But there's a boy now, too...

It isn't the arrows nearly missing him or the warm spatters of blood against the skin on his face or the cold air outside the castle gates that finally shakes him awake, but it's when he catches a glimpse of the red hair, and when he sees the fire leave her eyes. That's when he knows.

This isn't a dream. Dreams fade when you wake from them and the details slip through your fingers faster than sand before you are able to hold onto them. Not this one, though. This is a memory - a memory of Yona, of Soo-Won, and of a boy named Min-Soo who risked his life to save theirs. Hak remembers how he felt mislead, resentful, hurt.

This is the escape from the castle that fateful night that lead to everything that came after - all of the things he still can't remember. He was the one who was with her during her escape from the castle as Shizuo said. He was the one who saved her from an even more unfortunate fate that night.

He doesn't immediately bolt out of his bed, but he slides across so that he can sit upright with his feet touching the cool floor beneath him, burying his face in his hands with cold sweat dripping across his brow. He knows what he needs to do, but he's afraid. She's been giving him the same answers whenever he's asked. It's too risky, that she's in a difficult situation... but there's no skirting around it this time. Not when he knows that what he remembers is true - that that was the princess... that she is the princess, and that's all that matters.

He sways when he gets to his feet at last and once he's washed up and changed, he seeks her out in the grounds. Hak knows exactly where to find her, and so he heads to the stables where she's tending to the horses the same way she does every morning. She might have felt him coming before he gets there but regardless of whether she turns to him or not when she comes into his view, he calls out to her anyway.]

Princess Yona!

[ She'd felt him coming before he ever reached the stables, but assuming he was only coming to fetch her back for breakfast, she continued her task, feeding the last of the horses who had wandered inside for their breakfast. At least in this much, she'd managed to train them, but they still went where they wanted most of the time and even she hadn't figured out how they did it. If they wanted out? They got out. But for the moment, they were all inside the stables happily munching on their breakfasts.

She turns with a warm smile when she hears his voice, turning to greet him in a good mood. ]

Good morning, Hak! Did you....

[ Her words trail off to an abrupt stop as his own greeting finally sinks in and she goes pale, like she'd just seen a ghost. Perhaps, in a way, she has. ]

....What did you call me?

[He stops inches from her, his breath short and quick from when he'd hurried over, and his grip takes her by the shoulder to push her against the nearest wall. The sudden movement stirs the horses, some of them padding their feet on the ground, but he ignores them. He's too busy staring down at her pale face, his jaw clenching and an anger burning in his chest as he repeats the name again with more heat this time.]

Princess Yona.

[Hak's fingers tighten around her shoulder.]

That's your name. Right?

[ Her back impacts against the stable wall but she barely notices, staring up at his face, at the fire in his eyes, the emotions she can see swirling there. She opens her mouth to answer, but for a moment, no words come and she can only gape at him as her mind races to figure out how she should answer that question. ]

I... yes?

[ It's not like she's about to lie to him about. She hadn't purposefully hidden it, had just once again struggled with how much she could say that would not trigger any of the memories he'd forgotten. ]

How did you....?

[He's lost. He's so lost, and he falls forward to lean against her, pressing his face into her hair. He knows now why he felt so angry when he heard the name and learned about what had been bothering Yona. She's had to live all this time in her temple reminded of her late father, and perhaps a little of him, too. And of Soo-Won. The emotions he felt in that memory are just as real as he is.

The heavens are much crueler to her than he thought.]

I was with you that night. When Soo-Won killed him... The King.

You...

[ The words catch in her throat, emotion choking them off. There is panic and fear and confusion and her arms slide up to grip at his shoulders as she tries to see his face. Tries to understand how this is possible.

She'd never breathed a word, not even to Shizuo. Then how does he...? ]

Why do you say that, Hak? What's going on? What has happened?

[When she doesn't confirm or deny it but only answers him with another question, he only presses her further against the wall and his face buries itself in her hair again. He uses whatever strength he has left in his upper body to stop her from pushing him away to look at him while he lets out a low, throaty groan into her ear.

Stop dancing around it and answer.]

Am I wrong?

I...

[ She stops and lets her eyes slide closed when he demands that answer of her. Swallows convulsively around the fears and worries that threaten to choke her if she says too much. Yoon's warnings still ring in her ears, but she takes a deep breath and then another before answering, her voice coming out barely above a whisper. ]

No. You're not wrong.

I woke up this morning with this memory.

[The only thing he knows about himself, and it's still not enough to put the pieces of this very large puzzle together. Dare he even try?]

Of Soo-Won, and Min-Soo... and you.

[He falls silent... because there isn't much else for him to say. She knows about everything that's happened - he doesn't need to make her relive it with his retelling of what he saw.]

[ She'd heard this was possible - Yoon had remembered Zeno, after all - but they had no idea when or how it was possible and it had taken her completely off guard.

She swallows, needing a moment to come to terms with it. Letting her hand slide up his arm and shoulder, she reaches to tangle her fingers in his hair. ]

I... I'm...

[ what? Sorry? Of course she is. Of all the memories she could have wished back for him, that was the absolute last of them. A betrayal by someone they had both loved and trusted. In some ways, she suspected Hak had taken the betrayal even worse than she had. While she had been devastated by what had happened, his emotions had burned with a depth of rage she had never realized him capable of.

But he remembered her. He remembered her He had called out her name and he had called her Princess and even now there are tears burning behind her eyes, ones she closes tightly to try and hold back, even though she knows it's in vain. Her breath hitches and her grip on him tightens as she buries her face against his shoulder. ]

I never thought to hear you call me that again.

You've known all this time.

[She's much stronger than she looks – he knows this, he reminded her of this not even a few days earlier, but the weight of the burdens she carried he couldn't really grasp. Not until now. Knowing what it is that this place reminds her of, knowing for himself... He could kill a dozen men in a single swoop of his spear and his strength would still be incomparable to hers.

All of the anger, all of the fear and betrayal he felt from that memory, all of it is gone as he lets her hold him. His arms wrap around her back and he takes her into a strong embrace, pressing a kiss to her head and allowing her a safe place for her to hide her tears should she allow them to fall. Though, she might be too stubborn for that.]

I should have come for you sooner.

[ She makes a sound that could almost be mistaken for a laugh, were it not so thickly choked with tears. Her grip tightens on him, tears no one will see soaked into the familiar warmth of his robe. Around anyone else, she might have been too stubborn, too careful to let such a weakness show, but whether he remembered or not, Hak had always known her better than that. Had seen every side of her, strong and weak. And still he stood beside her and protected her, despite everything. He'd never once faltered. ]

You have always protected me when I needed you, Hak. You're here now.

[ As conflicted as she is over that. Having him here makes her feel safe, but she'd take being alone and frightened if it meant he was somewhere yet safe and alive. Even though she knew he would never agree. ]

But it's not the way you want it.

[He knows that - he would be stupid not to. Whether he has his memories of her or not, the fact remains that someone close to her is dead, and she has to live with that reminder every time she looks at him. Still, should anything bad ever happen to her again he knows he would at least be by her side or there to protect her. Just like she said.]

We both know what me being here means.

[He doesn't even want to think about it or question it because he knows what will happen if he does, but it's hard to ignore and run away from fact.]

[ Her fingers tighten their grip in his robes and she pushes at his chest at that, fist colliding with solid muscle. ]

No. [ There is a fierce determination in her voice at that and she shakes her head, despite the tears that still stubbornly fall. ] I refuse to believe that. I refuse to believe that it is inevitable. There is too much we don't understand about this place. Especially when there are those who are shinki who have returned here as gods. That changes everything they've led us to believe so far and I won't... I won't believe otherwise until I know more.

[He doesn't blink for flinch when her fist hits his chest, remaining as solid and still as ever even when that sudden shift catches him offguard. His fingers wrap around her wrist and he holds it in a firm grip as he stares down at her with equal intensity, watching her tears.]

Yon-- [He catches the name and corrects himself in a low, firm voice before she can say anything else.] Princess. Whatever it means, they brought me here for a reason, didn't they?

[ Her eyes slide closed when he calls her Princess again, because it's so achingly familiar that for a moment she can't answer. Her fingers tighten in the fabric of his robes once more and when she finally does speak, her voice is soft and shaky, but there is an affection in it that not even the emotion choking her can disguise. ]

Hak. Are you on my side?

[He's heard that once before - in the memory - and it's with the same warmth in his smile that he responds, his hand trailing a line down her jaw and tipping her chin up to get a better look at her face, taking in the newfound familiarity in those eyes and every little freckle on her face.]

The king told me to protect you.

[He remembers his answer like it was only yesterday.]

No matter what happens, I will obey his orders.

[ Her eyes open once more at the brush of his fingers against her jaw. They are wet with unshed tears, but she smiles despite them. His words comfort her now far more than they had that night, when she'd been bereft and numb with shock. ]

Then you have at least one reason for being here, do you not? Stay by my side, Hak.

[His thumb traces a circle on her cheek and stretches to wipe beneath her eye where he can see the tears threatening to fall. Her smile only strengthens his own and he leans in and presses a kiss against her forehead, lingering a moment longer than he needs to.]

You're doing that thing again.

[ She blinks up at him, although leans into the press of lips, the comfort it offers. He's only remembered for a few short minutes but this already feels much more like the close trust they'd shared from home, the easy affection she'd missed most since his arrival here, when he'd maintained a careful and pronounced distance between them. ]

What thing?

You have the same look you had when you fetched me on the first day.

[The eyes shining with fought back tears, and whatever else is there. He doesn't know what she's feeling, nor can he imagine it but he recognizes it a lot easier now.]

You're allowed to cry, Princess.

That first day... [ She gives a choked sort of laugh at that, the sound thick with emotion as she ducks her head. ] I had cried. Why do you think I was late? Some days I fear if I let myself start I might not be able to stop again.

[His hand rests gently on top of her head, fingers caressing her hair in an idle, comforting motion.]

Then start until you no longer can, if you need. I will stay with you as long as you ask me to.

[ Her fingers curl tighter into his robe for a moment.

She wishes to just blurt out what she wants, that to keep him by her side always is all she's wanted for... she's lost track of how long now. She'd grown so accustomed to him being there that it had taken longer to dawn on her until she'd been here without him, and then with him as a shinki. It had been hard to deny how much his solid presence had become a necessity in the face of that. But could she still be so selfish in her desire? He only remembered but a moment of their time together, after all, even as important as that moment had been.

So she bites back the words and lets her forehead come to rest against his chest, her eyes sliding closed as she drinks in the comforting warmth of him. ]

Thank you, Hak.

[ Simple words, but they carry far more weight than most would assume. ]

[Yona, you stubborn little redhead. Was she always like this, he wonders?]

Hm?

[He wraps his arm around her shoulders and holds her there, not willing to let go just yet. Not until he's had all the answers he needs. He lowers his chin until it rests on her messy head, leaning his lips in to gently brush against the soft strands that are sticking up this way and that from where his hand was.]

For what?

drops this on your head....

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