It was a rare occasion when he was surprised. He had mastered the appearance of being surprised. That was easy. Anyone who observed other behaviors could mimic reactions realistically. However, the Lord of the Sith showed some genuine surprise when he saw the two lionesses approaching him. Both very familiar of course. The elder being his older sister. She was his eyes and ears in the rogue land, sending messages to him whenever she could. Her presence in the pride, be it unusual was not as surprising as the other lioness.
Ezrasia, his daughter. He noted the number of battle scars covering her back since last time. Her slate eyes stared up at him with a mix of hatred and respect. She knew that she was meant to be dead, he thought, as he put on a smile. She had played his game and managed to work around it.
“It has been a long time sister.” He said to Shyon. She gave him a nod in acknowledgment.
“If you don't mind Lord Majanga, I am going to retire to my den. I have had enough family bonding for one day.” she said, with a mildly annoyed voice. He nodded to her. Later he would question her and find out everything she knew about Ezrasia.
“And Ezrasia, it has been even longer since I have seen you. You have grown up quite a bit.” He stated. She must have killed her brother, then the mercenaries I sent to kill them, he thought. Part of him was proud of the thought. She was a much better fighter then he could have ever given her credit. However, powerful though, she was not under his control. At least not yet.
“Lord father,” she bowed, her eyes remaining on him. “The exercise you sent me on was difficult indeed. 'Kill your brother, return to me and claim your spot as my second in command'”
“And here you are. You have made me proud.” Majanga replied. “Why don't we take a walk. You have not yet seen the new pride.”
Ezrasia nodded. Majanga got up and started walking on the path with Ezrasia next to him. “I am curious of how your training went. I hope you understand that I did what I had to to make you strong. There wasn't another way.”
She let out a laugh. “That's in the past father. What matters now is that we are a family once more. You, me, Shyon, Azarias and Izrail.” When she spoke the last two names she gave a huge wicked smile. 'How will he react.'
Ezrasia was full of surprises, Majanga thought. So she knew about Izrail. Shyon must have let that slip. What concerned him was her mentioning Azarias. If she was alive that should mean Azarias was dead. Though, nothing seemed to be going to plan. “Tell me more about Azarias.” he commanded.
“Hmm, well you had us brought to a deserted mountain to fight to the death. At first, both of us were determined to kill the other. Neither of us slept, ate or drank for days, thinking that the other would sabotage the other. After all that, we realized how idiotic we were being.” She explained. “We were willing to kill each other just for a chance to being your favorite.”
She shook her head. Her relationship with Azarias was always very close. She would always compare the two of them to Majanga and Shyon. The two of them were vastly different but meant the world to each other. “In the end, we decided to turn our interest on the mercenaries that you sent to kill us. We were beyond flattered when we saw how many you sent. If I was alone, I am sure that I wouldn't have been able to make it out alive.”
“I had faith in you, that you would make it out.”
“What will you do with me now that you know I didn't follow your rules?” she asked. The two of them came to a stop. From where they stood they could see the entirety of the pride. It was amazing seeing it. Ezrasia remembered when it was just a couple pride members, no more then five. But now, Majanga was creating an army. His dream of conquering the Jedi was getting closer and closer.
“Ezra, you are my daughter.” He seldom used her nickname, the one Azarias' constantly used, but this time it felt appropriate. “I placed a challenge before you, that could have ended in your or your brother's death. However, you were clever enough to know when to not follow my orders. You knew if you followed them your life would be potentially forfeit. The fact that you have returned to me with your life intact, means that you have passed the test.”
“What about Azarias? He also wants to return to the pride.” she said.
“Azarias will be welcomed to return as well.” Majanga responded. “However, both of you will have to be punished. You passed the test and proved yourself resourceful. To do so you had to disobey me. It was the only way for you to live, but I can still not allow the act to go unpunished.”
Ezrasia nodded. He was just like before. His word was law. “We will accept any punishment you feel necessary Lord Majanga.” She said with a bow. “I will send word to Azarias to tell him that he is allowed back to the pride.”
“Good. Once he returns you will both resume your training.” Majanga responded. “Until then you should meet the other sith. My pride has grown.”
The way he spoke about his pride made Ezrasia want to gag. He had always spoken about the sith pride as if it were his most beloved child. As far as she was aware, he never spoke about her or Azarias like that before. Usually all he did was treat them like nuisances unless he needed them.
“It has. Soon you'll have more than enough followers to attack the Jedi and crush them.” And when that happened he would have even more join him. Any Jedi left alive would be forced to join their ranks or die. He had never hidden his respect for the Jedi. She knew that he would be more than delighted to spare the lives of a few Jedi as long as they became his faithful servants.
Majanga nodded. “Explore the pride as you wish. I am going to go visit my sister and get caught up with her.” He left Ezrasia and headed back toward the dens.
Ezrasia remained still watching over the pride. Her right paw ran over a deep scar running down her left limb. It was her first scar she had ever gotten. She was only a cub when she had gotten it. It was a punishment and a reminder given to her by Majanga. She had been caught hurting one of her siblings. Majanga warned her not to hurt any of them, but she wanted to show how much stronger she was then them. After he had scratched her, she became more careful. She would wait until her mother and Majanga were not around and then she would torment them.
She smiled down at the pride. 'Strange how that rule still applies.' She thought before turning around and going down the path.
WC: 1,228
