To Bewitch a Devil

All color drained from her face as she watched Zavian ride past her, not glancing at her and stopping in front of the Castle. He alighted from the horse and Neera stretched her hands towards him and he helped her come down.

Zavian carried her gently and placed her feet on the ground.

Kitana gritted her teeth as she watched the scene unfold before her, rage boiling through her bones.

She had spent nights thinking about how to prove to him that she was evil, not knowing that she had helped them grow closer.

Kitana breathed in, her shoulders shaking lightly. Her eyes followed the duo as they walked into the Castle, her feet unable to move an inch.

That god-forsaken girl...

Kitana cursed beneath her breath. What did she do to Zavian? Even after exposing her affair with Axel, he was still close to her, barely three days after it happened.

Kitana couldn’t believe herself as she closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath, she calmed herself.

.....

“Let’s go... ” She said to her maids as she walked forward towards the castle.

Kitana walked to her drawer and pushed everything off it, her maids trembling behind her as they watched her in fright.

She was red with a seething anger as she paced about the room, laughing hysterically. She could not imagine that she went through all that just to bring those two together.

She bit tightly on her tongue as she thought of what to do. How did Zavian forgive her so easily?

Kitana thought as she paced about. She knew Zavian, he wasn’t one that easily forgave mistakes and not one as grave as that. What happened?

Kitana breathed as she shook her head. She had feared this happening but it seemed it had happened in the end_ Zavian had fallen for the girl.

He was head over heels for her and there was nothing she would tell him that would sway his feelings.

She wasn’t sure if his feelings were for Lilah or Neera, but either way, he had feelings for that body and the only way to bring him back to his senses was to get rid of her.

Kitana stopped walking when the thoughts came to her and she thought.

But how will she successfully get rid of the girl when the king keeps her in his chambers?

...

Alicia sat eating an apple as her maids packed her bags and the gifts the throne had brought to her. She had suspected that she was the next to leave the Castle but she did not want to believe it, not until the boy came knocking on the door with the letter.

She had sat down and read the letter over and over to be sure of what she saw.

She couldn’t believe that after everything she was disqualified and Zelda, whom they had mocked and called fat was still in the competition.

She did not know how to lift her face to look at Zelda or the other princesses. It was at dinner she learned that it was just her and Daphne that had been disqualified.

She had been bemoaning her disqualification until she saw Daphne, and saw how excited she looked.

Daphne had told her that they wouldn’t have been queen anyways so it was to their benefit that they were relieved of the competition than to compete in vain.

After seeing Daphne, Alicia brightened up and enjoyed her last days at the Castle.

“You can take those...”

Daphne spoke to the girl packing her jewelry. It was a box of new diamond earrings. The girl’s eyes widened when she heard her and she thanked her profusely.

Daphne smiled as she dug into her apple. She went on to share a few other pieces of jewelry to

the other maids.

They were surprised at her sudden excitement. They expected her to be sad and angry, but here she was, sharing gifts and eating apples.

...

“Where is Pen?”

Lyra asked a deep frown etched on her forehead. It’s been two days since she saw her last. The maids had no clue of where she was. She had thought she ran away and would soon be back, but it’s been two days and no one at the castle had a clue.

The maids kept quiet as they stared at themselves, not knowing what to say.

“Did she run away from the Castle?” Lyra asked as she went to her couch and sat down.

“Oh God save her because when I get her, she would be worse off than when she left.”

She threatened, but at that moment, there was a knock on the door;

One of her maids opened the door, and a young servant boy stepped in with a sealed scroll.

Lyra frowned as she waved the boy to her.

“Greetings, your highness. This is for you.” He said as he stretched the letter towards her.

Lyra took the scroll and broke it, opening it, her

eyes skimmed through the contents of it.

... Your handmaiden, Penelope Ravens has been assigned to serve the Commander, General Azriel. A new servant would be assigned to you as soon as possible, as she won’t be...”

Lyra did not finish reading the letter as she tossed it across the room, sending the paper ripping into two pieces. A deep frown formed on her forehead as she gritted her teeth.

...

Pen opened her eyes when she heard a knock on the door. She stared at it weakly, as she tried to stand up. The knock came again before the door pulled open and Azriel walked in with a tray in his hand.

Pen smiled thinly as she greeted; “Good morning; your grace...” she spoke, her head bowing a little.

Azriel placed the tray on the side drawer and felt her forehead. She had been running a fever since she came, he breathed out when he saw that her fever had run low.

“How are you feeling?” He asked, as he sat down beside her, and Pen nodded;

“Better.”

She had not left the room since she came. She only stood up from the bed when she wanted to bathe or ease herself.

The physician had come twice every day to tend to her wounds, and they were getting better.

“I asked the physician not to come, I’ll dress your wounds today,” Azriel said and Pen thinned her lips, her eyes looking at the tray before she nodded.

Azriel chuckled when he saw her expression;

“Do you think I cannot dress a wound? What do

you take me for?” He asked jokingly and Pen shook her head;

“No, I did not say that.” She tried to explain but Azriel smiled;

“If that is the case then, turn around.”

Pen hesitated, then she turned around. She didn’t tie the ropes too tight, so Azriel undid them easily and brought her dress down her shoulders.

“Mm, the wounds are healing.” He said as he took in the sight of her wounds. It was no longer swollen, just red and some, purplish.

“It should be healed completely in about a week.” He spoke as he opened the ointment and applied it to her back; there was silence as he rubbed the ointment all over her wounds;

“We got injured a lot during the war, and the physicians couldn’t attend to all of us at the same time, so most of us had to tend to ourselves.”

There was silence after, and then Pen asked;

“How many demons died during the war?”

She asked; the humans didn’t know the accurate number, but he was an ancient demon and he fought alongside the king, so he would know.

“About two hundred thousand.”

Pen turned to look at him in shock; “three hundred thousand?!”

She asked, eyes wide open.

“Yeah, that’s why it was called the Black War. It took a lot of us. There is, however, a greater number cast into the underworld.”

“The king’s father?”

She asked, and he nodded; “Yes, Aloysius and his men, about five hundred thousand of them.”

“Lord, that’s quite a number.” She exclaimed. The humans had thought that it was just about ten thousand that were killed.

“I’m done,” Azriel said as he covered the ointment as she wore her dress back.

After doing the ties, she turned around;

“Thank you;” she said.

Azriel nodded; “I have told Lyra that you’re here, she won’t be disturbing too anymore.”

Pen heaved a low sigh when she heard him. She had been worried that Lyra would cause trouble for her, she was thankful Azriel sorted it out as he had said.

“I have a visitor coming by today, so I won’t come to see you this evening. Whatever you need, you can ask the servants.”

He explained and Pen nodded;

.....

“Thank you.”