Demon's Date

Lilac knelt on the soft grass and tossed a thin, deep purple blanket in the air. It drifted to the ground and landed in an uneven tangle. She pouted at the failed landing and stretched it out until it was flat. “There we go!” She looked at it with a satisfied smile.

The early evening sun grew weary, casting long shadows on the earth below. Orange mixed with violet in the distant sky, creating the perfect atmosphere for Lilac’s date plan.

A flash of dust, and Jharis stood in front of Lilac, leaning with one hand on a small round white table. “Your desserts have arrived, Lady Lilac.” On top of the table was a tall centerpiece of white that held an assortment of baked goods from cookies to fudge on small platforms.

“Thanks, Jharis! I appreciate all your help.”

“No need to thank me, my lady. I’m simply doing my duty as your servant. Your wish is my command.” He placed his hand on his chest and bowed. “If the hero causes you any trouble this evening… I do know where he lives.”

“Jharis!” Lilac rolled her eyes. “Alan’s not going to cause any trouble. Even if he does, I don’t want you harassing him.”

“I jest,” he lifted himself from his bow. “Or do I?” Poof. He was gone.

Lilac sighed and gazed up at the setting sun. It was almost the appointed time to meet Alan. Light footsteps pressed into the grass behind her and she twirled around on top of the blanket to see Alan walking toward her. With a smile, she waved him over.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, I lost track of time during my training session,” he said, wiping some sweat from his forehead.

“I just got here myself,” she replied. “Come, sit,” she patted the blanket beside her.

Alan glanced at the table of sweets next to the blanket and took a seat by Lilac’s side. “So… what’s the plan for today?”

“I was thinking we could have a nice little dessert picnic underneath the setting sun,” she leaned back onto her palms and lifted her eyes toward the sun. “Is that okay with you?”

“Yeah, I suppose so,” he leaned back until his back touched the blanket.

“Great! There’s also something I want to show you, but it has to be dark first.”

“What is it?” He asked.

“A surprise,” she winked at him.

“So I’ll just have to wait and see? Devious.”

Lilac snorted out a laugh. “It’ll be worth it, I promise!”

“If you say so,” he retorted.

“Could I get you some sweets? There’s plenty. My servant just prepared them, so they’re fresh.”

“Um…” Alan sat up and strained his neck to study the sweet offerings. “I’ll take a cookie.”

She bounced to her feet and scurried over to the dessert table to separate the small plate of cookies from the centerpiece and brought it back to Alan. “I hope you like them. This is my mom’s recipe.”

“Then I bet they’re good,” Alan picked up a cookie and took a bite. He was silent for a second. “Oh wow, that is pretty good.”

“I’m glad you like them!” A huge smile took over her face. “There’s several more, so help yourself.”

Alan finished the cookie and reached for another one. “I’ve never gone on one of these picnics before. Do we just talk and eat?”

Apparently picnics were not something nobles did very often. Now that she thought about it, she never heard or saw any of the higher ranked demons back home going on picnics. It was mainly the middle ranked demons that did. “And enjoy the sunset,” she added as she stared at the beautiful canvas of colors in the sky. “Have you ever been to this park before?”

“I don’t think so,” Alan scanned the environment. Rolling grassy hills filled the majority of the area. The section Alan and Lilac were picnicking at was flatter than the rest of the park. Surrounding the hills was a ring of dark green trees. There was an opening where Alan had come from that contained a bridge that connected the park to the path that led back to the city. Only a few other couples and families were sharing the park with them.

“I can’t believe there’s something like this so close to the capital,” Lilac munched on a cookie. “It’s incredibly peaceful here.”

“It looks like a good spot for families to come,” he pointed out.

Lilac noticed the people around them and nodded. “My parents used to take me to a park like this when I was a kid. I have a lot of fond memories there.”

“I see…”

The sun dipped below the horizon, sucking its golden light away from the sky. Purples and blues now dominated the canvas above.

Lilac stretched up to grab herself a piece of fudge. “Do you mind if I ask you something personal?”

“Depends on what it is,” Alan answered. “What's the question?”

She laid down again next to him and looked into his eyes. “What does being the prophesied hero mean to you?”

Alan returned her gaze. “It means everyone's hopes for the future rests on me. I train hard to be the hero I need to be.”

“But what about the one you want to be?”

“I didn't choose to be the hero,” he admitted. “But I won't forsake my duty to the people. There's a reason I was chosen.”

“You still have a choice,” she said as she sat up. “What if you find out the demons aren't planning on destroying humanity? What will you do then?”

“There you go again, saying demons aren't bad,” he sighed. “Just look at history. Look at what demons are. Creatures born from darkness. What makes you think they can be good?”

“I–” Lilac stopped. She couldn’t just tell him she was a demon. He might just strike her down. “A demon saved me once.”

Surprise flashed on Alan's face. “Huh?”

“When I was young, I had a rare illness that would have killed me. But a demon came to my family and healed me without asking for anything in return,” she said. Whether the one who had saved her life would do the same for a human, she wasn't sure. But it made for a good argument.

“I've… never heard of something like that happening before.” His face told Lilac her story had stirred up some deep reflection.

Darkness fell across the land, ushering in the night. Thousands of stars had awoken from their daytime slumber to protect the world from total darkness on the moonless night.

For a minute, she gazed up at the stars with wonder. “I shouldn't have brought that up, I'm sorry. Let's bring things back to a less serious note. It's about time for the surprise.”

“Is it that time already? What's the surprise?”

“You'll find out when we get there. It's quite far, so I've arranged other means of travel. Jharis?”

“You called, Lady Lilac?” Jharis materialized in his usual formal bow, with one knee on the grass and a hand across his chest with his head low.

“Could you take us to the moonlit grove?” She asked.

“Of course, my lady. Arriving in three… two…”

“Arriving?” Alan repeated as he straightened himself, unsure if he heard correctly.

“One…” Poof. Grey dust swallowed the three. When it disappeared a moment later, the rolling hills and green meadow turned into a secluded grove.

Bioluminescent ivy filled the small grove with a quiet blue glow around the edges and overhead. Thin trees formed a ring that the light barely managed to penetrate. Their leaves came together to block out the light of the stars.

Underneath their feet, the grass, soft as fur, reached toward the enchanting glow. Lilac smiled as she watched Alan take in the new scenery with amazement.

His hand reached out to touch the surface of the blue ivy. “How did you find this…?”

“Someone told me about it,” she answered. “Mesmerizing, isn’t it?”

“I've never seen something like this before. So this is your surprise?” He turned to her.

“Yes, I thought you might like a change of scenery.” She glanced at Jharis and excused him.

“I will clean up your picnic. Call for me when you're ready to leave,” he said with a bow and vanished in a cloud of smoke.

“You know…” Lilac stepped next to Alan, hands behind her back. “I love being in nature like this. Back home, I'd sometimes bring a book with me to read in the forest.”

“I've heard you talk a lot about books, but I've never actually seen you read one. Is there a reason for that?”

“I, um… forgot to bring them with me to the academy,” she said. The truth was, reading would only distract her from her mission of watching the hero. “I'd be happy if I could find another one.”

“Maybe one will show up.”

“Maybe.” Lilac lowered herself to the knees, soaking in the touch of the soft grass. “You should feel the grass.”

“Okay,” Alan joined Lilac on the ground and ran his hand along the feathery blades. “It's quite soft.”

“Perfect for a bed,” she sprawled out onto her back with a heavy sigh of comfort. “Do your parents expect you to find a girl to marry at the academy?” The question slipped out without Lilac thinking.

“They would like it, but they know I have to focus on being the hero first, so it's not much of an expectation,” came his reply. “What about you? Do your parents want you to find someone?”

“I don't know… they've never talked about it much. But I think they'd be happy if I did find someone,” she said thoughtfully. “The ball's coming up soon, isn't it?” She stared up at the spectral blue above her.

“Yes, it is. I'm still worried I'll be a bad dance partner for you.”

Lilac giggled. “You're still worried about that? You've got the Luther Waltz down perfectly.”

“But we haven't practiced it in the middle of a crowd yet,” he argued.

“It's the same thing. Don't worry about the others in the room. If we get too close, I can lead us away.”

“If you say so…”

“I can't wait to go to the ball with you,” she yawned. Between the soft grass beneath her and the warmth she felt in her heart, she began to be threatened by drowsiness.

“I feel similar,” he said.

“Just wait until you see the dress I picked out…” Her eyes grew heavy. Before she knew it, sleep had overtaken her.