The Egyptian Empire

The people of the Egyptian Empire crowded the streets of their capital. They shouted and praised as fourteen foreigners traveled into their streets. The travelers weren't expecting such a welcome as they journeyed the most direct route to the palace. "HAIL THE RISEN KING!!! HAIL TO THE FUTURE KING!!!" the people shouted.

"You're famous, Zhōng," teased Tony as he walked by the cart. 

Zhōng was sitting up in the back of the cart, he looked to one side of the street. He gave a small wave to the people and they cheered louder. "They perhaps have heard of the stories and heard about my quest. However, I think my uncle has something to do with this," he stated.

Pharaoh Ay was waiting in the courtyard as the travelers arrived with the people following them. Drums were beating and people cheered louder when the cart finally stopped. The pharaoh then put his hands out and people went silent. "TODAY! THE PARTY OF THE CALLER HAS ARRIVED!!!" bellowed Pharaoh Ay and the people shouted in response before being silent. "SOON! MY PEOPLE! YOU WILL HEAR MY RESPONSE BUT FIRST WE MUST SHOW OUR HOSPITALITY!!!"

The people shouted in acceptance as their pharaoh approached the travelers. "Pharaoh Ay, on behalf of the Risen King, thank you for your welcoming," thanked King Alexios over the people's cheers.

"It's nice to see you, King Alexios," said Pharaoh Ay and the two kings bowed to each other. The pharaoh then noticed Wēi and kissed her hand. "It's good to see you again too, Former Empress Wēi." 

"Pharaoh Ay," replied Wēi as she bowed.

Pharaoh Ay looked around at the different faces and races, he was impressed by the size of Zhōng's party. However, there was one more face he recognized as Huo approached him. "Your majesty" greeted Hou.

"The last time I saw you up in my empire was when you wed Yah," stated Pharaoh Ay.

"And the last you heard of me was that I was dead, never thought of seeing me again," stated Huo.

"Indeed," began Pharaoh Ay, he noticed Tony and Pablo helping Zhōng out of the cart. He could see his nephew was still in pain and had bandages still wrapped around his thin body. "Come, you should recover your strength and rest for a while. My sources have said that Emperor Zhēngfú was retreating back to the Ninja Empire, we have all the time to negotiate," he said. A couple of Egyptian guards hurried to help Zhōng walk as they headed into the palace.

"It's good to see you again, cousin," said one of the soldiers.

"It is indeed, Cobra," greeted Zhōng when they entered the palace.

A couple of days passed as the travelers stayed at the Egyptian Palace, they were waiting for Zhōng to recover from his injuries and to begin negotiations. "It seems Pharaoh Ay's resources are correct, Emperor Zhēngfú has indeed retreated back to the Ninja Empire," reported Pablo, he had just returned to bring the information.

"He must be overseeing the preparations for war, he probably wants to make sure he has all his men he can muster," predicted Tony.

"No, I don't think so. Zhōng told me how Emperor Zhēngfú schemes, he was the one he always played board games with. When Emperor Zhēngfú attacked the capital, Zhōng told me that his strategy was similar to how they played." disagreed Huo.

"You're suggesting there's a reason for his retreat?" asked King Alexios.

"He knows by now though he has the numbers, he doesn't have the strength. It won't surprise me he went back to see if those weapons he used once are complete. However, that seems too obvious." stated Huo.

"Very well, I shall investigate further as best as I can to see what he's planning," declared Mentor Altaïr.

"I shall come and help, mentor," stated Pablo, he then bowed to Grand Mentor Altaïr as he passed him by the door. 

"You should get some rest, you've been working since we left the Indian camp. Your body can barely keep up with your adrenaline," said Mentor Altaïr.

"Very well, mentor," accepted Pablo. He wanted to help but he didn't realize how tired his body was till now.

"General, can we train since there's nothing to do?" requested Chief Odin shortly after Mentor Altaïr left. He looked up at Alice to see her smiling down at him.

"Of course, my chief," accepted Alice and they walked out with Pablo following them.

"I'll leave you guys in peace for a while," stated King Alexios as he got up and left. The only ones left in the room were Prince Henry, Princess Xing, Huo, Tony, Wēi, Zhen, and Hannah.

"Do you need anything, my lady?" asked Hannah to Princess Xing.

Princess Xing looked up at her half-sister and smiled. "No, you're dismissed till later," she said. Hannah bowed and grinned before leaving the room.

As soon as the door closed, Wēi asked in a quiet voice, "Remind me why we're treating Hannah like a maidservant?"

"Because Zhōng told us what would happen to me and her if Pharaoh Ay finds out. I will not have her suffer the fate if we can avoid it," vowed Huo.

"I'm glad Zhōng told me last year, I remember telling Jack and John to be careful," said Tony.

"It's a good thing Zhōng told us in advance when coming here, we had plenty of time to teach her etiquette found in the Medieval Empire," said Prince Henry.

"We may so far have fooled Pharaoh Ay, but it could harm us later if he finds out," warned Huo.

"Which is why she must look like she's busy or not needed in our discussions," stated Wēi.

"Once we get back home and Zhōng is sitting on the throne, then we won't have to worry about Pharaoh Ay and his threat," assured Huo.

"Speaking of Zhōng, I should go check on him," declared Zhen and she got up to leave.

"I'm sure he's fine, considering how often his cousins see him," teased Huo. He could see Zhen tensed and was clenching her fists.

Zhōng was lounging in another room as Hatshepsut, Cleopatra, and Nefertiti were around and spoiling him. "You know I can feed myself, right?" he stated when Cleopatra tried to give him a fruit on a pick.

"Where's the fun in that? I know you won't mind if I help myself to your body." seduced Cleopatra.

"Hey, no fair! Here, cousin, have mine instead," suggested Nefertiti as she held a pick with a different fruit.

Zhōng rolled his eyes as the sisters began to argue, he looked at Hatshepsut who looked as annoyed as he. "Aren't you going to try to feed me?" he asked.

"Why would I do something so childish and stupid? If I'm a future ruler, I shouldn't indulge myself in this behavior," stated Hatshepsut.

"Even though we're adults, it doesn't mean we can't have fun and enjoy life. Growing up, I didn't have that choice or given so much time to. If it wasn't for a greater good, I would have enjoyed my childhood some more." said Zhōng.

"Childhood is a waste of time anyway, it's short and irresponsible for any of us to do," argued Hatshepsut. Zhōng grinned as he thought back to when he was growing up with his brother. 

"What makes you think you're going to be a future ruler?" stated Nefertiti, she was tired of arguing with Cleopatra and listened to what Hatshepsut had said.

"Well you barely can get an army to follow behind you," stated Hatshepsut.

"She can't but I can," stated Cleopatra.

"You slept with almost everyone in yours," argued Hatshepsut. Zhōng groaned as the three sisters began to argue. He hadn't felt so relaxed in a long time that he wished he could enjoy it without hearing an argument.

Zhen cleared her throat, surprising everyone in the room as they turned and looked at her. "I'm sorry to interrupt but it's time for the Risen King to get some peace and quiet," she stated.

Hatshepsut, Cleopatra and Nefertiti sighed before leaving from the door Zhen had entered. "Thanks for getting them to leave, I can only take so much of their arguing," said Zhōng as Zhen approached him.

"You know they only come to see you because they believe you'll marry them," stated Zhen as she poured a drink for Zhōng to have.

"That's because my uncle promised their mother that whoever gets married first will be the next ruler of the Egyptian Empire," said Zhōng before taking a sip from the cup Zhen gave him.

"You honestly think your uncle will give you his armies in exchange for you to take one of his daughter's hands?" asked Zhen.

"If not one but all three, he's now giving a portion of his army to each of them. Hatshepsut has the biggest and Nefertiti has the smallest. They apparently have been leading them since the attack last year. However, this makes it more difficult to decide," stated Zhōng.

"Forgive me for speaking out, but you should be given a better choice to marry then them," voiced Zhen.

"Perhaps, but is there another choice?" asked Zhōng. Zhen said nothing as she lay down beside him. She tucked her turquoise blue and blonde stripe hair behind her ear and exposed her bare neck. She then picked up a pick of watermelon on it and hovered it in front of Zhōng's mouth. "Did you honestly need to make your presence known for that long?" asked Zhōng with a grin.

"Say 'Ah'," ordered Zhen. Zhōng sighed before opening his mouth and she placed the fruit inside it.

Two months passed as Zhōng recovered from his injuries and was training and attending meetings again. "Emperor Zhēngfú was last heard rounding his armies for war," reported Pablo as he, Tony, and Alice sparred with Zhōng.

"But that was two months ago at least, wasn't it?" questioned Zhōng as he blocked Pablo's hidden blades.

"Gathering an army that large takes a long time, the Viking Empire is still sending troops to the Spartan Empire or to the border," stated Alice. She switched with Pablo and was now facing Zhōng.

"Still my brother being quiet this long is concerning," said Zhōng, he then dodged a dart fired by Tony and faced him.

"He might be inspecting the preparations of those cannons you faced almost two years ago," suggested Tony as he was able to defend himself against Zhōng's dual swords.

Zhōng ducked just in time as Pablo tried to jump him, he then swatted Alice's axes away from her before returning his attention to Tony. "He knows their limitations and I know how to beat him, why remake them?" he said as he pushed his friend's sword away from him.

Tony couldn't get his sword unlocked and looked into Zhōng's eyes. He could see the warrior had returned into them and something else that was different and new. "Because he also knows how effective they were against a city, imagine more firing at a field of soldiers," he suggested.

"Tony is right, he might be supervising the progress of those weapons. However, you're right, Zhōng, he's been too quiet," said Pablo as he charged at Zhōng. He gave his friend different looks with his hidden blades.

"Has Mentor Altaïr told you anything?" asked Zhōng. He pushed Pablo away and changed his grip as Alice challenged him.

"He told me to rest since I worked so hard this year, but the longer I rest, the more restless I feel," said Pablo. He checked his body and noticed he was tagged by Zhōng's blades.

"I know how you feel," began Zhōng. He and Alice exchanged attacks before he landed a hit on her. He then turned his attention to Tony and barely evaded another dart flown from his crossbow. With a sequence of moves from the Old Royal Technique, he landed a hit on Tony. "Though I feel relaxed right now, it feels weird for me."

Huo was watching the fight Zhōng had, he turned and noticed not far from his group Zhen and Princess Xing were practicing fighting each other. He could see how much his daughter preferred a different fighting style while Zhen followed Zhōng's with a few different moves. He grinned before looking down at his hands and frowned for something else.

"I haven't noticed till now how much my daughter fights like your son," stated Wēi as she joined Huo on the steps he was sitting on.

"Zhōng's fighting he learned from the experience of living in the streets. Zhen's fighting she learned from Zhōng's fighting and others who enhanced it. If she trained as hard as Zhōng does, she'd be his perfect adviser. However, the winner will be decided on who is more adaptable." stated Huo, as he returned to watch his daughter and Zhen fight.

"My daughter has learned from many masters of different techniques," stated Wēi.

"But Zhōng has faced many different opponents, some of which were because of me," said Huo.

"Is that the reason why you'll go back in time where we weren't at war?" asked Wēi.

"That, Zhōng's evolution, and another one that's been slowly blooming," said Huo, he turned and looked at Wēi who was trying to hide her blush.

"Let's focus on what Mentor Altaïr has said to us and be ready," stated Wēi as she turned her head away.

"Of course, when all of this is over," sighed Huo.

"You're getting stronger, princess," stated Princess Xing after she finished fighting with Zhen.

"You are too, your majesty," gasped Zhen as they put away their swords.

"Please, call me Xing still," requested Princess Xing, she saw Zhen nod in understanding. Soon Zhōng and his friends joined them, in the hot desert sun of the Egyptian Empire, they were all sweating. "Where's Hannah? I thought she went to get us towels?" she asked Zhōng.

Zhōng indicated with his head and they all turned to see Hannah was talking to an Egyptian guard. "That's the fifth time I've seen her talking to Cobra," he stated.

"Isn't Cobra your cousin?" asked Pablo.

"He is my cousin but he and his sisters have different mothers," explained Zhōng.

"Just like…" began Tony before everyone turned and glared at him to be quiet. "You know who," he finished.

"Which reminds me, I should begin talks with my uncle, it's time we finished what I started long ago." declared Zhōng.

Zhōng waited in a private room with Prince Henry, Princess Xing, Huo, Wēi, Zhen, and Hannah. He was getting restless and nervous since he knew his uncle's ways of bargaining. He took a big sigh as he wished Uncle Tyron was with them. The doors to the room soon opened and Pharaoh Ay, Hatshepsut, Cleopatra, and Nefertiti entered. Ichika also entered behind them dressed like a guard as he grinned at Hannah who blushed.

"My niece, I do apologize for not seeing you sooner and that I missed your wedding." greeted Pharaoh as he approached Princess Xing.

"It's great to see you again, your majesty. May I introduce you to my husband, Prince Henry, son of King James, heir to the Medieval Empire and the Medieval Sword," said Princess Xing. She hugged Pharaoh Ay and Prince Henry stood up since they were all sitting as she gave the introduction.

"Your majesty, I trust you've done business with my father before," stated Prince Henry as he bowed at the Pharaoh.

"Indeed, your father is stern but a very wise leader," complimented Pharaoh Ay. He then greeted and acknowledged Wēi and Zhen as they stood up and bowed at him before looking at Huo and Zhōng. "I trust your father has given you knowledge of how to negotiate against me," he said to Zhōng as he sat across from them.

"More like you and my other uncle taught me," stated Zhōng.

"Oh?" said Pharaoh Ay, curious about what his nephew meant.

"Lord Tyron raised me through my teenage years, everything about bargaining he has taught me whether it was the easy or the hard way," explained Zhōng.

"You always like the hard way," assumed Pharaoh Ay.

Zhōng chuckled and grinned as he was caught guilty of his preferred way. "I believe I worked in this empire for two months, you should remember how many I brought justice that were difficult," he reminded.

"Indeed, so what is your proposal to win my armies?" requested Pharaoh Ay.

"For starters, my father has gone through the numbers and though we are outnumbered, we have the strength to beat my brother." began Zhōng.

"Well, what's the point in coming here then?" asked Pharaoh Ay.

"It's not guaranteed, with a few of your men, we can defeat the Ninja Empire and my brother," explained Zhōng. He waited as he watched his uncle thinking what to say next.

"How many do you need?" asked Pharaoh Ay.

Zhōng smiled as he could see his uncle was disappointed by the estimate of men. "Four hundred of your cavalry," he stated. He suddenly saw all of his family and friends staring at him since they didn't need that many. He turned to his father and said, "You said that would be plenty, didn't you?"

Huo could see Zhōng's eyes warning him not to make it obvious that they didn't need that many. "Indeed, but a hundred more to that total won't hurt us any," he advised.

"That can be arranged, I'll give you five hundred of my best cavalry. However, it's going to cost you a lot," offered Pharaoh Ay.

"How much am I going to be paying?" asked Zhōng.

"Five thousand of Ninja Empire's credits," replied Pharaoh Ay.

"I can make that arrangement when I win," stated Zhōng, he then saw the pharaoh chuckling and shaking his head.

"I want it now, I won't risk my men's value with something not guaranteed. I believe your other uncle taught you not to take jobs with no money before it," stated Pharaoh Ay, he smiled as he was back in control.

Zhōng sighed as he didn't have the money, he tapped his finger quickly on the table as he pondered. "Is there another way to pay for your army?" he requested.

"You should know the answer to that," stated Pharaoh Ay. He then indicated to his daughters as they sat by his side.

Zhōng looked at his cousins, he sighed heavily as he didn't want to marry them. His finger tapped faster than before as he pondered on his choices. He then felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to look at Zhen who sat by him. She passed him a letter with Hatshepsut's name on it and nodded it was okay. He then looked up at Pharaoh Ay who waited for his answer. "I'm afraid that I can't marry any of them since I am promised to someone," he stated.

"Who? When you came here, you told me that you weren't promised to anyone," questioned Pharaoh Ay.

"He wasn't aware he was married to someone till recently, your majesty," stated Huo.

"What do you mean? Who did you promise to have your son to marry?" asked Pharaoh Ay.

"I was thinking about having him marry the now queen of the Spartans, Queen Kassandra. However, my father arranged for my son to marry Former Princess Zhen before he died," said Huo.

"Lies! There's no way this was arranged. I know how much both of your families hate each other." accused Pharaoh Ay.

"If you are familiar with our families' feud, then you should know my father and Former Emperor Riku were at peace with each other. Their life was the most peaceful the Ninja Empire became," stated Wēi. She then looked at Huo who nodded and passed the diary of Emperor Riku to Pharaoh Ay.

"Surely you noticed the writing is the same throughout. You also should notice that it's different from my writing I wrote to you long ago," stated Huo, he watched Pharaoh Ay page till he came near the end.

"Today, my dearest and closest friend had closed his eyes for the final time. I wished I could attend but I am close to death as well. I only have the strength to write this and perhaps nothing else. But before I die, I wanted to tell whoever reads my records a secret promise I made with Lord Kei. His will states that he hopes that they will be happy and together forever, the 'they' he's referring to isn't his daughter, Lady Wēi. Her husband perished five years ago, it's referring to Lady Zhen and my grandson, Prince Zhōng, second son of Emperor Huo. When they grow up and are the age to, I hope that they'll accept this promise and live long together." read aloud Pharaoh Ay. He closed the book and looked at Zhōng and Zhen, curious if they knew till now.

"Forgive my outburst, father and guest, but do you expect us to believe this?" questioned Hatshepsut.

"As the pharaoh could see, it's impossible to forge and age writing that's been clearly my father's throughout his life." pointed out Huo.

"Yet Zhōng looks like he saw this years ago while Former Princess Zhen looks like she knew but didn't know about the dialog," stated Pharaoh Ay.

"Forgive me for not telling you, my pharaoh, I have known longer than anyone here. However, I couldn't tell since I knew Former Princess Zhen didn't notice it now," said Zhōng. He watched as the pharaoh absorbed the information that was hidden in the dark for so long.

Pharaoh Ay sighed as he looked at his nephew and Zhen, both seemed close and not at odds against each other. He knew that their families never got along except for their grandparents. He passed the journal back and took another sigh expressing his frustration. "Very well, I won't overstep the promised marriage," he accepted. He then watched Hatshepsut stand up and leave the room in anger at the news.

"However, this only leads me with one option and that is to pay you upfront," said Zhōng.

"Precisely," replied Pharaoh Ay.

Zhōng looked at his family and his friends as they gathered close together. "We don't have that money physically," he stated.

"We could simply leave and he'll not make a profit of the war," suggested Huo.

"But what if Emperor Zhēngfú's forces are bigger than anticipated?" asked Wēi.

"We could ask if he's willing to accept Medieval credit, then once you win, you'll just have to pay us," suggested Prince Henry.

"He could take that or he won't. Pharaoh Ay's armies, if employed, are paid and loyal to whichever empire hires them. His armies won't follow any of my commands but your father's. He'll also increase his army's value if he accepts your credit which means I'll owe more to you." theorized Zhōng.

"I don't think the treasury will like that, I'm sure it's still recovering from the Eight-Year War and possibly the Old Rebellion now as well," stated Huo.

As the Ninjas were discussing potential options, Pharaoh Ay was watching while waiting. He was taking close notice of Hannah who joined the discussion and noticed a familiar necklace around her neck. He noticed her blonde hair was close to Zhōng's and Huo's color. It suddenly dawned on him that Hannah was actually Huo's second daughter. "HOW DARE YOU?!?!?!" he bellowed, silencing the Ninjas' discussion and he stood up. "You think you can fool me?!" he yelled as he stormed towards them.

"Hannah, get behind me," stated Huo. He stood between Hannah and the angry pharaoh as he realized their secret was exposed.

"I'm glad she didn't kill you, it saved me the trouble of bringing you back to life," snarled Pharaoh Ay as he drew the Egyptian Khopesh. "Now where's this bastard's mother?" he demanded.

"My pharaoh, do not take your anger out on her. I know how much you loved Yah, I do too. I still think about her every day," stated Huo, he then drew his wife's Egyptian khopesh when the pharaoh was close enough to them.

"Love her enough to sleep with another one?" questioned Pharaoh.

"I was depressed and wasn't thinking, I never thought I could have another child but I did and promised to take care of her," argued Huo.

"My father has made a lot of mistakes, my pharaoh, but we can't change the past. Even I wished to go back in time to change some things. The things we done have either scars on our bodies or marks left where we stood. I didn't accept Hannah at first either, but now I do and will protect her as she's part of our family," stated Zhōng, interrupting the argument.

"Don't stand against me either, nephew, I will kill you," warned Pharaoh Ay.

"You are willing to kill one of your sister's sons and daughter? I'm sure Princess Xing will protect too," said Zhōng.

Pharaoh turned and looked at Princess Xing who stood up after the men. She was behind Huo and by Hannah's side as her eyes looked determined from Zhōng's words. He groaned and walked back where he was sitting before his burst. "My offer still stands and I won't accept credit from another empire," he stated.

"Is marriage still available?" asked Zhōng.

"You are already promised," stated Pharaoh Ay.

"Not for me, but for them," explained Zhōng, he looked over his shoulder at Hannah who was surprised. He then looked at Ichika who felt uncomfortable that Zhōng was looking at him. "You should know before I agree to become emperor, I stalked the shadows. Nothing is a secret when I am close." 

"Fine, but I won't give you the amount requested," stated Pharaoh Ay.

"Then give me half, two hundred and fifty of your finest cavalry," stated Zhōng.

"You said you needed four hundred," argued Pharaoh Ay.

"You promise me five hundred," reminded Zhōng.

"Very well," sighed Pharaoh Ay, he stood up and left with his daughters following them.

Ichika approached Hannah, they hugged each other as their secrets were exposed. "I'm sorry, I wanted to tell you sooner," he apologized.

"No, don't be, I'm sorry I couldn't tell you," said Hannah.

Ichika then looked at Zhōng who was glad they were happy to be wed. "How long did you known about us?" he asked.

"Caught you two several times and I assume you two have seen each other even more than that," replied Zhōng. Ichika grinned and Hannah giggled before they kissed each other.

Ichika's and Hannah's wedding was small and held at an oasis north of the Egyptian capital city a week later. Only fifty people from the black market attended the wedding, however, they were glad to see their own married as fireworks streak the night sky. "For being a son of the pharaoh, I would have thought there would be more people," stated Zhen as she watched the festivities with Zhōng.

"Black market weddings are always small, you invite only people you trust. Usually it's about ten to twenty people," explained Zhōng. He looked at Hannah and Ichika and saw them smiling, enjoying the show.

"Do you know ten to twenty trusted people? If you had a black market wedding, no one would've been invited," stated Huo.

"Tony, Alice, Pablo, Jack, John, my sisters, uncle, you and the princess, father," listed Zhōng. "That's ten people if I'm not mistaken."

"What makes you think you can trust me?" asked Huo.

"You told me you felt guilty of leaving me on my own. You've done everything to ensure I had an army to retake the Ninja Empire," replied Zhōng.

"Indeed, but guilt can grow stronger the longer you live," muttered Huo, he took a sip of wine and noticed Zhōng didn't notice the comment. However, Wēi noticed and frowned as well.

"Tony, Alice, and Chief Odin left early today with the two hundred forces," whispered Pablo to Zhōng.

"I'm going have to ask Pharaoh Ay where's the last fifty then before we leave." sighed Zhōng as he took a sip of his wine.

"Pablo, I know why Zhōng and I stayed, but why did King Alexios and your mentor stay?" asked Zhen.

"Grand Mentor Altaïr insisted on staying, he also told me to stay too. As for King Alexios, I assume he stayed because Pharaoh Ay was serving rich wine from the Spartan Empire."

"I figured after the first taste," chuckled Zhōng, he swirled his glass and took another sip.

Pharaoh Ay ding his glass, silencing everyone who was there as they looked at him. "Tonight, our brother in arms has found love. Tonight, we celebrate because we know him. We're his allies, his friends, his backup, and his family. I couldn't be more pleased to attend this night, to see even my own begin his new life." he stated. He looked at Ichika and Hannah and gave a grin of approval. He then reached out his glass for a toast and declared, "To Cobra and wife, long may they live together!" 

The guest repeated the pharaoh's statement and raised their glass too. They all drank and threw their cups down and smashed them. Then they cheered loudly as they clapped and whistled. "I forgot this was tradition," chuckled Zhōng to Zhen, he then threw his glass down and Zhen followed his action. After another round of cheers, Pharaoh Ay guided Ichika and Hannah away and the people cheered them goodbye.

"Zhōng, Zhen, Pablo, can you come walk with us," asked Wēi as she and Huo stood up.

"Of course, mother," agreed Zhen, she stood up with Zhōng behind as Pablo trailed behind them. They then approached Prince Henry and Princess Xing and motioned them to come with them.

The group left where the party was held and explored the oasis in silence. Even though they weren't far, they couldn't hear the party as it continued. "What do you think?" whispered Zhōng to Zhen.

Zhen, who was enjoying the quiet while thinking about her own wedding, jumped when Zhōng asked her. "About what?" she asked.

"Would you rather have a wedding that small or a massive one like Xing's?" explained Zhōng.

Zhen pondered on the question since she was thinking about it. "I would like everyone to see it but I do love how peaceful and quiet it is shortly afterwards." she reflected.

"Don't worry, princess, it does get quiet once you leave. However, that's when the part should begin," teased Princess Xing. She watched as Zhen's face began to go red and chuckled.

"Do you need to tell her that?" asked Zhōng.

"Believe me, Risen King, you'll lose self-control once you're married to someone you love," promised Prince Henry. Zhen hid a grin from Zhōng as while it scared her, it also comforted her since she knew Zhōng well.

Huo stopped and turned around to look at his children, the prince, the former princess and the Assassin apprentice. They saw his concern and worried look and noticed Wēi was the same when she turned around. "You all have grown so much and survived for so long on your own," he applauded.

"You have become different and stronger and wiser than the Eight-Year War era. Looking back, I can see where the paths were taken to travel." continued Wēi. She soon had tears begin to run down her face.

"Mother, what's wrong?" asked Zhen, she was beginning to get worried.

"Father, what's going on?" demanded Zhōng.

"Zhōng, you've walked your path without anyone guiding you. And though recently I was there for you, again you must journey without me," stated Huo. He pulled some bushes away revealing a herd of horses waiting along with King Alexios, Grand Mentor Altaïr, Pharaoh Ay, Ichika, and Hannah.

"You've took your time," stated King Alexios when the group approached them.

"Are they here?" asked Huo.

"Not yet but soon," replied Mentor Altaïr. Huo nodded and ushered his children to the horses along with Wēi.

"Father, what's going on?" asked Hannah. 

"The war has begun," stated King Alexios.

"My brother is here, isn't he?" asked Zhōng, he stared at his father while by his horse.

Huo turned to look at his son after helping Princess Xing on her horse. He was impressed by how ready Zhōng was for a fight. "Tonight isn't your battle," he warned.

"But we can end this here," argued Zhōng.

"The force that's coming is too powerful for you," stated Wēi.

"If that's true, then you're no match against Zhēngfú's Fist," stated Zhōng. Suddenly they heard screams and chaos coming from where the party was held.

"And that's why you're leaving and we're staying. We'll slow them down so that you can bring hope to the seven empires," stated King Alexios. He then handed the Spartan Sword to Zhōng and saw the Risen King shaking in fear. "Tell my wife I love her, tell the generals my last command is to help you reclaim the Ninja Empire." Zhōng nodded as he clutched the sword tighter and climbed on his horse.

"Ichika," began Pharaoh Ay as his son looked down at him. He handed the Egyptian Khopesh to him and saw he was confused about his actions. "I promised my wives that whoever marries first, will be my heir, I promised to both of them. I hereby name you my heir to the Egyptian Empire and Egyptian Khopesh."

"I promise, father, I will keep the three vows and will not disappoint you," vowed Ichika.

"Pablo, take these, tell the mentors I named you a Master Assassin," said Mentor Altaïr. He traded with Pablo the Assassin Hidden Blades for his hidden blades.

"I still have much to learn," said Pablo as he took the Assassin Hidden Blades.

"Everything you want to learn, I cannot teach you. You must find out on your own," said Mentor Altaïr, he watched as his apprentice nodded in understanding.

"Go, Zhōng, Zhen," stated Wēi. Zhōng turned and looked at her as well as Zhen. "Lead them away and be better than I or Huo ever were when we ruled," she ordered.

Zhen had a tear rolling down her cheek and she looked at Zhōng who was shaking in anger and pain. She then turned to look at their friends who were staying behind, they were scared but ready and willing to slow down the incoming attack. She then turned to look at her friends as they were unsure to leave. She then began to leave slowly and her friends followed her away.

Zhōng was the only one that hadn't left as he looked at the great leaders who swore to fight for him. He can still hear the battle raging and wanted to help as his muscles tightened on his horse. He stared at his father as he gave a small assuring smile back to him. "Goodbye, my son, be wise and be the hope," said Huo. Zhōng closed his eyes shut and turned his horse around to follow his friends away.