Food in the Wind Tribe was warm and hearty. Not too luxurious, but filled with the taste of home.

(Even though this is the castle?)

For the first week or so, Noo-ri stuck to rice gruel and soft foods. Suddenly adapting from jungle life into civilisation would be hard on his stomach, so the Wind Tribe doctors advised him to be careful on consumption first.

But even the rice gruel was delicious.

(Maybe because this was the taste of love.)

"Are you bored of it now?" Ayame had been watching him eat, just to make sure he finished it all. "It's fine though, the doctor said you could start having proper foods tomorrow."

Noo-ri couldn't help but brighten up at that.

But he hesitated, I have more than enough, he signed. Having too much of a blessing made him endlessly guilty.

Ayame only smiled back at that.

-

Compared to a normal wind child, Noo-ri was weak and thin.

Although the Wind Tribe were known as the tribe with the weakest military power, it was well acknowledged that the few exceptional soldiers weren't to be underestimated.

"Our current general, Lord Hak, is considered among the strongest soldiers in the whole of Kouka," Han-dae told him as a brief rundown of all the Kouka history Noo-ri had missed out on.

Noo-ri nodded, taking in the information patiently despite all the distractions. Tae-yeon slept on his lap, and Lord Mun-dok was yelling at some poor soul in the hallway.

"Second in line in the Wind Tribe is Tae-woo," Han-dae continued expertly, as if the noise didn't bother him at all, "but he doesn't hold a candle to Lord Hak! Even in Sky Tribe standards, Tae-woo is a little above a common soldier, but that's about it."

(Tae-woo yelled from the other room, "hey I was very close this time!")

"The annual martial arts tournament is happening in two months. If you're interested, we should all go together!" Han-dae inched closer, a bright grin on his face, "I can't wait to introduce you to Lord Hak! He'll love you."

Noo-ri wasn't quite sure how to deal with that. This was probably the first time he's ever been told he was wanted so blatantly...

Noo-ri nodded a little hesitantly, but there was a warm feeling in his chest.

He looked forward to it.

-

"Noo-ri, could you go run off to another tribe for about a week?" Mun-dok asked, arms folded and considering it deeply.

"What is that supposed to mean, Lord Mun-dok?" Ayame had a knife in her hands as she smiled, looking at her tribe general.

Han-dae hugged Noo-ri protectively, exaggeratedly sniffling as he whined, "you're not taking him away from us!"

"That's right, Grandpa, Noo-ri is ours now!" Tae-yeon wrapped himself around Noo-ri's leg, declaring possession.

Mun-dok held his hands up in a frantic surrender, "wait, I can explain."

Somewhere in the corner, Tae-woo sighed longsufferingly.

-

"So the Fire Tribe's representative is coming over for a visit?" Han-dae repeated, "why all of a sudden? Do they know Noo-ri is with us?"

"No, it's just what we do every few months between tribes," Mun-dok explained with a sigh, "for the Wind Tribe as well, Tae-woo and Han-dae will be visiting the Earth Tribe."

"Wait, I am?"

"It's to ensure the five tribes keep in close relations with each other, so they meet up to chat about current affairs, exchange their local goods, and keep each other updated," Tae-woo added on, "we went to one last year with Lord Hak, Han-dae, have you already forgotten?"

"Ohh," Han-dae pretended to just remember, "that was before he left, right?"

When Noo-ri cast them a curious look, Tae-yeon latched onto the boy's arm.

"Hak is my big brother!" he said proudly, "he's the General of the Wind Tribe, but now he's the bodyguard of a princess in Kouka Palace."

"You kinda wish he'd come back sometimes, y'know," Han-dae waved his hand dismissively, "that princess better be drop-dead gorgeous, since she's stealing our Lord Hak from us for so long."

"His job is a great honour, Han-dae," Mun-dok chastised. "They have been close friends since young. He is comfortable there as well, so it is only natural he stays there."

"You say that because you get to see him every few weeks!" Han-dae grumbled, and Tae-yeon echoed in agreement.

Is it alright for the General of a tribe to not be in its lands?

Well, even the Dragon Warriors weren't usually in their posts, because they primarily served at the Red Dragon's side. But even so, there was usually a human warrior in charge.

"It's fine, Gramps is here, right?" Tae-woo assured him, "Lord Hak doesn't do much when he's here, anyways."

(Noo-ri is incredibly worried for the Wind Tribe's future.)

"Enough of the gossip about Hak," Mun-dok interrupted them, "the search for Noo-ri is still at large. It would be better for you to be away for a while to prevent any suspicions that would incite future investigation."

Noo-ri looked away, a little saddened. It had taken a while for him to get used to the Wind Tribe, but would he have to return on the run soon? With the Fire Tribe still alarmed, the scar on his face would do little to turn away suspicion. They were probably looking for anyone around his age without a proper background, regardless of gender.

"Of course, I'm not chasing you away," Mun-dok assured, "I want you to accompany Tae-woo and Han-dae to Chi'shin. Let's just say you're their servant."

And that's how Tae-woo got himself a pretty maid.

-

"Wouldn't it be easier to be dressed as a boy?" Han-dae wondered, "they're still looking for the girl Noo-ri, right?"

"If he was a boy, Lord Geun-Tae would get interested in him. He pesters us enough because of Lord Hak, I wouldn't want him to get any ideas about Noo-ri," Tae-woo said. "Especially since Noo-ri handles the spear better than you, Han-dae."

"He does?!" Han-dae sounded positively offended.

They made their journey on horses. Tae-woo with Noo-ri, Han-dae with the baggage they had to deliver. It would take two days to reach the Earth Tribe at their pace.

Noo-ri, dressed in girl clothing, sat sideways on the saddle because of the dress. He was uncomfortable, but bore with it. One day he'll ride his own horse, he swears.

Being smaller than Tae-woo in size, he managed to sit quite snugly in between.

Speaking of which, Ayame's old clothes fit him perfectly. He was going to become their dress-up doll one day and he can just see it.

"You're faster and I'm more versatile, but in terms of skill alone he's on par with Lord Hak," Tae-woo hollered to Han-dae as they galloped over a particularly rocky hill.

"No way!" Han-dae yelled back in denial.

"Well, Lord Hak would still single-handedly wipe the floor with all of us so I'm not sure if it matters," Tae-woo said, "but Lord Geun-Tae has a taste and Lord Hak is one of them. We're gonna try and get as far away from it as possible with Noo-ri."

"You make Lord Geun-Tae sound like such a vile man," Han-dae laughed, "you'll get caught for heresy one day, Tae-woo!"

"Speak for yourself, Han-dae!"

Were they bickering? Noo-ri couldn't quite tell. They had wide smiles on their faces, but their words were a little sharp. They were brothers, Noo-ri could tell... and they were close with each other in a way Noo-ri, a single child, could never know.

(Close, in the same way the four dragon warriors were to their king.)

He was a little envious.

(Fondly, he smiles at the sight.)