~three weeks later~
Mingi hasn't seen Seonghwa since the dragon told him he was his mate. He was hoping to have spent some time with the dragon to get to know him a bit better before the wedding but he would have all the time after the wedding to get to know him. Even though he didn't see Seonghwa, he did see Hongjoong quite a bit. The royal advisor spent a lot of time in the human realm speaking with Yeosang about the wedding preparations. He spoke with Mingi as well, informing him about what his role would be during the ceremony. Mingi was honestly nervous, this would be the first wedding attended by both realms.
The wedding date had finally arrived. It was going to be held in the human realm since traveling to the dragon realm would be difficult for humans, but dragons could easily travel to the human realm. Mingi was sitting in his room, as court ladies filed in with various garments in their hands that would make up his wedding outfit. Mingi sat still as a court maid combed through his hair to ensure that it was free of knots. It felt weird to have someone else comb through his hair, the male normally doing it himself. The maid carefully gathered Mingi's hair in her hands, tying it into his usual top bun. She grabbed a medium sized golden crown that had two dragons placed on the top, each with a ruby in their mouth. She placed the crown on top of Mingi's head, the weight of it not something he was used to.
"Please stand your highness so you can get dressed" the maid spoke once she was finished securing the crown to his head. Mingi stood making his way over to the rest of the maids. It felt weird for him to be called with such a formal title, it was another thing he would have to get used to. Mingi was only wearing the first later of his wedding outfit, just a simple thin white undergarment. Hongjoong informed him that he would be wearing many layers, and would be heavy in order to represent the weight of being a ruler of the dragon realm. Mingi held his arms out, watching as one by one the maids came up to add another layer of fabric to his frame.
When he was finished Mingi felt like a thousand pounds, he had no idea how royalty could spend hours like this. He shifted a bit hoping to adjust the fabric around his shoulders. "Is everything to your liking?" A maid asked as she brought a mirror over to Mingi. He looked at his reflection and was taken aback by what he saw. The hanbok was a beautiful deep red color, with gold dragons embroidered throughout the entire top. At the bottom of the top there were gold embroidered flames that seemed to dance with his movements. He didn't recognize himself, he looked like royalty, "I look…beautiful " his words came out in a whisper.
The court maid couldn't help but smile, she had watched Mingi grow and to see him like this made her heart swell with pride. The doors to Mingi room opened and Wooyoung stepped in, "woah, you look amazing" he stopped his his tracks as he took in Mingi's appearance. Mingi turned to look at his friend ,his movements a bit slow due to the weight of his clothes. "You look quite handsome yourself" he complimented his friend. Wooyoung was wearing a dark blue hanbok that was tied at the waist, showing off his figure. There were silver dragons threaded through the fabric. He had a matching band around his head and his hair was down cascading over his shoulders. Wooyoung carried his sword in his hand, the black sheath had silver flowers decorating it.
Wooyoung puffed out his chest at Mingi's compliment with a smile on his face. "I've come to receive you, the palanquin is ready for departure " he informed his friend. Mingi nodded taking a deep breath, "alright let's go get married" . He willed his feet to move. Wooyoung followed behind him the two stopping at the palanquin. Mingi recognized it as one of the ones Yunho would ride, the guard having walked beside it on many occasions. Wooyoung helped Mingi climb inside the palanquin. Once he was safely inside Wooyoung turned to the six holder's, "we can depart". The six males each grabbed one wooden arm, placing it over their shoulders and began walking. Wooyoung stayed next to the little window in case Mingi needed something from him as they made their way to the wedding ceremony.
Seonghwa was already at the location of the wedding ceremony. It was taking place in front of the grand hall of Yunho's palace. He stood at the center facing the crowd. On the left side there were members of Seonghwa's court, the dragon's faces were all serious. When they found out their prince was mates with a human, they refused to believe it and disapproved of the wedding. However, after both Hongjoong and Seonghwa held several meetings with the officials, they finally relented and approved of the wedding, although they still refused to acknowledge Mingi as their ruler. On the right side sat members of Yunho's royal court including the king himself. Since, Mingi didn't have any family or political ties, these people were there more as spectators, having never seen a royal wedding amongst dragons before.
"You seem nervous" Hongjoong whispered over to Seonghwa, the advisor standing next to the prince. "I'm not nervous, I'm just hoping he doesn't screw this up, the court officials already don't acknowledge him as their future ruler, the last thing I need is for him to screw up and tarnish my name" Seonghwa kept his gaze forward as he spoke. He was already over this whole thing and just wanted to get everything over with so he could go back to his realm. Everyone's attention turned to the entrance when they heard the doors to the gate opening revealing Mingi. Seonghwa kept his gaze on him taking in his appearance. He had to admit in this moment Mingi didn't look like an ordinary human. He looked like royalty, but Seonghwa could see the nervousness in his eyes and how he stumbled a bit due to tripping over the fabric of his outfit as he walked closer to the dragon and it just reminded him that fate was cruel for giving him a human mate.
Yunho's breath hitched when he saw Mingi walking towards Seonghwa. He looked beautiful, truly beautiful and if things were different it would've been Yunho at the end waiting for him not Seonghwa. Yunho looked over at the dragon prince, his irritation growing slightly when he saw how indifferent the dragon looked as Mingi walked closer to him. When Mingi finally stopped a few feet in front of Seonghwa the human could fully take him in. Seonghwa was wearing a similar red wedding hanbok, this one had a huge dragon face embroidered in gold, on the back with gold dragons winding down his sleeves. The crown on his head was quite grand as well. It was much bigger than Mingi's, the top made to look like flames, as rubies were placed around the base of the crown catching in the sunlight making the rubies shimmer.
Seonghwa's horns stood out in the center of the crown, the gold tips looked brighter than the sun. He truly looked every bit of regal and Mingi couldn't control the pounding in his heart. "We shall start the wedding ceremony" Hongjoong shouted, his voice carrying throughout the palace. Those that were whispering amongst themselves silenced and everyone turned their attention to the front. Hongjoong grabbed a cup, turning towards Seonghwa and Mingi. "First, you must drink from this cup. The alcohol represents cleansing your soul of your past, so you can start off anew" he handed Seonghwa the cup. Seonghwa took a sip from the cup, his expression remaining neutral as he handed it to Mingi.
Mingi took the cup, he took a sip coughing a bit as the strong alcohol hit his tongue. Hongjoong told him that the alcohol would be from the dragon realm so it would be pretty strong, but Mingi had no idea how strong the alcohol would truly be. If he took more than a sip he would definitely be drunk. Hongjoong took the cup away from Mingi, placing it back onto the table. Next, he picked up a knife, "please hold out your hand". Seonghwa held out his hand, he didn't wince when Hongjoong slid the blade across his skin, the blood from the wound slowly forming. Mingi held his hand out Next, his heart pounding from nerves. This was the part of the ceremony he was not looking forward to. He winced when Hongjoong cut his hand, the stinging pain was most unpleasant.
Seonghwa entertained his fingers with Mingi's, their wounds aligning together as their blood mixed. Mingi felt a faint tingle go throughout his body as Seonghwa's blood mixed with his. Seonghwa felt the same thing, now that his blood was mixed with Mingi's he would have a little bit more control over his powers, and he would be able to sense the humans presence and Mingi would be able to sense him. "The sharing of blood will bind your souls together for eternity. No matter what life you're in, the universe will guide you two back together " Hongjoong spoke as he picked up a white thread tying their hands together. Seonghwa and Mingi will have to keep their hands bound together for the rest of the ceremony. If they succeed their marriage would thrive and prosper, but if they fail their marriage will suffer.
Hongjoong stepped back once their hands were tightly bound together. "You two may now exchange vows" he instructed. Seonghwa spoke first, his golden eyes were intense as he stared into Mingi's brown eyes. "I vow to protect you and give you a safe place within my kingdom. I promise to respect you and ensure you are respected by all that I rule, my land is now your land may it provide for you the way it provides for me" his voice was deep and soothing as he spoke. Mingi swallowed, even though he had three weeks to think about what he was going to say he still couldn't come up with anything. "I vow to protect and cherish you as your husband. I vow to treat your people as if they were my people. I vow to help guide you in your rule over your kingdom. I am now yours as you are mine" Mingi could swear Soenghwa could hear his pounding heart, he was so nervous he felt like he might pass out.
"Now that the vows have been exchanged, you may now share a kiss sealing your promises" Hongjoong announced. Mingi tensed as Seonghwa leaned in. The dragon cupped his cheek with his free hand, being mindful of his sharp claws as they rested on Mingi's flesh. The kiss was rather soft but it ended too quickly for Mingi to truly process it. When Seonghwa pulled away, Mingi couldn't stop his eyes from traveling to the males lips. He would have them on him again soon enough. They still had to complete the other half of the mating bond, the thought made Mingi's cheeks heat up. "Now it's time for the feast, everyone please gather to the grand hall" Yeosang spoke this time. The royal guard stood as he addressed the audience. Seonghwa and Mingi were the first ones to make their way up the steps towards the grand hall.
After the new couple made their way inside, Yunho followed behind them. Then one by one the rest of the audience made their way into the grand hall to eat, drink, gossip, and congratulate the new couple. Mingi and Soenghwa remained seated, their hands still tied together as they enjoyed their meal. They two didn't really have time to talk amongst each other, their attentions preoccupied with various court officials coming over to bring them gifts and congratulations. Mingi didn't even really have a chance to talk to Wooyoung on Yunho. The king came over briefly to congratulate Mingi and present him with a gift which was a beautiful hairpin with a delicate butterfly at the end, its wings holding beautiful diamonds. While Wooyoung was busy on guard duty making sure nothing went amiss during this ceremony. Before Mingi realized the ceremony was coming to an end, and after saying his goodbyes to Wooyoung he was off to the dragon realm with his husband.
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Mingi was sitting in Seonghwa's room. After getting to the dragon realm the two untied their hands and departed from each other to freshen up. They had to complete the second and final part of the mating bond. Mingi was beyond nervous. It wasn't that he was a virgin, he was far from it but he couldn't stop thinking about Wooyoung's words and after looking at some books about dragon anatomy himself he wondered if he would be able to take all of Seonghwa. Mingi poured some alcohol in a cup. There was a table in the room that was filed with various snacks and a jar of alcohol. Mingi drank it in one go, the strong flavor burning his throat. He needed something to calm his nerves and this was it.
Mingi poured himself another cup, drinking that one in one go as well. His body was already starting to feel warm. He looked at his hand, noticing that the cut on it was slowly healing, the blood and stinging pain long gone. He wondered if it was a result of Soenghwa's blood now in him. While he wanted for the dragon prince to arrive he ate a few nuts. He actually didn't have a lot of time to eat at the ceremony since he had to constantly talk to someone. Pouring himself another cup of alcohol, this time sipping on it he was starting to wonder when Seonghwa would come. As if sensing his question a servant walked in. Mingi recognized him from the wedding ceremony, San was his name and he was now Mingi's personal servant.
San bowed to Mingj, "your highness forgive me for the intrusion" he spoke. Mingi shook his head, "you're not intruding and please just call me Mingi" he still couldn't get used to the formal title. "His highness won't be sharing a bed with you tonight, there are some duties he needs to attend to, he says you are more than welcome to sleep in his room tonight" San's words made Mingi deflate a bit. He was hoping he would get some alone time with Seonghwa. He didn't get to talk to him at all during the ceremony accept for the few times they had to speak during it, but other than that they haven't had a proper conversation. "Oh, I see. I guess even on his wedding night prince Seonghwa gets no breaks" he chuckled, finishing the rest of the alcohol that was in his cup.
San felt bad for Mingi, his eyes softening as he stared at the human. The water dragon knew Seonghwa wasn't actually busy as was just avoiding the fact he had to sleep with a human in order to complete the mating bond. He was hoping his highness wouldn't avoid Mingi forever. "Please, rest well I will be back in the morning to show you to your bed chambers" he bowed once more before leaving. Mingi sighed, reaching up and taking his hair out of the bun, how brown hair falling down his back. The fatigue of the day was finally catching up to him. He climbed into the bed pulling the covers over him. His eyes closed as sleep overcame him.
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Somewhere else in the coldest part of the dragon realm a crow landed on the hand of a woman. The crow cawed as she listened to it, "Oh how interesting " she smiled her green eyes showing a devious glint. She walked over to her mate, who was currently lounging in his throne made of ice, "darling I have something interesting to share with you" her voice was like velvet. The male perked up his ice blue eyes meeting hers, "do share". She smirked gently rubbing the top of the crows head, "his highness prince Seonghwa has found his mate, a human male" she started off. This time her husband sat up straighter, "who is it?" He asked.
"Some member of King Yunho's royal guard" she explained, "the wedding ceremony was today but we got lucky because they didn't have sex yet" her smile was wicked. Her husband smiled back, "well isn't this just perfect for us, Seonghwa can't mature and become king if he doesn't complete the mating bond, so we'll just have to kill that human before he can. For now we'll keep an eye on him and find the right time to strike" he chuckled. The woman nodded, giving the crow a kiss before letting it fly away.