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Many years later…

“And then what happened next, Dad?”

Jinki walked into the twins’ bedroom and found his mate on the floor, his head pushed forward as Min Soo braided the back of his hair. Or attempted to. For an 8 year old little girl, her fingers weren’t coordinated enough to make a weft flawlessly but it was decent. Minho had let his hair grow and it was to the twins’ absolute delight.

Jinki ran a hand through his short cropped hair. When the girls were younger with curious hands, they liked to yank handfuls of it. It didn’t take him long to chop off his beloved hair. Especially when their fingers were often sticky and dirty.

Danye hummed quietly in the corner, resting comfortably in Flora’s favorite chair, watching her son and grandchildren play.

“Well, Sehun waited for the moment Edison was trapped in the big creepy barrier with me to take full command of Old Se’hai army. It was a really big moment for him. Apparently some of them were thinking of running when their leader disappeared but Uncle Sehun gathered them all up and made them want to fight for him.”

“Was that before or after you blew up all the Vampyres?” Min Sun asked calmly from her bed. She had a book in front of her. Jinki was sure it was the history of the War. She usually kept it with her everywhere she went. It drove Minho nuts because she wouldn’t hesitate to correct him when he got a little fantastical with his retellings.

Minho winced as Min Soo growled at her braid and began unraveling it, tugging harshly on the wefts. “That was after, Sunflower.” Minho’s finger came to his lip. “What else. Your Uncles Jonghyun, Nichkhun and Yifan all set off individual missions I gave them.”

“One to protect the barrier, one to locate the dark mage Domonkos and one to lead the armies in Father’s absence.”

Min Soo looked at her sister with wide eyes. “Uncle Jonghyun is so fearsome! Can you imagine him on a horse, his sword out,” and she abandoned her dad’s hair to pick up the practice sword by her bed. “I AM JONGHYUN! SUPREME COMMANDER OF THE PRAE ARMIES! SURRENDER!”

“We know,” Min Sun said with a pained sighed. “Sejun won’t shut up about it.”

Jinki laughed. In Kibum fashion, the High Steward went into labor during the war, deep in the mountains of Rockfall, giving birth to a healthy boy. With Boa’s help, Kibum had shuttered the bond connection to his mate during the final battle, not wanting to distract Jonghyun with his labor but managed to give him a vision of his firstborn right before Jonghyun took the reins of commander. It could be the reason the former Dinfire Alpha was so passionate in the waning hours of the battle.

Sejun was a particular young boy. Cute as a button with a swagger that defied his age. He was extremely proud–Min Sun would say arrogant– of his parentage and was always bringing it up unsolicited. “Brains, beauty and muscles,” he would say. Being best friends with Min Soo had not helped his bravado. She encouraged it!

Sejun also had a terrible crush on Min Sun. She said he was greasy and talked too much. One day his daughter would realize Sejun was just trying to impress her. Or one day she would punch him. Either one.

“Tell us what happened once Granduncle Toggo gave up?”

Jinki grimaced. He hated that Minho even told them they were related to that maniac. He hated that history was still their connection to their enemy.

“Well,” Minho said uneasily. “He didn’t give up.”

“Stupid cad,” Danye provided. “He fought to the very end. One of his generals, Gausius, knowing the less Toggo talked, the more leniency they may be offered, hit him over the head with the hilt of his sword. Went out like a lamp.”

“You mean the generals that ended up serving The Third Clan?”

Neeshi. The Third Clan.

Leniency had been a major theme in the days after the war. With Minho and Jinki’s plan to build Prae, executing assets to that growth seemed counterproductive. It took them years to process through all of prisoners of war, sorting out who would be pardoned, who would be imprisoned and who would be executed. “Yes. They are mostly comprised of them. Those who were immediately pardoned were those who pledged loyalty to Sehun.”

“Uncle Sehun’s dead, right?”

Mortality was still a fuzzy concept to the children. Minho paused and looked at Min Soo. “Yes, honey. A lot of the mates who were affected by the heartsickness spell didn’t make it in the end,” he said solemnly.

Jinki remembered Sehun’s passing. It wasn’t immediately after the war. It took years but those few years were filled with purpose. He took Tao’s place as a steward of Old Se’hai until a replacement could be found. They eventually brought in a young girl named Mi Na, Tao’s half-sister from a clandestine escapade of Edison. She was still so young when she was brought to Old Se’hai, so Sehun stayed on for a few years more to help her get acquainted and make sure she had a court that would not be poisonous to her as Tao’s had been to him. The night of her eighteenth birthday, she ascended, and with his work complete, Sehun traveled back to Prae and took the time to visit each and every one that was dear to him. Jinki and Sehun’s conversation was brief but inspiring.

“Cherish each day.”

Yifan was the last person he visited. They talked about old times when the four of them, he, Tao, Yifan and Yixing, would hang out and all of the trouble they caused with their love. He ended their conversation with the biggest smile Yifan had ever seen and simply said “I miss him, Fan. I’m so tired of missing him.”

Yifan said he didn’t know what that meant and if he had, he would have stationed a mage at his bedside.

We found him the next morning, the same smile on his face and Tao’s bō staff clutched in his hands. Jinki hoped they were finally together and finally happy. They gave up a lot for this clan.

“How did we get a third clan to being with,” Min Soo asked, her nose bunched.

“The First Clan is up North near Grandpa Toghon and Grandma Gi Jao,” Min Sun began explaining, her history book clutched against her chest. “They rule and protect it. Because we were born, granny and grandpa named Prae, The Second Clan to…connect us to them. From there, Daddy and Papa built up The Third Clan near Tropica and Elypsion and sent the people who were captured down there…to do…stuff.”

Min Soo’s mouth rounded as she listened to her sister.

“That’s right, my sunflower! The distrust Prae had for those who were freed was immense. Many of the prisoners didn’t trust Prae to ever accept them, even after they paid for their crimes. So,” and Minho glanced up at Jinki. Jinki jumped a little because there was no surprise in his mate’s eyes. He knew Jinki was there all along. “Your Uncle Thunder and his mate Gikwang were sent away to set up a third clan for Prae, taking those prisoners with them. South of here. Since Thunder was still a major war criminal, he wasn’t given free reign to do as he pleased like...start a rebellion. Oh, no. A legion of Prae advisors were sent with them. Even Toqto'a and Aunty Eunsook helped, calling us stupid the entire time,” Minho chuckled. “But I think we did the right thing. Thunder always needed the confidence that someone believe in him. He found it once he stopped looking in the wrong places.  They are doing pretty well down there.”

“He just needed to rid himself of Yoon and Toggo. Good riddance to the both of them,“ Danye said.

Minho grimaced again and Jinki could read his mind. Out of the two, Toggo was the least of their issues. Although his execution was justifiable in every way, the Blue Crescent Alpha stared down Minho as if injustice was being served instead as his crimes were read out. And they were long.

The murder of Choi Yunkyum. The murder of Choi Minjung. The murder of Choi Sunku and his four sons and the attempted murder of Yeon Bi-So of Ves–yes. That revelation had been a surprised. Tiffany of Mott Argan. Tao of Old Sehai. Hyungwoo of Morocco Song and his mate and all the others who’d died because of the heartsickness spell. He was also held accountable for numerous war crimes and the deaths of thousands.

You’d think one would have been humbled but no.

“The ruling line must be clean! The ruling line must be pure! The ruling line must be untarnished! Let me go! I need to cleanse this land of that abomination,” he growled at he glared at Minho.

Minho glanced back at him with pity, far more than Toggo deserved, before he grabbed the executioner’s blade and ran Toggo through. Minho’s pity morphed into anger as he twisted it deep in Toggo’s gut. “That was for my father.” He rammed it to the hilt. “That was for my sister.”

What was amazing about that day was it was the very same day and the very same instance, moments after he’d dispatched of Toggo, that Minho turned to the people of Prae, all those who’d gathered for Toggo’s execution and asked them to pass judgement on him.

Jinki remembered the feeling like a lead weight in his stomach. He tried to talk Minho out of it, but Minho knew if he ever wanted to rule, if he ever wanted his name back on the Fortress as owner, it would only be through their permission.

It was Brea, with his daughter Keleitha, now a member of Kyung’s royal guard, who came forward to give Minho what he wanted. Acceptance.

“I’ve never been more wrong about a person in my life. I’ve been wrong about a lot of people and it has cost them their lives. My daughter,” he said looking down at Keleitha with all the pride in the world, “reminded me of that. I am thankful that my prejudice didn’t cost you yours.”

Jinki didn’t think there was a dry eye in the entire place.

Knowing his jig was up, he stepped out of the shadow and walked further into the room. Min Soo gasped, dropped her sword and ran into her father’s arms. “Tell us a story, too, Papa!”

“I’m afraid I can’t, sunshine. It’s time to your grandmother to her room so she can get a good night’s rest. She leaves forever tomorrow.”

Danye rolled her eyes and stood up, brushing her pants off. “You don’t have to make it so ominous sounding. And it’s not forever, Jesu.”

“You’re the one who wanted to live in in the Arctic,” Minho said, his features pinched.

“It’s because Grandma found a new maaan,” Min Soo sang. Her sister giggled behind her hand.

Danye stuck her tongue out at her. “Next time you all think about what you’re doing when you bring a fine, handsome man like Köke Temür around me. Plus, Gi Jao wants to give me a fancy title and I’ll be the mate of a General. You know who would kill me if I turned that down? Your grandfather, that’s who!”

Minho laughed, his shoulders shaking, one braid and long loose tresses shaking with them. “Alright girls,” he said once he calmed down. “It is time for bed.” The girls groaned but Minho shook his head. “I’ve told you this story a thousand times. Plus you have your lessons early and you don’t want Aunt Na Eun to be disappointed when two sleepy heads show up. And we don’t want to hear Uncle Taemin’s mouth either, do we?”

“No,” the mumbled as they crawled into bed. Minho kissed them both on their foreheads and Jinki followed up with his special handshake for each girl.

The three of them left and headed towards the other side of the Pavilion. They started across the bridge but Danye shoo’d them away as they began to follow her across. “Go on somewhere. I’m a grown woman! I already packed my own things.”

Minho gave her a look. “You got Jackson to do it didn’t you?”

Danye broke into a goofy smile. “That boy is too easy. I keep explaining to him that he doesn’t have to impress me too, just Iseul and Xiah as Taeyeon’s new mate but the boy is insistent. I can’t be held accountable for his eagerness.”

“Just don’t let Taeyeon find out you’re taking advantage of his incessant need to please.”

“Bah! She may be a stronger mage, but I’ll toss her over my shoulder just like I do her mom!” she called back as continued forward across the Pavilion bridge to the door. “Be at the gate bright and early. I expect a passionate, sorrow filled, petulant goodbye, you two!”

“I should throw her over my shoulder and lock her in the dungeon,” Minho muttered as he turned back up the path and towards their suite. They both nodded at the guard and slipped into their room. Minho fell face forward into their bed. “Serves her right for leaving me all the way down here,” he mumbled into the sheets.

“Love,” Jinki admonished. “You travel there at least four times a year. You’ll see her so much you’ll get sick of her.”

Minho huffed and turned over. “Yeah, yeah. I wonder if Iseul and Xiah will make it to see her off. They should.”

“They should. Danye would kill my mom if she didn’t.”

Minho nodded. “That means the Fortress will be full of guest tomorrow.” He sighed.

Jinki matched his sigh. “That means we won’t get another moment alone until they leave.”

He raised a brow. “Well, let’s not waste another opportunity, lover.”

Jinki  gulped. “Uhm, how do you propose we do that?”

Minho made a show of thinking before he held a finger up. “How about this,” he said, his voice low and seductive. “You go get us something to eat…and I’m going to slip into…well nothing and–”

“Say no more.” Jinki pivoted on his heels and hurried out of their suite. They’d been so busy lately with Taeyeon and Jackson’s mating ceremony, Xiah’s retirement–Durkhai Alpha normally don’t retire, they just die–and Junho’s subsequent ascension to Alpha, they hadn’t had a moment to themselves in the last few months. Also along with helping Wheph replace Sungmin–who’d lost all confidence from the village during the war and who couldn’t wait to be the hell out of there, Jinki was eager to recoup that time now. He grabbed something, anything from the kitchen, it might have been crackers, it might have been a roll of meat, and it also could have been a rolling pin, and turned heel, practically running across the Fortress back to his room.

“Lover!” he chirped as he pushed the door back. “I’ve got–” Jinki’s shoulders slumped.

Minho was fast asleep. With a resigned sigh, he placed his bounty down and helped his slumbering mate out of his clothes, making work of his own before he slipped in the bed. He pulled Minho close, closed his eyes and inhaled his scent.

It calmed him.