Slave to the True Death
Disclaimer: I Don't Own Grim Tales. If I did, this would be on the SNAFU website.
Summary: Junior wasn't born a normal reaper. And from the moment Mandy held him in her arms, she knew that. After all, he was her Master. The afterlives now face a Mandy that is leashed by her Son, the True Death. AU, Wise/Mature Junior but not overpowered.
Regular speak
Thoughts and Emotions talking to person outside mind
Demonic or Animalistic Speak
Demonic or Animalistic Thoughts
Mandy sat on her throne in Castle Grimskull, the Scythe of Death resting behind her readily, looking all the part of a Queen of Death save two things. On her neck was a metal collar with a small chain length dangling from it, ending right above her cleavage. The second thing was the skeletal child on her lap, sleeping against her peacefully.
The child may seem ordinary by underworld standards, but like his mother, he was not what he seemed. His mother had enslaved Grim Senior when she was eleven. Grim Junior had enslaved his mother since the moment he was unborn. Mandy didn't know what happened really, she just knew from the moment she looked into his sockets, he was her master and she his slave.
It was odd at first, this belief that should be foreign to her mind, one so accustomed to imposing her will on others. Yet, nothing about it felt wrong. If she wasn't aware enough to know that the idea of a baby being her master was so bizarre, she wouldn't have paid it any mind. But Mandy was very self-aware. And so was the newborn reaper.
For the first few weeks, though she had never once let Grim Junior leave her sight, she had actually been fearful and worried for once in her now-immortal life. Afraid that something had happened to change her...infect her; an attempt of an enemy to control her that had been partially ruined, possibly by her pregnancy, or a magic-inflicted injury that had unforeseen consequences, or anything else. Mandy had learned that when she was genuinely scared, she could be very imaginative.
Yet, she had gone to all kinds of specialists in the Underworld: psychiatrists, physicians, even shamans and witch doctors. She had been mindful to keep vague what seemed wrong with her own mind, only explaining it was related to the new Prince. And of that group, the only ones who thought anything was wrong with her were the psychiatrists, but what they said was wrong with her had nothing to do with Grim Junior. Though, some of the doctors did say the feeling could just be motherhood setting in, and the shamans and witch doctors speculated it might be because Junior was turned into a reaper- most reapers will reap any aborted or stillborn babe they can find if they want a child of their own. Very few had interactions with their birth parents.
Eventually, she just accepted it...she was her son's slave...
Surprisingly to everyone else, but not to her, Junior was a very calm infant. He rarely cried or whined for anything, but he did grin and laugh a good deal. And he almost seemed to understand what everyone said to him. Grim passed it off as a bit of Mandy being inherited into his new heir. After all, Mandy was always too smart for her own good as a child. It didn't surprise him Junior got something from her.
Oddly enough, Mandy could sense Junior on a mental level. She knew he was well beyond a baby in mind, but he didn't want her to do anything that would make her seem less in the eyes of the underworld; quite the opposite in fact. He wanted her to retain a fierce reputation in the Underworld as the Bitch Queen. A year later, she had grown pregnant, by Nergal Junior, with a daughter, MiniMandy, or Minnie as she would be called. Junior, nearing age two at the time, seemed curious of that development, but didn't pry into her reasoning for doing that.
When Minnie was about to be born, Junior gave her the first order he had ever given her and it was the most shocking order he could have given her. Reap Grim Senior and take his place as Death. He didn't say when, knowing she couldn't do it while so late into pregnancy. She waited a year to do it and Junior never once pushed her. They were immortals, time was not an issue; but she did it all the same. The shock on Grim's skull was priceless. The last thing the old Reaper saw as he fell to the floor was his two year old son in the door way, smiling sadly at him. Junior said his first word that day, "Sorry."
From that day forth, Mandy acted as the Grim Reaper and was even more feared now. The Human Incarnation of Evil, wielding the Scythe of Death...it was enough to make any lord or lady think twice before crossing her. But it quickly became obvious to the afterlives that something had changed in Mandy. Her actions at times showed a subtle change in mental behavior. Mandy as a Queen had always been calculative and cold, but quick and decisive, like a dog ready to snap its jaw at any close to it.
When Junior was five, their suspicions were confirmed. The collar and chain appeared around her neck. Mandy didn't know how it got there and neither did Junior. In truth, it always had been there metaphorically. Mandy just assumed Junior's growing powers made it physical. The appearance of the object, however, was proof to everyone that Mandy had a Master…something that worried many of them.
This is what brings us to the present, with a six year old Junior waking up in his mother's arms silently, bringing his hand up to fondle the small length of chain on her collar, "Something troubling you, Mother?" He asked calmly yet knowingly.
"The other rulers now realize that someone else controls me, Master. I worry that they may attempt an attack on you if they learn the truthl" She explained evenly.
"Your concern is appreciated, Mother, but not needed. Ending my unlife is a task unto itself, let alone getting past your defenses to try such a thing," Junior assured with a small smile, as if to comfort her while he kept playing with the chain, "Besides, you have other things to worry about. The Lords and Ladies of the Underworld, and the other realms, may know you have a master, but that doesn't make you any less dangerous in their eyes. At least, not the smart ones anyway," He advised.
"You are correct, Master. And HIM continues to be a thorn in our sides with many attempts to infiltrate and spy on the castle," Mandy mused, "But he causes very little actual unrest amongst our lands."
"He's too smart for that. So long as we can't prove anything was done by him, intentional or not, we'd be in wrong in the eyes of the council and most of the other lords if we struck him," Junior pointed out.
"I don't care for their opinions or approval, Master," She said evenly.
"I know you're fearless, Mother, so quiet that anger of yours," Junior ordered calmly, "But making enemies needlessly is foolishness, and you have made many enemies before my birth. You and my father."
"Then what are you suggesting, Master?" She asked curiously.
"I am not ordering you to patch up or make amends with anyone, least of all Kare," Junior said in mild disgust before sighing, "All I'm ordering of you is to gain allies and more followers where you can, Mother," He ordered evenly before sitting up and turning to stare her in the eyes, "And I'm ordering you not to change your attitude. While you can be a bit antagonistic, your iron will has been the backbone of this empire even before my unbirth," He added on, a bit praisingly.
"What of you, Master?" She asked curiously, "Do you not wish to make it known that you are my master still?"
"No. You having an unknown master puts a bit of mystery to us that will make the other rulers worry over who or what could make you subservient in any way, especially after you reaped the former Grim Reaper. And if they found out you were a slave, I imagine they'd be even more scared," Junior answered with a smile as he got off his mother's lap, "Don't worry though, I have my own ways of helping," He added cryptically, "You have your orders," He prompted lightly as he headed out.
"Yes, My Master," Mandy answered obediently and submissively to his back, grabbing the scythe behind her as she stood to leave as well, to carry out her Master's will.
"Brothar!" MiniMandy, five years old, called as she raced up to him and hugged him tightly, "I missed you!" She said with a wide, toothy smile up at what was probably her favorite person in the whole underworld.
Junior just smiled down at his sister, slightly smaller than himself, and rubbed her head affectionately, "I missed you too, Minnie," He returned kindly as she released him from her embrace. Since his mother was busy with his orders and being Queen in general, he had taken it upon himself to watch after Minnie. He figured that she needed something of a regular family member to interact with, and Nergal Junior wasn't around enough for that. So, that left him.
"Can we go play now?" She asked innocently and hopefully, "Please?" She all but begged.
Junior just chuckled, "You don't need to beg me, Minnie," He informed her, amused. "What do you want to play?"
"Can we play pretend? Can I be the queen?" She asked, tilting her head up at him. Junior stiffened slightly, unnoticed to her. While her request was fairly typical of a girl her age, there was an issue. Due to the Master-Slave relationship between him and Mandy, Minnie sometimes pretended she was his slave, thinking it was completely normal. It wasn't, even by Underworld standards. Well, it was very uncommon at the least.
"Again? But we already played that so many times!" He countered, grinning all the same.
"But I like playing pretend...," She whined with a pout, "Please, Mastar?" She asked, too young to know really what her words meant.
Junior mentally sighed. He was really going to have to get it in Minnie's head that this wasn't normal one day. Not that he was against it, per-say, but Minnie was his sister. He wasn't going to take advantage of her like that just because he was born with a fully mature mind. Still, he could humor her for now, "Sure, Queen Minnie," He relented with a small smile.
"Yah! Brothar is My Mastar!" Minnie cheered, practically leaping for joy, before gaining a pout, "I just wish I was big enough so you could sit on my lap like you do Mommy's," She complained lightly.
Junior sweat-dropped at the strange complaint, but rubbed her head reassuringly, "Don't worry, Mins. I'm sure you'll be as beautiful as Mom is when you grow up," He commented with a boyish grin.
"Mastar doesn't think I'm bea...beoo...pretty yet?" Minnie asked, her young tongue tripping over some of the sounds.
"No, I think you're a cute little baby Princess right now," He answered, teasing and complimenting at the same time.
Minnie crossed her arm in a huff, "Mastar is mean to his queen...I am not a baby," She grumbled childishly, to Junior's amusement.
"Now, if I'm your master, you should be a bit nicer than that," He pointed out with no real intent of enforcing it.
"And Mastar needs to treat his queen right!" She countered, pointing an accusing finger at him, "Even if you are my Mastar, you shouldn't call your queen a baby...or princess...or little!" She ranted.
"Minnie, the more you pout and puff your red cheeks, the cuter you look," He retorted simply, seemingly ignoring her argument.
"Just wait, Brothar! When I get oldar, I'm going to get big, and pretty, and strong, and then you'll have to be a good Mastar to me!" She declared, puffing her head out dramatically. In retort, Junior just brought her into a hug, surprising her. She looked up in confusion at Junior's gentle smile, "Brothar?"
"I'll be good to you even I'm not your master," He assured gently.
"Brothar...," She whispered before grinning, "You're so weird sometimes," She finished with a giggle, ruining the little moment
"Oh, and you call me bad for calling you a baby? You're calling your Master weird!" He argued playfully.
"Only because you are!" She retorted, sticking out her tongue.
"Minnie, you do know most people get in trouble for talking to their masters like that, right?" He asked curiously. Minnie was a smart girl; he sometimes had to gauge her knowledge just to see what she did understand about his situation with Mandy. He wouldn't be surprised if she figured out how weird it was before she was ten.
"Yeah, but you're not really my mastar," She pointed out, almost sounding a bit sad about that.
"Sorry, I guess...but I don't plan on making that a reality for many years, Minnie," He apologized, scratching the back of his skull.
"Reality?" She asked, having never heard this term yet.
"Reality is a word for 'What is real'," He supplied as she made a noise of understanding.
"Okay...Brothar, can we play something else?" She asked, suddenly not wanting to play it. Her brother was so weird when they talked about him being her master.
"Sure. Want to play go fish?" He tried, getting a silent nod. He sighed as they headed to his room, hating his own maturity at times. It made relating with Minnie hard on occasion. Especially with him trying to NOT push her down the path of becoming his slave.
Mandy hummed as she paced the balcony of her royal bedroom, waiting for a certain someone to arrive. She had been doing as her master had ordered, making plans to conquer or ally with smaller realms throughout the underworld. Such things took planning, investigating, and a bit of underhandedness at times.
"Long time…no see, Mandy," A familiar voice greeted. Mandy turned and saw a demon she hadn't seen in a while. Nergal...Senior, that is. He stood there in his usual dark demon-skin and black suit, grinning a bit as he eyed her curiously, "And I see the rumors are true," He commented, seeing the collar on her neck.
"Indeed they are, Nergal. But that's not why either of us are here," Mandy pointed out evenly, having set the barriers and defenses to let Nergal's specific energy signature into the castle without raising an alarm.
"True. You're here to try and get a solid alliance out of me," Nergal commented wisely and knowingly. The Nergalings and other races of his own realm, while not officially affiliated with Mandy or anyone, often worked for lesser lands before Mandy took over the Lands of Grim. After she had, well, Mandy had been a hired gun too; she knew how to speak their language.
Mandy just nodded, not bothering to ask how he knew or guessed that, "And you're here on Nergal Junior's behalf. He's been trying to get Minnie to stay with him ever since this collar appeared on my neck," Mandy commented.
"I couldn't blame him, really. He is very concerned, knowing that someone else controls you, and therefore the fate of his only child," Nergal retorted, stroking his chin.
"Yet you're not concerned at all for your granddaughter," Mandy accused, picking up not a trace of worry in the old demon's voice.
"I was until I got here," He explained, getting a raised eyebrow, "You see, Mandy, I'm an old, old demon. Far older than my son may ever grow to be. And in that time, all nine of my senses have grown beyond most levels. In your case, I can sense the source of that collar on you," He elaborated with a smirk.
"If you lay a hand on him, I will make you beg to die," She snapped, cold and calm as she gripped the scythe tightly.
"Calm yourself, Reaper-Queen," He said with a small laugh, holding up his hands in surrender, "I have no plan on revealing that little secret, even to my son. I am curious as to what Junior really is though...but I doubt he'd tell you yet," He assured as she glared, "Still, I'm comfortable entrusting Minnie to you and him. As for a true alliance with my lands? Well, we'd need something in return. Or, at least, the promise of something from your Master," He said with a smirk.
"And what is that, Nergal?" Mandy asked curiously.
"If you can bring me the weapon Sharur, you'll have my allegiance, Queen of the Underworld," Nergal promised simply.
"Oh? And what is so important about this weapon?" Mandy asked suspiciously.
Nergal smirked at that, "Ask your Master. If I'm right about him, he'll know exactly why I want that weapon. Until then, ta-ta," He answered mischievously, disappearing in a flash of electricity, vanishing from sight.
Mandy hummed at that, mentally marking down Nergal's allegiance as a 'maybe' for now. She was very aware that her Master could sense this as well; the link was odd like that. They couldn't hear each other's thoughts or speak mentally, but they could sense each other's emotions. And Mandy had no doubt Junior sensed Nergal's arrival.
"Well, looks like I will be finding out about what you really are, Master," She mused to herself, personally pleased with that. She may not mind being his slave, it felt too natural in her mind for her to be upset, but she was annoyed at the lack of explanation. Hell, she could accept virtually any answer at this point, just something to make her wonder on the subject a bit less.
She turned back into her room and turned on the video feed to her master's room. She watched as he and his sister played a game of cards on his bed. She shrugged, deciding to inform him later rather than cut his time with Minnie short. With a hum, she turned to the shelf of her private collection of books. Several of which had very detailed maps of the underworld. If she was going to find allies and future subjects, she needed to know where to look.
Meanwhile
"Brothar, I'm bored," Minnie said bluntly after the third round of go fish.
"What do you want me to do, read you a story?" He asked sarcastically.
"What kind of story, Brothar?" She asked curiously, making him blink. He idly put all the cards back into a deck as he looked thoughtful, Minnie watching on expectantly.
"Hmmm, I guess it couldn't hurt," He mused to himself before smiling at her, "Long ago, between a land of two great rivers, there laid the great city of Durgishimmar." He began as she listened attentively, hanging on his every word, "It was a grand city with grand walls, wells of sweet water, a pure river, and shimmering canal. There lived a young shepherd, and the shepherd was a great man in the city, respected by all. One day, he fell in love with the young maiden, who was the daughter of two farmers. She was one of the most beautiful in the lands. He tried to court her by the riverside, but the maiden's mother warned her of the shepherd and she turned him away. Sadden but determined, the shepherd went on a ride down the river to clear his thought. By chance or fate, he and the maiden crossed paths again on the river. The maiden was unable to resist him a second time. They shared a boat ride down the river, and more than a few kisses," He narrated.
"Is there a dragon in this story, Brothar?" Minnie asked suspiciously.
Junior just shook his head in amusement and continued, "The lords and ladies of the land accused the shepherd of corrupting the maiden, for she was young. They banished him from the city, to a place called Kigal. The maiden followed him, however. The shepherd knew she came, but didn't know why. He disguised himself three times- once as a guard at the city gates, again as a fisherman by a river near the mountains, and lastly as a ferryman. After the third time, the shepherd knew the maiden still loved him. Revealing himself to her, they kissed and were never apart again. For no matter where they went, their hearts were as one," Junior finished, blinking as he saw a starry eyed Minnie.
"Brothar, that was amazing!" She cheered, clapping to show her love for the story, "Did they ever go back to...Dur-Gish-Im-Mar?" She asked slowly at the long and odd name.
Junior chuckled, "Yes, they did, Minnie…for a while, at least. Everyone left the city eventually, for a better one," He answered vaguely.
"And Canals? Aren't those rivers that are made by people?" She asked curiously.
'So bright and filled with so many questions,' Junior thought, amused, "Yes, that's right Minnie. A boat ride around town, not something you can say just anywhere," He joked lightly.
"What was Kigal like?" Minnie asked curiously, making him blink, "You said what Dur…gish was like, but not Kigal," She added on.
Junior grinned playfully at that question, "That's a secret, Minnie," He answered, making her whine.
"Ahh, but Brothar!" She complained childishly.
"No buts, Minnie. Isn't it about time for you to go to bed anyway?" He asked knowingly.
"I don't...," She paused to yawn loudly, "need no nap...," She protested. Unknown to her, young Nergalings slept more often than humans due to their growing demonic powers. As Minnie was only a quarter Nergal, she only needed one two hour nap every day, besides sleeping at night.
"Fine, if you want to call me Master, than here's an order. Stop fighting so I can put you to bed," He ordered lightly but a bit sternly.
Minnie pouted as her eyes dosed off, "Fine, Mastar...can I sleep...here...?" She asked, struggling to stay awake before passing out and flopping down on the bed.
"Yep, you're still a baby, Minnie. You're still a baby Nergaling until you don't have these mid-day naps," Junior said to his now snoozing sister. He hummed a little tune as he got off the bed and pulled down the covers as Minnie's body floated a bit above the bed and to the pillows. Junior covered her up as she descended down to the soft mattress. With a smile, he kissed her temple, "Sleep tight, Sis. I got work to do anyway," He said with a grin as she snuggled into the pillow. He'd rather not get Minnie involved in his messy business until she was a bit older. She was a child, in body and mind. Him? No...a child was the last thing he was, really, "Now, where'd I put that Jam Cup?" He asked himself as he looked around his room...
End of Chapter
Well, that's the first one down. Hope you all enjoyed this. And now, there won't be anything on the highly perverted side in regards to Mandy benig Junior's slave, yet. It'll come people. And for all those wondering, this Minnie is five, therefore pre-Helga, and she has not picked old "Olde English" speak yet. And no people, she doesn't yet fully get that what being a slave means. Again, she's five and still a bit innocent. And yes, she has a small lisp, saying many '-er' sounds as '-ar'
As for Mandy, she's still a bitch, but she's a bitch on a leash now. She follows Junior's orders but really...well, like the chapter said, Junior wants her to keep a feirce reputation, not turn her into a pushover or something. And yes, he did order her to kill Grim Senior. Sorry fans.
And for the record, there is a reason Nergal wants that weapon and there is a reason Junior old Minnie that story.
QTP: What is Junior, really? How did he enslave his mother? Will she get free and does she even want to? Why did Junior tell Minnie that specific story? Why is Kigal a secret? Why does Nergal Senior want this Sharur weapon? What does he know, or think he knows, about Grim Junior? Why did Junior order Mandy to kill his father and take his place? Will Mandy be able to get many allies? What powers do Junior have? Will Minnie become Junior's slave as well? What is Junior's goal? And why is he looking for a 'Jam Cup'?