New Allies.

Darx stirred and blinked his eyes open. The sky was just starting to lighten. He started to stretch but stopped. There was something trapping his left arm and something warm pressing into his side, both sides, in fact.

Darx looked to his left, and saw one of the twins from the day before, she was snuggled up to him, he could feel. . . Darx swallowed. He could feel her warmth through the thin cloth of her night dress, feel her breasts pressed into his side, her head resting on his chest, her bare leg touching his.

“Shit.” Darx muttered, his heart racing. Beyond her was the other twin, spooned into the back of her sister. They weren’t the only ones though, on his right side Neku had curled up similarly. He was in bed with three beautiful women. Darx didn’t know what to do, he was barely awake.

Darx’s thoughts were sluggish. He **** himself to think about the night before. His last memory was in the tub with Neku, he had been so tired. She must have gotten him to bed. But why were the twins here? They had said they would return, he must have been asleep when they did. They must have come in, talked to Neku, somehow they all ended up in bed with him. He had woken up with Neku on his bed before, but she had been at the foot of his bed, out of reach. Now she was lying next to him, snuggled up against him. Darx looked at her face as she slept. Damn she was adorable, sexy as hell too. She was short, so while her head was on Darx’s chest, he could feel her feet touching his. Her breasts pushed against his ribs, he could feel them press into him every time she breathed.

Darx was worried about Neku, about both how much he liked her, and how little he knew about her. On one hand, he trusted her, she seemed fiercely loyal to him. But on the other hand, that loyalty was based on her faith, because she believed he was the savior of the nation. That he was sent by Imris to defeat the demons, become the king of Riledo, and fix the problems in the church. But how could he do all those things? And if he wasn’t going to be that person, it felt wrong to take advantage of her faith in him.

Darx needed Neku, but he hated feeling like he was taking advantage of her hopes and faith. He wanted out, out of the church, out of this path that everyone seemed to want him on. But if he left, Kase was out there, Demons were out there, he wouldn’t last long on his own. Furthermore, he didn’t even know who he could trust anymore. His own mother and Syvis, they had both chosen Kase over him. He was a threat to the Royal Family, they surely would jump at a chance to get rid of him. Darx couldn’t help but wonder if the Priest was right, if the Queen had conspired with Kase to ruin him. That they wanted Kase to destroy him so he couldn’t challenge their power. They had seemed nice, but that’s what they would do if they wanted to trick him.

Darx scowled, something about his thoughts just didn’t seem right. Harold had been nice to him, seemed to care about him, and the church had him killed. Or at least that’s what Darx had been told. . .

Darx’s head was throbbing. Every time he tried to think about the church, sort out what was true, his head hurt. He took a breath, tried to clear his mind, relax. He believed Neku genuinely cared about him, he’d have to hope he was right about that. He knew the Priest was trying to help him. The Priest cared about him, wanted him to succeed. The Priest wouldn’t betray him. He just needed to trust in the Priest and Neku, he just needed to let go and trust them. Darx exhaled slowly, let go of his worries and the pain in his head died down.

Darx laughed to himself. He was doubly trapped. Trapped in the church, relying on the Priest and Neku to take care of him. But he was also trapped in this bed. But really, being stuck between three beautiful women? Maybe the church wasn’t a bad trap to be stuck in. Darx smiled as he soaked in the moment, the warmth of their bodies, the softness of their skin. He breathed in the delicate scent of the women. Darx looked over at the twins. They were lying here in his bed, one of them pressed into him just like Neku. He didn’t even know their names, yet here they were. The Priest had told him any disciple of the church was here to serve him. That he could, well. . . anyway, here they were. Two incredibly sexy women with him in his bed, sleeping beside him. He’d never experienced anything like it, and he liked it.

The only problem was Darx wanted to move. His throat was parched; he needed a drink. He wanted to stretch his limbs and move around, but the ladies were tight against him and while he could move them, he also wanted a moment to himself before they awoke.

Darx chuckled to himself. What problems to have. . .

Darx laid there, trying his best to just enjoy the feeling of being there. Enjoy the perks of being the “Blessed one” as the twins and the battle nun had called him. He didn’t know how long it would last. Any moment the truth of the explosion, that it was from him and not an attack, could get out and ruin everything. Even if it was kept quiet, Darx could still fail them, they had so much hope placed in him, so many expectations. He couldn’t live up to all of them; how would they view him when he failed? And the priest, back in the secret tunnels he had heard the priest say he was expendable, that he would. . .

“Ugh.” Darx sighed, the pain in his head was back. Darx took a few breaths, pushed his doubts out of his mind. Did his best to relax in the moment. Find something else, something safe, to think about.

Darx tried to think about his time in Midnight Dawn, but that led his thoughts to Syvis, and he didn’t want to think about her. Darx thought about Sunshine, the little fairy that had vanished, he had only known her a few days, but he felt responsible for her, almost as much as he felt responsible for Amelia or his mother.

Darx sighed and closed his eyes. He wanted to help them, get them away from Kase, keep them safe. Maybe the Priest would help him with that. They could move into the church, that made Darx smile. His mother being safe and away from Kase. Amelia, Neku, the twins all with him. That sounded nice. But it didn’t sound real. That was a fantasy, not something he could have in real life, not even if he was the “blessed one.”

Darx was lying there, thinking about what he really wanted when he felt the woman on his left stir. She stretched a bit and Darx reflexively pulled his arm free. He flexed his fingers, they were numb, but they moved.

“Darx, you are awake.” The young lady said, her voice a sleepy purr. She kissed his chest as her hand roamed his stomach. “I was sad last night, we didn’t get any time with you.” Darx could feel her warmth as she moved her bare leg over his, pushing her crotch into his thigh.

“I. . . I don’t.” Darx stammered, his brain suddenly struggling to function.

She pushed off of him a bit, looked at him, worried. “You don’t?”

“I don’t know.” Darx said, it was the best he could manage.

“You don’t know what?” She asked seductively as she ran her hand down below his waist.

“Oh Goddess.” Darx cried as she found his dick, running her hand over it. It reacted instantly to her touch.

“You’re so big Darx. So hard, for me.” She purred breathily, climbing up on him. Her thin night dress did little to hide her figure, her nipples pushed at the soft fabric, and he could see the outline of her areola, the fabric was nearly see-through.

“Mary, what are you doing?” It was Neku’s voice.

“I’m taking care of the Blessed one." Mary told Neku as she straddled Darx, started moving on him. "I’m not greedy. You can help, sister.”

“Get off of him.” She said, sitting up.

“No, it’s my job. Let me do my job.” She said breathily as her hand moved to her labia, touching herself as she ground her crotch against his erect penis.

“Mary! Now.” Neku demanded.

“But he feels so good, Oh Goddess!” Mary exclaimed. She threw herself on him and kissed Darx as she shook, desperately exploring his mouth with her tongue.

“Mary, did you?” It was the other twin.

“Okay, fun time is over.” Neku pushed the twin called Mary off of Darx. “Come on Darx, let’s get you up.”

Neku pulled Darx’s arm, got him out of bed.

“Neku, it’s not fair, it’s my job to care for him!” Mary complained.

“Yeah, it's mine too, and I haven’t gotten to play with him at all.” The other one added.

Neku shot them both a glare that shut them up. “Come on Darx, let’s get you cleaned up.” She said, pulling him into the bathroom. “And you two, if you want to serve the blessed one, how about fetching breakfast for all of us.” She called behind her as she closed the door.

Darx could hear them complaining as they left.

“Are they. . .” He started, not knowing how to ask about what had just happened.

“The Twins? They are mostly harmless, Darx. Just super horny and likely under orders from the Priest to make you enjoy being here.”

“Well, they do a good job.” Darx said, splashing more cold water against his face, trying to calm down.

Neku laughed. “Those two would eat you alive Darx, they’ve been well trained.”

“I thought you just said they were harmless.” Darx reminded her.

“They won’t kill you Darx, but they’d have you wrapped around their fingers in no time.”

Darx could see it, he was struggling to get Mary grinding against him out of his mind, she had such a cute face, and her body. . . if the goddess made someone just to seduce him. . . but instead she’d made two of them.

Neku saw Darx’s face and laughed. “It’s okay Darx, really. They are good girls, and they seem genuinely into you. You just have to be aware of how the Priest would use them to manipulate and control you.”

“Manipulate me with sex?” Darx looked at Neku, a little worry in his thoughts.

Neku picked up on his concern. “Darx, I promise you, I’m not manipulating you. I just need to keep you free of the Priest’s control. I need you on my side, Darx.” She paused for a moment. “Shit, maybe I am manipulating you. But that’s not what last night was about.” Neku’s face was so genuine, Darx couldn’t help but smile.

“I trust you Neku.” He said, he hoped it was the right call. He needed it to be, if she was lying to him. . .

“I won’t let you down Darx, I’m with you no matter what.” She kissed him, he kissed her back, grabbed her, pulled her to him. She moaned into his mouth.

Darx picked Neku up, set her on the stone table that held the washing basin and looked her over. She was in a night dress similar to the ones the twins had been wearing. His hands ran over her bare thighs, going up under the short dress. She wasn’t wearing anything underneath it. Darx looked up, met her eyes. He was too wound up to speak, but he wanted her permission before going further.

“Fuck me Darx, I want to feel you again.” She said softly.

“MMMng” she cried out as he entered her. She was so warm, so soft. She felt so good. He kissed her again as his hands found her breasts.

“Uh, Ngg, Darx!” She cried out as he thrust inside her.

“Hey, no fair!” he heard a voice call out behind him.

“Selfish!” the other voice cried.

Soon there were hands on his side, grabbing his butt, breasts pressed into his back.

“You can’t have him all to yourself, Neku.” One of them complained.

Darx had already been wound up when Neku took him in the bathroom, the feel of her body, and the sudden addition of the twins touching him put him well over the edge. Darx came, emptying himself inside of Neku as she gasped, wrapping her legs around him, pressing into him as much as she could.

“Meanie.” A twin complained.

Darx felt light-headed, he had cum a lot, and he was crashing.

“Help me get him to the chair.” He heard Neku say.

Darx sat down, rested as the girls cleaned him up. The twins complained that Neku had sent them away and stolen him from them, and now Darx was worn out. Neku didn’t bother to argue with them, it was clear she was in charge. Darx didn’t know if Neku outranked them, or if it was just her personality, but the twins followed her instructions, even as they lamented getting left out.

A few minutes later Darx was sitting at the small table in his room eating and Neku was practically pushing the twins out of the room.

“It’s not fair Neku.” He heard one of them whine as she led them out into the hall then shut the door behind them.

“Okay.” Neku said. “Now that those two are out of our hair, we need to talk about today.”

Neku laid out his schedule. Breakfast, then they would meet with the Priest. The Priest would take them to the castle, where they would meet with the Queen. Darx didn’t know why he was meeting with the Queen, and Neku didn’t either. All she could tell him was the meeting was important, and he would need to be careful not to let the Priest have too much power over him.

Darx had a lot of concerns about this meeting. The Royal Family were his enemies, they wanted to get rid of him or control him. Darx wouldn’t let that happen. But wait, the Priest was the one trying to control him. . .

“Aah.” Darx cried as the pain returned.

“What’s wrong, Darx?” Neku asked coming to him, looking closely at his face, his eyes.

“It’s just my head, I keep getting headaches when I try to think things over.”

“Hmmm.” Neku replied looking curious, “What things?”

“Like the Priest,” Darx said, “When I think about his ability, or about what we overheard in the passage. When I try to make sense of it my head hurts.”

“That’s his ability Darx.” Neku said softly. “Trying to challenge the thoughts he implants in your head will cause that.”

“Damn.” Darx said. “What can I do?”

“We have to keep fighting it Darx.” Neku answered. “Take his influence apart one piece at a time if we have to. Break his control bit by bit.”

“How?” Darx asked.

“Hmm.” Neku pondered for a minute. “Let’s try this, does the Priest love you, Darx?”

“Love me?” Darx asked.

“Like a parent, does he care about you?”

“Yes, of course he does.” Darx answered. He’d never said it directly, but the Priest had told him he would take care of him, never betray him, so he must.

“Okay,” Neku continued. “Now think about how a parent who loves their child. Think about how they would treat or talk about that child.”

That was easy for Darx, he had his mother, Oliver’s parents, Amelia’s parents, he had plenty of examples of parents that cared about their children to draw from.

“You got it?” Neku asked.

“Yeah.” Darx responded.

“Okay, now this next part I need you to focus, and think carefully.” Neku instructed. “I’m not asking about trust or betrayal, just about the kind of love a parent has for their child, okay?”

“Okay, Neku, but where are you going with this?” Darx asked.

“Think about what we heard the Priest say when we were in the passages, Darx.” Her face grew tense as she said it. “Is that the way a parent would talk about a child they loved.”

“No.” Darx replied. “No, not at all. That’s not love or care. . .”

“Stop Darx!” Neku interrupted. “Don’t think farther than that. Just focus on that one thought, just one question.” She exhaled and continued. “Does the Priest care about you?”

The answer was clear. “No.” Darx said.

“Okay Darx.” Neku smiled at him. Leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

“Is that it?” Darx asked.

“For now, yes.” Neku replied. “We can do more later. But answer me this, I know you trust the Priest, but how much do you trust him? Are you okay with him leading the meeting with the Queen, deciding your future for you?”

Darx thought for a moment then answered. “I know he won’t betray me or lie to me, but I don’t want him making decisions for me, I need to take care of myself.”

Neku smiled. “And that is a big first step, Darx.”

They talked about the meeting some more, about the Queen and the Priest, about what Darx wanted and what he needed. Darx felt like he had a good plan by the time they needed to go meet with the Priest.

The Priest met them outside his office and they immediately started their walk to the Castle. Darx felt the breeze blowing, watched the clouds blow over the city as they walked. Normally he would love getting a chance to be outside. He had been in a hospital bed for a while, and then inside the church, it had been days since he’d gotten fresh air. But this felt different, it felt like getting out of a warm bed and stepping onto a cold floor. It felt like leaving comfort behind and facing his worries, his weakness, his pain. Kase was out here, somewhere. Syvis too. He had gotten away from the feelings of darkness, away from the Abyss when he was in the church. Now, as he looked about, he could feel the darkness calling to him. He could almost see the abyss in the gray of the morning clouds.

Neku looked at him and smiled, a real smile. It comforted Darx. He still had doubts about his own thoughts, but Neku had helped him a lot. Darx slipped his hand around Neku’s. He was glad he had her, she cared about him and believed in him. He was determined not to let her down. Holding her hand helped push the anxiety, the fear, and the darkness away.

They approached the castle and Darx was running through his thoughts, answers to questions that could come up, how to talk about the church, how to navigate the tension between the Priest and the Queen.

“Remember Darx, you need to make her think we are on good terms. Trust me, be patient. Justice will come.” The Priest said as they approached the castle gate.

Darx heard the words and nodded, but he didn’t fully agree. He had been adamant not that long ago that the Queen was against him, in league with Kase. He could remember thinking it, feeling it, but now he didn’t know. The Queen orchestrating the attack on Merton to **** his mother to come to the capitol? Helping Kase seduce her so Darx would be miserable? Not that long ago he was convinced all of that was true.

Darx looked at the Priest, **** a smile and nodded at something the man said. Darx had put himself in this position. He had chosen to go to the church, chosen to put himself into their hands to avoid the dangers outside. Kase, the Royal Family, demons, they were all a threat to him. Darx knew he had made the right choice. Darx was still concerned though. He could see through some of the stuff the Priest had told him, but he also wasn’t sure the Royal Family could be trusted. He was pretty sure they didn’t orchestrate the attack on Merton, but would they work with Kase and Oblivion to get Syvis away from Darx so she would go marry the S-rank Dark Elf? That still seemed plausible, and he couldn’t be sure if it was because it was plausible, or if the Priest had planted that thought in his head.

He looked at Neku, and his worry subsided a little. At least he knew he could trust her, she was helping him fight the Priest’s ability, her honesty and devotion to him was the only real weapon he felt he had against the Priest’s power. Darx still didn’t like the whole “Blessed one” treatment, being treated like he was some mythical figure here to save the world. Darx wasn’t that person, even if Neku thought he was. He’d have to deal with that eventually, but for now Neku had been honest and loyal to him, he needed her, and he was glad to have someone he could trust again.

Again . . .

The word echoed in his mind. He had trusted Amelia, he had trusted Syvis. The way they smiled at him, the way they looked at him, he saw that with Neku. And Kase had taken that, twisted it, destroyed it. . . Darx felt the darkness. It was there, calling to him. The despair, the pain, the power. . . he felt his heart fall, his mind going to dark places, horrible memories. . .

“Here, let me fix your collar.” It was Neku fussing over him, smiling at him. They were at the Castle. He thought of what Neku had said, that those betrayals had broken him, and that was why the Priest was able to affect him so strongly. He couldn’t afford to live in that pain. He needed to be strong, he needed to be there for Neku, for everyone. He wouldn’t let it happen again. He pushed away the darkness, did his best to bury his feelings.

A steward invited them in, led them through the castle, taking a path he had walked before, heading to the audience chamber. The Steward opened the door and gestured for them to enter. Darx set his jaw, he could do this. He had to do this, for Neku, for everyone.

“Greetings Darx, it is so good to see you again. We’ve been following your growth and we are amazed at all you have accomplished.”

“It is good to see you again your highness,” he said, bowing. She took his hand. Your time is coming, you will face justice. He thought as he smiled. Wait, do I still want that? Darx didn’t think he did, but the thought was still there.

“Harold had much hope for you and what you would become. I wish he was here to see you now.”

Darx choked down any reaction. He didn’t know if the Queen was being genuine or testing him by bringing up Harold, but he wouldn’t let her distract him or throw him off.

“Darx, I believe you know our Royal Guard, Wendy? You were both in the castle for training.” Wendy stepped forward, it seemed weird for the Queen to be introducing him to Wendy. What could she be planning? Darx took her hand nevertheless. Wendy pulled him close, hugged him.

“It’s so good to see you again, Darx.” The moment she touched him he felt something change. He felt different. He looked at the Queen, she smiled slightly and nodded politely, what had just happened?

The steward led Darx to a chair and sat down next to the Priest. The meeting started with a lot of pointless conversation, formal speech, cleverly disguised barbs being thrown back and forth, verbal jockeying disguised as compliments and small talk. It took a while before they got to the real reason for the meeting.

Darx took that time to think over things again. So much of what he had been thinking didn’t make sense. He was pretty sure the Priest had planted those thoughts in him. He looked at the Queen, he didn’t feel like she had wronged him, that she would orchestrate Kase and his mom, and what happened with Syvis, it was all so contrived, it couldn’t be real, and yet it had felt real just a few moments ago.

“The Dark Elf delegation will be here in one week.” Queen Zara said plainly. “Will Darx be strong enough to meet with them?” The last Darx heard Syvis was planning to go home, marry the new S-rank, in fact, she should already be on her way.

“I’m sorry, your Highness. The Dark Elves are coming here?” Darx asked.

“Yes Darx, and the Beast-kind are only a few days behind them.” The Queen answered.

“The negotiations are going well then?” Darx asked.

The Queen looked at the Priest, “He doesn’t know?” She asked accusatorily.

“He has barely been awake, Queen Zara. He is still recovering.” The Priest said, then sat quietly.

“I see.” She looked at Darx, concern in her eyes. “Darx, you have changed everything. Word of an heir of Zrephia arising has already spread. The other races are coming to have a look for themselves.”

“How does that change negotiations?” Darx asked, caught off guard.

“The return of the line of the descendants of the Goddess, sent to us in our darkest hour. You are a symbol of hope, of strength. The Dark Elves come because they believe that if that line returns, our kingdom will be much stronger, that we are much more likely to defeat the demons. If they are convinced, they will throw their lot in with ours, join us willingly.”

“And the Beastkind?”

“The Beastkind are opportunistic. They are going to try to gain as much as they can from this war, even if it means attacking us or the Dark Elves. It is imperative that our negotiations with the Dark Elves are finished by the time the Beastkind arrive. Showing the Beastkind a strong alliance is the best way to convince them to join our side, or at least refrain from attacking us during the war. They need to believe that we will win, that we will defeat the demons. That by staying neutral they will be left out of a war that could have valuable spoils.”

“So, everything changes for the better, as long as I impress the Dark Elves.” Darx stated.

“I hate to put so much on it Darx, but you are correct.” The Queen replied, tentatively.

“And they are going to be here in a week?” Darx questioned.

“Yes, we expect King Offren in a week.” She answered.

The king, Syvis’ father. He was coming here, to see Darx. Darx needed to convince him that he was this mythical figure, the savior of the land. . . It was too much. He looked to the Priest, why didn’t he tell him?

The Priest smiled warmly back at Darx. It was an unnerving smile, a smug, scheming smile. The Priest remained silent as he slowly looked back to the Queen.

“So how do we proceed?” Darx asked.

The Queen looked at the Priest, then back to Darx, like she was waiting for the Priest to speak, but he just sat there, smiling.

“I can take care of the negotiations, we just need you to be you, Darx. By now they know a lot about you, and he will meet with his daughter and she will tell him more.”

Syvis. . . He hadn’t seen her since. . . he remembered the scene, the sounds, the smell, the feel of the doorhandle as he pushed it open, Kase’s face. . . Darx felt sick, like he needed to vomit. He felt the dark energy rising.

No, not now. He thought, not here. He was reeling, the abyss calling to him, begging him to let go, to let the darkness in.

“You are okay Darx. I am here, you are safe. Listen to my voice, come towards it, you are okay.” It was Gabriel, the Priest.

The voice led him out, above the darkness. He felt it retreat, felt stable again. He opened his eyes, the Priest was in front of him, holding his hands, talking to him.

“As you can see, Queen Zara, the demon’s attack is still affecting Darx.” The Priest said smugly. “If he is going to meet with the Dark Elves he will need me with him.”

Was that the plan? Bring him here knowing that Syvis would be a big part of this process. How it would affect him, use that to make Darx dependent on the Priest. Darx had to admit it was a good plan. The Priest was tightening his grip on Darx, and Darx wasn’t confident he could avoid it.

“We also need to consider his safety, Gabriel.” The Queen stated. “The perpetrator of the attack hasn’t been uncovered yet, they may still be around. They will know of the Dark Elf King’s visit; they won’t sit by and do nothing.”

“We are aware of the threat, Queen Zara. I assure you Darx is safe.” Gabriel responded.

“I appreciate your devotion, Gabriel, but I insist on a further measure.” Queen Zara looked to her right. “Wendy.” She commanded, and Wendy stepped forward, next to the Queen. She looked at Darx and smiled encouragement. “This fighter has a rare ability, her [Null Field] blocks magical attacks, including demon magic. Even the strongest attack spell disappears when it touches the barrier. I insist that she stays with Darx, as she can protect him from the magic of whatever demons might come for him.”

“I don’t think it is necessary,” The Priest responded, displeasure in his voice. “but I will agree to it if Darx does.” The Priest looked at Darx, expectantly. Darx could feel that he was supposed to say no to this, and he worried it might tip the Priest off to the limit of his influence on Darx, but he thought he understood why the Queen was offering Wendy’s help.

Darx bowed, “I thank the Queen for her concern and her generous offer. I gladly accept any and all help Wendy can give me heading into these important negotiations.”