journey.
@grimoircs / kian & yeona
the ache in his chest never really goes away.
ever present in his quiet, lonely travels over the hilltops and far, far away from that quaint little village. at least she has her grandma, he thinks, has things to keep her mind busy and away from him. though selfishly, he hopes she does not wander away for far too long. he would not survive it if she forgot him, forgot the whirlwind hours they shared while he keeps his promise to her, bae yeona. never once not thinking about the care in her eyes because it’s all he can do in the hours he spends by himself yet again.
kian once thought he was meant to be alone, his grandfather nearly telling him as much in so little words. he’d been stern, that old man, intent on keeping him far from all the other nations. and it was only after he painfully learned of his status that he realized why. he was not ready for responsibility that outweighed him, a small little boy then with the warmth of the sun in his eyes. but he’s bigger now, he has seen and learnt new things and experienced pains he never knew existed.
now, he knows with the heart he left in yeona’s hands that he is not destined to be alone. now, he knows his purpose. he does not know how he intends to bring harmony upon an already fractured hyrule, but he will fight until he finds a way. and right now, that way is to lurelin village, where he’d heard through passed on whispers that the deposed fire prince and his rebellion has taken shelter.
kian’s not sure how many days it’s been, now, since he’s been searching. all he knows is he’s finished every last piece of bread yeona had given him, and he is so very grateful for the wild horse he befriended and tamed with the help of a few apples and a soft voice.
he knows, also, when he wakes up to a reddened fall morning sky, what panic feels like once more. he’d heard of the blood moon from his grandfather in the past, the boney monsters it rose from beneath the dirt, the way they could take down small villages in minutes. and so he rides. with a quickened heart and a hurried mind, he turns epona around without a second’s hesitation and does not let her stop. because he is not meant to be alone, anymore, and he can’t do that if yeona is not there, safe and sound to return to.
when the sun sets and the ominous moon comes out, it paints the earth red and his head starts to ache, dully but there. he pays it no mind, racing on, and on, and on.
until he see’s her. right next to one of those monsters he’s only seen in his nightmares.
“yeona!” he yells clear across the field, skidding epona to a stop and jumping off quick. the world spins at his feet and he nearly stumbles, but he grits his teeth. runs towards her through the ache and shoots his hands out in a failed attempt to launch a large boulder at the monster getting ready to swing. he tries again, and fails again. mutters a curse to himself before reaching back for the handle of the sword, puling it out quick. it feels unusually heavy in his hands and he can barely steady himself before he sees the bones fall to the ground.
relief washes over him and he falls to his knees for to take a breath. winded, reeling. but he picks himself back up quickly, thrusting the sword back into its sheath and glancing up to find yeona when he sees her running his way. “yeona,” he says again, reaching immediately for her hands, flipping them over to search for any cuts. then searching her face frantically, sweeping his fingers across her cheek before pulling her into a tight embrace,“oh, thank god, are you alright? is your village alright?”