The Complexity of Happily Ever After

By aishuu

Characters: Eclipse/Raenef V

As the centuries went by, Raenef finally finished growing up into a demon lord worth talking about. He understood how to treat his peers, and never showed them anything less than complete confidence. He tended to remain quiet when among them at conclave, speaking only when addressed directly, but his power levels were such that few dared to challenge him.

If he didn't terrorize the people in his territory the way most would have believed best, he didn't always make life easy, either. He took the tributes the people sent him as his due, though none of the brides were ever accepted. He claimed to have little interest in human females, so demanded a woman's weight in gold instead. That policy ticked off more than a few lords, but the one time a greedy lord tried to refuse him, he simply leveled the man's castle. There were no casualties, but the man was ruined.

No one refused his requests after that. If the profits managed to be invested in the needier areas of his domain, no one noticed.

Time meant little to a demon; their near immortal status meant that a year passed as though a day. Chris and Erutis were gone before Raenef even knew it, succumbing to old age. Raenef had mourned for them, but years muted grief, and his memories blurred. He couldn't remember the scent of Erutis' perfume or the exact sound of Chris' exasperated growls, but he remembered they had been friends.

Sometimes it seemed that they had both been figments of his imagination, but then he'd stumble upon a memento of their time together. Krayon would occasionally show up, wistfully talking about "his" human, and they'd spend hours reminiscing. Sometimes Raenef wondered if their stories were half-fiction, since there was no way they could have done everything they recalled.

Other humans came to his service, though none were ever as special to him. His normal friendliness was tempered by his fear of losing those close to him; it was only Eclipse he could count on, only Eclipse he dared let himself care about deeply, because he remembered how much it had hurt to lose his friends.

He never forgot where he'd come from, never forgot the human village. Every couple of years, he would inexplicable vanish, and Eclipse would fetch him from that human village after letting an acceptable amount of time pass for Raenef to reconnect with his roots. The humans never recognized the slender blond who walked among them, but Eclipse's periodic comings gave rise to legends about black-haired demons that stole away the most beautiful blonds the land had to offer. It became a custom to marry blond sons off early to protect them.

Eclipse found that silly since marriage wouldn't have stopped him if he really wanted someone. He didn't; all he wanted was his master's happiness.

Three centuries into Raenef's reign was one of those times. Eclipse noticed his charge growing restless, and had realized that he would be making one of those sojourns soon. He didn't say anything, merely made sure that there wasn't a war for Raenef to blunder into, and that he left a small bag of money readily accessible to be taken.

A week later, Raenef was gone, and Eclipse went about his business normally, giving his master enough time to do what he needed to. It was a pilgrimage of a type, restoring Raenef's faith in who he was.

Eclipse always gave him three days. It was three days where Eclipse spent the nights staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep, but he respected his master enough to trust him. That didn't mean he didn't leave eagerly on the third.

The city hadn't changed much in the two decades since Raenef's last "escape" from the castle. Eclipse wandered the dark streets at night, noting the human fashion had gotten strange. Many of the girls were wearing trousers (Erutis had been very unusual), and the boys wore sleeveless shirts that clung to their torsos. Raenef probably stood out like a sore thumb in his antiquated gear.

He was right. He found Raenef sitting in a bar, drinking a colorful drink that smelled strongly of alcohol. Two humans – a man and a woman – were sitting across from him, trying to convince the seemingly young blond that it was dangerous for him to be there, since everyone knew the demons liked blonds. They told the boy he'd be safer if he came with them, since they had the perfect place for someone of his talents.

Eclipse heard enough in thirty seconds to assure himself that killing them would be a service to the human race. He stepped out of the shadows, looming threateningly over their table. "Are they bothering you?" Eclipse asked, his voice little more than a hissing whisper. Never underestimate the power of melodrama, he thought. Mentally he started to list the appropriate torments for daring to ask a Demon Lord to become a catamite.

Raenef's face, which had worn a politely disinterested look, twitched once before he smoothed his expression over. "I can handle myself, Eclipse," Raenef said firmly.

The two humans looked at the intruder, at their quarry, and decided to cut their losses. "Well, maybe we should get going, Lila," the man said, pulling out some coins to cover his tab. "It was nice meeting you, Ray."

"You're leaving?" Raenef asked, wearing a slightly injured expression.

"Since you have a guardian, Sabre and I don't need to worry," Lila replied, a fake smile painted over her overly-red lips. "More boys to save," she added, threading her arm through Sabre's and backing away.

The two demons watched as the humans made good their escape. "Should I go after them?" Eclipse asked. His fingers itched to unleash a spell or two to put those vermin into their proper place.

"No, it's fine," Raenef said. A slight smile played on his lips as he turned his head toward Eclipse. "They weren't that bad."

"Really," Eclipse said tartly.

"Well, they wouldn't have been after I finished with them," Raenef replied sweetly. "I was just going to show them the error of their ways."

Raenef may have been gentle, but he was not soft. It was times like this that Eclipse couldn't help but smile slightly. Raenef might not have embraced the concept of random brutality, but he had learned how to work within his moral limitations. It was so uniquely him that it made something in Eclipse feel mushy whenever he recognized how far Raenef had come. "I shouldn't have doubted my master," he replied.

Raenef opened his mouth to chide Eclipse, shutting it a moment later when he decided it wasn't worth the attempt. Instead he offered Eclipse another smile, and signaled to the barkeeper to attend.

On their return to the castle, Eclipse kept a careful eye on his master. Raenef had the tendency to act strangely after a visit to his former home. Usually he'd revert to childishness, acting like he had when they first met, but this time he didn't. His mood was still brooding, and his smiles weren't as ready. Eclipse caught him staring up at the ceiling a few times, a frighteningly empty look in his eyes.

Time rolled on, as it tended to do. Raenef was subdued, but no matter how Eclipse tried to broach the subject, Raenef wouldn't talk about it. Eclipse worried about his master, and decided to bring in the big guns.

He met Meruhesae at her home. She'd moved in the last century, and was still seeking things to fill out her new domain. Wisely Eclipse elected to bring her a crystal statue that had been left in tribute for Raenef. Raenef would have broken it, anyway. He was still a klutz when he got distracted.

After exchanging the necessary pleasantries, and allowing her to pour tea for them both, Eclipse decided to get down to business. "Have you had any visions involving my master?" he asked.

She pouted prettily. "I should have known you hadn't just come for the company," she said. Her hand ran over the statue, seeming to consider its value, and weighing it against sharing her visions.

"Have you?" Eclipse asked sharply.

"Nothing major," she said, apparently deciding the price had been met. "Northing dangerous, at least. I don't see any earth-shattering wars in his future, and I don't think he's due for another run-in with a knight for a couple decades."

Something about the quirk of her lips made Eclipse's suspicion rouse. Meruhesae never lied, but she was a mistress of half-truths. "What about the non-life threatening things?" he asked.

"Change, Eclipse, is a constant," she replied. "I think your lord is going through another period of growing up." She picked up her cup of tea, a smile lurking on her beautiful face as she held it up.

"Growing up?" Eclipse echoed.

"He's still very young for a demon lord," she replied. "Perhaps he is getting a better grasp on the reality of his situation."

Eclipse gave her a suspicious look. It was obvious the female demon knew something, but the amused expression on her face assured him it wasn't something bad. She had a peculiar affection for Raenef, and knew Eclipse would kill her if she let him be hurt. Still, Meruhesae was a demon, and had the requisite sadistic sense of humor.

"If something happens to him..." he let the threat trail off. It was better to leave it up to her imagination.

"I'd tell you if you needed to worry for him," she replied, and the sweet smile she gave made him even more nervous. His stomach clenched in knots. Whatever was coming wouldn't be disastrous, but that didn't mean Eclipse was going to enjoy it.

He returned to the castle, but the next few months were uncomfortable ones. Raenef didn't smile as often, and Eclipse had forgotten how grim the castle was without Raenef's laughter. They fell into a routine, talking in the mornings over breakfast, and then spending the day apart. They would meet again for an evening meal, but Raenef was often distracted, his eyes dreamy as he stared across the table. The few times Eclipse tried to ask him – in his own awkward way – what the problem was, Raenef had laughingly dismissed him.

"I'm planning something," he said the third time Eclipse asked, and the smile that curved his lips was almost cruel. "You'll find out in due time."

That upset Eclipse, although he didn't show it, instead offering a polite acceptance of his master's secrecy. Raenef was a demon lord, and entitled to do whatever the hell he wanted. Eclipse was merely a minion, and had no right to question him.

He was careful not to let Raenef see his discontent, instead electing to have dinner in his own room. It wasn't necessarily the wisest option available, since it gave Eclipse too much time to brood and imagine what hijinks Raenef was about to create. He barely finished half his meal before his stomach turned. Appetite lost, he pushed the food away and wondered if Raenef was preparing to get rid of him.

And if there was any way he could stop it. While he had open offers to take service from almost all the other Demon Lords, he didn't want to be near anyone but Raenef. His lord ruled him, body and soul, and no replacement was appealing.

He tried to distract himself by working on plans for collecting next year's tribute, which was a pointless waste of effort since it had been done the same way for the past two centuries. But it was work, and maybe his diligence would remind Raenef why he was so valuable.

The minutes dragged by like flies in molasses, and it was relief when the ten o'clock bell rang. He would check on his master, and then go to bed.

When he opened the door to Raenef's chamber, he knew there was a problem. Raenef sat at his desk, with a flask of bourbon sitting beside him practically empty. Eclipse winced, knowing his master couldn't hold his liquor. "Master?" he called, before stepping over the threshold uninvited. "Are you alright?"

"Of course I am," Raenef replied in a chirpy fashion, his face shining with a false, overly bright smile. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Eclipse had never been good at dealing with the emotional things, but he was adept at observing his master's moods. "Your smile doesn't reach your eyes," he murmured, coming over to set a comforting hand on his master's shoulders.

Raenef was having none of that. He shrugged his shoulders to dislodge Eclipse's touch. Before Eclipse could react, Raenef rose to his feet and faced Eclipse squarely. "Eclipse, do you love me?" Raenef asked.

"Excuse me?" Eclipse said, unable to believe he'd heard his master correctly. A flush started to spread across his cheeks. Eclipse missed the old Raenef, the one who was innocent and shy, the one who hadn't understood what cruelty was. The one who wouldn't dare be so forward as talking about love.

"Do you love me?" Raenef stood, and despite his short stature, he was intimidating. The power that made him filled the air with static electricity, crackling with force.

He'd obviously had too much to drink, Eclipse thought. He decided to humor his lord, since Raenef tended to fall asleep soon after imbibing alcohol. "Of course I do," he said soothingly.

"Good."

Eclipse hadn't expected the sudden kiss, or the way Raenef's hands starting to wander over his body. For so long, he'd thought of his master as a boy, but the demands his master whispered to him made it clear that Raenef had finally grown up.

His conscience – the reprehensible thing that had only developed since meeting Raenef – briefly protested taking advantage of his master in his inebriated state. Then Raenef's hands pushed Eclipse's robes off his shoulders, and like a true demon, he decided to ruthlessly take what he wanted.

Hearing Ranaef's pleased moans as he started to suck on his neck told Eclipse it was the right thing to do.

Later, Eclipse propped himself up on an elbow to better watch Raenef's slumbering face. Raenef had always remained petite, though he did gain a few more inches in height. His face bordered on effeminate, especially in sleep.

Eclipse had never let himself imagine them in this kind of situation. First he had been Raenef's mentor, and then his most loyal servant. There was no place for "lover" in that equation, at least not in Eclipse's mind.

But that's what they were now. And Eclipse selfishly wouldn't do anything to change the situation. Gently, he pushed a strand of stray hair off Raenef's face, wondering how they had come to this.

"Eclipse?" Raenef murmured, groggily opening his eyes to look at his servant.

"I'm here," he murmured, unable and unwilling to resist the temptation of kissing that swollen mouth again.

Ranaef laughed, and then boldly stroked Eclipse's chest. "Good. You're not allowed to leave my bed without permission. I'd hate to have to punish you."

"Is that an order?" Eclipse teased.

"Maybe," Raenef replied wickedly. "Or maybe not. Punishing you might be fun."

There was no sign of the innocence that had once been his trademark as he proceeded to tease Eclipse back into arousal. There were times Eclipse missed the old, naïve Raenef, but was so utterly in love with the new one that he never voiced a complaint.