The roar of indignation that howled through the arena was deafening. Multiple demons immediately jumped from their seats, ready to take up their weapons and charge at Morana, but she levelled her horns at them, taunting them to just try to make trouble for her. The butcher's body served as evidence why it was a bad idea, so the demons stayed back, but the tumult had to be audible across the city.

There was no one to calm them down, so Morana just waited, feeding Onyx with a nonchalant expression on her face while the demons discussed the meaning of this with one another. Naturally, it didn't amount to much. So they had to settle, impatient to hear more, and Morana was there for them to ask. Once the arena calmed, she lifted her head, swiping bored eyes along their ranks.

"So the child of that elven whore lives..." the commander muttered ultimately after raging his voice hoarse, but it had drowned among the many others. He had no control over them. He was a rampaging demon like any other.

"Even better. Your old emperor is still alive and returned to his people. He made the call to slaughter the orcs. Do you still find him weak?" Morana challenged them with a frigid stare and the demons glanced at each other, not believing that news. The elves were no longer too weak to kill?

"Impossible. He did?"

Morana tilted her head at them, facing their displeasure head on. They were not fond of Seonghwa, and even less of Mingi. But here she was, besting their arena against their expectations.

"They hurt his people, yes. So guess what will happen if you try the same?" Her smirk flicked to the headless corpse of the butcher for a moment before it returned to the commander.

"He rules again?" The satin-yellow merchant demanded to know and finally, Morana could begin the second part of her plan. She needed their attention first, and she had it. Now, they would decide whether she would leave with her life.

"Not quite. There is a meeting soon, and I would like to invite you as our respected allies. That is, if you can behave. If you let me speak for you, I can turn your fate. Wouldn't it be nice to be kin to the future empress?"

More muttering and protests, but they were interested. Morana offered them a significant advantage despite their prior mistakes that wouldn't have been forgiven by other rulers. But everything had a catch. If she were to forgive their betrayal and reinstall them as allies of the empire, they needed to prove they would follow.

And who better to follow than one of their own?

"What do you suggest?"

"Change up your strategy, why don't you? You need a queen!" Morana stood tall against the uproar that followed her words immediately. Someone threw an apple at her, meaning to insult, but Morana picked it up and took a hearty bite. She wouldn't waste the scarce food down here.

"We don't need an elven whore as a queen! So, you can fight. And once your need to breed comes? Will you spread your legs for your soldiers?" A demon yelled at her and even the women among them didn't seem enthused.

The darkspawn girl shrugged. She had proved herself plenty.

"I will hack the stinking rods off any demon who gets near me. Hear me out if you want food and peace. The elves welcomed you in and gave you an opportunity to strive. You squandered it. Look at you now, rotting here all miserable."

Seonghwa would have claimed it was too harsh to insult someone when trying to befriend them, but in Morana's opinion, that was the only way to get the demons to listen to her. Sweet pleas wouldn't get her anywhere. This very conversation was a battle, and she needed to come out on top.

"We want war! We could have gone to war if the empire didn't stand against us," the commander roared, clearly touchy about missed chances.

"So? Find something else to monger war against. Fight each other, scuttle each other, I don't care. Fact is, your people are starving and miserable. Personally, I wouldn't want to look that weak. Are you going to rot while those delicate elves over there build an empire, or are you going to follow the tides?" She lifted a challenging brow at them when the demons were close to jumping the barricades over getting called weak by some darkspawn girl. She was low in hierarchy to them, but somehow she made a good point and they abhorred her for it.

Their shouts were wild and untamed, unable to reign in their indignation, but they weren't like the orcs. They were dumb, but they realised things weren't right. So they had to huff and puff like petulant children when Morana just smirked at them because they knew she was right.

"We are not weak!" someone still protested, almost hurt by her words.

Morana rolled her eyes. And they said Mingi was the emotional one.

"Then let's prove to the elves how we aren't. Let's build them houses and help them grow their food. We get some in return and the emperor will forgive how we tried to kill him. I know him pretty well. If you want to look good to anyone, it's me. Otherwise we might just do to you what we did to the orcs. We did it once, and I was there. We will do it again." She said it mostly to trick them, but she couldn't promise them they peace if they didn't join the empire. As soon as the tension here exploded, they would crawl from their caves and hunt for food outside. They would kill and rape and attempt to take land that wasn't theirs, as they did once.

And then there was no protecting them anymore. The seraphim would see them gone, like the orcs.

This was their chance to be wiser than that. To realise that the empire did them well, even when they didn't agree with its stance on harmony. It also meant harmony for them.

The demons consulted with each other in hushed grumbles. They were shaken enough by the news about the orcs to reconsider Seonghwa, but their main concern was the stability of their people. Which Morana promised, contrary to their bloodthirsty fraction leaders.

But they were prideful. Nobody liked to admit to their loss.

"None of us would bow to an elf again. We swore that. We lost plenty of dignity last time. You yourself are the result of elf whores using us as their bed mates instead of acknowledging our power in combat," the commander called the consensus down to her.

Ironic how they regarded Mingi as one of their own only in this situation.

Mingi too thought he had to be a weapon. That there was no other purpose in life.

About time the demons discovered cliff diving to get their adrenaline somewhere else.

But their faces were hesitant now, so Morana kept pushing. In fourteen years, nobody promised something as good as she did. And even their past king failed them because he chose to chase after power and Seonghwa instead of growth for them. Morana wouldn't make a mistake like that. She wasn't too peaceful nor too violent. She proved that.

"So follow me. I am only half elven. I have great ties for the empire and I can do the bowing. I can get you out of this misery. If you find a good ruler after? Sure, he can have the throne. I will gladly take you as my advisor, commander. Speak for your people as a full-blooded demon. But currently, I only see infighting where you were once a somewhat coherent folk."

More mumbling, but they were more interested in listening to her this time. Morana counted it as a win.

"What do you suggest we do?" The merchant leader called to her and Morana counted their most prevalent needs on her fingers.

"Fix your trade. Fix your roads. Get out into the world to find work if this place isn't for you. Get food from the surface. Apologise to your neighbours. Unless I help you, any new demon king might have yet another fallout with the empire. You bother the elves again, they wipe you out. But if you accept my conditions and make an effort to get along with them, every door and more will open to you. Your future empress is half a demon, after all." She smirked, because she had a trump card that no other contestant for the throne had. She spoke with the knowledge of the surface, the promise of fresh air, and the demons who had been locked up in here for so long were sick of their self-made prison.

Mingi never earned their respect. And Morana also wouldn't have, if she wasn't Seonghwa's daughter. She mattered to them because she was in a powerful position.

And the demons liked that.

The commander harrumphed, but the people around the arena had fallen silent. Every relevant person was here. Many witnesses. They could make their decision right here.

Morana fixated the commander with her stare.

"So, do we have a deal? Follow my call and get things in order how the people on the surface did. If you still hate me then, I will gladly leave. I know I am not like you. But I am your only bet to be forgiven."

"You say there is a conference?" The commander hummed, caressing his chin.

The girl nodded.

"Aye. They are working out the details about the new empire. Who will rule and who will join the allies officially. No matter what, I am your sole spokesperson. And believe me, from what I hear these days? You want to join the elves. Their stars shine bright."

To Morana, there was no doubt that Seonghwa would earn his throne back. The allies he had up on the surface were sappy like that. They supported him for years and cherished him for his sacrifice and strength, especially after the orcs. Sure, maybe the humans didn't want to join them anymore, but that wouldn't matter. Seonghwa had his empire and even if there was no throne for him to sit on, everyone would call to him for support.

"You are welcome to attend, in my company and in a small number, so my family doesn't feel threatened by you. Make it be your first political move to harmony," Morana suggested, and the crowd sat hesitant, reluctant to agree with some random darkspawn girl who killed their butcher, but also tempted.

Prideful and tenacious, as always.

But another person seated on the stand of important personalities spoke up. She had been rolling a coin over her fingers the entire time, and Morana guessed by the number of knives strapped to her body that she was the leader of the thieves' guild.

"What's your name, girl?" The coin stopped dancing, snapping into her fist. Her red horns shushed the people around her and even the commander didn't interrupt anymore.

"Morana," the princess replied, steadfast and brave.

The demon leaned back in her chair with a satisfied nod.

"Death. I like it. Then Morana it shall be. I don't think we can find a better queen for a while," she called across the crowd, calmer and wittier than others of her kind, but her voice made the call they hated to admit to themselves.

This time, cheers followed. Those who were still suspect realised the power Morana gained over the crowd, so they also hailed her. The commander nodded at Morana before he made his way down the stands to join her as her advisor. Best she took the merchant guy and the thieves lady into her closer circle as well, so they could speak for their fractions.

Morana also wanted to have someone from the lower area to tell her what they needed from Seonghwa. Would the old lady hear what she had done? Would she laugh about the sudden appearance of a darkspawn girl who overthrew their entire political landscape?

Perhaps Morana would visit her soon to hear her opinion on how to help their people. How to get out those like Mingi who found no purpose here.

But for now, she accepted the food and drink they offered her as their champion. Afterwards, she would take a long bath. She was the first darkspawn ruler of this kingdom, the first queen in a long while. But she earned her respect and word would spread fast.

The only thing left to do was to be on time for the conference before someone would miss her.