Tarakudo had no intention of waiting in the near vacant banquet hall for his Queen to return, instead he had far more important things to do. As much as he'd like to travel during the night; they'd arrive in the dead of morning at their palace, and no amount of natural darkness of the Shadowkhan magic covered that, not without their Queen's power.
Shendu's invitation extended to a stay over the night, and he would like to get a head start on inspecting the room for any magical maladies and sneaky little traps the dragon had set for them. Typically, he wouldn't have to, as the Queen would long sense something amiss before he could, yet..
Jade was young and inexperienced. He could see the vast amounts of potential that she had, with raw chi coursing through her in leaps and bounds, far more than any Shadowkhan possessed. But she was directionless and without purpose or a guide to the path she must follow, then all that power was useless.
The late Queen was supposed to help her on her journey, but she had passed before Jade was old enough to really understand who she was or what she was trying to do. Her consort had ruled for a little while, at least until Jade was old enough to take the throne, but he too had not lasted long with his love's gone, and he possessed no magical aptitude in which to train Jade in.
It was a frustratingly delicate balance that was maintained, but many of the ceremonies and expectations that demanded of the queen's power would go unfulfilled if she was not properly taught. As much as he wanted to train her and explore the mystical arts himself; Tarakudo was aware there were centuries, if not eons, of rules and law that prevented him from doing so.
If he wanted to tip the scale, to write new history, he had to be extremely careful. Many of his generals, though respectful of him, would jump at the chance to dispose him as Yojimbo and take his place. It was the closest a male could get to the Queen's side aside from her consort, though he suspected Jade would not think to take one until well into her adult years. She'd never been interested in anyone else before, and he doubted that would change now.
In any case, he promised the late Queen that he would do anything in his power to see Jade flourish and succeed, even if it meant bending the laws that be and reading texts not meant for his eyes.
His thoughts were broken by the sound of someone rising out of their chair, and he turned his gaze away from the doors that Jade and Po Kong left through to pin it towards Shendu.
"I would find it humiliating, having to be at the beck and call of a fourteen-year old mortal." The dragon bemused, stepping towards the oni and regarding him with that scheming look he's seen all too often on the visage of cunning, lying dragons.
"Does it not bother you?"
"There have been younger Queens than her." Tarakudo simply replied, arms crossed in front of him. He had no intention of making small talk with Shendu, especially when it hinted at his loyalty. His brow twitched at the thought the demons would think the Shadowkhan so keen on betrayal like his kind.
"As much as your siblings love to stab each other in the back for the fun of it, I am honoured to be in the position I'm in, and for as long as I have been." he added blithely, shooting the dragon a challenging look. Truthfully, he found the idea that someone would think his priorities different entirely bemusing, if not slightly insulting. He had ambition, yes, but he wanted to go about it the.. right way, if such a thing existed.
"Is that so," Shendu hummed. "With the late Queen's unfortunate passing, I wonder who will take up the role of her mentor. It certainly cannot be you, her subjects would have a field day with that. To be called a king and to be nothing more than a servant."
Tarakudo's brow twitched again. He understood what Shendu was trying to do. Dragons as a species were greedy, prideful, tactical masterminds whose plans were well beyond the scope of mere mortals, or even yokai. He could simply be trying to disrespect him for the sheer hell of it, or he could be trying to sow the seeds of discourse. If he couldn't win over the Queen, maybe he could stoke the flames of internal conflict and be there to take the ashes of glory once it had all simmered down.
He wanted change, yes. Tarakudo would not pretend that he did not. But there were ways of doing it that didn't result in the total destruction of the Dynasty, the death of Jade, and complete dissolution of society, and he was not going to allow Shendu to be the one to topple it.
"Is there a point to your blathering, or do you just enjoy the sound of your own voice?" Tarakudo asked, then paused, scoffing with a wry grin. "My mistake, you demons are alike. Of course you do."
"Your Queen needs a guiding hand when it comes to harnessing her power." Shendu stated more plainly. "She will need someone to help her learn the spells necessary to keep the eternal darkness, to keep your empire protected."
"Let me guess." The oni flatly cut in. "—You want to be the one to teach her."
That insufferable, infuriating dragon smugness practically oozed from the emperor. It would help Shendu's plan in spades. Not only would he have a close eye on the internal operations of the empire, but he would be in a position of considerable power within it as Jade's teacher. To get an inside look into the elusive Dynasty was something anyone even remotely interested in politics wished they could have.
Tarakudo couldn't help but laugh at the cheek of him. To not only think that Jade would accept Shendu as her teacher, that he would agree to the arrangement as well.
Before he could shoot down his suggestion with a hot retort, Shendu continued.
"I am not a Shadowkhan, and therefore I need not follow the societal structure of your empire. I will be seen as a servant, yes," and the idea of such did make the dragon squint. "—but I am perhaps one of the only ones able to read the ancient texts to her. Not even my siblings hold the amount of magical understanding that I do."
A lie for certain. Bai Tza and Tso Lan were two that came to the forefront of Tarakudo's mind that held equal, if not more knowledge of dark chi than he did. However, he was certain the water sorceress would rather kill Jade where she stood than teach her, and Tso Lan was entirely uninterested.
"As well," the dragon continued, quieter, more conspiratorial. "— we all owe it to her late mother, now don't we? She was a beloved Queen; and I am certain she would want nothing more than to see her daughter flourish."
Were he as impulsive as some of his oni generals, Tarakudo would have whipped around and silenced the dragon where he stood. Instead, he settled on half turning towards him; his glare smouldering into the hint of a tiger's fury. His affability had left, leaving him serious and cold.
"You are a fool." He spat. "A fool to think I would let you teach her, to bring up the memory of our beloved Queen. I should strike you where you stand for besmirching her name in such a way."
"But you won't, because it's not up to you." Shendu smirked, sinking back away from the yokai. "It is Queen Jade's decision, and you are obliged to tell her of my offer."
They stared each other down. For a moment, time felt like it was at a standstill, nothing existed but he and the demon. He contemplated his options, about attacking him without permission, or to excuse it that he was threatening Jade's safety. Yet ultimately, he would not succumb to such desires. He was made Yojimbo for a reason, and keeping a cool head under pressure and threat was one of them.
His benign tone returned, his features relaxing as he rolled his shoulders back.
"—I'll let our Divine Highness know of your incredibly kind offer," he sweetly stated, with as much saccharine poison as he was capable of. "I did not know you were so eager to be a servant, Shendu. Leadership never suited you."
The bait was in place, but for once, Shendu forced himself not to rise to it, as much as he wanted to. Well, he wanted to incinerate Tarakudo where he stood, but that most certainly would start a war he couldn't win. So did not respond, choosing instead to inform him.
"—The Queen's chambers are in the royal wing to the west. It is not trapped, but I assume you will look for one anyway." He muttered. "Better get to your duties. My sister is not known as a conversationalist."
Po Kong offered no further advice or nuggets of wisdom once they had enjoyed the garden for what it offered. The demon sorceress left her to her own devices and thoughts; and she stared at her reflection in the slow stream, rippling the waters once she returned to sit and poke at it with her foot.
Amidst all the panic and worry that Jade had felt, she hadn't really stopped to take everything in. Frankly, she thought she'd have a heart attack if she did, but one strange thing she had noticed was her skin colour. It wasn't the typical Shadowkhan blue that she'd turned when corrupted by the Mark of Tarakudo. She didn't have red eyes, or a hellish lilt to her voice. For all intents and purposes, she was still Jade, the human. Given the fact Tarakudo had still been more than amicable for her, maybe this was intended?
She did recall that her transformation was slow. She gradually turned shades of blue as her chi changed, and that was something she couldn't really describe or put words to. If she really was as young and new at this whole Queen thing as she was thinking, then maybe there were still things to be done before she ended up all evil-bent-on-tyranny style she devolved to.
Jade sighed deeply, frustrated at not knowing all the answers, not knowing anything in this strange reality. Her eyes burned with a hint of tears she fought back on instinct lest any corner of the garden was watching her, waiting for her to slip up. Her entire family depended on her to set things right. Hell, all the people she knew and yet necessarily didn't like depended on her, like Drew or other playground bullies.
They didn't deserve that. She wondered where her teacher was, where he was. What happened to Paco? Viper? El Toro?
Begrudgingly she raised a sleeve and let the soft silk grace her face, rubbing at it furiously. The sting was a constant reminder that her present now was real, even if it was altered. She could mess up and die and there was no second chances.
"Ugh." She fell back gently into the well kept grass, arms splayed like a land starfish, staring up at the stars in the night's sky. She'd taken many of her adventures and thrill-seeking rides like a video game, though nothing about her situation was a game now. No power-ups, no hints, no cheats. She was up demon creek without a lifejacket.
Tarakudo was the only lifeline she had out there, and she didn't fully know his intentions. She'd dealt with more demons in her short lifetime than she'd done math problems, and she knew that they were always opportunistic, always looking for more. He couldn't just be content with being a servant. She was suspicious of his platitude, but she didn't want to alienate the only person that had the answers she needed.
And she had to still think of a suitable punishment for something she didn't think he deserved to have.
Give a yokai an inch and they'd take a mile, unfortunately. Jade couldn't let him get out of hand if he thought he could undermine her authority. She closed her eyes, hoping that the ground would simply reclaim her and she'd wake up in her Supermoose blanketed bed.
The moonlight was blocked by shadows, and her eyes snapped open. Bottling down the urge to make a cry of surprise, she slowly lifted herself up, seeing that she was now accompanied by four ninjakhan. They knelt to her, subservient. One offered their hand, and she took it to lift herself up from the ground.
"I guess Tarakudo sent you." She told them, knowing they couldn't speak. They acted on the intentions and feeling of their master, and it said something that the oni king was so concerned about her and her safety. Her heart panged as it reminded her of her Uncle Jackie, always with a brow steeped with worry.
For a moment, Jade pondered what the late Queen was like.
"Okay. Take me back." She informed, and they rose to form a protective square around her, ready to escort. It was surprisingly they didn't sink her into the shadows, but she remembered that she wasn't entirely .. Queen yet. Not blue-magic-using-powerful Queen. Yet.
Her body moved on it's own accord, mindlessly following the ninjakhan to wherever. She took the time of the journey to process everything that happened so far, lest she really did have a panic attack. She managed to bluff her way through the banquet, with thanks to Tarakudo's overreaching nature. Po Kong was .. scarily wise, and her warning would certainly be heeded.
She gently fanned herself with the gift the Mountain demon left her. There was little she knew about Po Kong, but maybe she could find an ally in her? She sounded uninterested in the politics of the demonic realm; and warned her when there was no reason to. It was a thought she filed for later on, when she wasn't so ungodly tired and exhausted.
Jade and her escort arrived at an expansive, ornate wing of the palace, one that she would have to assume was the royal chambers. The idea that Shendu actually slept in a bed was so bizarrely amusing she couldn't help but crack a smile. She'd only known him as an archenemy that wanted nothing more than power and pain to humans, so him doing anything mundane was so out of consideration that when it happened she wanted to capture it on a camera.
If, cameras existed.
It was the little things that kept her sane. The size of his bed must have been big enough to hold a small town. Were the blankets and pillows – did he curl up like a cat? She inwardly snickered picturing him doing that.
Bemusing herself was short-lived, as the ninjakhan opened up the doors to what she was guessing was her room.
It was.. sparse, with little furnishings besides a desk, a dresser, and a bed in the corner. There was a lovely view from the balcony and a wooden separator that kept her privacy. There was also a divider made of paper that she could use to change behind. For it supposedly being the royal suite, it was unexpectedly barren.
The bed certainly made up for it; with what looked to be an abundance of pillows and three sets of blankets. The mattress looked like she might just be swallowed by it entirely, and she appreciated that. Her inspection of the room did not last long as Tarakudo, having finished his own, moved to the middle of the room and sat on his knees, head bent.
"My Queen," he started gravely. "I was completely out of line at the banquet. I should not have undermined your authority in front of the demons like that. I will take any punishment you see fit, even death. Even onions."
Jade paled a little. The fact he was so accepting of death made her believe that it was a common punishment for Shadowkhan that stepped out of line. She hesitated before approaching him, and she realised how he still almost dwarfed her, despite being on the floor. She was just a head taller, though he was far broader. The onion thing, however… she wasn't going to ask.
"Tarakudo, I'm not going to punish you." She decided, and tried not to think she made the wrong choice at his total look of shock. "I know you're loyal to my family. To.. me, and that you had my best interest in mind. The demon sorcerers were trying to take advantage of the fact I'm young and trick me, and you were there to make sure that it didn't happen."
Tarakudo was silent, staring. Jade wanted the ground to swallow her up whole, but she persevered.
"You're more than just a servant, anyway." She clarified. "You've served my mother and her mother. I think that has to count for something, or at least it does to me. Besides, those demons aren't worth wasting my breath over."
It was.. strange, talking about a family she wasn't attached to, that she didn't know. But her words seemed to placate his awe, and a brief smile rose to the tiger-like face.
"Benevolence is a rarity for a Queen of the Shadowkhan." He quietly told. "I hope the future does not take that away. Thank you."
Jade muttered something along the lines of 'me too.' She did not want to become how she was, like a sugar high on evil power. If she was given a second chance at this thing, by all means, she was going to do it the Jade way. Or try to, anyway.
Shuffling to the bed, she crashed on it, face first, groaning. Her body felt limp, now that it was in contact with something she registered as a bed. Tarakudo started, as though he wanted to say something, though stopped himself from actually announcing it. Whatever it was, Jade wanted it to wait until the morning.
"Now get out of my room before I punish you with death by a thousand pillow thwacks." Her muffled voice rose from the depths of her blanket abyss, and she swore she heard him chuckle before the door opened and clicked close.
Demons, yokai, and queendom can wait for the morning, now.
note: thanks, ZMLS! i think po kong is highly underrated and i'm hoping to give the other demons more of a spotlight instead of just shendu or hsi wu, though i've got plans for that imp of a demon. much later on. i do think she'd be perfect for a mentor role, since she's so uninterested in the politics but she has patience and temperament bai tza doesn't have. plus any reason to further snub shendu is always a good reason.
glad you're liking it so far, and i don't mind the lack of attention, i'm just writing for my own sake and if people enjoy it along the way is a GREAT bonus.
i'll try to!