Title: A Black Fairytale

Author: Twilight Lament

Rating: T

Genre: AU supernatural/fantasy

Summary: The King of Karakura must make a deal with the cursed King in order to save his small kingdom from the growing power of the Seireitei.

Disclaimer: I, in way shape or form, owe or am affiliated with Bleach.

Chapter 2: Dealing with the Devil

"M'Lord," The messenger bolted into the King's chamber in frantic haste. The poor man barely remembered to kneel and await the gesture from his King to continue speaking. The messenger gulped and his frightened eyes could not lift to his Liege's face. "They're here M'Lord. The contingent stepped into the courtyard like ghosts. We." He stammered, swallowing hard again. "We never heard a sound of their approach, just this strange shriek and a…a hole appeared then there they were, just like, like ghosts."

The old man on the throne sighed heavily as the weight of his decision settled uncomfortably around him. He did not want to walk this road, but he saw no other way out. If he didn't do something the might of the Seireitei would subjugate his Kingdom. Perhaps this way Karakura would survive.

"Show them in." The messenger bolted up from the ground and bowed to his King. One could feel the unease in the palace even if most of its inhabitants slept. It wasn't a comfortable sleep for all of them had heard the rumors that their King had sent a proposal of alliance to the dark lands ruled from Las Noches.

Once again the doors to the throne room creaked open, but the four figures that waltzed through did not inspire a sense of piece in the ruler of Karakura. The first to enter was unmistakable. Standing over six feet tall, no one could mistake the cold brown eyes and slight smirk of the cursed King. His gaze held no mercy, no comfort. Nor could it be said that of any of his companions had those traits either.

While the one to the cursed King's left stood a good deal shorter than his liege, his piercing emerald eyes showed nothing but a distant boredom. The stark white half helmet stood in high contrast to the man's black hair. To his left walked a woman with lovely blonde hair, but her overcoat covered much of her face leaving only eyes that seemed to have the power to cut a man in two by look alone viewable. The last trailed behind them, a man with vibrant blue hair and equally bright blue eyes and some sort of white plating on the right side of his jaw. If the first retainer looked distantly bored, this one looked aggressively bored.

The King shifted in his seat and rose, walking down the few short stairs. Common protocol would do nothing in this situation. The cursed King stood nearly a head taller than he and even though the man's retainers stopped several feet back, the King of Karakura felt their presence all too keenly.

"King Hanima, I am pleased you decided to come." The old man inclined his head just enough to show respect, not subservience. The sound of controlled laughter confused him and he lifted his head.

"Hanima. That name is long since dead and was never really mine. Old wives made it up to add flare to a story." He made a dismissive gesture. "You may call me, Lord Aizen." For a moment the cold, wicked look left his eyes and gave way to something more akin to amusement.

"As you wish," Came the old King's reply. "I'm afraid most of what we have are stories meant to frighten young children. Though you trade with some of our border towns, those meetings are most often late at night which only adds to the mystery I'm afraid." He received another amused chuckle and the pair walked towards the large windows at the edge of the room.

"You said you wished an alliance between our two kingdoms. From the sound of your missive, it seems like the Seireitei is insisting from protecting you … from us." Aizen smirked, turning his head enough to look at the withered man next to him.

"I am an old man with no sons and two daughters. I have a host of nephews, but they are still young. I could live another ten years, or another ten minutes. It is my wish that Karakura remain its own sovereignty, but we are not a nation of might. Our strengths lay in trade and skills. So our standing army is small, for we have never needed a large one, but over the last few years, the Seireitei has started to obtain neighboring kingdoms and those that did not do so in treaty were over run. I am told an ambassador will be here in three days to give us our ultimatum."

It did not take any mystical ability to sense the old man's tiredness and fear. No one asked anything of Las Noches, because everyone feared the price. Aizen only chuckled again and saw the old man tense out of the corner of his eye.

"So you propose open trade with Las Noches and marriage to your oldest daughter in exchange for the protection of the Las Noches' armies?"

"Yes. We have always been peaceable neighbors despite the stories." Aizen didn't bother to mention the rather large mountain range separating the two kingdoms tended to help keep the peace. "We trade with your people only in the barest ways now, what I propose is a more open relationship. I do not know of the skills of your realm, Lord Aizen, but I would put the craft masters of my Karakura up against anyone." Aizen admired the pride in the old man's voice and he did have point. The denizens of Las Noches were many things, skilled trades didn't often factor into the picture.

He was about to speak when a small sneeze, so faint he almost missed it, caught his attention. Without a word, Aizen stepped away from the King and walked towards the source of the noise, leaving a confused old man behind him.

With one hand he swept back the heavy drapes to find a small, red haired child staring up at him with a wondrous slate gray gaze, only wonder, no fear. Slowly Aizen crouched down in front of her until he met her eye level. She smiled at him without hesitation.

"You're the cursed King?" He nodded once. "Are you lonely?" For the first time in a long time, Aizen didn't speak out of utter surprise.

"Orihime, what are you doing here?" Aizen didn't look at the old man, only the cringing child in front of him.

"No, I am not lonely, little one. You do not fear me?" The girl only shook her head, but did bury her face in her hands a moment.

"No, Sir. Lily says you're too pretty to be handsome." The girl gasped. "I mean too handsome to fear!" Aizen arched one small brow, but he could sense no one else but the King, himself, the girl and his retainers in the room.

"She did, did she?" He smiled slightly at the child again. "And who is Lily?" He noticed the little girl look down and fidget with her nightgown, shifting from foot to foot.

"Can I tell you a secret, cursed King Sir?" She looked up at him with a shy but heavy gaze. Aizen slowly nodded. The little girl leaned in and spoke with her hands cupped around his ear, forcing him to tilt his head to accommodate her. "Lily is my friend. I have six of them, but no one else can see them." And then she pulled back, thrilled to see a smile on the King's face instead of a confused frown.

"Interesting friends you have, Lady Orihime." It was then that her Father arrived at the corner with the drapery.

"Orihime! You are supposed to be in bed, young lady." Even though the old King's word contained ample amused exasperation, Orihime hung her head.

"I know, Sir. I'm sorry. I just wanted to see the King."

"And now you've seen him," The King scolded gently and ushered the errant girl to a side door. "Off to bed with you." The girl spun quickly and wrapped her arms around her Father's legs. She spoke softly but the sets of ears from Las Noches heard her clearly.

"Love you, Daddy." The old man's reply was as equally saccharine sweet. If Aizen didn't know better, he would have thought Grimmjow was about to vomit from the whole scene. Of course he suspected Ulquiorra felt the same, he simply hid it much better. Aizen rose to his feet as the King of Karakura headed back his way.

"My apologies. She is not a headstrong girl until something catches her curiosity. Once that happens there is little stopping her." Aizen waived off the King's apology with an absent gesture.

"There is no need."

"Thank you for indulging her." To those words, Aizen only smiled. "Does this proposal even interest you?" The old man drew himself up to his full height, attempting to not let his desperation show. "Rangiku is only fourteen, but I hope that a few years are not too long to wait."

"I will agree to proposal on one condition." The old King held his breathe, unsure of what Aizen would ask of him or his kingdom. "I will not marry the Princess Rangiku." He said as he turned away and walked back towards his waiting retainers. "On her eighteenth birthday, it is the Princess Orihime I will wed."

King Inoue gasped. He had disliked the idea of Rangiku marrying this man, but the idea of it being Orihime shook him to his core. His youngest daughter bore a light that he could not see surviving the lands of night. Rangiku was made of sterner stuff.

"But Lord Aizen, surely…" He stopped speaking when the cursed King turned suddenly, the easy going look and smile gone from his expression. His eyes bore a hard and calculating gaze. The eyes of man who did not change his mind and would not be barred from what he wanted. The King realized his greatest mistake. He'd allowed Aizen's easy stature and relaxed smiles to relax his guard. He'd for only a moment forgotten that he spoke to a man older than his Kingdom, and one who ruled over demons.

"Those are my terms, King Inoue." He said. Though his tone remained unchanged, the old King heard the hard undertone lacing each word. "Do you accept?"

"Yes, Lord Aizen, I accept." His heart felt all too heavy with those words. But he could not refuse. His entire Kingdom, including Orihime needed him to make this choice for all of their futures.

"Very well," Aizen responded, inclining his head. "We will remain here and see this Ambassador from the Seireitei with you." Then he turned and headed back to the door. "I trust you have rooms for us."

"But, I thought you could only be here at night, during the full moon." Aizen laughed and tsked the King gently.

"You shouldn't believe everything the stories say." King Inoue summoned one of his guards.

"Show Lord Aizen and his entourage to the west wing. See that they have whatever they need." The guard bowed and walked out the door with the quartet from Las Noches behind him.

"Do you think this is a wise course of action, Lord Aizen?" Ulquiorra spoke softly.

"Wise? That remains to be seen, but it should be interesting." His Lord responded with a sly smile. Then the great doors closed behind them. King Inoue sat heavily in his throne and never had his crown weighed as much as it did at that moment. Had he done the right thing? The soft shuffle of slippered feet drew him out of his wonderings.

"Father?" she said softly, laying her head on his knee. Slowly, the King drew his daughter into his lap. With a happy sigh, Orihime snuggled into the folds of her Father's robes which marked his station. "Did I hear right? Will I marry the King Aizen?" She looked up at her Father with such wide and innocent eyes.

"Yes Orihime you heard correctly."

"Father, don't be sad." She said, laying her head on his chest with a contented sigh. "I'm glad. He needs someone to help his heart. Shun'o says so. Rangiku would be okay, but you know how she is. Sometimes she forgets to think about other people."

"Whatever will I do with you, child?" The King responded with a bemused expression. When he looked down, his daughter had already fallen asleep and King decided it was for the best to let her sleep where she was.

The wait for the Ambassador form the Seireitei might have been the most excruciating of King Inoue's life. Strangely it was not because of Aizen and his followers. They acted like perfect guests and treated everyone around them politely with the possible exception of Grimmjow. That creature seemed to be spoiling for a fight at every turn.

They attended meals with the royal family and the King found Aizen to be very knowledgeable outside of the military realm as well. Occasionally there were moments that King felt at ease around these people, or at least as much as possible, yet inevitably during those times, Orihime would run over to the cursed King and whisper something in his ear. Then with an impish grin, she would run off again. The stark reminder that one day his bright child would marry this dark man chilled the old King. Yet he could find no fault in the way Aizen treated either of his daughters.

Aizen remained endlessly respectful and indulged Orihime's childish curiosity with unfailing grace even kindness. If he had anything to worry about, it was Rangiku's girlish obsession with the wild Grimmjow, and the old King hoped he wasn't a herald of things come regarding her tastes in men.

Ulquiorra and Halibel remained mostly silent. Though upon occasion they would offer up some insight with Ulquiorra's words leaning towards the more practical while Halibel's remarks ventured more into the philosophical. Just as his fears of waking up to find both of his daughters spirited away eased, news that the Seireitei's people had arrived came to him.

"We will meet them together, King Inoue" Lord Aizen said with a hint of an anticipatory smile. The old King nodded in agreement and both men went to the council room to await the arrival of the Ambassadors. It would not be a long wait.

A man and a woman came entered first. Both of them wore black kimonos and hakamas and each carried a katana sheathed at their side. The man was a lanky and tall with blonde hair and eyes a bit too wide for his face. The woman boasted a smaller stature with black hair and brown eyes. Her face seemed far too sweet to belong to a warrior, yet the ease with which she carried a sword spoke otherwise.

The man behind them stood taller than them both. In fact King Inoue thought he might be as tall as Lord Aizen. He wore his silver hair short though his bangs brushed in front of his oddly closed eyes. Even though he wore a smile, King Inoue found no comfort in the man's expression. He believed that a person's eyes could reveal many things, and this man seemed intent on keeping his hidden.

"King Inoue, Lord Aizen, may I present the Ambassador from the Seireitei, Captain Gin Ichimaru, Lieutenant Izuru Kira, and Lieutenant Momo Hinamori." The King's Herald then closed the door. All three issued short bows to the two men already seated.

"Welcome, please be seated." Only Ichimaru sat. The other two stood behind him. It did not slip past the King that woman seemed unable to take her eyes off the cursed King. "I am afraid to tell you, Captain Ichimaru, that you have come all this way for no reason. Karakura, as I said in my first missive, has no reason to become a protectorate of the Seireitei. We are a trading nation and have no enemies."

"King Inoue, you haven't even heard me out." Gin possessed an assuming voice with a strange hint of amusement. "We offer Karakura nothing but protection. Especially since you border La Tierra de la Oscuridad Eterna, a land of merchants would prove easy prey for a land of demons." From the corner of his eye, the King watched Aizen, but the other man's expression never changed from an amused smile.

"All Karakura has to do in return is observe and follow the rules and traditions set forth by the Seireitei. It is a small price to pay for the safety of your country and its citizens, don't you think?" Gin's smile widened and King Inoue was suddenly reminded of a snake poised to strike.

"You mean live in subjugation. We of Karakura have never had problems with those beyond the mountains. While the Seireitei's concern is touching it is unwarranted."

"Perhaps, I haven't not made myself clear." But before Gin could utter another word, Aizen spoke.

"No, Captain, we heard you, but as the King said he is not interested."

"And who are you to speak for the King?" Aizen lifted his head from his hand and the King saw the wicked look enter his eyes again.

"I do not speak for King Inoue. I do speak for Las Noches." Aizen had to admire the Captain. His only concession to surprise was the falter of his smile. "Karakura is an ally to Las Noches and we will not allow our allies to be threatened, by anyone. The Seireitei will leave Karakura alone or incur the wrath of the cursed King."

"You do not speak for King Inoue, but you do speak for the cursed King." The note of sarcasm in Ichimaru's voice could not be missed.

"No, Captain Ichimaru, I am the cursed King." Aizen's smile turned predatory as all three registered varying states of shock. "I suggest you inform General Yamamoto of this development."

"Given the nature of the information you've received," King Inoue spoke with a carefully masked tone since he did not wish his own amusement to show. "I assume you will need to leave immediately." Gin Ichimaru rose to his feet with his easy smile once more in place.

"I hope you do not regret this decision, King Inoue." And then they left.

"Ulquiorra will remain here. I expect the first attack from Seireitei soon." At the sight of the old King's frown, Aizen continued. "Do not worry, when they come, we will be ready.

"When, not if?"

"There is no maybe here. The Seireitei will test this alliance. They will want you to see that we are monsters undeserving of your loyalty." Aizen stood and pushed away from the table with ease.

"I hope you are wrong, Lord Aizen." He chuckled and walked towards the door.

"I am not."

Chapter 2... enjoy!