Page 28 of Myths and Manuscripts
He deserved to step outside every day. To experience what this life of his really was.
“If you’re not going to open that door, then I am.” I pushed off the wall. “It’s time to put yourself out there. Nobody will think you’re a joke.”
He stared at me for a moment and I didn’t have the heart to actually open the door if he didn’t want me to. Wanting to stay inside was a vibe and taking that away from him by force didn’t feel like the right move here. He had to want to leave, not be forced to. After a few more moments, he sighed, pulling the door open on his own.
“Let’s go,” he grumbled. “You need paper, right?”
“Oh, so this is all for me, huh?” I grinned, resisting the urge to pat him on the head and call him a good boy as a joke. “Maybe we should get something nice for you too while we’re out. Maybe a new bed?”
“Why would I need a new bed?”
I rolled my eyes at him. “Because yours is literally a stone slab. Every side of it is the wrong side to wake up on. Believe me, your life will completely change after sleeping in a cozy bed for the first time.”
The purple in his eyes shimmered. “How so?”
My grin widened, but before I could respond, I noticed a burly soldier with a familiar-looking spear slumped against the wall of the castle. His frumpled uniform made me think he’d been here all night, waiting for us. I touched the scrape on my cheek, which was healing slowly and still throbbed a bit. If he was trying to make up for that, I respected it, but he didn’t need to. Sleeping outside against a cold castle wall was just as bad as a stone slab.
“Don’t any of you demons know how to get a good night’s sleep around here?” I nudged my supposed bodyguard awake. “Good morning. Have you been here all night?”
He rubbed his eyes, mumbling something about being the Demon Lord’s right hand, then jerked awake. His eyes widened as he took us in, leaping to his feet.
“I’m so sorry, My Lord!” He brushed off his clothes, trying to tug the wrinkles out before bowing deeply. “I’m at your command. What would you like me to do today?” The Demon Lord glanced back at me as if I should know, but the soldier seemed to take that as his cue. “Guard your consort. Of course!”
I snorted, trying to cover my laughter with a cough. Shadows swirled around the Demon Lord as he took off towards the village in silence. Grumpy, grumpy. It had to be the bed.
“So, what’s your name, soldier?” I glanced back to where he’d taken guard a few steps behind us. “If you’re going to be following me around, I’d like to at least know that much.”
“Dain, my lady.”
His eyes roved the surroundings, as if waiting for an enemy to jump out at us. It reminded me of the Demon Lord yesterday.Was this land really so rough? The villagers had been nothing but kind yesterday, minus the incident with Dain of course. But everywhere I looked, there was such beauty and wonder that I couldn’t imagine it being dangerous here.
Purple veins of light glowed from the stone pathways, as if the earth itself was steeped in magic, and lanterns were strung between the buildings. They shone softly in the morning light, but I bet they looked beautiful at night.
Demons were bustling around, opening their shops and bowing to the Demon Lord. The shock on every face was understandable. He really did make for an imposing figure, with his long black hair, perfect horns, and shadows curling around him like a cloak.
Unfortunately, he was walking pretty fast, and I kept missing all the good-looking places to visit. The scent of roasted nuts filled the air, and my stomach rumbled, wishing we’d grabbed breakfast. I didn’t have any coins that worked in this realm, so I’d need to rely on the Demon Lord for now. But those nuts smelled so good that I felt myself wandering over anyway.
“Here, try some,” a kind woman said, scooping nuts into a bag. “They’re on me.”
“Oh no, I couldn’t do that.” I shook my head, but my hands had a mind of their own and were already reaching out. The woman laughed and handed me the bag. They tasted like pecans, rich and buttery from some kind of coating they were roasted in. I closed my eyes, savoring the flavor. “These are amazing.”
“I’m glad you think so.” She smiled, leaning in closer to whisper. “Take a few more, as thanks for bringing our Lord outside.”
I smiled and took the nuts gratefully before hurrying to catch up to the Demon Lord. “You should walk slower and talk to people. You’re supposed to be getting to know why you’re a villain, remember?”
“Oh, right.” He slowed enough for me to shove a bag of the nuts into his hands. He frowned at them suspiciously but tried one, and then proceeded to devour the entire bag as we walked.
I ate mine slower, enjoying not only the flavor, but what they represented. These people loved the Demon Lord. They respected him and wanted to help him however they could. They were kind and so different from what I’d imagined when reading the series.
How could the books have gotten these people so wrong? It had to be intentional, like how history was only told by the victors. Had the author planned some big plot twist where the demons weren’t the bad guys? If so, what would that even look like and how was I going to write it?
“We’re here.” The Demon Lord paused outside of a shop with a quill and parchment on the sign. “We can get supplies and information all in the same place.”
“I don’t think being efficient is the way to go here, but I never say no to a stationery shop.”
He smirked and held the door open for me. Parchment flew through the air, dipping and spinning like some kind of dance, while shelves of beautiful ink beckoned me in like jewels. There were rows and rows of paper in varying colors and styles, along with notebooks and binding equipment. Then there were the pens. They were scribbling on notepads without anyone touching them!
“What are those?” I gasped, rushing over to the aisle of moving pens. “How do they work?”
