Unexpected Perfection (Emperor's New Groove)

Epilogue Part Four

Okay, now we're gonna skip a year. I know, that's a lot, but I'll tell you all the important things.

I woke up, the morning after we arrived at the palace, to a note on the bedside table. It was clearly Kuzco's handwriting with the charismatic slants and multiple areas where the ink was smudged.

It said something along the lines of 'Come to the gardens for breakfast. - Your Savvy Emperor'. I smiled at the thoughtfulness but was confused by the ending. Savvy? The words were a little smeared, though, so maybe I was reading it wrong.

I washed my face and quickly dressed. My energy was restored after all our traveling. Rushing down the numerous halls and stairways, I finally reached the entrance to the gardens.

The months before we left to travel, Kuzco and I swapped between the village and the palace. I could navigate the confusing halls on my own now pretty darn well.

It took a brief moment for my eyes to adjust to the warm sunlight of the outdoors. I blinked numerous times until the blurriness subsided. The palace gardens were absolutely magnificent, as expected. There were plants strategically placed so that they looked natural but the most appealing as well. Vines with flowers grew along the walls and a trickle of a fountain could be heard.

This was my absolute favorite place in the palace, as Kuzco knew, because of its serenity. Butterflies fluttered with the breeze and you could always hear the birds singing.

After taking a deep breath of the sweet air, I smiled and looked around for Kuzco. He was sitting at a small table with his back to me. A few papers were laid on the tabletop, he wrote a few times, likely signing his approval.

The side of his head rested in his hand as he focused on the task. I could imagine his stoic face as his eyes glided with the words on the papers.

When he returned to the palace, he wrote that he was starting to be tutored by more experienced people designated by The Council to help him learn the ways of ruling. The Council is a group of surrounding village elders that advises the Emperor on anything that would impact the Empire, which was basically everything.

When Yzma was the Emperor's advisor, ever since his parents passed away, she disbanded the counsel so that she was the only voice whispering into the Emperor's ear. And you wonder why he was so rude.

My footsteps gave Kuzco notice of my arrival. He swiftly piled the paper together and set them aside before standing up to face me. "Hey, beautiful, long time no see."

I smiled wide and jumped into his arms, making him spin me around as we held onto each other. "I missed you, Kuzco."

"I missed you too, but I told you it'd go by fast, didn't I?" He placed me back on the ground and then tugged my hand towards the table.

I sat down across from him and replied, "Yes, you did."

"Did you get my note?" I nodded, resting my elbows on the table. He smiled, "Did it make you laugh?"

I cocked an eyebrow. "The note? Not really. It was sweet, thank you by the way, but not really funny."

His face scrunched in confusion, "Huh. I thought it would have made you laugh, guess I'm losing my touch."

Now I was confused. So I pulled out the note from my pocket, yes my dress has pockets, and showed it to him.

He gave a small laugh as he read it and pointed, "Come on, that didn't make you laugh? Not even a little bit?"

I looked to where he pointed, "'Your savvy Emperor'? I just don't see how that's funny."

He started cracking up, "No," he took a breath, "it says 'Your sexy Emperor." He guffawed as I blushed from embarrassment. Smirking, he said, "Hey, you're not denying it so it must be true."

"Kuzco," I was gonna give a snarky reply but simply couldn't as he looked at me with his smiling face. Rubbing my hands together, I asked, "So what's for breakfast?"

~

The next day, we all went to the village. Deja left us to go to her family while Kuzco and I continued to my family home.

They all greeted us outside, my little siblings running to tackle me to the ground. A homemade banner that said 'Welcome Home Amara' hung along the doorway. It was littered with handprints and misspellings, clearly done by the kids, but it was perfect.

I shared all the stories that came to mind throughout the day. My parents let the kids stay up later so we made a fire outside and decided to sleep under the stars together.

~

Life continued its usual routine after that. Weeks then months flew by.

My school program was excelling with the education of our Empire's children. It started with a school in my village where Deja and I taught the children. Families from far distances sent their kids here for a good and fair education.

We were able to expand the program through meetings with other village officials. We conducted seminars to educate people who wanted to teach in other villages and cities so that the program could branch out.

My family supported me through this whole process. I was so thankful for that since it got quite stressful at times dealing with rude parents or unsympathetic village officials. Kuzco's authority as Emperor is what ultimately enabled us to expand the availability of education throughout the Empire and to all children.

As for me and Kuzco, it has now been two years since we first met. It was crazy to think about our first interactions, that he was a llama, but, anyway, we're doing great.

Kuzco has gone beyond expectations by being a just and kind ruler. He is no longer so strictly guided by advisors because he has earned their trust to make wise decisions. There are times when he doesn't know what to do but then he is able to turn to them for advice.

While juggling the duties of being Emperor, Kuzco has never failed to keep me as a priority in his life. We both struggled with this in the beginning, him busy with Emperor duties and me with the schools, but we've learned to communicate and designate time only for each other each week.

It was interesting being known as the Emperor's girlfriend. By now everyone in the Empire knew who I was because of my involvement with the schools and, of course, my relationship with Kuzco.

Wherever we'd go people would stop to talk or point at us from a distance. It was different, for sure. Sometimes it would be annoying but it brought great things as well. I helped Kuzco get more involved with neighboring communities. We'd play soccer with the children, visit elderly homes, and have dinner with different groups of families once a week.

I'm currently braiding a young girl's hair as the village women chatter around me. A light breeze is shaking the trees creating a peaceful sound. Most of the children are playing house in the distance, their laughter being carried to where we sat under the shade.

Kuzco had to talk to my parents about something or other. I was going to go but he insisted I stay since 'It would be boring and I'll bring back food'.

So here I am, sitting patiently and wondering what he had to talk to them about.