Chapter Text
They needed help.
Lilith realised that when Zelda fainted right in front of her, after another one of those torturous nights with strenous spellcasting and countless rituals. Everything Hilda had suggested had failed and Zelda was out of her mind with worry – so was Lilith.
She caught her wife, gladly, as she had been standing right next to her and laid her gently on the grass. It was hot, but the sun had mercy today. Ashen came running from the Cain Pit where she had been playing as soon as she saw her Mommy lying on the ground. Vinnie T came with her, arriving even before the child and sniffed Zelda up and down as if that would help him diagnose her.
“It’s the stress, Vinnie. Don’t worry,” Lilith assured him.
He tilted his head at Lilith and when Ashen caught up, she said, “He says that is something to worry about.” Ashen looked at her mother in the grass, skin paler than ever, and her lip quivered. “It’s because of me again…”
“Uh-uh, no, Ash,” Lilith stepped in and crouched next to her daughter. “Mommy has been doing so much magic lately, it’s just a bit much…” It was then she realised she still didn’t know how to talk to her daughter about this. The girl never remembered, only saw what it was doing to her mothers. Lilith didn’t even want to imagine what that must feel like to a sensitive little girl like Ashen.
“How can I make her better?” Ashen asked. “What if I do another magic show?”
“Hm, I’m not sure this is the right approach this time, sweetling. For now, let’s just see if we can move her inside. Will you help me?”
Eager as Ashen was, Lilith let her help with the levitation spell and together, they let Zelda float inside and onto the sofa.
“And what we do now?”
“Wait, darling. But if you want you can go and get a glass of water for when Mommy wakes up.”
And just like that, Ashen ran off to the kitchen, leaving Lilith alone with Zelda for a moment. Pulling a chair over, she sat down next to her wife and took her hand in hers. Then their little whirlwind returned, almost spilling the water the way she was running up to them.
“Thank you, Ash. You can set it down there.” Lilith pointed towards the coffee table, watching her daughter follow her instructions exactly. Sometimes she wondered why they were so worried about what she might become. The way she always picked up on their emotions and tried to cheer everyone up was so heartfelt, so pure.
“Do you want to wait with me or go back out playing?”
“I’ll stay,” Ashen decided as if it was the most natural thing for a toddler to choose waiting for something over playing.
Letting her sit on her lap, they both eyed Zelda quietly. It was a lovely summer afternoon, the birds were chirping. A warm breeze came through the open window and Lilith watched Ashen close her eyes to “feel it better”, as she would say.
Lilith thought on who to call for help. Hilda was already out of ideas. Sabrina perhaps? Or Maman Brigitte? But then she didn’t want to summon everyone over a nightmare problem…
Noticing Zelda stirring, she decided to propose letting Sabrina in on the issue and see if she had any ideas. Ashen immediately picked up the glass, ready to give it to Zelda.
“See who’s back amongst the living!” Lilith joked, as Zelda blinked her eyes open at her.
“Mh…” Zelda groaned, putting a hand on her forehead.
“Mommy, I got water!” Ashen exclaimed, a little too eager for Zelda’s current state.
Murmuring “Thank you”, Zelda tried to sit up slowly. Lilith helped her, kept her arm on Zelda’s back as she came all the way up.
“How are you feeling?”
“As if the Hordes of Hell had played baseball with my head.”
Chuckling, Lilith rubbed Zelda’s back and kissed her cheek. Copying her, Ashen did the same on the other side and Zelda pulled her in, resting her head atop her daughter’s.
Smiling, Lilith said, “I was thinking of calling Sabrina.”
“Oh yes! Brina!” Ashen squealed, coming out of her mother’s embrace. “She coming to play with me?”
“Haha, not quite, little devil. I thought she could help Mommy and I with something first.” She met Zelda’s gaze, speaking with her eyes, and her wife nodded, a little defeated.
As much as she despised having to ask others for help instead of fixing their problems on her own, it was the right thing to do. A fresh pair of eyes looking at the situation at hand together with Sabrina’s often bold ideas would hopefully do the trick. Brushing a few strands of hair out of Ashen’s face, Zelda almost welled up, thinking how much she just wanted her little one to be okay.
She adjusted her pearl-bracelets and smoothed down her dress when she stood up. “I’ll call her right away.”
“Why don’t you go and play a little with Vinnie until Brina is here?” Lilith suggested.
Ashen seemed to agree and gave her mother another hug before running off to find her small friend. He wasn’t far off, as usual. Anywhere Zelda went, he followed.
“Heyho,” Ashen greeted with little enthusiasm, “Mama said we should play until Brina comes over… Wanna go outside?”
Upon Vinnie’s encouraging bark, they headed for the porch where Ashen sat down on one of the steps. The beagle noticed that the girl was unusually preoccupied and ran out to retrieve a stick for her. When he came back, he dropped it in front of her and tilted his head.
“It’s nothing, Tom,” Ashen sighed, “No, I don’t sound like Mommy!”
Vinnie barked again, with clear objection this time. Ashen rolled her eyes, being indeed her mother’s daughter. He nudged at her until the girl started giggling.
“Hey, stop! That tickles!” She tried to shove him away amidst her laughter but Vinegar Tom only climbed on her knee with his front paws and licked her face. “Otay, otay. I’ll tell you!”
As soon as he’d let off, Ashen dusted off her jeans shorts, frowning a little at the beagle who was sitting calmly on the step next to her.
“So, the Moms are always worried all the time and they won’t tell me why. But I think s’about me. You know anything?”
Her friend made some noises that didn’t satisfy Ashen. “What’s that s’posed to mean? You know everything about Mommy… If you don’ tell me you’re not my friend anymore!” Ashen pouted, crossing her arms.
The dog gave her an apologetic look. He was just trying to protect the child, but Ashen could be just as stubborn as his mistress. The same hardened features, plus Lilith’s fire in her eyes…
“Well, then. Go away!”
Vinegar Tom whined and looked at her with big eyes and a low head but Ashen remained hard. With a single sniff, he turned slowly and trotted inside, leaving Ashen moping on the porch steps.
She cried… While her mothers were inside, unaware. Her feet drew meaningless patterns in the sand, kicking the stick Vinegar Tom had retrieved for her aside. She wished her Auntie Hildy was here; who never made anyone cry, who fixed everything. She always knew how to calm her mothers down and make everyone happy again. Sometimes Ashen wanted to be just like her when she’d grow up.
“Ash! What’s the matter?” Her sister had appeared just in front of her, now crouching down to her level and wiping the tears with her thumbs. “Why are you crying?”
Without answering, Ashen threw her arms around Sabrina’s neck and sobbed into her shoulder. Confused, Sabrina just put her arms around the girl and comforted her until she seemed to have calmed down a little.
“Wanna tell me what’s up, Ashy?”
Rubbing her eyes, the girl nodded and they sat down on the porch steps, Ashen on Sabrina’s knee. She told her big sister everything; how she felt it was her fault that her Mommy fainted and that she wants to give her books back because they make her mothers argue and that Vinnie T wasn’t her friend anymore.
At the same time, Lilith was pouring her heart out to Zelda in the kitchen. With a cigarette between her lips, Zelda was making lemonade for all of them while Lilith was sitting on the table, fiddling with her wedding ring.
“... if we just knew whether it’s something magical or… Well, you know.”
Squeezing another lemon out, Zelda sighed. “That walking into my nightmare has scarred her for life? That she knows? That-”
“Zelda. Stop blaming yourself, will you?” Lilith’s tone was harsh; she felt the need to explain. “I can’t worry about the both of you I-”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s just too much– I can’t…” Lilith couldn’t finish her sentence.
Putting down her work, Zelda turned around and walked to the table her wife was currently sitting on and stepped between her legs. She took one of Lilith’s fiddling hands into her own and squeezed it. Then she cupped her cheek and softly put her lips on Lilith’s forehead before pulling her into her arms.
Sabrina with Ashen on her hand found them like this and the girl looked up to her sister with a smile and an attempted wink. With a knock on the doorframe, they made the two aware of their presence and Zelda quickly stepped back from Lilith, brushing off imaginary dust from her dress.
“Aunt Zee, publicly hugging your wife is considered appropriate after nearly 10 years of marriage, don’t you think?” Sabrina quipped as she lifted Ashen onto the table next to her Mama.
Zelda felt her cheeks warming up; Sabrina was right. While she didn’t have a problem with little kisses and affections anymore, hugs still embarrassed her for some reason. When she glanced at Lilith, she found her smirking, and she loved her for that – for being amused rather than hurt by her antics.
“So, who wants lemonade?” Lilith asked, wiggling her eyebrows at Ashen specifically.
“Me!” the girl cheered and Zelda fetched the tray with glasses and a jug full of bubbling citrus liquid.
They sat around the table and Vinegar Tom came trotting into the kitchen, wondering about the noise of their vivid chatter. Zelda fed him a biscuit and took him on her lap, upon which Sabrina gave her little sister a nudge.
She slid from her chair and ran around the table to Zelda. “Mommy…” Her hands were behind her back and she couldn’t look at her mother. “Can I um… I need to talk to Vinnie… in private .” The last bit was whispered and Zelda raised an eyebrow, trying to figure out what this was about. She let Vinnie jump off her lap and called, “But don’t get up to any mischief, you two!”
… But the pair was long gone, conveniently leaving the adults to talk. As soon as Ashen was out of sight, Zelda wanted to conjure up a cigarette but Lilith gave her a warning glare across the table.
Brushing her now shoulder length hair behind her ears, Sabrina leaned forward, ready to talk business. “Alright guys, what’s going on?”
Seeing Zelda was struggling to speak, Lilith took over, as she would. “Ash is having trouble sleeping. Or rather, she suddenly wakes up screaming . Almost every night now and we don’t know what to do anymore.”
She glanced at her wife whose hand was subtle reaching for Lilith’s on the table.
Sabrina was quick with her answer. “Have you asked Auntie Hilda to make her a potion? She’s usually good with this stuff…”
“Honestly Sabrina.” Zelda rolled her eyes. Of course they’d done the obvious!
“Just wanted to make sure!” the young witch defended herself and went on, “And what do you think I could do? I’ve already talked to her, found her crying when I arrived…”
“What?” Zelda’s attention piqued, her eyes wide. Lilith didn’t know how to feel either; a nauseating feeling settled in her stomach.
Picking up on their uneasiness, Sabrina explained, “We had a chat, I think she feels better now. Fact is, she knows something’s going on and it needs to stop.”
“What do you mean? What does she know?” Zelda gasped, tightening her grip on her wife's hand.
“Relax, she doesn’t know about…” Sabrina paused, needing to be careful with her aunts. “She thinks she’s upsetting you guys somehow.”
“Well, I hope you told her it’s not true,” Zelda huffed, blinking rapidly as an obvious means to shut her emotions down.
“I have,” Sabrina made clear, but her shoulders slumped and she took a deep breath. “Anyway, we need to sort this.”
“Agreed,” Lilith joined in, “That’s why we called you, little flame. Thought you might have a different idea…”
Leaning back in her chair, Sabrina tried to think as her aunts watched her expectantly. She went over what Ashen had told her, what Lilith had said… It sounded somewhat familiar, the feeling, the dread Ashen seemed to be experiencing.
“You know what?” she said after a while, “It feels an awful lot like sleep demon to me.”
The words rang through the room, then Zelda and Lilith shared a look of disbelief. Turning back to Sabrina, Lilith stammered, “Do you really think? I mean, shouldn’t I know?”
“Well, you tell me,” Sabrina scoffed, further inquiring, “How much have you been down there lately?”
Raising her hands in defence, Lilith debated, “Sabrina, I’ve got a kid. And I truly believe that leaving this little devil unattended would be much more of a threat to the order of the universe than letting Hell run itself sometimes is.”
“Okay, I get where you’re coming from, but…” There was no point in arguing, they just needed to sort this situation out. “Let’s just do a summoning spell and see if anyone feels responsible.”
“Who are we summoning?” Ashen inquired with excitement as she returned with Vinnie T in her arms, looking between everyone present, a grin on her face.
“I see you two made up, well done Ashy,” Sabrina praised. “We’re just about to do a little ritual, wanna help?”
“Oh yes! Mommy, Mama, can I?”
Zelda chuckled, proud of her daughter’s ambition, although she was uncertain of whether she should be with them doing the spell… But then, her energy might be crucial in summoning the right demon.
“You may, my girl. But you stay close to one of the adults and have to do exactly what we ask you to, is that clear?”
With the utmost conviction, Ashen nodded and set Vinnie T down. They let the girl run around to gather the ingredients, just to tire her out a little so she’d be tame as a lamb later. While Lilith was drawing the sigil on the floor of the entry hall, Sabrina and Ashen prepared everything else under the watchful eyes of Zelda.
“Alright then, let’s all join hands,” Zelda instructed, assuming her role as High Priestess.
They formed a circle; Ashen between Lilith and Zelda, Sabrina on their other hands and started chanting.
“Demon near or demon far, step forth into the light and out of the dark. I feel as if you're bound to me, and by the power of three, I call to thee. Demon oh demon, come on through. I’m dying to meet my nightmare come true.”
Their eyes remained closed for as long as they felt magic coursing through the circle they had formed. When it calmed down, a snarled, drawn out “ witches ” made them open their eyes abruptly.
Jaw dropping, Sabrina barked, “Batibat?!”
Unpleasantly surprised herself, Lilith scrunched her nose, narrowing her eyes at the unruly demon. “May I ask what you think you’re doing in this realm, without my permission?”
The demon’s grimace only curved into a condescending grin, then she broke out in laughter. Ashen eyed her intensely, unsure of whether to be scared or entertained. She seemed funny, but her mothers seemed tense.
“We had a deal!” Sabrina reminded firmly, trying to make herself heard over ugly demon-cackling. “Your freedom for our peace!”
Batibat took her time mocking them, and when she finally spoke, only with disregard. “Why should I obey rules no one is enforcing?” She wiggled her eyebrows at Lilith in particular and earned herself a growl from Zelda, who wouldn't let her wife be spoken to like this. “Watch your tone in front of your Queen!”
“… And the First Lady,” Lilith added, pulling Ashen closer against her body and taking Zelda’s hand.
“‘Queen’,” Batibat huffed, starting to wander in the circle she was confined in. “A true ruler of Hell isn’t domestic. Doesn’t take ‘maternity leave’ and lets her kingdom rot. And most of all, a true heir of Hell is born and raised in flames ,” she spat, clenching her fists at her sides.
“Nonsense,” Zelda growled, taking a step forward, “Ashen is Lilith’s daughter and therefore a Princess with the right to inherit the throne.”
“I am Lilith’s daughter too,” Batibat said simply, staring Zelda dead in the eyes until she retreated.
Ashen found that a peculiar thing to say…. Wouldn’t it mean that Batibat was her sister? She certainly wouldn’t mind having someone new to play with, and Batibat seemed like she had some cool tricks up her sleeve.
“You’re not my child, you’re my creation, ” Lilith hissed through gritted teeth. The fingers clawing Ashen’s shoulder dug into her, almost painful, and the girl didn’t know what to do other than caress her Mama’s hand soothingly as she looked up into her angered face.
“Then so. Is. She ,” the demon bellowed, a wave of bad breath rolling over the three of them. ”And if I don’t have a claim to the throne, neither has that little princess of yours.”
“You and her are nothing alike!” Lilith yelled, pushing forward and leaving Ashen to Zelda. Her wife could see she was in battle-mode and didn’t like it one bit, especially not in front of their daughter.
She leaned towards Sabrina and murmured, “Shall we try to confine her again?”
“Not sure that’ll solve the problem. She might not be the only one thinking that way…”
“The only thing that makes us different is that you created her by mating with a witch rather than a demon,” Batibat argued, “She’s not a real child, she’s just energy… unlike her predecessor.”
Pre-cess… What? Ashen felt confused, she didn’t like this game anymore and Batibat started to scare her with her sharp fangs and drool dripping from them as if she was about to eat her. She tugged on her mother’s dress to get her attention and stretched her arms out. Without starting a discussion about how she was too old to be carried, Zelda picked her up and sat her on her hip, kissing her temple as she followed the exchange.
Lilith had a blank expression on her face; Batibat had hit the right spot.
“That’s right. Master Adam was created by the former King and the present Queen, the perfect heir. What a shame you killed him .”
Zelda winced and quickly covered Ashen’s ears, praying her wife wouldn’t break down at the vile words. She felt like they should be doing something to help, but Sabrina was right and it would likely only undermine Lilith’s authority more if her wife and niece came to her rescue. Yet it was torture having to watch Lilith be treated like this.
“She should kill her,” Sabrina uttered, having changed her mind in the face of the recent turnaround.
“What do you want?” Lilith snapped, stepping into the circle where Batibat could harm her to show she wasn’t afraid.
Unimpressed by Lilith towering over her, flames in her eyes, Batibat demanded, “A real Queen.”
The thought of killing Batibat crossed Lilith’s mind – but she couldn’t. Couldn’t kill another child of hers with her bare hands. What she needed now was self-control… and her wife. Looking over her shoulder, she found Zelda with Ashen on her hip, caressing their daughter’s head. Her eyes were trained on her with fondness.
Zelda was there.
She needed to think. What could she offer Batibat without coming across as having been bullied into submission by a low-ranking demon? Her power needed to be reasserted, for sure. And that was on finally having a quiet, peaceful life with her family…
Grabbing Batibat’s chin, Lilith scrutinised her. It had been a long time for Batibat since her mother had touched her.
“Born and raised in Hell, hm? Why, then I suppose it is time my daughter got to know her future Queendom.”
She dropped the demon’s chin and turned around, deeming the conversation done and over with. It left Batibat quivering. Her assertiveness, her dominance… It was the Queen she had known, the mother she had loved and hated.
Swallowing, Batibat feigned insistence, still a dangerous sparkle in her eyes, but Lilith could see that she was broken. “Doe-Does that mean… you will come back to us?” It wasn’t supposed to sound the way it did, but all Lilith could hear was a child begging for her mother to return.
“I- We will.” She went to Zelda and placed her hand on Ashen’s back, rubbing it softly. “That is, if you leave the Princess alone.”
Batibat’s hands hung loosely at her sides, her face a blank expression. She made a strange noise; it sounded like slurping but it was probably a single sniffle. “I… I will inform the Hordes of the imminent return of their royals.”
She turned around in the circle and soon was as good as sucked into the ground beneath her.
The collective exhale of relief followed and Lilith slowly turned to her family, exhausted. She walked straight to Zelda with her daughter and kissed her wife, taking her face in her hands, then resting their foreheads together while wrapping an arm around Ashen too.
Sabrina coughed, reminding them that she was still there as well.
Taking a deep breath, Lilith parted from the two and went over to Sabrina, silently hugging her. It was a tight embrace of gratitude. “Thank you for coming and helping us.”
“Anytime,” Sabrina replied, pecking Lilith’s cheek as they returned to their former positions.
Ashen yawned and rubbed her eyes, causing their parents to chuckle. “I think it’s time for bed for the three of us, isn’t it?” Zelda said, sharing a loving gaze with Lilith.
“Yup. I’ve got my little Magnus waiting for me too,” Sabrina agreed and said her goodbyes to everyone.
She waved to Ashen as she disappeared into thin air and blew a kiss. Once she was gone, Lilith, Zelda and Ashen got ready for bed. It was a silent agreement that the girl would sleep with them the first night to see if she would sleep through without any further problems.
With Zelda and Lilith in their white and black nightgowns and Ashen in her pyjamas, stuffie-dog in her arms, they slipped under the covers. Vinnie T curled up at their feet as Ashen laid down in the middle, with her Mommy snuggled up on her right side, and her Mama on the left. They both had an arm across her to curl around the other’s waist and another under their head.
“Goodnight, little devil,” Liltih said, kissing Ashen’s head.
“Goodnight, my darling girl,” Zelda joined in and kissed her cheek.
And soon, they all fell asleep, never to be disturbed again.