In a repetition of recent events, Mingi fastened the straps of Yunho's leather gauntlets around his arms. They spanned over his black fingerless gloves, wrapping his wrists with sturdy splints.

The moment Mingi pulled back, the man curled and uncurled his fingers, testing the position. His brief smile filled Mingi's nervous heart with gratitude.

"You look pale," Yunho whispered. They stood close to each other, closer than appropriate for their ranks and current task of getting Yunho into his protective gear. Every minor shift of Yunho's hooves had his ornately decorated black chest piece brush against Mingi's shoulder. Like scales, the protective shoulder plates wrapped around the curves of his arm and matched his tattooed skin. The length of his upper arms was bare, free to allow movement and flexibility.

"I don't like this," Mingi muttered back as his fingers fluttered over each leather strap on Yunho's body once more. He yanked the ones around his knee-high boots the barest bit tighter. The rough pulls on Yunho eased Mingi's shaking hands. Ever so unwavering, Yunho withstood the jerks.

"I'm not going for war. We merely have to show that I am invested in the safety of our people. I doubt they will attack among a crowd."

When Yunho's fingers reached up to brush over Mingi's cheek tenderly, Mingi met his eyes. Yunho's deep black irises were dotted with specks of gold, barely visible if not regarded so closely. They held security and warmth, compassion for Mingi's strained nerves. In their depths, Mingi felt foolish for his fear.

When his breathing matched Yunho's and they exhaled together slowly, a smile twitched on Yunho's lips. Then, he rose his arms to wrap them around Mingi.

The memory of their day in the snowy woods of the human realm had ingrained itself into Mingi's mind like the scar of a scalding iron. It replayed in his mind before he went to sleep, when he woke up, and when he secretly thought of Yunho while he washed up in the evenings. Mingi's most precious memories all centered around the prince. Upon his touch, despite the added distance through the ornate armour, Mingi was taken back to the snowy forest, to Yunho's confession that Mingi was special to him.

Mingi lightly hugged him back. The smell of leather overshadowed Yunho's natural smell of his soaps.

"Let's go whenever you are ready." Yunho's breath brushed Mingi's ear, making him shiver. No ulterior motive laid in Yunho's embrace, just an offer for comfort and closeness. Yet, the adoration that warmed Mingi's chest distracted him from his unease.

When he stepped back a while later, Yunho's tail still held onto his even when their hands left each other's bodies. Their gazes lingered full of unspoken words. Then, Yunho strode away from him to grab his weapon's belt to wrap around his hip. His sword was joined by two knives as well as a crossbow that sat on his back.

Mingi found he looked as if he were going to war.

When they exited the room, Yunho held the door open for Mingi. Their heavy steps took them down the corridor and towards the heart of the bustling that had filled the palace ever since the morning.

Last night, they had received notice that the pixies had intruded into their main town. Two more dead people littered their path from the southern city up to them, and they had dehorned one of the town guards.

Somewhere in the closest vicinity of the castle was the vicious pixie that now had a bounty on his head. All through the Fiery Lands, he and his companions got hunted.

Even in their hurry, the crowd parted as Yunho crossed their midst. The golden linings and rings of his leather clothing matched the golden rings wrapped around his horns. Taller than any other person in the room, he made his way towards the stables and Mingi followed him. Their group was ready to set out, two horses prepared for them. Curious and worried onlookers lingered behind every pillar and corner. They saw their prince off with frowns etched into their foreheads.

San squeezed between Mingi and Yunho on time to pester the crown prince with yet another rundown of their plan. They were to hold a speech to the frightened people and would spend their afternoon in the heart of their citizens. Yunho intended to gather information about the pixies and respond to any question his people might have. The king had decided for nightly lockdowns so that activities outside were kept to a minimum and most people were safe in their houses during the dark hours.

Hearing that a change in lifestyle was necessary would frighten the townsfolk. The royal military would have to apologise for not catching the predator yet and ensure their utmost effort.

It was a tense situation. If the townsfolk lashed out on the royal family in their fear, the pixies would have easy access to their goals in the general mayhem. Yunho went to assure his loyal subjects.

San chewed on some jelly sweets made of pixie dust. He offered some to Mingi, cheerfully explaining that they had to assert their dominance over the inferior race.

Glumly munching on their candy, the group arrived in the town after a while. Mingi didn't have much to do. He merely accompanied Yunho in his shadow and listened to his soothing voice as he explained the situation to the crowds on the streets. As he promised them his continuous effort in returning their peace, their sympathetic eyes believed him.

Awed by his influence and his ability to coax people into placing their trust in him, Mingi idled nearby with Ave and his own horse. The guards secured the adjacent streets and from time to time, yet another window popped open or another demon trudged closer to listen to Yunho talk. Like an army of dedicated worshippers, they soaked up his words. Just like for Mingi, Yunho took all their concerns away from them to carry them on his own shoulders. His promises weighed heavy as gold.

Ave bumped her head into Mingi's shoulder. As he turned to pet her, she snorted at him instead, impatiently. When Mingi still didn't get it and just tried to coddle her confusedly, she glared at him with her fiery eyes.

"What a beautiful creature," a muffled voice next to Mingi said. It rumbled from the shadows of the alley he had squeezed into, holding mysteries like the volcano the castle was build from.

For a moment, Mingi startled, thinking he had been ambushed by the pixie. But the man next to him was tall. Taller than a pixie could be. Mingi could see his features only partly for the upper part of the man's face was hidden by the thick brim of a black hat. His sky-pointed horns were short and pointy, barely curving from where they peeked through the fabric.

Mingi could make out his dark skin, a rich brown that nearly tinted into red, like Mingi's. Dark curls peeked out from under his head to frame his cheekbones.

"She's the prince's mare. A magnificent animal, indeed," Mingi replied shyly once his initial fright subsided.

Yunho had told Mingi Ave's story once. Princes were expected to catch and tame their own horses among the wild ones out in the forests once they were old enough. Back when Yunho had challenged Ave, he had still been a boy, but his charm and might had convinced her to lend him her power. Ave was a prideful creature, a rare one of her kind. Whenever the courts joined hands in major political matters, other princes envied her.

And Ave adored Yunho, with all of her heart. Nobody would be able to steal her away. And her killing for him wouldn't be a first either.

"As she should be. May I have a word with the prince privately? I believe I have information he might require."

Surprised by the ominous approach and request, Mingi just nodded at him. As his eyes searched for Yunho among the crowd, he spotted the man without effort. One of the times he glanced over to check on Mingi, their eyes met. With his head, Mingi beckoned him to come over.

Yunho said farewell to the old woman praising him for his compassion with a soft smile. Then, he dipped out of the crowd for a moment to follow Mingi's beckon.

As soon as he arrived to look between Mingi and the newcomer, the other demon bowed elegantly.

"Your Highness. My name is Yongguk. May I lend your ear for a while?"

Recognition flashed in Yunho's features. With the same reverent respect, he nodded back.

"Please do so. We may step aside for a moment for discretion." Upon a single wave of Yunho's hand, two near guards stepped over. Jongho took the reigns of the horses from Mingi's hands, while the other man lingered at the entrance of the alley. Mingi followed Yunho deeper into the narrow space between the houses.

Once far from the sight of curious onlookers, their companion pulled his hat from his head. Mingi couldn't help his quiet gasp when he exposed not only his black, messy hair that fell around entirely blacked out eyes, but also another pair of horns. These ones curled around his face in a tamer version of Mingi's more massive and thick goat's horns.

Once more, the man nodded at them politely. Even without his hat, he remained mysterious, his wide and black clothing making him melt into the shadows.

"The breach of our safety worried me, so I risked a glance into your future, My Prince. May I share my visions with you?"

Slowly, the understanding that this man was a fortune teller dawned upon Mingi. They existed, demons with faint magical energy that allowed them to dream into the future and predict events. They did not always happen as foreseen, especially when told. If misfortune was coming, people tried to prevent fate from dawning it upon them.

Since Yunho knew him, this person was likely associated with the palace, too. Not only his horns made him unique. Mingi had never heard of the condition of having two pairs.

"I ask for it," Yunho said. With a thankful smile, Yongguk began. His descriptions were cryptic, tangled like his dreams. And yet, upon second thought, they seemed sensical.

"Your senses did not betray you. The pixie cursing these lands shall be of no minor concern to you, My Prince. Soon, he will find what he has been searching for. Pain will mark your path if you don't act on time."

With a frown, Yunho nodded along. His right hand rested on the hilt of his sword, his pose exuding confidence.

"The one you are searching for goes by the name Kim. Kim Hongjoong. A pixie with blue hair and no wings. The skies will not hide him from you."

Mingi curiously tilted his head. He was unsure if all pixies had wings or if they differed, just for the demons.

Yongguk stared at the wall, his eyes lost in a far distance as he relived his dreams once more.

"Kim Hongjoong. He is here to pay a misdeed back in kind."

For an uneasy moment, nothing more came. Yongguk's deep voice had halted as if he searched his memory for another enlightenment. Ultimately, his mouth closed and the rumbling voice disappeared.

Yunho had absorbed every word. Now that Yongguk ended, he nodded with grim determination returning to his features.

"Thank you, Yongguk. Please, take care of your horns well. My offer to provide for you in the palace still stands. You are just as much at risk as I am with your double horns."

The whisper of a crooked grin touched upon Yongguk's lips. He pulled his head back on, disguising the second pair of black horns.

"I find those walls of secrecy and intrigues to be quite suffocating. May your horns stay in their place as well, Your Highness. I will notify you if I have any more visions."

Yunho bowed his head respectfully. His awe of the other man sprung onto Mingi, too. Impressed, he copied Yunho.

When Yongguk's eyes fell onto Mingi, a shiver crawled down his spine. Even in the shadow of his hat, Yongguk's eyes held a piercing intensity.

"And you... I can only assume who you are by whom it is you accompany. When tasked with a question, don't be afraid of its answer. Your heart has chosen its path already. You need not be afraid."

Surprised that Yongguk had examined his fate too, Mingi just nodded.

After a last farewell, the secretive demon disappeared into the shadows. For a moment, Yunho and Mingi remained bound by the spell his powerful yet simple words had enchanted them with. Then, Yunho's tail found Mingi's in the dim twilight of the alley.

"I'll have to go back. We'll leave for the palace soon. Please have some more patience."

"I'll await you."

Yunho threw a smile over his shoulder before he turned to his people. As Mingi returned to Ave's side, the words of the oracle kept replaying inside his head. He didn't know what question Yongguk had meant. Now that he knew of its weight, he doubted his ability to answer it truthfully.

Visions were a fickle thing. But Mingi still hoped that Yunho's future path that would be filled with pain would never open up for the prince to wander upon.