How I became the Empress of Hell

After Hana informed me that Gehenna was in my throne room sparring with Judas and Tesrif, Em and I made our way through the castle. We greeted each of the clan members we passed in the hall, and when we finally arrived we were greeted by the sounds of massive explosions that seemed to rock the walls of the castle.

We entered the room slowly, and a wave of intense heat washed over both of us. As we walked down the long walkway that led up to my throne, I watched in amazement as Gehenna fended off attacks from both Tesrif and Judas. 

Tesrif had removed the upper portion of her armor, and wore what appeared to be a simple dark blue garment reminiscent of a sports bra.  I stared at the tall blue haired warrior's gorgeous muscular body as she swung her massive claymore at Gehenna over and over. While she still looked distinctly feminine, every inch of Tesrif's body from the neck down seemed to be covered in thick corded muscle that bulged in ways that made me weak in the knees. Despite her enormous size, the warrior woman moved with the grace of a dancer. She swung the massive seven foot blade that Kyra had crafted for her around effortlessly, as if the immense weapon's weight didn't hinder her in the slightest. 

As Gehenna deflected a sideswipe with her own small sword, Tesrif's blade blasted apart the corner of the stone platform my throne had been on like it was made of cheap plaster. As a pair of daggers flew at the blonde demon Empress's face, she snagged one of them out of the air with one hand, and blocked the other with a gout of flame that came from her outstretched palm. White-hot fire burst from Gehenna's hand as she melted the dagger she had caught, and the molten bits of metal fell to the floor at her feet. Gehenna noticed me and Em walking towards her at the same time Tesrif swung her sword in a huge overhead attack. My demon lover reached up with the hand that still had the smoldering remains of the dagger dripping from it and caught the edge of the massive weapon effortlessly. Tesrif's arms strained as she attempted to push the blade further down but as soon as she saw me she eased up and took a few steps back.

“My lady, I'm glad you are well. I hope you don't mind us using your throne room. Empress Infernos insisted we assist her with her training regimine, and I was more than happy to oblige.”

“Of course I don't mind, Tesrif! This room was designed with PvP in mind.”

Gehenna waved her hand, and the heat and flames that surrounded her dissipated all at once. She ran across the platform excitedly and surprised me by jumping into my arms much the same way Nialla had. Her arms wrapped around me as I held her up, and she eagerly kissed me over and over.

“I am so happy to see you, my love! It warms my heart to be near you again, Allie. I know it hasn't been long since I saw you last, but I miss you so very much every time we are apart.”

I cocked my eyebrow as I smirked at the gorgeous woman in my arms.

“You sound more like a lovestruck schoolgirl with each day that passes, my love.”

Gehenna’s eyes narrowed as she glared at me. At first I thought she was genuinely upset, until I saw the faintest trace of a smile in the corners of her mouth. I stuck my tongue out at her then moved her closer to me to kiss her deeply. After we pulled apart, I set her down on her feet as we continued to hold one another.

“As much as I enjoy the taste of you on my lips and having my arms around you, your mind seems to be elsewhere. How can I assist you, Allie?”

I looked at the partially destroyed room and then back at my blonde demon wife with a half-grin.

“You wanna spar while we talk?.”

Literal flames danced in her golden eyes and I felt a wave of heat pour over me as she nodded her head enthusiastically and gave me a huge grin. She flicked her eyes to Judas, Tesrif, and Emelia, before turning her gaze back on me.

“Perhaps it might be best for the others to move to a safer location? Given the enchantments placed on this room, I have no intention of holding back.”

With that, Gehenna reached up to her neck, placed her fingers on the rune enchanted necklace, and reached behind her head to undo the clasp. An explosive rush of heat immediately made the outside of my armor begin to glow from the intensity of it. I looked back at the fiery demon woman and grinned widely as I felt the waves of power flowing off of her. She had removed her red and gold armor, and was wearing a simple red and black sleeveless bodice that barely covered her shapely breasts, and a pair of black cropped leather breeches. She bounced on the balls of her bare feet slightly as she looked down at the others who were making a hasty retreat out of the room. 

Once the door had closed behind them, I had less than a fraction of a second to respond as she raced towards me with blinding speed. Her fist was closed tightly and I saw black flames pouring out from between her clenched fingers. I spun to the side at the last second just before she could strike me in the jaw, and used the momentum to drive my knee upwards towards her stomach. When I felt a surge of magic pooling where I was about to strike her, I instead began to channel a [Coldfire] spell through my body and up from my outstretched knee. The explosion of cold struck just as a jet of fire enveloped her torso. She bent backwards to lessen the damage of my attack, and followed through the motion by lifting her hands over her head and vaulting backwards. I barely had time to dodge out of the way of what would have been a pair of kicks from her feet as she used the momentum of her flip to attack me. After several more graceful back handsprings, she landed about ten feet away and smiled at me widely.

“So… what did you want to discuss, my love?”

I stared at her for a second, amazed at how quickly she could change from fighting to talking amicably in the blink of an eye.

“Gehenna… why do you want me to be Empress?”

She gave me a playful grin and moved back into a fighting stance.

“If you can land one solid hit on me in the next minute, I will tell you. Otherwise, you have to answer one of my questions. Deal?”

I nodded my head and snapped my fingers as I removed my armor and chainmail. The padded undershirt and tight fitting shorts that were reminiscent of yoga pants hugged my body like a second skin, and she gave me an approving smile as she looked me up and down.

“You really are beautiful, Allie. But if you think you’re going to distract me with your body…”

I followed her gaze and saw that she was now staring at my ass, which looked absolutely fantastic in this outfit. As her voice trailed off, I laughed softly as I took several steps towards her. Her gaze flicked up to my face and she narrowed her eyes slightly as she fought off a blush that was spreading up her cheeks. She exhaled loudly and as she opened her mouth to speak again, I spread my wings, pushed off with my feet, and blasted towards her. I closed the distance between us in the blink of an eye, and aimed a blow from my fist at her face. When she jerked to the side and caught my wrist, I grinned as I spun around her and used the force of the turn to slam my outstretched hand against the side of her head. She lifted her hand to block the attack, but instead of following through with my strike, I held it in place.

“[Coldfire]!”

The point blank ice attack struck my gorgeous blonde demon wife in the side of the head, and I watched in horror as the right side of her face was instantly flash frozen. Part of me wanted to press the small advantage I had and continue raining blows on her as she fell, but it was as if my body wouldn't respond. I forced my arms to move, but instead of attacking her, I wrapped them around her and held her against my chest. The second I pulled her close to me, I felt a searing pain erupt just above my left breast as Gehenna punched a hole through my chest. The edges of my vision darkened immediately as her arm that was buried up to her elbow inside of my body ignited in black fire. I felt the sensation of my blood boiling and my heart exploding within my chest just before I lost consciousness.

It didn’t take long for the enchantments Hana, Areandra, and Scythe had set up to activate, and I felt my body slowly knit itself back together. When I finally opened my eyes, I found myself laying in Gehenna’s lap, who was looking down at me with an irritated expression on her face.

“You should have won that fight, Allie. After you caught me off guard with your spell you should have used the opportunity to finish me off before I could retaliate. Why did you hold back? Moreover, why did you check to make sure I was alright in the middle of a fight?!”

I pushed myself up and let out a long sigh as I stared deep into her golden eyes.

“I know I should have followed through… but… all I kept seeing was Adelaine’s blade piercing your chest over and over again in my mind, and when I went to attack you again… I just… couldn't.”

Her hard expression softened immediately and she exhaled loudly out of her nose as she shook her head.

“I want to be angry with you for showing such weakness, but your reasoning is far too endearing for me to truly be upset.”

She moved closer to me and pulled me into a tight hug before moving away and slowly standing up. After she helped me to my feet, she guided me over to my throne, which I sat down on after she gestured towards it. She turned around so that she was facing away from me, before leaning backwards and sitting in my lap. I wrapped my arms around her waist and held her tightly.

“Since you were able to land a hit on me, I will answer your question. If you still want to know.”

“I do.”

She nodded and sighed softly.

“I have been the demon Empress for thousands of years, Allie. I have seen countless demon lords rise to power, only to be torn down and replaced by someone else. I have fought and killed tens of thousands of beings for… an innumerable amount of reasons. I'm… tired of it all, Allie. I don't have the patience I used to have to deal with all the petty squabbling, and the posturing, and the scheming, and all the bullshit that comes with the politics of demons. I don't want to be Dark Empress Infernos anymore. I just want to be… Gehenna. Your lover… and hopefully someday your wife.”

She reached down to grab one of my hands and clutched it tightly between her own. She brought it up to her lips and kissed the back of my palm softly before continuing. 

“More than that though, it has become increasingly clear that we need a new kind of leader if we are going to survive whatever dark forces are conspiring against us. We need someone who inspires unwavering loyalty and has a drive to actually make things better for other people, not just themselves. We need a demon empress who is… undemonlike.”

She twisted around as much as she could atop my lap and looked into my eyes. She draped her arm across my shoulders and the back of my neck and smiled warmly at me.

“I want you to be Empress because you are perfect for it, Allie.”

She leaned down slightly and pushed her lips against mine. I could feel her love and devotion as we remained completely intertwined, and I allowed myself to indulge in the bliss of feeling her skin against mine and the caress of her lips on my own. Some time later, after I completely lost track of everything else around us, Gehenna pulled away slightly and began to run her fingers through the spirals of my curly hair. 

“Do you want to be Empress?”

I held her gaze for a moment and then shrugged.

“I honestly don't know, Gehenna. Part of me is afraid I'll fuck it up by doing or saying the wrong thing. Another part is dreading the commitment of having to deal with all the bullshit politics every time I log in. But mixed in there is a part of me that is thrilled by the prospect of being in charge of an entire fucking empire! The biggest part of me though… wants to do it because I don't want to disappoint you.”

Gehenna narrowed her eyes and shook her head softly.

“You could never disappoint me, Allie. Even if you chose to forgo accepting my crown, I would never feel disappointed with you. If I am being honest… your answer actually confirms my belief that you would be the perfect Empress.”

I gave her a confused look as I scoffed. Before I could interject however, she held up her hand and continued.

“If you didn't have any reservations about it, that would be more troubling. Your hesitance proves that you are considering every angle and looking at it from an objective standpoint. All of that ensures that whatever lust for power you may feel is being tempered by your brilliant tactician’s mind and your need to help those around you as much as you can. While you may not yet understand the nuances of the politics of my world, you are wise enough to listen to those who can help you and guide you.”

She paused for a moment and sighed, before giving me a small smile.

“I know I spoke about my fears regarding the forces that are working against you. And while I do not know what is coming for us and I do not know how best to help you prepare, I am now confident that withholding my crown for that sole reason alone is just my selfish need to try and control a bad situation. The only way we will see ourselves through whatever is to come is with you leading us. I have no doubts about that anymore, Allie.”

Gehenna wordlessly stared into my eyes for what seemed like five full minutes. I lost myself by looking into her golden eyes and memorizing every detail about them, until she suddenly broke the silence.

“The next time we make love, I'm going to fully accept your corruption.”

My eyes widened in surprise and my mouth dropped open slightly before it slowly morphed into a broad grin. I pushed down whatever trepidation I was feeling as I nodded my head slowly.

“OK. I'm looking forward to it, Gehenna.”

She gave me a single nod of affirmation and moved like she was going to get up, before turning back to me.

“When you accept my crown and all the changes that come with it, you should consider adopting a moniker like the one I had. Compartmentalization is a huge key to being a successful leader, so taking on a new name will help to separate your personal feelings from the position. Your subjects need to see you as an icon first, and then a person second.”

I nodded thoughtfully and arched an eyebrow as I smiled playfully at her.

“Any suggestions, Black Flame Empress Infernos?”

She chuckled softly and shook her head.

“That name really is pretentious, isn't it?”

I kissed her on the nose before shaking my head slightly.

“I like it. It's perhaps a bit on the nose, but it fits you. You always had this smoldering intensity that demands respect. Like… when Empress Infernos speaks, everyone shuts the fuck up and listens.”

A broad grin passed over her face as she arched an eyebrow at me.

“Everyone? Including those who have trouble with speaking out of turn?”

“Hey! In my defense… oftentimes, if I don't speak up, I'm liable to forget what I was going to say.”

“This is because of your… ADHD?” 

“Yeah, for the most part. But... before I forget to ask again. Do you have any suggestions for names I should use?”

"It doesn't work that way... It has to be something that you come up with that is the best representation of who you are as a ruler."

I drummed my finger on on my cheek until my eyes widened suddenly and I gave Gehenna a huge grin.

"I've got it! Hellbitch, Supreme Empress of Snark and Sass!

Gehenna gave me a deadpan look before she saw the playful expression on my face. She rolled her eyes and laughed softly through her nose before leaning forward and kissing me on my forehead.

“Never change, my love.”