Royal End

Chapter 1

Everything happened so fast. The fighting. The voices. The desperation that she felt as she tried to release her father from the skeletal hands of Shinnok's magic, pleading for his release. Pure determination flowed through her blood as she and Cassie dealt the final blow to the former Elder God. Fear quickly replaced it as the Jinsei was cleansed of the evil that Shinnok bestowed.

The young princess felt so helpless. Seeing what her father has done to save Earthrealm, she was still not strong enough. Trying to hold back her tears, she sat next to his slumped body, holding his hand as she prayed for him to awaken, a bright blue aura surrounded her hands. Maybe, just maybe she had enough energy to heal him. She had to try. It has to work.

She found it difficult to look at him; she didn't know why. The wounds that littered the Elder God's physical form left a sting in her heart. She lifted her free hand over one of the bruises, focusing her power on it as it slowly but surely began to shrink.

"Please...you must wake up," she whispered, hoping that he could hear her.

There was a slight twitch from his fingers. A sign that he was still holding on.

"You can't leave me alone, Father."

~•~

The calming winds blew gently through the young girl's snow-white hair as she stood at the edge of the Sky Temple, curiously looking down at the world below her. After Shinnok's defeat, Earthrealm seem to be healing again; the air was fresh and safe enough to breathe, in her opinion. Even though many lives were lost, she hoped things would return to normal. But why does it still feel wrong?

Alina sighed as she followed the trail leading her to the Jinsei. As she neared the entrance, she didn't expect to see anyone there, maybe except Fujin as he took it upon himself to guard it while her father was away, but this was quite a surprise. Laying on one of the steps was an old friend of hers...or partner as they established and to her relief, he was not injured in any shape or form. Instead, she can hear his light breathing as she walked closer to him, kneeling down in front of him after registering that he was sleeping.

"Ash? Wake up."

Her voice was gentle as she nudged him awake. It took him a moment to process where he was and once he noticed her presence, he yawned. "Oh, Princess. Did I fall asleep? How rude of me."

"You don't have to call me that, you know."

"I know. It just sounds nice. It fits you."

She chuckles softly as she helps her friend off the ground. She definitely didn't feel like royalty of any kind, even if her father is the God of Thunder and protector of Earthrealm. "What are you doing here? I thought you would be with the others."

"I came to visit you, obviously," he replied, still holding onto her hand. "How have you been? Where is Lord Raiden?"

"He's in the Netherrealm. He wanted to leave a warning to Liu Kang and Kitana." She shivered a bit. Raiden was so much different after he saved Earthrealm from Shinnok's corruption. "I worry about him, Ash. I can't believe I'm saying this, but he scares me."

"You're worried that he might be a danger, right?"

The young princess nodded.

"I'll be honest, I'm worried about him too, but I wouldn't worry too much. He's still doing his best to protect Earthrealm."

"I know, Ash, I just...I get a little overly stressed about things. It's still something I work on," she admitted, raking her fingers through her hair.

"Hey, look at me," Ash said, waiting patiently for her to do what was asked. She did so and he could see the worry on her face as he brought a hand to her cheek. "I can't guarantee that everything will be okay, but I will promise you this, as your partner, I will protect you should you need me. You know how to contact me, yes?"