Epilogue:
One by one, the ships of Nagumo's fleet sailed up to the hastily-constructed docks near Nagumo's former headquarters. As each ship stopped, troops from the Army of Ooo boarded and seized her, herding the men and women aboard the ships back onto dry land and lashing the ships to the docks. Though Finn wasn't inclined to hurt his former opponents, he wasn't quite ready to trust them either. The business was going well. His generals had things well in hand. He just wished he could get his personal life back under his control.
Leaving the scenes of the dockyard behind, the King of Ooo headed back to the camp his soldiers had slapped together in the ruins. They'd found a defensible position where they could keep Nagumo's dudes under guard, and they'd set up shop, letting him report his success to his people back in the Candy Kingdom. Duty done, he had one last thing to look into.
The infirmary was bustling as Finn approached. He'd lost too many of his dudes. He hated the feeling of knowing people had lost their lives in this, and he continually had to remind himself that his men were volunteers. They'd signed up to follow his banner wherever he led them. He couldn't imagine how he would have felt if he'd forced men to go as Woolcot used to do.
Weaving his way through the lines of men getting treatment for injuries both major and minor, the King dipped into a darkened tent, finding the medics who'd been looking after Jake were gone. Jake herself was laying shirtless on a cot with her arm resting on a pillow beside her. Her face swivelled to his as Finn let the tent flap drop.
"Hey," the big man greeted her, as he settled at her bedside. Jake smiled up at him, though her face was clearly clouded with pain. "It's... it's getting better," she murmured. Finn shushed her. She was supposed to be dead. Kaito Maeda had never seen anyone survive Quivering Palm. The best he'd seen was a healthy and fit young man who'd lived a few days after being struck. Most were dead within minutes or, at best, hours. Leaning down, the big man put his lips next to her ear and whispered, "you saved the King. Again." Her face flushed.
"D-did you find Jay," she asked? Finn nodded. She was changing the subject. "He's... he wandered off," the King explained. "He won't talk about where he was or why..." It was more of the same. His son had clammed up. He was hiding things, and nothing Finn could do seemed to get through. "He'll... he'll be ok," Jake murmured. "He comes from good stock." It was Finn's turn to flush, not least because he was guilty of hiding things when he was younger. He'd hidden his unhappiness from Phoebe and wrecked their relationship. He was afraid of what Jay was hiding from him.
"My dudes went down and brought the remaining ships back up here," Finn announced. "We'll push the robots off the ships so we can get everybody loaded up and get us all out of here. We should be able to get back to Tongchon in a couple days tops." He had things that needed to be wrapped up there. Then they were going home. Nodding, Jake asked, "are Asuka and Misato ok?" Nodding, Finn said, "they're in good health. I'll have Drew look at them when we get home."
There was a war-elephant in the room, though. The bodyguard had gotten out of pocket. She'd disobeyed him in the heat of the fight. "A-are you mad at me," Jake murmured? It took a moment. He'd been expounding on all they needed to get done and the fact that he still wanted to look in on Charlie before they left. Finn chuckled. She didn't understand. That was ok, though. Turning to face her, the big man answered that charge with, "no." Her expression said it. She didn't believe him, but that was what girls were like. You could be telling them the absolute truth, and they wouldn't believe it. Emotion. Girls ran on it, like fuel.
Reaching out, the King brushed the hair out of her face. Leaning down, the big man put his lips to her ear and whispered, "I've been treating you like your dad. I'm guilty of acting like you were my brother..." Jake Jr. flushed to her hair. It didn't feel like he'd been treating her like her dad. He'd been banging her like a drum. "Your dad never tried to hold me back," Finn said. Jake Sr. would have been egging him on. That was what brothers did.
Straightening, the big man studied her for a moment, as Jake fidgeted. "I have to understand that our relationship is different," Finn said. "No girl wants to see her guy get splattered like a bug on a wall..." While there was a lot of Jake in JJ, Finn had to internalize that she was a different person with her own opinions and feelings. The shapechanger broke down crying. He did understand. Finn gathered her into his arms and held her. Running his fingers through her hair, Finn said, "I can't promise that there won't be risk. I can promise never to take it too far."
The King lay his mistress back and drew the covers up over her. Leaning down, he kissed her cheek and whispered, "sleep well. I'll have you away from here soon." Twining her fingers in his, the shapechanger whispered back, "I hope to be worthy of bearing your children someday." Her grip was weak, but she was holding his hand, giving him hope that she was going to be ok. At the same time, those words shocked him. Reaching up with her other hand, JJ stroked his face and said, "someday. I'm... a work in progress." The King stroked her fingers. Then, promising that they'd talk about the matter, the King rose to go.
With the morning, Finn swung by to check in on his girlfriend, finding her in fine spirits and trying to get around the small room in the infirmary where she'd spent the night. Much like her father, she recovered quickly. Finn's mind kept going back to the moment where Jake Sr. shook off a lethal dose of poison by increasing the size of his liver to clear the toxin out. He'd laughed about that one. They'd both laughed it off–at least until Drew slapped the hell out of the pair of them. Jake had been a little sore about the ass-chewing he got that day, though he eventually got over it. Now that he knew the hangups the pretty doctor had about her friends getting hurt, Finn was a little ashamed of their behavior. They'd been the typical jerky boys.
"We've mostly got the machines unloaded," Finn announced. "We'll be loading soon." Jake nodded. The medics had cut the shirt off of her, so she didn't have a shirt to wear anymore, but thankfully she still had her pants and bra, so she didn't have to go bare-assed again. Striding forward, the big man snatched her bra off the side-table. Reaching out, he spun the shapechanger around. And then he was helping her slid her injured arm into the strap. Reaching around her middle, the big man slipped the cups up over her knobs, got them settled into place, and then snapped the catch closed in front.
The feel of that–of his hands on her body, sent a shiver through her. She had it bad. From being terrified, she'd gone back to being hungry. She wanted him to do it now–get it over with and make her preggers. We're a bajillion fucking miles from home, Jake, she thought. The King needed a bodyguard more than a baby-momma. "Thanks," she breathed. Finn kissed her cheek before getting on his way.
Gathering on the remnant of her shirt, Jake Jr. headed out into the bright morning sunlight to find efforts to get the soldiers and prisoners out of here were well underway. Under strict supervision of the Army of Ooo, Nagumo's former soldiers were moving the war-machines off the ships and onto the beach. Jake found Bonnie sitting on a rock, watching proceedings. At least, she thought the pillow-person was watching the work. As she approached, she suddenly realized that Finn's daughter wasn't watching the soldiers. She was watching her brother.
Jay Mertens was standing alone, next to a pile of rubble. His face was brooding and, he was staring off into space. It was the very definition of 'troubled'. Jake knew it as she knew herself. How many times had she stood like that in her parents' backyard, staring into space, thinking ugly thoughts. The hell of it all was that, deep inside, she knew those thoughts were ugly, but she'd been seemingly helpless to stop thinking them. Now, she knew the demon that possessed her. So, what demon was possessing her father's namesake?
"Anything," Jake asked? Bonnie glanced up at her father's mistress, finding the shapechanger staring at her brother with a pensive expression. "He won't talk," Bonnie muttered. She sounded irritated. Resting a hand on her shoulder, Jake said, "anger doesn't help this problem, Bonnie... Ask me how I know that..." Bonnie flushed, her mind going back to the rumors of what was going on with this woman and her daughter.
"How's your arm," Bonnie asked? She was changing the subject. "Better," Jake replied. "I can move it. Mostly." She had tingles up and down her arm. It was kind of a drag, but at least she wasn't in a box. More to the point, neither was Finn. Jake gave Bonnie's shoulder a squeeze and said, "persistence, Bonnie. This thing with your brother needs persistence. Nobody wants to be isolated."
Stepping off, Jake sauntered across the gap to where Jay stood alone. As she passed him, the shapechanger stopped and said, "you don't have to share the ugly thoughts... But telling people you're having them can get you help." And with that she went on her way. She was still the King's bodyguard, even with a crippled arm, and she wanted to make sure none of Nagoono's dudes got any ideas.
As the sun spun across the sky, the last of the war-machines was transferred across to the dock, and the loading began. Jake made sure to gather up Finn and the kids and got them on the second ship in the line, leaving Finn's generals to work on the rest. As the sun was headed for the horizon, the fleet was finally underway, sailing back down the river, bound for the ocean.
Haruko Kanzaki edged past the suspicious guard standing at the door to the deck and slipped outside. She wasn't sure this was allowed. They were prisoners. She knew they were prisoners. At the same time, they weren't being treated the way she'd expected to be treated. Honestly, she had no reference for what war was like. All she could do now is walk small and try not to offend the dangerous men with guns who were posted all over this ship.
Just now, the ship was cruising past the ruins on the shore, and Haruko found herself looking for signs of the deadly creatures that lived in those ruins. They'd had to put up barriers isolating portions of the city so they could live and work here without interference from the monsters that would slip in to attack them. As her eyes adjusted to the afternoon sunlight, she found the man who'd summoned her standing by the rail. Squaring up, the cop-turned-soldier-turned-prisoner headed down the deck towards her superior.
Lord Nagumo's deputy was standing by the rail, watching the shore, just as Haruko had been only moments before. A glance to her right showed that the ship was coming out of the river now, and Haruko shuddered at the sight of the wrecked ships in the mouth of the river. There were a dozen there, grounded on shoals or beached in the awful wasteland. Hundreds had died in the water or been slaughtered on the land. They'd been playing at being soldiers. She thought that way now. They'd had no idea what war was really like. Now they knew. Now she knew. It wasn't farm buildings and livestock that didn't fight back. It was hardened and determined men who weren't cowed by flashy machines and technology. Far from being terrified, those men had pressed forward, using whatever they had to hand to carry the fight to their enemies.
And they'd won.
"Attend, Kanzaki Haruko," Lord Maeda announced. Scratching at one of her bandages, the former soldier/former cop strode up to the rail, where her superior stood. The Lord's arm was still in a cast. The steel pins knitting his bones together wouldn't come out for many weeks. His face was a mask, and it was clear to her that he was under duress. At the same time, he was carrying the moment with all the dignity she expected of him.
"Master," she greeted him, offering him a bow. "You will not bow to me," he interrupted. Haruko stopped in mid motion, her face flushing. His face was calm, and his eyes were clear. "I will go into prison," he declared. Haruko grimaced. "I intend to take responsibility for all that was done," Kaito declared. "But Lord," she interrupted. His eyes fell on her, and the younger woman fell silent. "I am responsible, Haruko," he said. "Lord Nagumo could not have attracted so many to his banner without my aid. He could not have carried this out without my aid. I supported the matter long after there were signs that his intentions were impure."
Frowning, Haruko shot back, "this isn't right, master! She... The princess..." Nodding, Kaito said, "Princess Sakura dishonored our homeland with her actions. At the same time, she slaughtered no innocents. We did. Her misdeeds were not license to take the homes and lives of our neighbors. That was hubris. I will surrender myself to justice. I have one last mission for you." Haruko, who's mind had been going in unpleasant, self-destructive circles, as he made those admissions, stopped and refocused on what he was saying.
With a sigh, Kaito said, "my daughter will take my place as head of Civil Affairs Ministry. You will help her in reorganizing the Ministry to function as it needs to function in our unhappy new world." Haruko knew Akari very well. Akari was seven years her junior, and Haruko had been there when Akari was inducted into the academy. The younger Maeda had performed very well indeed. She was a natural leader. At the same time, she was very green, and the deaths of her few friends had hit her very hard. "This is my will, Haruko," Kaito declared. "Please carry out my orders." The younger woman offered him a bow. She tried to, at least, before she realized that, technically, her old master was a dirty traitor. "I will carry out your orders," she gritted, before spinning on her heel to get out of there.
The fleet sailed across the afternoon and through the night, going around the south end of the peninsula and up the eastern side, arriving at Tongchon's harbor late the following morning. Jake woke to find Finn sitting in the chair at her bedside, watching her. He was really worried about her. "Morning," she yawned. "Morning, Jake," Finn replied. Turning on her side, the shapechanger asked, what we doing today?" She looked sexy laying there like that. Jake had very nice hips. With a shrug, the King answered, "we move into the palace, find out what they got out of Reese, and we get you looked at." The shapechanger sighed. Her arm was feeling much better, so she wasn't really interested in going to the docs to get poked and prodded, and she didn't want to go look in on the wax-hustler either. She wanted to fuck.
Rising, the King said, "do you need help getting dressed? Or help washing?" He'd helped Simone get around the treehouse and even helped her wash when she'd injured her knee ages ago. Jake found herself thinking of the possibilities. "Yeah," she agreed. "I'd like some help in the shower."
An hour later, showered, relaxed, and, most importantly, well-fucked, Jake Jr. snuggled up to Finn's side as the carriage rattled through the streets of Tongchon. Bonnie was sitting beside her half-sister and niece, staring through the windows of the strange box they lay in. Her dad had been pretty insistent that they were going to stay there–at least until doctors could look at them and make sure they were ok. Bonnie found herself strangely anxious to touch them. She'd fought for them. She'd risked her life to get them back, and she wanted to touch them–to hold them and kiss them.
The Lord of Tongchon was waiting on them, when they arrived, with Princess Sakura right alongside him. Jake immediately let go in favor of getting down to business. Climbing down from the carriage, the shapechanger stood aside, scanning the area with her keen senses as Finn got down. Striding up to Hyun-Ki, the King offered him a slight bow, which the Lord returned, bowing deeply to him. Then the two men embraced as brothers. It was a compromise. They'd worked that out for Finn to show his acceptance of the culture of this land.
"I take it matters went well," the Lord offered, as he gestured for Finn to accompany him. "Very well," Finn replied. He motioned for Bonnie to come forward. Hefting the case with her kin inside, the half-breed strode up to the worried mother. "Your children, Your Highness," the pretty pillow-person offered. Sakura's mouth came open. Then, as she accepted the burden, she began to cry. It was a heart-wrenching scene and a sign that the healing process could now begin. Resting a hand on Sakura's shoulder, Finn said, "they're ok. I want you to go down to the docs with them... Spend some time with your girls... I'm not going anywhere. We can talk." In the now, he had to go deal with his former 'mistress'.
Reese was dressed in the same outfit she'd been wearing when they'd left, but Jake imagined nobody was in a hurry to give her anything else. She looked drawn and haggard, like she hadn't really been sleeping. Fresh bruises on her legs showed the attentions of the men Orzsebet had sent to question her. Defiant, the evil little bitch glared daggers at them.
Sitting down at the table, the King of Ooo declared, "I'm willing to commute your sentence of death in exchange for your cooperation. Gumbald and Wells need to be shutdown..." The wax-hustler spat at him. Nodding, Finn said, "I'll take that as a 'no'." Rising, the big man turned to go, announcing, "you'll be remanded to prison in the civilized kingdoms... You'll be transported to the Candy Kingdom, where the Captain of the Guard will prepare a hanging for you. One week from our return to the Candy Kingdom, the Captain will be instructed to stretch your scrawny neck and bury you in the wilderness in an unmarked grave. Good day, Ms. Griffin..."
With business handled for the moment, Finn moved on to family matters. Jake got a thorough checkup with the doctors. Then, the King took his girlfriend and daughter out on the town for a good meal and a little sight-seeing. Bonnie found herself feeling a little jealous as she watched her father with his mistress. Finn was attentive and loving, helping Jake in and out of her jacket, cutting up her steak at dinner, and otherwise looking after her. Watching the way a good man took care of his woman, Bonnie found the hunger for a man of her own was just as strong as it had always been. Unfortunately, men like her father had always seemed to be in short supply.
As the sun went down, the big man led his family back to the security of Tongchon's palace. Hugging his daughter at the entry to the private wing, Finn headed off with his mistress. They were going to get some sleep, then gather up the army and head north to Sonbong, where they could finish up business here and go home.
As Bonnie pondered how to find a man of her own, a pair of eyes watched her from a darkened doorway. When the curvy pillow-person had shaken off the mood and gone on her way, the owner of those eyes stepped out into the hall. Jay had been waiting for this moment. He'd been waiting to make sure his father went to bed. The half-breed knew that Jacob was an insatiable lover. He'd heard the pair going at it for hours on the landship and in the palace at Sonbong. It was a certainty that the shapechanger would keep his dad occupied while Jay went about his clandestine business. The King's troubled son had kept to himself the whole way back from the battlefield in the ruins. Now, he was about to do something very rash.
Melinda Griffin was sitting on the rickety cot in her cell, pondering how things had all gone wrong, when the shadow came slipping up to her door. She was humiliated. More than that, she was insulted to realize that the fucking dog was more attractive than she was. She wanted to kill him. She wanted to eat his fucking liver. But there was no hope of that. Even if she got out of here, Gordon would put a TOS on her. If he was even alive. Orzsebet might already be moving on him. She was a woman without a future. She was going to die when they got to the Candy Kingdom.
She'd been toying with the idea of throwing herself on Finn's mercy. She'd thought about swearing her loyalty to him. Trouble was, she'd already been forced to tell her interrogators nearly everything she knew. She wasn't good with pain. They hadn't had to do a lot. She didn't have anything left to offer. What really sealed the deal, though, was the rage she felt for being rejected. What right did he have to reject her that way–to tell her she wasn't beautiful?!
Noise at the door alerted her to the fact that she wasn't alone. As Melinda stared at the door, the door suddenly burst into flames, and Finn's son strode through the conflagration. His blue eyes were cold as he announced, "this is your one and only chance. Come with me, if you would avoid the fate my father has in store for you..."
Well, Jay has gone off the deep end... More to come...