Wrath of the Princess?

Author's note: There's been an update on the genre of this story. While death is always a tragic element, I'm uncertain of how the story will officially end, and so I'm unable to call it a tragedy. It's more of an Angst story than anything else, and this chapter is going to highlight this more than any chapter prior.

?

Douglas opens his eyes weakly, groaning a bit as he moves. He can hardly see what is in the room as only a torch on the right is being used as a light source in the room. It isn't warm in here at all, and he can feel his otherwise slightly torn shirt absorbing the frigid air the torch is doing nothing to warm. Upon moving his arms a bit, he realizes he's unable to touch the floor at all with them. His wrists have shackles on them that are hooked to the rock wall behind him. Furthermore, he recognizes the material of the chains. They are the same kind Razzle and Dazzle used before, only assuring him his powers wouldn't get him out of this. The soreness and cool air continue to leave him with less and less hope until he hears the small footsteps in the distance coming closer. The door on the left opens and a familiar friend steps into the room.

"You're awake? … It's about time." The princess says in a very low tone. Douglas can hardly see her face from where she's standing, but it gets a bit easier as she walks towards him.

"Charlie," Douglas responds in a weak voice. "I didn't think I'd get to see you again." Charlie stands tall in front of him as he can't gather the strength to stand up. It's clear nobody healed him after Alastor's fight.

"Don't worry. After tonight I promise we'll never see each other again." She says, lifting her shirt up and untucking it from her pants. A sharp silver dagger flashes in Douglas's view that was tucked under. He sighs weakly and closes his eyes.

"I know you want to kill me." A couple of tears come to his eyes. "But I'm in no position to stop you, so go ahead." Charlie closes her eyes to bide her emotions for a moment.

"No Douglas. I really don't want to kill you." She then opens them again. "But I hope you understand at this point, I don't really have a choice. If you'd prefer, I can leave you in here until you die of dehydration or infections." Douglas sneers at this sentence.

"If I'm going to die in this very room, I'd prefer you kill me yourself. Leaving someone to suffer is even more inhumane." Charlie nods in agreement.

"Very well, I'll kill you with the dagger." She says, pulling it out from the side of her pants. "It's much less painful than the fireballs I could cast at you." Douglas shivers for several seconds before gulping and lowering his head.

"Okay… go ahead." He says, more tears streaming down his injured face at the thought of losing his life. Charlie shakes her head.

"Do you really think I'm going to kill you right away?" She points the dagger to his face. "You have a lot to answer for before your soul leaves Hell." Douglas opens his eyes, frowning.

"You're going to interrogate me?" He shakes his head softly. "Sorry Charlie, it won't happen." He closes his eyes again. "If you're not willing to spare me under any circumstances, then I really don't feel like you deserve to know what I know." Charlie steps a bit closer and squeezes his left shoulder, one of which she knows will make him groan loudly, and he does.

"You've taken so many souls from Hell, Douglas. Why is mercy something you think I can grant you now?" Douglas grits his teeth to endure the pain before giving her a firm glare.

"Because you don't know my motive for any of those souls I've killed. Each one had a very specific reason, and if you're not willing to listen to said reason, there's no point of telling you." A bright flash goes through Charlie's body, she begins to transform into her demon form.

"Have it your way Douglas!" She says, her fingernails turning into claws and her face getting sinister to the point Douglas could hardly look at her without internally cowering.

"Wait!"

"Stop!"

"Hm?" The freshly transformed demoness turns around to see Razzle and Dazzle coming closer with a worried look in their eyes.

"Please Charlie, don't be so cruel on an already suffering boy." Dazzle pleads.

"Torturing him isn't like you to do." Razzle states. "And making it something you're willing to do is just short of getting used to it. Maintain your heart while you still have it!" He exclaims, getting a weak smirk from the suffering boy in the chains.

"What's it to you two?" She asks in a calm but evil tone. "Have you honestly grown attached to this murderer?" Razzle bravely frowns at his princess.

"No Charlie, we haven't. But we know his side of the story, and killing him before he shares it with you isn't a good idea." He says before his brother chimes in.

"And torturing him isn't going to solve anything." Dazzle states. "Unless you're willing to show mercy, he doesn't owe you any words he says." He then makes a fist. "And neither will we." Charlie lets go of Douglas and turns to her goat servants.

"Is that so? You're going to keep the truth from me as well?" She asks, fire in her eyes. Razzle stomps on the floor.

"Yes!" He then points to Douglas. "Your only chance of ever knowing is if you get it from Douglas directly!"

"And you better get it right now!" Dazzle adds. "He's hardly able to breathe and you haven't done anything to make him comfortable yet!" Charlie breathes in deeply and then turns to Douglas, reverting back to her normal appearance.

"Very well. I will not torture you." She then holds her dagger out to him again. "But understand if I find out you're lying on any of your statements, I will kill you. You got that?" She asks in a dark voice. The young warrior nods once.

"I got it. No more lies." He says, wincing a little. Charlie turns to her goats.

"You two get out of here and close the door. I'd prefer to speak to Douglas alone." Razzle and Dazzle face each other before nodding once.

"Alright princess, we'll leave," Dazzle says.

"But you'd better keep your word if you want the truth," Razzle adds. Both boys walk up the stairs, Dazzle closing the door behind them. The enraged demoness turns back to her prisoner with the same glare from before.

"No witnesses now. Your death will remain unseen by anyone else when this is over." She pockets the dagger for a moment to ease the tension slightly.

"I understand that. Now, what would you like to know?" He asks. Charlie takes a deep breath and thinks of where she'd like to start.

"Why do you think you're here?" She asks. "Why didn't Alastor kill you?" The holy soldier sighs deeply and closes his eyes.

"I truly don't know. I honestly thought he would've killed me right there, and I'm a little disappointed he didn't." He lifts his head up to her. "He instead let you have me to decide my fate." Charlie nods.

"I don't really like that answer, but I know you're not lying." Her glare gets a bit lighter. "But what about Alastor? If you'd won the fight, would he still be alive right now?" Douglas shakes his head.

"Undeniably not. I would've killed him as I was told to do." Charlie sneers lightly upon hearing that.

"Who told you to kill him?" Douglas opens his eyes and looks up at her.

"Judge Tytus. He's an elite angel from Heaven who told me the Overlords in Hell would soon overpower Heaven if they were allowed to continue." He makes a thumb he points to himself, his chain rattling a bit as he does. "So he asked me to be the demon killer." Charlie sighs a bit.

"Why Douglas? Why didn't you just refuse?" The young warrior lowers his head in shame.

"I don't know." He says softly. Charlie suddenly grabs him by his hair and lifts his head back up a bit.

"You don't know?!" She exclaims. "You're not even a legal adult yet and you accepted a task from some guy in Heaven you haven't met before?! Why didn't you just tell him no?!" She exclaims, nearly breaking up in her words. Douglas bides his emotions and then releases them.

"Because I had nothing, Charlie! NOTHING!" She lets go of his hair and takes a step back as he continues. "I've had no family for half of my life! No known friends I could turn to! Nowhere to go! And most importantly, no long-term goals in my life!" He shouts before breathing heavily for several seconds. "I took this task because I felt maybe I could make something of my otherwise pointless life. It was solely my attempt to do what I thought was right by people telling me this was what I could do to secure a good afterlife!" Charlie lets him regain his breath before her next sentence.

"That's it? You did this for a legacy?" Douglas shakes his head.

"Of course not. Legacy is what people remember you for after you die. Nobody on Earth would ever know, and if I went back, nobody would ever believe me." He says as his frown returns. "But even if I said no, they would've just sent someone else to do this job instead. And who knows, maybe they would've died a lot sooner than me!" He calms down for a moment with a serious look. "Is that what you would've preferred? Potentially several other people coming here and dying to a nasty person in Hell doing what they were told was just?" Charlie closes her eyes as her glare turns into a gloom.

"No Douglas… I wouldn't like that either." She opens her eyes and frowns lightly. "But… why was peace never an option? Why didn't you let anyone live after beating them?" Douglas pauses as a thought goes through his head.

"I actually did one time." He then starts to tear up a little. "But it didn't matter in the end." Charlie facepalms softly.

"You're going to cry now? Do you have any guilt for anyone you've killed?" Douglas shakes his head.

"No, I don't. Everyone I've killed was trying to kill me and deserved it!" He exclaims, before leaning his head forward to wipe his tears on his knees.

"Nobody?" Charlie asks, glaring again. "You don't have any remorse for anybody you've killed?" Douglas looks up at her.

"Well, only Tom Trench." He admits. "That was an unfortunate death caused by me letting my anger get the better of me and losing focus with the Glock." He then glares bravely. "But only him. Everyone else I've killed deserved it." Charlie just frowns.

"Is that so? Including Vaggie who you pushed off the balcony yesterday?" Douglas shakes his head.

"I didn't kill Vaggie. She fell because I wasn't able to save her." He glooms and turns back down. "I genuinely tried too though."

"Really? Seviathan told me you pushed her off." Douglas's blood boils at that sentence.

"Seviathan is a liar! I don't know why you trust that jackass!" He exclaims. Getting his head pushed back against the wall as the princess retaliates.

"Seviathan is the only person I have left that cares about me, now that I've seen your true colors and you've led to a lot of my close friends dying!" Douglas groans as his sore head is held against the rock wall.

"IT WAS NEVER MY INTENTION TO HURT YOU!" He screams, Charlie letting go and him leaning forward again, trying to aid his head, but the chains keep his hands from reaching. "I'm so sorry for failing to do that!" Charlie closes her eyes and breathes in, taking several moments of silence before opening her eyes at him.

"Only one question remains." Douglas lifts his head attentively. "Do you enjoy being an orphan so much that you want to make other people orphans too?" The young warrior gasps a bit at that harsh sentence.

"What are you talking about? Nobody enjoys being an orphan!" Charlie's look is unaffected by his exclamation.

"Then why'd you make me an orphan? Are you not ashamed for killing my parents?" She asks. Douglas's eyes widen as he only envisions the inevitable outcome of his next sentence. He is silent for several seconds before revealing his answer.

"I did not kill them." He says quietly, but loud enough for Charlie to hear. "Aye!" He yelps as the princess suddenly pushes his head back toward the wall and swiftly holds the dagger to the point the edge of it is touching his throat flesh.

"You want to run that by me again?" Charlie asks in a dark tone. Douglas takes a moment to study the sheer fury in her eyes, gulping as he feels the dagger held in place before frowning firmly.

"I did NOT kill them." He reiterates. The princess raises an eyebrow.

"Is this your pitiful attempt to gain mercy all of a sudden?" She asks. "Do you honestly think I'm stupid enough to fall for your bullshit lie?" Douglas winces and continues glaring.

"Are your parents Lilith and Lucifer?" He asks, Charlie retracts the dagger just a little so his throat doesn't touch it anymore.

"Yes, they are." She replies. Douglas shakes his head.

"Then I know for a fact I didn't kill them." He says, inhaling deeply and starting to tear up again. "I did knock them both unconscious, but I can't apologize enough for the fact that they're gone now." He says, sobbing softly. "I'm so sorry." Charlie watches him cry for a moment as she stands back straight, holding the dagger at her side but maintaining her own tears from coming to her.

"I don't believe you." She says with no emotion. "If you want me to take your word for it, you're going to need to be more specific." Douglas leans forward to wipe his eyes on his knees again before looking up at her.

"Did anyone actually see them die?" He asks. The princess shakes her head.

"Nope. You were the last person seen leaving the room before anyone found them dead." She states. Douglas takes a deep breath and his glare goes away.

"Okay, here's what really happened."

Flashback:

"Now, any last words?" Douglas asks, holding a pumpkin over his shoulder. Lilith and Lucifer turn to one another with the same sad look in their eyes, before Lucifer turns to Douglas.

"Yes, we do have a last request, if you don't mind?" He asks, crying quietly.

"What is it?" Douglas asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Please, dear boy." Lilith begins. "Please don't hurt our daughter." Douglas flinches upon hearing these words.

"What?" He nearly drops his pumpkin as Lucifer speaks up.

"We've done a very terrible job as parents." He says shamefully. "We've been waiting a long time for her to come around, but we've never taken the initiative to do anything about it ourselves." He says, beginning to sob. Lilith contains her tears but shares the same look as her husband.

"It's true. We haven't done well, but we do deeply love her and care about her." She adds. Douglas shuts his eyes at the thought of this as he holds his pumpkin back.

"So please son! Spare our wonderful daughter!" Lucifer cries desperately. "We love her and won't be able to protect her anymore!" And that's all Lucifer can say as the holy soldier hits the side of his head with the pumpkin, knocking him out with the force, but still holding back immensely from what he could've done.

"Please son. Charlie means so much to us." Lilith says as he switches to his left hand and hits her on the other side with the exact same amount of force, he'd hit Lucifer with. He then pulls out the Heaven's Glock and aims at Lucifer.

"I promise." He says as tears stream down his face. He holds his finger steadily on the trigger for several seconds before realizing what lies before him, two completely unconscious beings with the desire to love someone they brought into the world. Seeing himself in the same position as Charlie, how would she react if they were gone forever? Would he get in trouble with Heaven if he let them live on? What is he going to do?

"…I'm sorry God." He says softly, lowering the Glock and summoning a large sanctuary over the king and queen. "I just can't do it." He leaves the sanctuary on long enough to siphon them both greatly before disabling it and exiting the room, leaving the unconscious couple behind to lie where they are.

Reality:

"That is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth," Douglas says honestly. Charlie holds her sleeve over her eyes to absorb the tears leaking from them.

"Really…?" She asks in a broken voice. "You didn't kill them because you didn't want to destroy my family?" Douglas nods once as tears come to his own eyes.

"I didn't. In their last words, they confirmed that they loved you, and I wouldn't be able to rest easily for the rest of my life knowing I killed two loving parents." A loud clang is heard as the demoness drops the dagger onto the cold hard floor.

"But… if you didn't kill my parents, then who did?" She asks in a tone that pleads for a straight answer. Douglas sniffles and shrugs his shoulders.

"I'm terribly sorry to say I don't know who it was." He wipes his tears on his knees again. "All I can tell you is it wasn't me." He then looks back up at her. "I will concede that I left them very vulnerable for whoever it actually was, but whether you choose to believe that or not isn't mine to judge." He gives a brave frown with his eyes closed. "I have no evidence, so I pray you can take my word and believe I'm not lying." Charlie sighs and turns around.

"I don't know what to believe anymore Douglas." She says in a depressed tone. "When I first met you I thought you were an unfortunate soul wrongly sent to Hell. But ever since, all I can see is someone who's killed various other souls." Douglas lowers his head in defeat.

"I can see why. I'm not proud of the damage that I've done. I'm just hoping some of the souls I've taken bring good to the world knowing they are no longer threats of any kind." Charlie heads for the door.

"I understand, and I hope you enjoy your time in the Judgement Hall." She says, opening the door. Douglas leans forward.

"Wait! You're just going to leave me here?" He asks, worried as the princess turns to him.

"What do you suggest I do? Let you go so you can attempt to kill Alastor again?" She asks. Douglas sighs painfully.

"I don't want to kill Alastor. Knowing he didn't kill me is more than I'll ever be able to repay." He faces her with a desperate look in his eyes. "But please Charlie, I'm really hurt from the fight and these chains aren't allowing me any comfort or ability to self-heal. If you won't release me, then please kill me now. I don't want to suffer and die in here." He states. The princess takes a deep breath and shakes her head.

"I can't kill you, Douglas. I'm sorry." She says. Lowering her head in shame.

"Why not?" He asks. She turns to him with a broken look.

"Because murder is the biggest sin anyone can commit. You're much younger no less, so killing you is something that would hurt me forever as much as the loss of my mom and dad." She steps out of the room. "I can't live with blood on my hands."

"But what difference does it make if you kill someone or leave them to suffer?" The holy soldier asks. "If you don't release me or kill me to release my soul, you're letting me suffer." He glares lightly. "Blood will stain your hands either way." Charlie turns to the stairs.

"Then I'll think about having Razzle and Dazzle come down to feed you going forward. Maybe Angel would like to be your caretaker." She then makes a firm frown without facing him. "Nonetheless, you and I will never speak to each other again." Douglas gasps as she begins to close the door. "Goodbye Douglas."

"Charlie…?" He says quietly, tears beginning to stream from his eyes once more. "Anyone?"

Author's Note: It took me a while to come up with a title for this chapter, but writing it was very easy once I started. I hope you all enjoyed, as this is one of, if not the most important chapter in this whole story. And thank you again for making it this far! Not much remains, but it's not over just yet.

Deceased: None