Summary: Zeldris is sent to take the Vampire princess Gelda back to the demon realm for the Demon King. During their journey across Britannia, they must face many dangers—not least of all, each other.

A/N: So here's the situation. A couple of months ago I wrote a short story called Sacred Inferno about Zeldris and Gelda. If you were one of the four people that read it, you're probably wondering, isn't this the same story? Well, not exactly.

You see, my two dear friends, BettyBest2 and Cerulean Grace, proceeded to discuss this pairing every day for the next three months, and now I have developed this completely different story for them. So please enjoy, and please forgive me for returning to this pair for another round.

Chapter One: The Demon Suitor

Zeldris stalked towards the throne room of the king, answering an unusual summons. Despite being a commander in the Demon King's army, having made his way up through the ranks faster than any other officer, even his brother Meliodas, it was rare to receive an audience in person. Usually the Demon King gave his orders through his regents, or sent word through messengers. It had been a long time since he had a private audience with the king.

As he entered, he performed a great bow before walking up the long aisle of the room. The last time Zeldris had been here, it was packed with people, talking and dining and drinking and observing the newest affair the king had arranged. This time, the room was empty and silent, making it seem almost cavernous as he approached the dais where the king's throne sat.

When he was still a third of the way there, Zeldris stopped and bowed again, waiting for the king to acknowledge him. Several long moments went by before the king rasped, "Zeldris. How good of you to come."

"Only to serve you, Sire," he responded, straightening and raising his eyes. The king was shrouded in darkness, making it difficult to discern his large frame and the long, knotted hair that hung around him. The darkness moved around him as he spoke, like a living shadow. "I have a task for you."

Zeldris bowed again. He kept his body and face stoic, even as his mind thrummed with anticipation. He had been waiting for an opportunity like this to prove himself. With two very powerful older brothers, Zeldris had always been in their shadow, being the last. He had never been given a direct order from the king without one or both of the others being involved. But he would be damned before he would show any eagerness in front of the king.

"Are you familiar with the Kingdom of Edinburgh?" the king asked.

Nodding, Zeldris said, "The Vampires, Sire?"

"Yes." The king's voice reminded him of a serpent. "The king has a daughter, whom he will not allow to marry unless the suitor can best him in combat. Her dowry is half of Edinburgh's treasures. Izraf is a very rich man. I want that dowry." He leaned forward a bit on his throne. "You will go as my champion and win me the daughter as my bride. Bring her back here, and you will be richly rewarded."

This was to be his great task? Fighting an old vampire to bring back some woman for the king? Zeldris ground his teeth as he stood there. This task was well beneath his abilities, but he knew better than to question the king's command. "I will return with the girl," he said slowly.

"Good," the king said. "I would have sent one of your brothers, but they are both occupied at the moment."

Zeldris simply nodded in answer. He was irritated by the request, and hearing that he was not the king's first choice after all only added to his agitation. Now he was just anxious to go and return, and have this whole ridiculous errand finished. "Will there be anything else, Sire?"

The king made a venomous sound that could have been chuckling. "Must you be so formal, Zeldris? Of all my sons, you are by far the least pleasant."

"Is that what you would like?" he asked coldly, raising his eyes up to the dark figure. "Would you like me to be pleasant?"

The sound came again, and now Zeldris knew the king was laughing at him. Anger swirled inside of him, but he kept his energy and his emotions neatly in check. It definitely would not be prudent to allow the king to even suspect he would raise a voice or a hand against him. "I suppose not," the king finally responded. "Pleasantries and charm do not suit you."

With that final insult, Zeldris gave another bow and whirled around. He stalked from the throne room, listening to his father call for the next visitor. He had forgotten about him that quickly, but that was to be expected.

With Meliodas and Estarossa around, the king had never had any reason to give him more than a glancing thought. Meliodas was the most powerful demon in the kingdom, the leader of the Ten Commandments, and assumed successor to the throne. Estarossa was a favored servant who had been gifted with the most powerful decree out of all of the king's Commandments. Both sons were often called upon by the king to do his bidding personally.

And Zeldris? He had been raised with the same privileges, molded into the warrior and leader the same as the other two. Yet somehow he had always managed to escape the king's special notice. Even his accomplishments were not enough; they were what a demon prince were expected to do, and they alone did not earn him the king's praise. Even though he had surpassed his brothers in many ways. Even though Zeldris had proven his worth tenfold.

But jealousy was for the weak. It was beneath him. So Zeldris waited, knowing that one day the king would take true notice of him. One day he would surpass Estarossa, and even Meliodas. And when that happened, his father would have a reckoning.

.o0o.

Gelda sat before her mirror, watching her servant braid her hair. She was dressed in her richest clothing to be presented to another suitor, one of hundreds who had come to Edinburgh to win her hand, or more accurately, her father's wealth. Many noblemen among the Vampire clan, the Demon clan, even the Fairy and Human clans had come, lured by the promise of riches beyond their dreams. Gelda's father liked for her to be presented in her finest as well, her beauty sure to seal away any doubts and strengthen any wavering resolves once the challengers came face-to-face with Izraf.

The price for her hand was a simple one: defeat the Vampire King in combat. But little did they know that Izraf could not be beaten. His strength was greater than any other's, and his magical ability made sure that his opponents had no chance of winning. It was a way to pass the time, Gelda was sure; a way to humiliate the other clans. They thought that the Vampires were weak, because they fed on the blood of others, and were a much smaller in numbers.

A servant hurried in and informed the princess that it was time, and Gelda stood with a huff. She hated the way her father insisted on her watching his ridiculous displays. He paraded her out as the prize in this doomed contest, and she despised every minute of it. She walked with confidence down the hallways, her ladies following, and when she entered the main hall the other royalty bowed. Gelda only nodded to acknowledge them before striding forward to the chair to the right of her father's.

Her seat was in the front so she could watch the fight as it happened, which Gelda hated too. Not that the contests themselves disturbed her; truthfully, Gelda was conflicted each time. She wanted to leave Edinburgh terribly, to escape her father and the grovelling and gossiping of the court. Many of the suitors were handsome, or rich, or had impressive titles. Some were even incredibly powerful. But none of them saw her as anything more than a prize. And she did not see them as anything more than beneath her. Not a single one had caught her eye, had made her actually want him to win and take her as his own. None of them were handsome enough or rich enough or powerful enough to marry the princess of vampires. As far as Gelda was concerned, they deserved their demise for even daring to come for her.

Being the only child of the king, she had the right of sitting next to him in the place of honor. It is also why she suspected he went through with all of this ridiculousness. Izraf did not want Gelda to marry and leave his kingdom. Gelda knew this, but she did not believe it was because of any sense of familial love. Instead, it was one more way Izraf could exert his control in his small kingdom. Tying his wealth and his power to his daughter made them more enviable. She shuddered to think of what he would do if anyone actually managed to best him.

Sitting in her chair, she looked around the room in boredom. The same Vampires were there as always, gossiping and plotting and scheming to advance their own positions. Gelda found it all very tiresome. They were all concerned about power. But power over what? This tiny kingdom? What a joke.

Gelda sighed as she leaned back in her chair, waving away the servants that approached. She ignored everyone that tried to come over to speak to her, watching the room boredly until the king arrived. Hopefully this contest would not prove too long, so she could escape to the solitude that was her only relief from this tiresome life.

She stood with everyone else as he entered, bowing low as she had been taught since her youth as he took his place on the throne. Then she stood with her eyes down, waiting for him to acknowledge her. "Gelda!" he said, his voice booming through the room. "It seems as though another lover has come for your hand. You must be incredibly excited."

"I live only to serve you, Father," she replied evenly, wishing she could say what she truly thought: Anything to finally leave this place.

Izraf guffawed, the others in the court laughing along with him. "Look at my beautiful daughter," he announced, and the others nodded and murmured their assent. "So obedient, so loyal. Well don't worry, my dear. I know that leaving my side would break your heart, so I won't make it too easy on him."

Gelda nodded, her stomach twisted in disgust, and thankfully took her seat. She could feel the eyes of the room on her, and it made her want to scream at all of them. Cowards, she thought. But of course they all were; who would dare go against the king? Izraf was the most powerful Vampire by far. He could destroy any of them, Gelda included, if he so wished. He was to be obeyed without question, and even Gelda had never attempted to defy him. So she swallowed her biting answers and focused her attention on concentrating straight ahead.

"Bring him in!" Izraf shouted. Gelda jumped in her seat as the doors were flung open, and she looked with disinterest at the figure that strode confidently into the room. He was a demon, the tell-tale mark appearing over his brow, under black hair that hung to the side. He looked almost disgusted as his eyes swept the room, and as he approached he seemed to sneer at the figures that stood around, pointing and talking together. She watched him with some amusement as he approached, and then his eyes landed on her.

Gelda had never felt so exposed before, and she swallowed thickly as she gazed back. He seemed to be able to read her mind, as if he could see all of her secrets, and Gelda found that she could not tear her eyes from his. Her heart beat began to pick up its pace. He was handsome, certainly, and dressed in fine clothing, with an ornate hilt on his sword. Then suddenly she felt his power, sensing the incredibly high level that she had not detected until this moment. As she slipped further and deeper into his stare, Gelda thought, for the first time, that he could be worthy enough for her.

For a moment, she pictured this demon defeating her father. She saw Izraf lying on the floor, bruised and bloodied, and this demon taking her from Edinburgh, back to wherever his realm was. She imagined herself being in the hands of such an overwhelming power, and her breath caught by the sheer magnitude of what that would mean. It was a thrilling idea, seeing a suitor that could possibly accomplish this; but she was also terrified suddenly of leaving with this man who was smirking at her now. Unlike the others, he did not seem to be affected by the lavishness of the court, or desirous of their wealth, having given the room a rather unimpressed glance as he had entered. His eyes held no lust as he looked at her.

"Demon," Izraf said with a laugh. "You have made a grave mistake coming here. All who want my daughter must face me first."

The demon pulled his eyes from hers and looked condescendingly at the king. "Let's get this over with then."

A shocked silence filled the hall, and then Izraf shot out a hand. An explosion erupted in the center of the hall, exactly where the demon had once stood, and Gelda jolted up in her chair. There was nothing to be seen but a swirling cloud of dirt that quickly expanded with a flash across the room. The others in the hall began to scream and shout, but Gelda remained silent. She could hear her father laughing beside her, and she looked at him irritably. How could he not sense the power that still remains? Was his ego that great that he assumed such a simple attack would take out such a creature?

The other Vampires were coughing and scrambling away, but Izraf continued laughing. "Look at you all scurry! How can you possibly think you are in danger of anything but me? You are all—"

The king stopped his blustering as his mouth widened in shock. The demon remained exactly where he stood, unmoving as the cloud of dust and debris dissipated around him. His shoulders were squared, his chin down, and he looked up at Izraf with a dark glare. "Is that a way to treat the envoy of the Demon King, your master?"

Gelda's hand flew to her mouth. He was not only a demon, but a messenger from the king himself? Her anxiety twisted viciously inside her stomach. The thought of being claimed by him, of leaving with him, filled her with dread. She looked wildly at her father, who also seemed taken aback by his response. Then his eyes hardened and Izraf rose from his chair. "You may be the Demon King's representative," he said threateningly, "but I am king here. Prepare for your fate."

Izraf walked down the steps, and Gelda was amazed that this demon did not even draw his sword. Out of the corner of her eye she watched the other Vampires move to the far sides of the room, some even slipping out unnoticed through the doorways around the room. She gripped the arms of her chair and whispered, "Father!"

"Your doubt in me is disappointing," Izraf growled at her over his shoulder. "Do you not think I can do away with one demon?" He reached the end of the steps, held up his hands, and shouted, "Impurity."

A massive ball of darkness swirled out of Izraf's arms and enveloped the now mostly empty hall, and Gelda thought she saw the demon wince as it reached him. "Be consumed by the darkness!" Izraf commanded. "Your powers are nothing to the king of Vampires!"

"Enough of this nonsense," came the demon's voice from inside the nothingness. Then it was gone, disappearing in a blink, and Izraf stumbled backwards as he moved. Gelda could barely see his hand move to unsheath his sword, the demon moved so quickly, and the next thing she knew, her father was on his back at the bottom of the steps. The demon held his blade to his neck, his expression unchanged.

It was the most remarkable moment of Gelda's life, and she could barely breathe as the demon, who was only half of the king's size, said to him, "You have been bested. Now concede to me."

There was a heavy silence. Gelda could only hear the pounding of her own heartbeat as she looked down at the unbelievable sight of her father defeated. "Y-yes," Izraf finally stuttered as the demon growled, his hands held in a defensive position. But instead of releasing him, the demon pressed his blade forward. Blood spilled from his neck where the blade had pierced his skin, and the demon continued, "I will take the girl now. You will send her dowry to the realm of the Demon King. If it is not received in seven days, the girl will die."

Gelda could feel the color drain from her cheeks. He turned to her, tilting his head as the command to follow, but she felt frozen to her chair. Her eyes went back and forth from him to her father, cowering on the ground, and she felt her limbs trembling. This was the moment she had been waiting for, for hundreds of years. She had watched hundreds of suitors fall to her father's magic, and she had only dreamed that one would finally take her from this suffocating place. And now that this was actually happening…

The fear of this demon overwhelmed her.

"Now," he said, finally, and withdrew the blade from her father's neck. Izraf reached up a hand to staunch the wound, and Gelda found herself slowly rising to stand on shaking legs. Slowly she descended the steps, not daring to glance at her father, and the demon turned and strode back the way he came. Gelda followed behind, her eyes wide and on the ground in front of her, the silence around her thick as everyone stared. She walked out of the throne room, then through the doors of the castle, for the first time free from her father's command. But instead of the elation she had always thought she would feel, she was filled only with dread.