Later that night, Ezra stood with Yun, Hak, and Yona as they watched the villagers busily prepare for the night's festivities. 

"What is this festival for?" Ezra wondered.

"The old man told me that long ago, this village was the site of battle between Kouka and the Kai Empire. Many homes were burnt and people killed. The festival is meant to soothe the spirits of those who died, and to calm the rage of the Fire Tribe," Yun said. 

Ezra's eyes snapped up. "The Fire Tribe?" 

Yun nodded. "The Fire Tribe plundered this land. The people are afraid of battle happening once more."

Ezra frowned. She knew that her tribe had a long, and often dishonorable, history, but this newly discovered information bothered her.

"Then I better give these people a good dance," Yona said.

"It's fine," Hak interjected. "It seems the villagers just want a noisy festival to invite good fortune, so your waddling chick dance will at least make them laugh."

"Hey!" Yona protested, offended. "You may not know it, but I practiced! I wanted to show Su-won-"

Immediately she snapped her mouth shut, eyes wide. The amusement drained from Hak's face as his jaw clenched in some emotion Ezra couldn't identify. Anger? Pain?

Ezra shifted uncomfortably. The whole story between Hak, Yona, and Su-won remained a mystery to her, and she wasn't sure she wanted to know. It seemed to be a sad tale, rife with heartbreak, and Ezra'd had enough heartbreak to last her a lifetime.

"Oh! Yona, I didn't know you had something this pretty!" Yun, unaware of the shift in the atmosphere, had been digging through Yona's belongings. He now held up the hair pin that Ezra had seen long ago, way back in Awa. "You should wear this when you dance!"

"Yun-" Ezra began, but she was too late. Yona turned.

Despair filled Yona's eyes, and she reached out to snatch the pin from Yun's hands. "This... this is..."

"It's okay," Hak said quietly. "Don't panic. What you do with that is up to you." He met and held Yona's gaze for a few seconds. Then he turned and walked away.

That hair pin... could it have anything to do with Su-won? The only times Ezra had seen her friends so full of despair and anger was when the current King's name was brought up. 

Ezra covered Yona's hands with her own, clasping her fingers over the pin in Yona's grasp. "Breathe," Ezra ordered gently.

Yona nodded shakily, drawing a deep breath.

"It's going to be fine," Ezra told her, smiling. "But for now, we need to put on a show."

Yona nodded again, stronger this time. "Yes."

~~~

Ezra strolled along the street, amazed by how lively the small town had become. Bonfires roared in pits made out of rocks, surrounded by people talking, laughing, praying, dancing, and drinking. Not too far off, Jaeha played his erhu surrounded by dozens of adoring young women. Ezra couldn't help but roll her eyes at the sight. She spotted Zeno dancing with reckless abandon among some of the villagers while Kija and Shinah watched him silently. Hak and Yun were nowhere to be seen.

Ezra approached one of the numerous tents that bordered the festivities and pulled back the flap, letting herself in. 

"How's it going?" she asked.

Aro and two young women Ezra didn't recognize whirled with a gasp, clutching at their hearts. "Gods! Don't you make noise, girl?" one of the women chided.

"Hey, Ez," Yona called without turning. The princess was long since used to Ezra's silent comings and goings. "I would turn around to see you, but my head is really heavy right now."

Ezra approached Yona's front so she could look at the outfit the villagers had forced her into. "No wonder," she laughed. "You must be carrying fifteen pounds of jewelry on your head alone."

One of the girls scowled at her teasing tone. "She is a dancer. She is used to these outfits."

She looks ridiculous, is what Ezra wanted to say. For the sake of peace, the warrior held her tongue.

Yona was wearing a large dancing headdress, with beads dangling along the sides of her face to tickle her cheeks. Around her neck she wore at least four different necklaces of varying sizes which clinked together in a cacophony of irritating chimes every time she moved. Ezra supposed the kimono Yona wore was beautiful; simple, elegant, and flowing, Yona's kimono accented the curves of the princess's small body and its rosy color complemented the fire of her hair. 

"You look... nice." It was the most diplomatic compliment Ezra could come up with.

Yona gave an amused smile, well aware of what her friend was thinking. "Thanks."

"Why is your hair so short?" Aro wondered aloud, fidgeting with Yona's headdress. "It's so beautiful. You should grow it out!"

"Yes!" one of the girls agreed. "If you have short hair like a boy, you won't be able to attract men."

"But isn't this girl surrounded by good-looking men?" Aro asked pointedly.

Silence filled the tent as all three girls stared at Yona. 

Aro leaned in closer to Yona, asking in a hushed voice, "So, are you dating anyone in your group?"

"No," Yona answered.

Aro pouted, unhappy with the response. She then turned to Ezra. "Are you?" 

"No," Ezra responded.

"Come on!" Aro huffed. "Well, do any of them have girlfriends?" 

"I don't think so..." Yona murmured.

"Yes!" the women squealed. "She said they're all single!"

"I like the white-haired man!" cried one, clasping her hands together with stars in her eyes. "Even though he's a man, he's so beautiful and elegant!"

"I like the green-haired one!" the other girl sighed, hands on her flaming cheeks. "He's so kind, and he has a sexy voice!"

Ezra frowned at the women's silliness, but didn't comment.

"The one with the mask is so handsome and mysterious! He just sucks you in!"

Ezra's eyes narrowed.

"Zeno and Yun are total cuties!" the girls squealed before she could say anything.

Which was fortunate, because Ezra wasn't sure what she would've said if she hadn't been interrupted.

Yona put a hand over her mouth and giggled. "Everyone is so popular," she confided to Ezra.

"It's Hak, hands down, for me!" Aro shouted, pumping a fist in the air. Yona's expression froze. "He's so handsome and cool!"

"I know what you mean," one of the girls sighed, her eyes dreamy. "I figured Aro would bring him up, so I didn't dare mention him."

"That's right! Don't go near him!" Aro said.

Yona looked at the ground, her expression unreadable. Ezra wondered what she was thinking. 

"Tonight's a battle!" Aro shouted. "If it's Hak's children, I don't mind bearing them!"

Ezra choked on her own saliva. Yona's eyes went so wide Ezra wondered if they might fall out of her head. 

"Hey, you're scaring the entertainers!" one of the women exclaimed, looking at Yona and Ezra.

Aro smiled bashfully. "Oh, I'm sorry. But you two understand wanting to be embraced by the one you love, don't you?"

An image of Shinah's face, his golden eyes gleaming with his bright smile, caused an unexpected surge of longing to rise in Ezra's chest. She shoved the emotions away, struggling to keep her face impassive.

Yona, on the other hand, was having trouble achieving the same. Her cheeks were flaming, her mouth parted in shock.

Aro winked at the princess. "You do have someone you love, don't you?" 

"Someone I... love..." Yona repeated, her expression distant. Ezra was stunned when despair began to fill the princess's violet eyes. "I had someone once... but..." She trailed off.

"Enough of that talk," Ezra announced, stepping forward. "Don't we have a dance to prepare for?" 

"Yes, of course!" Aro agreed immediately, much to Ezra's relief. She gave Yona a once-over. "Let's see... your hair is missing something..." Aro began rifling around in a bag of accessories.

"Her hair is missing something?" Ezra asked in disbelief. What more could they shove on poor Yona's head? 

"Yes, of course it is..." Aro muttered absentmindedly. She  held up a box. "What's this?" 

Gods, not that again! "No-" Ezra began, striding forward, but Aro had already opened the box.

"This hair pin is beautiful, and it compliments your outfit perfectly!" Aro exclaimed, holding up that cursed hair pin. "Won't you wear it?" 

"No." Yona's voice was deep, steady, and fuming with some emotion that Ezra couldn't place. "I won't wear that hair pin ever again."

Ezra quietly took the box from Aro, closing it and slipping it back into Yona's belongings. "I think her outfit is perfect as it is." Although I do think it could do with fewer necklaces...

"Uh, yes. Of course." Aro stood, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. 

"Do you have a sword?" Yona asked suddenly.

Ezra tilted her head. Hak had said that Yona was doing well in her lessons, but they weren't about to go into battle. "Why do you need a sword?"

"To dance," Yona answered flatly. Ezra wondered what was happening behind those sad violet eyes. 

"There's this one," Aro said, holding up an old decorative sword she'd retrieved from some forgotten corner of the tent. "It's old and rusty since it was used in the last war."

"It's perfect," Yona responded, taking the sword out of Aro's grasp and holding it up. Her eyes glinted with determination. 

Ezra put her hand on Yona's shoulder. "I'll go tell Jaeha you're ready."

It was both a question and a statement.

Yona nodded. "Yes."

Ezra squeezed her friend's shoulder before ducking out of the tent. 

~~~

Ezra stood with Shinah and Kija as Yona emerged, walking to the middle of her circle and kneeling on the ground with that decorative sword in her hand. Something in the princess's demeanor had changed; that conversation in the tent had hardened her, made her more difficult to read. Ezra barely recognized her friend in the stern, serious young woman standing in front of her now.

Just what exactly did that hair pin mean to Yona?

Jaeha played his erhu, perfectly matching Yona's rhythm as she danced with a grace and maturity that Ezra had never seen from the fiery-haired princess. Her arms reached out towards the sky, her face turned up towards the stars. It was if she were calling for a higher power, sending her prayers and anxieties into the heavens so that the dragon gods themselves could hear. And while Ezra had thought that Yona's outfit was ridiculous in the tent, she had to admit that the long flowing headdress and jingling necklaces added beauty and elegance to the performance. 

Ezra was so entranced by Yona's dance that she didn't realize until it was over that she was gripping Shinah's sleeve tightly in her hand. As Jaeha played one last note on his erhu that lingered like a warm caress in the air, Ezra released Shinah with a sheepish smile. 

"Ezra! Come on!" Yun suddenly called to her as he sprinted past her. Ezra realized that he was following after the old man who had promised to feed them with iza dumpling soup. 

With one last glance at Shinah, Ezra followed them. 

~~~

The Fire Festival continued. Ezra laughed with Yun and the villagers as they bustled around to prepare the dumpling soup. Zeno danced with everyone, reeling them in with his bright smile and easy charm. Jaeha kept playing his erhu, decorating the night with his lovely music. Kija stood uncomfortably surrounded by young women who fawned over the beauty of his skin. Shinah sat silently in front of a bonfire, grateful that nobody was bothering him. Yona was at the center of the festival, accepting compliments on her dance with a smile on her face. 

Only Hak stood away from the revelry, his eyes dark and pensive.

Ezra approached Shinah where he sat alone by the fire, two bowls of soup in her hands. "Would you like some soup, Shinah?" she asked, sitting down beside him.

She felt the eyes of the young women who admired Shinah from afar burning holes into her back. 

Shinah smiled and nodded, gratefully accepting the bowl from her outstretched hand. 

For a while they ate in companionable silence. The fire warmed Ezra's face, reminding her of the hot Fire Tribe sun she'd often basked in as a child. The soup she'd helped Yun and the old man make was delicious, and the sounds of people laughing and chatting around her filled her with peace. Ezra closed her eyes, beyond content. 

Shinah watched her, his lips curved into a small smile. She looked so happy.

Ezra opened her eyes to find Shinah's face turned towards her. "What is it, Shinah?" she asked.

"You're happy," he stated. 

The bright smile that lit her face nearly blinded him, but he found it  impossible to look away. "Yes. I... I'm so happy that I don't know what to do with myself right now," she admitted. 

Shinah wondered what he could do to make her smile like that every single day. "I am happy, too."

Pure joy swelled in her heart, making it beat at twice its normal rate. If Ezra had been on her feet, her knees may have buckled from the sheer force of the emotion.

Her lavender eyes twinkled, reflecting the light of the flickering bonfire. "Good. I'm so glad."

And then they sat, enjoying the atmosphere together until the fires died down and the festivities ended.