Demon Queen Wants to Paint

"Why does this always happen to me?" Rosa grumbled quietly as she saw dark storm clouds approaching from across the sea. She was about halfway across the pier that stretched out into the sea. People on the beach were gathering their belongings and slowly streaming through the wooden pathways, back to the city.

Rosa sighed and adjusted the uncomfortable straps that were eating into her shoulders. A large wooden easel and canvas were hoisted onto her back, weighing down on her petite frame.

"I knew I should have checked the weather forecast…"

She exhaled and turned to follow the crowd back into the city, when the phone in her shorts pocket vibrated. Curious, she pulled it out of her pocket to check the notification. The phone almost fell from her hands when she read 'E-mail from Studio Goblin'.

Her heart began thundering in her chest and her palms turned uncomfortably sweaty. She tried to unlock her phone with her fingerprint, but the device wouldn't recognize it through all the sweat. After wiping her hand in the fabric of her white shirt, she tried again. This time it unlocked and she went to her email app right away. 

But when she tried to read the email, her trembling finger accidentally tapped an advert sitting right above it. Cursing a few times at the beautiful model in the shampoo ad, she hurriedly closed it and returned to her email app. But instead of opening the message, her finger hovered above it.

"It's okay, it's okay," Rosa chanted to herself, looking over the perfectly calm sea as dark clouds crept further and further over the sky. She took a deep breath, and then after a few seconds, slowly exhaled. With a shaky finger, she finally tapped on the message. 

"Hello, Rosa. After carefully reviewing your portfolio and taking into account the answers you gave during the interview…" Rosa quietly read the email, skipping through most of the introduction, until she finally reached the most important sentence, "... it is with great pleasure that we inform you that you've been accepted as an intern at Studio Goblin."

Rosa squealed in delight and jumped up, earning a few odd glances from the people who were hurrying off the pier. Her easel painfully hit her back, but she paid no mind to it, instead removing the heavy weight from her shoulder and setting it down against the ledge.

"I did it! I actually did it!"

A wide grin spread on her face, and she wanted to shout to the whole world of her big achievement. Then her face hardened and she looked back down at her phone, her heart squeezing in her chest.

"But, first things first…" she muttered and opened her 'Contacts' page. Rosa scrolled through the short list to find the name 'Mother' while shifting her weight nervously from one leg to another. She hesitated a bit, her heart pounding; dialing her might have been more challenging than getting this internship,, but then she shook her head and resolutely pressed the 'Call' button. 

Her hands trembled a little as she waited through the dial beeps. One. Two. Three. Four. At the fifth, her hand faltered and lowered a bit, but the call finally connected.

"Yes?" replied a cold, familiar voice.

"H-hello, Mother," Rosa said nervously, twirling a lock of her hair in her free hand. The sky had been completely taken over by the dark clouds, and there was an eerie quiet in the surrounding area. Most people were already gone, and a few stragglers were on their way out.

"What do you want?" the cold voice spat out, and Rosa could imagine her mother's face scrunched up in disgust and disappointment. In fact, that was the only expression she could imagine on her face.

"I-I'm just calling to tell you that I got a job at Studio Goblin," Rosa said resolutely, straightening her back and puffing out her chest proudly. There was a pause on the other end of the line and the whole atmosphere around Rosa also went still and very quiet. As if the sea was taking a measuredbreath.

"So?"

A cold raindrop hit Rosa on her forehead, making her flinch. 

"I-I… It proves that you can make a living by doing art. That you were wrong about me not being able to achieve anything," she said as calmly as she could, but her voice cracked multiple times. A loud scoff resounded from the phone.

"You've just proved that we made the right decision by throwing you out as soon as you turned eighteen. Studio Goblin? What kind of company even is that? No respectable person would ever call a business that!" Rosa's mother mocked. More and more heavy raindrops began falling from the sky, mercilessly pelting her with their intensity.  

"If you had begged and apologized for your horrible behavior, I might have thought of accepting you back into the family. If you could have achieved even one fourth of what your younger sister has done, then I wouldn't have minded meeting with you again. I had hoped that time on your own would have taught you a valuable lesson, but you're still the same ungrateful, lazy brat leeching off the hard-work of others. If only…"

Mother continued ranting but Rosa couldn't hear her anymore as the hand she held her phone with slumped to her side. The rain was coming down hard, soaking Rosa from head to toe.

"I only wanted you to be proud of me just once…" Rosa whispered and lifted the phone to end the call. But before she pushed the red 'End Call' button, she heard her mother snarl.

"Never call us again. You're no daughter of mine."

And the call disconnected. 

This was supposed to be a day of celebration…

The cold rain had already soaked her clothes, forcing the body to shiver as it desperately tried to retain the quickly escaping heat.

"What was even the point?" Rosa complained to the sea, which threw its waves with increasing intensity, as if trying to reach her and pull her into its depths. She sat down on the wet edge that separated the pier from the raging sea, and looked down.

"All that work, and I couldn't get even a single word of acknowledgement…"

The sea roiled and a bright flash appeared near the horizon. Hot tears began to stream down her face, but they remained unseen under the heavy raindrops.

"I wish… I wish I had been born to parents who loved me no matter what I chose to do," she spoke to the sea quietly, her words drowned out by the loud crashes of the deluge. The fury of the storm emboldened her – it had no fear, nothing holding it back. 

Why was I even trying to prove anything to the one person who never cared?

"Even being a demon's daughter would have been better!" she yelled into the sea, letting her frustration out. A low grumble of thunder resounded through the area. Anger inside Rosa began to boil and she stood up on the ledge and screamed.

"Even a demon would care more!"

Wind pulled on her clothes and hair, but she stood tall and strong. 

I will not be taken down by this storm. I'll get through it just as I have gotten through all the other difficulties in life.

Feeling a bit better after screaming her feelings out, Rosa was about to descend from the ledge when a strong gust of wind threatened to throw her into the sea. She wobbled, unsteadily but managed to keep her footing. But a strong blast of water suddenly swept her under the feet, and her knees buckled under the force.

Dumbstruck, she fell backward into the sea, crashing into the dark waters. Rosa flailed, trying to swim for the surface but the sea tossed her mercilessly left and right, not giving her a chance to reach the water's edge. She began to panic as the oxygen in the lungs was slowly running out.

I can't just die like this!

She moved her limbs desperately, but the more she flailed, the deeper the sea seemed to pull her into her embrace. Her vision began to blur as her body was desperately crying out for oxygen. Darkness overcame her senses and cold filled her limbs, weighing them down like lead.

***

Rosa woke up with a jolt as if she was struck by a strong electric current. Her lungs felt like they were seized, and she was unable to breathe. Another strong jolt, and her eyes opened for just a moment – not long enough to actually register her surroundings. She still couldn't breathe. Why couldn't she breathe? Before she could properly begin to panic, there was another jolt and she was finally able to take a lungful of air. She coughed violently, tears rolling down her cheeks.

A soothing male voice spoke in a language Rosa could not understand. As her coughing fit slowly subsided, she finally opened her eyes. She looked down at herself, unable to comprehend her appearance

I'm completely naked. Why am I naked? 

As Rosa's eyes adjusted to light, she saw a giant man towering over her. His skin was darkish gray, not a color that could be attributed to a living person, he had long, blood red hair and eyes as dark as the night. But what stood out the most were two, black horns attached to his head.

Rosa froze completely, unable to fathom what exactly she was seeing. She was in a small room with dark wallpaper and no windows, completely butt naked, in what appeared to be a crib.

The man froze as well, staring at her with unblinking eyes. She screamed. But the scream did not come out quite like she imagined it should. It sounded like a cry of a… baby?. She stopped, and the man looked at her intensely, waiting for her reaction. But for a moment, she shelved her worries about the giant man, and instead tried to lift her arm.

It was incredibly difficult to do so – it felt like she had no strength in her arms whatsoever. But once she managed to do so, she saw a tiny hand with stubby, little fingers. 

No, that can't be right. 

She mustered her strength and lifted her other hand. It was just as small and with the same kind of stubby fingers. She tried to lift her head to look down on her body, but it was so heavy – Rosa couldn't even do it. 

She began squirming, trying to move her body upright, but it was completely futile. Rosa didn't have enough strength. As she squirmed, she felt something wriggle between her legs. 

No, that couldn't… could it? Please tell me it's not what I think it is!

Rosa lost it completely and started screeching on top of her little lungs. She had without a doubt been turned into a baby. And into a boy no less. 

No, this can't be happening! It must be a nightmare.

The man looked worried, and bent down to pick Rosa up, not bothering to cover her. His hands were huge and strong, and it felt like they could squish her like a blueberry. Rosa screeched hysterically. 

This has to be a nightmare. This can't be real! I have to wake up.

But the man rocked her in his arm in a soothing motion, and she inadvertently began to calm down – her hysteric cries turning to mild sobs. He said something to her, but she couldn't understand a word. The giant horns on his head scared her, as did his rough features which made his attempts at a calm expression look forced and awkward. 

Who is this man? Did he do this to me somehow? What even is he? A demon of some sort?

As Rosa pondered these questions, she felt that weird squirming in between her legs again. 

Wait… male parts aren't supposed to be moving around on their own, are they?

She tried to wiggle it, and felt how the appendage moved from underneath her as well. After a bit wriggling and squirming, she understood that it was actually a tail. Although, she didn't know whether that was better or worse. 

Wait. If I have a tail… Does that mean… Oh God!

Rosa squirmed and with the last bit of the baby strength that she had, she reached to touch the top of her head. It was so difficult – her arms felt so utterly tiny and useless while her head felt so bulbous and large. But she did manage to find what she was looking for – or rather what she had hoped not to find. Two tiny little stumps right on top of her head. 

The man said something to her again, his expression more confident now. She looked at the large hands holding her and saw how his skin tone nearly matched her own. The man took her curiosity as a good sign, and began speaking to her. She couldn't understand a word – the language sounded like nothing she had ever heard before. But from his intonation she could tell that he was excited.

He walked up to a large body sized mirror in the corner of the dark room and pointed towards it with his chin while talking in the meanwhile. With some effort, she turned her head and saw that the baby in the reflection of the mirror had the same blood red tuft of hair as the man. Now she was sure without a doubt – this man was the father of the baby. Rosa began wailing at the top of her lungs.