Byulyi sat quietly next to the bed on a chair, lost in her thoughts as she watched over Yongsun’s sleeping form. She had only managed to lull Yongsun to sleep just as dawn was breaking over the horizon, laying the dragonkin gently under the covers before running out to fetch a clean bucket, filling it with water and grabbing a cloth on the way back to the cabin. She had wiped down most of Yongsun’s body with the cloth and had one laying on her forehead as of now. Her temperature however, stayed the same and showed no signs of going down. It was already way pass noon and Byulyi, though tired, refused to take a short rest. Jeongyeon had urged her to take a nap when she dropped by to give her her lunch but soon gave up trying to persuade her after a while, merely giving her a small pat on the back before leaving to tend to the boat. 

“How is she?” Byulyi snapped out of her daze, turning her head to see Jeongyeon entering the cabin. She sighed and shook her head, her gaze returning to Yongsun.. 

“Her fever’s not going down at all. In fact it feels like it’s increasing, I don’t know what to do. I feel so useless, she’s suffering yet I can’t do anything to help her.” Byulyi growled out in frustration, hands balled into tight fits on her lap. Jeongyeon placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, making her look up into her warm and understanding eyes. 

“You are definitely not useless. If you were, then you probably wouldn’t even be here. Plus, I don’t think she’d want to hear you saying that about yourself. You did so much for her already, from comforting her when she’s throwing up to making sure she sleeps and eats well. This is not your fault Byul, no one’s blaming you. Not me and certainly not Yongsun. And as much as it , the only thing we can do is just wait until we reach Diata Kingdom and find a physician.” 

“I know...How long do we have until we reach anyway? I lost track.” 

“Give or take around five or six more days depending on the weather.” 

Jeongyeon answered, taking a quick glance out of the window. They’ve been lucky so far to have clear weather the whole time they were sailing out at sea, only encountering a small storm once along the way. Byulyi sighed once more and gave a weary nod, leaning back against the chair. Jeongyeon gave her a small smile, ruffling her hair playfully before turning to leave. 

“I’ll get us there before anything else worsens, I promise.”

Soft whimpers were what stirred Byulyi awake from her unplanned nap, the younger rousing from her sleep with a wide yawn. When did I fall asleep?? She thought to herself as she stretched her stiff body, cracking her joints with a satisfied groan. She looked over at Yongsun, the dragonkin whimpering softly as she tossed and the bed. Byulyi shifted closer and attempted to soothe her back to sleep, removing the cloth on her forehead to dip it into the water before replacing it back. Yongsun opened her eyes at the movement, weakly rapsing out Byulyi’s name and catching her attention. Byulyi immediately fetched a glass of water, pressing it to Yongsun’s lips to drink after she helped her up into a sitting position. Yongsun drank slowly, scrunching her eyes as the cooling liquid ran down . 

Once done she laid back down, eyebrows furrowed as she breathed with open. Everything felt hazy and sluggish, her body too weak and hot to function properly. She felt Byulyi’s cool hand brush past her cheek tenderly, inciting another soft whine. Byuylyi shushed her gently, brushing back the stray pieces of hair. She placed the newly wet cloth back on Yongsun’s forehead again, Yongsun visibly relaxing slightly the moment it touched her skin. Still so hot… Byulyi brooded in her mind, moving her hand up to Yongsun’s hair. 

The dragonkin’s eyes fluttered open, squinting as she adjusted to the dim light in the cabin before focusing properly on Byulyi. 

“Are.. you okay..?” Yongsun rasped out in question, the process of doing so making her even more drained.

“I’m fine Yong, I’ve eaten already and had an impromptu nap sometime during the day. You however, are not and so you need to stop talking and keep sleeping.” 

“It’s too hot to sleep..” Yongsun whined with a small pout. 

“Are you hungry?”

“Not really..” 

“You should eat something though, you’ve been sleeping the whole day without eating anything. I’ll go make you something, I’ll be quick I promise.” Byulyi reassured Yongsun when the latter let out another whine of protest. Byulyi made sure Yongsun was comfortable before dashing out of the cabin towards the galley. She began to look around for ingredients, deciding on what to make for Yongsun as she searched. She rarely cooked back at the palace but Byulyi prided in herself for being able to at least whip up some decent porridge. 

She was busy clanging around the galley when Jeongyeon popped up behind her, startling the younger who almost dropped a pot. The captain had been walking back towards her own cabin when she passed by the galley and heard the ruckus that was going on inside. Curious, she poked her head round the door to be greeted by the sight of Byulyi scurrying up and down the small area with ingredients in one hand and a pot in the other. 

“A little late night snack?” Jeongyeon questioned with a raised eyebrow, gesturing towards the items Byulyi held in her hands. Byulyi gave her a sheepish smile and nod, putting the things back down on the counter. 

“I wanted to make something for Yongsun, some porridge or something. She just woke up and I thought it’d be best if she ate something.” Jeongyeon nodded in understanding, looking around for a while before focusing on Byulyi again.

“Why don’t you go back to Yongsun hm? I’m sure she’s feeling a little lonely now. Keep her company and I’ll make something for her to eat, I’ll bring it to you when I’m done.” Jeongyeon said, Byulyi flashing her a grateful smile. She uttered her thanks as Jeongyeon ushered her out the door, running back to her cabin where Yongsun was dozing off quietly again. Yongsun looked up at her in confusion, expecting to see her holding some food in her hands. 

“Jeongyeon’s making something for you. Honestly it’s a good thing that she is, I’d probably give you food poisoning if I tried to make anything.” A small smile quirked its way up on Yongsun’s face as she let out a soft giggle that sent Byulyi’s heart pumping. It felt like forever since she heard that giggle and she missed it dearly. She sat back down on her chair, keeping Yongsun entertained by telling her stories as they waited for Jeongyeon. 

It was a while before the door creaked opened to reveal Jeongyeon entering with a bowl of soup on a tray. She placed it on the table and turned to face the couple. 

“It’s chicken soup, great for when you’re sick. It will hopefully ease some of your fever and pain down once you finished drinking it.” 

“Thank you so much.” Byulyi thanked, Yongsun offering her own soft word of appreciation towards Jeongyeon. The captain shook her head, shaking away their gratitude. 

“No need to thank me, really. I just want Yongsun to feel better again. Rest well, blow on the soup before you drink though it’s hot!” She warned before giving a little wave and leaving them alone. Byulyi retrieved the bowl of soup, the enticing smell making her drool. Yongsun saw and managed to make a face of mild disgust, poking fun at Byulyi to which the latter responded with a small glare of her own. Yongsun sat up slowly, leaning against the wall near their bed for support as Byulyi blew gently on a spoo