Demon Queen Wants to Paint

"Morrigan, don't be like that," Alphegor whined as Rosa sat in the corner of their room, refusing to look at him.

"Morrigan, come here," He tried to lure Rosa to the bed by waving her favorite chocolate candy (it was a blessing in itself that there was chocolate in the Underworld), but she still stubbornly sat in the corner, her cheeks puffed out.

Alphegor sighed, and crouched down right next to her, trying to look into her eyes.

"I have to do this. It is my duty as a King," he said, and Rosa began to feel guilty about her little tantrum. 

I know that you're a King, but that doesn't mean I'm okay with you just leaving all of a sudden.

She stubbornly refused to voice her thoughts, instead peering at the corner of the room. Alphegor sighed, and scooped Rosa up into his arms, forcing her to look at him.

"I will be back before you even notice that I'm gone."

"I'll notice that you're gone after a few hours," she retorted, not daring to look him straight in the eyes. Instead she chose to focus on his horns. Large and curved, probably one of the most majestic horns she'd seen on a demon. Her own horns resembled his, albeit they were much smaller. 

Alphegor laughed at her remark and pinched her cheek. "And here I thought that you were more mature than Azrael. I see that you're still just a child."

Rosa gasped indignantly, and swatted his hand away.

I may be in the body of a child, but I am still an adult on the inside. And I'm certainly more mature than Azrael, even if he is two hundred years older than me.

"Don't worry, everything will be alright. Azrael will keep you safe, and you'll have Deziara, Gunna and Faenor as your company," He reassured Rosa by gently patting her back.

Rosa opened her mouth to say 'Can you stay?' but realized that she couldn't ask him that. He was a King. King of the whole Underworld which had many smaller kingdoms within it. And although Rosa had no idea whether he was a benign king who ruled justly or a tyrannical king who forced everyone to obey (although she was willing to bet on the latter), he still had duties to attend. He could not just abandon them just because she needed him as her impenetrable shield.

"You have to come back soon…" she muttered instead, and Alphegor smiled.

"Of course. I'll come back as soon as I can," he assured, then a wide grin spread on his face. "And I'll bring back a bunch of souvenirs from the Fallen Kingdom."

"What is the Fallen Kingdom?" Rosa voiced the question that has been on her mind since his announcement. There was still so much she didn't know about this world, her worldview severely limited to the Demon Castle and the books contained within its walls. And she couldn't even access the books she wanted to read as the librarians would always gently push her back into the child's section whenever she tried to get away.

Alphegor's face hardened, and she almost regretted asking.

"It's not a simple thing to explain. Fallen Kingdom is different from every other kingdom or country in the Underworld," he began slowly. Rosa knew that the Underworld consisted of many different countries, each country usually representing a whole race. For example, from Faenor she learned that there was a Kingdom of Dark Elves and from Gunna she found out about the Duergar Country. Both of these races were basically underground counterparts to their surface dwelling kin, and according to both caretakers – with nasty tempers.

"Fallen Kingdom doesn't have a single dominant race like in our Kingdom where demons thrive. Instead it could be called a country of exiles."

"Exiles?"

"Yes. It lies in the very depths of the Underworld, in a place where even the hardiest of demons do not wish to dwell. Over time, all sorts of riffraff began gathering there and building settlements because nobody ever bothered them. However, over the millenia, it has grown large enough to become its own country and now they are eager to conquer their neighbors for resources," Alphegor explained, then ruffled Rosa's hair. "Sorry, that must have been too difficult for you to understand."

"Do they want to steal from the Demon Kingdom?" she dared to ask. The King seemed a bit surprised by her question but then nodded.

"That's right. So your daddy will go and kick their butt," Alphegor grinned, and Rosa turned away, her cheeks tinting red. 

Really? Daddy? I am embarrassed for you.

Rosa only ever addressed Alphegor as 'Father', even if he regularly pleaded her to call him 'Daddy', 'Dad' or even 'Papa'. She refused to use these sweet nicknames on a demon. They just didn't suit him. Not to mention that all of Alphegor's other daughters only referred to him as 'Father'.

"Come on, little one. It's getting late, and both of us need to rest," he got up from the bed and carried Rosa over to her little bed which was right next to his. She called it 'little' but on Earth it would easily qualify as a queen sized bed. It just looked little when compared to Alphegor's large bed. 

He helped her dress into her silky, black nighty, and then gently tucked her under the covers.

"Good night, little one," he said and with a clap of his hands turned off the light. She could see how he too undressed and then slipped into his own bed. For a while, she listened to the silence of the neverending Underworld night. It was unnerving, and her own heart wouldn't let her calm down and fall asleep. So she silently slid out of her bed, and crawled in next to Alphegor.

"Feeling lonely? I thought you were a big girl who would only sleep in her own bed," the demon chuckled, but pulled her closer to his comforting warmth. Cuddling up to his side, Rosa listened to Alphegor's steady heartbeat. 

"Today is different," she muttered and laid her head on his chest. "You'll be gone for a long time."

"It'll be just fine, little one. Soon you'll learn that a few months is nothing when compared to our long lifetime. We'll still have a lot of time to spend together," Alphegor stroked her hair, and slowly she drifted off to sleep.

***

In the morning, a huge crowd of demons had gathered outside the Demon Castle walls to bid farewell to their King and brave demon warriors who were to stand by his side in battle. Those closest to him were gathered in the inner yard, standing in neat rows along the main exit road.

All of the concubines were dramatically weeping, although one could tell right away that their tears were fake. She saw Vivian and a few of the other concubines pull out a flask of some liquid, probably water, out of their sleeves and quickly drip it into their eyes. Granted, nobody really believed that their tears were real.

Deziara was also standing among the concubines, right next to her weeping mother. In Lily's defense, she wasn't as dramatic or loud as the others. Deziara was completely silent next to her, however there was a steady stream of tears going down her cheeks. She was one of the few demons who cried for real. 

"This has got to be the most obnoxious tradition ever," Azrael grumbled as he held Rosa in his arms, Gunna and Faenor standing close behind him. 

"It shows their loyalty to the King," Lucius explained, standing right next to them. The older demon seemed pleased by the display, listening with closed eyes as if it were some pleasant music.

"How loyal can they be if their tears are fake?" Azrael spat, looking even more annoyed. Rosa had to agree with him. It would have been better to see Alphegor off silently, rather than listening to this chorus of fake wails.

The King himself slowly descended down the Castle staircase. He was wearing black battle armor with a dark red cape flowing like a river of blood behind him.

He truly does look like the villainous demon king. The people from Studio Goblin would be frothing at their mouth if they saw this.

As he strode through the inner yard, the concubines cried even more intensely, so much so that Azrael clicked his tongue in distaste. Some began waving handkerchiefs at the King, probably hoping that he'd take one of them. But he went past them and instead stopped in front of Rosa.

"I'll be back soon, little one," he said quietly, and patted her head with his large, gloved hand. Then he gave Azrael an icy glare, his voice turning cold and threatening. "If I see even a hair out of place on her head, then you'll be losing yours."

"Oh, she'll be fine. Stop being so dramatic," Azrael replied nonchalantly, but Rosa could feel a little tremor go through his body. 

"Stay safe," Rosa whispered a prayer. Alphegor gave her a last appraising look, then turned his back to her and strode out, beyond the castle gates. The demons outside cheered at the sight of him, yelling praises at him and ushering their King to 'annihilate the fallen scum'.

"Let's go inside," Rosa tugged on Azrael's sleeve.

"Don't have to ask me twice," he replied, and they quickly peeled away from the crowd, closely followed by Gunna and Faenor. Rosa glanced back one last time before Azrael slammed the castle door shut, separating them from the noisy crowd. "Finally, some silence."

But as silence stretched around them, Rosa felt her heart grow heavy. 

Alphegor will not return for a while…

She was surprised when a lone tear rolled down her own cheek and fell onto her hand. She was never happy about Alphegor leaving, of course, he was her main protector in this demon infested world. But she never expected that she would be sad to see him leave.

"Oh, please, don't start the waterworks now," Azrael grumbled, noticing her tears.

"I am not!" Rosa quickly objected, and hurriedly rubbed her eyes. "Something got in my eye."

"Sure," the demon rolled his eyes. Annoyed by his attitude, Rosa wriggled free of his hold. "Hey, where are you going?"

"To do whatever I want," she retorted, and then turned towards Gunna. "Could I have some art supplies brought to my room?"

"Art supplies? Of course, Lady Morrigan. I'd be happy to," the dwarf woman smiled from behind her beard, and then hurried away.

"Why art supplies?" Faenor asked, appearing both perplexed and intrigued at the same time.

"I need to keep myself busy in the evenings somehow, now that Father is gone."

This is a chance to draw and paint without fear of Alphegor discovering my hobby. I always was so careful to do only Lady Asdeus's lessons, and I deliberately held myself back to appear less skilled than I actually am. 

But until he returns, I can just use our room as an art studio. Only Gunna, Faenor and some cleaning maids are allowed inside, so nobody else will discover what I'm doing.

"Why do I get a feeling that you're up to no good?" Azrael asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You're the one who is always up to no good," she retorted.

"Exactly. That is why I can sense when somebody else is doing something they shouldn't."

"I don't see how trying to keep myself busy is bad. You're just sad that Father left and don't want to admit it," Rosa taunted him, in an attempt to divert his attention.

"Why would I be sad about that? With him gone, I am the strongest demon in this whole castle. Nobody can oppose me!" he gloated, lifting his hands up in the air. 

"Alright, strongest demon. Don't you have to go feed Haku?" 

Azrael instantly slumped, annoyance clear on his face.

"You do know how to ruin a moment."

Rosa just grinned and ran to her room upstairs, eager to try her hand at drawing, to see just how much her skills have dulled down over the years.