FALLEN

Author's Note: I just want to say thank you for all of the kind reviews you guys have been leaving me. I really appreciate it, and I'm glad you guys enjoy the story. And yes, Dante will be making an appearance, but in much later chapters. Don't worry, he will have speaking parts and a role of his own. Dante's too important to just be briefly mentioned. But let's not get into that right now. Here's the next chapter!

CHAPTER TWO

"The Emperor will see you now..."

The guard escorted us into a very large, spacious room. Unlike the rest of the castle, this room was much brighter. Apparentally the emperor didn't completely "dwell in darkness" as some would like to describe him. It made sense though: it would be fairly hard for him to read in the dark.

That's exactly how we found him. He was at his desk, reading a very thick book (I would discover later that it wasn't some book of ancient legends or curses, but actually some sort of demon suspense novel that happened to be a personal favorite of his). When we stepped into the room, he peered over the pages of his novel and stared right at father. For a moment, he glanced down and looked right at me, somewhat surprised that this human slave had brought his child with him.

I couldn't take my eyes off of him. I really had a hard time accepting the fact that this was the Emperor of the Demon World. I had heard the legend of the Dark Knight, I knew he had a son (two, of course), and I knew his son was half human. But I had to admit, I expected the Emperor to appear more demon than human. He was beautiful... I was absolutely stunned at how beautiful he was. Although he was at least fifty years of age, he didn't look a day over twenty-five. His face seemed disciplined, mature, and powerful. His white hair was slicked back and kept out of his face, and his piercing blue eyes seemed to look right through me. He was also wearing what appeared to be very heavy black armor and a long, dark blue cape. I have to admit, the first word that came to mind when I saw him was sovereign. At the time, it was a word I did not know. I had heard it before, of course, but did not know the meaning. I took one look at the emperor and that word came right to mind, and I seemed to understand just what it meant.

He rose to his feet and looked back up at my father. "My guards tell me that you wish to make an arrangement with me." his voice scared me for the first time. It literally sent chills down my spine. "I am curious. Just what exactly would you have to bargain with me?"

My father's hand squeezed mine to the point where I almost yelped. But I was afraid to. I felt invisible in that room. I didn't want to bring any sort of attention to myself, because I feared that if I did, the invisibility would break and the Emperor would smash me. I was tiny for my age, he was at least seven feet tall. I had a feeling if he wanted to crush me with my foot, he would do so without breaking a sweat.

"My lord..." my father bowed his head formally, then continued. "I come to you for the sake of my wife. You see, she is pregnant, but... she is very, very weak, my lord. She lacks the nourishment she needs, and the long, severe working hours aren't helping her..."

The Emperor narrowed his eyes slightly. "That matters not to me. I do not care for your problems, nor do I wish to hear about them."

My father began to grow somewhat frantic. "I... I wanted to make a deal with you..." sweat was beading on his forehead. He looked absolutely scared, and his hand was trembling. I think at that particular moment, I knew something was wrong. "My lord... if you could be so kind to... excuse my wife from working the long hours and allow her to save her strength..."

I glanced from my father to the Emperor. He looked somewhat interested in what the human before him had to say. My father inhaled deeply before he spoke again.

"There was a rumor... that a slave had been killed here, while working." he began. I had remembered that story. Apparentally there was another group of slaves that work in this castle. I heard that the errands they run were somewhat more severe and obviously much more dangerous, but for the most part, they live life somewhat easier than the other slaves. "I thought... I thought that the Emperor might need another one..."

At that I blinked. I honestly (even to this day) cannot believe how stupid I was as a child. To actually believe that my father came all the way to this castle with me to become a slave for my mother's sake. I can't believe I actually thought that he would take the place of the slave who died in this place.

The Emperor, however, wasn't as naive. He finally understood why this human had brought his child with him. Without even looking at him, I felt his eyes watching over me. And finally he spoke:

"Well..." his voice was low, and sounded somewhat amused. "I cannot accept your offer just yet, until I know that what I'm getting from you is worth having. So..."

He snapped his fingers. In half a second, a pair of sharp, cloven hands had wrapped around me and ripped me away from my father. This time, I did scream. Not only out of fear, but out of surprise. The demon guard pulled me into his arms, lifting me off of the ground and began to back out of the room. I was too stunned to move at first, and my eyes shot up, looking right in my father's face.

The Emperor chuckled. "I will give her at least three weeks. You will have my answer by then."

That was when it really began to sink in. Three weeks. Three weeks in this dreadful, horrifying place. My jaw dropped and I was gaping at my father in disbelief. Automatically I began to squirm and struggle in the guard's arms, screaming for my father. My arms reached out and my feel smashed against the guard's legs and waist. He didn't seem in the least bit bothered by my struggles and proceeded to pull me out of the room.

My father looked at me. I could never forget that look on his face. His skin was beat red, his eyes were large and his lower lip was quivering. Tears built up and then streamed down his face and there was a look of absolute sorrow and regret. Before the guard and I had rounded the cornor, even though I was screaming and struggling furiously and trying to break free, I could hear my father's quiet voice.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."