I think my story just ended happily with a beautiful marriage. But I was wrong. Marriage is not the happy ending, but the beginning of happiness.
I still have much to learn, as the husband of the Highest Priestess, father of a son, and the head of my little family. All that is not easy. Many new things that I experience every day.
One of them was today, when she stood before me with both hands placed on her belly, while saying...
"I'm pregnant."
I was stunned.
I never expected this would happen. Alright, we are already married. It is normal to have children after marriage. But I think, Daepyeong is enough for us. It has been seven years of our marriage, we never talked about giving Daepyeong a younger sibling.
How should I react?
Because this is a good news, maybe I should smile.
"Aren't you happy?" She asked.
"Of course I'm happy," I replied, giving my best smile.
And also confused...
She turned around, entered our bedroom, and slammed the door.
I forgot that she could still hear my thoughts.
I followed her. She was sitting on the bed with her back to the door. I approached her, crouching in front of her.
"I'm sorry, I can't react appropriately. Honestly, I'm confused. I don't know how to be a new father."
"You say that after being Daepyeong's father for seven years?"
"I mean, we have Daepyeong in baby form. We have never passed this phase. I'm a little nervous."
"I'm also nervous, and scared. Especially if I remember the process of Taealha giving birth to Daepyeong."
My saliva caught in the throat when I swallowed it. I'm more nervous now. I did not see when Taealha gave birth, but I heard her scream all night. And she died.
"Oh my Gods, you scared me even more!" She cried, covering her face with her palm.
I realized, she heard my mind again. I hugged her waist, I put my head on her thigh. My forehead pressed to her belly.
"I'm sorry, dear, I can't calm you down, but I'm worried too. I'm a bad husband."
Tanya played my hair, she must be braiding. She always does this when my head lies on her lap.
"You're wrong. You are a good husband. There are rarely men who worry about their wives who are pregnant. Men assume that pregnancy and childbirth are normal for all women and need not be feared. Even though we are betting lives."
"Everyone is different. You will not end up like Taealha. Our friends, our friends' wives, all can delivery their children safely. Nunbyeol even has four children."
"She's Neanthal."
"Chaeeun has three."
I looked up, clasped her hands, "I will make sure you'll eat nutritious food. I'll call Chaeeun every day to check on you. I will gather the best midwives in the country."
Tanya's teary eyes began to shed tears. I got up and sat by her side, wiping away her tears.
"Ssshhh ... don't cry. Eunsom will kill me if he know you're crying."
She chuckled. Still crying. I want to kiss her lips, but she immediately closed her mouth with her palm. She ran to the basin in the corner of the room, spewing out the breakfast she had just eaten.
I rubbed her back so she will felt more comfortable. Her face was so pale. Her body was very weak in my arms. I think she will pass out. I held her, and I put her slowly on the bed. I touched her belly with worry, thinking about how she would live for the next nine months?
"No need to worry, this is just a pregnancy hormone."
"Ah, do you want to eat something?"
I remember, sometimes pregnant women crave various kinds of food or something, which is sometimes strange. Mugwang once looked for fruit that only grows in winter when Nunbyeol pregnant Muyeol, their youngest son, in summer. Chaeeun told Mubaek to trim his mustache and beard while he was pregnant with their first son. I have also been ordered by Saya Niruha to find various kinds of food that are difficult to obtain, for his empress who is pregnant. I hope my wife doesn't crave anything strange.
"I just want to eat sour fruit."
I sighed in relief, "I'm going to the market to buy oranges and berries."
"No. Go to the Iark."
"Huh?"
"There is a rare fruit, which only grows in my village. It name is Mangifera. If it is too ripe, it will be too sweet. If it is too raw, it will be too sour. I want a half-ripe one."
I'm open-mouthed.
"What are you waiting for? The baby is starving!"
I heard her giggle for a moment before closing the door of the room. Do pregnant women really crave strange things, or are we husbands just being tricked to share their suffering? Whatever it is, I'll do my best.
~~~
Our worries did not occur, Tanya managed to deliver our baby girl safely, the most fussy baby in the world. She not only tortured her mother, but also her father. Other than asking for strange fruits, I couldn't be near Tanya. Far from making out, even just fifty meters away from me, Tanya was nauseous. Even though I bathed twice a day using seven various flowers, but Tanya still said that I smelled.
Does this child hate her father?
And when the child was born, I was surprised. Her face is very similar to mine. Eyes, nose, mouth, everything is mine.
"Wow, this is the female version of Yangcha," Seena said.
I turned toward the creaking door. Daepyeong peeked. I called him to come closer and see his baby sister who was fast asleep in her mother's arms after being fed.
"What is her name?" Daepyeong asked.
"She doesn't have a name yet," I said.
"Can I give her a name?" Daepyeong asked.
I glanced at Tanya. She nodded.
"How about Miyong?"
"A beautiful and elegant name," said Tanya.
He nodded, "because my sister is very beautiful."
But the name is not as beautiful as she does. She grew up to be a tomboyish girl who preferred to wear trousers rather than dresses, preferred to play swords rather than bells, and was more a master of martial arts than dancing. Though she is the first daughter who should have inherited the position of the Great Mother.
This is my fault. When I taught martial arts to Daepyeong and my second son, Yanghoon, I let her participate. I thought she was just playing around, but she was actually better at it than her two brothers. She cannot be banned. She will keep her parents quiet for days if we forbid her to do what she wants.
Her heart was so cold, even though we were always giving her warmth. I thought we were wrong when educating her, but apparently not, because her siblings did not have such character. I think that her coldness dropped from me. I thought my cold-hearted was the result of Shahati's training, apparently I was cold-hearted from birth.
When she decided to go into training as female warriors, we had a big fight. Tanya comforted me.
"Just let her do what she wants. Maybe indeed her passion is there, as a female warrior, not as a Great Mother. If the Goddess keeps calling her one day, she will definitely return to her destiny. If not, we still have two girls, and they can already dance sprit dances. "
It's not just that problem. I know that the association at the warrior camp is not good. Not too many female warriors. They train together with male warriors, even live in same dormitory. I don't want my daughter to be more rude and heartless. And if they get drunk together ... ah, I don't dare to imagine.
Until one day, my palm finally landed to her cheek, for the first time. I caught her making out with Muyeol behind the tavern. They are drunk. If I don't remember that guy is my friend's son, I have killed him who touched my daughter's body.
What makes me unable to control my emotions is because she cursed her mother, when Tanya reprimanded her.
Since that day, Miyong has never returned home, until nearing the day of my death.
Yes, my death.
Even though I didn't die young like Risan, I still left earlier than Tanya. I tried hard not to leave Tanya alone on this earth. I took medicine for almost five years to stop the pain in my head, as well as black blood that often came out of my nostrils.
I think this disease is the effect of the herbs I took while in Shahati training. Seena died two years ago with the same symptoms. I still survived for several months after the birth of my first grandson of Yanghoon.
My wife and children, minus Miyong gathered when Chaeeun had raised her hand over my illness. Daepyeong wore the king's robe, side by side with his wife, the only daughter of Saya Niruha. Instead of giving the throne to his daughter, he gave it to Daepyeong, before he abdicate the throne and lived in the mountains near his empress tomb. Then next to them, there is Yanghoon and his wife who holding their baby. My twin daughters stood at the foot of the bed, rubbing their tears.
I lay on Tanya's lap. She braided my white hair. I always liked every time she braided my hair.
The door to the room opened violently, shocking everyone.
"Sister Miyong?" Yanghoon murmured.
Miyong my daughter, she looks more mature. Behind the Momo warrior's uniform she wore, she looked dashing, but her beauty did not disappear. Her body seemed to tremble as she approached my bed. She knelt on the side of the bed, took my weak hand. The back of my hand touched her forehead. I felt my hand begin to get wet. She cried silently.
My other hand rubbed the top of her head.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry, Father... I'm sorry..."
I lifted her face, stroking her cheek, "The one who should said sorry is your father..." I remembered the red color that marked on this smooth cheek ten years ago.
"I'm an ungodly child. Father is sick because of me ..."
I shook my head.
"I will obey Father from now on. I will stop being a warrior."
I shook my head again, "don't push yourself. Your passion is to be a warrior."
She shook her head, "I had a dream last night. A white wolf came to me. She told me to go back and look after Mother. At that moment I realized, something would happen to Father."
I glanced at Tanya. Her lips smiled, but her eyes radiated sadness. My tears flow. I rarely cry, but today I want to cry, for the last time. I'm scared. Not afraid of death, but afraid of leaving her alone.
"I'm sorry, Tanya, I can't keep my promise to protect and take care of you anymore."
"You've done enough, now it's time for you to go back..."
Tanya's head was bowed, her long hair that was almost white in half covered our faces. She kissed my lips. I close my eyes, and when I open them, I no longer lie down. I stood in the corner of the room, hearing the cries of my children. Miyong is the loudest.
Tanya looked strong, but I knew that her tears did not flow out, but inward, flooded her heart.
~~~
Tanya was still alive for several more years, until our great-grandchildrens were born. A few years after my death, there was a rebellion by the Hae Tribe and the Saenyeok Tribe, who wanted to influence Daepyeong in running his government. They tried to make Daepyeong hate his adoptive parents who killed his biological parents. Luckily, our Daepyeong was not affected. He has known the history of the death of his parents long ago from us.
In times of chaos like this, Miyong's abilities are needed. She managed to protect her mother and brother. She led the troops, finished off the rebels.
There is no coincidence in this world, everything has been determined and outlined by the Almighty. I shouldn't have strictly prohibited her from joining the female army in the past, at least we didn't lose several years together.
And when the time came, after the position of the Great Mother was handed down to Miyong's eldest daughter, I picked up Tanya. Together we join hands facing the seven Gods and Goddess ruler Arthdal. Aramun and Inaishingi who arrived first welcomed us.
We turned, staring at Arthdal, which was at the peak of prosperity and peace. But we don't know, will this peace last forever? Every human is different, has their own ambition.
As long as the earth is still spinning, the story will never end. When the earth experiences chaos again, we will return.
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The End
Thank you for reading my story 😊 see you in my other stories...
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Bonus Clip for Miyong's vibe 😆
if you are interested, I will continue the Miyong story at Xabara