Work Text:
Zanny sighed as you walked into his study. He was standing over his desk, cursing as he looked at the war map, mumbling ideas but mentally crossing them out as he realized they wouldn’t work. When he noticed your presence a few feet in front of his desk, he took his glasses off, rubbing his temples.
“I know I promised you, darling, I wouldn’t start another war, but they are making it awfully hard for me, my dear.”
He shifted his stance over his desk, his grip tightening on the edge of his desk. “They are asking that I either give them a section of the lake or go to war, and I can’t exactly give our lake up that easily.”
Netherling walked over, standing right in front of his desk, looking at the chaos. He had written down ideas, crossing them out messily, crumpled paper everywhere, the figures scattered across his desk. This really was a tough decision for him, trying to keep you happy with no war but the deep ingrained urge to take claim of his territory that is his, and show the nation threatening him what they are really messing with.
“I don’t let fiends try to take what is mine the easily.”
The Netherling stood there nervously, they weren’t the best soldier, they only got dragged into the army because of the fact that they needed as many people as possible. Even though Zanny didn’t think so, his plans were simple, but they worked and killed.
“Zanny, what if I’m called out though I’m not the strongest…”
Zanny looked at them, narrowing his eyes, and walked over, standing a few inches in front of them.
“I don’t need you to be my strongest soldier, I just need you to sit there comfortably while I make the world heel.”
The netherling looks at him for a moment, then turns their head away nervously, fiddling with their hands.
“But Zanny, they're going to bring me into battle no matter what, that’s the only reason I’m here, you know that.”
He glared at you for a moment before his features softened slightly.
“Darling, look at me.” He said, lifting their chin with his index finger. “I would carve your name into the corpse of this bleeding world before I let a scratch dare get onto you.”
Zanny may be evil, but for some reason, he had a huge soft spot in his heart for the Netherling. He smiled as they looked at him, surprised, and stood there, holding their chin up, before dropping his hand and walking back to his chair, sitting down with a grin, like he had a plan. He shoved the papers aside and started writing vigorously.
He laughed. “They think I’m a monster? Fine, I’ll show them a monster, but I won’t apologize for what they made me into.”