Author's Note: My apologies for the lateness of this update. I originally planned to do Stryker's chapter, but for the life of me, I couldn't think of what to write. So I gave up and worked on this instead. If you have any ideas as to what Stryker can do with Johnny while chilling in Seido, learning some inner peace, please let me know in a review or PM. Otherwise, I'm gonna just gonna roll his story into Kabal's. :p

Now, to address my reviewers comments/questions:

Dr. MKDemigodZ-Warrior - No, Kailyn's chapter won't be for much later. However, she will make an appearance in this chapter ;)

Lin Kuei Unit LK-4D4 - Haha thanks :) Cyrax is quite a bit more serious about stuff than Smoke, so he's more stern and less warm and fuzzy. Though, he does care about Gatimu as well. Maybe I'll show them interacting in a future chapter.

Guest - As I stated in my last chapter, in my head he just ran off to rejoin his Tekunin. Maybe he'll make a comeback. Who knows?

ROCuevas - Aw, thanks! I'm glad you thought so :)

Obelisk of Light - He's definitely something else, I agree! XD

iceangelmkx - Those snot suckers are gross, but they really come in handy when you don't want to get boogers on your fingers :p I could imagine your kitty cats accidentally launching a rocket! LOL

PunkRoseBlitz (and I think Guest too, yes?) - Aw, thanks. I'm glad you were moved to tears. I know you're really busy with everything, so no worries. I'm just glad you've found your way to me and are enjoying my work :D

Mileena1996 - Thanks!

Jason - I could, but I don't really want to LOL Sorry.

Catja, Queen of the Hydromancers, rose early from her sleep and was greeted by the sun, which Kotal Kahn had blessedly returned to Outworld months ago. Since that time, the plant and wildlife was gradually beginning to recover, and that morning, she woke to the scent of blooming flowers wafting through her hut's window, mingling with smoky wood burnt to cinders and nearly extinguished altogether. Hmm…smoke. She closed her eyes, reminded of the mission that she would embark upon that day.

"Kailyn?" she called, her voice carrying loudly into the next room. After the Grand Healer, Adaia, had died in battle, Catja had invited Kailyn and Morgan to stay with her so as not to be alone. But the Tetrach, grieving the loss of her mother, always kept to herself, never leaving the safe confines of her room for anyone, not even Morgan. Today, though, her Queen had other ideas; today, the Tetrach was going on this mission with her, and with any luck, it would be the cure for what ailed her.

Catja opened the curtain that divided Kailyn's room from the rest of the house, and not surprisingly, found her young protégé already awake but balancing precariously on the windowsill, looking upon Tlachtga as it, too, rose from its slumber. The Tetrach looked thinner than normal, even though the Lin Kuei had personally given the Hydromancers more food than they'd had in ages, including seeds and farming implements to grow their own crops, and it was no longer in short supply. Her face was leaner, gaunt, and dark circles of exhaustion ringed her eyes. Catja, having worked as a nurse in Earthrealm, recognized the physical symptoms of depression well, and knew that the woman before her suffered greatly from it.

"Where's Morgan?" she asked, though she knew the answer.

"Rhiannon took her to the morning meal," Kailyn somberly answered.

"That's good," she said. "Rhiannon can look after her while you come with me. I want to go hunting."

Kailyn looked at her in surprise. "Milady, you have not gone hunting in years."

"Then I feel as if I should be encouraged to do so more often," the older woman pointedly remarked.

"I do not feel like hunting," she said, turning her attention back to the village below.

"I don't believe I asked you if you felt like it," she firmly replied. "Your Queen is going hunting, and as Tetrach, you will accompany her in order to ensure her safety."

Kailyn sighed heavily. "Yes, Milady." She slid from her spot on the windowsill. "What are we hunting?"

"That remains to be seen," she cryptically answered as she led her to the stairs and they descended to the main level. "But whatever it is, it'll do you some good to get out in the sunlight."

So a few hours later, both Queen and Tetrach – fully armed with bows and quivers full of arrows – trekked silently through the woods. The hunting trip was merely a ruse, but Catja maintained the charade until they stumbled upon an animal not unlike a stag from Earthrealm. Both she and Kailyn stopped dead in their tracks while she lifted her bow. The poor animal was oblivious to their presence. Catja waited for a clean shot, peering at it closely with her one good eye, hearing her own heartbeat pound between her ears. Finally, it turned, revealing its vulnerable side. She exhaled slowly and released her arrow. It found its mark and the animal, predictably, bolted in fear.

"It won't make it far," Catja said. "Come. We need to track it and put it out of its misery."

"Yes, Milady," Kailyn said. She had barely spoken since they left the village.

The two warriors found the stag a short distance away, in a flat clearing. It had collapsed onto its side, the arrow jutting from a spot just behind its front leg. It wheezed and whimpered pitifully, and looked at them with terrified eyes. Catja felt a pang of guilt as she always did when she harmed a living creature, but she knew that his meat would provide the village with food for several weeks. Quickly, not wishing to prolong his pain, she shot an arrow through his eye and into his brain, finishing him off.

The Queen knelt beside her kill and bowed her head as she rested her hand over his heart. "Thank the Elder Gods for providing for us," she reverently prayed. "And thank you, Brother, for your sacrifice."

"That is a strange custom," Kailyn remarked as she now knelt beside the deer with a knife unsheathed. Together, she and Catja began to field dress the stag. "I have always wondered why you do that."

"You don't thank the Elder Gods when you find food?" she asked, raising her eyebrow. Kailyn was an incredibly devout believer, undoubtedly influenced by her equally devout and reverent father, not to mention her feelings for Lord Fujin.

"I thank the gods, yes," she said. "But I do not thank the animal. It is only an animal."

"He has a soul, Kailyn, the same as you and I," she told her. "He gave its life to help nourish and sustain us. The least we can do is show it our respect and gratitude."

"I never thought of it that way," the blond woman said after a long pause.

Catja smiled as she worked with her own knife to make an incision from its breastbone to its anus. "I confess I have an ulterior motive for bringing you out here," she announced when she was done. Her hands were sticky with dark, red blood already drying in clots. The Tetrach promptly took over, carefully slicing through the abdominal wall.

Kailyn looked at her in surprise. "What?"

"Tlachtga needs a new King," she said. "The Elders and I have been arguing nonstop about it since Henryk died in battle. It has not yet become official, but the majority of them want Anluan to rule."

A stormy red thundercloud crossed the Tetrach's face. "You must stop them, Milady!" she snapped as she withdrew her bloody hand from her incision. "He cannot be allowed to have a position of authority over me. He-"

"Will force you to mate with him. Yes, I know," she interrupted. She took over where Kailyn left off, continuing the process of removing the stag's vital organs. "He has already begun pushing for your coupling. He believes you will give him strong children."

"He cannot force me to do anything," she growled. She resumed her prior task, and furiously cut off the stag's penis and testicles at the root. "Especially now that the Grand Healer who decides such things is gone!"

"He has pointed out that it will be many years before Anya is ready to take over as the Grand Healer, even with Himavat teaching her," she responded, now working to remove the stag's bladder and urinary tract system. "In the meantime, Anluan wants the Elders to decide when and with whom our people will mate. And unfortunately, they agree with him. You and he will create strong children."

"I will not do it," she stubbornly snarled. "You will have to kill me."

"I'm not going to kill you." She sighed. "Instead, I was going to suggest that now might be the time you go to Tomas in Earthrealm to begin a new life."

Kailyn recoiled at that. "I…" she trailed off sadly, looking away. The Queen knew immediately that it was a sore spot for her. "I cannot go to him," she said.

"And why not?" Catja challenged, arms-deep in hot, steamy blood and guts. "It's been months since your mother died. You've mourned her for an appropriate length of time. Rain's body rots on our gate, proof that you've avenged her murder. Now, it's time to move on and be happy. That's what she would want for you."

"I…am not ready," she frowned as blood coated her hands and forearms. "I may never be ready. And I may never want to join him."

The Queen scoffed at that. "You gave him the Tetrach's Kiss, Kailyn. I know that Tomas means the world to you. So I don't believe that you'll never want him. I'm certain that you think about him all the time."

Kailyn frowned, blushed, and focused intently on her work. "Yes," she softly admitted. "But it is not a good time for me to go. I am still sad about my mother and I do not know if I will ever feel right again. I also do not feel comfortable moving to Earthrealm. I know almost nothing about it. The humans will all treat me like a stupid foreigner, I am sure of it. And what about Morgan? Will it be good for her to grow up there, away from her people?"

Catja gazed at her intently. "You know what I think?"

"No, Milady."

"I think you're scared."

Kailyn indignantly wrinkled her lightly freckled nose. "I am not scared."

"Yes, you are," she argued. "And it's completely understandable. Moving to Earthrealm will be difficult. But to do so for someone you love? To show him enough trust? That's downright terrifying." She smiled. "I can relate."

"You, Milady?" she asked in puzzlement as they both now hauled the animal onto its belly to let the organs slide onto the ground.

"I did move to Earthrealm once, you know," she said with a wink.

"What was it like for you?" she curiously prodded. "When you first arrived, I mean."

Catja inhaled deeply, remembering back to that time when she first crossed over with Halsey and little Anya, who was roughly two, in tow. "It was frightening," she admitted. "I had no idea what I'd do in a place like that. But you know what was even more frightening?"

"No, Milady, I do not."

"Agreeing to give your father and my future husband my heart years before," she explained with a knowing grin.

XXXXX

Catja let her face settle into a sour, standoffish expression as she trekked through the wilderness, determined to intimidate Halsey, who had made it painfully apparent that he desired her. The two warriors – the Tetrach and the Chief, respectively – had been sent on a hunting trip to find food for the starving people of Tlachtga. They were not the only hunting party sent out; several others searched for animals in other directions, but the two best warriors in the village had been paired up because Halsey had requested it. The Chief had relentlessly pursued Catja's affections for months now, and even though she was adamant that she would never succumb, he persisted. And it was starting to work, she grudgingly admitted. But she had no time for romance or love – she was the Tetrach, after all – so she worked as hard as she could to keep him at a distance.

"You're walkin' pretty fast, Milady," he commented, huffing a little. Though he was in remarkable shape the same as her, he was having trouble keeping up with her. "It's like ya don't want me around."

"I'm sorry, was I being too subtle?" she hissed as she hopped over a giant fallen tree trunk, using her ornately decorated spear to propel herself.

"What have ya got against me?" he wondered out loud.

"Nothing," she said, and it was true. "I'm just curious to know how long you're going to continue this charade in order to bed me."

"Ya wound me," he said with an indignant scoff. "I have a little more honor than that."

"I'll believe it when I see it," she muttered under her breath, stopping just long enough to adjust the strap on her quiver, which was painfully digging into her bare shoulder, and had been for the last several miles.

"Ya really have a poor opinion of the men, don't ya?" he panted as he caught up.

"They've earned it," she growled. She thought of the Hydromancers, and how even now, many of the male warriors looked down upon the Falcata as annoying children playing at war. Even her father, the Grand Healer Caedmon, believed she should put down her spear and work at more womanly things like weaving and bearing strong children, particularly sons.

"Perhaps," Halsey admitted with a sad, knowing smile. "But we're not all dishonorable dogs. Some of us appreciate how hard the Falcata work." With that, he gently pulled a loose strand of dark hair from her leather shoulder pad and dropped it to the side. Then he helped her adjust her quiver's strap. "Where do ya think we'll have the best chance of findin' food?" he asked when he was finished, crossing his arms and looking at her pointedly.

She inhaled deeply and glanced to the west. "I think that our best bet is to head to the Chalk Cliffs," she replied. "They're close to both us and the ocean. Where there's water, there's life."

"I concur," he agreed. He held out his hand to allow her to lead. "After you, Milady," he politely said as he let her pass. Several miles went by before he spoke again. Then he said, "You've known me since we were children, Catja. I don't understand this animosity ya have for me. I thought ya were my friend."

"We're not children anymore," she replied, though she winced because once, they were very goodfriends. Right up until the moment he'd lain with Adaia. "Things have changed."

"Not from where I'm standin'," he said.

"Where you're standing isn't the only spot that matters," she snapped.

Halsey sighed. "Then tell me what yer position is. Maybe I can assuage yer concerns."

Catja shook her head. "It's nothing."

"Tell me," he prodded.

"There's nothing to tell," she stubbornly insisted.

"Oh, yes there is, and I won't leave ya alone until ya spill it."

The Tetrach set her jaw and narrowed her eyes. "You've been with Adaia," she began with a hard edge in her voice.

At that, Halsey burst out laughing. With a scowl, Catja stopped in her tracks, whirled around, and stared at him. He smiled, snickering. "You're jealous," he accused. "And of yer dearest friend, a woman who could very well be yer sister, at that."

"I am no such thing!" she protested as her cheeks flushed red in humiliation. "I'm just not anxious to be your next conquest."

"Ya know I had no choice in that, Catja," he gently said, resting his hands on her shoulders. "She was anythin' but a conquest. The gods willed that. I had to obey."

"And I'm sure you were very heartbroken about being told to lay with her," she indignantly snorted. "That's fine, though. Whatever tickles your fancy. But unlike other women, I'm not a toy that you can play with whenever you get an itch. So bar the notion."

"Do ya honestly believe that's why I love ya?" he said, cocking his head with an amused smile. "No. You've been my dearest friend since we were in the cradle. I've loved ya since we were old enough to walk."

Catja stiffened and swallowed hard. Her heart tugged towards his. If she were being truly honest with herself, she'd admit that she'd felt attracted to him for many years as well, and it had hurt her when he and Adaia were chosen to lay together to conceive Kailyn. She wanted to forgive him just like she wanted to give in to his advances. But no. She couldn't let her brain be addled by any of this. She had a job to do and she couldn't do it if she was preoccupied by love.

"We have to go," she mumbled, wriggling free of his grasp. "We're on a mission."

"Would it really be so terrible givin' me a chance?" he wondered. "Sooner or later, you're goin' to have to trust someone. Why don't ya let that someone be me?"

"I'm the Tetrach," she replied. "I have neither the desire nor the luxury to give you what you want."

"Oh, don't give me that," he scolded. "Ya could if ya wanted to."

"So what does that tell you?" she shot back. And then she sighed, not wanting to argue any further. "Just be quiet," she ordered, exercising her authority over him. "We should hunt in silence so as not to scare away the animals."

"As you wish, Milady," he said.

The miles after that passed quietly. Eventually, the thick forest of mostly dead trees gave way to plains, and soon after that, jagged grooves scarred the landscape, which gradually became rockier and steeper. Catja led Halsey through a jagged and reasonably wide canyon, and as they walked through the darkness, fear that she could not understand began to settle uncomfortably on her heart. It gripped her very soul, and every fiber of her being screamed at her to turn back. The hair on her arms and legs prickled suddenly. She whirled around to look at her partner.

In the moonlight, he glanced at her in surprise. "What's wrong, Milady?" he asked her.

"I feel as if something is watching us," she whispered. "I sense it."

Immediately, Halsey began scanning the surrounding cliffs and shadows, studying them intently by the dull bluish moonlight. But both he and she failed to look to the skies for the threat. There came a powerful gust of wind that blasted dirt in their eyes and carried the shrill voice of some frightening monster to them, a squawk that cleaved the night in two. The blast of wind ripped her spear from her hands, and it tumbled onto the ground with a hard clank behind her. And then she saw the creature diving from a black hole of shadow from the cliff above.

It was the shape of a fearsome bird of prey, but far larger than even the biggest eagle she'd ever seen. Its wings blocked out the moon in its entirety, and must have spanned fifty feet. Tufts of feathers formed a crown of horns on its head, and its body was dark brown, flecked with spots of white and black, but the head and the belly of the animal was stark white. Its eyes glowed an alarming yellow, and they fixated on her as it dove towards her with its mighty talons grasping forward.

It swooped at the Tetrach with a frightening screech and then easily scooped her, unchallenged, into one of its scaly fists. Knobby joints and painfully strong digits clamped around Catja's body as it ascended again, never touching the ground. Below them, Halsey shouted incoherently at her, shooting arrows towards the monstrous bird. But the creature was too fast. It soared out of range within seconds.

The temptation to panic welled up in Catja, but she shoved it away and remembered the knife carefully sheathed inside her wrist brace. She squirmed a little and the bird let her, clearly unconcerned that she'd escape. Quickly, she unsheathed the dagger in spite of the claustrophobic confines of its grasp and jammed it hard into the underside of its foot. Instantly, the bird screeched and let her go, and immediately the Tetrach was free-falling towards the ground. She screamed, vaguely wishing she'd thought that plan through a little bit more.

Within seconds, Catja slammed into the dirt so hard that a cloud of dust exploded around her and her fresh imprint in the ground, and a sharp pain crackled up her dominant arm, her fighting arm. It had taken the brunt of the damage, but even still, her belly ached from landing on her front side, and both of her knees gushed blood. Groaning, she flopped over onto her back, now noticing how a bone – her red blood glistening on the dull ivory – jutted from her forearm.

And then the bird was upon her again, this time having landed. With a sharp beak designed by nature to rend flesh apart, it began to peck at her. She shrieked, even as she kicked her feet at its beak to keep it away, but it still found her every few tries, and it yanked entire holes from the muscles on her exposed legs. A fearsome yell answered her distressed cry. Disturbed as if from some dream, she turned her head in time to see Halsey charging forward with his storm sword in one hand and her spear in the other. He lobbed the spear at the bird and then chopped his sword at the foot, lopping off one of its man-sized talons. It squealed and took flight once more, abandoning – for now, anyway – its prey.

"Catja," he breathlessly muttered as he dropped to her side. "You're hurt-"

"We need to find cover," she interrupted, her voice dazed and weak.

Halsey sighed and shook his head. "You're right," he agreed. "That buzzard won't be smartin' from his wounds for long. He'll be back." He glanced at her legs, which were smeared with blood that was silvery in the moonlight. "Can you walk?"

The Tetrach nodded drowsily. "Help me up," she mumbled, and he obeyed. Then he threaded her good arm over his shoulder and helped her hobble into the deep shadow of a nearby cave.

"Ya took a good beatin', Milady," he said as he built a small fire.

"Nothing that won't heal in its own time or with Adaia's help," Catja replied as she tiredly leaned against the stone wall.

"Except for yer arm," he argued. "Let me take a look." He carefully inspected the fracture and then sighed as he shook his head. "We need to get ya back to Tlachtga," he said. "Adaia can-"

"Just pop it back into place," she ordered.

Halsey wrinkled his nose and frowned. "Are ya out of yer mind?" he said. "Without her herbs to ease your pain, that would be agony."

"I want that bird," she growled in response.

"What?" he asked, quizzically raising his eyebrow.

She met his lavender eyes. "That bird has enough meat on it to feed our entire village for the winter," she explained. "I want it."

"And if ya get it, how are ya plannin' on gettin' it home?" he challenged. "That thing must be pretty heavy."

"I will drag it all the way to Tlachtga if I have to, but I want it," she insisted. "And in order to hunt it, I require the full use of my arm."

The Chief shook his head with a disbelieving chuckle. "Stubborn girl," he scoffed, though his tone was affectionate. "Very well. Brace yourself."

He softly brushed his fingers against the surrounding tissues, trying to discern landmarks beneath her skin. Catja winced as he did so, barely able to withstand it, but she refused to make any sound at all. That, she knew, would come in a minute. She was right. In a moment, he quickly shoved the bone back into her arm and into place. The Tetrach, however, screamed and began to cry, and she ripped her limb from him and cradled it to her body as if doing so would ease her suffering.

"I'm sorry," Halsey apologized as she sobbed into her knees, which she'd pulled to her chest. He slid to her side and wrapped his arm around her. "I did what you asked."

Catja nodded. "I know," she said, calming herself as the pain faded. "Thank you."

"You still want that bird?" he asked, holding her close. Through his fingertips, she sensed sincere concern and compassion for her. She tried to ignore his true feelings of love for her, however, and instead focus on the task at hand.

"Yes," she said in determination.

"Then we'll get it after you've rested a spell," he told her.

"No, we need to go after it now," she replied. "That's an order."

He scoffed. "Perhaps it is," he agreed. "But I'm going to overrule ya on this one, Milady. Will ya just humor me for once? Ya need rest after a fall like that."

Catja inhaled deeply and then looked at him, frowning. She was kind of drowsy. She'd undoubtedly hurt her brain a bit when she landed. "Fine," she grudgingly agreed as she craned her neck to look at him.

"That's a girl," he praised. "I knew ya could be reasonable when given the opportunity."

"You're an ass, Halsey," she grumbled.

"An ass that cares about ya," he smirked.

The Tetrach said nothing to that, and merely huddled against him for warmth, letting her eyes slide shut. Her arm screamed songs of pain throughout her body, as did her wounded legs, but otherwise she felt comfortable, completely safe. His body felt like it was a part of hers, blurred, as if she couldn't tell where she stopped and he began. To her surprise, she found that she enjoyed the feel of him so close to her. It wasn't long before she dozed off, listening to the quiet crackle of popping wood in the fire, thinking about him and how he felt just right against her.

When Catja woke up later – she wasn't sure how long she'd been asleep – she felt pleased that Halsey still held her in his arms. He noticed immediately that she'd awakened, and he smiled and softly said, "I remember a few years ago, when ya were first called Tetrach. I was so proud of ya. I always knew ya were destined for great things."

"You did?" she asked incredulously.

"How could ya not be?" he replied. "When we were all children, ya were always leadin' us on adventures, frequently gettin' us all in trouble." He laughed. "Ya were always a force to be reckoned with, and woe be to whomever got on yer bad side."

"Why are you telling me this now?" she wondered.

He inhaled deeply and grinned at her. "I have somethin' to show ya," he said.

Halsey helped Catja to her feet, and gripped her by the crook of her elbow to steady her walking. Then he led her outside, and immediately, her eyes bulged in shock. There, lying on its belly in the dirt, was the giant bird that had attacked her earlier. It was dead, field dressed, and tied to a sled to make dragging it easier.

"How…" she mumbled. "When…"

"Ya were out cold for two days," he explained. "I was beginnin' to worry, to be honest, Milady."

"You killed it?" she asked. "On your own? Why would you hunt something so dangerous without me?"

Halsey crossed his arms. "Because you wanted it," he said.

Catja looked at him in bewildered confusion. "Yes, but I meant that we would work together to kill it."

"I know that," he replied. "But ya were banged up pretty bad and I knew there was no way ya were huntin' anytime soon." He glanced at here. "I also remember how, when ya first were called Tetrach, that I took a vow to honor and obey ya. I would follow ya without question into battle, and when necessary, protect yer life at my own life's expense. Ya were already hurt, but I knew ya wouldn't leave until we killed this overgrown buzzard. So to spare ya further pain and injury, I climbed up to its nest to kill it. We fought for a spell, and it took flight with me on its back. It wasn't hard to maneuver it here, and kill it after that." He grinned at her. "I can't believe ya slept through it. We made a horrendous ruckus."

"I…I don't know what to say," she said. "You risked your life simply to help me?"

He scoffed. "Don't make a big deal of it because I'm makin' you haul this beast back home," he replied. "I already did the heavy liftin'." Catja recoiled so he chuckled and said, "That was a joke, Milady."

"I know," she shot back, though now she couldn't help but smile now too. "Thank you," she told him.

"Now let's get this buzzard back to Tlachtga," he said. "I'm hungry."

XXXXX

"I remember that," Kailyn said, smiling. "You and my father dragged back a rukh. It took both of you, and you looked pretty awful when you returned, but that creature fed us throughout the entire winter. You were heroes." She cocked her head at the Queen. "I never knew that was when you fell in love with him."

Catja shrugged. "As we were dragging the rukh back to the village, it occurred to me that I was afraid of letting him have my heart. As the Tetrach, I was not accustomed to allowing myself to be vulnerable like that. But I also realized how silly I was behaving, acting like a jealous ninny certain he'd rip out my heart and stomp it. I prided myself on my fearlessness, and yet I was afraid of him?" She chuckled. "I'd known him my entire life and he was my friend. I'd be a fool not to trust him." She looked at her young protégé pointedly.

Kailyn looked away. "I understand what you are saying, but I have not known Tomas my entire life," she said.

"If you feel as if you can't trust him, then why give him your Kiss?" Catja challenged.

"I feel as if I can trust him as a warrior and as a friend to our people," she hastily explained as if she'd done something wrong and needed to justify her actions. "I am just not certain about my heart."

The Queen sighed and pointed her bloody knife at her. "This is exactly what got you in trouble with Fujin," she admonished. "He was sincere about his feelings, but you refused to believe him, so both of you wound up suffering." She shook her head. "Please don't make the same mistake twice. You're the Tetrach, Kailyn. Show a modicum of courage. Go to Tomas."

"I-"

"I know you're thinking about Rain," she interrupted. "And I can't imagine how hard it must be to trust someone after what the traitor did to you. But if you can't trust Tomas yet, then trust me. I've never led you astray, nor will I ever. And I truly believe he's where you're supposed to be. Your mother believed that too. You're not meant to have Anluan's children."

Kailyn simply looked at her with a worried frown and sighed. "But what about my duties as the Tetrach?" she asked. "I cannot simply abandon them."

Catja nodded and smiled in amusement. "I think we can entrust Rhiannon with them for a while. Don't you agree?"

"And what of Lord Fujin?" she asked. "If I move to Earthrealm, he may very well kill Tomas."

The Queen shook her head. "My dear, if he wanted to kill Tomas, I'm fairly certain he would've done it by now." She firmly gazed at her with her good eye. "You're looking for any excuse you can not to go. And you're being ridiculous. Deep down, you know I'm right. You need to go."

"But what if it does not work out between me and Tomas?"

Catja rolled her eyes. "Then you can always come back home," she said. "For Heaven's sake, we haven't gone anywhere in 500 years, and we're not looking to move anytime soon. We'll be here." She sighed loudly and then rested a bloody, scarred hand on her protégé's. "Life seldom gives a person another chance to have happiness, but it has graced you with an opportunity," she began. "Don't squander it." She now met the Tetrach's fearful gaze. "I love you and Morgan dearly, Kailyn, almost as if you are my own daughter and granddaughter," she said. "I've had a hand in raising you both, and when you are gone, I will miss you both terribly. But you deserve to be happy. So I'm telling you this in all sincerity: you need to get the hell out of Tlachtga."

Tears now streamed down Kailyn's face, and she merely squeezed her Queen's hand.

XXXXX

Catja soon stepped over the threshold of a churning, frothy portal and into the Lin Kuei Temple for the first time in her life. As the Ambassador to Earthrealm, she was not surprised she was met in this gate room by the Grandmaster, her son-in-law, Kuai Liang, as well as Anya, Cyrax, and a few other cyber-ninjas. She took a moment to look at everything and everyone, but then she beamed at her daughter as she stepped from the raised platform to meet her. The younger Hydromancer had grown quite the tummy since Catja last saw her, and when she threw her arms around her to hug her, she sensed that she had little more than a month left to go before she delivered her baby. Happy tears sprang to the Queen's eyes, and she kissed her daughter's cheek before pulling away and nodding to Cyrax. Then she clasped forearms with Kuai Liang, and when he was least expecting it, she hugged him tightly as well.

"Your message didn't say much," the Cryomancer began when she pulled away. "Is something wrong?"

"Where's Tomas?" she asked as she lowered her dark hood. "I expected to see him with you."

The Grandmaster immediately nodded his understanding. "He's teaching, right now," he explained. "But his class should be ending any minute now."

Catja grinned. "Will you ask him to join us, please?" Kuai Liang smiled and tapped his wrist-comm while the Queen focused on her daughter. "Look at you," she said as she affectionately finger-combed her long hair. "You're absolutely glowing."

"I think that's what happens when you have to go pee twenty times a day," she drily remarked, making her mother chuckle.

"Oh, yes, I remember those days," she said. "And now my baby is having her own baby."

Suddenly, there was a loud pop and Tomas winked into the gate room, having just teleported from wherever he had been. "All right, I'm here, Grandmaster," he grumbled when he saw Kuai Liang. "What was so important that you wanted me to dismiss my class early today?"

The Cryomancer said nothing, but merely turned his attention towards Catja. The Enenra followed his gaze and saw her as well, and she smiled knowingly at him and then stepped out of the way. Behind her, standing quietly and nervously, looking painfully awkward and unsure, was Kailyn clutching little Morgan's hand. The cyber-ninja's eyes went wide in surprise when he saw them. On the platform, the Tetrach noticeably swallowed hard, let her daughter's hand go, and timidly walked towards him before she finally threw her arms around him.

"Miláček," he breathed, suddenly smiling. "I'm so glad to see you. What are you doing here?"

"I think…I think I am ready to join you," she softly replied. "If you will still have me, that is."

Catja saw Tomas' eyes begin to sparkle brightly, and an ecstatic grin spread across his face as he hugged Kailyn more tightly. "I was beginning to think you'd never come," he replied as he then buried his face in her hair and kissed her cheek.

"Mumma?" Morgan's small, toddler voice asked.

Kailyn was slow to pull herself from Tomas, but at last she did and both of them looked at her. The girl's eyes were full of uncertainty and confusion – she had not liked the idea of moving away – so the Tetrach picked her up and returned to the Enenra's side. Catja nearly laughed when she saw the child suspiciously study the man before her. It was obvious she didn't trust him, and it was an expression not lost on him.

"Hello, holčička," he warmly greeted her, slowly gripping her palm with his two human fingers and shaking it. "Do you remember me?"

"Probably not," Kailyn answered for her as she stroked her hair to calm her. "But she will."

Tomas nodded at that, and then looked from her to Morgan and back again. "Would you like to meet Alexander?" he asked them. "I know he'll immediately love you both."

Now the Tetrach's fearful expression fled her, and she smiled warmly, nodding. "Yes," she said. "I would like that."

At last he turned away, but put his hand on Kailyn's back to guide her, and the three walked from the gate room, never looking back. Catja smiled in satisfaction at her handiwork, and then she thought of Halsey, which caused her heart to lurch in pain. But she took comfort in the company of her family as well as the knowledge that she'd helped his daughter embrace her destiny, which is what he would've wanted. Now, perhaps Kailyn could move on and be happy. Catja sighed and then walked arm and arm with Anya after them.