Chapter 17 - Demon Lord
Demon Lord
The castle’s library looked like a tornado had hit it with papers strewn across every surface, some balled up while others were full of Willow’s handwritten notes.
Inkheart was collapsed on the table, it’s feather drooping like it was exhausted.
I moved through the library carefully so I didn’t step on any pages and noticed Willow sleeping on the floor by the fireplace.
Her hair was tied back in a ponytail and ink smudged her fingers, with a bit under her eyes too, like she’d been rubbing them a lot.
Even more papers surrounded her in carefully stacked piles like she’d been organizing them before she fell asleep.
She might have said no to writing my book at first, but she sure seemed committed now.
Her Gran had nothing to worry about there.
I wish she’d fallen asleep on the couch instead of the floor though, especially after all those comments about my own uncomfortable sleeping habits.
I reached for a blanket, pulling it up over her shoulders.
She murmured something that I couldn’t make out and curled up under the blanket, almost brushing against my hand.
My heartbeat quickened, and for some reason, I sat next to her. The easy rise and fall of her chest calmed me as the warmth from the fireplace settled against my skin. The castle had never felt this comfortable before and I owed it all to her.
I picked up a few of the pages she’d been working so hard on.
The ones farthest from her had even and steady handwriting, perfectly formed like she’d been taking her time, but on the pages closest to her the handwriting curled and looped like she was racing to keep up with her thoughts.
I ran a finger over the words, feeling her excitement shining through with each pen stroke.
All her notes were about me and my story. She’d written far more than I’d expected, filling up so many pages with ideas. My eyes widened as I read the words anti-hero and protector written over and over with mentions of me saving the demons by defeating some hidden bad guy.
She must have been more tired than I thought, because none of that made any sense. I flipped through more of her notes, searching for the real ideas in all her wild sleep-deprived ramblings, but there was nothing. No hint of my glorious demise anywhere.
I dropped the papers, my gaze landing on a group of pictures pinned on the shelves.
They were suspects with motives listed for why they’d be manipulating the hero.
I stood up, drawn to them like a moth to a flame, surprised a picture of me wasn’t hanging anywhere.
Instead there were headshots of the priest, the King, the Princess, the old hero, and so many other potential bad guys.
“Does she really think it’s not me?” I muttered, staring at those pictures even harder, unable to comprehend what they might mean. “I’m the villain...”
The sounds of Willow shifting pulled my attention as her eyes fluttered open. “Hey, you.”
Her voice was thick with sleep still and her hair was messy, just like when she’d woken up on the couch yesterday. Seeing her like that made it feel like we were sharing a moment and my chest ached for something I knew I couldn’t have, something I didn’t even want to name.
She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and then jerked into a sitting position. “Wait, you weren’t supposed to see those yet.”
“Oh, sorry.” I moved away from the pictures hung on the bookshelves and awkwardly sat on the couch. “I don’t understand what you’re thinking though. I’m the bad guy, so wasting time on whatever that is just seems silly.”
“Maybe.” She toyed with the frayed edges of the blanket, curling it around her fingers.
After a while, she took a deep breath and lifted her head to meet my gaze.
“Or maybe it’s not silly at all and the only ridiculous thing is you thinking that you’re evil.
I mean, let’s face it, you’re a terrible villain.
” She held her hands up before I could protest. “No, let me get this out first. You care way more than you let on and you always try to help people, even if you do it with a grumpy attitude. Like when I was worried about my last book and you offered to read it. Or when you didn’t execute Dain and ordered him to be my bodyguard instead.
Or when you promised that seamstress that you’d protect everyone no matter what. ”
“That was just–”
She shook her head. “No, it started even before that when the town thought the library was haunted. You could have hurt people to keep them away, but you chose to scare them instead with some shadow monsters. You always choose the less evil route, and I think we need to accept that.”
“Accept...that I’m a terrible villain?” A lump formed in my stomach.
I’d always felt like a fake, but now that she was agreeing with me, it was so much worse.
Because it wasn’t just in my head anymore, it was in hers too, and she was the last person I wanted to be thinking that.
“No, you were supposed to help me live up to my potential, remember? To make me into the best villain anyone had ever seen.”
“But what if you’re meant for something different?
” Her voice was soft as she stood up and joined me on the couch.
She reached out for me, but then pulled back.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be forcing my ideas on you.
I just feel like you’re better than you give yourself credit for.
Every time I tried to brainstorm you as the villain, something felt off.
I spent hours wracking my brain and couldn’t figure out a single idea I liked.
Not until Dain suggested that you were the hero of the story.
Once that clicked into place, it’s like my mind was overflowing with good ideas. ”
“Ah, so this was Dain’s fault then?” I shook my head, gripping the couch tight. “Remind me to punish him later.”
Willow sighed. “Fine, fine. I’ll keep brainstorming ideas for you being the big bad instead.”
Her expression was pained as she ran a hand over her face, all excitement for the story obviously gone.
Her notes had felt so full of life, and I hated telling her that they weren’t good enough, but they just weren’t me.
At least, that’s what I wanted to keep saying, but a small part of me had felt happy when she’d said that I was meant for more.
Knowing that she thought I was a good man deep down made me want to try, even just a little bit, if it meant seeing that excitement in her eyes again.
I secretly enjoyed the way her notes had portrayed me, so full of confidence and strength, able to protect anyone who mattered to me.
But the only person I really wanted to protect right now was Willow.
“I’m willing to give your ideas a shot.”
Her eyes widened. “Really? You’re not just saying that to make me happy, right? This is your story, so you’re the one who needs to feel good about it.”
Every moment we spent together felt good, like I could be anyone I wanted to be instead of the joke of a villain from before.
She never expected me to play a role. She just wanted me to be me and she would craft the story around that.
It was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for me, and it made me want to return the favor.
“Let’s go somewhere,” I said suddenly. “Anywhere you want, and you can tell me more about this morally gray hero idea of yours.”
“That sounds great!” She lunged forward, wrapping her arms around me in a tight hug. When she pulled back, she was grinning from ear to ear. “You’re going to make an awesome anti-hero, I promise.”
“Yeah, yeah.” I stood and offered my hand to her. “Where would you like to go? Back into town, to the apothecary gardens, or maybe somewhere entirely new?”
“Hmmm...I think best when my hands are busy, so I’d love to plant a garden or something outside.”
My lips pulled into a grin. “I thought you might want that. There’s a giant garden that the apothecaries of this world use that’s overflowing with magic.
Apparently, the plants glow with demonic energy and it’s a beautiful sight.
I bet we can even find a small section where you can garden to your heart’s content while you’re here. ”
Her eyes lit up as she slid her hand into mine so I could pull her up off the couch. “Let’s get going then!”
She tugged me through the halls of the castle even though she had no idea where we were going. I was glad I’d taken the time to ask about nearby gardens before I’d returned to the castle. Seeing her so full of joy at such a simple thing made my heart soar.
I’d never have thought I could be anything but the villain before, but being around Willow made me want to explore my options and really let myself live for once. Maybe I’d be surprised.