Ch.7- Dinner With The King

Inside, Yomi had a she demon lead them up the stairs to a spacious room with a view of the garden behind the house. Brianna stepped away from him to take it all in.

"I know the room may not be as large as you might be used to, but-" he began.

"It's beautiful." she inserted for him. "The light and the view of the garden are wonderful." She turned to him hoping she hadn't insulted him. She knew he was blind. There was a small smile on his face.

"I'm glad you like it." he said sincerely. "Risha will be your personal maid and she will see to all your needs." he stated referring to the she demon in the room with them. Brianna looked to her. Her skin was light blue but her scales were a little darker blue like her lips. Her eyes were charcoal colored. Her ears looked like fins. She had on a plain dress with a white apron. Her dark blue hair with hits of dark gray was on a neat bun on her head. She bowed her head as Yomi left.

Once he was out of the room and the women were left alone, Risha closed the bedroom door. Then she went to a door within the room Brianna assumed was a closet. When Risha opened it, she revealed a bathroom. Steam rose from the metal tub.

"Well, come on now, deary." she insisted kindly, but sternly. "Dinner will be ready in a matter of hours." Brianna came in. Risha presented Brianna a tray of bottled perfumed soaps.

"Which ever one you think would please Lord Yomi the most." Brianna said not knowing which one to pick. Risha nodded. She put the tray back down on the counter she picked it up from.

"He likes roses." she said as she come back with a bottle. "This is sourced from the garden of this estate." She poured some into the bath water. "Is the water to your liking?" she asked. Brianna put a hand in. It felt perfect. Brianna looked to Risha a little uncomfortable. "I'll fetch you a new dress." she said reading the room. She scurried out. Brianna took her dirty dress off and carefully climbed into the tub. She sank in as deep as she could. After a long moment, Risha came back in. She handed Brianna a cloth. "Let me help you with your hair and your back, deary."

"I can manage." said Brianna.

"None sense." said Risha with a sponge in hand. Brianna took a deep, shaky breath and leaned forward. Risha gasped after she moved Brianna's hair. "Child!" she exclaimed. "Who would do such a horrible thing to you?!"

"My brother." replied Brianna sadly. Risha gently scrubbed her back. Brianna looked back to her. She could see the pity on Risha's face. Their eyes met for a moment. Brianna quickly looked away.

"I know of a way to lessen the scars." said Risha. "There's no removing them, but we can work to make them less noticeable if you'd like."

"I would." replied Brianna. "I would be grateful of that."

"Is this brother of yours still alive?" asked Risha.

"Yes." said Brianna. Risha let out a huff.

"I would've killed him for this." she stated. "It's unacceptable! Just unacceptable! How is he to expect a young, beautiful she demon like yourself to live confidently with these scars?! Slaves aren't even allowed to be beaten like this in Lord Yomi's territory."

"I've heard a lot of positive things about how Lord Yomi rules." she said. "I'm glad to know they aren't simply hearsay." Risha began to wash Brianna's hair with a motherly tenderness.

"He is a king worth fighting for." she stated. "A king worth giving two sons for."

"I'm sorry for you lose." said Brianna.

"As am I but my sons made me proud and Lord Yomi has even extended his sympathies." she said with a mix of emotions. "Another of my son's is still fighting on the edge of the territory. I hope we continue to push back Mukuro and that hoards he commands. I've heard vile things about them. By the looks of what you endured at the hands of your own brother, it would seem you know first hand." Brianna nodded. "Is it true Mukuro's soldiers rape and beat the women of the villages?" asked Risha. Brianna nodded again. She pulled her knees in tighter to her chest. Risha touched her right shoulder comfortingly. "I'm sorry." she said sincerely.

"I was never raped by the soldier myself but…" She stopped not quiet knowing how to say it. "There was a female… She was in charge of keeping my village and the soldiers in line. She did things to me. She's the only one my brother ever let touch me." There was a long silence between them as Risha continued to wash Brianna's hair.

"If you ever need someone to talk to about what you went through, I'm here." Risha said breaking the tension.

"Did you know a she demon by the name of Joanna?" asked Brianna. "She was in Lord Yomi's army."

"Yes!" exclaimed Risha happily. "She's a feisty thing!" Risha paused then came around to look Brianna in the face. She smiled at Brianna. "You're the little spirit fox she spoke of, aren't you?" Brianna nodded and looked away. Risha knew something was wrong. "Did she fall in battle?" she asked. Brianna put her head to her knees as the tears threatened to overwhelm her. Then she nodded. She heard Risha stand up and walk away for a moment. Shortly, she felt her hair being put up in a cloth. She looked up to Risha as she came around the front. "Come on." she encouraged. Brianna stood. Risha wrapped her in a soft cloth and helped her step on onto a mat and right into an embrace by Risha. When Risha pulled back she looked Brianna in the face, cupping it with her hands. "She would be so proud that you're here now!" Risha reassured Brianna.

"Thank you." Brianna whispered as Risha wiped a tear that escaped Brianna's eyes. She led Brianna to the bedroom to show her the dresses she displayed. A black lacy one caught Brianna's attention but she noticed none of the dresses had a hole for her tail. Risha assured Brianna that she could fix that. She took some measurements then began to work on the black dress as Brianna walked back to the bathroom to dry off.

As dinner time approached, Risha did one last brushing of Brianna hair, even her tail. Brianna sat at her mirror almost not recognizing herself. Risha had helped her into her clothes and adorned her with jewelry, one being a lace choker. She had even put some make up on her. Brianna looked at Risha in the mirror. Risha looked back and Brianna stopping. She put her hands on her shoulders.

"You are a vision!" she exclaimed softly. Brianna smiled brightly. Risha escorted Brianna down to the dinning room. The table was set. Yomi walked in from another room. As he passed by Brianna, he seated her next to his seat at the table.

"Thank you." she said as Yomi sat down.

"You smell like roses." he stated. She smiled again. A server began to fill their crystal wine glasses with a dark red wine. Yomi took his and lifted it to Brianna's direction. She took hers up as well. "To freedom." he said. They clinked their glasses and both had a sip. Brianna was shocked at the flavor. She drank it down. "The wine is from a vineyard to the south well out of Mukuro's and Raizen's reach."

"It's really good." said Brianna as the server filled her glass again. She set it down deciding to pace herself now. There was a moment of silence between them as Yomi took another sip of his wine and set it down.

"Where do we even begin?" he asked. She got nervous. He put a hand on hers. She thought back and felt anger flow through her.

"You left me in the hands of an incompetent fool." she stated taking Yomi aback briefly. "The people around us raised me. He talked about my parents as if they were some fairy tale couple with no issues. He tried to make you out to be the villain hell bent on taking everything away. He hated you so much that he chose Mukuro's chaos and madness over your extended hand of help. I had no choices, no say! I was nothing. Now I have nothing except a name and an inhabitable forest in a war torn land." He sat back as she spoke, taking it in.

"You have a name that will open many doors for you." he said. "From what I'm told you also have the look to go with that name. It's inconsequential at this point though because you don't have to use that name. I made a promise to your mother that I intend to keep. I will take care of you until you can take care of yourself. I will liberate your inheritance from Mukuro rule so you can destroy it or restore it. Whatever you wish. I think under your management, it could be a thriving safe haven like it once was when you were a small child."

"It was." she said thinking about the good times. "I would like to see it become that again under your flag."

"I will make it so then." he stated. He took her hand again. "I'm sorry he failed you as he did. I thought on keeping you in my care when you were an infant but at that point my reign was still too fragile and time consuming. It was endless campaigning and fighting. I barely made it though sometimes. To put you in the mix of that seemed unfair at the time. I did reach out to Mials numerous times to inquire on you and the situation. Perhaps if I hadn't, he wouldn't have chosen to side with Mukuro."

"Please don't blame yourself." said Brianna. "He would have chose Mukuro over you no matter what. I am really grateful to have your concern and support." He removed his hand from hers as the staff brought in their dinner. It smelled and looked delicious. They set the food on the table. One of the staff began to serve Yomi as the other served Brianna. They were dismissed as soon as they finished. She began to dig into her food before they were even out of the room.

"How long has it been since you've eaten?" he asked. She swallowed down her last bit with a sip of wine.

"I don't even know." she said honestly. "Last meal I had was poisoned." She took another bit but it was smaller.

"Who poisoned you?" asked Yomi.

"Mials." she replied. Yomi seemed shocked.

"Why?" he asked perplexed.

"A she demon by the name of Kok-Lir had me imprisoned and was torturing me." she replied. "Perhaps he thought it was the only way to free me. I didn't bother to ask when I broke out of the cell and banished him. I don't believe he could be honest with himself, let alone me, so it would have been pointless." Yomi seemed angry.

"I know of this Kok-Lir." he hissed. "Where is the bitch?"

"All over the cellar walls and floor of the fort." replied Brianna. Yomi's anger faded a little and he gave her a small smile.

"By your doing?" he asked. Brianna nodded. "Good girl."

"In leaving, it took everything I had left to make the trees of the forest alive and wild. They turned all the soldiers there into compost." she said. "I know I must have slept for days. Honestly, I still feel drained."

"A decent night's sleep after this meal will help you." Yomi replied. "The energy that exploded from your area was tremendous. You are very strong for being so young. With the proper training and guidance, you will regain your energy and possibly become strong enough to rival Mukuro, Raizen or even myself within the five or six centuries."

"Doesn't that worry you?" she asked curiously.

"Do I have your loyalty?" he asked.

"Yes, you have my loyalty." she replied sincerely.

"Then no." he replied to her question. "I will trust you until you have given me a reason not to. I rarely give anyone that much of my trust but that's what your mother gave me after we became friends. I hope you honor her by returning that to me."

"Of course." said Brianna. There was a moment of silence. "Mials always thought she was going to return. I think it's foolish to believe that."

"It is foolish to put too much faith into your parents returning." he stated. "But it wouldn't be the most surprising thing to happen. There is a slim chance they're still alive. Its crossing back to Demon World that is the biggest challenge. They are both considerably powerful. Only low level demons seem to be able to cross the barrier. To bind their powers would be dangerous with Spirit World after them."

"Why wouldn't the Spirit World agents just let them back through to Demon World?" she asked. "That would make the most sense."

"Not much of Spirit World makes sense." mused Yomi. "Not much of Human World either. Demon World...well, it might appear lawless and chaotic but most live by an honor code. The only part of Demon World that doesn't seem to is Mukuro's territory. I've had communications with Raizen that show me he can be reasoned with and holds those in his territory accountable. There hasn't been a fight along the border of our lands in almost 200 years. The people come and go freely and both lands prosper from the open trade market we share."

"That's interesting." said Brianna sincerely.

"Perhaps tomorrow we can talk more about politics and borders." he stated. "I did want to extend my condolences on the lost of Joanna. I knew her. She was very brave. She fought hard to break Mukuro's hold of your homeland." Brianna looked taken aback.

"How did you hear?" she asked.

"I, uh- I hear everything in this house." he replied. "In fact, I can hear the neighbors as well. The husband and wife across the street are arguing again." Brianna looked shocked. Yomi touched his multiple ears on his left side. "I was only born with one set. After I was blinded, two more pairs began to grow. Although it helped compensate for my lack of sight, it does have some drawbacks."

"As hearing everything would." she said a little uncomfortable at the thought of all she told Risha earlier. She knew that now he knew.

"I won't take advantage of what I overhear." he said sensing the change in mood. Brianna finished her glass of wine quickly again.

"I think…" she began uncertainly. "I think I'm ready to turn in." She stood. He gently grabbed her wrist.

"We haven't even had dessert yet." he said sweetly. She stood there for a moment, mind racing. She sighed and sat back down. She didn't touch her food anymore. She just crossed her arms and stare at it. "I apologize for not mentioning it earlier." She looked at him. "The range of my hearing."

"There's just things I'm not ready for you… or anyone at all, to hear." she replied.

"Like Kok-Lir touching you?" he asked softly. He could sense her eyes misting. "Like the scars Mials gave you that shocked Risha?" She nodded.

"I'm not ready to talk about all that." she stated sternly.

"You don't have to." he replied. "The only inquiry I have right now is what happened to Joanna." Brianna got up again.

"I know she was one of your soldiers but I can't-" snapped Brianna. "Not right now!" Yomi could tell she was shaken and to push the subject would only cause her to shut down more. "I just need to return to my room now." Yomi stood.

"Allow me to walk you back." he offered. She was tempted by it.

"I respectfully decline." she said. "Please continue your meal." She left the room. When she entered her bedroom she was alone. She felt torn apart, and just want to scream and cry but knowing Yomi could hear she refrained. A soft knock came at the door. She opened it to find it was Risha.

"The server told me you came to your room." she said kindly. "I assume you are retiring for the night." Brianna nodded. "May I come in to help undo the dress so you may put on a night gown I altered for you?" Brianna let her in. Risha began to unlace the dress in the back. Brianna looked to the bed to see the night gown laid out with a robe next to it. "Is there anything else I can help you with, deary." Brianna shook her head 'no'. "Good night then."

"Good night, Risha." she replied.