My Demon, My Love...
Rules of the Realm

“Where am I? What has become of me now?”

Azlyn slowly opened her eyes and realized that she was face-down on a cold marble floor. She looked to her left and saw a beautiful, soft-looking, rug sprawled out on the ground next to her.

“Typical. Of course, they would put me on the hard floor instead of the rug.” Azlyn thought as she rolled her eyes.

Azlyn could feel that her hands were tightly bound behind her back. She knew from many past experiences that her best bet was to try and sit up, then take in her surroundings. This was certainly not the first time that she had been through this ordeal and she doubted that it would be the last.

Azlyn wriggled and struggled to force herself off of the floor without touching any of the furniture around her. She knew the rules all too well and she was not about to start breaking them. Not before she had even had a chance to make a first impression on whomever her new master may be.

Azlyn finally managed to force herself up onto her knees. However, after all that movement and use of muscles, she realized how badly her body ached. Her head was throbbing, most likely from when she had been knocked unconscious.

“I wonder if I could count how many times that I have been bound and knocked unconscious.”

Azlyn began to look around and take in the details of the room. She came to the realization that she was in the nicest room that she had seen in her whole life. The entire place was covered in expensive paintings and silks. The rug that she sat next to was probably worth more than the cost of her food for several years. The bed behind her was made up of ornately carved wood and looked to be so fluffy that she imagined it must be like laying on a cloud. There were three book shelves around the room all decorated with various collections; one appeared to be lined in a rather magnificent book collection, while the second seemed to contain an assortment of antique weapons, and the third appeared to be housing for various trophies, medals, and awards. Overstuffed arm chairs sat in one corner, framing a large, stone fireplace. Whoever this room belonged to certainly had impressive taste.

As Azlyn sat there, on the cold floor, for what felt like hours. She wondered how long she would be left waiting there before being introduced to her new duties. Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching. She hoped that whomever it was that walked this direction was headed to this room. She could not stand waiting to learn what horrors awaited her in her new life. She began to hear the sound of muffled voices and she tried her best to listen in on the conversation.

“Before we go inside. I just wanted to say that I hope that you’ve enjoyed yourself today.”

Azlyn could hear a male speaking just on the other side of the door. She watched as the door knob, slowly, began to turn.

“Happy birthday, son!”

The door swung open and Azlyn’s eyes fell upon a being so astonishing that she found she could not look away. He had sharp, rugged features and his eyes were as dark as the ocean in the dead of night. His jet-black hair contrasted beautifully against his light, olive skin. The small black horns atop his head blended into his short-cropped hair, almost seeming to disappear. Azlyn guessed that he chose not to wear his horns at full size, so that they were not intimidating unless he needed them to be. He was impeccably dressed, revealing that he came from very wealthy means. There was something familiar and comforting about him.

Azlyn quickly realized that she had been staring. She knew that this was against the rules and swiftly adjusted her position to a more appropriate one, by dropping her gaze down to the floor. She chastised herself for making such a grave mistake, she knew better than to look a demon in the eye, especially one of such obviously noble means.

“I know that she could never take the place of Teanna. However, I am told that she is very well-trained and submissive. She should make an excellent new personal slave for you.” The older demon explained.

The two demons entered the room and examined Azlyn further.

“Slave stand.” The older demon commanded.

Azlyn struggled at first, but she did as she was told and rose to her feet. Upon standing she began to feel light-headed, most likely due to a concussion, and she began to waiver. Panic coursed through her as she stumbled forward, unable to steady herself with her arms bound behind her back.

The older demon stepped out of the way, offering Azlyn no assistance in her plight. This was not uncharacteristic for a demon and she had expected just as much. She attempted to steel herself as she knew the inevitable was to come; she would smash her face into one of the many lovely items of furniture directly ahead of her. If she was lucky, nothing would be broken, and she would, possibly, avoid punishment.

Azlyn braced for the impact when she, suddenly, felt a pair of strong arms around her. For a moment, she felt safe and content. It was though the worries had melted away and she was just left with the security of being held tight by these mysterious arms. It took her a minute to register what was actually happening. The arms carefully lifted her backwards and placed her standing her upright.

“Woah! Careful there! Are you alright?” A melodious voice rang out with concern.

Azlyn’s mind was abuzz. What had just happened there? Why had she not fallen? She should be on the floor right now. Who had saved her? Why had they saved her? In her confusion, she was not thinking straight. She answered…

“Yes, I am fine. Thank you.”

Azlyn was quickly brought back to harsh reality by the sting of a hand against her face.

“How dare you answer so casually!” The older demon leered down at her.

“I am s-so sorry, m-master! I a-apologize! I s-swear it will n-never happen a-again, master!” Azlyn quickly stammered.

“I am King Chesed. You may address me as Your Highness or by any other title befitting my rank.” The older demon said, gesturing to himself. “He is your new master.” The older demon gestured to the younger demon who accompanied him.

“Yes, your highness.” Azlyn answered with a slight bow.

Azlyn could scarcely believe what she had heard. Was she really working in the palace now?! As the personal slave to one of the princes, no less?! Could this really be happening? Why did it have to be her?!

Normally, it would seem like it was good news for a slave to be assigned to the palace. However, in the Realm of Demons, it was exactly the opposite of that. One of the worst places for a slave to work was within the castle. There were more slave deaths out of the palace than any other estate throughout the entire realm.

“What is your name, slave?” King Chesed asked.

“My name is Azlyn, sire.”

“Ah, Azlyn. Well, this is my son, Prince Reve. He is your master now. You do whatever he asks of you.” King Chesed instructed.

“Of course, sire. Thank you, your majesty.” Azlyn answered with a slight bow.

“I will leave you two to get better acquainted. Show her to her quarters whenever you are done with her. You may want to get your clothes cleaned as well; her filth has touched them.” Chesed sneered. “Good night, son. Happy birthday.” With that King Chesed exited the room and disappeared into the castle.

Prince Reve stood there staring at Azlyn for a moment. Azlyn began to feel uneasy, she felt his eyes boring into her, but she did not want to look up to see the expression on his face. She knew that he was probably disappointed with her. He was likely expecting something better for his birthday. She wished that she could just disappear.

After what seemed like an eternity, Prince Reve turned and closed the door to his room. He stepped forward and reached out for Azlyn’s head; he had noticed that she was bleeding and wanted to check the wound. However, he quickly retracted his touch when he saw Azlyn clearly flinching as his hand had reached out for her.

“I am not going to hit you.” Reve assured her.

“It is not my place to question your actions, master. You are welcome to do as you please.” Azlyn responded, quietly.

“Well, I am not going to hit you. I just wanted to check that wound on your head. It looks like you may be bleeding.” Reve informed Azlyn as he reached for her again.

“I will be fine, sire. It is nothing that you should concern yourself with. Unless you are worried that I will bleed on something of yours. If that is the case then I will attempt to replace something to cover it with, so that you will not have to worry any longer, your highness.” Azlyn reassured him.

“I am not worried about anything like that. I just wanted to make sure that you are alright.”

Reve walked over to his nightstand and grabbed a small knife. Azlyn’s eyes widened with fear as he began to walk back over towards her. She held her breath, wondering whether or not he meant to use the knife to do her harm. But instead he walked behind her and cut her arms free from the rope that bound them behind her back. Then he returned the knife to its place next to the bed. Azlyn took advantage of the freedom and rolled her shoulders before rubbing her chafed wrists.

“Can I ask you a question, Azlyn?” Reve inquired.

“Of course, master. You may ask me anything that you wish.” Azlyn responded, quickly.

“Do you not have more appropriate clothing to wear?” Reve asked with a smirk as he eyed her up and down.

Azlyn quickly became aware of how she had been dressed. It had never occurred to her that it may be inappropriate before as she rarely ever went out in public. She had been wearing the same clothes for several months now. Her former master had been down on his luck and could not afford to keep her properly clothed; not that he would have spent money on her had he been able to afford it.

Azlyn’s cheeks burned as she turned a bright red, scanning the scant clothing that covered her. Her clothes were so old and overused that over time they had been torn and tattered down to essentially nothing more than a strip of cloth that covered her breasts and loose underwear.

“I apologize if my appearance has offended you, your highness. This is the only clothing that I own.”

“I am not offended. Just surprised. Did your former master not provide you with clothing?” Reve inquired.

“This is the clothing provided to me by my former master, majesty.” Azlyn explained.

“Well, your master must have been a real piece of work. It is not much, is it?” Reve commented.

Azlyn chose not to respond to this question. She knew better than to bad mouth a former master of hers. She had no way of knowing if they were friendly with each other and even if they were not, she would likely be punished for speaking ill of another demon. She would not be led into traps, she would avoid punishment as much as possible.

Prince Reve had noticed her silence. He was all too aware of how slaves were treated throughout the realm and even within his own home. He was appalled at the disregard that many demons had for the livelihood of their slaves. Humans may be an inferior species, but it did not mean that they had no right to, at least, very basic dignities; a thought not commonly shared throughout the realm.

“You don’t speak much do you?” Reve joked, breaking the silence.

“I am sorry, my lord. I have always been under the impression that a good slave should be seen and not heard.” Azlyn apologized.

Prince Reve rolled his eyes. He knew that this was common amongst demons and slaves. However, he had never been this way with his personal slave and he did not plan to start now.

“Well, we will need to replace you something more to wear. For the time being, this will have to do. Follow me and I will show you to your quarters.” Reve directed.

Reve opened the door to his bedroom and exited. Azlyn followed him, careful not to place a foot onto the rug in the center of the room. When she got into the hall, she saw Reve standing in front of a small door directly across from his room.

Prince Reve opened the door and exposed a small, sparsely furnished room. There was a tiny bed in one corner of the room, a small wooden dresser and a ragged, wooden chair in another. The mattress on the bed appeared to be very worn and so thin that there was little chance it offered much in the way of comfort. There was no pillow and only an old, shredded blanket for bedding.

“Sorry, there isn’t any bedding. I had it buried with Teanna as she had hand-sewn most of it. We’ll try and replace something better when we get a chance.” Reve assured her.

“Interesting that he would bother to bury his slave at all.” Azlyn thought to herself.

Azlyn entered the room and even though there was not much to it. She was grateful for what she had, it was more than she could ever remember having before. Honestly, she could hardly believe that this whole room was just for her.

“The bathroom is just down the hall. The slaves use the large, communal bathroom.” Reve explained.

“Thank you, master.” Azlyn answered.

“You will start your work first thing in the morning. Our coordinator should wake you bright and early to get you started with your new schedule. Have a good rest of your night.”

With that, Reve exited the doorway and returned to his room.

Azlyn stood in the center of her room for a minute, taking it all in. She had never had her own room before or a real bed. She had always had to share with other slaves or, in some cases, her master and oftentimes she had slept on a floor. On the other hand, she had never been the personal slave to a prince before either. She lay down on her bed and fell asleep with the excitement of finally having something to call her own.

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