Next Steps (Part 1)

The young woman flinched at the bright light coming in through the bedroom window.

How long had it been since she last saw daylight?

She didn’t know where she was, nor whom rescued her, but she knew that her bed was soft, so soft it made her uncomfortable.

The woman opened her eyes a little bit, gazing down at her injuries which were now wrapped in white bandages, but they had started to become dyed red and yellow.

They didn’t ache as much as usual and she was wearing a thin silk dress.

Then, the blonde maid who always brought her food came into the room with three others.

“You’re awake. How are you feeling?”

She tried to look the maid in the eyes, but her body was stiff and it wouldn’t move like she wanted it to.

Even though she was no longer chained down, she felt just as paralysed.

“I hope you were able to get a good night’s sleep.” The blonde maid took the covers off the bed. “I imagine you must still be in shock after everything that’s happened, but I promise you that you won’t have to suffer anything like that again. I’ll explain everything in a while, but first.” The maids began to gently hold the woman. “We need to properly bathe you and treat your wounds.”

Carefully, the maids picked up the woman, undressed her and sat her in a warm bubble bath that smelt of roses; it soothed the pains across her body and the smell helped relax her mind.

The maids scrubbed her body from head to toe, washed and treated her hair, and took off her old bandages. After soaking her injuries in the water and cleaning them with soap, they applied medicines and herbs and then finally re-wrapped all her wounds with new bandages.

The blonde maid introduced herself as Eva and told the woman from the dungeons everything that had happened.

“The new master ordered us to look after you and see to your every need. He said he’d make sure you lived a happy life from now on.”

Overwhelmed, the woman curled into a ball, and wept.

How many years had it been since she had last felt anything but pain?

The day she had long since lost hope in ever coming had finally come.

Her nightmare was over.

Eva smiled, gently stroked her back and said, “Everything’s going to be okay now, I promise.”

The woman stayed like that for a few minutes before someone knocked at the door.

“How’s she doing?”

Rebecca, with Mania beside her, entered.

The maids, panicked, stood and bowed to them.

“Good morning, Lady Mania, Lady Rebecca. She’s understandably emotional and overwhelmed after everything’s that happened, so I believe our best course of action is to treat her very gently for the time being.”

“I understand.” Rebecca grimaced. “I can’t even begin to imagine what those monsters did to her. However, Eva, I hope that you and the others can support her so that she can one day be happy.”

Eva smiled brightly. “Of course, my lady!”

Mania, however, seemed somewhat dissatisfied. “Is that actually what she wants?”

“Lady Mania?”

“Has anyone actually asked her what she wants to do next, or did you all just assume that?”

“I-”

“So, you didn’t then?”

Eva lowered her head. “Forgive me, my lady. I had just assumed-”

“Quiet.”

They all promptly shut their mouths.

“…Lady Mania, it isn’t too much of a stretch to imagine, is it?” Rebecca asked. “Please tell me you aren’t thinking of forcing her to work in the castle?”

“You don’t get it, do you, little one?” Mania crouched beside the bathtub, placing herself right beside the woman’s head. Then, she whispered into her ear, “What is it that you desire? Whatever it is, I shall grant it.”

The woman lifted her head from her knees and slowly turned to face Mania.

The woman opened her mouth and leant towards Mania, steadying herself as she did. She took several long breaths, licked her dry lips, but her gaze broke and she turned her eyes down to the bottom of the tub.

After a few moments of silence, the woman, in the loudest voice she could muster, asked, “…Can…I…ask for…a…favour?”

***

A week passed by at Castle Kelsey without any issues as David and his forces made the castle their own.

Despite David’s concerns, the servants resumed their normal work around the castle though some were happier than others about their new masters.

Some smiled and greeted David and his generals politely; others held their heads low and stuttered their greetings.

“Even if they act like that Lord Allaric, you are still much kinder to them than the Kelseys ever were,” Eva off-handily said.

Though, that’s not much of a compliment.

David’s military power had also expended ever so slightly.

His army consisted mainly of skeletons, now armed with the Kelsey’s equipment, but most of them were raised without corpses, making them quite weak. Abaddon had summoned a few more Machai and Mímir had added another Raven to their ranks.

At its current size, it would take almost all of his forces to defend the castle.

The only ones away from the castle were Mímir's Ravens; they were exploring and patrolling everywhere within five miles of the castle.

They were looking for patrols, travellers, caravans, peasants or anyone else that could possibly pass by Castle Kelsey and expose their operations.

As for his generals, Mímir was gathering intelligence on the country from Rebecca, Eva and the castle’s library. Mania was looking after the servants and educating them on how to properly conduct themselves as servants of the Demon Emperor. Abaddon was put in charge of training the Machai and organising David’s small army.

David had finally had the chance to fully test out his current strength and abilities.

Eris had given him the knowledge to use Dark Magic, Necromancy, Conjuration Magic and a teleportation spell; it opened portals that were five metres wide and across that could take him to places he’d visited before, an ability he was thankful his generals also possessed.

Further, David had organised a public demonstration of his and his generals abilities for the castle residents to see. First, he had each general show off their greatest combat abilities; then, David organised a small tournament between the four of them to see who was the strongest.

Unsurprisingly, even without a full comprehension of his abilities, David handily defeated all of his generals in single combat.

I wonder if, with enough training, I could one day take down all three of the generals at once.

“Your majesty, the council has assembled,” a maid informed him.

“Excellent. Lead on.”

As the maid led David from his bedroom to the war room, all the servants, Machai and skeletons they passed bowed.

David didn’t like being treated this way, but it did make him happy to know everyone was subservient to him.

If they fear me, they’ll serve me to the best of their abilities and, as long as they don’t mess up, I won’t have to punish them. Eris’s ideal Demon Emperor has to be someone that is cruel to those who stand against them, so I have to make sure no one messes up my plans.

They just have to fear me and follow my orders without question.