Briar Rose - Taekook

Chapter 59

Carrying her brother two years later was easier, but not by much. Taehyung knew I was expecting, but got called away to an important mission in the south just weeks before I was due. Originally, he had planned not to go at all, but after days of pleading on my part, he had grudgingly agreed. But not before he pulled Jin aside to make him promise that I would not be in any danger, and asked Lisa to write to him at least two times a day with a report on my condition. Areum absolutely adored Lisa, and she was her third favorite person on the planet, after Taehyung and I. Since I was confined to the infirmary, Lisa took over parenting for a while, and I couldn't have been more grateful for her if I tried. Once Jihoon arrived in the world, as an even smaller baby than Areum, things started to finally settle down.

 Now, watching them playing so carefreely in the field of wildflowers, it was like a scene straight out of a fairytale. My own fairytale. I subconsciously smile at the thought.

Barely a second later, I feel a pair of strong arms wrap around my waist, and instinctively lean back, letting Taehyung's warmth engulf me. His chin rests on my shoulder, and when I turn my head, his lips are right there, waiting for me. Even after a decade, his kisses make me feel like fireworks are exploding in my heart. I turn around fully, letting his arms wrap around me as I put mine on his shoulders. I weave my hands through his hair, tugging on it a little to bring us closer together. Taehyung lets out a laugh, low in his chest.

"Baby, if you don't want me to pull you down into the flowers right now, I suggest you stop before I lose self control."

"I wouldn't mind," I murmur against his lips, making no move to pull away.

Taehyung's eyes flicker towards our children. "Are you sure?"

I reluctantly pull away.

He laughs again, and kisses me on the forehead. "They grow quickly, don't they?" His deep, velvet voice whispers in my ear. "It just seems like a few weeks ago when Jihoon was still a small baby."

"Mmm." I watch as Areum finally catches Jihoon, and they both go tumbling down a small hill and out of sight. My motherly instincts kick in and I start to get up, but Taehyung gently restrains me from running to them. 

"Relax, Jungkook. There's nothing that can hurt them here. Besides, they're vampires. Our kind doesn't get hurt so easily. A small hill is nothing." Even though I hear the logic in what he's saying, my body stays tense until Areum and Jihoon come climbing back up the hill, not a scratch on them. Only then do I let myself relax again, fully pliant in Taehyung's arms.

Taehyung chuckles. "You're so overprotective sometimes, Kookie. I wonder if that has something to do with your human upbringing. How will you survive when Areum has to go to school?"

School. Such an innocent word. In the human world, that would mean learning how to count, or reading storybooks. Areum, being six years old, would be going into kindergarten.

Here, it means Bloodcrest. The bloody, harsh institute which all first-born children of rulers must attend. I had been trying not to think about it, but now the future was too close to ignore.

"I don't want her to go, Tae," I murmur, pressing my face into his chest. "She's too young. Too innocent. If Bloodcrest is as bad as you say, it'll break her."

"I've tried," Taehyung's voice is horribly strained. "You know I've tried. If we had any choice, I wouldn't be sending her. But going to Bloodcrest is a tradition thousands of years old. Even I don't have enough power to change that. I've already pleaded with the school countless times, but they refuse to make exceptions." His hands ball into fists, and it's easy to see that he's frustrated and scared enough to punch through a brick wall.