Midnight

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Leiah tried her best to smile despite the horrendous shock she had just gone through. With a stiff swallow, she awkwardly glanced up at Hallow and cracked a wider grin.

"Is this real?" She asked, eyeing the surprising object inside the black box her companion proudly held out to her.

"You shouldn't doubt the authenticity of anything I offer you, lovely Leiah. Think of it as a prewedding gift. Many of the women back in my kingdom would be very jealous of you, you lucky little human."

Leiah's eyes remained glued on the dark, unusually large insect she couldn't distinguish. With a nervous shuffle, she hesitantly reached out to pick it up from the end of its thin, hairy leg.

The second she made contact with the prickly beast, Hallow lightly flung the box towards Leiah. She gasped sharply, falling backwards as the insect landed directly on her chest, its many dead eyes staring directly at her. She was sure to faint right at the spot, but what came next caught her completely off guard.

A soft, purple tongue slid across her right cheek. Leiah opened one eye and nearly jumped at the sight that awaited her.

A round, fluffy black creature she had never seen in her life rested on top of her bosom. Its pointed tongue hung out like a tired dog, and it bounced on the woman's heaving chest with excitement.

Hallow couldn't contain his laughter any longer. He slapped his knee, pointing at the embarrassed woman as clouds of smoke escaped from his mouth. "Your face! I will never forget that look, hahaha!"

Leiah picked up the creature with a cautious, yet curious gaze. It jumped into her arms, seemingly eager for affection. "Y-you tricked me. I was so frightened, Hallow. Dear God, I swear I almost died."

"You are still alive, pumpkin. Tell me, what do you think of him?"

Leiah tried processing everything that had happened, and she blinked a few times at the furry being gazing up at her with two beady eyes. "You gave me this as a gift? He's strange, yet cute. What is he?"

Hallow reached out to scratch the top of the things head, giggling as it whined softly with affection. "A lovely critter you will only see in the underworld. They can transform themselves into anything they wish, as long as it repels whoever confronts them. You, however, were not afraid to touch him. I believe that is what made him like you."

Leiah found herself smiling, and she brought the ball of fur closer to her face. "He's dark like...midnight. I think his name will be Midnight, is that okay?"

"The name suits him, princess."

Hallow watched with quiet wonder as the woman cuddled the puppy-like animal, a cheerful glow radiating from her face. For a moment, he nearly forgot why he had knocked on her bedroom door in the first place.

"Midnight needs something to chew on, and you and I have a long night ahead of us."

"But its always night now?"

"Precisely." Hallow whistled, causing Leiah's new pet to leap from her grasp and float up in the air. He disappeared right through the ceiling like a ghost, but Hallow assured his future bride that he had merely gone off to find something to feast on.

"When will he be back? Is he going to be safe?" Leiah questioned, already becoming attached with the adorable, fuzzy ball.

"Do not fret. Midnight's kind may not seem ferocious, but they can easily defend themselves against an entire army."

The princess found herself feeling a little less anxious at the king's words. She crossed her legs together, patting the floor in front of her for Hallow to sit. He crouched down, trying not to hit anything due to his enormous height.

"Thank you, Hallow. I admit I was a bit nervous by what I saw outside in the garden, but I trust you. I'm sorry if I seemed a little off." Leiah confessed, her fingers unknowingly begining to play with the strands of hair resting on her shoulder.

"Your apology is accepted, but uneeded. If I were in your shoes, why, I would have reacted the same way."

Leiah nodded, but didn't know what else to say to keep the conversation flowing. She wanted Hallow to do all the talking, but was nervous that he would bring up the marriage proposal again. Her mind was leaning towards a decision already, but she felt she needed more time to think about it until she revealed her response to him.

As if in cue, Hallow suddenly slid closer towards the silent woman. She tried to act as if she didn't notice, and instead pretended she was sorting out some knots in her hair. Though she remained calm on the outside, inside her heart was fighting to be free from the cage surrounding it.

"Let us summon my wonderful friend, Satan." Hallow clapped his hands in satisfaction, pulling out a ouija board from heaven knows where.

Leiah shook her head vigorously, grabbing a hold of the heavy wooden board before he could rest it on their lap. "No, thank you! Not in my room, at least."

Hallow pouted in dissatisfaction, resting his head on the palm of his hand, "Well then, what shall we do? Must I summon a tray of treats instead?"

"That doesn't sound bad. Why not make it a suprise?" The princess challenged, dreading yet anticipating what unappetizing dish the king would conjure. He smirked with pleasure, rubbing his hands together as his mind went through a list of horrible things to serve to the woman.

"Very well, your highness." He ordered her to close his eyes, and she hesitantly did so, slightly regretting ever suggesting a surprise snack. She sat there with her hands up to her face, wondering what was taking him so long after a few minutes had passed.

Little did she realize that Hallow did not plan on forcing her to eat anything awful or foreign. He merely stared at the young princess without a word, dimming the fire in his head as he cautiously brought his face closer to her own. She didn't even notice, and merely smiled to herself, waiting for her companion to say something.

"Hallow? Are you still there?"

"I am." Was all the usually talkative spirit responded with, and he leaned back once he was through thoroughly inspecting his partner. "What a shame, your highness. It appears that I am all out of tricks for the night."

Leiah seemed momentarily confused as she finally lowered her hands, "Is that so? I wouldn't expect that from someone like you, Hallow." He merely grinned, folding his arms over his chest as he glanced around the room, digesting every little detail he hadn't noticed before. There were a few paintings adorned with gold frames, a small round mirror, and cutouts of pumpkins, ghost, and bat. The calm King focused on those images, only tearing away when Leiah cleared her throat.

"Is something the matter?" She asked, noticing that Hallow wasn't his usual, jolly self. As if realizing this, the creature puffed up his chest and outstretched his arms, "Nothing is ever the matter with me, princess. I was merely wondering what ideas you have for the party I asked you to organize."

"Ah yes. We can go over them tomorrow with Tyrell."

Hallow's glowing eye twitched slightly as he interlocked his fingers together, wearing a smug grin that reeked of false kindness, "The bloody babysitter? I am afraid that he is no longer interested.

Leiah's smile disappeared as his words settled upon her, and she was overcome with confusion, "What do you mean?"

"Let us say, that the whining fool has finally marched far, far away. Honestly, princess. I don't know why you bother to even think about such a useless pile of flesh and bones."

"I don't understand, Hallow. What do you mean he's gone?"

Hallow suppressed an irritated growl, realizing that it would have been best if he just avoided the conversation about the transformed guard all together. He let out a forged cough and took a firm hold of the woman's tiny hands, making sure that she was focused solely on him, "The miserable buffoon will be back in a few days. You have nothing to fear. I merely sent him out on a safe, violence-free quest that will require a good deal of his time."

The creature was annoyed to find Leiah concerned for Tyrell, especially after she made it clear she didn't want him around her. He couldn't grasp humans or their emotions, and it was exhausting pretending to understand what was going on inside the mind of a young woman.

"Enough of Tyrell. Let us both enjoy the rest of the night and do whatever it is human do in this small world of yours."

Leiah surpressed a smile, watching as her newly found friend talked about what candy he should conjure for them. She glanced down at her hands still in his grasp, and her lungs expanded as she took in a deep, dreamy sigh. It was hard to believe she was falling for the spirit, but even so she would not confess to it so easily. When her father awakened, Tyrell came back, and the guards came to life- that was when she knew she would feel more comfortable expressing her feelings to Hallow. It didn't feel right being happy for too long, especially when those she cared about weren't around or were in bad situations.

She would wait to give her response to Hallow until everything was perfect. She felt that the dark King from the underworld wouldn't mind waiting a bit longer for her answer. He seemed genuine to her, and she felt that from there on out, the two would be the best of companions.

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