A/N
This is a fic I had previously posted exclusively on AO3 because of its rather nsfw content, but now you can read it here, too. Not much to say other than the premise struck me one day while in Covid quarantine and I just rolled with it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Updates will probably also be on Saturdays.
An Accord
Once upon a time, in a land called Erd, five kingdoms vied for control of the known world. Then they signed a peace treaty when they inevitably ran out of bodies to throw at each other.
The northernmost kingdom of Haven was home to the Angels, a race of beautiful winged beings who sought to remove everything they deemed ugly and uncouth from Erd. The Angels were vain and quickly realized that blood did not look good on their perfect skin or matted in their flawless hair, so Haven was the first to withdraw from the war.
East of Haven lay the kingdom of Fawna, a heavily forested realm housing an abundance of creatures both mundane and magical. During the early years of its founding, the Fauns proved wiser and more ingenious than their Beastling brethren and so were chosen to rule. Although they had the largest army by a landslide, Fawna was the second kingdom to stop fighting after their forces were devastated by superior technology. They decided to focus on trading clothing materials, timber, and foodstuffs to their neighbors in exchange for such technology, which they constantly strove to improve upon.
In the very center of Erd lay the kingdom of Floria where the Fae races dwelled. It had always been the most peaceful of the five realms thanks to the mountain ranges protecting it on all sides, and was renowned for tranquil and idyllic scenery. Floria was the first to forge new bonds after the war by inviting denizens of the other kingdoms, commoners and nobility alike, to their Solstice Festival, which became a prestigious and highly anticipated annual event.
The southernmost kingdom on the continent was Fairweather, inappropriately named because the weather was not fair at all. Most of the realm could be described as a frigid hellscape, home to nothing but vicious beasts and Elves with hearts of ice. Everyone believed they would be the victors of the conflict thanks to their skilled warriors and indestructible diamond armaments, but a plague spread throughout Fairweather and devastated the population. It was with deep resentment that the Elves signed the peace treaty. Even in the modern era, they never thanked the other kingdoms for providing aid.
Far out in the ocean, but not so far that it couldn't be seen from shore, was the kingdom of Hael, a long chain of volcanic islands occupied by the Demons. They only joined the battle because they got sick of listening to their neighbors screaming at each other over dumb bullshit. There was never an actual "winner" in war since devastating the land and murdering people for having different opinions was not something to brag about, but Hael could be considered the victor for losing the fewest soldiers. Three-hundred and thirty-three to be precise, which was how three became a lucky number among Demonkind.
When the queen of Hael, Lilita, gave birth to three sons, her subjects celebrated for three years straight. As the princes' twenty-first birthday approached, one of them would be named the official successor to the throne. At this news the Demons only celebrated for three months since they were running out of money due to too much partying and not enough taxing of foreign goods. Annoyed that the festivities were cut short, one of the princelings built a massive mortar firework and launched it out of a volcano as a final hurrah. The resulting explosion outshone the sun and made everyone else in Erd believe the end days were upon them. The king and queen of Hael sent out emissaries to reassure the Angels, Beastlings, Fae, and Elves that the world was not actually coming to an end, and offered valuable obsidian gifts in apology.
A couple weeks later, three of the gifts made their way back to Hael in the form of assassination threats. King Lucifer was furious that someone would use his own painstakingly-crafted obsidian daggers to forewarn the deaths of his sons. Fed up with attempting to coexist, he rallied his armies, opened hellmouths in each of the kingdoms, and invaded with the intent to unify all the races under one peaceful banner.
Basically he went to each of the royal families and said, "I will annihilate you unless you fall in line."
They had one week to respond to the Demon King. The Queen of Fawna, Cotta, came up with a brilliant plan to save the majority of their asses. "We should offer the hands of our daughters to Lucifer's sons," she said.
"As sacrifices?" an Angel ambassador questioned.
"No, their hands in marriage."
"That is ridiculous!" the King of Fairweather exclaimed. "I only have one daughter and I refuse to betroth her to a Demon!"
Cotta rolled her eyes. "Well, I have many daughters so I can spare one if it means saving our lands."
"I am also willing to promise my eldest daughter to a Demon prince if we are allowed to maintain our autonomy." The Pixie King of Floria, Dan de Lyon, ducked his chin. "I concur with Cotta's plan. What say you, Michele?"
The Angel shrugged. "Haven has no princess to offer."
"Why not?"
"Because we are no longer a monarchy."
"Since when?"
"Since we voted to become a democratic republic."
"I see…" Cotta and Dan faced King Galanthus. "What say you? Give your daughter to save your kingdom?"
"Absolutely not!" he roared. "She is the most precious thing to me in all of Erd!"
Michele raised an eyebrow at the king. "I did not think Elves formed such strong attachments to others, being so cold-hearted."
"She carries my blood, the blood of a noble warrior, and will make a fine warrior-queen herself when I pass. If I give her away, who will lead our people? My daughter is the ultimate pride of the Elven race!"
Cotta waved a hand about. "Surely it would not be too difficult for you to procure a new heir to your throne."
"Do you even have a queen?" Michele wondered.
"She perished in the war, you ignoramus," Galanthus snapped.
"Oh. Sorry." Michele wasn't really sorry. They had better things to do than keep up with the royal drama among the lesser races of Erd. But the whole Demon invasion thing was a bit concerning. "You should still offer your daughter's hand in marriage to one of the princes."
"You should remain silent on matters that do not concern your people," Galanthus replied in typical frosty Elven fashion. "You have nothing to lose."
"Yes they do," Dan refuted, "we all do. We will lose everything we built, everything we worked for, and the love of our people. When we are subjects of Hael, we will lose everything that makes us unique."
"Why do you believe betrothals will appease Lucifer?" Galanthus asked.
"Because, like you, he wants his legacy to endure," Dan answered. "If his sons are married before he names his successor, they will produce an heir as soon as the throne is claimed."
Michele looked thoughtful. "Are Demons even attracted to other races?" The Angels certainly were not.
Cotta laughed loudly. "If the rate at which they frequent Fawna's brothels is any indication, they are at least attracted to Beastkin."
"I am sure Elves and Pixies are no exception," Dan muttered. Just then, he had a very unpleasant image of what might happen between a Demon and his eldest daughter. He shuddered. "Cotta and I need you to be in agreement, Galanthus."
He folded his arms like a petulant child. "No. I will not take away my daughter's choice to choose her husband. She will marry for love and loyalty, just like Eira and I."
Cotta grunted in frustration. "Why are you being so obstinate about this? Heirs are replaceable! Maybe you will have one you love even more!"
"Impossible." The King of Fairweather closed his eyes and heaved a sigh. Fear showed on his features, stunning the other rulers. Elves didn't fear anything. "King Lucifer will not agree to this plan of yours, not as long as my daughter is involved." He hesitated. "She… was the one who sent back the daggers. She made the assassination threat."
"What? Why?" Dan demanded. "Why would she disrespect Hael like that?"
Galanthus flashed a withering look. "They disrespect us all the time, disturbing everyone with their festivities and whatever else they get up to on those islands. They caused widespread panic and made our people think the gods were going to smite them." He shook his head once. "There is a certain sect among the Elves who believe a door to the afterlife exists at the end of the world. When that mortar went off, they thought it was a beacon pointing to the door. They ventured into the wilds and a scout unit found them frozen to death a few days later. Among them was my daughter's mentor, her combat instructor and one of my oldest friends. When the Demon emissary arrived in Fairweather, my daughter was livid to hear that her mentor had perished because of a damned firework set off by a royal brat. So…" He sat up straight. "If I tell her that she is to marry a Demon prince, she will find out which of them was responsible for inciting such chaos and kill them. Then Lucifer will seek to punish the Elves for that transgression, and we will go to war with Hael once again, and you will all be dragged into it because we are allies. That is why I am being obstinate."
Silence reigned for a few minutes as everyone considered his words. "You said if," Cotta piped up. "If your daughter discovers the maker of the firework, then she will kill him. It is not a guarantee that she will find out."
Galanthus smiled wryly. "Do not underestimate the determination of an Elf. That is the reason why we tamed the polar lands and the rest of you did not."
"Does Lucifer know that your daughter is the would-be assassin?" Michele inquired. "If he does not know, and he does not find out, everything will be fine." They looked around the room. "You can order her not to kill anyone, right? She will obey you, right?"
"Perhaps," the Elf King said. He would give no such order.
Cotta sighed. "It is a risk I am willing to take. I know my daughter will not cause trouble for anyone. She is a saint."
"Mine can be rather headstrong as well…" Dan wrung his hands. "Perhaps we should discuss the idea of marriage with our daughters and see what they think. If they are receptive, we will suggest it to Lucifer. If they are not… we will prepare to fight off the army of Hael."
Much to the relief of everyone, the three princesses agreed to wed the Demon princes. King Lucifer also found the solution favorable since he didn't actually want to become the sole ruler of five kingdoms. That was way too many species, cultures, and ideologies to manage. He just wanted the other realms to stop freaking the fuck out whenever his people cut loose. Their sensibilities were much too delicate.
