Demon Lord's Daughter

**Natalie POV**
All the blood drained from my arms. They no longer felt attached to my body. The assassin rubbed an ointment on Aileen and I's arms. We were given food and drink once the killer was convinced we'd surrendered, though the moist sock was reinserted into Aileen's mouth. Guilt beset me, knowing how hard Aileen fought to keep her despair hidden. Witnessing her resolve helped me keep a strong veneer in front of our captors.
Devon emulated the same resolve when talking about fighting to keep his family safe. When he accepted who he was.
Then there was the one person whose determination waned. Alaric.
Since taking Shion, Alaric watched us periodically over the last two hours. His frequent visits caused Aileen less fear as she visibly relaxed. Most likely, she made the same crucial discovery I had. Forgetting a demon boy, even if only for a few minutes, wasn't a random nice deed or mistake. Blatantly disobeying the assassin and, by extension, Shiuku didn't bother him.
Sir Alaric cared little to none about the goals of his employer. Only that his boredom was cured.
Most importantly, his twisted mind had a redeeming quality. Like Mom, morals maintained his humanity. A life jacket kept him from drowning in all his dark waves.
Acting like I couldn't sense Alaric's aura near the door, I said to Aileen, "I have a plan."
"Stop plotting." Sir Alaric walked into our cell, holding the candle near his chin. "Shall I stuff your mouth too? Perhaps not with a sweaty sock, that was a bit too ghastly for my tastes, and I do apologize for resorting to such barbaric tactics, princesssss."
The way he emphasized the title was contrary to the way he apologized. It was almost like Princess had nearly the repulsive level as whoever's dirty sock.
"Ghosts can't get caught, so no sin."
"No sin? No fun, a rather dull life." Alaric yawned, rubbing his jawline to emphasize his apparent boredom. The gleam entering his eyes at hearing a potential scheme vanished.
"Watching two bound women…" I raced to find the current words but settled for simplicity. "Is fun?"
"You are a wise woman. Prince Trevor might have been wrong in his choice of wife. A woman should keep her words short."
Trying to keep my powers from leaking and harming my baby, I ignored his comment, containing my rage. Barely.
"Be more interesting for Shion to see that love is a weakness."
"He shall in due time."
"What if he did now?" I tried enticing him.
The quiet minutes that passed had me second-guessing this strategy. Unless Alaric figured out I was trying to strike a deal, he'd assume I was just failing at a conniving trick. No, we had to be on the same wavelength!
Crap, crap, crap!
"A demon convincing me to sin…hmmm…do I listen to a child of Lucifer's?"
Sort of, and I am starting to accept that part. From my Father's side, of course.
"Trevor called me Casper-ette, a ghost from our dimension." I half lied, praying he would pick up on my ploy.
"Ghosts don't sin as we mortals cannot catch them. Their judgment is exclusively God's." Alaric got a wicked grin. Loving where this was going.
*Got him!*
"Exactly."
He clicked his tongue. "I shall be murdered before I finish slashing your bondage. Before I can see our little show play out."
"Shion desires to speak with his mommy alone one final time prior to giving up on love."
"Hmmm. This does sound quite…intriguing. Maybe…"
"Or would you rather wait for our men to come down here? Either way, we'll be free soon, but with-."
I bit my tongue before mentioning Shion. Speaking, even in short sentences, was too much. I almost revealed too much. The very reason Mom initially taught me to zip it!
Alaric turned on his heel without a word. If not for the positive, exciting energy surrounding him, I'd be certain my plan failed.
No more than ten minutes later, Shion stood in the dirty cell. Unlike a few hours ago, he held his head low and refused to look in his Mother's direction. Had the assassin fed him lies, or worse, revealed another truth? If only I could hold him.
Alaric kept quiet, retreating slowly. The man may not be loyal, but he was careful. Well, he wasn't the only one. I placed a hand on the chains connected to the wall, extending my aura through it. Not a single word or acknowledgment left my mouth until I was sure Alaric was far away.
"Shion, take the sock out of your Mom's mouth, okay?"
He glanced up at me, eyes lifeless. His little voice broken. "Why? So I can hear more lies? Or how everyone knows… I'm a bad guy?"
"We can't control our parents or what fruits bloom from them. But we can decide how we harvest ourselves, ya know."
I wasn't just saying this for him; I needed to hear the words aloud too.
H…how? I'm not a fruit, I'm Shiuku's son. Hated, no love like K...Kalum. He… He'll hate me too. Like Da- De…Devon does."
Aileen struggled, rattling her chains, trying to gain her son's attention. In response, Shion hid behind his hands, ashamed to face his Mom, not angry.
"Please, I will explain, Shion. Just climb up and take the sock out for her." I told him, choking back my own emotions.
Taking little steps, face cast down, Shion walked to his Mom. The heartbreak increased the closer he got, weighing heavy on his aura. Tiny fingers worked without visual direction, feeling around blindly for the sock. A spark of pain ignited near my wrists when Shion used his elemental power to weaken the contraption forcing the filthy garment in.
Gagging and spitting noises came from the Princess of Lutz. Drool slid down Aileen's chin onto her dress as she heaved away from Shion's face. Fresh tears plopped onto Shion's face from the streams rolling down Aileen's. Yet, he did not look at her.
"Little man, I swear your Dad and I-"
Shion put a hand up. " Do…don't… I want to…meet daddy…real daddy. See if I'm…supposed to be the bad…guy."
Interrupting their conversation, I asked, "Did you want me to teach you what I learned today? Ya know, about the fruit and how it can blossom away from its roots?" he nodded. "First, I need you to use that unique ability to stop our powers. Can you do it again?"
He stared at me, confused. Wasn't he the one blocking the elemental powers?
"You can. I doubt those real villains will sense it."
"No, he can't. The ability is mine," Aileen spoke proudly to her son. "A gift you bestowed on me during pregnancy. It saved and freed so many of us, all because of you."
Shion kept his mouth shut, but mine dropped. *This entire time Aileen was the one protecting us…while I…No more pity or empty apologies. Make up for it with actions.*
"Okay, can you focus on mine? Reduce my power to nothing." I made my voice as confident as possible, knowing this could backfire quickly. "Ya know, little demon, I can blossom brightly even with dark roots."
Despite my attempt at reassurance, Shion's despair grew. His faith in those he loved was shattered by his Father's nightmares and the assassin's words.
Taking a large gulp of air, I swung my body back and forth. The special metal in the chains rubbed against my raw skin. Ignoring the ache, I slammed my arms forward. The chains held tight, sparking in retaliation to my ground ability. Just as quickly as it started, Aileen sucked the elemental power out of my aura.
Similarly to Aileen's chambers, I felt dissociated from my ground and air. The longer I struggled, the worse the connection got. Soon my personal aura appeared faded and wispy. The connection between my muscles and mind was breaking. I was vulnerable.
Weak. Until I looked down at the child curled on the floor, given up.
Little energy remained, but I pressed hard against the wall using my feet, flinging my arms, and snapped forward. I had to keep fighting, forcing my body to pass old limits.
Internally, I reminded myself who I was. Accepting every part of me.
Sweat clung to my face, stinging my eyes. On the edge of my hearing, Aileen huffed tiredly, barely maintaining her power and sealing mine. All our effort gained was a few flakes in the stone near my feet. Nothing substantial happened.
"Ahhh!!!" I screamed loudly, closing my eyes and yanking on the chains with a final burst of energy. A few zaps crackled around the cuffs as Aileen's hold fell away…but no pain.
Actually, I felt stronger and lighter, and my aura was a dazzling mixture of greens and whites. A new color swirled around, too, without overshadowing the others. Black.
My theory worked.
Contrary to the elation I was feeling outwardly, I acted nonchalantly. To Shion, this all had to look like I was optimistic about the outcome the entire time.
I whipped the sweat back away from my eyes. The cold metal irritated my skin, so I tore them off my wrists. Making my way over to Shion, I ripped the disgusting collar off his neck before freeing his Mother.
Cocking my head, I beamed at Shion, "Do you see? Look at my aura."
Stunned but intrigued, Shion focused on my life force. "What…what does that have to do with me? I...I was still born to…hate and kill…"
I gave him a faint smile. "My Father was evil too. But with the need to protect others, I can use what I inherited for my loved ones. You have the same instincts inside. Ya know, like when you fought to save your Mother and brother."
"I'm supposed to be a monster. D…Demon Lord Shiuku's son."
Holding my head high, I brazenly declared, "I am Demon Lord Darren's daughter, the current baker of the Lutz castle, and a temporary member of the DSS under Prince Trevor!"
*…Oh, that was lame! Maybe it came from the adrenaline coming into this new level. Ya know, like when I was a child, bragging to Mom that I was triumphant in beating the Treetop portal in Spyro. Ya, just a rush from winning something hard!*
"A risky gamble. You could have ruined Trevor's sacrifice; for my son. You have my thanks and debt." Aileen scooped up a sleeping Shion. The poor boy must have been exhausted. With his temperament and emotional endurance, sometimes I forgot he was only five years old. Unconsciously, Shion latched onto his Mother's top, nestling into her warmth.
A hand went to my stomach, gently patting my flat belly.
"Let's go, baker, fighter, demon daughter." Aileen led our path away from the dungeons. In the silence, she spoke fondly like we were long lost friends, "it's nice to finally meet you Natalie."
When we turned the next corner towards a staircase, Aileen nudged me. And not out of necessity. She was pointing out a rushed note scrawled on the back of Trevor's engagement letter.
*Hurry and see! Two left turns away; Trevor is dueling the assassin. Or towards the exit, and Izzy dies!*
*You did promise a show! Let's see what happens when the ghost is seen.*
I had been so blindsided by my awakened power I forgot to double-check Alaric hadn't returned! But no time for that now. We had to get to Trevor and that bastard!
"Probably an ambush near the exit anyway. Let's go finish your promise and let Trevor finish the mission. I may even give Alaric decking mercy for this." Aileen recoiled a bit at his name. Probably thinking about his disgusting hellbound ball-less Father.
Cautiously, we followed Alaric's instructions. Strong waves clashed in the distance. Soon enough, we heard the unmistakable song of blades. The assassin and his final moments living were just beyond the split scarred door. A tiny nudge and the door crumbled into rubble.
Like Alaric informed us, there was my true love and the strange assassin. Both men turned in our direction. Trevor gritted his teeth at glimpsing us and lunged at the other man, roaring loudly. Just as the killer moved to dodge, a gun was fired.
A single bullet lodged into the assassin's cloaked shoulder. Trevor saw his moment, tackling the man and delivering a heavy hit to his face, producing a loud cracking noise.
My hand tightened over my knotting up stomach.*No! There's no…NO! That…*
The assassin's cloak fell off. Her mask broken in half.