An invitation to attend to.

It was late in the evening when Mileena descended the long stone staircase that led toward the palace dining hall. The torches mounted along the walls burned with a steady orange glow, casting dancing shadows along the ancient corridors of the fortress. The palace of the emperor was never truly quiet, yet tonight the halls felt unusually calm… almost peaceful.

Her steps were smooth and unhurried, confident strides that carried a natural rhythm to them. They were different from Kitana’s elegant and measured grace or Jade’s disciplined, almost silent footing. Mileena moved with a predator’s casual confidence; effortless and relaxed.

Yet despite the ease of her stride, her mind was anything but calm.

Normally she would have been enjoying herself. Teasing someone, provoking a reaction, playing the part she had perfected for years, the seductive temptress, the dangerous princess who smiled while sharpening her blades.

It was easy to play that role, too easy.

But doing it alone…? That was something else entirely.

Mileena exhaled quietly through her nose as she continued down the corridor.

She enjoyed flirting. She enjoyed teasing her enemies, confusing allies, watching people squirm beneath her playful provocations. It made her feel powerful, unpredictable… alive.

But if she acted like that all the time? People stopped seeing the woman behind the mask.

They stopped taking her seriously. They stopped respecting her.

And respect was something Mileena had fought her entire life to earn.

She had learned that lesson long ago.

No one would ever look at her the same way they looked at Kitana.

Kitana was everything a princess was supposed to be. Graceful, refined, magnificent. And beautiful.

Mileena possessed some of those same traits, they were twins after all, and their Edenian heritage was undeniable. But where Kitana radiated elegance, Mileena
carried something… sharper…Wilder.

Something imperfect.

Behind the porcelain mask she wore rested the truth she rarely allowed anyone to see, a truth that had marked her since birth.

She had never understood why fate had chosen her for such a cruel design.

Why she had inherited the monstrous blood of the Tarkatans, why her mouth and eyes bore the savage traits of a race she barely belonged to.

Sometimes… even their appetites.

Her expression darkened slightly.

After battle, when the adrenaline faded and the blood cooled, that primal hunger always left her feeling sick. Disgusted with herself.

The fury of Tarkatan instinct was a powerful weapon in combat.

But outside of battle? It only reminded her of what she was.

Different and broken.

She wore the mask most of the time. In court, in public and sometimes even around Kitana.

Only a handful of people truly didn’t care; Reptile didn’t, Baraka certainly didn’t.

But even among the Tarkatans she never truly fit.

She looked like them… but she had not been raised among them. She did not share their culture, their traditions, or their savage simplicity.

She was something else entirely.

An outsider among royalty.

An outsider among monsters.

Mileena clenched her fingers slightly.

An outcast in her own life…and that truth had haunted her for centuries.

Yet strangely… tonight the thing weighing on her mind the most wasn’t her appearance.

It was Kitana.

Her sister had been distant for weeks.

Cold, short with her words and avoiding her gaze.

At first Mileena assumed it was one of their usual disagreements, they had argued countless times before and always found their way back to one another.

But this time felt… different.

She frowned to herself. “Did I do something wrong?” she thought to herself.

Had she pushed one of her jokes too far?

Had she embarrassed her somehow?

Or worse… Did Kitana finally find her disgusting?

The thought twisted something painfully inside her chest.

She loved her sister. Despite everything people said, despite the whispers of courtiers who tried to pit them against one another, Kitana was still the person Mileena trusted most in the world.

They had grown up together, trained together even fought together.

And now Kitana looked at her like she looked at their father.

Like something foul… to be endured… to be hated.

The uncertainty gnawed at her.

That… more than anything else… hurt.

Her thoughts drifted again.

To Fenrir.

The strange Earthrealmer who had appeared out of nowhere and shattered the balance of Outworld in a single day.

At first, she had simply found him attractive.

And he was attractive, there was no denying that.

He was tall, strong and had beautiful facial featured despite his hardened look due to fighting.

He was confident in a way that did not rely on fear.

But the more she watched him, the more intrigued she became.

There was something different about him.

He listened, he actually listened.

When he spoke of ruling alongside them, it didn’t sound like manipulation or weakness.

It sounded… genuine.

A quiet strength lived inside him. A kind of power that did not demand obedience through cruelty like Shao Kahn had done.

And somehow that only made him more appealing…alluring.

But beneath that growing fascination lingered a quiet, terrible fear.

Because sooner or later…He would see her.

Not the mask, not the teasing princess.

The truth.

And when he did… he might look at her the same way everyone else eventually did.

Like a monster.

And that possibility felt like a **** sentence.

Still… she **** those thoughts aside as she reached the bottom of the staircase.

The large doors to the dining hall stood ahead and beside them waited Kitana and Jade.

Both women were dressed in formal evening attire rather than their usual combat uniforms. Elegant fabrics replaced their bodysuit, their posture dignified yet relaxed, Mileena herself had done the same.

Though she would never admit it aloud…She wanted to look beautiful tonight.

For him.

She straightened slightly before approaching them, slipping easily back into her usual confident demeanor.

“Greetings,” Mileena said smoothly, her voice carrying its familiar teasing charm.

Kitana merely glanced at her and gave a small nod. “For a moment we wondered if you intended to ignore the invitation,” Kitana said coolly.

Mileena arched a brow. “Why would I miss our dear husband’s invitation?” she replied playfully.

Kitana’s eyes immediately narrowed at the word husband.

Jade watched the two of them exchange looks and sighed in visible frustration.

“Oh, for the love of the Elder Gods…” she muttered before straightening.

“I cannot tolerate this any longer.”

Both sisters turned toward her in surprise.

Jade folded her arms firmly. “I held my tongue when I served you, Kitana,” she said calmly but firmly. “But since we are now… technically… equals, I will speak freely.”

Her gaze moved between them.

“What is wrong with you two? Why are you constantly at each other’s throats?”

Mileena crossed her arms. “Ask her,” she said bluntly. “She’s the one who’s been ignoring me for the past few weeks. And lately she’s been treating me even worse.”

Kitana’s eyes narrowed; she absolutely could not tell the truth here. Not now…Not like this.

So she chose the safest answer she could think of.

“I’m simply tired of your endless teasing… sister.”

The last word sounded awkward coming from her lips, almost ****.

Mileena raised a skeptical eyebrow. “I have always teased you,” she said. “Why is it suddenly a problem now?”

Jade placed a hand against her chest thoughtfully. “Forgive me for not supporting you this time, Kitana… but Mileena is correct.”

She gestured lightly toward her.

“She behaves this way with everyone.”

Kitana crossed her arms. “Perhaps she should start behaving like an adult.”

Mileena’s posture stiffened. “What does that mean?”

Kitana’s voice cooled noticeably.

“It means you continue acting like a child despite everything that has happened. I hoped that with Shao Kahn gone you might finally take things seriously.”

The insult hit harder than intended.

Mileena’s hand twitched slightly as anger flared through her chest.

“And what exactly do you think I’ve been doing all this time—”

The doors behind them suddenly opened, all three women turned.

Fenrir stood there in the doorway.

He still wore the same clothes as earlier, his black shirt and dark trousers, though his long coat was absent tonight and they looked cleaner now.

He leaned casually against the doorframe with an amused expression.

“I thought I heard voices out here,” he said with a warm grin.

“Looks like I was right.”

His eyes moved between the three women.

He didn’t need supernatural powers to see the tension hanging in the air.

Still smiling, he pushed himself away from the doorway and gestured toward the dining hall behind him.

“Come on,” he said lightly. “Stop bickering with each other and get inside before the food gets cold.”

He turned and walked back into the hall without another word.

The three women stood there for a moment in stunned silence.

Then they slowly looked at one another.

“Dinner…?” they said in unison, each voice carrying its own mixture of confusion and curiosity.

WN:(Ok so this chapter might feel shorter because it's the first part of what comes next... when I started writing this chapter I was like "Oh I'm using tops idk 5 word pages" ....I'm on 16 before the 2nd revision. So yeah I'm dividing it so reading doesn't feel like a chore for you all ;) )