The Wolf’s Daughter

Phaedra sighed once she closed the door behind herself before leaning against it. “This is going to be a hell of a morning, isn’t it?”

“Your highness?” a voice asked, making her jump.

“What?” Phaedra asked, looking up at the gecko demon staring at her. “Oh, uhhh. Captain Xenaris. Sorry, its been a morning.”

“Did something happen?” Xenaris asked.

“Just an assassin,” Phaedra said with a shrug. “We’re going to need to set guards up on the roof, make sure they can’t sneak in through the little tunnel up their. Apparently they’ve already started to make their move.”

“An assassin?!” Xenaris asked before he flipped through the little stack of papers he had with him. “I’ll redouble the patrols, I’m going to kill Stix. He swore that all openings were—” He was stifled by her putting a hand over his mouth, squeezing it shut. “Mmfff?!”

“It’s fine,” Phaedra said. “I didn’t sleep in my room, it’s not like any of you could expect me to just decide to sleep in the throne room again. Relax. When is the last time you slept?” She gingerly pulled her hand back.

“I-I sleep once or twice a day,” Xenaris said quickly. “But as we’re expanding and preparing your new capital, there is so much work to—”

“And you have been doing an excellent job of it,” Phaedra said encouragingly. “Frankly, you’ve been doing more work than you ever should have. People are going to try to assassinate me, it’s common practice. I spent the last few decades with Gibs-- err, Leviathan frequently doing ‘surprise assassinations’ on me a few times a week. I’m not going to die that easily.”

“But… your shoulder,” Xenaris said, before his eyes lowered. “And your hands, they—”

“I got a little cut up,” Phaedra said. “I was a little too relaxed, but I wasn’t going to die. Trust me. It takes a lot more than that to really hurt me. I just need to clean up a bit, then get some breakfast.” She started walking and he followed behind her. “How goes the preparations?”

“Lodgings should be prepared by the end of the week,” Xenaris said. “After that, we’ll be prepared to work on your residence fully. Within a month, we suspect the groundwork of your capital will be prepared. However… errr…”

“What?” Phaedra asked, glancing back.

“Managing your realm is still likely to be an issue,” Xenaris said. “The Ascended Dragon’s territory was vast, filled with mountainous terrain and tunnels throughout. While the kobolds themselves can travel quickly through it, they have been… less than willing to work with us and aiding us in our efforts. Considering what happened with Turntip, they’ve only grown more… stubborn.”

“Mmmm,” Phaedra said. “Well, he shouldn’t have tormented one of my subjects, then. Has there been violence? I haven’t been smelling much blood.”

“Not yet,” Xenaris said. “But they do often frustrate us. Refusing to share information until the last possible moment. Perhaps if we were to make examples of—”

“No,” Phaedra said. “The Ascended Dragon is my ally, I’m not going to tear her people apart just to make some point. That’d weaken both of us, in the end.”

“Your ally, not your pet?” Xenaris asked.

“She works with me,” Phaedra said. “Has aided me. Her people have become our people. They just don’t realize it yet. Ugh…” She had never been any good at kingdom management games and it was so much more difficult when they were real people. “I need a like… what do you call it. The person who manages the day to day things?”

“A steward?” Xenaris asked.

“YES! I need a steward,” Phaedra said. “Actually…” She glanced back to him. “Maybe we can solve both problems. Three problems, actually.”

“… Three problems?” Xenaris asked.

“Someone to manage the basic things, someone to get the kobolds to stop fighting us all the time and someone who can take care of this stuff so you can get back to being a ship captain and stop having to manage all of this for me.”

“God yes,” Xenaris said, his weary eyes showing the first flash of light she’d seen them have in days. “Err, I mean, as you wish, your highness. But… who did you have in mind?”

“I don’t think it’s who I have in mind,” Phaedra said. “It’s who the kobolds have in mind. Put the word out. The Ascended Dragon has called on her subjects to send representatives to serve as a steward. They can choose four or five, then the Ascended Dragon and I will choose one to serve as the steward here.”

“You want a kobold to be the steward?” Xenaris asked.

“Who better than someone who has lived in this territory their whole lives?” Phaedra asked. “They’re certainly not going to trust a demon, not after Carth. And I imagine most of the demons under my command would rather move onto new territory as I expand.”

“Admittedly, yes,” Xenaris said.

“Is there anyone amongst the demons who you think would make a good steward?” Phaedra asked.

Xenaris was silent for a few moment before nodding. “A few.”

“Then we’ll choose one from them as well. Unless you’d like to have to manage all of this every time I take territory?” Phaedra asked. She could almost HEAR his shudder. Well, at least she probably didn’t have to worry about him trying to usurp her anytime soon. At least there were a few things that made this easier than it would have been. Such as the magic that let all those in her territory know that they were a part of HER domain. She just wished that same magic would let them know that Yroth was also a part of her domain, not just a prisoner. Small steps, she supposed.

“Has breakfast been prepared?” Phaedra asked.

“Err, yes, though most have already eaten,” Xenaris said.

“My cousin?” Phaedra asked.

She heard him nervously gulp behind her. “Err… about… her…”

“Yes?” Phaedra asked.

“When we went to see her this morning, her room was empty,” Xenaris said, his voice nervous. “I’ve had guards searching for her ever since, but—”

“You won’t find her,” Phaedra said. “Her guards, are they still here?”

“Err, of course, but they claim to not know where she is, either,” Xenaris said.

“They wouldn’t,” Phaedra said. “Just make sure to prepare a meal for me, her and the Ascended Dragon. She’ll make herself known.”

“Err, as you wish,” Xenaris said quickly. “And where, err, would you like it served?”

“I guess we don’t really have a dining room, do we?” Phaedra asked before coming to a stop outside her room. “The throne room, I suppose. Dixxy will make herself known eventually. The longer you look for her, the more she’ll keep hiding. So cancel the search.”

“All of them?” Xenaris asked.

“All,” Phaedra said. “She’s… well. Okay, she’s not really an adult, but she’s not really a child. She’s like… what’s the term…”

“A monster?” Xenaris asked.

“Close enough,” Phaedra said. “Spoiled. Uncle spoils her a lot. But she’s a succubus at heart. The more attention you give her, the more she’ll avoid it.”

“But what if she leaves?” Xenaris asked. “After all you fought her sister for… what did you fight Lady Circe for? If you had no intents on her name?”

“Trust me,” Phaedra said. “You don’t want to know. Then you’d be in the middle of it. Just keep things running for now and we’ll work on trying to figure out the rest. Anything else?”

“One last thing,” Xenaris said. “As this location is on the outer edges of your territory, we border another demon’s. I would recommend constructing a watchtower near there, perhaps patrols.”

“Mmmm,” Phaedra mumbled. “Sounds like a good idea, who’s territory is it?”

“Dracula’s,” Xenaris said.

Phaedra had to cover her mouth to suppress the urge to start giggling helplessly. “D-Dracula. You don’t say. Does… does he have a castle?”

“I… don’t know,” Xenaris asked.

“I see, and he’s a… vampire?”

“Lich, my lady,” Xenaris asked.

“Ah, of course,” Phaedra said. “That’s a little disappointing. Any others? Say, Frankenstein? Jekyll?”

“No, Frankenstein is on the other side of Dracula’s territory, he-- my lady?”

Phaedra couldn’t help it, she shook her head. “I-it’s fine, it’s fine, build the watchtower,” she said before racing into her room, closing the door and quickly casting her silencing spell. She then burst into a helpless fit of giggles, laughing so hard she even fell to her knees, clutching her stomach.

“What’s so funny?” Dixxy asked, her head slowly rising up from under Phaedra’s bed covers.

Phaedra blinked a few times before giving a soft sigh. Well, at least she knew where her cousin was, now. “Why are you in my bed?”

“Your guest quarters are terrible,” Dixxy said. “Actually, your room sucks too.”

Phaedra glanced around her room. It was really just a small dead end in the tunnel system that she’d put a door in front of, with a big of magic to give it a more ‘room’ shape. But all it had now was her furniture from the ship. Which, admittedly, hadn’t been the nicest stuff to begin with. She gave a small sigh and made her way to the wardrobe, before rummaging around in it. “We’re still in the ‘building’ stages.”

“Why not just keep your capital where ever the dragon had hers?” Dixxy asked.

“Too hot,” Phaedra said before pulling out her healing amulet and sliding it on. “Ahhhh, that’s much nicer.”

“Hmmm?” Dixxy asked. “Wait, you’re hurt? Again? Did Circe come back?”

“No, assassin,” Phaedra said before walking over and sitting by her. She reached out and pat her on the head. “Don’t worry about it. Want to join me and my dragon for breakfast?”

“Okay,” Dixxy said.

“So… why were you in my bed?” Phaedra asked. “Have you been here all night? Apparently the guards were looking for you.”

“They never look in the boss’s room,” Dixxy said. “So… what’s it like? Having territory?”

“Headache inducing,” Phaedra said. “I see why most prefer to be a part of someone else’s territory than their own. Well, that and the dangers of having a bigger demon come and try to eat you at any time to take it.”

“Pfft,” Dixxy said before sitting up. “I wouldn’t be scared of that.”

“Of course you wouldn’t,” Phaedra said as she gently massaged the other girl’s back, right between the wings. Dixxy slowly leaned against her and gave soft, happy sounds that reminded her a lot of a purring kitten. “You’ve got another… ten years or so, right?”

“Mmmm hm,” Dixxy said softly.

“Assuming your sister doesn’t kill you first,” Phaedra said.

“Circe wouldn’t have killed me,” Dixxy said.

“I don’t know,” Phaedra said. “She was really, really mad this time. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her this mad.”

“Well, you wouldn’t have let her,” Dixxy said.

“Distressingly true,” Phaedra said before pulling her hand back. “But I won’t always be here to protect you. Maybe try not to anger all of your siblings? At least keep in the good graces of one of them?”

“We’re all going to end up fighting, anyway,” Dixxy said. “Like our dads.”

“That’s different,” Phaedra said. “They know how to yield BEFORE they get brutally killed. You don’t, yet.”

“I’d win,” Dixxy said.

“Dixxy, I’m not sure even I could win against some of your siblings,” Phaedra said. “And who knows? Some of them might try to kill me some day. What happens to you then if they all hate you?”

“Then I’ll just hide,” Dixxy said. “Nobody in our family is better at it.”

Phaedra gave another soft sigh. She suspected that was the root cause of it. It was true, there weren’t any shapeshifters nearly as good in their family and the girl was incredibly good at disappearing when she wanted. Even her scent tended to match whoever she became, a trait that was incredibly frustrating to anyone trying to uncover her.

But when so many demons were fans of being violent and brutal, when they respected power… well… Demons like Carth often only got so far without power to back it up.

“I just don’t want anything to happen to you,” Phaedra said. “Besides, what if the day comes you ever all decide to unite against me? How are you going to get strong allies if they all hate you?”

“Pfft,” Dixxy said before giving a light chuckle. “Why would we ever kill YOU? You’re just a sheep.”

“Hey,” Phaedra said. “I’m the BEST sheep. I beat Circe, didn’t I?”

“You gave her name back,” Dixxy said. “You’re soft.”

“Mercy is for the weak, but given by the strong,” Phaedra said before getting to her feet and grabbing Dixxy’s arm. “Speaking of, we have breakfast to get to. Come on. I’m hungry and unlike my Ascended Dragon friend, I haven’t had breakfast.”

“Huh? She ate already?” Dixxy asked.

“Yeah,” Phaedra said. “The hearts of my enemies.”

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