The condition the king gave Chaewon wasn’t as simple as he said – it wasn’t even only one thing for that matter. But it was never a problem, as the general was known for being good at keeping her word. The condition was for Chaewon to remain as Minjoo’s protector and never go back to the frontlines, instead she should stick to the princess and make sure she was happy – and give him plenty of grandkids.

Chaewon gladly accepted.

Being on the battlefield wasn’t her passion, albeit she enjoyed holding her sword and using it for the right thing, she could do a lot from home – by teaching young soldiers like her dad had always done, and helping to create new strategies not only to help during battle, but to avoid confrontations.

Today she was working with a very special class. She had brought her three students, alongside her wife and their youngest daughter who was still a baby, to the pretty space near Chaewon’s old house in her parents’ land. It was the calm space by the lake next to the forest, perfect for a family day – family and friends, better said, as they were accompanied by some of their royal guard friends after paying a visit to her parents earlier.

“One and two…and three and four…” Chaewon said slowly, as she walked from side to side, fixing the posture of her apprentices and giving them small tips, always being careful to never discourage their passion – she was teaching kids after, and not just any kids, but her precious daughters. “Keep your back straight, watch your moves and allow them to be fluid.”

Her most willing apprentice shot a hand up the sky, demanding her attention and Chaewon walked to her side. “Am I doing good, mom?” The kid showed her the movement, it was pretty good considering a five-year-old was the one doing it.

“You are doing great, Yerim! You have a natural talent.” She complimented with a soft smile, a gentle hand coming to pat the little girl’s head. “Just be careful, you can’t hurt yourself so don’t forget to use your gloves. Okay?”

Yerim nodded with her usual bright smile and Chae’s chest was full of pride and love as hugged her daughter before allowing her to go back to playing with the wooden sword Chaewon had gifted her with.

“I always thought she was the type that would find a nice girl, get married and have some kids. You know, live a calm and boring life.” It was Yena speaking, she was sitting with Hyewon a few feet away, supposedly guarding the royal family on that sunny morning. “I just didn’t think it would be with the princess!”

“And four kids.” Hyewon added in between bites on her sandwich, showing four fingers to emphasize her words – not that it was needed, all of the said children were there with them today. “Four fox-tiger little babies!” Her tone was something between impressed and slightly terrified – for good reason, as watching over the young princesses became one of their duties and keeping up with the little ones wasn’t always easy.

“Four kids and a wife that I love very much, so I will gladly live this boring and calm life.” Chaewon replied, having overheard her noisy friends speaking. She came closer to urge them to stand up and remember they should be helping her, not just stealing their food. “You should be glad, after all, now you got a new job where you don’t have to risk your life every day.”

“I have to admit, being a babysitter wasn’t my dream, but the little ones are quite fun to be around.” Yena agreed, referring to her new occupation that consisted of watching over the young princesses. Geumyeou was living a pretty peaceful decade, without any wars or internal confrontations to worry about, even the best soldiers of the nation could relax a bit and take new tasks in hands – the king personally requested for a special guard for each of his granddaughters. “Especially that one.” She gestured to Yerim’s older sister and twin, Hyunjin. Different from the diligent younger twin, Hyunjin was busy chasing Yujin as they both barked at each other – what seems like a new habit of the childish duo.

“Hyunjinnie!” Chaewon called out to get the kid’s attention, raising a finger and shaking it slowly. “No.” It was a firm order, but said with a gentle smile so the little girl would know she wasn’t mad – Chae was hardly ever annoyed by her kids, even if some of them could be mischievous at times; some usually meaning Hyunjin and her oldest daughter. “You can play with Yujin, but not like this. Go with Yerim and find Hiichan so you can eat some bread, alright honey?” Giving her a nod, she pointed the direction where Hitomi and Yuri were pulling out some food from baskets, as expected the kid didn’t think twice before doing so.

Shaking her head slightly, she watched as the kid sat with the older women to attack the fluffy bread Hitomi offered her – but not before making sure her sister also had a piece of it.

Chaewon knew they were in good hands, therefore she turned her attention to the other members of her growing family. She observed Minjoo sitting by the lake with the baby in her arms, their oldest daughter keeping her company.

“Look, mom!” The child called with excitement evident in her big brown eyes that had a hint of gold to them – Goeun, their seven-year old daughter and the future queen of this nation. She waved her hands, showing Minjoo the little fox she managed to bring to life. “I can summon her now!”

Minjoo smiled, seeing herself in her daughter as the kid’s enthusiasm infected her. Now she understood how her mother felt that night – the good part of it. “Wow! She is beautiful, baby. You are doing so well!” She gently patted her head, proud of Goeun’s quick progress. Different from her, her daughters wouldn’t need to suppress their powers, but she would teach them to deal with it and become strong, so one day they would no longer have to keep it a secret. “Be nice to her. Remember, always ask, never order.”

Goeun hugged her mother, giving her best puppy eyes and a tooth smile, a combination that was almost always effective. “Can we play by the river? She can blow fire!”

“Fire?” Minjoo felt herself growing a little paler, but managed to let out a soft chuckle. Of course, fire matched her daughter’s personality perfectly. “You can play without fire, we will practice it another time.” When they were back at the palace and she had found a safe place for it, far from people’s eyes and where Goeun couldn’t cause too much damage. The kid pouted, but nodded and before Minjoo knew it, she was already running to play with her fox spirit.

The princess’s attention was captured by something else as she felt the baby moving in her arms, chestnut eyes watching her as her youngest daughter had just woken up from her nap. “Oh, hey there, love. Did you sleep well?” Jiheon was still too small to answer verbally, so she just gave her a toothless smile that was beyond adorable. Hugging the kid to her chest, she murmured. “I hope you are not a fire fox as well, I am afraid Goeun might burn the whole town already.”

“Goeun won’t, she is a good kid. Just very passionate.” Chaewon’s voice sounded, the older Kim approaching the duo and taking a seat by her wife’s side. She greeted Minjoo with a smile and Jiheon with a gentle kiss on her tiny hand. “Reminds of someone I know.” Her eyes met Minjoo’s and the younger woman couldn’t help but admit it.

“She took after me, I know.” They might have different powers, but every single one of her daughters shared many similarities with her – and with Chaewon too. “I have a feeling that Jiheon is more like you though.” Be it the lighter eyes or the fact that the baby was so calm, something told her that their youngest would be a lot like her wife and she was excited about it.

Minjoo loved all her kids, and watching them grow up and develop their personalities was the most rewarding part of being a mother – even though, she was not so secretly, was still waiting to raise a little General Kim, maybe Jiheon would be adorable like her mom too.

“Maybe? I think it’s too early to tell.” Chaewon didn’t really mind whether or not the kid would be like her, she would love Jiheon unconditionally just like she loved her sisters – the same way she loved the crown princess. “Goeun will be a great protector to this kingdom someday, a great queen, like her grandmother and her mom.” Hugging Minjoo by the shoulders, she brought her closer so Min could rest her head on her shoulder. Minjoo wasn’t the queen yet as the king was still alive and well, but someday she would be, and there was no doubt in her mind that her wife would be a great one. “And she will have her sisters to help her with it.”

“No wonder my dad wanted so many heirs, we’ve got one for each side of the country.” Letting out a light chuckle, she snuggled up to Chaewon, the baby in her arms smiling at her parents as if she could feel the love between them – and maybe she could. “They are all amazing, aren’t them?” She asked, as her gaze landed on Goeun who was now with her younger sisters, the girls giggling as they ran around the place with the little fox, playing with the adults who indulged their mischief.

With a calm smile, the general nodded. If someday having a life beside the princess looked like an impossible dream, now it was a reality that she would never stop being thankful for, not only for having Minjoo by her side, but also for everything good that came from it. The gods should be looking out for her the day they allowed her to meet the white tiger spirit at that same forest, the fateful encounter that made this reality possible now.

“They surely are. Just like you, my princess.” Chae agreed, her smile growing wider, eyes bright with silver as she faced her wife. “Perfect.” Kissing Minjoo’s forehead, she let her lips linger a moment more. “I love you, all of you.”

Minjoo chuckled lightly at such romantic words, but she knew Chaewon meant her words, after all, for her it was the same. In her eyes, Chaewon would always be perfect – her perfect match. “I love you too, my general.” She replied as she sealed their lips in a light kiss.

Be it by king’s mischief, the gods’ wishes or even the very own wish of their hearts, they had found a way to each other’s life and heart – and they couldn’t be any gladder for it.

A/N: This will be a long note so please bear with me this once. First, thank you for reading ‘till here! It went from an OS to almost 70k words, so it was quite a long ride and I sincerely hope you guys enjoyed it. The project actually started over a year ago with the help of my friends (biris, cereja and toyota-chan), but we spent more time fighting (read: me and solace-authornim) over how the characters would be and writing the outline then actually writing, hence why I stole the story for myself XD Anyway, without them the story wouldn’t be possible, so I have to thank them for their help and input, as well as for allowing me to take charge of it.  Thank you Mint for encouraging me to write it and the beautiful cover! And my reviewer Jin, you helped me so much!

Second, Beojji = Sakura, Geumyeou = Golden Fox, aka the secret about the queens of each kingdom was in the names of the countries since the start. Third, 2kim’s daughters here: Goeun from Purple Kiss, Hyunjin and Yerim from Loona, and Jiheon from Fromis. P.S.: Authorized writers can write any spins offs about this fic side couples and kids (I’m looking at you gimletrue).

Now the last point and the most serious one: Like I said before, this might be my last fic. I thought about stopping writing for a while now, for many reasons, but never found the right time and anyone who knows me knows how much I enjoy writing, so I won’t say I won’t come back but I will try stop for a while. Any on-going work I have is discontinued for now. I won’t make promises, but “Through Your Eyes” is a special fic for me, it was the favorite of a dear friend, and I want to try finishing it someday, however I’m not sure if I will able to do it. I have some things ready on my drafts, might drop it here eventually if I have enough motivation. All my fics will remain here so you guys can read it whenever you want. I want to thank all my loyal readers who have supported me in many ways. Thank you for making this silly task of writing fics feel like a very nice and rewarding hobby! Please, keep on supporting my fellow authors and encourage them as well. Also, we still have the parallel universe for the girls, so don’t lose hope and support it as much as you can!

If you need to contact me, please reach out through here or my twitter/cc . Thank you again, and see you someday, maybe.