Sternenstaub und Abendfeuer

49. Morana

TW: character death

*****

By some miracle, they survived that night. After long hours of misery, San made his way inside, battered and bruised, but breathless to announce they made it. As soon as he took the child from Wooyoung and tended to his leg, the gryphon-born also fainted.

Mingi, Yeosang and Jongho were fine. They tended to the fire and cushioned the bodies of their unconscious husbands.

Yunho got injured in the shoulder when he fended off the orcs, but the wound could be treated with some bandages and salves. Once the danger was banished, he rested his wearied body.

Freya didn't make it. She fell under a vicious strike of an orc's blade. Though she lived for a while longer and begged Yeosang to thank Seonghwa for the ray of hope he brought upon her final days, her fragile body ultimately submitted to her injuries. By the time Seonghwa woke, Yeosang buried her in the forest, gave her back to those who birthed her.

Hongjoong woke first. They spent as much time as they dared waiting for Seonghwa, but they couldn't linger now that their hideout got discovered. Soon, they concealed their traces and bundled up their pale elf to set out on their mounts. This time, Seonghwa rested cradled in San's embrace while Yeosang carried the fragile newborn.

That was when Seonghwa came to his senses. Their trot through the forest was slow to accommodate their injuries. Yet, the sharp cries of a child pierced the tranquil and tormented air.

Seonghwa stirred in San's arms, and the seraph immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"He's up," he rasped, just loud enough for the others to hear. While Seonghwa batted his drowsy eyes open, he got enclosed in a tender hug. Warmth filled him.

"Baby," was the first word from his lips and his eyes searched in fear for the one separated from him. He was glad to count all his husbands, unaware of Freya's loss. The wails alerted his senses to suffering even when it was supposed to be over.

Yeosang gladly came jogging.

"She has been crying all day. The birth was jarring and then she couldn't find you. She was terrified no matter how we soothed her," he explained, glad to give her what she needed. The silent question in his eyes beseeched Seonghwa for an answer whether he was fine.

The soft glow at the sight of his daughter was their response.

"She," he whispered as he accepted the squirming bundle from Yeosang. She was full of life, healthy in her noise.

As soon as their touch met, she hiccoughed around her stupor. She recognised Seonghwa's soul as part of her own, knew she found the one who birthed her. Despite the terror, he was still there. Didn't ditch her.

A relieved sound escaped her, and Seonghwa cradled her close. She was bigger than Aodhán had been upon birth, but yet so small and precious as her heat pressed against his neck.

"I'm so glad to meet you," Seonghwa whispered, biting tears back as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. For the first time, they could properly look at each other.

Her skin was a faint grey, not because of her health but of her natural disposition. The tufts of her hair were black, now clean of Seonghwa's blood. Striking was the one strand of pure white, innocent like snow as it mingled with the rest.

Two little horns grew from her forehead. They were dull and soft like wood, not so sturdy to be used as weapons yet. Her ears were pointed and tall like Seonghwa's, elegant in their arch yet in the same way too large for her head as Aodhán's.

Her eyes were open already. Their onyx was breathtaking, dark and deep, like the night sky. The sparkles of Seonghwa's eyes got handed down, making him look into a galaxy behind her soft and wrinkly features. A celestial heritage of the moon, undoubtedly, and she glanced up at him full of marvel in their limited understanding of each other.