- Chapter Two: Pending The Advice Of Hens And Heathens -

Heels clacking with enough volume to stir the dark creatures slumbering in the flesh pits - more than half a lifetime's worth of training in the deadly arts apparently no match for muting the racket furious sterling silver made on old stone - the princess was in such a mood that it mattered not that her presence was announced ahead of the blue blur that was her throwing fan. Any fool brazen enough to launch such a sloppy attempt at the Kahn's life would have rightfully been executed on the spot, however all present knew that if the royal daughter had had true designs on her father's life the assault would not have been so direct, nor would the death stroke have hit so far from its mark. Had a strict sense of etiquette not been instilled in the young Edenian, the blue-clad brunette would have stormed in like a spoiled child with no regard for courtesy; mannered yet tempered by the infernal rage of hormones and evolving inner flows, there was not enough courtesy in the world to hold back the hurricane! Judgmental Tuscan terracotta eyes narrowing venomously in the direction of the masked servant that had abandoned his post at the foot of the throne to retrieve her favorite weapon as it quivered in the gold tone masonry, Kitana approached the hulking figure seated before the court without preamble or pomp.

"Tanya?!" Enraged beyond mere words to that point that it was too strenuous a trial to look away from the man that dared to call himself her father, the breathtaking assassin could still feel the burning heat of the assembly's collective gaze shifting between the accuser and her fellow Edenian, anticipation palpable at how the Emperor would handle this rare outburst. "Tanya!? Tell me that Rain spoke untruly, I implore you to prove that self-absorbed braggart wrong!" Nothing. Not even a peep escaped from the tyrant's thin cracked lips. "..." As the humiliating silence that followed her irate request expanded in on itself, Kitana snapped and mewled, "Oh! You send a silver-tongued diplomat to engage the enemy over one of your most prized warriors?! How DARE you tell me I'm not ready in such an undignified manner! The Queen would never have stood for such a slight!"

Immobile as the silent guardians of the grave during the teenage tirade, Shao Kahn's first real flicker of life came at the mention of his departed bride - the involuntary motion a single twitch of the jaw invisible to most - a dangerous leer crossing his otherwise impassive countenance, "Daughter, I did not realize that you sat in on my war council. Pray tell, since you are so well informed, who should I send if not the child of Edenia's most qualified ambassadors? The princess and heir of the throne? What remains of her custodian once Shang Tsung has finished?" At the threat to her dearest confident, Kitana gazed over her handsomely adorned shoulder with wide eyes. "Perhaps a self-absorbed braggart would be better still - at the very least he might know to hold his tongue before his superiors!"

Half a step behind her charge and closest companion, Jade firmly clasped the toned tussler by the upper arm and subtly yanked her back from the dead center of the floor, uttering through an emerald face mask a plea far too late to matter, "Please, Kitana, don't make things worse!" Elder Gods bless her, Jade only ever had the wellbeing of the Queen's daughter at heart.

Obscured by the cerulean shadows flickering between the blown-glass lanterns that decorated the main hall and further hidden behind an old drunkard that wobbled from an over indulgence in rice wine, Tanya was watching from the fringes of the crowd as she twirled a glowing halo of flame around a tawny finger for the fun of it, biding her time to strike. Sensing correctly that a better opportunity would not present itself on that day, the lanky youth stood forward so that her long ebony locks shone with a vermilion tint, "If it pleases the Emperor, I offer a solution to ease Princess Kitana of her frustrations: request one of the mid-ranking captains to show the princess the ropes. Consider it if you will - the weary troops will be emboldened by such a confident act, and the attention-starved child shall have the opportunity to prove herself that she so desperately needs." As the emperor contemplated the proposal without the whispering of his council in his ear, Tanya smirked condescendingly in the royal daughter's direction, lips mouthing a single phrase 'you're welcome'.

Embarrassment knowing no end, Kitana loathed Tanya with every fiber of her being in that instant, Jade despising the yellow-clad girl twice as much for her own reasons. "General Reiko's spies inform me that Special Lieutenant Lunga has a preference for a certain kind of woman," whatever that meant, the ghost of a smirk nearly threatened to cross the monarch's mouth as he declared his intentions, "so it was deemed appropriate by my council of hens and heathens to send Tanya and Prince Rain to rendezvous with a second team to infiltrate and kill the low-born bastard. Reiko will provide further detail upon arrival." Located opposite Tanya but still within her line of sight, the purple pauper prince nodded at the female in full view of the room and all its inhabitants, earning what sounded suspiciously like a hiss from the prime and proper princess; Shao Kahn did not fail to notice. "You have an excellent head for strategy Tanya - I shall approve your request, and keep a close eye on your future prospects."

Beaming like the cat that ate the canary, the burgeoning political bloom thanked her most generous lord for the opportunity and the compliment, "Thank you, Emperor." Ahh, the sweet glow of victory!

Later...

Stealth of the essence as the lone figure crept through the negligently lit corridors, the forgotten vestibule ignored by the servants and therefore lit solely by the whim of nature, an obsidian-haired youth garbed in magnificent threads of plum and violet trimmed in the finest of gold tip-toed past a crumbling mosaic of the Edenian royal palace that led to the untouched private chambers of Queen Sindel. Justly concluded under the circumstances, one might have come to understand that after the beauty fair's passing the grand suit would be stripped barren, scrubbed clean of the few fleeting memories the royal couple shared, and rebuilt into yet another shrine to the Kahn's boundless ego, yet happy coincidence led to the discovery that the magnificent rooms were left unsealed and easily accessible. Polite society would have assumed the only lock and key required would be respect for the dead, but it seemed that Shao Kahn had his own designs for allowing the eternal amethyst heart to remain unguarded; Princess Kitana was known for the deeply unconditional love she felt for her mother, and as a grieving child it only stood to reason that she would do what she could to remain close.

Feeble wisps of natural alabaster moonlight swallowed by ravenous sea-born clouds slow dancing in shifting shadows across the sapphire and ruby set walkway, the innocuous squeak of an unseen mouse woke the demigod from his reverie. Dark eyes skimming the luxurious flat of his upbringing and remembering less than he had even a year prior, Rain frowned at the haunted castle of starlight and eternal beauty: scarcely more than a child, as the demigod was now it would still take countless more centuries to reclaim utopia, however once the shared Edenian vision had been achieved his tireless and heroic efforts would be applauded and he would be sitting on the throne, a king!

That was where Tanya fit in - unafraid to crawl on hands and knees in the toil of sweat and blood and even less scared of knowing how to have fun while down in the dirt, the high-born survivor had no shortage of ambition and the necessary drive to act that the princess so sorely lacked, although at the end of the road that could have proven to be a problem... On the other hand, being of noble birth and the child of a favored and generous queen Kitana would have been a boon to his efforts, but the blasted girl had no apparent motivation to do what had to be done to restore their realm, nor did her handmaiden, so ultimately they would only be obstacles. Neither woman meant more to the schemer than a tool for use and another warm body for a cold night that might otherwise be spent alone, Jade counting for naught, but if it had to come down to the image of forever that the commoners would likely demand he yield to, at least the pyromancer would surrender to his touch.

Pondering the selection of a potential queen with greater consideration, Rain began to question what traits his ideal bride-to-be would require...