FALLEN ANGEL: MARRIED TO THE DEMON KING

 Tables stretched out across the courtyard, filled with food and drink that Arella had never seen in the human or demon realm. Trays of shimmering fruits that glowed faintly in the dark, roasted meat that exuded a spiced aroma she had never smelled before and huge jugs of liquid that sparkled in the darkness. It was a feast of demons if Arella had ever seen one.

The demons were cautious to not touch Arella's wings, but some would give her a hand to shake. Some children even came so close to her just to fawn over the black dress. Other demons approached simply to bow or to welcome her. Others were more reserved, showing their skepticism by looking directly at her wings behind covered palms as they whispered to each other.

When they reached the heart of the gathering, two thrones awaited them. One was carved from crystal that had fire blazing inside it. The other had vines that surrounded the arms—vines of pure obsidian, inlaid with shimmering red rubies. They were the same size, and Arella would not have known which to take if Varziel had not directed her to the seat with the obsidian vines.

"Your place, my queen." He let out a toothy grin, and with the close distance, Arella could see the slight fangs that were in the place of his canines.

Arella's steps up the little stage were stable, even though the weight of the moment pressed down on her. She turned, facing the crowd of demons, before taking her seat. The crowd erupted into another cheer, the sound echoing in the courtyard. The seat was cold but surprisingly comfortable. She quite liked how she felt seated on it. Echo settled himself next to her feet, always the faithful companion.

"Long live the queen! Long live the king!" the chant started once more.

Arella's heart raced, as if it finally realized that she had become the Queen of the demons. Their voices shook her to the core.

In the angel realm, there had once been a royal family. However, the council of angels took over when she was very young, and it was what she was used to. It had been centuries since she had seen such reverence directed to two people, and she was now one of those two people.

She turned to King Varziel, wondering how he felt with all the attention that was on them. Once she turned, she realized that his eyes were on her, as if they had been on her the entire time. His blood-red eyes did not unnerve her as she would have expected.

His lips pulled up in a toothy grin once he noticed that she had turned to look at him. The fangs peeked out, and Arella found herself thinking that they were quite cute.

"Are you overwhelmed, my queen?" His voice was low enough for just her ears.

"A little bit. I am not used to having all this attention on me." She placed her hands on her lap, ensuring that her back was straight. With her seated, the corset dug into her skin ever so slightly. "But I will manage."

His lips pulled up even further, making Arella notice that his fangs were actually longer than she had previously thought. "Good. You will need that strength here in the demon realm."

Varziel turned back to the cheering demons and raised his hand. Immediately, the courtyard fell silent. "With all this food and drink here, why are we not celebrating?" Upon hearing his words, the demons cheered and dispersed to the food-laden tables.

The feast was unlike anything Arella was used to.

To begin with, meals in the angel realm were always eaten inside. As such, there were halls big enough to fit so many angels. Another thing was that angels did not speak loudly when there were meals. The demons were a rambunctious lot. There were some who were floating above their tables with their wings, picking at food from tables that interested them. She even saw one demon steal another demon's plate.

It was all interesting for Arella to watch.

Arella was so focused that she did not see a demon approaching their raised platform. She was pulled out of her head when King Varziel's voice addressed her, "My queen, is there something specific you would like to eat?" Arella turned to him, her stomach growling at that exact moment.

She rubbed her stomach. "I will eat anything as long as it is delicious. I have never had food from the demon realm, so I do not know what to choose."

King Varziel nodded, then turned to the female demon who had approached them. The demon was short, shorter than Arella, and her breasts threatened to spill out of the skimpy dress that she wore. Her wings were black, leathery, and smaller than Arella had ever seen. The wings of angles were always large. She also had a slender leather tail that poked from her rear, with a sharp pointed tip.

"This is Velmoria. She is one of the demons who manage the palace." King Varziel introduced. "Velmoria, this is your Queen, Arella of the Angels of Water. You will be working together very often in order to take care of the palace. I hope you get along."

The demon, Velmoria, gave Arella a deep bow, "My queen, I am here to assist."

Arella, not used to such attention, looked to King Varziel, obvious panic in her eyes. His eyebrows were raised, obviously amused with the situation. He gave a pointed look at the bowing demon, then back at Arella before turning back to look at the crowd of feasting demons. The message was clear: 'You're the queen; deal with it.'

Arella was very tempted to see if her holy fire was strong enough to work on the demon king. She clenched her fists on her lap before turning to Velmoria. "I appreciate your help. We will be working together from now on. I do hope we get along. You may rise." She almost forgot the last part but realized that Velmoria may not raise her head if she was not instructed to. She had seen such scenes a lot back in the human realm.

Velmoria raised her head, her purple eyes staring straight at Arella's own green ones. It was an eye color Arella had never seen before, but she thought that it suited Velmoria quite nicely. "It would be an honour." The demon said, "I will return at once with your meals." Velmoria bowed slightly once more before hurrying away.

She worked very fast, and within minutes, Arella and King Varziel had small tables before them, and food had been piled on trays. There was even a tray for Echo. Arella had never tried any of the food, but it smelled divine. She turned to Velmoria to thank her, but the demon had already returned to the feast.

"She seems nice." Arella said as she picked up her fork, "Very efficient too."

"I keep her around for her efficiency. Succubi and Incubi are rarely known to keep normal jobs, so it is a surprise she has lasted this long." Arella looked at the crowd, noticing that there were a few other demons that looked just like Velmoria. Succubi and Incubi were demons they learned about in the demonology classes she had attended; however, she had not seen one in person before. Arella had to admit, they were just as alluring as the books said, if not more.

"I see. I guess there is a lot more than what the books tell us."

King Varziel scoffed, "Of course. Angels rarely come into the demon realm; a lot of what they know is from years ago. Things have changed so much in the last couple of centuries. Demons have become different, more civilized."

Arella looked at a pair of demons who were fighting over the last piece of meat that was on a tray, and was not sure that she could agree with the words of her husband. However, the last thing she wanted was to start an argument on the night of their wedding. She would start one tomorrow. Tonight, however, she was taking everything in.

The first bite Arella took of the food was like she had all but fallen into a trap of flavor. The spices were unlike those from heaven or earth, and it had a slight kick, which Arella loved if she was being honest.

"This is delicious," she told King Varziel mid-bite.

He had food in his own mouth, but he took the time to glance at her and give her a smile. "I am sure it does; the best chefs made it just for our wedding celebration."

Arella smiled, "Do they work for the castle, because if they don't, I am kidnapping them."

Her words caused King Varziel to burst out laughing, even though Arella did not find her words funny. She was being serious after all. His laughter caused some of the demons who were close to them to turn and start to whisper.

His laughter died down after a few seconds. "Alright, I will help you kidnap them." He inched closer to her, his scent invading her nostrills. Arella had almost forgotten how delectable he smelled. Almost. "Only the best for my angel."

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S/T:

King Varziel: (Thoughts when Arella says she will kidnap the cooks to work for the palace.) I would love to see my angel kidnapping the demons; it would be hilarious. After all, who wouldn't recognize the wings and immediately know it is their queen who is the kidnapper? Cute.