Grae is completely captivated by his new mate, Adalicia. With Kellen's blessing secured, he will arrange for her tutors to commence her education immediately. However, as is often the case in Uffern, things rarely go according to plan. Demons frequently disregard orders, and when his clear instructions are ignored, chaos erupts. When Adalicia confronts the true demon within him, she must decide: will she flee in fear like a scared rabbit, or will she accept him for who he truly is?
1. Are you named after anyone? My godfather and great-grandfather
2. When was the last time you cried? The day my curse drove the only woman I’ve only loved from Uffern and caused her to hate me.
3. Do you have kids? No, and I do not plan on having any due to my curse.
4. Do you use sarcasm? Yes, fairly often. My family is…unique and sarcasm has become a coping mechanism to deal with all that transpires within the castle.
5. What's the first thing you notice about people? Eyes. They truly are the windows to the soul and few people know how to guard theirs. I can read a lot through someone’s eyes.
6. What's your eye color? Blue
7. Scary movies or happy endings? *laughs* There are no happy endings and my life is a scary movie. Fuck off.
8. Any special talents? You would think being a demon that can create darkness out of anything would be pretty special itself, but I have a curse that makes me so much more. I won’t go into too much detail, as it can get rather disturbing for most humans. I have a second being that was bestowed upon me as retribution to my father for crossing a banshee. It causes urges that, while are within the nature of a demon, are even more extreme than those of my class normally imbibe in. If I try to resist, it will drive me to madness. The inability to understand and accept this curse cost me the woman I love, and has alienated many friends. I know my siblings and even Grae judge me for something I cannot control.
9. Where were you born? The Palace of Uffern
10. What are your hobbies? Reading, traveling, and cooking
11. Have you any pets? Not as of yet
12. What sports do you play/have played? I was not allowed
13. How tall are you? 6’8”
14. Favorite subject in school? Necromancy
15. Dream job? I am happy doing what I do now. In addition to my duties as Prince of Uffern, I manage different businesses in Uffern and a few other realms. I do not wish to do anything different.
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When trying to plan a romantic evening, Grae normally had no problem. In fact, in all his centuries of life, he’d never failed to make one absolutely perfect in the eyes of the female he was romancing. Now, he was looking at trying to setup a night with the female who was destined to be his wife, and he was having the hardest time that he ever had.
First, Grae had been surprised to learn that Adalicia had no idea what kinds of foods she liked. It shouldn’t have surprised him, but it did. It also made picking food out for dinner more complicated. In the end, he had just told the chef in the castle’s kitchen to prepare some basic foods in a tasting menu type format and make it enough for two. He wasn’t sure she’d like wine, so he conferred with the chef and they decided on tea for the beverage of the evening. Warm and soothing, it would lend well to the whole atmosphere being relaxing. Tonight would not be a lesson in manners, or in anything to do with how she would assist him at court, so being so anything formal could wait. Instead, he wanted her to be comfortable with him after the scene with Kellen. He’d already put in the orders for the next evening’s meal, which is when her education would begin. Unusual for him, he already had nerves regarding that as well.
Also foregone for the evening were the formal clothes he had intended on wearing. It seemed this female was able to upend everything and somehow simultaneously make him not care a bit. Once dinner was ordered he'd thrown on a pair of lounge pants and a fresh white dress shirt, although the latter was currently unbuttoned. Had it not been for lingering concern over Adalicia’s comfort, the dress shirt would have been foregone. While they had showered together naked, Kellen’s visit had knocked things back a step and he did not want to assume that she would be comfortable with a certain level of undress.
It took Adalicia longer to choose what to wear. She would have preferred if Grae would have chosen for her. Knowing what was expected and desired for her to wear was something she was unsure of. Never before had she been given a choice or even had an option on anything. Now not only was she given both, but her options were confusing. Some were more covering and heavier in fabric, some covered but were thin and silky, then there were the ones that were no more than her under things, but all were within the drawer of the wardrobe that Grae had indicated contained her night clothes. He had indicated that was the drawer that she'd most likely wish to pick from.
Finally she chose a plain black thin dress-like garment with tiny straps. The neckline was low, but it hung to almost her knees. Over it she pulled on a soft and fluffy cardigan that did go to her knees to use as a sort of robe. She almost changed more than once before deciding it should be good enough. If he was displeased, she hoped he'd give her more direction next time.
Grae had almost decided to go into Adalicia’s small room to make sure she was okay when she finally came into his. He hadn't intended for her to wear any of the more revealing pieces in the drawer when he told her to just be comfortable, but upon seeing her, he was certainly not going to tell her to change. Even with her curls rather wild after the shower, she was the most beautiful female he'd ever had in his suite, and there had been many. Other than the fae that came in to clean it, she would be the last female to be in the suite, and certainly the only one in his bed.
"I hope that I picked alright." Adalicia said, her cheeks pinkening and her eyes dropping briefly, as she tried to smile. Her fingers played with the ends of her sleeves as she waited for his answer.
"Are you comfortable?" Grae inquired; closing the distance between them, and letting his hands rest gently on the soft swell of her hips. He would not deny that he was enjoying seeing her in the short nightgown, but this evening was for helping her to relax.
Adalicia nodded, her stomach doing a little flip with the way he was looking down at her. "Do I look alright?" Her bottom lip caught lightly in her teeth. She truly was worried. As he drew her closer, though, she did feel confident enough to bring her hands up to rest on his chest. She had slipped them under the fabric of his shit, the feel of his bare skin under her fingertips, creating a foreign ache in her.
"You look beautiful, darling. You need not worry about that." He would not deny enjoying the feel of her hands on his skin, but her nerves were evident and Grae was committed to helping her to feel more like his suite…correction, it would now be THEIR suite, was truly her home. There was no other way that they could move forward. Unless he was completely misreading every sign and signal she was sending out, which he doubted, they both wanted things to move forward. “Dinner will be here in a few minutes, and after that we can talk about what you are going to do tomorrow while I am attending the meetings the King has set up for me. He and Persephone will be sorting out that situation that was the reason you and I came together.” Slowly, Grae wrapped a curl around his finger as he looked at her.
"I will be alone?" Adalicia asked. She could not remember ever truly being alone. There had always been other fae around. When she was younger it had been her mother and the other older female fae that were teaching her to wait upon the females of the court. Once she had been selected to serve Princess Persephone, there had always been the other fae that had attended to her.
"Is that a problem?" The look on her face troubled Grae. She looked afraid, and he could not for the life of him figure out why. She would be safe in their chambers.
"I've never been alone." Her lip caught between her teeth after Adalicia answered his question honestly. It was the only way she could really answer. Trying to put her trepidation into words made her feel even more nervous than the thought of being alone did.
"Never?" Grae’s brows drew together. He had not considered that, nor how it would affect her to be so. Her fear was now making more sense to him. "I will see what I can do about that in the future, but for at least the morning, I'm afraid that it is a necessity." His arms gently encircled her waist and pulled her gently to him. "You are completely safe in these rooms. No one can come in, even the King, without my permission." He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"Can I go out onto the balcony?" She had noticed the door out to it earlier. She had never been outside the walls of the castle. While the balcony would not be true freedom, it would allow her to see things differently than through a window.
For a moment Grae considered her request. His chambers were high in the castle. If she stumbled, he couldn't even allow himself to consider. He could extend the wards to ensure safety though, and if that would make her happy…
"Yes, but know there is a ward to keep you safe. Do not try to extend your arm or anything past the railings. It will feel like a wall, but you'll still be able to feel the breezes. Please don't go out if it is raining." When her brows furrowed. "Lightning has been known to strike this tower." He kissed her nose.
"Thank you, Rhys. I've never been outside." Adalicia absolutely beamed up at him and she was so excited she almost bounced on her toes.
Once more his beautiful bride-to-be left him speechless. How different their lives had been. More so, how different would her life from now on be. Part of him felt a little satisfaction that he would be the one to introduce it all to her.
"When I have more time, then I shall have to take you down to the gardens, my darling. I have much to show you." His.lips curved up in a smile, seeing the excitement blossom on her face. At this rate spoiling her was going to be easy, and while he doubted he could propose by the end of the week, it would not be long.
1. Are you named after anyone? A great uncle and my grandfather.
2. When was the last time you cried? When I thought I had found Sophia, only to discover I was too late and she had moved on once more.
3. Do you have kids? No
4. Do you use sarcasm? Fluently and often. If you ever have the "pleasure" of meeting my siblings you will find that if you do not, you shall perish from trying to hold your frustration in. Or, you'll die trying to kill one of them.
5. What's the first thing you notice about people? How they carry themselves.
6. What's your eye color? Hazel-Brown
7. Scary movies or happy endings? I live in an eternal scary movie, happy endings are more my desire.
8. Any special talents? I am able to dream walk in addition to being a shadow demon. It's how I found my Sophia on accident. Now I am on a search for her.
9. Where were you born? The Palace of Uffern
10. What are your hobbies? Archery, sword fighting, dream bending
11. Have you any pets? No
12. What sports do you play/have played? Archery, fencing, many demon games that have names you would be unable to pronounce.
13. How tall are you? 6’8"
14. Favorite subject in school? Potions
15. Dream job? Potions and poultice master. It is what I went to Consortium for. I often use my education to assist my siblings and other nobility within the Palace. I am also hoping to use my skill to find one that will lead me to Sophia.
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Because of their interaction with Grae and Adalicia, you've gotten a glimpse of Kellen and Persephone, but there is upset and intrigue coming to the House of Cythraul. The Royal Family of Uffern is about to have have surprises in store, surprises that may lead them to intersect with another Royal Family of another realm you've been getting to know.
That story will be starting soon in @landofmistandshaows and shared as always to @theimperiumchronicles. Please let me know if you would like added to the tag list.
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The rest of the shower they shared together was slow and gentle. There was once more few words shared between them, but then there were not many needed. Each now knew their place in the other's life, and for Adalicia it was both comforting and overwhelming. Grae was still trying to determine what it was about her that had him so completely enthralled with her that he seemed to have almost lost himself in her. Once they had finished washing one another and enjoying the now mutually relaxed closeness, Grae turned off the water and slid the large door to the shower open. Leaning out, he pulled one of the two of the large towels off of the bar affixed to the wall. Gently he dried Adalicia’s hair and her upper body. Then he wrapped it around her back and under her arms to fasten it in the front between her breasts. He then grabbed the other towel and dried himself before wrapping it low on his hips and fastening it to the side. Guiding her out of the shower, he brought her over to the side where he took a soft mint green fluffy robe off a hook and held it for her to put on, then took the no longer needed towel from her before giving her one more soft kiss on her forehead. He then put on his own robe. He was just getting ready to give her instructions for getting ready for the dinner they would share together, when a loud knock was heard on the main door to his suite and he heard Kellen’s voice calling for him.
Trying not to grind his teeth and crack a molar at the interruption in what was turning out to be a rather enlightening and enjoyable evening, he gave Adalicia a tight smile. “Wait here, darling. I will go see what the King requires, and then we shall continue our evening with dinner.” Grae gave her a warm smile, cupped her cheek, then placed a soft kiss on her lips. The longer he was around her, the more enticing and endearing he found the fae female, and the more she was worming her way into his heart. He also found himself not caring as much.
He was only a few steps out of the bathroom when Kellen’s fist impacted the door harder this time, causing the heavy wooden door to rattle upon its heavy wrought iron hinges. “HOLD ON!” Grae called out loudly, obviously annoyed now. He had no clue what Kellen wanted, or why it was so all fired important that he was about to beat down the door to his chambers over it. When he finally reached the door and opened it, Kellen just about knocked him over coming in without so much as a greeting of any kind. It was all Grae could do to contain his rising irritation at the interruption.
“You did not answer my summons.” Kellen’s brow was raised as he turned to face Grae who was closing the door. It was a statement, the question as to why was implied. His tone was clipped and annoyed, the look on his face one that matched.
“Which summons? The one regarding your sister? I did. The one regarding the Prince that is now a slime mold? I did. The one regarding the slime mold’s father that is threatening war? I did. The one regarding making sure your sister knew that tomorrow the two of you are going to go apologize and turn the slime mold back into whatever he looked like previously? I did and she is not happy.” Grae recounted all of the problems he’d had to deal with in the last 36 hours for and with Kellen, his voice sounding rather exasperated with the whole matter, which he was. He watched Kellen’s brows draw together. Obviously something had either made him forget that Grae had handled everything, or he had thought he’d summoned Grae and had not. That didn’t bode well for his evening with Adalicia if it was the latter. This thought caused Grae’s arms to cross over his chest, displeasure clouding his handsome features.
“You have dismissed all of Persephone’s slaves. She has been screaming about it for hours. I do believe my brain is going to escape my skull soon to try and get some peace. If I did not summon you, I wonder who I did summon.” Kellen did look distressed as he pondered that. His sister’s histrionics were legendary, so Grae could only imagine what he was being put through. Had he not wished to return to what he previously been doing, he might find the situation somewhat humorous. Given the present situation with Adalicia, he most certainly did not.
As the King rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying to stamp out some of the headache that had been building behind his eyes, he continued. “Where did you send them? And she says you took one. I need it back.” He sighed deeply, waving the fingers of one hand in the air rather dismissively. Why couldn’t Persephone find someone that could stand her long enough to get engaged and married, or someone she could stand that long? Kellen was ready to pay whatever dowry was required to get her out of the Palace and make her someone else’s problem for the rest of eternity. His father had done him no favors by spoiling her since he was the first girl after three boys.
“I dismissed her slaves down to the general quarters. As for the one I took, she’ll learn to live without her.” Grae replied. His voice was firm, it was clear there was no room for debate on the last topic, which earned him raised brows from Kellen who had stopped rubbing his nose and now looked his Chancellor and best friend in the eyes. They had known each other long enough for Grae to see the confrontation coming and knowing there was no way it was now able to be avoided.
“Where is she?” Kellen’s chin rose. If he was going to have to take on his sister and deal with her hysterics, he at least wanted to figure out why Grae was refusing to return the slave. Normally Grae didn’t keep slaves in his quarters, Kellen couldn’t remember a time when he even had one. Now to not only have taken one of Persephone’s but refuse to return it, it raised many questions in his mind.
“Adalicia, please come out here.” Grae called, his chin rising and head tipping back towards the doorway to his bedroom as he did. He knew she would obey, and he knew she would be terrified. There wasn’t much he could do about the latter at the moment. He would have to figure out how to calm her later, keeping Kellen away from her was his current focus. Kellen wasn’t always known to be the kindest to the slaves. Not that he was cruel, he was just…Kellen. Maybe part of making it up to her would be forgetting a formal dinner after whatever this was, was over. A little more spoiling of the beauty would be in order, which might be enjoyable for both of them.
Taking a deep breath and remembering to keep her eyes on the floor, as to not provoke the King, whom already seemed to be in a sour mood, Adalicia slowly made her way out of the bathroom, through the Chancellor’s bedroom, and into the sitting room where the two men were standing. Her steps were hesitant but even, her back straight, and she was able to keep her breathing calm and even. So graceful was she, that she almost seemed to float across the floor. One would never have known the torrent of nerves that were coursing through her veins at that moment. If Kellen had asked her to speak, however, he would have quickly ascertained exactly how she was being affected by the whole matter. After she had made her way over to where the men were standing, coming behind Grae by about a foot and slightly to the side, she did a perfect courtesy to Kellen, bowing her head even more.
Kellen stood transfixed as he stared at Adalicia from the very moment she crossed the threshold into the room until she stopped moving. He was utterly absorbed in observing her, but he could also feel Grae’s ire rising;he doubted that his Chancellor knew the reason for his fixation on the fae slave before him. The fae slave that should not be before him; that should not even be alive. There would be a recompense for this, but that would be later and would not involve anyone within the current room. At the moment he had a raging brat of a sister and a now pissed off best friend to try to handle, along with the slave that should should have been dead decades ago.
“And exactly what are your plans for this slave?” Kellen asked, the condescension and arrogance of royalty coming into his voice as his back straightened and his chin lifted more. He was addressing Grae, but his eyes had not left Adalicia. The tone was one that was highly unusual when he spoke with Grae. They had grown up with one another and while Grae technically served him, rarely did Kellen remind him of that. They were more akin to brothers and spoke to one another as such. When not in public their candor with one another was a constant. Never did they speak to one another as they would in court, til now.
“She is to be my consort when her training is complete, which we were preparing to begin before the interruption.” Grae responded, stepping fully between Adalicia and Kellen. Something was off about Kellen’s behavior and Grae wasn’t liking it one bit. It did not take any kind of extra powers to ascertain this just from Kellen’s actions alone. Whatever Kellen’s motivations at the moment, Grae felt the need to protect Adalicia from them. “Why does it matter? There are many fae slaves within the castle, give a couple extra to Persephone to make her happy. I’ll even get her some new baubles when I visit the mines.”
Kellen stood for a moment considering what to do in order to keep the peace and mitigate the damage that was going to come of this delicate situation that he found himself in because of someone else’s failure. Grae was being completely defiant and more protective than he’d ever seen him of anyone aside from himself, which told him that if he was not careful Persephone was going to be the least of his troubles by far. Grae couldn't know who, let alone what, she was; therefore there was more at play than just egos, which meant Kellen had to act strategically in order not to have a war under his own castle’s roof. “Slave, have you always served my sister?” He asked finally, deciding it was best to start at the beginning and get a good grasp on the situation he was facing. When Grae opened his mouth to say something Kellen shot him a look that had him closing his mouth, but glaring at him in a way that made Kellen very glad Grae was not able to kill by just looking at someone.
“Yes, my Lord. As long as I can remember. I started going there when I was a child with my mother.” Adalicia was looking at the Chancellor’s heels. Her voice was low and soft, but she was able to keep it from trembling. She still did not know what the King wanted with her, but it was clear that Grae was unhappy about whatever was going on, which did not make her feel safe at all. At least he was now fully in front of her in a protective manner.
Kellen’s brows drew together more. He could ascertain no lie in what she’d just said, but he also knew that it wasn’t the complete truth. However, it was possible that it was the truth as she knew it. She would have possibly just been an infant or toddler when her people were defeated and brought to Uffern as slaves. The circumstances of her birth and lineage might be unknown.
“Slave, how would you like to serve the Crowne Prince?” Kellen actually had to use his powers to restrain Grae from coming at him. He would find out why in a minute, other than the fact that Karlen was a sadist to put it mildly and this fae was captivatingly beautiful. The tendons in Grae’s neck were showing as he fought against Kellen’s bonds, making the King sincerely hope the fae was quick to answer. If he and Grae had to go head to head, it would be ugly.
“My Lord, I am the Chancellor’s consort.” Adalicia didn’t know what else to say. She was confused about what was going on and what was expected of her. Fear was beginning to grow in her, fear that she was going to say the wrong thing and she was not only going to be ripped from the kindness that The Chancellor had shown her so far, but that she would then be punished for whatever was going on. Her eyes quickly darted about on the floor, trying to control her breathing and not cry.
“You would not want to be a Princess?” Kellen asked, his brows raising along with his voice on the question. There was a bit of a smirk to his lips, and he could see Grae was about to unleash hell in the room to free himself from the magical bonds Kellen had him in. There were sparks arcing between Grae’s exposed skin and the ward around him. Hopefully the fae would answer very, very quickly, as the two demons were quite equally matched in power, unbeknownst to most. There was maybe two to three minutes at the very most before Grae would be free.
“You majesty, I wish to the the Chancellor’s Consort, as I am marked. I do not wish to leave him, Sire.” Now Adalicia’s voice shook, but she managed to keep standing still, looking at the ground, and so far wasn’t crying. Fear coursed through her veins like ice water and she began to tremble.
Kellen’s eyes cut to Grae again, whose hands were in fists and was glowing a soft purple. Time to end things before there was an explosion. “Go back in the other room and shut both doors behind you as you go, slave.” He waited for Adalicia to exit the room, respecting her that she had kept her composure through it all. Then he dropped the wards around Grae.
“Would you mind telling me what in the ever loving FUCK that was about?!” Grae demanded almost at the top of his lungs the second Kellen dropped the bonds and taking an aggressive step forward. He was about ready to throttle his oldest and best friend. The only thing keeping him from actually doing it was that he WAS his oldest and best friend. The fact he was the King didn’t even play a part.
Kellen’s little sister and a Princess, Persephone can be a little bit spoiled and a little bit sweet. Which side of her you gets depends on how she feels at the moment and if it will piss her brother off. A little jealous of Adalicia, the Princess has always had a desire to be the one to turn her brother’s best friend and Chancellor, Grae’s head. Not getting what she wants is not something Persephone is used to, and not something she likes. Able to bend people to her will with her voice, Grae was not someone she could affect and she’s never known why. His new pet might be though. It may spell problems for Grae and Ada, or there may be someone who can distract her from getting herself in toruble with Kellen once more.
