I do not own Emperor's New Groove or any of its characters; those belong to Disney. However, all original characters of my own design are slaves to my imagination and belong to me :) I do not make profit from this fanfiction.
He pointed his finger at me and proclaimed, "Yikes."
The force of the insult hit me so hard I felt like the air had been knocked from my lungs. Before I could truly register what he said or reply, he had moved on, putting himself in the eye line of the woman to my left who had her head bowed bracing for impact after listening to the slew of barbs the emperor threw as he made his way down the line of women.
"And let me guess, you have a great personality, " he condescended. Not even giving the last woman even the most perfunctory glance, he turned to the official and leaned towards him menacingly.
"Is this really the best you could do?" he asked, annoyed. By this time I had recovered, and unlike the women around me, instead of self-consciously tugging at my insulted hair or bowing my head to hide my burning humiliation, my rage was incinerated. I started forward with my fist raised, consequences be damned. I'd show him a thing or two, I'd teach him some manners. Before my I could land a well-deserved blow, an elegant hand grasped my elbow, absorbing the brunt of my forceful movement. The mate of the first hand came to pull me backwards, away from his royal highness.
I turned enraged eyes on the woman who held me back who looked so eerily like myself, minus a few details. "Stop! You'll get yourself killed," she hissed in my ear. I felt her arm envelope my shoulders, attempting comfort, but I was far from reposed. But, what she said was true, and I forced myself to swallow bitter anger.
He dismissed us. He dismissed us and the official without so much as a word, leaving us to be ushered from the hall into the rooms where had previously been prepared as brides. The dichotomy of the emotions I had left and returned with was astounding. Before I had been presented, I had been fitted in a wedding dress of amazing finery and my hair styled in the latest fashion in a flurry. I had stood quaking with the other women. Quite a few had continued to pluck and pull at the clothes in which they had been outfitted, either out of nervousness or discomfort.
It had been nearly silent in the spacious yet intimately lit room save for the rustling of luxurious cloth and the worried scurrying of the palace official.
'Gees,' I had thought with some pity. 'He looks more nervous than we do.'
His yelp when the emperor kicked open the doors with a resounding boom confirmed my suspicions. Truth be told, I had jumped at his sudden entrance. We all stood a little straighter as I heard him instruct in a gratified tone, "Okay, trot out the ladies."
Seemed like he didn't want to waste any time. Perfect. This was nerve-wracking enough; I didn't want to draw it out. He stood in front of the woman to the far right. I expected a few moments of silence, but in a blink of an eye, I heard his voice ring out with a blase timbre, "Hate your hair." I gasped quietly.
No way. I couldn't believe it, but it continued.
"Not likely," was bestowed to the next girl. I stared straight ahead, not trusting myself to look down the line at him as he laid out another biting remark. "Yikes," was said for the first time, and shortly after to the woman next to me. He was in my line of sight for an only an instant, just enough time for me to focus on his eyes that bore into mine as he smugly delivered my dismissal.
The room I came back to now found me not jittery-and yes even hopeful-as I had left, but absolutely incensed as my hands flew to my ears where expensive gold had been bestowed. I meant to throw them as hard as I could and let loose my pent up anger that I had not been allowed to unload on its source, but remembered that though they remained tarnished to me as gifts from the emperor, they were valuable, as was the gown I was wearing, so I placed them on my sling purse. I refused assistance in removing the dress and don the clothes in which I had arrived.
I had scarcely finished covering myself when through the door filed in the dual-colored royal guards, all bearing bags. They presented them to each of us as one took to a speech, "On behalf of his majesty, he sends you back to where you came from with favors, including a stuffed Emperor Kuzco doll, a priceless gift. You will find your exit to your left once you have finished." I took my gift bag with a slack jaw, my mouth open like a fish. I put my hand inside and grasped the first thing I felt. I pulled the plush doll out of the paper bag and stared down on it. My grip tightened, hoping to pop the head off of the thing.
And yet, well made, it stayed intact, a replica of the man himself: Kuzco. He's the sovereign lord of the nation, the hippest cat in creation, the alpha, the omega, a to z. And in that moment, he's the one I wanted to strangle.
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AAAH! hello lovelies! This idea has always kinda knocked around my head when I watch this movie...what about those women? Especially THAT ONE, the one that was ready to let him HAVE IT! well, let's find out :D
And I'm gonna try it keep it light and simple. I know I have a lot of in-progress stories, but I'm trying my hand at a drabble-plus sort of story. Hopefully you guys enjoy it, cause I think it's gonna be fun :) Also, I think Kuzco is gonna be a blast to write.
Reads and reviews are always greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading.