A Power Game

"Lady Thora."

The voice came from behind her, but Elly didn't turn. She didn't want to see anybody who used that name with her. Elly ran one slim-fingered hand through her long platinum hair, watching the sun turn it to white gold. She stood on a marble balcony, which looked out over a thick forest of green pines. The sky was overcast today, matching her mood. With a light sigh, she turned towards the intruder who stood in her room doorway. The wind blew lightly against her pale skin, gliding softly over her cheeks and across the straight bridge of her porcelain nose. Her eyes were bright and cutting, the color of a winter pond. Grey-blue, brushed through with thin lines of white and silver.

"Who calls for me at this hour?"

It was early, the sun barely having risen beyond the eastern horizon. The world was still painted in shades of grey, the color washed out of everything. Elly ran one long finger over the cool surface of the balcony railing.

"Lord Silonan has asked for you to meet with him this morning, m'lady."

The servant girl was petite, with short red hair and pale skin. Elly couldn't make out the color of her eyes, as they were directed at the ground as she delivered the message. She must have heard what happened to the last messenger that had been sent to fetch the 'demon princess.'

That was what they called her. The High Lady Elly Elizabeth Thora, the demon princess. That was fine with her, they could call her what they wished. She smiled at the serving girl, though she knew the girl couldn't see it.

"Thank-you very much. You may return to your duties now."

The serving girl backed out of the room quickly, shutting the door hurriedly behind her. Nobody wanted to stay long in the presence of the demon princess. Well, besides the suitors, that was. More came every day, and every day they were sent away.

"Lord Silonan." Elly breathed his name into the air before walking into her room. It was a spacious area, though it felt smaller due to the enormity of the furniture and ornaments. A large bed took up most of the left side, an enormous affair of dark wood and silk, covered by a thin veil. Like everything else in the room, it was paneled in gold, even the sheets woven through with golden thread.

Walking to the wardrobe, Elly let her sleeping gown slip from her shoulders, stepping out of the thin white fabric. She pulled gently on the doors of her wardrobe, and they swung outwards with a whisper of air that sent a cold shiver across her skin. Goosebumps sprung up along her arms, but she ignored them, rifling slowly through her assortment of dresses. She toyed with the idea of going to meet this Lord Silonan as she was. The idea of the pompous man's eyes falling out of his head amused her for a moment, but she quickly disregarded the idea. Sam would be angry with her. That, she had to avoid at all costs. Or wanted to.

Picking out a dress of light red, with white sides and, of course, woven through with golden thread around the hem, she quickly pulled the fabric around her. Hesitating slightly, she also decided to pull a matching cloak from the wardrobe, throwing the thick, decorated fabric around her shoulders. She raised one hand, pulling her hair from under the short cape.

Closing her wardrobe, she walked to her nightstand. Selecting a necklace from the stand, she tied it around her neck. It was a chain of gold, studded with rubies the size of her smallest fingernail. She really should curl her hair, she knew, but she wanted to get this over with. Besides, she didn't need to impress the man, she simply needed to get rid of him.

Walking to her door, she pulled it open. She had been living in this room for a month, but she was still amazed by how heavy the door was. Bracing both feet, she had to lean her full weight away from the pinewood door, and duck out quickly before it slammed shut behind her. Damn thing.

"Now, where is this Lord Silonan?" Her voice echoed slightly down the abandoned hallway.

Turning left, Elly made her way to the most likely place, the courtyard.

In any other circumstances, the view would have taken her breath away. The grey sky stretched in all directions above her head, low-hanging and thick with the promise of rain. The courtyard was full of tall bushes, woven with roses and morning glories, bursting in blood red and deep violet. Statues of men and women from history stood all around the wide, circular space, in various poses and positions.

In the middle, seated on a bench, was a man. Lord Silonan, Elly guessed. Making her way over to him with a swaying walk that could stop most men in their tracks, Elly nodded slightly. She was scornful of the curtsy that most noblewomen mastered at a young age.

"Good morning, Lord Silonan."

The man stood up quickly, surprise painted on his face. Most men were, when she managed to sneak up on them.

"Good morning, Lady Thora. You are truly as beautiful as they say."

The man leaned down, taking one of her hands in both of his, and raising it to his lips. Elly's eyes raked him scornfully, but changed to tender as he glanced up to meet them.

"You are too kind, sir." Elly kept her voice very carefully level. "Shall we walk while we speak?"

The man nodded, placing his arm so that she could wrap her own around it. She ignored his offer, instead turning quickly on one heel and walking towards the western exit of the courtyard. The man hurried to join her.

If she didn't know exactly what had brought him here, she may have actually been attracted to the man. He was tall, with dark skin and a broad, chiseled face. His deep orange hair was the color of leaves in the fall, and his brown eyes were somber, but restless. They roved between the columns of the castle ceaselessly as they made their way to the castle gates. He walked with the step of a fighter, slow and powerful. He was dressed in a tan suit, the color of wet sand, and a maroon shirt. His perfectly folded tie was the color of charcoal, and a single diamond earring sparkled in his left ear. A few months ago, Elly might have actually been impressed. Now, all she could feel was disgust. A disgust so strong she could taste it on the tip of her tongue, feel its slimy slickness when she ran her pink tongue quickly across her ruby lips.

This man was a snake. They all were.

Her father was Baron Dario Van Roark, keeper of the World Boss for level 1 of Euphoria. He was housed like a king, but the man was more poisonous than a viper, and more evil than the creature he was in charge of keeping. As soon as the message had gone out that it was death to log out of Euphoria, he had set about making himself king of the lands. The easiest way to do that, he had decided, was to sell his daughter.

That would be her. The men he was trying to sell her to, were sons of other pretentious, superficial lords and ladies of Euphoria. Government officials and the like. The most recent, the Lord Silonan, was the son of Lord Reinhardt, leader of the The Royal Thrones. Out of all the political parties, The Royal Thrones held the most power. It was too bad, she thought sarcastically, her father would be so disappointed to learn that Lord Silonan had decided not to marry her after all.

No, wait. Marriage wasn't the deal. The first man to get her with child. She tightened her right hand, feeling her perfectly cut oval nails dig into her palm cruelly, leaving crescent-moon shaped indents.

"Lord Silonan, why are you here?"

"To meet you, of course."

Well, this one was more polite than most. Some men had tried to dodge around the subject, saying they were only here to meet with her father, or see the grounds. Some came right out and said what they were there for. Those ones, she liked the best. The most entertaining, however, were the ones who tried to force themselves on her. They had learned the hard way that you couldn't be raised by a viper without inheriting a little venom.

Slowly, Elly stopped walking, her frozen eyes staring down at the paving stones. It was time for a bit of that venom, she decided. Beside her, Lord Silonan stopped as well, turning to face her.

"Is that really true?" Elly's voice was a breathy whisper.

"Partially." The man stepped slightly closer, trying to be as unobtrusive as possible. "The full truth is that my father was very firm about me making you love me. Now, after meeting you, the truth is ... I really do want you to."

Elly looked up at the man, trying to put as much loneliness in her eyes as possible. It was hard when she wanted to laugh. God, this man was fucking pathetic. Luckily, the man wasn't very smart, and he stepped even closer, staring down into her sad, clear eyes. She tilted her head to the side, inviting him closer. Slowly, she took both of his hands in hers, pulling him gently forwards.

"Just ask." She whispered, running one finger across his chest. Her eyes followed it, and slowly she raised them to meet his, full of love and longing.

He leaned down, placing his lips close to her ear, and whispered softly. "Will you marry me?"

Taking a deep breath, Elly hesitated, her lips partially opened beside the man's neck.

"Never." The small girl's voice was pleasant. Pushing away from the man, she raised one eyebrow at him. "There's a brothel in town. Try that out for size." She winked at the man, turning as sharply as she could in high heels, and strutted out of the courtyard, leaving the stunned man behind her.

As she walked, she felt someone approach her. She didn't worry, knowing who it was even before he spoke.

"You really shouldn't be so cruel, you know." The man's voice was playful and chiding.

"And you really shouldn't be here. You know my father said he would have your head if he caught you in the palace grounds while I was still without child."

"Your father's an idiot as well as a madman. He needn't worry about me being around you." She felt the man's piercing grey eyes rake her body. "You're ... not my type."

"I know that, Sam. But he doesn't."

"Shall I make sure he knows?" The man's voice carried more than a hint of a threat that Elly knew he was fully capable of carrying out. Though his level wasn't very high, Sam was one of the most vicious fighters that Elly know. He was also stunningly, unquestionably gay. She had actually invited the man into her bed, fully unclothed. He had slept on the couch.

It was too bad, she thought. If he was straight, he could have almost any woman he wanted. The man entered the side of her vision. He was tall, and built like a sprinter. Lean and wild, he had windswept light brown hair and grey eyes, which were hidden now behind a black mask that covered the top half of his face. His skin was the color of burnt caramel, and made to seem darker by the black t-shirt and dress pants he always wore. Grey dress shoes and a thin chain belt around his waist made him look like a businessman, but the scimitar that swung lazily from one of his hands took him from businessman to professional killer in the blink of an eye.

What had Nina called him? A leopard of a man. The nickname seemed to suit him.

"Lady Thora!" The words came from behind her. Lord Silonan's voice was angry, with more than a hint of bitterness. She probably should have expected he would come after her. She turned gracefully, her blue eyes wide and innocent.

"Yes, my lord?"

His breathing slowed as he neared her. One of his hands dipper dangerously close to the hilt of his sword. Elly almost wanted him to draw the weapon. She hadn't seen Sam fight in quite a while. Unfortunately for the man, he did something even more stupid. Right in front of Sam, he stepped forwards, grabbing Elly's wrist. Her eyes widened as he brought his face close to hers, voice low and seething.

"My father was very straight in his words. I wasn't to come home until we were married, or you had my child." He increased the pressure on her wrists slightly, and Elly took a half-step backwards.

And then the pressure vanished. Lord Silonan's eyes expanded in his broad face as he was picked up by the collar. His eyes widened even further as Sam's sweeping leg knocked his feet from under him, bringing him to his knees on the cobblestones with a painful thud. Lord Silonan screamed as Sam's foot connected forcefully with the back of his knees, but the sound was cut off as the standing man's belt wrapped around his neck. Elly had no idea when the belt had gone from around Sam's waist to in his hands, but it had appeared like magic. Not, Lord Silonan's face went red as it cut off the air in his throat.

Sam's voice was cheerful and carefree as he leaned down beside the choking man's face. "I know you didn't just threaten my little sister. Because you're cute, but you would have to be far, far cuter than you to stop me from tearing out your throat if you had."

The kneeling man shook his head rapidly, as much as he could with a metal chain wrapped around his neck. His face had started to go blue, Elly noticed with interest. Tears were beginning to leak from his bulging eyes.

"Sshh," Sam murmmured, leaning back slightly on the chain. Just as the other man's eyes were starting to roll back in his head, Sam released the pressure, whipping the thin chain from around the man's neck. Lord Silonan fell to the ground, choking and gasping for air.

When he finally regained his breath, almost retching in the process, he glared at Sam with undisguised hatred. "My father will kill you for this."

Sam shrugged, fingering the scimitar at his hip. "He will." Sam dropped to both heels, bouncing easily under the pressure. "If you make it home alive."

The older man's eyes blazed with anger, but a small light of fear appeared in their depths. To anybody simply seeing the man, Sam looked like an attractive young man, but when he was angry the young man could be a thing of nightmares. His grey eyes were charming, stunning even, but completely flat. A killer to the bone.

Suddenly, he reached down, smacking the other man lightly on the shoulder with one hand. "Who knows? Maybe you'll fall from your horse on the way home." Sam stood, brushing unseen dirt from his shirt. "I hope not. I rather like you, Lord Silonan. I look forwards to seeing you in the future." And just like that, his voice was winning.

"Come, Lady Thora. We have much to discuss today." Sam led the smiling Elly gently by her arm, tugging her towards her quarters.