A/N: Hey guys I'm back. Unfortunately, I've been sick and out of school. But it does give me time to work on the story. Warning, most updates won't occur as rapidly as the recent two, for this reason. Anyways, so far, this chapter has been the most fun to write for me. I'm finally gonna introduce the Lioness from the Prologue; hopefully you guys still remember her. She was a fun character to write.
As always, Read & Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Dream Works or Kung Fu Panda. I only own this specific plot and my OCs.
Chapter 5: Egyptian Essence
The Valley of Peace
The sun had long disappeared over the western mountains, and the landscape was now illuminated by the pale light of the full moon. As always, the Jade Palace loomed protectively thousands of feet above the valley. Saber and the Five had turned in hours before. The palace in its entirety was dark, albeit one sector; the scroll room.
The expansive room was dimly lit by a wax candle nearing the end of its life. Barely half an inch of wick was left on the pitiful thing and it flickered constantly, as if threatening to die out at any moment.
Sitting at one of the tables in a chair was Po. He looked as if he'd been turned into a Jombie by Kai himself. Not surprising, since he'd been reading scrolls incessantly from morning till midnight. His bloodshot jade eyes were continually scanning the current scroll in his hand; scroll 415. It was primarily about the physical and mental characteristics of different animal species outside of China. The scroll provided the different species' appearances, habitual actions and traits, as well as their strengths and weaknesses. Po had already gone over all the different species in Asia. He'd also learned about species from regions that he didn't know existed, such as "Europe, Oceania, and the Americas". Currently, he was finishing up on Africa. His hands were shaking from exhaustion as he finished up on the scrolls last paragraph.
'Continent: Africa
Species: Panthera leo
Type: Mammal
Diet: Carnivorous
Common name:
M: Lion
FM: Lioness
Appearance:…'
While reading the scroll drearily, Po had been inadvertently shifting it closer and closer to the candle's flame. He didn't take notice until it was too late. The bottom of the scroll ignited in flames.
Po's formerly droopy eyes snapped wide open in shock.
"Oh shoot!" he swore, before beating out the flame on the paper.
Unfortunately, the damage was already done. He tried to make out the rest of the scroll, but it was scorched beyond repair.
"Great," he muttered sarcastically.
Sighing, he rolled up the damaged scroll, and set it to the side. Being a klutz was progressively becoming an utter nuisance. To make matters worse, the candle burnt out seconds later, leaving him in a pitch black room. Too tired to care at this point, Po slumped his head on the table. He fell into a deep slumber soon after.
The Valley of Ra
Egypt, Africa
The scorching sun baked the dry earth below. Not a cloud in the sky to protect the citizens of the valley from the sun god's wrath.
Years and years ago, the Valley of Ra was a serene province, a fruitful center of trade and wealth. Home to the most efficient education systems and combat academies in all of Africa, the valley in consequence, had access to the smartest scholars and the most proficient martial artists in the land.
Public violence and crime were virtually non-existent. Children could run the streets unsupervised all day. Women and elders could take leisurely strolls at the dead of night without fear of being threatened through verbal or physical means.
Under the rule of King Lux, a lion that was currently in his late forties, the valley had flourished.
It was in short, an absolute utopia.
However, during the current times, it wasn't a paradise, not even close.
The peace was ended and revolution was sparked nearly a decade ago by a crafty individual; Zane Akua, a middle aged black jaguar. He also happened to be the head-master of the combat academy.
Before the conflict had broken out, Akua had been the best-friend of Adam Lux; the current king. Friends since childhood; the two were inseparable. However, as a teenager, Adam was adopted by the royal family and Zane was left alone on the streets.
Years went by. As Adam eventually became successor to the throne, he became a popular and beloved figure among the people. Following his appointment he married a lioness named Luna. Within a year, they conceived a beautiful daughter; they named her Kiara. During this time, Zane grew more and more cynical of his former friend. Zane soon dropped his first name, because of its connection to his past, preferring to go by Akua. The jaguar eventually managed to be accepted into the combat academy. He became head-master within a few short years, through extreme toil; driven by anger and resentment towards the king.
Once he attained the role of head-master, young Akua began to spread rumors and deceit among his students and followers until he had amassed several thousand against the royal family.
As their strength and confidence grew in numbers, he took to action.
*Flashback (twelve years ago)*
The night sky was pitch black. A blanket of clouds was blocking out the usual gleam of the moon and stars. Nearing midnight, the valley was lifeless, not a sound, except for the occasional gust blowing against the trees.
Five masked figures emerged from the shadows and leapt over the metal gate of the palace grounds. Eventually stopping at the front doors of the palace, the leader pulled down his mask, revealing the face of a black jaguar; Akua. He gave a quick tug on the double doors, only for them to remain rigid; locked.
"Okay boys, you know the drill," he ordered off-handedly.
The others quickly set up an explosive device and fused it onto the door. The canister consisted of black powder and several other chemicals to increase the blast radius.
The group back away and waited. After several seconds, the canister ignited and combusted violently.
BOOM!
Both doors and a substantial section of the wall had been utterly demolished.
Immediately an alarm bell began to sound.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Akua grinned and unsheathed his scimitar; the others followed suit and readied their weapons. The jaguar quickly rushed inside and quickly scanned the area, the four others behind him.
"Alright, you have your orders. Kill anyone who gets in the way, but I want the king and his daughter alive. Got that? Alive! If you can't find them, everyone group at the throne room. I'm sure his majesty will be waiting," he barked.
The rest of them nodded in understanding before the group took off, splitting up in different directions.
BOOM!
A frightened lioness cub, no older than nine or ten, jolted awake from the sudden noise. The cub clutched her bedsheets tightly between her small paws as she shivered.
Not a second later her mother burst through the door.
"Mommy! Mommy! What's that sound?" the young Kiara cried in fear.
"Shhh, Darling. It will be alright. Just follow me," the older lioness whispered tenderly before taking her daughter's hand and helping her out of bed.
The two lionesses hurriedly exited the room and made their way down the narrow hallway towards the opposite side of the palace, where the back door was located.
On the front end of the palace, Lux stood with a sword drawn and shield raised in the middle of the throne room. As soon as the breach in the palace had occurred, he had told Luna to take Kiara and escape out the back door, while he delayed the invaders. By design, the palace was only accessible through the throne room. In order to get to his family, the intruders would have to get past him first.
The doors crashed open revealing Akua and his crooked followers. Behind them on the ground were dozens of mutilated bodies; the royal troops. The subordinates swiftly marched towards the king, only stopping a few meters from him. They then spread out to form a walk-way for their leader, who was still standing outside the opened doors.
"Good evening your majesty," Akua called out from across the room.
King Lux hesitated before taking a defensive stance, drawing a few chuckles from the others.
"I apologize for the mess. I really didn't want to, but those buffoons wouldn't let us inside," the panther quipped, looking down at the corpses.
He gave one closest to him a swift kick before walking towards the center of the throne room, where the king resided.
Eventually coming face to face with the king, he said, "Why don't you put down your weapon and we can talk through this like civilized men, hmmm?"
The other warriors raised their weapons threateningly, almost daring the king to do otherwise.
Lux analyzed his options. He was outnumbered and outclassed. Sure he had a relative amount of fighting experience, but he was pitted up against five master combatants.
'Besides, talking may prove to be a better distraction than fighting him,' Lux thought.
After a few moments the king gently lowered his shield and sword. They soon clattered to the ground at his feet.
Akua just smirked, before scratching his neck with the tip of his scimitar and quickly afterwards burying it through the extravagant rug below and into the floor.
He did so while maintaining eye-contact with the king the entire time, "I hope that rug wasn't too expensive," the jaguar apologized sardonically.
Deciding not to play along, Lux just shrugged indifferently, "I didn't really like that rug anyways."
Akua's grin dulled slightly at this remark.
"Why are you doing this?" the lion tried reasoning with his former friend.
Akua gave a mock thoughtful expression while tapping his claw against his chin.
"Hmm. That's a hard one. Let me see. You left me on the streets for a place in the royal family. You continued to mock me by becoming a beloved figure. Your entire existence insults me!" he listed off, continually growing louder with each word, almost as if he'd rehearsed it.
"Zane-" Lux tried again before being cut off.
"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" Akua exploded in an extreme show of anger, slipping from his cool persona.
There was dead silence for almost a minute after the jaguar's outburst. No one dared to say a word, in fear of Akua erupting again. Once he had calmed down enough, Akua jerked his sword free from the floor and pointed it at the king.
"Don't you dare call me that despicable name. I am Akua. Zane is dead. Zane is the name of the boy that you abandoned long ago," he sneered.
"I tried to offer you money, support, a job. You refused it all," the lion argued.
Akua slammed his sword onto the ground, "Don't you patronize me! I didn't want your pathetic sympathy or pity!"
The king became quiet once again, staring at the man in front of him.
"Is this what you want? To kill me?" he asked calmly.
Akua just gave him a dark smile, "No I don't. I want to rip your worthless heart out of your chest and crush it in the palm of my hand."
He continued, "I am going to kill your wife first. After that I'll kill your daughter…slowly…painfully…and make you watch every second of it."
Lux's eyes darkened at this. A small snarl formed upon his formerly stoic face and his hairs stood on end in a feral anger.
"Then I will cripple you; remove your nose, your teeth, and your eyes. But I'll leave you your ears, as a sign of mercy," Akua finished, bringing his smirking face within inches of the king's.
King Lux took a deep breath to calm himself and gave a few moments of thought. He looked back towards the panther with a smirk.
"You will not lay a finger on them. They are not here," he retorted.
However the lion's moment of victory was cut short as Akua began to laugh hysterically. A look of worry began to spread across the king's previously smug face.
"You really are a fool," the panther managed to choke out in between his fits of laughter.
After calming down from his high, Akua continued, "Do you actually believe that I wouldn't know about the back door? My squadron is waiting for them."
Lux's face paled at this. He quickly made a dash towards the stairs in order to warn his beloved. However, he was promptly stopped by one of Akua's men shooting him in the leg with a bow.
The arrow tore through his knee, rendering his entire left leg useless.
"Ahh!" the king screamed in agony as he collapsed in a heap.
The archer was soon knocked off his feet by a backhand from Akua himself.
"You insolent piece of filth! How dare you! I and only I have the right to harm him!" he screamed abuse at his subordinate.
The warrior on the ground was trembling, "B-but s-sir, h-he was g-going to get a-away," he stuttered.
Akua gripped his sword tightly, "It doesn't matter. He is still confined to the palace!"
While Akua and his men were distracted, King Lux managed to slip away.
After scrambling up the stairs, the king started limping towards the posterior section of the palace.
'Must warn them,' he thought desperately.
Luna and Kiara had finally arrived at the back door. Even from across the palace they could hear Akua shouting abuse.
Kiara was beginning to cry, "Mommy, where's Daddy?"
Her mother quietly hushed her, "Shhh, child. Your father is trying to keep us safe."
Luna then led her daughter over to the doors, unlocked, and opened them. To their dread a group of a dozen warriors stood outside waiting for them. The queen tried to shut the door, but it was too late. The hostiles forced their way in and began trudging towards them.
Kiara was frozen in fear, before being snapped out of it by her mother's calming yet firm voice, "Sweetie, step behind me."
"Mommy, I'm scared."
"Shhh, everything is going to be alright," Luna assured her.
One of the warriors stepped forward, sword in hand.
"Leave us alone!" Luna hissed.
"Sorry lady, but orders are orders," he said before bringing his sword down in a deadly arc towards the queen. Kiara screamed.
Seconds later, a massive brown figure rammed through the crowd of soldiers and scooped up the queen and princess, before taking off down the hall.
King Lux was almost there, the back door was just around the corner.
"Ahhhhh!" screamed Kiara.
'No! No! No!' he thought dreadfully.
He turned the corner expecting to see the worst, only to see a crowd of toppled enemies and a large figure rushing towards him. The being had both Luna and Kiara in his arms. It quickly scooped him up as well and continued its sprint down the hallway.
Eventually the figure carried them into one of the guest rooms and set them down. It then shut and barricaded the door, before lighting a lamp.
The being was none other than a brown bear, Ted, one of the royal servants. He was by far the most friendly and like-able of their staff.
"Teddy?" questioned Kiara.
The bear gave her a crooked smile, "Yes, little one."
The young cub ran up to the bear and tried to give him a hug. After realizing the size difference, she settled on giving it to his leg.
Ted just gave a quiet chuckle.
The King Lux propped himself against a shelf in order to stand.
"Ted, I am eternally grateful, but how did you get here?" he asked.
"Well ya see sir. I heard da sounds of explosions n'such and the othas left and abandoned the palace, but not old' Ted. Nope, I stayed cuz I realized da dangers that cud befall ya'll. And I'm sure glad I stayed, yessir," the bear finished his monologue.
The king nodded in understanding, before a sharp groan caught his attention. He turned to see his wife trying to stand, but grabbing her side in pain. Her gown's side was soaked red and the liquid was pooling around her feet.
King Lux immediately tried to stride over to her; he would have collapsed under his bad leg if not for Ted catching him.
"I gotcha sir," Ted assured before helping him over to Luna.
The female lioness looked extremely pale and was very weak.
"Ted could you please, lay me on the bed," Luna croaked. The bear swiftly did so.
Soon afterwards, Lux pealed back her gown to reveal a severe gash through her stomach. It was very deep and the queen looked like she had lost at least a pint of blood at this point. King Lux's mouth and throat were dry from fear.
Kiara who hadn't been paying attention to the adults' conversation looked up, only for Ted to shield her eyes, "Don't look little one."
The king was frantic. He was limping around the room, trying to find something, anything to help his wife. He quickly got a rag and applied pressure to the wound.
"You're gonna be alright darling. It's nothing more than a scratch," he stammered, trying to convince himself more than her.
The queen gave him a faint smile and brought her hand up to the king's cheek, "My love, we both know that isn't true."
Lux almost cried at this. He bit his lip as he went over the situation in his head for a solution. He came up empty.
"You and Kiara were supposed to escape and live your lives. This isn't according to plan," he mumbled.
Luna shook her head with a smile upon her features.
"Dear, you are always so uptight. Sometimes life doesn't go according to plan."
After finishing her statement she coughed up some blood. Lux wiped it from her face.
"Let me say goodbye to Kiara."
He nodded before giving Ted a nudge. The bear, albeit reluctantly, took away his hand and hoisted the younger lioness onto the bed.
"Hello dear," Luna gave her daughter a smile.
Kiara was worried sick. She crept over to her mother and gripped her hand tightly.
"Mommy, what's happening?" she murmured.
Luna looked over to her husband and him back at her. They didn't know what to say. Ted just looked at the scene feeling helpless. If only he had gotten to the queen a second sooner.
Eventually the queen answered, "Mommy's going to be gone for a while."
Kiara looked scared "Why? I don't want you to go."
The cub then hugged her mother tightly, refusing to let go.
Luna stroked Kiara's head tenderly, "I don't want to go either honey, but it's for the best."
"Will you ever come and visit?"
"No, I can't. But I will always be with you in spirit."
Tears began to well up in Kiara's unique magenta eyes.
"Will I never see you again?" Kiara cried.
"I didn't say that. One day we'll meet again. I can't say when, but I promise it will happen," the queen gave her daughter a tight hug with her arm.
The rush of adrenaline from the recent events had worn off, leaving little Kiara exhausted.
"I'm tired," the cub yawned. Her eyes were beginning to droop.
"That's alright sweetie. You can sleep," Luna whispered. Soon the child was fast asleep. Ted came over and gently lifted her off the bed and into his arms.
The king took Luna's hands in his as a final sign of farewell.
"Can you sing for me, one last time?" she asked weakly. Lux gave her a quick kiss and nodded.
Clearing his throat and wiping his tears, he sang in their native tongue, "Ha ooyin. Hal maalin ayaan kula kulmi doonaa mar kale. Waxaad tahay xiddig samada. Waxaad tahay malag. Anigu waan ku jeclaan doonaa noloshaan iyo tan xigta. Hal maalin ayaan kula kulmi doonaa mar kale," at this point tears were falling freely down his face.
"Thank you," Luna mouthed.
She gave his him one last smile before letting out a final breath and drifting off into eternal slumber.
"Goodbye, Luna," the king whispered; heartbroken.
Suddenly there was a banging at the door, "Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!" The solid acacia wood trembled against the force behind the door.
"Ya'll must go sir," Ted informed Lux, quickly handing the sleeping Kiara to the king. The bear then strode over to the wall and gripped one of the stone blocks. Only a creature the size of Ted could have removed the slab. Grunting, he pulled the enormous block out, revealing a passage way. He ushered them into the tunnel and hurriedly wrapped up Luna in the silk covers of the bed and gently gave her to Lux.
"Give her a propa burial sir," he told the king. Lux nodded in thanks.
The tunnel was a tight squeeze, barely big enough for Lux to crouch in, and a thought occurred to the king.
"How are you going to get out?" he asked the bear. Ted gave him a sad smile. They were running out of time. The door's hinges were giving out as Akua and his crew kept forcing the door to open.
"Sir, I'm not," he answered in acceptance.
Lux was shocked, "But-"
Ted held up his hand, "I realized what I was gettin myself into. But I knows it was worth it. I'd do it all ova again. Yu brang me in off the streets, gave me food, and a roof ova my head. I may've been a slave, but I was a damn lucky one, yessir. Yu and the royal family were the dern nicest people I've eva met."
King Lux was speechless, never had he met someone so selfless. Ted as a slave, showed more character than any royal figure persona he'd ever met. Lux then felt Kiara stir in his arms.
"What about Kiara? She loves you like a brother?"
"Tell her I'm goin away for a while like her momma. And that she'll see me again one day," Ted stated taking a quick glance at the door. Then looking back to the king he realized he'd been forgetting something. Reaching into his worn coat's pocket, Ted pulled out a finely crafted stuffed panda bear with a tag that read 'From: Uncle Ted'
"I almost forget, give her dis. I got it from a travelin merchant from China," Ted stated with a final smile.
King Lux returned the smile and for the first time in his life, he bowed his head to another.
Ted then took hold of the stone slab and forcefully shoved it back into the wall, eliminating any trace on the remaining royal family. King Lux holding both a sleeping Kiara and Luna, slowly fled through the passage.
The door finally gave way and crashed open. Dozens of soldiers poured into the room and immobilized the bear through their sheer numbers. Akua stepped into the room and cast a glance at the bear. Slowly walking up to the immobilized giant, the panther snarled at him.
"Where…are…they?"
"They gone."
Akua seemed infuriated by this answer. Drawing his sword he held the weapon high above his head ready to strike. Ted just looked at him peacefully resigned to his fate.
"Anything else to add slave?" asked the tyrant.
Ted let a thoughtful expression cross his face, before nodding. He smiled at Akua and stated with perfect enunciation, "Long live King Lux and Princess Kiara."
Akua's eye twitched and he brought down his sword, driving it into the bear's skull.
*Flashback End*
As per Ted's last wish, Lux gave Luna a proper burial. After escaping, the king rallied together his remaining forces and those who supported him against Akua. The city was left divided between King Lux in the East and Akua in the West. Conflict spread from the city throughout the entire country of Egypt. Unfortunately, not only was King Lux's side heavily outnumbered, but the majority of combat academies and trained fighters sided with the rapscallion; Akua. War had torn through the Valley of Ra for over a decade now, never ceasing. To make things worse, King Lux's mental health was steadily deteriorating. After the death of Queen Luna, something in the king had snapped. He became obsessive, unnecessarily cruel, and paranoid. In short, he became something that he once despised. And now, he was slowly but surely losing the war effort.
Before the war, the Nile River divided the town, both sides benefiting from it. However, subsequently after Akua's revolt, his side managed to gain control of the river; a huge advantage over Lux. Now without the river, the East lacked transportation, trading, and a substantial food and water source that the river once provided. Akua was now just waiting them out, until Lux surrendered due to starvation or dehydration. The king had managed to gain connections with some towns in the Middle East, for supplies, food, and water, but it wasn't enough. Bad enough the mentally unstable king had to deal with the war, but also his increasingly stubborn daughter.
As time progressed, Kiara had matured into a gorgeous young lioness, inheriting her mother's exceptional looks and her father's fierce personality. Naturally, this led to attraction of many suitors from far and wide. She rejected each and every single one of them. Due to her past experiences with men such as Akua, she refrained from having any relations with them. Claiming men were vile pigs and the only good man she ever met, Ted, was murdered by other men.
Unfortunately, when she'd turned fifteen, the king of the City of Byblos offered to aid King Lux in exchange for Kiara to marry his eldest son, Samuel, a leopard in his twenties at the time. Lux agreed, desperate for support. Kiara and Samuel were arranged for a marriage as soon as the princess turned 21. As one could suspect, Kiara absolutely detested this. In short, Samuel was a pompous asshole. Every one of the leopard's visits involved trying to get into the princess's pants. And every time, she sent him packing back to Byblos with sore family jewels. She grew to loathe Akua with all of her being. Every problem in her life had originated from that piece of filth. However, being a twenty year old princess, she had little to no authority in the war effort. Constantly, she searched of ways to aid her father against the fiend, Akua. Coincidentally, defeating Akua would also solve her arranged marriage problem, which doubled her efforts in finding a solution, when one day she stumbled upon an old goat, who was visiting from China.
It was a mild day in the eastern province of the Valley of Ra. Although winter was on the rise, those in the desert hardly felt a change during the day. In the dead center of the province stood a massive fortress, built to suit the royal family and their advisers. It was a fortress of absolute security. Guards patrolled constantly at all hours, multiple watchtowers surrounded the perimeter, and dozens of cannons (similar to Shen's) protruded from each reinforced stone wall. However, the most secured area was the south tower. There was only one entrance and one exit; which was guarded at all times by two elite bodyguards. This was the room of Princess Kiara.
Her room quite luxurious, but fairly simple considering that she was royalty. In the room, on the left wall was a desk with paperwork, a door to the right of the desk led to a bathroom/sauna. In the center of the chamber laid a queen sized bed. To its right, a wardrobe of countless items of clothing that she'd never and will never wear. The feline in question was laying on her bed staring at the ceiling in boredom. The princess as previously stated, was extremely attractive in both her looks and figure; even if she wasn't aware of it. Her coat, a remarkable golden shade, was as soft as silk. Her features were stunning, especially her magenta eyes that seemed to possess a hypnotic glow. Unlike most girls down in the valley that flaunted their bodies shamelessly, she always wore loose fitting clothes to hide her shapely figure. Surprisingly, the lioness was quite short, barely five feet. Her father was quite tall, standing at roughly six feet and her mother had been close to six feet as well. Nonetheless, the princess possessed a fiery attitude that made up for her vertical challenge.
Kiara was playing with her golden chain necklace, which also held the ring Samuel had given her. She had refused to wear it on her hand, so her father made her wear it on the necklace to show that she was 'taken'.
"Ah!" she groaned in frustration. There was nothing to do here and she was never allowed to go outside due to the 'great risks' that could befall her, as her father would say.
Kiara snorted in derision. So what if they were at war with that scumbag panther? The east side of the city was perfectly safe. In fact, Akua hadn't led a frontal assault on the east in over a year now. Sighing, the feline threw herself out of bed and sauntered over to the balcony; one of her few freedoms. In her hands she was holding 'Mr. Bear', the stuffed panda-bear that Ted had gotten her. He had been the nicest man she'd ever known, and he'd left her with a gift that she would cherish forever. Opening the doors, Kiara stepped out onto the balcony eighty feet above the ground below. Sunlight lit up the landscape, mostly sand dunes, out in the east. She tediously scanned the town below as she pet Mr. Bear.
"Can't get any worse than this, right bud?" she asked the stuffed bear.
No response.
Plopping down onto one of the balcony chairs, the lioness continued, "I really wanna get out of here. Got any ideas?"
There was no audible reply from the bear, but Kiara's eyes lit up brightly.
"That's an excellent idea, Mr. Bear!" she congratulated. Quickly, she hopped up off of the chair and zipped back into her room. Setting the stuffed animal down onto her desk, the princess then opened up her dresser and began to pull out dozens of sheets.
After a few minutes of toil, she was finished. The final product was a crudely constructed cloth rope. She coiled it around her shoulder and walked out onto the balcony. Securing one end to the stone railing, she tossed the coil over the side. It plummeted downward, unraveling all the way until stopping a few feet off the ground.
"Sweet!" the princess beamed.
However, she froze at the sound of a voice outside her room's door.
"Princess it's time for your lunch!" called one of the guards. Kiara scrambled back into the room, before replying in her calmest voice, "Of course, I'll be out in a few moments. I'm changing."
There was a moment of pain-staking silence before he answered, "Alright, take your time. There's no rush princess."
Kiara let out a sigh of relief before stepping over to her wardrobe. Technically, she wasn't lying, she was changing. However, she was changing into more suitable attire for roaming around the common village. Taking off her light blue silk dress, she changed into a worn white skirt and top. Afterwards, covering herself with a brown cloak, she quickly slipped on her sandals. Taking a quick glance around the room to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything; she noticed her purse sitting on her desk. Shrugging, she went over and grabbed the sack before she walked out onto the balcony, closing the balcony's door behind her. Kiara flipped the cloak's hood over her head and covered her lower face in a scarf; concealing all of her appearance except her eyes; before taking firm hold of the cloth rope and climbing down.
A few minutes later, the guard was curious of the silence in the princess's room, "Princess Kiara, are you ready?"
There was no answer. After a few more moments, the armored guard burst in, only to find the room abandoned. He frantically searched the place, looking for her. He checked in the wardrobe, under the bed; even in the bathroom. She was gone. The guard threw open the balcony doors, and something blowing in the wind caught his eye. Carefully, he walked over to see a bed sheet hooked to the railing. Upon further inspection, it turned out to be a chain of bed sheets, stretching all the way down to the ground. The guard groaned in realization.
"I'm in so much trouble."
Kiara discreetly made her way through the crowds of bustling people in the town's marketplace. She gave a faint smile as she took in her surroundings. This was so much better than being confined in a room all day.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Hearing an interesting noise, the princess turned around and walked through the crowds toward the sound.
Finally stopping, she watched in fascination as a blacksmith toiled away, hammering a bar of red-hot metal into a sword blade. He was a wolf in his forties, his black coat fading to gray as a sign of his age. After he finished hammering the metal piece; he dunked it into an oil bath before looking up at the curious young feline.
"Hello, young lady. You seem fascinated," he said in a friendly-manner, while wiping his grimy hands in a cloth. Kiara's magenta eyes widened, as she realized she'd been caught staring. She gave a slight nod towards the blacksmith, hoping he wouldn't recognize her. After all, her eyes were a dead give-away to her identity.
The wolf smiled at her, "Well a lovely young lady like yourself definitely needs some type of protection. I think I have just the thing," he hurried off to the back of his workshop tent.
Kiara was tempted to leave, but she disregarded the idea. Not only was that suspicious, but extremely rude. No, she would wait this out and hope that this man didn't put two and two together. Quickly, she checked to make sure her hood and scarf were still in place. Satisfied, she folded her hands together awaiting the blacksmith's return.
After a few moments, he walked back in past the tent's flap with an interesting item. It was held in leather sheath with a back strap. He handed it to Kiara with a cheeky grin. She took the sword cautiously, never having handled something like this before.
The weapon was a bigger than a dagger, but rather small to be considered a full sized sword. It measured at roughly two feet long, maybe a fraction longer. However, unlike most swords and daggers, this blade appeared to have an arc in it. She then took notice to the remarkable hilt of the weapon. It was polished hickory with carved grooves so it melded to the users grip. A bronze pommel was fused to the wood on the end of the hilt as a finishing touch. Curious as to what the blade looked like, she unbuckled the sheath
"May I?" she asked.
The blacksmith didn't stop her, "Why of course, young one," he motioned for her to continue.
Kiara gave a swift tug and released the blade from its prison, she was left in awe. It was beautiful. The curved blade was a fuse of two metals, one a golden color and another silver.
"Wow," she hummed.
The blacksmith looked very proud, "Yes! It's probably my best ever work. It's called a Khopesh sword. It's composed of two metals; both imported. One from Japan called tempered steel, and another from Rome called tempered bronze. These two metals, after fusing, created a stronger alloy, which is what this blade is composed of," he prattled.
Kiara didn't really understand what the excited wolf had said, but she did find the weapon quite appealing. She sheathed the beautiful creation, before setting it down on the workshop table.
"How much?" she inquired.
Smiling the wolf clasped his hands together, "Usually 2500 drachmas, but for a lovely young lady as yourself I'll only charge 500," he said with a grin.
Kiara's eyes widened in shock from his generosity.
'That's all?' she thought.
Then again, she was royalty her entire life, so maybe she couldn't be a judge in these type of matters. Nonetheless, this man had been extremely nice to her and was offering her a remarkable deal.
She smiled, although the man couldn't see because of her scarf, and poured 500 gold drachmas out of her purse and handed it to him.
Thanking her with a nod, the wolf the motioned for her to come in closer; she obliged. He handed her the weapon before whispering, "It's been a pleasure doing business Princess Kiara. Stay safe," he finished with a wink, before walking back into his work tent.
Kiara's mouth was left hanging open. Was she really that obvious? Shaking her head, the lioness grabbed the sword off the table and strapped it to her back, under her cloak. Before leaving, she deposited another 3000 drachmas onto the humble blacksmiths work table, before taking off into the crowds.
Seconds later, the blacksmith burst back out of his tent, "Before you go, would you like if-" he stopped and looked around. She was gone.
He was about to leave back into his tent, before a bright gleam caught his eye. In front of him, stood a mountain of gold on his work table. His jaw came unhinged at the sight, never had he seen so much gold in his life. Knowing the source of the wealth, the wolf scratched the back of his head, "May the gods bless you princess," he prayed before collecting the money and heading back inside.
A mile or so outside of town was a sizable tropical oasis. The crystal blue water sparkled from the rays of the afternoon sun. She'd discovered it as a teenager after her first time of sneaking out. This area was a hidden gem, even though the oasis was within a considerably close proximity of the eastern path. The path was rarely used, especially since the start of Akua's conflict. Kiara was sitting on a small boulder under the shade of a patch of palm trees, admiring how the blade of her newly bought sword reflected the light.
As she admired the blade, her mind was up in the clouds.
'Why won't my father trust me enough to fight against Akua?' she pondered. The princess just shook her head, 'He's too stubborn, that's why. We need combatant aid from other countries, but he's too prideful to ask,' she internally ranted. This continued for almost half an hour before something caught her attention.
The sound of a creaky wagon wheel brought Kiara out of her thoughts. Through the silence and serenity of the oasis, the lioness heard the noise getting closer, coming from the eastern path; a path that connected the Valley of Ra with the Middle East and Asia.
Kiara's quickly hopped off the boulder and hid in a patch of bushes. Peeking out of the bush, her eyes narrowed in suspicion as she scanned the landscape, trying to determine where the noise was originating.
A few minutes later, an old goat-lady appeared, making her way over the hill with a small wagon she was pulling behind her. Kiara let out a sigh of relief, feeling a little silly.
'It's just an old lady,' she scolded herself.
The old lady continued dragging the shabby cart, making her way down the path until she was only a dozen or so feet away from the hiding lioness. That was when the cart finally gave out. All four of the wobbly wheels collapsed under the wagon's weight. To make matters worse, a sum of her items had dispersed along the ground. The goat lady turned around in shock, "blasted wagon!" she hollered in distress.
Kiara felt rather bad for her. Thinking about the situation, the lioness shrugged, 'Might as well help her. After all she's a traveler, so my identity won't be at risk.'
Kiara exited the bush, but not before she pulled down her hood and pulled back her scarf.
'No need to look suspicious,' the princess reasoned.
She quickly jogged over to the old lady and her broken wagon. The goat didn't notice, being hunched over trying to pick up some her dropped belongings. As Kiara came to a stop, the feline smoothed out her hair and clasped her hands together, thinking of what to say. Unsurprisingly, being confined to a room 24/7 had left the princess lacking in the social skills department.
"Hello, um…would you like some help ma'am?" she finally said, in a kind voice.
The goat lady spun around in surprise of the feline's sudden appearance. She soon recovered and gave the younger woman a sincere smile, "That would be lovely."
As the two gathered fallen items off the ground, Kiara asked, "Are you planning to fix the wagon and head into town?"
The only lady thought for a moment before shaking her head, "I was planning on setting up my house in the Valley ahead, but this old junk wagon is past its expiration date anyways."
Kiara gave a slight frown, "What will you do?"
The two had finally finished stacking all the items into the cart, before the goat lady sat down on it, patting the spot next to her. Obliging, the lioness sat by her.
"Well I've decided to set up my home in this oasis here. It's a perfect source of water and food," she said confidently, before rising and grabbing a shovel from her wagon she started to walk over to a flat area under a groove of palm trees.
"Right now?" Kiara called in surprise.
The old lady cackled in amusement, "Well, I have to start sometime, don't I?"
Kiara had a confused frown on her face before shrugging. The old lady had a point. She then began to internally debate whether she should help the lady. Looking up in the sky, she noticed that the sun was still at its peak, there was probably a good six or seven hours of daylight left. Making a decision, she hopped up and grabbed another shovel out of the wagon before trekking over to the goat lady.
'I don't have anything better to do anyways,' the princess internally shrugged.
"Would you like some help with this?" Kiara offered with a smile.
The goat lady just smiled in return, "You truly are a blessing child, and please, call me Carol."
It was almost dark by the time the two had finished. Kiara was absolutely astounded by the old lady. Despite appearing almost fifty years her senior, Carol had managed to do all the heavy lifting and tiring work.
The house had been completely built and filled with some of the old lady's furniture. It was a rather simple abode. The foundation and chimney were composed of stone blocks from the wagon; the walls were simply logs of the palm trees. Finally, the roof was built with mostly palm leaves that were weaved together. The inside had a small living room with two chairs and a couch with a fire place on the left. A kitchen with a small dining area made up the space on the right. And the bedroom was an enclosed space in the far back of the small house, with a bathroom as well.
Both Carol and Kiara were covered in dirt and sweat from the hard work.
"Dear would you like to come inside?" the goat asked kindly.
"I wouldn't want to intrude," Kiara began.
Carol waved her comment aside, "Oh, nonsense! Come, I'll fix you something to eat, while you clean up in the bathroom."
The goat virtually dragged the lioness inside, before shutting the door. Carol then went over to the stove and got out a pot and some ingredients.
"Make yourself at home dear," Carol hummed.
"Thank you," the lioness returned before heading towards the bathroom.
After a much needed bath in Carol's makeshift bathroom, Kiara came out feeling quite refreshed. The princess walked back into the dining room to find Carol setting a bowl of steaming soup on the table. The older lady turned around smiling, "Here you go babe, I'm going to take a quick shower and then we can talk for a bit," she informed, before disappearing into the bathroom.
Kiara smiled, 'What a wonderful lady,' she thought to herself. Seconds later, she dug in. The soup was absolutely delicious and it was so different to the typical soups in Egypt. Usually soups were composed of chunks of vegetables and meats such as fish. However this soup had strands of pasta in it! It was definitely a welcome change. Due to having a royal upbringing, Kiara was normally very well mannered. Not this time. She began to scarf the food down hungrily at an alarming rate. She didn't even notice Carol as the goat came out of the bathroom.
"Oh, my, someone likes my noodle soup," she joked. Kiara froze in place, before grabbing a napkin and wiping her rosy red cheeks.
"Sowy 'bout thad," the princess mumbled through a full mouth, her blush growing darker.
The older woman sat down at the table and chuckled loudly. After a calming herself down, Carol smiled, "Don't worry about it. It's quite the compliment."
This time, Kiara swallowed the food before replying, "Thank you again for this food."
Carol shook her head, "No, It's the least I could do. Tell me dear, I never caught your name."
The lioness was silent for a moment in thought.
'Should I tell her my real name?' she thought warily. Eventually, she shrugged, Carol wasn't a danger.
"My name's Kiara ma'am," she replied honestly.
"Kiara? That's a lovely name," Carol complimented.
The two girls hit it off for the next hour, talking about a range of subjects, until a certain topic was brought up that interested the lioness greatly.
"Are there a great deal of bandits around these parts?" Carol asked in interest.
Kiara shook her head firmly, "No, not on the eastern side of the province."
Carol nodded looking rather relieved at the news. Before she got up and walked around the house, closing all the windows. It was nighttime now and the temperature was dropping by the second.
Grabbing two pieces of flint, Carol walked over to the fireplace and knelt down. After a few tries, she sparked a flame, which eventually spread and lit the log on fire, resulting in a wave a welcoming heat that dispelled the cold night air.
Sitting down on the couch, Carol motioned for Kiara to join her. Standing up from the table, the lioness walked over and sat down on the couch, in the comfort of the fireplace.
Carol continued the conversation shortly after, "Well that's good, I don't think the Dragon Warrior's authority extends this far out west anyways," she joked. Kiara, who had been staring at the fireplace, quickly looked back at the goat, her ears perked.
"Who?"
Carol turned to her with a raised eye-brow, "You don't know of the Dragon Warrior?"
Kiara simply shook her head, "Who is he?"
Carol smirked at the younger lady, "Well… he's the greatest warrior in all of China. I've never seen him in person, but I've heard of stories depicting him."
Kiara was now on the edge of her seat in excitement, 'Could this be the sign I've been hoping for?' she thought.
Carol scratched her head, "Where to begin? I guess it's best to start at the beginning…
' Legend says that the Dragon Warrior is the mantle of godlike power bestowed upon a chosen individual once every generation. According to legend, the current warrior was born from thunder and came down from the heavens above. During the Dragon Warrior Ceremony several years ago, the warrior fell out of the sky in a ball of fire. He would go on to defeat, Tai Lung, the former greatest warrior in all of China. The Dragon Warrior is rumored to have defeated an entire fleet of ships, armed with cannons, with nothing but his bare hands. His greatest feat of all came only a few months ago. An evil god from the spirit world came to rule all of China. However, when he came face to face with the Dragon Warrior, he fled, but the Dragon Warrior chased him back into the spirit world and obliterated him, before returning to the real world,'
Carol finished. Although the old goat's description wasn't totally true, it was much more accurate than some of the other versions of the story that have been blown way out of proportion.
However, the goat believed every bit of the legend and so did the enthralled princess. The lioness was virtually shaking from excitement at this point. If she could convince her father to recruit this warrior, then victory for the eastern province would be assured!
'This is it! This is the opportunity I've been dying for!' the princess thought joyfully.
"Wow! What's his name, y'know his real name?" Kiara asked in extreme interest.
Carol shrugged, "I have no idea. I've never met him."
Kiara huffed in frustration, before asking another question, "Do you know where he lives?"
Carol shook her head. Kiara seemingly deflated at this. Noticing the younger lady's grief, Carol began again, "But…I have heard rumors of where he resides."
Kiara perked up again, listening intently.
"To my knowledge, he lives in the Jade Palace of the Valley of Peace," Carol said softly.
Kiara calmly nodded, but on the inside she was jumping in delight.
"You wouldn't happen to have a map that shows where this valley is do you?" Kiara asked earnestly. Carol raised an eyebrow, before getting up out of the couch and hobbling over to a crate of some of her belongings.
"I can do you one better," she stated as she rummaged through her various items. Curious as to what the goat was doing, Kiara slowly stood up and walked over to her.
"Where did I put…Aha!" Carol exclaimed, pulling out a small travel sack. She turned around, before handing the gift to Kiara.
"What's in it?" the lioness asked, opening the bag.
Carol smiled before answering, "I assume you want to travel to China and meet him. Am I correct?"
Kiara nodded, not knowing where this conversation was leading. Reaching in the bag she pulled out a large folded paper; the map. Kiara then pulled out a leather pouch, containing a slip of paper with foreign writing on it.
"It's over a 5000 mile journey on foot to the Valley of Peace. I assume that's not to your liking," Carol joked.
Kiara agreed that was a terribly long ways. "What is this?"
"That's a round trip ticket from the port here in the Valley of Ra to the Zhanjiang City's port in China. It's the closest port to the Valley," Carol explained.
Kiara's eye's bulged out of their sockets, this was it. This was both literally and figuratively a ticket to success. She looked at the older lady with absolute gratitude, before enveloping Carol in a tight hug.
"Thank you so much," she effused. Carol just smiled and patted the young lioness's back.
"Why it's no problem dear. You certainly need it more than I do."
Kiara finally released Carol, before glancing at the dark sky through the windows.
"It's getting late, I better head home," the lioness confessed. Nodding, Carol went over to the door and opened it, and they both stepped outside onto the lit porch.
Before her departure, Kiara wrapped the scarf around her face and brought up her hood once again.
"I cannot thank you enough for what you've done," Kiara said as they bid their farewells.
Carol smiled at her, grabbing one of Kiara's hands tenderly.
"Same to you darling and you are welcome here anytime you want. It's not often that I host royalty," she responded knowingly. Kiara's eyes widened and she almost choked on her breath.
"E-excuse me? I'm s-sorry I th-think y-you have me c-confused," Kiara stuttered.
Carol laughed at this, before turning and walking back into her home. "It's quite alright dear. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me," she whispered with a wink before shutting the door.
The princess was left standing there clutching the travel bag tightly. She soon began to make her way back home slightly annoyed.
"Am I really that easy to read?" she questioned out loud.
It was nearly 10 AM by the time Kiara arrived back at the fortress. The feline was crouching in the bushes outside the gates of the palace as she observed the two guards at the front door. She waited until they turned their heads before scaling the wall and hopping down. Thankfully, the night was almost pitch black due to a thick layer of clouds covering the normally incessant glow of the moon. Slinking along the ground, she scanned the area. As a feline, her senses were naturally more attuned than most other species. She possessed, as most cats do, extremely sharp vision, even in the dark. Her magenta eyes virtually glowed as she watched the guards make their routes along the fortress walls before returning to the front door, standing side by side. After observing them for the next few minutes, Kiara eventually memorized their movement patterns. Eventually, both guards started making their ways around the fortress to secure the east and west walls. Making her move, the princess zipped through the darkness over to the entrance of the castle.
The porch was brightly lit by a pair of hanging torches. Kiara winced as her eyes adjusted to the light before quickly striding over to the door. She felt completely exposed in this light, and she'd rather not spend any more time in it than necessary.
Grasping the handle she tugged firmly; it was locked. Most other people would begin to panic at this; not her. Kiara huffed in annoyance before removing a pin and a lock pick from her undergarments. She knelt down and got to work, time was of the essence. After almost a minute of fidgeting with the stubborn lock, her ears perked up at the faint sound of footsteps.
'Come on you cruddy lock, open!' she thought in exasperation.
The guards' footsteps grew closer and closer. Every instinct was telling her to spin around and check her surroundings, but she couldn't afford to waste any time. Every second was precious. A bead of sweat rolled down the feline's concentrated face as she frantically tampered with the lock. To Kiara's great relief, the lock gave off a subtle click; opening. Not wasting a second, the princess quickly, but silently opened the door and slipped inside.
Moments after she had closed the door, the two guards walked over and stood on the porch. Looking out into the night, the guard on the left let out a quiet chuckle, "Does the princess actually believe she can sneak past without us noticing?"
The rightward guard shook his head with a grin, "I guess it is how they say. Ignorance is bliss."
They both laughed at this. Eventually, they both quieted.
"I guess that was kinda mean, scaring her when she was trying to pick the lock," the guard on the right continued in a rueful voice.
The other nodded, "I suppose. After all, she's gonna have to deal with the king's wrath also."
They both shivered intensely at this.
"Poor kid."
"Agreed."
Kiara quietly unraveled her scarf, stuffing it in the travel bag Carol gave her. While examining the bag, she realized her father would no doubt question her about it. After thinking, she decided to store the bag for safe keeping, but where? Taking a step forward, Kiara's legs tangled in her cloak tripping her. Thankfully, she caught herself on a large clay vase to the right of the door. It was an old antique filled with some African wild flowers; nothing more than a decoration. Her eyes widened as an idea came to mind.
'Bingo!' she thought with a grin.
Taking hold of the bouquet, she pulled it out of the vase, revealing ample space inside.
She delicately placed the bag at the bottom of it, before another thought came to mind; her sword. Setting the bouquet on the floor, Kiara, with a little trouble, managed to unstrap the weapon and set it alongside the bag in the vase. After replacing the flowers, she tilted her head as she scrutinized the hiding place. Satisfied, she turned and quietly slunk from the entryway past the locked kitchen door and towards the stairs. Unfortunately, she'd overlooked one small detail. She would have to pass the living room in order to reach the stairs. Without a doubt, her father was waiting in said room to give her a telling off. Normally, she avoided this by going through the kitchen, which had another entry way past the living room and right next to the stairs. However, both kitchen doors were locked, probably in anticipation of her usual scheme.
Praying that her father wouldn't notice, she crouched and crept as silently as possible past the doorway of the living room. For a moment, she believed that her endeavor was successful. Unfortunately this wasn't the case.
"Kiara!" a deep voice grumbled from the living room.
The princess winced at her father's tone of voice. She gulped as her wobbly legs carried her towards her ill fate.
"Oh boy," she quietly croaked.
Kiara came around the corner to come face to face with a livid King Lux. She could almost feel the heat radiating off of his being, or maybe it was coming from the raging fire place. Either way, the situation was looking increasingly downhill. A moment of silence dragged on for a small amount of time as the two stared at each other, Kiara with a diffident look and King Lux with a harsh one.
Eventually, the lioness raised her hand and opened her mouth, about to speak, before her father cut her off, "Shut it," he growled in restrained anger. Kiara's her jaw snapped shut and her hand lowered as quick as it had arisen.
"Do you realize how irresponsible, this is?" he began in a low voice.
Before she could reply he continued, "Do you understand how valuable you are? How reckless and dangerous it is for you to be out on the streets?"
Although they'd had this conversation a myriad of times, Kiara had never seen her father so furious. Quite frankly, it scared her.
"Father-" she began, before halting in her speech as her father gave her another muting glare.
"Akua has a ten thousand drachma bounty on your head! Are you unaware of this?" he ranted as he took a step forward.
Finally finding her voice, the princess responded, "But father, defeating Akua is the reason I snuck out! I have learned of a way to win the war."
Crossing his arms, the king wasn't deterred in the least by her claim, "Enlighten. Me," he punctuated each word.
"I have learned of a warrior so mighty, that the sea would part in his wake. I was told by a new comer from China of the warrior's infallibility. The Dragon Warrior," Kiara claimed with a small grin. However, it didn't last.
King Lux didn't bat an eye at her assertion. Actually that isn't true. His right eye twitched slightly in aggravation. He slowly treaded over toward the shrinking lioness.
"That's your big profession? You foolish girl! That's nothing but a folk lore, made to scare felons!"
Kiara was about to retort that she was given a map and location of where the warrior lived. However, at the last moment she bit her tongue. Her father didn't need to know about that small detail.
"But the woman described his feats in such detail," Kiara began hesitantly.
Cutting her off mid-sentence, King Lux looked at her beginning to lose his temper,
"You mean when he defeated an entire ship armada armed with cannons by merely looking at them?"
Kiara closed her mouth and looked down at the floor.
"Or maybe when he defeated a demon from the spirit world by vaporizing it with his stare?"
Although her father's accounts weren't exactly the same as Carol's, they were quite close.
He continued heatedly, "I've heard countless other stories as well. They are fake! The Dragon Warrior does not exist!"
Kiara huffed. Her father could say all he wanted; it wasn't going to change her mind. They needed a little faith to defeat Akua. The Dragon Warrior was real; he had to be real.
"I have warned you to stop your childish antics, yet you continue to sneak out! This is the last time I say this. You are not allowed to leave your room, much less the fortress!" he fumed.
Kiara, sick of her father's antagonism, retorted, "I can't spend my life trapped in a room! I don't want to waste my life away!"
This only further angered the king, who was virtually steaming at this point. Kiara immediately began to question her decision of talking back.
"Not what you want…Not what you want! I am the king! My word is law! What you want doesn't matter!" he barked harshly.
Kiara just as livid now, snapped back, "Are you listening to yourself? You sound like lunatic! Mom must be so proud of you, right?"
Surprisingly, this didn't evoke another vocal retaliation from her father. In fact, the king became silent as he stared at his daughter. A calm anger radiated off of his being. In truth, Kiara was much more frightened by this than if he had yelled back.
King Lux just nodded his head slightly, almost in internal confirmation of something. He turned and treaded slowly across the room, aiding his bad leg with his hickory cane; an eternal reminder of the abysmal night over a decade ago. The king made his way over to the fire, which had diminished in strength as their conversation had progressed. Once a raging inferno, it was now nothing more than a docile flame in comparison.
Kiara was befuddled at the change in character as she stood in place, trying to decipher her father's actions.
"You've left me no choice Kiara. You are nearly twenty-one. You are no longer a child," he began softly, before withdrawing an object from his robe.
Kiara froze. In her father's hands he held something invaluable, something that she treasured with all her being; Mr. Bear. What was he doing with Mr. Bear?
Suddenly realization struck the princess. Her gaze met her father's solemn one. Kiara's voice wouldn't work. She tried to tell him to stop, but she couldn't.
"You are an adult now. It's time to start getting rid of childish habits." And with that, he tossed the stuffed animal into the flames.
"No!" Kiara screamed in distress, her voice regaining its function. The lioness dove for the fireplace in an instant, knocking her father out of the way. Without hesitation, she plunged her hands into the flames searching for him. Grabbing hold of the stuffed animal, she quickly retracted her hands out of the flames. Her paws were relatively unscathed, the fur was somewhat singed, but that was about it. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for Mr. Bear. Once, in perfect condition, he was now blackened and scorched into an unrecognizable creature.
"Are you crazy?" her father shouted after seeing his daughter immerse her hands in the fire, trying to rescue a mere 'doll'.
Clutching Mr. Bear protectively in one hand, Kiara spun around and clawed him across the face as hard as she could.
"Ah!" the king yelped in pain, as he clutched his face, now oozing blood.
Tears in her eyes, Kiara gave the king a feral snarl. Her magenta eyes looked murderously at the fiend before her. How dare he! There had been many times in her life that Kiara had become infuriated at her father, this instance eclipsed them all.
"You call yourself a King? You are just as much a tyrant as Akua is!" she hissed, before fleeing up the stairs in a blur.
She slammed her door shut and collapsed on her bed; crying. Her body wracked with sobs as she clutched Mr. Bear and caressed him tenderly. Never had she felt so unstable. She was an emotional wreck. After half an hour, Kiara had managed to calm down. She was sitting on the bed and hugging her knees, with Mr. Bear next to her.
"Now what?" she asked herself quietly.
Picking up Mr. Bear, Kiara slid off her bed and walked slowly towards the balcony door. Opening it, the princess walked out onto the platform and was met with the cool night air. Making her way over to the balcony's edge, she tiredly leaned on the stone railing, its cool surface penetrating through the thin cloak she was wearing. She would normally come out here to star-gaze on clear nights. There was just something about watching the shimmering specks of light that soothed her. She was alone in her belief; no one she'd ever met felt the same way. Her father, the advisers at the castle, even commoners that she talked with down in the valley felt the same way; watching the stars was inane and a waste of time. As usual she was an outcast.
Sighing, the lioness gazed up at the sky. Dark clouds covered the heavens; no doubt a storm was brewing. Judging by how the palm trees in the distance were shaking violently from the heavy winds, the storm was not far away.
"Mother? Ted? What do I do?" she called out into the night sky. The only noticeable response was the howling of the wind. Waiting a few moments, the feline tried again.
"Please, give me a sign. Anything!" she prayed to the spirits of her loved ones. For a second nothing happened, until the eastern sky was lit up by a series of lightning bolts, soon followed by deafening thunder.
Boooooooooom!
Kiara smiled, "Thank you Mama and Uncle Teddy."
Many people would have been left clueless to what the sign meant; not Kiara. To her the message was clear. Go to the East and find the warrior of thunder; the Dragon Warrior.
Quickly, the princess stepped back inside. Setting down Mr. Bear, she bounded over to her wardrobe and took out a medium sized leather bag. The lioness then began filling the back with numerous items of clothing and any other essential items that would be necessary on her trip. After everything else had been packed, she gently place the blackened Mr. Bear in the back, along with her purse. Satisfied with her belongings, she set the leather backpack to the side. Dashing over to her dresser, the princess started to pull dozens of sheets out of her dresser (again). She had some work to do.
King Lux made his way up the staircase towards Kiara's room. He had waited for nearly an hour, hoping that she would be calm by now. Admittedly, throwing her prized possession in the fire may have been a step too far. But she needed to be taught a lesson for constantly disobeying his commands. After all, he was her father and her king. His word was law and she needed to learn some discipline.
Arriving at her door, King Lux knocked several times.
"Kiara, we need to talk," he announced in a firm voice.
His command was greeted with silence. Not taking kindly to being ignored, Lux jerked open the door in a show of losing his patience.
"Young lady, your father is-" the king stopped as he gazed around the room. She wasn't here. An awful realization hit him, before he charged towards the balcony door, not bothering to check anywhere else. He flung open the door and ran over to the railing. As he suspected, a chain of bedsheets that stretched to the ground was hooked to the railing.
"Blasted girl!" cursed the king, before he spun around and headed down the stairs.
"Guards! Guards!" he yelled in urgency. Not a moment passed before several guards came rushing around the corner. They all knelt in respect to their king.
"Yes your majesty?" one of them asked. King Lux grabbed each soldier by the shoulders and picked them up onto their feet.
"No time for that. Kiara has escaped again! Rally the others! We need to secure the perimeter along the eastern sector of the fortress, where her tower is. She couldn't have gotten far!" he ordered the soldier. Lux quickly took off, as quick as his limp would allow, exiting the castle towards the east sector. He was soon followed by a growing group of guards.
As Lux and the dozens of guards arrived at the eastern sector, Lux gave his orders, "Alright spread out and find her! The night time is the most dangerous time for her to be prancing about!"
Everyone began to search frantically for the escaped princess.
Back in Kiara's room, the entire chamber was dead silent, before a creak came from the wardrobe in the corner of the room. The piece of furniture began to shake back and forth until it fell over on its side.
"Oof!" a muffled grunt came from the toppled wardrobe, before finally one of its doors was kicked open. Inside, was a slightly bruised and quite aggravated Kiara. She slipped out of the wooden dungeon and rubbed her sore shoulder as she slipped her leather bag onto her back.
"Stupid jammed door," the princess muttered irately.
Pushing the worthless wardrobe out of her thoughts, a smile soon formed on her face. She quickly left her room and quietly treaded down the stairs. Poking her head around the corner, she looked around; no one. She smirked in amusement.
'Ha! They totally fell for it!' she mused in glee. However, her grin turned into a grim expression. She needed to get out of here before they came back. Swiftly, she jogged over to the vase that she'd stored Carol's bag and her sword in. Taking out the flowers, the lioness reached in and retrieved both. Opening Carol's bag, she withdrew the map and the pouch holding the ticket. Also recovering her scarf, she wrapped her face once again. After carefully checking to make sure there was nothing else in it, she discarded the bag. Grasping her sheathed sword, Kiara debated whether to strap it on or not. Eventually, she decided to stuff it in her travel pack. After all, she wasn't planning on using it at the moment and it made running quite awkward. Slipping on her bag once again, she opened the door and exited the castle. Scanning the area, it was completely abandoned; no guards.
Letting out a sigh of relief, the feline made a break for the front gate. As she arrived at the gate, she began scaling towards the top. One factor that she hadn't accounted for was that climbing was significantly more difficult when sporting a 20 pound back pack. After a great deal of struggle, Kiara managed to flip over the top of the wall onto the opposite side. Completely winded, the feline took a moment to regain her breath as she crouched outside the gate.
Freezing at the sound of her father yelling, the lioness slowly turned to see him and the guards rushing back into the fortress. Thankfully, in their rush, no one had spotted the crouching princess outside the gates.
"I better get going. They must have realized that it was a ruse," she panted before taking off towards the east harbors.
After almost an hour of non-stop running on all fours, Kiara slowed down to a slow jog, concluding that she'd put enough distance between her and her pursuers. It was almost sixty miles to the harbor. There was no point in exhausting herself for no reason.
Several hours later, the lioness finally arrived at the harbor. Pulling out the ticket, she scrutinized the slip of paper. She couldn't understand a word of it; being a Chinese ticket. However, the number 415 was printed in bold on the ticket; she assumed that was the boat's number. It was fairly simple from there to find the boat, since every boat in the port had a large printed number on its hull. Eventually she found boat 415 docked at the end of the harbor. It wasn't the most luxurious boat there, but it certainly wasn't the cheapest. Shrugging, she walked up the wooden plank and stepped onto the vessel. It took her a moment to get used to the feeling of being on a boat. It was strange how the floor seemed to shift under her feet constantly. After a few minutes, she grew accustomed to it. Steadily she walked over to what she assumed was the captain's cabin and knocked several times.
After of few minutes of no response, the lioness was about to try again, before the door swung open, revealing a cranky middle aged honey badger. Looking up at her with bloodshot eyes, he grunted in annoyance.
"What do you want lassie?" the annoyed badger questioned.
Not dissuaded by the captain's attitude, Kiara gave him a polite bow of the head.
"Is this the ship heading to Zhanjiang City?" she asked politely, while handing the ticket to the captain.
Raising an eye-brow, he snatched the ticket out of her outstretched paw and scrutinized the paper slip. After half a minute, he handed it back to her. Crossing his arms over his chest, the captain yawned.
"Yes this ship is heading to Zhanjiang …in the morning. Now good night," he grumbled before turning and attempting to shut the door.
Kiara rolled her eyes at the man's impudence. Her time was valuable, and she didn't want to take the off chance that her father had learned of her whereabouts. She would feel much more relaxed when she was a hundred miles from Egypt, sailing away. In resolve, the lioness stuck her foot in the doorway impeding the door from closing. Turning back around, the badger gave her an irritated look.
"Is there something else your highness?" he asked her mockingly.
Kiara let out a smirk concealed by her scarf at his choice of words.
'Oh, the irony,' she thought smugly. If this moron had been made aware that he was demeaning the Princess of the Valley of Ra, he would have been paler than the moon in fear. A faint smile graced her lips at the amusing mental image of the captain on his knees begging for mercy. She shook the visual out of mind. After all, advertising your royal heritage was bound to attract trouble.
Reaching into her bag, she pulled out her purse. Haughtily, she seized and dumped roughly 300 drachmas from her pouch into the shocked badger's hands. The formerly rancorous badger was left absolutely speechless.
"When are we leaving?" Kiara inquired innocently. The captain's eyes never once left the pile of wealth in his hands. He stared at it for a few more moments, before finding his voice.
"Right now," he murmured almost to himself. Regaining some of his composure, the badger stuffed the money into his coat before turning to her.
"We'll be leaving shortly, Miss. Your room is on the left of the stairs. My name's Stan, call me if you need anything," he informed her politely, before jogging off to wake up the crew.
Kiara chuckled to herself, as she heard Stan jingle down below deck. Money was the ultimate incentive after all.
The feline briskly walked up the stairs to the upper deck of the vessel. As Stan had said, her room was the first door on the left. Entering, the princess surveyed the place. It was by no means a deluxe room, but it would suffice.
It was a small space, maybe ten feet by eleven. A small window placed on the far wall, allowed her access to the ocean view. There was a washroom and commode in an enclosed space to the right. A rusty oil lamp hung on the wall, dimly lighting the room. Most interesting, instead of a bed, there was a hammock hung up on the left side of the compartment. This was home, for the next month or so.
Kiara quietly set down her bag and closed the door, yawning. It was almost 2 AM and she hadn't realized how tired she was until now. With droopy eyes, the lioness retrieved a blanket and Mr. Bear from her travel pack, before steadily trudging over to the hammock. She sleepily brushed it off, making sure to rid the hammock of any dust and dirt, before lying down. After wrapping herself tightly in the blanket, Kiara held Mr. Bear as she stared wearily out the small window at the night sky and black waves.
A few minutes later the ship began to move, progressively gaining speed, until it was traveling at a reasonable pace down the gulf towards the Red Sea in the south.
Staring out the window, Kiara had a typhoon of emotions swirling inside of her; Fear, Excitement, Anxiety, Hope, and Doubt just to name a few. Her thoughts strayed over to the Dragon Warrior.
'I wonder what he's like?' she wondered. After a few more moments of thought she smiled faintly. The princess tried to visualize the warrior of legend. After half an hour of this, her exhaustion began to take its toll. She had one final thought before entering the realm of sleep.
'I bet he's Mr. Perfect; Kind, Noble, and most of all, Dignified.'
The Valley of Peace
"Zzzzzzzzzzz!"
Rays of sunlight shined through the windows of the Scroll Room of the Jade Palace. Slumped over on the floor of the Scroll Room, lay the snoring Dragon Warrior with drool running down his unconscious face. The penetrating light did little to perturb the resting panda as he rolled over on his side. Unfortunately, as the panda stretched out his right leg, it forcefully bumped up against a shelf full of scrolls. Off balance, the shelf fell forward down onto the slumbering bear.
CRASH!
The shelf landed directly on Po, waking him up in agony and bombarding him with dozens of scrolls. After a few moments of silence, he groaned quietly, "Uuugh."
Throwing the shelf off of him, Po rose awkwardly to his feet. Rubbing his sore head, he winced in discomfort.
"Stupid shelf," he muttered in annoyance. Bending over, Po picked up the wooden piece of furniture and set it against the wall, good as new; albeit it was slightly crooked. After gathering up all of the fallen scrolls and replacing them on the shelf, the Dragon Warrior exited the Scroll Room. The panda yawned as he passed through the Hall of Heroes and made his way over to the exit.
Opening the door, Po winced as his eyes adjusted to the glaring morning light. Having risen above the eastern mountains, the sun was high in the morning sky. Judging on its position, Po estimated that it was roughly 9 AM. He'd overslept; although he wasn't surprised, seeing as he'd been up til 2 AM that night.
"So much for morning training," he huffed, forcefully swinging the Hall's door shut, only to grimace in pain. The Dragon Warrior rolled his right shoulder, attempting the ease the newfound soreness.
'I guess a break is in order, I am a little sore from yesterday,' he thought with a shrug.
Walking gingerly down the white marble steps, Po eventually arrived at the kitchen. However, unlike yesterday, none of the Five or Saber were present. Raising his eye-brow, the panda turned back around heading towards the Training Hall. He wasn't that hungry anyways.
Reaching the Training Hall, he opened the doors only to find the room dark and empty. Closing the door, Po scratched his head in bewilderment.
"Where the heck are they?" the panda muttered.
'Maybe they all died?' Red chimed in.
Po groaned at this. It was too early in the morning to be dealing with Red.
"That's by far, the most ludicrous statement you've made…and that's saying something," Po replied, somewhat annoyed.
'I was only trying to help,' Red muttered matter-of-factly.
Po snorted at this before he began walking over towards the opposite side of the palace; where the barracks resided. As he reached the sleeping quarters, the sounds of sighs and snorts came within earshot. Well, at least he found where the five were; sleeping.
Rolling his eyes, Po stopped in his tracks to think for a moment. What needed to be done in the meanwhile? After a few minutes of thought, he decided to head down to the valley to buy some needed supplies and visit his father…fathers.
Nodding in satisfaction of his decision, the panda headed towards the entrance of the Jade Palace. Arriving at the gateway, Po then made his way down the stairs. Taking a deep breath of the brisk morning air, he sighed in peace. The utter silence was blissful, nothing but the faint sounds of the gentle wind caressing the trees. Naturally, Red would ruin it.
'Man I hate the silence. Don't you? It makes me uncomfortable…but mostly paranoid. Yeah! It definitely makes me paranoid. This day is gonna be great! Maybe Saber will finally shove off? If he doesn't, I still have 46 more plans if you want. I bet-"
"Will you shut the hell up!" Po cursed at his inescapable nuisance.
Red's incessant rambling instantly came to a halt. After a few minutes of silence, Po concluded that the voice had finally left him in peace. Humming in content, the Dragon Warrior continued his journey down the thousand steps. Then Red started again.
'Remember to buy a chair, no more of this standing up business. You've skipped the last four meals because of it. Then again…maybe a diet is just what you need. After all, you're not getting laid with that gut. It's a major turn off,' Red prattled rudely.
Po groaned.
A/N: That's all for now guys. Hope you enjoyed! Give me your opinions.
Is there something you like/dislike?
Is there something you think I should add?
If you were wondering the translation for Lux's singing in native tongue, it's Somali. The native tongue in Ancient Egypt was actually 'Coptic', but there are no translators for it.
"Ha ooyin. Hal maalin ayaan kula kulmi doonaa mar kale. Waxaad tahay xiddig samada. Waxaad tahay malag. Anigu waan ku jeclaan doonaa noloshaan iyo tan xigta. Hal maalin ayaan kula kulmi doonaa mar kale."
Translates to:
"Do not cry. One day I'll meet you again. You are a star of the sky. You are an angel. I will love you in this life and the next. One day I'll meet you again."
If you want a better visual of Kiara's Khopesh sword, it looks similar to the link below, but the blade is half bronze and half steel
' Neptune-Trading-Inc-Official-Assassins/dp/B07FFNKZRY'
I'll see you people later!
Frost2001 out.