All is fair in love and war

[redblood]

A few days passed and Selene had been ordered to stay inside as the guards were seeming overly cautious because some traders had put up camp not too far away.

"Have we gotten any letters yet?" Selene muttered as her maid walked into her room and picked up the books that she had spread on the floor.

"It will take at least two more days for the letters to reach the castle and then another four for them to get anything back to us. You know this, your highness, you don't need to ask every day." The maid scolded her, something she could only do because she had been with Selene pretty much since she was born and had even done some of the raising of the girl. She started to put the books into the bookshelf when the princess interrupted her.

"Don't forget the order. Last time you put the poems among the novels and the holy book with my history books and herbology ended up with.." A frantic tapping on the window stopped the princess in her tracks. Even the maid who had just started to tune out the princess ranting got her focus back.

"What's with that bird." The maid said and walked up towards the window, opening it and started waving her hands for it to go away. "Shoo shoo, fly away you little beast."

"Stop it, he's a friend." Selene interrupted and just as the maid was gonna ask what crazy nonsense the girl was spouting she noticed something.

"My lady, to the horses now." She pushed the girl towards the backdoor. Selene hadn't herself seen the men that came towards the cabin, but her maid was a strong woman, she had never even shown a hint of fear and now it looked as if she was terrified.

As they opened the door a man grabbed the arm of the maid as she was the first one out. The men that were coming towards the cabin on one side weren't the only ones there, there were more men coming from different spots, one reached the cabin as the crow tried to get the attention of the princess.

In a turn of event, the older woman grabbed the man and pushed him into the house wall. The man was too surprised to stop it, but of course her upperhand wouldn't last very long. "Run." She screamed to Selene who was already in the middle of her first step. Even though she didn't want to run away from the woman, she knew that as the princess of this country, her first duty was to survive this and put herself into safety. She wouldn't be able to save anyone if she was in danger herself.

She grabbed the horse but at that moment another man had ran around the house and dragged her down by the hair as she tried to mount the horse. "Stop, let me g..." She screamed before a hand was put over her mouth.

 

[Elle]

Styx was disgruntled as the maid tried to shoo him away and he had half the mind to peck her hands. Instead, he cawed and focused on the princess. He wanted to warn her, but with the maid there, he wouldn't be able to speak without freaking her out. He then paused as he noticed the men approaching and he flew off, circling the house as Selene headed to the backdoor. The moment she got out, he followed her but then saw a man ambush her. The bird cawed before diving and attacking the man trying to grab her. He knew he was small compared to these large humans but his beak was sharp and pointed.

The man cried out as Styx attacked his face, clawing with his feet and slapping with his wings. The man had no choice but to let go of the princess as he swatted at the troublesome bird. "Damned thing!" He then finally managed to hit the creature, sending Styx flying. Meanwhile, Azrael was at the border and he hesitated for but a moment before crossing it. He knew he had no choice but to cross it if he wanted to save the princess.

He came upon the scene just in time to catch Styx. He then looked at the man who startled at the sight of him. "D-demon!" He shouted, about to flee, but Azrael was quicker as he appeared in front of the man and grabbed him by the neck and crushed his windpipe before tossing his limp body to the ground. "Princess, are you alright?" He asked as he eyed the men who surrounded them, trying to decide if it was worth tangling with a demon to get to the princess.

 

[redblood]

The princess finally got free as Styx attacked the man, but the horse had fled because of the commotion, all she could do was run, but in the dress she wore, they would catch up to her in no time. She stumbled back and uncertain of where to run to, even though that would be a quite futile attempt at this point, she heard the man stutter something she did not think she would hear.

Looking back at the man, not far from him stood the demon king now with her assailant in a steady grip until the man stopped moving and was dropped to the ground. Dead. A part of her was terrified, how a human could have been murdered so easily, but another part was relieved that the man couldn't do anyone any harm.

"I'm... I'm unharmed." Selene confirmed shakily.

"This is non of your business demon!" One of the men then said. Some of the others were already backing off, but a few stood and waited confused for an order. Attack? Retreat? "This kingdom is not for your kind, or maybe you just want to start a war again." It was clear the man that seemed to be the leader of the group wasn't too keen on the idea to go into battle with this demon, but at least he had the guts to threaten with war. Everyone knew that was a possibility if it ever spread that a demon crossed the border.

 

[Elle]

Styx moved to perch on Azrael's shoulder, glaring spitefully at the dead man before leering at the others as the king calmly looked at them. He then gave them a cold smile at their words. "Perhaps you're right about this not being for my kind, but no one will know about me crossing the boundary if none of you live to tell the tale, correct?" He then reached out, thick inky shadows rising from the ground to seize every single man, preventing them from escaping before the substance covered them and smothered them while snapping their necks.

Once all of the men were dead, he looked at the princess. "You're not safe here and I suspect your maid is also dead like your guards. It will take too long for word to reach your father but I can keep you safe in my lands for the time being." He held out his hand to her, hoping that she wasn't frightened of him for killing all of the men. "I promise that I will keep you safe, Selene."

 

[redblood]

It was not the first time Selene had seen death, but it was the first time the sight frightened her. As cruel as it might have seemed for some, all her siblings had been introduced to death through executions from early age, at least when it came to criminals that had wronged the royal family. Those were quick, painless, oftentimes the criminal had a bag over their heads, they usually didn't make a sound and if they did, they were cursing whomever was close by just to be gagged and silenced. This was different. Their faces weren't hidden, the fear visible in their eyes, they screamed for as long as it was possible. How had her grandfather been able to battle such a force for so long? If a war was started once again, humanity wouldn't have a chance to survive.

Suddenly Azrael's voice brought her back to the present. A part of her wanted to yell at him that he didn't need to kill them, but she knew she was wrong. If he hadn't and they had escaped, people would have known of the demon whom had crossed the border. Even if she made it back to the castle, not knowing the direction and risking getting attacked on the way, it might be too late. If Azrael brought her there, they would probably think her mad, possibly being under the control of the demon.

The whole situation was a mess.

"I...Yes, that's.. Probably the best approach right now." She agreed slightly uncertain. Had she allowed herself to breath, to think for a few minutes, maybe she would have realized that they had to get rid of the bodies, otherwise someone would suspect demons if they stumbled upon the scene. Ten men, two guards and a maid killed like this clearly wouldn't be seen as the work of man. But she was too shaken to think that far for now. Getting herself into safety and making sure no one saw Azrael in the human world felt like it should be the focus point for now. After a slight hesitation, she took his hand.

____________________________________


Shortly after the three had disappeared, a guard stumbled towards the cabin. He was hurt, but far from dead. Stabbed in the chest, the blade had luckily missed his lung and thanks to having been knocked out, the assailants had just assumed he either was dead or would bleed to death quickly. The guard hoped that the princess had gotten away, that they would have seen the incoming danger long before they arrived, but he needed to make sure, see if there was a body or not. No body could either mean a kidnapping or that she was able to escape, or in worst case scenario, escaped and killed further away, but at least no body would mean there was a chance that she was safe. Nothing could have prepared him for what he actually saw. No princess and twelve dead people. The maid had clearly been killed by one of the humans that attacked them, but the attackers.... What could possibly have done all that.

 

[Elle]

Azrael smiled faintly as she took his hand, not at all bothered by the fact that he had just killed a man with the same hand she had just gripped. "Close your eyes," He said as he pulled her gently towards him and wrapped an arm around her waist, flapping the powerful raven wings still on his back and took off, whisking her away back to his castle. He probably should have disposed of the bodies or at least the ones he had killed but it was too late now.

It didn't take him long with his demonic magic and large wings to make it back to his castle. He landed on his balcony and gently sat her down on her own feet. "You can open your eyes now, princess." Styx flew off of his shoulder and into his room where there was a large perch for him to rest on. "Welcome to my castle, Selene. You are now a guest. I will have to have you stay in my chambers until I can prepare a room and make sure no one will bother you."

 

[redblood]

Her mind was dazed. Even though she was flying, something she had only been dreaming of until now, she barely took notice of it. Her boringly calm escape spot had turned into what her father had feared the most of their own home, a death trap. Even though they had thought about the risks they had still been vulnerable. If a single assassin had gotten to them, the guards she had would have been perfectly equipped and skilled to take care of the problem as long as they noticed him. With their skills, they most likely would have. If there had been a big group of traitors the guards were meant to send her off before the threat even came near. But the group had not looked like dangerous thieves or traitors, even when the guards had gotten close to talk to them, pretending to be travelers themselves, there had been nothing to suggest they were people to fear. Just a normal group of merchants. Their weapons must have been hidden well among the fake wares they carried around.

Was this a single attempt? Or were there more people attacking her siblings at the same time as they did her to make sure they wouldn't be able to warn each other if someone escaped.

As Azrael started to speak, she tried to force herself out of her own misty mind and listen. "A bother would be a great distraction right now." She admitted with a slight chuckle, not even thinking about that she was in demon territory and that his servants might wish to eat her.

"I suppose it would be rather hard to send out a message to my father from here." It wasn't quite a question, but still she hoped for an answer. If a demon came with a message over the border it could be grounds for war if the human receiving it didn't listen. Even if Styx were to fly out the letter, it might be received with suspicion. If they were lucky and the message was read, then they had to believe it actually came from Selene and that she wasn't forced to write it. If she wrote a letter, she couldn't tell them were she was, only that she was in safety, and a demon couldn't be the one to give the letter out to a human. On top of that, Selene couldn't leave as she would have to travel through the human world all alone until she reached the first town where she hopefully could get a letter to her father to send guards to take her the rest of the way. It was too dangerous.

 

[Elle]

Azrael eyed Selene for a moment in silence before he sighed softly. "Getting a message to your father would be difficult due to the complication of this matter. There's no telling if he would take kindly to such a letter, even if it was from you. Which, he would most likely doubt the authenticity of the letter." He watched her for a moment before stepping forward, gently cupping her cheek in his large palm. "Princess, I assure you that I will keep you safe and when it's safe, we will reach out to your father. I need to obtain information and see if your siblings are being attacked as well or if it was just you. Once I find that out, we can move forward to the next step of trying to get in contact with your father. If anything, I will fly you to him myself."

He then lowered his hand from her cheek and drew an arm around her shoulders, guiding her into the room. "But for now, you should get some rest. Though, you appear to be in a slight state of shock. Is there anything I can do for you in order to help you feel better? I did not intend for you to see me be violent but it was the only way to keep you safe. I understand if you hate me, though, princess. You are a gentle and kind soul."

 

[redblood]

"Hate you?" Selene exclaimed surprised. "Of course not, you saved my life." She might not approve of the brutal ways those men died, but blaming someone who rescued her would be insane. They attacked and would most likely have gotten the death penalty had they gotten away from there with their lives intact. No matter what had happened, they would have faced death sooner or later for their actions.

"As a member of the royal family, I must be accustomed to violence in the name of justice. Those men would have been beheaded for their crimes, and as the person wronged, had I survived with them, I would have been there for the execution. If I were to hate you, I should likewise have to hate my father as his actions would have been the same." Her tone was matter of factly, not showing any hint of emotion. They were supposed to watch so they could become numb to criminals being killed, if you felt something, you hid it. If anything, the princess was ashamed that she still sympathized with many of those she had watched die throughout the years.

"Thank you for everything you've done Azrael, you've been very kind to me." Now she smiled with a warm tone in her voice, though a hint of trembling still lingered. "Please tell me immediately once you hear about my siblings. Even if I'm asleep, no matter if it's good or bad news." She asked him. She doubted she'd be able to sleep, but if she eventually did fall asleep, she would probably seem half dead. Falling asleep could be hard when under high stress, but once asleep, the exhaustion could make it half impossible to wake someone up.

 

[Elle]

He couldn't deny that he was relieved that she didn't hate him. She had seemed so out of it since she had witnessed him kill those men and she had seemed a little distant. He was glad to know that it was not because of her hating him. "I am pleased to know that you do not hate me, princess." He then paused as she exclaimed about being expected to being accustomed to violence in the name of justice.

He stepped towards her and gently brushed some hair from her face. "You are a brave and strong princess, Selene. Your father should be proud of you if he isn't already. Rest assured that I will keep you safe." His touch lingered for a moment before he lowered his hand and stepped away.

"As soon as I hear word, I will let you know. Now please, get some rest. You've had a long day." He smiled gently at her, gesturing towards the bed. "If you need anything, do not hesitate to ask. I will do everything in my power to keep you safe and your needs met."

 

[redblood]

"Thank you Azrael." Selene smiled "For now I'll just need some rest." She then continued, not wishing to impose on his hospitality.

As the demon king left her, Selene's shoulders fell and she almost collapsed onto the bed. After everything that had happened that day, even though it had happened so quickly, the girl was exhausted both mentally and physically. Holding herself up, making sure she kept smiling, moving, talking, it had taken much more energy than she had ever anticipated. Even though her mind was plagued by those horrible memories from earlier that day, Selene still fell asleep, and the memories went into nightmares.

____________________________________________

"My lord, what is the meaning of this?" A figure appeared from the dark. Cerberus, the king's advisor and the former officer from the war against the humans. "How could you bring a human of all things here?" The despise in his voice was hard to miss.

Cerberus respected his king above all other, but that did not mean he would not question him if something was wrong, and this was indeed incredibly wrong. A new war would not bother Cerberus in the slightest, he would even enjoy destroying humanity if he got the chance, but he also knew that was not the road Azrael wished to take, thus for as long as he were king, Cerberus would make sure that his wishes were fulfilled. So why was this demon now making it so damn difficult by bringing a human into their realm, practically begging for a war to break out?

 

[Elle]

Azrael watched her for a moment before stepping out of the room to give her some peace. He lingered in front of the doorway, using his enhanced hearing to listen for the sound of her breath evening out as sleep took her and was about to walk away when he was suddenly no longer alone. He turned his gaze to look at Cerberus and tilted his head. "Lower your voice, Cerberus. I do not want the others to become aware of her before I can take the precautions to ensure her safety. As for your question, I know."

He sighed and looked at his fellow demon, knowing that out of all of the demons, he could at least trust Cerberus. He was the closest thing he had to a friend in the kingdom besides his crow companion. "I may be making a terrible mistake but I could not leave her while she was in danger. I am trying to keep her safe until she can be returned to her father. It will not be easy to keep him from drawing the wrong conclusions and causing war."

 

[redblood]

"Yes, keep her safe around beings that wish to eat her would they get the chance."Cerberus sighed. "Humans are too bothersome, I do not understand how you put up with them, but if you truly have decided on this I suppose I am forced to oblige with your silly whims." That might just have been the demon's way to say he'll help, though reluctantly.

"So, will you tell me what happened for you to do something this drastic?"

 

[Elle]

Azrael looked at Cerberus and frowned slightly, knowing that it was a difficult situation and that the other demon had a point. "At my side should be the safest for her so that I can keep an eye on her and personally ensure that nothing comes to harm her." He looked at Cerberus serious for a moment. "You are the only one I can trust to help me in keeping her safe. I know you dislike humans, but she's different. She's not like the other humans who only think about themselves and their greed. Perhaps if you were to spend some time with her, you might see that not all humans are bad and that is why I continue to put up with them instead of completely wiping them out as so many of my brethren would love to see."

He was then silent for a moment before he sighed, shaking his head. "Perhaps I am smitten with her. There's something about her that just makes me want to protect her. I'm looking to you to help me keep her safe, Cerberus. I will certainly make it worth your while. You have always been at my side, supporting me, and I appreciate it. All I ask is that you continue to do so. And who knows. Perhaps she won't be with us for very long and we can return her to where she rightfully belongs. But for now, I wish to keep her safe."

 

[redblood]

Smitten. That was not a word the demon wanted to hear. Was she truly a human? Or perhaps a powerful witch that could enchant even the strongest of demons. That was a silly thought though. Witches had been wiped out long ago by humans, even before the war started. They had believed witches served the demons, thus the demons gave those people their power, but in reality, they hadn't been involved at all. The irony, those humans could have used the witches in the war against the demons had they treated them nicer. Those witches might have actually been a threat to the demon army.

"As long as you're intending to let her go when the time comes, even if she wishes to stay, I will not object." It was important that Azrael understood that he couldn't keep her here even if it was her own wish. At least if he also wanted to keep their relations with the human world safe. "As long as no one witnessed her coming here with you, it should be safe for now. I'll prepare a barrier so no one can smell her, make sure to get rid of that stench before you meet anyone." Some of their kind could smell humans at a far distance, if his lord had touched that woman and then walked out without doing anything, someone would notice. Then the rumors would begin. Most likely it would be confused for him having eaten humans, which would make some demons quite angry since they weren't allowed to do that.

 

[Elle]

Azrael actually cracked a smile at the other demon. "I'm grateful to have you at my side, Cerberus. I'm going to clean up because I did touch her. As far as anyone witnessing her, I don't think anyone did. I was very careful." At least, he hoped he had been careful enough. The last thing he needed was for the demons to catch wind of him harboring a human. He was truly lucky that it had only been Cerberus who had caught wind of her. "Thank you, my friend." He then turned and headed back inside of the room but paused in the doorway to look at Cerberus. "I will let her go." He just hoped that he would not grow too fond of her and risk going back on his word.

The demon king wasn't stupid. He knew a human queen would never be accepted. Whatever feelings he grew to have for her would need to be discarded as soon as it was safe for her to leave. She could not stay, even if he secretly wanted her to. It would not end well for either of them. He then headed back inside of his room to clear the scent of human from his body so that he could carry on with any duties he needed to attend to as king.

 

[redblood]

Somehow Cerberus knew this would end badly. A part of him wanted to drag the girl back to the edge of the demon world and throw her into the human world. Then she could fend for herself. That probably wouldn't be too popular with Azrael though. "I do hope you know what you're doing my lord." Cerberus sighed as they parted ways.

Putting up a barrier that would contain her smell to a specific area wasn't too hard, as long as she didn't leave that area of course. As Azrael made sure to do his duties, Cerberus kept an eye on the girl with the promise of fetching the king once she awoke. Of course he was intending to speak to her first as his smitten master probably wouldn't give her the rules sternly.

As he heard the princess moving in the room he changed his form and approached.

There was a knock on the door before it opened without caring much for a reply. Not many people had the ability to shapeshift, but Cerberus was one of them, and he figured it was best not to scare the girl half to death with his demon form.

"Good day human." Cerberus started, ignoring her confused expression and the signs that she was about to ask something. "I am only here to inform you that our lord has given you his pity and thus you are allowed to stay here for the time being, but make no mistake, you will leave when the danger is over and you will stay confined to the places we choose when you are here. At the moment the best thing would be if you stay in this room if not in the company of the lord or me. Of course we are both busy so do not expect to leave this room much during your stay. If you were to somehow come across other demons than me or the lord, do not speak to them, just try to walk away before they notice you. I assume this should not,I repeat NOT be an issue since you will stay in this room until we say otherwise. Have I made myself clear?"

Selene stared at the human looking man for a few seconds before realizing he wanted a reply. "Y...Yes of course, I wouldn't want to cause any bother for either of you I swear." She replied and just as she was about to continue to talk, he turned.

"Good, I'll tell my lord you have awoken." The door closed.

"what in the world just happened...." It must have been the demon lord he talked about, Azrael. Was that man a human? He looked like one, but it couldn't be. There were no humans there.

Cerberus went back to his normal form as fast as the door had closed, oh how the demons would laugh at him if they knew he took on a human form. During the war, once the negotiations started, he had taken on that form quite often, to his own dismay. Humans were more likely to listen when they saw people who looked like them.

"My lord, she's awake." He announced after making sure they were alone and no noisy demons were outside hearing them.

 

[Elle]

Once he was free of the human's scent, he quietly left the room once more in order to attend to his duties. He knew that Styx and Cerberus would be looking after her while he was busy and that made him feel a lot better than leaving her alone without protection.

Although his room was a place where none but Styx dared to enter without permission, the scent of a human might just make a demon bold enough to enter it in order to obtain her. He was grateful that Cerberus would be putting up a barrier in order to block out her scent so that no one but him, Cerberus, and Styx knew of her presence.

His duties as kings could be tedious if not aggravating. A lot of the demons came to him, restless, and begging him for action. Too many demons wanted to end the peace treaty and prey on the humans that came too close to the border and teased them but he refused to give in to their demands and made his opinion clear. Then there were the demons with petty problems that wanted him to solve even though they were more than capable of doing so on their own.

He sighed as he sat in his throat, idly stroking the feathers of Styx who watched the latest demon leave. "Perhaps a break would be good for you, my lord," The bird cawed, glancing at his master. Azrael looked down at him and nodded, his mind instantly going to Selene. Was she still asleep?

Almost as if on cue, Cerberus made his entrance to inform him that she was awake and he jumped up from the throne, startling the poor corvid who had been perched on his lap. "Excellent." He then started making his way from the throne room, intent on visiting her at once.

 

[redblood]

What was up with that handsome man? It must be someone the king knew well, especially since he knew about her being there. Was he human, was he not? Probably not, right? There shouldn't be any humans there. Maybe he had a tail she didn't notice.

"Azrael" Selene smiled as the demon lord came into her room. "You have quite a peculiar friend I noticed. He didn't even give me his name before he left to fetch you. I hope you weren't disturbed in any work or so, he mentioned you might be busy. I assume he's a friend of yours?"