A/N Written for Lickitysplit's first date Valentine's challenge.

The Call Of Duty

Eyes narrowed, fists clenched at this sides, Zeldris glowered at his brother, hatred rolling from him in waves. Meliodas was smiling, taking enjoyment in his predicament, as if the ignominy of his position was not sufficient on its own. But Zeldris was not the rising star of the demon clan for nothing, and with difficulty he forced his face to assume a neutral expression. No point in giving his brother any opening for chastisement.

"Can you please explain this to me?" he asked, his voice trembling slightly with anger despite his best efforts. "You are the crown prince and the heir. Surely this duty falls to you and not me."

"You could argue that," Meliodas said breezily, examining his nails as he spoke. "But there's no way I'm going to put myself through this, and his majesty agrees. He always does. So the task is now yours. When you get to be as powerful as me then maybe you can delegate as well." The unspoken 'that will never happen' hung in the air, causing Zeldris to clench his teeth in frustration. Try as he might he could not make his power rise to the level his brother commanded, and Zeldris was nothing if not industrious.

"And come on, it won't be that bad," Meliodas added, his cruel eyes betraying his lie. "She is a reported beauty, you know. Just go and make the best of it."

"If she's so attractive, why not send Estarossa?" Zeldris asked petulantly, unable to stem the rising tide of resentment. "He likes that kind of thing…"

"That is exactly the problem." Meliodas's smile curved up the side of his face, his mark bleeding along his forehead. "Our brother is… let's say a little too fond of the fairer sex for this task. We need to keep the young lady's family on side, and Estarossa's antics are hardly likely to help us achieve this objective. You on the other hand," Meliodas looked Zeldris up and down deliberately as he said this, "can be relied upon for your discretion. I don't think you'll even touch her."

"You are right about that!" Zeldris agreed vehemently. "I can promise you she will get nothing from me…"

"Which is precisely why I chose you for this job," Meliodas said cruelly. "We don't want anything embarrassing to happen. She is well known for her ability to seduce whoever she wants to; her title is The Thousand Temptations. So don't give her the satisfaction of victory. Oh, and Zeldris," Meliodas called as his younger brother made his way with ill grace to the door, "you need to — how shall I put this — dress for the occasion. You can hardly go to dinner as if preparing for battle. Wear something appropriate."

With his back to Meliodas, Zeldris stiffened with shock and rage, before striding towards the door at an extremely fast pace, flinging it open with serious force. Once in the corridors of the demon king's castle, his feet treading the luxurious red carpet trimmed with gold braid, he let his expression slide to one of murderous hate, causing the few servants going about their duties to scurry quickly out of his way. The sight gave him some satisfaction, until he remembered the reason for his just anger. He was going to go to dinner with the vampire princess — alone — completely against his will, and would have to be courteous of all things while trying to avoid her making a pass at him. Well, Meliodas had misjudged him there: whatever he had been told to do, he was not going to give Izraf's no doubt spoiled brat of a daughter any indication that she was more than the annoyance she was.

After travelling down innumerable practically identical hallways lined with vast oil paintings and oversized suits of armour, Zeldris finally reached his chambers and slammed the door behind him. Fists clenched at his sides, he strode to the wardrobe in search of formal attire. Why did he let his brother get away with these humiliating orders? So what if he was powerful? So what if he had their father's ear? Meliodas was not the king yet, and only out-ranked him by a little. Still, Zeldris knew that he was in no position to ignore a direct order from his eldest brother, no matter how much he truly wished to. With a disgusted impatience for his ordeal to be over, he started to prepare for his unwanted fate.

The room selected for his evening's torture was absolutely enormous, clearly chosen to show off the wealth of the kingdom rather than provide an intimate atmosphere. So much the better, Zeldris thought to himself as he surveyed the ceiling, skillfully painted with scenes of the demon realm's splendour, the vibrant greens and golds glowing in the light of a grand chandelier and the orange blaze which crackled in the marble fireplace below. The smell of burning cedar wood was almost comforting and, without realising, Zeldris began to relax in the warmth of the fire, his shoulders dropping slightly as his eyes followed the flames. It was only a few hours after all; it would be over almost as soon as it had begun.

"This is a beautiful room," a melodious voice sounded behind him and Zeldris whipped round in an instant, inwardly cursing himself for letting his guard down. He surreptitiously stretched out his powers to examine the girl in front of him and was surprised to find she was not precisely deficient. Nothing to match him or his brothers of course, but neither was she to be dismissed out of hand. His eyes travelled up her blue silk dress to her face and he recoiled slightly in shock; Meliodas had said she was attractive but he hadn't primed him for this. The lady was objectively beautiful, her features almost perfectly symmetrical and her bright golden hair tied in a perfect twist at the side of her head. She looked neat, ordered, regal. Then his eyes met hers and Zeldris immediately revised his opinion: she was hiding it well with a dazzling smile but he had learned to read the merest flickers of expression working alongside Meliodas. It was plain from the cold look in the very depths of her eyes that the lady had absolutely no wish to be there.

"Will you kindly introduce yourself to me?" she finally simpered into the silence. "Though I know you by reputation of course, prince Meliodas."

Zeldris felt the last of his already short temper fray and then snap as his teeth ground together, and he allowed himself the luxury of biting the inside of his cheek. In an instant, he saw it all and vowed to make Meliodas pay for his game. "You asked for him specifically, did you?" he said stiffy, doing his best not to let his darkness take over the room. "Well, I will have to disappoint you. I am not Meliodas."

"Oh!" The young lady took an involuntary step backwards as Zeldris's coal black eyes stared into hers. "But you look… I thought…"

"I know exactly what you thought, Thousand Temptations," Zeldris spat as he sneered at the girl, whose lip was now quivering slightly. "You were sent here to seduce my brother and so secure the tentative alliance between our clans, which benefits you vampires far more than it does us. Or perhaps you wanted him and his power on your own account. Either way, your trick has failed. Meliodas saw right through it and so do I. Now you have to deal with me. And I promise you, I will not fall prey to your wiles."

"And why would I want you to?" the girl answered hotly, all pretence at civility completely gone as she returned Zeldris's stare. "You're his brother you say. So you're what… the second son? Maybe even the third? Not worth getting out of bed for, let alone using my powers on." Her words caused a warm flush to run up Zeldris's spine and into the roots of his hair. Rarely had he been so furious with another who was not a member of his immediate family.

"So you don't even deny it? Disgusting. How many others have you whored yourself to like this?" he snarled, hoping to hurt the girl as much as she had hurt him. "You think Meliodas would dream of touching you, amidst all the filth you have consorted with before? Though obviously you were not good enough to turn any of your poor suitors into actual husbands. Maybe your powers need some remedial work."

That did it. The girl's alabaster cheeks suddenly flared pink and she took several steps towards him, her expression one of absolute hatred. "How dare you speak to me like that?" the girl seethed, her voice deathly quiet. "I am the crown princess of Edinburgh, the future queen of the vampires. And you are nothing. You will never rule, never amount to anything. Perhaps your brother will let you lead the army or something. All you are good for is cannon fodder."

"At least I have my dignity intact," Zeldris said haughtily as he continued to stare at his opponent. Part of him was beginning to enjoy this, it was like being on the training field, but the rest of him was fuming. "You — clearly — would do anything, including debasing yourself, to achieve what? A little extra glory for your ridiculous clan? Is that all your modesty is worth to you?"

"I don't ask for this!" the girl practically yelled, her voice echoing off the walls of the room. "I would rather do anything else, but I do as I'm told. Maybe duty means nothing to you but to my, did you say ridiculous, clan public service is paramount. I am a king's daughter. I do what I have to to serve my people, no matter what the personal cost to myself. And you are right, the alliance is a little one-sided and needs shoring up. Evidently this is not something you can understand. It must be nice being nothing but a playboy prince."

Through his anger, Zeldris thought about this. He was of course here against his will too, and had done any number of things he was not particularly proud of, all in the name of following orders. Stealth attacks on the humans for instance. Why bother with that? It was beneath his race and if it was not it was sure as hell beneath him. He knew the girl was not lying when she said she was not standing in front of him by choice. When all was said and done was he really much better than her?

"Look, we have two options," the girl said more calmly and she took a deep breath, causing her chest to rise and fall rather enticingly and Zeldris was more than annoyed with himself for following the movement. "We can go on like this, back and forth, until a suitable interval has passed and we can rejoin our respective clans," she continued. "Or we can try and pass the evening in a manner which better befits our stations and I can report that, although my mission has failed, your clan at least showed me some cordiality. That should stop any unpleasantness which might otherwise follow. I will let you choose."

"Fine," Zeldris snapped, seeing the lie of the land. "By all means, let us do it your way, on condition that you keep your powers to yourself. Is that understood?"

"Perfectly. As I said before I have absolutely no desire to use them," the girl said serenely as she smoothed down the front of her dress. "Don't flatter yourself."

It was rare that anyone other than Meliodas or Estarossa answered back to him and Zeldris was still in shock when the girl's voice, now in a more agreeable timbre, sounded once more into the room. "I really am sorry about before," she said gently, almost contritely. "What is your name? I need to address you as something for the rest of the evening."

"I'm Zeldris. The third one," he replied with a bite to his tone, still showing his temper. Although he would never admit it to anyone she had truly riled him. "And what am I to call you, Thousand Temptations?"

"Gelda will be fine," she said smoothly, the beginnings of what looked to be a genuine smile curving over her lips. "I must say it's rather nice in a way to be spoken to like a person rather than an ornament, even though you were impossibly rude. It's a bit more interesting than the usual nonsense."

"Well I could say the same to you," Zeldris said grudgingly. "Not that that's an apology. You deserved everything I said to you."

"Not all of it. My powers do not need remedial work. They are in excellent shape. If I wanted to, and I really don't want to, I could make you mine in a matter of minutes. Yes, even you," Gelda said with a chuckle as Zeldris blanched slightly. "So you're very lucky I choose to play fair."

"How do they work, you powers I mean?" Zeldris asked, allowing his curiosity to get the better of him. As if reading the room, which they probably were, two servants took advantage of the detente to enter, ushering the pair to a table in the centre of the room covered in a pristine white tablecloth and dispensing drinks once the couple were seated. Zeldris noted with some acerbity that Gelda was served with blood, no doubt from one of the many humans he and his comrades had snuck up on earlier that day.

"What an interesting question, people never ask," Gelda said with something approaching enthusiasm. "It's a form of mind control. I can make my subject do, think or say whatever I choose, but it doesn't create real feeling underneath. I have to keep applying my powers for sustained behaviour change. Doable, but a little on the tedious side. A thousand temptations is not really a fair description of what I do but it's the one given to my magic by outsiders. I suppose it looks that way to the casual observer given the orders I am expected to carry out."

"I see. That's actually more deadly than I imagined," Zeldris said appreciatively, his eyes alight with interest, "assuming you can do all you say, of course."

"There's no need for me to lie, I have no desire to impress you," Gelda said smoothly. She leaned back slightly in her ornately carved chair to allow an unobtrusive servant to place the folded napkin into her lap, Zeldris doing the same as a delicious smell wafted into the room, followed by two servants returning with covered plates. The metal domes were removed by the servants with a flourish before they took their leave after a signal from Zeldris. He stared at the soup in front of him with disdain: he rarely ate, not properly like this, usually relying on dried strips of dragon meat hastily munched between missions, and the blatant indulgence did not sit at all easily with him.

"You're uncomfortable with this, and it's not because of me, well not only because of me at any rate. Why is that?" Gelda asked, her deep blue eyes examining him closely and despite his best efforts Zeldris felt himself being captivated by her slight smile. He decided to give her an honest reply.

"It's a waste of time, this sort of thing. There's a war to win. The goddesses are not going to annihilate themselves, more's the pity." Zeldris looked more closely at Gelda's clothing as she started to eat, taking in the delicate beading along the sleeves of her gown and, for goodness sake, were those diamonds? What an absolutely abhorrent use of resources. The vampires were wealthy of course, that was the reason for this irritating alliance, but the money could surely be better spent on developing weapons.

Gelda, noticing his scrutiny and glowering expression, let forth a tinkling laugh, the sound sliding along the back of Zeldris's neck, causing shivers to flow down his spine. She was genuinely captivating, he had to admit, and that it was done without her intent caused him some disquiet. "You have to remember my clan thought it was Meliodas I was to spend time with this evening," Gelda said as she shook her sleeves mischievously. "I agree it's over the top, but we pulled out all the stops. This alliance is valuable to us. We left nothing to chance."

"Except whether or not he would show up," Zeldris said with a chuckle as he met Gelda's eyes. "That was sloppy of you."

"It was rather," Gelda admitted, her rueful smile genuine. "Bad tactics on our part not to anticipate a substitution. My father will be furious but there it is, nothing to be done. I can hardly drag the second-most powerful demon in existence into this room and force him to talk to me. And bringing him with magic, against his will, would be too much of a strain, even for me. Your brother's combat class is legendary."

"So there are limits to your power," Zeldris said triumphantly, his eyes flashing in the light of the fire. Once again, the servants entered the room, removing the empty dishes from the table, carefully angling their bodies so as to cause as little disturbance as possible. A skill in a way, Zeldris observed. He appreciated good work, whatever its station.

"Of course. As I am sure there are limits to yours," Gelda said gently. "It's all rumour of course but though your middle brother and you are reputedly powerful you are said not to share Meliodas's level of skill."

"True enough, for now," Zeldris said with a practiced ease. He was used to delivering this particular answer. "But there is time yet. When I'm not caught up in this sort of ridiculous enterprise I'm fighting or training. It's only a matter of time before my power augments. There is no way I have reached the limit of my potential."

"Now that's an intriguing response, I thought you'd be cross. I would have been in your place I am sure." Gelda smiled up at the servant as he approached the table carrying another covered plate which he set before her. The conversation paused while they had company, Zeldris allowing the pair to conclude their business and leave the room before he continued.

"You get used to it," he said smoothly. "It's not the first time the point has been put to me. It has long since ceased to cause me much irritation. If you don't like something, change it, which is what I am currently doing. I don't waste time, as a rule. No point brooding or moping; that will serve no purpose. The only thing to do is work hard and make people sit up and take notice."

"An admirable sentiment," Gelda said quietly, her eyes lowered slightly, her soft, sweet tone remarkably pleasing. "Very admirable in fact. I misjudged you I think."

"Well, I was not exactly… pleasant to you either," Zeldris admitted. "It was a bit of a shock. You know, you'd never have got Meliodas to do anything," he added gently, not wishing to cause Gelda further pain, but he did need to explain the situation lest her clan make her try this stunt on another occasion. "He really is all that the legends make out. I don't think anything can sway him from his purpose, whatever that may be."

"No doubt that is true and, being honest, that was not my mission," Gelda said slowly. "I was… to collect information. I'm sorry," she added quickly as Zeldris's eyes widened. "It's nothing bad, do not misunderstand me. My father is not really secure in his own skin. Not all of us can have your confidence. He merely wanted some reassurance that your clan is taking this alliance seriously, that is all."

"Well I can help on that front, we do," Zeldris said as he bit into his steak. "If we did not intend the agreement to hold then we would not have made it in the first place. My father is terrifying but he keeps faith with those who keep faith with him."

"But Berialluin," Gelda protested, a shadow of fear creeping over her face. "It was destroyed! We found out yesterday…"

"Is that what all this is about?" Zeldris said, breaking into a smile. "The girl at the centre of the destruction did not keep her bargain, not with my father, nor with the supreme deity for that matter. If you play with fire you will get burned, something the girl's parents should have troubled to teach her.

"Honestly you have nothing to fear," Zeldris continued, his eyes meeting Gelda's in earnest. "Believe me, if anything was planned against your people I would be one of the first to know. I'm often asked to do the dirty work. Duty, remember," Zeldris said sharply as Gelda looked at him in apprehension. "You're not the only one who understands its imperative. As long as you keep to the terms of our agreement, you will have our protection. We have absolutely no plans to bring any harm to you or to Edinburgh. My clan is fierce mind, any treachery will be swiftly punished, but as far as I am aware we have no reason to suspect foul play at the present."

"Then my preparations for this evening have not been in vain." Gelda returned Zeldris's smile, her almond eyes crinkling very slightly at the edges. An imperfection he supposed but an attractive one. "We have no plans of that kind. It would indeed be more than stupid of us to entertain such thoughts."

"Then there is no problem," Zeldris said with some satisfaction. Had this unexpected foray into diplomacy somehow come off? Maybe Meliodas would now trust him with some of the more delicate missions; the brutal work of reprisal was fun enough in its way, but it did lack variety. His mood substantially improved, Zeldris stepped over to the fireplace and retrieved the bottle of blood which had been carefully placed there so as it keep it in pouring condition. Returning to the table, he refreshed Gelda's glass before setting the bottle back in its place.

"So what are your plans for when the war is over?" Gelda asked casually as Zeldris sat back down and the servants re-entered to clear the plates away. The query was innocent enough but it drew Zeldris up short, the surprise he felt forcing him to be more blunt that he wished.

"I… don't know," he replied, his face suddenly troubled. "Tell the truth I hadn't even considered the question. I guess my father will abdicate and Meliodas will accede to the throne." The thought was not pleasant, and Zeldris could not hide the fleeting show of distaste which flitted across his features. "Where that will leave me I honestly don't know."

"I'm sorry," Gelda said, her regret sounding genuine. "It must be difficult, the uncertainty."

"Well it's got to be done, whatever it is," Zeldris said bracingly as his eyes drifted to the table. "If I distinguish myself in this war it will hopefully not be too painful. As you said, perhaps he'll let me lead the army," he added and Gelda chuckled as he finally managed to make eye contact. "And what about you? What does your future hold?"

"Marriage and children," Gelda replied glumly, this time her eyes sliding to the tablecloth. "My father talks of nothing else at the moment. He's been lining up potential suitors for weeks and they are all, to a man, utterly revolting."

The pair fell silent as the servants placed the final course of the evening in front of their charges, waiting carefully until they were alone to resume their conversation. Zeldris caught himself admiring Gelda's discretion. It was not often females were so evidently prudent, in his experience. They tended to chatter on regardless of the consequences.

"You get no say in the matter, I presume?" Zeldris said gently, his blood running slightly cold as Gelda gracefully shook her head. What a fate for anyone to have to anticipate.

"It depends on the power and wealth they can bring to the table. The highest bidder wins," Gelda said sourly, her face scrunched up in disgust. "My personal preference means less than nothing. Not that it would matter, not a single one has been even presentable."

Zeldris bit his lip slightly as he looked at Gelda, who had taken a dainty bite of the confection in front of her. "Could you…stop it somehow?" he asked tentatively. "It's bad enough being used as some sort of sexual object but this? To tie yourself to someone you have no affinity with, who is not your equal, for a lifetime? I don't think I could bear it."

"I don't have much choice," Gelda whispered, her eyes sinking once more to the table and Zeldris was aghast to see a bright tear splash down next to her hand, staining the tablecloth.

"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you," Zeldris said, his voice slightly panicked. His training had definitely not prepared him for this. "Forget I said anything. It's none of my business anyway." Indeed. Why had he said something? Why did he even care? This girl meant nothing to him.

"No, you're right. I'm weak. Weak and pathetic. I should put my foot down, prevent this. I was even hoping… you'll laugh at me for this. I was vaguely hoping that your brother might take a natural interest in me. That's the real reason I took such care over this," Gelda said as she shook out the fabric of her sleeves. "Not that I told any of my clan of course. And you can tell I don't know much about your race. If Meliodas is anything like you this was completely the wrong approach."

"I would not advise you to have any hope in that direction," Zeldris said softly, alarmed to find that the very idea now caused his chest to constrict rather uncomfortably. Somewhere along the line, he had obviously decided he did not want to see Gelda harmed. "Meliodas doesn't really have the capacity for that sort of sentiment. Or perhaps he does…" Zeldris said thoughtfully, staring into the distance. "But I'd worry on your behalf if such a union were to come about. My brother is very dangerous to be around."

"No doubt you are right. It just seemed… better than the alternative," Gelda said quietly her face still cast down and Zeldris fought the urge to reach out for her hand, which was resting on the table in front of him. "I'm so sorry. You didn't need to hear any of this."

"I… I don't mind," Zeldris said quietly, relieved that Gelda was beginning to get ahold of herself. The crying had definitely stopped anway. "And I'm sorry too. I wish I could take back what I said before."

"Consider it done. I understand where you were coming from," Gelda replied, the ghost of a smile back on her face. "Now I'd better freshen up and then get back to my clan. They will be relieved to hear the alliance is solid."

"Glad to have been of some help. I'll escort you back," Zeldris said, and he rose respectfully as Gelda took her leave. He was amazed when she returned to find that her makeup was perfectly in place, as if the tears of moments ago had been merely imaginary.

They were halfway back towards the wing of the castle where the vampires were quartered before Zeldris realised that Gelda had her hand on his arm, her fingers digging slightly into the fabric of the suit jacket he had forced himself to wear. His promise to Meliodas came back to haunt him, but he decided that this time he was not going to care. Slowly, Zeldris dropped his arm and allowed Gelda's fingers to lace through his. The castle was empty; the servants had been relieved of their duties for the evening and the guards had been ordered to leave the vampire's portion of the building alone. They were safe for the moment.

"You're not weak, and it will be alright, I'm sure," he said confidently, far more confidently than he truly felt. "You'll see. The suitor you are paired with will be a very lucky man. I am sure they will treat you with the respect you deserve." Gelda did not speak, merely squeezing his fingers in return, the pad of her thumb running in circles over the back of his hand. The sensation was hypnotising, and before he knew where he was Zeldris found himself outside the door of the royal vampires' quarters.

"Thank you. That was a much better evening that I had any right to expect," Gelda said, her hand continuing to rest in his. "And it will be alright for you too. Your brother must see your qualities. You will have a glittering career in his administration."

Zeldris found he could not reply. Now that the evening was irrefutably over, he found he could only wish they had a few hours more. Before he could articulate his thoughts however, Gelda surprised him by leaning over and kissing him tenderly on the cheek, before opening the door, casting one last look over her shoulder as she entered the room. For several seconds, Zeldris stood dazed where she had left him staring at the door Gelda had closed, before he started to make his way back through the castle.