AN: Homage to HxH Also, really had fun writing the beginning of this chapter.

Thinking about writing something more Royal road like because this story.. . Well, I just think it will be ignored for the most part because of the Characters that are not 100% good guys and as such hard to associate with, or maybe I just suck, dunno...

have fun.

Elizabeth POV.

My life began on a small farm in the middle of nowhere. My father was a strict but fair man, an ex guardsman that chose to retire after my mother was pregnant. My mother was a mage of high caliber. They were both coming from a city to the south, nothing special.

My father was just a regular guard, his muscular build and a body of 2.1 meters made him a feared man not many tried to approach or even try to fight. My mother on the other hand came from royalty.

Royalty in that case meant that they both would have normally nothing in common with each other, but there was something that made it possible.

My mother was a cheerful person all my life that I knew her, she would deeply care about me and my father. I was told that since birth she had go trough intense education and magic training and would have arranged marriages awaiting her when she grew up.

She did not know what to think of it, but she met her fiance, the first thing he said was. “Oh god, father I won't accept her, never.”

The reason for those words was something my mother feared, something she was aware of but never confronted to such a degree until now.

She had a big and crooked nose and the left side of her chin was bigger, asymmetrical and sticking out, making her unattractive.

My mother has cried herself that night to sleep and during the next months other candidates came to see her to only all refuse her.

Now it needs to be said that I never viewed my mother as unattractive, her nose is big but I would never call it ugly, it was even lovely, her chin was asymmetric, but again, it was just who she was.

In the end her family lost interest in her and she was supposed to be sent of somewhere far away where she would be put to use with her magic powers.

This is when it happened.

One night, she just walked the streets alone and enjoyed the calmness of the night when she heard a few screams.

Not far away, my father was ganged up by 7 people who had deep hatred in them for him and they beat him up with weapons while he could not defend himself against all of them.

My mother saw this injustice and blasted them all of and helped my father into his home.

She wanted to leave immediately but he stopped her and asked for her name.

She was not sure why he wanted to know it and just asked him about it, she was not very comfortable around men.

He, still holding her hand and not letting her leave, just told her that he had fallen in love with her.

My mother only frowned at that. Too many men had already toyed with her heart in that cruel way, she did no longer consider it possible at all that anyone ever would find her attractive or even find her looks bearable to have a family with her and reap all the benefits out of her family. It went as far as her actually deeply believing that she was the ugliest person in the word, the definition of the word ugly. She was sure that somewhere out there, there was a dictionary that if you were to open it up and search for ugly, there would be a picture of her right next to it.

So she told him that such jokes were cruel and it was not a way to repay a strangers kindness and ran out. Would she have been younger, she would have cried, but right now she was just disappointed in the man.

What she did not see coming was that he had actually found out about her and had been standing in front of her mansion for the next few weeks, asking if it was possible to see her. Her family did not object, for them she was already gone and they were happy so.

When a few weeks later she finally had enough and walked outside to ask why he was so cruelly toying with her, he just walked up to her and kissed her right then and there, telling her that she was absolutely beautiful and my father actually started to cry, for that her life and the people around her must have been cruel to treat her like that, going as far as to make her believe it herself.

He immediately asked for the right to marry her, saying that he would never again find a woman as beautiful as her.

After many years, when she told me that story, she also mentioned how her heart started to beat frantically, faster than ever before, how she blushed furiously and avoided his eyes but that he did not allow her to and said to watch him and only him, that even if the whole world was as stupid as to consider her anything less than stunning, he would always treat her like she deserved.

They left the city and married. They bought a small farm and my father would guard the village we were in while my mother would provide magical and alchemist support.

Later, when I was born and already grew up, my mother would often tell me that she was so happy that I got the nose and chin from my father, while my father would tell me that I had the most beautiful eyes in the whole world, the eyes of my mother.

Despite my mother already having a good life and leaving her past behind, she could still not get over it. She still viewed herself as ugly and the one or another wanderer confirmed it to her with a sentence, a word or just a single stare. My father would then often go berserk on them...

My mother would also always tell me that one day the one destined to be my second half will appear. She told me that I would immediately recognize him and we would be happy together.

They were amazing people and it was an easy and enjoyable life. And then they died.

Our village was raided by slavers. Older women were raped and killed on the spot, my mother.

Men were just killed on the spot, maybe even tortured before, my father.

Children were taken into slavery and young attractive women were just taken to them for pleasure and maybe later sex-slavery.

It was a horrible time and there was no kindness in that place. I saw many women break, many die and after a few weeks I also lost the willingness to go on.

A night like any other, it was when we became aware that someone tried to break inside the cave, the cave I had spent the last month or so in.

At first the slavers were smug and laughed at the supposed idiot that was idiotic enough to do the idiotic thing and come here.

Then that grew into fear and as soon as that man appeared, they all died.

He freed the women and told us to go somewhere where we would be safe. Some did and others, like me, we accompanied him.

That man was a beast, he slaughtered all of the slavers with hatred in his eyes. I did not pay much attention to him because I was also killing left and right. I was in fury, I was not alone and our enemies were afraid. It was not hard to slaughter them.

After we killed someone who was running that place, a woman came forwards. She cried before him and pleaded for him to take her life because she just did not want to take it anymore.

I saw that taking place and thought: My parents are dead, I have no place to return to and I am tainted. There is nothing good awaiting me, going right now would be the best.

When I asked him to also end my life, he just looked with pity at me and said those beautiful words that changed everything...

I was surprised. He told me to keep on going, told me that my loved ones would not want me to go, told me that I could still change everything and find a family.

Not really sure of it, me and a few other women that went till the end with him looted for gold, enough to live a nice life and walked away.

Without many words we just arrived at the capital, bought some clothes that would hide us from others and a place to stay in, to shut ourselves in. Silent we agreed to just stay together for various reasons.

In the small house that we bought, I was just lying on my bed the whole time, thinking about the man and how strong he was, that I would also want to be as strong. I noticed that I did not know his name and that I would want to thank him and apologize for my behavior. That I wanted to thank him deeply and offer my assistance to him.

While there, I was constantly thinking about him and that I did not remember his face. It was just his overall appearance and armor, but not his face. As if the picture had all the details with only that missing. So I just tried to remember his face harder and harder while also thinking about his heroic action, over and over...

I even did something little to if I was to meet him, I could use this little gesture to thank him.

A day later, our group was walking together through the city, when we met him. I was sure there was also something else going on nearby, but I only had eyes for him.

Somehow that man I was seeing was the most handsome man I have ever witnessed. My heart could not stop pounding and I could not avoid my eyes.

When later I finally had enough courage to speak out o him and hope that he would accept me, the tainted and broken girl.

We all know how it went from there on.

Before I knew what was going on, we were sitting on a bed together and he asked me about my life, about how I ended up there, reassuring me that it was fine if I did not want to talk.

So I told him and somewhere in the middle I broke down and started to cry. He just hugged me and started to pat my head, saying that I was absolutely fine and they could not taint me no matter what they did. Saying that as long as I would stay true to myself, they would never win.

He started to wipe my tears away with fingers, then he kissed them and told me that he would continue to do so unless I stopped, because there was no way he could contain himself if such a beautiful woman was sitting in front of him.

Next thing I knew, he started to undress me and I helped him.

My prince... He was like out of a dream, I could not believe that he was real, how he saved me and gave my life new meaning. I wanted him to be the one and only to taint my body, to wash it all away. And he gladly did so.

It was weird to have intercourse after I was used to associate it with pain and shame, but I gladly complied. I let him guide me and it quickly became enjoyable.

I shuddered with every of his touches. The way he wanted to make me enjoy it, by paying a lot of attention to me was heartwarming.

I like to think that it was the true day that I lost my virginity.

Fast forward 2 weeks and we are in the town their group will conquer the next dungeon.

Me and the two children would be staying here while they would go away. We had already relaxed and they have prepared themselves. Ben and me have spent a beautiful night together where we would not part from each other for hours... To be connected to him in such a way... my heart races even now that I am thinking about it.

They were all drinking and talking about their strategy while I was near Ben and playing with Fiora.

Hannah was sitting on Daisy's lap and also listening in.

After that was done, Artjem spoke up..” Ey, Benji my boy, when will you finally tell us what the shit with your diabolical alignment is all about?”

I knew what it meant but always kept quiet, respecting his decision not to tell others.

Ben sighted loudly and told them. “All you have to do to find out is to google my name...”

And so they quickly did whatever that meant, just moving their arms and fingers in front of them.

They must have found what they were searching for, because they all got very quiet and had shocked expressions.

Artjem spoke up after a few minutes of awkward silence. “Who hasn't killed a few people, amiright?” He wanted to get a fist bump, but had to go empty handed.

Benjamin just looked downwards and told them. “Everything you read there, it is true. I can't force you to stay with me if you don't want to, just know that it was a little bit more complicated than simple bad and good. I did it and I will face the consequence.”

They then were silent and thought about it.

Calvin spoke up first. “I am fine with that, even if there was something wrong with you, you are not a threat to me or my sister.”

Elena also just shrugged. “But you got to tell us in detail later on. Or the details that you want to revel at least.”

Artjems position was clear so they just got ready.

Daisy and Elena came to me to say bye because the dungeon might take a while. “Beth!” she also hugged the children. “And of course you adorable things, take care of yourselves. It won't take us too long so have fun and relax.”

For some reason Benjamin also wanted to talk to me. We went to our room and sat on the bed while the others waited for us.

He hugged me to his chest and kissed my forehead. “Elizabeth... I am sorry for the way I treated you until now.”

I was confused, just about what was he sorry about? He always treated me very kindly and was just the best thing to ever happen to me.

“You don't need to be sorry for anything. If at all, it is me that is dragging you down...”

He just showed me a sad smile. “You know of my last abusive relationship... and I must admit that I have been treating you as granted, not giving you what you deserved. You are the best thing to happen to me in this world and I feel dirty about how I treated you.” He took my hand and whispered into my ear. “I love you. I am sorry, things will be different from now on, I promise.”

I was so happy, confused about the supposed treatment of my, but the happiness overshadowed it. “I love you too.”

And so we sat there in our little world with nothing to concern us. I was just so happy.

My mother was right, I did meet the person destined to be mine and I was destined to be his.

We stood up and walked outside. Again, we said good bye to each other and I walked with the children to our room.

There we would spent at maximum our next few days and as such I just sat there down with those cute little things and we started to play around.

I just can not wait till he returns... He finally said that he loved me... Was this how my mother must have felt like?

At that moment I was even happy about what had happen to me prior to that because it led me to meting Benjamin.

Only half a day passed nad it was evening when I heard a knock on the door.

“Who might it be?”

AN: I would like to say that I am self aware of my story, I like to use irony a LOT and not everything the POV character says is true, so if you think that something is bullshit, then please consider that maybe, just maybe it is the character that is stupid, not me.

This applies to pretty much every chapter by the way, just wanted to get it out of me.