Double Trouble - Prologue

I told myself that I wasn't going to start the DQ sequel just yet... but here we are... I'll try to get a chapter of Naughty Magic out next.

Synopsis:

For two thousand years, demons and humans waged war against each other. Twenty-five years ago, that all changed. Now two demon princesses must navigate a world that's been forever altered - and yet they'll soon fine that far too much of it remains the same.

This is technically a sequel of Demon Queened, but you don't need to have read the original to understand it. It follows the twin children of the prequel's main trio - the Heroine, the Demon Queen, and the Demon Queen's maid - as they explore the world around them, trying to figure out their own place in it.

The story will mostly focus on exploration - both of the world and of their own selves. Expect a mixture of slice of life and adventure as the characters go on a meandering journey through the world of Solla, and discover for themselves that some problems can't be solved by overwhelming power alone. Even if they are technically demi-gods.

~~~

Mikaela

Standing patiently in the center of my bedroom, I waited patiently as the maids fussed over my appearance, making sure every strand of hair and brush of makeup was perfectly in place. Not that I strictly needed the help, of course - Mama insisted that me and my sister needed to know how to take care of everything ourselves - but if we didn’t let the maids do their jobs, now and again, then… Well, what was the point of even having them?

Soon they were finished, and I found myself wearing royal garb appropriate to my station. Not that the clothes were particularly fancy in appearance, mind you. In fact, the backless red crop top I was wearing would have looked just as fitting on a commoner as it did me. It was the materials that made a difference - pure arachne silk. A single bolt of the cloth could sell for fifty Fallens, easily, and yet my closet was stuffed full of outfits made from it. I almost thought it wasteful - but then, it was normal for royalty to be dressed to the nines, wasn’t it?

“What’s on the schedule, today?” I asked Mareena, my head maid.

“You have breakfast scheduled with your family, your Highness,” Mareena replied.

“Yes, yes, I know that,” I replied, trying hard not to roll my eyes. It was a family rule that at least one meal a day be attended by all members of the family, and today’s breakfast had been decided on well in advance. “I meant afterward.”

“There is no afterward, your Highness,” Mareena replied, causing me to arch an eyebrow. “Your dam requested us to clear your schedule for the day.”

“I see…” I murmured, frowning faintly. Of my three parents, Dam was the least likely to waste time on frivolous things. Mama or Mom might request time off just for a little family bonding time, but Dam? No. If she was the one behind this, then I could only guess something serious was afoot.

“Very well,” I murmured. “Let us be on our way, then.” Proper punctuality was important, after all, even for something as simple as a family breakfast.

Even if it would likely lead to me simply waiting for my ever-tardy, oh-so-lazy sister.

***

Charlotte

***

Stretching my arms up toward the ceiling, I slowly forced myself up into a seating position… and then promptly collapsed, again.

I was tired. I’d spent the entire day yesterday playing video games, in Heaven - apparently Earth had developed a new console, and Granny Liz was quick as always to create a personal copy for herself. Advantage of being a Goddess, I guess - no need to pay for consoles or games when you could just make a bunch of divine artifacts to do the same thing.

Of course, I had to promise not to tell my stuck-up sis. Mikaela would probably get all over both our cases for ‘wasting’ time and magic like that - as if keeping up to date with modern Earth tech wasn’t a totally valid use of time! I mean, how was I supposed to guide Solla towards a golden age of entertainment if I didn’t even know what proper entertainment looked like?

…Not that I’d really settled on ‘guiding Solla’ as my life mission, or anything. In fact, I wasn’t really sure what I planned to do with my life. Granny Liz was more than happy to help provide information and entertainment while I figured it out, though, and I fully intended to take advantage. And play games with her. Like any good granddaughter would!

Speaking of playing games with her… 

“Can we cancel my plans for today?” I asked, glancing to the side, where my one and only maid was standing at attention. Way too stiffly, too, but that wasn’t anything unusual. I was pretty sure Mirafell was allergic to relaxation. Which was maybe for the best, since I sorta counted on her to keep me on my toes.

“There are no plans for today, your Highness,” she told me. “Other than breakfast with your family.”

“Right…” Shit, that was today, wasn’t it? Well, whatever. First I’d go to breakfast, then I’d go play video games at Granny’s place. “Are my clothes ready?”

“I picked them out for you an hour ago,” Mirafell replied. Her voice was respectful as always, without a hint of judgement. Unlike her gaze, which was basically screaming, “You lazy brat!” at me.

Thankfully, I was an expert at ignoring that sort of thing.

“Great. Just put them on the bed, alright? I’ll get dressed once I’m done with my next nap.”

“Breakfast time is in less than fifteen minutes,” Mirafell warned me.

“So… quick nap?” I suggested.

Mirafell didn’t reply, but the look in her eyes really said it all. “Get out of bed, you lazy bum, before I get in trouble with your dam!”

You’d think it would be Mama she’d be worried about - you know, the legendary brat of a Demon Queen that everyone feared and hated? But I guess you couldn’t spend as much time around her as Mirafell had without figuring out she was nothing but a big softy. At least these days.

Dam, on the other hand? Well, let’s just say there was a reason everyone in the tower considered her the true ruler of demonkind. The Shadow Queen. The Unleashed Darkness. The True Demon of Solla. The-

“Char, are you in there?” came a familiar voice. “Because if you are, then I sure as hell hope you’re dressed.”

“Of course!” I lied through my teeth. At the same time, I started moving at top-speed, snatching the backless black top and rep skirt out of Mirafell’s hands and getting dressed as quickly as I could.

Not that it was quick enough. Not when I finally finished and turned around to find none other than my dam standing in the doorway, blonde eyebrows arched as she looked over me.

“What have I told you about lying to me?” she asked.

“To get better at it?”

The look in Dam’s eyes was not amused. Not that it was easy to tell when said eyes were pitch black, without any noticeable pupils or irises or whatever, but… well, you didn’t grow up as a succubus’s daughter without learning to read the signs.

“Right…” I muttered, my tail drooping as I rubbed at the back of my head. “Sorry?”

“Uh-huh…” She examined me for a moment before sighing and shaking her head. “We’ll discuss this later. For now, your other parents and I have something important to talk to you about.”

“Can’t you just tell me here?” I asked. “I mean, it’ll totally ruin the taste of breakfast if I’m worrying about what comes next.”

Dam shook her head, though. “We’ll talk about it when we’re all together. Before eating if you really want.”

“I mean… if the food’s right there we might as well eat and talk, right? Best of both worlds?”

Dam stared at me for a moment, before shaking her head. “If you want, my little glutton. Just as long as you’re able to pay attention, alright?”

“I’m not a glutton!” I protested. “I just… have a healthy appreciation of food.” Especially the salty and greasy shit. Spicy was good, too, though! And so was sweet… nothing like a good ice cream after a hearty bit of savory meat, you know? Or something creamy after something spicy. Or something spicy after something creamy. Or something spicy and creamy…

“Aaaaand we’ve lost her,” Dam muttered, shaking her head. “I swear, you take more after your Mama every day…”

***

Sitting at the breakfast table, I tried not to drool at all the food on display. Fried eggs, poached eggs, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, country style potatoes, white gravy, brown gravy, ketchup, toast, jam, and so much more. Whatever we didn’t eat would be distributed to the servants, which was arguably a good reason to keep from pigging out to the fullest extent I could - but that never stopped me from absolutely stuffing my plate and face with every delectable morsel in sight.

My sister gave me a disgusted look, which I promptly ignored in favor of spreading some butter and grape jam on my toast. 

“So,” she asked after a moment, apparently having decided that it was a waste of time to glare at me, “what’s the big announcement that’s brought us all together?”

The question was directed at our parents. Mama, who sat at the head of the table started to speak, only to pause when Dam placed a hand over hers. 

“The three of us,” she said, narrowing her eyes at Mama, “have been talking a bit about your future.”

Mom nodded, taking Mama’s other hand in yours. “It has to do with your birthday.”

“Okay?” I asked, glancing at Mama. She looked a little upset, but was keeping her mouth shut. “Let me guess. Mama isn’t actually all that on board with this?”

“I am,” Mama said, frowning. “I just… disagree on the timing, a little. You’ve only just turned twenty, after all. Surely it can wait until you turn twenty-one?”

“You know it can’t,” Dam said, frowning right back at her. “We’ve already waited a week because you didn’t wanna spring this on them during their birthday party.”

“And I still say it’s too soon,” Mama muttered. “They’re still young.”

“They’re twenty,” Dam countered. “The same age Lucy was when you met.”

“And a year younger than I was when I left the tower,” she replied. “Besides, in a year they’ll have full access to their holy and unholy magics. It’ll be safer for them then.”

“They’re literally invincible, Devilla!” Dam growled. “What the hell do you think is going to hurt them out there?”

“Nothing, but… I just…” She looked away.

“Maybe we should talk this over a bit more between ourselves before bringing the girls into it?” Mom suggested.

“Bring us into what?” I demanded, glancing at Mikaela. It was pretty obvious she wanted to know, too, but of course there was no way she’d barge into our parents’ conversation. Not Little Miss Perfect, no way. “You mentioned leaving the tower, right? Are you sending us on an errand or something?”

“Not… exactly,” Mama hedged, obviously still hesitant. “It’s just… Well, as you know, one’s twenty-first birthday - which is still a year away! - is rather important to a demon, and… Well… I know Mikaela in particular has intentions to take the throne once she’s old enough, but…”

“We’re kicking you out,” Dam interrupted.

“Temporarily,” Mama hurriedly added. “And you’ll still be free to visit for family meals! Every day, if you want to.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” I interrupted, sending another glance Mikaela’s way. She’d turned white as a sheet, but of course she still wasn’t saying anything that could be taken disrespectfully. “You’re kicking us out? Like, out of the hundred-and-first floor, or…?”

“Out of the tower,” Mom said. “But I really think that’s a bad word choice! It’s not that we’re trying to evict you or anything - it’s just that we want you to go on a journey!”

“A journey?” I asked, cautiously.

“Yeah,” Mom said. “You know, like your Mama and I went on. But… maybe a bit longer? Like, until you turn twenty-one.”

“We’re worried about you,” Dam explained. “You’ve spent your entire life in the tower. The only times you step foot outside of it is when you’re taking a trip to Liz’s divine realm. And even then, you spend more time researching Earth than looking into the going-ons in our own world!”

“So what? Your solution is to just… kick us out?”

Mama almost looked like she wanted to protest, too, but she kept her mouth shut when Dam gave her a look. 

“We just think you need to see more of the world,” Mom explained. “I mean, I know you’ve been struggling to figure out what to do with your life. Maybe if you see more of what’s out there you’ll be able to come to a decision!”

“What about me?” Mikaela asked, speaking up at last. “I get why Charlotte needs this - she’s been drifting for as long as I can remember - but I actually know what it is I want!”

“I know,” Dam replied. “That’s actually part of the problem.”

The look on Mikaela’s face was kinda priceless. Shock, dismay, horror. She was probably running through all the worst case scenarios in her mind. Which… okay, maybe it wasn't so great. Even if I did like to see her getting a shock now and then.

“What’s wrong with knowing what you want to do with life?” I asked, since she obviously couldn’t bring herself to.

“The problem is in the certainty,” Mama explained, with obvious reluctance in her voice. “Mikaela, you’ve known what you want to do with your life ever since you were a little girl. It’s admirable, in a way - and yet we worry that you decided so quickly, and dedicated yourself so thoroughly, that you’ve never even gotten the chance to explore other options.”

“But… but I don’t need to explore other options!” she protested. “I’m a princess! Becoming Queen is the obvious next step, isn’t it? That way, I can help Dam with her work!”

“I don’t need help,” Dam said firmly. “I’ve been running this place perfectly well for over twenty years now, and I can keep running it for as long as it takes. You should focus on your own wants.”

“My want is to help!” Mikaela insisted. “To ease your burdens! To pay you back for all the wonderful things you’ve given me!”

“And you can do that,” Mama said, her voice soothing. “Nobody’s taking the position away from you. If you still want it, after you turn twenty-one, then the job is yours.”

Dam nodded. “What she said. We just want you to see what other options are out there before you lock yourself in for life. Especially since our lives are kinda endless and all.”

Mikaela nodded, reluctantly, but I could tell she wasn’t convinced. I was willing to bet her tail was curling itself around her thigh, even as we spoke. She liked to squeeze shit with it when upset, and considering most things broke when we squeezed them… Well, let’s just say I’d know if she was squeezing the chair leg or something instead.

For my part? I wasn’t exactly convinced, either. I mean, I hadn’t figured out what I wanted in twenty-years of living. How was a single year outside the tower supposed to help? But… if it’s what my parents wanted… I mean, I could be as dutiful as Mikaela when I wanted to be.

“We’re going out in disguises, right?” I asked, just to be sure. “I mean, I know the war’s over, but you can’t tell me that going out there as demons is going to do any good…”

Mama nodded. “You’ll likely have to dye your hair - white is too distinctive a shade, and intrinsically tied to the Demon Queen line besides. As for your tail, you can hide it if you wrap it around your waist… and you’ll want to avoid summoning your wings, or leaning into the succubus side of your heritage.”

“Duh,” I muttered. Sprouting big red wings would be a dead giveaway as to the whole demon thing, while using unholy magic - or otherwise leaning into our succubus side - had a tendency to turn our eyes pitch black. Avoiding that sorta thing was so blatantly obvious I almost felt offended that she felt the need to tell me.

The worried look Mama was giving me kept me from expressing that, though. She was just being a worrywart, same as always.

“What about diplomatic incidents?” Mikaela asked. “Aren’t you worried about sending a pair of literal princesses out into the world without warning anyone?”

“That’s just another reason for you to keep your identities secret,” Dam said, firmly. “You’re unlikely to be recognized by the common folk, and it’s not like you’ll be running into dukes at random street corners. The chances of you being recognized are minimal.”

“And I’ll be sure to take care of it if tensions do spring up!” Mom added, quickly. “I still have some pull as the Heroine, you know.”

“Personally, I’m against it,” Mama muttered. “But I’m also outvoted. And… well, I suppose my own trip to the human world was rather enlightening… I can’t argue that it might help you figure out yourselves a bit better, to live outside the tower for a while.”

“How are we even going to survive?” Mikaela asked. “Like, where are we going to live?”

“You’re going to be passing yourself off as adventurers,” Mama explained. “Much like I tried to do. Except, in your case, the guildmaster is actually aware you’re coming, and knows who you are. It should hopefully help to avoid any problems.”

“Problems like you had?” Mikaela asked, suddenly perking up. “Can you tell us about them?”

Mama hesitated. She never really liked to talk about her own trip to the human world. I think she worried that it would give us wanderlust - ironic, all considering. Still, she didn’t exactly have a reason to hold back now did she?

“The more issues you tell us about the more we can avoid on our own,” I pointed out, deciding to help Mikaela out a little. “You do want us to avoid trouble, right?”

“Well… I suppose,” Mama murmured. “Though, really, I didn’t have that many problems with the guild. Mostly I just scared people, by coming in as an obvious highborn… At least until your mom - the Heroine - asked me out on a date in front of the entire guild.”

“That was an accident!” Mom hurriedly told us. “I just wanted us to go out together and have fun! And, you know, maybe go on actual dates later, but I wasn’t planning to ask you in front of everyone!”

“It nearly broke my brain at the time, either way.” Mama chuckled. “To think, the Heroine of all people would ask me out on a date… But then, you were never just the Heroine, were you?”

A soft smile spread across Mama’s lips as she spoke, and soon enough she was deep into a story about her time as an adventurer.