Empress Khione: Her Revenge

The Plan

Khione spent the next couple of days practicing her instrument and impatiently waiting for her friend's arrival. Once the fourth day arrived, she was beginning to lose hope. She was almost convinced that the princess was playing games with her again. 

But before she could ask, the princess spoke, "He left two nights ago. He'll be here by the end of the day." 

"How do you know that?" Khione curiously asked. She knew that the princess of the foxes had numerous powers however, she also knew things that were impossible to know unless she had been told first hand. There was just no way for her to know when Jassper left nor when he'll arrive without speaking to him yet the princess somehow was aware of even that. 

"I'm a dream walker." 

"A what?" 

"A dream walker," the princess repeated slowly, as if Khione was deaf. She did not bother to further explain causing Khione to sigh. 

"What is a dream walker?" she asked, urging the princess to speak. 

"It's literally what it sounds like," she began. "I can enter someone's dreams and communicate with them." 

"How?" Khione gasped in awe. There really was so much she didn't know about the creature before her.

"I'm a spirit that specialises in mind control," Princess Electra sighed, "there's very little I actually can't do." 

When Khione continued to stare at her expectantly, the princess forced the words out, almost looking uncomfortable.

"One of the branching powers of mind control is dream walking. I just need something that belongs to the person and I can enter their dreams and hold conversations with them as if they were actually with me. Of course, there are some side effects, but I have mastered it so it's easy to avoid the dangers." 

The princess pointed to the jacket Jassper had given Khione on the night she was banished from the pack. She had been using his jacket as a passage way to enter his dreams. 

"What type of side effects?" Khione curiously asked. 

"As you know," Princess Electra began, "Fox spirits are evil by nature so our magic is dark magic and usually used to harm others. My ancestors fed on their prey using dream walking. They would enter their dreams and suck their souls. If the person falls victim to a fox spirit in their dreams, they'll never wake up again. If they manage to wake up mid feeding, they lose their heads and go crazy. Every time I enter someone's dreams, my fox assumes it's time for a feeding but since I have years of experience, I am able to stop her before any harm is done."

"Did you enter Jassper's dreams knowing you could have caused him serious harm," Khione asked, feeling anger bubble up in her veins. 

"I entered his dreams knowing no harm would be brought onto him," the princess told the red face girl. 

Khione didn't have time to blow her anger in the princess's face because she suddenly heard footsteps nearing, causing her feelings to diminish entirely. 

She all but ran towards the opening to see if it was her friend and a smile instantaneously grew on her features when her eyes landed on the lanky black haired boy. Just as his illusion, he glared at the ground as if it had committed some sort of grave sin. A chuckle escaped Khione's mouth as she watched him stomp closer and closer and once he was at a close enough distance, she ran towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

A surprised shriek escaped Jassper's mouth, he had no idea where his friend popped out of. He gently pulled back and took a steady step back before he hesitantly poked Khione's shoulder. 

"What are you doing?"

"Making sure you're real," he answered, causing Khione to chuckle. He had clearly done his research on Princess Electra and was aware of her powers. A large smile suddenly adorned his cheeks before he pulled his friend in for another hug, "I missed you!" 

Once they had finished holding each other, they pulled back and stared into each other's eyes. Khione felt that had her situation been any normal separation, then it would probably be the perfect time to ask Jassper how everyone was. However, considering her circumstances, she couldn't care less about their well-being. She just hoped they were alive to see her reign. 

And although Jassper was the type that loved to gossip, he knew when it was and wasn't appropriate to do so and he was very well aware that those back at the Blue Valley Pack did not deserve Khione's consideration. 

"So," Jassper began, slightly trailing off as his eyes landed on the mountain behind his friend, "you have been living in a cave this whole time?" 

"Mountain," Khione corrected with a chuckle, "and it's actually not as bad as it sounds."

"It's literally a prison for a psycho fox," Jassper said flabbergasted, as he began to make his way into the cave. "It prob–"

The words died in his mouth the moment he entered. "No freaking way!" 

Khione couldn't help but laugh at his reaction. She had to admit though, she too had a similar reaction the first time she saw it. 

When one thinks of the words prison and cave, they don't have anything positive in mind. When they think of the two as a permanent living area, one would assume dark walls, limited light and possibly lots of cobwebs.  However, the fox princess's cave was quite literally the opposite. She had furniture, she had utility rooms and she had furniture. It wasn't anything luxurious but it looked like the country-side houses people dreamed of owning. It was simple but natural and comfortable. And the candle lighting gave it a very warm aura that Khione had grown to love. 

Jassper looked like he was going to say something more on the interior but Princess Electra suddenly showed up in front of him, causing his face to sour. 

"We finally meet in person," he spat out, the look on his face only darkening further the closer she walked to him. 

The look on the princess's face wasn't any kinder. 

"Yes, finally," she responded, the emphasis in her words proving there to be some sort of hidden meaning that Khione didn't understand. 

"You guys don't like each other," Khione pointed out the obvious.  

"We both deal with alchemy," Jassper responded, his eyes not leaving the princess's for even a second, "there's bound to be friction." 

"Since the beginning of time, human alchemists have hated any non-human creature that deals with magic," the princess added with a scowl. 

"Because most of them use it for evil," Jassper said matter-of-factly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "We use magic for harmony and peace but you use it to hurt people. You can't possibly expect us to support you."

Khione had to admit, Jassper was a brave one. Had she been in his position, she would never be able to speak up to an evil being like that yet here he was, a mere human doing just that. 

The princess looked annoyed and Khione knew that if she didn't divert the conversation soon, a fight would most probably break out between the two. 

"So you know everything that I have been through the past year, right?" she asked her friend. 

Finally, Jassper's eyes moved away from the princess and on to Khione.

"Yes, the princess so kindly explained to me that you died and went through torture in order to obtain her evil magic," he said hotly. 

"That's one way to put it," Khione said underneath her breath. She went through hell and back the past year yet Jassper manage to explain it all in one single sentence. Something about it was really funny to her. 

"Great," she added, "then what's our next move?" 

She didn't want to give the two any chance of starting a fight and their future plan seemed to be the only way to keep the two from going at each other's throats. 

Both Khione and Jassper looked at the princess expectantly. From the beginning, she had always been the mastermind behind all their ideas and the two were too naive and did not have enough knowledge on the royals to plan anything themselves.

"In two days, you will enter the mating ceremony as Khione from the Mountain Gale Pack," the princess began. "You will join as the Alpha's granddaughter and since you are related by blood to the Alpha, you will not have to worry about any of the consequences of being caught."

"What if there is someone from the Blue Valley Pack in attendance?" Khione asked. Surely they would recognise her.

The princess turned to Jassper who immediately said, "The Blue Valley pack is not entering the ceremony this year. You don't have to worry about anyone recognising you."

"If they do though, you have disassociated from the pack for over a year now. It is only natural for you to join a new pack," the princess added. "The Mountain Gale pack keeps to themselves so you won't see any of their pack members in the royal court. You don't have to worry about anyone exposing you. And even if they do, you really are related to Alpha Gideon so there is no lie there." 

"Jassper will act as your guardian. You know how to fight, correct?" 

"I spent the past year training," Jassper responded. "I won't be great against someone experienced but I can definitely hold my own against newbies."

"I'll train you in your dreams once you enter the palace," the princess said with a soft sigh. 

Jassper looked uncomfortable by her words but did not comment on it. 

"Once you enter, you will go through some tests. They only want the best of the best so there will be some knowledge tests and then there will be a physical test. If you pass both of the tests, you will show your performance. The performance is the most important part of the ceremony. If you want the Prince's heart, you need to excel in it." 

Khione nodded in response, knowing all too well the importance of the bamboo flute to the Prince. And although she had a little over a week to practice, she was confident that she had mastered the instrument and would be able to capture the prince's heart. 

"And what happens after I enter the royal court?" Khione asked. She knew what she needed to do up until the end of the ceremony, however, she was not told a single word on what to do afterwards.

"After you enter, you will rely on your own skills and instincts to become the Empress you dream of being."

It took a moment for the words to settle in Khione's brain because of how absurd they sounded. Princess Electra had been guiding her from the moment she entered the mountain yet now she was expecting her to act on her own without her guidance? It simply did not make sense. 

"Do you want to become a puppet queen or a self-made queen?" the princess asked Khione with a disapproving look on her face. "If I guide you all the way to the top, you will be nothing but my puppet. You have overcome some of the most impossible tasks up until this moment. I have no doubts that you will be able to climb to the top of the chain using your own skills. I trust that you can." 

Khione felt honoured that the princess thought so highly of her and she understood where she was coming from, however, Khione had never actually done anything on her own accord before. And she was still young and ignorant, she was bound to make mistakes. However, she also knew that by reaching the top on her own she would feel prouder of her accomplishments. 

The princess was right, Khione abhorred the idea of becoming someone's puppet. She had already achieved so much. What couldn't she achieve if she put her mind to it? 

"Will you at least help me when I need you?" Khione hopefully asked. 

"I will check in on you every so often." 

Considering the princess could not leave the mountain, Khione assumed she would also be visiting her dreams. She felt slightly uncomfortable by the idea, but she was also happy to accept it if it meant being able to see the princess again. 

"When will we leave?" Jassper asked, finally speaking again.

"The ceremony is in two days," the princess notified them. "You will leave tomorrow morning."