The ground shook and the wind howled. A gash split the earth in half and spewed hellfire, filling the air with the smell of brimstone. Black smoke billowed ever higher, darkening the noonday sun, and while a hundred villagers looked on, a pair of blood-red hands arose from the great pit—hands whose fingers alone dwarfed the young oaks nearby. Those fingers gripped the earth; nails like great, blackened kite shields pierced the ground; and as the gash widened, out came a face as giant as those hands.
Irises aglow with the same demonic light as the hellfire shone fiendishly on the small village before them. Short, curved horns wrapped in iron chains protruded from the being's forehead, and in its mouth glistened twin rows of fearsome fangs, bared in a grin the moment it espied all the frightened villagers.
The demon rose from the pit to stand at its full, towering height. And while the onlookers all quaked in their boots, it—she—opened her mouth to speak...
And immediately fell into a coughing fit as her head was consumed in the billowing column of smoke rising out of the great pit.
“Ack! Stupid... cough... smoke... cough!”
She ducked her head and staggered forward, but as her foot fell into a slight depression on the ground, she stumbled and fell with a mighty THUD to land all sprawled-out just beyond the village. She slowly picked herself up, trying in vain to get her coughing under control, all the while the villagers looked on awkwardly, the weight and gravity of the moment all but vanished.
The pious folks took this time to get better acquainted with her appearance, taking in her dress and build. She was horned, fanged, and crimson-skinned, of course, like all of her kind. Her hair was short and dark, her face oval and youthful-looking. Her body was slim, and also quite youthful—by human standards she didn't look quite adult yet, but who really knew how demons aged? She may have been older than any of them.
The peasant women in particular also noted with disapproving tuts the way she was dressed—with all the sinfulness of a demon. It wasn't just that her skirt was much too short, being hemmed only a little below her knees and scandalously revealing her ankles; the neck of her blouse was too low as well, showing off—gasp!—her shoulders. Perhaps worst of all, though, was her footwear: no socks nor tights nor stockings clothed her legs, and instead of proper shoes she wore only a pair of skimpy sandals. Why, she was practically going barefoot! If this was how all demons clothed their young, they truly were the most evil of God's creatures.
At last the demon's cough subsided and she rose once more to her towering height, standing so immense that even the barns reached no higher than her ankles. She took a deep breath, then bellowed out a maniacal cackle.
“AH-HAHAHAHAHAHA~!
“PUNY MORTALS! TREMBLE IN FEAR! THE NEW DEMON LORD—DEMON LADY—DEMON QUEEN? WHATEVER! I, DEMARYS THE DREADED, HAVE COME TO MAKE THIS WORLD MY OWN! GAZE ON ME AND DESPAIR!”
Gaze on her the villagers did, but whatever effect her introduction might have had was much ruined by her earlier accident. Why, they didn't even have it in them to pretend to be scared anymore.
Seeing their reaction, or lack of it, Demarys's grin faltered, but it soon came back as haughty as ever. “I SEE; IT LOOKS LIKE YOUR puny LITTLE MINDS ARE SO OVERCOME WITH FEAR THAT YOU CAN'T EVEN PROCESS WHAT'S GOING ON! IT JUST GOES TO SHOW HOW WEAK AND PATHETIC YOU HUMANS ALL ARE. THAT'S FINE BY ME; THE LESS RESISTANCE YOU PUT UP, THE SOONER I CAN EXTEND MY EVIL REIGN OVER THE WORLD AND TURN ALL YOUR LIVES INTO A LIVING HELL! AND I'LL START WITH YOUR LITTLE VILLAGE. NOW, MORTALS; KNEEL!”
Her eyes flicked expectantly from one villager to the next, but not one of them moved to kneel. She gave them a few minutes, tapping her foot impatiently in the meantime, since she figured their weak little minds might need some more time to process her command, but despite the powerful impact of her foot upon the ground, the villagers did no more than mutter among themselves.
“HEY! DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME?! I TOLD YOU ALL TO KNEEL!” The demoness stomped her foot, but still the villagers stood their ground. “W-WHAT'S THIS? YOU REALLY WON'T DO WHAT I SAY? WELL... MAYBE YOU'LL CHANGE YOUR MINDS AFTER YOU SEE ME CRUSH ONE OF YOU ALIVE!”
As Demarys took a step forward and raised a foot over the villagers, all of them gasped and covered their eyes when they got a peek up her skirt. The demoness took it as a sign of fear and was much pleased. They didn't even try to run, making themselves easy prey for her, yet, after holding her foot over them for a few seconds, she merely put it back down away from them.
“ON SECOND THOUGHT, CRUSHING YOU LIKE THAT WOULD BE FAR TOO MERCIFUL AN END FOR YOU. BESIDES, WITH HOW PUNY YOU ARE, I'M SURE I'LL NEED AS MANY OF YOU AS POSSIBLE TO GET ANYTHING DONE WHEN I PUT YOU TO WORK AS MY SLAVES. INSTEAD I'LL DESTROY YOUR HOUSES ONE BY ONE UNTIL YOU ALL KNEEL TO ME!”
The demoness moved her foot forward again, lifting it back on her heel to rest the toes on the roof of the nearest house. For a second the house groaned and creaked under the immense pressure, but just when it seemed like it was about to break, the demoness let up on it. “Um, does anyone know if this house is empty? Someone had better check real quick. If not then maybe you could point me to one that—” Before she could finish, the house simply fell down of itself, having been so weakened by the pressure she applied a moment ago.
“Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean... Er, I mean... AH-HAHAHAHAHAHA~! IS THAT ALL IT TAKES TO KNOCK OVER ONE OF YOUR BUILDINGS? WHY, I ONLY SHOWED OFF A SMALL FRACTION OF MY POWER AND IT ALL FELL APART! DO YOU SEE NOW WHAT YOU'RE UP AGAINST? CEASE NOW YOUR POINTLESS RESISTANCE AND KNEEL TO YOUR NEW QUEEN!”
Again the villagers only shuffled around uneasily, until at last one of them came forward. “Um, excuse me, Miss... Demarys?”
“THAT'S QUEEN DEMARYS TO YOU, INSECT!”
“My apologies; I didn't mean to offend. But I have to ask, you're not really our queen yet, are you? I mean... last we heard, King Tristophon is still alive, and he's still the ruler of these lands. Or have you deposed him and taken the throne?”
“W-well, no, but... WHAT DOES IT MATTER TO ME IF SOME MEASLEY HUMAN KING SAYS HE OWNS THIS LAND? THE VILLAGE IS MINE. IF ANYONE SAYS OTHERWISE, LET THEM COME AND SEE IF THEY CAN TAKE IT FROM ME.”
“Of course you own the land, but that's not the same as being queen. And I'm sure you mean to conquer more than just our little village, yes?”
“OF COURSE! I WILL MAKE THE WHOLE WORLD BOW TO ME, AND BRING A NEW REIGN OF TERROR THAT WILL LAST A THOUSAND YEARS!”
“Right. Well, that would all go much smoother if you could show off a crown and scepter to prove you're the new queen. I'm sure you wouldn't even need to crush anything to convince people of it then. Isn't that right?” The others murmured in assent.
“YES... WELL... I-I KNOW ALL THAT! IN FACT, I ALREADY MEANT TO GO VISIT YOUR KING RIGHT AFTER I WAS DONE WITH THIS PUNY LITTLE VILLAGE. AND NOW THAT I'VE MADE ENOUGH OF AN IMPRESSION ON YOU PATHETIC MORTALS, I MIGHT AS WELL GO NOW. TELL ME WHERE I CAN FIND THIS KING OF YOURS SO I MAY PAY HIM A VISIT!”
The man pointed to the north-east. “His castle should be a few days' walk over that way.”
“ARE YOU SURE? I CAN'T SEE ANYTHING. IS IT BEHIND THOSE MOUNTAINS?” The demoness stood on tip-toe, shielding her eyes with a hand upon her brow. Then her heels came back down with another THUD. “YOU AREN'T LYING TO ME, ARE YOU? BECAUSE I DON'T LIKE IT WHEN PEOPLE LIE TO ME.”
“I assure you, it's all perfectly true. It's not far past those mountains you're seeing.”
“WELL, ALRIGHT. BUT YOU'RE COMING WITH ME, MISTER...”
“David.”
“DAVID! AND IF IT TURNS OUT THE CASTLE ISN'T WHERE YOU SAID IT WAS... I'LL EAT YOU! AND YOUR SOUL! NOW BE STILL FOR ME.” The demoness crouched and picked the man up, her fingertips more than sufficing to hold his entire body between them. “BE STILL, INSECT! DEMARYS THE DREADED COMMANDS IT!” she said while he fidgeted in her grip. “I MEAN IT! CEASE YOUR SQUIRMING AT ONCE OR YOU'LL MAKE ME DROP YOU!”
The man quit moving and allowed her to hold him in front of her. “NOW, YOU SAID IT WAS THIS WAY, CORRECT?” David nodded. “GOOD! THEN WE SHALL BE THERE SOON ENOUGH, AND THEN YOU'LL BE WITNESS TO MY CONQUEST OF THE KINGDOM OF...”
“Tourlevon.”
“TOURLEVON.” She dropped David on her head, then turned to the other villagers. “PUNY HUMANS! BY THIS TIME TOMORROW I WILL RETURN AS YOUR QUEEN! I EXPECT A BANQUET READY BY THEN, AND IF I DON'T GET ONE... I'LL HAVE TO EAT MY FILL FROM ALL OF YOU! AH-HAHAHAHAHAHA~!”
With that she lifted her lofty legs and strode away from the village. Though the mountains weren't too distant at her size, she walked so slowly, taking care to avoid stepping on anything at all even to the point of twice taking a big detour around a forest, that it was an hour before she even got to them.
“Oh, thank goodness,” she muttered as she sat at the base of the mountains, which stood only a few times taller than she did. “How much further will that stupid castle be?”
“Not much further now,” David ventured to say.
“EEP!” At the sound of his voice the demoness jumped and knocked the man down from his perch atop her head. He would have fallen right off had he not griped a strand of her hair on the way down to from it right in front of her eye. “Hold on! Let me help you.” She raised a hand and seized the man, holding him softly between her fingers. “Are you alright? I'm sorry, I completely forgot that you were... Ahem! FOOLISH HUMAN! WHEN DID I GIVE YOU PERMISSION TO SPEAK? FROM NOW ON BE SILENT UNLESS SPOKEN TO, OR NEXT TIME I MAY NOT HAVE MERCY ON YOU. YOU... DID NOT HURT YOURSELF, DID YOU?”
“Er... no. I'm fine. I... thank you?”
“PUNY MORTAL! I DON'T NEED YOUR THANKS! IN FACT, DON'T THANK ME EVER AGAIN! I ONLY SAVED YOU BECAUSE... IT DOESN'T MATTER WHY I SAVED YOU! MY REASONS ARE BEYOND THE KEN OF LOWLY BEINGS LIKE YOURSELF! WHY, YOU'RE BETTER OFF FORGETTING THIS EVER HAPPENED.”
“Yes, yes, of course. Um... I'm sorry, but... are you sure you're a demon?”
“WHAT KIND OF A QUESTION IS THAT!? OF COURSE I'M A DEMON! CAN'T YOU SEE THE BLOOD-RED SKIN? THE HORNS? THE FANGS? THE INDECENT CLOTHING? WHAT ELSE WOULD I BE IF NOT A DEMON?”
“I'm not really sure, but if I'm being honest you don't have a very demonic air. In fact, you don't seem very evil at all.”
“WHAT!? OF COURSE I'M EVIL! NOT JUST EVIL; I'M THE EVILEST CREATURE TO EVER WALK THIS REALM! HOW ELSE DO YOU THINK I BECAME AS BIG AND POWERFUL AS YOU SEE ME NOW?”
“You mean to say you weren't always gigantic?”
“OF COURSE NOT! IT ALL STARTED WHEN I SET OUT TO BECOME THE MOST SINFUL DEMON IN ALL OF HELL BECOMING THE FIRST OF OUR KIND TO BREAK ALL TEN COMMANDMENTS.”
“The first? Isn't that something you all do?”
“HEAVENS NO! We all break most of them at some point, but the first had never been broken until I took to worshipping Him only after worshipping the heathen gods every day. Since that day, my power has grown ever greater! When I was strong enough I broke the sixth by killing the old Demon Lord and his armies. I broke the tenth by taking all his stuff marrying his wives—that's same sex marriage so it's especially sinful, and to be even more sinful I divorced them after that. Then...”
Taking a seat on the mountainside, Demarys continued explaining how she had broken each commandment in the most benign way imaginable, only skipping over the seventh out of embarrassment. All in all, it more than confirmed David's suspicions about her. Despite her massive size and the threatening airs she put on, despite even her own claims to being pure evil, she was mostly innocent at heart. Innocent enough that he started to feel bad about his lies.
He had hoped to buy the others time to relocate, spread word of the demon, maybe even raise an army to fight her, by leading the demoness across the Risian deserts where no man lived in search of the king's castle. Now, though, he wondered if it might not be better to help her depose the king and take his throne. He doubted she could be any worse a ruler than Tristophon with he all his wars and demands, his corruption and absurd laws, and by the time she finished her story, he was convinced she'd make a better ruler by far. Of course, if he was wrong, she really might eat him as punishment for his deception, but that was a risk worth taking; he'd just have to be tactful with her.
“Queen Demarys, I have to come clean. When I said that the king's castle is behind these mountains, I lied to you. I didn't think you were as evil and powerful as you claimed, and I thought I could get way with playing a prank on you. But now that I've heard your tale and I understand what a monster I'm dealing with, I cannot risk your wrath any longer. I beg you: have mercy on me and I will lead you down the real path to King Tristophon's castle.
Demarys seemed surprised at his confession—almost hurt, even—but once he finished, her eyes hardened into a genuine glare, and he wondered if he might have made a mistake.
“YOU TREACHEROUS LITTLE SWINE!” she said, holding him so firmly he thought his bones might all snap if she pressed the slightest bit harder. “I TOLD YOU I DON'T LIKE IT WHEN PEOPLE LIE TO ME, AND THAT'S THE FIRST THING YOU DO. HOW DO I EVEN KNOW THIS ISN'T ANOTHER LIE? ANSWER ME! WHY WOULD YOU BE TELLING THE TRUTH THIS TIME AROUND?”
“Be... cause,” David said, straining to squeeze out what little air remained in his lungs. “I... I... don't... want... to die.” Demarys still gripped David fiercely, so glaring at him that he thought he could feel the heat of her glare. “Check the... other side... you'll see... it's desert...” The demoness grunted, and at last she relented, at least enough to let him breathe. She climbed up the mountains and, sure enough, standing at the peak she saw that there was nothing on the other side but desert as far as she could make out.
“WHERE IS THE CASTLE, THEN? ANSWER, AND KNOW THAT IF YOU LIE TO ME AGAIN, I WILL KILL YOU.”
“Yes, yes. I, understand,” David said, now struggling to catch his breath due to the drastic change in elevation. “South. It's south. A few days' walk for us. Much less for you. If I'm lying you'll know before the day is over.”
The demoness turned to where he had pointed. From this height she could see so much further than before, yet even looking out over all those leagues she couldn't spot any sort of castle. Maybe it was even further away, or maybe it was too small to see at this distance. Either way, she couldn't know if he was telling the truth yet. Still, even if there was no castle, there were some towns and villages over there; better than the barren desert at her back, at least.
So she started heading south with David riding on her shoulder, grumbling about her tired feet and her growing hunger, wishing she had brought something to eat before leaving Hell. Finally, after a few more hours of walking, the castle came into view. “See? I was telling the truth this time,” David said. The demoness said nothing, but quietly prepared herself for the encounter to come—there wouldn't be any stumbling or falling on her face this time! No, these people would see her for the monster she truly was. She fixed a fiendish grin on her face as she was approaching the castle, and stopped a few paces away to tower over it, peering down haughtily at the archers manning the towers and the guardsmen on the walls, all trembling most deliciously at the sight of her.
“PUNY HUMANS!” she bellowed, her thundering voice making all of them jump. “I HAVE COME TO CONQUER! SEND OUT YOUR KING! BRING ME HIS CROWN AND SCEPTER! OR I WILL... RAZE THE CASTLE TO THE GROUND! WITH EVERYONE INSIDE IT!”
She waited for a response, and after a moment the castle gates opened and an armored knight on horseback appeared, carrying a flag with an yellow eagle holding a fish in its talks against a blue and white backdrop—the standards of his house, she assumed.
“WHO COMES TO CHALLENGE ME? ARE YOU THE KING?” she demanded.
At the sound of her voice, the horse, already moving nervously and resisting its rider's attempts to get it moving towards her, reared up on its hind legs and nearly threw off its rider. The knight managed to hold the reins a while longer, but after the black stallion started bucking he fell off and landed on the ground. Then, while the horse ran off, the knight picked himself back up and turned to face the demoness.
“I... I am... King Richemond Tristophon.” he said, supporting himself with the flagpole while he caught his breath. “Demon! I come to defend my throne, and to put an end to thee! You have but one chance to make it out of here alive: give up your ridiculous aims and leave the surface world! Slink back down the hole you crawled out of, and I shall spare your life.”
“HA! DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH! IT'S YOU WHO SHOULD BE RUNNING AWAY. PITIFUL HUMAN—YOU ARE NOTHING TO ME! KNEEL AND SWEAR FEALTY AND I MAY JUST LET YOU LIVE.”
“I would rather die fighting than kneel to a wicked monster!”
“THEN COME AT ME! TRY TO STRIKE ME DOWN, AND SEE FOR YOURSELF HOW INSIGNIFICANT YOUR STRENGTHS ARE NEXT TO MINE.”
“With pleasure!” The king stepped forward, armor clanking as he made his way towards the demoness. Demarys waited... and waited... and waited as he slowly traversed the half-mile separating him from her, never faltering in his stride, until at last she grew impatient and took a couple quick steps forward and set her foot down right in front of him, almost knocking him down.
“HERE; CLIMB ON AND STRIKE ME ALREADY SO YOU CAN SEE HOW FUTILE YOUR RESISTANCE IS.”
The king stood without a word and walked up to the base of her sandals, giving a small jump to try and reach her insole. When that didn't work, he unsheathed a sword that seemed almost to glow with a holy light and thrust it into the sandal sole, almost down to the hilt. Pulling himself up by the grip, at last he could grab on to the edge of her insole and climbed up, almost collapsing as soon as he was on it.
King Tristophon then stepped up the demon's crimson toes... only to realize he'd left the sword half-buried in the sandal sole. He went back and with great effort pried it free, finally rising with it to confront the demon's toes which only then ceased their impatient drumming to accept the king's challenge. But instead of striking them, the king merely bowed his head once he stood before the house-sized digits.
“WHAT'S THIS? HAVE YOU CHANGED YOUR MIND ALREADY? HA! MAYBE YOU'RE NOT AS FOOLISH AS I THOUGHT! I'M TEMPTED TO CRUSH YOU ANYWAYS, BUT I SUPPOSE I CAN GIVE YOU ONE MORE CHANCE TO SAVE YOURSELF; KNEEL AND DECLARE YOUR LOYALTY TO YOUR NEW QUEEN! WELL? WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? MY PATIENCE IS WEARING THIN. I STILL HAVE A WHOLE KINGDOM TO TERRORIZE, SO MAKE WITH THE KNEELING OR I'LL– OW! Owowowowowowowow!”
Demarys shook the king off her sandal, then knelt and reached for her foot, carefully gripping the holy sword stuck hilt-deep in her flesh. A trickle of dark blood seeped from the wound, and he wiped it away over and over again, applying plenty of spit to her thumb as she did so.
“This... This cannot be,” the king said after failing to stand back up. “That holy sword is the very same that cleaved Xerael in twain when he came to conquer the world half a millennium back! No evil creature can survive the Lord's power imbued in it! Y-you should be burning to a crisp as I speak!”
“This... this is the Archangel's Blade!?” Demarys jerked her fingers apart, dropping the holy sword as though it were burning her skin. Yet even after a minute, she felt no pain at all save for that of the pinprick wound she had received. At last she dared to pick the sword back up, and saw that nothing came of it.
“Ha... Haha! AH-HAHAHAHAHA~! FOOLISH MORTAL! DIDN'T YOU KNOW? I AM NOT JUST ANY WEAKLING DEMON! I AM THE MOST EVIL OF ALL THE DEMONS! THE LIGHT OF YOUR LORD IS LIKE... IT'S NOTHING COMPARED TO MY DARKNESS! NOW DO YOU SEE HOW FUTILE YOUR STRUGGLES ARE? INSECT! FOR YOUR INSOLENCE YOU AND THE ENTIRE CASTLE SHALL PERISH!”
“No! Please! I beg you! I... I am no king; only a humble knight!”
“HA! DO YOU REALLY THINK I WOULD FALL FOR SUCH A BLATANT LIE?”
“'Tis the truth! I was but a ruse—a distraction! When first we saw you, His Majesty charged me with slaying you or at least keeping you occupied, while he retreated to safety. You see? I'm not the real king,” he said after taking off his helmet.
Demarys frowned and reached for the knight. Though he trembled at the sight of her fingers drawing nearer, he let her pick him and and lift him up to her face. “IS THIS NOT YOUR KING?” she asked David.
“No, not him. I think he's telling the truth. King Tristophon is a craven man; it would be just like him to flee as soon as you appeared.”
“HMPH. EITHER WAY, YOU'RE ANOTHER LIAR. I DON'T LIKE BEING LIED TO, YOU KNOW. AND I'M SO HUNGRY AFTER SUCH A LONG WALK HERE... I THINK I MIGHT JUST EAT YOU NOW...”
The demon's tongue slid over her scarlet lips. Her mouth opened wide, showing off her deadly fangs. A hot wind blew out of her throat and washed over the knight, so scorching he thought her mouth a portal to Hell itself.
“Wait a second, Queen Demarys,” David hastened to say amidst the knight's calls for mercy. “Don't waste your time killing this man. If you capture him instead you can parade him around as a symbol of your might. Think of how much more imposing you'll look with one of the king's knights as your trophy.”
“NOT A BAD SUGGESTION, HUMAN. IT'S SO DEVILISH! ARE YOU SURE YOU'RE NOT A DEMON YOURSELF?” Demarys laughed. “WORTHLESS KNIGHT! YOUR PATHETIC CRIES ARE MUSIC TO MY EARS, SO I SHALL LET YOU LIVE, AS LONG AS YOU KEEP AMUSING ME. NOW COME AND LET ME SHOW YOU TO YOUR NEW PRISON SO I MAY DEAL WITH THE CASTLE NEXT!” The knight tried to flee as he saw Demarys's hand approaching, but the demoness easily snatched him up and shoved him under her toes. His struggles persisted only until a slight curl of her toes convinced him it he was better off not testing her, and once he fell still the demoness stood and turned her attention to the castle, where she found all the guardsmen and archers gone, presumably hiding inside.
“INSECTS! COME OUT AND SWEAR FEALTY TO ME, OR MEET YOUR END AT MY HANDS!
“... COME OUT, I SAID! DO YOU THINK I'M PLAYING GAMES HERE?
“... HELLO? IS ANYONE INSIDE? YOU HAVEN'T ALL LEFT, HAVE YOU?” Bending over, again almost sending David falling off, Demarys reached down and begin tearing off chunks of the castle until she saw some people inside. “THERE YOU ARE!” she exclaimed, but when she reached for them they scurried deeper inside. “HEY! GET BACK HERE! WHY, YOU LITTLE INSECTS, JUST WAIT UNTIL I GET MY HANDS ON YOU ALL!”
“Queen Demarys, maybe you should send me in to speak to them. I'm sure I could convince them to obey you.”
Demarys plucked David from her head and glared at him. “DO YOU SWEAR YOU WON'T TRY TO ESCAPE IF I LET YOU GO INSIDE?”
“Of course not. How could I ever escape, when you cover all the exits and can just crush the castle at any time?”
“YES, OF COURSE I CAN! AND I WILL, TOO, IF YOU DON'T COME OUT QUICK! NOW GO AND DO MY BIDDING.” The demoness carefully lowered David in through the opening she had made, then sat waiting patiently for him to come out, toying with the captured knight in the meantime.
Just as she was starting to grow impatient, a few dozen people all marched out of the castle together, David among them. “Great demon, we beg you; have mercy on us!” the guardsman at the head of the group said and fell to his knees. Behind him, everyone else followed suit, clasping their hands together and giving her the most pathetic faces as they entreated her. “The castle is yours—we surrender it without a fight. The throne is also yours, and the crown, and the kingdom, and our service if you desire it; we ask only that you spare our lives.”
“FOOLISH HUMANS! WHAT USE COULD I POSSIBLY HAVE FOR SUCH A PATHETIC LOT AS YOU?”
The guardsman looked over his shoulder at David, and at a nod from the peasant he turned back to Demarys and raised his voice. “We hear that you're quite hungry. If you give us a bit of time, we'll have a feast ready for you to.
“A FEAST, YOU SAY?” Demarys licked her lips. “WELL... ALRIGHT! YOU'LL HAVE THIS ONE CHANCE TO PROVE YOURSELVES WORTH SPARING. NOW GO PREPARE MY FEAST!”
At her command, the entire castle staff, not only cooks but also guards and archers, stablehands and steward, and everyone else who could work, all hurried back inside, as did David, leaving her alone a while longer. When at last they came out again some time later to announce the feast was ready, they found her stretched out in front of the castle, on the point of dozing off. Hearing their announcement she yawned and sat back up, just in time for them to carry out dish after dish of whatever they could make in such a hurry.
There was nothing artful about the dishes, some of which were burnt while others more were undercooked, but she scarfed them down all the same with clear satisfaction while the staff kept bringing out more and more food for her. It was the dessert she liked the best, though, and she thoroughly savored every pastry she was given. “Goodness, this is so sweet! HUMANS! I DEMAND MORE OF THESE!” she said, and banged her fist on the ground for effect.
The staff all hurried to fulfill her desire, emptying out the storage room of every last ingredient they could use to hastily cobble together some pies and tarts for her, while each time she kept calling for “MORE, MORE, MORE!” Her appetite was insatiable, and even when she had devoured all they had to offer she still called for more until they meekly informed her that there was no more to give.
“HOW DISAPPOINTING. I SUPPOSE THIS IS ENOUGH FOR NOW... BUT YOU HAD BEST GO FETCH ME MORE TOMORROW, OR I MIGHT JUST EAT YOU ALL INSTEAD! AND YOU...” she said to David, “WILL MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS DONE AS I SAY. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?” Everyone nodded. “GOOD! THEN BRING ME THE ROYAL CROWN!”
The coronation was a simple affair, with hardly a bit of ceremony. The crown was brought out, and its bearer carried up to place the crown on the very tip of her horn, where it sat hardly visible on the titanic demoness. And once she'd been named queen, Demarys stood and called out for all the land to hear.
“HARK, PEOPLE OF TOURLEVON! AS OF TODAY, YOUR PEACEFUL, EASYGOING DAYS ARE OVER! NOW BEGINS MY REIGN OF TERROR! PREPARE YOURSELVES, MORTALS, FOR THE COMING OF HELL ON EARTH! AH-HAHAHAHAHA~!”
So began the golden age of Tourlevon, a time without wars nor bandits, without harsh laws nor onerous taxes. The kingdom's new ruler would have only one demand : to provide her with all the cakes and pies and tarts she could eat. Despite her terrifying appearance, her subjects soon enough learned they had nothing to fear as long as they gave their share to her pastry empire.