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Thoughts from reading Yona of the Dawn Ch. 9

Ch.9 in summary: Hak and Yona are confronted/attacked by Tae-Jun. In a test of her newfound principles and in desperation to save Hak, Yona chooses to reject helplessness and take more direct action, unlocking a fire inside of her.

"How're we supposed to find someone if we don't know where he is?" – sorry, Hak, I'm afraid you'll be doing a lot of that in the near future XD

"Since ancient times, there have been priests in Kouka who gazed into the kingdom's future...if you're unsure of what you should, you should consult them, your highness." – the introduction of priests (or, I believe as the anime translated it, "oracles," which sounds a little more mystical to me) + the idea of a greater path for Yona. It almost sounds like Mundok has an inkling of what that path contains and like his person beliefs tie to the priests.

"They used to live in the temple in the royal palace. I hear they once were a powerful force in national politics. But when Lord Yu-Hon cracked down on them, they all left. Now, they live in remote areas in secret" – Yu-Hon being responsible for chasing the priests out and removing them from positions of influence feels like it factors into the mysterious history of Il/Yu-Hon/the succession.

"The right path, huh? Right now, I'm just struggling to survive" – Yona has grown a lot already, but she's still a wandering soul (literally and figuratively) just trying to live another day. She doesn't know what the future brings. But she will need to shift from "surviving" to "living." Right now it probably seems impossible, but she needs a purpose. I think she has begun to discover it in her growing care for others and the action she has taken to protect them.

"...can anyone really live here?" "Well, you'd probably fall off a cliff, princess." – famous last words, Hak.

"No one could survive in these cold mountains..." "The land that the Fire Tribe controls is even more desolate." – a fun little link back to the opening flash-forward scene! ("Back then...I had no idea it could get so cold outside the palace walls") Yona is beginning/continuing to discover more about her kingdom's land and its people.

"I used to be the princess of this nation...but Hiryuu Palace was all I knew. 'I don't know.' How foolish I must have sounded." – Yona is ashamed of her lack of knowledge. She was ignorant about both her kingdom's people and the land itself. She never left the palace, being extremely sheltered.

"Sleeping outside? I've started getting used to it" – Already Yona has grown a little tougher and more resilient. She's adapting to her new life. With Soo-Won's betrayal and being on the run, reality hit extremely hard but the changes to her circumstances are changing her in turn and producing that growth.

"This isn't like the mountains behind the palace..." – in fact, Yona's growth was already happening when she was in her worst and weakest state. Hak saved her physical body and now the Wind Tribe has saved her spirit, infusing her with hope, courage, and determination.

"Then I'll sleep in your arms and stay warm" *cue flabbergasted Hak freakout* – This would be such a good line if it has been intentional XD But Yona thinks nothing of it.

She's kind of unaffected by the idea of being close to Hak–essentially, she's "Soo-Won-ing" him aka treating Hak how Soo-Won treated her/not fully viewing him as a "man" or considering him as a romantic prospect. She's not completely clueless because tell me she wouldn't have been affected by the idea of being in the same situation with Soo-Won when she blushed just from holding his hand and sleeping next to him. But also–girl. Hello. She's got some obliviousness and/or a Hak-shaped blindspot.

I think this is somewhat related to how firmly Hak is in her mind as "protector" and her trust in him. There's a little bit of "why would I be embarrassed? It's Hak."

But boooooy do I think that gets to Hak. When he recovers from his initial reaction, he is quick to shift into kind of sleazy-flirty-mode: "Sounds fine to me. But I might get up to something." – He is affected by Yona and how unaffected she seemed at the idea.

Yona's "Something?" does feel like an indication of at least some innocence and ignorance regarding adult relationships. Maybe it challenges the maturity she thought she displayed in how she regarded Soo-Won. Hak's first try at saying "hey, I am a guy. Don't forget" goes over her head, and if it's not just cluelessness, then Yona is in deep with her belief that Hak couldn't mean that so his "up to something" must be referring to something else. She genuinely doesn't realize he likes her.

I find Yona's obliviousness a fun contrast to the denial and suppression we see from a character like Maomao in The Apothecary Diaries. I would love to see Maomao smack some sense into Yona on this topic.

"...something like this" – and Hak resorts to physical demonstration to finally get the point across and I do think when it comes to the two of them, actions from Hak do have the ability to get Yona flustered, she's usually just not expecting them. Hak's got a slight element of unpredictability in this regard.

The line between Hak getting his point across and genuinely protecting Yona is blurry here–I'm not sure where one ends and the other begins. Because Yona is made uncomfortable, Hak is lucky the moment blends into a cool "I can detect how many people are coming" scene or else I might be more frustrated with him.

(We call this whole ramble "trying to explain character behavior I don't love" and I do support flawed characters so...)

Yona's reaction shows how fear is still very real for her and paralyzes her a bit.

Hak getting on my nerves a little, but I think he kind of has to have the last word on the matter and reverts to his usual strategy of making light of things/teasing. It's like his armor as he tries not to be hurt by his unrequited feelings.

I do like the "fwump," putting Yona's hood back up to hide her. Even when he's being an ass, Hak is in Yona protector mode.

Big fan of protector stance Hak and the "slash" panel is gorgeoooous but it's interesting how deadly/violent Hak can be and how he seems to enjoy it. He is a trained general and guard, after all, but his grins really stand out.

"'Hak fights like lightning! If we ever fought seriously, he'd beat me to a pulp.' Even at a moment like this...I still remember your face..." –Even after everything and under threat of danger, Soo-Won is in Yona's thoughts. For her, it's like an "everything reminds me of you" situation and also indicates how she valued his opinion.

At least Yona has some self-awareness about the dominance of Soo-Won in her mind.

And "if we ever fought seriously, he'd beat me to a pulp" – foreshadowing?

I appreciate this moment of Hak being Hak (aka a little sarcastic, teasing shit who pretends to not take things seriously) and ignoring Tae-Jun because 1. lol Tae-Jun's reaction of "No, no, that's fine...WAIT." and 2. it emphasizes how Hak is that way with everyone, not just Yona. It lessens the string of some of his less-than-savory comments to her for me. Or at least re-contextualizes.

It's a good frame of reference for Hak's treatment of Yona (How does he treat her in these teasing moments in comparison to how he treats others– or what is the teasing about? Usually with Yona, his comments are like a deflection "I don't have feelings for you. Nope." + How does he treat her outside of those moments?)

A small moment, but I like how he is sure to say "don't punish the Wind Tribe for my actions" + "hurting me won't impact the Wind Tribe"

I like these panels and they show that yes, Hak can take things seriously, especially when he's in protector mode.

And I know it's heat of the moment, but this is kind of what I was referencing earlier regarding Yona being unaffected by being close to Hak and viewing physical proximity to him as something more practical than anything else.

"I'm scared! Arrows and soldiers are coming at us from every side...even Hak...can't handle all this!"

– so I did a rambling analysis of the weight-related comments from Hak in my goodreads review but basically weight gain for Yona = recovery and an indicator of health so Hak would actually secretly be pleased about it, but there's still a negative connotation considering how he uses it to tease her and I think its inclusion is in poor taste.

But with that out of the way, it is worth noting how Hak (in typical fashion) seems to use his comment to try and make light of the situation/distract Yona as she experiences panic and fear.

"Hak!! Hak?! Are you all right?!" "Stop fussing over me. It's creepy" "You're...you're bleeding" – Hak said "I'd take a bullet (arrow) for you"!!

I think this is a better use of the teasing/making light of the situation method by Hak. He's trying to play it off, but YONA CARES ABOUT HIM. You can clearly see the pain on his face.

"He got injured from protecting me...'If you're with me, I'll have to protect you.' I..." – Yona realizes the truth of Hak's words about having to protect her if they travel together and so soon into their travels.

Tae-Jun even said "I couldn't care less about the Wind Tribe. I'm going to kill you because I have business with the princess here!" to Hak. Before, Yona felt partially responsible for the suffering of the Wind Tribe and the injured merchants, but here the feeling of responsibility is even stronger and more direct. The guilt and sadness eats at her.

"I knew Hak would shield her with his body" – more of everyone knowing Hak's devotion to Yona and an example of how Hak is both a weapon and a shield for Yona ("a tool")

"They're going to kill Hak!"

"No, think about this. I should stay put...and hold my breath. If I go out there, I'll only be in his way. Just like earlier. It'll be all right. Hak is really strong."

"He could dodge that arrow. I'll stay right here and wait for him to come back. Hak...would never die." – Yona has had to face a lot that at one point seemed incomprehensible: her father's death, Soo-Won's betrayal... does the reliability and presence of Hak feel even more unshakable than her father and Soo-Won? And/or does she realize that nothing is written in stone?

"NO. Why did I leave Fuuga in the first place?" –in the last chapter, Yona became determined to take action and not accept that she should be passive and everything will be okay. But in Fuuga, taking action was more theoretical and relatively safe. The action of leaving to protect someone is much easier than being in the heat of battle.

Yona decided what she values/her principles, but this is her first big test in regards to them. Was she just all talk?

A BIG MOMENT for Yona, a sort of culmination of the growth she has been experiencing so far. And it's beautiful.

"Why did I leave Fuuga in the first place? Was it to have Hak protect me while I hide? If so, I should have stayed where I was. I'm just a burden to him. What would I do if he weren't here? Do I plan to admit that I'm weak and keep cowering?"

This reminds me of how I love the questions Yona asks herself back in chapter 1 ("Am I not allowed to be happy?" + "I'm allowed to have these feelings, aren't I?") and her honesty with herself and others. Yona feels and admits that she's weak. She feels powerless and helpless and like a burden, but she doesn't want to hide or keep cowering. She wants to be someone worth protecting and be someone capable of protecting, for Hak and for herself. She rejects the position of damsel she's gotten used to and decides to change.

"Before I ask for any divine answers...there are some questions I need to ask myself" – and I love this part too. There's a re-centering and some introspection happening before she chooses the path forward. This goes back to her journey of self-discovery and who she wants to be, and I think it demonstrates Yona placing value in herself and her thoughts + opinions.

She won't be a doll to be manipulated or just do what others say. She will decide for herself and bring her own thoughts to the table.

I think it's cool that we get all of this here. Maybe survival would be more likely if she stayed hidden, but she's choosing to live, not just survive. It brings things back to her thoughts from the beginning of the chapter: "The right path, huh? Right now, I'm just struggling to survive." In choosing to emerge from hiding and act, she has some direction and purpose.

LOOK AT THOSE EYES. Yona is pissed and I live for it. There's a clear fire lit inside her.

"W–What's going on? I thought being driven from the palace had broken her spirit" – Yona shocks Tae-Jun (who isn't as dumb as he appears as he correctly assumed Yona's state post-Soo-Won betrayal but he didn't account for what her time with the Wind Tribe would do!)

"We must talk" – Yona is using what she has, her words, but this also works as a reflection of her father's nonviolence.

"You poor thing...! Soo-Won has treated you abominably. But if you come with me and tell the truth, we could drag him off the throne. You can avenge your father"

"If you new all that...why did the Fire Tribe put pressure on the Wind Tribe? Why did you attack those merchants? If you know the truth about what happened...you shouldn't have been trying to hurt the Wind Tribe...or trying to kill Hak for no reason! There are more important things you should've been doing!" – Yona sees through Tae-Jun and cracks down on how he + the Fire Tribe hurt innocents, she is continuing to dedicate herself to the people + be outraged on their behalf. And while before her emotions regarding what happened to the merchants and the Wind Tribe skewed more towards sadness, now she is fueled by anger.

Yona is also continuing with her refusal to be manipulated/do what others say and adding onto that, she's refusing to accept being talked down to.

"Her eyes look like they're on fire...I can't take my eyes off her!" – Yona is stepping into her power and others can see it!

"I may be a naive princess...but I'm not foolish enough...to listen to anyone who acts so senselessly!" – jabbing at Tae-Jun's priorities while asserting her own. Yona is again demonstrating self-awareness and honesty ("naive princess") but still doing what she can and acting from the heart. She has a passion to her.

"Her highness is supposed to be young and malleable..." – Yona standing up to Tae-Jun is standing up against what Hak hates about the nobility: people being treated as pawns + dishonesty + selfishness. She will not be a tool (which makes me think of how Hak told her to use him as a tool. He does submit to her will but he isn't malleable and is unshakable in his devotion)

And even Hak is shook by Yona's actions and words here. This is a part of her maybe even he hasn't seen before.

"...her crimson tresses...looked like they were flames about to consume her" – it's almost like Yona's rage and thoughts are too powerful for her body. She has a powerful emotionality and she may continue to show that feelings are not weak but actually the opposite.

Yona's hidden power has been unlocked, but what exactly is it? Here it seems to be determination + emotionality + passion driven by care for others. It's kind of her "Wind Tribe moment" aka doing as they did, moving from inspiration to action.

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