Welcome to the Kingdom of Lancet, fellow FanFictioners! It is with great pleasure, that I introduce to you the true Book One of my Mages of Lancet Series. This series stemmed unwittingly from me writing my Adamine Terra Stories (For the sake of understanding I suggest you at least take a peak at them, Hunt and be Hunted is Book One). The next thing I knew, I was falling in love with my OCs and wanted to give them a story, too.

After some not so subtle encouragement from my favorite comrade in arms, Glitter Spires, I decided to post up Book One, Demon Within.

I hope you enjoy the story of sexy King Isaac Grigori Von Kaiser (yes, my German speaking readers you are allowed to laugh at the fact that the King's last name means King) and our story's beautiful heroine Kagura Mikazuchi!


Prologue

Gatlin sat quietly in the dungeon, a dungeon that should have been his. Everything should have been his. It was all his by right, but that woman, that mage whore, ruined it all for him. She should have just lain down and let him take his rightful place as king of this castle, but she hadn't.

The bitch had rebelled against him, against all of nobility. She had started a war with the alliance of Fiore. She and all kinds of misfit demons had stormed the wall. They had broken it down with their demonic energy and released every kind of sin imaginable into the peaceful world of nobility.

He sneered in the darkness of his cell. With his hands chained behind his back, Gatlin couldn't help but spit at the rat scampering for breadcrumbs of food Gatlin refused to eat. It was contaminated by mage hands. There was no telling what kind of poison was in that meal. Gatlin lived solely on the fact that he would escape here, the fact that he would regain this kingdom even though Erianna Lancet, AKA Adamine Terra, had ruined it all for him.

He didn't need the bitch now. He would seize this country through dictatorship if he had to. Then, he would create an empire. He would cleanse the entire world of the demons that called themselves mages. It would be the greatest ethnic cleansing the world was to see. All Gatlin had to do was set it into motion.

Glancing down at the markings he'd engraved into the wall, Gatlin grinned. His smile was malicious. Adamine and the Forsaken Princes thought they had taken all his cards, but oh, Gatlin had an ace up his sleeve. He would assassinate the False King Isaac if it was the last thing he did.

Gatlin may not have been able to use magic, but he knew how to summon an angel. Cutting himself on his iron manacles, Gatlin pressed his bloody wrist to the engravings on the wall.

Something glowed behind him, and Gatlin waited. He waited, and he waited. As his blood flowed freely into the markings behind him, he sat with eager eyes. They glittered in the darkness with excitement. Soon, he would get everything: his revenge and his kingdom.

It would all be his. Now, all he had to do was summon an angel.


Vacation

Kingdom of Lancet

Capital Lance

Isaac was… bored.

There was no other word for it. It'd been months since Isaac had taken the throne of Lancet. It had been a time full of civil rights, protests, and paperwork. Sure, he'd been kept busy these past few months. He'd fought in a war a little while back. Adamine, his adoptive cousin and princess of Lancet, had won the rights to her crown but had immediately passed those rights over to him before anyone could put the crown on her head. He'd taken part in what the mages called Magical Equality, a civil rights protest for the equality of mages and Normans, humans that couldn't use magic. He'd been dealing with the uprising of Normans against mages. Also, Isaac had been working towards the equality of women since they were so suppressed in his kingdom. All in all, Isaac shouldn't have had time to get bored.

But, here he was. His tall body was draped across his throne. His crown sat crooked on his head. His square jaw line was rested uncomfortably against his pale fist. He wasn't even wearing his elaborate masquerade mask to cover up where a demon had stolen his eye.

Unfortunately, Normans didn't take kindly to knowing that their king was a mage. They had called him out on how he always hid his face from prying eyes. Therefore, his masquerade mask had gone in the same direction of his black trench coat, to his closet. Instead of using the mask to hide the eye his demon mother had given him, Isaac now sported a nifty eye patch. He hated it.

He hated it as much as he hated how jaded he was already growing with this whole King of Lancet business. Isaac's purple eyes rolled lazily over to the direction of where his true second-in-command should have been sitting. Isaac missed his foul mouthed, overzealous, man whoring half-brother with a vengeance.

Urian and Adamine had both left him after celebrating their victory over the kingdom. Adamine had gone back to her new lover, a Seith Mage she'd grown up with after losing her dragon mother, and Urian had followed suit, chasing after a Demon Take Over Mage.

The two of them favored the kingdom of Fiore and its pleasant normalcy between Normans and mages, so with his blessing Isaac had sat back in the kingdom as he watched his, not blood related, cousin and his half-brother fade off into the sunset of the Midian Sea.

Now, though, there was nothing he would give to be with them. In the short amount of time that he had spent in Fiore, Isaac had adored the hectic life of playing the role of a Fairy Tail mage. They had played the part to keep Adamine safe from a group of paid mercenaries named Exile. Despite their efforts, Adamine had decided she wanted to be kidnapped. Then, had begun the race for Lancet. All in all, it had turned up fine in the long run, but Isaac missed his loved ones.

Now that he had determined that Adamine would never acknowledge his secret feelings for her, Isaac had gotten over his pining for her. The two would always be childhood friends, and Isaac had decided to keep his lips sealed over the fact that they were no more related than he was to the throne he sat atop. Isaac Grigori Von Kaiser, his true name, was no longer desirous of the feisty female who had always been by his side. Now, he simply missed the chaos of having her around. Chaos that would be even more entertaining if Isaac had Mina and Urian with him…

"Looks like you're about to die of boredom, my King," Isaac's new second-in-command, Hollis Flight, mentioned in all sarcasm. Hollis was a former mage of Exile that used to be in the running for Adamine's life. After proving himself worthy in the battle between Normans and mages, Isaac had decided to anoint him as his regent.

The crimson phoenix that was tattooed across his skin let out a caw in agreement. It wasn't long after that, that Hollis freed the bird from his skin. It flew happily to the small throne and perched itself beside Isaac. Hollis followed suit to sit at Isaac's right.

"Oh, really? I didn't figure it was that obvious considering that I've been sitting here staring at the tapestries for the past thirty minutes," Isaac grumbled back. He adjusted himself to sit up straighter. Something about having that phoenix around him always called to the Shadow Demon that lurked within. Perhaps it was because his demon was a raven?

Hollis didn't pay any mind to the comment. If anything, the man stretched out in the comfy throne. The luxuries that Isaac had given to the members of Exile after they changed sides were the best things they'd ever been given. They made sure to thank the king every time they saw him. It astounded Isaac that such good people had kept their sanity given their circumstances.

Isaac knew he would have killed anyone assigned to him if doing so meant that his family would be kept safe. The fact that the bastard in his dungeon, Gatlin, had used those people's loved ones against them still burned hot in Isaac's mind.

Cinder, Hollis's phoenix, made a caw, and the man grinned at his bird. "That's a wonderful idea, Cindy," the man mentioned.

Before Isaac could turn his head to question the two, Hollis had already spoken up. "So, Zac, since you've appointed me as your regent that means that I get to rule when you're gone. Right?"

"Yes." Where was this going?

"Well, Cindy and I were thinking that after we snooped through your mail, that it would be good for you to take a little vacation."

"Vacation," Isaac stated tonelessly. He blinked a moment before snapping, "You went through my mail!"

"Yeah. Yeah. Whatever." Hollis withdrew a sheet of paper from his vest then opened an envelope. "My dearest King Isaac," he read, "it is with much love that I send this letter to you regarding the possible engagement of you to my daughter, Princess Hisui. I know that my daughter was promised to you when your parents were still living, but it has only been after the recent liberation of Lancet, that I have been encouraged to proceed with the engagement. I know your kingdom is filled with strife, but I am sure the union of Lancet and Fiore would assist in encouraging Normans to accept mages into their society. Between your powerful magic and my daughter's Celestial Spirit magic, I am sure that the two of you could form a unified front to show that not all mages are harmful to peaceful living. With the death of your parents, I know that you do not have to proceed with the marriage, but I do encourage you to get to know my beloved daughter. She is a wonderful young woman, and I know she would make a fabulous and strong wife for you and your kingdom. In a few days, a Guild Beauty Pageant will be held for Sorcerer Weekly. I encourage you to come and enjoy the festival that goes with it."

Isaac quickly snatched the parchment from Hollis's fingertips. "You may be my regent, but that gives you no right to go through my mail." All of a sudden, red went around Isaac's collar. "What else did you find in my mail?"

"Oh, nothing much. There was this magazine from PlaySpell, but Colin stole that before I could get my hands on it. I hear that Adamine was asked to model for it since she's so comfortable with nudity." Hollis looked up the gold leaf on the ceiling. "What I wouldn't give to get my hands on that magazine," he mentioned, voice barely above a whisper.

Zac could have had steam coming out of his ears. "That's my cousin you're talking about!"

"Not by blood. Come on, Izzy. You know you think she's hot."

Zac scowled at the use of Adamine's pet name for him. She had called him that when they were children, and it had just stuck. Pissed him off when anyone else called him by that girlie nickname. That was a Mina privilege reserved for Mina only.

"What I think doesn't matter. The last thing I want is for thousands of pervy boys to be buying towels and lotion for my cousin's body." His eyes looked to the paper in his hands. He was surprised to see it there. Zac had almost forgotten about it because of their most uncomfortable discussion.

Hollis let out a bored sigh then flopped gracelessly on his throne. So very Urian-like. No wonder they got along. Some of the time…

"So, you gunna go?"

"Go where?"

"To the thing." He pointed to the parchment and Cinder cawed for Isaac to pay attention.

Isaac stared down at the paper with his one purple eye. It would be nice to go to Fiore, and possible engagement to Hisui wasn't a bad thing. It would strengthen the kingdom, and Hisui was a kind woman. In the seven years Adamine spent frozen on Tenrou, Zac had visited her.

He'd never really seen her. Sure, they'd been dates to formal meetings and dances, but his mind was always hung up on Adamine.

He'd sent out search parties for seven years straight until one day she just appeared on his doorstep. She'd stood there in the pouring rain. Her chest had been heaving. Blood trickled down her face. She looked like she'd gotten into a fight with a manticore and lost.

After Adamine had heard about the destruction caused during the Grand Magic Games, she had bolted. She had taken off with a group of mage children meant to be sent to Fiore through the Magic Railroad, a railway created by the Princess of Lancet herself to rescue mage children from potential slaughter. Her eyes had been set on finding more about the dragons and also checking in on some old friends, friends that went by the titles of Raijinshuu and Laxus.

Isaac had been so caught up in catching Adamine and keeping her safe that he had hardly paid attention to the woman that was supposed to someday be his wife. Now, Zac felt guilty.

Hisui was a kind girl. She cared much about her kingdom and its survival like Isaac did, but she just didn't have that fire like Adamine did. She didn't command a room with her strength like his Mina did. As a matter of fact, Isaac had never even seen her fight.

The mage women of Lancet were so tough that Isaac always expected a curvy, powerful mage to stand at his side. He just didn't see Hisui fitting the bill. Still, he owed it to her. He barely knew her, and he was supposed to get wed to her, potentially.

Despite it all, Isaac felt his lips forming a refusal of the request. "I have a lot to do here. The Normans need someone to balance their requests with the mages. We can't just let mages have free run of everything. If we give them special benefits, the racism will only deepen. Besides, there's the Magician's Alliance that I've been putting off."

The Magician's Alliance was a powerful alliance much like the Magic Council. It monitored the guilds to be legalized and monitored the potential destruction due to magical forces. Also, it was a kind of police force that would keep mage and Norman riots to a minimum. The Alliance was extremely important but Zac had been putting it off for far too long. Mages were starting to get antsy.

They wanted to be treated as fully equal members of society. Also, so did the suppressed women of the country. Isaac's head suddenly fell back against his throne. Ugh… Being a king was not all it was cracked up to be…

"Isaac, you're no good to us stressed out like this. If you don't keep a good head on your shoulders, you'll make a bad decision for the country. Last thing you want is for Mages to become like Normans and suppress the normal humans," Hollis explained, ever the wise tactician. "You take a vacation, clear your head. I'll pull a Mage's of the Round Table and gather up the rest of Exile to make decisions while you're gone."

Isaac pondered that for a moment. During what mages were calling, The Dragon's Return- a war which began when Adamine returned to Lancet and made her presence known- the mages of Exile had turned their backs on their slave masters. Hollis, Katja, and Sven had chosen death over living as assassins and joined Adamine, Isaac, and Urian in a full scale mage rebellion assisted by the strongest guilds in Fiore… another reason Toma wanted Zac to wed Hisui. Now, Isaac had enlisted them all as noblemen and women.

Katja and Sven led assassin operations. Felix was over the military. Colin was over gate keeping. Hollis's job was to guard the king and be his regent when he was out. Why give them all such high positions then not allow them to operate in them? Besides, Isaac was tired. He could use a vacation more than he could use deciding on taxes and laws…

He shook his head hard. No! No! There was too much civil rights stuff going on right now. He was the singular governmental head. He needed to be here to assist his people.

Hollis let out a pent up sigh then snapped his fingers. "I really didn't want to have to do this, Isaac, but it's for the best."

Katja appeared with Sven at her side. The brother and sister duo that used to keep themselves covered stood tall. Katja pulled her niqab from her face then explained, "I'm sorry, Zac, but you need a vacation." She ungloved one of her poisonous hands.

Immediately, Isaac knew what was going on. The feathers within his skin rippled. His body lunged away from the throne. "No! Oh, no! You are not going to touch me!"

Katja looked to Hollis. Instead of him moving, the phoenix on his throne chomped down on Isaac's shirt. The sharp teeth inside of the beast's beak were serrated. There was no way Isaac's shirt was going to come out of this unharmed.

Hastily, he shred out of the clothing. His bare chest was now an open target for Katja's toxic body. He didn't even realize just how bad he'd screwed up until Sven caught his king in a headlock.

The shorter boy held the king's writhing body, and Katja carefully approached. "I hate to do it this way, King Isaac, but this is the only way you'll relax. Think of it like this, at least you get to go on vacation. We still have to run the government while you're gone."

"No! You get away from me right now, Kat!" Isaac demanded. His voice was all authoritative and kingly, but it didn't deter Katja one bit. Isaac hissed in half assed rage when her poisonous claws stroked the side of his face.

One second Isaac was awake. The next second, everything went black. As his head fell forward, he muttered, "You guys suck…"


Yay! Exile shenanigans. For those of you who follow my other stories, I'm glad that I got to show you this new facet of my former bad guys.

Y'all have a good night, and I would really appreciate it if you would fill out that nice little box at the bottom of this page. You know, it's the one where it mentions something about reviewing. :)

I don't care what you write. You could just say banana, and if it made me smile, I would give you a mental high five.

Bye, bye Fairy Tail fans!