Request for Sindel gushing over cute Kitana and Jade moments.
Eek, I’m so sorry for the late response! But yay, here is the story at last (I think we need more fics centred around Mom!Sindel and the girls). Thanks for your patience, and I hope you’ll enjoy it! ^3^
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By the Elder Gods, where have those girls gotten to?
Sindel’s mouth resembled a crescent moon lying on its side as she glided through the palace corridor towards her quarters. Indeed, the rest of her features were also contorted with confusion – her eyes were creased at the edges, and her neat brows were so furrowed that they looked like a single dark line. A mute sigh ushered past her pursed lips.
It is not like Kitana and Jade to go gallivanting at the expense of missing lunch – little though they are, they both have the appetite of a Shokan and Tarkatan combined.
I just hope they are not getting into any mischief. Every time Jerrod and I visit Raiden at the Sky Temple, we still find ourselves apologising for the loss of his staff and for the damage done to Fujin’s wind chime collection.
Reaching the door of her quarters, the Edenian sovereign had just about wrapped her hand around the carved handle when she paused. Leaning forward, almost pressing her ear against the gilded surface, she could hear voices from within.
“– another slice of cake –”
“– at the ball tonight –”
Sindel’s iridescent globes narrowed.
Aha. So this is where they are hiding. But why here?
Straightening her posture, Sindel tugged on the handle and pushed the door open. Taking a few steps to cross the threshold into her quarters, she paused when her gaze fell upon the extraordinary scene before her.
Sitting in the middle of the room at a small, square table that barely reached below Sindel’s knees were two young girls – one fair, one dark, and both as impish in appearance as children can get. What caught the older woman’s attention, however, was the fact that they were wearing oversized dresses – one purple, the other red – over their tiny frames, while the entirety of their wee feet was practically swimming in black, adult-sized court shoes. Large necklaces, bracelets and rings of all shades and metals adorned their little limbs.
Even their faces surprised Sindel, for they were messily painted with a variety of colours. One’s chubby countenance was smeared with dark lipstick, bright blue eyeshadow, and crimson blush; the other’s plump visage opted for red gloss, grey eyeliner, and gold highlighter, albeit also applied in a chaotic manner.
Taking in their vivid appearances, Sindel’s eyes wandered to the door of her walk-in wardrobe, which stood wide open. Then, she directed her attention to the vanity table, upon which various cosmetic items lay scattered here and there. One of her jewellery boxes was virtually emptied of its contents.
With a slightly parted mouth, Sindel turned back to look at the girls, who seemed to be having a tea party of sorts – porcelain teacups, saucers, cutlery, and plates piled high with slices of white velvet cake were arranged on a linen tablecloth.
Still, that did not stop the sovereign from asking in a stern voice: “Kitana, Jade, what in the blessed name of the Elder Gods is going on?”
The one girl looked up with an upturned nose. She puffed out her chest, making the sapphire necklace that hung in front jangle loudly.
“Don’t you know who we are, Mummy?” she replied, her high-pitched voice taking on a haughty note. “We’re the queens of Edenia!”
Sindel tilted her head. “Queens?”
Jade nodded eagerly, the glow of her eyes matching that of the precious stones encircling her fingers. “I wanted to be the queen by myself, but so did Kitana, and she said that she’d never be friends with me again unless she was the queen, too. So now we’re both queens!”
“Is that why you and Jade are wearing Mummy’s best clothes and jewellery, Kitana?” the real queen asked her daughter with crossed arms.
“Yes, Mummy. We didn’t have any queenie-looking clothes of our own, so we decided to wear yours. I wanted to wear your crown, too, but Jade said it would pull out all my hair if I tried to take it off.”
Jade giggled. “It’s so much fun being a queen. You get to wear nice clothes and have tea parties all the time.”
“We’re going to eat cake every day and go to balls every night,” added Kitana, “and dance with all the big, important grown-ups – just like you, Mummy! Do you think they’ll give us lots of presents, too?”
“Ooh, I want lots of presents as well!” squealed Jade, clapping her bangled hands together.
Sindel had to chuckle. Letting her arms fall to her sides, she replied, “There is much more to being a queen than just balls and tea parties, girls. You have to do a lot of work.”
Kitana pouted. “Boring, boring, boring! I don’t want to do work when I’m the queen.”
“You will have to, darling,” her mother responded. “That goes for you as well, Jade – being a queen comes with a huge responsibility. There are a lot of people in Edenia who are counting on you to look after them, and you have to make sure that those important grown-ups you were talking about are also kept happy and are doing their duties. If not … well, you won’t have time to enjoy eating cake.”
“Awww.” Kitana and Jade’s faces drooped at this, making their make-up even more comical. Chuckling again, Sindel walked over to the table, went down on her knees between the girls, and touched their shoulders, rubbing them gently.
“Do not fret, my darlings,” she murmured, smiling. “Take each day in your stride, and when the time comes, you two will be ready to be queens. In fact, I think you look like queens already.”
The girls cheered up instantly. “Really?”
“Really. And very beautiful queens, at that. No other queen – or king, for that matter – could compare to you. And, when you two are all done with helping Edenia, you can have all the cake and balls you want.”
“Yay, I can’t wait!” Kitana cried, hugging her mother.
Jade joined in on the hug, saying, “We’re going to help lots of people, we promise – and we’ll invite them to our tea parties.”
The girls released their grip, leaving different shades of make-up smeared on each side of Sindel’s face. Edenia’s monarch did not let this faze her, though – her smile simply brightened as she beamed at Kitana and Jade.
“Such good girls,” she said. “Now, before we clean up and go to the Sky Temple for tea with Raiden later this afternoon, may I join Your Majesties for some cake?”
Kitana and Jade looked at each other before nodding at the same time.
“Yes, you may,” they answered.
“And, as queens of Edenia, you will say sorry to Raiden and Fujin for what you did at the temple not too long ago?”
“Yes, we promise that we will.”
Sindel bowed her head at them. As she waited for them to serve her with cake, she had to admit that Kitana and Jade were cute, trying to act and look so grown up. She could hardly stay mad at them.
Let’s just hope that they keep up their, heh, queenly behaviour at the Sky Temple.
Still, Sindel knew within her heart that there will come a time when these two young girls would mature into strong, reliable women, on whom her subjects could readily depend should one or the other – or both – rise to the throne of Edenia. By building upon their budding smarts, decorum and kombat abilities, she knew they could (No, would) become something great.
Yet as she watched Kitana and Jade clinking their miniature teacups together, their light laughter ringing around her quarters like the sound of chimes being carried on a breeze, Sindel knew one other thing:
That for the rest of her life, she was going to wish they would remain little forever.