Demon Queen Wants to Paint

Three months passed. These were by far the slowest months since Rosa's first arrival in this new world. She wanted to learn to read, write and most importantly – find a way to escape from this world. But she also realized she couldn't just get up one morning and ask Alphegor 'Would you please teach me how to write? And while we're at it, why don't you explain how I can get back to my human body?'. In an especially bold daydream, she demanded him to send her back.

Naturally, that one was quickly dismissed. Imagine Alphegor's outrage if he found out that his most precious heir is actually a human from another world. He would no doubt spear her head on a pike himself. After all, the most dangerous being in the Underworld weren't the secret assassins or the mother's of Rosa's many half-sisters – it was the Demon King.

And so Rosa decided that the best course of action for the time being was to slowly ease everyone into the fact that she could talk. Of course, she had no patience to wait until she was three years old when most children started speaking coherently. Instead she steadily increased her spoken words day by day. Initially it was one word a day, then two, then three.

Alphegor's reaction was much as she expected – he grinned like a fool, praised her to be an absolute genius and urged her to speak new words. His lack of suspicion allowed her to add some extra spoken words to her vocabulary. Gunna was also delighted by her progress, gently correcting her if she pronounced something wrong (demon language was hard). Faenor, on the other hand, regarded her suspiciously once her vocabulary clearly expanded beyond what a normal baby could do. 

In fact, whenever she would talk while Faenor was around, he would observe her carefully making Rosa wonder whether she got too impatient.

But I can't wait for longer. I'll be killed if I just sit and do nothing. There already might be assassins trying to find a way to get to me.

"It's time to read again, Lady Morrigan," Faenor said and motioned Rosa closer. She approached him as always, but he regarded her somewhat differently today. She was about to turn to Gunna, to plead to the nanny to play with her instead, but the dwarf had already left Alphegor's room.

Rosa looked at Faenor and for a second the dark vision of the attacker flashed before her eyes and she took a step back. Seeing her reluctance, Faenor's expression relaxed and he beckoned her to come with his hands.

"It's time for your story, Princess Morrigan," the elf spoke with more eloquence than she was used to hearing normally. 

It's alright. It's just Faenor. Why are you being so paranoid all of a sudden?

Rosa waddled over to him, and he put her in his lap as he usually did. His book choice for the day, however, was far from the usual. Instead of a colorful picture book he was holding a thick volume of some sorts, if the numbering on the spine was any indication.

"I thought it would be useful for you to start learning more about this world, so I've picked out a more serious story," Faenor explained and then opened the book. The letters inside were still large, like in a children's book and there were plenty of drawings, but this was definitely something for older children rather than baby's who could barely talk.

"Today let's start with some knowledge of our world. It is called Doppelta, the name stemming from the fact that it is actually two worlds in one," the elf pointed at the picture which depicted two planets: one – a blue and green with continents different from the ones Rosa was familiar with, and one black and red which looked completely foreign.

Two worlds in one? How is that possible? 

She looked over the two planets carefully trying to find some correlation between them, but then she realized that Faenor was observing her with alarming intensity. 

"Ball!" Rosa pointed at the blue and green planet and forced herself to smile widely at the elf.

Don't get nervous. It's alright. Why would anybody suspect you not being a baby?

"Yes, a ball," Faenor said, disappointment clear in his voice. Nonetheless, he continued. "First we have the overworld, the surface or just the top. This is the world under the sun. It is bountiful and full of plants, animals and life. There's vast oceans, tall mountains and fertile fields."

I must act like I understand nothing.

"Sun?" Rosa cocked her head to the side.

"It's a… giant ball of light in the sky," Faenor explained, his shoulders slumping lower.

"Sky?" 

"It's like a neverending blue ceiling."

"Wow!" Rosa deliberately over exaggerated her reaction, making the elf slump his shoulders even further down.

"The other world is the underworld, world below the surface or just the underground. This is the world of darkness where the sun never shines. It is without light, so the plants here are sparse and even those that grow here, never gain the green luster of the surface brothers. It is a place of monsters, fire and death."

Great, and I'm the princess here. What does that say about me?

"Princess Morrigan, are you perhaps–"

"Lady Morrigan!" Gunna swung the door open, carrying a large tray in her hands. "His Majesty, has sent you some of the new fruit harvest to try. It was picked up just this morning."

"You can hardly call that fruit," Feanor grumbled, his already sullen mood dropping even further.

"Oh, hush! Don't be such a wet sock," the nanny reprimanded and began peeling the dark blueish peel of something that vaguely resembled an orange. Rosa barely restrained a laugh, instead trying to appear excited about the fruit. "See, Lady Morrigan loves her fruit."

"That's only because she doesn't know that better things exist," Faenor said in a voice filled with pity.

Hey, this weird blue citrus might not be the sweetest thing out there, but it wasn't bad. It was certainly better than no fruit at all.

The nanny picked Rosa up and began to give her neatly cleaned pieces of the fruit. The dark blue color wasn't very appetizing, and the flavor was something between a blueberry and orange. An odd flavor, but not bad once one got used to it.

"You're in an awfully bad mood today. Did something happen?" the nanny asked as she continued cleaning the fruit. Faenor snapped the book shut and put it down on the coffee table.

"No, I just had hoped…" the elf gave Rosa a significant look, but she deliberately stared at the blueish wedge in front of her, admiring the glossy surface as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.

"Hoped for what?" the nanny with a raised eyebrow.

"Nothing. It's not important. I just got impatient. I'll go down to the library to switch the book. I accidentally took the wrong one," the elf showed the heavy volume to the dwarf woman.

No, don't take it away! I wanted to learn about this world. 

Rosa did her best not to let her thoughts show.

Be calm. Nobody can know that you're actually a human from another world. If God forbid this information somehow gets to Alphegor, then I am no doubt done for.

"Oh, Guide to the World of Doppelta. They had that in the demon library? I thought demons would surely denounce anything created by humans," Gunna said and reached out to the book. Faenor handed it to her without any resistance.

"Yes, I was surprised as well. I guess it is just too good to be cast aside."

"Indeed. I still remember how much I loved to study from it as a child," Gunna looked through the pages, but her gaze looked distant – lingering in old, bittersweet memories. "You read this to Lady Morrigan?"

"Yes, but I don't think she is old enough to understand it," Faenor said with a disappointed sigh.

What's with the dramatic reaction? Did you seriously expect a baby that's not even a year old to understand it? Well, I do understand it, but I cannot show it. It's too risky.

"It's not like she's old enough to understand everything that's written in the story books either. It's the reading process itself that is important. Why don't you continue reading it?"

Faenor looked a bit surprised at first, but then smiled.

"Yes, you're right. Even if she doesn't understand it yet, she might still grow to love this book." 

Gunna nodded in agreement as she handed the volume back to Faenor. 

"Our little lady is very smart, I'm sure it won't take long for her to understand," Gunna patted Rosa's head, and began cleaning more fruit.

***

"Begin Morrigan's lessons?" Alphegor asked Gunna, after she had suggested that Rosa needs proper lessons to improve.

"Yes, Your Majesty! Lady Morrigan is so advanced that I am sure it would not be too early to begin."

The Demon King looked down at Rosa who was sitting in his lap. She tried to appear unaffected by the conversation, instead pretending to be interested in one of his coat buttons.

Act natural! Act natural! Why did Gunna have to bring it up? I know she has the best intentions, but I don't want Alphegor to get suspicious. 

"Hmm… I suppose if it's Morrigan then it wouldn't be a problem. She is extremely intelligent after all – just like her father," Alphegor said proudly, his head held high. Then his expression turned to that of contemplation. "Perhaps, it is also time for her to start practicing magic."

"Isn't it a bit early for magic?" Gunna asked nervously, and Rosa wanted to nod in agreement. 

Reading more advanced books was one thing, but learning magic? I'm not ready for that. Whenever I think of magic, I instantly remember that horrible night I got attacked…

"No. She already performed a shadow step once. In fact, it would be more dangerous if she did by accident again and got stuck in her shadow form," Alphegor noted, and a chill ran down Rosa's spine.

So I could have gotten stuck in the shadows? That's a scary thought.

Rosa shook her head – she did not want to do that again. Thinking about blending into shadows again just made her queasy. And if there was a chance she could get stuck, then it was all the more reason not to do it. 

"It… doesn't seem like Lady Morrigan wants to learn magic…" Gunna said in a somber voice, regarding Rosa with eyes filled with pity. Alphegor looked thoughtful, not saying anything for a while.

"How about this, Morrigan? I'll have a teacher check on you, and then we'll decide whether it's too early or not for you to learn?" Alphegor finally spoke and gently stroked Rosa's hair. The motion was surprisingly soothing, not something she expected to feel from a demon.

Meeting the teacher wouldn't be the end of the world. I could just pretend to be completely oblivious and the matter will certainly be put aside for time being.

"Okay," Rosa conceded.

"Excellent! I'll inform Azrael of his new duties this evening!" Alphegor announced with a wide grin. Rosa thought nothing of it, until she saw her nanny's expression. Gunna's face had gone pale, her eyes – wide and even her beard was trembling a little bit.

"Azrael?" Rosa repeated the name in hopes that somebody would elaborate more on this character.

"Don't worry, little one! He's the best magic user in the Underworld. After your father, of course, but I'm not very good at teaching," Alphegor said with a dismissive wave, while Gunna raised her finger slightly.

"I-Is Lord Azrael a wise c-choice? He doesn't strike me as a person who is ready to deal with children."

"He's basically still a child himself. I'm sure he'll find a way to relate to Morrigan."

"A child? Isn't he over two hundred years old?" 

Two hundred years old? How long do demons even live?

"Yes, two hundred and eight if I remember right. Such a small age gap between him and Morrigan. I'm sure they'll be on equal footing in a century or two."

A century or two? Rosa struggled to keep her expression neutral, while Gunna didn't bother to hide her shock. Alphegor looked quizzically at the nanny, then realization dawned on his face.

"Oh, that's right. Dwarves don't have very long lifespans. Merely eight hundred years if I'm not wrong."

"Yes, that's right, Master Alphegor," Gunna confirmed with a bow. 

Eight hundred years is not very long? Just for how long could demons live? How long will I have to struggle to find a way home?