Unstable

Chapter 18

--- Xander's POV ---

I rubbed my eyes and opened them to the sight of a bed canopy.

Where am I?

I sat up and rubbed my head, confused. Then, I remembered.

Sweeping my legs over the side of the unnecessarily large bed, I heard another knock at the door. That was what had woken me up.

I had a shirt and pants on, so I shuffled to the door and opened it to see a young woman. She was wearing a maid costume, but her forked tongue was the thing that drew my attention.

"I'm here to bring you to breakfast."

"Okay. Can I get dressed first?" I motioned to my outfit. She nodded crisply, and I closed the door. I looked through the closet, selecting a dark red dress shirt and pants. They fit perfectly.

I brushed my teeth quickly and splashed water on my face.

I stepped outside of the room, fixing my collar. The woman was standing with Aither and Raiden, who were dressed similarly to me, in sharp looking clothes.

"So, what do you two think about all this?" Raiden asked.

"Ask me after I have my morning coffee," Aither yawned.

"I want to stay here forever. The beds are so comfy," I exclaimed.

We talked until we got to the dining hall. I was huge, filled with chatter from the demons seated at the long tables.

Our guide brought us to a table near the end of the dining hall. I spotted Dion and Dia, and went to sit next to them, but we were called over by the king. I mean, Fox's father.

There was an empty chair to the right of the king, and on his left was a boy that looked like a miniature version of him, but without the beard and barbed tail. Instead, he had a bushy tail and ears, that were the same black and white as Fox's. We left the seat on the right of the king empty, as per his instructions, and took seats that were next to each other.

"This is my younger son, Elliot," the king introduced. They were wearing clothes that were more casual than ours. We said hello, but before we could strike up a conversation, food was served.

There were pancakes, waffles, and eggs, orange juice, and even bacon that wasn't the crappy turkey kind. There were lots of other foods, some I didn't even know the names of, but I was too busy stuffing my face to ask.

After I had followed my huge bite of pancakes with a gulp of orange juice, I finally put my fork down, satisfied.

Raiden burped, and Aither chuckled.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

Elliot let out an even bigger burp, and we all burst into laughter. The king asked about how our stay at the castle was so far, and we answered with gratitude.

"If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them for you!" He boomed.

I nodded, and opened my mouth to speak, but before I could utter a sound, a squat demon came scrambling up to our table.

He was breathing hard, mopping the sweat from his shiny forehead with a handkerchief. "Ah, I'm sorry to interrupt, Your Majesty, but I have important news from the royal doctor."

Aither and I exchanged looks.

"What is it?" The king didn't look as joyful anymore.

The messenger hesitated, looking at me, then back at the king.

"Do not worry, they're fine."

"Okay, ah, as you ordered, Prince Fox was taken for pictures early this morning. During the photo shoot, his Heat Fever pills wore off, and the doctor started the trial."