Warnings for some more bullying

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The railway ended in front of the palace. Tucked under the looming staircase leading up to the mighty building that spat fire and lava, Seonghwa set his wobbly foot on the solid rock. His legs felt weak, unaccustomed to the stable hold, and the heat of the ground seeped through his shoes. While he got used to standing again, he reached for Mingi's hand. The demon ascended to his side.

"Here we are," Seonghwa breathed as he took in the enormous staircase. The entire castle was bathed in the fire's light, turning the dark stone red. The imposing towers loomed over them like massive demons about to come to life.

Seonghwa felt stifled in his long clothes while Mingi relished the heat like a breeze.

"The palace is extensive, broader than the Moon Castle, but not as tall. Rivulets of lava spill from the tower tops and protect the outer courtyard. Have you been here before?"

Awed by his descriptions, Mingi trailed alongside Seonghwa as they scaled the stairs. No birds or mammals lost their way around here. Only the stony guards and the hissing heat of the lava rivers created an ominous background noise.

"Once, for the joust. I lived in the lower level with the castaways who couldn't pull their weight. Lots of shady deals and shadier demons there. So I was grateful for my friends when they brought me to the upper level occasionally."

Mingi said it lightly, but the revelation depressed Seonghwa. He wanted the best for his husband; wanted to douse him in velvet and gold instead of the farmer's clothes he insisted on wearing. And he wanted to show him that his eyes didn't define where he belonged and what he deserved.

With a heavy heart, Seonghwa trudged alongside him. He hoped once Mingi gained some distance from his past and healed in the Moon Castle, he would understand his worth. Seonghwa was a patient teacher.

When they almost reached the top, the double-winged doors swung open. A group of demons stepped through, one looking more intimidating than the next. Now that he had his adorable bed-hair husband at home all the time, Seonghwa forgot how dreadful their kin normally was.

"Crown Prince Seonghwa," they greeted him when he reached the top of the stairs. His beautiful and polished appearance contrasted with their roughness.

Sharp eyes full of dissonant thoughts found Mingi hanging off Seonghwa's hand. The demon looked around, blind to their hosts and perking up only when he could localise their voices.

"And Mingi is by your side... We hear you didn't accept our proposal to elect a more suitable match?" Now, their gazes turned condescending. They looked down on the elf and Mingi from their tall heights and unbowed shoulders. Mingi didn't see their facial expression, but he huddled into himself.

Seonghwa's voice was cool, setting a contrast to everything fiery in these lands as he replied.

"Mingi is most suitable for me. Do not be bothered by him."

The demons stared at him, wordless in their ridicule that he picked such a lowly person when he was worth so much more. They huffed, assured he did it out of pity. Because elves were fragile and soft like that. They found purpose in all, without a sense of hierarchy. A weakness considered by demons.

"Very well. Follow us." They turned on their heels, big feet naked as they padded over the heated stone. Their anklets were made of fur and leather, showcasing past triumphs over beasts and people.

Seonghwa followed them through the lofty lobby of the castle. Since they had company now, he didn't dare describe the channels of lava to the sides of the passages or the brutish war monuments at every intersection to Mingi. Their fingers never left each other as Seonghwa listened to the bustle of the grand halls.

They crossed an entrance lounge and climbed the stairs. One demon waved a hand at some door and called it the banquet hall, otherwise they didn't bother to brief Seonghwa on the layout. After another corridor, the two remaining demons that hadn't split apart to inform their king opened the door to Seonghwa's room. A large bed and heavy furs as carpets and blankets greeted him.

"We prepared two rooms so you can have your privacy from him. If you seek to sleep together, however..." The demon didn't finish that sentence and instead lifted a brow with a mocking smirk.

Seonghwa stared him down.

"One room is enough for us, yes. Thank you for your efforts."

The demon snickered to himself. Mingi tugged on Seonghwa's arm, reluctant to make him the hissing of the palace. Instead of listening to him, Seonghwa squeezed his hand in reassurance. Mingi's presence was no insult to him, and whatever crude jokes the demons liked to make weren't, either.

"In that case, I will guide you to our king so you may sign your contract."

Relieved that the process went smoothly, Seonghwa tugged Mingi along once more. He knew that by tomorrow, they would be the talk of the entire castle, but Seonghwa didn't plan to linger. Enough demons looked him up and down the same disgraceful way that orc had and Seonghwa would become busy hacking off hands if they stuck around.

Though the demons also made him uncomfortable, Seonghwa still pondered the riddle of how Wooyoung's people had been the only ones utterly lackadaisical towards politics.

They entered the throne room through another set of steep doors. This room was doused in black, and the floors and walls reflected the veins of dark obsidian. Fire basins illuminated the corners but left creeping shadows to intimidate visitors. On an elevated platform stood the mighty throne of the Demon King. Seonghwa couldn't tell which was scarier, the piece of furniture built of bones, or the demon lazing on top.

The Demon King had only one horn; he lost the other one in a past war to the sword of a righteous seraph. Though the tale cast the angels in a favourable light and praised the knight for sacrificing himself before he got speared by that second horn, both parties spilt rivers of blood that day. Even now, united under the empire, tensions crackled between the two.

The war-hardened features of the king found Seonghwa when he entered the room. He recognised him from the past, though his eyes glided over Mingi without interest.

"There is our crown prince. Come closer. Let me look at you. You grew up since I last saw you."

Back then, Yeosang and he had been kids. They played with the demon princes and tugged on their horns while the adults and Seonghwa's grandfather forged the alliance lasting to this day. Unsurprisingly, the demons' engagement was still fresh.

"It's an honour to cross your paths again, Your Majesty. This time, as an adult." Seonghwa bowed politely, clasping his hand over his chest, though he knew his dress wouldn't expose him.

Appreciative eyes raked over the dark clothes and jewellery he donned. Seonghwa bet the gifts Mingi would exchange with them contained more things for Seonghwa to wear and the demons to show off.

"You grew into a beautiful man. Now that I see you before me, I regret allowing the joust among my folk. I should have offered you to become my concubine."

Seonghwa smiled an artificial smile. Mingi's hand tightened in his, displeased by what he heard. Not because his triumph got overlooked, but Seonghwa's honour. Blunt claws dug into Seonghwa's porcelain skin.

"I fear that would have given me an unfair advantage over the Cavern of Nightfall. No, I believe everything turned out as fate intended it to. As you can see, Mingi makes for an excellent diplomat."

The king contemplated Mingi with heavy eyes. The burden of insulting the elven kingdom lingered, but it was largely his own pride that had him look down on their pick.

"Is he? So far, I heard many protests and demands to exchange him from our side," the king spoke in his rumbling voice. When he crossed his legs, the shift of his body seemed even more massive than that of any other demon. As with the gryphon-borns, the strongest became their leader. Less through wit and intellect, however, the demons forced their way with brute violence.

Dwarfed in his fragile build and dainty limbs, Seonghwa nodded.

"I find him to be a very humble person, so he fits my court marvellously. He united my rather competitive harem with his blindness, so I believe he illustrated how a weakness can become a fortitude if used wisely."

The Demon King grunted. Whoever he would have sent wouldn't have matched Seonghwa's court and caused a lot of trouble. By demon standards, their weakest was the right amount of a good person to fit with the elves.

"Since you are so sure, I am glad he triumphed. Your just judgment honours you."

Seonghwa bowed his head.

"Thank you."

Upon the king's beckon, the servants brought the papers. They were inked already, so everyone waited as Seonghwa put his sign and guided Mingi's hand to the right spot so he could leave a shaky scribble. It looked nothing like his name, but that didn't matter. Seonghwa handed their copy back with a gracious smile.

"Now that this is out of the way, let us dine. We prepared a banquet for you, prince, and though some fat would look good on your bones, I had meatless dishes prepared specifically for you." The king rose from his chair and he was at least thrice from Seonghwa's mass. Awed, Seonghwa looked up at him.

"Thank you for your generosity. I-" Seonghwa broke off when Mingi stumbled by his side. His heavier form clumsily ripped Seonghwa along, but before they could fall into a heap, Mingi caught them. All too used to tripping, he cradled Seonghwa in his arms to press him to his chest. His two hearts fluttered nervously when he feared to have hurt him.

Seonghwa straightened when he heard someone snicker. The servant next to Mingi looked all too mischievous.

Mingi lowered his head, not saying anything, but Seonghwa stepped up. His regal aura demanded respect, but the demons squandered it when Seonghwa took Mingi's side.

"You. Stay away from him," Seonghwa hissed, and his eyes flashed with a frigid chill.

The demon grinned a fanged smile.

"Is it pity that deludes your eyes? Whatever it is you seek in him, you can find better without a birth defect. We have many diplomatic demons, or those too soft for war. If it's his size your lewd little body craves, they have the same but better because they actually see where to enter."

Seonghwa's frown darkened his face like thunder clouds.

"You wouldn't talk like that if this were you."

The demon scoffed.

"Have some dignity, elf. Even our king is enraptured by you. What do you want with one like him?"

"Now, now," the Demon King got in between. "Today, our future ruler is a guest at our court. If you said that to my companion, visitor or not, I would have your eyes in revenge. Best quieten now before our crown prince needs to show us why the elves are the ones to rule the empire."

Unperturbed by the voice of authority, the young demon gave Seonghwa an appraising look.

"Perhaps he should. Because I don't see why a powerless elf with a cripple for a husband is the one to command me. Let's go to the Crystal Sphere and rape their pretty little bodies until they break on our battering rams and we wear them as accessories. Start with the crown prince, I say."

Mingi yanked Seonghwa behind him and straightened before the other demon. At full height, he towered over Seonghwa, who clutched his fingers into Mingi's vest.

The other demon chuckled.

"Ah, at last, he has one purpose, if no other. He can be a blind guard dog for the meagre elf."

"That's enough," the king roared. "Have him thrown into a cell until he cooled off. We may be devils, but these are our allies."

Two guards marched up to lead the cackling demon away. Seonghwa and Mingi stayed behind, tense and disturbed by the pictures he put inside their heads.

"S-sorry, Seonghwa," Mingi whispered, head ducking.

Seonghwa ran a gentle finger over his arm before he took his hand once more. When he turned to the demon king, he conceded with a grumble.

"My apologies. My people are too rough to tell when their comments aren't appropriate. Please enjoy dinner with me. I will make sure no one else bothers you."

Soothed by that promise so long as they were in the palace, Seonghwa followed and led Mingi along. He could tell the man trembled again, terrified by his home and its people.