Sternenstaub und Abendfeuer

45. From the Earth

Though Freya was anxious, she didn't despair. Protected by the group, she huddled onto the cart, resting her bruised limbs as she nursed some tea Hongjoong heated for her. She didn't mind Jongho's stares, thankful when Yeosang tugged a blanket around her shoulders.

"It was dangerous to attempt flight. What if they had caught you?" The dryad asked, familiar to the elf, who knew of the deep friendship between Yeosang and Seonghwa. She shook her head with a shiver.

"Death is merciful. I much preferred it over staying any longer. Some break easily, but those who hold out feel once they wear down. When I noticed I wouldn't be sane much longer, I-" Freya huddled into herself, unable to relive the horrors that were so fresh on her mind.

"Take it slow. You are free now, so you can rest. We will make sure you won't have to go through any of that ever again," Yeosang murmured. Though they only had the vague understanding history gave them and no direct report, the cruelties she lived through stood written on Freya's face.

Once they returned, she needed medical aid. Someone to talk to, and someone to tend to her body. If she was pregnant at the moment, they needed to figure out whether it was safe to keep the goblin child. Seonghwa would personally see to her recovery.

The group rode on, cautious of the lands marred by war and past structures of the orcs. The stench of rotting meat hung in the cold air, but no traps sprang at them. Hongjoong's step was secure and Wooyoung circled in the skies above, on the lookout for the camp Freya described to them. By now, Kane had either made it back or took a last break at a nearby shelter. If they found him before he entered the safety of his camp...

Seonghwa glanced at the spear by his side. He would hate to use it, witnessed enough suffering in the disagreement with the dryads. Though he wished for eternal peace, he feared the belligerence of the orcs.

While Yeosang distracted Freya by catching her up with matters in the Crystal Sphere - aided by Jongho's occasional comments - San steered his mighty stag to Seonghwa's side. Though his eyes never left the elf and had become a constant source of warmth on Seonghwa's nape, he liked to check in occasionally. Straight and well-trained, he sat in his saddle, trained body vigilant but not tense.

"Seonghwa," he addressed the elf, keeping the love names to the peace of privacy. When Seonghwa threw him a fleeting smile, the seraph's frown lessened.

"How are the others holding up? I am so occupied guiding us I forget to check on the others. Is Mingi all right?"

Amused at this always being Seonghwa's first concern even when they were out in the barbaric orc lands, San hummed.

"Everyone is doing fine. Yunho finds it chilly out here, but Hongjoong sustains the heat he and Mingi need to survive. Though he has yet to meet us eye to eye, your sorcerer proved most helpful."

Listening in, Hongjoong scoffed on the other side of the cart. His golden eyes flared like those of a dragon but no ire lay in them.

Seonghwa dared a chuckle.

"I had hoped to ease the competition between you, but having this second child merely flared it. I know you also wish to succeed over him," the elf said. He settled his hand on his stomach and San's eyes dropped to it, attracted to the healthy swell of life.

"It's his or mine. Since we both made an effort, a certain feeling of triumph carries with the birth. Without regarding you or the child as objects, of course. Accomplishments, mostly."

Intrigued, Seonghwa turned his head to face San, trusting his unicorn to follow with the group. Seonghwa's hair was braided up today, pulled away to expose his tall ears and regal features free from all sparkle. His subtle glow was solely his own.