Chapter Text
An imposing man with pointed teeth who claimed to be the king of the demonic realm, showed up in the little Kingdom of Gravity. Gravity was no stranger to the weird and magical, boasting a flourishing royal marketplace of magic and a society based on the integration of magical creatures, but a demon king wreathed in blue flames demanding a human bride for their safety was a bit much even for them.
His majesty thought to make quick work of this presumptuous man, but a wave of Cipher’s hand made quick work of the king’s guard, and thus the search for his bride began. The pandemonium that ensued was disastrous as the king of the land sent what remained of his staff to find every unwed girl and bring them back to the castle for Cipher’s perusal.
The people of the kingdom Gravity did not take well to their girls being carted off to the castle for a presumably debaucherous demon king’s pleasure, but the few who protested openly were silenced; turned to stone by Cipher himself. The same fate befell the people who tried to hide their girls.
For their part, the maidens, once brought to the castle, were comfortably kept in the north wing of the castle. Frightened by the thought of becoming a demon king’s bride they kept the sound of their weeping quiet, but Cipher didn’t come to visit them. It took two and a half weeks before all the girls were brought to the castle.
All seemed doomed as the last of the girls were rounded up by the kings staff, and the only thing the citizens of Gravity could do was wait. Well, wait and mob at the gates of the castle, pitchforks and torches hefted over their heads in a misguided attempt to frighten a man made of pure power. Imagine their surprise when they had to scramble out of the way of the gates dropping in front of them as every girl over 25 and under 20 excited the castle. Parents gripped their girls with tears overflowing and half the mob went home. Then every girl with red, blonde, or black hair sprang from the building, and a third of the mob went home. Finally all the remaining girls excited the castle and met with what was now about six families all with brown hair and brown eyes.
Finally, the five remaining families got their daughters back and left with heavy looks towards the three men standing on the doorstep of the castle looking hopeless.
The last family standing was a strange bunch, known throughout Gravity simply as the Pines, their small home consisted of two sets of twins. Two old codgers named Stanley and Stanford, who were both infamous, Stan for being an incorrigible con-man who can and will steal you blind, and Ford for being an eclectic scientist who could be heard all throughout the kingdom with his inventions and occasional explosions.
The younger twins, Dipper and Mabel, were Stan and Ford’s great niece and nephew and were less infamous. They were 22 and where one was, the other was not far behind. Dipper was an avid explorer and wanted to know all there was to know about magic, but he was quiet when he did so and didn’t bring back anything too dangerous, much to the relief of their neighbors. Mabel was energetic and creative, she made art and clothes and anything that took her fancy. She had mellowed out a bit from her boy crazy youth and really grown into herself as an adult. Both were well liked for their personalities and beauty, but their overprotective uncles and their own eclectic natures kept any proposals at bay.
It seemed to the Pines as they stood nervously outside the castle doors missing the glittering glue that stuck them all together that Mabel’s shining beauty may have caught the eye of the demon king.