When the great elven king of Aleumdaum opened his eyes all he saw was soft darkness. A set of white candles were burning on the table next to the bed and a layer of thick blankets had been placed over him to keep him warm in the wintery night. Heechul groaned in discomfort as he tried to sit up under the heavy blankets. His entire body was sore and he was covered in sweat. Sitting up slowly, Heechul pushed the blankets off and leaned back against the headboard. He felt like he’d been run over by a carriage; everything hurt.

    “Sire, you’re finally awake.” Onew whispered as he stepped into the room holding a set of clean towels. “You’ve been out for hours. I was beginning to worry.”

    “Where..,” Heechul began to speak, his words sticking in his throat as a painful cramp crept up his body and he doubled over.

     Onew set the towels on the floor and retrieved a cup of cool water off the vanity before approached his monarch.

    “The cramping is normal,” Onew informed, handing Heechul the cup of water. “Here, drink this. You’re probably dehydrated.”

    “Where are my children?” Heechul asked before taking the cup from his doctor and drinking its contents in one go. He was parched and also starving.

    “They’re in the nursery with Zhoumi, HanGeng and Lord Leeteuk.” Onew informed, “No one has been alerted of their births yet. Lord Leeteuk told the council members that you weren’t feeling well and were spending the day in bed. Don’t worry, Sire, both of your sons are healthy and doing well.”

    “Can I see them?” Heechul asked as Onew retrieved a pitcher of water from the vanity and poured him another glass full.

    “You need to rest,” Onew denied, “We almost lost you last night. You lost a lot of blood. Walking’s not going to be possible for a few days.”

    “I need to see my children,” Heechul ordered in a firm tone, “You can’t keep them from me.”

    “First, you need to eat something,” Onew began as Heechul gulped down another glass of water like he hadn’t drank for weeks. “Then, I’ll have them bring the twins to you. They need to eat as well. How does your chest feel?”

    “Sore,” Heechul answered, “Everything’s sore.”

    “It’s normal,” Onew reassured, “Your body’s healing and you’re producing milk.”

    “I feel terrible,” Heechul groaned, sitting his cup on the nightstand and shutting his eyes. “I’ve been sleeping for hours, but I’m still tired.”

    “You went through a lot. You did well, Sire. I’m proud of you.” Onew complimented as he moved towards the door. “Let’s get you fed and then we need to feed your children.”

    Heechul quickly devoured the food that Onew brought him, not trusting any of the servants enough to allow them into his chambers. No one knew that the king had given birth last night, nor did they know that he had delivered twins. Until the laws were in place, HanGeng’s child would remain hidden, while Leeteuk’s would be presented to the people and crowned a prince.  Though Heechul felt terrible about hiding one of his children like something to be ashamed of, it was the only way he knew how to protect him.

    “Heechul-ah,” a soft voice whispered as Heechul pushed his empty food tray to the side and looked up to see who was entering his bedroom.

    HanGeng and Leeteuk slipped quietly through the door, each holding a small bundle in their arms.

    “Would you like to meet your children?” Leeteuk asked in a soft tone, the child in his arms moving and making soft noises. “They missed you.”

    Tears stung Heechul’s eyes as Leeteuk placed the first child into his arms. This was his and Leeteuk’s son. He had light blonde hair and deep blue eyes. His features were delicate similar to Heechul’s and he had a soft dimple in one of his cheeks when he moved his mouth, just like his father. Without a word, Heechul lifted his gaze and gestured for his other son. HanGeng smiled soft at him as he place their child in his arms opposite his brother. They were still very small, maybe five pounds each, and fit perfectly in the King’s long thin arms.

   Heechul gazed down at his second son and marveled at the child’s features. Despite having the dark hair of an inferior elf, he had bright ice blue eyes that matched Heechul’s. His face was a mixture of delicate and strong, with Heechul’s large eye and full lips, but HanGeng’s nose and face shape. Heechul looked up at the men standing next to the bed with confused eyes.

   “His eyes are blue,” Heechul pointed out. “How?”

   “I don’t know,” Leeteuk replied, “Onew can’t explain it either. Kibum says that he can feel power inside him. It gets stronger when he’s near his brother. Their powers depend on one another.”

   “They’re beautiful,” Heechul began to weep. “I have two sons.., I don’t know if I’m happy or frightened.”

   “Heechul-ah, don’t cry.” HanGeng soothed, sitting down on the edge of the bed and placing his hand along the side of his mate’s cheek, causing said monarch’s skin to glow softly and the children in his arms to go still.

   “When you’re calm, they are as well.” Leeteuk informed, “Your emotions are still very much a part of them. Onew said it was common amongst newborns. It’s why Hemi cried so much when Zhoumi was in Gyodoso. He could feel his heightened emotions.”

    “How long will that last? I don’t remember feeling my parents’ emotions when they were alive.” Heechul asked, smiling softly at his mate as HanGeng removed his hand from his face and placed it on his knee instead.

   “Only for the first couple years. As they become more independent, they’ll pull away from you.”

   “We need to name them,” Heechul pointed out as he gazed down at his children. “I need to know what to call them.”

    “What were you thinking of?” HanGeng questioned, squeezing Heechul knee playfully as he spoke.

    “I didn’t dare even think of one name while I was pregnant. It’s bad luck to name an elven child before he is born.” Heechul informed, “Siwon-ah and I named Wonhee before he was born and he never reached his seventh month inside me. I couldn’t name them. I couldn’t risk it. I just couldn’t make them that real to me, not until I could hold them in my arms and see their faces.”

    “So, now that you’ve seen them, what do you want to name them?” HanGeng asked.

    “I want you to name our son, Hannie. He’s your child too, not just mine. I carried him for eight months and birthed him into the world this world. I want you to name him.”

   “I want you to name our son, Sire.” Leeteuk interjected, “It’s your right as king.”

   “How about we name him together?” Heechul suggested, “You’re his father too, Leeteuk-ah.”

   “HeeGeng,” HanGeng whispered as he stared at his child sleeping soundly in Heechul’s arms, the name just coming to him naturally.

    “I like it,” Heechul approved, “He looks like a HeeGeng.”

   “It’s a beautiful name.” Leeteuk complimented, “We should use Hee as part of our son’s name. It will help their bond as twins.”

    “Hee…,” Heechul pondered, his voice waking his fair hair child and drawing the attention of his dark blue eyes. “HeeLee,”

   The child smiled at the sound of his new name and snuggled closer to his father. Heechul felt warm inside, his normally cold heart filled with a sudden sense of joy and love. He’d never loved anyone or anything as much as he loved the two infants in his arms. As HeeGeng began to fuss uncomfortably, Heechul reluctantly handed HeeLee back to Leeteuk.

    “He’s probably hungry,” Leeteuk pointed out, “Onew said it was best to wait until you could feed them. They’ve been calm and sleepy while you were resting.”

    “My poor babies,” Heechul frowned and he let the right side of his sleeping robes fall open and placed HeeGeng against his chest, an uncomfortable sound leaving his lips as the infant latched onto him.

    “Are you alright?” HanGeng asked, observing the scrunched expression on his lover’s face. “Does it hurt?”

    “No, it doesn’t hurt. It’s just a bit uncomfortable.” Heechul replied, the discomfort fading the longer HeeGeng fed.

     “This is so strange to me,” HanGeng confessed. “I’ve never see a male do this before. In the human realm women feed the children.”

     “We have no women here,” Heechul answered with a slight wince as HeeGeng faster, clearly starved and desperate for milk. “My mother did this for me and his mother and so on. Elves are built differently than humans. We do not need woman to nurture our children. You don’t have to watch if it makes you uncomfortable.”

     “No, it’s just strange to me, is all.”

     “Hand me HeeLee,” Heechul requested reaching out for his second son. “He must be hungry as well.”

    As the great elven king of Aleumdaum led his young, changes started to stir in the forest beyond the palace. The dry frozen air began to moisten and grow warmer and the snow covering the ground started to slowly thaw and melt away. Magic swept over the land like a tidal wave, everything it touched changed and moved. Spring was returning to the realms. The once frozen heart of the elven king had begun to thaw, warmed by his mate and his newborn children. Though the land was still encased in ice, the warmth in the air and the slow melt of the snow were just the beginning the realms needed to reclaim the seasons that had eluded them for centuries.

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