We had finally made it to the castle outer limits, those imposing walls towering over us. Just ahead was a humongous gate through the walls that led into the city, guarded by several men in shining armor, the metal glinting in the waning daylight.

“Halt!” one shouted, standing up straighter and grasping his weapon at his side. “What is your business in the castle?”

“I must have an audience with Queen Selissa,” I stated. “It’s a matter of life and death.”

The guard’s attention turned to my apprehended demon. He noticeably jumped in surprise, his armor clattering against itself with the sudden movement.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw the demon shake its head, almost imperceptibly. The guards watched her warily, then turned their attention back to me. They, too, must fear her. Maybe this meant that the Queen really would listen to me, would be pleased to recommend me back to the Hunter’s Guild.

“A… matter of life and death, you say?” the first guard said, still glancing over at the demon. “Then… I suppose you must enter?” He stepped aside to work the mechanism that opened the door; a great cranking wheel that pulled unseen mechanical workings that leveraged the doors open.

As the first guard worked, the doors lifted upward, as opposed to how I would have originally thought. They looked as if they would swing outward, but instead, were retreating into the walls itself through the wheel mechanism. It was interesting to watch, and I almost lost myself in the wonder of it all. What else have I been missing out on, being stuck in the Hunter’s Guild all my life?

The second guard stood watching us. “Queen Selissa is holding court until the sun sets. You should have enough time to speak with her,” he advised, addressing the demon.

It irritated me that he wasn’t speaking to me, but perhaps he was afraid to take his eyes off of the clearly powerful and dangerous creature in front of him. It’s ill advised to turn your back on your enemy, as I’d been told before.

The doors were opened, and we walked through the hole it created. As we passed, the guards reversed the wheel, slowly lowering the gated door we’d entered through. The chains creaked, protesting the weight.

I followed the main path of the courtyard, determined not to look back. The doors finally hit the ground with a heavy thud, but I paid it no attention. The future was all I could see, and it was in the form of a beautifully architecture castle, formed from exquisite stone, wrought perfectly in elaborate decoration. The towers, numerous and spindly, shot up from the castle’s base and seemed to pierce the sky, especially from this perspective. Again, the demon paid it no mind, as if it were as common a sight as an ant crawling on the ground. Maybe demon architecture is much more interesting than ours.

The main path led directly to the castle’s front doors, which were open and again guarded by more men in armor. The path was lined with perfectly trimmed hedges, dotted with the occasional delicate flower. The palace gardener was a busy man, I thought, with all of the greenery around here. It wasn’t just the path edged with florals and plants, the courtyard was littered with various miniature gardens and fountains, each distributed with artful taste. I ignored it all, only able to focus on what was ahead.

The guards looked at us strangely but said nothing and let us pass. More guards formed a path of sorts through the castle directly to the throne room. It was straight ahead past the front doors, making it easier for those citizens who had the clearance to come and air their grievances with the ruling entity. That included us, today. I glanced towards the sky, noting how the sun was beginning to set. The guard said that open court would continue until sundown; if we didn’t get in front of the Queen before then, I didn’t know what I would do.

We entered the throne room. The Queen sat in her throne, looking regal and bored at the same time, hearing complains of the various citizens that had graced her throne room. The line was short, only two people total. She really was at the end of her session – it seemed we had arrived just in time.

Unfortunately for the two people in line in front of me, I could not wait. This was more important than their petty squabbles. And I couldn’t force this demon to remain under captivity for much longer. I felt I was reaching the end of whatever minuscule influence I had over her; I was itching to rid myself of the responsibility and to usher in what comes next. I couldn’t wait any longer.

I shoved my way to the front, pushing a middle aged woman to the side. She glared at me, but I ignored her. It wasn’t nearly as terrifying as the demon’s violent stares, making me feel immune to this stranger’s irritation.

I shoved the demon in front of me valiantly as best as I could with our wrists still attached. “My Queen! Behold, I’ve apprehended a vile demon, the strongest I’ve ever encountered!”

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She blinked at me; crown perfectly centered atop golden hair.

I shuffled my feet, unsettled by her lack of response. “Uh, in return for saving your Queendom from the inevitable chaos of this demon, I ask a single favor?”

The Queen still was silent, her jaw slightly slack as she stared at us. The demon stood in front of me, her arm twisted behind due to the attachment of our wrists. Her body trembled against me, surely with fear.

Then I heard a giggle, erupting into full blown laughter.

“You’re a fucking idiot,” the demon said, gasping in air between bouts of laughter, the true source of her shaking. “I’m Princess Callisto, Sir Dumbass, not a demon.”

The Queen just sat there, staring at me, still wordless. This was not the reception I’d anticipated. This wasn’t the outcome I’d hoped for. Everything, it seems, had gone wrong. But no human had this sort of demonic aura – she had to be wrong! Clearly, this was a deranged demon, a maniac, having convinced herself that she was the princess. Surely, the Queen would side with me, apprehend the demon, and vouch for me yet still. I should be fine.

“She can’t be a princess!” I shouted, gesturing with my free hand at the demon. “She’s obviously crazy – I know she’s a demon, I can see it!” Of course, it was hard to prove that I could see demonic auras. That wasn’t a common talent, and nobody else here would believe me. I decided to keep quiet, unless I was deemed insane. I cleared my throat nervously.

The Queen shook her head in disbelief, her eyes darting around the room. Her crown had slipped a little off of her perfect hairstyle, blonde strands off-kilter. The other people in the court, countless nobles, their elaborate clothing shining out between the few commoners that had remained. They whispered to each other, the shock echoing throughout the room. Was this demon really disguised as the princess? Had this been the shock of the century that I had personally delivered, directly to the Queen? I shrunk back into myself, feeling the awkwardness that comes with being in the spotlight. Everyone was looking at the two of us through the sides of their eyes, speaking in hushed voices behind hands that concealed their mouths.

Then every single candle suddenly doused with an audible gust of wind. The room now dark, the whispers and murmurs turned to shrieks of panic and rustles of clothing as people rushed to find the exit in the complete darkness. Just before the throne, at the base of the steps leading up to that magnificent chair of power, a small flame erupted. It was baseless, burning in the air, needing no fuel. It was obvious that it was a magical flame, as it was a navy blue, the tips burning white.

The flame was only a few feet in front of us, the dark blue flames illuminating our shocked faces, painting the Queen ahead of us in a menacing light, the flickers showing the fear on her face. She pressed herself back into the throne, the back nearly threatening to tip over with the force of it.

Then, the flame twisted into something gruesome. It grew, the fire expanding, causing me to stumble backwards, nearly falling over and taking the demon with me. The fire ebbed and grew, until it almost looked like… a face? Whatever the face belonged to; it wasn’t human. Its teeth were long and sharp, its eyes a black hole abyss where the flames were not. The monstrous visage turned to the Queen, opening its flaming maw in a growl of sparkling embers.

“The treaty is renounced,” growled the fiery messenger. “The terms have been failed. Your hostage is forfeit,” spat the flaming face, sparks spattering the throne’s upholstery.

The Queen’s face turned even paler, which I would have thought impossible.

“No, you’re mistaken! It’s not too late!” she sputtered. “My son! Don’t hurt my son!”

Without a response, the messenger snuffed itself out of existence just as quickly as it had appeared. The candles in the throne room remained dark, the smoke from the remnants of flames wafting upwards into the air. I shot a glance to the demon in front of me. I hadn’t looked at her this entire time, instead being entranced with the wildness of what had just transpired. She looked even paler than before, which I would’ve thought impossible given her complexion. She looked terrified.

The Queen was still immobilized, still in the same shocked position she had been in moments ago. The fear was clear on her face, panic rising in her eyes.

“Throw this man into the dungeons!” she shouted suddenly, her movement startling me. “Get those cuffs off of the princess!”

Before I could even look around, several guards came up to us; one of them must have some kind of saw, as before I knew it, the demon’s handcuff had fallen off of her, mine still attached to my wrist, the chain pulling from the weight of the newly freed metal. Those same guards grabbed me roughly, squeezing my shoulders and arms tight.

“Hey, stop, I’ll go!” I said, but to no avail. They pulled me without mercy towards a door in the throne room that I assumed went to the dungeons.

“Secure the princess in her room,” the Queen ordered, her voice now cold.

Guards fulfilled her request as she spoke the words, grabbing her roughly just as they had with me. I watched, helplessly, while my path to redemption became thoroughly stomped on. I watched my future fall away and crumble in the eyes of the demon princess I’d captured as she was sent away, the guards pulling her towards the back of the throne room where more doors must lie. The dungeon door was only feet away; it loomed ahead of me like a death sentence.

Behind me, the Queen sent out one final order. “Send a message to the Demon King. If he so much as looks at my son the wrong way, I’ll kill her. If he wants a war, I’m prepared to give him one.”