The Umgadi Problem

by Kyze Larion

All firstborn daughters by tradition are forfeit to the Umgadi. Why should she be any different? A series of events explaining Mileena's honorary status as an Umgadi warrior.

6. Chapter 6: The Consequence of Confidence

They had barely arrived home when the symptoms started to show. She didn't remember much in the beginning. Only sensations, like Kitana's cool tears, sizzling on her unbearably hot face. Her body ached, she was too weak to consciously move. Every action made by her was either a reaction to an agonizing tremor, or orchestrated by one of her many cautious carers.

Her consciousness waned off and on for a solid week. The reality she distinguished from her fevered dreams hinted she was being semi quarantined. Once her fever broke, and she was less delirious, Li Mei visited her to make a proper diagnosis.

It was a cold, exaggerated by stress.

The sister who had to be physically restrained from seeing her, was now stuck to her side as a main caregiver, despite the team of physicians and nurses, no longer stifled by fear. In no time, Kitana was in bed right beside her, needing care herself. Much to the irritation of their mother.

As she started to feel better, her sister felt worse, then she would exhaust herself trying to care for her, which would leave her too weak to recover herself. The doctors said they were effectively passing the cold back and forth. They were separated immediately. Confined to their rooms and forbidden to be together until they were equally healthier.

Getting better was a welcomed consequence, not being able to see her sister though, after this latest incident did make her anxious. They took great solace in the fact their balconies were right next to each other, so they weren't completely cut off.

"Are you sure you feel well enough to be up?" Kitana called from her side.

She didn't, but lying in bed, not moving for hours at a time, without being asleep, made her feel like she was rotting away. "I'm fine. How are you feeling?"

"Like my body is made of lead. Laying down all day is making me sicker though." Kitana leaned over the rail. "Your squad looks to be heading out right now."

Two whole months and then some had passed since she'd last seen her squad. The uproar from the Tarkatan attack had died down for the most part. Life had returned to normal. Once this sickness was out of her, she hoped that would ring true for her too.

Angled away from her side, she couldn't even manage a glimpse of them. Hoisting herself up and over, she scaled the wall to Kitana's side just in time to watch the last couple of girls hop onto the back of the cart. Elaine was already in front, facing away from them.

They were so far away, she was doubtful they could identify her, until someone started frantically waving. Two more joined in, and before long, the entire back of the cart was wiggling their arms up at her. All except the woman in the coachman's seat.

Mileena's heart fluttered from just the sight of the back of her head. Slumped forward, probably with the reigns in her hands.

She kept waving at them, smiling, saying encouraging things they probably couldn't hear over their own shouting. When Elaine did finally turn around, it was to yell at them and swat a couple girls directly behind her.

Kitana had been saying goodbye with her, then for no discernible reason, she took cover behind a curtain and yelled, "Goodbye Elaine!"

She didn't know what she expected. A cold shoulder, a rude gesture, for her to pull off ignoring her all together. It surely wasn't for Elaine to give her the most halfhearted, unbothered, flip of the wrist wave she'd ever seen.

It didn't matter that she wasn't facing her, or that she might have only replied because she knew it wasn't Mileena who'd called out. Mileena waved back with every ounce of energy she had.

"Be careful! Take care of yourself! Selves! Take care of yourselves!" Her voice cut out, lending her croaks and coughs in its place. Lucky for her, they were already too far away to hear. "Why did you do that?"

"She's the one you wanted to say goodbye to right?"

"She's, mad at me. But, she did wave back. You think she's calmer now?"

"I don't know. But if she could stay mad for two months, I would strongly consider, moving on."

"They haven't left yet. I don't feel too bad. I should tell mother and father I'm well enough to go. I could get dressed and join them before they make it to the gate."

"You still sound full of mucus. As mad as mother was, I doubt she's going to agree."

"She wasn't mad at me. She was mad at you, for getting yourself sick. That was very reckless of you. No matter what I had, I wouldn't have wanted you catching it."

"It was just a cold."

"Had it not been? Our parents already have one wild child to think about. Don't make them worry. They'll say I'm a bad influence on you."

"Either this sickness is helping your brain function better, or someone has replaced my child with a more thoughtful copy." Their father came in with two maids carrying trays of food. "I like the way this new Mileena thinks, but I'd prefer my thoughtless wonder back, so long as she's healthy."

"I'm healthy father. I'm well enough, I could have joined my squad on their tasks today."

"Oh, it is you. Frankly, I'd love to let you go, but seeing as how you're supposed to be, confined to your room. I just don't see how that would work. I don't really understand how you're in Kitana's room now. The only other way, is the balcony. And in your condition, after the fall you took, I just know you wouldn't have gone that way."

Kitana cut in, coming to her rescue. "Um, father, have you heard anything from Xandras or auntie? The way we left, things were so hectic. Are they at least alright?"

"They've only sent letters, Xandras is fine, his father, they speak very scarcely of him. After the report the guards gave, it seems I may have to make a trip to see them soon. Or I'll have to send someone."

The Tarkatan's tale of the king's neglect turned curious eyes on her father. Few things at present could be, or should be, more important than seeing to a potential Tarkat infection. The havoc this disease could inflict was nothing they could push to the side. Even small scale isolated incidents were nothing short of catastrophic.

"I do hope he's alright. He was struck with,"

"Jerrod, have you seen,"

At the sound of her mother's voice, Mileena tried to escape back to her side, only to be held in place by her father's strong hand. "She's right here. I called her over to discuss what they witnessed at Xandras'. From what they tell me, it seems I should definitely make a trip up there soon."

Their mother marched over, felt Kitana's head first. When it was Mileena's turn, she pulled her headband out of the way and inspected her scar. "Any pain? Bleeding? Does it give you any problems at all?"

"No mother." Feeling her mother's cool hand on her head was soothing. She didn't feel extremely sick anymore, she was however still a bit warmer than everything around her. "Mother...is it true many people escape the colony every day?"

"What? Where did that come from?" She saw her parents exchange a look she couldn't describe.

"Yes, they escape, into a death trap. It's worse than a desert. Hardly anything worth a hunt, no water. A week's worth of walking to the nearest hutch of civilization. And they wouldn't run into easily defeated company. What, made you ask?"

"The Tarkatan, he told me some things."

"You can't trust those creatures. You know the mind is," Her mother's hand was back on her face, pushing her hair to the side. "Let's not speak of these things just yet. You both should still be resting."

"Any more resting and my body will think I'm dying. I'm feeling alright mother. Alright enough, I could have joined my squad."

Her mother rolled her eyes. "Will nothing knock the sense into you?"

"If I can't go with them, then I think it's time I at least be let back into these discussions."

"As should I."

Again their parents exchanged a look, this one was something recognizable, just unfamiliar to her. Pride. She welcomed and embraced it.

Hydrated and pumped full of soup, she and her sister were informed of all the things that had happened while they were gone, and what came of the plans made while they were cowering in their parents bed.

Die hard veterans of war were threatening violence against the crown if their lust for bloodshed were not satiated. Potravam, once a mighty mercenary clan, now reduced to nothing but shiftless raiders, kept in place by the locals. They weren't much to mind. However as of recent they'd been having talks with Surankari warriors. Unlike most warrior clans of old, they retained their infamy. They claimed to respect the newfound peace within Outworld, yet they weren't pleased with the peace Outworld bestowed on others. On top of that, there was a wave of resource scarcity raging on in the south.

Peace brought its own challenges. With peace, there was life, with life, there was always the burden of maintaining it.

More than ever she needed to be involved in finding the solutions to these problems, because they were going to persist well after her time, if she did well maintaining this peace. Her proactive desire was met with gentle refusal.

"Now is not the time for you girls to be involved. Now is the time for observation. If you must do something, there are plenty of things here within the city for you to do."

"After, you're all better."

Once again, there was much to do, and all she could do, was sit around and think about it. Being included in the conversation was great, but actually getting to make her own decisions in regards to what was going on, would have been better. Rather her parents would contemplate her input, or employ it, she could only ever know of the after effects, that they would surely tailor if something went wrong. She was learning something, just not enough.

At the very least, now their confinement was being lifted. They were free to roam the castle. In the wake of all that had happened, Mileena was reminded of how boring being home was, when she wasn't fulfilling princess or Umgadi obligations. Games, reading, idle chores and tours, had all worn out their welcome in no time. Leaving the castle to be bombarded with praise was even less appealing. Pestering her sister was out of the question, as she was having her own little adventures, passing out around the castle.

Being the frailer of the two, she was still noticeably weaker than Mileena. While she was able to move around, she was overcome with fatigue rather easily. On a bench in the hall, in the library, the dining area, even the middle of the hallway. She would just lie herself down and get as comfortable as she could. When Mileena could manage she would carry her back to her room, if not, she'd get her as cozy as possible and come check on her later, only for her to be gone to the next random location.

Exhausted thinking about her kingdom, the sight of older Umgadi guards brought her mind back to her comrades. Though the exact nature of their outing today was unknown, it was unusual for so many of them to go for smaller requests. It appeared everyone was in the cart, so no one would be in the barracks.

She just wanted to be around them again, their essence. Although being down there in her princess garb made her nervous, the idea of putting on her uniform just to walk to another part of the castle, made it feel even more like a costume.

For girls, they were quite messy. Bowls and cups were all over the tables in the kitchen. Even more were in their room. Clothes littered the floor, beds unmade. Servants were required to give it a deep cleaning with the rest of the castle, but day to day chores were left to them.

In this vast sea of chaotic uniformity, her eyes were drawn to Elaine's bed. That one day she'd spent down here, she hadn't seen Elaine make up her bed. Something about her, just didn't feel like she should have been the messy type. Then again, Mileena wasn't messy either, and even she didn't make her bed. When she returned to her room, it would be made though, because it's what she deserved, as the next in line for the throne. She was important, a leader in training.

Elaine was a leader right now, a made bed was the very least she deserved. Picking her pillow up off the floor, she wondered just what must have happened for it to end up in the position it was in. Had she tossed and turned all night and simply thrown it away? Or had she accidentally knocked it off when she woke up that morning. Did she throw it in frustration? It looked like they left in a hurry.

In the middle of patting out the kinks, she got a whiff of Elaine's scent. Could it be strange to do so? Yes. Would she still do it? Certainly. She had done it before, unconsciously. Dragging the pillow away from her face, she sighed, as another curious realization struck her. Would she ever be able to have a normal interaction with Elaine again? Or would every moment spent with or away from her be marred with desire? If she didn't fear falling asleep and being caught, she would have crawled into Elaine's cot just to bask in her afterimage.

She'd read tales of women warming beds for their husbands, in both a literal sense, and more intimately. She'd somewhat smirked at the idea before, now more than ever, she wanted to do that. She saw the love and care in the act. She just wanted to do it, for the wrong person. If Elaine wanted, if she just hinted at the command. Hiding under the guise of her rank as her subordinate, Mileena would find out what her favorite scent was and drown herself in it. She'd lotion herself up with the finest oils, have the softest linens brought in. Wash her hair until it was permanently fragranced with whatever Elaine fancied. While she got herself ready for bed, Mileena would lie in her place, transferring her body heat to the mattress, and her blankets.

To maximize the effectiveness, she wouldn't leave until Elaine was standing before her, ready to get in. She might, accidentally brush against her shoulder as she left, and she would feel how soft and warm Mileena was, and she'd tell her, she could stay.

Shuddering at the thought, she quickly made Elaine's bed and fled. If she lingered any longer with these whimsical musings, she was going to get caught. How would that make the other girls feel? Would they get suspicious, or be angry? For what they did, they all deserved special treatment.

Stopping by the kitchen again, she rounded up all the dishes. Pushed in chairs, picked up clothes. By time all the clutter was gathered she was too tired to actually scrub anything. The load was definitely lightened at the very least.

Draped over the sink, pondering if she could possibly start the dishes, she heard the telling sound of many lively feet on the ground. It was hardly mid day. Why had they returned so soon?

"Put everything in storage." Elaine. "No, you can't leave it on the cart. What if it rains or something? Or we have to use it for something else in the meantime? Don't be lazy." She was scolding them again, like children. And they were whining in return, like children.

"Take it off, give it to me, or I'm leaving."

Her threat bounced around Mileena's head, provoking a sense of panic. What if it was too soon for them to meet like this? What if seeing her here, upset Elaine again and she started an argument? That little flippant wave this morning could have meant anything.

It was too late, she could already hear them coming down the hall. "And when you're done with that, we're going to clean this place up. I don't want to come back to a complete mess when we do return."

Elaine wasn't the first person she saw, but she was the one she looked for. The first ones to lay eyes on her were Mariko and Opal. "Morning Mileena, didn't expect to see you here."

"Were you cleaning up?" Mariko looked around.

"Just, helping out a little."

"Is it really you?" Opal stepped closer. "You look so different."

"Maybe it's just cause we haven't seen her in so long. She looks more like Kitana. Or...is it actually Kitana? Cleaning up seems more like something she would do."

"No, it's me. I just wandered down here and saw the mess you all left. You kept the shack cleaner."

She didn't know how they would take the joke, but the girls laughed, to her delight. "We kept it neat when it was just us."

"The lies!" Leisa hollered. "It was uninhabitable when it was just those two. It took us nearly a month to clean it just so we could be comfortable. The stable was cleaner."

"The nerve of them." Hiziza chimed in. "Hey, Leena." She came into view, with Julie attached at her hip. One arm around her shoulder, the other with a crutch. "Let's set you down somewhere."

"I'm fine, I can manage. Thanks. I'll help with the dishes."

"No." Finally Elaine came into the room. "That's their job. You've done enough today. More than any of them. It's okay if you take a break." That warm and loving affection, remained in memory when she turned to Mileena. "What are you doing here?"

"Just...checking on things."

"You shouldn't be here." Not knowing what to say, she prepared to argue. "You're still sick aren't you? Li Mei said you were very ill. And Tanya said you were injured pretty badly after fighting that Tarkatan. Shouldn't you still be resting?"

"No. I'm fine, fine enough to be out of bed. It doesn't seem like you did any, strenuous work today, I could have joined you."

"We didn't really do any work today, just gathering supplies for an upcoming job." Said Leisa.

Hiziza leaned into the kitchen viewing window. "Yeah today was fairly easy. You probably could have come along. But, you didn't need to. Everything went smoothly."

"That's good."

"Very, but you still shouldn't be down here. You were sick for a whole month, on top of an injury. You should still be in bed."

"I'm alright, Elaine. Really."

"You sure aren't dressed like you need to be down here. A princess, doing our dishes? No. You should be in bed. Or lounging somewhere. We've got a lot of work to do."

"I can help." Once the claim had left her lips, she had to grab the edge of the sink to keep herself from tumbling over. Her knees went weak, she began to feel nauseous.

"Help by not being stubborn. Go back to your room. We don't need you spreading germs down here. We can't afford to be sick for two months."

Perhaps it was the way she was limping out, or the time she took to leave, Elaine was volunteering multiple girls to help her back to her room. Hiziza claimed she was too tired to help, everyone else just looked put off by the idea of catching whatever she had. When Julie stood up, Elaine shut her down with a firm decline. She grabbed Mileena by the arm, like a disobedient child and dragged her out of the room.

Out of earshot of the other girls, Mileena's queasiness subsided. She felt now, would be the perfect time to apologize. "Elaine, Elaine can I talk to you?"

"You're the princess, why wouldn't you be able to?" Elaine stopped, her hand on Mileena's arm relaxed to a very soft hold. "You're the princess." She let go all together. "Lean on me if you need to, otherwise, I'll just walk you to your room, make sure you don't collapse."

"Elaine, about before. Before I left,"

"According to the reports, you had quite the adventure at your cousin's. You've now had, two encounters with Tarkatans. And brought your sister home all by yourself. Good for you."

Were they on better terms, her heart would have bursts at the compliment, if it even was one. "Yeah...I did." Weak as she felt, she wasn't going to cling to her just yet.

"Seems I'm not the only one you bother with your confusion though. Tanya had a time with you. Knowing she's seen a glimpse into what I have to deal with, is kind of embarrassing."

Her embarrassment was battling her sickness to see which could flood her with the most heat. What had Tanya been telling everyone? So much had happened, so much had gone wrong.

Before she knew it, she was back in her room. "Get to bed."

"I've been in bed all day. I'm fine."

"That's what people do when they're sick."

Rather than go back and forth, she kicked off her shoes and crawled into bed. Sitting on the edge, watching Elaine amble about her room, she was stricken with the inability to look at her.

"So, this job in a few days, what is it?"

"Nothing for you to worry about. Unlike today, it will be strenuous. Can't imagine you'd be up for it, if you were even allowed to go."

"I would be. Even if it were tomorrow." She asserted. "What is it?"

"We're being asked to thin some herds. Deer population is reaching capacity. The town calling for help, has a lack of hunters, and a need of meat. Don't want a bunch of inexperience townsfolk out there with arrows and wild animals."

"That doesn't sound too taxing, considering everything else you get asked to do."

Elaine shrugged. On her way out, she picked up Mileena's uniform off her desk. "You're done with this?"

Flat, emotionless, genuinely curious?

"No."

She took another step forward. "Maybe I'm too used to seeing you in this, you look strange in those clothes. Regardless, I like my girls in uniform. The next time you're down there, improperly dressed, I'm going to assume you're there to turn this in." She set the outfit back on the desk, then left.

Dealing with Elaine in person and in her mind was a draining ordeal. For once, Mileena was thankful to be in bed. She took her breath away at a time when she really needed it. At least she didn't seem so upset now.

"Mileena?" At her door, her sister's head craned around the opening, scanning her room. "She's gone?" Mileena nodded. "Well, how did it go?"

"How did what go? Nothing happened."

"Oh, well, did you see everyone else? How were they?"

"Good I suppose. They're going out in a couple days, I plan on going with them."

"Do you think you'll be able to do that?"

"Why wouldn't I? I feel fine."

Kitana hopped up on the bed beside her, crawled to the other pillow, then turned to face her. "I mean being there, with her."

"Yes. Sure, I think so."

"When I saw you two walk in here together, I thought, maybe, you would express yourself, to her."

Did her sister really think she was capable of that? Just inviting her to her room, and confessing? "I hate to break it to you, but none of this has gotten easier. Knowing it's not just admiration didn't fix anything. It might have been less stressful back then. I don't know how she's going to take it."

"How would you have taken it?"

With absolute certainty she responded, "I don't know. How would you?"

As sweet as she could be, in a way only she could, Kitana brought out the rainbow without the rain. "I'd be flattered. Even if I didn't feel the same way. Especially if it were a future queen."

Anyone would be. Or should be. To have the future ruler of Outworld show favor to you, should have anyone ready to throw themselves at her feet. Man, or woman. And yet, that word, the venom behind it, even when said by the most angelic, it stung. She was beloved by men and women alike, as a royal. She had their hearts and devotion, in the most superficial way possible.

To think that she, the future queen, empress, a treasure any man would literally risk life and limb for just the chance to court her, her mere acknowledgment. But if she personally bestowed her heart, to an impoverished woman, she wouldn't be good enough. She could find herself being rejected, ridiculed, or worst of all, deemed unfit to succeed to the throne.

"What are you thinking about?" Her sister's hand slipped under her headband, gently stroking and poking her healing wound. "This really doesn't hurt?"

"Only when someone pokes it I guess." She laughed, but didn't stop messing with it. "I don't think it will be a problem. I think things are fine how they are right now."

"How are they? You, have feelings for her, she, is mean to you."

"She's not mean. I don't know what it looks like to her."

"Maybe, she already knows. I mean, you said she saw two of your other squad members kissing, and she didn't seem too thrown off by it. Maybe she already has an idea of how you feel."

Sitting straight up, she could only stare in shock at a very obvious possibility she hadn't considered. Her interactions with Elaine before this were, mundane, normal. Competitive? Once she rose to the top as their leader, their dynamics changed, she had to see her differently. How did it look to her? Mileena went from honestly admiring her, acting as the other girls did, giving her the normal amount of grief, keeping a respectable distance. To, sleeping in her bed, cuddling with her, arguing with her, making her lose her temper in front of her subordinates. If she was perceptive like her sister, she too would anchor it to the day Mileena saw Noble and Hiziza kissing.

"Speaking of them...have you ever thought of asking them for advice? Even if they can't help you, they might understand some of this better."

Another excellent idea, she couldn't use. Not only did she not want anyone else to know, she felt so terrible about letting Noble go alone, she couldn't face Hiziza.

"What makes it so hard for you to talk to her?"

"Is it not supposed to be hard? What am I supposed to say to her?"

"I don't know. Whatever you have to say? You've spoken to her before. Can't you just, feel how you did back then? When did you even know you, had, feelings for her? Is she the only girl you've ever,"

"Yes. That makes me feel even stranger. It's just her. You like men, right?" Kitana nodded so vehemently it made the both of them dizzy. "You think all men are beautiful right? Like you just, like them, right?"

"Um...no. I'm able to be around men and not fall head over heels in love with them. Some catch my eye, I have an appreciation for them, but I don't just think all of them are beautiful."

"So, you didn't like Logan?"

"He was fine enough, a lovely man actually, but no. He was wonderful company. The type I'd like but just a bit too brash. I wouldn't mind being betrothed to him, but I wouldn't have chosen him myself. You don't think of any other woman like her? Elise seemed to fancy you."

While most of her thoughts had been innocent, she couldn't say the ones that weren't. Elise was gorgeous, spirited, great company. She was the type of girl she would have enjoyed showing Elaine off to. How would they interact? Would Elaine have been wowed or annoyed by her mysticism?

"I don't know. I just know with her."

"Then you have to find a way to talk to her."

"Easier said than done. She unravels me."

"If you were really beneath her, I'd say she should scare you. What is it you want to say to her?"

Pausing to think, she wondered aloud. "I'd want to apologize for what happened. For abandoning her. Then I'd want to tell her,"

"Tell her what?"

"I don't know."

"Remember when I asked you if you were smitten with her?"

"Yes."

"And you said, no."

"Yes."

"Well are you smitten with her?"

She buried her face in her pillow, until she realized she couldn't breathe. "Yes."

"Try to think of what comes before that, and start there. Pretend...I'm her."

It took her less than a second to think it over, she was ready to try anything, until she looked over at her sister, contorting her face into a frenzy of questionable expressions.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to scowl and look emotionless at the same time. I don't care, but I'm always angry. I want this to be accurate for you."

"Stop that, be serious." She tapped her cheek.

"Alright." She settled on a half lidded pout. "What do you want, peasant?"

"Kitana!"

"She's never said it, but she always looks like she wants to." She tucked her hair behind her ear. "Fine. What is it, princess?"

That was more like it. Now she could get into her own character. First she had to think about how they'd even get to this point. What exactly was she apologizing for? Should she even bring up that incident at the shack? No, this was about her feelings, her apology and mending things with Elaine. That came first.

"Elaine I,"

"Take off your clothes, or I'm leaving."

"I'd feel terrible if I hit you, but even worse if I didn't."

Seconds of mock retaliation had them both at their limit, winded and tired. Curled up under her covers, Kitana struck up conversation about their parent's proposals.

"It'll be a lot to take on when we take over. If our western front keeps calling for war, and father keeps bending to their will,"

"It's all we can do for now. Let them do as they please while we handle everything else. The burden of peace I suppose. The Tarkatans though. It's a much more troubling problem than I thought. And I already thought it was bad to begin with."

"Mother says we're doing all we can."

"What if we're not? What if we're just, sending people to their deaths? What if, we really aren't trying?"

"Mileena, if you're worried, we wouldn't send you away, I know mother and father wouldn't. I wouldn't let them. If I couldn't stop them, you wouldn't go alone."

She would find a way to. As much as she didn't want to be alone, she couldn't bear it if her sister befell such a tragedy because of her. The wound on her head pulsated, prompting her to inch away from her sister. Like the child she was, Kitana came closer.

If the situation did turn that dire, she would find a way to keep her safe. Right now, it couldn't be helped. "Kitana, what if," slowly, slithering up the right side of her face, was her sister's partially moist tongue. "This, is exactly why you're sick now."

"Sick, together." She whined. In seconds she was snoring beside her. In a few more seconds, Mileena was right behind her.

They awoke for dinner, afterwhich Kitana went right back to bed. She was taking it a lot harder than Mileena. Ever since they were children Mileena hated seeing her sister sick. She took longer to get over things and normally presented worse symptoms.

"It's the curse of being strong. Having to watch the weak suffer." Why her father thought it was useful to say that to a frightened child, while her sister was in bed, writhing and aching from a terrible cold, she'd never know. He was blessed with wisdom, and kindness, not so much in the way of empathizing. He may have known Kitana would be alright, but Mileena sure didn't at the time. She heard weak and suffer, and feared the worse well after the cold had passed.

She could go for some of that wisdom and kindness now though. It had been a long time since she'd probed his mind for advice.

Her mother busy tending to her sister, she followed her father to his study, with glasses and bottles in hand. His jovial face was still so bright and youthful, despite the rings and bags under his eyes. Knowing she was the cause of some of that made her feel selfish. He already had so much on his plate.

"I know you didn't come all the way here, just to help me carry this, I do appreciate it though love. What is on your mind?"

"Father...if you needed time to yourself, you'd tell me right?"

"No."

"I don't want to bother you."

"The future cannot bother the past. We can only, influence each other. Sit, join me." In the middle of him filling their glasses, he poured a majority of hers into a third cup leaving hardly a sip. "Don't want you getting sick again. How are you feeling?"

"Fine." He pointed to his temple. "It's, alright."

"Let me see it." Begrudgingly, she slid her headband down. Another round of poking and squeezing. "No more twin shenanigans with this little battle wound."

Not until that very moment had she thought about how she'd now physically set herself apart from her sister. Her individuality once again staining her in an unflattering way, marking her as the unfavorable one of the two.

"The people will look on you with pride. It makes you look, intimidating. If I didn't know you, or that deceptive siren who birthed you, I'd surely underestimate you. A few scars here and there could work in your favor." Though she smiled, she still felt the need to readjust her covering over the mark. "What is it you wish to speak on? Not more business I hope? I've had enough of that to last the rest of the week."

"Is it really alright for us not to discuss that? You are the king, and I'm,"

"Going to have the rest of your life to talk about your own problems with this title. If I don't have them fixed before you ascend, as my punishment, you can prop these old bones up for conversation whenever you like. I may be a king, but I'm still a father. Even though you're a princess, you're still a daughter. What is on my daughter's mind?"

"As I said, I am feeling much better. I was hoping to get permission to join my squad in a few days. They're going hunting I'm told. I feel it would be alright if I,"

"Of course. If you feel you're ready I will not hold you."

"Thank you father! One thing though, Kitana, she's still not as over this as,"

"You have to take your sister with you."

"Father," she groaned.

"Mileena, she's your guard. She has to go with you. I'm trying to nurture both of you to be your best. If she wants to do this, I have to hold her to some basic standard. You don't get to be without protection because she has the sniffles. You and your mother have to stop coddling her."

"You sound like mother. You think she treats Kitana like an infant, she thinks you treat me like one."

He took a sip and cracked the widest grin. "Be sure not to tell her about this little trip to the forest with your squad then. I'd expect her to react poorly to me sending our infants into the woods with scary animals and arrows."

"Scary animals and arrows? Sounds like I'm missing quite the conversation." Her mother came in, giving her shoulders a squeeze before joining her father on the other side of his desk. The cup he'd filled with Mileena's stolen portion was already being warmed by her dainty hand. "Don't stop now."

"You just missed a passing phrase my dear. Old man prattle. Mileena, I'm sorry, were you still in need?"

"In need of what dear?"

It was her way out, she was about to take it, when she remembered how she'd vow to start including her mother's perspective when she sought advice. Her mother was a woman, wife, empress, and of course, mother. She was expected to be all those things in time. Her father gave good advice, not only as a ruler, but good general guidance. This wasn't a general problem. Before she hopped back in her little raft and attempted to navigate these seas, she wanted to make sure she had all the supplies she might need.

Stability and comfort with the conclusion she'd come to, stood upon a foundation of sand. She was open to being told she was wrong, and this was some normal thing she may be misinterpreting.

"Just...time. Things have been so crazy lately, I just feel I don't spend enough time with you and father."

"Oh, that's, hmm."

"Before you were king and queen. I just know of war. It feels strange to ask certain things."

"It's even stranger to want to know something and not knowing when it's as simple as asking. What is it?"

"Well, before you met each other, how did you, find one another? How did both of you know the other was the right one?"

The look between them, she could best describe as, strangers being asked an absurd question, curious about what the other would say.

"I guess we never really got into all those details with you girls."

"It always feels like it's lifetimes away, when it's right around the corner."

"We're at the corner now it seems."

All the regret, and she couldn't back out now.

"My love for your father is, unquestioned. When I feel I'm not doing as I should as an empress, he grounds me. He's given me a bond with my empire that the people can believe in. We would be a completely different place without him. I can't say if it would be better or worse, but it would definitely be different, in a way I'm sure many would not love as they do now."

"Don't put yourself down my queen. As you've said, I come with many faults of my own. Let's not get into a battle of love, I'm sure that's not why she's asking. Among all this turmoil, has our darling given her heart away?"

How close to the truth could she take this and still keep it controlled? "I'm, trying. With everything that's going on, I see you and mother facing these things together. I think of doing it alone. It's a little unnerving. I am considerate of the suitors that come for me, I just, don't know what to look for."

Her father gestured toward her mother. "She asked for honesty. I already know your heart dearest. Nothing you could say could hurt me."

"Well, with your father, I'll admit, it wasn't sparks right away. It was less about love and what I wanted. More about rather or not he was capable of being beside me as king. I was doing everything I could to prove he wasn't. I didn't know how strong those arms were until I saw them command armies, lift entire nations out of war and poverty, and cradle his children."

"She deserved nothing less."

"But, how, how did you meet him?"

"My parents presented him to me. Our marriage was arranged long before we ever met. It was for the best. I was a young empress, the last thing I was worried about, or needed to waste time on, was romance. If it were left to me, you and your sister would probably still be wrecking havoc in the heavens waiting to be born."

"An arranged marriage?" They nodded. "Really? I mean, but you and father...he just showed up and you were to be wed?"

"No. It was arranged long ago, but in the mean time we were acquainted. He'd spend time here with me, I'd spend as much time as I could with him and his family. You have to understand, things were, different then. Not so much time for leisure. It wasn't safe. Had something happened to your father before we were wed, another suitor was in waiting."

"We had lives, if that's what you mean. Can't say I didn't hold a few hearts before your mother. But knowing, I had the queen to impress, I did tend to be somewhat, avoidant, even as a young man. I knew there was no hope for progress if she didn't approve. And as she said, things were, different."

Unsure of how she should feel about them, she was brought back to herself. "Do you, do you have such an arrangement for me?"

"Would you be interested in that?" Her mother set her drink down. "I'd like to say it was a conscious choice, us not having this set up for you, or Kitana. But we were still dealing with a lot when you two came along. Looking into good families at the time, was a lot to do, on top of the wars, crimes, land disputes, disease, the Umgadi."

Her father cut in. "We had always intended it, to take the burden off you. But, as you were growing, and things were stabilizing, there was less a need to rush. You had such a strong personality, like your mother, we just tried to surround you with those we thought could interest you. When they didn't, we figured you weren't ready."

"Thankfully all the little hints we've been dropping weren't for nothing. You must be at least thinking about it now. Of course, if you'd like us to step in, Mileena, it's nothing we would mind. The choice is always up to you, but we know how stressful it can be. Even if you choose to put your focus where it doesn't need to be, we're more than happy to handle that for you."

"You said you were looking for guidance. Could you get more specific dear?"

She could see the wheels turning in her mother's head. If her father could read her like a book, her mother read her like a recipe. She knew what went into her, she knew where these ingredients came from, and where they'd been.

"I'm not going to act as though your father and I are the norm in relation to, arranged marriages. Common enough, with a little work if it's not a good fit. These things are only as important as they need to be. If you want, we'll give you more time to pursue this on your own, but I hope you know, there's restrictions. We respect all, as our citizens, but, it would be uncouth for you to mix with, common blood. Even if it's just for, fun. A man's essence tends to linger on a woman."

"You are a man's key to absolute power. I dare say not all are weak in morals, but a common man could easily fall to corruption. Besides that, your blood alone may not be enough to legitimize a child in the eyes of the people."

"It might be hard to imagine, but a man like your father would be perfect for you. He is the might behind my roar. The power in my command. The reason to my intolerance."

"Lucky for you, noble men like me, are pretty easy to come by. So it's all about your tastes my dear. Finding someone for your sister though, she worries me. She's too kind and caring. We're going to need to get her a brute."

"Oh stop it Jerrod, she's just pleasant. She'll do well with anyone, she brings out the best in everyone."

With their focus on her sister, now was the perfect time to make her exit. "Well, thank you for your time."

"Really? Leaving so soon? Were we at least able to help you with, whatever it was you were looking for?" Her mother downed the rest of her glass.

If she were able to be honest, she could easily spend hours picking their minds on the issue. How much would the advice change? What doors would she unlock for a woman, if she could bring a man absolute power? Would they think Elaine suitable? What women would they have lined up for her, if they didn't? If they could even stomach such a thing.

Considering how shaken she had been by the thought of being stricken with feelings for Elaine, she might have welcomed the idea of an arranged marriage, now it seemed frightening. It wasn't like she could expect anyone, let alone her husband, to not be suspicious of her avoiding him, while being so affectionate and loving to her squad leader. That was one more person she'd have to watch herself around.

"You've, given me a lot more to think about. So, in some ways, yes, you did."

"Excellent." Her father gave her mother the toothiest grin he could muster. "It's what we've always wanted. Her to think more. All we've ever asked. Goodnight dear."

"Goodnight mother, father."

On the way to her room, she eyed the Umgadi warriors lining the walls, casually strolling, together, alone. What was she continuing to get herself into? What was she hoping would come of this? This was her kingdom she was talking about. Her parents had apparently been lucky. Her grandparents surely saw the kind of people her father came from and chose him for what he could do for Outworld. They complemented each other. Mileena and Elaine couldn't even pass regular compliments to each other, let alone be a united force for the good of Outworld. This was no youthful immaturity, more like youthful stupidity. Outworld needed a king, queen, and an heir.

Maybe, when she'd served her purpose, and given nothing less than her all, if she still felt the same way, maybe then she could indulge in these things. When she was no longer needed, or cared about. She'd free her husband to live his life, hopefully he'd allow her the same. If she did well enough, perhaps the people could look back fondly on her reign, and not care so much that she was a deviant.

Going back and forth with these things felt worse than going forward or backward. She always forgot why she was so certain in her previous decision. What had made her give up on pursuing these feelings before? What made her want to run full force into a confession now?

Fear stood firmly beside acceptance, while regret was idling around with concealment. Why was she running toward fear, when regret was far less intimidating? She had so much less to lose if she let it go, and lived with the regret.

"Does it really feel like less?"

It always seemed like a good idea, or a necessity, to speak with her sister about these things. More and more, it was feeling like that was the problem. Out and about gathering their own things for the next Umgadi outing, she thought it was a good idea to bring up what she'd been thinking.

"Of course it is. I could lose, everything. You've never heard of a queen and empress ruling together, have you? Not even in fiction."

"I'm sure it exists, it's just not something I'd ever look for."

"Kitana. Why do you, speak as though this is easy? Why do you speak on the side of gleeful possibility? I don't know what this is, I'm sick over it, and you're just, not helpful."

"I'm not speaking on the side of gleeful possibility. I'm speaking from your side. You keep saying no, and you're making very good points, points I want to just agree with. But if I argue against you, and you argue against you, who's arguing for you?"

"This isn't about arguing for or against me. It's my future. The future of Outworld."

"Outworld doesn't want to court Elaine, you do,"

Hands around her sister's mouth, she couldn't stifle any of her statement. "Silence." Teeth nibbling on the palm of her hand made her let go. "Can you be serious for two minutes?"

"I take none of this lightly. I believe Outworld should come first. I believe you should, and will do your best as empress." Kitana looked up at the window. "But you don't see how miserable you look when you try to deny yourself. If you could genuinely smile, or at least be content with the decision to let these feelings go, I'd support you with no question. If you'd like to switch with me, and give yourself a fair fighting chance, we can do that too."

Falling flat against the floor, she rambled through their bag. "It's going too fast."

"With how hectic things have been, they might be going too slow. How would you feel if...you never got to tell her? She's not your personal guard yet. She goes out on potentially dangerous tasks all the time."

For some reason, she always saw Elaine as just being there. That wasn't typical for Umgadi warriors. Even when she became Mileena's guard, should she be called for, she'd have to go. She wouldn't be the only one assigned to her. She'd be replaced if she didn't return.

Some part of her wanted fate to take the choice out of her hands. The pull Elaine had on her felt so strong, she was sure if she disappeared, this desire would go with her. If Elaine was taken from her, before she had a chance to expel this situation, she would purge this affliction herself. She would want no other.

"Speaking of, is that not her and Leisa?" She nearly rocked the carriage over crawling to her sister's side. Choking herself with her head hanging out the window she scanned their immediate surroundings. "Over there."

Just as she'd said, Elaine and Leisa were walking down the road, carrying large sacks. They looked to be heading back toward the castle.

"We're pretty much done getting whatever we were getting, right?"

"I don't know. But I guess."

Smacking the side of their carriage, she hopped out, calling to them. If Leisa heard her, she knew Elaine did, even if she kept walking like she hadn't.

"We're on our way back to the castle if you'd like a lift."

Elaine grabbed Leisa by the shoulder. "Doesn't look that way to me. We're fine."

"We just have to turn around, it's fine. The streets are too narrow here. Come on."

"Thanks Mileena." Leisa was already walking toward the carriage.

"Leisa!"

"Elaine! If we get a ride back, we'll have more time and energy to do all that other stuff you wanted us to do. If we walk back, I'm going to be tired, you're going to be frustrated."

Mileena removed the bag from Elaine's back while she was distracted. The weight of it caught her off guard, she nearly toppled over.

"Allow me. As my squad leader, it is a privilege." She ran, both to be prompt, and so Elaine wouldn't see her struggling. She threw their things in the storage, gave the drivers instructions to return home, then held her hand out to help her leader onboard.

"I'll walk. You getting the supplies back is good enough."

"After carrying that, you must be tired. It's no problem."

"I'm fine."

"Don't be...difficult. Just get in."

"If I get back before you, I'm going to take a nap. I'll be useless if that happens."

"You're useless now Leisa." Ignoring her hand, Elaine hopped in and sat on the floor opposite Kitana and Leisa.

"Why are you guys sitting on the floor?"

"We were out preparing for this excursion of yours, we didn't want to be spending precious daylight hours, smiling and waving."

"Shirking your responsibilities. Should have known." Elaine scoffed.

Leisa's strange looks were enough to pull her attention off Elaine's disdainful attitude. "What is it Leisa? Is something wrong?"

"No. I know you both are twins and all, I just, never really seen you look alike. It's weird. Like seeing the same person, wearing different clothes, at the same time."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I don't know why. Normally it's really easy to tell you two apart."

"It's their hair, and these headbands. She let her hair grow out."

Leisa moved her hands around in front of them. "Oh wow, you're right. Sometimes, I used to get the feeling you were lying about being twins, cause you didn't ever look alike. But now, I believe it." They all giggled save for Elaine. "It's nice, but, I prefer the old look."

Her head did feel warmer. She missed the feel of those soft fine hairs on the side. "Yeah."

Kitana and Leisa struck up idle chat until she climbed up on the seat and went to sleep. She thought Elaine was just giving her the silent treatment, until the carriage hit a bump and she leaned over against Mileena, revealing she too had fallen asleep.

A hand cradling her cheek, Mileena kept her head stable, while lying her against the bench behind them. Kitana got up on the bench, giving them the whole floor to stretch out on.

She'd only occupied this position a few times. Not enough for it to feel this natural, yet, that's exactly how she'd describe it. No jittery nerves, no worries about her attitude, or frustration. Just the need to warm her and make sure she was comfortable. Lying beside her, Elaine threw her arm across her body, then draped it over her shoulders, curling around her head. How could she be this calm, this close? When her leg swung over her waist, it didn't even faze her.

"She's sleeping?" Kitana asked. Mileena nodded gently, as not to disturb her.

Enamored with the feel of Elaine's soft breath on her cheek, she hardly noticed Kitana's hand feathering the rest of her face.

"This. If you could see, what I do, you'd understand."

She couldn't say out loud how grateful she was for Kitana's stance on the issue. If how she felt on the inside, was plastered on her face right now, and that was enough for her sister to play devil's advocate, with her future...

Only one of them need fight for this. No matter how desperate she felt, no one would ever see it the way she did. If the Umgadi, which she was apart of, could be easily disparaged because of this label, delegated to glorified bodyguards. She would be the disgraced, dethroned, dishonored, deviant. Who threw her kingdom's well-being away, for a cold hearted, hotheaded, warm bodied, maiden. Forever was too long to live with that shame.

Her mother and father were perfect together, absolutely meant to be. They hadn't found each other. Outside forces had intervened. Maybe if she put it in their hands, they knew her after all. Loved her. Had not only her, but the kingdom in mind. If she let them decide, it was possible, whoever they found for her would outshine her current feelings, and she could get back to more important things. Having this lingering agitation on her mind, when there were so many worst things going on, all around her, was getting tiresome.

Apparently all of them were more tired than they thought, or lying around the cart was just that tiring. Reality bled into her dream, as she vaguely remembered Leisa arguing with Elaine about waking her, just to awake to Leisa tapping on her cheek trying to wake her.

"Thanks for the ride princess. We'll be going now." Leisa kissed her face. "Get some real rest for the trip. One more day, we'll be hunters."

"Thank you, I will." Elaine said nothing. "Do you need help carrying anything?"

Her esteemed leader whipped both bags over her shoulder and left without saying a word. Leisa waited until Elaine was inside to speak. "I sincerely hope she throws her back out."

Kitana laughed, Mileena didn't find it as humorous. "Leisa, you shouldn't say such things."

"She shouldn't act that way. Did you two have another," Leisa's sentence fizzled out without an end. "She was in such an, alright mood until we ran into you two. Well, alright for her."

"Really? Do you think I shouldn't go? I don't want to be a problem for her."

"If you don't go, that's more work on all of us. Especially since Julie can't go, and Noble didn't return. Kitana, you're coming too right?" She nodded. "Perfect then. Yes I think you should come. Besides, you brought all this stuff. You want me to take it and put it with the rest, so you don't have to scramble for it later?"

Mileena tried to offer help in at least carrying her own things, Leisa refused and happily ran off with their very light bags.

"I know you don't, exactly have a choice, but Kitana, do you feel alright enough to go? If you don't feel well, we, we can stay behind."

"The fresh air will be good for me. And you're not going to use me to avoid being around her."

"She doesn't want to be around me. Apparently I ruined her entire mood."

"Seemed like everything was fine earlier."

"I, thought so too. But you heard Leisa. She was fine, until she saw me."

"She said the both of us. Maybe it's me she doesn't like?"

Her smile made it impossible for Mileena to be angry with her. "I can only guess what I took from you, but you took all the sweetness."

Since they were expected to expel an irregular amount of energy, and neither of them was completely over their illness, Mileena insisted they eat and get right to bed. Thankfully they were able to catch Skarlet right as she was leaving.

"Evening, princesses."

"Evening Skarlet, we were hoping you could possibly whip us up something, light before bed."

For a second, Skarlet looked down at the small wooden box in her hand, drawing both their eyes. "Sure."

"Were you busy?"

"Not really, I was just going to make a delivery. But, it can wait."

"No Skarlet, we can wait."

Skarlet laughed, in that unsettling way of hers. "No, tis' my job. I am your cook, before all else."

Holding her hands out, Mileena looked away as she asked. "For, Reiko? I can take it for you."

The redheaded chef graciously handed the box over. "That's very kind of you. I'll have your food ready when you return."

Feeling its heat through the wood, she sped towards the soldiers barracks on the opposite wing of the estate. If she was lucky he hadn't left for his own dwellings yet.

The weight and smell not only tempted her stomach. Her brain was curious to the kind of meal Skarlet would prepare for someone she cared for. The meal she'd help make for Elaine, was very general, with general things anyone with working senses would enjoy. Skarlet knew, and liked Reiko. She saw things in a way others didn't when it came to him. What parts of his personality did she focus on, that helped her personalize his meal?

The temptation was mounting, but the need to keep it as warm as possible in case she had to look for Reiko, kept the lid down. Besides, this was personal to Skarlet. She'd already given her pretty good advice, Mileena needed to try and figure something out for herself.

Elaine had an attitude, and she was fiery. Maybe she liked spicy foods? But she could be cold. She did like sweets. And she appreciated luxuries. Then again, the last time she tried to bring her such a luxury, she threatened to throw it away, then gave it away. That little detail had upset Mileena before, but it did still give her the opportunity to have the first meal she made for Elaine, actually be from her.

"Mileena? Mileena slow down. Why are you in such a hurry?"

She was brought to a halt so quick, she had to clutch the box to keep it from flying out of her hands. Her father was staring down at her with a worried expression. "What is it father?"

"I was calling you, you were just running away, in a daze. What's this?"

"Just some, food. I have to get it to him, before it gets cold."

"Who?"

"Reiko." Finally a stroke of good luck, the man of the hour was coming down the hall with General Shao.

"Your highness, princess." Shao gave her meager pleasantries. "Sir, I've spoken with the queen, and would like to get your confirmation on our departure. If you agree, I could have soldiers ready by the morning, we'll leave before noon."

Since Reiko didn't seem as involved in the conversation, she thrust the package at him. "From the kitchen." He stared at her strangely before taking it. Why had she said kitchen, and not Skarlet? What if Skarlet didn't want him to know? Would it be awkward to say now? Skarlet liked him, of course she wanted him to know. She should have insisted she do this.

He flipped the lid open, taunting all of them with the most tantalizing scents one could imagine. She knew Skarlet's cooking, they all did, this was different. Something in this meal was actually singing for their attention. Even General Shao looked down at the colorful array of meats and noodles, sauces, greens, a drink. Skarlet even packed him utensils, that he ignored for the use of his hands.

Had they been eating at a table, she'd say he had the table manners of an animal, however he didn't spill a drop, and to the best of his abilities he did lick the box. She hoped that would make Skarlet happy.

"Boy." Shao snarled.

"Aye, sorry General. Thank you, princess. I'll get this back to her later."

Good, hopefully he knew who it came from. It seemed they weren't going to keep talking until she left, having no further business, she did just that. Racing back to the kitchen, she was allowed to witness a peculiar sight.

Skarlet, with hands on Kitana's waist, her head on her shoulder, whispering in her ear. "You're doing wonderful princess."

On her way to interrupt, she was stricken with an odd sensation. Frozen in place, an image tried to form in her head. She blinked out of confusion, which worsened whatever was happening. Each time she shut the world out the image faded more and more, until she was back in the present, with Skarlet and her sister both in her face.

"Mileena? Mileena are you alright?"

"What? Yes? Yeah, I'm fine. I got the meal to him. He, enjoyed it very much, said he'd get the box back to you later."

"Thank you princess."

"What were you two up to? Is the food done?"

"Nearly. I was helping, Skarlet was showing me how to stir in the ingredients properly."

"She's more of a natural than you. Still a lot of room for improvement, but she has a nice foundation."

"Thank you Skarlet. You sound tired. It just needs to cool now, right? We can handle getting it out of the pot, and putting the fire out. You can go if you like."

Skarlet thanked them again, then took her leave. Mileena pulled up a stool behind Kitana. "More soup?"

"Somewhat, it's supposed to thicken as it cools, but it will still be mushy, bit grainy. I know you like meat, so I asked her to put a lot in." Kitana brought the ladle up, dripping with chunks of mush and meat. "Here, taste it please, be careful, it's hot."

Expecting nothing less, it was delicious. "Amazing. She's truly gifted."

"I'd say so. I told her about our outing in a couple days." Kitana rambled through her pocket. "She gave me a few spices she said would go good with the meat. I hope we'll get to try them." Mileena agreed. "You know, Skarlet, she's very odd, different, but she's also very soft, and sweet. I never really noticed before, how naturally familiar women can be. Even someone like her. It was a tad unnerving, only because of how Skarlet is. Other than that, it was, enjoyable."

"What was? Cooking with her?"

"Being held by a woman."

"Kitana...you don't have to do things like that."

"I didn't do anything. I was stirring wrong, because I didn't want to get burned. You have to have your hand rather low above the pot."

Finished eating, she reminded Kitana to get to bed early, and not tell anyone else about them leaving. She was set to turn in herself, until she saw her father. The distressed eyes he was giving her, insinuated he wanted to talk.

Outside, in the night air, her uniform offered little in the way of warmth. She must have looked as cold as she felt, as her father placed his outer robes upon her shoulders. "I assume something is wrong with tomorrow's departure?"

"No. All is right with that. Mileena, of all people, I know you understand, the sacrifices we make as rulers."

"Yes?"

"As we explained, your mother and I, it was a stroke of luck we were meant to be. I could spend my entire life speaking her praises and still not have enough time to truly explain what she means to me. And by extension, you and your sister."

"You're, frightening me father. What's this about?"

"You know, they say the way to a man's heart, is through his stomach."

"I've heard."

"Of course, yes. You remember, there are rules to this. Sometimes, rules go against what the heart, thinks it wants. Young hearts are often confused by many things. Like consistency. Stability. It can seem boring at times, but once you're older, you realize how grounding it is."

"You're confusing me father."

"Reiko, is a fine lad, great soldier. But, Mileena, his lowborn status aside, you've seen the man's mannerisms. Even if he were the wealthiest prince in all the lands, I'd be hesitant. Even if you weren't my daughter, I'd say you could do better. Any woman could. He's, everything you'd want in a soldier, nothing you'd want in a partner. Or an emperor. He'd gleefully trot us back into our ten thousand years of war."

"Maybe he's just, simple. Reiko is honest with himself. He doesn't try to be anything he's not." If not for how hard he was trying to gently tell her, Reiko was not an option, she would have dragged this out just to keep the joke going. "But, to put your mind at ease, I'm not interested in him. Those were the words of a woman who actually does fancy him. Believe it or not, they may be perfect for each other."

"Thank the heavens. I don't know if the years off my life can be restored, but my heartbeat has returned to normal."

Smirking she wrapped his robes more securely around herself. "Worry not, I have some sense about me. Even if I, did fancy someone like him, I know, it's not just about me."

"Remember what we said about its importance. The world doesn't begin or end with romance Mileena. Never forget to tend the relationships outside that. They can be just as fulfilling. I know you'll be going in a day or two, how goes things with your girls? A tearful reunion?"

"Something of the sort." She wiggled around, making the too long sleeves flap in the wind. "On a completely unrelated note...how do you go about getting someone to like you? Or at the very least, not hate you?"

"That's concerning, I'm feeling like it's very related."

"It's not, just a general question."

"Well, you're already going about it wrong. You're scheming. You don't get people to like you. That's manipulation. If I didn't know you, I'd say, find out why they hate you. But I can't think of a single thing about you to hate."

"You two have the most interesting conversations."

"Indeed. My love, how would you go about getting someone to like you, or not hate you?"

"First, I'd have to weigh if their approval was worth the effort."

"For argument's sake, let's say it is."

"Such a difficult question for an empress. Another bit of information. Is this relationship personal, or formal?"

They were both looking at her. She already knew they were trying to figure out who she could mean. Her father was probably closer to figuring it out than her mother. If she said both, which it was, he'd probably get it right away. "Well, personal?"

They looked at each other. "Both." Sandwiched between their laughter, her irritation rose.

"We can't help you if you aren't honest." Her mother stroked her head.

"Since this is just a general question, let's deepen this hypothetical. Formal and personal, like maybe, your squad leader? That Elaine character. I could easily see you two butting heads."

If she denied it or showed any more emotion, he'd know he'd hit his mark. "Sure."

"And this is, hypothetical?" Her mother's hand gave her head a gentle squeeze.

"Yes. This is father's hypothetical now."

"Let's suppose, you and she were having issues with you juggling your Umgadi responsibilities, and your princess duties. With the stress that young woman is under, I could see that maybe being enough for her to take real issue with you."

"In this, completely hypothetical situation, I'd say, that's another sign it's time to let these things go. Sometimes compromise can't be reached, especially when one person is being unreasonably difficult. Continuing to cause someone distress, unnecessarily. How do you expect them to not dislike you?"

"Sindel."

"What? Am I answering as myself, or someone else?"

"You're giving your daughter advice." Her father was reading ahead. He knew she was geared to go, hence his hold on the collar of his coat, around her neck. "What you said, wasn't wrong, but it wasn't helpful."

"That's why she has the both of us. How would you go about it?"

"I'd talk to them. When you can find common ground, you do, and you build from there."

"And if there is none? We've run into this very situation more times than either of us can count."

"We're talking about two people, not an entire kingdom right now."

"Personal and formal. How often do those relationships intertwine with catastrophic results because we tried to stand on common ground and not definite boundaries? She's the future empress Jerrod. Empress Jerrod, not emperor. They are waiting for her to be weak, like they wait for me."

"So you believe, there is weakness in my ways?"

"Don't twist my words. Be honest. You worry about Kitana because she is so much like you. You've never had such worries about Mileena once she matured. I would love to be just as proud openly about this Umgadi thing, if you weren't there, telling her at every turn, to humble herself. She's a woman, Jerrod. You are raising girls. Inside these walls, they can be as humble, and embracing as they want to be. Outside, they must always appear strong, unrelenting."

"Can nothing soften that iron fist of yours? Maybe it is not the olden tribes who call for war. Could it be a queen, resentful her husband ended them before she got her fill?"

Mileena leaned forward, pressured by the physical weight of their words. "Under your guidance, an iron fist will be the only thing keeping our daughters from a lifetime spent on their knees. I trusted you, when they were children. Which is where your lessons should have ended. I won't undermine your foundation like you do mine."

"You speak as though what I have instilled in my girls is only good enough for dealing with lesson mates. You say they wait for you to be weak. Is strength enforcing your will on our citizens with no regard for their input?"

"It is the difference between being peaceful, and harmless. A distinction she can't afford to not understand."

They both stormed off not saying a word to her. She was going around, making her problem everyone's problem. Just yesterday they were explaining to her, how fate had worked in their favor. How their marriage defied the odds and ended up a perfect union. Now they were hammering away at the fine cracks deep in their roots. All because of her.

"I still want to go, but I don't know if we should. My squad needs the extra hands, however, if mother finds out, she's going to lose it."

"Well, we've only one more day for you to decide."

"What do you think?"

"I kind of think, that had nothing to do with you. Mother has a tendency to let things boil over instead of talking them out right away. And father, he can be too even tempered for his own good."

The way Kitana handled her accusation at her cousin's house, came to mind. She really was just like their father. "Maybe I'll ask him."

"I think, you should decide for yourself. If mother gets really mad, just say you didn't tell him."

"Even I don't feel crazy enough to do that. I do really want to go, and all I can do here is make things worse."

For the next day, she planned to avoid her parents, not a hard feat since they were making themselves scarce as well. By tomorrow, she was finally going to be back in the swing of things. This task wasn't just a way for her to mend her relationship with Elaine, but also test her resilience. She felt like she was somewhat over what had happened. Her fear of Tarkatans was back to what she'd call normal levels. Had she and Kitana been more prepared, they could have taken one by themselves. They could be defeated, with skill, strength and precision.

And if they couldn't, and they failed, well it wouldn't be her problem anymore.

"I don't understand why you want us to go so early. If mother or father comes to check on us and we're not in bed,"

"It's a chance I'm willing to take. They aren't going to come get us if we're not up." Glancing over her outfit, Mileena brought out another uniform. "It's for safety. You stand out."

"Your squad leader might not like this."

"It will be the one time I invoke my princess status. Besides, I think she'll think it smart of me."

Sisters in uniform, twins no less. And nothing had fallen. It was getting lower and lower on her priority list, but she still had to think about reforming her beloved Umgadi.

Climbing down the balcony, around the back end, in the garden, they could move freely. They passed many people who didn't give them a second look because of their uniforms.

"That's concerning Mileena. We're not even wearing masks."

"It's dark, besides we don't want to be stopped. This is a good thing."

Locating the squad's cart, unhitched in the stable, she crawled inside first, then hoisted her sister up. "Why are we out here, and not inside with them? Are you that worried they'll leave us? You could be inside, warming her."

"Yes. Now hush and try to get some sleep." Arm around her, Mileena did her best to block the cool air from getting to her sister. "I have to keep you warm now." In seconds, Kitana was snoring into her chest.

In truth, her worries about being left were less a concern, than having to potentially take Noble's bed. She was counted among the personally caused casualties from that time. If anyone had the right to repurpose her bed, it wasn't Mileena. She was fine, sleeping in what was probably going to be her bed for the next few days.

"Princess? Mileena, is that you?"

Hardly getting a blink in, bright fiery lights illuminated her eyelids. Out of her stupor, she recognized the voice as Julie's. "Yes, it's me. Take the light away. Is it time to go?"

"Almost. I'm just trying to load the cart. Who's that with you? Can you get them out? Or just on the bench."

After moving her still sleeping twin, she offered to help load up.

"That's alright, I've got it. Holding the light would be a big help though." Julie was out of breath and clearly struggling to balance all that weight on her crutch and one leg.

"You got them here, I can help out some. You're tired. Even Elaine struggled carrying just two of these."

"I got it."

Unsure of how to get her to see reason, she held the light and let her work. By time she finished, the lantern was no longer needed. She'd thrown everything in, and organized it so someone could lie on top of the horde if they needed to.

"Think this will convince Elaine to let me go? You won't always be able to be there, and your sister, she's not really a warrior. This work is beneath both of you. You think I'm still good enough, to be your guard, right?"

"I'd be honored."

With no time to warn her, they were both startled by Elaine's sudden appearance. "Knew I'd find you out here. Hoped I wouldn't. What are you doing out here Julie?"

"Getting our supplies ready."

"Great, I thank you. I wish you hadn't done this though. You needed to be well rested for your training today."

"I don't need it Elaine. I loaded the whole cart, by myself. I can go with you guys."

"No you can't. I'm not going to let you risk injuring yourself further."

"I walk fine with this."

"I'm not arguing with you."

"You're not my mother!"

Elaine kicked the crutch from under her, it broke on the stone fence surrounding the stable. She yanked Julie up by her shoulder straps before she could hit the ground. "You're right, I'm your squad leader. You have to listen to me. This little wound might not be enough to strip you of your title, but disobeying me is. I already have enough disobedient princesses to deal with."

"I'm not useless Elaine! Don't leave me!"

She hopped back in the cart, listening to Julie cry as Elaine dragged her away. Within minutes, all the other girls were piling on the back, shuffling things around to get comfortable. When Elaine returned, she jumped in the coachman's seat as usual. In the second it took her to sit down, they briefly made eye contact.

Where had all her bravery gone? That space at Elaine's side belonged to her, she claimed the seat beside her with no issue, she was brazenly defiant with her. Now she was forced by her own hesitance, to sit in back with everyone else.

"Hiziza, up here. I need another pair of eyes on the road." At the first stop, if they made one, she was definitely going to switch places with her.

"Move Mileena!" On top of the horde, her sister, having been mistaken for her, was being shoved closer to the divider. They worked it out before she had to intervene. Kitana was right, women were, just naturally warmer to each other. Arms around each other, snuggling up to one another. The few times she observed the men together in times like these, there was a closeness, maybe even care in some capacity, but it wasn't like this.

"How was Julie?" Hiziza's arm went around Elaine's back.

"She's as fine as she can be. If she doesn't take it easy she's going to worsen her condition."

"You figure you'll keep her on?"

Elaine shot her a quick glare. "Have you been saying something to her about her not staying with us? I wouldn't abandon her, or any of you. Even if she couldn't do anything."

"That's dumb."

"You're dumb." It was a relief they ended their discussion with a chuckle and a smile.

After that, their conversation veered off into the task at hand. They spoke of the town, extra preparations they'd have to make when they arrived, and how they should collect extra payment. If she were up there with them, she could hear better, and would probably be more invested. Being in the back, comfortably squished with nothing to do, she could see why someone was always sleeping back here.

"I think she said we should go that way."

"Don't get us lost."

"No, I believe she said stay on this road until we reach a graveyard."

"How does she memorize all this? It's a good thing you were listening Mileena."

"I'm Kitana, but thank you."

Up front Kitana, Mariko and Opal were bunched together, apparently in control of the cart. In front of her, where Kitana had been, Elaine and Hiziza had taken her place. They both had sashes wrapped around their heads since the sun was high above them. Off to the side, several girls were running in the grass. Tingling pricks shot through her legs, like pins and needles, she jumped out and joined them.

Just like she thought it would, it was all coming back. Thoughts of Tarkatans, wars, relationships, she stumbled over them for a second, then caught herself and was able to run full force with everyone else. Crisp air in her lungs, pumping blood through her muscles. Invigorated with passion, clear goals. This wasn't selfish. This was what moved her, the desire to help her kingdom in a way that felt meaningful to her. Ever moving, at the people's beck and call, like her father had taught her. Yet, like her mother, it helped strengthen her. Their influence could not be denied. Their importance was nothing to sneer at.

Running for an hour straight, she and the rest of the runners swung back on at the first sign of them slowing down. A few hours later, Elaine traded places with her substitutes only to take them off the path so the horses could rest.

"Sounds like you're a natural, Mileena." She elbowed her sister.

"It's not as difficult as you make it seem."

"Did she mention how long we had left?"

"No. Why don't you ask?"

"It's not important, we'll get there when we get there." They watched Elaine fumbling around under the supply tarp. "She's busy anyway."

"Why don't you go help her then?"

"Help her what?"

"Go make yourself useful."

That is something she would have done before. Before it was nothing for her to walk right up to Elaine and pester her until she gave her something to do. Until she worked her way up to this apology, being helpful was the next best thing.

Ambling over to her, fighting the urge to retreat with every step, Mileena swallowed the lump in her throat and tried to return to a time before everything had happened. Before the idea of initiating a conversation with this woman melted her brain. "Need any help?"

"Not really. How do you feel? What about your sister?"

"We're fine."

"You still any good with a bow? What about her?"

"She can use them, but I'm better."

"I hope I didn't just leave a great archer behind for two mediocre ones. I don't want anyone getting injured out there. If you aren't sure of yourself, you can be retrieval. Mariko and Opal were pretty charitable about how strong you were."

"Good, good. So, how long til we reach our destination?"

"It seems like we should reach it...when we reach it. The town, nor deer, are going anywhere any time soon."

"Funny. Are you, taking the next shift? Would you, mind if I sat up there with you?"

"Already tired of sitting in back? I don't care."

"Great, I'll drive, you can rest some more if you need to."

"You're just sitting up there. I don't want you in control of any cart I have to be in."

All things considered, it couldn't have gone better. It was as close to normal as they had been in a long time.

Elaine called them all together to set up targets for practice.

"We went over this already, but for the few who weren't there, or weren't listening, I don't care how clear the shot looks, if you see one of us in a position that could easily put us in the line of your arrow, you don't shoot. Apparently there's so many out there you can't trip without bumping into one, so I don't expect we should have to waste time with traps. We will be together, know where everyone is. Keep the shots in one direction."

"Gonna be pretty hard to get a lot done like that Elaine." Hiziza complained.

"The extra work is fine, if everyone comes back, safely. Can you just do the demonstration please?"

"Yes, but I need a deer, my dear." She turned down Opal, claiming she was too small even just for the demonstration. "Mileena, would you mind?"

Mileena wouldn't have minded at all, had she been the one she was talking to. Kitana was yanked down on her hands and knees while Hiziza pointed to different spots on her body.

"This, is what you're always aiming for. There's obviously more space right here on a deer." She pointed at Kitana's side, behind her shoulder. "Lungs, heart. If you're low, it's self explanatory. If you're high, you have to aim somewhere around here." She poked between her shoulder blades. "Need a lot of power to break the skin. Once they're hit they will take off, but if you hit them right, they won't get but a few steps away."

"I don't have to tell you to make every shot count. I only want confident and competent hands on bows. Now is not the time to wonder if you're good at archery. Everyone who plans to be hunters, I want you getting a bit more practice in."

The old Mileena would have tried her hand at it, especially after boasting of her ability before. A more matured bout of humbleness said she should sit this one out. To her surprise, her sister however was standing in line waiting for a chance to show her skill.

"I made a mistake before, you're...Mileena?" Hiziza sauntered over to her. Mileena nodded. "Apologize to your sister for me. I might have embarrassed her."

"So you would have had no problem embarrassing me?" She smiled back.

"You're one of us, so no, not really." Her light hair and skin reminded her of Elise. Most their similarities stopped there. Her face was more angular than Elise's. Her grey eyes weren't as joyful and bouncy as Elise's. Her hair was much shorter, pulled away from her face, instead of framing it. "Is something on my face?" Mileena shook her head. "Just thinking? About our task?"

"Yeah. You're not going to be a hunter?"

"No. I'm not great with a bow. Besides, it's a lot of work. I'd rather just lug the bodies back to the cart. I see your sister's trying it out." Together they watched Kitana flawlessly strike both her targets. "Split the abilities down the middle I see. She gets that, you get..."

"I'll probably be carrying with you."

"Great, that takes a load off. I thought I'd honestly be doing this alone. Mari and Opal are driving whatever we kill back into town, we're loading, everyone else is shooting. I want them to do well, but if they do too well, we might have more work than we can handle alone."

"What's Elaine going to do?"

"Shoot probably. She has to oversee the dangerous parts. I'm sure she wishes more of them would carry, less idiots with weapons, but it's just the risk you take when you're squad leader. Can you believe she tried to pass it off to me? We both would have walked off that day."

Hiziza was the one who had to calm her down back then. "It's that bad, for her?"

"I assume all squad leaders are like that at some point. Comes with the territory. Or with the squad. Women in the Umgadi, are different."

"How?"

"Growing too fast, and too slow at the same time. We were taking vows of servitude and celibacy before we knew how to spell our names. There's a lot I don't know, and the things I do know, aren't much for everyday life outside the Umgadi. I know how to give blessings, I can fight, kill if need be. On the wrong day however, I might handle my frustration now, same as I would when I was a kid. For a lot of our sakes, it's a good thing you weren't here that much, or you would have seen how horrible we were. Every criminal sitting in your father's jail who's had the misfortune of getting caught in one of Li Mei's chokeholds, has me to personally thank for how good she's gotten with them. She used them on me so often, every time I learned to get out of them, she learned to counter it."

"Really? You were that wild?"

"Yeah. Elaine was too for a while, but she was more levelheaded than me."

The chance to inquire more was taken away from her as a stray arrow embedded itself in the cart behind them. "You're on carry duty!" Elaine screamed at the offending girl.

A couple hours the break was over. Everyone piled back on with Mileena, Elaine and Hiziza up front. With Hiziza between them, Mileena found acting normal to be a little harder than she expected. They were talking to each other, she was left with nothing to do, squished uncomfortably, and getting tired from boredom.

"You alright Mileena? Still sleepy?" Hiziza nudged her.

"I'm alright."

Elaine's head popped around the woman between them. "If you're sleepy, get in the back, you could fall off up here."

"She's fine." Hiziza leaned back, put an arm around Mileena, using only one hand to steer. Behind her back, hand firm on her side. For her to be any kind of comfortable, she had to throw her arm over Hiziza's shoulder. It was cozy, but she felt secure.

"It's unsafe to ride like that. You need both hands on the reigns."

Hiziza hugged Mileena tighter so she could grab the straps with both hands. "You still fine princess?"

"That's not safe. Just get in back."

"Noble and me rode like this all the time, never flipped the cart, lost control, got turned around. It's fine. My arms are longer than yours."

"I don't want to distract you. I can get in back."

"You're not, it's no problem. If it's bothering her that bad, she can steer." Hiziza relaxed more. "For you to get back there safely we'd have to stop, let you get back, everyone would have to readjust. A hassle. She's not the only one charged with thinking about your well-being. As a matter of fact, here Elaine, so I can focus on the princess."

"Whatever."

Not another word passed between the two of them. She wished she had just hopped in back. She'd had a bad feeling about this since the comment about Noble. Noble had been such a bright, bubbly girl, she could easily see her being distracted and led away by anything quick that caught her eye. That would surely explain this restricting grip Hiziza had on her.

She wasn't Noble. Knowing how they had been together, occupying her place now, felt traitorous not only to Noble's memory, but her own feelings for Elaine. In truth, Elaine's anger, as usual, came from insubordination. Only in Mileena's confused heart could she entertain the idea Elaine was, jealous. Which wasn't at all what she wanted.

Over the next day, she strove to do her best at following orders, staying out of the way, and making herself useful without pestering. She figured she was doing a good job since everyone was mistaking her for her sister.

When they reached the town that had requested them, she lined up quietly with everyone else, received her orders and went about things as orderly as was expected. If Elaine wasn't arguing with or about her, it seemed like she didn't do a lot of talking outside of business.

By the crack of dawn she was walking the forest with Hiziza waiting for their first collection. They would only go half way, as to not alert the deer. When a kill was made, whoever killed it would give the call and wait in the trees while the others kept going.

Hiziza stretched then took a seat against a massive stump. "Hope it takes them a while."

Tired herself, she sat with her. "The longer it takes, the longer we're stuck out here though."

"I don't mind that too much. This is a good town. They'll host us if we have to stay."

"Have you thought of asking them for advice?"

There was no them now. With that selfish title hanging above her, there was no room for any other words in her head. How could she ask this woman for any kind of potentially romantic or life advice, after she'd recently lost her own love? She owed all of them an apology. Elaine, Julie, even Mariko and Opal. They all cared for Noble, knowing of their relationship, Mileena felt extra sorry for her. In the same position, she probably wouldn't be able to forgive anyone who'd left Elaine to an uncertain fate, and she never returned.

"Hiziza..."

"Yes? You hear the call?"

"No. I wanted to say something to you. Something I should have said a long time ago."

She sat up, putting all her attention on Mileena. "What is it?"

"I-I'm sorry about Noble."

"Oh, alright. Thanks? Why apologize to me though?"

Forcing herself to look into her dreary grey eyes, she pushed on. "It's my fault. I let her go alone. She was injured, she was scared. I saw them chase after her."

"What would you have done differently, knowing what you know now?"

"I don't know. Gone after her, tried to lead them away, something."

"Died too. That's all you would have done. Noble was never cut out for this. Had she lived long enough, I'd have urged her to find something safe to do like work the archives or focus on her religious teachings. Like Mariko and Opal. Had they been there that night, we'd have lost them too. Only a handful of us are fit to be guards." She chucked a rock into some bushes. "Don't tell them I said that though. Might hurt their feelings. Why'd you apologize to me though?"

"You two just seemed, close."

"Not really. Noble was just, affectionate. I'm the only one who wasn't annoyed enough to push her away."

"So you didn't...like her?"

"I enjoyed her. The affection. Then again, I'd enjoy it from just about anyone who offered. Not much of that to be had in the Umgadi. No parents, no siblings, no spouses, no children. No friends."

"The Umgadi doesn't prohibit friendship. Why don't you think of each other as friends? You call each other sisters, but you can't be friends?"

"Sisters, in combat, sisters in practice. Nothing like the real thing. We're comrades, whose loyalty is to you above all else. I never lose comrades. Once you start thinking of them as friends, sisters, or anything else you realize you do actually lose a lot of them. I miss her. I mourned her. But, we are guards, soldiers."

"That's sad. I used to ask Elaine these things, is there anything you would change about the Umgadi?"

Quick as a whip she fired back. "No. I like it, just how it is. Knowing Elaine, she probably said stricter rules or something. If the rules were any stricter we wouldn't be in it. If they cared about the rules now...we would have been kicked out a long time ago."

"Why?"

She yanked some blades of grass out of the ground and sighed. "Bunch of things, silly things, serious things. Things we did as kids, things we did two months ago. You came back with Elaine, your sister came back with Leisa. You have an entire team to protect you, and a majority of us had no idea where either of you were, and we sure weren't looking."

Being able to look back and laugh at anything about that time was a blessing. Knowing her so called guards were scattering in all directions, thinking of nothing but saving themselves, leaving her and her sister without a sliver of protection, hilarious.

"I hope I live long enough to see you become empress. We've taken you so many places, where will you take us?"

A few backwater towns and a Tarkatan infested hutch, in her kingdom, such wonderful destinations. "Nothing as extravagant or exciting as you're used to. Probably just another castle, where you'll have nothing to do but be waited on by servants. No towns to build or bodies to lug. Just boring luxuries."

Their talk concluded at the sound of a very pitiful crow imitation. The owner of that call forgot she was supposed to stay near the kill, so they got lost, by time they found it, another call was coming in. Hiziza took one by herself. As punishment the silly hunter had to help Mileena carry the second before rejoining.

In the quiet times, Mileena held pleasant conversation with Hiziza or Mariko and Opal while they were taking a break. Getting more insight into her relationship with Noble had been eye opening in a different way. She wasn't a deviant. She was sadly starved for affection. The way she carried herself, one wouldn't think she was as affectionate as she was.

After a kill there was usually an hour or three between the next. By the end of the day, they had 7 carcasses. Each one heavier than the last. Lifting, carrying, navigating terrain. Mileena was starting to believe Hiziza may have been wrong about which was more work. The hunters never looked as tired as they did even with the extended breaks.

Leaving after the last kill of the day, they were all expecting to be walking back with the cart. "Why would you think that? You packed tents and blankets."

"Come on Elaine, it's not even that far. It's so rare we get to sleep in a town with actual beds. Please?" Covered in blood, sweat, tears, healthy amount of ache in their bones, they all came together to whine and complain.

"I guess I have no choice," The premature celebration kicked off in the crowd. "But to reiterate my previous answer. No. Go set up your tents and get a fire ready."

"But Elaine, we need to bathe, you can't expect us to be filthy like this the entire time? Especially not the princesses." Leisa lifted Kitana's bloody vest off her shoulder. "You want a bath right Mileena?"

"Kitana, but yes, I would appreciate one. But if we have to,"

Leisa pinched her sister's lips together. "She wants a bath, she's the princess. You have to listen to her. She's not Umgadi. You have to."

"I didn't say anyone couldn't have a bath or clean clothes. There's a creek less than a mile away. You can even heat the water if you want."

"You're going to make us do all that, when you could just let us go into town for a couple hours?"

Elaine left the group, grabbed a bag out of their pile then started walking. Complaints mounting, they followed behind her, mumbling and cursing her under their breaths.

After everything Mileena carried today, the weight of these bags was negligible. She was even able to take Kitana's bag, as she was struggling with her own aching muscles. "Before I saw you guys, I thought I got the worse end of this. Was it really that bad?"

"Only when we had to chase them. We lost more than a couple. You go from tension sitting in a tree for half and hour, to sprinting, then climbing again. It was, challenging. How was your day?"

"I felt like death 10 minutes ago. Now, not so much. I can barely feel these bags. Maybe I'm just lightheaded."

"How does your head feel?"

"Alright. What about you? You still sick?"

"I haven't felt sick since we started. Someone else coughed once, scared away a huge deer, during what would have been a perfect shot. That Elaine does have a temper on her. I was too nervous to be sick after that."

After all the tents were set up, Elaine let the first group of girls go get clean. Not long after they left did a scream send them all back into the forest after them. One of the injured deer from earlier had collapsed near the stream.

A strange habit to develop so quickly, Mileena and Hiziza stepped right out of the crowd and picked it up. It was taken back to camp where two other girls were instructed to start on dinner.

Another fire was set up to dry the clothes that were to be washed as they bathed. Mileena wanted to go with Kitana, but she left with a different group. Being out in this forest, at night, her ears were on fire waiting for the shrill screech of a wandering Tarkatan.

"Mileena, Hiziza, we're back, you can go now."

She looked high and low for her sister, wondering what she was wearing as she only now thought about the fact they hadn't packed sleeping clothes. "That's embarrassing."

"What?" Hiziza asked.

"We didn't pack anything to sleep in."

Hiziza rambled through the bags and pulled out another set of clothes. "We always pack extra. We're off." Behind them, Elaine was dragging herself right along with a lantern and staff. "Where do you think you're going?"

"To stand watch. I have to keep an eye on her."

"Don't be ridiculous. I'll be with her. We'll be fine. Watch the other one."

"She's here with everyone. It will just be you two out there."

"She was with me all day and you didn't have to worry about her. It's not just your job to protect them. She's safe with me. Right Leena?" She nodded then turned away. "Besides, you're dead on your feet. Go get some rest. If anything happens, we'll scream for you personally. Thanks for the lantern though." She pried it out of her hand.

Halfway there Elaine's irritated scowl was still burrowing in Mileena's mind. "Maybe we should have just let her come along. She's been getting a lot of attitude today."

"She's been giving a lot of attitude today. Besides, she deserves a break too, don't you think?"

"She does."

"You, you trust me right Mileena?"

"Yes?"

"As an Umgadi sister, I can trust you, can't I?"

"Yes."

She didn't say another word until they reached the water. There, she pulled a bottle out of their pile of clothes. "Want some? Goes great with a bath. Well a hot one. Might be good for making you forget a freezing cold one."

"Hiziza..."

"You said I could trust you, don't tell me you're going to rat me out? Is that what sisters do?"

She sighed. "After the day we've had, you deserve it I guess."

"A queen after my own heart, thank you."

While Mileena was getting ready to bathe and wash, Hiziza was on the side, drinking. Maybe it was true a shot of liquid warmth would have made the transition less displeasing. When she got in, she seemed very unbothered by the temperature. Mileena on the other hand was retraumtizing herself every inch of the way forward.

"The offer still stands Leena. It will warm you up." Too cold to reply, she just shook her head. "You're going to make me drink alone like she did? For you to apologize to me, and say it was your fault, you must have felt guilty. Why not apologize properly and have a drink with me?" Hiziza floated by with her bottle extended above her.

She looked so silly, Mileena had to laugh. "No thank you. I'll be no use to anyone tomorrow if I drink tonight."

"Not even a swallow? You used to..."

"What?"

"Nothing. Being the only drunk in the group is lonely, yet, fulfilling at the same time." Hiziza took another deep swig. "You got me thinking about her again. I hope I didn't come off cold before. Maybe we were a little closer than I let on. Not close enough to break any vows. But enough to get lectured about breaking them." She stood up next to her. "What about you? Are you still eligible for the rank of priestess?" Her silence was filled by her tipsy companion. "With no restrictions, I'd be drowning in affection."

"Are you alright? Hiziza?"

Stepping closer, she submerged the bottle halfway in the water. "You really think I'd make a good guard?" She wrapped her hand around Mileena's wrist. "I looked for her, I didn't even think about you."

"You, cared for her. I get that it's different."

"What's different?"

She twisted her arm trying to pull away. "Your...feelings."

Hiziza let her go, then splashed water in her own face. "Before when you said you had something to say to me, I thought, I wasn't expecting that. I was still holding out hope, even now that maybe she was just lost. Affection like that, is hard to find. You would think all of us would be understanding. I thought you might,"

She couldn't face her while she said this. She wasn't sure how she'd take it, or what she'd do, so she chose a sip of cowardice. "I do. Before, I did have something else I wanted to say to you. I just couldn't. I couldn't. Not without apologizing first. Even now, it feels wrong."

"What does? Nothing...is going to bring her back. Not mourning, not remembering. She's gone. The saddest part is knowing she probably died miserably. Scared and alone. I've already forgiven myself for not being there. If you need me to forgive you, I have. You were never at fault. Is that good enough? Can you talk to me now?"

"What's taking the two of you so long? Elaine said to hurry up."

Of course her sister would tag along to make sure she was okay. Unfortunately that meant she had to once again be in the midst of her elder sister's deviant behavior. Here she was, naked, under the moonlight, with the supposed catalyst of it all. Even if nothing had happened, she still felt ashamed for some reason. Only Kitana was turned away. Everyone else was staring down at them, exhausted and irritated.

"Wait a minute, is that a bottle? Hiziza did you sneak that here with you?"

"I'll share it with you if you don't tell Elaine."

Two out of the group of three looked at each other. "Be out in five. Hurry back."

They left, Hiziza refused to move unless Mileena promised they could continue this later. With her solemn vow, they washed themselves and their clothes, got dressed, then ran back to camp just in time to eat.

Hiziza and the two she promised a drink, took their food and walked off for a nice open spot under the moonlight. Mileena joined her sister by the fire where she was kindly helping tend the food.

"Kitana, you're going to keep coming out with us right?"

"I'm her guard, I have to."

"Even if she doesn't, you have my blessings to come with us. At the castle too. If you ever want to just come down and cook for us, don't hesitate."

"I'm pleased you like it Leisa. I'd be honored."

Once everyone else got a bowl, Kitana joined her off to the side, away from the rest. "So...you've decided,"

"I was just talking to her, like you suggested."

"Oh, alright. How did that go?"

"Not well. I tried earlier but I felt I had to apologize about Noble first. Then she said they weren't even close. Then she said they were. We'll speak again later but, I didn't really ask anything about myself, or her."

"Either she isn't comfortable saying it either, or she's not going to tell the princess, she's broken her vows."

"She said she hasn't."

"What good does the truth do her in this situation? You saw them...kiss. Noble is likely gone. No point in making things worse for herself on top of grieving. What do you plan on asking her?"

"I don't know now. She makes it seem like they weren't close like that, what you said makes sense too. I don't want to push and make her upset though."

"Do you, have feelings for her, at all?"

"No. Why do you ask?"

"She's alone. You're going to ask her about feelings, she no longer has an outlet for. If she figures it out, she might get the wrong idea. Or want something more with you." Kitana scooped half of her bowl into Mileena's empty one. "What will you do if that happens?"

Truth be told, the thought had crossed her mind, it's what made speaking with her in the first place so difficult. Deviant or not, it was a delicate situation. She had lost her outlet. If she spoke the truth about everyone else's declining of Noble's sweet nature, she wasn't going to find the kind of affection she offered in this group. The only time she seemed to hold anyone, was in times of need or distress. She comforted Elaine when she was upset, and had become a support for Julie. It's true, in casual times, women seemed to be warmer to each other, but the affection she sought, was still a rarity among casual touch.

What she had lost, was what Mileena wanted from Elaine. No embarrassed separation after waking up entangled together from an innocent night's sleep. To walk up to her and lean against her without needing an excuse of exhaustion.

Hiziza forgave her, she was open to talking. If Mileena wanted to experience what she had, she had to take the chance.

"Then I'll have no choice, but to be completely honest, and hope she'll help me instead."

As Kitana was taking their bowls away, Hiziza and the two girls were coming over the hill. She stopped when they locked eyes, then waved her over.

Hiziza led her back to where her bottle and a couple cups had been jabbed into the dirt. Mileena declined another offering then sat with her and waited for her to finish her drink. "What is it you wanted to talk about?"

"Are you alright to talk right now?" She nodded. "It's kind of hard for me to say. The way you spoke of Noble before,"

"I don't really want to talk about her anymore. If that's at all possible."

"I'm sorry, it's just,"

"If you must, then I must insist we drink in her honor. There's a very generous bit left. Will you oblige, or ask me what you really want to ask?"

She was set to talk, until she felt something tugging on the hem of her shorts. Now was the time to be very clear about her intent. "You're close to Elaine, aren't you?" As she hoped Hiziza withdrew.

"I, guess you could say that. Why?"

"She..I..I want to take my role here more seriously, but I always feel like I'm upsetting her or, getting on her nerves. You seem to have a good relationship, with everyone. Noble," Hiziza took a sip. "Julie, Leisa. I just wanted to get your opinion on what I should do. I might be crazy, or overthinking, but it feels like she hates me."

Hiziza downed the last gulp from her cup. "What if I told you, she does hate you? But, it's not really your fault and she doesn't want to." She laughed. "You wouldn't take advantage of an emotional, intoxicated woman would you? Please, don't ask me any questions about it, because I can't get into it."

Were she not gone with the spirits, Mileena would throttle her. How could she say something so questionable, then deny her the right to ask about it? Elaine did hate her, but it wasn't her fault, and she didn't want to? What in the world did any of that mean?

"What you can get into however is, our tent. She's in there, I'm not going back for a while. For what it's worth, in case she doesn't say it, she was upset that day. I'm sure you can figure out, you did hurt her feelings." She poured herself some more wine. "Word of advice. You don't have to be so, careful with her. Elaine's like, partially dried clay. If you want to make any real change, you're going to have to break her up, just a little. Don't destroy the girl Mileena." She laughed again, holding out her bottle. "Another thing about working with dried clay, you have to get it a little wet."

For Hiziza, it might have been better if she took it, but she declined. She didn't want to be any kind of impaired. She wanted them both in their right minds when they spoke. If she was going to be honest with her, she wanted it to be because she wanted to, not because a taste of liquid courage. She didn't want either of them having to take anything back, or do something they'd regret.

Thanking her for her time, Mileena meandered through camp, pondering all she'd been told. She had hurt Elaine, of course she knew that. Elaine hated her, a truth she'd always speculated, and now it was confirmed. But she didn't want to, and it wasn't for anything Mileena had done.

That was the confusing part. Dissecting everything Hiziza had said, the way her voice shifted, how she moved when she spoke. If only she hadn't been drinking. The way she said really. Every instance she'd used the word that way came to mind. It wasn't, really, her fault. It was something Mileena had done, but, perhaps it wasn't completely within her control?

"I can't think of a single thing to hate about you."

Batting her father's words away, she thought harder about Elaine, as a person, how she perceived her. Elaine was prideful, she took her duties and her place in the Umgadi seriously. She was responsible. She thought of the other girls as family, but not friends. She was emotional, hardheaded. Punctual, protective. Warm, soft, beautiful...

This was getting her nowhere. All she could conclude from her list, was Elaine was a lot of things she wasn't, but wanted to be. Elaine wasn't the type to hate someone based on personality differences. If that was the case, she'd be at odds with Leisa daily. If anything, she treated her especially kind. Like a, younger sister.

Her family, her royal status? She wouldn't blame her if she did take issue with these things. They weren't her fault, but she could easily see them being the cause of fluctuating resentment. It just, didn't feel like something Elaine would do. She openly encouraged Mileena to be more engaged with her family. She never talked about feeling sad over never meeting her own family. She said she had a choice and chose to be Umgadi. She seemed happy here. In her own way. So what was it?

"Do you mean to walk off into the forest alone?"

The hand on her shoulder startled her more than the voice it belonged to. Just the person she needed to talk to. She walked them a little further out, just far enough their words could be between them without having to whisper. Light from the fire was easily seen from their new spot.

"I assume things went, well."

"Sort of. I got answers. Then I got questions. She, does hate me. But, it's not really my fault and she doesn't want to. What do you make of that?"

"From the little I know of the woman, she doesn't seem the jealous type. Dealing with these girls all day, I doubt it's the stress you put her through." At the end of that sentence, Kitana's lightheartedness, turned solemn. "Do you believe in doing whatever you can, to protect someone you love?"

She was shook. It came from out of nowhere, yet it was said in a way that gave it such significance, she repeated it over in her head, looking for answers. "Of course."

"What if that whatever, was keeping something from them?"

"What do you mean?"

"What if you had to keep something from someone, to help them?"

"Like, lie to them?"

Kitana made a sad grunt. "No. Not lie, just, not remind. Think about yourself now. Let's say, when you were a child, you fell off the balcony, and landed on your head. And now, maybe you don't think as much as you should,"

"I'm sure this means something, but, did I fall off the balcony as a child?"

She huffed. "I can only assume. Yes. But that's not the point. The point is, an oversight on their end, and you were seriously hurt. Maybe, more than you could know, or could say at the time. It, might have changed you, in a way, none of us could have saw coming. It happened to you, but you don't remember. And there's no benefit to telling you."

Between trying to relate this scenario to her current situation, and trying to remember if she had any inherent fear of balconies was making her forget what she was originally here for.

"Are you still thinking about balconies? Mileena." Kitana laughed into her shoulder. "Sometimes, it's like you're a moth, drawn to a fire. I'm burning myself trying to keep you out of it, but you won't stop. And I can't stop, because I love you, and I don't want you to get hurt. Can you, remember that? No matter what you learn going forward, or how things turn out, can you just remember that?"

The only silence to be had between them, was the absence of their voices. This forest was alive with sound. Animals, water, some of the girls ahead. Still in that quiet of theirs, she found enough clarity to form some questions of her own, that Kitana might be able to answer, with her strange metaphors.

"Moths are drawn to light. Not every light is a flame. What if this one is, a lantern? We've had tutors liken moths to flames, like students to knowledge. Some knowledge hurts, some enlightens. But it's all valuable. Because for the most part, simply knowing, doesn't kill you."

"Wow, you really can learn with your eyes closed, and your head down."

"Yes, but, keeping something from me, because you love me, I understand it, and I think, well I know I'd be upset. How upset, and if I'd get over it, I guess it would depend on what was being kept. I don't like other people deciding what's best for me. It's like you're doubting me, and not giving me the tools to work out problems, I might not talk about. If it is just an example, knowing I fell off the balcony as a child, and may have suffered a bit of, cognitive stunting, it's just a little funny. Who would I be, had that never happened? I don't know. It did, and I just dealt with it. Mother and father continued to raise me as the next heir to the throne, so I assume, I'm alright?"

Kitana pulled away. When Mileena looked over at her, she was staring, deep into her eyes. "What if, you weren't alright? What if it changed something about you, that made you completely different?"

The quiver in her voice took all the humor out of Mileena's thoughts. "This...isn't about the balcony."

"It's not."

"Is...it about this?" Kitana's gaze drifted away, turning on the campsite ahead. "Do you...think I'm not alright?"

"I don't know. I just, wonder. I like you, just as you are. But, what if, the completely hypothetical injury, changed you, in a big way, a way you originally wouldn't have wanted."

"Kitana, is it about this?"

"Mileena, stop, don't get ahead of me, please. What if, had you never fallen on your head, you wouldn't have wanted to be Umgadi? If we had a way, to see another timeline, and you definitively would have not wanted to join. Would you, still be as attached to this as you are, knowing it wasn't your original fate? Please, don't try to relate it to now. Think about what I've asked you, and answer as honestly as you can."

"It's hard for me to be honest, when I feel like you're not. But, I would. I feel I would. I don't see a problem with being a part of this. I find fulfillment here. I found strength, friends." Her head was pulled in the direction of Elaine's tent. "Something else...maybe."

"And you're alright with that? Even if the only reason you're...like this, is because of something terrible that happened to you, when you were a child?"

"Do you think, it would be better I deny myself and be unhappy? If my feelings didn't change, with the revelation. I would be sad. I might even try not to like it, but, if my feelings were the same, what do you think I should do? In this, hypothetical situation?"

"Forever, is too long for you to know what makes you happy, and not, enjoy it." There was a silence again, like she had more to say, but she didn't, not on the previous subject. "You still plan on talking to her tonight?"

Despite feeling like they hadn't been done with, or even having the same conversation moments ago, she put her attention on the task at hand. "Yes. Regardless of how I feel about anything else, I still have to apologize to her."

"Yes, but you still plan on talking to her, about how you feel?" She nodded. "And, if she doesn't return your feelings? I mean, the way you two are, without your confession, what more are you hoping for? She doesn't mind you being close to her, she seems alright with you touching her, holding her. What if she, doesn't feel the same way, and this confession..."

"Pushes her away from me? I had considered that, I kind of was planning on going in with that in mind as the likely outcome. I don't know what I'd do."

"Okay, well, what if she's receptive?"

Since it felt like such an impossibility, Mileena let her imagination run wild. Fireworks were shooting off in her head. She was without doubt going in for a kiss. She would hold her, sleep in the barracks with her every night. Get up early to lessen her load of responsibilities. They would be closer than ever. Maybe, only if she was truly alright with it, after they'd really gotten comfortable with each other, years down the line, if these feelings truly did persist. She would propose, a mutual breaking of each other's vow of celibacy.

"You don't have to tell me. You seem to already have lavish plans. Well, you should probably get going."

"I, I want to, but I don't know how I should start."

"You've had, all this time to think and you haven't even thought of how you're going to start?"

"Kitana...this is a lot more complicated than it looks. As you all keep reminding me, I am the future queen. I've never had to approach someone like this before. Suitors come far and wide, for me. I've never had to tell someone how I feel about them. I've never felt this way about anyone before. I'm feeling new things all the time. They feel, right and wrong at the same time."

"Like how?"

"When Elise was teaching me to swim, flailing around and panicking felt right, but I was drowning, so I know it was wrong. I see everyone else, effortlessly floating on their backs. It does work, I know it does, but when I try, I feel scared and wrong the entire time. But it's the right thing to do. What if, in the long run, that's what's best for me?"

"Not drowning is definitely better for you, in the long run. When you're swimming. But you're not swimming. Do you, even know what you're doing? Have you told yourself?"

"Told myself?"

She nodded. "Have you, made peace with this decision?"

"I'm here, aren't I?"

"You're here, sure, but you've been here, your entire life. And you said you hadn't been thinking about it. The only reason you're in this position, with her, is because now you have to think about it. I try not to imagine what it's like for you, but I know it's probably hard. Still. You should at least be able to confirm to yourself, what you not only want out of this, but in general. You're trying to make a plan, with no clear goal."

It was clearly Kitana's turn with the brain because Mileena's head was an empty mess hall. Filled with Elaine's presence. Real and imaginary moments shared between them, sharing no particular theme, just their closeness.

Did she not want that ceremony in the courtyard, because she couldn't have it, or because she didn't want Elaine that bad? If she wasn't that committed to this, should she even move forward? Kitana was right, their relationship was already at a comfortably intimate level. Elaine wasn't like that with everyone, but she wasn't exclusively like that with Mileena. Is that what she wanted? Elaine's affection all for herself? Was she just being selfish? What if she was wrong about all this, and it was the youthful immaturity Tanya spoke of?

"I can tell you're thinking. Would you like to try, saying something out loud?"

"What if I'm making a mistake and it's not what I think, and I ruin everything? Shouldn't I want to marry her, even if I can't? What if I only want her to be close to me, not anyone else? What if I'm just jealous of other people being close to her? I'd be jealous if you got a friend and wanted to be with them more than me. What if I'm just selfish like everyone says?"

She hadn't realized she was shaking until Kitana's arms stilled her. "Alright, calm down. I feel like we're going backwards." She sighed. "I guess, it can't be helped. Pretend I'm her."

Memories of the last time they tried this method made her scowl. "No. Not if you're not going to take it seriously."

"I took it serious last time. You're the one who needs help, not me."

"Fine. She's in the tent, probably sleeping by now. But, here goes." Kitana turned away from her, lying her head on the tree. "Elaine, I'd like to talk to you. Not just about the apology I owe you, but also," A light murmur came from her sister's side. Listening harder, she frowned at her mock snoring, tempted to pop her in the back of the head. "I told you to take this seriously!"

"You said she was probably sleeping. If you're going to come in, speaking that softly, she's not going to wake up."

"Useless."

"Fine, I'm awake. Try again."

She exhaled her nervousness. "Elaine, I,"

"Leave."

She wanted to scream into her hands. "Urgh, why did you ask to help if you were going to do this?"

"Do you not think that isn't the first thing she's going to say? Mileena, it's the middle of the night. She's been out hunting all day. The last time you tried to apologize to her, after she'd been in a shack, fully rested, in the middle of the morning, she told you to take off your clothes, and leave. Then she started taking off her clothes, to leave. I don't understand the dynamics of this, relationship, but getting undressed and leaving seem to be a big part of it."

"See, I feel, mother must have gotten us confused along the way because, she calls me the clown." Groaning into the sky, she stared at the tent again. "So you think I shouldn't bother her tonight?"

"You shouldn't bother her at all. Stop seeing yourself as a bother. You're the future queen of Outworld. It doesn't matter what time you want to speak to her. Now, tomorrow at an even more inconsiderate time."

"You're starting to sound like mother. You're a princess too. I never see you asserting your status to get what you want."

"I never have to."

"Urgh, I don't know what to do!"

"You really do need help. She makes you that nervous?"

Curling into herself, she sighed. "Not normally. Before we left, I was so ready to talk to her, to apologize, and just, move on. I was alright with how things were."

"Now that you know how you really feel, you're scared?"

"No...yes, maybe? You're right. What if this ruins everything and she doesn't even want me near her anymore? What if she thinks I'm disgusting? What if,"

"You said you were ready for rejection."

"No, I said I expected it, I still don't want it, and I don't know what I'll do."

"Hopefully nothing crazy. We're not heading back for a couple days. If you want to wait, and do this the day before we leave, at least then, if things go bad you can hide out in the back of the cart on the way home." Kitana scooted closer. "But, if things go well, you'll only have the ride back. If you speak to her now, and it's fine, you have a couple days, to get, closer to her. For what it's worth, I think you should, um, speak with her now. I know it's, difficult, but,"

"I just can't. I can't. It's not so bad between us. I think she's calmed down, and maybe I'm just overthinking things. It's, it's fine as it is. Maybe, it's just a crush."

"Do you, do you want me to talk to her?" Mileena side eyed her. "I could, pretend to be you, see how she's feeling, come out, let you know, then you go in,"

Hearing how uncomfortable her sister was, she waved the idea away. "I appreciate it, but I couldn't put you through that. I know how, strange this all must be to you."

"I'll come get you, way before anything happens. I'll just tell her I'd like to talk about, what happened that day, and I'm sorry. That's all you wanted to say in the beginning right?"

"Yes."

"I can do that much. I want to help you."

"I don't know."

Kitana was already walking toward the tent. Mileena scrambled to her feet, trying to find the courage to drag her sister back down, but all she could do was nervously stand behind her. She looked her over one last time, making sure nothing was out of place. She had the uniform, the headband, their hair was styled to match.

"Oh, my earring."

Watching her struggle to remove it, Mileena was overcome with a wave of guilt. "Leave it. I doubt she's noticed something like that. I'm already asking a lot of you." She draped some of Kitana's hair over the accessory.

Stopping just before camp, they spied on Elaine's tent, looking for movement. Her lantern was on, it seemed she was awake. "Now or never, you sure about this?"

"Are you?"

She nodded, then separated. Mileena stayed near the bushes, as Kitana made her way to Elaine. She knelt down and disappeared beneath the flaps.

Time, as it droned on, became a concept, immeasurable by normal means. She was weighing it by speech patterns, personalities, possibilities. How long did it take to say she was sorry, and she wanted to talk? What if she was spilling her guts to Kitana right now? What if they were arguing? Why hadn't she gotten closer? She couldn't hear or see anything from where she was.

Just when she thought to move, Kitana crawled out. She dusted herself off and shrugged.

"How did it go? What did she say? What did you say?"

That worried look in her eye chilled Mileena's core. Kitana took her hand and led her a few feet away. "Mileena, I'm really trying to be understanding. I'm trying to see this, how you explained it. If Elaine were a man, I mean, if you truly did like Reiko, I would tell you, he's not good enough, I don't like him. But I know Reiko. His bark is worse than his bite. He's rude, but underneath, he's fine I guess."

"What does that have to do with this? What did she say?"

"Mileena, you know her. You like, her?"

"Y-Yes! What did she say?"

"She said exactly what I said she would."

"What?"

"She told me to leave."

"What? You were in there for like, half and hour."

"No I wasn't. I was in there for maybe two minutes. She ignored me for the first minute, then looked at me for five seconds and said, leave. At best, she knew it was me, but she was still rude. At worse...she's just rude."

"So you didn't get to say anything?"

"No. That's why I'm asking, if you really like, her. She's so, she's a great soldier, leader, maybe even friend, but Mileena, she has, problems."

"With me."

"Sometimes, you mistake a part of the journey, for the destination."

"What if she is my destination, and this is just part of the journey?"

"I didn't expect you to let this go, but I also didn't expect her to be so unlikable. Well, I think you should go in. Maybe, she just knew it was me, and she doesn't have time for these games. Think you can handle it?"

She wrung her shoulder sash, staring at the tent. It all went back to that day. Everything was ruined for her. Even now, sending her sister in to speak for her, she was putting her family between herself and the Umgadi. Something that separated her from them. It was her fault she couldn't be near Elaine like she wanted.

"You just have to talk to her."

Feelings, her lineage, her position in the Umgadi. All that aside, they were two immature girls, who just needed to talk. If she had to be the one to find her maturity first, she would be. She might have to be.

"Yes. Yes, I can do this. I should have been the one to do it from the start."

"Do you want me to wait out here?"

"No, you should get some rest. I'll be fine."

"It is pretty late though. Do you want me to, ask Hiziza, if she, wants to take your spot, in our tent?"

The discomfort her sister had for this entire thing was both adorable and heartbreaking. "It, shouldn't take long. If you're still awake, I'll want to talk about it, so I don't think that will be necessary."

Not knowing just how much she needed it, she threw herself into the hug her sister thrust upon her. From her neck, to the back of her head, down the ridges of her spine, Kitana's touch calmed her. "I'm praying for you, sister. I know it isn't the same." She held tighter. "But if a woman's arms, are what you need,"

The love she shared with her sister had a special place in her heart all on its own. She wouldn't force that affection to be anything it wasn't. The one and only time she'd let that happen, she'd made mistakes that almost cost her, her sister's life.

On her knees in front of Elaine's tent, she looked back at the other girls sitting around the fire still. So many people were so close to a massive event, that was about to take place in her life, and didn't know. Rather things went good or bad, would they afterwards? Would it stay in this tent? They were so close.

Putting herself on the other side of those flaps transported the tent to a whole other realm. The deafening silence that came with Elaine's image, had her in a soundless void.

"Is this some weird twin thing where you see how long it takes me to tell you to get out? I'm hip to the game now. Your sister won. Get out."

"So, um, what gave her away?"

Elaine lied on her mat, staring at the peak inside the tent. "She didn't argue when I told her to leave. I told you, all she'd have to do is follow directions and it's a dead giveaway. I guess you had to hear it for yourself. That's fine, there's enough to go around. Leave."

"No. I want to talk to you." The fact she didn't say anything else made Mileena feel like she had an opening, and she had to take it. She had the words, that's all she could focus on. If she stopped to think about what her body was doing now, she would lose all her confidence and resolve.

"What in the world are you doing?"

"Elaine, this is, difficult for me to say but,"

"What? Get off me!"

A knee on either side of her hips, Mileena planted firmly on her waist, she waited for Elaine to try and remove her. She just lied there, staring angrily. "I want to talk to you, and I don't want you to run away."

"So you sit on me?"

"I already told you, I don't want you to run away." When Elaine tried to move in either direction, Mileena locked her legs in place, even going so far as to bind one of her hands at her side.

"What's wrong with you? Let me go, princess."

"No. Don't run away. I just want to talk."

"I'm not running away. I'm going to bed. Just turning my light off."

"Why won't you just hear me out? Why won't you just admit I hurt you?"

Elaine paused her free hand in the middle of her reaching for the light. "I'm not stopping you from talking. But, if you want this to stay between us, uninterrupted, you might want this light off. Can't imagine what it looks like to them out there."

Remembering what she could see from the outside, she could only hope all the girls weren't glued to the other side of these flimsy walls, trying to hear something to corroborate what they were seeing. She eased up, giving Elaine just a tad more freedom to reach over and dim the light.

As she was relaxing to let her get back into position, the girl grabbed her around the waist, attempting to whip her off. Less than a second worth of struggling she had both Elaine's hands back at her side.

This was so far from what she'd wanted, or expected. Why couldn't she just come in, say she was sorry, and leave it at that? Why was she pinning her squad leader down, in her tent, with the lights low?

"You know...you're not stronger than me. I just...can't hurt you, princess."

"Stop calling me that!" Forgetting this was a private matter, she had to lower her voice. "I'm, I'm not princess right now. Or even Umgadi." She felt a slight flinch from her when she said that. "Neither are you. Right now, we're just...Elaine and Mileena. That night, when I said I wouldn't leave you, I didn't make that vow as a comrade or royal. I made it as someone who cares about you, and appreciated what you did, and sacrificed. Then I left you. And I'm sorry. I'm sorry Elaine. Even if you weren't alone, I should have been there. I should have held you."

"If this was the kind of hold you had in mind, I'm glad you didn't come back."

"Stop it, stop trying to act like it didn't hurt. It hurt me. I'm mad at myself. It's okay for you to be mad at me. Can you just admit that?"

Elaine was trying to avoid eye contact with her, despite Mileena barely being able to see her. "I was, going through some things that week. It had nothing to do with you. I was just a little more emotional than usual. Okay? I was over it. If you need to apologize for yourself, fine. I accept. You can go now."

"So, you're not going to be honest about this?"

"I forgive you, what else do you want?"

"I want you..." To leave it there, and have this conversation really get going, she couldn't, just yet. "To tell me that I hurt you."

"You...didn't. I was just emotional. Why is this such a big deal to you? What? Were you trying to hurt me?"

"Of course not."

"Then why do you care?"

"Why do you hate me?" That shift came back again. "Why...did you threaten to leave?"

"Who said, I hate you?"

The frost in her tone made her wrist feel like blades of ice. Had she been completely out of her mind, she would have given Hiziza away. "Is it true?"

Freed hands that could have struck her, chose to hold her. From caressing up her thighs, to resting on her hips. "You did hurt me that day. And every day after, that I didn't see you. For the first three days I remembered, and I was okay, with being second to your sister. As much as you love her, I could forgive that. You were willing to throw all of us away for her. I understand that."

"I wasn't, throwing anyone away."

"Every day after, I was reminded of the sisters I'd thrown away, for you. And you couldn't even come check on me." Elaine bolted straight up, hooking her arms around Mileena's body. "I held her so tight, I held her, wishing, she was you. I was so scared, I was going to be alone. You told me, I'd have you. Then you left me. Everyone came back, before you did. Everyone I left, came back to me." She was shoved away with such force she had to stop herself from rolling out of the tent. "You apologized, you held me, I forgave you. Is there anything else you wanted?"

Speechless, she sat there, waiting for something. Elaine turned away from her, shutting an imaginary door in her face.

"I..I want to feel like you don't hate me. Because I...I"

"You can't be the knife and the bandage. If you let me heal, I promise, things will go back to how they were. That's what you want right? It's, not your fault. It never is. I always forgive you. I can go back to treating you how I always have."

"What do you mean?"

"Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"Because, this isn't what I came to do. I didn't come to make you mad, or have things go back to the way they were before. I want to be...closer to you. I want to be here."

As she rose, Mileena got the urge to run. She dug her nails into the ground to keep herself planted. "You what?"

Face flooded with heat, chest pounding, she inhaled deep. "I, want to be near you. I want, I, like, you. I like you, in the way,"

She didn't have to say anything to silence her. That incremental turn of her head had her hanging on every breath. "If, that's what you want, you want Hiziza, not me." Elaine picked up her pillow. "She should be here in a little. I'll give you two the tent tonight."

"No, I don't want her. I want you. I like you! Don't run away from me, talk to me, please!"

Since she was sitting in front of the exit, Elaine had no choice but to go passed her. She'd run face first into this disaster of a confession. Now she was here, things had gone as awkwardly as they could, no point in being sensible now.

"Move."

"No. I want us to talk about this."

"There's nothing else for us to talk about. I'm Umgadi."

"I told you, we're not Umgadi right now, I'm not a princess, we're just Elaine and Mileena. Can you just, speak as Elaine?"

Coming forward, on her knees, Mileena shrank into herself, never taking her eyes off her. All the anxiety and fear of the last few minutes dissipated. Everything was, deceptively calm.

In her half sitting, half lying position, Mileena could hardly go lower as Elaine came closer, bending over her, staring at her, with those soft hazel eyes.

With nowhere left to go, completely horizontal beneath her, she was drawn to every point of contact between them. Chest to chest, hips to hips. Thighs connecting.

If she didn't manually start breathing again, she was going to pass out. Elaine's hands, were in her hair, on her scalp. Not wanting to miss a thing, her eyes began to water, from not blinking.

So close, their noses touched. While she could feel the air flowing from Elaine's nose, her own airways remained stagnant.

"Move."

Just like that, Elaine finished crawling over her, and left.

Stuck there, in the same position, the last few minutes of her life were in a limbo of being etched in perfect detail and completely forgotten. All her brainpower was being used to remember every second before and after Elaine connected with her.

Gazing over herself, forcing wonder to replace the obvious. Legs apart, flat on her back, still trapped by the weight of her, in her mind. So different from how Mileena had held her down. Different from how they'd slept together, in her bed or the cart. From her hands in her hair, to how her legs involuntarily moved to accommodate her.

Most of all, that all too brief moment of connection between their lips. Minuscule as it was, it hadn't been a trick of the mind. The moisture from her breath, the disturbance made by her enunciating her words against Mileena's mouth.

Not the kiss she was going for, not the affection she wanted at all. Elaine had punched her in the face and it had gone better than this. She was given every opportunity for this to go well. Elaine forgave her, she agreed to let things go back to how they were. She even acknowledge that whatever gripe she had with Mileena, it was unwanted, and something she actively overlooked. Why hadn't her friendship been enough? It was more than she could have hoped for. Instead, she pushed for more, and Elaine, casually passed her off to Hiziza. She had said it so casually. Like she didn't care now. Mileena wasn't her problem anymore.

When she finally found the ability to leave, everyone had retired. The fire was out, and camp was quiet. She didn't want to be here in case Hiziza returned. Ducking back inside the tent, she picked up Elaine's lantern. She'd left her pillow, blanket. She wanted to lie there, keep it warm for her. Had things gone any kind of good, the two of them could have been sharing this sliver of a mat together. Oh well. Her persistence put a definite end to that.

Making her way to her own tent, she was stunned to see Hiziza on the opposite side, an arm's length away from Kitana. An arm's length away, and moving closer, whining in her sleep. Mileena tried to wake her from whatever nightmare was causing her such distress.

"Hiziza, Hiziza, wake up." She whispered.

"No.."

"Hiziza, it's me. Mileena. You're having a,"

"Noble..Noble."

What did she expect after forcing her to think about her all day, to the point of needing a drink to sooth the ache of her memory? Why wouldn't Noble be haunting her dreams after hearing all those sad things Hiziza was forced to say?

This was her fault, like everything else. This whole thing was spiraling out of control. She was still making her problems, everyone elses. Her family, friends, the living and dead.

She said a silent prayer, asking Noble to forgive her intrusion. She wasn't trying to take her place, just to offer comfort to a friend in need.

Wiggling between them, she pushed Kitana out of Hiziza's reach, pulled the blanket over her more, then kissed her goodnight as well. Blowing out Elaine's lantern, she hoped wherever she was sleeping would be warm tonight too.

Awaking fully rested, expecting to see her sister giving her an awkward stare, trying to make sense of the quaint position she would be in, Mileena stretched out, feeling no arms around her, just a heavy weight on her stomach. It was none other than her sister, using her as a pillow. Completely stretched out, taking up the rest of the small space. Hiziza was nowhere to be found.

She crawled out of her tent just as someone was walking by.

"Hey...you, come here." It was Hiziza. In only her pants and undershirt. She went inside her and Elaine's tent, gesturing for her to follow. Inside, she was holding her head and groaning. "I'm still not well from last night, I may have been a wee bit under the influence, but I'd remember a confession of desire, especially from the princess. Last night, did you, express want for me?"

"No. Why? What happened?"

"I didn't think you did. I barely remember yesterday. I do however vaguely remember telling you not to break that crazy woman. What did you say to her?"

"You mean Elaine? What happened? Where is she?"

"She called herself confronting me, over what, I'm not sure, but things got a little," She showed off a nice sized gash on her knuckles.

"You two were fighting? Hiziza, she's your squad leader!"

"She wasn't acting like it. Elaine likes to make her problems everyone else's." Hiziza spit a tooth out on Elaine's mat. "I don't really care what her problem is. I don't really care about what you two have going on. I suggest you go talk some sense into her, before I knock it into her, squad leader or not."

"Where is she?"

"I left her in the woods, near that creek."

Mileena bolted out of the tent, snagging a dry uniform off the rack, getting dressed on the way. Leisa couldn't stop her that day, Hiziza had been the first person she thought to call. Now who would keep Elaine from leaving? What had she gone to confront Hiziza about?

"If that's what you want, you want Hiziza, not me."

She couldn't have been crazy enough to believe something she'd made up herself. Mileena explicitly said she liked her. She wanted her. For Elaine to hurt her own feelings, then fight Hiziza, that was mad. Elaine wasn't that crazy.

Fearing the worst, she readied herself to call out for her, until she saw the bright yellow of her uniform against the hues of the forest. She was bent over the water, spitting into it. The closer Mileena got, the more blood she could see shooting out of Elaine's mouth.

Sliding down the incline, it wasn't until she was a few feet away that Elaine noticed her. Standing tall, letting the blood drain from her nose, she hollered. "What, Noble?"

"Elaine...let me help, please."

"I don't need your help, Noble. Run along, I'm sure Hiziza has a need for you to attend to. She's missed you."

"What's wrong Elaine? Why are you acting like this? Is this better than talking to me?"

"What's the point in talking to you, when you don't listen? I let you in, I'm honest with you, I put all of us in danger, to be honest with you, and you still don't listen! Not only do you not listen," She stopped, laughed, and licked a small bit of blood off her lips. "Who am I even talking to? Not Mileena. Not a princess, not Umgadi. Just a replacement."

"I'm not a replacement. Don't call me that."

"Sure you are. Be someone your parents can be proud of." She was doing it again. Undoing her sashes. "You should have been squad leader, don't you think? Even if you weren't the best, strongest, or most considerate. If you're going to take this game of pretend this far, you should be the leader. Here. As far as you know, I'm dead. A stray arrow hit me, deer ate me."

"Stop." She was getting further away. "You're not leaving."

Going after her sounded like a good idea, it felt like one. At the time it really was the only option she had. If she lost sight of her now, she might never see her again. Noble as her intentions were, that swipe at her head made it feel more foolish than anything.

Recovering from the stumble, she fell against Elaine, grabbing her around the waist, swinging her to the ground. She wasn't out to hurt her, the light beating she'd gotten from Hiziza, had Mileena pulling punches she wasn't even throwing.

They took a tumble into the water, where Mileena let her go. Even though it was tall enough to stand in, it was still deep enough to frighten her with this sloppy entry. Barely out of the water, exhaling it from her nose, Elaine was already out and running in the opposite direction. Slipping, falling, rolling, until she found her footing, Mileena was right behind her closing the gap.

This was crazier than last night. She just wanted to talk. Everything before these moments could be classified as sane. Were these feeling supposed to make her act like this? Why was she chasing this crazy woman through the woods, soaking wet in the early hours of the morning? If she didn't catch her, was she just supposed to continue on with their mission? If she did catch her, were they supposed to go back and act like nothing happened?

She couldn't fathom any reason, why if either of them was a man she'd be going through this. She, the future ruler of Outworld, running through the woods, after a woman who hated her, who had just tried to swing at her, her guard. The treason was palpable.

After all that, she still just wanted to talk with her. She'd take last night's offer in a heartbeat. She's start over from scratch. She'd pretend she didn't know her and introduce herself all over again. If Elaine could hate her and still be that affectionate, Mileena would pass on whatever amazing love she had in reserve. That was more than enough.

"Elaine stop, please stop!"

"Leave me alone, you deviant pervert!"

If she was hoping that would shock her into slowing down, she was in for a rude surprise. She was on her heels now, she could reach out and grab her.

"Stop! I'm not your leader anymore! I'm nobody!"

"A nobody, in my kingdom! As your princess, I command you to stop!"

She regretted it the second she saw her pivot. The way her upper half twisted. They'd traveled from spacious pockets, to densely packed trees. Holes, logs, rocks and roots, it was a wonder it hadn't happened earlier. Elaine came to an abrupt halt, leaning into an awkward fold, then Mileena crashed into her, dragging her forward until they disconnected. She hit the dirt, came back up on her knees, then slammed her shoulder into the thick trunk of a tree.

Her shoulder hurt so much, just thinking about moving it sent red hot pulses through it.

It's gone right? They had to be gone. Leaves rustling under her head, she turned until her eyes fell on Elaine, having her own pain fueled roll around. Nope they were still there. Those nauseating, nagging feelings staking her heart and mind. She still wanted to talk to this lunatic. Or scream at her really.

"Why did you have to chase me, you idiot!"

"Why did you have to run, you lunatic!"

Elaine cried out, groaning while holding her leg. "A deviant was chasing me."

Gritting her teeth while sitting up, she flexed her arm making sure it wasn't dislocated. "I didn't start chasing you, until you started running. Why are you always running away? You never used to. The only thing I've seen you run from was a Tarkatan. Is talking to me, really as frightening as facing one of them?"

"Yes."

"What?" Blown away by such a laughable answer, she hobbled over to her. "Are you being serious?"

"At least I was able to escape the Tarkatans. Even they gave up, when someone else came along. Not you, you're relentless. One isn't enough for you."

"What are you talking about?"

"What do you think? I don't...I," Holding her injured leg, her voice started to crack. "Why can't I be alone? Why can't you leave me alone?"

"Why do you want to be alone?"

"Was it too much to ask?"

"No..." She sat next to her. "Not really. I did leave you alone though, for nearly five months. Was it too much to ask that you talk to me, after five months?" She went silent. "You don't really want to leave, do you?"

"Can't really stay, can I? I'm a pitiful squad leader. Deviants, insubordination, unstable members that come and go, ones that don't belong at all. And that's just you...and me."

"Want to go back to camp?"

"No."

Biting back her pain, she stretched and stood up. "Elaine, It would probably be easier on both of us, if I was just Umgadi, or a princess. But I'm not. I can't separate the two. I care for you, as a nobody in my kingdom, or the leader of my sect. Would you please let me take you back to camp? If you just want to sit out here and sulk, I'll stop talking, until you're not mad at me anymore. That's still on the table right?"

"After what you said?"

"Ignore it, like you did with Hiziza and Noble."

"I can't."

"Are you, disgusted with me? I'm sorry Elaine. I didn't mean to feel like this."

Several minutes passed before Elaine replied. "Let's go back to camp."

Elaine was content to drag herself, until Mileena offered her a weak substitute. Halfway back, they ran into the worried faces of their sisters, who'd come looking for them.

"What happened? Are you alright?" Kitana pushed through them all, looking down at her from atop the hill.

Hiziza and Elaine were caught in a death stare. The longer they stood there not talking, the more eyes were following Elaine's glare back to Hiziza.

"Nothing. I was going to try hunting today, I asked her to help me. A deer caught us by surprise and charged us. We're...alright."

"Looks like you won't be joining us then." Hiziza sneered.

"Well, if our leader is out, we get a day off too."

Ahead of the cheering, Hiziza snapped. "As if. You know what to do, we can do without two people. Let's go. The cart's back."

When everyone left, Kitana lingered behind with Leisa snatching her along. She remained planted until Mileena gave her the okay.

The walk back was painful and arduous. They could hear the chaos behind them, indicating they indeed did not know what they were supposed to do. Now would be the perfect time to boast about Elaine's worth as their leader, she was needed here, Mileena wasn't.

They shivered despite the warmth coming in with the late morning. "We should get out of these wet clothes." To her relief, Elaine didn't argue or resist. She let Mileena help her back into her dry night attire, then onto her mat. After she got herself together, she lit a small fire and warmed them some food from last night, then hung their uniforms.

Inside Elaine's tent, she was hissing and massaging her leg. "How is it?"

"I'm not a medic, but I think I pulled a muscle, and sprained my ankle."

"Do you want me to...do that?"

"No. Didn't you hurt your shoulder?"

She practically flung the food down. "No, it's okay, I can do it." The chill of Elaine's skin wasn't the only thing to curb her enthusiasm and still her hands. "You, don't want me to touch you?"

"You carried me here and undressed me. If I had a problem with it I would have said something before."

"Deviant, pervert. Is that what it is? Elaine, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."

"What were you expecting?"

"Nothing that happened last night, or this morning. Maybe this, without all that. I just wanted to talk. At worse, I thought you'd just, reject me. Not run away, swing at me, and fight with Hiziza. Why did you fight with her anyway?"

"It wasn't a fight. It was a conversation."

"Your conversations have gotten more violent than I remember." Under her motions both of them were warming up. "What really happened?"

"I asked for a little patience, some time. And you, I saw her coming out of your tent."

"I told her I was going to talk with you last night, she was giving us privacy. She was already there sleeping when I got back."

"Why didn't you just sleep in here then?"

"You were mad. I didn't know where you were. I thought you'd come back if I left. That still doesn't explain why your conversation had such a bloody end." Since she was talking, something she'd said earlier jumped out at Mileena. "What did you mean before, when you said you put all of us in danger to be honest with me? You've actually said a lot of strange things. Like back in the shed."

"If you want me to stay, I can't talk about that. I don't know how long this will last, but I'm feeling, talkative right now. I'll be open and honest with you about anything else, but I can't talk about that."

Angry yet excited, she was anxious trying to figure out what she could ask her. Calming down, to avoid passing out over her injured leg, Mileena readied herself for this intense line of questioning. "Is it, alright that I like you? Before, you said you thought it was a rule the Umgadi should uphold, does it bother you,"

She shrugged. "Would you stop if I said no?"

"I tried. I tried so hard Elaine. I thought I just wanted to be close to you, because I wanted to be like you. You're responsible, thoughtful, everyone looks up to you. You're dependable." She ignored the tears, fearing if she stopped now, she wouldn't be able to go on. "I kept making you upset, and I couldn't stand it. I just wanted to make you proud, so you wouldn't have a reason to hate having me around. Even before I saw them, when you put your arm around me. Why? Why did you do that if you hate me? Why do you hate me?"

"I can't talk about that."

"Why?"

"It's not enough to know it's not your fault, and I don't want to hate you?"

"No."

"I'm not enough?"

"That's not fair."

Elaine kept her eyes averted as she held Mileena's hands, physically touching her while keeping an emotional barrier between them. "Do I have to put it in the same words as you? Do I have to feel the exact same way, to care for you? Can you only be close to me, if I say I like you?"

"What are you saying?"

"You have my dedication, devotion, allegiance, protection. A place in my..." Mileena tried to look in her eyes, she was looking away at all cost. "By my side, whenever you want. Do I have to join you in deviancy, for you to accept these things? Things that I give willingly." She let her hand go, painfully pulling her knees up to hide her face. "I don't want to be a deviant Mileena. I'm not. I can't be."

"I can't be either." Elaine eased back into a horizontal position on her mat, then pulled her blanket over her shoulders. "Can I stay?"

"Would you leave if I said no?"

"Are you going to say no?" Elaine shrugged. "Why can't you just say yes?"

"I can't tell you what to do anyway, what does it matter? I told you I'd leave the Umgadi if you didn't give me your uniform, you still didn't hand it over."

Climbing under the blanket with her, she fought to reclaim that calm natural feeling from before. "I was going to."

"All the good that would have done. You just showed up in your regular clothes. I was actually surprised when you didn't come back. I knew the only thing that would keep you away were your princess duties."

"I wouldn't call vacationing at my cousin's house a duty."

"With the way things went, I wouldn't call that a vacation." She turned over on her back, facing the ceiling. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I did bring my sister back unharmed, with a little help."

"Your second time facing a Tarkatan, and all you suffered was a bad fall and a cold? All things considered, you came back unharmed. Pretty amazing. When no one had really seen you for so long, rumors were going around that you were sick, we suspected, you know."

"So did I." Reminded of those worries, she rubbed her wound under her headband. "A lot of close calls." Her squad leader wasn't the only one who lived a rather dangerous life. No matter how much easier her parents tried to make things for her, there would always be a world of danger out there, waiting for her. "I know you can't talk about it...but isn't there something you can tell me? You hate me. How can you expect me to just accept that and not want to know more? It's not my fault, and you don't want to. But you still hate me? I...like you, so it's a little hard for me to just, reconcile with that."

"What do you want me to say? You want me to keep teasing you with bits and pieces while never telling you everything? If I told you it was out of my hands, would you keep pushing?"

"Wait, you seriously can't tell me? I thought you were just being dramatic." That half smile, those bright hazel eyes gazing at her under narrowed lids. "Or, I was hoping you were. You wouldn't joke about something like that. You care a lot for them." She recalled Hiziza's statement on friendship. "Is that really why you don't see them as friends, because you see them as responsibilities, or because you're afraid of losing them?"

"If I really thought about it, I might say both. But, I don't see them as friends because we're simply not. We're not close. I care about them, but I'm not close to them. With the exception of maybe, Hiziza and Leisa."

Knowing she had directly been the cause of another bit of friction in an otherwise strong relationship, depressed Mileena. "Would you like me to talk to her?"

"No. She's upset with me, not you. That's what friendship gets you. I say I'm sorry, she calls me an idiot, we move on."

"You two have almost as strange a dynamic as us."

"Nothing could be as strange as this."

"Really? I spoke with her yesterday, she talks about herself like she's a limitless delinquent who singlehandedly helped Li Mei hone her apprehension skills. You say she could easily overpower you in a fight, yet, when you get stern with her, she takes you seriously."

"Do you take me seriously?"

"Of course."

"The way I see it, you and her are in the same boat. Both of you, have some power over me, but you still respect me enough to, for the most part, listen when I need you to. That's what friendship gets you. Freedom and respect."

"Friendship? So...you consider her a friend?" Elaine nodded. "Well, what about me? What do you consider me?"

"I can't really say honestly. I didn't really consider you anything more or less than, Mileena."

"You called me chaos and confusion."

"And I stand by that. For as weird as it is for you, it's just as weird for me. I had to remind myself just as much as I had to remind you. Even if you were just Umgadi." Her voice trailed off. She stared at the ceiling for an entire minute then came back. "Do you remember, when we were kids?"

"Remember what?" Her entire falling out with her sister came back to her, and she remembered some incident with a squad leader, that wasn't Elaine or Li Mei. "I don't very well. But when I was at my cousin's, something was mentioned about a squad leader. I thought they meant you, but it was something from when I was a child, and I don't think it was Li Mei."

"Does the name," She stopped again.

"What? What is it?" Propping herself up on her elbows, she tried to look Elaine in the eyes. "You know something about that? Could you,"

"Hand me my food please." She groaned while pulling herself up.

"Is it, another one of those things you can't get into?" Mileena set the bowl in her hands. Elaine ate, paying her no mind. "You're right, it is irritating getting bits and pieces without actually being told anything."

"Your sister made this? It's pretty good. If you cook half as well as this, I regret turning down your gift. Leisa said it was delicious."

"I can make you another!" She picked up her own bowl. "I didn't actually make that one, it was Skarlet. She was helping me."

"Oh, wow. Skarlet's amazing. Pity."

"I'm learning though. What kind of things do you like? You're my squad leader after all, you deserve special meals. You need,"

"Mileena, you like me?"

After everything they'd gone through, it was still hard to just come out and say it. She expected Elaine to be disappointed with her hesitance. She just looked content. "Yes."

"It's good that you're not so enthusiastic. If you want to keep saying things like that, in front of everyone else, I understand. But, when it's just us, it's okay for you to make me things because you like me. That's what friends do, right?"

"Friends? But Elaine,"

"I'm not a deviant, and neither are you. Right?" Mileena nodded, blinking away tears, from which she didn't know the source. "There's nothing deviant, about caring for your friend." Elaine gave her a one armed hug, letting her wet her neck and shoulder. "It's easier to get into the Umgadi, than to become my friend.." That cold drenched headband was pull down over her eyes. Memories of last night, signaled that warm soft press on her forehead could only be from Elaine's tender lips. "I value my friends. I understand you all have different needs."

Stuck here, where she wanted to be, she wanted nothing more than to turn back the hands of time and accept the offer given to her that previous night. Though she was sure it was just nerves, the fear of what lied ahead was petrifying. What would change? Was anything supposed to? She hadn't done what her sister had suggested. She still had no goal. She'd completed one step of her strategy, gotten to the next step, with no idea of what she wanted.

"You alright?" Elaine brushed some strands out of her face. Unlike everyone else, she gingerly feathered the wound above Mileena's eye. "Pretty neat scar. Why you covering it up?"

"I don't...look like my sister anymore."

Reassuring and dismissive at the same time. Her soothing laughter made her feel childish over covering up her wound. "Twins are, strange. Sad to have your own face. Well, you should eat. I'm going to sleep. If you go, tell them I want at least 10 today. We're leaving after tomorrow. Hopefully I'll be better by then."

Just as she promised, she collapsed on her mat, leaving Mileena alone with everything. The Elaine lying next to her felt different than the one she'd fought with, and the one she'd talked to yesterday. It had all gone so fast, now that she had a chance to slow down and take it all in, this Elaine felt like hers, the one before the Tarkatan attack.

She tucked her tired leader in better, gathered their bowls, then exited the tent. She put on her dry uniform, folded Elaine's and put it beside her for later.

Her shoulder still ached, it wouldn't be wise to put the weight they'd been carrying on it, but she felt horrible thinking about Hiziza having to haul their kills by herself.

Walking in the direction of where they'd separated, the first thing she noticed, was all the screaming. Instincts to run rose, until she took note of its less than terrified nature. These sounded more like startled screams, than terrified ones. When she listened hard enough, she could often hear some harsh reprimands after.

Straining to hear the whistle of arrows, she wondered how she should approach, to not scare off any potential prey.

There was the whistle.

Then there was a scream. A scream she wasn't expecting, followed by many shrieks, all sounding terrified. Kitana.

She tore through the forest, prepped from her earlier run with Elaine. The shrieks had died down so she had to follow the faint, unnatural sounds of hushed voices and leaves rustling.

They were all gathered in a circle when she reached them. She hated to pray for misfortune to have befallen someone else. Every step that brought her closer, she begged to not see her sister's body, pierced by an arrow. What else could have elicited such a scream?

Everyone was looking at her, she didn't hear Kitana, she didn't see her. Were the Elder gods punishing her? Was she being made to give up one love for another? If she denounced her love for Elaine right now, could she have her sister?

Leisa's voice came from the center of the circle. "Move it? Can you move it?"

Kitana cried out. "It hurts."

"I think it's just broken. Does anything else hurt?"

"I don't know, it hurts so much."

Hiziza cut through the crowd. "What happened?"

Her sister was sitting there, blinking tears away, holding her awkwardly positioned arm. To everyone else, she must have looked so collected and calm. Mileena could tell she was holding back a full on howl.

"An arrow came right for us. She must have slipped out of the tree."

Hiziza gently held her sister's arm. "Can you move your fingers?" She did. "Okay, it's just, a little broken." Hiziza smiled at her, then waved Mileena over. "It's good you're here."

"We have to get her to a medic!"

"Calm down, it looks scarier than it is."

Kneeling behind her, Mileena held Kitana while avoiding disturbing her injury. "I'm so sorry, I should have been here."

"I-It's fine. I just have to go into town."

"I can fix it here."

"What? You're not a medic." As she tried to move her, Kitana cried in her ear. "I'm sorry. Does something else hurt?"

"No."

"Mileena, if you try to move her now, you could do more damage, and if it starts to heal like that, they'll have to break it again. It's malleable right now. All I have to do is put it back into position, then stabilize it, after that we'll take her into town."

Cradling her head between her shoulders, tears mixing on her cheek, Mileena asked, "What do you want to do?"

"I trust her."

"Thank you. Your safety is all of our concern. I wouldn't do this if I wasn't confident Mileena. Sit her down and get behind her. Then put your arm next to hers." Hiziza felt Mileena's arm, then Kitana's, explaining the altered structure and position of the break. She then instructed Mileena to put Kitana in a secure hold, while someone else held her other hand. "Princess, remember, scream, don't bite."

Before any of them could question what she meant, they were assaulted with the sickening crunch, of bone on bone moving beneath her skin. Kitana went limp in her arms. Hiziza jerked her limb two more times, felt Mileena's arm for reference, then held Kitana's forearm at her side while wrapping it against her dagger's sheath.

"Now that that's taken care of, who shot it?"

One of the two girls she'd been drinking with the night before, came forward. "It was an accident,"

Mileena had been so furious she wanted to strike the girl herself, watching Hiziza deal the blow knocked a hefty chip of anger out of her. She wondered if that's how hard she'd struck Elaine during their, conversation.

"She's not going to be happy about this, but can't be helped. Leena, was Elaine in need of a medic too? Since we're taking your sister, we may as well take her."

"We're going into town?"

"No." Hiziza sighed. "We're going into town. I can't even trust you all to finish up. Elaine has patience for this, I don't. I expected you to act like guards, you acted like children. So you'll go back to camp, and think about how stupid you are, until we return."

Leisa helped her keep Kitana comfortable in the cart, along with the three bodies in the back. Hiziza returned with Elaine, and they left. Elaine kept her head down the entire ride.

Mariko and Opal dropped them off at the physicians abode, then continued with the delivery. Hiziza carried Kitana, while Mileena and Leisa aided Elaine.

"You both need to be seen now, I'll tell them,"

"Mileena, I know you're worried about your sister, but remember what I told you, it's not safe. It's risky enough for us. Please, just be patient."

There weren't that many people in there with them, and they were probably all in need of serious care too. These were her subjects, if she wanted to be a benevolent queen, she had to start making decisions like one. Kitana appeared to be alright for the moment.

They sat in the waiting room for the better part of an hour before someone else went back. Another hour came and went before someone came to speak with them.

"Oh my, the doctor is quite busy, what seems to be the problem?"

"She fell out of a tree and broke her arm, and I just sprained my ankle. She's more important, please see to her as soon as possible."

The kind woman went over to Kitana, gave her arm a delicate turn then felt her face. "Is that all that's bothering her? She's quite warm."

"She was sick a couple days ago." Mileena moaned.

"Poor dear, must not have been completely over it. What were you doing in a tree? You should be home resting." When she stepped back, she looked at all of them. "Oh, I'm sorry. It will still be a while until he can see you. Please, be patient." She turned Kitana's arm again. "For now, she seems stable enough. So you shouldn't worry too much. Shouldn't you, have a medic in your ranks?"

Hiziza grinned at her. "Our medic was eaten, by a pack of Tarkatans a few months ago. Quite a few were actually, they seem to be, getting smarter in that respect, targeting medical staff."

"Hiziza!"

"What? She wants to know, why sick and injured people, are at a physicians office. I don't want her to think we've come just to inconvenience her, or be a bother. Or that we're incompetent." The woman left without another word.

Some of the tension was taken away by Kitana and Leisa's stifled laughter. They were still kept waiting for two more hours. Mileena had had enough, they could have been halfway home by now, or Kitana could have been treated at the very least, she could be recovering.

"Elaine, I have to say something. I'm sorry." The second she rose from her seat, a sea of people caked in red burst through the entrance. Screaming crying, falling over each other.

"Doctor! Doctor we need help!" A woman ran into the backroom where the doctor presumably was.

In no less than a minute, the assistant from before came out with a message. "I'm sorry, these are priority patients. We are now closed." She was sure not to look in their direction when she left.

Hiziza lied Kitana on the bench. "If we can't see the doctor, no one will."

Elaine grabbed her arm when she tried to rush pass. "You don't know what's wrong with these people. We should leave. We only have physical ailments. They have open wounds. Lets go."

They carefully snaked passed the now crowded room, careful not to come in contact with any of the newcomers. Outside there were even more people, in worse condition trying to make their way to the doctor. Mileena still worried for her sister, but these people were visibly in more need.

With no other immediate options, they loaded Kitana back on the cart.

"We'll call the mission early. It's not that big a deal. We'll reach the castle in a day or two. Hiziza set it, we just need to keep something cool on it for swelling. She'll be fine Mileena."

"I don't feel, so bad. It's fine if you finish." Kitana tried to sit up.

"No it isn't, you're sick, and we have no idea if your arm is the only thing broken. Silence Kitana, you're going home."

They watched more people come in by the boatload. "If these people are here to stay, they're going to need a lot of food."

"We didn't even deliver half of what they asked for."

"If we could at least leave the cart. I wouldn't want to, but I could stay behind and lead the hunt. We could stack a lot more if we went through the night and tomorrow. You would just have to find a way back."

"I appreciate it, but I don't want anymore mishaps. This is already too many."

Just like with her parents, they were figuring out how to fix problems she caused. Had she not bothered Elaine, the both of them wouldn't be in such awful conditions now. "This is my fault, I'll take the risk."

She didn't have coin on her, she could only promise payment after they reached the castle. She would definitely make sure they were well compensated, this town was very much out of the way, she was in a hurry, and needed transportation for at least three to four other people.

The stables, inn, and bunkhouse yielded no results. Everyone either couldn't help, or weren't the kind of company she wanted to chance. They were so off putting she didn't even get to disclose her identity. Even if she was desperate, she still had to be smart.

"Excuse me." An old man stepped out in front of her as she was exiting a bar. "I don't mean to be forward, but I believe I heard you say you were trying to get back to the castle?"

"Yes, me and my friends. My sister and squad leader are injured and we need to get them help in the royal city."

"Squad leader?" He looked her over. "Umgadi? I should consider it an honor to assist you brave young ladies back to the royal city then. If you'll allow me."

"You would? Thank you!"

"Meet me at the entrance when you're ready. I should be there shortly with my carriage."

"Thank you sir, thank you so much!"

Racing back to their cart, Mileena briefly explained her encounter and ushered them to where she'd been instructed to go. "Did he look trustworthy Mileena?"

"He looked like an old man. I don't know. He looked more trustworthy than everyone else I ran into."

"Even if he's not, she said he's old. We can take an old man Elaine." Leisa boasted.

"That's not the point. What was his name?"

"I didn't get it. He was eager to help us, he seemed to view Umgadi favorably. Isn't that good enough?"

"Let's hope so." Upon reaching their destination, Elaine straightened up to hide her limp.

The man pulled up with a very large cart that resembled a vendor's stall on wheels. Trinkets and vials decorated the outside.

"It should be big enough to accommodate you all fairly well. There's no room up here."

Elaine stepped forward and bowed. "Thank you elder. Could I have your name, so I can give proper thanks?"

"There's no need for that. I am but a humble traveler."

"Be that as it may, you are a blessing to us, our teachings instruct us to show gracious appreciation. I cannot express my gratitude properly without honoring you by name."

"Such a well mannered girl. Shang. Shang Tsung. She told me, there were injuries, do you need assistance getting in?"

"No, only our friend here is injured and unwell. We don't want to inconvenience you further. We will try not to be a bother. May the blessings of Delia be upon you." He smiled, then turned his attention ahead as they walked to the back. "There's an number of ways to get to the castle from here, but we took the most efficient one, so I imagine that's the one he'll take. I'll leave some kind of trail if I feel we're veering off that path."

Hiziza lied Kitana down on a little cot at the back of the carriage. "Do you want me to just come with you?"

"And leave those idiots alone? They probably don't even remember how to get back. No. You know what he looks like, where we're going, and maybe a name. It's something to go on. Besides, he is old, we should be able to keep things under control should he try something."

As they were all settled in, Elaine told Hiziza to tell the old man they were ready, then get back to the others while there was still light out.

Those first few turns of the wheel on that dirt road made them bounce around the back. Many things fell on the floor. Glasses, books, bowls, plates, clothes. Leisa thankfully held Kitana in place, leaving Elaine in Mileena's care.

Hearing her groan and cringe, Mileena offered to massage her leg again. She accepted with much reluctance.

"I'm sorry about all this."

"Hey Leisa, is she stable?" Leisa confirmed she was. "Keep watch on the road, make sure we're going the way we should." With Leisa's head out the window, and Kitana asleep, Elaine put an arm around her neck and drew her closer. "Stop apologizing. Our task is getting completed, your sister is going to get help." For the third time within 24 hours, Elaine's lips were on her skin. "You did good. I won't be able to call you princess for long, you're acting like a queen now."

They rode for so long they had to rotate shifts. So far, for nearly an entire day, he seemed to be keeping the route they took. Just as Elaine was going to suggest they all commit to resting, he turned off the path.

Darkness swallowed up those puny lanterns hanging on the outside of his cart. The three of them were all hanging their heads out the window, trying to figure out what he was doing. He was driving them into the woods.

"What do you think he's doing Elaine?"

"I don't know. Get the princess, we might have to jump."

When Leisa went to lift Kitana, Mileena noticed how much more pain she seemed in than before. "Wait. Let's just ask." She slapped the side of the cart like she did at home. "Sir Tsung, where are you going? The city is that way."

"Yes, I know. I'm sorry to need this break. These old bones can only endure so much. I tried to put it off as long as possible. The horses could use a good night's rest too. We've not much longer."

"He's just resting for the night." She whispered. "Thank you, my apologies."

"Why the woods? We could have pulled over on the side."

Mileena put her head back out the window. "Sir, why are we getting so far from the road though?"

"I frequent this path often, there's a place I call my own around here. An extra couple beds, I just thought it would be better for you."

Mileena smiled. "It's okay, see." She sighed. "Thank you again sir."

He led them to a stone tower, it had a water wheel, and chimney. Quite impressive to just be in the woods. "Please come in, make yourself at home."

There was a place for them to get clean, eat, and sleep. He said he was a chemist of the sort, he had a lab upstairs, he was going to spend the night up there.

"You can calm down now Elaine. We can practically see the castle from here, and he's been nothing but nice. Relax now, take it easy."

"I'll take it easy when I'm back in my own bed. Maybe you didn't pay attention during our lessons, but I did. Being Umgadi doesn't grant us the protections you think it does. Not everyone sees righteous warriors."

"Fine, Elaine. Before I'm sold to a whorehouse or butchered, I'm going to eat and bathe."

"She's right Elaine. Could I get Kitana cleaned first though? So she can rest. Then I'll help you."

"Of course. We'll check the food, and have something ready for her when she gets out."

In the bathroom, Mileena filled the tub with hot water. Each cry, whimper, stifled scream or yelp, broke her heart. Kitana shook in the tub like it was freezing.

"We're almost home. How do you feel?"

"The pain comes and goes with the chills. It makes it worse. My bones ache."

"I'm sorry."

"No I'm sorry." Her head lulled to the side, her tired eyes stared into the water. "I saw you two, in the carriage. I'm guessing, you spoke with her and things, went well? If it wasn't for me, you could,"

"Don't worry about that now." She lathered up the towel with soap and water. "Kitana, I admire your resolve. I don't doubt your ability, but seeing you like this. It hurts more than any wound. I don't ask you to rethink being my guard because I don't want you, I ask because seeing you hurt is far more painful."

"Stop being dramatic. I didn't even get hurt protecting you. Mileena, I'll be fine."

"You got hurt following me. If you had been home,"

"I fought a Tarkatan with you, and you praised me. I fall out of a tree and you're trying to relieve me of duty?"

"You didn't get this hurt when you were fighting the Tarkatan."

Kitana used her good arm to rub Mileena's head. "No headband?"

"She...she said it was neat."

"It is."

When she got out, Leisa went in. She and Elaine had been taste testing everything they planned to eat, so they were free to eat everything else, which was a couple fruits and a cup of water.

Leisa returned a couple minutes later, to which Elaine suggested Mileena take the next turn. Kitana was lying down in the next room with Leisa keeping watch. Their leader leaned in the doorway keeping an eye on both rooms.

In and out, Elaine was the last to go. For safety reasons, she declined their help, saying they needed to keep focus on Kitana. But Mileena trusted this man, he'd been nothing but helpful and kind. Maybe Elaine couldn't turn her paranoia off, that didn't mean Mileena had to let her foolishly worsen her condition. She could take the scolding. They were friends, she would forgive her, and all would be well.

Cracking the door just enough to peek through, she was given a lovely view of Elaine's bare back. Of all the things she worried would be affected by her confession, she was glad to know she could still look upon her in such a vulnerable state and not be robbed of her senses.

"Elaine, you need help. Please let me help you." She rush to put herself on the other side of the door to not let the warm air out.

Still taking her time, inching her way down into the water, Elaine tried to refuse. "I'm fine. I can move when I need to. I'm in no rush. I'm just being delicate with it. Go."

"If he really was a threat, how would you defend yourself? Don't be silly."

"I would, easily, even with my leg like this. If for some reason I couldn't, I'd do what I could to warn the rest of you. Hold him for as long as I could. Like Leisa said, you can see the castle from here."

"Why do you think we wouldn't help you?"

"Because you wouldn't. I order you not to."

"I wouldn't leave you. I did that before, and I'm still paying for it." A wave of hot water smacked her in the face.

"You better. Mileena, I don't know why you see me the way you do, but I'm an idiot. I say and do stupid things from time to time. That was one of them. I had no right to expect you to stay with me. You need to choose yourself and your sister, every time."

"No."

Sinking down in the steamy pool, Elaine sighed. "I ask, as a friend. As someone who cares about you. Not as your squad leader, or guard. As Elaine."

"That's not fair."

"Life's not fair."

"Fine. If there's no other way." Lathering up Elaine's towel, she reached in the water for her hand.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Helping you wash. I helped my sister. It's fine."

"I don't need help. Give me my towel. Get out."

Playfully, she scooted away from the tub. "You said it was alright, if I do things for you, because I like you. You wouldn't have said no before."

"I most certainly would have. I don't care if I'm missing both my arms, half my leg and one eye, I won't be bathed like a child. Give me my towel!"

"Only if you promise to call if you need help."

"I'd rather drown."

"You're...very immature Elaine." She laughed while tossing her the soapy cloth.

Not one to push her luck, she left her reddening friend to her bath. Kitana and Leisa were fast asleep. Upstairs she heard Shang moving around. Curiosity steered her toward the winding staircase.

This was a matter of safety after all, not snooping. It wasn't impolite, it was being aware.

Staying low on all fours, her gradual ascent continued until she could see the roof of the upper room. Books lined the walls. Candles everywhere, papers strewn about. It was rather messy for a chemist, but he was old, it was possibly difficult for him to stay on top of the cleaning.

Going higher, she scanned the room, seeing no sign of him. A strange absence, seeing as how she'd just heard him walking across the floor.

"Evening my dear, did you all need something? I assumed you were all fast asleep. You're so quiet." He came from the opposite side of the railing behind her. "Or were you just restless. Would you like to come up?"

"No, I'm so sorry sir, please forgive me. I shouldn't have been roaming."

"You're in a strange place, among unfamiliar company. I would be shocked if you didn't try to get a feel for your surroundings. Please, come up."

She knew she'd be in for quite the scolding when Elaine got out of the tub. Going with him was just prolonging the inevitable.

"Excuse the mess, it's hard for me to keep good housekeeping, I stay rather busy. Especially with the sudden outbreak of Tarkat, sweeping this side of Outworld. But I'm sure I don't have to tell you that. Umgadi are in constant contact with the dreadful creatures."

"You are involved in Tarkatan research?"

"Yes. It's why I'm on my way to the castle."

"Do you mind if I ask, what kind of work you do? Have you read the research submitted by Li Mei? She's very clever."

"I have. I find her to be, more knowledgeable than most, clever is putting it mildly." He walked her over to his desk, overflowing with scrolls. "It's a shame so much of her work can only really be called theories, since they can't be put to the test."

They were standing before a well detailed drawing of what looked like a dissected female suffering the late stages of the disease. Seeing small droplets of blood on the corner of the paper had her nervously tucking her hands in her vest.

"I would wager dried blood from a deceased specimen has a low probability of transmission. The exposure rate is rather small too."

"We don't really know how it's transferred though. Why some people get it right away and others, it takes months."

"True. Without knowing how to properly lower the risk of catching it, there's no way to safely study it. So we must depend on unfortunate infestations, and inferior testimonies."

"My apologies for my wandering girl." Elaine had somehow snuck up behind them. Just like before, she was putting a lot of stress on her leg to hide her gait. "Come, we must not take advantage of his hospitality."

"She is no bother. You are welcome to stay, and keep me company too if you'd like."

"You're, too kind. But I must insist, we have a lot to do when we return. Come." Mileena was snatched forward by her wrist, Elaine didn't follow immediately after. "I thank you again, sir Shang Tsung." Elaine joined her halfway down the stairs. She didn't speak until they were back in the room. "We're leaving in a couple hours. We're halfway there. Just a day on foot."

"Why?" Elaine guided her over to the bed, got in, then gestured for Mileena to lie down in front of her. They were both facing the only way into the room. To lie this way, Elaine had to be lying on her hurt leg. "What's going on? Turn over, you're hurting yourself."

"No." She whispered in her ear. "Keep your eyes on the door."

"Elaine this paranoia has to stop. We're nearly there. What could happen so close,"

"There was an Umgadi uniform under his table. Torn to shreds, covered in blood. I'd say we should leave right now, but if he frequents these parts as he says, I don't want to be out in the woods, at night with him. We leave before the first sign of light. We walk all day, we should reach the castle before tomorrow night."

"With your injury? Why not just take his cart?"

"I want to slip away quietly." She hissed. "Just get some rest. I'll wake you soon."

"I'll stay awake with you. You've been awake all day."

"The pain will keep me awake, you just go to sleep."

How did she honestly expect her to fall asleep, when this man could be a deranged murderer? "I want to go now Elaine. Let's go now."

"He's probably waiting for us now. If we give it a couple hours, he may decide to go to sleep himself. Trust me, alright? Now please, go to sleep."

Somehow, despite the adrenaline pumping through her veins, she found sleep. In that sleep, she saw their possible assailant, but younger. He was an old man, then in a burst of green light, he became young. He called out to her. And she came willingly. She had no fear of him, or the dark, decrepit place they were in. So many bodies. Moist, thick with the stench of misery. It felt like home. General Shao appeared, wearing different armor.

"Daughter." He'd called her. Then she heard Kitana scream.

"I have something for her, give me a moment."

The dream was breaking apart, light was pouring in. Blinking the sleep away, she could see the sun shining in the room next to them. Kitana and Leisa were on the floor. Kitana was screeching in pain, while Leisa was trying to pull her away. Shang was coming down the stairs with a fire poker and sickle.

All she could think to yell as she bolted across the floor was "Elaine!" Hopping over her sister and Leisa, she grabbed the nearest chair and swung it at Shang Tsung. She was right behind it with a mid waist tackle. When they hit the ground, his hair went one way, his beard went the other.

"Leisa, take her with you, get his cart ready, get it back to the road!" Elaine sprung forward, pushed Mileena to the side and hit him with another chair. It shattered on his raised arms.

"What's the meaning of this?"

He could have been just trying to get his bearings, he could have been reaching for a weapon, she didn't know, she wasn't going to wait around and find out. Elaine apparently had the same idea in mind as they both began pummeling him left and right. He wasn't the fragile old man they thought he was, they couldn't afford to let him get up.

They kept the beating going until he stopped moving, Elaine broke another chair over him for good measure. They didn't stay to admire their handy work for long, they had to hurry and catch their ride.

They caught up to Leisa in no time. She hadn't kept going like Elaine instructed. She was sitting in the middle of the road. After a very brief rundown of what had transpired, so she understood the severity of their situation, they were once again on their way.

"Kitana, are you alright? What happened? Why were you on the floor?"

"I collapsed on my way to the washroom. Leisa was helping me. He said he had something for the pain, he was going to make me something to take with it. Why did you attack him?"

"You didn't take anything did you?" She shook her head. "He wasn't who he said he was. It was dangerous."

"We'll be back in the castle walls by the afternoon. Try and get some sleep. The next time you wake up, you'll be home." Elaine stuck her head out the window. "Leisa are you good to get us there?"

"Yeah, sure. I got it."

"Good, good." And then she collapsed.

Everything that could be done was already being done. It would do no good to call for Leisa, she was already doing her part. The best she could do was straighten her out and try to make her as comfortable as possible.

As predicted, they reached the castle by late afternoon. A commotion wasn't raised, until they were inside the walls of their home. Mileena's frantic crying for medical aid surely didn't help, but she was overwhelmed and scared.

Apparently her parents were in a very important meeting. Knowing their daughters had come home, needing medical attention, and they couldn't promptly leave to check on them was bound to upset their mother. What was she going to say to them? What about the man in the woods? Even if they'd rightfully killed him, should she tell them? They'd never let her go out again. If they knew how Kitana injured herself, they'd never let her go out again. While she couldn't blame them, she could understand this time.

Once she came clean about everything, she was likely not going to see her squad for a long time, if ever. No way her mother wasn't going to lose it.

That meant, when Elaine woke up, Mileena wouldn't be there. She wouldn't be alone, but Mileena was once again leaving her like she promised she wouldn't.

She was already going to be in more trouble than one person ought to be capable of, what was one more thing.

As luck had it, the one person she trusted with such a task happened to be walking by. "Hold on a moment please Tanya."

"Yes, what is it princess?"

"Could you see to it, once Elaine is discharged, she's sent to my room? We have some things to discuss and I feel I won't be permitted in their quarters for a while, or out of my room. And she likely won't be able to come back here on her own."

"Your room? She needs to be in bed."

"I have a bed. Put her there, please."

She didn't very much appreciate Tanya's careless expressions, but she was happy she agreed to help. "I'll see what I can do."

Leisa agreed to sit outside the infirmary until she returned. Mileena told her of her plans with Elaine so she wouldn't worry. She volunteered to retrieve her when she was ready. They sat together for a couple hours until her mother and father showed up.

Kitana was in far better shape than she had been, she just didn't look it right now. Their worry and upset was fair given the circumstances.

"Mileena, are you injured?" Her mother stood above her, combing her fingers through her hair.

"No mother."

A subtle pop to the back of her head ignited a headache she didn't know she had. "Come, now."

The walk from that Tarkatan infested city, all the way back to the castle didn't feel as long as this walk. Her parents were silent, the halls were silent. The only noise she heard was the screaming in her own head. From the way they kept looking at her, she was sure they heard it too. Apologies were prepped and ready to go, but what were they for? Sorry for going without saying anything? Sorry for Kitana's condition? Sorry for nearly getting them murdered, on a completely separate situation. It was all her fault. Explaining how and why would land her in even more trouble. Not a drink in sight her mother was coming into this dry.

They were back in the meeting room, just staring at each other.

"Broken arm, and a fever." Her mother stared at the map on the table. "Should I be, happy it's just a broken arm and fever? Should I be upset you disappeared without telling me? Tell me Mileena, how should I feel? What should I be feeling right now?"

"You and father, already had so much to deal with. I wanted to get back to myself so I could help you better. I should have told you, but I didn't want to bother you."

"What happened?" Stopping and starting her sentence several times she chose to stay silent. "Before you even think of lying, just know I've already got a decent idea from Li Mei. I know where you've been and what you were supposed to be doing. If I have to draw my own conclusions you'll be lucky to see Umgadi in your dreams. What happened.?"

"I don't exactly know, we weren't together. She said she fell out of a tree."

"And how did that other girl get hurt?"

"She just, fell. She got a sprain."

Her father, of course from behind her mother, was giving her very sympathetic looks. "We should be relieved these are simple injuries. Kitana should have waited until she was stronger. She should know better."

"She follows behind her. She followed you into life. Are you trying to lead her into death?"

"Of course not! I told her she should seek other means of fulfillment. I can't stop her, anymore than you can stop,"

They locked eyes. "Do not test my abilities Mileena. Go to your room and stay there until I'm more relieved than angry to see you."

One hit, and a very light, almost nonexistent scolding, the blessings of Delia must have been upon her.

"I'll see she gets there." Her father was sweating buckets by time they left. "It took a lot of talking to get her that calm. I feel I owe you that much, since I insisted she go. So soon after you both return Mileena, really? Your mother and I are too old to suffer such heartaches on the regular."

"You two were so upset when we left. I didn't want to add to your stress. Fine job I've done of that, I know. But, her injuries, really weren't that bad right? The doctors said she was just still not over her cold? And her arm will heal correctly, won't it?"

"Thankfully. That fever though is dangerous. The body can't take such stress without recovery for long. It's not her I have to be strict on though. Kitana will do what she's told. I understand your convictions about the Umgadi, but, for now, let's give it a rest? I wish that chemist we sent for would hurry. We have much for him to do. He would have been a great help now."

Now was not the time.

Mere feet from her room, her legs turned to noodles. She hadn't had a full night's rest in days. Her body was aching, her head hurt, she was tense with worry. She was liable to pass out where she was and just accept it as a suitable stand in for a proper bed.

After opening the door to her room, her father paused. "Kitana?"

Using what little pep she had, she walked in beside him, expecting to see her sister. She knew who it was the moment she laid eyes on her. Her father had to walk all the way over to her bed and peer at the woman lying in it.

"Mileena...who is this? And why is she here?"

"That's my squad leader, Elaine." He looked up at her, even more perplexed. "I promised her I'd be there when she woke up."

"Mileena..."

"It's my fault she got injured. Because of me, she wasn't there to look after Kitana. The rest of our team is completing our task. A task we had to leave, because of me. Leisa will be busy taking care of Julie, she was hurt during the Tarkatan attack. I figured mother wouldn't let me return so soon. I just wanted to help out however I could until everyone came back. If she really can't stay, please convince mother to let me be with them, just for a couple days."

He came around the bed, planting himself in front of her. "Mileena, do you understand your position in this world? Outside these walls?"

"Yes. I am to be the next empress of Outworld. I know my place."

"These are not the actions of a future queen who knows her place. More like a child, who wasn't shown proper boundaries. I would hate to think your mother right about this. Have I ruined you?"

"I don't think honoring a promise I made to someone whose saved both my and Kitana's life, denotes ruin. I see reason and value in what you taught me, despite all that teaches against it."

"That warms me dearest." A kiss upon her cheek and he was at her door. "The moment they breach the main gate, she is to be gone."

"Of course, thank you father!"

Amazed, relieved, exhausted, guilt ridden. Every emotion she felt covered her like a weighted blanket. Her body turned to lead against her mattress. Had she not fallen facing Elaine, she wouldn't have had the strength to turn and look at her.

Straight out of a wish she'd only dare to have in her dreams, Elaine was there, resting soundly, in her bed. When she woke up, Mileena would be the first person she saw. She congratulated herself for taking this chance to right a wrong she never thought she could.

Who knows where their relationship would have been had she spent the night in the shack with her. She wasn't even sure what she wanted back then. Could be it just had to happen this way. That suited her just fine. She had everything she wanted. She gained it by the will of her own hands. This was a turning point in her life. The reigns weren't always hers to control yet, but when they were she was going to make every turn count.