The air between Seonghwa and San was frigid. It mismatched the golden hues of autumn as it coloured the leaves in fiery shades of orange and red and sent them tumbling to the ground as if the trees spit fire in their youthful dreams to become dragons. Hanyang's people had restored their sense of security now that San was back, and their prior apprehension bled into glee over the festivities.

San watched the progress from the palace grounds every day. The townsfolk prepared their traditional foods of sticky rice cakes, chestnuts, and sweet bean paste; they cleared the extensive market area to celebrate the festival with music and dance; and they brushed up their prettiest outfits to wear for the big day.

Since it was everyone's first dragon Hangawi, extra preparations were in place, even in the city where San wouldn't go during the festivities. He saw children playing with kites reminiscent of dragons, saw illustrations of his kin on the flags and drawings they put up. The celebrations usually held in red, white and dark blue got gold as its additional colour to hail the prosperity they received from him.

San enjoyed listening to the songs the children sang about the blessings of the dragon and the many versions of tales about prior dragon rituals going around. None of them was as accurate as the historical records in the palace, but San enjoyed the creativity that made the celebration so much more appealing in his eyes.

Since he was so caught up with the human aspects of the ceremony and worked together with their people, San forgot he also gained from this. The reminder that he would be a mature dragon in less than a week barely caught up with him. Whenever he thought about it at night, his heart beat faster.

He felt detached, an outsider in a festival that was common to the humans and that had its deep traditions he wasn't part of. While he was the centrepiece of the occasion, he felt the distance between those hailing him and himself was larger than ever. He had become the much-appreciated dragon he wanted to be, and people conveyed their awe and respect for him.

San became the dragon seated above any of them.

The moon was nearly round and San and Seonghwa prepared the last touches for the ritual that would last three days and bring them all to the edge of their patience. Seonghwa glanced at San warily from time to time, as if unsure whether the dragon would run off and deny the humans their miracle after all. When San stubbornly remained seated in place in his usual spot in the classroom, Seonghwa lost some of his tension.

They barely talked. From time to time, Seonghwa gave pointers on how San should write his speech on the large piece of paper they would hang up at the pavilion, but he fell quiet again as soon as the words had left his mouth. San wondered if Hongjoong had scolded him about his manners.

In the time of San's absence, Seonghwa had finished the dragon book. It laid next to San, the ink still drying after he had finished writing his oaths and promises down in there. His pale blue scales shone among the many others. The light colours that covered the leather in their pastel hues reminded of many other youthful dragons that hadn't reached maturity yet.

San wondered how his scales would look in a couple of days. Would he lose his golden shine? He quite liked it.

Hongjoong drowned in work while Seonghwa and San prepared among themselves. Just like the kitchens worked day and night and every servant in the palace hustled around the courtyard to clean it and strung up the flags and banners, the king was caught up in duties he needed to finish until the start of San's big day. Every so often, he dropped by to check on their progress and disguised his affections for Seonghwa by asking if they got along well. San saw him just as little as he saw Wooyoung, but that was fine. Seonghwa and he had settled into an unspoken treaty that involved not ripping each other's throats out once they were alone.

On the last evening before the big day, Seonghwa and San finished the last touches. San received his black garments covered in pale blue and golden accents to wear for the ritual, and Seonghwa walked him through the path of the procession once more. Now that scriptures and drawings covered the walls of the building, asking for the dragon's appeal, San was bashful at all the attention he got.

"Are you nervous?" Seonghwa asked while he walked around the pond with San, making sure the grass was cut in order and the lanterns put up, so the dragon found its way into the water during the night. The moon reflected on the smooth surface.

"About the ritual?"

"About becoming an adult."

San had to think about it. He was caught up in not messing up his duties for the court and the humans, so he barely thought about the things that would change about him. He would suddenly be bigger, mightier, disoriented by the onslaught of new sensations. His elders had warned him of the ease his powers would melt into nature and how quickly it would react to his every shift.

He would also have thumbs, finally, and when he shifted, he would be a human, like any other of them, and not stand out anymore.

How would his new human form look? Would Wooyoung find it appealing? He had conveyed so much love for San's unique traits that San became self-conscious about losing them.

"I fear surrendering control over myself and breaking something. It's for the best that the ritual happens up here and not in the city." San looked at the wet grass under their feet as they walked. Even in the twilight, Seonghwa seemed to glow with his spirit-blessed beauty.

"I can imagine your fear. The records mentioned a past dragon who panicked at the sudden changes and crashed into a building. Since she was a female dragon, she was even bigger and even more disoriented by the fragility humans gained so suddenly," Seonghwa recounted.

Careful not to get his heart hurt, San glanced at the man's handsome profile.

"What happened to her?"

A smile curled around Seonghwa's lips, but it wasn't malicious or resentful like his others. Much rather, it looked melancholy.

"The king could calm her. They learned to love each other and his soothing voice brought her back to her senses."

Disappointment had San lower his eyes again. He just hummed, not reacting further. The walls he had built around his heart to remind it not to feel for Seonghwa and Hongjoong again while he was around them were still brittle.

"I will take care not to lose control." San's voice reverted to the chilly distance it had assumed with Seonghwa to save both of them from further trouble which each other. Stiffly, Seonghwa accepted it.

"I can offer you to invite your stable hand to watch the ritual. He isn't part of those getting the honour of joining the crowd usually, but we may sneak him in and make an exception."

San's face bloomed into a hopeful smile. When Seonghwa caught onto it, he had to chuckle at San's childish glee.

"You can do that? Won't he get in trouble if the court members see him, though?"

Seonghwa leniently shook his head.

"Hongjoong can make a statement to leave him alone, and otherwise he could watch from the stables where nobody will bother him. If his presence eases your mind, it's the least we could do."

Honoured by Seonghwa's admirable negotiation, despite the problem between the two of them locked in place, San clutched his claws together.

"That would be a delight, yes."

Seonghwa smiled again as they finished their round. On their walk to the pavilion, San counted the stone tablets with scriptures carved into them that lined the path at regular intervals. They were greetings to the dragon king, wishes for his health and favour, and demands made by the country he had to fulfil. They looked like a lot of work, but San had time. What sounded impossible to do now with his limited powers would become an easy feat. He could help with those wishes as naturally as humans breathed.

They arrived at the pavilion that was set up with festive ribbons and ornaments. Lanterns lit the inside, but no food was prepared yet. Incense stood in its middle, ready to be used to appeal to the king and the shaman's prayers. Its presence attracted minor spirits already, and San felt them brushing his ears and hair as their curiosity had them waft about. For many of them, too, the maturing of a dragon was a first. San presumed the ancestors of Joseon honoured on Hangawi might recognise the festivities if their spirits passed by.

"This place is the heart of tomorrow's festival. It's easiest to destroy, as it will be vulnerable while surrounded by a dragon. By letting Hongjoong be the only one here while you go through your change, we convey our trust and offer him as our sacrifice for your favour. If you choose to kill him - or even if it happens accidentally - it's a sign he wouldn't be a good ruler." Seonghwa adjusted a ribbon while he laid down the items he had brought. The book with San's scales would be here for San to read in, as well as the red ribbon Hongjoong was supposed to offer San as a signal of their bond. Once San returned to his folk, he would be one of the rare dragon kings identified by this ribbon.

The silk spilt from Seonghwa's fingers to coil on the table like a snake.

"It's risky," San muttered. He knew of the utter trust the humans had to put in a creature as mighty as him to allow him in their midst. No amount of lessons and preparations could prepare San for the weight of the situation.

The moon peered inside the pavilion. It threw Yunho's shadow over the bridge as he stood on its other end and awaited their return. In its pale light, Seonghwa looked like a ghost.

"It is. But if he lives, it means fate and the deities blessed your compatibility. Afterwards, we won't have to worry anymore about your favour. Then you can do your duties and Hongjoong can do his. I doubt he will get to spend all three days of Hangawi in peace before his mother will bring up children again." Seonghwa's wistful gaze found the palace building as they made their way back.

Since autumn had dawned on them, the nights grew colder. To San, it was a blessing, though Seonghwa huddled into his sleeves more than usual. San couldn't wait to see the palace and its inhabitants bathed in snow. Wooyoung and he could play outside if they found the time. As a mature dragon, nobody would dare tie San down.

San wanted to shut his mouth and not inquire further since the matter of Seonghwa's relationship with Hongjoong wasn't his business. Yet, the question stumbled over his lips before he could keep it from happening.

"How much does his mother know about your affiliation to him?"

Seonghwa chuckled. When they passed Yunho, he stuck to their soles like a shadow.

"She knows it all. She appears to appreciate my hard work to gain her approval, but just as she does to you, she dislikes me for being a male by Hongjoong's side. While she understands his feelings for me, she also keeps pestering both of us to split apart so Hongjoong could focus on getting an heir. He has been forced to dedicate his affections to those he has no interest in a lot of times as a king."

San peered at the stables when they passed them. As usual, light shone inside, but he couldn't tell if Wooyoung was there. Perhaps he had gone home to spend Hangawi with his family already and wouldn't show up tomorrow. San promised himself he would see him afterwards and proudly show off his new form.

"Would a queen by his side bother you more than I do?"

"You bother me more," Seonghwa said without missing a beat. San grimaced, but Seonghwa was quick to lift his hands in a diplomatic gesture. "Because you get to be a man and marry him still, while I can only be this." His fingers came to grab the norigae swinging in the air. For a moment, both contemplated it.

Seonghwa dropped the ornament and the topic.

"Enough of that. We knew what our destiny held when we found each other. I won't lament when I already get his attention and he sacrifices so much for me."

Both of them looked up at the moon.

"And thus, fate takes its path," San muttered.

Seonghwa didn't reply anymore until they parted on the festive courtyard to sleep for the last time before the ritual began.