Demon King's Gardener

"I've been thinking," Braelin said a few nights later.

"About what," Jurao asked, putting away the Ascension box. They'd been joined by Kloy, Feyl, and Minaz that night - who had already left for their own beds.

"The future," his partner replied.

Jurao sat next to him on the couch again, tilting his head.

Braelin smiled at the gesture and said, "I thought about your retirement from being King."

"You have," Jurao asked. He had not even considered what he would do when he retired.

Braelin nodded, "It is a long way off, even by demon standards, I know. I don't expect that you've made plans for when it happens, but I was thinking about what you might do. With your grandmother here, I thought you might consider spending more time with the Mafokuraes Hunter Band."

Jurao hummed. He had not considered it, but the idea was appealing.

"I love my family, and the castle gardens," Braelin said, "and I also love you. I know you would never make me choose between staying here with my family and the gardens or going with you, but I was thinking about what I would want to do. If you went somewhere when you retired."

"I see," Jurao nodded. He was not sure where his partner was taking this conversation, and it made him a little nervous. Perhaps that was why Snip came to put her head on his knee, which he patted.

"I realized I would want to go with you," Braelin said, still smiling, "and not just to see all the plants in the rest of the realm."

Jurao's tail swayed, and his chest felt warm and light as it often did when he looked at his partner. He said, "I would like to have you with me if I were to go."

Braelin nodded and said, "I never doubted it, my heart. No matter how I ended up here, these past months have been some of the happiest of my life. Even with the politics."

Jurao chuckled.

"I cannot ever see myself wanting to leave your side. Do you feel the same?"

"I do."

"Then," Braelin pulled a large ring out from his pocket and smiled at it as he said, "Would you marry me, my heart?"

"Yes," Jurao said, tail swaying picking up. Despite the advice from Eweylona and Ebener, he had not been considering the idea himself - but when his partner asked, he felt no hesitation in saying yes. As they had both said - he could not see himself leaving Braelin's side. He saw no reason not to make such a declaration before the gods as well.

"Humans give rings to their partners when they propose," Braelin said, taking one of Jurao's larger hands and slipping the band on his index finger, "I asked Nevve for help with this after our fitting with Exmarre. Some of the dresses he'd designed reminded me of wedding gowns I'd seen. When I thought about wearing one myself - or you wearing one - it put me in mind of the idea."

Jurao held his hand up to get a better look at the ring - it was an obsidian stone, the typical romantic option, set in a simple iron band. The iron would be for Soken, also a typical romantic metal. He smiled as his tail continued swaying, still petting Snip with her head on his knee.

Braelin stood up on the couch so he could take Jurao's face between his hands and kiss him.

Jurao wrapped an arm around his partner's back, kissing him back softly.

Braelin pressed his forehead against the King's and said, "This is still so strange to me. Romantic love. I never expected to feel this way about anyone."

"Nor I," Jurao agreed.

"Things have been changing," Braelin said, pulling back, "With the representatives here, you'll need to spend more time with your court. And… I decided I wanted to support you in that."

"Is there a difference between what spouses and partners can do," Jurao asked, dislodging Snip as he stood, picking his partner - ah, his betrothed - up with him.

Braelin chuckled, leaning into the King as he said, "Yes, though it was not my primary consideration. As a husband, I can stand in for you at official functions and not just represent you at informal ones."

"Will you be alright," Jurao asked, taking them both to the bed.

Braelin sighed, settling over Jurao's torso as the King lay down. He said, "It will not be comfortable, and I will likely only be able to fill in for small events, but… yes, I will be alright. You've done so much for me, my heart. I want to be able to do more for you."

"I won't stop you, mud eel," Jurao said, carding a hand into his betrothed's hair, "I know what that feels like. But do not push yourself more than you need to. I am just happy you want to help."

"I won't," Braelin chuckled, laying his head on the King's chest, "I don't think Petal would let me."

"It's very reliable," Juraso agreed, closing his eyes and enjoying the weight of his betrothed over him as he fell asleep.

They skipped training the next morning and sent word to have breakfast with both their families in the garden veranda - as Braelin wanted to share the news with them first.

"Congratulations, my son!" Eweylona said, purring and pulling Braelin into a hug after the announcement.

"Thank you, Eweylona," Braelin said, returning the embrace - and then being pulled into another by his sister.

"Oh, I thought you would! But I thought it would take you longer!" Aya declared.

"I thought Aya would get married first!" Malson snorted, heavily patting Braelin's shoulder.

"How's the ring fit?" Nevve asked, patting Jurao's shoulder.

"It fits well; thank you for helping, Auntie," Jurao replied, holding up his hand to show her.

"Ring?" his cousin Devae asked.

"How humans propose," Raoyl said, "Should match the marriage jewelry nicely, Nevve."

"I made the band, but Mesaes cut the stone," Nevve grinned, "He overheard, and seems he's been learning jeweling from the matriarch of the Unaome family."

Mesaes chuckled and said, "Cesculi rather enjoys knowing how much it would annoy Lala if ce knew she was teaching me."

"Then thank you as well, Uncle," Jurao said.

"Another matriarch, huh?" Raoyl asked.

Mesaes blushed and cleared his throat, "You're welcome, Jurao. And congratulations."

"Congratulations," Feyl chuckled - as, of course, Jurao considered his best friend family. He asked, "When did you plan to have your joining ceremony?"

"I know before the Hundred Years Ball would be ideal," Braelin said, having hugged most of his family members now, "Is that enough time to plan?"

"For Hujur? He'll be thrilled," Feyl snorted.

"If that's fine with you, my heart?" Braelin asked.

Jurao tousled his betrothed's hair and said, "Of course, my mud eel."

"Where will you have it?" Ayelma asked, then laughed, "In the gardens, of course!"

"I would be fine with that," Jurao said.

"I did want the plants to be able to watch the ceremony," Braelin agreed with a smile.

"And how large do you intend the ceremony to be?" Ebener asked, a hand still on his betrothed son's shoulder.

Braelin cleared his throat, "I thought, if it is in line with demon marriage ceremonies, I could wear a veil."

"Not usually for romantic marriages, but no one would make much of it if you did," Feyl said. He added, "It is rather expected that a royal wedding will have high attendance, though I doubt that surprises you."

"No, it does not," Braelin agreed with a chuckle.

"What does the… joining ceremony consist of?" Ebener asked.

"Well, I'll be ordaining," Nevve said, "Those being wed usually wear black - for demon blood. Armor is common, too, for Soken. Before the ceremony begins, the hands and feet of the wedders are covered in ash - Vislaelos's protection, as he is the son of Cegae, our God of Fire, and romantic love that runs too hot can burn as surely as boiling water. The ash allows the passions of the wedders," she snorted, glancing between Braelin and Jurao, "to steam as hot as they like with no fear of injury."

"There are two schools of thought on romantic relationships," Feyl mused, "First, that of Carmesso and Cegae - which was passionate, but equally with love and hate. The boiling pot threatening to run over at any moment - and doing so, extinguishing the very heat that fuels it from time to time. The second is that of Vislaelos and Soken - that of steady affections that are not swayed in extreme directions."

"Like a hot spring?" Braelin suggested with a knowing smile.

"Just so," Feyl agreed, raising his brows.

"So the ash thing is optional, but most do it just for the symbolism of Vislaelos's protection, even if they aren't in a volatile relationship like Carmesso and Cegae," Nevve said with a shrug.

"Do you want to include the ash," Jurao asked.

"I do," Braelin said, "I rather like the idea of protection from one's own emotions. Even happy ones can feel too big, at times."

"Yes, I know what you mean," Jurao said, tail swaying.

Nevve snorted softly with a smile of her own before she went on, "The ceremony itself is rather simple. I'll invoke Vislaelos as a witness, Braelin and Jurao will make their promises to each other, and then they will each drink water from the same cup to symbolize the way their love flows from the blood of one to the other - and then we have a party, of course."

"After exchanging the wedding torques," Feyl said.

"Ah, yeah," Nevve said, "The more permanent symbol of their vows to each other."

"It sounds like it will be lovely," Eweylona said, chuckling through her purring.

"We had a demon ceremony in Asalban," Jaevve said, leaning down to kiss Malson's cheek, "There's a temple for all the demon deities on the largest island - but we save the torques for special occasions."

"Exposed metal and sea air don't mix well!" Malson added.

"That as well," Jeavve chuckled, "And being made of demon iron, we couldn't get them enchanted to protect from rust."

"Will you be announcing your intent at the temple when you go to speak to Maenscul in a few days?" Feyl asked.

"Yes, I think that would be a good time," Jurao said, "and we could make the official public announcement during the feast."

"That wouldn't be," Braelin considered before he said, "Since the feast is for Maenscul, and they rule sexual relationships, would it not be seen poorly to announce a romantic wedding during the feast?"

"For other deities, it may be," Feyl agreed, "but Maenscul, Nosu, and Vislaelos do not compete in that manner. They are all quite laid back about relationship domains and would not mind other kinds of marriages being announced during their celebrations. If you intended to wed later, then Rainbow Day would be more ideal, but as you do not, the soonest official royal event is suitable."

"Gives the other cities time to prepare gifts for when you visit them during the royal tour," Nevve added.

"That makes sense," Braelin said.

They made further informal plans for the wedding as the morning went on: Mesaes volunteered to make the wedding torques if Jurao did not mind that he was not an expert, which the King did not. The offer put him in mind to ask Petty Prince Exmarre to fly him to Scagesmaes on his wyvern, so he might look for Mahen's tears - considered the most romantic variety of obsidian - at its source of Gevonar.

Ebener suggested, after confirming there was no specific cup that Jurao and Braelin would drink from, that they use a Reaches toasting cup. It was a traditional pre-wedding gift in the Reaches, and Eweylona enjoyed the idea of carving one from bone so that both sides of the family had a hand in crafting wedding gifts for the ceremony. There were other traditions suggested - apparently, married couples would saw a log together after a Jostian ceremony, as their first task as a wed couple displaying their teamwork. Jurao liked the idea of that one.

While he knew the future would likely hold many surprises for them, Jurao was extremely happy considering how his would be hand in hand with a man he loved.