In The Shadow of Demons (Shiva x Sevatar)

[Shiva the Cat]

It had been nearly a century since the Kingdom of Reonne had fallen, but to the human inhabitants it somehow felt even longer. There were few who could remember when the countryside was green and people could walk freely, and when there was no need to fear the noble inhabitants of the grand white castles that dotted the rolling landscape. But the castles had long been torn down and replaced with strange arcane structures that seemed to appear overnight, and while the stained glass windows and soaring towers of these new palaces may have been beautiful, too many feared the dungeons that lay beneath them, and the wrath of the immortals dwelling within.

The greatest of these castles was at the very center of the nation, surrounded by a city full of human slaves and garishly dressed demon nobles who threw themselves at the feet of their God-King: Lucius, Star of the Morning. It was he that had conquered Reonne a century earlier, slaughtering the previous ruler and his followers, and threatening the terrified survivors with the same unless they gave way to his demands. Perhaps there would have been a greater resistance at the time if the human king's only daughter had not willingly submitted herself to the demon before her people, accepting him not only as her ruler but her husband, and by doing so trampling any hope the Reonnites had at one day regaining their freedom.

Of course, the human princess was long dead now, as were most of the witnesses to the Glorious Revolution, as the demons called it. But Lucius and his kind still survived, setting themselves up as nobles across the land and encouraging demons in neighboring countries to do the same. Many of Reonne's neighbors had met the same fate over the years, the humans falling beneath the shadowy rule of their immortal masters, but there were still some that held out hope and fought back. The God-King was prudent enough to watch these situations closely, but over the years he was primarily concerned with his own country, followed by those of his allies.

That was Lucius' current problem. His demonic neighbors to the east and west of Reonne were currently squabbling over contested territory in the north, a worthless bit of land suitable for herding yaks and not much else. In truth the God-King of Reonne couldn't give less of a shit about the area, but he was wise enough to know that if Uzach and Bolmath were to quit arguing with one another for five minutes and turn their sights on his own territory, it would spell trouble. Complicating matters all the worse, his idiot sons had taken it upon themselves to each cast their lots with the opposing nations, bringing the dispute into his own court.

It was to be expected, of course. Prince Azazel and Prince Belial had always gotten on about as well as oil and water, and it was only through their father's direct intervention that the pair hadn't killed each other yet. Azazel had sided with Uzach in the matter of the Black Mountain territory, and the God-King suspected it was only out of sheer contrariness that Belial had allied himself with Bolmath. Lucius hadn't had a moment's peace in weeks with all the trouble of avoiding both of his sons and the petitions for their friends, and if it weren't for the intervention of his eldest daughter he might have needed to kill both princes out of sheer impatience alone.

“Perhaps you could offer one of the warlord's the territory, and the other something of equal value?” Lilith had suggested while she was alone with her father, seated in her usual high-backed chair in his privy chamber while the God-King stared over the enormous map in the middle of the room. “You recall the matter with Duke Algaz? He was quite happy to give up his stretch along the Emerald River in exchange for Princess Ashtoreth's hand. Might we not make a similar arrangement between one of the warlords and Princess Anahita?”

It was a curious idea. Ashtoreth and Anahita were Lucius' daughters by his mortal bride, and their half-blood status had left him unsure of their uses. At first he had assumed no demon of proper standing would be interested in taking a wife that would one day grow old and die as his human consort had, but when Ashtoreth, the elder daughter, had reached maturity, her beauty was enough to garner offers from several parties. Eventually the God-King had decided to bestow her on Duke Algaz as placation for a territory dispute not dissimilar from the one he currently found himself in, and so far it had worked out well. Of course Ashtoreth, willful girl that she was, had fought him every step of the way and refused the marriage at first, but Lucius was soon able to deal with her the way he'd dealt with her mother, and the girl now lived in blissful harmony with her husband.

The God-King didn't expect such rebellion from Anahita, which was a relief. His youngest child was a quiet girl, primarily interested in books, art, and music, and Lucius had found that by providing her with all of these she was the most obedient of all his offspring. He had no doubt she would marry whomever he commanded her to, the only trouble would be deciding how best to maximize his own benefit by trading her off.

Annoyingly though, the vultures were already beginning to circle, and there was even a rumor that a third party, Lord Sazrath, was so in love with the princess that he would steal her away if she was not given freely. It was ridiculous of course; Sazrath was a minor noble and had only seen Anahita once in his life, and Lucius might not have given much thought to this claim if it weren't for the strangers that had attempted to kidnap his daughter as she was traveling from her summer palace to the God-King's winter court. The attack had been thwarted of course, but only barely, and Lucius was beginning to find himself searching everywhere for attempted conspirators seeking to ruin his plans.

That was what brought him to today, when he had summoned Xarl Valaration to appear before the High Court. If there was one person in the world the God-King could trust to look after Princess Anahita, Xarl was the man. He was a brilliant fighter, for one, and had proven himself fearless in the face of human and demon alike, although the soldier usually found himself facing the former more often than the latter. That was because Xarl himself was a human, one of the many who had sought only to serve the God-King and his people, turning on their fellow mortal slaves in exchange for the golden collars and cages of prized pets. If the man were to ever cross his demonic masters, Lucius didn't even need to kill him. He could just leave Xarl unarmed in the countryside, and no doubt the first human that recognized him would have been content to strangle the traitor with their bare hands.

Yes, Xarl could be trusted with the Princess Anahita, and Lucius made it clear as he called the man before his golden throne and smiled down on him benevolently, his red skin beaming in pride as his enormous jet black horns tilted towards the young woman in the smaller chair at the edge of the dais.

“I have quite the honor for you today, Xarl,” the God-King's voice boomed through the hall. All around, multicolored demonic faces, here and there accompanied by the downcast features of a human servant, watched intently. “In recognition of your long service to your God-King, I am appointing you the chief bodyguard of Princess Anahita, to serve until she is married, or until your death. Whichever comes first,” Lucius chuckled, folding his enormous hands on his lap as the silk of his golden robes shifted over his bulging muscles. Demonic wedding arrangements could take a very long time indeed, compared to the average lifespan of a human.

“Don't give him any trouble now, Your Highness,” Lucius continued, looking over towards the pale, petite form of Anahita. Her heart-shaped face was absolutely expressionless, and if it weren't for her deep red eyes and the small pointed horns poking out from her mane of straight, honey-colored hair, the princess might have been mistaken for just another human slave of the court, albeit her rich bronze high-necked robe was much more extravagant and modest than the average slave girl might wear. Her full lips were pressed close together as she inclined her head to her father respectfully.

“I am honored to be entrusted to such a mighty warrior, Your Majesty,” her soft, sweet-toned voice replied mechanically. “As always I shall do my best to ennoble the heritage you have so graciously bestowed upon me, My God-King.”

“There's a good girl!” the demon roared, taking a golden goblet from a nearby servant and rising to his immense height of more than eight feet. The other demons in the hall echoed the gesture, even Anahita, although at only five-and-a-half feet her own short, shapely figure appeared someone diminutive by comparison. All around the great hall the glasses were filled with a rich, red liquid, and only the sharpest eyes would have been able to tell that it wasn't wine.

“To Xarl Valaration!” Lucius' voice echoed through the room. “May he serve his masters loyally to the grave!” Cheers bubbled up in response as the demons drank down their blood, but there seemed little mirth in the noise. There was certainly no cheer on Anahita's face as she held one of her slim white hands out towards her new bodyguard, waiting for him to kiss the garnet ring on her middle finger in deference to her position. Xarl would only have a few minutes to do so if he wished to make an impression in front of any potential rivals; the God-King was already ushering his daughter out of the room so he could focus on more pressing business, and it was expected that the princess' new bodyguard would accompany her wherever she wished to go.

 

[Sevatar]

Xarl took a deep breath, glancing around the High Court, doing his best to ignore the nervous energy that threatened to consume him. It was a rare occasion when a summons to appear in front of the God-King and his full-court ended in a way that could be considered good after all. He took a deep breath, forcing his body to calm itself, his heart rate slowly returning to normal as he sunk further against the wall.

He would glance around the massive throne room, his deep ocean blue eye's taking in everything that they could from where he had been waiting near the entrance. The form of Lucius, the demonic God-King and ruler of these lands was visible in his golden throne at the other end of the hall. There were other noble's spread throughout the hallway, demonic men and women who came to the High Court to court favor with Lucius and to try and advance their own agendas.

Which, Xarl mused as he waited for the God-King to call upon him, was the same reason he was here. Nearly ten years ago, Xarl had come to the city of Reonne and pledged himself to the service of Lucius, in the name of another cause. Long before he had entered the demon's service, and become a murderer and betrayer of his own kind, Xarl had been a member of the resistance against demonkind's rule. He had fought and killed demon's, working with other like-minded humans to sabotage and work against their rulers.

Unfortunately for him, and the other members of the resistance back then, their efforts had been for naught, only succeeding in causing more brutality to occur against humans, and for their already destroyed lands to suffer more from the effects of war. It had ended with the cell disbanding, each member vowing to continue the effort in their own unique way, to try and free their kingdom from the demonic rule it had fallen under.

Xarl's chosen method had been to enter the service of the demon's and try to work his way through the ranks, doing whatever it took to become as trusted as a human servant could be. He had become a torturer, a slaughterer and so much more in the service of Lucius, and he was fairly certain in the fact that even the member's of his old resistance group would simply slay him at this point, brushing him off as another victim of the demon's influence, claiming he was no longer the man he once was.

But Xarl thought that he was the same man as he had been, simply preforming the atrocity's against humans instead of demons and half-demons. He had simply dedicated himself fully to the cause, taking a step he saw as needed. He was firmly in the belief that if he was able to secure a position of trust or influence, that he might be able to make something happen. Or, failing everything else, that he might be able to take one of the demonic Lord's with him, and remove some of their corrupting influence from Reonne.

The dark-haired man would be dragged from his thoughts by the booming voice of Lucius echoing throughout the entirety of the High Court, enhanced through the use of magic. He shivered softly, quashing the last of the nervous energy that was inside of him, as he listened to Lucius call him forth to appear in front of that golden throne, and the dais that was in front of it.

Taking a deep breath, Xarl pushed himself off of the wall, rolling his shoulder's and checking that the familiar weight of the dark iron greatsword was still there, the leather scabbard rubbing against his breastplate as he started to cross the room, aware of a number of eye's watching him, some belonging to humans, and some more unnatural in nature.

The benevolent smile that was visited upon him by the demon that he had pledged his service to, sent another shiver racing down his spine. His blue eye's would follow the path of those terrible horn's, landing on a young woman. She was familiar, but he was unable to remember her name or position right away.

When the God-King announced that he was bestowing an honor upon him, Xarl's eyebrows would shoot up, the only expression of surprise on an otherwise blank face. What exactly did Lucius mean by honor? He had seen plenty of people given the 'honor' of a clean death or being allowed to fight in one of the many gladiatorial pit's for their freedom, having failed to impress the demonic court or fulfill some task given to them by Lucius.

He would soon be enlightened as Lucius started making a grand speech, which grated on his nerves. Xarl had never been one for grandiose speeches, or public ceremonies, but it appeared he was being dragged into being the center of attention of one of those speeches. His eyes would shoot back to the woman that Lucius had indicated earlier, and Xarl's eyes widened softly as Lucius announced that he, Xarl, would the new chief bodyguard of the Princess Anahita, who was evidently the woman in question.

He would bow deeply, not bothering to open his mouth as Lucius turned his attention to his daughter, his mind racing as he processed the new information, ignoring the speech that was still going on. What would this mean now that he was expected to accompany the Princess everywhere? Would he be able to use this to his advantage?

Xarl was unsure, but he would be drawn from his thoughts by the motion of Lucius pushing himself to his feet, and raising a toast in his honor, and Xarl swallowed softly, that lump of nervous energy from before back, and stronger than ever. He would slowly exit his deep bow, adjusting the thick leather jacket that covered his breastplate, his eyes landing upon the Princess Anahita, and he slowly approached, using the opportunity to take in the woman's features.

She was evidently a half-demon, apparent by the deep red eyes that highlighted her honey locks. The small horns that peaked out from underneath those straight locks were another hint to the fact that she was the prodigy of Lucius. He noted the garnet ring decorating her middle finger, pointed in his direction, and he made his way over, bowing deeply. "My Lady" The man's voice rumbled out of his throat before he pressed his lips to her ring in deference to his new position as her loyal guard.

Xarl would then pull back, straightening out and he noticed just how much taller he was compared to the half-demon, towering nearly a foot above the Princess at nearly six foot four inches. He was still short compared to nearly every other demons, their supernatural builds, and metabolisms allowing most of them to tower far above most mortals.

Xarl watched Lucius start to usher Anahita out of the room, and he would follow the Princesses without another word, wanting to fall into the role of the woman's protector while causing as little disturbance as possible. His armored footsteps would echo softly out on the well-worn stone beneath him, his eyes glancing back and forth as his mind started to wander.

He realized just how little he knew about Lucius's daughter as he shadowed her, following her to wherever she decided to go within the vast castle that Lucius had claimed as his own. He was aware that she was the quiet type, preferring books, and silence to the manipulations and dangers of the court. But beside's that... Nothing. He was sure he would learn a lot about the woman in the hours and days to come. And at the same time, he wondered if Anahita would even want to talk to him.

He was fully aware of the reputation he carried, having earned the monkior 'The Slaughter of Tsagualsa" for the vicious fighting and bloodshed that he had been instrumental in during the reconquering of a rebellious human town named Tsaguasa. Practically every human in the Castle, or wherever he went for the matter, avoided him like he was a demon himself. And he just wasn't sure how a normally withdrawn Princess would react to having such a man assigned as her bodyguard, around her day and night, no matter what. He supposed he would just have to wait and see, now wouldn't he?​

 

[Shiva the Cat]

The noise of the banquet hall was beginning to rise like a coming storm, and Ana could scarcely hide the disgust on her face. After offering her father another deep curtsy, she excused herself through a door near the rear of the enormous room, pausing only to see if her bodyguard would indeed follow her. "You may stay behind if you wish, though you may want to avoid my father's gaze until he's good and drunk. He may not approve of your shirking your duties so soon after receiving them," the princess remarked to him, inclining her golden head back towards the festivities. "Such things rarely interest me. I'll be taking tea in my own quarters now, if you'd prefer to accompany me. Meg?"

From the shadows, a young female human slave stepped forth. She was almost as tall as the princess herself, and the black and white maid's uniform hugged her curves and flared in all the right places to titillate her demonic masters, but Ana's expression as she looked upon her was far from lascivious. Indeed, it was almost kindly, and met with a respectful curtsy from the servant. "This is my new bodyguard, Xarl. I imagine we'll need to find a room for him in the tower," the princess explained as she took her heavy skirts in one hand and began to stroll leisurely towards the spiral staircase at the end of the hall. "Can you have tea brought up to my sitting room? With two place settings, please. Unless Horus intends to join us?"

"I'll ask, Your Highness. I believe he's still in the study," Meg answered before looking over towards Xarl. Her expression was far from friendly as her gaze fell upon him, and it was clear the human knew exactly who the new bodyguard was, and what he had done. With her pale skin, severely straight black hair, and icy blue eyes, Meg seemed to be a chromatic opposite to the princess, and while Anahita did exude a little warmth in her voice and her relaxed posture (now that she was out of her father's eyesight), the maid almost seemed more hostile and dangerous than her mistress.

She kept close at Ana's side, and once they had safely outpaced Xarl Meg leaned over to whisper in her ear, "He's a spy. You do know that, don't you?"

"Of course I do," Anahita hissed back, glancing towards her bodyguard and hoping he hadn't overheard them. "But I need to know how good of a spy he is. We'll go to the study, Horus can watch him while I change out of this stupid thing." She tugged at the dragging fabric of her gown, which despite its beauty was one of the most impractical she owned, and therefore one of the princess' least favorite. "While we're having tea, I want you to secure my chambers and speak to Madam Chu about setting him up in the storage chamber at the base of the tower."

"The storage chamber?" Meg's eyes widened. "But isn't that awfully close to--"

"I'd rather have him there than near my personal chambers," the princess cut in, her dark red eyes flashing in warning at the maid's increasing volume. "Besides, he's my bodyguard. He should be nearest to the door, as my first line of defense."

Meg seemed to accede to this, then hurried on ahead of them to call for tea to be sent up. Anahita slowed her pace until she was closer now to Xarl, then stopped as they reached the staircase in the northernmost corner of Lucius' enormous palace. "This entire tower is mine," the princess explained as she began to ascend the stairs. "Meg is my personal maid and dearest friend, and you will continue to allow her to run my household, small as it is. I'm arranging for you to have a room in this tower as well, so if there is anything you require besides a bed and a basin please do not hesitate to ask."

Pausing, the princess took a closer look at her bodyguard, trying to guess what other material items he might ask for. All she knew about the Slaughter of Tsagualsa were his battle records and his reputation as a loyal soldier in her father's army, even if he was a human. Xarl probably wouldn't expect too much luxury; only the pretty human playthings of the court ever received more than the most basic necessities. Even Meg made do with having only a small cot, tiny fireplace, and a single wooden chest to hold her clothes, although she at least had her own private room directly beneath the princess'. Tiny as it was, it was still a step up from the dark, damp, cavernous servant quarters under the castle, and even the storage room Ana had in mind for Xarl would be quieter than the barracks he was probably used to.

The princess continued to lead him up the stairs, passing three more stories of the main palace until they reached a heavy stone door that blocked the rest of the staircase. Anahita turned the lion-shaped knob with ease, then gestured for her bodyguard to follow her further upward still. As they climbed the tower, she pointed out the cluttered, oversized closet that would serve as his own quarters, then led him through her parlor, where she normally entertained most guests. The furnishings were simple but well made, and the walls were hung with beautiful floral tapestries depicting the countryside in better times. A cheery fire was burning in an enormous hearth against once curved wall, but Ana paid no notice, continuing to lead Xarl farther up the tower.

The next floor was darker, but there was another somehow larger fireplace on a different wall, sending plenty of light over the opposite wall that was lined floor to ceiling with books. Two more human servants were pulling an overstuffed couch out of the way and setting up a small table and chairs, while an older-looking gentleman with curved black horns and leathery batlike wings was seated at a desk cluttered with tomes and scrolls, blissfully unaware of his surroundings.

"Any new developments today, Professor?" A shockingly beautiful smile crossed Anahita's face as she approached the old demon, resting one of her light hands on his stooped shoulder.

The demon jumped and jerked his head up, his yellow eyes widening in surprise at first, then relaxing as he scratched thoughtfully as his gray beard. "Mm, nothing remarkable," he replied, setting aside the book and looking curiously towards Xarl. "Who's this then?"

"My new bodyguard, Xarl," Ana introduced, letting the smile on her face die as she recalled the human man's presence, and quickly resuming her cool mask. "Xarl, this is my tutor, Lord Horus. He is allowed full access to the tower as well, although his own quarters are elsewhere."

Rising to his feet, Horus approached the bodyguard and held out a hand in greeting. "Pleasure to meet you, my boy. I'll try not to interfere with your duties, but Her Highness has such a fine collection of rare books that as a scholar I simply cannot stay away. Are you much of a reader?"

While the older demon was busy making his acquaintance with the bodyguard, Meg reappeared followed by another servant with a tea tray. "Please don't wait for me," Ana remarked as her maid took her by the arm and began to lead her up yet another flight of stairs. "I'm going to change into something more comfortable, then I'll be back to join you. Horus, do try to eat something. I believe you skipped breakfast and lunch already?"

"Bah," the demon waved the princess off as though she were a favored granddaughter, then took a seat at the table and gestured for Xarl to join him. "Such a worrywart, that one. You'll excuse her of course. It's her mother in her." Horus poured first himself a cup of tea, then Xarl. "You're a human yourself, aren't you? Most peculiar. Tell me, do you enjoy your work, young man?" There was no malice or accusation in the scholar's voice, only a mild curiosity as he sipped his tea and observed the younger man more closely. "You must be quite the warrior to be assigned to protect the princess. Have you seen much action on the front?"