Once the snow started melting and the first buds of flowers broke through the earth, Seonghwa went to visit Mulberry with Wooyoung. Or rather, Mulberry visited them. The crown prince was too pregnant to make the trip up the mountain and he huffed even just coming out into the gardens.

San had helped him down the stairs before he went to spar. He needed to distract his mind often these days, growing overprotective of his husband full with child. When Seonghwa asked him to do his exercises with him, San, for the first time, handed a task off to Yunho. The human and Buddy bonded well with the unborn baby, but Seonghwa couldn't wait to hold San's face again and kiss him without abandon.

Seonghwa sat on the chair Wooyoung brought out specifically so he could relax while meeting Mulberry. Excited, he arranged it in the middle of the spread of green that had been hidden under the snow for so long. While he whistled for Mulberry, Seonghwa glanced at San on the sparring dock. He fought Seonghwa's head of the guard today and their bodies danced full of grace. She had in agility what he had in muscle, and Seonghwa yearned to match him the same way. Their fight was astonishing to watch, enraptured Seonghwa like a deliberately scripted play. Though he could only dream of reaching their performance, he couldn't avert his eyes.

The rushing of wings in the sky distracted him. With his heavy body rooted to his seat and peaceful fingers caressing his stomach, he looked up at Mulberry. Wooyoung surged to join him in the skies and they chased each other in a circle. The gryphon-born's gleeful laughter brought a smile to Seonghwa's lips.

So endeared by watching them, Seonghwa checked on the satchel by his side. He brought a present for Wooyoung for being so patient during the past year. Although Seonghwa had another person to look after and tend to, Wooyoung rarely got disgruntled for not being the only one anymore. Though he had feared a lack of attention, he stayed strong, and Seonghwa wanted to reward him for that.

When the two landed, a gust of wind hit Seonghwa and blew his hair from his face. A maid tucked it up for him today since his body ached at every move, even with Hongjoong's potions. They were careful to use them now, didn't want to numb Seonghwa's body to any relevant signals.

Wooyoung's grin was big and matched Mulberry's caw when he came over. The snowy mountains bedazzled him with a coat of snow that glinted under the daylight. His claws dug up the earth, but there was nothing to fear.

Proud, Wooyoung caressed his beak.

"Look! This is what I told you about. Out lovely Seonghwa is having a child. In there." Wooyoung pointed it out for Mulberry, and the gryphon's clever eyes curiously studied Seonghwa's change in appearance.

With a graceful smile, Seonghwa beckoned him closer. The gryphon-born nuzzled into his hand as he pet him.

"Pardon me but I can't rise to greet you right now. I hope you have been doing well."

Two fairies rode along on Mulberry's back and they ogled Seonghwa with big eyes and laughter like the chimes of tiny bells. When he smiled at them, they burrowed between Mulberry's feathers shyly.

"We can take a ride with your baby once you feel better! See, they don't lay eggs," Wooyoung educated Mulberry. When the gryphon snorted in disbelief, Wooyoung grinned. "No lies!"

"I have something for you two," Seonghwa announced as he pulled the satchel from his side. When he handed it to Wooyoung, the man's face lit up.

"You shouldn't have!" He beamed, but his greedy fingers already pried the hatch open. Inside was one of the most delicious apples the empire had to offer from a rare tree in the Sky-reaching Highlands. Mulberry happily picked at it and turned away to gag it down. In the meantime, Wooyoung sat in the grass by Seonghwa's feet to peer inside the velvet pouch. In awe, he pulled out the hair clip. It was woven from the filigree metal forged from the stars raining upon the earth on rare nights. An amethyst dangled over a tiny chime. It was a ball and inside, a pure white pearl rolled around to click when shaken.

"You might have seen me wear a pin with your feather on it," Seonghwa opened as he took the gift from Wooyoung with gentle fingers. Enraptured, Wooyoung stared at him while Seonghwa knotted the thread to the mess of Wooyoung's grey hair.

"I wanted to give you something in return. The amethyst shall remind you of me when you are far from home. As will the chime. A tear of mine is encased in that raisin and it can shine you the way back to me so long as you are below the stars," Seonghwa hummed. He spent meticulous planning on the piece and adored how it matched Wooyoung's greys and greens once it dangled from his hair.

Wooyoung was touched. He slung his arms around Seonghwa's middle as tightly as he could without hurting him.

"Thank you," he choked out. Then, pressure lifting, he pressed a kiss against Seonghwa's stomach. "I'm sure you also helped."

Seonghwa wondered which of his uncles would become his son's favourite. If it were Wooyoung, mayhem awaited them.

He buried his hand in Wooyoung's hair, ruffling it.

"You are welcome, darling. I hope it reminds you of my love for you, even when I can't be with you all the time."

Though Wooyoung frowned at the darkness in that statement, he stubbornly hugged Seonghwa.

"If you can't be there, I'll have an eye on you instead. We gotta look out for each other," he insisted. His pearls jingled when he buried his face against Seonghwa's round stomach.

Mulberry gave a satisfied noise about his apple. When he trotted back over, Wooyoung perked up.

"It was delicious? He thanks you, Seonghwa!"

Mulberry ruffled his feathers pridefully. His golden eyes regarded Seonghwa with respect and Seonghwa lowered his head at him.

"I'm pleased to know you two happy. Winter suits you," he chuckled. Wooyoung and Mulberry bristled their wings at the same time, charming a smile to Seonghwa's lips.

"We will take you along on a trip to the most attractive places in the Cliffs of Zephyr next time. It's a winter wonderland! You will adore it. Our frozen lakes can sing and near the mountains, the wind freezes on the trees," Wooyoung described. He played with his new accessory, thrilled by its presence. As soon as they sat down for dinner, he would show it to everyone and boast about his gift.

"I would love to see it. Let's go, just the three of us. We will sneak away in secret," Seonghwa offered with a twinkle in his eyes. Wooyoung giggled, hiding his blush behind his hand.

"Will you have the time for that, Your Highness? Everyone demands your attention."

"I will take good care of you," Seonghwa crooned. He reached to caress Wooyoung's chin and his gryphon-born snuggled into his grip, satisfied like a cat. The blush persisted on his face as his enthusiastic eyes begged Seonghwa to go on. "We will fly away together on Mulberry and hide in the mountains of snow and ice. You will be good for me, won't you? Provide us with warmth."

Wooyoung nodded eagerly. His tongue stumbled over itself.

"So good!"

With a rich chuckle, Seonghwa let go of him to cup the roundness of his stomach once more.

"Soon. I will catch up with everyone." Though it was nice to spend time simply like this. Mulberry searched the ground for interesting critters and Wooyoung groomed his fur while he babbled back and forth between him and Seonghwa. The elf got to relax in his chair and spend time with his precious people without needing to do much. He was glad that they didn't feel less tended to, knowing he adored them more than anything.

Buddy joined them for a while when Yunho came out to go on their evening walk together. The dog jumped around Seonghwa a few times as if as delighted with his having a baby as the elf himself. Though the dog had respect for the majestic gryphon, they played together well. As Buddy hopped around to invite him with a wagging tail, Mulberry followed him around.

Yunho checked on Seonghwa in the meantime. He got a speech from Wooyoung about the hair pearl and about how precious it was and chuckled when Wooyoung took off with gleaming eyes.

Seeing Mulberry always reminded Seonghwa of two days. The one when they first met and the one when he believed he would die in that forest, Yongguk's mark fresh on his shoulder. For Yunho, it was only the latter. They shared the same melancholic smile, but neither addressed it.

That part of the past was meant to heal. Seonghwa didn't shy away from the scar, but he didn't need to revive that moment.

After a few more kisses from Buddy, the two left and Wooyoung and Mulberry were back to their bickering. They discussed beautiful places at the cliffs in the way only they could communicate, and Seonghwa leaned back, relaxing his heavy limbs as he listened.

Seonghwa was about to comment that he was fine with any place as long as he got to spend time with Wooyoung when seething pain shot up his spine. He curled into himself with a yell of surprise, but it twisted into a cry when the zaps spread to the tips of his fingers. Fear quelled in him when he located the source immediately.

A distraught baby in his belly.

"Woo-" Another cramp that had him jolt. Seonghwa fell from his chair, needing to lie down, to relax, to do something. His baby was hurting and his soul screeched in dissonance as they sought for each other.

Startled, Wooyoung watched him go down. A moment later, he ditched Mulberry to run to Seonghwa's side. The elf lay with his hand on his stomach, clutching it to keep it safe. More whimpers spilt from his lip caught by his teeth.

"Seonghwa! Are you in pain?!" Worried, Wooyoung's touch flitted all over him, tried to make sense of what was going on. Seonghwa wanted to tell him, wanted to beg him to take care of the baby, but he was too disoriented. Everything hurt as if he were ripping apart from the inside. Something wet gathered inside him, and Seonghwa was terrified to find out whether it was blood.

Another gargled sound. Wooyoung helplessly felt over Seonghwa's stomach, seeing how he grasped to it. But he didn't put the pieces together Seonghwa needed him to. 

Quick steps ran over, then another pair of hands joined Wooyoung's. Urgency carried in San's voice.

"What happened?! Is it the magic again?"

"I don't know," Wooyoung cried, overwhelmed. Seonghwa's head lolled when San picked it up into the bent of his arm. Through his distress, Seonghwa tried to communicate, but all words got stuck in his throat as his blurry sight met San's concerned stare.

"He suddenly collapsed, I don't know- Mulberry go. You can't help right now," Wooyoung huffed, shoving at his gryphon in panic when he bent to run his beak over Seonghwa's stomach.

Another cramp. Seonghwa's head flew back, and he gritted back a wail.

Quick in his deductions, San reached between Seonghwa's legs. Wooyoung squawked in indignation, but San's hand pressed against Seonghwa unabashedly. Wetness coated his fingers, gushing from Seonghwa to bathe his dress. When he came back up, it wasn't silvery like Seonghwa's blood, so he sighed a breath of relief.

"Baby's coming," San deducted before he heaved Seonghwa into his arms. Cradled safely, Seonghwa held on with weak fingers as San spread his wings and launched them into the sky.

"W-what?" Wooyoung screeched. San turned his head so he wouldn't yell into Seonghwa's ear.

"Get the others and the damn healer, you moron. Elves don't lay eggs."

Wooyoung scrambled to spread his wings. They left the gardens in a hurry and Seonghwa concentrated on his breathing and matching it to San's heartbeat. The hands cradling him squeezed him in reassurance.

"Leave everything to us. You did well," San whispered before he landed on the balcony and rushed inside to bring Seonghwa to bed, where he could prepare for delivery.