Two months had passed since Shinnok's invasion of Edenia had been repelled by Raiden's champions. Despite the fact that the realm had been released from its merged state with Outworld two years prior, Edenia was a realm Liu Kang had never really had a chance to properly appreciate. He had occasionally recognised some landmark from the realm's time as part of Outworld during the conflict, but the realm's true beauty had remained a mystery to him until Shinnok's forces had been repelled.
He had asked Raiden why the Thunder God's Edenian counterpart had yet to make an appearance. According to Raiden, Argus, Edenia's Protector God, had disappeared along with his wife quite some time ago. Supposedly, even the Elder Gods had no idea what had become of him. Raiden feared the worst. Until a new guardian could be found, Edenia would have to be protected by the royal family and their Earthrealm allies. Said allies, be they from the Earthrealm invasion or the Edenian conflict, were all granted freedom to enter the realm as they saw fit by Queen Sindel as thanks for their aid in restoring and protecting her home.
Though he felt he had done more for Sindel, Liu Kang sensed that it was Kitana who held the highest gratitude for him and his allies. The two had only been together during the final phase of the conflict, as Kitana had been seeking an alliance with the Shokan in Outworld for much of the event. It had been a most heartening display when Kitana had led the charge through a portal, flanked on one side by Kung Lao and on the other by Prince Goro - both of whom Liu Kang had believed dead until that very moment. With their combined might, Shinnok's forces had been held at bay long enough for the champion to reach the fallen Elder God and defeat him.
Both he and Raiden had questioned how exactly he had managed to overcome the might of an Elder God, for even as mighty a warrior as Liu Kang was, and as much as Shinnok's power had been reduced when his title had been stripped away from him all those aeons ago, it was clear to everyone that this match-up should realistically have gone the other way. Raiden theorised it might have related to Shinnok's amulet, but he couldn't say for sure.
Still, a victory was a victory, and Edenia was finally in a stable enough state for Liu Kang to be allowed to remain there for a time. Kung Lao had teased that it was akin to Kitana locking him out of her bedroom until she had tidied up enough that he wouldn't think less of her. Ever since Kang had first met the princess, his cousin had found no end to his enjoyment in teasing him and his 'girlfriend'.
Lao, for his aid in Kitana's negotiations with the Shokan, had also been asked to stay a while. He had accepted, of course, if only to tease Liu Kang and to make bets with Jade on when their respective compatriots would finally retire to Kitana's bedchamber.
It was three nights into their stay that Lao pretended not to notice his cousin quietly departing their shared room in the middle of the night.
The journey to the princess' chamber was a quiet, anxious one. There were many individuals within the palace that Liu Kang hoped to avoid; first and foremost, Queen Sindel. Since Shinnok's defeat, Sindel had struggled to get any bedrest. And in the event that she had, she had a tendency to rise and wander off in her sleep. Bumping into a sleepwalking Sindel was a less than ideal possibility, though encountering one of the numerous guards placed around the palace to catch Sindel and guide her back to her room was not much better.
After a tense journey, the monk was quietly knocking on the door to Kitana's room, which she had taken extra care to ensure he definitely knew the location of. Additionally, the guards usually stationed outside her room were nowhere in sight, making this late night visit far easier to pull off.
The door quietly opened, revealing the glimmering smile of Princess Kitana.
"Good evening, Liu Kang. I've been waiting for you." Kang didn't have a lot of experience with women, but he was fairly sure her tone could be described as 'sultry'.
"I hope you weren't waiting too long," he replied in a tone he hoped would come off as flirtatious.
"Well, only a few nights. But, what is the Earthrealm saying? Absence makes the heart grow fonder?" She would have pulled him into the room by gripping his shirt, but in typical Liu Kang fashion, he wasn't wearing one. Of the two, Kitana was the only one whose nightwear looked significantly different from her usual attire. But, thanks to a combination of the darkness permeating the room and the swiftness with which she pulled him inside, he barely had a chance to see her beautiful blue silken nightgown before it was pooled around her bare feet and collecting dust, forgotten as several more layers joined it.
The following morning was a new experience for the two of them: awakening in bed with a member of the opposite sex. While using her body to lure in targets of assassination for her former emperor was par for the course, Jade had always ensured Kitana had access to drugs to prevent any sexual activity from taking place, citing the significance of one's 'first time'. Of course, Jade had already had her own first time with another of Kahn's enforcers by then, so Kitana always took her more experienced friend's word for it. And it turned out that she'd been right all along, as she so often was.
The two awoke and rolled over to face each other in almost perfect unison. They were so in-sync that the two couldn't help but grin as their eyes met and realisation dawned on them. Their grins grew wider as they both realised that, yes, they really had spent the night together for the first time. After two years, it was about damn time, they thought. As did just about every one of their allies, unbeknownst to them.
Once the two were dressed, after roughly an hour of simply lying together hand-in-hand, Kitana led Liu Kang out to her personal garden. It was a small walled-off courtyard directly below the princess' bedroom window. Various kinds of flowers of all colours were growing in patches around the area. Of particular note, according to Kitana, was the patch of silky red flowers known as Delius, named for Delia, the wife of Edenia's protector god, Argus. It symbolised love and was Kitana's favourite flower.
Kitana crouched down to pluck one from the soil to give to Liu Kang as a gift, but he placed a hand on her shoulder.
"There is no need for such a beautiful flower to lose its life on my behalf. I need no token to prove your love for me." He took her hand in his and pulled her to her feet. "You being here with me now is all the proof I need of your love. Rather than taking this Delius from its fellows, let it stay here with them, nurture it and let it bloom. And then, every time you look out over your garden from your windowsill, you can think of me."
Kitana chuckled. "Are you sure you've never been in romantically involved before? You're very good at it."
"I suppose I am not only a master of martial arts, but also of martial hearts."
Kitana tried to hold back her laughter, puffing out her cheeks in vain before it all bursting came out. "That was terrible!"
"And yet, it achieved the desired result," the monk replied with a smile.
"Indeed, it did." She kissed him on the cheek, blushing slightly.
The two simply stared into each other's eyes for some time. They were eventually shaken from their reverie by the undeniable sounds of kombat. Curious, the two left the garden and headed out towards the larger lawn past the stone path and archways.
At the edge of the lawn, they found two pairs of boots - one green, one black - along with Kung Lao's hat, and Jade's staff and triblade. Out in the centre of the lawn, the owners of the discarded items seemed to be having a sparring match. Kung Lao went to move forward in a feint, luring Jade in. She went for a high kick with her left foot. Kung Lao caught her by the ankle easily enough.
"Nice pedicure," he said in a mocking tone upon seeing her well-trimmed and, predictably, green-painted nails.
"What? A warrior can't treat herself every now and then?"
"A Shaolin monk with hair would never suggest such a thing," he replied with a grin. He teasingly pressed the fingers of his free hand to her sole and began to lightly tickle it to get a rise out of her.
"Ah, hey! Oh, now you've crossed the line, Mister!"
Mission accomplished. Jade kicked off the ground with her other foot, bringing it up an impressive height. She probably would have succeeded in kicking him in the face, had he not predicted this exact response. As such, he swiftly moved his other hand up to grab this ankle too. Luckily for Jade, Kung Lao was already spinning her in a circle before her head had a chance to hit the ground. She was completely parallel with the ground for a few rotations before Lao launched her into the air. She reached as high as the first floor before making her descent into her opponent's waiting arms.
The disorientated Jade took a moment to let the world stop spinning. She hoped her triblade wasn't sentient, or else she would have been unwittingly inflicting such a cruel torture upon it every time she threw it.
"That... That was... Whoa... Okay, give me a minute..."
Kung Lao chuckled. "As you wish. Oh. Glad to see you two finally up." He turned to face the two onlookers, allowing Jade to see the two princesses and two monks approaching.
"I-I'm fine," Jade insisted, not wanting to make a fool of herself in front of the princess. Unfortunately, in her haste to scramble out of Kung Lao's grasp, she only made the blood rush to her head quicker, causing her wobbly legs to rebel and almost send her tumbling onto her rear end. Luckily, Lao had also predicted this and managed to grasp her hand with both of his to keep her suspended. Kitana then approached and took Jade's other hand. Together, the two were able to pull Jade back onto her feet. The furious blush on her cheeks seemed to burn away her dizziness as her entire being dedicated itself to feeling embarrassed.
"So, how are you two this fine morning?" Lao asked with a barely-contained grin.
"We're fine, thank you," his cousin replied, seemingly oblivious.
"Good, good. And? Did you two... you know?"
"I-I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about," the flustered Kitana hastily responded. Liu Kang's face was equally red as he averted his eyes from the others.
Kung Lao and Jade turned to each other with the same cheeky grin and gave each other a high five.
"Well, you two seem to be getting along quite well yourselves," Kitana observed in frustration.
Jade shook her head and tutted. "Come now, Princess. Your attempt to deflect the attention onto us is as futile as Mileena's attempts to seduce Liu Kang."
Kitana's head turned towards Liu Kang with such ferocious speed that he feared she might end up with whiplash. "She did that!?"
"Well, yes, but..."
"You've no need to worry, Princess," Kung Lao chimed in. "Your stalwart hero felt not an ounce of temptation in the undesirable face of your impostor. You can quote me on that."
Kitana let out a sigh of relief.
"How is the queen doing, by the way?" Lao then asked.
"Well, her sleepwalking episodes seem to have stopped," Kitana informed. "The guilt continues to eat away at her and I am unsure what I can do for her."
"For now, keeping up the morale of your people and continuing to rebuild to show her how bright Edenia's future will be once you succeed her should help," Liu Kang offered.
"Agreed," Jade said with a nod. "Her Majesty's primary concern is the state of Edenia and its people. A glimpse of hope is likely the best we can do for her for now."
"Thank you all for your counsel," Kitana said with a bow. "I wish we could spend more time together, Liu Kang, but I must-"
"Go."
"Yes. Thank you. I hope you will extend your stay a little longer?"
"You need to ask?"
Kitana smiled and leaned in to kiss Liu Kang. Their lips just about touched when an aggressive "AWWWW!" was sent their way by their companions, making them feel too awkward to continue, so they just went their separate ways instead.
"Mother. Did you sleep well?"
This question was the first thing Sindel heard upon coming to investigate the commotion in the throneroom later that morning. The numerous servants and citizens bowed as Sindel entered. From the look of things, Kitana was holding some sort of meeting here.
"Well, I awoke in my own bed with clean feet, so my sleepwalking escapades seem to have ended, for now. There is that, I suppose."
Kitana stepped away from the others and came over to hug her mother. "You should try to get some rest for today, Mother. Leave official matters to me and just relax."
"Are you sure? I wouldn't want to burden you with my duties."
"Of course, Mother. I can handle this. Trust me."
"Well, if you insist..."
"I do. Jade, would you please escort the queen back to her chambers and get her whatever she needs?"
"Of course, Princess," the dark-skinned woman said with a bow and she quickly approached. "My Queen. Shall we?"
"Y-Yes. I will leave this to you, then, Kitana."
With that, Sindel departed with Jade back to her chambers. The journey was not a long one, but it was long enough for Sindel to ask her companion a question.
"Jade, may I ask you something?"
"Of course, My Queen. Anything."
"That right there. That loyalty and obedience. Why?"
"I... am afraid I do not understand the question, My Queen."
"You show such devotion to myself and Kitana. But why?"
"Is that not natural for a servant of the realm?"
"Tanya did not seem to think so. She thought I was unfit to rule after I abandoned my people."
"My Queen, that is not-"
"It is!" Sindel exclaimed as she came to a stop in the empty hall. "Now, as your queen, I command you to speak honestly: why do you continue to serve me when I have done nothing to deserve it?"
Jade went silent for a moment. Sindel feared that the answer would be that Jade had been mindlessly serving her out of obligation, due to her position. This was, however, not the case.
"While I am no match your and Kitana's years, I still lived many, many years under Shao Kahn's reign. He loved to make his subjects suffer. I saw you, briefly, during the merger. I saw your persona while under his thrall - a feminine copy of his own, twisted, gleefully cruel personality. But once you were released, I saw the real you. I saw the guilt and regret that left you tired and hesitant. And then, since Shinnok's invasion, how that guilt has only gotten heavier, leaving you paralysed with sadness. I see that, while you may not be the most well-equipped monarch, you do mean well and wish to make amends for your failures. I do not serve you and Kitana out of blind loyalty. I serve you because I have seen Kitana's greatness, and I also see your own potential for such."
Tears rolled down Sindel's cheeks from her moist, milky eyes. Jade worried she might have upset Sindel by her somewhat unkind summation of her, but the queen wrapped her arms around the servant girl and clutched her tight. Jade's body went stiff as a board from the surreal shock of the moment. Once she had time to process what was happening, she managed to speak again.
"M-My Queen? M-May I... hold you?" Had this been Kitana, Jade would have done so without the need to ask permission. With Sindel, however, Jade felt it prudent to asks for such first, as Sindel was the monarch first and a friend second.
Sindel nodded into Jade's shoulder. Jade then awkwardly moved her forearms around Sindel's back, barely able to move them thanks to her upper arms being pinned to her sides. But, she managed, regardless. With some coaxing, she managed to push Sindel's arms out to give herself some more room to reach Sindel's back.
"Th-Thank you, Jade. For always s-supporting Kitana. And myself."
"Think nothing of it, My Queen," Jade responded in as cheerful a tone as she could, hoping it might become infectious. "But, if you truly wish to thank me, then please take some time to rest and recover. Then, do your best to become the queen Kitana and I both know you can become. That is, of course, only you feel you owe me such a debt."
"I do."
"Well, then. It looks like Edenia will have a bright future after all. For both your and Kitana's reigns."
"Kitana's?" Sindel pulled back, her white eyes still wet and blank, but Jade could almost feel that they had a faraway look about them.
"Yes, Kitana's. One day, Kitana will be Queen of Edenia, and she will look to your example. Where else is she to look, after all? To Shao Kahn's example?"
"No. Not his. But, not mine either."
"Oh, her reign is many years away. You will have plenty of time to build a new legacy for yourself - a new example for Queen Kitana to follow."
"Yes. Yes, you are right, Jade."
"Aren't I always?" Jade winked, eliciting a chuckle from Sindel. "I see rumours of your radiant smile were not exaggerated."
"Oh, stop. It is your heart that is radiant, Jade. You serve as not only Kitana's rock, but also my own. Truly, thank you."
"Any time, My Queen. Now, I do believe I was commanded by our illustrious future queen to make sure you get some rest. And I am nothing if not dutiful. So, away with you."
Sindel chuckled again. "Yes, thank you. I, too, shall do as I am bidden by our future queen. I need no further escort. Your duty is complete."
"Then, I will wish Your Highness a good night, and take my leave."
"Good night to you too."
Jade curtsied and turned to leave.
"Oh, and Jade? One last thing."
"Yes, My Queen?"
"Be honest. What do you think? 'King Liu Kang'?"
Jade mock gasped. "Majesty, for shame! Such gossip is truly unbecoming of..." Jade looked around and whispered conspiratorially, "Actually, yes, I do believe a certain monk has a very good chance of joining our young princess in the near future."
"Very good, very good. Then, I shall have to set an example for Kitana as not only a queen, but as a woman as well."
"Ooh, Queen Sindel, on the prowl. Go get 'em, Tiger."
Sindel was laughing out loud by this point. Jade wasn't sure she had ever seen Sindel laugh like this before, but it was a very welcome change.
Upon returning to her chambers, Sindel changed her clothes, let down her hair, laid down in her bed and was asleep before she had time to even roll onto her side. While it was impossible to know at the time, this night marked the end of both Sindel's sleepwalking episodes and her restless nights. For the first time in over ten thousand years, Queen Sindel slept soundly.
The following morning, Kitana rose bright and early. She had been overjoyed to find Liu Kang waiting for her in her chambers after a long day of running the realm's business. Awakening next to him for the second time had been just as wonderful as the first. But, she had important matters to attend to this morning. It seemed that he, too, was an early riser, heading out shortly before she did to get in some sparring with Kung Lao.
With help from Jade and a servant named Maya, Kitana had all of the day's tasks lined up and ready to begin. She assigned the other two some tasks and looked over the list for the first of her own to complete. It was while she was still looking over the list that Sindel entered the room.
"Good morning, Kitana."
"Mother? Good morning. How are you feeling?"
"Much better, Kitana, thank you."
"You slept well?" Kitana asked hopefully.
"I did, in fact. You chose a truly wonderful friend in Jade."
"I...? Well, yes, I did."
"Indeed. I see you have today's itinerary planned."
"Yes, Mother. I am ready to begin straight away."
"Share some of it with me, won't you?"
Kitana cocked an eyebrow and titled her head at this.
"Edenia will not repair itself with only one of us taking charge."
Kitana beamed broadly. "Yes, Mother!
Outside the thoneroom, just beyond the open doors, two shirtless young men, bodies glistening with sweat, were passing by after their morning sparring session, attracting the attention of most of the women and even many of the men in their wake. They peered inside as they passed and took note of Kitana and Sindel's expressions.
"It's funny to think," noted Kung Lao, "that you spent your whole life training to protect Earthrealm, and you ended up saving, not only Earthrealm, but the long-pacified Edenia too."
"Honestly, I am not entirely sure I did. It seems to me that all the saving will truly be done by the queen and princess."
"And future king."
"Will you stop?"
The idea was originally just a short titled "The Champion's Reward", about Liu Kang and Kitana with some Jade and Kung Lao banter thrown in to establish their non-pair-the-spares dynamic, but with the new Sindel trailer, I had to include her as well to show who the true Sindel is. The Sindel and Jade scene was originally going to be between Sindel and Maya (named for the one-off Conquest character) to show how the average Edenian view Sindel, but I felt it worked better with a real character.
