Fire sparks

Ch.1 Ground Work

The first six months in the Dark Place were productive to say the least. They were a complete s**t show, don’t get me wrong, but productive nonetheless. While most of the monsters had applauded my grand entrance speech, there were plenty of whispers from others who were less enthusiastic about the unrivaled claim to the crown- especially when they realized I wasn’t as scary without my dragon or magic. Still, happily or begrudgingly, everyone got to work on the projects I planned. 

First, we needed to see through the darkness- all of the darkness. Prior to my arrival, only a few torches had been set up around what appeared to be the drop off point for newcomers. It was beyond me how these creatures dwelled within the abyss of darkness for months- I mean, it seriously isn’t that hard to start a fire. Granted, I may be biased seeing as I'd spent most of my life breathing fire, but still. Despite my judgement on their incompetence, I chose to see their lack of basic instincts as just another reason why they needed my guidance. This was the only almost peaceful project we worked on.

I assembled a few volunteer teams to place torches along the granite and clay walls that encased the realm. With somewhat adequate- albeit ominous- lighting, the details of the new world were slowly revealed. The Dark Place seemed to extend much farther than anyone had dared to venture, their apprehensions of exploring laying predominantly in the lack of light. 

As the space became more visible, the first thing I noticed was dirt, dirt, and more freaking dirt. Dirt was up, down, and all around. Whoever had created this realm wasn't exactly a visionary- unless of course their vision was dusty-chic, in which case they'd nailed it.

The realm stopped at the southern most wall. Or a started, I supposed, depending on which direction you were headed. At the base of the wall sat a series of the realm's three largest caverns. Each was roughly a mile in any direction, before branching off into a series of smaller caverns that fanned out in a semi circle around the larger caverns.

The walls separating the sub sections extended only twenty feet high in some areas, while they towered at over fifty feet in others, but they all ultimately opened up to the shared crumbling dirt sky hundreds of feet above. There was no sun, no stars, no moon- only dirt. As if to remind us just how dead to society we were; as if to say we were lower than dirt; as if to say we’d been buried deeper in the memory of society than the dead. 

There were several small streams and one large river that ran vertically through the realm. At certain points they would disappear beneath walls only to appear again on the other side. The water was murky enough to be considered contaminated in the realm of mortals, but here it was as good as gold. The water systems all converged and ended in the northern-most large cavern into a suspiciously small pool. Some of the water dwelling miscreants waded into the waters, reporting them to not go further than was expected, but I doubted it to be true based on how many of them had slithered in.

As we explored the maze of interlocking caves, we discovered the realm was quite expansive, but it was nowhere near large enough for all of the prisoners. Fortunately and unfortunately, that problem had already begun working itself out as the creatures were easily angered and offered no warning shots when they became pissed off. Living up to the king’s expectations, the monsters were short tempered and craved more than blood; they lusted for slow, tortuous death. I hated that he was right about so many of them.

As much as we could use the extra space, we also couldn’t live like that. The simplest solution was to divide up the land amongst the people. They needed a place to call their own; a space to feel safe- even if they themselves were what someone else feared. 

Of all the decrees I issued, the thought of announcing land assignments was the only one that terrified me. Whispers of mutiny had continued growing prior to the announcement and this certainly wouldn’t do anything to quiet them. It was impossible to please everybody. The whole realm was deplorable at best, but even still, there were somehow less desirable corners and those that found themselves allotted a particularly horrible space would want reparations, starting with my head. 

Before I could make such a controversial announcement, I needed protection; I needed a royal guard... and perhaps a small army. But that meant first I needed allies, which I had no clue how to gain without the threat of magic or fire at my beck and call. 

First, I tried the good old fashioned way: death threats, but that almost instantly proved to be a terrible idea. The first guy I threatened, just threatened me back… and then immediately attempted to carry through on his promise. 

Luckily, after training and fighting in a war for six months I’d become well versed in hand-to-hand combat. I wouldn’t say I excelled at self defense- I hadn’t needed to be since I typically used my powers to fight my battles- but I could certainly hold my own. 

When the man swung directly at my face, I’d easily ducked beneath the blow and swiped his feet from beneath him with my leg. Before I had a chance to act again another monster swooped from the sky and gripped the incapcitated man, flying off somewhere, presumably to enjoy the ever-rare decent meal.

Surprisingly enough, the encounter did earn me undying loyalty, just not from the man, of course- he was dead. The giant gargoyle that grabbed the man I’d threatened returned a day later, hissing his gratitude for the meal and in return offered his allegiance. I promised to keep him well fed, but explained I needed to build an army before the meals would become regular. The beast was surprisingly understanding and even said he was happy to help in anyway I thought would expedite the process. 

I told him to send me potential recruits for the army I was forging. He'd hissed a laugh, before flying off. I was fairly sure that meant he was going to do as I asked, but... I wasn't content placing all of my trust in his ability to find an army, so I continued to seek out new channels of support as well. 

My next attempt at gaining allies was much more foreign to me: I tried to be nice. Okay, well not nice, perhaps manipulative was a better adjective for the methodology. I easily earned the trust and loyalty of many weak and meager residents, but the only useful connection I'd made through this approach was with a small collection of trolls and goblins. They'd been all too willing to join my army for the simple promise that they’d be used as reinforcers and allowed to get creative with their punishments.

Nasty little bastards. Beggars couldn’t be choosers, though, so I sweetened the deal by agreeing to build a dungeon that they would have free reign over. 

When I did appeal to some of the more recognizable, strong beasts they easily saw through my tactics and didn’t appreciate the pandering. If anything, I began developing more enemies from the approach.

At a loss for options of how to gain a solid base of followers, I did something I’d always thought myself above. The king may have rid me of my powers, but I was still a woman and that came with one power he could never take away. 

In fact, given my new circumstances, the inherent power of my womanhood strengthened significantly. In the Dark Place, there was a jarring imbalance of men to women and the majority of women who did exist here were old hags. I'd always been beautiful, but in the king's hell I was a goddess.  

With my newfound power combined with the need for self-respect becoming dwarfed by the need to self-preserve, I flirted shamelessly with the darkest and most vile creatures the realm had to offer. Being within even ten feet of certain monsters made my skin crawl, but I faced the demons, knowing my efforts would gain the kind of strength required to hold my crown. A generous laugh here, an eyelash flutter there, and the occasional scandalous arm (wing, talon, or other) touch were all it would take to have most beasts eating from the palm of my hand. 

The ogres only needed a smile and small talk to be swayed into joining my army. One growled about how a woman had never willingly spent any time with him, to which I feigned astonishment as I actively tried to swallow the rising bile at the mere smell of him. There were roughly twenty of those desperate, burly beasts. I’d ordered them to roam the realm, constantly in search of any noncompliance.

I gravely needed a personal guard; a small group that was capable of protecting me and that I could stomach being around for more than a few minutes at a time. I quickly learned the best and strongest brutes weren’t content with just flirting, though. The thought of offering more to the beasts made me sick. I looked at some and wondered how our bodies would even work together. 

I tried to rationalize the behavior; justifying the degradation anyway that I could. The scariest and most disgusting truth was that at least this way, how my body was used remained my choice; a basic right that many of the beings in this hell now considered a forgotten luxury. 

The disproportionate balance of the sexes combined with a vast majority of these evil beings being, well, evil had sparked a dark widespread epidemic in the realm; one I feared I'd soon fall victim to without a strong wall of guards.

This new and growing threat only encouraged me to work faster on securing a personal detail that would ultimately keep me from violation, while simultaneously putting me in a position to prevent others from falling victim to such horrors. I may not have been a star citizen in the realm of mortals, but there was no reality in which I'd allow that kind of evil to run rampant in the Dark Place.

So, with my head held high, I began my search for the perfect personal guards. I confidently strode up to the strongest, most threatening creatures in the realm, only wishing to research initially. But even that task proved to be more difficult than I anticipated. Not because the creatures weren't interested; they absolutely were. No more issues were more external. 

Every time I’d set my sights on a new alli to simply investigate the tall man was close by, really blowing up my spot. Whether he was waiting his turn or hoping to slow my growing support, I couldn’t say. He never actually spoke to me, but his constant growling and snarling at potential associates was enough to keep the beings at bay. 

He'd been so effective at scaring people off I even considered adding him to my ever growing list of allies, but something about him terrified me. Not terrified in a way that I feared for my safety, more so that I feared for my soul. Despite his incessant growling, pointed teeth, and jet-black eyes, he appeared to be mostly human- massive, marble, and gorgeous beyond reason, but still predominantly human. And then there was the strange draw, like he held a magnet within him that repelled literally every other being in the realm, but constantly tugged me towards him. Perhaps he felt the same and that was why he was never more than a stone throw away. I was petrified of what that could mean, so I opted to ignore him completely. I didn’t speak to him and rarely glanced in his direction. I couldn't bring myself to shoo him away, though. 

It wasn't until the delirium from terror-induced sleep deprivation set in that I decided I was ready to ditch the man and procure official personal guards. Fortunately, I knew exactly who I wanted by that point. There were only two High Fae in the realm of darkness and they would be mine. 

Faeries came in many shapes and sizes- technically as a dragon I was one myself- but High Fae were rare and truly something to behold. Their other earthly beauty was known to stop hearts; only meant to be appreciated by those brave enough to withstand their intense aura of power. Anyone worthy of looking long enough would notice they'd appear almost human if it weren't for their impressive stature and pointed ears. The males- that's what they'd call themselves- stood at a minimum of seven feet tall and were built to withstand virtually anything except for time... and each other.

As a people, the High Fae didn't have a reputation for being nice, but they weren't innately bad, either. They simply lived entirely too long to trouble themselves with the petty nonsense of those with shorter lifespans. 

It was rumored that the High Fae queens of the Seven Sister Kingdoms had reached an agreement with King Charming: they'd exchange their involvement in the war at the promise of the two princes' imprisonment and to be forgotten by the humans once the round-ups were completed. 

It was no secret that the High Fae thought themselves above the humans, so the latter part of the deal was plausible enough. King Charming forgot how cunning the High Fae could be, and didn't think to specify what they queen's considered the 'round-ups.' As soon as the princes were entrapped, they'd reneged on their agreement, claiming they'd only meant to 'round-up' the princes. 

That was all to be expected, though. The former part of the agreement was far more incredulous. The High Fae rarely allowed their internal drama to leak beyond their continent, making it hard to believe the seven queens actually allowed the human king to know of their troubles. 

If gossip was to be trusted, the queens turned on the princes out of jealousy; they'd been promised better territory, gifted stronger powers. If anyone was really paying attention, which I was, they'd assume the queens' betrayal had less to do with with territory or power and more to do with the fact that the princes were incredible warriors, neither having lost a war in their centuries of life. It was reasonable to think the High Fae queens feared that the princes' strength would one day be turned against them. 

The princes' warrior-hearts were so notorious, it only made sense King Charming would agree the realm would be better off without them. They had been confident- or perhaps cocky- enough to not even consider someone may be plotting against them. Their fortitude was their downfall and now the once-mighty rulers were trapped in the realm of darkness, the only remaining hints of their heritage the impressive builds, the innate instinct to protect what they deemed theirs, and an unfairly long life to remember what they had lost. I often wondered how differently the war would have gone if the High Fae princes hadn’t been taken off guard and captured in the first wave of the round-up.

Neither High Fae prince expressed interest in ruling this realm. Instead, they spent their days brooding in silence, the occasional sneer at a too-close passerby the only hint their spirits weren't completely broken. To gain their loyalty- to harness that unwavering instinct to protect- would not only prove useful, but also send a message.

Unfortunately, even the High Fae princes wouldn't come close with my tall, dark shadow of a man snarling nearby. Interesting. I didn't hold it against them. I seemed to be the only one in the realm that didn't run far, far away from the man. But I had no reason to believe he hung around for my own benefit and I sure as hell wasn't going to talk to him... 

So I went against my own instincts and spent a day and a half trying to shake him off my trail. Finally, when a massive brawl broke out- that I may or may not have subtly instigated as a diversion- I was able to sneak away. I knew exactly where to find the warriors- sulking by the nasty river edge. Their faces gave nothing away when I made my offer, but they wasted no time showing me just how well I'd be taken care of by them. 

Yes, these two were undeniably a prize to be won. As my personal guards, they were powerful trophies I carried permanently at my sides.

When the tall man finally found me strutting through the Dark Place with my new guards, he shook with fury. To my great dismay, the High Fae princes- whose name's I'd learned were Braxis and Galen- flinched at his anger, yielded to his fury. I gave all three a sharp look, that made my guards straighten and the mysterious man stalk to a corner to glower from afar... but not too far. Never too far.

I felt confident in the small army I'd gathered; confident enough I thought I would stop trying to expanding it for a while. But then the gnomes approached me. 

While the ogres were massive and intimidating the gnomes were discrete and cunning. They pitched their unique services and the offer was too enticing to pass up. Once again, I ditched the mystery man- and my guards- in a crowd to earn the loyalty of the gnomes. 

The cost was high for their services. They'd asked a lot. I fought hard to repress what I’d done to have them join me. Even the handsome man wouldn't look at me for days once he'd realized what had happened. Braxis and Galen didn't show any signs of disapproving towards me, though I didn't miss how they'd go out of their way to step on the gnomes any chance they got. Not my proudest moment, but alas, the very shameful mark on my personal history had earned me a small armada of spies.

With a solid task force at my command, I was almost ready to divide the land amongst the realm's inhabitants. Before I could, I needed a safe place to retreat to that preferably doubled as a physical display of my position as leader. So for my third project, I assembled a team to build a castle into the realms southern cliffs.

From there I could see everything- or at least the three main caverns, everything beyond the caverns became a little fuzzy before eventually being completely swallowed by the darkness. Still, perching myself high in the realm's border was ideal for both symbolic purposes and functionality. But I knew better than to make myself a true castle. Resources were incredibly limited and to be so foolish as to claim more than my fair share would surely place a target on my back. 

Instead, I opted for something that predominantly utilized the natural resources offered by the cavern walls. Not that I was complaining. Only a few hours past breaking ground on the construction of my home, we discovered gorgeous, sturdy granite beneath the outer layer of dirt. 

With plenty of hands on deck, my home was completed in less than two months time. I made sure it was not too big, just big enough to be comfortable and display a bit of power. One of my favorite safety features was how much the granite echoed. No one could possibly sneak up on me within the walls of my home.

Once the home was completed, I was finally ready to divide the land amongst the beasts. I called an assembly in the largest and closet cavern to the base of the southern border- a space I'd named the Atrium. I took my space on the risen piece of earth that served as a natural stage. I hid my nerves, quickly made my announcement and then held my breath.

The beasts were furious. Braxis and Galen proved their worth over and over again in the days immediately following the announcement. But, within a few weeks, most of the beasts had settled into a quiet contempt at the decree, slowly learning to appreciate having a space to call their own, I hoped. Still, my spies would return every few days to remind me whispers of an uprising floated through my kingdom. 

News of conspirators seemed to be the only time the mystery man would take a brief leave from being my unauthorized shadow. I didn’t ask him where he went in those moments of absence. I'd still managed to avoid speaking to him altogether, actually. Neither Braxis or Galen ever spoke to him, either. But we all noticed he when he was gone.

I didn’t question their wariness of him, or ask them to force him away. If I was being honest with myself- which I most certainly was not- a part of me enjoyed him constantly lurking nearby. To some extent, he was entertaining… to a lesser extent his presence remained somewhat soothing. 

A smart queen would consider him a potential conspirator given his quiet, constant presence and questionably timed disappearances. But… those who my spies caught conspiring were never mentioned again. I had my suspicions he was the reason for that.

After around a year of imprisonment, I ran out of projects, and soon the turmoil amongst the beasts became unmanageable. The people needed to be appeased; they needed repercussions; they needed violence. And thus the Judgements were born. 

I felt horrible when I had the idea. I felt worse when I made the announcement. But nothing compared to how I felt at the first Judgement. I’d always wanted to be a leader. I’d gained quite the cult following in the mortal realm before the roundups had begun- so much so many called me an evil queen, but that was mere flattery.

Sure, I had some uncouth methods to get my way. And sure, maybe I enjoyed watching the world burn just a little during the war, but I never wanted to be this kind of leader. I shouldn’t have had to have been. I was a motherfucking dragon for christ sake! The threat of that alone would have been enough to keep my people in line without having to incite actual violence.

Still, this was the hand I had been dealt and I was determined to do whatever it took to make it work. 

When the first foul beast r***d and murdered a young woman only an hour after my announcement, I knew I had to carry through with my promise. And I had to make a statement. Repercussions and violence. That was what the realm needed. So I called a mandatory assembly.

I missed my dragon more than ever as I watched four members of my army forced the man to the ground. I wished I could just burn him to a crisp in a few seconds and get it over with. I didn’t know this man, and I hated him for what he had done but I loathed him so much deeper for making me give this punishment. 

Why didn’t you just listen, you monster?! I did my best to compartmentalize my apprehensions. Motivation, consequences, repercussions, violence... that's what I had to provide or else I’d find myself back in the Atrium within hours dealing with the same sort of evil- if not worse.

With nearly all the Dark Place’s inhabitants gathered, I took my place on the stage, raising a hand to silence the crowd. “I am a fair and just leader. This Judgement- and all those to follow- will attest to that.” I turned from the crowd to address the man before me, though my voice still carried to every corner of the cavern. If nothing else was positive about the realm of darkness, at least the place had superior acoustics. “Oh stop your sniveling, you filthy roach. You were warned this would happen, were you not?” I waited for a response, but was disappointed. 

I lifted my chin, refusing to feel guilty for enforcing the most basic standard of decency amongst the monsters. “I have claimed many times that we don’t deserve this fate. And we don’t," *pause for dramatic effect*, "including you. But while most of us deserve to be free of this hell, you… you deserve worse.” His sniveling turned into full body convulsions. Good. An example. He needed to be an example. “You chose your own punishment today. The punishment will match the crime. You will suffer the same fate as the one that you have given.” Many of the beasts perked up, a few even snickered their approval.

I turned to the crowd of onlookers. “This was a crime against the community, so the community will carry out the punishment. And which loyal subject should have such an honor?” My stomach flipped as I watched too many foul beings step forward, entirely too eager to implement the punishment. I recognized a few that had helped build my home. They'd been in my home. And here they were willing to do this. I shuddered and swallowed down the rising bile. 

I pointed to a particularly disgusting monster, willing my eyes to not break contact as I said, “You- you'll do." I sharpened my voice when I added, "and I expect you'll remember this.” I raised my brows to emphasize I meant this gift I'd given him. The gleam in his eye told me he understood exactly what I meant. 

I turned to address all of the onlookers. “All of you, let this serve as a reminder! There is a simple way to avoid finding yourself on trial at the Judgements: behave.” I could feel the energy shift, none of it in my favor, so I added, “So that we may all remember this simple rule, standing witness to the Judgements is mandatory.” I coyly looked around the room, before I forced my face to curl into a wicked grin. “I’d hate for you to miss the show.” 

The approving sinister chuckles that spread throughout the amphitheater allowed me to breathe a sigh of relief. I’d won them back over; for now at least. 

As the beast I'd chosen stalked towards his prey I turned my back, not wanting to be anywhere near the atrocity I'd approved; commanded. I stalked away as quickly as I could without drawing attention, but even at a hasten, my careful pace felt impossibly slow. I forced my legs to remain steady, to not break into a sprint, when I heard maniacal laughter leave the devil I'd just rewarded.  

As I moved through my small entourage, I saw the tall man break away from his place in the shadows. Braxis and Galen abruptly halted behind me.

There’s those lion hearts I hired. I couldn’t even stand to roll my eyes at their weakness. 

The mysterious man stepped into my path. I meant to shove past him, but he lightly grabbed my shoulder, effectively stopping me mid-step. He’d never been this close before, and he’d certainly never touched me. Everything I'd feared about him proved true in that one moment. His touch was comforting. My mind fought to remember why this was bad, wrong, not real... but, try as I might to deny it, what I was feeling was undeniably comfort. I continued to grapple with myself, but found I was too emotionally drained to refuse the support. I knew I’d likely deeply regret it later, but that was for tomorrow Maeve to worry about.

I’d never needed consolation more than I did in that exact moment, so I gave in, allowing myself to lean into his hand. I looked up to meet his gaze, all too aware that if I could cry in this hell, tears would be raining from my eyes. His brows crinkled in concern as he recognized the devastation on my face.

He held my stare as he dared to brush his hand down the length of my arm before finding my trembling fingers. When I felt his thumb brush against my knuckles, I didn’t fight him. I didn’t stop him when her interlocked our fingers and led me in a different direction than I’d been headed. I didn't look back towards my guards, my safety net, as I left them behind. When the screams began behind us, I allowed him to use his free hand to cover one of my ears while pressing the other into his arm, blocking the sound. 

I didn’t even stop him from lifting me into his arms when my knees buckled beneath me. I was too disgusted with myself to worry about this man’s intentions. And honestly at this point, even if he wanted to do the worst, then so be it. I deserved it.