Just a reminder that all the character/location portraits can be seen on the A03 version of this fic.
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Searching for Jefferson at the market had been more or less a total bust. While many had confirmed they'd seen a stranger in a tall hat, nobody knew where he'd taken lodgings nor did they know where he might have headed next. They'd located one woman selling fresh fruit who'd said she'd sold him some apples the previous day, that he'd showed up a few times for them and was always charming. For a coin she'd agreed to pass along a letter to Jefferson were she to see him again, and Rumple had even bought a lovely red apple for Amicia.
"We're closer." Belle encouraged as they walked away from the fruit stall, her arm looped with his. "You'll find him."
He knew Belle to be correct; they'd found a way to contact Jefferson and were clearly only a few hours behind him. They were another step closer.
With the task of finding Jefferson at an impasse, attention turned to the Arcane University and the mysteries it held. So, while Amicia ate her apple and Belle enjoyed the day's warm sun, they approached the magic school up on the hill. A stone staircase led up the almost ovular mountainesque hill, a winding path that folded back on itself at least half a dozen times and seemed to be the only route to the Arcane University. Rumple nor Belle really minded the long walk but Amicia soon managed to convince Rumple to carry her; had he been able to properly see the top, he'd have just magicked them up there. The University itself had a regal appearance that could be seen from all over Bichelberger and stretched upwards toward the sky. Though somewhat gothic in appearance, none of the building could be called ostentatious or gaudy – in fact the color palette was rather subdued and there weren't any showy ornaments. In a way the building reminded Rumple of his Dark Castle; large, imposing and separate from people, but an inescapable entity looming over the common man.
The tingling of dark magic grew more prominent with each new step until Rumple began to question just what sort of artefacts they had stashed away inside, and made a mental note to discover what the objects belonging to other demon lords were. In a way he felt as though something were absorbing fragments of expended dark magic, but that sounded unrealistic even to him, so Rumple pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind for the time being.
Upon arriving at the top of the stairs Rumple set Amicia down on her feet and headed towards the vast double doors only to be blocked by two human women wielding lances and dressed in cobalt-colored armor. The invitation letter Gordana had forwarded to them was presented which got them admitted to the building somewhat begrudgingly, then passed from one uninteresting person to another as they were guided through the expansive school. Rumple's eye twitched with irritation but Belle remained calm and let Amicia swing their hands back and forth where they were joined. Amicia of coursed sensed her new papa's growing annoyance but her curiosity was just too strong
to let worry in; there were far too many new things to see, especially when she spotted a white … something rush passed so fast she'd hardly seen it. A fast-moving, tiny cloud was probably the best description of whatever it was, a particular thing which nobody else seemed to take notice of, as though it were normal and, for the Arcane University, maybe it was.
After surely walking the entire length of the vast building, Rumple, Belle, Azzy and little Amicia were handed over to yet another person, this time an exceptionally tall and muscular black man with flowing long hair and stern gaze, dressed in robes of blue and orange. His claws, similar to the Dark One's gave him away as a werewolf. To Rumple, the medallion around his neck must have meant little, but Belle recognized it as the Asena Pack emblem; one of the oldest and most respected werewolf packs in all Dreymyr that even the Church normally left alone. This man introduced himself as Leotomas Shadowhyve, the Grand Mage's adjutant, in a deep baritone that likely left most weak at the knees.
Though not an ounce of dark magic drifted from his body, Rumple could tell Leotomas to be a powerful mage – surely silver-ranked at the least. Unlike Rumple, he didn't have any flamboyance or pop any drama into the situation, instead he just led them through the school while quietly answering Belle's occasional questions coherently and without ado. Leotomas may have had the body of a Greek god, but Rumple found the personality to be lacking – not that it was of any real importance to him in the end.
They followed the tall man through the building, which appeared more like a palace than a school on the inside, until they finally reached the base of one of the square towers. Leotomas ushered the group to stand in a small circle with him which suddenly glowed a white-green color. Rumple recognized it as wind magic rather quickly – after fire, wind was the element he'd had the most luck with but the University seemed to have found a use he'd not thought of. A single stomp from Leotomas had the glowing sigil rise slowly upward carrying them to an otherwise inaccessible part of the building. Frankly Rumple was impressed with their ingenuity, as was Belle.
"You've harnessed wind magic to carry us between floors? That's outstanding."
Leotomas nodded kindly. "Thank you, but the praise should go to a former Grand Mage by the name of Alianora Zem. She was wise as the Jade, that one."
A sigil into a floating surface was rather splendid and he'd make damn sure to play around with the idea himself at some point. The circle itself was rather complicated and not easy to duplicate, which was probably the reason he'd not come across it elsewhere. Still, Rumple thrived on new knowledge so he'd be experimenting with Alianora Zem's creation.
"I've heard of her." Said Belle: Rumple suspected she could probably name all Grand Mages for the last hundred years if pushed. "She specialized in magical tools, yes?"
"That is correct." He finally turned to face them. "Though your bond with this small waheela is quite impressive as well."
Belle flashed a loving smile down to Azzy who was getting chin tickles from Amicia.
"We became friends very quickly. Oh, and he's only so small because Rumple shrinks him when we're in public so a panic isn't caused."
Another nod which had his long hair fall over his shoulders. "A wise decision. However, as long as he is in the administration section of the Arcane University, allowing him to stand at full size shouldn't be an issue."
Out of curiosity for what Leotomas' reaction would be, Rumple shot Azzy up to full size without warning and was impressed when Leotomas hardly even blinked: this man was a strong one both physically and mentally. Although, a wolf jumping at another wolf didn't seem likely.
The circle finally came to a stop at the tower's top, they all stepped off and made their way to a set of unmarked doors made of dark wood. Leotomas knocked, entered alone, spoke a few inaudible words, then threw the door open properly for Rumple and the others to enter. Inside a man somewhere in his forties with a goatee sat at his desk with a full wall of windows at his back. Before him stood two women, one human the other pantherian. Though they wore cobalt-colored armor like the two at the main doors had, their armor was rather different as well. The human had an exceptionally expensive chest plate and gauntlets detailed in a network of gold and carried a claymore on her back – which should have surely been too heavy for such a slender woman – while the white-haired pantherian had lighter leather armor with metal plates only at the shoulders and her breast. Her weapons seemed much more befitting a woman of her stature as she carried both daggers and a short sword. Whoever all these women may have been was unclear to Rumple, but he could tell each of them was highly trained and not to be underestimated.
"Welcome to the Arcane University. It is a pleasure -"
The brunet man cut himself off abruptly as soon as his eyes flicked to Rumple and, without a moment's hesitation, he threw up a strengthened wall of wind which glowed in the same way as the magic circle, and did a good job of separating Rumple and his party from everybody else. 'Ah, so Gordana really didn't tell him I'm the Dark One' mumbled his mind as he eyed the barrier splitting the office in twain. It was strong, filled with magic and the Grand Mage seemed ready for a fight which had the two women unsheathe their weapons.
"You're a demon lord!" There'd be no pulling the wool over his eyes then.
Rumple chuckled. "I'm impressed, dearie, you're the first to figure that out so quickly."
"I'm level ninety-nine and the Grand Mage, I am not as oblivious as others. Give me one good reason I shouldn't have the Valkyries toss you in Akula Prison with Ravavena."
Ah, Valkyries was what these women were, it certainly explained the blue uniforms if nothing else. He felt as though Belle might have mentioned them in passing before when Rumple paused to think about it.
"He might be the Dark One, but he means you no harm, I promise." Belle insisted which only caused more hostility. He'd gone from being a demon lord to the terrifying Dark One in a single sentence.
"Dark One?!" Leotomas exclaimed, the first time he'd shown anything other than propriety and calm.
The Grand Mage though, he looked Rumple over thoroughly; saw that he'd not moved to fight, that a young woman and wise waheela appeared to willingly stand by his side, and spotted the little elf girl who clung to his sleeve while hiding behind him. This demon lord wasn't in his office for a fight and the curiosity his teachers had once called reckless was piqued.
"Being the Dark One would explain why I feel so much magic coming off of you."
"Please don't hurt my papa."
"As if they could." Rumple snorted.
Chief Commander Aalto had asked the Grand Mage to admit a demon named Rumpelstiltskin and his party into the library, she'd spoken of him being an unusual person but he'd ever expected that to mean he was the mythic Dark One. With a small sigh, he rested his hand on the barrier and it dissolved in an instant. The Valkyrie with the bob and claymore made to attack but the Grand Mage's voice stopped her in her tracks.
"Vice-Captain Stonecrop, that will not be necessary." She made to object while the pantherian simply sheathed her short sword. "He is powerful enough to have killed us all by now yet hasn't. Besides, Chief Commander Aalto asked for this meeting and has vouched for him."
Rumple lifted an eyebrow as Amicia finally stopped hiding behind him. "Surprisingly enough, Gordana has proven herself … friendly. You don't need your pretty protectors, dearie."
The white-haired pantherian with the softest looking ears Rumple had ever had the good fortune to come across snapped her head toward him.
"Pretty protectors?! I am Phria Federlord, Captain of the Valkyries, and she is Vice-Captain Cynthia Stonecrop. We are not for show."
That might have been but it didn't stop the pantherian being pretty. Her long hair was like snow held up in an unruly ponytail, emeralds in place of eyes, delicate ears and a long tail which clearly gave away her mood. A scar ran over her left eye, the only blemish on an otherwise heavenly face. Yes, other than Belle, there was no more stunning a woman. Surely too young to be the captain of anything though, Phria hardly seemed older than Belle.
"Yes, yes, everybody here insists on having an elaborate title and just loves making sure I know it." He gestured to a white hamster who had not been on the desk a moment earlier. "Next you'll be telling me your fat rat's name."
The Grand Mage took his seat again and smiled at the hamster as he played along for nothing else than to tease. "He is called Ognyan and he is no rat, I assure you. Feel free to call him Yan."
Cynthia couldn't stand there listening to her Grand Mage be nice to a disgusting beast, the Church had taught them of his evil and Cynthia urged to stomp it out with steel and fist.
"How dare you come here! Your kind have no right to anything here."
The Grand Mage lifted an eyebrow. "Vice-Captain, that is enough. You do not get to choose who my guests are or how they are spoken to. Fates and chances are funny things, Vice-Captain. Fates are inevitable, it is the chances we're presented with which lead us to a fate, and now here is a myth made flesh. I would like to see which fates this will lead to. Now, all of you kindly leave, I wish to speak to Rumpelstiltskin alone."
Phria seemed cautious while Rumple pretended not to be looking at her soft ears. "Grand Mage, it may be better if I remain -"
"I will be fine, Captain." He assured her. "Though, if you are so concerned, I shall allow you to stand guard outside."
A little reluctantly, Phria accepted the brunet's wishes and departed along with Leotomas and a snarling Cynthia. A moment of silence passed which almost had Amicia hide behind her omnipotent papa again.
"Please take a seat. I feel this will be a long story." Rumple and Belle accepted the invitation to sit and Belle perched little Amicia on her lap. "Your name is Rumpelstiltskin, yes?" Rumple nodded. "Forgive my lack of manners. I am Grand Mage Maximilian Demeer."
"I suppose I'll start with the basics rather than beating around bushes, dearie. I am indeed the Dark One and was summoned to this realm against my will by an ambitious dullard named Gaston LeGume and who is, according to Belle, Avonlea's court mage Haldor Tvon." Demeer paled. It had always been the duty of the Grand Mage to assign a court mage for each kingdom. He and his predecessors had taken pride in it, it had never been something to take lightly and only the most capable had ever been given such a prestigious position. Demeer had sent Haldor Tvon to Avonlea and the du Marchand family shortly after he'd become Grand Mage – how had he misjudged Tvon so? "Apparently Gaston has some ridiculous idea that he can enslave me to use as his own personal assassin. He's tried it before but accidentally summoned an acquaintance of mine instead because I used spacial magic on him."
"Do you have any evidence to corroborate your story? Accusing the son of a duke and a respected mage is quite an accusation."
"I witnessed their previous attempts, sir." Explained Belle. "I saw Rumple's friend be sucked into this realm. Jefferson and his hat must now be in this city." She took a breath. "Gaston attempted to use the enslavement ritual but Rumple's magic reflected the spell and now I wear the collar instead of him."
Demeer eyed Belle's collar and took a moment to mentally process the ramifications of such a young woman being bound to the Dark One. However, Belle didn't seem all that bothered by it, save for the obvious of course. The longer he looked at the chestnut-haired beauty, the more certain Demeer grew that he'd seen this young woman before. Her accent, it sounded so familiar.
"You look somewhat familiar, my dear, but I cannot seem to place you." Rumple had purposely not mentioned Belle's noble rank in front of the Valkyries and Leotomas knowing what it would cause. Demeer though, he didn't need it explaining for he figured it out a few seconds later after staring at those blue eyes a moment longer. Realization dawned on him. "Forgive my lack of memory, Your Highness, I did not recognize you at first."
Belle flashed a smile: nice to everybody was that girl. "That's really not needed, Grand Mage."
Quite frankly Rumple had taken just about all he could of niceties for one day, so he simply jumped back to the task at hand in that abrupt way of his.
"Can you get it off or not, dearie?"
A very odd demon lord was Rumpelstiltskin to Demeer. The Church would have him believe the Dark One to be an animalistic monster with no purpose other than to kill and carry out despicable machinations, a savage beast that should have been executed on sight. However, Demeer saw a set of scary eyes with no malice inside them; darkness, pain and misery, but no actual malice. Those of the Vita Tree insisted demon lords were a result of a lack of balance in Dreymyr, that the tensions and prejudices had birthed these concentrated evils and, frankly, Demeer had always been more inclined to believe their way of thinking than the Church's. The Mages Guild and Church had always had their problems in Bichelberger and, with his great-grandmother having been an elf, knew the level of poorly concealed loathing they had for any non-human. He refused to be a sheep, he would think for himself rather than letting old propaganda stories form his conclusions about the Dark One. Demeer suspected Gordana Aalto likely had the same way of thinking or she'd not have written to him in the first place.
"So," he began eventually. "You are the Dark One and are attempting to help Princess Belle?" The two men shared a glance for a moment. Were they to actually come to blows it wasn't quite clear who would win, logic dictated the Dark One would but one never knew. Just as Belle's mouth opened to support Rumple's character, Demeer continued. "I believe you. I can feel the dark energy radiating off you, it's dripping from every pore and, quite frankly, it is terrifying. However, I feel only power, not hostility and Princess Belle has no fear of you despite that collar. In fact, she's been subconsciously leaning closer to you this entire time. This little girl of yours is unharmed, healthy and happy, so I will believe your story, Rumpelstiltskin. Yes, I shall aid in removing the enslavement collar. I shall look for a solution personally."
"I want access to your library vault too. I need to find a way back to my realm."
"The Chief Commander's letter already requested that and I agreed. You may have access to the Arcane University's library. Those tomes are likely the only ones capable of helping you return home." Demeer folded his fingers into a pyramid then so he could rest his chin atop them. "That said, according to what we know of you, you like bargains."
Rumple smirked while Belle sighed because he really liked his deals. Whomever had been the Dark One that all Dreymyr's legends talked about had probably had much the same thought processes as Rumple himself. Keeping magic balanced was always the best option, so a deal entered into freely was a perfect scale. That or the previous Dark One had just figured it a quick and easy method of gathering information on Dreymyr and how to leave.
"What do you want, dearie?" He questioned with amusement in his unique eyes.
"Nothing all that arduous." Demeer assured. "Train with the Valkyriess to drastically improve their dark magic defence. That is all. Captain Federlord is a strong, capable warrior though she is still very young and her magic level isn't as high as one would expect. As for the Vice-Captain – well, let us just say she thinks there is nothing else for her to learn. I can't let the opportunity of training with an actual demon lord be passed up." Rumple made a show of thinking it over while Belle watched on curiously and Amicia stared out the window at the city. "In exchange I shall permit you access to the restricted section of the library and, as an added incentive, I shall collect the man with the strange hat for you."
That had Rumple snap to attention. "Deal."
Through Demeer his tasks had been streamlined and would hopefully fall into place quickly. The Grand Mage nodded in agreement then leaned slightly to the side so he could call out toward the large doors opposite his desk. He summoned both the pantherian and human Valkyries back inside where the human tried to burn a hole in the back of Rumple's head with her glare. It was obvious just how desperately she wanted to lop his head from his neck with that claymore of hers.
"Vice-Captain Stonecrop, would you kindly deploy a unit to track down that dark-haired man with the unusual hat who keeps trying to gain admittance and bring him here, please." Though phrased as a question, it certainly wasn't one.
Most respectable soldiers would have responded with a 'right away, sir' or something of that ilk, but Rumple figured out rather quickly that this Cynthia Stonecrop felt herself superior to those around her in every way. Rumple wasn't naïve, he knew them finding level-headed people willing to make their own decisions in positions of power like Gordana Aalto and Maximilian Demeer was extremely good fortune rather than anything else, but this Stonecrop woman, this harridan in the making, would likely be trouble; the pretty pantherian he was undecided on.
"I thought he was some insane drunk."
Rumple chuckled in that disturbing way he had. "Oh, he's insane, dearie, but not drunk."
Demeer cleared his throat. "As I say, bring him to me." Cynthia nodded then departed after throwing one more disgusted glare at the Dark One. Demeer's attention turned to the white-haired pantherian with the most lovely green eyes Rumple had ever seen. "Captain Federlord, there is no denying this man is the demon lord known as the Dark One. However, Rumpelstiltskin has kindly agreed to train with you and the other Valkyries to strengthen your defence against dark magic. Please be courteous to him and Princess Belle."
"Are you certain it is safe to just accept a demon lor- Wait! Princess?!" Those green eyes went wide. In an instant Phria had bowed low causing her long ponytail to fall over her shoulders and her white tail seemed ramrod straight. "Forgive me and Vice-Captain Stonecrop, Your Highness."
Belle waved her off as Rumple admired Phria's flowing white hair, he almost wanted to reach out and touch it.
"There's no need for the formalities. Belle is fine, really."
Frankly Belle hadn't ever really been fond of the titles. Until Gaston had come along with his vicious plan and swapped all her maids, even they had just called her Belle.
"Rumpelstiltskin, please go to the training ground with Captain Federlord, when the Vice-Captain returns with your friend, I will have you all taken to the library vault."
"Fine."
Rumple waved him off, it seemed acceptable to him and the sooner this so-called training was done, the better.
The Valkyries were an all-female unit of soldiers under the control of the Mages Guild and therefore Demeer himself. They weren't to be sneered at, each one was a powerful warrior that wouldn't go down easily. Still, Rumple was the Dark One rather than the imposter demon lords they'd fought before, and would have no trouble snapping their necks.
As they followed the white-haired pantherian through the building Amicia chatted with Belle sweetly, but Rumple saw the sideways glances Phria gave him whenever she thought he couldn't see her. Unlike the Stonecrop woman, Phria didn't appear openly hostile or stabby-stabby, but there was clear distrust in those lovely green eyes. He couldn't blame her for her lack of trust of course, he'd have felt the same in her position, but she didn't shy away from him or shudder in silent fear; Rumple admired Phria for that.
After a short walk and a second trip on the floating sigil, they stepped out into a vast courtyard with a fountain in the centre heated by the warm afternoon sun. Numerous different species wandered around with a pleasing lack of conflict, some as young as Belle, others with deep wrinkles and gray hair. Mage students and staff going about there day and Phria had chosen to walk a monster such as himself right passed them; either she thought she could take him alone, or had too much faith in the words of her Grand Mage. They moved away from the people through a narrow gate in a stone wall with Azzy traipsing along behind them. This area wasn't like the courtyard, not in the slightest. The area had been flattened to create a clear training area upon which a few other Valkyries sparred but, other that that, the place was desolate and quiet. In the very centre stood a smaller two-story building which had a crest Rumple nor Belle recognized above the door. As soon as they entered Phria threw her arms out and spun around proudly.
"Welcome to the home of the Valkyries. Five hundred and sixty-four of the strongest female warriors from all the kingdoms."
"A school with its own army, how quaint."
He'd meant it as a quip but Phria's response sounded like she was used to people looking down on her.
"We prefer guards, army makes us sound like the Knightly Order."
"Not a fan, dearie?"
Later, after night had fallen and it had started raining, Rumple would ask himself why the hell he'd taken an interest in this woman's life, she wasn't of any importance to him after all.
"I'm a pantherian, so no." Belle smiled softly, the slightly older woman's – twenty maybe – blunt nature reminded her a little of Gordana. "This way, please."
They made their way to a spiral staircase to descend down deep under the Valkyrie building and, for a split second, Rumple was reminded of the vaults under the Adventurers Guild: no fancy floating circles for the Valkyries. Every now and again they'd come to a new floor filled with proficient women all dressed in cobalt until they reached the very bottom.
"Like Snow White with a better outfit and less frivolity." He mumbled to himself, hadn't actually realized he'd spoken aloud until Phria questioned it.
"What is a Snow White?"
"A who, dearie. A precocious princess determined to be with her true love." He sing-songed disturbingly.
Phria did her best to ignore the beast and instead continued to guide them, occasionally they'd pass more women dressed in one of the three variations of the cobalt armor and soon Belle took his hand and leaned against him to whisper while Azzy assured Amicia didn't wander off.
"So, you like the uniform, do you? Maybe I should join the Valkyries."
Her teasing had him tense as his mind flooded with the mental image of her dressed in Phria's leather armor; somehow practical yet feminine all at the same time. Rumple had no desire to admit he liked the uniform, or that he still had a quiet voice in the back of his head telling him to pet Phria's soft ears. Although, Belle could always see through him so just continued to smile up at him teasingly. The fact he didn't instantly feel the need to snap at her and deny what she'd said should have surprised him much more than it did; the way his curse's evil had been practically non-existent since his summoning was glaringly obvious to him, but Rumple couldn't bring himself to care, not when he felt so much lighter having had that voice shut up.
The Dark One was suddenly sucked out of his thoughts when Phria stopped to quickly pass some orders to a woman with a side braid much like Belle's own. This Valkyrie had carried a bow on her back and didn't even glance at Rumple or his party – 'Is it a party?' Rumple asked himself. 'Or are we family now?'
Finally they reached a big square doorway that Phria pushed open without issue and stepped aside for the others to enter first. Beyond the door was an exceptionally large room with flagstones and pillars holding up the ridiculously high ceiling. They might have travelled down multiplet flights of stairs but the room was so tall that each side of the room had large windows between the supporting beams. An ogre surely could have stood in the centre with ease. Several benches had been placed around the room as if ready to hold spectators, but it was the sigils carved into the pillars Rumple noticed above all else. This really was quite the training room.
"This is the training room we use for magic sparring. It's down here to contain blasts and magical misfires."
Rumple hummed. "Yes, I can tell from all the warding, dearie."
Behind them several women entered the vast room, maybe thirty of them, all guided by the Valkyrie with the braid Phria had spoken to on their way down. Amicia seemed excited to see what was going on but Belle and Rumple remained somewhat more reserved.
"I brought Ariadne and the others as you requested, Captain."
"Thank you, Isadora." To answer Rumple's silent question, Phria gestured to her subordinates. "These are the Valkyries not currently dispatched or about to go on guard duty. The Grand Mage believes you can improve our abilities because you are the Dark One -" Half the room erupted in gasps while the other half reached for their weapons as hostilities rose dramatically. If one of them was stupid enough to try something he'd teleport himself, Belle, Amicia and Azzy right back to Demeer's office and throttle him. " - Stand down!" Fortunately the other Valkyries obeyed but Rumple could tell everybody in that room expected a war. Phria might have been young, certainly no more than twenty-four, but she didn't fear him and drew her sword in one smooth motion. Crimson steel judging by the color, very well made and certainly sharp; the Lyrelockets would probably have been keen to take a look. "I wish to know your skill before I unleash you on my Valkyries, Rumpelstiltskin. Hit me with your best shot."
By this point, Rumple and Belle had both guessed Phria's confidence to mostly be for show, which was odd since she didn't seem to fear the demon lord in front of her. Was it possible she feared her own soldiers?
Rumple slipped off his coat, handed it to Amicia then ushered his newfound family to a safe distance, before he rolled his shoulders and faced Phria fully.
"Maybe a medium shot. I am the First Demon Lord after all."
Had he rather taken to that title? Yes, yes he had. Had he denied it he'd have been lying. Deal Maker, Beast, Crocodile, Spinner, Trickster, Imp, there had been so many aliases for him over the years, but First Demon Lord just had a certain ring to it the others couldn't hope for. Rumple hadn't ever desired to be a lord or king, but he liked the prestigious sound in Dreymyr's term for him.
Phira may have been more polite than her Vice-Captain, but that didn't prevent her from making assumptions, part of her surely still thought him little more than a mad mage despite the Grand Mage's certainty and a princess at his side. To be perfectly honest, Rumple wanted to see what this little kitten was capable of just as much as she did him. Without his immortality and his power the coward inside him surely would have forced Rumple to flee, to hide away in some shadow where the powerful warrior couldn't have found him, but Rumple did have his magical power so he feared nothing. Phria took up her stance.
"Whenever you're ready, dearie."
"I am Captain Federlord, not your dearie."
That was his only warning before the pantherian launched at him, her attacks were quick, controlled and precise but ultimately child's play for him to dodge. Her level of control reminded him of Prince Charming, but with many more years of practice than that farm boy had gotten. Rumple dodged over and over, delighted in watching her movements and the way her ears would twitch to his new position each time he dodged before her head turned, the slight sag in her white tail each time she missed him. Clearly his games had angered her because Phria's attacks suddenly came faster than even he'd been prepared to expect; this was the advantage of being a pantherian, the agility no other species could utilize. Rather than flamboyantly skirting to the side away from her blade, Rumple used magic to transport himself across the room in a puff of smoke, and that, that was the moment each and every Valkyrie finally understood he really was the Dark One: only demon lords could use spacial magic after all.
He grinned at Phria when she turned: this had actually turned out to be fun for him. "Lesson one: Never expect a demon lord to play fair, dearie."
"Stop calling me that!"
She might have sounded irritated and gone straight back to attacking him, but Rumple could see the small upturn at the corner of her lips and the twinkle in those lovely emeralds of hers; Phria had just as much fun as himself. Anger didn't guide her attacks nor did exhilaration, instead each fluid movement was carefully calculated to the point that, were he a lesser mage, he'd have already been on his back. Rumple made to dodge yet another swing only to feel a spark of magic and suddenly her short sword was on the other side of him which forced Rumple to block it with his forearm rather than dodge. A spell, she'd used whatever spell was in that crimson steel, some kind of mirage or phantom. Sensing her first opening, Phria pulled out a dagger only for Rumple to knock it away swiftly, but he had felt the heat of a second imbued spell. If the beautiful pantherian wanted to play with fire then Rumple would happily oblige her. In an instant he'd formed a fire ball; small but concentrated just enough to hurt without maiming. Phria backed off and threw up a barrier similar to Demeer's but with significantly less power, and the fireball smashed right through it. Rumple couldn't remember the last time he'd had so much fun, probably back when Bae had been a small boy and they'd played together.
Phria's skill was commendable – it suddenly dawned on him Demeer had probably intended for all the Valkyries to collectively see what he was capable of and that he meant them no harm despite his power. Oh, Maximilian Demeer was a smart one. His momentary distraction lulled Phria into thinking she had the upper hand but no, and dodging again sounded boring, so he pulled the sword from a Valkyrie's hip to block the incoming blow. With a grin he kicked Phria at the hip hard enough to knock her to the ground, then planted the sword tip between his feet and smirked knowing she'd been defeated.
"I win, darling. Well done though."
While Amicia clapped happily for her papa's victory, he dropped the sword: whoever it belonged to could fetch it at their leisure. Phria pulled herself onto her knees then planted one foot firmly in front of her with a fist over her heart. Rumple raised an eyebrow, as did most of the Valkyries.
"Allow me to call you master?" Rumple's expression was a perfect visual display of the phrase 'say what now?' "Please train the Valkyries. Only now do I realize how woefully unprepared we all are for if another demon lord should appear. Ravavena was defeated long before any of us were born, we have never actually faced a demon lord."
"Master?" He'd not liked that word when Belle had used it either.
Phria nodded. "You are unrivalled, it should be respected and revered. If you are to teach us, then you are my master." Well, she'd gone from one extreme to another. Instead of the distrust he'd seen earlier, Rumple now only saw awe and intrigue in her polished emeralds. He quickly commanded her to her feet because she was freaking him out. Phria sheathed her sword then retrieved her dagger before looking back at him. "How do you wish to train us, Master? I assume you have your own preferences."
Though the urge to leave the room and never return was strong, Rumple had made a deal with Demeer and it had to be honored. Over by one of the pillars he could see Belle hiding quiet giggles behind her hand, apparently his discomfort was amusing to her.
Rumple sighed. "From what I discussed with Demeer, he wanted your magic defence and resilience boosted rather than your skill with blades." He thought for a moment, perhaps these women would benefit from the same lessons he'd given Regina in the beginning. "How about this: order your ladies into groups of six. You can throw whatever you like at me but I will do the same. Your task isn't to cut me down, it's to put up so much of a fight that you're not worth the effort. Your soldiers might not be able to kill a demon lord, but I'll teach you to dissuade one from trying to kill you."
It was like ants really; they took down significantly larger creatures by working together and making fleeing the most viable option, the easiest and least effort-consuming option. He'd not met the other three demon lords nor did he know their powers, but this seemed like as good a place to start as any.
"Send him off to lick his wounds? Is that all you think us capable of?" One of the humans at the front of Valkyries grumbled.
"Enough, Theano." Phria insisted, that confidence was back. "Master's training style will force us to adapt and function better as a unit."
The pantherian got right to work dividing everybody up while Rumple wondered just how he'd gotten himself in this situation. Amicia pulled Belle and Azzy to sit on one of the long benches clearly delighted to see her papa spar more, and Rumple thought her adorable. It occurred to him then that they'd not actually assessed Amicia's magic level; a terrible oversight. Surely there had to be one of those crystal books somewhere in the Arcane University.
Rumple spent the next four hours training the female soldiers who were all exceptionally skilled. For the most part they fended him off pretty well but he kept winning of course. Eventually though the Vice-Captain returned from her errand and a clerk informed them they'd been requested in the Grand Mage's office. Jefferson! Demeer had found him the damn Hatter!
Rumple didn't wait for another utterance, just gathered his girls and the waheela then magicked them back to Demeer's office in a puff of smoke.