The return home.

Chapter 16: Out of the shadows Pt 1.

Jade descended the palace stairs with swift, controlled grace, one hand lightly grazing the polished stone rail as she moved. Her pace was brisk, but never careless; even in motion, she carried herself like a blade kept perfectly sheathed. By the time she reached the lower hall, she had already caught sight of the two riders entering through the open archway beyond the courtyard.

Her expression softened at once. A smile spread across her face so naturally that it seemed almost to light the stone around her. “I was beginning to wonder when you two would finally return.”

Fenrir looked up first, one hand already raised in greeting as the guards guided the horses toward the stable wing.

“The same could be said of you,” he said, a grin tugging at his mouth. He glanced around the palace entrance with open appreciation. “Here I was, thinking I was riding back into my beautiful palace.”

Kitana’s head tilted faintly at that; the motion was small but unmistakably sceptical.

The word still sat strangely in the air, as if the palace itself had not yet fully shed the shadow of Shao Kahn’s rule.

Fenrir noticed the look and gave a faint snort. “All right, all right. Maybe it still needs a bit of work. But I meant what I said.”

His attention returned to Jade, and his smile warmed. “And I was also wondering where my beautiful Edenian wife had gone.”

Jade’s face brightened even further at the words.

She looked different from the way she had the last time he and Kitana had seen her. Not merely dressed differently, but transformed more subtly. She wore a custom-made royal gown that seemed to have been designed with her in mind from the first stitch. Dark jade silk flowed over her frame in elegant folds, trimmed with black and threaded through with fine gold accents that caught the light whenever she moved. It was unmistakably ceremonial, but it did not diminish her natural poise. If anything, it enhanced it.

She looked regal. She looked like she belonged there.

Kitana, seeing her in it, felt a quiet surge of approval. Jade had always been beautiful, but this was something else; less warrior, more queen, and all the more striking for it.

All thanks, Kitana thought, to the man they were now sharing.

Jade folded her hands lightly at her waist, trying and failing to hide the pleased glimmer in her eyes. “As soon as I saw you two at a distance, I came down at once.”
Her tone was teasing, but there was unmistakable affection beneath it. She had missed them. That much was plain.

Fenrir did not waste a second. He took a step closer, then another, until the space between them vanished.

“Well then,” he murmured, lowering his voice with theatrical seriousness, “I suppose I should reward such devotion.”

Before Jade could answer, he kissed her.

It was not a timid greeting. It was warm, immediate, and full of the easy familiarity that had begun to define the three of them. Jade melted into it at once, one hand slipping to his shoulder as she kissed him back with no hesitation at all.

For a few heartbeats, the rest of the palace disappeared.

Then Jade’s eyes snapped open. She broke the kiss abruptly and turned toward Kitana with a look of rising horror. “Fenrir!”

He blinked, fully innocent in the way only a guilty man could be. “What?”

Jade’s cheeks flushed in a way that made her look far more flustered than she would have preferred. “I was not going to tell you like this!” She gave him a sharp punch to the stomach, not enough to truly hurt him, but enough to fold him forward with a startled groan. “You absolute fool. You cannot keep your hands to yourself for five seconds.”

Kitana laughed under her breath, openly amused now.

Fenrir clutched his midsection and shot her a wounded look. “That was rude.”

Jade pointed at him with an offended, blushing glare. “That was deserved.”

Kitana stepped in before either of them could escalate any further. Moving with graceful certainty, she crossed the last bit of distance and steadied Fenrir by the arm as he straightened with a low breath. Then, without hesitation, she lifted her hand to his cheek, guiding his face toward hers.

Jade froze.

Kitana kissed him with the same calm confidence she brought to the throne room, only here it was warmer, more personal, and far less restrained. It was the kiss of someone deciding in real time.

When she finally drew back, Jade could only stare. Kitana turned toward her best friend and offered a small, knowing smile, the faintest trace of mischief in her eyes.
“We have quite a great deal to discuss.”

The three of them made their way through the palace halls together, with Fenrir walking slightly ahead and the two queens flanking him by instinct more than design. Servants bowed as they passed. Guards straightened and saluted. The inner court acknowledged them with quiet reverence.

One thing, however, was immediately noticeable.

Mileena was nowhere to be seen.

Fenrir noticed it first. Kitana noticed his attention shift, and so did Jade.

The Half-Tarkatan queen was usually impossible to miss, whether through presence, voice, or the sheer **** of her personality. If she had been in the palace, she would have appeared already, if only to make some sharp remark or dramatic complaint.

But the halls remained still.

Even Carkas and Barong had greeted them. But why hadn’t Mileena?

Fenrir’s expression changed subtly, his brows drawing together in concern. “That’s strange,” he muttered, low enough that only the women beside him could hear.
Jade said nothing at first, but she, too, had noticed the absence. It sat poorly in the air. Unsettling. For now, though, they moved onward.

Inside the chambers, the atmosphere softened.

The room had become a shared space by now, and everyone in it seemed to know it. The bed was neatly made, the windows open to the cool air, the lamps lit low enough to cast everything in gold and shadow. Fenrir removed his gloves while Jade settled nearby with the ease of someone who had long since ceased being a guest.

The conversation began simply enough.

Fenrir and Kitana spoke about the trip to the Osh-Tekk capital, about Kotal’s response, the state of the alliance, and the shifting shape of Outworld’s political future. Kitana was careful in what she revealed, reserving the most sensitive matters for when Mileena was present, but the meaning behind her words was plain enough.
This was no longer a courtship arranged by obligation; it was becoming something real and intimate. Something nurtured in trust.

Jade listened with quiet amusement at first, then with deeper attention as the implications became harder to ignore.

Fenrir, for his part, did not seem remotely intimidated by the conversation. He stood comfortably in front of Kitana and Jade, speaking in that relaxed, Earthrealm way of his that always made Kitana, who sat comfortably on the edge of the bed, one ankle crossed over the other, feel as though the room had somehow become a little less formal.

And Jade had to admit that it had become part of his charm.

“You make it sound so casual,” she said at one point, watching him carefully.

Fenrir shrugged one shoulder. “What, explaining that I’ve somehow ended up married to three queens?”

Kitana lifted a brow. “When spoken that way, it does sound a touch absurd.”

Fenrir pointed at her. “See? She gets it.”

Jade laughed softly, then tilted her head. “No, no. I do believe I am the one who should be surprised here.”

Fenrir offered her a crooked smile. “You wound me, jade.”

She gave him a look. “You know exactly what you are doing.”

“Usually,” he replied. “Not always.”

That earned a faint smile from Kitana. Jade noticed it, of course, she did. She was perceptive after all. There had been a time, not long ago, when Kitana might have masked that smile instantly. But not now. Not entirely. Fenrir had changed something in her, and Jade was beginning to understand just how much.

The teasing between them continued naturally, slipping from one joke to another. It had become familiar to the point of comfort. Fenrir made them laugh without trying too hard. Jade returned the banter with sharpened wit. Kitana tried at first to remain dignified, but the longer the conversation went on, the more often she found herself smiling despite herself.

The flirtation had started quietly, almost by accident. A glance held too long. A joke turned slightly too personal. A compliment lingering just a little beyond the acceptable. Nothing dramatic. Nothing ****. Yet it had been growing between them all the same.

Jade had noticed it first in herself. Then in Fenrir, as he began to return the banter with the same tone it was sent to him. Then, increasingly, in Kitana as well.
Fenrir made them feel seen without demanding anything in return. That, more than anything, had made the tension between them harder to resist.

Jade leaned back against the edge of the bed and watched Kitana carefully for a moment, the amusement in her expression growing more pointed by the second.

“I see,” she said at last.

Kitana looked at her with immediate suspicion. “I know that look.”

“Do you?”

“Yes. It is the look you wear when you are about to become unbearable.”

Jade placed a hand over her heart in mock offence. “I would never.”

Fenrir snorted quietly from where he sat. “That’s definitely a lie.”

Jade’s smile widened. Then she looked from Fenrir to Kitana and back again, the teasing light in her eyes giving way to something a little more measured. “And all of this,” she said, slowly, “has been happening behind my back?”

Kitana’s chin lifted just slightly. “That is not how I would phrase it.”

Jade’s brow rose. “No?”

Fenrir rubbed the side of his neck, looking mildly embarrassed now. “Well… technically, yes.”

Kitana shot him a calm but pointed look. “Fenrir.”

“What?” He spread his hands. “You were the one who suggested the onsen.”

Kitana’s expression sharpened, though her voice remained as composed as ever. “That was not an invitation for you to continue speaking.”

Jade laughed under her breath. There it was again, that beautiful contrast, Kitana’s elegance against Fenrir’s casual bluntness. Jade found herself enjoying that contrast far more than she had expected to.

Still, she wanted to see Kitana answer for herself. Not because she suspected dishonesty. Because she knew her friend too well.

Kitana always looked more composed when she was struggling the most. Jade shifted on the bed, crossing one leg over the other with deliberate ease. “I am not judging either of you,” she said. “I simply wish to hear the truth from the proper source.”

Fenrir looked between them. “Do I need to leave?”

Jade’s eyes flicked toward him, amused. “Yes, actually.”

Fenrir blinked. “Really?”

Kitana crossed her arms. “You are not helping.”

He gave a helpless little laugh and rose to his feet. “All right, all right. I’ll go bother someone else for a minute.” He moved toward the door, then paused with a thoughtful hum. “Probably Mileena,” he said. “Actually, that makes the most sense.”

Jade snickered. Kitana closed her eyes briefly as though collecting herself. “Gods, how do I find him attractive?” Kitana thought to herself.

Fenrir looked back at them both once more, pointedly wary now, then left with a soft chuckle and shut the door behind him.

The room felt different once he was gone. Smaller. Quieter. More intimate.

Jade turned toward Kitana with a playful tilt of her head. “Now then.”

Kitana regarded her with dignified suspicion. “Now then, what?”

Jade’s smile was maddeningly calm. “You tell me.”

Kitana gave her a flat look. “You are enjoying this far too much.”

“Perhaps.”

“I knew it.” Kitana pouted, crossing her arms together.

Jade rose from the bed and took a step closer. “I am not trying to embarrass you, Kitana.”

“You are failing.”

“I am trying for you to say it.” Jade corrected lightly.

“Say what?”

“That you care about him,” Jade said deadpanned.

Kitana’s expression hardened, though only slightly. “Of course I care about him.”

Jade arched a brow. “That was not what I meant, Kitana.”

Kitana drew in a breath, clearly choosing her words with care. “I care for his safety. For his success. For the future we are all trying to build.”

Jade listened patiently. Then smiled in that calm, knowing way of hers. “That is still not what I meant.”

Kitana looked away. That, more than anything, told Jade she had reached the truth.

Jade stepped closer and placed a hand gently on her shoulder. “Kitana,” she said softly, “you do not have to defend yourself to me.”

Kitana’s jaw tightened just enough to show she had felt the **** of the words.

Jade guided them both back to the edge of the bed, and they sat side by side. The mattress dipped beneath their weight. For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Jade rested one hand lightly on Kitana’s thigh, not possessive, not demanding, simply steady. “I know that expression,” she said. “I know it very well.”

Kitana looked at her, eyes narrowed in guarded curiosity.

Jade’s voice gentled. “You are trying to decide whether what you feel is safe.”

Kitana did not answer immediately.

Jade went on, her tone calm but candid now.

“I thought, at first, that I was simply attracted to him. That it was easy enough to understand.” Her mouth curved faintly. “He is handsome, after all. There is no shame in acknowledging reality.”

Despite herself, Kitana let out a quiet laugh.

Jade continued, her expression growing more thoughtful. “But it did not stay there. The more I knew him, the more I saw something beneath that. Something honest. Something grounded.”

She looked at Kitana directly now.

“Fenrir.” Kitana’s gaze softened just a fraction at her friend’s words. “He makes me feel like I can breathe,” Jade said quietly. “After everything we have survived, I think we are entitled to that.” She holds Kitana’s head tighter, yet more gently with care. “He makes me happy.”

Kitana studied her in silence. Then, at last, she asked the question she had been trying not to voice. “Are you in love with him?”

Jade looked down for a moment. When she looked back up, there was no hesitation in her eyes.

“I think I am.”

That answer seemed to settle the room in a way nothing else had. Not with drama, with truth. Certainty.

Jade drew in a breath and let it out slowly, as though admitting it had finally relieved her more than it frightened her. “I trust him,” she said. “And more importantly, I trust what he brings out in us. In you. In me. In all of us.”

Kitana remained silent. Jade’s thumb idly moved once against her leg. “I believe you are beginning to understand that, too.”

Kitana’s eyes lowered. Jade did not rush her. After a long pause, Kitana finally spoke, her voice quiet and measured.

“Yes.”

Jade watched her carefully. Kitana swallowed once, then continued, more honestly now than before. “I think I am.”

Jade smiled. Kitana gave a tiny exhale that was almost a laugh, though it carried more uncertainty than amusement. “I did not intend for any of this to happen.”

“Of course not,” Jade replied, dryly affectionate. “That would have required you to surrender control in advance.”

Kitana’s mouth twitched.

Jade leaned slightly closer. “And yet you have still chosen it.”

Kitana did not answer with words. But she did not look away, either.

Jade’s expression softened. “There is no shame in that.” Then she added, with a small, knowing smile, “Especially not when he has clearly already chosen you back.”
That caused a faint flush to rise in Kitana’s cheeks. Jade noticed immediately, and the corner of her mouth lifted.

“I thought so.”

Kitana exhaled slowly, trying and failing to reclaim her composure. Then, after a moment, she asked the question that had clearly been lingering beneath all the rest.
“There is no issue with this?” Her voice was quieter now, not fragile, but cautious. “With us?”

Jade laughed softly. “None.”

Kitana searched her face for any sign of mockery or ****. Finding none, she finally let herself relax, though only a little.

Jade shifted closer then, the warmth in her expression becoming more openly flirtatious as she looked at Kitana with a familiarity that would have made anyone else uneasy.

“I told you before,” she murmured, “I made my peace with sharing him.”

Kitana’s gaze sharpened just slightly.

Jade’s smile widened. “But that is not really the question anymore, is it?”

Her voice dropped to a low, intimate murmur as she leaned toward Kitana’s ear.

“What are we going to do,” she whispered, “now that the three of us are beginning to feel like one?”