"Do you, Archduchess Astaroth Morningstar, take this demoness as your chattel, handmaiden, and concubine?" asked the priest of Darkness.
"I guess I do," said Astaroth, rolling her eyes.
"And do you, Atargatis, submit to your mistress and vow to attend to her whims and to her pleasure, to obey her at all times, and to always remember your place beneath her feet?"
"I do," said Atargatis.
"Then I now pronounce you mistress and concubine," said the priest. He placed the ceremonial collar of concubinage around Atargatis's neck.
Astaroth hurried Atargatis out of the temple. "That was humiliating!" Astaroth groaned.
"Hey, you're not the 'concubine', sweetie!" Atargatis laughed. "This is just so the Senate can't separate us before we can get Decree 13666 repealed. We'll still be equals in all respects." She leaned in to kiss her 'mistress.'
"Look, Astaroth Morningstar!" shouted a voice. "She's King Lucifer's sister!" The speaker was a stag demon dressed like a French aristocrat from the 1790s. He stood at the lead of a mob of VERY angry-looking demons.
"Get her!" shouted another demon. The mob charged forward in pursuit of the two lovers. Astaroth and Atargatis fled, nimbly twisting and weaving through winding streets and narrow alleys.
"What's this about?!" Atargatis asked Astaroth.
"Guilt by association," Astaroth groaned. "Remember, Princess Lamashtu is my niece."
Atargatis tripped on a loose cobblestone and collapsed to the ground. Astaroth halted and glanced over her shoulder, seeing the mob closing in on Atargatis's prone body. Sacrificing her own chance for escape, Astaroth ran back to defend her so-called concubine. As the crowd reached her, the stag demon in the lead slapped Astaroth across the face. The entire mob began viciously beating the two lovers with improvised weapons ranging from hammers to bottle. The last thing Astaroth saw before passing out was the stag demon's angry, outraged sneer.
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Astaroth woke up in a cold, damp prison cell. Her skull felt like it was on fire. She remembered the mob and the beating. Suddenly fearful, she glanced around to locate Atargatis. Mercifully, Atargatis was in the same cell and beginning to wake up. Outside of the cell, Astaroth could see demons sharpening weapons and discussing battle strategy. The stag demon from the chase marched up to the cell door and glared at Astaroth and Atargatis as he poured himself a wine.
"Where are we?!" Astaroth demanded.
"East Dis Correctional Facility," the stag demon said in a French-accented voice. "We captured it as our first move in our revolution. I suppose it's our headquarters now. Funny how every revolution seems to start with the storming of a prison, isn't it?"
"Who are you?!" Atargatis demanded, "Why are you doing this?!"
"I am Admiral Louis-Gaston de Saint-Georges, rightful Baron of Dysnomia," said the stag demon. "I was born on Earth into a French noble family, and I was saved from the guillotine by the love of my life, Lady Sitri Fangfeather, Duchess of Avernus. I am doing this because the Morningstars and the Senate have taken everything from me. My marriage is no longer recognized as an equal marriage, I have been discharged from the navy, and the Barony of Dysnomia has been given to some Hell-born tramp called Senator Gemyem Sandstorm. I intend to take back what I have lost, and I am not the only one. We will storm Hell, topple Lucifer, and appoint a fairer Devil!"
"You really think Lucifer wanted Decree 13666?!" shouted Astaroth.
"He did not stop it," Louis-Gaston said coldly. "His daughter Lamashtu wrote it. The Morningstar family is clearly corrupt, hence your being here."
"But I detest this law!" shouted Astaroth.
"Than why do you have a concubine with you?" asked Louis-Gaston.
"I didn't want her taken away from me by the law!" Astaroth wailed. "I had to do something! She suggested it!"
"A likely story," scoffed Louis-Gaston. He turned to Atargatis. "What's your name?"
"I'm Atargatis," said Atargatis. "Formerly Rebecca Church. This relationship is completely consensual, I promise! Look, I understand your pain, but you can't unleash your rage on the entire Morningstar family. Lamshtu's the only villain here."
"Even if that were true," said Louis-Gaston, "the only we way we're likely to get this law overturned swiftly is to take over the government. We need a new Senate and a new Devil. Perhaps me, perhaps my dear Sitri, perhaps someone else. Look, I respect you as a fellow Earth-born, but I can't let you go free as long as Archduchess Atargatis has you brainwashed. But I will have you moved to a more comfortable cell. We've furnished one cell block as decent rooms for Earth-born prisoners. Come on, gentlemen! Let's get Atargatis to a nicer cell."
Astaroth watched sadly as a group of jailers removed Atargatis from the cell and led her away from her. Would she ever see her beloved again? Would her brother be killed by this horde of revolutionaries? Who knew what the future held?
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Rachel and Maisy nearly jumped out of their demonic skins as a celestial portal opened to reveal the familiar form of Remeila as well as an imposing female angel with eight blue and white wings. She was dressed in blue armor with a fleur-de-lis made of diamond across the chest and carried a shield and sword, with a spear strapped across her back.
"Sorry I'm a few days late," said the warrior angel. "There was an unexpected emergency with an anti-Chaos ward on the planet Venus. Prince Jesus and Queen Asherah just relieved me of the investigation to come here."
"Rachel, Maisy, this is Lady Parthenope," said Remeila, "also known as Joan of Arc."
"I'm honored," said Rachel.
"I'm here at Michael's request to serve as your bodyguard," said Parthenope. "I've been told there's unrest in Hell."
"I'll say!" said Maisy. "Rachel was nearly murdered, Archduke Beelzebub WAS murdered, someone's been kidnapping demons left and right, and now Rachel and every other ex-human down here have just been stripped of their rights!"
Parthenope got down on one knee and bowed her head. "Whatever happens next, I will defend you two."