Thanks girls, and HoT, haha.
Shocked at the turn of events, Saga withdrew his hand from within the barrier and instantly turned around. There, at the main entrance of the room stood his mother with a large number of demon vallans at her side, elite dark-skinned demons who served none other than queen Hel herself. Magatha came rushing through the group, bumping several demons aside, who grumbled threateningly at her. She ignored them and laid her eyes on her mother as she asked, "What is going on here, mother?" Then she became shocked and confused when she saw a blood-covered Saga standing calmly but also warily at the other end of the room. "Saga?!" she cried as soon as she saw him. "Oh my god, Saga, are you alright? What has happened to you--" and she tried to go to him, however, queen Hel rose her hand and detained her with a simple halting spell.
"How did you find out?" Saga simply asked, still unable to understand he had been caught, that his plans were so fast coming to an end.
"Ailyth," Hel simply responded as she brought Magatha back to her side. Saga winced, and his hatred for Ailyth multiplied some more.
"You didn't have to do this, Saga," Hel went on. "you went too far."
"And you did not go too far by forcing me to kneel before a lunatic?" Saga countered, and he spat aside, very disgusted as he remembered having to kneel before Loki.
"I had to do it for our own survival," Hel replied, always keeping herself calm. "Loki would have killed you!"
"Rubbish! I could have defended myself and...if it came to falling to him I would have fallen proudly...but...to have had to endure humiliation, that is something I do not take very well, thus my actions here."
For a brief moment Hel considered her son's words, she knew he had been hurt deeply from the moment he had been forced to kneel to Loki. Hel was very upset and angry at what he had done in the temple, but she kept her composure calm, as she always did.
"I cannot allow you to have our most precious weapon," she said, and Saga, where he stood, clenched his fists in anger, believing a confrontation with his mother was coming.
"Then I will break out of here with it!" he shouted. "You'll have to kill me if you wish to stop me, mother."
"Son!" Hel extended her right hand towards him in a pacifying way. "Wait! You don't have to do anything like that, nor would I ever lay a finger on you or Magatha here, you two are my most valuable treasures! You want to obtain power? You want to go on your own from now on?"
Saga just remained staring back at her, his fists clenched, though he was calming down by the second. Saga nodded at her, barely, but his mother caught it.
"Then there is another way, Saga," she immediately said. "I wont lie to you, my son, it is very dangerous but not impossible, though no one has ever dared to try."
Saga breathed easier just then. What did his mother have in mind? He wasn't afraid of danger, never had feared anything, and so that made him say.
"Tell me about it. But come, mother, dismiss your servants, they seem as if they want to tear me apart!"
Indeed, the demon vallans held angry expressions and seemed like chained rabid dogs, and they surely would have wanted for Hel to give the order for them to kill Saga.
"They have a reason to be upset and angry," Hel explained. "Those who trespass this temple and try to steal our most sacred treasure deserve a slow and painful death at their hands. You, however, are my son, and I am the ruler of Tartakus, I grant you my pardon."
"Then dismiss them quickly or I will not be able to take their stares much more and will engage."
The demon vallans laughed and chuckled graciously, as if Saga was a mere boy compared to them. Saga's eyes glistened with the promise of death, and he even took several long strides forward, his hands bringing out more daggers.
"Enough!" Hel shouted, the demons behind her growled angrily.
"Dismiss these idiots and let us talk this out like one harmonious family we are, or else there will be another blood bath here and now. I'd never harm you, nor Magatha, but I swear I'll leave your guardians in pieces."
Again, many demons growled at the insult and Saga kept going towards them.
Hel granted her son his wish, only because she did not doubt his words, he was pissed and if he had already defeated ten of her Servants, he would defeat more if let.
She dismissed her elite demons, although some complained, but they left the room along with the others, but not before giving Saga stares that promised death.
"Yes, you all go on and get the heck out of here, be glad my mother dismissed you, otherwise I'd be having my fun with you fools!"
A few demons turned around, willing to go engage Saga, however, Hel's eyes glistened dangerously at them and they cowered immediately, turned back around and continuing filing out through the entrance.
Saga made it to where his mother and a very nervous Magatha stood.
"Heh, fools." Saga still had his eyes on the departing demons. "They act all high and mighty because they are ranked as elite vallans."
"Enough, my son, they have left."
"Good," Saga said, putting his daggers back in their respective holsters. "Tell me of this other option you spoke about, mother. Oh, and are my two friends..."
"They live, Ailyth has them in her power and will bring them shortly, I can't assure you that I will be letting them live, though--"
"Why not?" Saga was quick to ask. "I lured them into my plan, forced them, really, they have nothing to pay for. You will let them go."
Hel knew Saga would have it no other way, not after today's event. "We will talk about this once we are within my chamber," Hel looked around the room. "Not here, it is a mess. I will have someone come clean this mess up, you two head back to the palace and wait for me there."
Saga nodded and then grabbed his sister's arm. "Come, Magatha, you heard mother."
Magatha nodded and followed, and during the return trip to the palace she not only cleansed Saga of the blood and grime using her magic, but she also asked him about what had driven him to take the sacred sword and defy his mother. Of course Saga recounted every motive he'd had, and Magatha nodded, understandingly.
"Ah, brother, I'm just glad you are well," she said when they made it to the inner hall of the palace. "You did bad trying to take the sword, you could have died, you know? Can you imagine how I would have felt if you had died?"
"I'm fine, Magatha, and all is well, mother has another way for me to acquire all that I want. I wish to hear what it is."
Together they waited within the confines of their mother's private quarters, with Saga having to scare away the two brutish demons keeping guard at the door, for they wouldn't let them enter, but once Saga started bringing his daggers out they left running and shouting for help.
*End of Chapter*