Chapter 9- A Meeting of The Worst Kind
"Thanks so much you guys for helping me with this dinner." April thanked Lilly, Kim and Riley as they all busied themselves in her kitchen.
"No probs, Ape." Riley replied as she melted chocolate at the stove.
"Yeah, this is your anniversary. It should be special." Lilly added from cutting vegetables.
"But, why all the elements?" Kim asked as she rolled out some dough. "And why couldn't you let us just use magic to create your perfect dinner?"
"Because I want to know I did it myself. Besides, Casey likes it when I cook." April replied bashfully, setting the table.
"You mean you cooking for him turns him on?" Riley assumed
"Don't say it like that." April whispered, "But yes."
"Hey April? I need some oven mitts. Do you have any?" Kim asked as she held up the pizza base on a tray.
"Sure. They're in the closet by the front door." April said, pointing to the door.
Kim nodded and walked over to the door. She opened it and started rummaging through. She found the mitts and was about to close the door when her eyes landed on a radio.
"Look what I found." She announced with a smile as she walked back into the kitchen with the radio in her arms.
April looked up from the table and smiled. "That's my old radio."
"It doesn't look old." Lilly said
"Yeah, it looks only 2 years old." Riley added
"It is." April confirmed, "But it's old now that I got that new sound system."
"Well then crank up the tunes, sis!" Riley cheered
Kim nodded and turned the radio on, placed it on the table April was setting and tuned it to the girls' favourite station where 'Super Bass' by Nicki Minaj was playing.
"I love this song!" April cried as her friends cheered and continued with their cooking.
The girls all tried ignoring the rhythm of the song, but found it hard to ignore. The fun all started with one line.
"I said, excuse me you're a hell of a guy." Lilly sang
"I mean my, my, my, my you're like pelican fly." Kim added
"I mean, you're so shy and I'm loving your tie." April continued
"You're like slicker than the guy with the thing on his eye, oh." Riley finally joined in.
"Yes I did, yes I did." April sang as she grabbed onto the doorframe of the kitchen and dipped her body backwards as she hung onto it.
Within a matter of seconds the girls abandoned their tasks and started dancing around the kitchen.
"Somebody please tell him who the eff I is." Kim sang, closing her eyes and clenching her fist to her chest passionately, sitting on one of the kitchen benches.
Riley covered her laugh to make it sound like a cough and April smirked, turning off the stove so the chocolate wouldn't burn.
"Lilly, who sings this song?" April asked as Lilly stopped, jumping on the counter next to Kim.
Lilly was about to answer when Riley jumped into the centre of the trio with a wooden spoon in her hand, acting as a microphone.
"I am Nicki Minaj, I mack them dudes up.
Back coupes up, and chuck the deuce up." She sang loudly.
Within a matter of seconds, the girls all grabbed a wooden utensil and started dancing around the kitchen singing to the song. During the song Kim accidently kicked the carton of eggs she used for the dough and splashed everyone in egg. Riley glared at Kim and grabbed the bag of flour and chucked it everywhere. The girls all screamed as they were drenched in egg and flour. April smirked and reached for the sugar but accidently grabbed the chocolate and splashed her friends and herself in the dark sugary goodness, causing all of the girls to scream.
"My hair!" Lilly cried before she slipped on chocolate on the floor and fell on her back.
The girls all giggled and continued singing and dancing in the mess.
"Boy you got my heartbeat runnin' away
Beating like a drum and it's coming your way
Can't you hear that boom, badoom, boom, badoom boom
Baby, super bass?" They all screamed out of key.
"Boom, badoom, boom, badoom boom
Baby, super bass."
Lilly and Kim smiled and winked at each other before they jumped off the benches and into the centre of the kitchen and started dancing like the girls in the music video.
"This one is for the boys in the Polos
Entrepreneur niggas in the moguls
He could ball with the crew, he could solo
But I think I like him better when he dolo." April sang as Lilly and Kim kept dancing exactly like the girls in the music video, the food long forgotten.
"And I think I like him better with the fitted cap on
He ain't even gotta try to put the mac on
He just gotta give me that look, when he give me that look
Then the panties comin' off, off, uh." Riley sang as she and April sang in front of each other, since neither of them knew how to dance like Kim and Lilly.
"Excuse me, you're a hell of a guy
You know I really got a thing for American guys." Kim sang, still dancing.
"I mean, sigh, sickenin' eyes
I can tell that you're in touch with your feminine side, oh." Lilly added as she danced close to Kim like in the video.
"Yes I did, yes I did
Somebody please tell him who the eff I is." April sang, twirling her wooden fork in her hand.
Without the girls noticing, Violet had orbed herself, Emily, the guys and Master Splinter into April's living room after Emily's surprise visit. The group heard loud music, giggles and loud banging coming from the kitchen and were confused.
"Who is that?" Raph asked before his girlfriend's singing answered his question.
"I am Nicki Minaj, I mack them dudes up
Back coupes up, and chuck the deuce up." She sang
"I believe our answer is someone named Nicki Minaj." Emily said
Violet laughed and shook her head. She motioned for her friends to follow her quietly and they walked over to the kitchen and stood frozen at the sight before them. April was laughing on the messy floor, Riley was singing into a wooden spoon, and Lilly and Kim was dancing in a way that made Mikey and Leo smirk.
"Boy you got my heartbeat runnin' away
Beating like a drum and it's coming your way
Can't you hear that boom, badoom, boom, badoom boom
Baby, super bass?" The girls all sang loudly.
"Boom, badoom, boom, badoom boom
Baby, super bass."
Leo, Mikey, Emily and Violet watched off to the sides, Master Splinter chuckled and muttered 'kids' before he went and sat down on April's couch, while Raph leaned against the kitchen door frame for a moment with a grin on his face. They all tried to hold back laughter from the girls' dancing and falling on each other with fits of laughter.
"Boy you got my heartbeat runnin' away
Beating like a drum and it's coming your way
Can't you hear that boom, badoom, boom, badoom boom
Baby, super bass?"
"Boom, badoom, boom, badoom boom
Baby, super bass."
As April finished the lyric she spun around in a twirl and was met with many amused faces. She froze and stopped dancing and singing.
"See I need you in my life for me to stay." Lilly sang
"No, no, no, no, no I know you'll stay." Riley continued
"No, no, no, no, no don't go away." Kim finished
April quickly elbowed Riley in the back and she turned and froze. She looked over at her sisters who were still dancing and singing to the chorus as if they were in the actual music video. She smiled nervously and spun her sisters around and they immediately stopped singing and jumped apart from each other.
April slowly made her way over to the radio and turned it off. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
"Is this how Earthlings cook meals?" Emily asked in confusion as she looked at the girls' appearance; chocolate, flour and egg covered hair, skin and clothes.
"Ahem…this-this is, uh, this is-" Lilly started
"This is exactly what it looks like." Riley finished
"So, uh, what's Emily doing here?" Kim asked with the little dignity she had left.
"You're needed back home, princess!" Emily cried, "The royal court are having a meeting over your future. You have to be there. Lord Drake sent me to come get you."
"A meeting?" Kim repeated, before her eyes grew serious and she looked like a princess…a princess covered in food. "Do the others have to come?"
"No, they cannot attend as it only applies to your future, not theirs." Emily replied
"But they have a future in Rayon, too."
"Not yet. This is about your future as queen."
"Then lets go." Kim said before she snapped her fingers and the entire kitchen, the table, April, Lilly, Riley and herself were clean.
April looked at her kitchen and saw it was spotless and noticed a beautiful dinner waiting on her table. She looked down at herself and saw a sparkling black dress that was backless and had a slit on the left side and she wore black strappy heels. She looked over at Kim in shock.
"Sorry April, we don't have time to cook the meal you wanted." Kim said before she turned around. "Besides, we kind of used all the chocolate, eggs and flour we had."
Kim turned back to Emily and nodded. "Lets go." She said before she orbed away to Rayon.
Emily looked over at Lilly, Riley and Violet and smirked. "Hey, just because you can't attend the meeting doesn't mean you can't spy." She said before she orbed away.
Lilly looked over at her sisters in glee. "All in favour?" She asked before she and her sisters raised their arms. "Motion carried." She said before she and Violet orbed away.
Riley stayed behind and looked at her friends. "You can point and laugh at our singing and dancing later when we get back." She said
"Oh, Mikey and Leo won't be laughing. They were quite intrigued by Kim and Lilly's very…interesting dancing." Raph laughed
"Too much information." Riley muttered with a roll of her eyes before she orbed away with her sisters.
"Great. They leave me with the mocking." April groaned, before she looked at herself in the mirror. "Although Kim does have nice taste in clothes and jewelry."
"Can we go with the girls to Rayon, Sensei?" Mikey asked Master Splinter who kept his seat on the couch.
"No, my son. This is a confrontation that the girls must face by themselves." Master Splinter replied, "We will wait and support Kimberley with the council's choice. Whatever it may be." He added, looking over at Leo.
"What did you find out?" Renaldo asked
Charlotte and Renaldo stood outside the court doors whispering to each other.
"My Lord," She whispered, "I have found out news that will help you earn more followers. With this information you will plant more doubt into their minds about, not only the princess, but about the Lord Drake himself."
Renaldo smirked, keen. "Tell me."
"Girls, over here!" Emily cried, waving Lilly, Riley and Violet over as she stood by the doors of the meeting hall.
"Okay, so what's the plan? How do we get in?" Violet asked
"We're not sneaking in." Emily smirked
"Then…where are we going?" Lilly asked
Emily's smirked widened as she motioned for her friends to follow and led them down a hall and stopped at the dead end. She smiled and pointed to a square hole on the left wall.
"A ventilation shaft!" Riley cried, "Really?"
"Really. Now get in." Emily said after she pulled the covering off the shaft and started crawling through. "Come on!" Her voice echoed.
Lilly shrugged and followed after her friend, then Violet crawled through. Riley groaned in exasperation and followed her friends, closing the shaft behind her.
20 minutes later
"Move your foot, Emily."
"Ow! Your foot is in my eye."
Emily shushed them as they crawled to a wide area where the four girls could stretch on their stomachs. "Look." She said, pointing to the grating in front of them.
The girls gasped and all crawled over, laying stretched out in front of the grating, although they were elbow to elbow with each other.
"This is so uncomfortable." Riley complained
"Well then, you can go and not watch the meeting." Lilly whispered
"…Yeah I'll stay."
"Look there's Kim." Violet said, pointing to Kim walking through the hall and taking a seat next to Lord Drake wearing a lovely silver gown that came out a her hips with silver strappy shoes and a silver and blue crystal tiara.
"It's about to start. Remember to keep absolutely silent or else we'll be spotted and then it will only get worse from there." Emily explained and the girls nodded as the members of parliament took a seat and the meeting began.
"The royal court is in session." Vladamir announced before Renaldo stood tall.
"As we all know, the 21st birthday of an heir to the Rayonian bloodline is indeed a matter of great public significance. It signifies that this young person is eligible to assume the crown." He began
"Indeed, we are well aware of this, My Lord." A small minitaur spoke up, "Lord Drake has already indicated that Princess Kimberley intends to learn more at his side before assuming the throne."
"It was not Princess Kimberley to whom I was referring." Renaldo replied, "Many moons ago, another Rayonian of the royal bloodline became eligible to assume the throne." He smirked, "I am, of course, speaking of myself."
"I beg your pardon?" Lord Drake said slowly, standing tall.
The entire court erupted into whispers.
"Forgive me, Lord Drake," Renaldo said with a small bow. "But I speak for many others when I say that we do not accept the future queen of Rayon to be a half-blood mortal who never knew Rayon even existed until a year ago!" His eyes darkened, "A full blood Rayonian should assume the throne."
Kim gawked at the meaning behind his words; he didn't think Kim was a good princess. He wanted to take the throne away from her.
"This is treason!" Drake seethed
Suddenly another member of the royal court stood up. "I agree with the young Lord!" He declared, "This half-blood is not fit to rule when she knows nothing of the customs of this great realm!"
"Princess Kimberley is first in line to ascend the throne." Drake said, "She is first born descendent of the great Queen Erika, may she rest in peace."
"A Queen that committed treason by bedding a mortal!" A third member spoke up boldly.
Gasps ran out throughout the court. Kim began to rise, but Drake held up his hand and stopped her. She sat back down apprehensively.
"Lord Drake," Renaldo sneered, "You would entrust the realm you led since the Queen's abandonment of her duties to her half-blood daughter? A daughter that was never bred or raised here?"
"She is the rightful heir!" Drake cried, "Queen Erika was a wonderful ruler. It is the princess' right to ascend the throne."
Lord Renaldo looked over to the corner of the room and locked eyes with Charlotte. She smirked and nodded her head.
"You would say that, My Lord," He continued, "Considering your unrequited love for the Queen herself."
A tense, awkward silence fell over the royal court. Kim's eyes widened and she looked over at Drake, who's eyes narrowed and his mouth was in a thin line.
"You followed the Queen all this time, because you had feelings for her." Renaldo smirked, "How do we know that you rule this realm with its best interests at heart? Perhaps your insistence on the princess' ascension to the throne is all led by your feelings for the Queen. Not because she is best suited to rule."
As soon as the words left his lips all hell broke loose. Half of the court was crying in outrage, while others were outcrying words against Renaldo. Drake looked at the chaos and tried to defuse the situation but to no avail. Renaldo watched smugly, his plan already working.
"The Lord governs us using his heart, not his head!"
"Renaldo has committed treason!"
"So did our Queen!"
"Love is not treason!"
Kim's mind was spinning with so many emotions she couldn't keep track of them all. She didn't know what to do. Her eyes were filling with tears, but she pushed them back. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
'A ruler is always in control.'
She took another deep breath, thinking what she wanted to do. Her eyes opened and suddenly she knew what to do. Her glowed bright green and she stood tall.
"SILENCE!" She shouted, in a voice not her own.
The entire court immediately silenced at the voice. They turned and stared at the princess, noting her glowing eyes. When Kim was sure she had all of their attention, her eyes went back to normal.
"I will not abdicate my right to the throne." She decided, "Lord Drake has ruled Rayon in mine and my mother's absence well. He stood up when none answered the call. I may not be the princess that you all wanted, but I will not back down. I have worked hard to learn your customs, and I am far from through."
Kim's sisters smiled proudly as they watched their sister fight back.
"I am the first born descendent of Queen Erika, 9th generation Phoenix ruler of Rayon. My ancestors were born here and ruled Rayon with a compassionate and firm hand. I want to rule Rayon as they did before me, and I will keep proving myself to all of you until you have accepted me as your queen."
Kim looked at each of the faces in the royal court, studying their reactions.
"Give me a chance." Kim almost begged, "I implore you. Please."
It was silent. And tense. You cut the tension with a knife.
Vladimir stood tall and smiled. "I vouch for the princess." He said, "Give her a chance."
Kim smiled at him before a second person stood up. "I second this." He said
Suddenly, more people were rising and agreeing to give Kim a chance. Sadly, there were still quite a few that remained seated, glaring at Drake and Kim. Kim looked to Drake and nodded at him to take over.
"The majority rule." He said, "The Princess shall be given a chance to prove herself to the court."
"How long?" Renaldo snickered, "And how will she prove to us that she is the best choice to rule?"
"A marriage!"
Drake and Kim looked at Charlotte, who had voiced the notion and walked to the centre of the room.
"Rayonian law states that a princess must marry before she can take the throne." Charlotte explained, "If the princess says she is learning our customs then she must also follow our ways. If she wishes to prove herself, she must marry."
Kim's eyes widened as majority of the court nodded their heads in agreement, people from both her side and Renaldo's side.
"And if she does not marry, she does not prove her loyalty to Rayon and our traditions." Charlotte continued, smirking at Kim.
Kim gasped and narrowed her eyes at her. Drake sighed and looked over at Kim sadly.
"Very well." He resigned, "If the princess does not marry, she will be forced to abdicated the throne to Lord Renaldo."
"Aye!" Majority of the court agreed
Kim nodded her head. "I agree to the terms." She said, "How long do I have?"
"One year?" One person cried
"60 days." Another announced
"Two months." A third suggested
"30 days." Renaldo said firmly, smirking wider at all the agreed nods.
And it was decided.
"How could I be expected to marry in 30 days?" Kim complained as she paced the throne room floor while Lord Drake stood in front of her with sorrow.
The girls had left immediately after the meeting to comfort Kim, but she was escorted to the ballroom by Lord Drake. They decided to wait outside and they stood by the doors listening in, hoping Kim was okay.
"They're setting me up." She realised, "They're setting me up to fail. They know I'll fail so they'll get the full-blood they've all been wanting. I'm going to fail."
"You won't, Princess." Lord Drake said, finally gaining Kim's attention. "Your mate, Leonardo-"
Kim sighed and crossed her arms. "I can't do that, Drake. I can't."
"Why not, my princess?" He asked in confusion. "Do you not love him?"
"No! Of course I love Leo." Kim replied, "It's just…"
"You do not want to push him into something against his will." Lord Drake finished for her. "You do not want to decide his future for him."
"Yeah." Kim sighed, looking away and staring out the window at the beautiful futuristic town and magical creatures that flew through the sky.
"But you don't have to do this, Princess. You do not have to become queen." Lord Drake said sadly.
"But you and my mother wanted this for me." Kim whispered
Drake nodded his head. "Yes. We did."
Kim looked back at him. "You loved my mother."
Again, Drake nodded. "Very much so. I never stopped."
Kim looked back to the window. "Is that why you want me to be queen? Because of my mother?"
"No, princess." Drake said, resting a hand on her shoulder. "While I wish I was the lucky person she chose, I do not look out for you because of my feelings. I look out for you, because she asked me to as a friend. I can see the queen you will become from all the years I've watched out for you." He released his hand from her shoulder. "Your father was a good man. I hold no ill feelings towards him. But, unfortunately, my feelings for your mother have our subjects questioning our motive to your ascension. You must marry if you wish to gain their allegiance, or the kingdom will fall to Renaldo."
At Renaldo's name, Drake hissed and internally berated himself for trusting the young Lord.
"This is so unfair." Kim said painfully.
Drake kept quiet, not knowing how to take away his charge's pain. He watched silently as Kim walked away from the window and stood facing the paintings of her ancestors that hung on the walls. Her eyes landed on the one of her mother and father.
'Kimberley, courage is not the absence of fear.' Her father's voice echoed in her mind. 'But rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.'
Kim sighed. "My father came to Rayon for my mother. I'm sure he did. He found out and volunteered to be King. He did that for her. Mum was only queen for a short time before she had me and left for Earth. But she made a difference in that short time. If she can, so can I." She said before turning around and smiling sadly at Lord Drake.
"There are 100 years of Phoenix's on these walls." She continued, "And I will be up there next to my parents. I'm sure I want my chance to make a difference as a ruler."
"Spoken like a true queen." Lord Drake said proudly. "And that is why you should be queen."
The girls outside the door sighed and looked at each other sadly.
"Now what?" Lilly whispered