“Does that change anything?” Adela asked, her voice becoming more urgent.
“Can these bonds still be broken?” The King let out a slow, even sigh.
“I’ll figure it out,” he promised.
“I will do everything in my power to figure out who is altering fate.
There are laws we must all adhere to.
This breaks practically all of them.” Lucifer was clearly frustrated as he stepped away from her and went towards a round window between the bookshelves.
His hands went to the windowsill, and he leaned into it as he looked outside.
His posture was tense as he silently processed what he had just witnessed for a few moments.
No matter what he did, all he came back to was anger at the unfairness he had seen from the moment she stumbled into his lands and ended up here.
He willed the cool blue of outside the window to wash over him and try to bring his temperature down.
“I don’t care if it hurts,” she admitted as she stood up from the table and walked across the tower room.
“Moments of pain are nothing compared to the lifetime I’ve endured.
If that is what it takes to escape their grasp and stop needing people who only bring harm to me, I’ll do it.
I’ll do anything.” Her tone was taking on a pleading edge.
It caused Lucifer to turn around and face her.
“You won’t be alone,” he assured her because he couldn’t promise it would be painless.
“You will have a place here until it’s gone, and you can be sure that no one will follow you once you’re untraceable.” “I’ll be forever indebted to you,” she insisted.
“Even if it’s not contract-bound.
I will owe you everything if you can ensure I never have to see them again after the bond is broken.” Lucifer couldn’t argue, even though he wanted to.
Adela was someone who was conditioned to believe favors were transactions.
Perhaps if she stayed by his side for an extended time, she would realize it doesn’t always have to be like that.
Before the Devil could answer her, Adela peered over his shoulder to see what had occupied his attention momentarily.
To her surprise, it was like they weren’t in Hell any longer.
It showed either dusk or dawn overlooking a valley.
Deeper in the valley, there was a small village.
Smoke rose from chimneys.
It was as melancholic as it was peaceful.
She stepped around him and got closer to the window.
“Where is this?” she asked.
“Early 1300’s,” Lucifer explained from just over Adela’s shoulder.
“The view of a knight while he waited to be executed after a forced confession in which he swore allegiance to me.
I remember admiring his composure as he waited for the inevitable and didn’t fight it.
He told me it was his choice to serve me, while his allegiance his entire life had been by force.
He died not full of fear but satisfied that even in death he still had the freedom to choose.” Adela’s eyebrows lowered.
She couldn’t fathom wanting to remember such a sad moment.
But she was only just recently realizing how important choice was.
“The view is beautiful despite what surrounded,” she said.
“Satisfaction in death is beautiful, regardless,” Lucifer responded cryptically.
“He served in my army for a few hundred years after that.” “And then?” Adela wondered.
“Everyone deserves to rest,” he said.
“No one should live forever.” “I understand.” Silence ensued for a few moments as they were both left to their own thoughts for a while.
New information.
The possibility that Adela’s bond was altered.
All in all, she was exhausted.
The view got a bit blurry, and Adela couldn’t help yawning.
“Sorry,” she quickly apologized.
“You ought to rest,” Lucifer insisted.
“I imagine normally you would be sleeping right now.” “You’re right about that,” she admitted.
“I guess with all that has happened in such a short amount of time, I forgot that it was nighttime.” Lucifer began to walk, silently conveying that she needed to return to her room for now, but he was stopped when Adela started speaking.
“Can you promise me something?” she asked.
“Yes?” Lucifer turned towards her.
“Whatever happens with my bonds, please make sure I have the final say,” she requested.
Lucifer faintly smiled, although it was sad.
He returned to Adela and offered his hand.
“An agreement sealed by a handshake,” Lucifer instructed.
“What a strange alliance we have formed.” His comment made her smile as she took his hand and shook it.
She silently promised that she would try to trust this person who had offered her so much and stop questioning his every action.
Shortly after, Lucifer brought Adela back to her room.
“You’ll be safe here,” he assured her.
“And you should have everything you need.
Call for Shade or me if there’s anything else.” Adela asked something that had been eating at her.
“Can he see us at all times?” “No,” Lucifer assured her.
“He has good hearing.
Whereas I am pulled to respond whenever someone is calling my name.” “Thank you,” she responded, relieved.
Adela was finally able to have some alone time in a room that was all her own.
As she turned to shut the door, she paused when she saw something that most normal people wouldn’t even second-guess.
There was a lock on her door, but this time, it was on the inside.
She had full control of who was allowed to come in or out of her room.
In her tired state, it brought tears to her eyes.
Imagine locking her own door for some semblance of safety, and it was a novel experience.
Once she pulled herself together, Adela realized she was too tired to explore the room and opted to find something to sleep in and climb into the dark purple bedding her wooden bed was covered in.
Rather than sleeping easily as she thought her exhaustion would let her, Adela found herself tossing and turning.
Occasionally she would go to the window to make sure no one was there or check to see if the door was still locked.
Being in such an emotionally and physically tense environment for so long made her unaccustomed to the rest and peacefulness she had been offered.