You may have read my shortened version of A Time for Peace, but wait until you read the real story of the demons and humans of medieval France. Enter into the Peace series to find this tragic tale of love and war.

Time for Peace chapter 3 - The Child

"Hey you! Stop!" Three men were chasing after a teenage boy, one with wide, glittering eyes. In the boy's mouth was a piece of bread, the rest of the baguette was in his hand. The boy was fast, much faster than the bakers. Jumping a fence, Louis ran into the woods just outside the village.

When he got a good deal of distance from the village, he sat down on a rock to rest, tearing apart the bread with his teeth. Out of breath, he started laughing. "Man, those guys are stupid. I stole the baguette from right under their noses and they didn't notice until I was already out the door." Laughing one more time, he sighed, running a hand through his red-orange hair. Around his neck hung a chain that held a small locket. In the locket was a picture of his mother, who had been killed in a demon raid when he was only three years old. Managing to escape with two other people, Louis was on his own ever since.

"Crap," he cursed as he heard the sound of dogs barking. The village had gotten serious. He didn't blame them. What with the war going on, people needed all the money they could get so that they could buy more weapons from blacksmiths. But Louis wasn't about to pay up. He was saving his money to get himself a sword of his own. He wanted to kill the demon that had killed his mother. The memory was burned into his mind, especially the face of the monster that had done it, even though the boy had only been three at the time.

He jumped up from the rock and took off running again. He had managed to finish the bread, but outrunning the dogs would be hard. But if he could get them off his trail... That's it! There was a narrow river just up ahead. He would cross it, getting rid of the scent. He also knew that these particular dogs couldn't swim. Louis had seen the villagers trying to teach them, but they were afraid of the water. Which was lucky for the boy.

As he reached the water's edge, he ran out as far as he could go before lowering himself into the chilly waters and swimming to the other side. When he reached the opposite bank, he sat on the rocks that jutted out over the water and laughed as the dogs stopped at the edge, barking over at the boy. Sticking his tounge out at the furious villagers, Louis jumped up and took off running again.

Time for Peace chapter 2 - Reunion

Just after the village was attacked, Loire and Adeline were attacked while finding a place to sleep one night. This time, it was a group of humans who attacked. They kidnapped Adeline in the process, telling Loire that humans and demons do not mix, that they should stay with their own race.

Ten years later, Loire was cutting down humans right and left during a battle that he got caught in. It was too late to escape. He had reached the center of the fighting. He had his wings partially extended in order to fly away if he became seriously injured. Three men came upon him at once. He fought them all off, but one had succeeded in cutting a great gash in his shoulder. He could no could no longer lift his left arm. Though he had strength greater than that of humans, he still had not the strength to lift his claymore single-handed. He unfurled his wings completely and leaped into the air. As he was nearing the edge of the battle near a forest, and arrow pierced a major part of his right wing. He crashed into the trees below. When he lifted his head, he saw and arrow aimed at him, the tip mere inches from his face. He looked up at the archer. When he saw who it was, he tried to sit up, but his right arm was pinned underneath him and he couldn't move his left arm. "Don't move, or I'll shoot."

Loire chuckled. "Would you really shoot me, Adeline?"

"How do you know my name?"

"You don't remember? You must not recognize me with all this blood covering my face. But maybe you'll remember this: ten years ago, your village was attacked and only the two of us survived."

"Loire? Is it really you?"

Loire grinned as Adeline dropped her bow and hurried to help the demon up. She looked him up and down and finally hugged him. "I thought you were dead."

Loire put his right hand on the girl's back. "I thought the same about you. What happened?"

"The men took me to their village, and one of the women recognized me. She knew my mother. She took me in and cared for me until about a two years ago. I told her it was time I took my mother's place as priestess and try to bring peace back to this world. But what about you?"

"I've been on my own ever since then. I've had to steal a few times in order to eat, but I was able to get some money by doing work. Some humans even had me fix barns or help in a blacksmithing shop. To be honest, the humans wanting my help surprised me." Loire flinched, pain coming back in the shoulder which had numbed during flight. Adeline quickly bandaged it with strips of linen she kept in the bag slung over her shoulder. She tied it tightly, causing Loire to flinch again.

"There, that should do. Don't put too much strain on that shoulder until it heals."

"I'll be fine, Adeline. You don't need to worry about me. You should worry about yourself. Demons heal much quicker and are stronger. Humans aren't as well off."

"You're turning like them, aren't you? The Loire I knew would never say anything like that."

"Well... You're right. I've been fighting alongside the demons too long. And it's only because you were taken from me."

Time for Peace chapter 1 - Promise

The world was thrown into turmoil with the beginning of the Great War between the demons and humans. No one knew why it was begun, but they all put blame on the Demon King. Even those of his own race blamed him for it.

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The year was 749 France, thirty years after the war had begun. A family was torn apart. A demon village was attacked. One of the demons, a tall male with brown hair and startling blue eyes, took his wife to the edge of the village, away from the fighting. The woman carried a newborn child. "Take Loire and get out of here. I don't want you involved in the fighting. I don't want to lose you." With that, he turned back and went to the fighting. The woman extended her arm to him and called out his name. He never turned around to look at her again. He went to his death. But his wife did as she was told and fled the village.

Several days later, the woman was at the edge of a stream, washing the baby. The stream was not far away from a human village. And it was hunting time for the men of the village. As they were riding back from their hunt, they noticed the demon kneeling there. "You, demon! What are you doing here? You shall die where you kneel." The man raised his sword and the woman screamed. Then all was quiet and the men rode back to the village.

The next day, the village priestess was at the river, gathering river stones, when she heard a baby crying. Just behind some reeds was the baby demon, Loire. The priestess picked the newborn up and took him back to the village, where she cared for it for years as it grew.

When the boy was twelve years old, he grew curious. "Miss Priestess, you never told me your name."

The woman grinned at the boy. "Well, Loire, my name is Marie." Loire blushed. Marie was young and beautiful. But she had a newborn daughter, whom Loire helped care for.

But, just as Loire was turning 25, Marie was killed when demons raided the village. Loire went into a rage and killed many of his own kind. They laughed at the young fool of a demon and rode out of the village, leaving little behind. Loire was the only one left. Or so he thought. Behind him, he heard the rubble shift. There was someone still alive. He rushed over and lifted a large board. There, underneath the rubble, was the priestess's thirteen-year-old daughter, Adeline. The young demon knelt down and helped the girl out of the debris. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Adeline wiped tears from her cheeks. "Y-yes, Lord Loire. B-but momma. She... she's dead." Fresh tears streamed down her dirty face.

Loire pulled the girl into a tight hug and kissed her forehead. "It'll be okay. I'll keep you safe. Nothing will ever happen to you, I promise."