257 Chapter 257 A Home for the Gargoyles
Aella teleported back to the castle after finishing the meal with Firion. The act he put on when he was around both his wife and his daughter was scary. Even when Aella didn't know that the daughter was there, he knew and acted accordingly. She could tell when he dropped the act and was himself that no one was around. His wife seemed like she knew something was up with him, but honestly seemed to love him. The daughter would be interesting to watch as she grew. Aella wasn't sure he wouldn't have her kill someone when she got older, to initiate her into his group of assassins, but for now, the girl seemed to think it was all a game.
Frederik was still asleep on the bed, with their daughter asleep next to him. Aella stood there for a moment, looking at them, realizing she would be able to watch both of them grow old and die, while she remained the same age she was. If she tried to get either of them to stop aging, they would be stuck with the same problem she had. She would just have to be content with taking care of them and their loved ones until they died.
"Precious," she thought.
"Yes, Aella?"
"I don't want to have any more kids, if it can be done. Could you make me sterile?"
"Why, Aella?" he asked.
"I didn't want kids, but now that I have one, I'm going to have to watch her grow up and die. Even if she lives a long happy life, she will still grow old and die under my watch. I don't want to deal with that over and over."
"I understand Aella," he said softly. "Don't worry. You won't have kids ever again. You should check in with the gargoyles. All of those pods from the tree have hatched."
Aella nodded, glancing at her family before teleporting above the field she had protected for the pods to grow in. The tree had withdrawn its roots as the pods hatched, but left the empty husks behind to rot. She could see in the early morning light, that the gargoyles had been piling the vegetation in piles, and cleaning up the area in her absence.
"Aella!" called Hunter happily. "It's good to see you."
"I see you've been busy," said Aella, turning to greet him as the gargoyle flew up towards her.
She created a platform in the air, for him to land on, since he couldn't hover very well. He settled on it hesitantly, as if he expected it to disappear out from under him any moment.
"Will this…?" he asked, holding his arms out to either side as if he would fall.
"It's completely stable, you don't have to worry," she chuckled. "How are the young gargoyles doing?"
He nodded at her, and stood up straight, making an effort not to look down. "It has been very interesting as they hatched. I didn't expect them to know as much as they do. They have surprised me quite a bit since they hatched."
"I suppose you need me to make you more living spaces?" laughed Aella, glancing at the cliff wall where the entrance to their single cave was. There were gargoyles perched all over it, many still sleeping, but others were waking and stretching their wings to catch the early morning rays.
"That would be nice. I have my work cut out for me, teaching them all to hunt with winter coming on. I'm not sure we will be able to feed everyone if we don't get help from you or the tree."
"Don't worry, I will speak with the tree about the increased need for food in this area. I'm sure it has already foreseen the need, but I will double check."
"Thank you. All but two of the demonesses returned to the cities when these hatched. They felt that there was too much competition and weren't really forming a bond as you had wanted. The two who stayed have greatly enjoyed the added company and I think there will be young soon."
Aella nodded her approval and turned to the field below her.
"Do you want me to remove the walls and allow creatures access to this area, or do you intend to farm it for plant-type food?"
"I personally don't care to eat plants," he winced. "The women seem to have a fondness for some of those types of foods though, so I would have you keep the walled area intact for them to plant what they will. It would be good to give them something to do and not have too much time to think. I have found that when anyone has too much free time, they tend to get in trouble."
Aella laughed. "Alright. I'll leave it for now. I may need to pop back home occasionally, but I will have the caves ready before the end of the day."
Hunter nodded his thanks and flew back to the waiting gargoyles to inform them of her plans. Aella didn't wait to see their response, instead she flew along the cliffside looking for suitable rock to make the caves in. The entire cliff had to be reinforced before she could start building the caves.
"Aella?" asked Frederik in her head. "Are you able to come back?"
She was only about halfway done with shoring up the cliffside in order to start building the caves when he contacted her.
"Sure, what's wrong?" she asked, teleporting back quickly.
Frederik was standing next to a bed that was far too small for anyone but the baby to sleep in.
"I had a bed made for her, and the seamstress was going to be stopping by to make her some clothes, but she's acting hungry again," he said, giving her a weak smile.
"You look tired," she said, noting the dark bags under his eyes. "Why don't you get some sleep? I'll watch her for a while."
"I want to be here when the…" he started to say when a knock came on the door.
"Your Majesty? The seamstress is here," said a voice at the door.
"Let her in," he said, sitting down on the side of his bed.
The demoness Aella remembered from when she had become the Demon King, entered in a flurry. She still only had tentacle horns on her head, instead of hair, and Aella tilted her head in confusion.
"Aren't you the demoness that wanted to do my hair?" asked Aella. "I didn't think you did clothing."
"I'm gifted," chuckled the demoness. "So, we have a little bundle of joy, hmm? Let's get her measurements and then plan on some clothing designs."
Frederik tried to give his opinion on some of the designs and colors, but he kept dozing off. Aella eventually convinced him to lay down for a nap while the demoness finished up.
"I think I have everything I need. The first set of clothing will be ready tomorrow, and then the rest will be available as soon as I can get them done. Most demon children grow quickly and will need new clothes quite frequently."
"That's fine. I may not be here, with her, so you can just have the clothing sent. The king needs some rest," said Aella, glancing over at Frederik passed out on the bed. Had the baby really kept him up, or was he still getting over from the stress of the other day?
"That's alright, Your Majesty. I understand you are busy. I will have the clothes delivered as soon as they are ready."
Aella nodded to dismiss her, and held the baby to her. She was much more content after having been fed, and seemed content to just be held. Could she go back to work with her in tow? She could control the elements and hold the baby at the same time. With one more glance at Frederik, she teleported back to the cliffside and went back to work. Forming a pocket on her front to hold the baby close once she fell asleep, Aella managed to get the cliff ready for the caves before Frederik contacted her again.
"Do you have her? Is she alright?" He seemed much more in control of himself, despite the evident concern in his voice.
"She's fine. You sound much better. I've fed her and she's sleeping right now. I can still work and hold her at the same time. I figured once you had some rest, you probably needed to deal with things," she said, not pausing in her work.
"That's true, if you need me to take her back, you can bring her at any time," he said finally.
"Don't worry. Once I'm done here, I'll come right back." Aella chuckled as he broke the connection between them. This communication thing was a wonderful idea. She was going to have to drop by Bridgette and thank her.
With that thought, she started thinking about some of the other people she could communicate with, and she suddenly remembered that she was supposed to give the fairy queen cookies. She should probably mention that to Frederik.
