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The main throne room. It is a your typical nicely decorated throne room, each demon king adding their own bit of style to it. The throne was once a simple stone slab against the wall until Lareth got a hold on it. Lareth carved intricate designs into the walls and the pillars around him. What most saw as decoration, was far from what it really was. Protection spells and attack spells lay everywhere in disguised design.

This room is where if needed, is used as a reception hall to visiting demon Barons and a place where his Generals can meet him.

Wren gave Hal a nod of respect as he lead them into the throne room, moving at Rowan's side easily, "The demons are simply another race, Rowan. Not that much different from the Elves. Well, from what we used to be. I've met Lareth once or twice over the centuries, but I've had more contact with Hal. It was through Hal that I was able to set up the peace that now exists between the Drow, the Demons, the Dwarves, and the Elves. Just don't be surprised if Lareth flirts a bit. He flirts with just about anything. If he's breathing, he's flirting," she finished that on a slightly wry note, remembering the few occasions she'd met with the demon king.

Of course, she'd had to be told he was trying to flirt with her both times, so it had fallen a little flat each time he'd tried with her...

As they waited, another demon appeared in the throne room via a flash of flames, looking like sin on two legs. He blinked at the two people a brief moment then frowned when he realized Lareth wasn't here.

He gave a heavy sigh, hating the news he was going to be bringing his king but knowing he had to. So he simply headed for the doors to the throne room to speak to one of the guards posted there then sent the man running to find Lareth before turning back to the couple.

"Wren, it's good to see you again. I just wish it was under better circumstances. Lareth should be here shortly and I have some bad news to give him," he stated softly and gave a nod of respect to both of them.

Wren gave the Incubus a warm smile, "It's good to see you too Ash. This is my husband, Rowan. Rowan, this is Ash, one of Lareth's best assassins," she made the introductions easily to cover her need to get the meeting over with quickly. She simply couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible had happened already...

Wren gave a respectful nod of her head as Lareth entered with Hal behind him, "We do. She's taken up with Rowan's brother, Ravor. This is worrying in ways you cannot imagine. Her name is Esabel. She's apparently fairly simple-minded most of the time, more like an evil child in a woman's body. But she's become soul-bound to Ravor. He's something more," she started the explanation then turned to Rowan to explain about his brother.

But before Rowan could speak, Ash stepped forward and cleared his throat, "They were just in the realm. They appeared at the training fort and took Gypsy. They allowed her to take as many weapons as she wanted but nothing else," he said and shook his head slightly, "There was nothing I could do to stop it. They were simply too powerful. It was easy to see that their powers were actually intertwined and enhanced each other. There was nothing I could do at the time Lareth, but if you'll allow me to, I'll go with Wren and Rowan to get her back," he said, hoping that his king didn't kill him on the spot for the bad news he'd just delivered.

Ash yelled right back at Lareth, one of the few in the realm who would do so, "She and the others tried to fight her hounds off! The male had the place sealed off somehow so I couldn't get to her! In the end, Esabel promised that if Gypsy survived, she'd let her go. It was the only thing she could do!" he yelled back, clearly not liking the situation any more than Lareth did.

Wren moved forward to step between them, her hands on their chests pushing them apart as she glared at them in turn, "Yelling at each other solves nothing. Ash did the only thing he could, Lareth. Esabel has evolved far beyond what you would recognize if you saw her again. Now take us to the training fort so that we can try to track them and act like adults instead of idiots!" she told them both firmly before stepping back from them, knowing Rowan would have to tell her about the bond he spoke of as soon as he could so she could take it into account for her spell.

Once inside the great throne room with every last servant, Lareth dismissed Hal and sealed everyone in the room. He also threw up a ward so no one could hear what was going on, on the outside.

He stood in front of his throne and addressed all of them.

Lareth spoke of everything that had transpired from Kals death, all the way to the three traitors trying to cause harm to the mistress of the house. He left out the part of the miscarriage out as that was something he was not going to speak about again.

As he finished with every bit of news he could offer he looked over all of them and could see some were genuinely concerned while a few either had a smirk or a really good blank expression.

He asked that if there concerns about who was ruling or had a problem with how things were run, to step forward.

The ones who had been smirking or had blank expressions came forward. He asked each of them what they saw as problems and if there were any recommendations.

The ones who had been smirking let loose on him, telling him demons were not so kind and that he was shaming the entire race and his former kings by bringing in an outsider and not marrying a demon. Then it went into how she was changing him, how soft he was getting.....he didn't care about his duties and so forth. Their recommendations only consisted of him getting rid of Cynthia and finding someone worthy among their own people.

The ones who were dissatisfied complained about everything as well, but offered no recommendations on how to make things better as they played the devils advocate. Complain but also tell him how he is a worthy ruler.

The ones who were loyal simply stood nearby shaking their heads as complaints flowed and ridiculous solutions were offered.

Well, it was about time of a 'cleansing of the staff' anyway....

Lareth smiled once everything was said and done.

"My friends and loyal subjects, I am sorry I have caused you such great concern to doubt my integrity, loyalty to our people, and lack of understanding of your concerns.

But I assure you right now....I am going to fix this. I will fix this, so that faith will be restored and everyone will be happy."

Lareth snapped his fingers and a walkway appeared beside him. Flames of red and black licked up and down the black archway posts of this walkway and black and orange flames encircled the two groups who complained.

"Now those who are loyal, will walk through and under this archway and receive my blessing. If they are falsely loyal, then the flames will eat them, soul and all."

There were murmurs of surprise and uncertainty.

"Those who did not file a complaint, please step forward and go under the archway."

Three tried to run but Lareth incinerated them before they got anywhere.

"Come now......don't be shy. You wanted a more terrible ruler that should be feared right? Well I am showing you my true colors now and I will not be denied."

The loyalists lined up and one by one passed through the fire. Only one was killed. He motioned for the loyalists to move to the side and moved his archway to the other two groups.

Needless to say, almost everyone from those two groups except for four out of the sixty five that passed through the fire, survived. The four consisted of the devils advocates.

Lareth crossed his arms.

"While I am surprised you four survived, I am not sure of your loyalty as its about as sturdy as a dandelion in a windstorm. To the dungeons you go! And when I feel like it, I will call upon you all to ask about your loyalty again. Perhaps you will have a stronger resolution then."

Lareth clapped his hands and sent those four into locked cells in the dungeons.

He looked to those 50 servants that were left.

"Now since you are loyal and I trust that you will not question my authority or hurt anyone who is here, you will see a great increase in your pay. Do understand that I reward those who are loyal and those with treachery in their hearts for me and for anyone I care for, will be dealt with, with a heavy hand.

I am the demon king and just because I do not show you my darker side, does not mean it is not there. I do not show my darker side as there is no need to show those who are good and doing their jobs.

On a lighter note, we will be having interviews and I suggest that if you know any demon looking for good honest work and is loyal to the crown, please have them drop in by tomorrow evening. Send them to my office and I will interview them.

I have several things coming up and I want this ship running as it should. Now you are now officially excused, but before you go, I suggest you clean this place of all the ash and stench of treachery.

Thank you for coming to the meeting. I enjoyed our little get together."

Lareth unsealed the throne room and left the loyalists who hurriedly began to clean.

Shale entered the throne room with even steps, his staff tapping the ground in matching time. He was past fear. The man before him, sitting on the throne, radiated power and confidence. This would be the hard part. He approached to a respectful distance and knelt, lowering his staff to lie on the floor beside him and setting the sack aside as well until the time came to open it. He was tempted to speak but instead waited to be acknowledged. This was no time to be seen as arrogant or overeager. He would simply kneel and wait. His hood still obscured his face, though none of the people here had ever seen him. He had been born after his family was in exile and concealing his identity was something he did from reflex and old habit.

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Ost followed the visitor through the corridors watching him with every sense he had. Being this close behind the strange demon he was able to tell that he was a man and probably older than Ost was by a significant margin. However, parts of his energy seemed almost... sickly. As though he had been damaged somehow.

Ost knelt two meters behind the visitor after they entered the presence of the king. His left hand was prepared to call his sword and kill the visitor if he made any dangerous moves. Ost would not be able to safely fight in his titan aspect within the castle keep itself. As limited as his skill with a sword was, it was that very skill he would have to depend on in here. Although, he strongly believed that the king would need no protection from him. He would follow his orders and remain until dismissed to his duties.

Ost rose swiftly but said nothing and remained at the ready. He could feel the approval of his king in the wards, albeit dimly. If he had been farther away he wouldn't have felt it at all. The strange part was that his majesty seemed to be pleased by the visitor as well, or at least intrigued. Ost was mildly pleased by that. At the least this guest had managed to be an interesting diversion for his king during a difficult time. Ost had never seen court manners quite so formal before. His suspicion that he was the youngest demon in the room strengthened greatly.

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Shale rose a little more slowly than Ost, leaving his staff and the large black sack where they lay. He had been taught many things by his elders in the family during their exile. They had been, of course, seeking a way to regain their former power. As such, they had taught him all formal court manners and the ceremonies of their day. However, they had not seen the court in more than seventy years before Shale's decorum training began. The court had changed a lot. Shale could perceive that clearly.

Now that he had been addressed there were other matters of protocol to observe. He pulled back his hood as it is disrespectful to speak to one's betters while concealed, revealing his unnaturally black eyes and pale features. A discerning eye would perhaps be able to perceive numerous small scars. However, this would not be unexpected in a demon of some age. He then answered the king's question in an old form of intonation used for many things in the old court.

"Your Majesty, High King Lareth the Terrible, lord and supreme master of all the realm of demons, I, Shale, blood of Azterneth, blood of Kalsir, of the ancient and dishonored house of Azuranal, come bearing gifts and proof of my loyalty in the hope that I might be proven useful to you in these, unsteady times." His voice was steady but inside he was wound tight. By revealing himself as protocol demanded his life was now lying at the king's feet. With luck, the king would desire to see the gifts brought by the unrecorded son of a traitor before deciding what to do. Along with the others in the sack were the heads and personal diadems of Shale's father, Azterneth. Kalsir Azuranal, his grandfather, had been killed in the failed coup attempt that he had orchestrated.

Ost's posture changed only slightly as he shifted his balance for a thrust. All it would take would be an unspoken order or a sign of danger and he would strike immediately. However, for now, things were still conversational and he did not wish to preemptively end his king's conversation.

A traitor's blood is easily shed. This Azuranal family must be born brazen. Is this a trick? Is the rest of the family going to take advantage of this distraction to attack? Ost shifted a little of his focus to the wards, watching for anything suspicious.

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Shale marked every detail of King Lareth's movements and every nuance of his words. His next few moments could be his last all too easily. But, that wouldn't really be that bad. A life with only one accomplishment is still better than a life with none. At least he would have eliminated a line of traitors, even if his life was necessary to end it. The king was demanding directness. Shale would oblige. With a simple movement of his left hand he released the clasp from the open end of the black sack and tugged it off balance so that its contents rolled unceremoniously across the floor in a macabre but humorous display.

"I am here to achieve at least one worthwhile thing with my life." He met the king's eyes unflinching. "Either I serve you and thereby restore some small shard of honor to the name I was cursed with or I die, and with my death finish the destruction of a traitor's bloodline. Either of these paths leads to a greater end than theirs." He gestured dismissively at the heads on the floor. "If your decision is that my death would be of greater service to you than my life and skills, so be it."