Yayyy~~ birthday fluff~~
The evening before and the morning of the king's birthday, His Majesty was not to be disturbed.
Of course, the servants knew where he was and what he was doing. It was no secret that the king was reclusive in his household matters, but some things were just too easy to tell.
Nine months after Gwangjong's twenty-sixth birthday, Princess Seol and Prince Ju were born.
Nine months after his thirtieth birthday, Prince Hyo was born.
Now, on the morning of his thirty-second birthday, the servants quietly wondered if this would be the year another prince or princess was added to the royal family.
His children were kept occupied for the morning. Their lessons commenced as usual and their day was still strictly overseen by their nannies, tutors, and servants. If the littlest royals asked where their parents were or when the festivities for their father's birthday would begin, they were given sharp glares by their teachers and told to sit still.
"His Majesty and Her Grace are currently occupied with matters of the nation, Princess. Birthday festivities can only commence once the nation is at rest- something your brother would do well to learn. Lift your head from the table, prince!"
"I'm bored! I want to see my father!" Ju groaned. He turned to the older twin and stared as she pursed her lips at him. The two wore the same shade of pink, Seol's gown matching Ju's robes. Seol had jade flowers in her hair while Ju's hair was tied back with green ribbons.
"His Majesty is currently occupied, Your Highness. If you do not lift your head from the table, I will be forced to tell the queen of your refusal to-"
Ju's head snapped off of the table and he sat primly, unwilling to let his mother hear of his rule-breaking.
Their lessons were held beneath a wide gazebo because the weather was so nice. Ju and Seol sat on soft cushions as they learned about the different levels of society in their culture. Morning history lessons made Seol yawn. She was better at sums and numbers. It was Ju that enjoyed history and writing. Seol only liked history when they learned about their grandfather's conquests and their father's battle with Khitan.
Both children awaited the end of their morning lessons so they could finally see their parents and play with their younger brother. The twins considered Hyo lucky. He was too young to learn, so he spent his days with their mother, learning to walk in the gardens and playing with the dolls she sewed for him.
They stared enviously at the little boy that slept in the shade of the ginkgo trees, cradled in his nanny's arms. Hyo was allowed to sleep in because he was a baby. After being dressed by his servants, the littlest prince was rocked back to sleep since his mother was not around to care for him.
Ju leaned in towards his sister and began whispering when their teacher turned away. "The celebrations start in the evening and it's almost lunchtime. Do you think Mother and Father are going to stay away all day?"
"I don't know. But I think Mother would have come to see us by now."
"Prince, Princess, since you are both so tired of learning, perhaps we should practice the show you have prepared for His Majesty," their teacher said. Ju and Seol immediately nodded, ready to close their books and do anything but read.
Standing from their seats, the twins took the necessary measures to begin practicing.
They wondered what their parents were doing.
Soo attempted to crawl away from So and screeched with laughter when his hand snatched her ankle, dragging her back to their bed. "Stop! No! I have to check on the children!" She could not stop her giggles as the king's lips met her side and back, his teeth gently biting and claiming what was his.
"The children can survive for a few hours while Father and Mother play," So growled, wrestling Soo's playfully swats and dodging her attempts to flee his embrace.
Laying atop a messy bed, their legs tangled between golden bedsheets, the king and queen held each other and smiled, their frantic hearts beginning to slow.
Around them were discarded articles of clothing, various shades of silk tossed in various directions the night before. The once neat bed was messy and cluttered, its owners smiling in content.
They surveyed each other, skin meeting skin. Soo turned to face So, her hands cupping his cheek as he leaned over her. His elbows caged her head and his knees trapped her between them. So crouched over her and Soo touched his face.
Her husband wore no makeup and his hair was loose over his shoulders, surrounding her with dark waves tinged with strands of silver. Soo sat up to kiss her husband's eye, touching her lips to his scar.
Smirking down at his wife, So dragged a pleased hand through her long hair. He touched her belly and sighed, shaking his head. "If you weren't already carrying my child, I would have put one in you by now," he murmured. "Perhaps I've put a second inside you."
They laughed together, and Soo pressed her hand against So's. With her first and second pregnancies, and now her third, So loved to touch her belly and kiss it. "I may lose all of my hair and grow too tired to be with you if I have another set of twins," Soo remarked. "Would Your Majesty be alright with me only sleeping at night?"
"Hair or no hair, I will always find you the most enchanting woman in this world. And if you wish to sleep at night then I will lay beside you and also sleep, Hae Soo." So glanced at Soo and smiled, emphasizing his words with another kiss.
Soo pursed her lips at the king that seemed to only know the right words to say.
"Then perhaps I will be alright with another set of twins."
Hours and hours of lovemaking had begun their day, leading up to the point where So kissed the little bump on his queen's belly, adoring the place where their fourth child resided.
Soo loved watching him speak to the baby inside her. He would discuss politics with their child and tell it about his day, citing the more fun parts while also speaking of the boring parts. That morning, So seemed not to want to discuss any political issues with their baby. All he wanted to do was caress Soo's belly and nudge his cheek against it.
"Little one, today is your father's birthday," he murmured, touching his lips just below Soo's navel. He glanced over his wife's naked body as her hand brushed through his hair, dragging through the strands that were just as long as hers. "The only gift I could ever want is lying right in front of me… and she has given me so much happiness. Your three older siblings came from her, and soon, she shall birth you as well."
"Your Majesty, those older siblings will need checking up on-" Soo paused when So's lips silenced her, his lithe body easily moving forward until his lips were aligned with hers.
"Hush, Queen," he murmured against her lips, his fingertips swirling over her smooth skin. So kissed Soo again, savoring their quiet moments. "I know you worry about the children, but today, you may only worry about me."
He chuckled when Soo scoffed. "I worry about you the most, Your Majesty," she replied. Her lips met his and So smirked when she pulled him closer. Her arms curled around his throat, luring him to her soft bosom. "My sweet, dear king."
"We ought to tell the children they'll have another sibling," So decided, laying his head against his wife's chest. He touched her belly and smirked when she draped a leg over his, her thigh pressing against hip. "I think a day spent together is a day well spent."
He initiated another kiss with his wife and sighed before nodding his head. "Perhaps it is time we went to see what the little princes and princess are doing. Their antsy little bottoms must be positively flying from their seats."
"I did promise them an entire day with their father," Soo said softly, giggling when So touched his lips to her throat and squeezed her bottom.
"Cheeky queen, promising the king's presence without permission."
"The queen may promise the king's presence whenever it pertains to the children," Soo replied. She kissed her husband's forehead and giggled when his lips brushed over her chest, his fingertips ghosting down her body.
It was another hour before the king and queen were ready to be dressed.
So walked with his hands behind his back and watched from afar as his children took a rest from their studies, drinking tea and eating little snacks. The twins laughed and sat in the shade with their younger brother, letting him toddle around them.
"Was it your idea to dress them in matching pink robes?" So asked his wife.
The queen wore blue and white, her hair braided behind her head with sapphires from the west. So touched the combs a western lord had gifted to Soo. Clustered in the form of flying butterflies, the precious stones sent rays of deep blue onto Soo's dark hair. She was beautiful in anything, but So found her exquisite in the robes only a woman of her station could wear. Long coats flowed down her graceful body, tied in place with a thick belt that featured the likenesses of the Four Guardians.
"I think they look wonderful in pink, Your Majesty," replied Soo. She smiled at So.
The king wore red and gold, his usual robes of black and blue traded for festive colors and celebratory shades. Instead of the bulky, heavy robes he wore to court, the king was more comfortable on his days of leisure, dressing as he did when he was younger. The only difference between the king and his attire as a prince was the gilded crown that held his black and silver topknot in place.
They approached the children and So smirked when the twins immediately stood and bowed. "Princess Seol greets the king," his daughter first said.
"Prince Ju greets the king," Ju then said. So nodded to his children before watching Hyo chase a butterfly around the gazebo. At just over a year old, So doubted the boy would bow even if directed.
"Rise, you two," he said, nodding to his eldest children. The two beamed and followed his command.
So walked over to the youngest prince and picked him up, listening to the little boy scream and laugh. While So carried the smallest prince back to his family, Seol and Ju bowed to their mother, who patted their shoulders and peppered kisses to their faces. So took that moment to look down at the fat cheeks that grinned up at him. "Why aren't you bowing, prince?" he asked, tickling the baby in his arms. "Your king has arrived, yet you chase after a butterfly? Is a bug more important than your own father?"
"Papa!" Hyo called, screeching with laughter. So held his son in one arm and opened the other for his older children.
Seol and Ju rushed into his embrace and So stepped one foot back to keep his balance when the two six-year-olds crashed into his body.
"Happy birthday, Father!" the two shouted eagerly. So patted both children on the head and playfully flicked Ju's ponytail, watching the green ribbons in it flutter. He tapped two fingers against Seol's head and tested the tightness of her braids. The jade butterflies in her hair were the same ones Soo had worn before they were married. So wondered if she had given their daughter her hairpins.
So sat down at the teacher's desk and remembered a time when he would sit in the very place his children now sat in. He remembered ignoring whatever the instructor droned about, and daydreaming about Hae Soo. Now, he watched his own children complain about the wizened old scholar who taught them the virtues written by Confucius. "Mother teaches us those all the time, Father! She tells us to always have respect for those above us and to aid and assist those beneath us," claimed Seol.
Nodding his head, So bounced the youngest on his knee. Soo took the chair beside his and So nodded to the tutor who had arrived to inform the children their resting period was over.
The old man fell to his knees at the sight of the king and bowed until his beard touched the floor. Once allowed to stand, the teacher slowly approached the king and queen with downcast eyes.
"Your Majesty," Soo began, "I hear the children have prepared a special performance in honor of your birthday." She smiled and So raised his eyebrows before looking out at his twins. The two nodded eagerly and the tutor bid them to stand before the king.
There was a shuffling, something was removed from beside the table, and So smiled when his children bowed to him before taking their positions.
Ju sat with a gayageum perched onto his knee, his fingers ready to begin plucking out a tune.
Discreetly reaching to hold Soo's hand, So laced his fingers with his queen's and watched as Seol took a dancing stance. The princess opened her arms in an attempt to be as graceful as her six-year-old body allowed.
A vocal direction from their tutor, and Ju began to play as Seol began to sway, endeavoring to complete a sophisticated dance performed by highborn ladies. So smiled as Ju played the accompanying music, his fingers quivering against the strings and plucking the notes with precision… until he missed one.
The two put on their performance, dressed in matching pink and performing for their proud parents. Mistakes were made, of course. Ju missed a note or two while Seol overstepped or opened her arms too quickly. However, their ensemble was watched by the adoring eyes of their parents, and any mistakes were just as loved as the central performance.
Soo beamed at her children, and she hushed Hyo when he shouted for his older sister. Pressing a finger to her lips, she quieted the baby and glanced at her husband as his eyes moved between their twins. So's smile was the happiest around their children and Soo relished the moments they could all be together.
Pink sleeves fluttered and blue ribbons that fell from the princess's gown danced with her movements. The princess's performance was marked in intervals by her accompaniment, the twanging gayageum directing the entire piece.
When the show ended, So nodded his head and thanked the performers, reaching into his sleeves for their payment. Earlier, Soo had provided him with two little gifts to give Seol and Ju after they performed for him.
Removing two new hairpieces for his children, So set them onto the table before him and thanked the entertainers for their time. "A magnificent performance," said the king. "I hope to see it again someday."
"Thank your father, children," Soo said. She nodded to the twins and they bowed to So, thanking him for watching them. The two collected their new gifts before scampering to So's side and accepting pats on the head and kisses on their cheeks.
The tutor was dismissed and the day's lessons cancelled. The king and queen took a stroll with their children while lunch was prepared in the king's chambers.
Taking Soo's hand, So watched as his son and daughter ran ahead of them. Soo tried to shoo the children away when they blocked the king's path, but the father stopped for his little ones and addressed them each time they asked a question or arrived to show him some new little thing they had picked up along the way.
Little Hyo toddled after his siblings, his short legs making it difficult to keep up. "Hungie! Noonie!" he called, attempting to form their titles on his inexperienced tongue. The older children ignored the youngest and soon, Hyo was too tired to continue.
Turning around, he ran back to where his parents were, whining and opening his arms to his mother. "Mama," he called, beckoning for her to pick him up. The little prince was a blotch of pink against the queen's blue skirt and he held her legs in order to be held, rubbing his face into her knees.
Soo leaned to pick her son up but paused when So stopped her, his hand on her shoulder. "Your knees may be healed, but I don't want you straining yourself," he murmured. So crouched low and lifted Hyo by the armpits, lifting the prince to his chest. "Papa will hold you," he said to the boy.
Tiredly, Hyo rubbed his eyes and held onto the king's robes, staring at his siblings as they darted to and from the lake. It was not long before his heavy eyelids began to droop shut.
Oblivious to their exhausted brother, Ju and Seol reached into the pristine water and splashed around, producing shells and snails. They carried their treasures over to their parents, wide sleeves dripping with water and sand. Showing off the creatures they picked up from the rocks and shoreline, the twins ran to toss the shells back once receiving confirmation from their parents that yes, the shells were very weird and interesting.
"Hae Soo," So murmured to his wife. Soo turned to face him and he smiled, gently patting their sleeping son's back. "I believe this is my best birthday yet. I don't see how any day could be even better than this. Spending so much time with you, the children you have given me, and the child you will give me… how can I thank you?"
Soo squeezed her husband's hand when it took hers, and chuckled when Ju stumbled over a root and knocked into Seol, sending them both toppling. The children laughed and shouted at each other, so neither parent worried too much. "I should thank you, my love. It's because you've protected our family that we've come so far. You are always here for us and you're the reason we can walk so freely. There is no one in the world that can touch our family because every moment, it is you shielding us from harm."
Leaning in, Soo kissed So's cheek. She clasped his elbow with her other hand and closed her eyes, accepting the kiss So pressed to her forehead. His garnet sleeves brushed against her white ones, the golden dragons on his clothing meeting the silver flowers on hers.
Their walk continued around the lake. Seol and Ju were almost drenched by the time the family stroll neared the gates of the palace. Their clothes were wet, their shoes muddy.
"If those two left the palace right now, I wouldn't have trouble believing they're two street rats begging for food," So muttered. Soo stifled her laugh into her sleeve and continued to keep an eye on her twins.
"They do love to make messes, don't they?" she sighed.
"Making messes, having someone come to save them from getting hurt… reminds me of you when we were children," the king remarked. He turned to his blushing wife with a playful smirk. "Don't tell me you've forgotten how you ran towards that group of thugs that tried to take Jung's arm. How you waved a stick around and threatened to make soup out of their bones? How can a queen have been so brazenly violent in her youth?"
They continued forward and Soo laughed into the palm of her hand, blushing away from her smiling husband. "I sometimes wonder how I survived this long. Given my childhood proclivity for searching for trouble… it's a wonder I'm still alive."
"You're alive because I was always there to take care of you, my dear," So said. Soo reached for his hand and laced her fingers with his, feeling him squeeze her hand. "I was and will always be here to catch you when you fall."
The entrance to the king's private residence drew near and a gaggle of servants flocked to the children. Soo let the nannies and eunuchs lead her children inside. They would be washed at Damiwon and dressed for lunch with their parents.
Soo accepted her baby from So's arms and followed the king into their shared bedroom, laying the sleeping child onto the futon on the floor. Soo had her own private residence, but it was cold from being unused for so long. Those chambers were only used for her to entertain guests and to meet the wives of other lords. In the winter, the warm building became a school for Seol and Ju's lessons.
Soo knew she could use her chambers whenever she wished, but after the first night of their marriage she never wished to leave her husband's side. She had spent an entire week after their first night together in his bed, and during that time, had grown used to feeling So's warm body beside her.
Due to the gravity of his occupation and the brevity of the lifespans of the past kings, So suffered from nightmares when he slept in his bedroom alone. There were too many memories of his father and the brothers that had used those very chambers before him. He needed Soo to keep the monsters at bay.
So, the wall between the king's bedroom and the meeting room next door was torn down, almost tripling the space the king and queen would use for their daily lives.
A larger bed was commissioned, replacing the one the king used to sleep in alone. Not ten steps away from the bed was a futon. Covered in the queen's blankets, that bed was for if Soo wished to sleep alone, or if any of the children sought their mother in the night. Soo would move away from the bed she and So shared- so as not to disturb the king- and comfort their child in the futon that had been warmed by the heat that emanated from the floor.
A dining table large enough for the entire family was added to the room so that the entire royal family could sit together for meals, and an entire section of the room was converted into a sitting area where Soo would teach the children and- if necessary- administer punishment.
No one outside of the royal family and a select handful of servants were allowed into the king's bedroom.
Currently, the king and queen sat on the floor, watching their youngest child curl into the warm blankets and suck his thumb. So reached to remove Hyo's hand from his mouth and gently smoothed the feathery hair that covered his son's head.
So looked at his wife and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her onto his lap. Soo smiled and kissed his cheek.
"Happy birthday, my king," she murmured, careful not to let her voice rise above a whisper.
"Thank you for making my day wonderful, my queen."
Soo leaned against her husband's front and felt his hand touch her belly, his palm resting against the place where their fourth grew. "Oh how far we've come," said So. He smiled down at Hyo, sliding his index finger into the baby's curled fist. "We should tell the children they'll have another sibling soon. What's taking Seol and Ju so long?"
As if on cue, the servants announced the arrival of the prince and princess, opening the doors, and allowing the newly washed and dressed children into their parents' presence.
No longer in matching clothing, the two walked comfortably in their usual attire. Seol wore a yellow dress while Ju sported his dragon robes, displaying the royal crest on his front and back.
The twins bounded forward and bowed before their parents before hastening to sit down across from them, sticking their socked feet beneath the futon and giggling when Hyo rolled onto his side. "He's always so sleepy," said Seol. "Father, was I ever that sleepy?"
"All babies sleep, Seol," So replied, releasing Soo so that she could sit beside him. "You were just as small and just as sleepy as Hyo is when you were his age. You too, Ju."
Holding Soo's hand, So smiled at his wife before turning to the prince and princess. "Crown Prince, Princess," he said, addressing them. The children perked up at the sound of their titles, their eyes wide with curiosity as to what would follow. "Your mother and I are happy to tell you that you'll be getting another sibling soon. Mother has another baby in her belly."
The children's eyes lit up and Soo laughed when Ju and Seol immediately dove into her arms, hugging her. As she fell backwards, it was So that quickly slipped a hand behind her to catch her before she could touch the ground. He picked the giddy children off of her and conked each one on the head. "Mother is fragile!" he barked, narrowing his eyes at the twins. "We don't run into her. You can run into me but don't run into your mother, understand?"
He frowned between the two children that sheepishly knelt before him, rubbing the tops of their heads. The two nodded at their father and mumbled that they understood.
Once their apologies were accepted, the twins slowly crept to either side of Soo and gently hugged her, feeling her belly to see if there was any bump yet.
Soo kissed each child where So had rapped his knuckles against their heads, soothing whatever pain the children had already forgotten. She held her little ones close before turning to So with a smile. Her husband grinned back at her and Soo leaned in to accept a light kiss from him.
"Alright, little ones," Soo said to her children. "Lunch is on the table. What do we do at the table?"
"Wait for Father to sit first and then wait for Father to eat first!" piped Seol. Soo rewarded her daughter's correct answer with a kiss on the forehead and patted both her children on the bottom, sending them to the table.
So was next to stand and he reached a hand down to help his wife up. Soo accepted his gestured and leaned her weight against him as she stood. "Soon, you'll have to sleep alone on the bed and I'll sleep on the futon when you get uncomfortable," chuckled So. Soo shook her head at him.
"Your majesty, we both fit on the bed. Should I ever become uncomfortable, I will move to the futon. You're king. You must be well-rested to-"
"I may be king, but you are my queen," So interjected, leading her towards their meal. "I will not rest easy knowing the mother of my children is ever uncomfortable. I'd sleep on a pile of rocks if it meant giving you a nice bed to lay on."
The king and queen left the youngest prince to continue sleeping on the futon, ready to enjoy seaweed soup and grilled meats. There were eighteen side dishes laden onto the table and each family member had their own bowls of rice and soup.
So sat at the head of the table and picked his chopsticks up, motioning for the rest of his family to sit. They proceeded to take their usual spots beside him, Soo sitting to his right, Ju to his left, and Seol to Soo's right. So glanced back at Hyo and made sure he was still sleeping.
Then, picking up a morsel of food, So bit into it and nodded for the rest of his family to begin eating. In the evening, they would all dress in more formal robes and attend the festivities held in his honor. So would have to sit through hours of boring performances, speak to countless lords, and accepts gifts that mattered little to him.
But for the time being, he watched Seol accidentally drop a piece of kimchi onto her yellow skirt and whine to Soo. Ju giggled at his sister's clumsiness while Soo used a cloth to wipe the stains on Seol's clothing. Nothing made the king happier than being with his family, watching the children and Soo interact.
And so, Wang So celebrated his birthday sharing stories and enjoying bursts of happiness, surrounded by the people he loved the most.