Mingi's first rut was intense.

Seonghwa stayed with him for three days, spending almost every hour connected to the demon, even during the restless sleep they caught. When he woke up to the feeling of Mingi stirring inside him, the whole ordeal started again until the elf was worn out.

After those three days, Mingi could take a brief break while his fever overwhelmed him. He sweated it off while Seonghwa got to take a rest and nurse his worn bodies back to full energy, since he had eaten only as much as Mingi allowed Yunho to feed him while he clutched Seonghwa possessively.

Hongjoong and Wooyoung had to help out. Seonghwa made sure the mage was aware of the decision and wouldn't relapse, but with Mingi, he was comfortable. He helped Wooyoung with his magic and Mingi got to find all the release he needed without actually breeding anyone pregnant.

After two weeks of alternating between being stuck on his knot and Mingi tossing and turning in his ruined bed with his fever, it was finally over. He awoke cuddled up to Seonghwa's back and, for the first time in a long while, he didn't immediately nudge against him. His sigh was clear-headed.

They had to throw out the mattress since it was so soaked with fluids and disgusting. The cavern permanently smelled of lust and Mingi was queasy from it, so he fled to the tree to sit with Jongho and Yeosang for a while. Their dryad suggested spending his heat in the forest next time, where they had more space to ravage each other. Mingi argued that he didn't want to attract wild animals.

Seonghwa also embraced the break after Mingi was taken care of. He felt exposed, his body feeble and struggling to resort to normal after spending so much time naked in Mingi's embrace. Huddled into a blanket, he sat in his room and drank the tea Seungyoun made him to recover. His weakness came at an unfortunate time since he needed to check in with the elves they freed and follow up on the reunion of the empire, but his family supported him where they could. Aodhán and Yeosang had been drafting letters to communicate with Lillwen and Sylvia, and Morana flew around on Obsidian to check in with them personally.

Hlin reported that no more orcs wandered the lands. The goblins were plenty, pests that would never fully die out, but with their vicious ancestors lost, they were much easier to deal with or might even be educated to something greater.

Their lands were healing. The elves were doing better, and the marches occupied by the orcs finally dared sprout new grass and nourished the seeds of trees the dryads distributed to restore the forest that once grew there.

Seonghwa worked through his letters with a smile on his face because, for once, everything was going as planned.

He was still sitting there finishing his tea when Morana popped her head around the entrance to his room. She wore the sturdy black leathers that protected her through her adventures of rolling around the dirt while she battled all the things she shouldn't battle. A sly grin showed on her lips when she found Seonghwa huddled in his seat and flicking through his mail.

"Finally climbed down from my father?" She asked him, and Seonghwa spluttered, almost spitting out his tea. Morana threw her head back in laughter at seeing the great emperor so flustered.

"Morana!" He yelled in protest, but the girl came hopping in, unbothered by the comment.

"Is he doing better now? Can I see him?"

Seonghwa glared at her without heat. He had asked her to take some distance during Mingi's rut, not wanting Mingi to feel embarrassed or for Morana to walk in on something unbecoming. But of course Wooyoung already babbled in his drunkenness about how 'big and hot' Mingi was. Seonghwa could just pray the twins hadn't been near. Not that Yeosang would allow them to become drinkers as well.

"He wanted to sit with Yeosang and Jongho at the tree earlier. We should gather in the evening for dinner. It's been a while since I saw everyone together," Seonghwa replied and the girl merrily spun on her heel. But before she jumped off to relay the message and check on her father, she paused, her hand on the cool rock of the wall.

"Will I also be like that? In rut?"

Seonghwa shook his head and nodded at the book Hongjoong had brought on the matter. His cup warmed his hands.

"It shouldn't happen to you since you are darkspawn, but if you lean towards that wild shape of the demons, it might. Mingi didn't have it before everything changed. You can read about it, if you'd like," he offered, understanding of her concern. Morana wasn't attracted to men, Seonghwa knew that. He felt her soul sing when she looked at Thistle, realised long ago how often they snuck off. In heat and craving for something so primally, Morana's body might want things she wouldn't agree with. Might get her in danger.

But Seonghwa was confident she wouldn't allow it to get so far. And even if, then he gladly would protect her and bring her to a safe place to deal with it by herself or with someone she liked. Just like Mingi did. Most demon rape happened under the influence of losing their minds to the berserker.

His words assured his daughter plenty.

"As if. Hongjoong can just summarise it for me. Bye, emmya!" She chirped and whirled off, snickering a moment later when she bumped into someone in the tunnel. Hongjoong came in a moment after, rubbing his shoulder.

"Stars, her horns hurt," he complained, and Seonghwa patted the seat by his side in invitation.

"A little bird told me she already uses them as weapons. Head-butting with Wooyoung never sounded riskier," the elf chuckled as Hongjoong sank into his seat with a deep sigh. He revived already from his time with Mingi, and his magic stretched out immediately to pour Seonghwa fresh tea and check on his condition. Though Hongjoong offered to heal him and speed up the process, Seonghwa gladly allowed himself a proper break. Magic might heal him, but it couldn't make him feel rested the same way.

"She's going to crack his skull one day and I get to deal with it," the mage grumbled when he found everything in order. He dangled his legs over the armrest of his chair when Seonghwa fed him some of the raspberries Yeosang had grown for him.

"How are the others? Twins doing fine?"

"San took them out to spar, those poor little things. And people claim I am too strict a father for Aodhán. At least he doesn't get bruises from magic."

Seonghwa had to snicker because he had seen Aodhán with his eyebrows fried off, running out of his room naked and one time accidentally turning Sunny into a chicken because she dashed right into his spell. He had cried until Hongjoong turned her back and reminded him why it was such a bad idea to have pets near magic.

But Seonghwa had discussed it with San plenty. While he put a value on a proper education, the seraph promised not to repeat the pattern he grew up in. The twins received much more love than he ever did, and he was soft on them. Trained them only for so long before he took them out to splash around in the rivers as they liked. Seonghwa knew he couldn't deny them anything.

Which reminded him. He hadn't heard Hongjoong referring to Aodhán as his son in a while, even when that was how he was introduced in the spire. His successor and assistant. But it was a title more than the reality, since Aodhán's magic was weak compared to their greatest sorcerer.

"Would you ever like to father your own child, Hongjoong? You wanted to, back then, when it was about Morana. Then you got busy with Pebble and Aodhán," Seonghwa recalled as he shared his tea. Hongjoong sipped at the calming taste of peppermint and lavender. Seungyoun brewed some excellent teas, even when most of Seonghwa's family members took little liking to them.

"I already have many creations under my name, don't I?" the mage huffed, fond of the size of their family. He never complained that it got too much. Sometimes, he had to retreat to attend to his studies and catch a breather, but he loved them so much. Had become so open and trusting compared to when they first came together.

Seonghwa loved him dearly, so he wanted to give his mage what he wanted, even if Hongjoong might not dare ask for it.

Maybe no more little golems, though. One time during Mingi's rut, Seonghwa awoke to Pebble sitting next to the bed staring at them like a theatre play, and he almost died of shame.

Hongjoong's hum was pensive.

"Maybe, yes. Not right now. We are busy, and we don't know what the future brings. I'm also not sure if I can make it less painful for you after we witnessed Aodhán. I treat him as my own flesh and blood, but... My own spawn would be nice. And you're offering." He threw Seonghwa a cheeky wink, since all of them were equally obsessed with that part of him. A rare gift for any of them.

"Perhaps once we learn where everything takes us, yes. I hope you know that you can stay in your position as Magus Maximus, even if I am no longer your emperor. You can still live that dream," Seonghwa reminded him. These decisions were also coming up. What San would do as the Heavenly King, and where Hongjoong would go with his people. It would be hard to stick with each other if there were no more empire. Then it was picking between their homes and their family.

"I know my responsibilities as our strongest and I don't want to become like my useless bum of a father, yes. I'll stay with them. But only if I can arrange it with you. I can defend myself against criticism, but if people come after you, I'd rather leave. They'll have to lock me up for murder otherwise." Hongjoong sipped from Seonghwa's cup and handed it back with a perfect grin. Seonghwa had to smile.

"Excellent. We'll see where things go. But once we settle down, we can try for a child together anytime. You deal best with any rampaging magic. So long as you are fine, after the whole orc ordeal. Breeding elves might not be something people find attractive for a long time. Are you better now? Or still tormented?"

Hongjoong leaned back in his chair and sighed. His golden jewellery twinkled in the light of the dancing candles.

"You definitely aren't a problem. Nobody in this family is. I can be glad I can regard our intimacy as an act of love, but... It was hard for me. Seeing that. Because I saw you. Knew what it would feel like. The pain I suffered- I may have overcome it, but I couldn't bear living if it had happened to you instead." He rarely struggled to form his sentences, so Seonghwa just listened, glad Hongjoong allowed himself this honesty, these feelings.

"I'm not great at emotions sometimes. Ignore them on myself and others since they get us nowhere. But I was so repulsed at the time. So sad for those poor elves. I wanted to kill those orcs all over again. If we hadn't been with you... If Yongguk succeeded all those years ago... So many moments where it could have been you or your children. I healed, but others might never. I wish I could help them."

"You healed because you are strong. Because you have people who feel for you. When we bring the elves back home, they can help each other," Seonghwa whispered to him. He understood this pain. They never went through anything those imprisoned elves went through, but even Hongjoong, even his strong mage who didn't submit to any disgrace, even he struggled. Molestation was something so awful, and Seonghwa was overjoyed they could free the elves from it.

"Perhaps I can make some wards. Something that zaps people who lay a hand on any elf against their will," Hongjoong mumbled as Seonghwa pulled him into a gentle hug, allowing this vulnerability while nobody could see. Hongjoong felt safe as he leaned into him.

"I think they would appreciate it," Seonghwa replied, and they fell silent to share the moment, ready to look into the future without such fears.