The next morning, Angelica was out of bed as soon as her eyes opened. She knelt next to the window, vaguely aware that she had forgotten to pray the night before. She made the sign of the Heaven. “Thank you for your beautiful day, Lady of Light. May your blessings shine.” Then she made the sign of the Earth. “Thank you for your protection, God Terranok.”

She jumped up and dressed in a lightweight sundress of a seagreen color. A few minutes were spent in front of the mirror, brushing out her hair, and then weaving it into a braid down her back. She splashed some water on her face and then headed to the kitchen.

Dusty was already there as she walked in, standing by the counter holding a piece of bread topped with cheese.

“Good morning, Miss Angelica.” He greeted her once his mouth was empty.

“Good morning, Dusty.” She picked up one of the pieces of bread to find it was warm to the touch. She smiled, smothering it with butter.

Dusty pushed a cup toward her. “Apple Cider.”

She picked up the cup and took a long drink of the crisp beverage. “Thank you. So, are you ready for more dance lessons this morning?”

“Quite the eager teacher.” The young man smiled. “But Master Dylan is out this morning, so we won’t have music.”

“Hm, perhaps not dancing.” Angelica took a big bite of the warm bread and melting butter. She could not remember either ever tasting quite so good. “I suppose we could spar a bit.”

Once they had finished eating, they headed to the sparring room. Angelica selected a sword from the armory, and waited for Dusty to do the same.

“You’re going to spar in a dress?” He asked as they moved out onto the floor.

“Is that a problem?”

“Well just…fighting in a dress.”

“It’s actually quite easy to move in.” Angelica did a few dance steps in place. “I guess some of the fancier dresses would be hard to move in, but not this one.”

The Renegade Princess lifted her sword into a ready position, and waited for Dusty to do the same.

“Whenever you’re ready.” She nodded to him.

Dusty seemed to consider her for a moment, and then launched forward with a yell. She stepped to the side of his oddly placed blade and touched him on the back with the flat of her sword. He spun around quickly enough, and their swords clashed together. With a twist of her wrist, his sword went flying.

“You know, you don’t need to hold back because I’m a girl,” Angelica said.

“Wish I was,” Dusty muttered, retrieving his sword.

“The demon said he was not really any good with a sword, but is this really all you’ve learned?”

“It was never that important I guess. I can beat most anyone with magic if needed.” Dusty shrugged.

“But you need to have a way to defend yourself if you’re in a situation where you can’t or shouldn’t use magic.”

“So what do you suggest?”

“Go through what I was taught seems like a good first step. Here, do as I do.” Angelica slowly took Dusty through the forms she had learned for practice. He picked them up pretty quickly and she was able to move onto some of the more complicated patterns before deciding that was enough for the day.

“So have you always lived here?” Angelica asked as they put their swords away.

“As long as I can remember.”

“And the demon has never hurt you?”

“No, Master Dylan treats me well, and always has.” Dusty caught her eye. “Not all demons are as bad as the Choir and news make them out to be. Of course there are the bad ones, just like there are humans who steal and murder, but Master Dylan is most certainly not one of those.”

“He could be lying.”

“To what purpose?”

“I don’t know, but demons are evil. They kill humans, hunt them like animals.”

“Demons live in a different society than that of humans. It doesn’t mean it’s better or worse, but it is different. Demons live by, “The strong survive, and the powerful rule”. No one is born into a role; a demon has to get there by proving they deserve it. One of those ways happens to be killing humans.”

“And you’re okay with that?”

“No, but it is how the demon’s world works, and there is little I could do to stop it.”

Angelica thought about that as they walked toward the library. “So what does Dylan do to raise his “status”?”

“He doesn’t care for his status.”

“Doesn’t care…?”

“He is happy enough living here. Demons are not as social creatures as humans. While many will put up with others in order to show off their power, most prefer their solitude.”

“How do you know so much about demons?”

“Besides living with one?” Dusty smiled. “I have many contacts of which your Choir would not approve. The world is not as clean cut as you have been led to believe.”

“Could you…teach me more about demons?” Angelica asked, surprising even herself.

“Of course. I suggest starting with some history.” As they arrived at the library, Dusty moved immediately to a bookcase and pulled down a book. He turned and handed it to her. The cover read: “A Brief History of Demons”.

“It’s written in common.” Angelica commented, accepting it carefully in case it were to lash out at her.

“More humans have been interested in demons than just you.”

Angelica curled up in one of the chairs, opening the book and beginning to read. Dylan came back later that day. If he noticed what she was reading, he kept his comments to himself.