Vinliam Oneshots I ♪🥀♪

Demon Au: Lullaby

"William Vexel Afton. You are to bring this news to General Clementine. It will be brought upon in a scroll. Protect this at all costs, without the General receiving it, our front-line attack will fail miserably." His Majesty announced.

William felt everyone's gazes on him, he felt proud but quite nervous. It's not such a thing as this would be presented to him, he was just his majesty's poet.

He bit inside his jaw before nodding his head firmly and giving a fierce glare back to his king out of respect and trustworthiness. "I will do my best, your sire."

Afton was handed the scroll and sent off, with no instructions on what to do exactly. No nothing but a map of the location where the General lives.

And with that, William was off.

...

William carried himself down the dirt path, he didn't know how far he was from home but he trusted this map.

The demon squinted his eyes against the flaming sun, it was a hot summer day. The sweltering heat melted his brain, with every step Afton took. A tired pant came out.

On the bright side, a forest and lily gardens surrounded him. The luminously radiant and upright oak trees provided shade from the unbearable heat.

The vibrant jade leaves swayed serenely in the breeze, creating a calming atmosphere for William.

William scoffed to himself silently, feeling a tight smile expressed on his face. Maybe this excursion wasn't so bad after all.

His gaze snapped over to the gardens and shrubs, the flowers were abloom and jewel-toned. With a sweet fragrant smell, William could smell it all the way from where he was walking. There were all kinds of flowers, orchids, dahlias, tulips, daffodils, and lilies; which was the most apparent flower out of the bunch.

It had been a couple of days, surely he reached the palace the General was staying at, William thought.

The black-haired demon picked up his pace, his shoes kicked up the grime and hardscrabble path. Making the edges of his black shoes scuffed with filth.

William lifted his upper arm which was covered by cotton bandages wrapped around securely, he couldn't remember the last time he didn't have to wear these. Afton's skin was always sensitive to anything and everything, even a little cut wouldn't heal for weeks. But, this caused his skin to be overly smooth and soft.

He may be a demon, creatures thought to be vicious with hideous looks and roaming free like animals. Yet he was barely ever outside the palace, ever since a child, he had no idea how most demons were other than the royals.

Which is why William's mind buzzed with questions, there were so many more suitable candidates for this journey.

"Though you know what they say, curiosity killed the cat," William whispered to himself, feeling the wind blow his dark locks of hair past his ears.

Even with the cool breeze, William started to feel dizzy. He slapped the palm of his hand against his forehead, groaning in annoyance.

The demon closed his eyes for a moment to stop the dizziness, continuing to stride on. Only then did he stop after he felt the hard texture of the ground turn into something soft.

He opened his eyes swiftly, staring out into the gorgeous horizon.

There was no doubt in his mind now. He was going to meet the general today. There were farmers, barns, tractors, houses, and a whole town in fact.

And the civilization only meant one thing, the army was nearby. With the army, the one and only General would be here too. William skidded down the hill, and his briefly tight smile became wide.

The wheat fields flowed in the wind, creating golden ripples over the prairie. The demon grinned, breathing in the fresh smells of wheat and bread.

The town wasn't as vast as it looked up close. William walked in between the parallel and narrow lines of houses guiding the soft dirt road. The deprived palace in the near distance wasn't hard to see from where William stood.

Afton drifted his attention back to the town, noticing the houses and food stalls were rather empty. He shrugged it off and sauntered faster toward this palace.

The black-haired male reached into his bamboo woven bag, shuffling around to make sure he had the scroll. There it is! Is that my map or the scroll?

...probably the scroll.

William grinned, excitement overcoming him but also relief that he finally would be able to go home.

He clipped his bag back together with the snaps and took a deep breath.

The palace-like structure seemed far away, but in reality, William was quite close to it. It was just a quite abruptly high building.

Afton inhaled a deep breath, and harshly let it out. Walking up the cobblestone stairs which were decorated with pearl orbs and citrus trees growing next to it. His hands traced softly against the designed iron gates.

The demon carefully walked over the gates, staring breathlessly up at the palace.

The same sweet fragrance of wildflowers filled his lungs again, looking down, William found an abundant and assorted fresh-cut garden of roses. It was the palace's garden, with a carved bird fountain and average-length thin trees.

Maybe.. I should stay here for a little while, even if I did go into the palace, I wouldn't know what to do in there or where to find the General. William pondered, leaning back against a sturdy bark.

He began to hum a soft lullaby, lifting his neck to gaze at the strangely stippled yet blissful blue skyline.

As William relaxed under the tree, he felt a mood perfect for a song. The demon quickly darted his gaze in every direction to make sure no one was nearby. Once it was clear, he bit his upper lip softly. Remembering the lullabies he sang to his precious children.

William slowly scooted down the thick bark of the tree and went into a tight sitting position, wrapping his hands around his calves. He thought for a couple of minutes, letting the hum of the lullaby make him remember the lyrics.

He chuckled softly to himself, why did he feel so embarrassed? Afton sighed and opened his mouth. Letting the words of the lullaby slip out fondly. The gentle timbre rang as clear as a bell-he began a calm but cheerful-sounding tune.

[...]

Come stop your crying,

It will be alright.

Just take my hand,

Hold it tight./

I will protect you,

From all around you./

I will be here,

Don't you cry.

He let the lullaby end softly as if carried away by the gentle breeze. His mind fully eased, and the moment felt perfectly serene-

...

"That was a lovely song, gorgeous."