A Family of Heroes

For the first time in so long, Atem and Mystery were able to return to Cats' Lair. When they were told that it had been quiet, they decided to stay with their friends for a few hours. While it had been several weeks here on Third Earth, only a few days had passed in Egypt. Still, the pharaoh and queen missed all of their friends. It was one thing having them come over to the palace as well as getting together in the Pure Valley, it was another visiting the ThunderCats in their own world.

Right now, the ThunderCats and the Children of Millennia were in the control center watching a recording of Atem and Mystery's wedding. Panthro managed to get the whole event recorded on a gadget he brought with him from Third Earth. He and the other ThunderCats agreed that the wedding was an event that should be remembered for future generations to look back on. In addition, this was also a treat for Bengali, Pumyra, and Lynx-O. Since they didn't get the chance to be part of the wedding, they could watch it. At least, the puma and the white tiger would be able to watch while Lynx-O would be able to hear.

Bengali thought it was a little boring at the part where Atem and Mystery exchanged their vows, but tears welled up in Pumyra's eyes. Snarf remembered how he cried tears of joy at the scene, especially when the pharaoh and queen kissed.

When it got to the celebration of everyone singing and dancing, that was when it got to be fun. Wilykit and Wilykat swayed in rhythm to the beat as they watched themselves dancing with Mana. Even Tygra, Panthro, and Lion-O patted their hands on their knees in tune to the music. When it got to the scene where Snarf and Joseph stumbled around and the blonde fell into the wine, everyone burst out laughing.

"Run that part again," Joseph said. "I like the part where I stumble and fall in the wine."

Bengali stopped laughing and said, "Oh, man, I wish I was there to have seen it." And he laughed again.

"That must have been the most comical part of the wedding," said Pumyra.

Freya laughed as well. "As funny as that was, I hope nothing like that happens in our wedding," she playfully teased to Joseph.

"Hey, the last thing I want to do is make a fool out of myself on our wedding," he said.

She giggled once more. "I'm teasing, Joseph. You know that. And while your clumsiness is a little embarrassing – and I mean that in a good way, it's also cute and one of the things I like about you because it makes me laugh."

He blushed in response. "That's some consolation, I guess."

"But Freya has a point," Panthro was saying. "Even on a special occasion, a little dose of comedy can be a good thing."

"You said it yourself that it was funny," Seto reminded him.

"It was," Joseph replied "I'm just glad I didn't get drunk that time." He looked at the panther. "Panthro, on mine and Freya's wedding day, will you promise to record the whole thing like you did for the pharaoh and queen?"

"Of course, Joseph," he answered.

The queen yawned. Her husband helped her up. "I think it's time this little one and I got to sleep."

"Good night, everyone," said Atem. "We'll see you all in the morning." And they head to their bedroom.

The queen seated herself at the bed as she removed her shoes. "Just less than two months," she said to herself.

"I know," Atem said. "Our friends are excited just as you and I are." They laid down on the bed together. They looked at each other lovingly before closing their eyes and falling asleep.

Everyone else was still upstairs. "Are we doing the right thing having Queen Mystery over here; especially in her state?" Cheetara asked. "She's coming far along."

"She still has less than two months," said Tygra. "I would hate to imagine her going into premature labor."

"That's not the only thing to worry about," said Panthro. "If Mumm-Ra, the mutants, and the Lunataks were to find out-,"

"I know," Lion-O interrupted. "But I don't want to think about that. At first light tomorrow, we'll escort Atem and Mystery home."

Seto agreed. "It would be best not to speak of the queen's condition as well," he advised his friends. "Somehow those blasted mutants have eyes and ears everywhere."

"We've been safe about it up to now," said Mana, "but we can't be too careful."

Bengali noticed that Seto looked more tense about it than the others. The white tiger decided to talk to the brunette. "Seto, are you worried for Atem and Mystery?"

"Yes, Bengali," he answered without hesitation. "They mean the world to me. They're my family; especially the pharaoh."

"There have been times when I've heard you call Atem your brother," the white tiger recalled. "Are you really?"

Seto was silent for a second before answering. "Yes and no," he replied. "We are brothers, but not by blood; only in our hearts."

"Seto lost his family when he was young and moved into the palace after that," Tygra explained. "When he and Atem met, they hit it off right away as though they had always been best friends."

"It's true," Seto admitted. "We were always challenging each other to be our best, helping one another when times were hard and encouraging each other to never give up. In many ways, Atem brought out the best in me and I did the same for him. We both wanted to be the best we could be for each other. I even felt as though he understood me in ways no one else did. He knew what I needed when I was sad or upset, he knew how to make me smile, and when I saw him succeed at something, I always felt proud of him like an older brother."

"I've seen that brotherly affection for myself a few times," said Tygra.

"We've seen a lot of it too when we were growing up," said Mahad.

Bengali smiled and asked Seto, "So does that mean you're going to be an uncle to Atem and Mystery's child?"

"Not just me," Seto answered. "Joseph and Mahad will be too. They are part of the family too."

"It's exciting, thinking about it," said the blonde.

"I wouldn't mind, though I already am a sacred guardian," Mahad pointed out. As a member of the royal court, he was a protector to the royal family. So was Seto and so were the rest of the members of the royal court.

Kisara spoke up. "A lot of people would always think Queen Mystery and I were twins because we looked identical, but we had to keep telling them they were wrong. I'm much older than her and our eyes are different. Her eyes express a loving innocence while mine express a shyness guarding many secrets. And her hair is much longer than mine."

"I've noticed it too," said Pumyra. "Despite how similar you girls look, there are some key differences."

Bengali thought of something. "You know, Kisara, if you were a Thunderian like us, I bet you could be a white tiger like me."

"Then we'd be like brother and sister," she stated, and they both laughed. "I like the idea, though. I never had a brother."

"Well, I never had a sister," Bengali returned. "And if Lynx-O and Freya can be like grandparent and grandchild, why can't we be like brother and sister?"

"Why not?" Kisara asked in agreement. Everyone else seemed to agree. Bengali and Kisara did seem to be alike in many ways. They were beings of two different worlds with similar physical colorings. They could also be fierce in their own way. Naturally for Bengali, given he was a tiger, and as for Kisara, she could be fierce too; especially when protecting someone she loved.

"It seems as though we've all found family within each other," Lynx-O was saying. "It doesn't matter that we come from different worlds. What matters is the bonds we share with one another."

"I believe that this is the way it's meant to be," said Lion-O. "As we all know, the Great Goddess Millennia wanted her chosen warriors to come to our world and meet all of us. She also wanted us all to be friends and allies."

Seto agreed. "Yes, Millennia knew that each one of us would carry a missing part one of us or all of us needed to help each other. And by looking at the way we are now, I'd say we've all found it." And they all agreed. "Mana has a close friendship with Wilykat and Wilykit, Freya found a grandfather figure in Lynx-O, and now Bengali and Kisara have become brother and sister to each other. But no matter what kind of relationship we have, we are all part of the same family and united by love and friendship."

"Hear, hear," Lion-O cheered, and everyone else chattered in agreement as well.

Together, they all cheer, "ThunderCats, Children of Millennia, ho!"