The Demon King

Chapter 2: The Unsavoury Saviour

My heart was pounding as I slowly descended the stairs. I could feel my father’s presence before he even opened his mouth, and when he finally did, the sound of his voice sent a chill down my spine. “Amara,” he said firmly. “We need to talk.”

I felt myself trembling as I stepped into the living room and saw him sitting there in silence, his eyes fixed on me with a look of disappointment and concern. He gestured for me to sit down next to him on the couch and I reluctantly obliged, not sure what this conversation was going to entail or how it would end up.

My dad cleared his throat before speaking again. “I know you’ve been through a lot lately and it hasn’t been easy for any of us," he began gently. "But there are some things that have happened that we need to discuss." He paused for a moment before continuing on in a more serious tone "You've been keeping secrets from us Amara; secrets about your whereabouts at night."

At this point my eyes began welling up with tears as I realized what this conversation was really about - something had happened that changed our lives forever, something that no one wanted to talk about but had affected us all nonetheless. As much as I tried not to think about it or acknowledge its existence, deep down inside I knew it had really happened - nothing would ever be quite the same again after this conversation took place.

My heart was pounding as I heard my father’s stern words. “It isn’t ladylike to stay out all night, Amara.” His voice was cold.

I tried to protest, but he wouldn’t listen; instead, he continued on in a more serious tone “There have been rumors that you have ruined yourself; that you are no longer an innocent girl." He paused for a moment before continuing "Is there any truth to these rumors?"

The tears started flowing freely now as my mind raced with all the thoughts and emotions swirling through me - guilt for keeping secrets from them, shame for getting myself into this situation in the first place, fear of what might come next... But most of all I felt sadness at how things were never going to be the same again between us; we were irrevocably changed by whatever had happened.

I denied it vehemently but he didn't believe me and instead told me I had shamed our family and demanded I leave the house immediately. Tears began streaming down my cheeks as reality set in.

I tried to plead with him, begging for forgiveness or at least another chance but his face remained stoic and unyielding - he wanted nothing more than for me to get out of his sight forever. In a last-ditch effort, I asked if maybe we could talk about it - try to figure something out together –but he refused outright before turning away from me in disgust.

With nothing left standing between us, I slowly stood up from the couch and made my way towards the door without looking back; knowing full well that this would be one of those moments in life when everything changes – when something is lost forever – never able to be regained or forgotten.

I stumbled into town, my mind fog of confusion and despair. I had no idea where to go or what to do; all I knew was that I had been kicked out of my house and wanted nothing more than to escape from this nightmare.

As if on queue, the moment I sat down on a nearby bench, Prince Khan and his lackeys appeared out of nowhere - their faces twisted into cruel grins as they approached me with malicious intent.

“Well well well, look who we have here," Prince Khan sneered as he stood in front of me. "It’s the little girl who thought she could get away with her disgraceful behavior." His lackeys laughed heartily at his words before joining in on the taunting; calling me horrible names like “slut” and “w***e".

My cheeks burned with embarrassment as tears stung my eyes - why did they have to pick on me? Why couldn't they just leave me alone? But their laughter only grew louder which only made it worse for me; until finally one of them stepped forward and said something that stopped them all dead in their tracks: "You know what else she's done?"

The room fell silent again before Prince Khan replied coldly “No… What else has she done?” His voice held an ominous tone that sent shivers down my spine – whatever was coming next wasn't going to be good for sure.

I tried desperately not to show how scared I was but it didn't matter.

My heart was pounding as I heard the lackey’s words. He had seen me run into the demon king's woods when he was out poaching birds? What did that mean?

A tense silence fell over us as everyone seemed to be waiting for something; Prince Khan’s face grew darker by the second and his lackeys looked at me with a mixture of fear and suspicion. I wanted to flee but my body felt paralyzed with terror - what would happen next?

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Prince Khan stepped forward and spoke in a menacing voice “You have been warned never to enter those woods – yet you went anyway." He paused for a moment before continuing "What were you doing there?" His eyes locked on mine like two burning coals.

I could feel my heart racing in my chest as I tried desperately to think of an answer, but all that came out of my mouth was stuttering gibberish.

the lackey teased that I f****d The Demon King and started getting rough asking if I wanted to become a w***e now.

I felt my face flush with embarrassment as the lackey’s words filled the air. He had accused me of sleeping with the demon king? It was too much to take in - I wanted to flee but my body seemed frozen in place.

The other lackeys began laughing cruelly and Prince Khan stepped forward, his eyes narrowing menacingly. “Is that true?” he asked icily, “Have you become a w***e now?”

My heart raced in fear as I shook my head frantically; denying their accusations vehemently while trying not to show how scared I really was. But they weren't convinced and started getting rough, pushing me around until finally one of them grabbed hold of me and pushed me towards Prince Khan who looked at me coldly before shoving me away from him with a sneer.

My heart was pounding as I felt one of the lackeys start to rip my dress. No, this couldn't be happening - I tried to fight back but it was no use; they were too strong and determined.

Prince Khan stepped forward with a cruel smile on his face and said in a menacing voice “You should have listened when we warned you not to enter those woods." He paused for a moment before continuing "Now you will pay the price for your disobedience."

I wanted nothing more than to flee from this nightmare but my body seemed frozen in place; all I could do was stand there helplessly as the lackeys continued their assault. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I pleaded for them to stop - why did they have such dark intentions? What had I done wrong? But it only seemed to fuel them further, pushing me around until finally one of them pushed me towards Prince Khan who grabbed hold of me tightly and sneered “You’re coming with us now – whether you like it or not!”

I felt my heart skip a beat as I heard the sound of flapping wings. What was going on? Suddenly, a large raven swooped down from the sky and attacked the men surrounding me - it was like something out of a dream!

The men stumbled back in surprise and fear as the bird continued to dive-bomb them with its razor-sharp talons. It seemed almost supernatural – like some kind of divine intervention - but then suddenly, just when I thought things couldn't get any stranger, something even more unbelievable happened: The raven transformed into none other than Lord Victor – The Demon King himself.

He stood before us in all his glory; his eyes blazing with fury at what he had witnessed. His usually composed features were now contorted into a fierce expression, and yet despite the anger radiating from him, I couldn't help but be mesmerized by how handsome he looked.

His long dark hair cascaded down his back like a river of silk while the sun shone off of his pale skin - making him look like some kind of ethereal being. He seemed almost god-like as he stared down Prince Khan and his lackeys with an intensity that made my heart race faster than ever before.

But then something happened that I never expected – Lord Victor turned to me and caught my gaze for just a moment; sending shivers down my spine as I felt the electricity between us for what must have been only seconds but felt like hours. At that moment it was almost as if time stopped completely – there was no one else around us except me and him - just two people connected in ways neither one of us could explain or understand… until finally, reality snapped back into place leaving me feeling both scared yet strangely exhilarated all at once.

The lackeys were terrified as Lord Victor made fire emit from his hands and forced them to the ground. He was a sight to behold - like some kind of deity come down from the heavens - and I couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of awe as I watched him in action.

He stepped forward slowly and spoke in an authoritative voice “I will not tolerate such behavior – you have been warned before about picking on those weaker than yourselves." His tone was firm yet strangely comforting; it was almost as if he had taken charge of the situation without even needing to raise his voice.

The lackeys cowered away from him, their eyes wide with fear as he continued on “Now leave this place at once or else face my wrath!” His words seemed to echo throughout the air, sending chills up my spine as I realized that Lord Victor wasn't someone you wanted to mess with - no matter how powerful your enemies may be.

The lackeys ran away with Prince Kahn stumbling over himself in their haste to escape. It was like a scene from a movie – an epic showdown between good and evil, where the hero had ultimately triumphed in the end.

Lord Victor just stood there watching them go, his face expressionless as if he hadn’t even moved at all - it was almost as if he had known all along that this would be the outcome; that they would eventually run away with their tails tucked between their legs like scared little dogs.

Finally, when they were out of sight and earshot, Lord Victor turned to me and said “Are you alright?” His voice was gentle yet authoritative; it felt strangely comforting after what I had just gone through. I nodded my head slowly before finally finding my voice again "Yes," I managed to whisper softly “I'm okay now."

The air was cool and crisp as Lord Victor wrapped his cloak around me. I felt the warmth of his body pressed against mine, instantly calming my racing heart. The clouds moved slowly above us in a blanket of darkness, making it seem like we were the only two people in the world.

I felt safe and secure within his embrace, my worries melting away with each passing moment. His strong arms pulled me closer to him, enveloping me in a comforting cocoon that kept out all of life's troubles and concerns.

My skin tingled beneath his touch; I could feel every inch of him against me like an electric current coursing through our veins and connecting us together for eternity. My head spun from being so close to him; never before had I been this intimate with another person before — it was both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time.

The smell of leather from his cloak mixed with musky cologne wafted up to meet me as we stood there together entwined in one another's arms under the sky. It seemed like time had stopped still around us; nothing else mattered but this moment between us.

We were suddenly transported back to Lord Victor's castle in an instant. I felt a strange sensation wash over me as if I'd been transported through time and space with nothing more than the wave of his hand. The dreary sky that had been our backdrop was replaced by the grandeur of the castle walls and turrets, illuminated by flickering candlelight.

The sharp chill from outside vanished as we stepped into the warmth of his home. His servants scurried around us, making sure everything was prepared for our arrival — it seemed like they had expected us.

Lord Victor silently led me to a bedroom, his firm grip on my hand guiding me through the castle. He told me to clean up and summoned a small servant girl to help me. The young girl had long blonde hair that was tied back in two neat plaits, and she bowed her head in respect as Lord Victor bid her farewell.

She helped me undress and fill a tub with warm water before handing over some soap and cloths for bathing. I sunk into the bathtub, feeling the warmth of the water wash away all of my worries — it felt like I was being transported away from reality for just a few moments.

The servant girl then presented an array of clothes for me to choose from — dresses made from fine fabrics with intricate embroidery that must have been crafted by master tailors. They fit perfectly on my body as if they were tailor-made just for me; I could hardly believe it.

The servant then combed through my hair with gentle strokes until it shone like spun gold in the candlelight, adding some fragrant oils afterward which left behind an intoxicating scent when mixed together. Finally, she motioned towards Lord Victor's bed-chamber door, indicating that he wished us both inside now.