An orange glow spilled down across the dark gray walls of the palace, illuminating it ominously from where it resided above the small houses of the general populace. The palace, sharp and jagged in all its spires and angled roofs looked almost twisted in its design, further complemented by signs of collapsed roofing and broken walls. The right side of the castle displayed the greatest damage where walls and a crumbling spire were braced by and surrounded by scaffolding built of dark purple wood. The same scaffolding and collections of large amounts of dark purple timber could also be seen around the small homes of the town below, some of which showed signs of collapsed roofs, damaged walls, and evidence of fire. Even the larger more elaborately built homes that dotted the hillsides outside the town showed significant damage. Despite all the destruction, however, the shadow of the castle fell ominously over the town in the twilight, threatening with its dark, jagged shadows.

Deep within the confines of the castle's walls, many halls were lit with the bright purple light of magical orbs that lined the moldings where ceiling met wall. In a large room locked away behind two massive, intricately carved doors hidden by an imposing throne decorated in ornamental gold leafing gathered a group of men and women. The room housed a large round table whose polished purple bark gleamed beneath the lights that floated about the room. Desks and bookcases lined the walls, filled to the brim with papers and books with the only wall in the far back without furniture stacked tall with crates. Chairs were pushed away from the table where they had been used by the group of men and women that currently stood, staring down at an array of large papers and a detailed map of the kingdom. Among them, however, was one chair pressed up to the table where a tall, imposing figure of a man sat, long dark hair falling straight over a strong, partially exposed chest of dark purple, garbed in the finest silks and jewels.

"Do you really mean to commit to such an overhaul of the water system? The people are already suffering!" a man at the right of the large man hissed. Each man and woman at the table varied in skin tone, ranging from blue to purple to indigo with every shade in between. However, what each man and woman held in common were the growths of horns from their heads. Though varied in color, shape, and texture, each one of these people could easily be identified for what they were, not human.

"The people will just have to make due," a deep, aloof voice declared, the low tones of his voice slamming down with enough force to cut down the excited energy among the people there with little effort. The six on either side looked to the tall man who had spoken, respectful in their attention as they lowered their eyes to the table. Sitting upon a tall chair that looked almost sharp in its jagged and spiked top, the man, the demon garbed in burgundy silks and adorned with gold lifted his head. What was most striking, however, was the black crown of jewels that sat upon the crest of his head, and the jewel-encrusted gold medallion that hung from around his muscular neck and rest on his chest. He looked at each of his most esteemed vassals, his cold yellow eyes piercing into every gaze that momentarily looked to him in expectation of more words to come. He lifted his hand from off of the arm of his chair and pointed a long curved claw toward the map as he leaned forward and spoke, his long reddish black hair spilling forward smoothly over his powerfully built shoulders.

"We could leave things this way if you'd like," he said before adding with a sigh, "...but when the sewage leaks into the drinking water I shall say it was at your behest that I did nothing." He declared, his words direct, to the point, and sharp. He was a man who clearly did not hesitate to speak his mind, and though perhaps it was a little twisted, there was dry humor in his words. The man who had spoken previously to the king's right, balding with two horns that twisted tightly against his skull made a stuttering sound as he shifted on his feet, his heavy black armor whining with his movements. The king looked to the woman at his left. She was beautiful, her lavender skin almost appeared to glow as her pale purple hair waved about her gently sloped shoulders. Dressed in a white dress augmented with golden trinkets that glistened in the lights she looked to the king, a smooth and confident smile curving her lips as her red eyes settled onto her king's with confidence.

"We in the development sector are working our hardest to repair the damages to the sewage systems, and I can say that in two weeks it will surely be done. However," she said, her smiling slipping from her lips, "...the chances of no contamination are impossible. Besides, I advocate for an overhaul of the water systems so that we may be able to bring healthy drinking water to the citizens on the outskirts of the capital. They've suffered the most from the previous king's neglect and the subsequent war," the woman explained.

"Th-that's true-" the balding man stuttered. The king leaned on the palm of his hand as he rest his elbow on the arm of his chair. A sly smile curved his lips as his eyes settled onto the man.

"Kavdi, while I admire your compassion, we can manage to ration water out for the next two weeks. The people know that there is much to be done, they will understand," the king declared. "Things will be worse without this momentary sacrifice. And besides, I think they fear the wormholes and possible invasions more than anything else."

"Your majesty," came the impatient call of a woman on the far side of the table to the left. The woman was small with a short cut crimson hair that hung around her face. She was smallest at the table and dressed in the robes of education, coloring her in deep blues and blacks with a stole of crimson.

"Yes?" the king asked as his settled upon her pouty features.

"The school! We need to begin rebuilding the university! We need to repair the artifact!" the young woman gasped passionately.

"You! You will not speak to his majesty in such a rude manner!" A voice hissed sharply from of the others gathered and the girl's cheeks darkened as she pulled back from the table and crossed her arms under her chest almost awkwardly.

"I-I don't mean to be rude. But it's imperative!" the girl insisted. A man rose up from someplace where he had been sitting out of sight behind the king and came to stand at his right side. The demon was tall, his skin an icy blue and his hair a shimmering silver. From his hair, two long horns grew on either side of his head, straight to the back of his skull before the points curved upward, though an offshoot spike extended shortly beneath them. The long lengths of the sides of his hair were pulled back from his face and pinned behind his head with a deep purple clip. He stood out greatly from the rest of the demons at the table with the way his skin caught the light and almost appeared to glow as if from some unknown power.

"Calm yourself, Enril," the beautiful woman who had spoken before said, and the pale demon gave a dismissive noise that drew forth a momentary flare of tension in the beautiful demonesses features as the two shared an icy glare.

"The artifact is still stable. We will be sending aid to the university as soon as we have the workers to spare. For now, just hold your tongue and think about all the duties his majesty must deal with all at once," Enril hissed, and the read-headed collegiate gave an annoyed grunt as she looked away.

"I thank you for your steadfast defense, Enril. But if you always defend me so quickly your integrity could come into question," the king declared, and the radiant demon turned to his liege and bowed, one hand bent at his back and the other across his stomach.

"Forgive me. Though I have known you since you were a child, and thus the nature of your character, I frequently forget that not everyone can see things as plainly as me and thus find myself treating them as a fool," Enril explained as a soft laugh passed the king's lips while he leaned more onto his elbow. The pale demon's expression was neutral as he straightened his back and quietly excused himself to retake his seat at a desk in the far corner of the room where pages were neatly sorted into multiple stacks.

"Something should be done about that man," the red head grunted softly as the king straightened his back and then stood from his chair.

"While my advisor might be a little hot under the cuff, he has more than proven himself a capable advisor who is not afraid to disagree with me should he think my rulings wrong. For now, I declare this meeting over. Nothing significant has changed and no new information was offered that should change our dispersal of workers or our goals. So everyone, goodnight and safe journeys to your place of rest," the king declared. Immediately everyone stepped back and bowed their heads as he walked around the right side of the table. Each member turned to face the door after he passed, bowing once more as the guards on either side of the doors opened them and allowed the king passage through. Dressed in his burgundy tunic of cinched sleeves and white leggings, he moved forward, the floating gems of his crown catching in the artificial lights above. Not long after him, and before the others, Enril walked on at a quicker stride, a ream of papers clutched to his chest and bound with twine as he followed after his king.

It was down long and lonely halls occupied only by the meticulously placed guard every so often that the king was led into a large chamber that housed his bed. Comprised of dark gray stone and bathed in the soft purple light of the orbs that floated along the walls the room was dim aside from where the orange twilight spilled in from one open window, though its luster had begun to be claimed by the pale purple light of the moon as the skies darkened into a dark violet punctured by the light of the stars. Enril closed the door after them as the king walked to a large, dark purple Chifferobe and pulled open its doors before he began to shrug out of his clothing, his crown toppling from off his head and falling toward the floor, though it was caught at the last moment by a pale blue hand. The king turned and looked, glowing yellow meeting purple eyes as Enril gave a disapproving look.

"Your majesty, show some care," he berated, and the king sighed as he pulled his tunic off over his head with his jewel-encrusted gold medallion, letting them drop into a pile at his feet, and pulled on his nightgown as Enril expertly swiped up his discarded items and clothing. Sitting on the edge of his large canopy bed of deep purple and red silks, the king began taking off his boots and leggings while Enril placed the crown and medallion on the bedside table. Walking over to a far desk he picked up a gilded brush. Clearly, the routine was very well practiced in the way each man moved without any hesitance or word as the king pulled a simple chair by the window over toward the bed and sat in it. Enril, whose papers had been placed on the desk he had taken the brush, pulled his majesty's dark red hair over the back of the chair and began to brush. Smooth and straight was the hair and the strokes he made as he comfortably worked from the bottom to the top, taking care to leave every inch of the king's hair smooth.

"Will you tie your hair tonight?" Enril asked when he finished. With a shake of his head, the king rose from off of the chair and went to his bed, which prompted Enril to put everything back in its proper place. As his majesty climbed into bed, Enril went about the room, making sure everything was in its place and secure. Satisfied he drew the curtains over the ornate floor to ceiling window, picked up his papers and opened the bedrooms doors. He paused however and looked over his shoulder as his king rolled onto his side; when he spoke his tone was soft and far more warm than he had been since the meeting.

"Goodnight, Andrake. May the Gods cradle you in your sleep, and keep you safe until you wake."

"I need no coddling. The Gods can kiss my ass," the king, Andrake, grunted as he rolled onto his other side and slid his arm under his pillow. And as the door closed, a small smile curved Enril's lips.