Chapter Seven: At The Queen's Request

"Are you sure about this, Mother? How can we trust her?" Riding within a large palanquin, Kitana, who was stripped of her title as princess of Edenia and now Outworld, voiced her concerns about their current mission to her mother, Sindel. The younger Edenian then pulled back the white drapes that blocked the outside world from her view, and her eyes narrowed at the sight of her former home. Shao Kahn's fortress. Or at least, it was before his death at the hands of Lord Raiden and the Elder Gods.

Sitting in front of her daughter, Sindel smiled and placed her hand atop Kitana's own. "My dear, you must understand that she is also a victim of Shao Kahn's tyranny. Your blood, the blood of your father and myself, flows through her veins as well. With that in mind, I do believe there is good within her."

"And what of the Tarkatan blood that she also possesses?"

"The Tarkata are not all monsters, Kitana."

Kitana sighed and folded her arms over her chest as she looked to her right. "What are your thoughts, Jade?"

Also accompanying the former princess was Jade, Kitana's best friend and protector. Her emerald eyes examined her signature weapon in her hands, a staff that pulsated with violet energy. But the Edenian quickly collapsed it into a short, grey tube, which held the staff together, and looked at Kitana. "I believe you should keep an open mind, Kitana. If her majest－" Jade stopped when she realized her mistake, but she immediately corrected herself. It was still hard for the woman to not address Sindel, and at times Kitana, as royalty. "If Sindel is willing to trust Mileena, then I will not doubt her judgement. And neither should you."

Hearing her friend's words, Kitana slowly nodded her head in agreement. "Yes. You are right as always, Jade."

Jade chuckled. "Have I ever led you astray?"

"No…not yet."

As she watched the exchange between the two younger Edenians, Sindel could not help but laugh. It was heartwarming for her to see Kitana and Jade so close and so trusting of one another. Sindel had made the right choice when she chose Jade as her daughter's guardian. "Thank you, Jade. But Kitana－" Sindel gave Kitana's hand a gentle squeeze. "I do understand your hesitation."

"Forgive me, Mother. I did not intend to disrespect you in any way. I only wish to keep you safe."

"I know, my dear. I know."

The carriage soon stopped and the three Edenians looked outside to see that they had arrived at the palace gates. The servants who were carrying their palanquin lowered the vehicle onto the ground and moved back to give the women room to step out. Once they did so, the gates slowly swung open and standing on the other side was the Kahnum of Outworld in all her glory.

"Greetings, my esteemed guests!" With a dramatic bow, Mileena, Shao Kahn's "daughter", welcomed Sindel, Kitana, and Jade to her home. "I must say, I am surprised it has taken you this long to seek an audience with me after my coronation."

Kitana opened her mouth to retort, but Sindel stopped her before she could. "We are grateful that you agreed to speak with us, Empress." The elder Edenian then bowed her head to Mileena, which pleased the pink clad Edenian greatly.

"And I am grateful that someone is showing such respect." Mileena made a sly remark aimed towards Kitana and Jade, who could not hide their disdain towards Outworld's ruler. But if she was being honest, Mileena was not concerned with them right now. It was Sindel that she wished to speak with the most, and so, Mileena turned her attention back to the former queen. "Shall we go inside? A meal is being prepared as we speak. I do hope you like boar."

Mileena turned around and began to walk back towards her home while her guests followed closely behind her.

The four women soon entered the dining hall, which brought back some unsettling memories for Sindel, Kitana, and Jade. When he was still alive, Shao Kahn would insist there be a show for his entertainment during dinner. But his idea of "entertainment" was a death match where the winner would keep their life for the time being. The poor fools who believed in the tyrant's promise probably deserved to have their heads crushed by Shao Kahn's hammer in the end.

Taking their seats, Mileena sat on one end of the long, black table while Sindel, Kitana, and Jade sat on the other end with Sindel placed in between the younger Edenians. Mileena was the one to speak first once everyone was settled. "So then, what is it that you wished to discuss with me?"

"I am sure you already know the answer to your own question." Kitana replied to Mileena with a glare.

"That may be true." Mileena chuckled. "But please. Enlighten me, Sister." Mileena giggled, knowing how much the title of "Sister" angered Kitana. She knew how much the former princess wanted to dissociate herself from Mileena, but that was nearly impossible since the two literally shared blood. Feeling the tension rising between the two women, Sindel cleared her throat to draw everyone's attention to herself.

"Empress, as you already know, you were the heir to Shao Kahn's throne. And with that, you obtained the title of Kahnum after Shao Kahn's...unfortunate passing." No one noticed it, but Sindel saw how Mileena's eyes narrowed at the mention of her father. It was a difficult subject to discuss, obviously, but the elder Edenian continued. "We do not oppose this decision, however...we must ask a favor of you."

Mileena arched a brow. "Oh? Is that so?"

Sindel nodded. "Yes. We only ask that you give us Edenia's Kamidogu."

"What?" Mileena frowned. "A...Kamidogu?"

"Oh." Sindel's eyes widened, surprised at the revelation. "You do not know of the Kamidogu, do you? I assumed Shao Kahn would have at least mentioned it to you due to its importance."

"Well, I am sure he would have. If not for his murder by those accursed Elder Gods." The last part came out as a whisper, but loud enough that Mileena was sure her guests had heard her. The room fell into an uncomfortable silence, but fortunately, the doors suddenly slammed open, a temporary distraction from the current conversation. A group of female servants carrying trays of food rushed into the room and they quickly placed the dishes onto the table with a large, cooked boar set in the middle like a centerpiece.

One of the servants, a young girl with brown hair, had placed a bowl of fruit on the table and was walking away. But as she was doing so, the servant lost her balance and fell to the floor on her knees. Without thinking, Jade stood from her seat and headed towards the girl. "Are you alright?" The Edenian held out her hand to help the servant to her feet. "Here, let me help you."

The girl did not say a word, but she took Jade's hand and slowly rose from the floor. Once she did so, the servant bowed to Jade. "T-Thank you." She whispered to Jade and quickly left the room along with the other servants. But not before Jade caught a glimpse of the girl's face, which was mostly hidden behind her hair. And Jade now saw why.

After the servants were out of sight, Jade looked back at Mileena with wide eyes. "What happened to her?"

"Whatever do you mean, Jade?"

"Her FACE. What happened to her face?"

"Oh!" Mileena chuckled and waved her hand. "That was an accident. I was in the middle of sparring when she came in at an unfortunate time. She was injured and left with a terrible scar."

"And you find it amusing?" Rising from her seat, Kitana spoke to Mileena in a low, serious tone. "You caused the poor girl pain, and you find it amusing?"

Mileena remained calm despite her sister's threatening tone. "Her pain is a result of her own stupidity. She should be grateful that death did not take her that day."

"How dare you—?!" Before she could move towards the empress, Kitana was stopped by Sindel, who was holding onto her daughter's arm firmly.

"Kitana, please. You must be respectful. We are guests here."

"But Mother—"

"Kitana. SIT." The seriousness in her mother's voice caused Kitana to cease her protesting and she sat back down. Jade soon followed suit and the room grew quiet again for some time.

"Well then—" Mileena was the one to break the silence this time as she reached for an apple from one of the fruit bowls. "Please, enjoy the food. We can talk as we eat. I especially want to hear more about this...Kamidogu."

Sindel nodded. "Thank you, Empress." She then asked Kitana to pass her a pitcher of red wine, which her daughter quickly obliged. "And as for the Kamidogu, they are relics created by the Elder Gods that contain the essence of the realms. Shao Kahn used Edenia's Kamidogu to fuse Edenia with Outworld."

"And now you want it back so you can reclaim Edenia, correct?"

"Yes, Empress. I do hope we can come to an understanding about this."

"Hmph." Mileena then lifted her mask just enough to take a bite out of her apple, but also enough to keep her deformity hidden from the Edenians. It took everything in the Kahnum's power not to eat the fruit whole.

Sindel noticed this and smiled kindly at Mileena. "There is no need to hide, my dear. I promise you, there will be no judgement."

"I do not need your pity." Mileena hissed those words at the elder Edenian.

Sindel shook her head. "It is not "pity", Empress. You are a beautiful young woman. Do not hide yourself because others cannot see your true beauty, Mileena."

That was the first time Sindel had called Mileena by her name since the Edenians arrived. At first, Mileena was angry that the elder woman would dare call her by something other than her title, but her anger quickly subsided. Deep down, the clone could not help but feel...appreciated? Was that the right word for this warm feeling Mileena felt in her chest?

"What makes you think I would give you this Kamidogu you speak of?" Mileena asked, changing the subject.

Sindel, who was still smiling, responded to the empress' question with a question of her own. "Do you wish to follow in your father's footsteps and attempt to conquer the realms for yourself?"

"Why, of course. It is what my father would have wanted."

"Yes, but is it what YOU want?"

"What I want is for you to stop this pitiful attempt of "redeeming" me."

Sindel frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Do not be coy with me." Mileena scowled. "You think I am a victim? Like them?" Her eyes darted between Kitana and Jade and then landed back on Sindel. "Like you?"

"I am not—"

"You helped Raiden and his champions murder my father, and you expect me to help you? To turn my back on my father's legacy!? You killed him because you did not agree with his vision of a perfect universe!"

Jade slowly clenched her hands into fists, Mileena's words clearly angering the Edenian. She wanted to say something, but Sindel beat her to the punch. "Shao Kahn's quest of obtaining a "perfect" universe led to the deaths of so many innocent people. How much more blood must be shed until Outworld is satisfied? Until YOU are satisfied?"

"You still do not understand. None of you will ever understand. The weak die, and the strong survive! You Edenians were too weak to stop my father and his army, therefore he claimed your realm as his trophy. Be grateful he decided to spare any of you worthless Edenians!"

Sindel sighed. "Empress...you too have Edenian blood coursing through your veins." The woman placed a hand over her heart. "Jerrod, Kitana, and I... our blood courses through your veins. Does that mean nothing to you?"

"...Enough." Mileena stood from her seat and pointed to the doors. "I want you out of my palace. We are done talking."

"But Empress—" Sindel began, seeing that she had unintentionally upset the half-Tarkatan even more. "I swear, I meant no disrespect. I only wished too—"

"I said ENOUGH!" Mileena's voice echoed throughout the dining room. "My answer is no. Edenia's Kamidogu will remain here, wherever it may be. Now leave before my guards force you out."

"This is unfortunate." Kitana stated as her, Sindel, and Jade watched the palace gates close behind them. "I knew this was not going to end in our favor."

Sindel smiled at her daughter and patted her shoulder. "Patience, my dear. I am sure Mileena will come around."

"Well, let us hope so. And soon."

Walking behind the mother and daughter, Jade stayed quiet, lost in her own thoughts. As much as she hated Mileena, Jade could not help but pity the empress. She thought back to the Flesh Pits, the very place where Mileena was created. But she was not the only one. So many of them. Failed experiments who suffered because of their creator, Shang Tsung. Jade remembered their faces, their twisted bodies. They never asked to be born.

And neither did Mileena. Even though both Shang Tsung and Shao Kahn are dead, their influence on the clone was definite. It will be hard to persuade Mileena to leave this life Shao Kahn had given her, but Jade hoped one day the empress would see the error in her father's ways.

Soon enough, the palanquin the Edenians rode to Mileena's palace appeared once again to take them out of the city. The trio could have easily used their teleporters, courtesy of their good friend Cyrax, and arrived at the palace in mere seconds. But they decided to ride the palanquin through the city as a sign of good faith. They wanted the people of Outworld to see them as no threat, even though Mileena had invited them to Outworld in the first place.

Sindel was the first to step into the palanquin followed by Kitana and then Jade. The servants lifted the vehicle and began to walk back into the town towards the exit. The women sat in silence throughout the short journey, each of them processing today's recent events. It was not until they reached the outskirts of the city that the Edenian's situation went from bad to worse.

Sudden screams from outside of their carriage caused Jade to go on full alert and her staff was in her hands fully extended. Kitana was reaching for her fans when the palanquin suddenly dropped to the ground, resulting in the former princess and queen falling onto their backs. Jade, however, was on her feet in an instant and she sprinted outside to see the four men who were carrying them were nothing but masses of melted flesh and bone.

But who could have done this? Jade was going to find out and she was prepared to use force if she needed to. The Edenian scanned the area for the one responsible for the deaths of those poor men, but Jade saw no one. They were outside of the city and there was nothing but desert. No soul in sight.

No. With lightning speed, Jade spun around and used her Shadow Kick technique to knock her invisible adversary to the ground. "Reptile." Jade scowled at the humanoid lizard who growled in return.

"Enough, Reptile. You have done well."

Jade froze. That booming voice. A voice the woman knew all too well. When was the last time she had heard it? Jade turned around and was surprised to see a swirling, green portal behind her. Kitana and Sindel stood at Jade's sides, fans and staff at the ready. The three women watched as two figures stepped out of the portal with the first being Ermac. The amalgamation of souls stood beside Reptile and the two both bowed their heads as the third newcomer came through the portal as well.

"By the Gods..." Kitana said staring in awe at the hulking man that now stood before them. His entire body was covered with blue war paint with the exception of his tattoos, which glowed bright like the sun. Taking a deep breath, the man looked upon the Edenians and smiled. "After all these years...we finally meet again."

While he was speaking to all the women, Jade felt the man's eyes specifically on her. She slowly approached the male, and she looked over his form several times as though she could not believe he was here. Standing right here, right now. The Edenian opened her mouth to say something, but the only thing that came out was a single word. A name. "...Kotal."

Hey guys! This chapter just did not want to come out lol. I got locked out of my account, my files kept getting deleted and I would start over just to find it the next day. I swear I need a new computer lol. But anyways, thank you guys for being so patient and thank you for the reviews! Again, sorry for the long wait. Btw, have you guys seen the Mortal Kombat 1 trailers? They all look amazing! And y'all know I was excited to see my boy Smoke back in action (AS A HUMAN)! Even Reptile is returning, but as a GOOD GUY! I wasn't expecting that! I am so hyped for MK1!