Shattered Bonds (ちぎれた絆 Chigireta Kizuna?) is the second chapter of Kusanagi Mizuho's Akatsuki no Yona.
Yona questions her memories of a kind Soo-Won as her cousin explains that he has been waiting for years to kill Emperor Il, as Emperor Il murdered his father and covered the entire act up. Because she witnessed the murder, Yona is grabbed by the palace guards, who are ordered by Kye-Sook to kill her. Hak saves her, and, after briefly fighting with Soo-Won over his treachery, attempts to run away with Yona as the guards move to corner them both. Trapped in the palace, both Hak and Yona are helped by Min-Soo, whose sacrifice distracts the guards and allows the duo to slip away into the mountains surrounding the castle.
Summary[]
As he patrols the grounds of the castle, Hak is approached by Min-Soo, who offers him a drink. The two talk and discuss Yona's affections for Soo-Won, and if they will ever be made open; Hak states that he thinks it is only a matter of time, and that he just wishes for the two to be happy.
Concurrently, in Emperor Il's chambers, Yona kneels over the body of her murdered father, with a bloody Soo-Won towering over her. As she asks him to call a doctor, Soo-Won states that her father is already dead, and, after Yona questions why he would kill Il, tells her that he has lived for the day that he could. Soo-Won says that he did love Emperor Il and his kindness, but that he was mistaken. Recalling his childhood, Soo-Won tells Yona that his own father, Yu-Hon was meant to become emperor by birth right as the eldest son, but that he was overlooked in favour of Il upon the previous emperor's death. Despite the unexplained action, Yu-Hon never complained, and dedicated himself to helping the kingdom in other ways, something that Soo-Won greatly admired. However, all was not to be, as, after his coronation, Il killed Yu-Hon. Yona states that she always heard that Yu-Hon's death was an accident, but Soo-Won replies that it was all a farce to cover up the truth: that the emperor who always claimed to hate violence and weapons murdered his own brother. As such, Soo-Won waited for ten years to claim his revenge, and, having murdered Il, tells Yona that he will be crowned the next emperor, and take his rightful place on the throne.
Shocked at what Soo-Won is saying, Yona tries to convince herself that she is merely having a horrible dream, though is interrupted when Soo-Won asks her why she came to her father's chambers so late at night. Much to Soo-Won's shock, Yona tells him that she was coming to convince her father that she could never forget about him just as a group of the castle's guards burst into the room, accompanied by Kye-Sook. As they confirm that Soo-Won has achieved his goal of murdering the emperor, Kye-Sook notices Yona and tells Soo-Won that they must kill her too in order to silence her now that she has seen what happened. Soo-Won appears to agree and begins to approach Yona with his sword, and Yona panics and runs from the room, with the castle guards pursuing her. As she runs, Yona questions Soo-Won's motives, and wonders if he ever truly liked her at all, or if he was merely playing the part as he waited to put his revenge into action. Distracted, Yona is soon caught by the guards, who trip her up and prepare to kill her. However, just before their swords can fall, Hak rushes to Yona's aid, turning his tsu quandao on the guards and pushing them all back. Questioning why all of the guards have abandoned their posts and why there are a lot of unfamiliar faces amongst them, Hak angrily asks Soo-Won what is going on.
Hak apologizes to Yona for leaving her side, and tells her that he will always protect her, as he promised Emperor Il that he would. Seeing Hak stand between Soo-Won and Yona, Kye-Sook tells him to back down, as Soo-Won is the new king. Still in disbelief at what is happening, Hak asks Soo-Won where Emperor Il is, and, upon hearing that Soo-Won killed him, drops his hsu quandao into the ground in shock as he accuses Soo-Won of making a sick joke. Stone-faced, Soo-Won replies that Yona can confirm everything, as she was present and witnessed everything; Hak, now enraged, strikes at Soo-Won with his tsu quandao, the two exchanging blows as Hak demands that Soo-Won tell the truth. The guards at Soo-Won's side try to come to his aid, though Soo-Won demands they all stand back, as Hak is one of the strongest warriors at the palace, and they will only lose their heads if they try to engage him. Still having his eyes set on Soo-Won despite the other guards, Hak openly questions his motives of usurping the throne, as he always thought Soo-Won rejected ideas such as status, and that his dignity would never allow him to strike at a kind man who never touched weapons.
Soo-Won replies that their nation has no need for a weak king, brandishing his sword at Hak. When Hak slashes back, Soo-Won receives a large gash to the shoulder, chasing Yona into further tears. With Soo-Won now injured, the guards previously standing back move in and surround Hak and Yona, forcing Hak to drop his weapon and stand down.
Seemingly submitting, Hak questions if the Soo-Won he knew was a complete farce, and tells Soo-Won that he is saddened, as he truly believed he could leave Yona in his care. Soo-Won replies that the Soo-Won they knew was a complete farce and that he would strike down anyone who got in his way, no matter who they were. Yona tearfully watches Soo-Won as he says these words, thinking that she no longer wants to hear anything more from him.
Suddenly, an arrow is fired into the group of guards, and Hak uses the distraction to grab Yona and make a run for it. The palace guards chase after him, and some ask Soo-Won, still staggering from his shoulder injury, whether he is all right. Soo-Won does not answer, thinking of Yona's tearful face at his previous words.
As they slip away, Hak and Yona are joined by Min-Soo, who reveals that he shot the arrow at the guards to assist them. The three hide, with both Hak and Min-Soo confirming with Yona that Emperor Il is truly dead; upon hearing that he is, the men decide that they can no longer stay in the castle, as Yona's life is in danger. Noting that they will be killed on sight, Hak wonders how to slip past all of the guards, with Yona teary-eyed and questioning where they can even go now that they are being hunted; the princess is hollow after recalling that she didn't say a word of thanks to her father at her birthday celebration, or even attempt to talk to him. Hugging her, Hak tells Yona that they will go wherever necessary to keep her alive, and that she can repay her father by living. With Yona agreeing, Min-Soo points the two towards the back gate of the palace, and tell them to use it to escape into the surrounding mountains; Min-Soo also takes Yona's cloak and puts it on, telling the duo that he will create a distraction for them to get away. Rushing out and attracting the guards, Min-Soo only manages to run a short distance before he is shot in the back, his sacrifice allowing Hak and Yona to slip from the palace grounds and into the night.
Characters in Order of Appearance[]
Abilities, Weapons and Items Used[]
- Hsu Quandao
- Sword
- Bow and Arrow
Trivia[]
[]
Chapters | |||
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Volume 1 | 01 • 02 • 03 • 04 • 05 | Volume 2 | 06 • 07 • 08 • 09 • 10 • 11 |
Volume 3 | 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 | Volume 4 | 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 |
Volume 5 | 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 | Volume 6 | 30 • 31 • 32 • 33 • 34 • 35 |
Volume 7 | 36 • 37 • 38 • 39 • 40 • 41 | Volume 8 | 42 • 43 • 44 • 45 • 46 • 47 |
Volume 9 | 48 • 49 • 50 • 51 • 52 • 53 | Volume 10 | 54 • 55 • 56 • 57 • 58 • 59 |
Volume 11 | 60 • 61 • 62 • 63 • 64 • 65 | Volume 12 | 66 • 67 • 68 • 69 • 70 • 70.1 • 70.2 |
Volume 13 | 71 • 72 • 73 • 74 • 75 • 76 • 76.1 | Volume 14 | 77 • 78 • 79 • 80 • 81 • 82 |
Volume 15 | 83 • 84 • 85 • 86 • 87 • 88 | Volume 16 | 89 • 90 • 91 • 92 • 93 • 94 |
Volume 17 | 95 • 96 • 97 • 98 • 99 • 99.1 | Volume 18 | 100 • 101 • 102 • 103 • 104 • 105 • 105.1 |
Volume 19 | 106 • 107 • 108 • 109 • 110 • 111 • 111.1 | Volume 20 | 112 • 113 • 114 • 115 • 116• 117 |
Volume 21 | 118 • 119 • 120 • 121 • 122 • 123 | Volume 22 | 124 • 125 • 126 • 127 • 128 • 129 |
Volume 23 | 130 • 131 • 132 • 133 • 134 • 134.5 | Volume 24 | 135 • 136 • 137 • 138 • 139 • 140 |
Volume 25 | 141 • 142 • 143 • 144 • 145 • 146 | Volume 26 | 147 • 148 • 149 • 150 • 151 • 152 |
Volume 27 | 153 • 154 • 155 • 156 • 157 • 157.5 | Volume 28 | 158 • 159 • 160 • 161 • 162 • 163 |
Volume 29 | 164 • 165 • 166 • 167 • 168 • 169 | Volume 30 | 170 • 171 • 172 • 173 • 174 • 175 |
Volume 31 | 176 • 177 • 178 • 179 • 180 • 181 | Volume 32 | 182 • 183 • 184 • 185 • 186 • 187 |
Volume 33 | 188 • 189 • 190 • 191 • 192 • 193 | Volume 34 | 194 • 195 • 196 • 197 • 198 • 199 |
Volume 35 | 200 • 201 • 202 • 203 • 204 | Volume 36 | 205 |