After their morning meal, Rustam and his brothers were told to go to the docks with Galenova to greet the Archfriend prince and his guards. They would have some guards with them, but most would be staying back at the castle. A few weeks ago, there’d been an assassination attempt on Llewellyn during a visit to the city, but Galenova was able to stop the assassin. Though grateful their daughter was able to protect herself and her brother, they weren’t happy that she kept her fighting abilities hidden from them.

“They were upset because of that?” Rustam asked her as they walked to the docks. He would think they would be happy that Galenova knew how to defend herself. In Dwarven society, it was basically a requirement for everyone to learn the basics of combat. It’d been like that for as long as he could remember and Oretierra was known for being one of the few continents to have never been conquered by outsiders. Humans and elves have attempted to do so—wanting the land for its mines and taking control of the dragons—but they didn’t get far. Even after all their attempts, they always underestimated the Dwarves.

Galenova nodded and bit her lower lip nervously. “Yes. They’re afraid that I might ruin my chances of finding a Nymph man even more. Or any kind of Fey man. Most want Nymphs to be seductive, delicate, and confident, but Mother says I’m too nervous and timid. And now adding that I know more than just the basics of fighting, I’ve probably ruined my chances. She said ”

“Is that why they invited Prince Phenex?” Ignacia asked from behind. She and Daelyniel shared knowing looks when their friends stiffened. “I heard he’s a handsome fellow. A little short for an Archfiend, but I heard that many send their daughters his way and he’s turned them all down.”

“And I heard he only has three personal guards with him. Never has a whole group of them like most royal families,” Daelyniel informed. “And from what I heard, they have just as much authority as he does and can overrule his decisions as they see fit. I wonder why they’re given so much power?” He was hoping he could question one of the guards about it.

Rexus shared a look with Rhodaph, who was smiling in amusement. “Please don’t scare the king and queen on our way back with your strange conversations.” He looked back at Ignacia and Daelyniel. “And why are you two even here?”

“Because we’re good company,” Daelyniel defended.

“Because I can, be,” Ignacia replied condescendingly. 

Rexus was about to say something, but Rustam stepped in between them. “Fear not, Rexus. We won’t say anything strange around them. We just have some questions about their culture.”

When they reached the docks, they saw a really large ship there. It was painted black with gold accents and had black sails. Even the crew wore dark clothing and there was a variety of Chthonian races working on it. When they approached the guard, all of them almost strained their necks looking up at the male Archfiend. The demonic being looked intimidating with his tall height and glowing orange eyes. He wore all-black leather armor with no sleeves and a cutout in the back for his large wings. They were folded in to cover his front and made his shoulders look very broad and wide. Even in a relaxed stance, it was hard to not see the heavy and solid muscles rippling beneath the dark gray skin of his arms. His four dark orange horns stood out against his dark violet hair. If he didn’t have his demonic traits, he would’ve looked like a very tall human. 

“Can I help you?” he asked the group.

Rexus tried to find his words but felt lost as he looked up at the man. None of them had ever seen such a being in front of them and the oldest prince looked a little scared. Rustam saw his older brother’s reaction and Rhodaph’s uncertainty in approaching him. Galenova was fidgeting with her cuff and her hands were shaking a little. He gently pushed his way through to the front of the group and looked up at the guard. “Hello, we’re the princes of Oretierra and we came with Princess Galenova to escort Prince Phenex to the castle.”

The guard nodded and smiled softly at him. “I see. My mate is helping him get ready. They should be here shortly, Prince Rustam.”

The redheaded Dwarf looked surprised to hear that someone knew his name. “How do you…?”

“Prince Phenex is very excited to meet you, specifically,” the guard answered. “He’s been talking about the Dwarven prince who was in the middle of a dragon fight. He’s always found them fascinating but has never seen one. So I apologize on his behalf for all the questions he’s going to ask. He might not give you a minute to yourself for the next day or two.”

“Is that him?” a male voice asked excitedly.

Another Archfiend came running towards them. He would’ve looked just as intimidating as the guard with his glowing green eyes and red skin. Even though he was about a foot shorter than his guard, he was still very tall compared to Rustam and the others. The excited look on his face made him seem less intimidating. An Archfiend woman stood behind him and put her hand on his shoulder to keep him still.

“Prince Phenex, remember your strength and height,” she reminded him with a stern voice. “You might come off as frightening to them.”

The prince nodded but immediately ignored her advice as soon as she let him go. He stood over Rustam and looked happy to see him. “You must be Prince Rustam! I’ve heard a lot about you!”

“Really?” Rexus asked in disbelief.

“Oh yes! We heard about the dragon fight and how a Dwarven child was caught in the middle of it! I’ve always wanted to see a dragon! And you got to see a legendary one! Can you believe in all my five thousand years of living I’ve never seen one? You must tell me about it!” He grabbed Rustam's hand with both hands even though he didn't need to. “What was it like? Were you scared? What was the other dragon like? Was the legendary dragon you saw as majestic as the legends?”

The male guard sighed wearily. “Prince Phenex, breathe. And back up. You’re practically hovering over him like a predator to its prey.”

The prince balked before releasing Rustam's hand and doing what his guard ordered. He bowed to the youngest Dwarven prince. “My apologies, Prince Rustam! I sometimes forget my appearance compared to others!”

Rustam felt a little discombobulated from the whole interaction, but thankfully the guard’s warning had somewhat prepared him for it. He still felt a little stumped that a powerful being was this excited to meet him. No one was ever excited to meet him except his friends and family. If anything, he was used to others ignoring or scoffing at him.

“Your Highness, try not to scare the little ones,” another male said. He was an Archfiend as well with long dark green hair and horns along with the large green bat-like wings. His pale yellow eyes stood out against his pale gray skin and looked at the group in amusement. “Forgive our prince’s enthusiasm. He’s been very excited about this trip ever since he heard that the royal Dwarven family would be here.”

“It’s fine,” Rustam assured him. The Archfiend prince looked intimidating at first, but he didn't seem like a bad person. If anything, he almost seemed like a little kid meeting his favorite person in all the realms. “But I think this will be more comfortable back at the castle so we don’t strain our necks too much from looking at each other and without the eyes of others staring at us. Your lady guard looks a little on edge and keeps looking around.”

Everyone looked at the female guard who looked a little embarrassed from the revelation. She coughed nervously and her pale blue cheeks turned a shade of purple. Rustam guessed she was blushing based on the look on her face.

Prince Phenex laughed when he saw her face. “Very observant of the young prince! You need to work on being more subtle, Balamia.” He looked down at Rustam and the others. “But you’re right! We should head to the castle! But can we fly there? We’ve been on that dreadful ship for too long and my wings feel a little stiff.”

“Only if you don’t mind flying next to a lime,” Ignacia grinned.

The Archfiend prince’s eyebrow arched in question. “A lime? Do tell me more, Miss…?”

“Ignacia Flare-Star! Future court wizard of Oretierra!” she greeted proudly.

Prince Phenex’s jaw dropped and his bright green eyes widened. “Are you related to Sir Oren Flare-Star?”

She nodded. “Yes! I’m his granddaughter! He’s back at the castle too!”

Rustam never thought he would live to see the day to meet any kind of Chthonian, let alone see one wagging its tail happily like a dog. Or see one look so happy to meet them, but here Prince Phenex was doing just that. “Really?” the prince asked. “I’ve always wanted to meet him!”

“So let’s go!” Igy shouted in excitement.

The Archfiend prince nodded in agreement. “Yes! And Rustam! You must come with us! I have so many questions!”

Rustam didn’t even have time to process that before he found himself getting dragged off by Ignacia, who was surprisingly keeping up with Phenex as they ran to the city exit. Everyone else in his group stood there, trying to figure out what just happened.

“Umm…,” Daelyniel didn’t even know where to begin as he watched them run. “What just…?”

All three Archfiend guards bowed to them. “We apologize for our prince’s actions, everyone,” the female guard said. “He means no disrespect, but…”

“He’s an idiot,” the pale gray one finished and winked at Daelyniel. "But he's harmless. We promise."

“Veparei. Balamia. Make sure the fool doesn’t cause any trouble,” the tall dark gray one ordered with a groan. “I’m going to wait for Caelin and we’ll meet you at the castle.”

Daelyniel and Galenova shared a nervous look with each other. "You should fly up ahead and check on Rustam. Make sure Igy isn't tossing him around like a rag doll."

The pale gray guard looked confused at that. "That little woman? She's not that much taller than him."

"That woman is a menace to society," Rexus stated as he and Rhodaph began walking back.

"Pray you never find out how truly strong Ignacia can be when she's extremely excited or angry," Galenova warned with a nervous smile before flying off. 

A special shout out to Jen Leifire, who's gifted us with a chibi Ignacia! Thank you so much, Jen! I love her & wanna squish her too with Daelyniel. XD