I did a poll over on the Shoujo Reddit to see what manga I should review next, and between Yona, A Sign Of Affection, and Yamaguchi-Kun, Yona won! So here goes my review of volume 2.
Chapter 6
Hak and Princess Yona have finally made it to the wind tribe’s capital. Su-Won, being the snake that he is, has called a meeting with all of the tribe leaders, including Hak’s adopted grandfather, under the guise that the king’s murder is unknown. Su-Won also says that Hak and Yona’s whereabouts are unknown and that should they be found, it is to be reported to the palace immediately.
Su-Won reiterates that the Kingdom of Kohka is weaker than the surrounding nations, so in-fighting among the tribes would not be ideal. It is also made clear that with the “disappearance” of the princess, Su-Won is the only royal left to take the throne. Four of the tribe leaders do not question it and accept him as the next king. Hak’s grandfather does not. Even after Su-Won tries to strong-arm him into doing so, implying that the wind tribe would be in trouble if he didn’t. Grandfather essentially disowns Su-Won, saying that he once thought of Su-Won the way he thinks of Hak as a grandson. He can’t think of Su-won that way anymore. He knows Hak too well to believe he would leave with Yona without cause.
Back in the wind tribe capital, Yona seems to be finally coming to her senses. She meets Hak’s adorable little brother Tae-Yeon. He asks Yona all about Hak’s life in the palace and how he behaves. since Hak has been away from the tribe for several years, his brother doesn’t know him too well. Unfortunately, Yona describes him as insolent, arrogant, and unpleasant, among other things.
Hak has to hurriedly fill Yona in on the cover story, telling her that she is a palace lady-in-waiting named Rina to protect her. Yona is surprised to see that the wind tribe where Hak grew up is full of happy and cheerful people.
To further the cover story, Hak has told other tribe members that Yona A.K.A. Rina has come to be trained in the ways of a lady in waiting because she was so bad at it that she was kicked out of the palace. He also tells Yona that his little brother is a fellow orphan. Everyone adores Tae-Yeon, although he is a bit sickly. The chapter ends with the realization that the all-important river of the wind tribe has inexplicably dried up.
Chapter 7
In the middle of the river crisis, elder chief Mun-Deok has returned from the palace and is relieved to see that Yona is alive. I’m glad to know that he wasn’t killed by Su-Won, although based on the previous chapter, it seems Su-Won has the fire tribe leader in his back pocket.
Grandpa and Yona have a beautiful moment where he expresses regret at not protecting her during her tragedy. Still, she reassures him by saying she is grateful for all the warmth she has received during her time among the people of the wind tribe. Yona says that his people are warm, just like him.
A member of the wind tribe, Hyeong-Dae, returns injured after investigating the cause of the river drying up. It turns out the fire tribe has damned the river without permission. Grandpa explains that it is the fire tribe’s way of getting him to approve Su-Won’s accession to the throne.
Hearing Su-Won’s name nearly sends poor Yona into a downward spiral, but Elder Chief A.K.A. Grandpa reassures her by saying he would never approve of Su-Won. To approve of him would mean believing in the idea that Hak killed the king, which Grandpa knows in his heart to be untrue.
Meanwhile, in the fire tribe, an underling wants to defy the fire tribe General’s order to damn the wind tribe’s river. He also wanted to have merchants that would be able to provide the wind tribe with water to be attacked. It seems this underling has a backstory involving Hak that has given him an inferiority complex. (Note the leaders of the tribes are typically referred to as Generals)
Just as Yona contemplates what it would mean for Su-Won to take the throne forcibly, Hak’s brother, Tae-Yeon, brings her a meal but suddenly succumbs to a seizure. The wind tribe learns that the merchants have been attacked and badly injured. Not only would this affect the water supply, but those merchants were also supposed to bring Tae-Yeon’s medicine. Yona is distraught at the thought of what that means for Tae-Yeon’s health.
The injured Hyeong-Dae volunteers to get the medicine for Tae-Yeon from another source, and Hak reminds everyone to keep a level head because the fire tribe is too strong for the wind tribe to go to war with. When Yona falls asleep, Hak goes to his grandfather, saying he is willing to leave the wind tribe behind and allow Yona to live an ordinary life among the tribe. He tries to convince his grandfather to give in to the fire tribe’s demands so he can go back to focusing on protecting the wind tribe. The “old man,” as Hak affectionately calls him flat out, denies his request. Grandpa says he can only obey if Hak orders him as the chief of the wind tribe, which Hak does. Shortly after that, it seems that Hak is going hunting…
Chapter 8
Hyeong-Dae returns just in time with Tae-Yeon’s medicine, and Yona sees firsthand all the injuries that the merchants have suffered. Hyeong-Dae does his best to cheer her up. He is letting her know that she is also a member of the wind tribe family. No one knows that Hak is gone.
Without realizing that Hak intended to leave her behind, Yona, knowing that the wind tribe would be dragged into war, should she stay, decides to leave. She and Tae-Yeon share a heartfelt goodbye in which Yona thanks him for giving her courage.
Due to shoujo’s great law, which declares that no man should abandon his true love no matter how hard he may try, Yona catches Hak at the gate, attempting to leave. The two bicker. Yona declares that she has not permitted him to leave her behind. Hak tries to counter by saying he is no longer under her orders as he no longer considers himself the young General of the wind tribe. Yona begs him to stay by her side and bullies Hak into submission because this boy obviously loves her more than his own life.
Readers probably didn’t have to worry about Hak leaving because Grandpa was waiting for him at the gate the whole time. Probably more than willing to beat the stubbornness out of Hak. When Yona explains that she will go with Hak, Grandpa reassures her that the wind tribe will always be there for her regardless of their enemies. It turns out that the fire tribe underling is actually the son of the fire tribe General. He decides to capture her when he receives word that Yona has been seen with Hak.
Chapter 9
Following the advice of everyone’s favorite old man, Hak’s grandpa, Princess Yona, and Hak are currently searching remote lands for priests known to see the future of the kingdom. The elder chief believes they will help guide Yona on the right path. Hak soon realizes that there is a rather large group pursuing them. Undoubtedly, it’s the son of the fire tribe General up to no good.
At first, Hak jokes and pretends not to take the fire tribe’s threat seriously until the second son of the general attempts to threaten his princess. Then, Hak has no choice but to remind the fool why Hak is called the “Thunder Beast.” Hak is hit with a poison arrow while protecting Yona. Despite this. he manages to hide her away from the fighting. Yona overhears that they intend to strike Hak again, potentially killing him. Yona is at a loss for what to do.
Yona decides that she must be brave and be more than just a princess in hiding. She decides to confront the General’s son. He tries to sweet-talk her to go back with him and take Su-Won off the throne. Yona says that if he was so aware of the truth of the king’s death, then why has he and the fire tribe been harming the wind tribe and the innocent merchants? Yona makes it very clear that although she may be a naive princess, she is no one’s fool.
Everyone around her finds themselves entranced by the determination in her eyes.
Chapter 10
Hak reappears to chastise Yona for coming out of hiding, but the poison from the arrow overcomes him. Yona fights against the General’s son, who tries to hold her back by her hair. Yona leans against his sword and chops off her hair quite a bit. She orders that no one lay a finger on Hak. She won’t allow him to die. Trying to save Hak, He and Yona fall into a ravine and are presumed dead by the General’s son.
The General’s son rushes to report back to Su-Won of Yona’s presumed death and is willing to accept punishment. Su-Won seems unwilling to punish the foolish lord, which leaves everyone confused. Su-Won appears at least somewhat conflicted and remorseful about Yona and Hak’s demise, and he thinks back to when they were all children.
Chapter 11
Su-Won prepares for his coronation. He seems to have memories of Yona and Hak swirling in his mind. Memories of when they were young, long before his betrayal. However, part of him seemed to have planned to break their hearts even then.
Su-Won contemplates how divided the tribes are. As the new king, he is the highest representative of the sky tribe. He knows that if the wind tribe were to find out about Hak’s presumed death, they would come for him. Grandpa lets it be known that he will be watching Su-Won closely, and he hopes to see what he will do before his time on this earth is up.
Hak and Yona were rescued by a passerby who appears to be a decent healer. Yona wakes up and is well enough to eat. Hak suffered several broken ribs and other injuries, protecting Yona from the steep fall, but he is alive. The healer’s name is Yun, and his guardian, Ik-Su, is a priest who has visions that Hak and Yona have been searching for. The volume ends with that revelation.
Well, volume 2 was certainly a whirlwind. I’m glad that we started to see sparks of Yona coming into her own. For me, the MVP of the volume was Hak’s grandpa Mun-Deok. I love that old man. I don’t think he’ll believe Hak and Yona are gone even for a moment. I hope that Yona will quickly get an army of supporters behind her in future volumes. Hak and the princess are coming for you, Su-Won.
