~~~Queen Eve of Nocturne~~~

Why was there a dead plant in my garden?

Correction: Why were there multiple dead plants in my garden?

I frowned at the wilted, blackened petals of the rose bush in front of me, the leaves drooping and brown. Around me, there was a trail of dying or dead plants scattered amongst the healthy ones. My garden was my pride and joy, my favorite place to go when I needed some peace and quiet and wanted to sit dramatically in my pretty dresses and drink tea surrounded by flowers.

Maybe a new gardener hire had done this by accident? Living in (and ruling) an empire of faeries and magical nature creatures would foster the thought that no one, no matter how new or young, could possibly mistreat a plant so badly as for it to die in a matter of hours. I had been here just a little bit ago, to watch the sunrise, and the damage hadn't been here. It was noon now.

How could a plant wilt and die so quickly?

I would go to the head gardener later and tell him of the damage so he could figure out who did it, I decided. For now, these plants needed my help.

Summoning a curl of sweet, strong magic up from the core of energy within my chest, the source of my life and energy as a faerie, I let it travel through my veins and out of my fingers into the poor roses, returning the life so cruelly taken to them. The tips of my fingers up to my knuckles darkened, starry spots of energy gleaming and shimmering in and out on the magically affected skin. Reinvigorated by my magic, the roses grew and bloomed, the sweet scent and bright petals filling my senses as it grew back to its former glory.

I sat back on my heels, my midnight purple skirts pooling around me, and smiled to myself at a job well done. The flowers looked to be in their prime of health now, as if no illness had ever struck them. Exactly as it was meant to be.

I wandered around the garden, healing the rest of the wilted plants as the starry skin grew up my arms to my elbows with my continued use of magic. I looked like I was wearing a pair of starry, dynamic gloves, which was why I loved this particular side effect of my magic so much. It looked amazing.

As I healed the plants, I wandered farther and farther into the garden, not noticing the trail of dead plants leading me deeper into the maze of plants. When I had finally healed the last plant and looked up, I was in a completely different part of my garden, one I wasn't even sure I had ever visited before. The sky was almost completely concealed by tree branches and giant flowering bushes, except for a sole patch of sunlight gleaming right where I was kneeling like a beam from the heavens.

Getting to my feet, I dusted off my skirt, the long dark fabric now streaked with grass stains and dirt from my little adventure. I really needed to stop wearing such fancy clothes for my regular day to day clothing, but I looked too good to wear drab, normal clothes like some sort of commoner.

With a quick spell and a magical rune etched in the air, the shimmering violet magic light of the rune dissolved and sank into my dress, erasing the dirt and stains and fluffing up the poofy skirts, returning it to its original glory easily. I grinned, pleased with myself.

It had been ages since I got so hyperfixated on a course of action that I had lost complete track of my location and sense of time. Spinning around in a slow circle (to look around, not just to make my skirt flare out) I scrutinized my surroundings.

I didn't see a path out from the area I was in. How had I gotten in here? I vaguely remembered wading through a clump of bushes to reach the wilted fern I had just healed. So I had just rushed through everything? Maybe that's why I hadn't been here before, if it was completely secluded away from the garden paths.

The beam of sunlight I was standing in brightened, and I squinted, rubbing my eyes as they stung from the sudden flare of light.

Once I recovered, I looked around, blinking in confusion at the sudden darkness around the area. The sunbeam I was standing in was still bright, and even with the trees covering the area it shouldn't have been so shaded.

Whispers echoed inside my mind, and I knelt quickly, brushing my hands across the small flowers, daisies and poppies, growing in the grass as they murmured in their quiet plant way.

"What are you trying to tell me, little ones?" I asked softly, translating the request into plantspeak and sending it into the earth, letting it travel through the roots below me into the flowers and plants all around me.

Danger, they buzzed. Danger comes.

They could mean anything from a thunderstorm to an attack. Plants were fickle about what they actually considered a danger, but these plants had been raised by fae and had been near me and other faeries for long enough that if they said there was danger coming, they probably meant actual threats, not just an animal that could eat them.

Standing up fluidly, I summoned a swirl of magic, ready to launch towards any attackers in a moments' thought. I scanned the open space around me, and in a flash of inspiration dropped the aggressive spell I had prepared and instead rapidly set down a defensive energy circle, the shimmering purple-blue ward glowing around the edges of the sunbeam before fading, still humming in my magical senses but invisible to the naked eye.

Now safely protected in case this was the work of that demon, I called up my attack spell again, fully prepared for what I was now certain was the creature. I could feel the darkness coagulating in the air, an acrid taste on my tongue announcing its arrival.

"I know you're there, demon," I called out, the magic in my hand flickering in time with my breaths, a little fast but steady. This monster was dangerous.

A sinister laugh preceded his appearance, a swirl of shadows that dissipated to reveal a man, tall and red-eyed, pure black sclera making the bloodred pop out even more than the corrupted veins pulsing above his skin, akin to raised welts or infected sores. His short, unevenly cut hair, as crimson as his eyes with pure black tendrils of darkness coiling throughout, falling into his eyes and forcefully shoved back out of his face. His clothes were fitted and trimmed, pants, boots, and a simple long black tunic with an emblem on the upper left, above where his heart would be. A upside-down triangle, with spikes climbing up the bottom, a scale sort of thing at the top that was tilted, and an odd symbol that looked like an unreadable rune in the center.

While he was well-built and muscled, he somehow looked haggard. Not physically, but something in the way his face– lean and sharp with dark brown stubble on his chin and cheeks and eye bags under his demonic eyes– and the way he held himself like he was leaning on something invisible to hold him up, gave the appearance of a man exhausted and moments from collapse.

Then he smirked, pure menace in his gaze, and any thoughts to his health vanished in favor of my own health with an evil dark mage standing mere feet away.

"Now, attacking all the empires is irrational in of itself, but my plants? What have my sweet little flowers ever done to you, for you to wilt them so awfully?" I said conversationally, keeping my attack spell bright and dancing in my hand while my eyes stayed locked on the demon for any hint that he was about to attack.

"They weren't strong enough to survive my aura," he said with a shrug. "The weak die, and the strong continue on. You should have left them dead."

Irritation flashed inside me, but I kept it hidden. I would make him pay later. For now, since he didn't seem to plan on immediately trying to kill me, I figured I could try and get some information out of him.

The demon quirked an eyebrow at me. "I can see that look in your eyes, fae." He stepped closer, and I tensed, until he leaned against the tree nearest to me and my ward, a slightly manic grin on his face. "Want to play a little game?"

"What kind of game?" I asked, sending extra energy to my wards now that the demon was within lunging distance. I couldn't afford for them to break.

"You want to know more about me, everyone does. I'll give you three questions that I'll answer, but for every question you ask me, I get to ask you one back. And we both have to tell the truth."

I frowned, thinking it over. Three questions... I could find crucial information, his identity, his plans, anything really. Why offer such a tantalizing deal? It had to be a trap.

Getting information about the demon that could be used to destroy him... against the demon getting information about me that could potentially destroy me.

"Tick tock," the demon said haughtily, leaning forward. "This is a limited time offer, Your Majesty."

The way he spit the title made me almost flinch back, certain that there'd be some sort of darkness or corruption launched at me with all of the venom in his tone. This monster needed to be stopped, no matter the cost.

'I accept," I said icily. "What is your full name, age, and powers?" A question shot at him so quickly had to throw him off guard.

He blinked. Then he burst out laughing, almost doubling over from how hard he was wheezing. Unlike his earlier menacing cackles and laughs, this one didn't have the sinister underlay of screams and horror. It was a genuine laugh, which only made it worse.

"Oh, right to the point, are we?" the demon finally said, after his laughing fit had receded and he straightened up, wiping a fake tear from his eye. "All right, then."

I paused, prepared to commit his answer to memory.

"I am the Champion of the Dark One, I have existed within the souls of many for millennia, and my powers are beyond your comprehension."

I gave up my diplomacy and glared at the demon. "Didn't you say no lying? We both know I meant your true identity."

The demon's cheerful demeanor vanished, replaced by a dark scowl. "Oh, didn't like my answer, did we? Accuse me of lying again and both this game and your life will be forfeit." As quickly as it had vanished, the manic smile and too-bright eyes returned. "And I told the truth. That is precisely my true identity. I am simply the latest iteration of the Dark One's great will, and my powers are beyond the comprehension of your insular mortal mind."

This bastard. If I had hated the demon before, I now despised this smartassed son of a bitch with my whole heart and soul. I couldn't even insult him back, because the opportunity of learning more about him was too valuable to pass up for personal pride. The things I do for my people, honestly.

Before I could open my mouth, the demon interjected, "Nuh uh, my turn now." He even went so far as to give me a condescending look, as if I was the one trying to twist out of the set rules of the deal, instead of him! The audacity of this demon–

"Fine." I said icily after giving myself a moment to seethe. "Ask your question."

"You don't have close allies like most of the other empires do. You're almost completely isolated, alliance wise. Which empire do you trust the most?"

I blinked, confused. Which empire did I trust the most...

I was allied with Hylia, but that was just for trade since they're the empire of wizards and Nocturne is an empire of magic. We supply them with spell components and they supply us with spells and accept any faerie students into their Wizard University with a discount on tuition. An alliance of convenience, not support.

The Ascension Alliance was strongly knit together, and didn't accept outsiders. Oceania and Vedera were too far away and didn't offer anything of practicality for Nocturne to ally with them. Perhaps Acelet and the Codlands? They were allied to Hylia, but not to Nocturne.

Steamhelm faeries avoided at all costs. That land of machinery and smoke and unnatural things was nothing I could trust.

"...Ethiria," I finally said. "I trust Ethiria the most."

Shock and... anger? crossed the demon's face. "Them?" he hissed. "Why them?"

What did the demon have against Ethiria?

"High King Indigo and I are childhood friends," I replied, confusion lacing my tone. "We even dated, back when we were teens and still just prince and princess. He'd help me if I needed it, and not just for old times' sake."

The demon only seemed to get more angry at my explanation, smoke practically rising off of him as he glared. I dropped the spell I had been holding in my hand– I had forgotten about it and it had already shrunk to barely more than an ember, really– and shoved all of my magic into my ward, making it briefly visible as it glowed with the power I was giving it. My eyes glowed from the magic, and the dark skin that had been receding now flared back up, covering all the skin it had faded from once again.

"Of course it's him, everything is always about them," the demon muttered furiously. He stomped his foot, hands tightly fisted. "Can't even do shit without running into them again, for fucks' sake someday I am going to murder that fucking bastard and then no one will ever talk about him again–"

I made a mental note to do some research about any enemies of Ethiria that could have a grudge big enough to literally become a demon just to get revenge. Enemies of Indigo, more specifically. The demon really hated them, wow.

The rant eventually faded into just hissing and curses, and finally the demon seemed to be done with his temper tantrum, and went back to leaning against the tree from earlier, one leg propped up against the trunk as he crossed his arms casually, the same overconfident, self-absorbed smirk from earlier back on his face.

"I believe it's your turn to ask a question now," he said, not elaborating on his hissy fit.

Alright then, if that's how he wanted to play it. I'd just find out on my own. Better not to risk asking about it and pissing the demon off enough to end this educational opportunity.

"What's your end goal of all this?"

He chuckled, shaking his head. "World domination, of course." As if it's obvious, I scoff to myself inside my head. "You rulers and your corrupt empires need to be destroyed and replaced with the true ruler of the world, me and my Dark One."

He kept mentioning this Dark One, I noticed. "Who is the Dark One?" I asked.

The demon waved a hand at me. "It's my turn, fae. But since you already asked, I'll answer."

He pushed off of the tree and walked closer, stopping less than an inch away from my ward, eyes gleaming with madness and bloodlust.

"The Dark One is the beginning and the end. They are the Destroyer, and the Creator. The Controller of Worlds, the Harbinger. Nothing will stand in the way of their greatness, and I am their blessed vessel. Their name is not for a mere mortal to speak, for the unholiness of it would rip one to shreds. They are the Beginning and the End, the Giver and the Taker, The Bringer of Justice"

I inhaled sharply, resisting the instinct inside me that screamed to attack and annihilate the demon on the spot and then run as far as I could. Every word the demon had spoken was otherworldly, spoken by a being as ancient and powerful as the earth itself. His eyes were no longer bloodred, instead the sclera taking over and completely covering the iris and pupil, leaving nothing but pure black, staring right into my soul with Sight of everything that had ever been and ever will be.

Then he blinked, and his eyes were back to their normal red, and the aura of pure power that had crackled in the air tangible enough to taste dissipated. While I was still staring blankly, reeling from the punch of pure energy that my delicate faerie senses had been overwhelmed with, the demon returned to his tree (which was beginning to blacken and wither from continued exposure to his aura of death) and smirked smugly at me.

"My questions now," he said, sickly sweet with hubris like a coyote after securing a kill and chasing away a foe, howling in triumph instead of eating.

I nodded, shaking my head to forcibly clear it and focusing on the demon. "Yes?"

He tilted his head, pretending to think. "What did you do to your brother and father?"

I froze, shock rippling across my mind. How did he know about that? No one had seen me, I was sure of it.

"...What do you mean?" I finally said. The demon snorted. "Don't be coy. We both know their 'disappearances' were no accident. Tell me what you did to them."

Did he want the information to discredit me? What good did knowing the truth of my ascension to the throne do him? What was the point of this game he was playing?

I had no choice but to answer, or risk the demon's wrath. After gathering my words, I began to speak.

~~~

The sky rumbled, heavy rain pouring like tears from the heavens.

The still warm body of the faerie queen lay in the courtyard, shimmering with the aftereffect of the spell that had killed her.

Her two children knelt by her body, one sobbing with grief and shock, and the second staring stonily at the corpse, his thoughts hidden.

Hurried footsteps splashing through the puddles of rain alerted them to the arrival of another, the two teenagers looking up to see their father, face of triumph flashing briefly before he quickly slid on a look of horror and pain atop it.

"What happened?" He said, dropping to his knees by the two young royals.

"She- she just fell out of nowhere," the princess sobbed, still holding onto her mother. The older prince met the eyes of his father, nodding.

"We were just- just playing and she-she came, and I went to hug her, a-and then Asty gave her his apple, and then she ate it, and-" the princess shook the body, her cries fading as she buried her face in the fabric of her mother's dress, water dripping from both of them.

"She ate it, and then she fell. And she didn't get up." The prince finished, face empty of tears except for the rain rolling down his face, hair plastered to his face. His knees were sore from kneeling on the hard stone of the ground, looking up at his father by him.

With her face concealed by the fabric of her mother, no one noticed the look of rage and planning that crossed the princess's face.

"It's very tragic," her father said slowly, staring at the body of his wife. "We should arrange the funeral immediately. Let's go, children. The servants will collect her body."

"You did this on purpose, didn't you?" The princess said suddenly, standing up and turning to face her father and brother, glaring down at them. "I knew you were planning something with the way you kept looking at Mother all the time. You killed her, didn't you?"

The rain continued to pour, the only sound in the courtyard aside from the heavy breaths of the princess and the shocked noise from the prince, looking up at his younger sister.

"There's no need to be irrational," the king finally said. He did not deny the accusation. The prince looked to his father, confused. Their plan hadn't involved telling her.

"So you did it." The princess shoved her long hair out of her face, stepping closer. The splash from her movements washed up onto the king's knees. He didn't blink.

"She wasn't good for Nocturne."

The world centered on the moment. The princess staring at her father, the prince frozen but in stark support of his father, and the king himself unrepentant and irredeemable.

"If she wasn't good for the empire, and you killed her," she finally said, her words falling like leaves from a tree.

"Then neither are you."

"What- what do you mean, Eve?" The prince asked, scrambling to his feet. The king also stood, standing tall above the two smaller teens.

She didn't respond, turning around and storming away, the dark entryway swallowing the sight of her as she left her former family in the courtyard, their greatest sin lying in front of them.

The Queen's body is found. A funeral is scheduled.

Days later, the king and prince of Nocturne vanish. There is no funeral for them.

The new crown princess, on her coronation day, requested a portrait to be drawn. Her, with her mother behind her, the visage taken from an older painting done of the full royal family. Her and her mother, and no one else.

Queen Eve of Nocturne sat on her throne, and when the room was empty, she destroyed every painting that had her father and brother in it.

No one would ever remember them. She made sure of it.

~~~

Silence settled between the demon and I as I finished talking. After weathering the stare of the demon directly into my eyes, I finally snapped, "Was that acceptable, demon?"

My nerves were frayed. While I didn't regret killing the former royals, or feel any guilt about it, I missed my mother with my entire heart and soul, and having to speak about her death and those horrible days after tore open the scar on my heart and left it bleeding. It would take me a long time to heal that emotional wound again.

"Not what I was expecting," the demon mused. After another moment, this time thankfully without him staring into my soul, he said , "I didn't think you'd tell me the entire story. Or that it would hurt you so much."

"You can ask another question," the demon finally said. "I'll forfeit my last question to you. Ask away, Faerie Queen."

The wind rustled the leaves gently, twinkling music reaching my ears from the distant crystals set at the entrance to the garden. I blinked, composing myself.

"Another question," I said, my mind still unsettled from my 'confession'. Instead of asking something useful, I blurted out the one irrelevant question that had been lingering in my mind the entire time, the question I had already previously decided not to ask.

"Why do you hate the empires so much?"

My wards flickered, unstable from my emotional turmoil, and I automatically strengthened them, the magical skin growing up my arms and into my sleeves.

The demon watched my wards passively, waiting until my attention returned to him to answer.

"The empires took everything from me," he said, each word punctuated with venom and that awful echo of screams and haunting whispers that he seemed to be able to summon at will.

"And now I'm going to take everything from them."