The Kingdom of the Sun

Chapter Ten - Bittersweet Wedding

Pacha walked up to the assistant, sighing. "I want you to do me a favor."

"Oh, yes. And what would that be, my lord?"

"I want you to reschedule the wedding to... uh, a few hours."

"But my lord, we've still got a lot to prepare. Decorations, hiring musicians, inviting gue-" Pacha cut the assistant off.

"Yes, I know. But I'm afraid we don't have much time left."

"What are you talking about, sir?"

"The world... it looks like it's coming to an end. Everything is so dark. There hasn't been a ray of sunlight in hours. The plants are beginning to die."

"Well, I'm sure it's temporary."

"What if it isn't? With no sunlight, every crop will fail. Every herd will die from starvation eventually. There is no hope. There's nothing left..."

Hucua overheard the two from a distance, groaning. He waited for the assistant to leave and proceeded to walk up to Pacha. Pacha sighed, glancing at the talisman.

"Hello, Hucua. What is it?"

Hucua jumped up to Pacha, hanging by his collar. He began to address the boy with a glare on his face.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?! YOU'RE A LLAMA HERDER, A NOBODY! YOU CAN'T JUST REWRITE THE RULES!"

Pacha gulped. "I'm sorry, Hucua. But I really do fear the worst."

"It doesn't matter, boy! You don't have the authority to change the wedding date. You're not even Manco! You don't deserve to wear his crown and sit on his throne! I'll tell everyone in the palace about you! Then they can lynch you, let you die already!"

"...Fine, then."

"What...? You're... you're content with execution? I don't understand."

"Yes, I am. Nothing matters, now. We're all going to die soon."

Hucua gasped.

"Then... you know about our plan. You know about Supay."

"What? You mean you were involved with blocking out the sun? What's wrong with you? Now the earth is set to die because of you! You little-"

"Emperor Manco? Nina is waiting for you at the altar."

"Just a minute!" Pacha sighed, falling to the floor. "I can't believe this. Why would you summon the god of death? Don't you realize that your fate will be no less terrible than ours?"

"It wasn't my plan, foolish brat. Yzma was the one who came up with it. She longed to regain her youthful looks. However... the sun stripped it away from her, so she summoned Supay to block out the sun for eternity."

"Well, that's... that's just stupid! She'd eventually die like the rest of us! Ugh, nevermind. I might as well get married already." Pacha walked out of the room and into the altar. He had a gloomy look on his face as he walked up to his bride. Nina looked concerned.

"Manco, what's wrong?"

"...Nothing."

The priest cleared his throat, walking up to the stand. He began to talk.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness these to young lovers be wed in unity and holy matrimony." He turned to Pacha. "Emperor Manco, do you take Nina as your lawfully wedded wife, til death do you part?"

"...I do."

He nodded and turned to Nina. "Lady Nina, do you take Manco as your lawfully wedded husband, til death do you part?"

"I do."

"Then I pronounce you husband and wife. Emperor, you may now kiss the bride."

Pacha sighed and kissed Nina for a few seconds. He broke the kiss and the wedding reception began. He sighed again, going to sulk in a corner. Nina approached him.

"What's wrong, Manco? We're married, now. There's nothing to be sad about. Forget the sky, it'll return to normal in no time."

"What if it doesn't? Everything will eventually die, including this whole planet. That's what concerns me, Nina. How can I possibly be happy?"

"I'm... not sure."

"Exactly. All this because Yzma summoned the god of death."

"Wait a minute, Yzma did this? No wonder! Manco, we have to stop her! You know where her lab is, right?"

"Uh..."

Nina sighed. "Thought so. I'll show you the way, come on! We can find a cure... I think." Nina grabbed Pacha by the arm and began to run toward Yzma's "secret" laboratory. After making in past the entrance, they began to search the lab in panic. "Come on, come on! There has to be a vial for it!" After almost an hour of searching, the two decided to give up. Pacha placed his hands on his face. "Why did we even bother? Why?"

The ground began to shake a little. Nina sighed. Suddenly, she glanced toward a dagger placed upon a counter; this gave her an idea.

"...We have to kill her."

Pacha's eyes widened. "What? Are you insane? What makes you think that will work out? You're crazy!"

"Maybe I am, but it's the only other solution I can think of. I'm going to find her right now." She sprinted out of the lab. Pacha shook his head. "I just hope she knows what she's doing..." He said to himself.