- The Eagle -

During the negotiations following Lee’s death, it was decided that Sol would be divided and each part governed by Caelum and Lux. The end of Sol’s royal bloodline marked the end of their rulership. For Baekhyun and Soomi, this was the start of a new chapter in their lives.

A month had passed since Sol’s defeat, but Baekhyun sometimes still woke up in the middle of the night, tormented by a nightmare. Since Soomi tended to have a light sleep, she noticed when he awoke and did her best to calm him down. It tore at her heartstrings to see him shaking with dread. She hated the fear in his eyes that lasted for a few moments before he realized where he was. Soomi could only hope that one day, this would stop—his nightmares had become less frequent already, and there was a chance they would subside with time.

As usual when this happened, he sought her proximity and snuggled up to her curvy body, hugging her stomach and resting his hand on the baby bump. He put his head on her shoulder, and she embraced him, nestling her face into the softness of his hair.

“Are you okay?” she whispered concernedly, trying to discern his expression in the darkness of their chambers. Her fingertips left featherlight touches on his cheek as she moved a few strands of his hair out of the way.

“Baekhyun?”

“Yeah,” he uttered. “Just… just stay like this for a while.”

“Okay,” she whispered, gazing at him. The entire castle was veiled in silence. Nothing disturbed the peaceful quiet that lingered over the building. Twinkling stars were visible through the windows and the faint light of the moon lit up certain parts of the room. Baekhyun’s body felt warm against hers, soothing. His breaths fanned over her collarbones, and she shuddered at the blissful sensation.

His gaze was focused on the window as he looked outside, listening to the beats of her heart. They were like a lullaby to him, but he was too awake to go to sleep again. The nightmare had left him filled with adrenaline, his blood pumping through his veins and heart racing. It would take a while for him to fully calm down, and until then, he had decided to watch the stars.

Soomi knew that he was restless, and she had an idea. “Do you want to go outside to get some fresh air?” she asked as she his head.

He drew in a breath. “You want to go outside at this hour?” he asked, and she could already tell that he didn’t like the idea. The concerned tone in his voice made it pretty obvious that he didn’t want her to stumble around in the dark castle yard. He had been treating her like she was made of glass ever since he had learned about the pregnancy, and while his protective side could be endearing, sometimes he took the situation too seriously.

“I was thinking about the balcony,” she added. “Not the castle yard, of course.”

“Oh, I see,” he mumbled, mulling it over in his head before he said, “That doesn’t sound bad.”

He let go of her and sat up, stretching his arms as he shimmied to the edge of the bed, getting up and lighting a single candle. Before she could take two steps away from the bed, he was at her side and draped her warm cloak over her shoulders, closing the golden clasp at its front.

“So you don’t get cold,” he explained when he noted the surprise on her face. “I want you to be comfortable, Soomi. It’s bad enough that I keep waking you up.” Guilt shone in his gorgeous brown eyes, dulling them. He frowned and turned towards the balcony, but she caught his wrist and stopped him.

“Don’t ever feel guilty for your nightmares,” she said. Her gray eyes were steely, and they bore into his. “You’ve sacrificed so much for peace. It’s only natural that you need time to recover. Nobody blames you for that.”

“But you’re—”

“I don’t mind being there for you,” she said sternly, backing up her words with the most determined expression she could muster. “And if it means waking up in the middle of the night, that is fine. We will get through this together. Just like always.” The seriousness on her face melted, making way for a soft smile. Her lips curved, and her eyes crinkled at the corners.

He gave a faint smile. “Yeah, like always,” he echoed. “Thank you, Soomi.”

“Let’s go,” she said, took his hand and tugged him through the doors that led to the balcony. They stood next to each other, holding on to the railing. The sight from up here was breathtaking, and even at night, it was possible to make out the countless houses of the capital that laid at their feet. Behind the city’s imposing walls, the vast meadows of Lux stretched on towards the horizon. The forests looked like dark patches from afar. Soomi had seen some of them up close when they had been horse-riding together, and she knew how beautiful they were during daylight even if they looked different right now.

“Lux is a beautiful place,” she whispered in awe.

“I’m glad you think so,” he smiled, circling her waist with his arm. “It’s been a while since you first came here.”

“Yes, more than a year,” she said. “I would have never thought that things would turn out this way. You were quite reluctant around me at first… but I think I did a good job at winning you over.” A giggle left her and she gazed at him with affection swimming in her gaze.

He snorted in amusement and nodded. “I didn’t stand a chance against you, my Queen,” he teased. “I love you.”

Her smile brightened, and she leaned in to kiss him. “I love you more,” she whispered, prompting him to laugh. By the time they returned to bed, his nightmare was long forgotten, and the tension had left his body.

The seventh month of her pregnancy rolled around, and by now, news about it had spread through the castle and the entire kingdom. People were curious and tried to get a glimpse of their Queen, but Baekhyun insisted that she should stay on castle grounds where she was well protected. Even after all danger had passed and their enemies had been defeated, he never got careless when her health was involved and he made sure to keep her safe.

Soomi often spent time with her friends and acquaintances who lived in the castle, not just the royal guard, but Younghee and Lisa as well. On this particular day, Lisa had great news for the Queen when she helped her get ready in the morning. She brought a wrapped little box into the room with a letter attached to it, stating that it had arrived from Caelum.

Soomi opened it while Lisa braided her hair, and what she found inside the box made her smile. Her father and her brother had sent clothes for the baby. They were tiny and colored light blue and silver. As she read the letter, her smile widened.

“My brother writes that he can’t wait to see the baby,” she told Lisa. “And he says father is excited too.”

“They’re very thoughtful,” Lisa said and secured the braid with a pretty hair clip. “Does that mean your family will visit when the baby is born?”

“I will gladly invite them if they want to see the newest part of the family,” Soomi answered as she put the clothes back into the gift box. “We might hold a celebration… Younghee mentioned that she wouldn’t mind organizing one for Baekhyun and me.”

“Sounds lovely,” Lisa gushed. “We haven’t had a ball in so long!”

“Yes, that’s true,” Soomi said. “It has been a few months… and it would be the perfect opportunity for a family reunion. I haven’t seen my father since the wedding.”

“For over a year,” Lisa said, her eyes widening. “That’s a long time. I can imagine you would want to reunite with him and your brother.”

“I miss them a bit, but this castle is my home now and I’m happy here,” she smiled.

As Soomi reached the eight month of her pregnancy, her body had gone through significant changes, and some of them were harder to bear than others. The baby had grown heavier, leading to back pain and breathlessness. She was tired often and couldn’t sleep well at night. Baekhyun had been worried about her, making a fuss every time she wanted to continue doing her duties as the Queen. He assured that she got a lot of rest. Despite all threats being taken care of, he always assigned one of the knights to stay with her when he was occupied—she found this protective side of him endearing.

The castle doctor looked after her regularly and paid her frequent visits, giving her advice on her pregnancy. It had been going well so far and therefore the doctor was convinced that the child would be fine.

This afternoon, Baekhyun and Soomi visited the castle gardens together, a place where she felt comfortable. It was February now, and the snow that covered the plants was slowly melting in the warm sunlight. They strolled through the gardens slowly, without haste. Her warm winter cloak nearly reached the ground, and her hands were clad in gloves that protected her from the freezing cold weather.

Tiny snow crystals sparkled in all colors of the rainbow when illuminated by the sun. Small snowdrops bloomed in the flower beds, the