To Bewitch a Devil

142 The king has standards

Three days had come and gone, and what was left of what was supposed to be the most monumental wedding of the century, were only the decorations in the hall yet to be taken down.

Princess Zelda stood in the middle of the hall, the joy that had once painted its walls still reverberating. In the middle of the phantom sounds that surrounded her, she had found her heartbeat from that day, the way it had pounded when the King was to pick his bride, and the way she had come to accept her fate when the King had walked up to who she had thought would be Princess Kitana but was the maid instead.

And now, instead of a wedding, there was going to be a council meeting with the King.

Poor lady, Zelda thought of the maid. When the King pulled her out in front of everyone, she looked like a scared little mouse. The switch of the mood in the hall had been instantaneous, and after that, she didn’t know whether to keep staying in the Castle or leave for her own.

“I didn’t expect to meet you here.”, someone said from behind her. Zelda looked back, and Kitana walked, or rather, floated towards her in her full, billowy gown. She had been going all out with her dressing lately. There had been certain rumors about her new improved look that Zelda had dismissed.

“I needed some quiet time;”, Zelda said. Kitana stood next to her, her eyes traveling the entirety of the hall.

“I was actually saying I didn’t expect to still meet you in the Castle”, Kitana elaborated. Zelda looked toward her, confused at the statement.

“I don’t see the point of you and Jasmine remaining here since it is I who will be queen,” Kitana said.

Zelda’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “I didn’t recall any other announcement that day stating such.”

.....

Kitana stepped forward, so she was directly in front of Zelda. Her close proximity was meant to intimidate her, and Zelda only gave her a curious stare.

“There is no need for an announcement when we were all there to see it,” Kitana said. “The King was heading towards me and was only distracted by that maid behind me. If not, I would have been officially Queen now.” Her lips tilted in an evil smile. “And I am sure the King will be back to his senses. There is going to be a meeting today with the council, that should be able to wake the King up from whatever hold that witch has got on him,” she sighed, and under her breath, Zelda heard her say, “Why didn’t Lilah and everything about her just stay dead?”

So the rumors passing among the maids were true; Kitana had already named herself Queen.

“We will wait and hear the outcome of the meeting,” Zelda said.

“Ha, you have never stood a chance, Zelda,” Kitana laughed. “Waiting would be a waste of time for you. The fact that you came here was an entire waste of time for you. The King has certain...”, Kitana’s eyes traveled up and down Zelda’s body. “... standards.”

Talks and insults about her body had been a tale as old as time for Zelda, and Zelda didn’t feel the sting of the comment. But instead of walking away, she met Kitana’s eyes.

“But the King did give me an audience, and we talked for a long time,” Zelda smiled. “Let’s just wait for the results of the meeting so we don’t get ahead of ourselves.”

Zelda didn’t wait for Kitana to speak. She walked away and plastered on her face was a victorious smile.

By afternoon, the council was seated, ten demons with barely contained disapproving scowls and speeches boiling in them at the recent actions of the King.

At the head of the table, Zavian sat, unbothered. He waited for them to all be settled, and the first demon, the deputy chancery, spoke.

“My King,” he began. “I would like to speak with everyone in mind that we were highly shocked at the turn of events at the wedding. We understand the maid involved looks like the late Queen, but your Majesty, there are protocols regarding the crown...”

“Of which I am aware of,” Zavian interrupted him. “But I am to choose a bride, and I did so.”

“A bride among the Princesses, your Majesty”, another demon spoke. “We stand as a powerful Kingdom, but there is nothing like being too powerful. Being married to one of the Princesses will fortify us with enough strength in the case of any outcome.”

“And especially since,” the Exchequer, a diminutive demon, squirmed a little in his seat. “Since the soul eaters were caught roaming, there is no guarantee that the underworld will remain closed.”

“Exactly, your Majesty,” the deputy chancery continued. “We need you to consider a general benefit over a personal one.”

It was Neera’s words, being recycled and fed back to his ears. Zavian’s council members were right. Zavian thought about Neera’s dreams, about the soul eaters, and if he really wanted her safe, marrying a Princess was a way to go about it.

But it felt so wrong to him.

“I could draft up another agreement that will not involve marriage”, Zavian said. There was a rumble of a murmur among the council members. “That way, our relationship with the other kingdoms will remain intact without a marriage.”

The chancery, an ancient council member, sat up. “May I suggest something, your Majesty?”

Zavian gave him the floor with a nod. The demon cleared his throat, and continued speaking, “there is no greater way to solidify an everlasting trustworthy bond between two Kingdoms than that of marriage. Perhaps if your Majesty would consider marrying one of the Princesses and then taking the maid...”

“Her name’s Neera..”, Zavian corrected.

“...apologies, your Majesty”, the older council member bowed his head. “Perhaps your Majesty would consider taking Neera as a concubine. I believe that would be a great solution to consider.”