At last, however much she tried to put it off, Amanda reached Juni. The annoying little airhead was simpering at the nearest males, especially a blond named Chad.
"Like, hi Amanda! How are you? You never write!"
"Neither do you, Juni. Probably because it finally got through your thick skull I'll never answer."
"Really? I'm sure I did...whatever. Anyway, it's Kitty now, way more modern. Took it from Katherine, all the rage at home."
Kurt leaned in to murmur in Amanda's ear, "not even hate-mail? Send her some of that from me next time you write." A smile crept over the girl's face.
"So, did you know that your parents are going to be husband hunting for you now you're like, old enough?"
"Of course." Said the home-turf princess. Kurt winced, it didn't sound like a good subject with Amanda, fury bubbled beneath her calm exterior.
"I know it'll be hard for you, I mean, none of the men can put up with you, the marriage would be a shambles."
"Rrr."
"Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty!" said Nightcrawler suddenly.
"Are you making fun of me?" demanded Kitty.
It's hard for a demon to look innocent, but Kurt pulled it off.
"Me? Nein, I thought I heard a catfight starting."
As Kitty realized they were laughing at her, she opened her mouth to object, but Amanda interjected.
"He has very good hearing, did you think the ears were for show? Snigger"
The demon and his mistress were both grinning now. Juni opted for being dimly annoying until Amanda left in sheer desperation.
"Oh, there's our mage, Jean. I'll just go chat to her instead, 'kay Juni- or?" Teeth were ground at this small pun.
"Nightcrawler can like, stay, right? Or do you not trust your demon that much yet?" Kurt frowned, so Amanda just 'sure' ed and left.
Kitty sighed and turned to the One with the Blue Fur.
"At last. Acting air-headed is the quickest way to get rid of her. Hello, Nightcrawler. I must say your entrance was amazing."
She could feel the curse beginning to control her tongue; it was a great way for getting what she wanted, she just lied through her teeth and used the curse for a scapegoat. Kitty began to persuade the demon.
Meanwhile, Amanda recounted Kurt's expertise at irritating Juni. Jean giggled, a rather un-mage-like thing to do.
"She has a point, though it may be the only time she's right in her life. You will be arranging a marriage in the years to come. Political, of course," - "what else?" - "And the most valued union right now is between here and Germania, but Duke VonWagner has no son. As that's impossible, the next choice is Bobby Drake of the North Realm's son, Chad."
"CHAD? No. Oh no, never, and that is final. I wouldn't marry him for the world, there is just no way. I'd rather marry Kurt than that pompous, self-obsessed ignoramus. No no no no no no no." Amanda hissed her rejection with venom, careful to keep her voice low. Offended nobles could cause great damage. Jean was impressed at her self-control.
"And after him is Piotr, of Russna."
"Huh. He's way older than me."
"There have been larger gaps in age before. And now, if you'll excuse me, I wish to retire. Goodnight, Lady Amanda."
"Goodnight, Mage Grey."
"Kitty, you could really break the binding? I could be free again?" Repeated Kurt, wanting to be sure.
"Of course. It'll be like, simple now it's on display, I just need to take off the clasp and let it unravel." Lied Kitty breezily.
"I could do that myself. I should, because you'll want something in return."
"You can't touch the Binding, it will burn you. Otherwise what would be the point of the spell, if it could be undone so easily?"
"What do I have to do to pay you back? I don't want you to go to the trouble for nothing..."
"Well, I know you'll probably go back to your family, but if you could visit my home sometimes, when there's parties; and pretend to be my demon for a night? It's just so great for image, you know."
"Jawohl, I will."
"Great, darling. Could you take me to Amanda now, please?"
Kurt took her skinny arm in his thick fingers, and teleported. Juni saw a place that looked like hell as they passed through another dimension. She shuddered. She really didn't like the demon anymore. He suddenly seemed more real.
And there they were, by Amanda, who was nibbling a piece of cake.
"Hallo, mein Dame. Wie gehts?" said the Nightcrawler in a cheerful tone, lapsing into German for no reason.
Kitty took the Princess aside for a favour.
"Can you like, this is embarrassing, show me where the garderobe is? I'm like, so sorry, but I totally can't remember where it is."
The royal groaned. "Follow me." She snapped. She always ruins Balls for me! Always!
As they passed through a deserted corridor Amanda stopped and confronted Juni.
"What is this all about, Juni? You acted like you owned the place last time you visited, I'm sure you don't need directions. If you're looking for a fight or something, don't even start. Now tell me the truth. If you can."
Kitty expressed amusement at that, with a sly laugh. "The truth?" She asked; grabbing Amanda's arms and shoving her against a wall. "The truth is, I want your demon. You can't always have everything you want. So I'm taking the Nightcrawler for my own court." Juni called upon her secret power, and Amanda gasped as she began to sink into the wall. It was a horrible feeling, as the molecules of the wall sank into the gaps between the molecules in her body. As suddenly as it started, the meshing stopped, and Amanda was trapped in the wall with only half her body showing.
"You have no idea how long I've wanted an excuse to do that. Well, maybe you do. So I'll take this, and your demon is my pet!"
Kitty took a ceremonial lady's dagger from her handbag and sliced the spell- braid from the other princess's head. Dropping it into her bag, she turned and sauntered away, laughing at the girl trapped in the wall.
"Nightcrawler, the spell is broken. You can come with me to my home now if you like, and I shall get our mage to do a communications spell, so that I can call for you when I need you. Is that okay?"
"Ja, mein Dame, Dankeschon." The Nightcrawler grinned, and eagerly followed Juni to her carriage. Her parents had a separate one, as she usually left Balls a lot later than them.
She and her new demon jumped inside the murky darkness of the carriage. The visiting princess got quite a shock then, as the blue-furred creature blended in to the shadows, and only his golden eyes and wide grin showed.
Truly, he is a creature of darkness thought Juni, repressing a shudder.
Soon the horses were trotting and the stagecoach rattling away. A while later, the Nightcrawler began looking around.
"I'll just pop up to the roof, see where we are, Ja?"
"Whatever. :Yawn:"
Kurt teleported to the roof, and was taken aback when he was still in the carriage, only on the other side to before, next to Kitty.
"You didn't break the Binding, did you? You just stole because you thought I'd make a good pet!" He spat. The demon-knapper smirked.
"There's nothing you can do to me, you will only hurt yourself. That is why I like, took the Binding instead of breaking it. You're totally naïve if you thought I'd free a demon. So now you're mine!"
"Hah, but I'm not a demon. Jean knew that when she did the spell, even if she didn't realize she knew. Which is why, dummkopf, it's not a shared hurt spell."
"I-It's not? I don't believe you! Demons always lie!"
"So that makes you one, nein?" sneered Kurt, twisting her arm with no ill effects. Kitty began to cry. The demon hesitated, and then climbed out the window and onto the top of the carriage.
"Stop the horses." He ordered to the driver. The man startled and pulled up the horses. Kurt returned to the inside of the vehicle and pushed Juni out the door, wrenching her bag from her grasp.
Reaching into it he picked up the braid, and it began to glow. Kitty hadn't lied about one thing, his fur started to singe. Ignoring the burning, he held her by the shoulder, muttered something in another language and teleported.
:BAMF:
The driver stared. Princess Juni had been abducted by a demon. He was about to go for help, until; he remembered how at times the girl had been even crueller than Amanda used to be. Then he sat back and guffawed.
:POOF:
The two materialized in a crowd of people. The trapped princess was surrounded by mages and onlookers all trying to release her from the wall. Amanda was yelling irately. Kurt moved aside and apologized to the man they'd landed on. Then he forced Kitty to Amanda's side.
"Nightcrawler? How did you get here?"
"Romany spell." He shrugged, holding up the braid. "Put that down before you burn your skin, Kurt." He dropped it on the floor, where it stopped glowing.
Kitty was trying to slip away, so Amanda halted her.
"You are not going anywhere 'til you release me, witch. I don't know how on earth you did this, but undo it now or I'll have you thrown in the dungeons. We can ask you again when you're a little hungrier."
Juni stepped forward and pulled the young woman smoothly from the wall. Then she ran off to her parents, blaming the curse for everything.
"If it was the sorceress's fault, why don't they do a search for her, and force her to remove the curse?" Asked Kurt, nonplussed.
Amanda staggered and leaned against him. "I am so glad I'm not a stupid as her!" Then, as the crowd dissipated, she whispered in his ear,
"Thank you Kurt, and, I'm sorry." He blinked.
"Was?"
She spoke normally now. "You are not a demon, and never were one. I apologize for making you my pet and everything."
She picked up the Binding braid and removed the clasp. Then she set fire to it from one of the candles of the wall. Kurt felt the spell fall away from his mind. His customary grin returned.
Amanda then removed the collar. "So, if there is anything I can do to thank you..."
He pecked her on the cheek. "Nein, taking the collar off is enough."
She glared at him. "You can't do that, I'm royalty!" she admonished.
Just then, Stephen rounded the corner, and stopped.
"What are you two doing?"
Kurt blushed, but it didn't show through his fur. Amanda waved the collar at the trapeze artist.
"Taking this off. Where you looking for Kurt?" Said person leapt forwards.
"Stephan, I didn't miss my cue, did I?"
"Not yet. Sheesh, why are you worried? You've never missed a cue in your life. You'd better 'port us to the Ballroom though."
A :BAMF: and they were there.
Jimaine, Stephen and Kurt went through their routine, wowing the audience. One point where Kurt seemed to miss the bar and catch himself with his tail brought cheers. The finale had Jimaine doing a handstand on a tightrope, with Stephen hanging from a trapeze and holding her feet, and Kurt standing on the rope upside-down by only his toes. Then he :BAMF:ed the three of them to the rest of the cast, where they all bowed.
Jean was heading to her chambers when she heard raised voices coming from a guest room.
"Please come down to the Ball Raven, I can tell you're not ill."
"No, don't make me."
"I won't make you do anything. Well, I'll stay and keep you company. I was just thinking earlier what a shame it was that our second child miscarried so late. He would be Amanda's age; it could have been a great union, us and the South Realms."
"He, he didn't die."
"WHAT!"
"He, sob he was born looking so different, because I'm a seer. He looked like a- a demon, and I thought no one would accept him."
"I-if he was my son, I would have no matter what he looked like."
"What do you mean, if? Of course he was your son. But I was so tired, I just Seered to find the best choice, but I could only find one good path because I wasn't, I couldn't concentrate. It was to leave him with the midwife, who would bring him up with her travelling circus."
"I don't understand you sometimes. What did he look like?"
Jean, realizing she'd been eavesdropping, was just about to hurry on her way when Mystique said,
"He was dark blue. He had only two fingers and two toes on each hand or foot, with thumbs and dewclaws. And a spaded tail."
There was a sharp intake of breath as the Duchess continued.
"His ears were pointed and his eyes were gold, sob, and was our son, and I lost him:WAAHAHAA: sniff sniff."
The mage was stunned. Raven had just described Amanda's demon perfectly. Could it be that Kurt had been telling the truth? Jean gingerly knocked on the door. It opened a crack.
"Ah, mage Grey, can I help you?"
"I'm very sorry, but I couldn't help overhearing - "
"You were listening? I thought better of you."
"I apologize, but this is important. May I speak to Duchess Raven please?"
"Let her." Said a voice slightly different to the one before. Raven had morphed into her Seer guise, Mystique.
Jean entered and bobbed a curtsey, to give herself time to recover. Mystique was blue, with red hair. She looked the same as before, in the same clothes, but her colour had changed.
"What was the name of your child, madam?"
"Kurt...Wagner I suppose, more than VonWagner. Have you news of him?"
"He is here in the castle, until a short while ago he had been Princess Amanda's pet demon, but she decided he was definitely human and released him about an hour ago."
"How do you know this? I Saw you leaving the Ball early."
"I, um picked the event from Amanda's mind, she was thinking very loudly."
Mystique became Raven again, a tall lady with black hair, brown eyes and pale skin.
"Take me to him."
A gong rang far away, it was the next day and the Ball was over.