The next few days were some of the most stressful days in Morrigan's life. Even more stressful than the time when Alphegor left Demon Castle and she ran away back to Earth. They were some way away from their next stopping point, but Deziara and Azrael were still missing. He had sent them a message saying that they'd meet up in the next town, but Morrigan was still really worried. She wished Azrael would send them another message saying that they were alright and unharmed.

"They'll be fine," Galandir soothed Morrigan, gently caressing her shoulder. She was currently flying on Haku's back with Galandir sitting right behind her. It was a rather tight fit, but the elven boy had insisted on it since she hadn't slept much for the past few nights. He feared she might lose her grip and fall off the dragon's back by accident. Which was a very real possibility in her current state.

"I really hope so," she muttered, nervously looking into the darkness ahead as if Deziara could come out of it at any moment. Morrigan knew it was a silly notion, but she still looked anyway.

"Hey, your sister is the fastest demon in the whole Underworld. You've seen her run, I've seen her run. There's no way they could have caught her. And Azrael… Well, if they catch him – good luck to them putting up with him," the elf said, and Morrigan chuckled at that.

"Yeah, I know that but I still worry," she said.

"It's only natural, but you might be worrying too much. You've barely slept these past few days. Sometimes I have to wonder how are you still standing," Galandir said and as if on cue, Morrigan's hand slipped off the saddle. She didn't fall anywhere, since the elven boy took a firm hold of her. But his point stood.

"Sorry," she said and then sighed. "But this isn't just about Deziara. It's also about this journey as a whole. I'm not sure if we'll be able to continue it."

"What do you mean? We're still moving forward," the elven boy asked. Morrigan paused for a brief moment, wondering if she should be recounting to him what her Father had told her. For the time being, nobody except Viana knew that the King was on the verge of either sending an army after her or dragging her back home. In fact, without Viana, the army would already have started their march, but she managed to convince him to wait for the time being, at least until they reunited with Deziara.

Morrigan nodded, having made up her mind. There was no reason to hide stuff from Galandir, he was her most trusted friend who even knew about her human past. Not to mention that he'd find out sooner or later anyway.

"Only because we need to reunite with Deziara and Azrael," she said and then lowered her voice to whisper. Not that anyone could hear them while they were flying on the dragon's back. But it just felt safer that way. "Father wants us to return home."

"Can't say I'm surprised. He is very overprotective. Too overprotective if you ask me," the elven boy said.

"But how am I supposed to continue my tour then?" she asked miserably. "I know that it's dangerous and there are enemies lurking around everywhere, but I still want to see those places."

"Probably would be safer to just get rid of them first," he shrugged.

"Since when have you become so bloodthirsty? I thought you didn't like violence," Morrigan wished she could look at the expression he had now, but unfortunately, they were both stuck in place.

"Scum who attack others for no other reason than for just being born into a favorable position do not deserve mercy," he growled, and she saw his grip on the saddle tighten. Was he angry? Morrigan opened her mouth to ask but then noticed light somewhere in the distance.

"Oh, are we finally there?" she asked excitedly, her heart beating in her chest. She prayed to all the gods that she knew that Deziara would already be there, safe and sound. And Azrael too, but she wasn't that worried about him.

"Princess, we're approaching Count Etheles' estate," Seon, one of Morrigan's guards, called from below.

"Haku! Let's pick up the speed. I want to see if Deziara is alright," she gently nudged Haku's side, signalling him to pick up speed. Haku obliged and flew ahead of the retinue, quickly closing the distance between them and the light. In less than ten minutes they were already in front of a large, glamorous mansion illuminated with brilliant, but tasteful lights throughout the whole territory.

The place was enormous, much larger than some of the villages Morrigan had to stop at before, and it consisted of many buildings and a beautiful garden that had not only Underworld flowers but also some plants from the Overworld. She couldn't help but gasp at their beauty.

"Wow, that's really beautiful. Never expected to see such an elaborate garden in the Underworld," Galandir said. Morrigan nodded and then noticed a figure coming out from the estate. She couldn't quite see it at first, but as they flew closer Morrigan began to recognize it. Her eyes filled with tears of happiness.

"Deziara!" she shouted and before anyone could stop her teleported herself onto the ground next to her sister and pulled her into a deep hug.

"Morri!" Deziara called back, returning the hug.

"You're alright. I'm so glad that you're alright," Morrigan said and took a step back to look over Deziara for any wounds. But she looked completely unharmed. Better than unharmed even. She looked clean and well-rested which Morrigan could not say about herself.

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"Yeah, I'm alright," Deziara confirmed with a nod, and then Azrael also appeared within the mansion along with another demon, clearly a pure-blooded one. He had short blonde hair and almost a regal disposition.

"Welcome, Princess Morrigan. It is a pleasure to welcome you to my mansion. I am Count Etheles," the blond demon bowed with graceful flourish, and Morrigan switched to her princess persona. She curtsied before him and put on a charming smile.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Count Etheles. I am Morrigan Nachtstern. Thank you for hosting my sister in your home until my arrival," she said.

"It was my pleasure, truly. I assume your retinue will soon follow," he said, looking over her shoulder to see Haku, trying to dislodge something from beneath his wing.

"Yes, we flew ahead since I wanted to make sure that my sister is alright," Morrigan admitted.

"Hey, what about me? Don't you care if I'm alright or not?" Azrael whined.

"Are you alright?" she asked with a raised eyebrow, although he looked just as clean and well-rested as Deziara.

"Yes," replied with a smile. "Thank you for asking."

"What exactly happened?" Morrigan asked.

"Why don't we discuss this over some tea and pastries? I am sure you are tired from your journey," Count Etheles offered with a smile, and Morrigan nodded. He struck her as a pleasant and well-mannered sort of man. But then she threw a glance at Haku and Galdnir, the age-old problem of whether there was space for her dragon rising up again.

"About the dragon…" She began and Count Etheles looked at Haku. Unlike most people who saw the dragon for the first time and usually feared it, the demon noble looked rather curious.

"I'll have my servants prepare food and water for him as well as a suitable place to sleep. I assume the elf next to the dragon is in charge of him," Count Etheles said.

"Yes, with him around Haku will remain calm," Morrigan replied and the demon hummed in satisfaction.

"Most excellent. Consider him taken care of. Now if you would follow me inside," he motioned and Morrigan followed him along with Deziara and Azrael. He led them into a beautiful light room that had lovely gentle flower motifs running through the walls and the table setup. They gave more life to the room while at the same time not being completely in one's face.

Morrigan found the decor very pleasing albeit unusual in the Underworld. Most demons went for either dark colors or distinctly vibrant tones. However, here everything was either light or a gentle pastel color. It made her feel as if she was in the Overworld, that's how pleasantly light it was.

"Please, make yourself at home. I'm honored to host Princesses here," Count Etheles said and sat down at the end of the table. Morrigan took a seat to his right, while Deziara was on the left with Azrael sitting next to her. Servants meanwhile brought out some washbasins for them to clean their hands.

"So tell me what happened to you? Why did you decide to go ahead?" Morrigan said and threw a glance at Count Etheles. Was it alright for her to talk about such matters in front of him?

"Don't worry about the Count, Princess. He is one of the King's closest allies and already well aware of your travel route," Azrael assured her, and the Count bowed his head in Morrigan's direction.

"I assure you that my allegiance lies with you, His Majesty and the Demon Kingdom. I am ready to swear an oath to prove my sincerity," he said, looking Morrigan straight in the eyes. It wasn't often that nobles managed to hold her gaze for too long and the sincerity in his blue eyes seemed genuine to her.

"There's no need to go that far. If Azrael says you're trustworthy, then I believe him," Morrigan said, although judging from the look Deziara was giving him, Azrael's word wasn't really worth much. Still, if Count Etheles weren't trustworthy, Alphegor never would have allowed her to stay in his mansion in the first place.

"I'm honored that you would trust my word, Princess Morrigan," he gave her a short bow with his head, and she smiled. Somehow she felt comfortable in his presence. Maybe it was the aesthetic of his mansion that made her feel more at ease.

"Okay, so short version is – Princess Deziara slept in, we got ambushed, and then escaped," Azrael said with a shrug, and Morrigan glared at him.

"I could deduce that much without you telling me. Deziara, please explain what happened," Morrigan asked, and noticed a nervous sweat form on Azrael's forehead. Deziara on the other hand was grinning with unhidden delight.

"Our big bad mage is just too embarrassed to admit what happened," she snickered, and Azrael flushed. Morrigan couldn't believe it – Azrael actually flushed from embarrassment.

"Nothing really happened. What matters is that everyone is safe and sound," he was clearly trying to avoid the topic, but Morrigan only wanted to know more. Just as she opened her mouth to demand answers, one of Count Etheles' servants came in and announced that the rest of Morrigan's retinue had finally caught up. Viana, along with several guards and a few servants came into the dining room and greeted Count Etheles.

Once the greetings were out of the way, and Viana was sitting next to Morrigan, the topic returned to what had happened. Azrael tried to squirm out of it, but Viana insisted on Deziara telling everything that happened down to the very last detail. As it turned out the reason why he was so embarrassed about it was because one of the enemy's golem had knocked him out right from the start and Deziara was forced to carry him away.

"That's amazing, Deziara! They had no chance of capturing you from the start," Morrigan fawned over her sister, while Azrael was trying to become a puddle. She wasn't sure if it was her imagination or if he was really making his features more droopy with shape-shifting magic. No, it was definitely the latter option – Azrael was so dramatic.

"Of course not. I've trained hard," Deziara stated proudly.

"It is a good thing you escape but this still is a worrying development. To think that they would try to attack us directly. Discreet attacks I expected, those happened during my tour as well. But this is direct assault," Viana said, her eyebrows furrowed.

"And to think that it would happen within my territory. It appears that I have been too lax," Count Etheles frowned. "But this problem shall be remedied. His Majesty should be arriving soon, and then we can decide on a further course of action."

"His Majesty? Father is coming here?" Morrigan gasped in horror.

"Of course. You think I wouldn't have told the King about this?" Azrael frowned.

"No, of course. I told him what happened myself, but I never expected him to come personally."

"It is only natural for a father to come to the rescue of his daughters," Count Etheles said with a smile, and Morrigan tried to suppress a frown. With her father here it was basically guaranteed that her tour around the Underworld would come to an end. As if on cue, some of Count Etheles's servants scrambled into the room but before they could make a proper announcement Alphegor strode into the dining room. And he looked angry. Really angry.