Demar's Story - Chapter 1

The whole Chrysindile Clan was not of royalty. You could tell who was of royal blood and who was not by how they looked; it was like this in all clans. Demonwirks of royal blood were larger, and had more ‘stature’. All royal families had different stature, different bodily frames. The royalty in Chrysindile were tall and fit, with slender bodies; often times, they had darker ‘skin’ tone than the rest of the Demonwirks, but this wasn’t always the case.
King Hinghi – with a name meaning ‘Great’, given by his father, the former King – had skin that was smooth, like the shell of an insect, and was more of a dark, dark grey shade, bringing it to be partially lighter than most other Demonwirks’. He had hair that was a midnight blue – appearing black, but also evidently not – and went down his long neck, almost like that of a horse. Unlike most Demonwirks, royalty often wore clothing, and the King was no different. A long cape of dark emerald green silk trailed behind him, a greyish-white fluff surrounding the border. It was held around his neck by a metal plating that went tight all around his neck, save for a small triangular slit going down the back, and cuffs of the same metal were just as tightly around his wrists, without any opening. As for all Demonwirks, his fingers were claws, and his toes were the same, with six on either foot rather than five like a human’s. Hinghi had a stronger build, with a chest that often appeared to be puffed out in triumph and pride, and his legs were slender and similar to that of which you may see in an illustration of a werewolf. His eyes were a bright, eerie gold around his red pupils, with his golden irises surrounded by a pitch black shading.
Queen Drinmilna – her name meaning ‘Dream Bringer’ - had the same sort of legs as her husband, but she was much further on the slender side while he was more towards such a stronger build. Her eyes were larger than his, with long eyelashes and similar eye coloring to the King’s, save for that the black and the gold had switched places. Whilst the King’s ears were mere slits on either side of his head, the Queen had very elf-like ears, but they were a tad longer than what you’d see on an elf. Her neck was long as her husband’s, but her fangs were longer than his, as much sharper, poking out from under her black lips. Her skin tone was darker than most Demonwirks, and her claws were as her teeth were – longer and sharper. Her ‘chestal region’ was of considerable size, especially from a human’s aspect – to say that it’d be difficult for most men that enjoy such looks not to stare for at least a moment longer than they should. Her hair was long, silky and styled, so that certain parts were curled but not others. She had a more human-like nose, but it was pointed more and it was smaller. The King’s nose was two small slits, much like his ears.
The Queen was not born royally, but was transformed into the breathtaking form that she was now from her former, more ‘generic’ look she was born with, upon marrying the former-Prince Hinghi, and receiving what the Demonwirks called the ‘Crown-Blood Ceremony’; one of the few ceremonies that not all Demonwirks went through, unless they were marrying royalty as she had. The deeply-punctured bite mark was still on the left side of her neck, making it appear as if she had been attacked by a sort of vampire. It was a sign of respect, and was extremely admired in a Demonwirk’s eyes.
Currently, Queen Drinmilna was carrying a special ‘package’, if you may. A Prince, to be exact. Everyone in the clan seemed excited on the matter, and many who were nervous were assured that they had nothing to worry about; nothing worth dwelling on, at least. It was a time to be happy, enthusiastic on the thought of a new heir to the throne; and perhaps, even the ruler to finally mend the clans into one. An exciting event, indeed.
A long sigh of relief escaped queen Drinmilna, a soft smile across her lips with softly shut eyes. She appeared flushed, lying on her side and awaiting to hear the newborn’s cries. She counted the beats of her heart. One… Two… And there it was. A chuckle that sounded a tad darker than intended escaped her and she turned her head up to marvel at her husband; her king. King Hinghi smiled, kneeling by her side and allowing her to snuggle up against his warm skin. “It is done, hm?” he wondered. A small hum and a nod, and for a moment they stared into each other’s eyes. Both turned their heads down to see the child, wondering what he could look like. Royal Demonwirks often grew into their statures with age, but almost always looked different as a child, even if the looks remained just a tad similar. Both gave small gasps, blinking in shock.
Future changes or not; it wasn’t often that Demonwirks looked this human.
His skin was the same shade as his father’s, and a single longer fang poked out from his lips – long and sharp, like his mother’s. He had sharp claws like his mother’s, as well. But other than that and claw-like toes, he looked human. It wasn’t that it had never happened before; because it had. But it was certainly an odd event; not considered ‘common’ in the least. A worried glance caught the King’s eye, and he offered a smile of reassurance – even though he still appeared quite unsure himself. Afterwards, the Queen’s eyes narrowed and she pouted. “No judgement. It is not our way.” “I judge no more than you, my dearest.” the King nodded regally, his smile going softer and more understanding. On the inside, both calmed. This was their son; who much cared what he looked like as of today. He’d either grow out of it, or the royalty would earn a new stature. Human-like or not, it happened many times in the other clans, as well as in the past of Chrysindile itself. It was nothing to be ashamed of. And so, the Queen reached her arms down, scooping them under the newborn’s form and carefully lifting him up as she turned onto her back, which allowed her to rest the bundle on her chest while keeping her arms around him protectively. King Hinghi sat down by her side, stroking her cheek with the back of his hand. Their eyes went to their son once more. “… Well… Shall we?” he wondered. The Queen chuckled, looking over to him. “Not ‘Shall we’, my love.” she corrected, sitting up carefully and holding the child out in front of her, her hands clutching his sides from under his armpits. The child gurgled cheerfully, writhing around for a moment. “Shall he.”
The newborn Prince was placed carefully down onto the floor in front of her, with both the King’s and the Queen’s eyes following him. It was tradition to allow newborn royalty to take their first steps shortly after being born; a symbolism, if you may, of a new beginning. The newborn kept on his stomach for a long while, shifting uncomfortably and whining a tad. A normal feat, from the cold of the stony floor of the King and Queen’s ‘castle’ – not that it was really castle-looking to us. The royal pair patiently awaited the movement of the child, finally gaining their results when his tiny clawed hands readied themselves and he pushed himself up, at least onto his knees. Hinghi nodded proudly while Drinmilna simply smiled expectantly. The child pushed up further, onto his feet… And fell. Both royal figures froze, frowning, eyes snapping wide. The newborn whined louder, sniffling before finally keeping quiet and trying again. He managed to keep up, but was having great trouble, shaking painfully and not getting any less wobbly. The King and Queen glanced over to each other in pure fear before looking back to see the child take one step forward, on his left leg. When the other foot came forward, it was not the same as the first. His knees seemed to buckle when his leg twisted, and he toppled back down, giving a loud cry. The King instantly shot up, scowling. “Enough of this!!” he shouted, and the Queen did not move to stop him. Yes, they cared for their child. But this was not something a Demonwirk felt sympathy for. They had dismissed his leg not moving much as he writhed, bent back differently as if he wanted to keep it as unmoving as possible. And now they knew; they shouldn’t have ignored the sign. The Prince had been born with a twisted leg… The Prince had ‘disgrace’ written all over his future. King Hinghi still kept careful while hoisting his son up once more, instantly passing the sobbing newborn to Drinmilna. She sighed and began softly rocking the child back and forth, though her narrowed, concentrated eyes kept on the twisted leg. The first steps were when the child was named, based on performance. The Kind was pacing as she thought on it, on old scriptures on the sacred walls that gave names that were considered ‘special’. And one stuck in her mind, riddles and all.
‘Weak but heartless’.
‘Hatred without sentiment’.
‘Burning but flameless’.
‘Sin without reason’.
‘Sin without reason’…
Queen Drinmilna cleared her throat, forcing her husband to a halt. He turned his head to her slowly, knowing what she was about to say before she even said it; for he as well had been thinking of the same inscriptions and riddles.
“Our child, the royal Prince of the Chrysindile Clan, son of the beloved King Hinghi and Queen Drinmilna, shall take the name of riddles and mystery; the unsolved, the unused. Let it be known to the Demonwirk Clans of many; the Chrysindile Prince Demar has been born unto us.”