Vandel

Dressing for the kidnapping of a princess can be tricky business. Despite this, I think I fully rose to the occasion with my outfit of choice for the day.

I stared at myself in the mirror for a minute, giving a little spin and enjoying the way the thick fabric of my cape twirled with me.

The kidnapping had gone far better than I ever could have hoped. We'd grabbed the princess in a matter of minutes with only a few casualties. Most of the deaths had been brought on by that annoying blonde that had noticed me first in the cathedral. It had been fun to tease him... considerably less fun to watch him run down two of my best demons.

I noticed a few strands of hair had fallen out of place during my spin. Frowning, I moved to adjust them so they would look just right.

I'd heard rumors about that blonde before. His name was Sir Rippy...or Riddle...or something like that. Fresh out of training and he was already the kingdom's golden boy. There was no doubt in my mind that the king would send him to retrieve the princess. And when he finally arrived—I'd be there, waiting for him.

I turned to leave but then caught another glimpse of my reflection in the mirror and smiled at it.

“My leige-”

I snatched a brush from my dresser and hurtled it at the head of Tuttle, the servant who'd just been stupid enough to step through the doorway.

Slowly, I turned to glare at him. “Damnit, Tuttle! What did I say about leaving me alone during my mirror time!”

“I’m sorry, my leige-”

“Mirror time is my time! Got it? When else am I supposed to scheme?”

Tuttle bowed his bald little head. “My leige, we have brought the princess to the cell, as you requested. She put up quite a fight so we had to restrain her. She wants to talk to you.”

I shrugged, nonchalantly. “Alright. I’ll go over and humor her.” Tuttle turned to leave but I held up a black, gloved hand, causing him to freeze in a magic hold. “Tuttle, can you tell mummy dearest that the job is finished, just as she requested.”

I released him from the spell and Tuttle blinked, slightly dazed. “You could have just asked me to wait, my leige. I don’t see why you needed to use magic to freeze me.”

I crossed my arms, casting him a blank scowl. “I do what I want.” Things just seemed way cooler with magic.

Tuttle bowed his head again. “Alright, sir. I’ll go tell her.” And with that, he scuttled off.

I looked back at my gorgeous reflection in the mirror, adjusting my collar. Once satisfied, I turned with a final whisk of my cape and made my way down the hall.

The click of my boots' heels echoed through the empty corridor and I loved it. It made me seem all the more menacing. Two of my guards were stationed in front of the princess’s cell, their heads bowing the second they saw me. I waved them away with an absent flick of the hand, stepping into the cell with as much suave as the universe could possibly handle.

The princess sat there, hands chained behind her back. Her hair was a mess, dark curls sticking up every which way. She glared at me as I entered.

“Princess,” I said with a charming smile.

She spat at me.

Luckily, with a snap of my fingers, I was able to freeze the disgusting slob of saliva midair before it hit me. This not only made me look extremely cool but powerful as well.

I shook my head, taking a step closer. “Now, now, Princess. Let us be civil. There's no need to be so rude.”

“Rude,” she snarled. “You kidnapped me at my sister’s wedding!”

I clicked my tongue at her. “Yes, but spitting on someone's fancy princess kidnapping outfit is another level of rudeness entirely, don’t you agree?”

“You’ll pay for this!" she hissed, a seething fire burning in her eyes. “You think my father will let demon scum like you kidnap the heir to the throne? He’s going to send the best knights in the kingdom after you! And when they come—you’re going to be screwed, pretty boy.”

Well, at least she thought I was pretty. It seemed she and I could agree on one thing.

I shrugged. “Best knights, hm? You wouldn’t happen to be talking about that knight everyone is so hot and bothered over...Sir Riptide, was it?”

“Ridley.”

“Yes, yes, I knew that, of course. Sir...Ridley.”

Princess Annette nodded, something shifting in her gaze at the mere mention of him, a sort of glow. I could work with this. 

I tried to keep the smile out of my voice when I spoke again. “Ah, so Sir Ridley it is. He’s fresh out of training, isn’t he? It should be marvelously delightful to kill him in front of you.”

That caused her to instantly tense. “You can’t kill him," she said sharply. "He can defeat you. I know it!

I simply smirked at her. “Oh, is that so?”

Winking, I twirled a finger. With a hiss, a small dragon made of smoke curled through the air. It was a child’s trick, really. Anyone with even a little magic could do it, but it looked pretty cool at dinner parties. I had realized long ago that it was an easy way to appear powerful in front of stupid mortals. And as anticipated, the girl’s face paled at the sight.

“Ah, but could it be that your worry for Sir Ridley’s safe return is more than just a princess awaiting her knight? Perhaps...you’re in love with him.”

A deep flush spread across Annette’s face and I knew my arrow had hit its mark.

The princess quickly shook her head. “What do you want?”

“Ah, finally you show some proper etiquette, Princess.”

 “Just tell me.”

I took a step forward, wrapping one gloved hand around the metal bars to create some added dramatic effect. “I want you to marry me.”

Annette let out a loud snort of laughter. “You can’t be serious.”

I slicked my hair back, still smirking at her. “Trust me, Princess, I am.” I stepped back now, placing a hand on my hip. “If I marry you then your kingdom becomes mine. The demons will take over and we’ll not only rule everything, but we’ll have enough power to get rid of the Bone King once and for all.”

“I would never marry you.”

“Why not? You could get worse offers. I’m rich, I’m powerful, I’m smart, I’m good looking, I’m stylish, I’m suave—”

“You’re self centered.”

“Beside the point.” My eyes narrowed. “Perhaps I’m not making myself clear, Princess. This is less of a proposal and more of an order. You will marry me and I will get your kingdom.”

“Ridley will save me,” Annette growled. “I’m sure of it.”

"We shall see, Princess, we shall see." I chuckled, the sound echoing around the chamber as I vanished into the darkness. “I await his arrival with great anticipation.”