To Be A Prince of Hell

Chapter 8: I Cared

Salem knew he was signing his own death warrant as soon as he joined the rebellion. He had little hope it would work and even less faith that they'd actually make it to the point they were ready to go directly for the King without being caught. And he was right, of course. As soon as he realized the High Prince was going to interrogate Abraxas, he knew it was over. Dragged into this unwillingly as he was, the old demon wouldn't keep his mouth shut as he was being tortured. So, he went with his contingency plan: Prince Zeldris.

The younger of the Demon Princes, he was less critical, not yet as cautious or suspecting as his elder brother. He would never dream someone would attempt to attack him inside his own castle. He should've. Their Clan wasn't known for letting innocence remain, especially not in the higher echelons.

Looking behind him at the bound and still unconscious prince, Salem couldn't help but feel a pang of regret. Despite his disloyalty, he did truly care for the elder prince. He was cold, calculating, and had an hellish temper, but he still had a spark in his eyes that he'd never seen the Demon King have. And to regular civilians, especially children, he could be cordial, if a bit icy. If only... But no. The warden had chosen his course and there was no turning back.
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It took Meliodas two days to find them.

First returning to Abraxas's manor, where there were now civilians and such milling around, horrified at all the death and destruction. They quickly fled in terror when they saw him. He turned the house inside out, searching for any clues as to where Salem could be. As soon as he walked into Abraxas's study, he saw it–a note nailed to the wall right where he had slaughtered the former Counselor. He stalked over to it and ripped it down, quickly reading it. The contents made his blood boil.

My Prince,

You know where to find us.

Your friend, Salem

Meliodas had to force himself not to rip or burn the note in his anger. The asshole was playing with him. Calling Meliodas his prince, after he had been attempting to depose the king for months now? And daring to call him his friend after he'd just betrayed him? His darkness expanded, pushing against his body, begging to be let out, begging to express his rage. He held it in. There would be time for that later.

" 'You know where to find us'." He muttered to himself, musing as to its meaning. It could mean two things–either they were somewhere Meliodas would know from history, an important spot for either the foolish commander the group was named after or for the Demon King. Or, Salem had taken Zeldris somewhere that was important to himself that Meliodas would know of. Considering how far Salem went to accomplish his goals, lying to Meliodas for...months? Years? How long had he trusted a traitor to watch his back? How long had Salem been planning this? He gritted his teeth at the thought. And on top of all that, kidnapping Zeldris, the younger prince...how long had he been planning that?

Meliodas took a deep breath, crumbling the note in his clenched fist. He couldn't allow himself to think about that any longer. He wouldn't get anything done asking those questions now. Shoving the note into his pocket, he dissolved into shadows and went to the first place he could think of that Salem meant– the Ruins of Gormoran, the place of the final stand of Abaddon.

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In a dark, dank room underground, Salem sat on a crumbling bench, watching the still sleeping prince. Despite being laid on a stone slab with chains binding his hands and feet, his face was relaxed and completely at peace. He was struck again by how both different and similar the two princes were. Meliodas, while he looked young and shared many physical features with his brother, did not sleep so innocently. Even while he was resting, the crown prince was tense, almost scowling, like he was annoyed with his dreams.