Kingdom Alliance Part III
Welcome back to the third installment of "Love Through Lifetimes," everyone. For anyone who walked into this series expecting a rehash of Season 1, this isn't that story. Anyway, thank you, everyone for reading and reviewing. We appreciate every review we get and we respond to them as well. Anyway, you're probably all eager to get to the story so let's have a quick recap.
Last time, the prince and princess were married and Yubel didn't take things that well, especially the wedding night. Prince Jaden didn't take things well when he thought he and Princess Alexis would have a child in a month. Fortunately his parents set him straight and told him that it wouldn't happen for nine months and then his father scared him by mentioning that there might be more than one baby. So what will happen in the conclusion of "Kingdom Alliance?" Read on!
Disclaimer: No…we don't own GX… We just own our OCs, this storyline and any non-established characters. Thank you.
Authors' note and warning: We will be dealing with Yubel's feelings for Jaden and there will be an attempted suicide. Thank you for your attention.
Three months after the wedding, the princess was definitely with child. Alexis was starting to show and Jaden was getting excited. He didn't want to leave his beloved, but he had made a promise to Yubel, so in mid-April, he hugged his wife to him. "I need to take Yubel on a short trip, Lexi..."
She smiled and kissed his cheek. "I understand. Go ahead and spend some time with your best friend, Jaden."
"I just hate leaving you...I know Mother and Father are here...but I'm your husband..."
"Jaden, really, it's all right. It won't be for long. And I'll be just fine."
The prince sighed. "Are you sure? You were sick for a week there..."
"Both your mother and mine said it was normal, remember? Go on...have fun and enjoy yourself. The babe and I will be okay."
"I know...just send Burstinatrix or Avian if something happens and you need us, all right?" he asked as he got his things together.
"All right. Don't worry so much, Jaden. Just relax, okay?"
He nodded. "Okay...You and Mother have fun too." Queen Jayda was planning to pamper the mother-to-be and also help her to select fabrics for baby clothes.
Alexis smiled. "We will. I'll see you when you return, my love," she replied, kissing him.
And so Jaden picked up his pack and headed out. "Oh, Yubel! Are you ready?" he asked, grinning as he stood on the drawbridge.
Yubel appeared beside him, smiling. "Yes, I'm ready, Jaden," she answered eagerly. Yubel's bitterness had only grown with the passage of time and the news of Alexis's child. She had decided to use this trip to tell Jaden how she truly felt, while they were all alone.
"Let's go have some fun," he grinned. "This is like when we were little and went exploring, isn't it? But this time, if we see a tough monster, you can take it down!" Jaden's joy was an almost palpable thing.
She returned the grin, laughing. "Yes, I can handle anything we may run into in these woods."
And so they headed out and into the woods. Jaden planned at least two weeks for this trip, so they had food and supplies. And over the next three days, they encountered monsters which Yubel took down easily. On the third day, the two sat at the edge of the woods near a big lake. "It's beautiful here, isn't it?" he asked, looking out with a dreamy expression.
"Yes...it is..." But Yubel wasn't looking out at the lake, she was staring at Jaden. But she had the same dreamy expression on her face; imagining that she was a human female and that she and Jaden were married, and that it was her carrying his unborn babe.
Jaden was quiet for a moment, and then wondered, "Wouldn't it be nice to have a house out here?"
"Yes, it would be very peaceful," Yubel answered, adding that to her imaginary dream.
"The kids could play here," Jaden added, looking at her with that dreamy expression.
Yubel blushed, caught up in her imaginary realm. "Yes, they could..." She leaned in and placed her hands on his shoulders, before finally placing her lips against his.
Jaden's mind went white with shock, and he froze. 'What is she doing?!' Yubel didn't notice, eyes closed as happiness surged through her. She'd wanted to do this for so long, and now she was truly kissing him. It wasn't a dream, but she was about to find out the harsh reality of his feelings. She'd moved her arms around him, and Jaden now shoved her away, breaking the kiss. "MMMMPH!! Yubel, what in the world?"
She blinked a few times, shocked at his actions and arms still outstretched. "Jaden...I..."
"What...why?!" he yelped. "Yubel, why did you do that?!"
Her eyes narrowed, some anger rising up from his words. "What do you mean, 'why did I do that'?! Isn't it obvious?!"
"Yubel, we're friends, and I'm married!" the prince exclaimed, still in shock.
"Jaden, did it ever cross your mind that maybe it wasn't just my body that went through a change when I accepted the Dragon's Heart?!" Yubel demanded, passion in her voice.
Jaden's eyes widened. "Wait...what?!" He truly hadn't seen her feelings for him, and was in total disbelief.
Yubel stood, glaring at him. At the moment, her anger was stronger than her love for him. "Jaden, my feelings changed with my body when I transformed into...this! Rather than a friend, my heart suddenly saw you as someone more than that! I fell in love with you, Jaden!! I have been for all these long months!!"
Jaden stood stunned for a long moment. Finally, he found his voice. "Yubel...I..." He wasn't sure what to say. 'I don't want to hurt her, but I love Alexis. Yubel will always be my friend...besides, it wouldn't have worked out,' he thought. He tried to find the right words, but nothing was coming out.
Yubel looked away, fists clenched. "You don't have to say anything, Jaden. I know how you feel by all that you've just done. You only have love for your precious Princess Alexis..." Tears could be seen in her eyes now as she turned on him. "You will never love me, but I'll forever be forced to love you! I don't want anyone but you, Jaden!" With that said, Yubel spread her wings wide and flew off above the trees in a mixture of rage and misery. Her fears and suspicions had been confirmed, and it cut deeper than everything that had happened put together.
Jaden felt terrible and yelled after her, "YUBEL! YUBEL!! COME BACK! I'M SORRY!" He wanted to make her feel better and he hated that he hadn't seen it. 'I'm such an idiot,' he thought, anguished. Yubel heard his call, but ignored it. She couldn't stand to go back and see him at that moment. She needed to be alone and allow her rage to simmer down.
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After nearly half an hour of shouting himself hoarse, Jaden sank to the ground and cried. He had loved like Yubel as a brother and then a sister, and for her to run out on him hurt deeply. "Now what do I do?" he wondered out loud. "I'll wait for her until morning...But how do I tell Alexis about this? 'Hi, Lexi...Yeah, we had a great time...Uh, she told me she loves me and obviously hates you...' Yeah, great conversation," he groaned. And so he waited as the sun moved to the horizon and disappeared. "Yubel?" he called again. "Please come back. I'm sorry I hurt you."
All afternoon, Yubel had been in a different part of the woods. She had at first cried, then taken out her anger on some of the surrounding plant life. Finally, she had simply sat and thought over her current situation. "Jaden doesn't love me, he still loves Alexis. But it's not fair...I can't stand seeing him with her, no matter how happy it makes him. There has to be a way...if I can't have him then no one should..." Her eyes suddenly widened. "Wait, that's it. If he's dead, then no one can have him!" A crazy smile came to her face; there was a solution to her problem, after all! Yubel spread her wings and took flight, heading back toward the lake where she'd left Jaden earlier.
Jaden, little knowing he might be in danger, called out again. "YUBEL!" And then he was crying like a frightened child.
Yubel had flown close enough so that she heard his call, idea still fresh in her mind. But it wasn't until she landed a few feet away from him that she heard his sobs. Well hidden by the darkness, her eyes widened in surprise. 'He's...crying?' she thought.
He hadn't heard her land. "You hate me...I love you but not in that way...You're like my sister and were my brother before that...And you hate me..." He was in extraordinary pain at losing Yubel.
'I knew that's how you loved me, all along. But I don't hate you...I could never hate you... Even if I wish that I didn't, I love you, Jaden. I always will,' she thought sadly. His pain softened her murderous intent, but her resolve to kill him remained as she took silent steps toward him.
"I can't make this up and I can't change how I feel...I'm going to be a lousy monarch, a lousy husband and a lousy father," Jaden moaned. The thought that he had hurt a friend and might possibly hurt the people he loved around him caused an almost physical pain. He couldn't see a way out of this and his thoughts became very dark.
'No, Jaden. You would have made a kind monarch, a loving husband, and the perfect father. But I just can't let anyone else have you any longer...I'm sorry,' Yubel thought, claws outstretched toward his unsuspecting form.
Jaden took a deep breath. "Maybe I should jump off this cliff...Or..." He pulled his hunting knife from his belt and ripped off his gloves exposing his wrists. "This'll be slow and it's what I deserve..." He placed the blade on one wrist and drew it across, drawing a lot of blood. It was just deep enough for him to bleed to death if someone didn't help him.
Yubel's eyes went wide in shock and she froze. She had never thought that he would try to take his own life! Her deep feelings for him and impulse to protect him rose up, surpassing her will to kill him. "JADEN!! NO!!" she screamed, snatching the knife from him.
His wrist was bleeding badly, and just before his own consciousness winked out, he murmured, "Yubel?" And then his eyes rolled into the back of his head as he passed out.
Yubel caught him as he fell back, and gently laid him down upon the grass. Tossing the knife aside, she tore a long strip of cloth from his cape and bandaged the wound on his wrist. "Jaden, why...why would you hurt yourself like this?" she asked softly, tears brimming her eyes. She realized that he'd passed out, and decided it would be best to get him home. So, she lifted him into her arms bridal-style and flew into the air, toward the castle.
An hour or so later, a tower guard called, "Monster approaching!"
The guards had Shining Flare Wingman with them, and used his attack as a spotlight to identify the monster. "It's me! Yubel! Jaden is hurt!!" she called.
Shining Flare Wingman flew up to her. "The prince is harmed! Were you separated?" he asked, concerned.
Yubel frowned, looking away. "Yes, we were..." What mattered right now was to get Jaden to the royal physicians; she could answer questions later.
"Let's get him to the people who can help him," Shining Flare Wingman said, giving her light to land.
And then Queen Jayda came running. "JADEN! Oh, my!" She took a look at the wound. "Yubel, are you hurt?" she asked as she looked at her son's arm and the healers came.
"No, I'm all right," Yubel answered.
King Hisoka and Alexis ran over as well, both with looks of worry on their faces. "Jaden! He's hurt," Alexis said, frowning.
"Calm down, Alexis," Jayda soothed. "He'll be all right...this is a deep wound, but it was caught in time...but he feels hot..."
"Let's get him inside and onto something more comfortable than the floor," Hisoka stated.
And so a small procession carried the young man to his old bedroom and the physicians tended to his wound. "This was quite a cut," the head physician muttered. "If it had gone deeper, it might have been fatal. As it is… Yubel, it is fortunate you were there. The prince could have died, even so." Yubel looked up from her position against the wall. She had stayed, frowning the whole time and wondering why Jaden had hurt himself. Alexis, meanwhile, sitting at her husband's bedside, was relieved that her beloved would be all right, but was curious about what happened.
"We'll let him rest for now...Alexis, dear, you need to sleep," Queen Jayda cautioned when the physicians were done and Jaden was resting.
Alexis sighed; she was tired. The demands of the new life within her made her such. "All right," she said, still hating to leave her beloved's side.
"It'll be all right...Yubel, can you watch him?" the queen asked softly. "I can relieve you when Alexis is resting."
Yubel looked up and blinked. "Oh, yes, of course."
"All right, I'll be back..." And then Yubel and the resting prince were alone.
Yubel sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed, brushing some of Jaden's bangs out of his face. "Jaden...you're happy. You don't hold the misery I do. What reason would you have to do this...?"
Jaden's face was a little sweaty and then he surprised her by waking. "Yubel?" he asked, blinking.
Yubel's eyes widened. "Jaden, you're awake..."
"Yeah...where are we?" he asked in confusion. "I thought we were in the woods."
"We...were. But then you were hurt and so...I brought you back home... We're in your old bedroom," she explained, looking away.
"I...hurt myself," he said weakly, remembering the horrible thing he had done.
"I know...I stopped you, and then you passed out," she replied softly.
"Why did you stop me?" he asked. "I mean...you hate me..."
She shook her head. "No, Jaden, I don't hate you. I could never hate you, even if I wanted to..."
"But I hurt you...didn't mean to, but I did..." He was weak from the painful arm and emotional exhaustion.
"I know you didn't mean to. But hurting me is no reason to take your life. You have so much to live for," she replied.
"Alexis...is she all right?" he asked, suddenly struggling. "She's probably worried...Oh, man..."
She frowned; of course he'd be worried about her. "She's fine..."
"I'm such a screw-up..."
"No, you're not. If anyone here is the screw-up...it's me."
"No...I was...ooh..." From Jaden's perspective, the room was spinning.
Yubel placed a hand over his eyes. "Calm down. You're making things worse for yourself."
Jaden sank into the soft pillows. "I'm sorry...so sorry..."
Yubel sighed, pulling her hand away. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Jaden..."
"What do I tell them?" he murmured weakly.
"You mean...about your injury?" she asked.
"Yeah...and...ooh," he moaned again. "My head hurts..."
She frowned. "Perhaps I should go and get the royal physicians..."
"I..." Jaden passed out again.
Yubel's frown deepened and she stood, heading to the door. But when she opened, she came face-to-face with Queen Jayda. The queen sighed. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked gently. She had heard nearly everything and wondered what the monster girl would do.
Yubel's eyes went wide in shock, and then she sighed in defeat. Maybe it would do some good to talk about it. "I...yes."
"Okay..." Queen Jayda led Yubel back into the room and they sat down on two comfortable chairs. "Did my son harm himself?"
Yubel's gaze turned downward as she frowned. "...Yes, he did..."
"Why did he do it?" Jayda asked.
Yubel sighed. "Because he thought that I hated him and felt terrible...at least I think that's the reason..."
"Why did he think you hated him?" Jayda's tone, while still gentle, indicated she wanted the truth, and nothing but.
Yubel looked away; she was about to reveal a secret she'd hidden for a long time, all over again. "Because...I told him that I loved him, and I was upset because I knew he didn't love me back..."
"Yubel, look at me," Jayda said, gently but firmly. Yubel did so, worried about how the mother would react. "I suppose I knew. I saw how you looked at him after the transition and when he seemed so happy with Alexis."
Yubel was shocked, to say the least. She had thought that no one knew. "I...tried to hide it," she muttered.
"You can try, but you can't hide what you really feel. But the question is, can you accept his happiness and love him for that?"
Yubel's head fell, bangs covering her eyes. "I...I don't know...if I can..."
Queen Jayda moved to the girl monster and put her arms around her. "If you love him like you say you do, you need to find a way."
Yubel felt tears stinging her eyes, and buried her face in her hands. "I've tried...all of these months... I've tried to just let him go, but I can't...it hurts to see him with her..."
"You don't have to let him go, but you can let him be happy with her." Jayda rocked her a minute like she had when Yubel was a young human boy and had needed comfort. "I know it hurts so much," she murmured.
"It's so hard...I want to see him happy, I'm glad that he is. I wish I could stop wanting him for myself," Yubel whispered, pained.
"Shh," Jayda soothed. "Do you remember when you became friends with him, before all of this?"
Yubel sniffled, and thought back to that time. "Yes..."
"You were just sweet little boys then..."
"I saw Jaden all alone, and...he asked me if I wanted to duel..."
Jayda smiled. "He'd been refused by so many..."
"He was so good...they all knew that if they dueled him, they'd lose..."
"And he was the prince as well. And yet you said yes, and even though you lost, he was just happy that you dueled him." Jayda stroked Yubel's hair. "And you became friends."
Yubel was comforted by the gesture; it had been so long since anyone had done that. She'd been an orphan since she was a young male child, and hadn't known her parents very well. "I...didn't have anyone else..."
"And we were glad to take you in. Jaden spent the better part of two days trying to find out about you..."
"When I finally told him, he didn't laugh like the other boys. He...said that his family...could be my family..."
"He felt so sad that you didn't have anyone...and that is probably why he hurt himself. If he could hurt family, he didn't want to risk it again, Yubel. He may not love you like you want him to, but he loves you deeply."
"I don't know why my feelings suddenly changed towards him. I used to consider him as only a brother as well..."
Jayda was quiet for a minute, considering. Then she realized. "It's the Dragon's Heart. It makes your feelings for him different. You fell for the one you were sworn to protect." She sighed. "The Heart is both blessing and curse, my dear."
Yubel's eyes widened. "Then...to protect him...I have to try and ignore the feelings the heart has given me..."
"If you have to," Jayda conceded. "But let yourself love him and be happy knowing that he is happy, and let yourself be friends with Alexis. She knows you're upset...and she's upset about that."
"It's my jealousy...I would feel the same about anyone else who married Jaden in her stead," Yubel explained with a frown.
"It is fortunate he fell in love with her, Yubel...There are princes who marry because they must and do not love the princesses they marry."
"I know. They're both lucky that they love each other. And I am happy for them. If only the heart didn't give me these feelings..."
"I wish it didn't either...But Yubel, there will come a day when you will find someone you can love..."
"Do you think that when it happens, my love for Jaden will go away?"
The queen kept her hold on the monster, continuing to gently stroke her hair. "Your feelings will not go away, but they will change."
"Then...I hope I find that person soon," Yubel replied. And then, Jaden moaned softly in the bed. Yubel looked over at him. "He must be waking up..."
Jayda nodded and together they moved to the bed. "Ummm...Mother?" Jaden asked weakly, opening his eyes.
"It's all right, sweetheart...Yubel and I have had a chat, and no one's upset..."
"Alexis," he pleaded.
"You want to see Alexis?" Yubel asked.
"Yeah...where is she?" he asked.
"Resting...it's the middle of the night, Jaden," Yubel answered.
Suddenly, there was a soft knock at the door. Jayda stood. "Who is it?" she called.
"It's Alexis...can I come in?" the princess asked through the door
"Of course," Jayda said, moving to the door and embracing her daughter-in-law. "He just asked for you..."
"Lexi," Jaden called, "I'm sorry..."
Alexis walked over to his bedside, looking down at him. "Jaden, what are you saying sorry for?"
"Being an idiot," he said, struggling to sit up.
"Jaden, let me help you up," the queen said, fluffing his pillows behind him.
"Jaden, I don't understand," Alexis replied, frowning.
Jaden held out his arms, wincing from his hurt arm. "Lexi..." And so he told her what had happened. "I'm sorry," he moaned. "I'm such a screw-up."
Alexis had him in an embrace, letting him lean on her for added support. "No, Jaden, you're not. You just didn't think that this could happen..."
He figured she'd hate him for what he'd tried to do, what had happened between him and Yubel...and she was forgiving him. "You're... you're not mad?"
"No, Jaden, of course I'm not mad. I...had an idea of how Yubel felt; I knew it would only be a matter of time until you learned about it. And you were too upset to realize what your actions could do to harm other people," she explained.
"I didn't want you to have such a lousy husband..."
"Jaden, you are not lousy. You are the best husband I could have asked for..."
He just held onto her, shivering. Jayda noticed. "Jaden, you're still feverish...why don't you let yourself go back to sleep? And Alexis, would you like to stay in here with him?"
She nodded. "Yes...can I?"
"You won't sleep otherwise, will you?" the queen asked.
The princess sighed. "I don't think so..."
"Okay..." In a few minutes, the prince and princess were cuddled up together in his old bed and falling asleep.
Yubel watched them, expression stoical. 'I just...have to live with it, until I find my own special person,' she thought.
Jayda looked at the girl monster. "Yubel, why don't you go take a break tonight? Clear your head..."
Yubel nodded; a nighttime flight sounded good at that moment. "All right...Jayda, thanks for...you know..."
"My pleasure...it's the least I can do..."
Yubel smiled a little, and then disappeared. She reappeared a few moments later outside of the castle and flew off into the night. "My special person...someone I can truly love... Please, come soon," she murmured softly. Alas, it would not be soon. She would watch as Prince Jaden and Princess Alexis had many children and became king and queen of the Monster Heroes Kingdom. Though she served them well, Yubel still held the jealousy within her. It would be many centuries before she could let herself be free.
THE END
And so ends the tale, "Kingdom Alliance." We hope you enjoyed this telling of the past lives of Jaden, Alexis and Yubel. Next time, we travel to the time of gladiators and the story of Tyson Hassleberry and Rosa Jimenez's past life together. So please read and review and stay tuned next time for "In Spe," or "In Hope." Thank you!