Authoress Note: Hey, guys!! Gosh, I think I like writing this story more than my Transformers one. Oh, please vote in the poll I put in my profile! It concerns which story I'll work on after I finish my Transformers one because I'm only about ten chapters away from competing it.
Anyway thanks to:
Sakura Tate - (sorry for the capitalization error if there is one, my computer is being weird) No, don't worry. I like writing and will continue, even though I may be a little late with some chapters. School can be stressfull sometimes.
Caeley - Thanks for reviewing, Number one fan!!
Chapter Six
The Monkey King's Request
Monkey King's POV
I rushed as fast as I could to the throne room, fully prepared to set all of my hard earned pride aside. I was also fully prepared to set all of my pride aside and beg for my chance to leave the mountain; I had been punished before and I was not allowed to leave this mountain. The Warlord makes sure that I don't. I needed to search for my Moonbeam; she was alive…I was sure of it.
I brought my Nyoi-bo from my back and laid it upon the ground in a sign of respect towards the all-powerful man who sat before me. It would not do to anger the Emperor of all people. Trust me, I had done that and the punishment he deals is usually lenient, but this was his daughter of all people. I think he noticed that I had shed tears for he kept his eyes trained upon my face. He must have known that something was wrong with the Princess…I was the one who was with her last after all. The Emperor rose, commanding all attention from the room. The Empress and her handmaidens ceased their gossiping and paid close attention to the matter that was at hand.
"Monkey King…it is not often that I see you in my throne room when you have not caused mischief. Tell me – what is your purpose for this audience? What is your purpose for being here?" the great Emperor inquired. He eyed me; he probably still didn't trust me because of the last stunt I pulled on the Jade Warlord. I lowered my hair; another submissive action. The Emperor looked at me with a raised eyebrow, but I didn't care. My ponytail hung over my shoulder; I took a great shuddering breath…I didn't know if the Emperor would call his guards or not. I steeled myself, putting all of my emotions into my eyes. When I looked up I could tell that the Emperor was unsettled; he took a step back as if he was unnerved.
"My Emperor…" I began, reassuring myself that what I had to say was, indeed, important.
"The Princess Ariya is…gone. She is missing. We…were attacked by a swarm of the Jade Warlord's minions. We became separated and when I managed to find her she was thrown over a cliff by the Warlord himself!" I explained, trying to remain calm. The Emperor just had to understand! I looked deeply into the faces of the Princess' parents, noticing the horrified expressions that had formed. Tears swam in my eyes once again, but I absolutely refused to let them fall before a man of such power. It was a sign of weakness.
"I became outraged…and managed to defeat most of the men who were attacking us. By that time the Princess was clinging to the rock face with all of her strength. I should have gotten there quicker, Majesty. I defeated the Warlord, but my worry over the Princess caused me to let him leave. I had no time to be dealing with such scum when her Highness was in such danger." I hissed, still trying to keep my calm. The Warlord was such a wretched man. No, he was lower than a man; he rivaled a grimy piece of dirt. The only reason why he was offered refuge on the Holy Mountain was so that the Jade Emperor could keep tabs on him. Yes, the Warlord was that dangerous.
"I offered to her my Nyoi-bo in order for her to get a better chance of being rescued, but I was unaware that a warrior was still behind me. When her Highness finally managed to grab onto my Nyoi-bo, I was attacked from behind! The warrior fell over the mountain's ledge and knocked into the Princess on his way down. She lost her grip…and she…plummeted down the mountainside into the river…" I finished, feeling the pain of watching her take over my heart once again. My eyes welled up yet again, but this time I didn't bother to wipe them away. It was one of the ways I could show my grief for the Emperor's daughter.
The Empress let out a strangled cry that I couldn't ignore no matter what I did; tears ran down her cheeks and smeared her makeup. Her handmaidens tried their best to console the female royal, but they, too, had tears running down their cheeks. Ariya was a well loved Princess and everyone in the palace adored her. It was going to be hard to accept that her Highness could very well be lying dead somewhere. Everyone felt grief that she was gone, but none other felt the grief more so than I.
I…felt that I could have done more to save her. I should have done something to help her more. I should have kept her safe! It was my fault that she was in an unsafe terrain in the first place…she was subjected to the harsh wanders of the Middle Kingdom.
"Guards! Bring me the Jade Warlord." The Emperor commanded, eyes settling into an uncharacteristic hard glare. Normally he would have asked politely, but considering the situation it was no wonder why his attitude had become as cold and hard as steel. The Emperor would do whatever necessary to ensure the safety of his daughter…and to gain her back. The elderly ruler had lost her once and he was not about to lose his beloved daughter again.
The servant merely nodded and bowed sharply, showing that he was upset. He understood the situation perfectly, but he didn't dare show his emotions. He rushed off into the maze of hallways, intent on finding the Warlord and bringing him back. The Emperor turned back to me, urging me to rise. I did so, but I kept my gaze elsewhere; it was another sign of respect for the wise and powerful leader. I had begun to see him in a new light since I developed feelings for his daughter. Suddenly, the voice of the distraught Empress rang through the room.
"You care for our daughter, do you not? You harbor feelings for her?" the Empress asked me, smiling softly despite her tears. Her gaze still welled; every few seconds they would overflow and trail down her cheeks. There were black lines where they smeared through her makeup.
I froze, trying to figure out exactly what my feelings for the Princess were. I thought about her shy and sweet personality and how she would only open up around me and Caeley. We were the only two people to get her to smile…except for her parents. I thought about her beautiful hair and gorgeous eyes…about her angelic voice and how she carried herself when she walked. I thought about the butterflies that gathered in my stomach whenever she was near…and how my tongue became twisted when I tried to speak to her.
Then, I finally thought about my anguish when she was thrown over the mountainside. I lowered my head, but then I suddenly raised it again. I looked the Empress straight in the eyes, sure of my answer.
"I love her, Highness." I said, not really surprising myself. Was it really that surprising to other people? Ariya was practically perfect in my eyes…and everyone in the palace was in love with her personality. They all loved her whether they loved her as a sister, friend, daughter, or in my case…something more. The Empress smiled, showing a row of pearly white teeth. She nodded her head in an 'I told you so' manner to the Emperor as the heavenly leader sighed.
"I suppose you were right, dear. I was just too blind to see that my daughter was growing up. She cares for you deeply, Monkey King, but I'm afraid that I know not she harbors the same kind of love you harbor for her." The wise Emperor said, bowing his head in submission. He looked back up at me, smiling at me as I sighed in relief. Trust me – I really didn't want to get on the Emperor's bad side.
"Listen to me, Monkey King. I approve of your feelings for my daughter, but listen to me well when I tell you this. If you hurt my daughter in any way, shape, or form and I shall condemn your soul to hell for all eternity." the Emperor said, wagging a finger in my face. He held a light tone but I could tell that the wise Emperor was deadly serious. Nobody should take the Emperor's threats lightly.
Suddenly, there was a cough in the corner. The cough came from where the large double doors were located. The servant that was sent to fetch the Jade Warlord was back, but he was glancing nervously behind him.
"Sire, the Jade Warlord is here. I managed to convince him to come, but he is in a terrible mood. I apologize, Highness." he said, rubbing his arm. I guessed that the Warlord had either struck him or threatened to remove the said appendage. The vile man really needed to know when to quit with the threatening.
The Emperor nodded, instructing the servant to let the Warlord in the room. His eyes were wise and he must have noticed how much I was fidgeting. He saw how the Monkey King's eyes narrowed when the Warlord stepped proudly into the room and how steam seemed to rise from the Warlord's head as he noticed that I was in the room. I just had that kind of effect on him.
"Warlord…tell me. Where is my daughter?" the Emperor commanded to the Warlord, eyes narrowing as the evil man smirked. He had obviously come up with some sort of excuse.
"Well, I haven't seen her today. Why? Are you looking for her Majesty?" he asked, smirking wider. Oh, how he managed to lie with such ease! I saw right through his guise. Rage boiled in my veins and I clenched my fist, trying to ease my anger. He turned towards the Emperor, wanting to address the issue he came in for in the first place.
"Highness, may I leave the Mountain in order to search for the Princess? I feel that she is still alive." I asked, bowing low and placing my Nyoi-bo on the ground once again. I was praying with all my heart that the Emperor would let me search for the Princess. The Warlord sneered at me, laughing at my 'oh so pathetic' attempt at being respectful. Maybe I was one of the only ones who were noticing that the royal couple was becoming angry at the Warlord.
"No. Why would you ever think that the Emperor would lift your punishment for a woman?" the Warlord laughed, not noticing that everyone in the room seemed to drop what they were doing to glare at him. He did notice, however, that the Emperor's eyes narrowed even more, looking like slits on his withered face. Nobody insulted the Jade Princess and got away with it!
"Yes. You may leave the Mountain only to recover my daughter and do whatever necessary to protect her from harm. I am counting on you, Monkey King." the Emperor said, sending a double message to me as he winked. I tried not to show how ecstatic he was, but the glow in my eyes obviously betrayed me.
The Royal couple noticed well enough, causing the Emperor and Empress to smile slightly at my happiness. The Warlord scowled at me, causing me to smirk in return. I had won our little game for the moment. I rose, backing out of the chamber, before turning and running towards the entrance to the palace. I needed to find the Princess…and quick. A servant was already there, ready with a horse from the stables and a pack, filled to the brim with food. There were also a few jugs of water, helpful for my harsh journey ahead. I only hoped that I could get to her in time.
"Thank you." I told the servant as I hopped onto the horse, securing his Nyoi-bo onto my back as I urged the horse onward. The grey stallion snorted before trotting down the incline that led to the gate of the entrance of the mountain. I stopped, looking back one more time before I turned back around, determined to find my beloved and bring her back to the palace. Failure was not an option.
TIME LAPSE
I had been searching for two days, stopping in villages and receiving many strange stairs at my attire. I was well accommodated, though, because I bore the celestial emblem of the Jade Emperor. I tried to follow the current of the river, but the large amount of brush and foliage kept me from riding the horse. I finally made the decision that I was going to abandon the horse, traveling on foot along the riverbank. It was frustrating; I needed to find Ariya soon…or else I'm afraid that I would only find a corpse.
"Thank you for your patronage, sir. Feel free to come back any time." the innkeeper said as I paid the man to keep my horse for me. I nodded in the innkeeper's general direction before taking the pack from my horse and mounting it on my back. I shrugged the pack higher on top of my back, strapping the Nyoi-bo on top of it. I set my jaw, determined to find my Moonbeam before the worst could happen. She was still alive; I could feel it.
I pushed myself harder than I had in any battle, wanting to find the Princess and make all of her troubles disappear. I looked for a way into the forest, near the rushing sound of the river. I knew that I would have to look harder as Ariya would most likely be smart enough to cover up her trail. I sighed, running a hand down my face as I thought while I walked. Now that I was free from the palace what would I do when I found my Moonbeam? I got the double meaning that the Emperor had sent me: I was to take Ariya and hide her away from the Jade Warlord.
I grimaced as I pushed back some of the branches of the thick trees, aggravated that I had small twigs sticking out of my ponytail. I was not one to complain but the sticks just gravitated towards me, loving to get tangled within my long tresses. I sighed, probably for the millionth time that day. I was giving up hope; by the time I reached my beloved it could very well be too late.
I wandered over to an overturned log, sitting down to catch my breath. She was close now; I could feel the strength of our bond growing stronger. Suddenly, I heard something shifting on the other side of an old tree. I thought I heard a small moan, female. I jumped to my feet, excited yet nervous at the same time. I drew my Nyoi-bo from my back, setting the pack upon the ground, just in case the one causing thee moans was something else.
I crept around the tree, ready to strike if it were anything that would harm me. I peered underneath the foliage, surprised to see the one thing I had been searching for in the past two days. My Moonbeam was lying, curled, underneath the brush of the great tree, cut and beaten up. I threw his staff to the side, not caring where it landed, and rushed to her side.
"Moonbeam!! Ariya! Open your eyes!" I pleaded, picking her up and cradling her to my chest. She flinched unconsciously as she moaned softly again, due to the encouraging of I started doing. I rested my head on top of hers, praying to the high heavens that she was still alive. I pressed my ear to her mouth and my heart felt like it was being ripped out of my chest when I discovered that she wasn't breathing.
"No…come on, Moonbeam! You can't leave me now!" I whispered as I felt for a pulse. It was a weak one, but she still had one. Carefully, being mindful of her old and new wounds, I set her on the ground, tilting her head back. I had a hunch of what to do but I didn't know if it would work or not. I pinched my fingers over her nose and opened her mouth. I stopped when I was just about to connect our lips.
"Please forgive me for this. I had no choice." I whispered before our lips connected, me breathing into her mouth. I had no idea what to do next but I suspected that she needed to breathe out. I placed his hands on her sternum, between her breasts, and pushed down until the breath left her lips. I repeated his actions, becoming more discouraged when it didn't work.
"Please, come back to me!!" I whispered harshly, breathing into her mouth once more. I was about to press down on her chest once again when she coughed, water expelling itself from her mouth. I stopped, thanking the heavens that she was alright. I grabbed her from the ground, cradling her against my chest again as she coughed out the remaining water out of her lungs. Once she was done she settled back against my chest, looking up into my worried, and slightly panicked, face.
"Snowflake?" she whispered hoarsely, coughing a bit, and wincing in pain. She closed her eyes do to the severity of the pain and because the coughing was draining her of her strength. I looked at her, lovingly, and watched as she forced her eyes open again.
"Sleep, Moonbeam. You need to regain your strength. Do not worry, I shall take care of you." I whispered, pecking her on the cheek. I dare not kiss her when she was awake for she might never speak to me again after that.
"If you insist." she whispered back, finally closing her eyes and resting back into my arms. I sighed, burying my head into her hair, and vowing to myself that I would, indeed, protect her from the Warlord's wrath.
