Letters with Liutana

Effigy

Kitana stirred slightly in her husband's hold. Her mind was still heavily engulfed in sleep, but she knew she heard frantic footsteps outside their chambers. As she slowly awoke, she sat up from their bed and wiped the crust of sleep from her eyes, and no sooner did she hear a resounding knock upon the locked doors.

"Lady Kitana, we have trouble!" Came Captain Meisao's urgent call. Within an instant Liu suddenly sat up beside his wife, running his fingers back through his slightly disheveled hair and eyes blinking to alertness. They exchanged a brief, perplexed glance before tossing the covers back, donning robes over their nightwear and sliding bare feet into slippers as they quickly made to open the doors. They found the auburn haired woman was fully dressed in her armor, sword drawn and at her side, and amber eyes burning with agitation.

"What's the matter?" Kitana asked.

"Those against your union have made it onto the palace grounds." Meisao said gravely. "No one has been harmed as far as we know, but they've made their message clear."

"What do you mean?" came Liu's inquiry.

"Out in the northern perimeter…" Meisao started, and before she could finish, Liu suddenly made off with Kitana following closely behind him. "Wait! You may not wish to see…!" the Captain called out, quickly following them.

The Princess and Prince made their way through the many corridors and stairwells leading through the palace to the main entrance. Scores of Royal Guardsmen shuffled around them, scouring the whole of the grounds for the intruders. It wasn't long before they arrived, and found a crowd of servants and other members of the court crowded in the large entryway; gasps, muttered words of fear and scathing disdain for those who caused the scene echoing among them.

"To be so brazen…"

"This is horrible! Who could despise our kind regents so openly?"

"The traitors responsible should burn as this horrid display they left."

"Burn…?" Kitana murmured to Liu, sapphire eyes gleaming with worry. The two made their way to the crowd, who cleared a path upon realizing they had arrived. At the front, they found Jade, too dressed for battle, and Sindel who also had clearly risen from bed. On either side of them were Tetsuo and Chozu, Meisao's direct subordinates and own sons.

"Sir, Milady…" the latter greeted upon seeing them, he and his brother briefly bowing. Liu and Kitana inclined their heads in turn, then stepped beside Jade and the Queen to see what had occurred for themselves. When the bright orange of flame entered their sights, Kitana's lips pulled into a thin line, and Liu nearly gaped.

Out plain for all to see in the open grounds, two large, and crudely crafted statues, that were clearly made in both their likeness, stood high on wooden posts. They were tied onto them as though restrained like guilty prisoners made for sacrifice, their clothing and bodies slashed and doused with red paint clearly meant to represent blood. A few weapons, knives, shuriken and even a short sword here and there jutted out from the dummies, and all around them flames burned; the result of a corrosive substance being poured around them and set alight. Naturally, the fire licked at the statues and they soon began to be eaten away by flames.

Liu shook his head slightly, his face numb but a plethora of emotions flittered across his eyes. His mind could not quite process what he was seeing; did not know how to classify it or fully register how severe the situation was. He had known that there were some in Edenia that were no fans of his and Kitana's union, but for this extremity of discord to felt was shocking. But by comparison, the long list of enemies he once had in the past, and the measures previously gone to by them were much worse. But still… this was simply abhorant.

Kitana meanwhile stood beside him, outwardly calm, less daunted, but concerned nonetheless. It had not been the first time a doll such as this had been made in her image. She was once hated by many, for good reason, and that hatred even still touched her today. For the most part, she had made peace with the fact that in the eyes of some she could never redeem herself…

But as she looked upon her husband, saw how appalled and nonplussed he was, the old guilt and self-loathing crept back, even if it was in much smaller increments. She brought this life and its burdens upon him when they married, though he took it on more than willingly and she knew that. But in these moments, when the uglier side of power showed itself, she wished she could shield him, send him far away from it all.

And as she glided her hands down over the small, barely visible mound of her abdomen, the fear and remorse intensified. Almost as if sensing her action, Liu moved his troubled gaze from the burning effigies to Kitana, and the same worry suffused him.

No one outside of their close circle knew of little life forming inside of her yet. Kitana had just barely begun her second trimester, and as cooler weather had recently settled in and the appropriate attire was needed, it had become all the easier for her to disguise that she was just beginning to show. It was an exciting, if slightly stressful time for the pair as they begun this new endeavor… only now for all the hope and anticipation it brought to be shattered with this occurrence and the uncertainty in afforded. How would this type of sentiment bode for their child? How would he or she be affected? Was there now an unforeseen element of danger to their life?

Wordlessly, Liu set a hand on his wife's shoulder, and she met his gaze. The worry in his honey-colored orbs had been quickly replaced with steely resolve, and his familiar warmth and optimism. He even offered her a small smile, and like always her heart melted at the sight of it.

"It'll be fine." he said calmly. "Par for the course, right?"

Shaking her head incredulously at his unending faith, Kitana smiled in turn. Her confidence already felt restored.

"Indeed so." she quietly answered.

Okay, so in addition to me putting this down to focus on scripting more of my webcomic and once AGAIN hunting for steady work (sigh… I HATE adulting) I had NO idea what to do for this letter. But I had some free time and was itching to write, so I wound up looking through a list of 'E' words for inspiration, and once I spotted Effigy, it all came at once.

So there you go guys! I know it was short but I like little drabbles like these because it challenges me to convey a mood and tell a cohesive story in a short span of words. Anywhoo, please leave me a review, and hopefully I can update again soon!