Chapter 1 – Destiny altered
Note: Here's the first Chapter. It's somewhat slow and a little wordy but I'm a sucker for details and can get caught up in them. I'm working on that. Enjoy the chapter and give me some feedback if you want to.
Royal Bed Chamber
Caiera slowly awoke from her blissful sleep and rolled over only to find that she was the only one occupying the large bed. She was confused as to what was going on, where had her loving king gone?
She moaned and rolled out of bed taking only a sheet to cover her naked form, and proceeded to look for her new husband "Holku? Holku? Where are you?" she called out.
"Out here." the deep voice of her king answered. She followed the voice and found him on the balcony overlooking the city. "What are you doing out here?" she questioned
Hulk looked back at her and slowly took in her form; she was naked save for a crimson bed sheet that rippled in the wind. She truly was beautiful and she loved him. She had accepted Banner and for now, that was enough for Banner, but it still rubbed him the wrong way. He had allowed Banner to join him in pleasuring his new queen as a reward for not betraying his trust. Now came the hard part.
"Observing and reflecting Caiera. I'm still coming to terms with everything that has happened to me. It seems too good to be true." He responded in a quiet tone.
Caiera moved forward and slid under his massive arm. In response, he pulled her closer "Now is not the time to reflect my Holku but enjoy the moment. Now come back to bed you have a duty to your queen. I enjoyed last night immensely and wish to continue." She responded in a playful tone as she slowly pulled him back inside.
When they made it to the bed she cast off her sheet and motioned for him to join her "You know how to please me. I am surprised." She stated.
Hulk growled a little "That was Banner mostly. I have the power and he has the knowledge." He bit out. Caiera smiled at him. He then saw Banner's projection smiling "Not a word Banner." He responded. Banner just continued smiling.
Caiera noticed where he was looking "He is present isn't he." She stated. Hulk only nodded. "He is part of you and I wish to love all of you at the same time. Let him join us from now on, otherwise you will only widen the gap between the two of you. Now come to me Holku, and let us bare our souls to each other." She said.
Hulk could hear the slight command in her tone and complied "For now I'll allow it, but that doesn't mean I have to like it." He grumbled. Caiera glared at him for a moment. Hulk caved and brought forth Banner's consciousness and combined it with his own.
It was a weird experience to say the least. Hulk and Banner were still separate minds but they were of one mind at the same time. They both knew what the other was thinking and both experienced the emotional and physical sensations of whatever act they were performing, be it Caiera's touch upon their skin or the feel of her lips on his. It was addictive and dangerous at the same time. It felt right and wrong at the same time. This fact scared both of them.
So together, they took the queen in their arms and kissed her. The people of Sakaar awoke that morning to the same loud screams and slight tremors that had kept them awake well into the night; and again no one seemed to care. The people of Sakaar however couldn't wait for their new rulers to soundproof their bedroom.
Caiera awoke several hours later to the noise of someone knocking on their door. She rolled over to find that her Holku was no longer big and green, but small and peach colored. She smiled; the lines and wrinkles that had formed seemed less noticeable than before. This man before her had found a brief moment of respite and she was happy for him.
She placed a hand on his cheek and kissed his forehead, before getting up and slipped on a robe before moving into the sitting room "Enter!" she called
The large stone doors opened and in walked Elloe with Hiroim close behind her. Elloe was dressed in what passed for clothing of upper class citizens while Hiroim was garbed in his usual warrior attire minus his sword.
They were slightly taken aback by her appearance but she stopped them from apologizing and motioned for them to sit.
"What brings you both here this morning?" Caiera asked
"The repairs to the city are underway but the shadow Elders as well as the rest of the council want to meet with the King to discuss what's going to happen now." Elloe replied
Caiera nodded, despite her position as a guard to the Red King she had also acted as his advisor from time to time and had taken care of various administrative duties as well. She knew her way around the court of Sakaar and Hulk was not a politician.
"You both need to show your strength to the council and assert your position before anyone starts to question your ability to rule Caiera." Hiroim stated
"Agreed, tell the council that we will meet them in an hour. You may go Elloe" Caiera responded
Elloe nodded and turned to leave but Hiroim seemed hesitant "Is there something on your mind Hiroim?" Caiera questioned
Hiroim nodded "I'll catch up later Elloe." She nodded and left
"Something is bothering me Caiera. However it is a delicate situation, but must be handled quickly." He responded
"What has you worried?" came a new voice. Both turned to find the Hulk back in his green skin and adorned in his new royal attire coming towards them.
"Well my king it concerns Miek, and that's why I came to you first before taking any action." Hiroim stated
"Fine, what's the bug up to?" Hulk questioned in a gruff tone while taking a seat next to his queen.
"Have you noticed that ever since Miek went through his transformation he's become more bloodthirsty?" Hiroim questioned
"I did notice that, but what of it?" the Hulk asked. Hiroim paused for a moment before looking at Caiera and she nodded for him to continue.
"Well it's more than that he's become more vicious as well. I've caught him looking at you and the Hulk with a look of contempt lately. In addition, he's been secretive and acting strangely ever since the Red King was defeated. The guards have reported seeing him leave the palace late at night and not returning until early morning. I think he's up to something, but I wanted to voice my concerns before taking any action." Hiroim finished
Hulk looked over at Caiera and sighed, he saw Banner sitting across from him with a frown on his face "I've noticed that as well Hulk. I have all the time in the world, I spend it watching others around us, and Hiroim's right; Miek has been acting strangely. I've heard him whispering to himself about Caiera making you weak and distracting you. Remember Hulk every time either you or I find stability something comes along to disrupt it." Banner finished
"I agree with you for once Banner, besides I never did like Miek, he was annoying and cowardly." The hulk replied.
"Just remember approach this with caution. You are a ruler now and not everything can be solved with brute force. There are laws and we can't just break them when we feel like it. You have to set an example for people." Banner reminded
Hulk cursed silently Banner was right, Hulk approached all of his problems with brute force and simply smashed everything in his path, he couldn't simply do that anymore because now he had people who looked up to him and he had to think of their safety as well.
"Follow him tonight Hiroim and take a communicator and a holo-recorder with you, if he's up to something I want to know immediately. However if it's something that has to be taken care of immediately do so. Take Korg and Elloe as back up but show me what's going on first. I don't want to cause a panic after what we've been through. The people couldn't handle it.
Hiroim nodded and left to prepare for his mission tonight, something was wrong and he wanted to take care of the situation before it caused problems for his friends and the Kingdom.
"Come dress Caiera it's time to meet with the council and show them who's in charge." Hulk stated.
Caiera merely smiled "It seems he's not only strong but wise as well. Miek must be dealt with and we still must talk, but for now we must face the council." She thought to herself before following her husband into the bedroom.
Council Chambers
Early Afternoon
Together Caiera and Hulk stood hand in hand before the large stone doors. Caiera squeezed the Hulk's hand and kissed him softly on the lips "You will do fine my love." She reassured him.
"I know that" the Hulk responded
He pushed open the doors and led Caiera inside; the council chamber was a circular room with a polished Obsidian floor. There were banners posted on the walls of the chamber. They were a crimson red color with gold trim. In the middle, a picture of a closed fist was embroidered in black. Hulk would be removing those soon enough. In front of him was a circular table with eight chairs in all. They like the rest of the furniture on this planet were made of stone; however, one of the chairs was larger than the others; it had gold trim along the armrests and was decorated with various gemstones.
Hulk knew that was his seat, so he sat down and Caiera took her place at his side. He waited as the members of the council filed in one by one. There were seven in all; three Shadow people and four Imperials. The four Imperials consisted of two males and two females. The females were beautiful and glided along the floor as they moved; each one wore elegant dresses that were enticing but not inappropriate. One of the males was garbed in grey pants and a grey overcoat that were slightly loose but not baggy while the other male wore ornate guard armor.
The three shadow people consisted of two males and a female. The woman wore robes that signified she was the representative for the Elders. The male that took a seat next to her was clad in black leather looking armor. The third man wore blue robes and carried a large book with him.
Hulk was confused as to what to do, the seven councilors sat down and stared at him with blank expressions as if waiting for him to speak "The hell with it" he thought to himself.
"Welcome and thank you for coming." The hulk said hesitantly "Introduce yourselves I do not know you." He said sternly. If anyone was intimidated they didn't show it.
The Imperial in the armor rose first "I am Talon, your majesty and I command the royal guard." He stated as he remained standing
One of the female Imperials stood, she wore a deep navy dress "I am Kora and I speak for the nobility of Sakaar." She finished. She too remained standing
Then the Imperial in grey rose next "I am Adala and I speak for the Labor Guild and the Agricultural Guild." He finished
The last Imperial stood, she was clad in a form fitting silver dress "I am Selena and I speak for the Merchant's guild and the Artisan's Guild." She finished
The Elder stood next "I am Sorana and I speak for the Shadow Elders and our people." She finished
The male Shadow dressed in armor rose "I am Hirokala and I am commander of Sakaar's military force." He finished
The Shadow with the large book finally stood "Greetings I am Harata and I am the keeper of records. I record and catalogue the council meetings and all that is discussed. I take note of any new laws created or changes made to existing ones. I also represent the common people of Sakaar." He finished
The Hulk shrugged and much to the shock of the rest of the council stood up as well, "I am the Hulk, Green Scar, Sakaarson, and your new king."
Caiera bit back a smile and stepped forward "I am Caiera the Oldstrong, and I am Hulk's Shadow Guard and his wife." She finished
The council members were surprised at this statement "The treaty calls for a Shadow Guard not a queen Caiera." Hirokala spoke up
The Hulk glared at him "I wanted a wife and I chose her. That means she is your queen. If you have, problems with that General then express your concerns. If not be quiet." The Hulk commanded in a dangerous tone.
Hirokala shivered a little but quickly responded "I was merely surprised your majesty. I have no problem with her as a queen. Despite being, the Red King's shadow Caiera possesses great negotiating and administrative skills. She has proven on many occasions that she is more than qualified to handle matters of state and of the people."
"Good now that introductions are out of the way please sit down." Hulk gestured. All of the councilors took their seats, but Caiera remained standing. He turned to her and picked her up. She squealed slightly at the sudden action, but relaxed as he set her down on his lap and positioned her so she was comfortable. "Harata, Hirokala" Hulk said as he sat down
"Yes your majesty, how can I be of service?" they questioned
"What is wrong with this picture?" the Hulk said in an annoyed tone.
"It seems Caiera is sitting on your lap your majesty." Harata replied
"Yes now take a look at my head and then at hers, what do you see?" Hulk asked
"A crown is on her head." Hirokala answered
"Good yet she has no chair. Hirokala she is my queen and I want her to have a chair, she is a voice on this council and she will not be forced to stand. I want you to make her one and have it present in the council chamber by the next meeting. Or bad things will happen." He said in a cold voice.
"Understood your majesty I'll oversee the work myself." Hirokala replied
"Now on to business." The Hulk stated and so the first council meeting of the new king began.
Under the City, Nightfall
Miek sat and watched the royal guardsmen load explosives into the ship and laughed, "Yes this will help Hulk. This will do nicely."
Those guards would be done by tomorrow night then the Green King would know loss and he would rise once again. Miek made sure no one was looking before he started his trek back to the palace. There were things to be done; he had explosives to plant and a Grey whore posing as a queen to kill. Everything would work out.
When he was gone Hiroim, Elloe, and Korg emerged from their hiding place it wasn't easy to follow the damned bug but they managed it. They looked over the edge of the ledge and stared in shock "This is more serious than we thought." Hiroim murmured quietly.
"That's the Hulk's ship and I recognize those canisters. They're high-grade explosives and are extremely powerful. They have enough to level the city." Elloe added.
"The hulk's ship runs on a primitive micro-nuclear engine. If an engine like that explodes combined with those explosives we're looking at a blast radius of at least a mile." Korg added grimly.
Hiroim activated his communicator and holo-cam "Hulk, Caiera are you there?" he asked
"We are Hiroim along with the rest of the council." He replied. Hulk didn't like Miek and didn't trust him so he brought the issue before the council land they agreed to be present when Hiroim's report was given.
"Those are members of the Royal guard, but what are they doing?" Talon questioned "I assure you my king I was not aware of this." He stated
Hulk nodded "I believe you. That's my ship. What are they loading into it Elloe?"
"High grade explosives. It seems they want to blow up the ship and the city." Elloe responded over the comm.
"This is serious, thousands will die. I've studied your ship and am familiar with the volatile properties of your engine." Hirokala replied
Hulk rose up out of his chair "Hirokala, Talon, Caiera suit up, I won't stand for this. The council has its evidence now we will take action. These traitors are threatening my kingdom and that makes me angry." Hulk bit out. He saw Banner nodding "I agree. Let's smash them you brute." He said and then smiled dangerously. Hulk returned it with a smirk.
"Bad things happen when I'm angry." The Hulk stated in a tone that sent shivers down everyone's spine.
The council gave its approval, Hulk turned to the comm "Attack Hiroim, but don't set anything off. I'll be there soon and they'll know the fury of the Green King." He stated
Author's Note: So here's the first official chapter. I touched a little on the relationship between Hulk and Banner, as well as introduced the council. That was a formality, their minor characters and will only pop up every now and then. The talk between Hulk and Caiera is coming up next chapter and prepare for some angst and fluff. In addition, Miek will get what's coming to him and Tony Stark will make an appearance. If you have an opinion or writing advice please share it or send me a PM. Peace everybody
