Disclaimer: "Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus: Never Tickle a Sleeping Dragon."
(An: Here 'tis, the second-to-last chapter... the big, climactic battle... thing. Yes, there IS a Shrek ref in the chapter and YES it is on purpouse, it's called Skysong-hates-action-scenes-but-likes-shortcuts. I'm kind of taking liberties with John's powers- we're assuming he uses magic here; of course it'd be a little different. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.)
When the dragon approached, it decided that the three people in front would be the easiest to step on. The three people in front being Kurt, Kitty, and Rogue.
Kurt grabbed Rogue and bamfed. "What about Kitty?" Rogue gasped, stumbling a little.
"Trust me, meine Katzchen can take care of herself," said Kurt. He pointed as Kitty came running through one of the dragon's legs.
The dragon, incensed at this, breathed fire.
"You gotta do better than that," John muttered, holding up his arms. The fire stopped around Remy, Wanda, and him like they were covered in a glass bowl.
"Why didn't you ever mention you could do that?" Remy demanded.
John made a throat-cutting gesture and the fire disappeared. "You never asked, mate."
Remy shot him a withering look before they scattered again as the dragon approached. "We'll continue this later," he yelled at John, who saluted and dodged the dragon's feet.
"There's gotta be a better way to do this," Wanda muttered, pausing and staring at the lizard.
John grabbed her arm and dragged her off. "Think later, run for your life now!"
Kitty, meanwhile, had an idea. She ran up to Kurt, pointing at a lever. "Get me over there!"
Kurt blinked, and then bamfed.
Kitty yanked on the lever and the chandelier came down... right on the dragon's head. "Wanda!" she yelled.
Wanda got the hint and blasted where the chandelier connected to the roof. It melted, and the dragon was stuck.
John yanked her out of harm's way (again) as the dragon snapped at her. "You really need to pay more attention when you're fighting," he muttered, sliding back behind the lizard.
Wanda wasn't listening. She was too busy looking at the shiny thing on the ground. "John," she said, tugging his arm. "Is that what I think it is?"
"An egg?" they asked in unison.
Then a raven flapped down, landing on the dragon's head. It changed into a blue-skinned woman, who patted the dragon. "Poor thing, looks like the rebels are a little smarter than we give them credit for," she cooed. "Oh, well, they say to get something done right you have to do it yourself."
Kitty stepped up, holding up her hand. "Hey, you! Are you the regent?"
"Mmm," she murmured, "I suppose you could say that... at least, I'm filling the position." She smiled a very nasty smile.
"And I've got the mark," Kitty continued. "Look, you let us up there-" she pointed at the throne, "-and we won't totally kill you... maybe you can even keep the position. How's that sound?"
"Regent's rather a step down from queen, wouldn't you say?" she replied.
Kurt, however, had heard none of this. He was too busy gaping. "...Mother?" he gasped.
Mystique threw back her head and laughed. "I was wondering if you'd recognize me... it's been a while, Kurt, dear, how've you been?"
"...What are you talking about?" Kitty hissed, stepping closer to Kurt.
"That's my mother- she left me when I was little," Kurt whispered back. "It's rather hard to forget someone like that."
"It's really not polite to ignore someone," Mystique said, still perched on the irate dragon. "Did you forget everything I taught you?"
"Whatever he knows, I'm sure he didn't learn it from you," Kitty shot back. "You're nothing alike!"
"Oh, well, there's a black sheep in every family, I suppose," Mystique replied, swinging her legs. "What about you, Marie? How's life with the elves?"
Rogue blinked.
"Mmm, I suppose you wouldn't recognize me; you were just a baby... well, it's never too late, right?"
Remy stared at Rogue. "And I thought my family was messed up," he muttered.
"Now then, down to business," Mystique said. She slid down the nose of the dragon and onto the ground, looking around with that nasty smile again. She held out her hands and adressed Remy. "Look, since you've got my son and daughter with you, I'll tell you what: you can go. Just renounce your claim to the throne, keep your head down for one more day. Let me be coronated."
Remy raised one eyebrow, crossing his arms. "Or what?"
Mystique drew a sword. "Guess."
"Where'd she get that?" Wanda (still behind the dragon) hissed.
"Where was she keeping it?" John murmured.
Wanda shot him a sharp look. "I don't think she noticed us," she whispered back. "If we stay back here, maybe we can sneak up on her."
"Good idea... what'll we do then?"
"I'm thinking!" She glanced back at the egg. "I know what to do..." She leaned over and whispered in John's ear.
He grinned, pulling a match from his pocket. "I like this plan," he whispered back.
Wanda rolled her eyes, smiling anyway. She picked up the egg.
John struck the match and broadened the small flame, making a small platform. Wanda handed him the egg and he set it on the flames.
Mystique, meanwhile, was twirling her sword. "I'll give you one more chance to reconsider."
"In case you haven't noticed, you're hopelessly outnumbered," Remy pointed out.
Mystique shook her head. What she was about to say, we'll never know, because just then John's fire platform nudged her back. She turned, and the fire disappeared, leaving the egg. On instinct, Mystique caught it.
Now, remember, she was standing in front of the dragon. The dragon didn't see her mistress. What she saw was a woman trying to steal one of her eggs. The dragon had little freedom of movement, but she could still reach Mystique. One lunge, and there was nothing left of her but the egg, which the dragon caught and began to croon to.
Remy blinked. "...That was weird."
"That's because it was Wanda's idea," said John, the two of them joining the others.
Wanda smacked him. "It worked, didn't it?"
Kurt grabbed Kitty and bamfed up to the thrones. Was it just his imagination, or did her arms linger around him for a moment? Kurt dismissed it as wishful thinking. He'd been around Kitty long enough to know that.
Kitty ran her hand along the armrest of one of them. "You'd think, after all this trouble, it'd be harder than this," she murmured. "But when the castle wakes up, I'll be coronated, and then..."
A little shiver ran down Kurt's back. Then you'll renounce me as your servant, and I'll go back to my life and you'll be queen, and it'll be just like we never met... except it won't.
"Yeah, sure, leave us down here," Rogue muttered.
"Ok, we are stuck in a hole in the floor with one dragon and one egg, and no apparent way of getting up there," Wanda said. "What do we do next?"
"You're the thinker, not me," John replied.
"You don't give yourself enough credit," Wanda retorted.
John looked at her oddly, but didn't say anything.
There was the sound of footsteps, and the rebels came in, looking significantly more scruffy than they had. "Need a lift?" Ororo asked, smirking nastily.
Remy stared back, his expression dry. "That would be appreciated, oui."
Ororo twirled her fingers, and a breeze came up. "Cluster together, would you? It's harder when you're scattered like that."
The group obliged, and a platform of wind lifted them up to the thrones.
"Merci," Remy called.
"If you don't mind, we'll just ship out now," Callisto responded. "We're not really the public ceremony types."
"Not with their criminal record, no," Remy whispered to Rogue, smirking.
The rebels left, and a few minutes later a magistrate came in, still in a nightshirt and looking rather annoyed. "What's all the commotion about? Where is the regent? Who are you people? You're not from the rebels, are you?"
Everyone pointed at Kitty, who held up her hand. Even in the dim light, the mark stood out, glowing with its own light.
The magistrate gasped. "Is that-?"
"Yeah, I've got the mark," Kitty said. "Can you fix the floor so we can get this all sorted out?"
"Uh- uh, why yes, yes, right," the magistrate murmured. He ran his hand across the wall and pushed in one of the rocks. The floor slid shut, covering the dragon and snapping the chain on the chandelier in the process.
LATER THAT DAY...
The commotion in the castle had yet to calm. After it had been confirmed that yes, Kitty had the mark and was thus the heir to the throne, things got a little nuts. Well, more like a lot nuts.
Kitty was shipped off to a room with a lot of advisers and lots of paperwork. Remy, Rogue, Wanda, and John were all given different rooms and told that the coronation would probably be tomorrow.
Kurt, however, was nowhere to be found.
&&&
Kurt curled up in a lower level of the castle, below the hustle and bustle, far from everyone else. It was dark and dusty down here. No one would find him. He'd just rest a while, and then he'd sneak out, unnoticed and unseen. He wouldn't have to face Kitty, wouldn't have to have to bear having his Katzchen renounce him, not having to see her face. Her beautiful, beautiful face.
Kurt hid his own face in his hands. He was invisible down here- with his eyes covered no one could tell him from the shadows.
I'll just go, he thought. Maybe get one last look- but then I'll leave. It'll be too much if she... Kurt shook himself. He wasn't gonna think about that. He was just gonna rest, keep his eyes closed, not think about his mother or his newly discovered sister or his Katzchen-
Kurt whimpered. His thoughts were going in circles, and sooner or later it was just going to-
He looked up, hearing footsteps. His necklace grew warm... Kitty!
Kurt covered his eyes again, in the vain hopes that she might not spot him.
"Ow!" Kitty cried, stubbing her foot on something. There was a fizzle, and then a small ball of light flooded Kurt's closed eyes. "That's better." A hand touched his leg. "Kurt?"
Kurt sighed and put his hands down. "Katzchen," he murmured.
"What're you doing down here? I've been looking all over for you," said Kitty.
Kurt didn't say anything. He knew why she'd been looking for him... so he thought. Just get it over with... renounce me as your servant, end it now.
"Kurt?" Kitty whispered. She reached out and touched his face. "What's wrong?"
Kurt flinched.
Kitty didn't back off. "Kurt..." She frowned. "Oh, don't tell me- Kurt, did you think I was going to renounce you? Don't tell me that."
Kurt blinked, not quite believing it.
"Is that why you've been... weird all day?"
Kurt nodded, leaning into Kitty's touch now.
"I never thought you could be so thick," Kitty whispered. "I didn't want you for that, I didn't want you for that at all."
"Well, then, what did you want?"
"I want you to be by my side for all of this," Kitty replied. "Everything. For good."
Kurt took her fingers and kissed them. "Always, schatz, always."
Kitty touched her forehead to his. "Good."
(Click onward for the last chapter...)