.fifty six.

-

"Ji Mong also told me that our son will have the throne some day. He has the star of a king."   

-

Minji was exhausted and had been in and out of sleep. She didn't know how much time had passed when she woke up next, but her husband was right there beside her. His own dark brown eyes were laden with missed sleep, and he was filled with relief when he saw her finally awake. A big smile spread across his lips as he threw his arms around her. Minji felt bloated and sore all over and the slightest touch from him made her wince in pain. He quickly noticed this and pulled away from her. He couldn't quite understand why she had winced at his touch and there was hurt in his eyes. Minji could not see it, but she could feel it. She could almost sweat that the pain she felt was the equivalent of being run over by a car. 

"I'm so glad you're okay." Her husband said to her quietly, his voice shaky and on the verge of tears. 

She lifted a hand weakly to touch his face and he sighed into her touch. "How long have I been asleep, love?" She asked him, already expecting him to say it had been a couple of days. Without modern science, she had been forced to strain her body and make extra efforts to push out not just one but two children. She hadn't even had the strength to name them when she passed out from exhaustion. 

The doctor had instructed the maids to clean the babies and then place them on their mother. He thought that the sound of her beating heart would calm them, a method that he used quite often and seemed to work. Afterwards they were dressed in clothing Eun's mother brought for them. She had been the most prepared and was already buying them clothes and other accessories. Since they didn't know if it was going to be a boy or a girl, she had gotten outfits for both genders. They were then wrapped in blankets and their grandmother put them to sleep. Eun, in the meantime had not seen the children either. He loved them dearly, they were his as well, but his priority was his wife. Once knowing that she would be okay he would go and check on them.

"Five days." He informed her in a pained voice.

In truth, those five days had been the longest he had ever lived. It was torture not seeing her about the house, and the children cried all the time. They were babies after all. But they didn't let him sleep at night and they only calmed when brought to their mother for breast feeding. He had missed her dearly and he wanted to embrace her, and shower her with kisses. He slightly felt jealous of the babies, since he wanted to be the one nestled in his wife's warm embrace. But she was unconscious and could not embrace him even if he wanted her to.

The general's daughter didn't realize it was early morning until the maids came into the room. This time they were followed by Eun's mother and in her arms were the two babies, one in each arm. She smiled proudly, like she had never seen any babies more lovely than the ones in her arms in that moment. Except of course her two sons. Eun looked up at his mother walking into the room and he was also almost glad that Minji could not see the state he was in. For days he had been worried to see her unconscious in their bed, despite the doctor informing him that it was normal. He hadn't been able to sleep or eat. There were already dark circles under his eyes. He knew she would have worried and scolded him for not taking care of himself.

"Its time to feed the babies." Minji's mother in law smiled at them and stopped at the foot of the bed, placing one child in his mother's arms gently and then another. Minji again winced at the pressure under their weight, and Eun quickly reached for her.

"Should I help you, jagi?" He asked her with concern.

Minji wondered, "Have you held them yet?"

Other people in the house had probably gotten to hold the twins before she had been able to hold them properly. That made her a bit sad. But she was cheered up by the fact that she had them in her arms now. 

Her husband shook his head slowly and nervously. "I have not. I wanted us to do it together, and I wanted you to show me."

Minji felt her heart melt at his words. Although it was a bit saddening that the babies' father hadn't held them yet, she understood him. He didn't know how to hold a baby in his arms, he had never done it before, and he wanted the first time to be with her. He wanted his wife to be the one to teach him. She asked his mother in law to help her taking one of the kids and then she shimmied herself up into a sitting position with the other resting in her arms. She didn't know which of the two she was holding. She would never get to see what her children looked like, at least not in Goryeo. She momentarily wondered if she would ever see them in the present time. 

Eun scooted closer to her and she slowly shifted the child in her arms which was at the moment quiet as a mouse. "So one arm underneath his entire little body, and then your free hand rests on his head because he can't hold himself up on his own." Slowly, she started to place the child in his arms, her hands feeling blindly after she did to help him hold the baby properly. She at first helped him hold the child by placing her hands underneath his to keep him steady. When she started to let go, she heard his breathing hitch in his throat.

"What if I drop him?" Eun began to panic slightly.

Minji shook her head. "I know you would never let anything happen to him." As a thought came to her, she asked them a question. "Wait. Now that the mystery is over, are they boys or girls?"

It was Eun's mother who replied to her. "There is one boy and one girl."

"Just like we wanted, jagi." Eun grinned, and then he added, "Ji Mong also told me that our son will have the throne some day. He has the star of a king." 

Immediately Minji felt her heart drop at the news. Eun didn't seem to fully understand that for him, as the tenth prince in line for the throne, that wasn't exactly good news to hear. Their son would automatically be a target for anyone who wanted to take power in Goryeo. And she knew one person who already had his anger and hate set on them and their family. 

-

Once the children were fed, Eun's mother had the maids take them for a little bit to let Minji and even Eun rest. Minji didn't want to part with them. Her first day back awake and she had only gotten to see them for a few minutes while she breast fed them. But she quickly understood why they had been taken from her. Her eyelids grew heavy with sleep and her eyes started to close. Eun was the same, as the crying of the babies hadn't let him sleep well in five days. 

The two teenagers settled in their bed and cuddled close to each other, with Minji snuggling comfortably at her husband's side. At least she knew that the children were safe and in the hands of a trusted family member.

As the days carried on, she was slowly allowed out of bed and she didn't feel as swollen as she did the first couple of days. Still, her legs were tired and felt like pillows with each step that she took. She was glad that Eun was very helpful and understanding, being at her beck and call, and doing everything to assist with her recovery. The doctor had informed them that she wasn't allowed any sexual activity for at least three months, and Minji found that it was most difficult for her to abstain. Then again, Eun had always been the more innocent of the two. But there were definitely times where she wanted to try something and he nearly gave into her pleas.

The children had been born for almost two weeks and a half when Minji was sat in her bed and she brought something up to her husband. "Did you name the children while I was away, love?" She wondered, having only thought about it right then. The way that she worded it was exactly how she felt that it happened. It felt like she had gone somewhere else for a few days and then returned to her home in Goryeo with her husband.

She didn't mind if he did.

She trusted him to have named them. And it wasn't like in the present time where one named their kids in the hospital right then and there. This was a thousand years in the past and there really had been no time for Eun and Minji to name them. She had been unconscious for the good of five days while her husband didn't know what to do with himself, worried sick about her.

He shook his head, once again informing her of the same thing he said when she asked if he had held them already. "I wanted us to do it together."

"Are there any names that you like? Or any names that you have in mind?" She wondered, turning her head towards him.

He replied almost immediately, and she knew that he had definitely been thinking about it. If not the entire time during her pregnancy, then at least during those five days in which she slept. "I like Eunbi." He told her matter of factly. Just before she could ask for his reasoning, he continued to explain, "Eomma named me Eun because his majesty always used to gift her things made out of silver when he was courting her, and she thought that was nice of him to have such details with her. I just added Bi at the end because it means rain, and you have been like a rain that has washed over my soul. You have made me a much better person than I was before. I used to be an arrogant and childish little prince--"

Minji stopped him by abruptly leaning in and pressing her lips to his. The butterflies that had been fluttering in her stomach whenever she was around him were back and there was no doubt about it now. They were making all that commotion for him. 

When they pulled away, Minji assured him with gentle words. She was every bit tempted to kiss him again, as she was addicted to the taste of him. "You're perfect, my love. Stop always thinking otherwise. And if you like Eunbi, then our little princess will be named Eunbi."

Eun took her hand in his, their fingers intertwining comfortably. He was amazed at how right it felt, being with her when just over a year ago they could not stand each other. It had been an interesting turn of events. "Are there any names that you like? If I named our princess, you should get to name our prince. It's only fair."

Minji thought about it for a moment. When a name came to her, she announced with a smile. "Soohyun. I've always liked that name." 

"Soohyun." The name rolled off his tongue as he said it aloud. 

"It sounds nice, doesn't it?" She leaned her head on his shoulder.

Eun could not help but nod in agreement. "It does, jagi."

-

tbh i only picked the name soohyun bc that name and haneul are my fave names for korean baby boys. they are my go to names because they sound cute. plus, haneul means heaven so that's very nice.

soohyun just sounds cute.

but anyway, no question of the day today because im running late for my work out session with my cousin. but tell me what you think of this chap, and tell me what you think of the story so far. 

thank you!

-clary