Deal or no deal?

The sun is shining through my curtains when I wake up. I check the clock. 9:53 am. I stumble out of my bed and head downstairs.

“Happy birthday my beautiful daughter!” my mother sings as I go down the marble spiral steps in our large manor on Hellsworth Hill. “Get yourself ready. You have a big day and night ahead of you!”

It’s my eighteenth birthday. Tonight, there is a ball at Hellsworth Castle, thrown by King Lucifer, the devil himself, for my birthday. This is the first ball we will go to since my engagement to the king, and I am not looking forward to it. The ball and the engagement, that is.

Don’t get me wrong, Lucifer is a handsome, tall man, but I don’t love him. I doubt he loves me either. Once a while ago, we talked about it. I stood in front of the bathroom mirror, remembering that afternoon.

“Your Majesty, you wish to see me?” I said.

“Yes, please come sit, Lady Analette,” he replied, motioning to the nice recliner by the large bay window looking out to the dark sea. 

I sat down. He sat down across from me.

“As you know, I am looking for a wife. I have decided I want you to be my wife. I know you wish not to be Queen or to be my wife, but, before you object or say anything, let me propose a deal.

We get married. If you wish, it can be a small, private wedding. We could only invite close friends and family. We can look like the happy, married couple in public. However, in private we can be nothing more than mere acquaintances. I will make sure that you do not have many of the pressures of being Queen of Hellsworth. You do not have to worry about anything. 

I know you are appalled to that idea, and that you do not love me. But, I love you very much. My Lady Analette Wherthington, before you reject my deal, think about the power it will bring our families. Think about how proud our parents will be. This is all our parents wanted. If we get do this, it will get our parents to finally stop nagging us. Your mother will stop pressuring you. It will be fine.”

I had sat in silence, taking in his deal. His proposition. I sat still and considered it for quite some time. 

“What do you say?” he prompts.

“Can I have a few moments to think it fully through?”

“Of course.”

I had thought about it over and over. He was correct that this bond will make our families more powerful. It would have my mother stop nagging me about every little thing I do. 

Maybe I should accept the deal. Nothing will be wrong if I do this, right? I’ll be married to the King of Hellsworth. I had thought.

“I agree to the deal.” I said.

“All right.”

The next day he came over and officially proposed to me. My mother reacted as expected. She was overjoyed and was convincing me to accept his proposal.

“I am honored. I accept your proposal, your majesty.”

“The honor is mine, my lady,” he had said, swooping to kiss my hand.

Over the weeks since the day of proposing, I thought about it more and more. The more and more I thought about it, the more I realized that this could be my chance to reunite my father, my mother, and I. I had to make a deal with him to open the gates between Hellsowrth, the underworld, and the above world, Earth.

After the shower, I went and hauled a carriage to the castle. At the gates, the guards let me in. Lucifer was standing on the marble steps leading to the big oak double doors, waiting, as if he knew I was coming. As if he knew my intentions.

“Your majesty, I would like to speak with you,” I said, curtsying.

“Of course, my lady. What do you need to speak with me about?” he inquires.

‘It’s about the wedding…and the deal..” I say.

“Oh. Follow me.”

He leads us into the castle, up the stairs, and into his personal office, kitty corner to his library. 

“So what about the wedding and the deal?” he asks.

“I would like to, go over and refine some finer points of the wedding section of our deal. I wish for it to be a big royal wedding, one that the people would expect. Also…” I trail off, nervous for my next point. If he doesn’t believe me, he surely will not agree to my deal.

“We can do that. What else?” he asks, confused by my sudden nerves.

“I wish for our marriage to not be just an act. I wish for us to be an actual married couple. I have realized over the past few weeks that I do love you, and I wish nothing to be with you. Only if..” I trailed off again, nervous.

“If…?” he prompts.

“Only if you open the gates between our world and the mortal world. I want my father and siblings to be there. Please, your majesty. Please, my love. Please open them. Forever.  During my travels there I have come to the conclusion that they are not scared of us and that they are no danger to us.”

He studies my face. “Lady Wherthington I can’t do that.”

“Please, your majesty, you must. Either open the gates permanently or no wedding.” I say. I really hate making ultimatums, but I really need to do this.

He studies my face more.

“All right. I will do this just for you, my lady. I will open the gates directly after we wed.” He says.

I can’t believe it.

He actually agreed.

I celebrate my success in my head. Unless he is the one proposing the deal, there is almost no chance of the deal succeeding, but I succeeded. 

“Thank you, your majesty.”