petrikaira

[petrikaira]

The Butler

Chapter 12: Decision

Pg 2 (Previous)

Rating: T for Teen

Butler tuned out, but he got the gist- Douglas Fir was weaving a tale of how he had been tricked into a rage by being hit with iron by the human maid. How if she had just left him to his devices, she would not have died. Butler rolled his eyes. There was so much that could have been done differently.

“Need I remind you that you killed my maid in my own quarters?” Queen Aikaterine said, her voice carrying over the mumbled, stuttered words from Fir.

“In your own rooms?” Queen Liita parroted back. 

Butler did not tune out the look that Queen Liita shot Douglas Fir. It was an angry, pinched sort of look, one that clearly said how could you be so stupid. It was accompanied by the murmurs from the jury, and a flurry of hands writing.

“Yes. In front of me as my guard was telling me our local update,” Queen Aikaterine said. “And so, I have two people I would also like to bring before your fae majesties.”

“As you will,” Queen Liita said.

“I call Ilse Fairbanks to the stand,” Queen Aikaterine said.

Ilse Fairbanks swept forward, the bottom of her maid dress in her hands and her back held tall. In the sunlight her hair was like straw, her skin like earth- and the anger in her eyes like an eagle ready to strike. Butler was struck that she looked like the woods themselves rising to eat Douglas Fir whole.

She delivered. Her words sang of confusion, a coworker dragged down the hall. Her attempting to save him- Butler’s heart sang. Oh, her wondrous self, protecting him! A human, by every means weaker than he, a demon was, protecting him. He stilled remembering her body upon the floor. And something else clicked in his head. She had protected him. Prince Canis had protected him. And the Queen had given the last protection of all.

It had been so long since he had been protected he barely remembered it. His mother’s claws, pressing him to the dark stones as a stronger demon on the rampage passed. The sound of crunching bone. Paws over his eyes. 

Yes, it has been since then. He had been small. When he had gotten older, his mother could no longer protect him. How was it now that not only were some of the most powerful demons he personally knew protecting him- but also someone weaker than himself? He curled his fist at his chest.

She went on, talking of how she didn’t know Douglas Fir was fae, how she had died. A scar on her chest. A scar she would wear for protecting him, for the rest of her days, just as he wore his nose for tricking the first people he had run to. There was something humiliating about that, for just a moment as the voice in his mind told him that she was a hero and he had done this to himself.

King Mifispectuus’ face looked grim across from the court. Butler knew the fae laws claimed a scar needed compensation. For a fae that received one, usually it meant a pound of flesh.

Sneering, Butler focused on Ilse. Her head was held high and defiant, even before the fae. Even before demon courts. She was defending herself. Defending him. He had been, too, in his own way. He couldn’t fight head on as she was doing now. He hadn’t had the protections of a Canis court, or a magic that could bring him back to life as himself.

He had only had his wits. He would forever be sad about his nose.

He would not be sad he had done it.

He would, perhaps, feel a twinge of guilt that Ilse had died for him for it, but nothing more.

“You may step down, Miss Fairbanks.”

(Previous)

#the butler #writing #writeblr #creative writing #ch 12 #pg 2

[petrikaira]

The Butler

Chapter 12: Decision

Pg 1 (Previous)

Rating: T for Teen

The jury’s re-entry into the courtroom of the woods ushered the food and drinks back from whence they had come. The vote was unanimous in Butler’s favor- or, rather, Butler thought drily, against it. It was 5 to 3 with a vote to take away his fertility, much to his heart’s delight. He let the part of him that had wanted children out again and wailed and sobbed hard enough real tears leaked from his eyes.

Then, the royals had gone, all four- and there once more, it was a unanimous decision. Four royals for, none against. Butler howled with all the agony he could muster. He put every last inch of fear he had felt from the fae cells, to Eksender chasing him in the howl. He thought it sounded particularly heartbreaking.

“I know, it pains me to do, but our decision has been made,” Queen Aikaterine said. “Butler, dry your eyes and rise.”

He wiped the real tears from his eyes. The fear had gone with them, leaving his insides empty and his limbs shaking. Butler sniffled. “Your majesties-” he said.

“I for one do not feel sorry for him,” Queen Liita said. “After all he put us through. But, I suppose a promise is a promise- we will not take it from you until after the second trial. Maybe you can father a child in the next thirty minutes, hmm, Puppy?”

He wanted to rip her throat apart with his teeth. Shove her out of a tree, rip off her wings. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Queen Aikaterine turn to face him. I’m not going to do it, Mom he thought as sarcastically as he could.

She turned from him. He swore he could see her eye roll. 

He wasn’t going to do it. He’d be paste across the forest floor before he had even gotten near Queen Liita. There was no point in that, but if he heard her call him puppy again something inside him was going to combust.

“Our Butler may step back. If you would do the honors, this time, King Mifispectuus? Queen Liita?”

Playing nice again. Andre was at his side, leading him away to a seat behind the Canis royals- on the side of safety. At least there would be no fae assassins waiting in a bush to pull him back and do him away. 

“We call Douglas Fir to stand,” King Mifispectuus said. 

As Butler was led away, he could see the pale burnt wraith of Douglas Fir stand shaking and take his place. Served him right for being an absolute cunt. If it had been Butler in his shoes, Ilse Fairbanks would never have been touched and his actual target would be before the fae king and queen, bound by magic and kissing their shoes.

It really was good for him that Douglas Fir and his alter ego were so very incompetent. A blessing in disguise, now he no longer had to work with him. 

“State what happened for the court.”

“I- we- were tasked with bringing the Butler home,” Douglas Fir said. “By our royals. We, I- we messed up, at the end.”

He spoke haltingly, fumbling. Butler hadn’t missed Douglas Fir’s inability to stand his own ground, or to say what he meant without stumbling over his words. They were particularly worse now and Butler felt it was for good reasons.

A shame he wasn’t as good at this as he was.

(Previous)

#the butler #writing #writeblr #creative writing #ch 12 #pg 1

[petrikaira]

The Butler

Chapter 11: Waiting

Pg 3 (Previous)

Rating: T for Teen

Ah. The difference came down to something as simple as choice.

Queen Aikaterine had no choice in reading his thoughts, but since it was muddled anyways, and she let him make his choices, she was good in his book. His mind wandered to when he had met her, propped in her throne room with her eyes on his.

“Do you want to be here?”

She had asked. At the time, he was bent on it being better than the fae court by virtue of not being the fae court. He had said yes.

“Try again. I do know if you are lying. Do you really want to be here?”

Her words had startled him, admittedly, as he did not lie. He was adamant about this. He did not lie. Still, he had paused, and considered her words as carefully as he could.

“If I said no?” he asked her, feeling a snicker at the back of his throat that he had held in.

“I would ask you where you wanted to go,” Queen Aikaterine said. “And I would find out how to send you. I want people who want to work for me.”

He blinked. Now with all that was happening, did he still want to work for her?

She had given him a chance, and a backup. She had given him all that while knowing already how he had wronged the fae, while knowing that because of him Ilse Fairbanks had died. He felt a stab of guilt in his chest. 

And then, there was the Prince. A teenager, no doubt- in ways that the Queen was not, despite Butler knowing they must have been a similar age. And yet he had come to his aid and plucked him from the fae court, and was the one to offer a punishment that not only was Butler not worried to lose, but that the fae king and queen had taken delight in. That was more than a fighting chance.

It was morally questionable, morally corrupt, at best. 

It was a chance.

And it was one they were both taking on him, when he was someone they could certainly replace from their own footmen who had been training under Agni longer. He also knew in his chest that if the jury voted yes for the punishment offered, and he was able to settle the matter with the fae king and queen- they would let him stay. Just as surely if he asked to go somewhere else, they would arrange it.

And they let him have free time, and didn’t seem to care one way or the other about using one of their rooms for his card nights.

His head tilted down. Yes, for that, he would stay. Employers who had his back. Employers who despite their glaring red flags of flaws, let him have his agency and some strength in his life.

Yes, for that he would stay.

“Andre,” He said, looking over at the skeleton guard with his little sword strapped in leather to his back.

“Mmm? Yeah, what’s it?” Andre asked, glancing over his shirt clad shoulder.

“Whatever happens, it’s been an honor playing cards with you.”

Andre scoffed and looked forward. “Not over yet, idiot,” he said, in the overly friendly way some people had with their friends.

“No, it isn’t,” Butler said thoughtfully. It wasn’t over yet. He had a fighting chance.

(Previous)

#the butler #writing #creative writing #writeblr #ch 11 #pg 3

[petrikaira]

The Butler

Ch 11: Waiting

Pg 2 (Previous)

Rating: T for Teen

He didn’t like the way Queen Aikaterine could read minds, but he had to say it was not as insidious as what the fae nobles did. She had no say in the matter.  It gave her headaches that kept her to her rooms, because she heard everyone, all at once. And if she heard everyone all at once, Butler knew she had a harder time picking out distinct thoughts. He felt sorry for her, in a way, and in others was glad that even in that anonymity, she could really only hear what he was thinking clearly if he was near her. It was strange to think that ineffective mind reading was now a comfort to him after the horrors of the fae castle. To think that he would prefer someone like that, over people who could not read minds.

Yet, he did. She treated him with dignity.

King Mifispectuus and Queen Liita had not.

“Puppy darling, can you come here and show your cute little ears off to my court?”

“I would prefer if I didn’t, your majesty.” He did not want to show off how cute and different shaped he was for the members of her fairy court. They talked about him constantly anyways, a wolf amongst the fae. He had heard the mocking sounds of the court calling Wolf, of the Queen red riding hood. He needed nothing else. 

Queen Liita looked at him, her eyes glowing softly. “Puppy. I said come here and show off your little ears to my court.”

He had felt it like her arms wrapped around his shoulder, her lips resting on the fur between his ears. The soft glow, her beautiful face. He had found his legs moving towards her and his mouth making words “Of course, your majesty, I would gladly for you.”

They had not been lies, either, there was that want to show off to her. For her to admire him, and for the people of the court to do so as well. At how smart he was! How fast! How is fur glistened. When those eyes glowed at him, and the foggy feeling that settled over his brain, he listened to that part.

 He had come to her room, amidst the bows of the tree where the cherry blossoms hung so low and dappled the room with sunlight and the heady sweet scent, he had knelt before grinning fairy courtiers and let them touch his ears. He remembered the way their fingers had caught, how one had been so bold as to shove their rounded fingers right in there, pressing and prodding until all he heard was the scraping of their nails against his skin.

And they laughed at him. “How strange! How peculiar! What a cute little puppy!” Had been the refrains that had left their lips.

Oh, how he hated them. But in that moment he had been unable to do anything but smile and show off his “cute little ears” for them, because she had heightened that part of his brain that made him. And when she had sent him away, and the reality had set in, Butler had spent hours of his night off shift scrubbing to get the feeling of those ugly, rounded fingers in his ear out. He would have never given them permission for that.

And what if he had liked rounded fingers in his ears? Now he feared he would never know the proper way, if he had ever found someone he wanted to touch him, who was willing! Under his own terms! He was worried he would feel the violation that had happened again.

He had been their butler, it was true, but he had also been their plaything. King Mifispectuus had never touched him, it was true, but he had ordered him to fight for him when Butler knew he was too weak to. True, he knew the rapier now but he would have wanted the choice to fight.

He stared up at the curling gray clouds.

(Previous)

#the butler #writing #creative writing #writeblr #ch 11 #pg 2

[petrikaira]

The Butler

Chapter 11: Waiting

Pg 1 (Previous)

Rating: T for Teen

Andre led him to the mouth of the cave, where he was bid to sit on the ground. Butler gazed at the dirt and stone, and back at Andre with contempt. It was plain, dry dirt with the beginnings of moss, often trampled by feet going into the forest. He was not about to sit on it and get his nice pants covered in dust.

“Suit yourself, then,” Andre said with a clack of his jaws. 

Instead, Butler stood awkwardly pressed to the boulder at the mouth of the cave, feeling its rough edges dig into his back. Here with Andre, at the back of the procession and away from the prying eyes of the jury and the judges, he didn’t feel he needed to keep the pretense up. If it meant the king and queen of the fae left him alone, he was glad to be rid of his ability to have children. The big part of him that had never wanted to was relieved. Still, if he changed his mind, he wasn’t out of options.

At the Demon Academy, in the Demon City, they often fostered orphans. He could always just adopt. 

Instead, he focused his way up at the clouds and noticed the dark gray rolling in over the treetops. It looked like it was going to rain. He hoped the jury deliberated fast, and that Eksender’s trial went just as fast, because he had no intention of being caught in the rain. That was one thing he did not like about the surface- getting wet. In Hell and the Demon City, it was entirely under his control if he got wet or not.

“Gotta ask,” Andre said with another clack of his jaw. “Why did you do it? Why’d you trick’em?”

Butler blinked. He looked over at Andre. “I do not lie,” He said. “Jealousy is a hell of an emotion.”

Andre’s jaws clicked together. “Know you better than that,” he said. “But, alright, you have your way.”

Butler leaned back. Andre could think whatever he wanted. There would always be part of him that had wished to be part of the King and Queen’s marital bed and he was not ashamed of that. They were, he thought, the only two who he had ever appreciated the soft rounded fingers on. Or, in the king’s case- the very long, twiggy sort of fingers one might find on a tree. 

If he was being honest, he didn’t want them to control his life anymore. He wanted once again to make his own decisions. He wanted to be himself. That was enough, even without the jealousy and want.

The fact that he knew, once they had had children, it would have been his job to raise them only added to this.He did not know what it took to raise a fae child, but he did not want to find out. 

Butler knew the way he felt about it contradicted himself at every turn. He did not care. So long as this worked, and he could make those contradictory decisions for himself once more, he would be fine. 

The fae King and Queen could mind control him no longer. Outside of the moments where they did, it always left a presence on his mind. A pounding headache. The feeling of someone pressurizing his own thoughts against him. 

He hated it.

(Previous)

#The butler #ch 11 #pg 1 #writing #writeblr #creative writing

[petrikaira]

The Butler

Chapter 10: Butler's Trial

Pg 8: (Previous)

Rating: T For teen

“As it were, then,” King Mifispectuus said. 

Deliberations were started. Butler’s ears tuned in and out of them- there were suggestions to turn him into a tree, a pear, a mushroom. There were discussions from the demons to cut off his hands, as technically he had stolen something from the fae court- hope of an heir. Someone suggested turning him into a wolf steed for the king and queen of the fae to ride, which was a suggestion that came surprisingly from the raw cow looking demon.

Butler vowed if he ever saw them on the street to walk the other way.

Lucky for him, none of the suggestions seemed to be sticking. 

That was, until Prince Yuki looked up with a bright, crooked smile. Butler’s blood dropped a few degrees. Nothing cold enough to freeze, but enough to be wary. He knew what was coming. Now it was time for something draconian. He could already feel the blade placed against his wrist, his ankle, perhaps even his tail. His fur felt clammy. 

“What if,” Prince Yuki said. “Our Butler gave you his fertility?”

The discussions that hung in the forest air ground to a halt. A wave of excitement rushed over Butler. Fertility! Something he genuinely did not care about. He had never truly wanted children. There was always a small voice wondering about pups, about little bars of fur to hold- but it had always been small and the more he had ruminated on his own children the more disgusted he had been. Having to take care of all of those needs. To teach some sort of morality, or immorality if he was inclined- how much work. How much care. The notion of children was not one he enjoyed.

“Excuse me?” Queen Liita asked.

“What if our Butler gave you his fertility? His ability to bear children? Then he’s fulfilling his part of this! And you can have your own children- I bet I could transfer it over to you.”

The prince said it with such a jovial smile that Butler knew he could do it. All he could see in his mind's eyes were his cell bars bending under the prince’s hands like they were made of water, and hear the echoes of the old tales. 

It dawned on him this was his chance. He had to give this his all, like he had never acted anything in his life. All he needed was that bit of him that had considered his own children, his own pups. It still lived deep in his chest. 

“You can’t do that!” He cried. “Oh Prince, please! Think of me- I have always wanted my own children-”

And that part of him bloomed. Suddenly, he had never wanted anything in his life more than to have his own children. The ache in his chest was real. He would have given them better names than any of the names that had been his, all boiling down to dog and wolf. He would name them thrilling, terrifying things. Things like Hla’wryn, the one who brings fire or maybe Balmoreth, to crush skulls. Things that fit strong clawed demons. He would hold those little claws in his hands, smooth the soft pelt furs. 

He clutched at his chest and fell to his knees. “Please, your majesties, not that!” His voice cracked with the weight of what they would be taking away from him. 

There was a flurry of voices from the jury. Butler looked up at them, and the royals with the biggest, most begging eyes he could. That was his unborn children on the line! Across from his puppy dog stare, Queen Liita’s face was opening into a brilliant smirk. His insides twisted. 

“You know- that is a wonderful idea,” she said. “You could really do that, could you? Transfer it? We could take it away, but a transfer-”

“Of course,” Prince Yuki said. His voice held a rumbling laugh. “It might still take you two time, since I will be splitting it between you two but you will have children.”

King Mifispectuus settled, his face on Butler. Butler clutched his hands. “Please, sire, don’t do this-” he said. “Please. After all I have done-”

A flash of anger as bright as fire flit across King Mifispectuus’ face. “After all you have done, I should be doing much worse! I will gladly take that right from you.”

“But, please, sire, this is- this is awful-” Butler cried. He had to tread carefully, here. Part of him wanted to add something injurious and even more insulting, but he was sure if he did things would be worse for him.

The part of him that didn’t want children was trying hard not to frolic in the midst of his own mind. It would be gone from him, no matter who he lay with in the future. He would never have to worry about taking care of something so small and helpless. He would never have to worry about feeding, or caring, or anything.

He let the small part of him scream and cry for what it was missing. He was no liar, but the truth came in a veracity of color. 

“We allow votes from the members of the jury,” Queen Aikaterine called over his whines. “Done in secret deliberation.”

He pressed his fingers to his eyes and pretended to sob, softer, quieter. The jury needed to be in on his misery, he decided. He needed them to think it was what was right. 

“As you will then, let them make their votes,” King Mifispectuus said. “The decision in our courts ultimately rides with us.”

“Then, with me as well,” Queen Aikaterine said. “He is our butler.”

“As it were then,” Queen Liita said. She turned to the jury. “Deliberate.”

There was a murmur and Butler felt himself take a little sob. So, once more the jury withdrew to take a vote and deliberate over Butler’s punishment. Queen Aikaterine waved a hand, and food was taken from somewhere behind them and met with pitchers of ale and barm from the fae courts like this had been planned, like they were having a picnic. The dance of politics was so exact, but for once Butler was glad Queen Aikaterine knew how to lead it. 

Still, there was a slight sting that he had not been part of the food plans at all. He was their Butler. This was his job. 

Whatever. It was not his concern. 

He was not bitter about it. 

(Previous)

#the butler #creative writing #writeblr #writing #ch 10 #pg 8

[petrikaira]

The Butler

Chapter 10: Butler's Trial

Pg 7 (Previous)

Rating: T for Teen

He had barely made a show of drying his already dry eyes when the jury of fae and demons had returned. There was a speaker from both sides, holding papers in their hands. One was a fae woman, scowling deeply and glowing mustard yellow. She looked stuffy, not a hair in her bun out of place and her little pinched face with black eyes stern. The other was a purple demon woman with four eyes and short purple hair, soft around the middle and standing tall. She looked far too gentle.

“Jury, you may speak,” Queen Aikaterine beckoned.

“We of the jury find this man guilty,” the fae woman said. Her voice was high, and hurt Butler’s ears. “Unanimously.”

“Even we of the demon side,” the purple woman said. Her voice was even, almost sweet. “Despite the fact that we see that this man gave the fae exactly what he said he would give, it was not what was expected. He is guilty of tricking the fae royals.”

“The vote to punish the offender,” The yellow mustard woman went on, her black eyes narrowing as she glanced at the purple one. They were both so ugly in their own unique ways.. “Is six to four, with half in favor of a heavy punishment, and the other half claiming he has already been punished.”

“Then it falls to us royals,” Queen Aikaterine said. “I find our Butler guilty. What of you, your fae highnesses? Prince Yuki?”

“Oh, he’s definitely guilty,” Prince Yuki said, his stupid teenage voice- as deep as it was- so cheerful. “But I do think he’s already been punished.”

Anger rose in Butler’s stomach anyways, despite knowing this was what his royals must do. They must take the side of those he had wronged to keep their peace. He wondered what inane thing he would be asked for. The air was beginning to smell different, the bit of luck he had caught wind of shifting. Luck was fickle, in the end. It never did like to stay on one side.

“Guilty, without a doubt,” King Mifispectuus said. “I did not live through the pain of having a potential child ripped from my hands to not find him so.”

“And I find that my emotional damage outweighs the punishment we have already given,” Queen Liita said. “I demand repercussions for that alone.”

“Then I am for one final punishment,” Queen Aikaterine said. “For your emotional damage, Queen Liita.”

Butler felt something in his chest deflate, and the fear spark in his stomach. He knew he had asked Queen Aikaterine and the prince not to be dragged back to the fae realms, but what if they let him be dragged back anyways? What if that had all been a bluff to get him to easily go along with the trial, and the questions? Queen Liita and King Mifispectuus would have done it that way, tricking him into divulging his own secrets so he could splay himself flat. He wondered if giving him a sword to die on had been a lie, too-

The fear was gripping. The panic took hold in his chest.

Queen Aikaterine shifted in her throne, standing. “Of course, the jury and both of us must decide on the proper punishment, as he is both our Butler, don’t you think, Queen Liita? King Mifispectuus?”

Butler’s heart soared. It was like she had put her calming hand right on it, pulling back the fear just enough for him to breathe. That was his queen! He relished the sour looks on the fae king and Queen’s faces. They wouldn’t go to war for something like this. The fae royals wouldn’t risk their peace for this.

(Previous)

#writing #the butler #creative writing #writeblr #ch 10 #pg 7

[petrikaira]

The Butler

Chapter 10: Butlers Trial

Pg 6 (Previous)

Rating: T for Teen

The murmur in his ears from the jury grew to fervor pitch but it was nothing like the fever in his mind. That wasn’t quite true. It wasn’t untrue. He squashed his own indecision on the matter and gazed at the fae majesties. He had to stick to it.

“What?” King Mifispectuus demanded. “Jealous, were you? Wanting my wife-”

“Wanting you! Your wife,” Butler cried, leaning into it. Now it was the reason, no matter what else there was behind it. “I do not know, just that you were the glories of the world to me, your highnesses! To be the one to give you a perfect, clawed child- that was my dream.”

He howled the words with every fiber of his being. Butler clutched at his chest, fell to his knees and beat at his breast. He was no liar. This was no truth. He hoped he wasn’t over doing it.

The fae king and queen exchanged a look. Pretty eyes and pretty mouths twisted and narrowed in displeasure- perhaps at his unbridled emotion, or the lust implied. He cared not, and held in another snicker at their distaste. Even disgusted they were pretty, and with that disgust he felt the winds shifting. He knew luck when he could smell it. 

“Oh… you.” Queen Liita’s words were haltering, like an echo of a playful triumph. “We could not return the sentiment.”

Distantly Butler heard the sound of a quill scratching at paper- the Demon City record keepers getting this all down. Well, better to live a fool than not live at all. He could feel the hope beating in his breast. He may not need a sword at all. He may not need the promise of his demon Queen, just himself. Before the jurors, and at their mercies. It was like salt in the air, like the punch of the pine was lighting his being on fire.

“And if that was so,” King Mifispectuus said. “Why trick us, at all? Why give us chicken?”

Butler hung his head and howled crocodile tears, his clawed hand over his eyes. “For I knew you would never feel for me the same!” he cried. “I had seen how you were with each other, your majesties, I could not dare insert myself into such love! If only my jealousy did not match it-”

The murmur in the crowds grew louder. HIs heart ached with the weight of it and he dared open a finger to peer between the cracks at the fae royals. Disgusted bemusement crossed their faces like a film on water.

Queen Aikaterine’s voice broke through. “I believe I have no more questions,” she said. “Your Highnesses of the Fae Court?”

A look of contempt. Their gazes focused on him and Butler closed the gaps between his fingers and let out another long, mournful howl. 

“We have no more questions,” Queen Liita said, her voice almost soft. “Get up, you. No more sniveling.”

Butler stood with his dry eyes hidden by his hands as he let out another long, sniveling howl. Queen Liita did not get to tell him what to do, here. He would die sniveling if it meant not listening to another one of her inane orders. 

No matter how pretty they were. How pretty she was.

With a command from Queen Aikaterine and the blessing of the fae, the jury withdrew from their makeshift bench to deliberate. Fae and demon alike, hearing only the tale that Butler had howled with all his might. He could smell the luck hanging in the air, and if he had only just grasped it right, it would be his, like sitting at cards with his coworkers and twisting the way the cards fell.

(Previous)

#the butler #writing #writeblr #creative writing #ch 10 #pg 6

[petrikaira]

The Butler

Chapter 10: Butlers Trial

Pg 5 (Previous) Rating: T For teen

utler turned towards her. He placed his hand on his chest, claws digging into the blue cloth. She would know he was lying. He wanted to trust her. “Yes, my queen. I did promise them a brood, and so I gave them two chicks, hatched at the same time.”

Queen Aikaterine tilted her head. He wasn’t sure he enjoyed the way her red eyes were focused on him, how she stared without blinking or emoting. “Chicks. For the records, of what type?”

“My lady?” Butler asked, slowly. He wasn’t sure where she was going with this.

“Of chicks.”

Butler blinked, holding back his bewilderment. “I- am not certain what type, my lady. Chickens?”

Queen Aikaterine kept her stare level for a moment, then she nodded once. “Let the record show it is as our Butler has been accused. He promised a brood and gave a brood.”

There was a soft murmur from the five fae of the jury. It sounded as confused as Butler felt, but he suspected he knew where this was going. A demon was only as good as his word, and he was no liar. He had never been a liar. He had given a brood.

“And so you admit it?” Queen Liita demanded, hot and burning from across the clearing. 

Butler turned to her now, and watched her leaning hard over the edge of the tree, her blue glow almost blinding. Her blunt fingers digging into her husband, and the tree. He could see the tips turning an angry shade of green. “I do, your Highness. I do and I have before.”

“Before?” Queen Aikaterine chimed in.

Butler did not turn. He felt he would make himself sick if he kept correcting courses to look at each royal in turn this way. “I was put on trial for this crime before, my lady,” he said. “And I was punished for it once already.”

A demon court did not look to punish twice, he knew. Fae court looked for the punishments to be exacting. 

“Is this so?” Queen Aikaterine asked.

“It is so,” King Mifispectuus replied. “We gave him one of his promised punishments, for he tricked us and we needed something to punish at the time and something fitting to get our dues later.”

Now, the murmuring was coming from both sides of the jury. Butler wasn’t sure if he imagined it or not, but he swore the fae side sounded angrier than the demon side. There was far more buzzing, like a group of bees whose honey was being stolen right from under their noses. 

“What I want to know, is why?” Queen Liita said, her voice ringing over the murmurs of the jury. It was impassioned and drawn. “We invited you in. Gave you a job, a home. And all we asked in return is a good work ethic, and if you could get us children. You said yes. And you did not.”

“I would also like to know your reasoning,” Queen Aikaterine chimed in, her voice cool and calm and just as loud over the din.

Butler’s mind raced. His eyes settled on the King and Queen of the fae, their delicate and long frames, and their pretty lips. Their glow and their eyes. His mouth formed the words before he had truly thought them himself.

“I was jealous, your Majesties,” Butler said. “I wanted to be the one to give them children.”

(Previous)

#the butler #writing #writeblr #creative writing #ch 10 #pg 5 #hell yeah i do like this part

[petrikaira]

The Butler

Chapter 10: Butler's Trials

Pg 4 (Previous)

Rating: T For Teen

No matter.

He could do this.

“Thank you, Queen Aikaterine,” King Mifispectuus said. “To make things fair on our end, we will be allowing all parties to speak their piece uninterrupted.”

Butler’s heart stuttered. He had not even considered that the fae king and queen may have used their mind control on him here, and the idea he had just barely missed it because of playing nice politics was terrifying. Still, it gave him a higher chance of getting out of this as himself.

King Mifispectuus turned and settled down by Queen Liita at the top of a now curved tree, his long, beautiful limbs glowing that delicious soft gold in the light. Even without the mind control Butler wanted to kiss his kneecaps. He pushed the thought down and turned.

Queen Aikaterine stepped back, her long cream colored skirt rustling as she stepped back to a throne that had been dragged from the depths for her. It was cold stone, fitted with a red cushion and Butler did not envy the footmen who had had to carry it for her. Perched now as she was within the forest proper, the mouth of the Demon City cave at her back, she reminded Butler of many a king and queen who had sat for a joust. 

And he supposed he must be the jouster. 

Queen Liita opened her mouth to speak. Butler’s eyes snapped to her. She closed her mouth. Scowled, and opened it again. Finally, her eyes full of anger, she lit upon Butler’s frame. “You, there,” she said. “You stand accused of the crime of tricking the fae court, as well as running from a just trial and punishment. Step forward for the righteous councils to see.”

Butler held in his snicker. She couldn’t remember the name she had called him because it was signed away. At least he had that.

Straightening, he strode to the center of the ring of onlookers. He kept his back straight, adjusted his tie. He knew his shoes were shiny even if he did need new ones, and he did his best to look confident but not trite. He was a simple butler. The best butler he could possibly be.

Queen Aikaterine cleared her throat behind him. Butler stepped sideways, and took a step back to face the jury and both sets of royals. “For our records, what trick is our Butler accused of?”

Butler felt a pang of panic at the use of his now true name. He wondered if the fae court could pick up on it, like this. He hoped not. He wanted no part of that name on their tongues. He wondered if it even had power like this.

“He promised us children,” Queen Liita said. “And he did not deliver.”

Prince Yuki creaked in his little chair beside Queen Aikaterine’s throne. He looked like a teenager at his mother’s table, and his red eyes were wide with innocence, like he had not been the one to drag Butler from their jail. “He failed to give you children at all?”

“He gave us chickens,” Queen Liita explained, and there was a distinct sound in her voice like she was talking to a child. Butler held in another snort. “It was down to his wording. A good trick badly applied. We have wanted children for so long.”

Despite her sound of talking down to the prince, there was a twist in her words at the end. Butler almost felt bad. Almost.

“Now, we begin with questioning,” Queen Aikaterine said. Butler was glad for it- it meant that she owned this arena. “My question is- is this true, my Butler?”

(Previous)

#the butler #writing #writeblr #creative writing #ch 10 #pg 4 #well here's some more stuff that is Maybe boring? #but maybe it isn't

[petrikaira]

The Butler

Chapter 10: Butler's Trial

Pg 3 (Previous)

Rating: T For Teen

Like a flower.

Butler winced at the thought. There was no time for that, and his queen Canis looked radiant and tall, like a tree. And it was her that stood between him and whatever punishments the fae royals had cooked up.

“Are you satisfied with this area for trial?” Queen Aiketerine asked, her voice ringing in the still forest air. Somewhere a crow answered with a squawk.

“We are,” King Mifispectuus said. “Have you brought five of your people to preside?”

“We have,” Queen Aikaterine said. “As well as ourselves, totaling your required seven. And you?”

“We have, as well as ourselves.”

It was trite. Measured. Each word was like a knife sliding under Butler’s pelt. It was agonizing, waiting for this to begin. His eyes flicked to the steps behind them, and the trees. The skeleton guards, and a variety of fae guards in their glowing colors, were beginning to mark the area for trial. Magic wards were being drawn in the air, shimmering and covering forest and cavernous holes alike. Wooden chairs were being dragged up from the depths, or conjured into being with a languid twitch of a fae hand. All too soon there was a facsimile of a court, half Canis furniture and half the forest itself bending to sit the fae.

Once complete, both Kings and Queens went to one side of it- the Canis to the open mouth down to their domain, and the fae king and queen to the seats in the trees at the beginning of theirs. From behind the guards came the five people from each side set to judge him.

Butler’s eyes scanned both crowds for faces he already knew. For whatever it was worth, both the fae royals and the Canis royals had chosen people he had never seen before in his life. There was a yellow fae, a purple and a blue, even gray ones with their blinking lights- Butler hadn’t even known gray light fairies existed, yet here they were to judge him in the light of day. 

The demons were a different caliber entirely. A purple woman, a naga woman whose tail coiled around her own body, some guy who looked like a basic human, a person who Butler was pretty sure was just a cloud, and perhaps the worst of all, a cow that looked like it had been skinned. He had to admit he did appreciate that more. No pretty blinking lights. 

Regardless, there was not a single one whose heartstrings he could tug by matter of being known. 

He supposed ultimately that was far more fair, for it could have gone that there was someone who absolutely despised him on the fae side. He supposed there still could be, as he was sure the rumors and the knowledge of his very public fae trial and what he had done abounded. 

Well, there was nothing for it. He would have to play the perfect butler, subservient in his position and clearly tug the heartstrings by being as genuine as he could at the job he had performed for both royals. 

Well.

He was nothing if not a good butler.

“To make it fair to us both,” Queen Aikaterine began. “We will start by beginning with the oldest of the two issues to be brought to trial, but no matter the decision, the decision will not be metted out until both trials are concluded..”

Well fuck.

(Previous)

#the butler #writing #writeblr #creative writing #i feel like we are gettin into boring stuff lads #pull up your britches and keep going #ch 10 #pg 3 #if the author of eragon can do it i guess i can too

[petrikaira]

The Butler

Chapter 10: Butler's Trial

Pg 2 (Previous) Rating: T For teen

He thought about Ilse on the floor again, seeing her grandmother for the brief few moments she had been gone. There would be no grandmother for him. He doubted there was even a place where his mother’s soul resided. Did demons have souls? Where did you go when you came from Hell already?

Not to mention the pain. The blood. Ilse had not looked comfortable, and the way he would be given would be only pain.

Still, the little voice in his head said. Better this than whatever aims to erase you.

If he had just never agreed to give the fae royals children, if he had never gone to the fae court in the first place, none of this would have happened.

His mind balked. He would still be in Hell, sliding from cave to cave in the Teeth and scrounging for whatever food the volcanic soils brought him. Parsley season always started well, but then when parsley was one of the only foods in your region, it got boring, fast and did not satisfy your hunger. Parsley had very little substance. The rice crops were guarded, and he had never wanted to be on the bad side of whatever stronger demon had laid claim to the lands he had pilfered from. That, and the rock demons, all strong as the boulders they were made of, or the lava demons there, who burned so bright. All so much stronger than he was.

He scowled. Perhaps if he had chosen a better place to live than the fae court, then. He almost wished he had gone to the Demon City first. He would have sidestepped this entire mess.

How was he to have known that the Canis were a better bet than the fae? The stories of them had been worse. Powerful beings flung by their whims, said to have turned members of the devil’s own family into grotesques and fancies. People who died for their whims. People with the power of the gods who died fast and loose despite their lengthened life spans! 

Knowing this didn’t help Butler. He had chosen wrong.

Ahead the path to the city opened through a round, wide hole onto the forest itself. The pine trees and the dappled light, the smell of the ocean in the air. Butler had to admit he had missed it. He breathed it in. Took the smell of the loam and the moss and the pines into his chest to quiet his worried heart. The forest was his favorite place to live, by far, so far. The part of Hell he had lived in had been fire, and magma, and jagged rocky peaks. The Demon City was a busy city, and sure it was full of flowers and had its cute little parks- but the forest. It was full of life, and sunlight. So much so that at first it had hurt his eyes. 

Walking towards their parade of guards and royals came the bright glowing lights of the fae. It looked like it wasn’t going to just be the fae king and queen, but an audience. Butler’s lips drew back, his love of the forest instantly soured and the nervous flutter of his heart back. He had almost forgotten about the fae citizens and how much he hated them. He could see them now, purple lights, a green light here and there, popping up through the trees like a light show. And at the head, the glowing gold and blue of the King Mifispectuss and Queen Liita. 

If it all went to shit, he would die before them.

Queen Aikaterine and Prince Yuki Canis stopped in the doorway to their world, flanked at their side by two skeletal guards. Butler slowed with his guards behind them, in clear view. 

“Hail and well met, King and Queen of the fae,” Queen Aikaterine called.

“Hail and well met, Queen Aikaterine Canis,” Queen Liita answered, stepping through the dappled sunlight to stand before them. She was so much shorter, almost delicate looking compared to the Canis queen. 

(Previous)

#the butler #writing #writeblr #creative writing #ch 10 #pg 2

[petrikaira]

The Butler

Chapter 10: Butler's Trial

Pg 1 (Previous)

Rating: T for Teen

Butler’s feet dragged. Despite his blustered confidence that the Canis royals had his back, the trial he now marched to weighed on his mind. He was trailed closely by Andre, who was to keep an eye on him, while Guard kept an eye on Douglas Fir who was a quiet, recalcitrant thing bound by golden chain. 

They were not the only ones being escorted by a guard. Ilse Fairbanks was striding ahead, her side flanked by Jerry, another one of the skeleton guards. If it was any other day, Butler would have held in his mirth that the human maid could barely look at the skeleton guards that had their back. Butler did always find it so funny how upset by bones she was. 

Today, that feeling was dead.

Much as she had been on that floor.

He didn’t like to think about it.

The steps leading out from the Demon City dug into his shoes. He needed new ones after this, he suspected. There was just so much dust on the road leading to the gateway of the city. He knew why the fae royals had agreed to a trial held there- it was as neutral of land as either party could get. The Demon City’s entrance to the surface opened onto the forest that connected with the fae lands. There, at the gate that led down, down, beneath the ground was where the two separate kingdoms technically met.

Even if Butler would argue with the fae royals about that. It was so stupid, them deciding to claim the entire forest. When he had worked with them he could see some of it, but it wasn’t as if they were the only creatures in the forest! There were elves there, somewhere, and rabbit demons, and mermaids off the coast, and dryads and naiads!

He wasn’t going to quibble. If the fae wanted to claim the entire forest, at least it left him closer to the Canis palace if things went sideways. If he ran fast enough he could run right back from whence he came.

He still didn’t know what they would do to him. And he didn’t know what Queen Aikaterine would agree to in the trial proceedings, and if she would have his back. It wasn’t as if she had known his circumstances when her husband had taken him from the fae court.

It wasn’t as if he wasn’t guilty of tricking the fae royals.

He had.

He didn’t think he had much to be sorry for. 

Still, even Queen Aikaterine would see the pain his trick had given the fae. She was a kind queen after all, and the fae royals had wanted children so desperately. Still, the Canis were willing to see reason. To give him that chance to go on his own terms, if it came down to it. And he needed to bank on it. Even if it left him feeling queasy.

He gazed up at the sloping, brown dirt tunnel in an effort to get his stomach to calm down. It was perfectly smooth, and towered above them. Their footsteps sounded muffled as they climbed up the perfectly carved dirt stairs down. He looked over at the cobbled gently sloping road, taking in the wear from carriage tires. Breathe in. Breathe out. Whatever horror he had to submit to- he at least got a choice. 

One choice.

He didn’t want to die.

(Previous)

#the butler #fantasy #writing #writeblr #ch 10 #pg 1 #finally back from the break i didn't realize i was taking

[petrikaira]

The Butler

Chapter 9: Before the Canis Royals

Pg 4 (Previous, Next)

Rating T for teen

The Prince had a point. Butler knew as well as they did that to King Mifispectuus, and Queen Liita, not only had he broken a promise to them, but he had made them fools in front of their entire court, and added a heaping slice of rude on top of that. They had brought him into their palace, their home, and given him a job despite not being one of their species at all. A move that their court had criticized, as fairies were about the propagation of their own species and no other within their walls. It was not their job to take care of creatures beyond them. Sure, some did for fun if they wanted to- but nothing like it had been for Butler. He had been taken in when he had shown up on their step, begging. He had not been invited.

“Are you willing to put up with something draconian?” Prince Yuki said, leaning forward.

Butler swallowed. His fingers pulled at the hem of his vest, playing over the knotted flowers at the base. “To…to an extent,” he murmured. 

He wondered what he would put up with when put on that stand in front of both courts. What he would feel an insult to himself when he was before whoever Douglas Fir was, Eksender or himself. He wondered what would be too much.

“I must warn you,” Queen Aikaterine said. “It is unlikely we will be allowed to issue your punishment. Of course, we will do our best to keep you from fae hands, but we cannot guarantee the law of peace is on your side, depending.”

Butler swallowed again.

“That does not mean we will not try,” Queen Aikaterine said. “There is one law, one clemency, I can grant you. If, when your punishment is decided, you think it will diminish your self and dignity, you may say “My Queen, I would rather die.” And I will use an old demon law to allow you a sword on which to fall on, and we let fate decide from there.”

Butler swallowed. “And if I miss-?”

“If you miss, we cannot save you. It is the one clemency I can grant.”

Butler turned that thought in his hands. A chance to die, or be maimed- but at least by his own choice. It would not entirely be the choice of others deciding his fate. It would be whether or not he could aim.

He could aim. He knew the spots in his own body he had protected from stronger demon’s hands, from stronger demons' magic. His throat. His breastbone, right where his heart now hammered. If he wanted something slow and awful and not guaranteed, his soft belly where all his intestines lay. 

One sword. One chance to use it. If he could strike himself just so, across the belly, across the chest- across the neck. He was confident enough he could die on his own terms-

And if he did not, that his suffering would place King Mifispectuus and Queen Liita enough. Perhaps she would scream in rage, and rip out his throat with her teeth herself. Perhaps she wouldn’t. Either way, if he did it right- his death would either be instant or agonizing, but assured.

He looked up at Queen Aikaterine, feeling grim. “Thank you for your clemency,” he said slowly. “I will take it if I need it.”

Queen Aikaterine nodded her head just once. “Then I promise you, I shall give it.”

He stood, his hand on his beating heart. He hoped he would not have to use it. He was glad for the assurance to remain himself. Bowing low, he went backwards from the throne room. He had waiting to do.

Terrifying, agonizing, waiting.

(Previous, Next)

#the butler #writing #writeblr #creative writing #ch 9 #pg 4

[petrikaira]

The Butler

Ch 9: Before the Canis Royals

Pg 3 (Previous, Next)

Rating: T for Teen

The nervousness was not exactly abated. He could feel the flutter of his own heart, the panic building that he might be taken back to the fae kingdom. Turned into a babe with blunted fingers to practice being raised. That something else might happen to him if his Canis lieges made the fae queen and king agree to not turn him to a babe, but relinquished him to their control anyways. 

He thought about Ilse’s body on the ground. Bloodied, and her eyes unseeing. He thought about what it would mean to be a babe, with parts of himself locked away. Would he ever know? Would the thing he became at the hands of the fae know who he had been? The thought of that was terrifying, in a way he couldn’t quite grasp. Alive but not himself.

“What are you most afraid of?” Queen Aikaterine asked, her voice soft in the dimly lit throne room.

Butler looked up. They were speaking plain, of a sort. He may as well. “Whatever happens, your Majesty, I do not want to go back with the fae royals,” He said. “If you have to kill me instead, do that.”

Queen Aikaterine gazed at him, red eyes locked. He felt his breath still in his lungs. His fingers curled and he pressed his claws to the pads of his hands. She watched him. He watched her. He was afraid she was going to tell him no. 

Prince Yuki leaned forward. “I think Kat and I need to know one more thing,” he said.

“What is it?” Butler’s mouth felt dry. 

“How far would you be willing to go to get the fae satisfied, and leave you here?” Prince Yuki asked.

“My liege-?” 

Butler couldn’t be sure what he meant. He would not go with them, and be subject to his whims.

“Say- if they demand what you had promised them,” Yuki said. “How far?”

Butler furrowed his brow. He tilted his head for a moment. Swallowed. 

“If it meant not going with them- and not dying-” He murmured. He considered. All of this had hinged on a child. He did not want to steal one from a human family, but at this point, it would be better than not. 

“Would you give up part of yourself for it?” Yuki asked. “But not all?”

Butler’s heart hammered heavily in his chest. Part, but not all… He furrowed his brow. There were plenty of ways that could go. His memories, which would leave him in a similar situation to a babe in the fae court. Himself, but not. Except the body would stay. He swallowed.

“You are free to tell us your thoughts on the matter,” Queen Aikaterine said. Her eyes had remained locked on him, unblinking. “My husband’s ideas are not always the most sound.”

“I am fine with killing because I would remain myself, my lieges,” Butler muttered. “But anything that turns me from myself, in this body- I would not like.”

Prince Yuki leaned his head into his hands, his own red eyes locked on Butler. He blinked. “What if it was something like a hand?”

Butler winced. “That’s draconian-” he said. A hand for a child! He wasn’t sure the fae would ever want that, would ever go for it-

“I bring it up because I may have to do something draconian,” the Prince said. “We may have to decide on something like that, to satisfy the fae royals. I’m sure they’re taking this as a slight on their honor as well as their beings, and you know how the fae can be.”

(Previous, Next)

#the butler #writing #writeblr #creative writing #ch 9 #pg 3 #sorry about not sticking to schedule things have been crazy in my house

[petrikaira]

The Butler

Chapter 9: Before the Canis Royals

Pg 2 (Previous, Next)

Rating: T for Teen

Queen Aikaterine’s hand reached up for her temple. She ran a little circle there, fingers pressing down. 

“Oh-” Prince Yuki said, his voice now closer to a whisper. “Sorry, Kat, sorry- the rules are different because he’s a demon.”

“Yes, Yuki, I get that you believe that, yes.”

Butler settled, hands in his lap. He looked at the Queen, and the Prince and felt the faintest sorry for the Queen having to put up with this husband. He had heard it had been an arranged marriage. 

“I don’t just believe it!” Yuki said. “Butler is a demon of Hell, technically speaking he’s not even supposed to have been on the surface-”

Butler felt his fur bristle. “No, that was ordained,” he spat. His fingernails clicked on the chairs. “Any demon ready to cavort on the surface was allowed to go, because Lucifer called for a possession at a convent when I went.”

Yuki opened his mouth. Closed it. He blinked. “Was that-”

“It doesn’t matter,” Queen Aikaterine said. “He was taken in by the fae. There rules must be followed as well.”

Yuki beamed. “We just need to look at the terms of our peace treaty- surely your father wrote it down, right my wife, my Queen?”

Queen Aikaterine settled back, her fingers clicking against the chair. She heaved a heavy sigh, with a peculiar look flitting across her face. Butler couldn’t quite place the narrowing of her eyes. Was it upset by this situation? At him? At the Prince’s choice to have him fill the shoes of Agni?

“You’ve read it already, haven’t you?” Queen Aikaterine said. 

“No,” Prince Yuki said gleefully. He sat up. “I had one of our advisors read it to me, because I like it much more when I am read to.”

Butler did not point out that was technically reading it. He wondered what it meant to have had an advisor unwittingly briefed about his situation, but there was a flicker of hope in his chest. That was not the stupidest thing he had ever heard. 

Queen Aikaterine focused on her husband, mouth drawn. Then, she turned and her eyes caught Butler’s. “Regardless of if the fae laws or the demon laws apply, we will be using both going forward for your fate. I do promise, as one of ours, to do my best for you that I could do.”

Butler swallowed. Her words bolstered some nervousness in him he hadn’t been aware he had been harboring. “Do you know what that will mean for me, your Majesty?”

“It means,” she said. “That my husband and I will navigate these waters with the best decision for you, Eksender Ryber, and our Ilse in mind. We do not intend to leave you out to dry, either.”

Prince Yuki smiled soft. “We can’t make decisions prior to the trials, of course!” He said. “We can’t be led when it comes to you, to this- but you have to believe that Kat is fair. And I try to be.”

Butler pressed his tongue to the edge of his mouth. He waited for a second, breathed out. “Speaking plain- I’m not sure how to feel about that.”

(Previous, Next)

#fantasy #the butler #writing #writeblr #ch 9 #pg 2

[petrikaira]

The Butler

Chapter 9: Before the Canis Royals

Pg 1 (Previous, Next)

Rating: T for Teen

The room was dim with just the light from a few gleaming gas lamps. Butler’s eyes traced the hand painted peony blossoms along the glass, and the faint flicker of the orange flame below. He had been summoned for a pre-trial questioning by Queen Aikaterine and Prince Yuki, and he was waiting for them to speak. 

Queen Aikaterine sat in her throne, back as straight as a pole and the demure white dress commanding in the dimness. He knew it was dim because she was suffering from one of her many headaches- something he was sure that his being here was not helping. He knew she could read his thoughts like plucking the feathers from a stray chicken.

He knew it was the thoughts that caused the headaches. As butler, he had been justly notified. It was why his duties involved gathering the maids to clear all the rooms from hers on days when it was bad- cleaning the Queen’s wing happened on days when she was feeling a little better. 

“You are thinking too much, Butler,” Queen Aikaterine said. Her voice was like the rustle of dry papers in library shelves.

Butler snapped his eyes to hers. “Forgive me, anyways, your Highness,” he said. “I am nervous, considering.”

Prince Yuki sat hunched over at her elbow on a wooden rough hewn chair that he had gotten from who knew where. Butler had never seen it before. It looked like it belonged in some human peasant’s home. His legs were dangling uncouthly off the side. 

“You don’t have to be!” Prince Yuki said. “We are ready to come to your aid-”

“Your highnesses- if I may speak a moment?” Butler asked easily, cutting him off. It had been different when this whelp of a pup was whisking him away. Now he had to have some modicum of manners for him. Still, he did not have to have many. 

“You may, only if you allow us to speak our piece as well.” Queen Aikaterine

Butler straightened his waistcoat, fingers smoothing down the embroidered stitching. He sat up in his own chair, a proper one with a cushion that had been taken from the dining room. 

“Of course, your Majesties,” he said. “Now, Prince Yuki, you promised me when you offered me a job here that you would be coming to my aid. You also promised me that my past with the fae would not be a problem- what was it you said?”

Butler tapped the chair with his claws, feeling a little flutter in his chest. He made a show of furrowing his brow and sinking his fangs into his lips. 

“Um,” Prince Yuki began. He shifted in the chair, throwing his torso over the other side of it and almost kicking his wife in the arm with his shiny black boots.

Queen Aikaterine sighed, pushing his boots away from her. “Yuki.” Her voice was stern.

“I think,” Butler said, tapping his chin now. “I think it had something to do with demon rules?”

Prince Yuki’s mouth opened in an o. He gazed at Butler, then his wife, and then back. “Oh- right! Yes!” He cried, a light almost flickering in his eyes. Butler caught how his loud voice made Queen Aikaterine wince. “I said that fae rules don’t entirely apply to you, because you’re a demon!"

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#fantasy #the butler #writing #creative writing #writeblr #ch 9 #pg 1