The King And Daniel

Daniel was shocked, but he wasn't the only one with a look of surprise on his face, the other guards and courtiers looked equally surprised. Everyone turned to look at Astro wondering why he was supporting a mere guard in front of his King.

The guards wanted to murmur, but the tense atmosphere and the fear of their throats kept them quiet.

“Wow, Lord Astro, you have such boldness. So you now support a guard over me, your king and ally?” Lazarus asked with furrowed brows, looking at Astro suspiciously.

“Your Majesty, I meant no disrespect. All I am trying to say is that Daniel looks hungry, it would be rude to ill-treat him, especially because he traveled all the way here to protect you, his king,” Astro replied politely and bowed.

“Ohhh!” Lazarus said with a mischievous smirk, he put on an ignorant look and arched his brows. “Wow, I didn't know that he traveled all the way here. Goddess, I am so blessed,” he said with a mimicking voice and burst into evil laughter.

“Is he the only guard that traveled here? Did I force him or anyone for that matter to come with me? I can protect myself, I am just carrying the guards as a liability. Lastly, I pay them for their service, this is not charity work, so I have every right to tell them what to do!” Lazarus continued, his tone filled with bitterness and anger. He was jealous that someone else was protecting his secret admirer.

Astro didn't reply to Lazarus, he bowed his head submissively. He wasn't in support of the king's statement, but for peace and quietness to reign, he chose to keep quiet.

'At least you tried your best,’ Daniel thought. He offered Astro a: ‘thanks for your help look’, but Astro didn't acknowledge it, he felt he could do more and Lazarus was hindering him.

'I fully understand why some of his subjects dislike him. Moon goddess! If he continues like this, I swear I will hate him before today runs out. He is such a spoiled prick, who thinks everyone is his slave simply because he is the king.

Frank stood beside Timber, and he kept looking at Lord Astro, King Lazarus, and Daniel. He was unable to figure out the exact thing that was happening.
'Lord Astro is trying to be the perfect gentleman, I guess this is one of his ways to woo Daniel into dating him. Daniel looked both uninterested and excited at the same time, while His Majesty seemed like the third wheel in their relationship. But I can understand his point of view, he hates gays after all.

In King Derrick's kingdom, they were welcoming to all genders and sexualities, so Lazarus had to hide his homophobic behavior and be tolerant of all types of love.

“Let's not fight over this, Lazarus is the King and we, his subject must obey his instructions, but in this case, I think the king is just trying to starve an innocent subject. If I am not mistaken, King Derrick in your kingdom everyone is equal, right?” Lord Xender asked with a playful grin, turning to face the ruler of the kingdom. He slid with Astro just to see the look of anger on his best friend, Lazarus's face. Nothing gives him more joy than troubling and annoying Lazarus.

“Yes, you are right,” Derrick replied, nodding his head. He feared Lazarus, not just because his kingdom was bigger than his, but because Lazarus wasn't a regular demon, he was stronger and more powerful. But for once, he decided to hide his fear and enjoy the look of anger on the great King Lazarus's face. 'He can't kill me, after all, I have Xender's backing.’ He reasoned thoughtfully.

“You heard him!” Xander exclaimed, turning to look at Lazarus the minute Derrick responded with a yes. “We are in his kingdom, hence, we must live by his rules, once we get back to your palace, you can start your rules,” his voice sounded like he was taunting Lazarus.

Daniel didn't say anything, but he thanked Lord Xender in his head. ‘I see why Frank said that Lord Xender turns everything into pranks and jokes. I like him, his pranks seem to be working out in my favor,” he thought with a grin on his lips. But if only he knew how his father truly died, he would have seen just how Xender's pranks don't work out in anyone's favor. To him, life is just a boring game, and he would kill hundreds of humans just to have fun and laugh.

As the tension in the room continued to escalate, Lord Xender's playful jabs at King Lazarus seemed to be the only thing keeping the atmosphere from imploding.

Astro remained subdued, his eyes cast downward, avoiding eye contact with anyone. His attempt to defend Daniel had been shut down, and he knew better than to push the issue further.

King Lazarus's face darkened, his anger and jealousy simmering just below the surface. He glared at Lord Xender, his eyes flashing with warning. "You think you're clever, don't you, Xender? But mark my words, one day, your meddling will not go unpunished."

Lord Xender chuckled, his grin mischievous. "Oh, I'm shaking in my boots, King Lazarus. But let's not forget, we're guests in King Derrick's kingdom. Perhaps we should focus on being gracious hosts rather than petty tyrants."

King Derrick cleared his throat, intervening before the situation spiraled out of control. "Gentlemen, let us not forget the main discussion. The guards are getting hungry, please let's all go and feast before one of them faints."

The room fell silent, the tension palpable. Daniel took a deep breath, his eyes locked on Lord Xender, who winked at him subtly.

“Fine, let's go. Food it is. But Daniel bear in mind that I allowed you due to my nice nature. I am still the king,” Lazarus said in between gritting teeth, trying to preserve the last shed of his masculinity.

'The king my foot. If you try to act like a narcissistic male, I will chop off your wings like a toxic feminist!’ Daniel said in his mind, giving Lazarus an angry stare, luckily for him King Lazarus didn't notice it.