“Before we begin, I have a question for you?” the demon asked with a much more pleasant smile than compared to what he had displayed only a few moments ago.

“A question?” Freya asked in confusion, taking a sharp intake of breath.

Nodding, the demon continued, “How did you get here? On closer inspection, to be completely honest, I don’t sense a strong magical presence coming out of you which is odd to say the least.”

The image of her family popped into her mind, and the way they regarded liars. If he was anything like them, being honest was really the only option. So, Freya said, “I have no magical power, no capability.” Her tone was blunt and to the point.

“I don’t like liars,” The demon’s statement had made the girl’s brows clash. What did he mean?

“But I’m not lying,” Freya defended, looking straight into the demon’s crimson eyes with no fear whatsoever. If growing up with her family had taught her anything, it was even if the person could send you into oblivion, it was much better to continue living life as you liked. It always threw powerful people off and was both the best revenge and the best philosophy of life.

Pausing for a moment, the demon tilted his head to the right and said, “Then prove it.”

Pausing for a moment Freya asked, “Haven’t you recognized me yet?”

“Have we met before?” the demon asked.

The demon didn’t look much older than her, but Freya refused that a person of her generation, demon or human would not recognize her.

She ventured, “Haven’t you ever logged on to the Magicore or even the Demicore?”

Confusion overtaking his expression, the demon responded, “Of course I have, but I find its uses limited.”

Unable to contain herself, Freya asked, “Just how old are you?”

“Twenty-two, why do you ask,” the demon responded.

At his response Freya suddenly felt the urge to vomit blood and feeling the time of danger had passed, she unconsciously ranted, “Maybe, just maybe, not knowing the Magicore is understandable. But how can a demon going through the flower of youth not know what the Demicore is? It is the invention which binds all of us together and it might be acceptable from someone from the previous generation to not use it, but how is it possible that a twenty-two year old finds ‘its uses limited’ as you so put it?”

At her outburst the demon looked at her as if she had grown another head before saying, “You’re mentally insane, aren’t you?”

In her nineteen years of existence Freya had been accused of a lot of things, but this was the first time anyone had ever called her crazy, and to her face at that.

Feeling a tick form in her jaw, Freya clenched her fists and said, “I am Freyaphina of Lorian, the 9th princess to the Lorian Royals. Famously inept at magic and everyone’s type. There isn’t a person of our generation who doesn’t know who I am. If there is,” at this she looked the demon straight in the eyes and with the coldest look she could muster declared, “they are a failure of our generation.”

Instead of the reaction she expected, the demon started laughing, and not such a small chuckle, but a giant laughter coming from his belly. It was at this moment that Freya made an oath to herself. She didn’t care how or in what way, but for this humiliation she was going to find a way to get back at the demon for this, man-eater or not.

Once the demon had finished, he wiped away some tears and gave Freya a smile that made her want to forget her anger and indignation at what had just happened. Mentally cursing, Freya wondered at what cruel god or goddess thought to give someone with his personality a face like his? The more she thought about it, the more unfair she felt it was.

“Are you done now?” Freya asked, hands on hips when the demon stayed silent.

“I was laughing?” the demon asked, seemingly confused at what he had just done.

Freya replied, “Yes and now that you are done could we get on with the deal you mentioned earlier?”

Shaking off the confusion, the demon retorted, “But you never answered my question.” Just when Freya opened her mouth to respond, the demon interjected, “That said, since you managed to make me laugh, I shall graciously give you the benefit of the doubt as long as you tell me exactly how and why you came to be here.”

Not wanting to speak to the psychotic demon, Freya got down into a crouch and picked up the fallen red and gold book that she had dropped a short while ago. Getting up, she stumbled a little, mentally cursing her heels. Before she could fall the demon reached out his hand to steady her.

Taking his hand before she fell, Freya murmured a thanks before trying to release her hand from his grip, but found that the demon was unwilling to let go. Juggling the thick book in one hand, Freya pointedly looked at their entwined hands, her much smaller fairer skin engulfed in his larger darker skin.

The demon only offered a smile in response and Freya decided to ignore it. Even if she was mad at the demon, Freya knew when and where to pick her battles. Besides, according to Aleroth, Freya’s 8th sister, her husband had refused to let go of her hand for the first three months of their marriage because of the healing effect it had on his magical energy.

Making sure to keep eye contact, Freya tossed him the book with her one free hand. Before it could touch the ground, another magic circle appeared under the book causing it to float in the air and open in front of him. The pages then began flipping on their own while the symbols on the small crimson magic circle shifted and rotated underneath the book.

After a few minutes, the book closed and fell onto the demon’s free hand as the magic circle dissipated.

Tapping the edges of the book against his head, the demon admitted, “I can’t read this. Is this the Ancient Language?”

“Yes, is there a problem,” Freya responded.

Cocking his head, the demon stated, “Isn’t Ancient Magic illegal? If this book is written in the Ancient Language and it brought you here, wouldn’t that make you an illegal witch?”

Eyes widening in shock at the demon’s response, Freya put two fingers to her temple in the manner her father had done a thousand times before to calm himself before she slowly said, “In my entire life, I never had and never will have any sort of magical talent.”

“If that’s so, then what do you propose happened?” the demon inquired.

“Ancient Magic remains to us to be a large mystery in many ways. Most likely, it was some residual spell lying dormant for who knows how long until someone accidently activated it,” Freya responded.

Nodding, the demon said, “I am not above admitting that there are things in this world I do not understand so until I have an expert I trust verify the contents of this book, I’ll hold on to it and momentarily trust your words. Now onto my second question, why are you here?”

“Hah?” Freya exclaimed in indignation.

“The book answered the how, but not the why. I wanted both,” the demon explained.

Gathering her thoughts so that she wouldn’t make another outburst, Freya answered, “There was an attack on the castle and I managed to trick some of the attacking soldiers so that I could buy some time to escape into a hideaway. I found the book and here we now are.”

With a blank smile the demon responded, “Simple as that?”

“Simple as that,” Freya told the demon firmly.

“Very well, as with before I will give you the benefit of the doubt, but I warn you that if either of what you have told me is a lie, you will find that my earlier behavior was downright merciful,” the demon said with a dark look in his crimson eyes.

Before Freya could respond, the look was replaced as soon as it came with a gentle smile as the demon said, “Now onto the deal.”

At this point the demon finally, if albeit a bit reluctantly, let go of Freya’s hand to grab what looked to be a dagger tucked into his black slacks. He then tossed the blade to Freya.

Catching it with the blade gripped in her hand Freya was surprised that she did not bleed. Turning the blade in her hands, Freya dumbly looked between the blade and the demon and remarked, “Its dull.”

Giving a wide grin, the demon said, “No, its not. Its magic.”

Unlike the rest of her family, Freya had never liked violence and preferred to avoid anything physical or extraneous.

For this reason, Freya responded, “And what am I supposed to do with it?”

“I never take anything without giving something in return. Besides, you’ll find it useful,” the demon responded.

Understanding his meaning, Freya tossed the dagger back at the demon, but contrary to the languid manner of the demon, the blade fell lamely on the ground between them.

“Are you sure? There are many who would destroy cities for a blade like this,” the demon offered, reaching down to pick the dagger and put it back into his pants.

Crossing her arms over her chest, Freya retorted, “I’m not most people.”

“No…you’re not,” the demon said slowly trying to mask the surprise in his voice.

Watching the demon ponder his own words, Freya waited until the demon said, “Alright, since this is a unique experience for me, I shall return the favor by giving you a unique offer.”

Seeing Freya’s slow nod, the demon continued, “What is it that you would like in return for curing me of my…ailment?”

Surprised the demon would make such an offer, Freya carefully considered what to ask for. She couldn’t ask to return home because of the situation at hand. At the same time, she wasn’t worried about her family, this was the modern age and no matter what reason the Empire had, they couldn’t very well destroy the ruling family of a recognized nation. Besides, among her siblings were those that married into strong nations and war heroes. Not to mention the reputation of her parents. No, she was quite confident that they could take care of themselves and any interference on her part would only make the situation worse for them. Instead, the best way she could help them was by ensuring that she safely stayed away from any political conflict until this all blew over.

Decision made, Freya responded, “I would like for you to ensure my safety and comfort.”

At her response, the demon asked, “Isn’t there anything else you’d like. For example, revenge, to go home, or really anything else?”

Realizing that she had the advantage, Freya thought some more on her response and recalled her earlier promise to herself to get revenge. On that note, she said, “There actually is something else I would like.”

Visibly relaxing, the demon inquired, “And what is it?”

“I want the freedom to do the things that I like doing in complete safety and comfort,” Freya responded.

“Are you absolutely sure that’s all you want,” the demon responded, unable to hide the shock lacing his voice.

“That’s all I want,” Freya responded, sure of herself.

“Very well, I am a demon of my word and I assure you that as long as you are in my domain and care, you will live in safety and comfort, free to maintain whatever lifestyle you desire,” the demon promised with a slight bow.

“Then, I’ll be in your care,” Freya responded in kind with a secret smile as she offered the demon her hand. In turn, the demon gripped her hand tightly, seemingly afraid to let go.