“I think that would be for the best your majesty,” Ash said nodding his head.
After leaving the king Ash was escorted back to his room as other knights rushed out Ash figured to make sure that the prince stayed within his rooms. Ash had already killed one person and in front of a large group of nobles and Ash knew that the king wouldn’t risk his son’s life on the off chance that Ash would stay his blade.
“How did it go? Tina asked as soon as Ash returned seeming unafraid that something might have happened to him during his meeting with the king. Ash explained what he had learned from the King and what his reply had been.
“You really told the king that you would kill his son if so much as saw him again,” Tina said trying to scowl at him but unable to hold it for long she started laughing. “It has been far too long since the nobles of these lands have dealt with demons. They really should keep up with history. At least you are still more housebroken than your ancestors. In the past the demon king would have killed the king and all his nobles if he was attacked like you were during an official function.”
“If Tolarea was here she would have don’t just that,” Ash said laughing as he thought of the giantess cutting through the guests of tonight’s banquet.
“So the king will see us off tomorrow?” Tina asked after Ash had finished laughing.
“That is what he said but I doubt the prince will take his loss with grace,” Ash said nodding his head.
“No cure for the stupid,” Tina said shaking her hear. “He thinks that if you die Emelia will just jump in his arms. She would gut him and hang him from the walls of her castle. And the demons would rain down on the Tren kingdom until nothing was left. The battle against Heluria only used a portion of the demons strength since you didn’t want to draw the ire of the other kingdoms but I doubt your successor would have the same thoughts when dealing with Tren.”
“He is young and foolish,” Ash said nodding his head. “And Emelia is beautiful and charming.”
“I bet he could care less if Emelia was a humpback one legged troll. She is a queen and to him and many others that means she needs a king to tell her what to do,” Tina said in a slightly annoyed tone. “I swear men think women can’t do anything without their advice. Even if she married the boy he would never be anything more than a consort without any real power with Hawkwing.”
“OK you are getting too worked up,” Ash said trying to calm Tina down who had worked herself up. “Tomorrow we will be back on the road and soon back home,” Ash said as he pulled Tina toward the bed. “So we better get some sleep so we can be fresh for the road.”
14-10
Early the next morning Ash and Tina were sitting in a carriage leaving the capital of Tren surrounded by a contingent of nearly thirty soldiers. It was a larger group than Ash wanted around him since he could not be assured that they had not been ordered to kill him as soon as they had left the safety of the city but it was not something that he could turn down without damaging the already strained relationship between him and King Astel.
While they travelled Ash kept looking out the window every five to ten minutes to check on the soldiers while Tina just sat back sewing on some fabric she had picked up during their voyage. For a goddess she was an extremely good home-maker if Ash didn’t think of her unique choices where food was concerned. Tina loved to sew and clean things that none of his other wives seemed very interested in. For cooking he had Li which he was happy for. All of his wives had their own talents and weaknesses but Ash couldn’t think of a life without a single one of them. He knew that he was being greedy but since no one seemed to care he wasn’t going to either.
“You should just relax,” Tina said after Ash had looked out the window for the sixth time in the past hour. “If they do anything we will know of it beforehand,” Tina assured him.
“How do you know?” Ash asked a bit more bite in his words than was intended but Tina didn’t seem to mind and just gave him a sweet smile.
“The price is not slotted to take the throne and while it is not impossible for him to get a number of soldiers on his side there is no way that all of them would be willing to go against their king for a spoiled brat. If any of the guards are planning to try and harm us be assured that at least a few of them will also try and protect us, giving us our warning. I swear you have no knowledge of the workings of a kingdom. You are lucky Emelia has a good head on her shoulders otherwise you would end up handing everything over to your prime minister and within five years would be sitting behind your throne wondering why your knights are trying to dispose of you.”
“I hate to see what happens when you and Emelia get together,” Ash said as he looked toward Tina who was currently embroidering a set of demon wings set on a shield on one of his shirts. It looked a lot like the Emelia’s families coat of arms but with demon wings were sharper and looked like the ones on his back. The demons didn’t have coat of arms like the human kingdoms but Tina had said that it was a requirement and he needed to start implementing one. That was where the symbol that Tina was sewing on his clothing came from.
The first day of travel went smoothly and they camped in a small clearing next to the road. The soldiers offered to set up a tent for them but Ash refused preferring to sleep inside the carriage. The carriage was made of sturdy wood and arrows would have trouble penetrating it while a tent was easily assaulted. There wasn’t as much room as he would like put the padded seats were comfortable which made up for the cramped atmosphere.
Ash wasn’t surprised when halfway through the night that sounds starting coming from the camp. Two of the soldiers who were supposed to be on patrol were caught trying to reach Ash’s carriage. Ash didn’t leave the carriage but instead chose to listen to the soldier’s conversation as they were only a handful of feet away.
“He is a demon,” one of the soldiers said.
“The king said that we are to guard him until he has left the Tern lands,” another soldier countered.
“Why? So that when he returns he can send his armies to destroy is just like he did Heluria.”
“That is not for us to decide.”
“It will be,” the other soldier said and a long groan echoed softly in the night air as the distinct sound of a blade cutting through flesh sounded out. Ash shook Tina awake as he pulled his sword free just as the door to the carriage was carefully opened. Ash didn’t wait and attacked as soon as he saw the face of the would-be assassin.
Ash kicked the limp body from his blade as he pulled Tina away from the camp unsure of how the other soldiers would feel but he didn’t get far before he was confronted with the sword of another soldier. Ash batted it aside but didn’t stop to continue the fight as the soldier started calling for the others. Two soldiers were already dead and there was at least one other soldier who was working with the prince in an attempt for his head.
Tina ran behind Ash as the sounds of the soldiers moving around started to fill the air. She was still only half awake and unsure of what was happening but she trusted Ash and followed behind him without a word of protest. After running for a little over an hour the sounds of the soldiers had long faded into the distance and could no longer be heard.
Having not slept well the night before Ash and Tina both moved sluggishly as the sun began to come up. Just like before they stayed off the main road but there was no way they could stay away from towns. Tina could find food most days but without a store of water and emergency rations the only thing they would find would be death.
They stayed away from the main towns and looked for a small village. It took two days of wearily walking through woods and brush before they found a village that was large enough to have a small trading center but not large enough for more than a few traders to visit in a year. After circling the village twice to make sure there were no soldiers within it Ash and Tina went to the building that doubled as a store and bar. Their selection was poor but they were able to get fresh water and enough food to last them a fortnight.<
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Ash couldn’t be sure that the soldiers or the king was looking for him but he wasn’t willing to risk it. He could fight against maybe ten men before it became a strain but that became harder with Tina around. He knew that she could take care of herself but whenever she was around his focus was on her safety. He did not do the same with Tolarea, Li and the others. He didn’t know why there was a difference in how he thought about the women but there was a small distinction in his mind. Tolarea and the others while his wives were also his guards and if he had tried to protect them over his own safety Tolarea would have beat him into the ground for it.
With the soldiers and carriage it would have taken just over five days to reach the edges of the kingdom but alone they were able to move faster though not by much since they did not stick to any established roads and instead walked through the brush. Once they crossed the border Ash felt a little more security but he didn’t let his guard down but they did move back onto the main road.
When they reached the first town Ash saw a portrait of him within the inn offering gold for any news of his whereabouts. At first he thought it might be from when he had been captured by the Trieste but it looked too new. Ash had Tina ask about it and they learned that it had only been placed two days before by a young looking man in armour. Fearing the worst Tina and Ash were once again forced off the main road as they made their way back home.
Every few days Tina and Ash would be forced back into a town. Ash tried his best to hide his face as more and more of the posters were in each place that they went but he knew that no matter how hard he tried it was hard to keep everyone seeing his face. When they were near crossing the border of the kingdom of Quin. The kingdom of Quin was on the northern border of what was once Heluria.
Just as he let his guard down Ash found himself blocked at the border by a large group of soldiers. Ash and Tina looked on from a large bush only about two hundred yards from the soldiers watching them. He couldn’t see them very well but they looked like they were searching for something and he had a sneaking suspicion that it was him.
“Who goes there?” A deep voice called out from behind Ash and Tina.
Grasping the hilt of his sword Ash swung around only to be greeted by the slightly blue-grey tint of a demon. Surprised Ash loosened his grip on his sword as the demon knelled before him. “Your majesty we have been searching for you for weeks,” the demon said in a relieved tone.
“King Astrel informed us that some of his soldiers had taken it upon themselves to decide the best course of action within the kingdom, while his youngest son tried to overthrow his place as king. We brought every demon we could to search for you and even put up posters for information. We learned that you were headed toward the border and tightened our search,” the demon in charge explained one Tina and Ash were safely within their camp.
“What happened to King Astrel and his son?” Ash asked once he had heard most of the story.
“His son was executed for treason,” the demon said. “Astrel himself was poisoned but survived but he is currently in no condition to rule a kingdom not to mention many of the nobles are calling for his dethronement. He has called by the heir from the eastern cities so that he may pass on the crown last we heard.”
Ash was saddened to hear about Astrel but the man was at least still alive. He hoped that the fact that his own son had tried to kill him wouldn’t leave too lasting of a scar but he doubted it. That was not something that someone could get over overnight.
“I thought that someone was after me with all the posters,” Ash admitted laughing once he had gathered all the news he wanted.
“I told you that you were being paranoid,” Tina said in a huff as she pulled another twig from her hair. She had told him days before that they should try and find out who was searching for information on them and why before they started cross country again. Tina loved the outdoors but it seemed that their frantic pace was starting to wear even on her.
“We will have you back home soon my lord,” the demon soldier said with a salute before leaving Ash and Tina alone in a large tent with what looked like the most comfortable bed in the world.
“What are we going to do now?” Tina asked with a sigh. “The adventure is over and soon I will have to share you with others.”
Ash couldn’t help but laugh as he pulled Tina over to a large bath that had been prepared for them. “I thought you liked the idea of having sister wives?” Ash asked as he playfully pulled her into the water with their clothes still on.
It took thirteen days even with the demon escort before the reached what Ash still remembered as the Hawkwing Duchy. When they approached the manor that had been slightly extended he saw Yuki, and Emelia who was holding their child in her arms waiting on him. As he was about to greet them Ash noticed other figures appearing from the back of the courtyard. It didn’t take him long to notice Tolarea, Li, Celina, Seia, and his other wives were waiting for him to see his other family first before intruding.
Ash lifted up Emelia and gave her a strong kiss before doing the same to Yuki and then picking up his child which was much bigger than he expected. He had been gone for longer than he had thought nearly a year and a half had passed since he had left Hawkwing in order to fight the king of Heluria.
After greeting everyone and introducing Tina Ash and the others went inside where a large banquet had been prepared. Ash explained most of what had happened to him leaving out any details that might endanger the Trieste or the fact that Tina was the goddess Altina. If she wanted that known he would let her tell them. After the meal his other wives and Yuki took Tina away so that Emelia could have some time alone with Ash. Once everyone was gone Emelia turned on Ash and gave him a hard stare.
“Every time you disappear you bring back another woman,” She accused her tone even and cold sounding. “I swear if you keep this up I will just chain you to the bedpost so that I and the others can keep an eye on you.”
Ash gave her a lingering kiss as he lifted her from the ground. “The war is over and as far as I know there is nothing else that needs to be done for now so we can just sit back and enjoy our lives,” Ash said warmly.
“What about the demon kingdom?” Emelia asked as she pulled back from his embrace.
“It rules itself mostly,” Ash said shrugging his shoulders. I can check in every few months…Or years to see if I need to step in.”
Emelia kissed him then and smiled up at him. “Welcome home,” She said softly before laying her head on his chest.
Epilogue
Ash looked out from his vantage point on top of the Hawkwing castle at the sprawling city below. It had been thirty years since the last time he had looked down upon the city but not much had changed over those years. It still looked much the same just larger. The only real difference was that his wife and son were no longer the ones in charge of the country. Now his great-great….Great granddaughter was sitting on the throne. He had only met her once but she was a smart girl that had inherited her grandmother’s spirit.
Unlike his human and Bestman counterparts his demon wives were still with him. Tina was as well though not in the same body that she had worn when they first met. Just like a human she would grow old, Die and a few years later would come to him again. It was a cycle and sometimes a painful one. The Tina that came each time was slightly different than the one before but they were all Tina and all the goddess.
Ash had lived in the human worlf for two hundred years before he grew tired of watching the people he had grown to care about wither and die before him. In the end he retreated behind the mountain to live with the demons but that had grown tiresome. He couldn’t understand how some daemons live for thousands of years without losing their mind. He hadn’t lived half of that yet but he was ready for it to end yet he still clung to life.
“Tina I am ready,” Ash said after a long moment of looking out and remembering the times he had within the walls that surrounded him.
“Are you sure?” Tina asked
her voice sad. She didn’t want him gone yet. His soul would linger but it would never be the same as it had been. He would become a god and she was one of the few who understood what that truly meant. “We could just disappear and live out another life before you go?” She asked her voice plaintive.
“No, it is time” Ash said firmly. “I have lived enough for one lifetime.”
“I will miss you,” Tina said as her eyes misted over and she raised her hand. The mortal body around her started to burn away as it was filled with her godly power.
“I will never forget you,” Ash said as his spirit left his body and rose into the air.
Tina looked at the soul as it departed for the heaven realm and sighed as a single golden tear ran down her cheek. “There are some things that not even the gods can control my love, but I will watch over you and some day when your humanity begins to return I will stand by your side again.”
Reborn: Demons Return Page 8