A New Dawn

Amura sat there in silence as she looked at herself in the mirror of her armour. Her belongings had all been placed here and the room was as clean as possible. It made her wonder if this was the end, her life would be spent dedicated to this kingdom and eventually marrying for power...or maybe not at all knowing her father had not married her mother and had several mistresses. Sighing a bit, she looked at herself in her new gown, also wearing a long flowing robe that marked her as the new leader, It was clipped her her shoulders and it dragged upon the floor with each movement she made.

"You can do this Amura...You're the only one who can." She told herself softly before a knock came to her door.

It was Seraphim, it seems she was ready to continue with this as well. Standing up, she took as deep of a breath as she could muster before she went to the door and opened it. Looking at her new vassal, she gave a tried and shy smile, hoping that it would make at least one of them feel better about this.

"I suppose...We can't keep them waiting any longer." She replied softly as she stepped from her room and closed the door. Nodding to Seraphim, the two made their way down into the ball room where the ceremony would begin and their lives would change for good...

***

"M'lady...your tea." Came the voice of a lizard woman, wearing a simply maids outfit as she carried a try into the war zone that was Amura's office.

Papers were stalked all over the place, on the floor, on her desk and even on every chair accept for the once she was resting in. Barely able to peek her head over the papers, Amura looked at the maid before glancing around her office.

"Ah...um, place it where you can." She said softly before she slunk back behind the stack of papers in front of her and sighed.

For such a place pushed by war she hardly expected this kind of paperwork!
 
The tension in the air was so thick,you could almost taste it. Since Amura started her time as overlord,neighboring kingdoms tried their luck at defeating the seemingly-weakdefenses of the people and were defeated, one-by-one. Paperwork andtreaties swarmed the young over lady's desk from each and every oneof them; gifts of all sizes were flooding through the gates to bechecked by soldiers. Defending the Underworld proved to be a verylucrative prospect.


Months had passed quickly for Seraphim;all of her training turned out to be useful after all, now that herfather was the general of the Underworld Army she took her place ashis right hand. Instead of him going to handle most of the challengesthat came his way, Phim was sent to handle them; her blade wasbecoming more and more renowned with every battle. Everythingmanaged to change; the streets went back to bustling with people, thenumber of merchants in the streets doubled and it was starting tolook like a prosperous land.


Seraphim carefully hopped down from thesaddle of her horse as it skidded up to the castle; armor making softclanking noises as she marched right past the guards and inside. Herconfidence was found over the span of time; now she was not afraid toshow who or what she was, yet still remained slightly modest. "IsM'lady in her usual place?" She asked Ash, as he assisted her withthe removal of her traveling robes. He made a few guttural soundsand nodded. "Your weapon...?" He asked, holding his hands out forit, if she so needed.


"It stays with me," Phim mumbled,giving him a smile and turning to Amura's office. "As always."

With that, she pushed through the heavy wooden doors and into the seaof paperwork; a charming grin on her face, she poked at the neareststack of papers with a delicate finger.


"All work and no play, while I wasgone, M'lady?" She asked sweetly, knowing that Amura would bedelighted to see her. Phim had been sent away for a few weeks and shehad managed to pull off arriving early.
 
The moment that familiar voice popped through the door, Amura sat up straight and peeked over the stack of papers in front of her. A smile appeared on her face as she stood and made her way around the desk, doing her best not to bump into the stacks of paper.

"Seraphim! I am so happy to see you again. It's been horrible since you left." She admitted as she approached her vassal, pausing in front of her as she adjusted her pastel yellow dress.

Even though she wore the clothing bought for her at the store in the city, she was determined to keep wearing her original clothing as well, all of her pastel dresses and such. They were what she came with and she saw nothing wrong with wearing them now. It certainly threw her enemies for a loop anyway so there was also some fun in it. Looking around for a moment, she found the tea brought for her awhile ago, placed on a teetering pile of papers. Quickly grabbing it she took the tray and placed it on some open space on her desk, quickly pouring a cup for her vassal and making it just how she liked it.

"I hope your weeks have been better than my own yes? So much has been happening and now I can't seem to even find the time to sleep. " She mumbled softly before taking a drink from her own cup and looked over her vassal in silence.
 
Phim returned the warm smile from her mistress and gladly accepted the tea. After a few sips she set it down and glanced about the room; all over the papers were towering and she could tell that Amura didn't do more than a few signatures here and there. This was the Underworld, a land filled with magical things- Amura could have found anyone to cast a spell to make her work go by quicker. Raising an eyebrow and carefully setting the cup down, she clicked her tongue and shook her head.


Amura probably did not like doing work, unless bothered by her vassal or otherwise.


"You do look exhausted, M'lady... and you need to get your rest." She said with a motherly tone, something that she had been letting slip lately. Tucking some hair behind her ear, she sighed and finally relaxed. Part of the reason why she came back to the Underworld (other than Amura) was because her father had summoned her; some matter had to be addressed that for once he would not tell her about.

Both of the girls had to hear the news.


"Father said something about a meeting..." She said nonchalantly, trying to hide the fact that deep down, she felt a sense of foreboding and nervousness. Whatever it was, did not feel right- it was going to bother her, until Vaughn returned to the castle. "did he say when he was going to return?"


Settling into the armchair next to Amura's desk, her nervousness was obvious in her eyes and she fiddled with her hands in her lap. Time was going to tick away at a snail's pace, that much was obvious and there wasn't enough time in the world to prepare both girls for what was going to happen next.
 
"I have been resting...It's just that I haven't been able to keep up with all the papers coming in. It's as if I finish a stack and three more appear to replace it! The worst part it that most of it isn't even in need of my signature, it's just plans and ideas being sent to be from the council for another war!" She said before sighing loudly.

When Seraphim mentioned her father speaking of a meeting, she blinked a bit curiously before wandering over to her desk and taking a seat once more. She hadn't heard of this at all, then again she didn't see Sera's father as he was busy being the general of her army. Last she had heard he was heading to a country for diplomatic reasons, so she had sent him off quickly hoping that he would do something about the pushing of attacks from the outside.

"Your father said he was leaving to be a diplomat in another country, though he did not specify why. I assume he was going to try and talk out a truce to end the fighting that was happening along the border. As to his return, I am uncertain." She said as she looked to her vassal. "However, if you are worried about it Seraphim, I'm certain it isn't anything bad. Your father is only doing what is best for king and country...or really queen and country." Amura said with a small laugh, finding her small joke to be quite worth a giggle.

"Anyway, if you need to keep your mind busy, help me find the papers I actually need to sign in this mess!...I'll let you burn the war plans from the council for fun." She said, trying to get her vassal to help her with the offer of destruction to tempt her.
 
The thought of torching something did it's job; in a moment, she was up and searching through papers, even though she was not sure of what she was looking for. Pointed tooth biting into her bottom lip, she looked determined, paused and then looked at Amura. "And what paper am I looking for?" She asked, chuckling and playfully tossing a few of the papers at her.


Guards posted outside the doors in the Main Hall raised their eyebrows at the sound of the giggling girls; more than a few rumors had been floating around about the two and there was no doubt it would be the topic of choice in the break room. None of them knew what happened behind closed doors, but they sure had plenty of imagination on the subject. Gossip was juicy, in the Underworld; it was a miracle that Amura hadn't been talked about before, with her "bright clothing" and "flowers".
 
Amura couldn't stop herself from giggling as Seraphim tossed some papers at her, the sheets fluttering to the ground before they even reached the desk. "Anything that requires my signature, I've noticed a pattern, anything with the the words 'future attack plots" at the top is just ramblings of countries we could attack, You search for those and burn them. After that, we'll search for other things I've noticed that are usually from the council and useless."

Amura went back to her paper work as she let seraphim easily burn through a majority of the papers. It seemed the council was just trying to bombard her to the point that she broke down and accepted their desire for another war. It wasn't going to happen though! Amura had every intention of keeping the kingdom out of war for her whole period of ruling. It sounded tough, but she wanted to improve the country she had, not expand it further. Those on the edge barely even knew about the kingdom!

Sighing a bit, she continued her writing and signing, glancing over documents quietly before she started to speak.

"Seraphim...Do you think I'm good at this? Being an Over lady? I've heard some of the guards talking about how I dress the other day...They compared me to a flower. I used to take those words as compliments...but for some reason, coming from demonic guards it doesn't sound so nice anymore."
 
"That's because it isn't." Phim said matter-of-factly; half of the office was at least visible, as thankfully (maybe) most of the things she burnt were war plans. She did not say it rudely, however- Amura was new to the ways of her people and how they handled things. Demons weren't exactly...nice and kind. If they were, there would always be an underlying reason,<strike>unless </strike>especially if you are royalty. Sensing Amura's uneasiness, she moved to her side and wrapped an arm over her shoulder. "Everyone talks," She said, giving her a hug. "but if it really bothers you, we can change your wardrobe, have them killed, maybe even banished..."


Leave it to Seraphim, to cheer someone up.


Lost in thought about ways to please her mistress and end the gossip, she wandered over to her teacup and quickly finished it. "Tarred and feathered might be good...Haven't seen that in a while. Always a classic." She paced a bit more and mumbled to herself, all the while both guards had their ears glued to the wooden door.


They could hear something...was that a desk creaking?!


"OH! Stoning! How about a stoning?"Seraphim's voice was filled with excitement and her hands went up in the air; she was a demon too, as much as sometimes it did not feel like it and deep down, she waited for her new mistress to give her some evil deed to do.
 
Amura gave a small smile at Seraphim before laughing a bit at her suggestions. Leave it to her vassal to start planning the deaths of the people who spoke gossip about her. It was nice to know someone here was willing to defend her, whether it was because Sera was her bound vassal was unknown. She had no intention on having anyone banned or killed, if she could not handle a little gossip then she was hardly meant to be an over lady. Still, she was not completely familiar with demon ways and considering demons were what made up a majority of her people, it was about time she learned.

"Seraphim~ I have no intention of stoning anyone." She said with a small laugh again before standing and leaning into the desk, causing it to creek. "But you have a point I suppose. I just hate getting rid of this clothing, it was all given to me by my mother. I suppose it wouldn't hurt though...to get rid of most of them and just keep a select few."

With most of the room cleared, Amura didn't feel as pressured to get things signed. Besides, as Sera had gotten wild with the burning, she had gone through quite a few papers as well. Stepping around her desk and approaching her vassal, she gave a small smile.

"Do you think you could teach me about demons, Seraphim? I know that technically I am one but being raised by my mother in human style has be dulled a bit...I don't even look like one, or my father for that matter. So maybe if I knew more I would fit in better."
 
"I had so many ideas, M'lady!" Phim chuckled, tossing more papers at her; before they hit the floor, they were ignited- little piles of ash to be swept up after they left the room. Amura wanted to know more about demons; this could prove useful now that she did not have to tiptoe through the tulips with the over lady anymore. Grinning widely, she marched past the last bits of paperwork and moved to the door, playfully offering her arm for Amura to take.


"Demon 101? That I can do! Let's start with this- Demons don't do paperwork. They hire someone, thing, to do it for them or torch it. There is always something better to do, whether it be buying things we don't need, going to the local meat market and gossiping at the tavern. Mean things are normal- especially comments." She nodded and looked at Amura to see if she understood; it was a lot to take in all at once, for Humans, she could assume.


"The more evil and diabolical you are, or seem, the more popular you will get. Thus, why I was--" Just then, she pushed open the office door, fully aware of the nosy guards on the other side. As they clamored to look like they were doing their jobs, the end of her sentence came out.


"suggesting that we tar and feather whomever talks about your clothing, M'lady." Even though she wanted to laugh at them, she steeled herself and waited for Amura's hopefully-devious answer. Now was her chance to strike fear and have a little bit of fun, while she was at it. It did not mean they were going to actually DO it, but it was going to be interesting to see how far that rumor would go.
 
Amura laughed a bit before taking Seraphim's arm and holding it tightly as she listened to her speak. Nodding a bit at her words, she tried to think about what she said. It seemed she would be hiring someone to do the paper work for her, that was probably for the best, she could use someone to just organize things in general so having some who could organize and do the paper work would be the best investment she could make. Thought the idea of being mean and rude wasn't something she could grasp yet, she figured it would just have to be something she practiced.

As the door was opened by Sera, Amura noticed the guards seeming to jump back into positions of work and looking as if they had guilt upon their faces. It seemed that they had been listening in on their conversation. Trying to hide the smile on her lips, Amura sort of understood why Sera had emphasized her point yet again as they stepped into the hall. Making her expression look as if she was thinking, she turned to Amura and nodded her head.

"Alright, We shall have them tared and feathered, and then I think a good stoning to follow in the capital square! Of course, before we can do that, we need to practice on some people...Do you think there is anyone we can practice on?" She asked curiously, still looking at Amura but her words being loud enough for the guards to hear and possibly feel the negative intent that they dealt out.
 
The guard on the right of the door quaked and looked like he was going to wet himself a little; Phim hissed and sniffed at the poor fool, stifling a chuckle. The guilt seemed to be coming out of his pores as the two walked past; Amura had gotten the hint and this was her first step to demon infamy. Trying to be as menacing as possible, the vassal honed in on the startled guard and crossed her arms.


"I think we should use him for practice, M'lady...Unless he spreads the word that nobody is to speak of your clothing." She moved close enough to hiss a few more words to him, careful not to step in the growing puddle of liquid. "You say we tarred and feathered some poor jerk and make it sound believable and if you don't, I will have you tarred and feathered for defacing the over lady's property." His eyes widened and quickly he nodded, sighing in relief the moment the vassal backed off.


"Y-Yes! Fine, I'll do whatever you say! And I'll never do it again!" He blurted out, which was not at all surprising to Phim. The guy just got called out in front of the over lady- of course he would do anything to get back into her good graces.


"As for the pee, we can keep that our secret." Seraphim mused, giving him a nod. "You can clean it up and act like it didn't happen but the question is, will your partner keep his mouth shut?" Her words made both guards glance at each other; little seeds of suspicion and doubt turning into vines of evil, growing in their minds. "Then nobody else would know. It's a suggestion!" With that, she returned to Amura's side and offered her arm, leading her down the hallway.
 
Amura stayed back and let Seraphim do all the work, she was certainly better at instilling fear into others. It took a lot to control herself as the poor man started to loose control of his blatter. It seemed that she would have a lot of learning to do from here on out on how to be a demon. Something told her it wasn't going to be easy but if it would help her rule the country better then she would do it. After watching the guard empty himself all over the floor, Amura took the arm offered to her and walked down the hallway at a slow pace, leaving the guards to stand there and wonder and be suspicious of the other.

As soon as they were out of ear shot though...

"Seraphim! I can't believe you made him wet himself! That's just too cruel!" She said with a small laugh as she continued to cling to her arm. "I do hope they clean it up before the smell lingers! I'd hate to have to smell it everything I go into or leave my office." She joked a bit before pulling back a bit from her vassal.

"It seems I have a lot to learn from you, Seraphim."
 
As soon as Seraphim and Amura were a bit further down the hall, the guards started to fight; clamoring fora moment, before with a heavy thud the loser fell to the ground. The maids were not going to be happy about having to clean up a body as well as pee, but that was the way of the Underworld. Besides, not many jobs out there did not have "body cleanup" in the requirements. It was as normal as shoveling snow from the sidewalks and setting out salt to prevent slipping. The two girls were out of sight when the cleanup crew arrived; quickly scooping up the body, disinfecting and even spraying a bit of fragrant perfume as they finished.


Nobody could tell the difference.


"Hey, I AM a demon, remember? Thanks to that poor fool, people all over will be afraid to even whisper about your clothing. It's fantastic!" Phim did not want to explain that his fear was the most satisfying part about it; how delicious it was to make him shake in his boots. Demons fed off of most bad things Humans veered away from. The negativity, anger, rage, lust, greed...Some of those things, she knew would be hard to explain; either way, Amura was different than the people she ruled.


"And yes you do. But, there are a few things that you might end up learning on your own. Like my example, Fear Wins. That soldier is going to fear you and you didn't even have to do anything. Physically..." She smiled at Amura and stopped before they hit the Grand Stairway, nodding her head as she spoke once more.


"Where are we headed? Are you hungry? I bet you haven't eaten well, with no room for a meal on your desk!"
 
"Still...I just suppose I'm to used to human ways...Making people fear me to get what I was is the last thing I ever expected to do." Amura said lightly as they continued to walk down the hall together.

She wasn't sure if she'd ever adjust to the idea of making other's fear her in order to keep them in line. She was used to diplomatic reasoning and kindness...and when that didn't work you just shunned someone until the broke down and did things the way you wanted them to be done. But to strike fear into the hearts of others, threatening to kill them and so on, it just was hard to imagine doing herself. Seraphim seemed to do it so much better anyway. Maybe she'd just have Seraphim do it.

Looking up at her vassal as they paused at the top of the stairs, she thought about her question. She was a bit hungry, she had skipped breakfast that morning in hopes of putting a dent into the piles of papers. On top of that, she just hadn't been in the mood to eat alone. She prefered to have company and with no one there to join her, meals became more like a chore than enjoyable.

"Well, I am a bit hungry, would you join me for something to eat, Seraphim?"
 
"Of course!" Phim said happily, giving Amura a wink before they started down the stairs. All of that fear inducing made her a bit peckish. As she chuckled and carried on, the guard from earlier slowly crept his way to the break room. After an experience like that, he would have to return home and get a change of clothes!


"Before I came here, I was stuck eating noodles and bugs." She mumbled, making a face to show her disgust. "So I could only assume that you were far too busy to take the time to eat while I was gone." A few nods to passing guards and servants and they moved through the castle, to the kitchen. All around them, cooks were bustling; cleaning, cooking, preparing the menu for the evening. Once Amura was spotted, however, everyone froze.


"What would you ladies like, this afternoon?" One of them asked kindly- or as kindly as a wart-covered witch could. Not too keen on the eyes, but the woman meant well. "Let us know what you'd like, and we can send it to the gazebo, M'lady! It is a nice day!"
 
"Very busy, the council has been pushing left and right for me to start another war with any country I can get my hands on. I just don't see the point! The empire is plenty large at the time, if they want any furture wars to be successful they need to put some focus on the people. Build schools, improve farming lands...establish stronger towns on the border! You'd think they'd learn to take a break!" Amura complained as she walked with Seraphim.

Upon entering the kitchens, Amura noticed all the workers freeze up. Was it in shock or fear? She couldn't really tell. As a witched approached her she thought a bit on what she wanted. Also, the idea of eating outside sounded rather nice, she had been in that office for days straight, only leaving to go to sleep.

"I'd like some sweets sent out please, and tea...and anything you'd like Seraphim." Amura said as she looked to her vassal.
 
Phim asked for her usual; ever since she was little, she only got to experience a few human foods but one of her favorites was a sandwich. Turkey, Sourdough Bread (Humans had tasty bread, in her opinion) Mayonnaise, Mustard, Lettuce, Avocado and Tomato. Lightly toasted, preferably. Cut in fours, it is completely delicious with tea. One of her goals in her life was at some point, try all sorts of Human food; Cheeseburgers were also something she heard about- one of these days, she would have to ask the cooks to make it.


Stomach grumbling along with her thoughts, she walked with Amura to the gardens and happily soaked up the sun.


"This is the Underworld, M'lady. One of the biggest rules down here, is whoever has the most and gains it in the worst way possible wins. It's what gets you into History books, out here. First, we need to work on your Infamy more. The more people know about you and what you will do, the easier it will be for you to gain almost whatever you want- without really having to lift a finger." Carefully, she pulled out the seat for her mistress and sat across from her. Tucking hair behind a pointed ear, she let out a yawn and slouched in the chair as if it was the first time in days that she had relaxed. Since she was out of town with Vaughn, that could very well be the case. As usual, while she was with him, he came back and forth between worlds- not even really explaining what "task" he had to speak with her and Amura about.


The distraction of torching things and torturing guards from earlier had passed; now, she settled into the feeling of utter panic and curiosity.
 
"I'm not sure if I really can be imfamous, Seraphim. I was raised in a human lifestyle on the edge of this empire by my mother, a woman of nobility and humanity. I came here thinking of bringing this empire into a more glorious state without violence or war and in all honesty that is something I still want to do. I know I really should be considering who I am the daughter of but...I just don't think imfamy suits me." She said lightly as she sat there in the chair.

Noticing her mood change a bit once more, Amura relaxed a bit in her chair as they sat there in the gazebo. The two of them had changed since the beginning, Seraphim was seemingly more open about her choice of clothing and she...well, she had gotten a bit better with managing paper work and running the country. Thinking about it, Amura remembered something about Seraphim she had not thought much about until this moment, her eyes looking back to Seraphim again.

"Sera...You are a Succubus...Are any of the stories true?" She asked curiously.
 
"Uh...well, you see..." Phim could not control the spreading blush that came once her mistress asked the innocent (yet not) question of her Demonology; unlike many of the Succubi lately, she was of pure blood. However, on the terms of her kind, she had been more than inactive. Only two Humans, (to her knowledge) had she seduced, when many of her kind were taking them in droves. Upon further research and simply walking around the Underworld without her companion for once, Amura would have known or at least heard.


When it came to seduction, she lacked experience.


Quickly, the look of shock was wiped away and replaced with a pointy grin; if there was anything she did know how to do, it was flirt. In hopes of squashing the over lady's curiosity and putting an end to further discussion, her whole attitude changed; the blush now secluding itself to the tips of her pointed ears. Now, was as good a time as any, as she winked playfully, blew a tiny kiss at Amura and chuckled. "Perhaps they are...I am your vassal. Would you like to find out..?"
 
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