#castielle

Celestia is at war with Hellatum.

Man against man, angel against demon.

Had their previous alliance meant nothing?

The joining of light and dark, of sun and moon, the blessed union of a seraphim monarch and her warrior bride?

Was Hellatum’s beloved princess even hers anymore after this sheer betrayal of trust pitched nation against nation once again?

Will she want to revoke their marriage?

Castielle hasn’t seen Deanna in days.

Their bed feels empty without the gorgeous woman of a demon laid there beside her, tucked in Castielle’s warm embrace.

That woman is Castielle’s wife. 

Her sweet and fiery queen.

Snowy wings unfurling, Castielle sags onto her knees, unable to look away from the night sky, so clear and littered with stars.

The whitewashed moonbeams bathe her in their milky caress, spilling onto the marble floor of the throne room and reflecting off the glossy tiles in an ambient haze.

When Castielle presses her forehead to the ground in solemn despair, her wings envelop her shivering form.

“I can’t do this, Father.” she whimpers, unwelcome tears sliding down her face. 

“I... I thought I could. I thought I could be Queen, but now... I know better. I’m unworthy of this throne, of this crown. I deserve to die.”

The throne room is silent with unspoken pain. Cold and stark and devoid of company. 

It’s lonely during these hours.

Painfully so. 

There’s a weight placed on her shoulder, and Castielle’s wings twitch, hiding her tear-streaked face behind them.

“I’ve missed you, Cas.” says a familiar voice, gentle tone tinged with what sounds like worry. “Are you okay? Whose face do I have to punch in for making you sad?”

Castielle swallows, lifting her head from the floor to look at Deanna’s face for a moment, her striking features soft with concern. 

“I thought you left.” Castielle whispers.

“I... I would’ve understood as to why.”

At that, Deanna frowns, kneeling in front of Cas. Her obsidian eyes bore into Cas’ skull, calloused hands latching onto Cas’ own.

“...What? Alright. Where is this all coming from, Cas? Is this because of the war?” asks Deanna, eyebrows furrowed. Castielle doesn’t speak.

“Because if so, my allegiance is always to you, Cas. In case you’ve forgotten, I look after this kingdom too, and I care about you and your people, even if your folks don’t like me that much since I’m a demon. Don’t blame ‘em though. Our species sure doesn’t have the nicest of track records.”

“But our nations are at war, Deanna,” Castielle replies, staring back at Deanna with equal intensity. 

“Thousands of my soldiers, of my subjects, have died at the hands of your father and his armies. Our kingdom, my people, are suffering because I can’t be the Queen they need me to be!”

Shaking her head, Castielle sighs.

Deanna looks ethereal in the moonlight.

“Cas.” Deanna frowns. Castielle refuses to look up from the floor. 

“Cas, look at me.”

“I don’t want to,” Castielle mumbles, shaking her head.

“Why?”

“Because I don’t want to.”

“And I’m asking for a good reason why.”

With an irritated huff, Castielle sits up, wings flaring wide.

“Have you ever thought that maybe, just maybe, I don’t want to talk right now, Deanna? I’m in pain. Celestia is lost.”

Deanna runs a hand through her hair and rises to her feet, high heels clicking against the stone floor as she struts out of view. 

This is it. 

This is what defeat tastes like.

Yet, the footsteps come closer until Deanna kneels before Castielle again, fingers hooking under Castielle’s chin and lifting up her gaze from the floor.

Castielle gulps, frozen in Deanna’s presence.

“No queen of mine is gonna let herself think that she isn’t worthy of her own damn crown.” 

Hands reaching beside her, Deanna takes the royal crown, placing it back onto Castielle’s head in a slow, reverent motion.

“Dea–” Castielle protests, voice taught.

“You seriously gotta stop it with this self-blaming shit, Cas. It’s not good for you.” Deanna cuts her off, thumbs stroking Castielle’s cheeks.

“Sure, it may seem like everything’s gone to shit, and to be honest, it has. My dad is a stupid bastard for breaking our allegiance to Celestia like that. But, hey.”

“…What?” Castielle asks, jaw clenching.

“You can’t beat yourself up just because my father plays dirty. That was a dick move, attacking Celestia right after we’d made an alliance with you, and you did the right damn thing, standing up for your country, even if my people had the unfair advantage. Demons are of the darkness, yeah, but we pride ourselves upon sticking to the deals we’re part of. Dad’s just an ass.”

Castielle finds herself standing, her wings coming to loom over Deanna’s shoulders like a feathery canopy. Deanna smirks at the sight, wrapping her tail around Castielle’s thigh.

“We’re… we’re still losing this war, Deanna. You and I, we’re young rulers. We’re inexperienced. Whereas your father has been on the throne for many years. It would take a miracle to win.”

“And we will win, don’t you worry about that, darling dearest! You’re already a better ruler than him because you’ve got it in for the people, not the power. Man, if there’s any goddamn angel or demon, or whatever, out there worthy of that crown on your head, it’s you, Cas. Start believing it.”

“…Okay.” Castielle nods, stepping forward to hug her wife in sincere gratitude. “Okay, Deanna.”

“Ah, there you go!” Deanna smiles, pecking Castielle on the lips. “That’s my angel.”

“That’s… my… demon.” Castielle tries to answer, and Deanna shakes her head, dark eyes fond with laughter.

Celestia may be at war with Hellatum, and Queen Castielle may be new to the throne, but it is far from over.

For a queen is only a queen when she overcomes her demons, and Hellatum ain’t seen nothing yet.

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if you guys like this, i’d be willing to develop this fic further :)

this was written in a rush of inspiration, thanks to c-kaeru’s beautiful art!

thanks for reading! feedback is appreciated. :)