Chapter Text
The world had finally seemed to calm down. After the Sons of Garmadon attacks, Emperor Garmadon’s reign, and the Oni invasion, the ninja were absolutely exhausted. They had been running on fumes for weeks and now they could finally sit back, put their feet up and enjoy a much-deserved break. Today, the sun was shining brightly in the spring sky. Fluffy white clouds gracefully swept across the bright blue skies, and a warm breeze gently blew through the courtyard of the monastery. The doors and windows of the monastery were all opened wide to let the fresh air fill the monastery. Lloyd inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. Ah, that felt good. The Green Ninja was seated on one of the couches in the game room, his feet resting on the coffee table and his body propped up on an utterly insane amount of pillows. It felt good on his battered and bruised body. Behind him, he heard the door to the hallway slide open.
“Mind if I join you?” Cole’s voice broke Lloyd out of his wandering thoughts.
Lloyd grinned up at the older boy. “Of course. Hey, is that-?”
“The last of the chocolate cake from last night? You bet.” Cole set the dessert and two plates on the coffee table. He handed Lloyd a spoon. “I brought enough for two.”
“It looks more like enough for four,” joked Lloyd. “But I bet we can finish it.”
“Oh, absolutely!” Cole placed a heaping slice on one of the plates and handed it to Lloyd. “We deserve it anyways.”
Lloyd hummed in agreement as he bit into the dessert. They absolutely deserved it. He had died for goodness sakes, he could totally have two slices of chocolate cake. At the sound of laughter, both boys turned to the open window and looked out into the courtyard. Jay and Nya were spinning wildly around the yard, apparently dancing. They were laughing wildly as they went, their hair flying around in the wind. A few steps away, Zane and PIXAL were also dancing, just at a much slower, calmer pace. The two Nindroids were gazing into each other’s eyes and smiling happily. The music was a soft, jazzy tune that sounded bright and hopeful.
“Aw,” said Cole through a mouthful of cake. “That’s cute.”
“I’m happy for Jay and Nya” Lloyd responded softly. “I wonder when the ceremony will be.”
“Not for a while, but they are planning it.” Cole took another bite of cake, then licked the frosting off of his chin. “I think they’re anxious to get married, but they don’t like the planning part.”
“That’s understandable.” Lloyd watched the two ninja they were talking about exchange a tender kiss. “Maybe they’ll elope.”
“Apparently both of their mothers would kill them if they tried that.”
They both laughed, then continued to eat their snack in peace. Lloyd moved an ice pack from his back to his side, and Cole had a bag of ice cubes tucked underneath his ankle. They heard the faint sound of a conversation and both looked up when Kai passed by the open window.
“- yeah I’ll totally stop by. I’m not doing anything. Just taking a much needed break, Skylor. Yep, everyone is doing well. We’re all recovering pretty well.”
Cole and Lloyd looked at each other as Kai walked away, the conversation getting fainter. They both grinned and shook their heads slightly.
“Well, I have a feeling we’ll be seeing Skylor around here a lot more.” Cole commented. “Which I’m totally cool with because she usually brings food with her.”
Lloyd agreed wholeheartedly. He loved Mr. Chen’s dumplings, and Skylor was aware of this fact. She usually brought several boxes of the delicious food with her when she came to visit. He looked out the window again, and gave a contented sigh. Kai was smiling from ear to ear as he leaned against the monastery walls. Zane and PIXAL were practicing a complicated dance move, and Jay and Nya were still twirling around the courtyard like a couple of spinning tops. Next to him, Cole also gave a happy sigh.
“It’s a beautiful sight for a beautiful day.”
Lloyd agreed. It felt like everything was finally starting to return to normal again. Of course, it would take a while for them to heal, and the path wouldn’t be easy, but they were healing. His body still felt like it had been used as a punching bag, but the pains and aches were finally starting to dissipate. The mental healing was going to take a lot longer. Especially because of her. Lloyd felt his mind drift to the late princess of Ninjago, and he wasn’t happy about it. She had left an impression, that was sure. A very painful, terrible, downright awful impression. Lloyd decided that he’d be happiest if he never thought about her again, but something told him that that would not be the case for a while at least. Cole pointed out the window, snapping Lloyd out of his spiraling thoughts.
“Look at Master Wu.”
Their master was weaving through his dancing students with ease, making his way to the door of the monastery with a cup of tea in his hand. He opened the door, and both of the boys saw that the mailman was standing on the front step.
“He’s not even spilling a drop,” exclaimed Cole. “I don’t know how he does it.”
“It’s one of his best kept secrets,” agreed Lloyd as he watched Master Wu make his way back through the dancing couples.
“Ready for slice two?” Cole held up his empty plate and grinned at Lloyd. “Or should I eat yours?”
“Don’t you dare!” Lloyd quickly took his piece and took a large bite. “Too slow, boulder-brain.”
They began working on the rest of the cake, watching their teammates in the courtyard. It was relaxing, and the music was great. Lloyd smiled, he felt like this day couldn’t possibly go wrong. Of course, he was wrong. Somewhere deeper in the monastery, a crash was heard, breaking the peaceful atmosphere. Cole and Lloyd both stopped what they were doing and looked at each other.
“…That kinda sounded like a teacup. But he’d never, he’s never-”
Lloyd quickly stood, setting down his plate and putting his ice pack on the table. He walked briskly towards the door to the hallway. As he extended his hand to open the door, it swung open, startling the boy. Master Wu was on the other side of the door, his face pale and slightly worried. In his hand, he held an important-looking letter. It was green, red, gold, and it bore an official-looking seal on the front.
“Ah, Lloyd. Good, I need to talk to you.”
“What’s wrong?” Lloyd said, a nauseating feeling beginning to grow in his stomach. “We heard a crash.”
“Yes, I dropped a teacup.”
Cole gasped behind Lloyd, and the Green Ninja heard the other boy stand up. Master Wu saw that the Master of Earth was in the room, and he looked at Lloyd again.
“I need to talk to you privately, Lloyd. Quickly.”
The two of them left abruptly, leaving Cole alone in the game room. The Earth Ninja quickly ran to the window and vaulted out onto the monastery porch. Kai, still on the phone, gave him a funny look and took a few steps away. Cole raced out to where the radio sat, and snapped it off.
“Hey! What’s the deal?” Jay cried, immediately stopping what he was doing.
“Yeah, we were using that, Cole.” Nya put her hands on her hips. “That was kind of-”
“It’s an emergency!” Cole threw his hands in the air. “Something is wrong!”
Instantly, Zane and PIXAL came over to Cole with worried looks on their faces. Kai was telling Skylor that something urgent had come up and that he’d call her back as soon as he could. Soon, they were all gathered in a small circle in the courtyard.
“Okay, Cole. What’s going on, and what makes you say it’s an emergency?”
“Okay, so, Lloyd and I were sitting in the game room just hanging out. We saw Master Wu get the mail-”
“Yeah, we saw that too.”
“I’m not done. A few minutes later we heard a crash, and then Wu came in with this really fancy letter in his hand. We asked what the crashing noise had been, and he said- he said-”
“Oh FSM spit it out, Cole!”
“He broke a teacup!” Cole hollered at the top of his lungs.
There were a few moments of dead silence, then all hell broke loose. The courtyard dissolved into chaos in a matter of seconds.
“What?”
“Oh f-”
“FSM we’re cooked, it’s over! We’re not gonna make it this time!” Jay shrieked. “Zane! Can you perform a wedding ceremony? I will not die without marrying Nya first!”
Zane sprinted inside and returned a minute later with a scroll in his hands. He unrolled it and began to read.
“We gather here today to celebrate the joyous union-”
“Hold up! Cole, you’re my best man. Kai, you can walk Nya down the aisle.” He yanked the Earth Ninja to come stand by him.
“Let’s go.” Nya grabbed her brother’s arm and marched a little ways away. “PIX, you’re my maid of honor,” she called over her shoulder.
PIXAL gave her a thumbs up and stood by Zane. Kai and Nya speed-walked to the rest of the group, then stood with the others. Kai stepped behind Cole, and whispered to him as Jay and Nya held hands.
“Did you hear or see anything else? Anything?”
“Nope.” Cole responded. “Just the letter.”
“What kind of villain sends a letter announcing our impending doom? What if it’s not world-ending? We don’t know what’s inside.”
“Well, maybe-”
“Would you guys hush? I’m trying to get married.” Jay interrupted, scowling at the two of them. “Carry on, Zane.”
Zane cleared his throat. “We gather here today to celebrate-”
The main doors to the monastery were suddenly opened, cutting Zane off and causing everyone else to turn and look at the new arrival. Lloyd stood in the doorway, his face serious. He opened his mouth to speak, then stopped and looked at the group in confusion.
“What are you doing?”
“Getting married, because the world is apparently going to end.” Nya said pointedly.
Lloyd looked even more confused, then a look of understanding crossed his face.
“Oh, no. It’s not ending. Not yet anyways.” His face grew slightly panicked again. “But we are going to have some important visitors any minute now, so clean the place up as fast as you can.”
There was an outburst of confused chattering, but Lloyd didn’t have time to answer any of the questions. He ran to his room and slid open his closet door. He needed to wear something nice, so his green hoodie and sweatpants covered in cake crumbs wasn’t going to cut it. He growled in frustration as he dug through his laundry hamper. Why couldn’t he have gotten a little more warning?
“The letter is addressed to you, Lloyd. It is from the Ninjago Parliament.”
“Parliament? What on earth do they want?”
“I have an idea, but I am not certain. Open the letter.”
Lloyd did as he was told, breaking the shiny golden seal on the red and green envelope. He pulled out a long piece of parchment, and began reading the message. Master Wu was reading over his shoulder, and for a few minutes neither of them spoke. Lloyd felt small beads of sweat beginning to form on his forehead as the gravity of the message began to sink in.
They’re coming here. But- but why?”
Master Wu closed his eyes. “Does it say when? It is a long story, and an even longer explanation.”
Lloyd looked at the letter again. “It says in three days time. So, we have time right?”
“No,” whispered his uncle. He was staring at the envelope with a look of slight horror on his face. “The postage for this says it was mailed out… three days ago.”
Lloyd’s heart dropped into his stomach. “Three days ago? So they’re arriving today? Today?” His voice went up slightly in pitch. “Master Wu-”
“We must get ready! They could arrive at any moment. Lloyd,” said Master Wu, grabbing the Green Ninja’s shoulders tightly. “This is extremely important. I don’t have time to explain right now, but it is more important than I can tell you.”
Lloyd felt like he was going to be sick. He should not have eaten that cake. He thought he was going to get a nice, long vacation, but apparently the world had other plans.
“Tell the others, and tell them to wear something nice,” called Master Wu as Lloyd raced out of the library. “Tell them to hurry.”
So now here he was, on the verge of stressed and angry tears. Why wasn’t there a single clean dress shirt for him to wear? Cole appeared in his peripheral vision, a look of concern on his face.
“Lloyd, what’s going on?”
“I don’t know! Master Wu said that there wasn’t enough time to explain.” Lloyd said through gritted teeth. “But the Ninjago Parliament is gonna arrive any minute now, and I don’t have any nice clothes to wear!”
Cole stuck his head out into the hall and barked out several short words. “Parliament! No idea! Dress nice! Zane, we need help!”
Zane materialized in the doorway. Cole pointed at the laundry thrown all over the room, and Zane immediately got the message. He snatched up a pair of black pants and a green dress shirt, then raced back down the hallway.
“I’ll be right back,” he called.
Cole disappeared into his own bedroom, then returned wearing a slightly wrinkled dark orange shirt and a pair of black dress pants. He went over to the mirror above Lloyd’s dresser and began trying to fix his hair. Down the hall, they could hear someone banging on a door.
“Kai! Let me in! You don’t have time to spend five hours on your hair!” Jay’s irate voice rang out.
Cole chuckled softly, then guided the obviously frazzled Green Ninja over to the mirror. He picked up Lloyd’s comb and began running it through the boy’s wavy blond hair. He gently worked out a few snarls and took the time to style it nicely. Lloyd mouthed “thank you” unable to gather the strength to speak at the moment. Zane returned, dressed in white and blue, placed Lloyd’s cleaned and ironed clothes on the foot of his bed, then disappeared just as quickly.
“Thanks, Zane.” Lloyd and Cole both yelled after the Nindroid.
“Zane, Kai won’t let me in the bathroom!” Jay’s voice rang out. “He’s using all my hair gel too! I can smell it!”
“Cry about it, I need it,” came Kai’s response.
“You’d better pay me back, that stuff isn’t cheap.” There was a brief second of silence, then Jay spoke again, his voice threatening. “That’s it. I’m coming in.”
The sound of a door being kicked in mixed with the sound of high-pitched screaming did nothing to calm Lloyd’s nerves. He looked at Cole in the mirror, and Cole shrugged helplessly. His lips were pressed into a thin line.
“They’d better cut it out before Zane comes back. He’ll kill ‘em both.”
“They’d better cut it out before the representatives arrive. I’ll kill them myself.”
Cole chuckled and put down the comb. “I’ll go make them aware of that. Go ahead and get dressed.”
Cole left the room, and a few seconds later Lloyd heard him yelling at Kai and Jay. Lloyd closed the door, changed, and took a deep breath. Now that he was all ready, maybe he could ask Master Wu to explain what was going on. A loud knock at the monastery doors cut that idea short, and Lloyd heard a few distressed cries throughout the monastery.
“I’ve got it!” Nya rushed past Lloyd in a blue and gray dress. She was wrestling her hair into a ponytail as she went. “Go to the library, Lloyd. Master Wu is waiting there.”
Lloyd walked briskly to the library and entered. His master looked up from the other side of the room, and gave him a small, anxious smile.
“Very good. Now, just take a deep breath.”
Lloyd inhaled slowly and let out a very shaky breath. His stomach felt like it was doing barrel rolls. He heard footsteps out in the hallway, so he turned to face the door. The door slid open quietly, and Nya entered the room.
“Master Wu, Master Lloyd, presenting Lady Tano, Lady Ida, Lord Adachi, and Lord Kimura. Representatives of the Ninjago Parliament.” Nya said, gesturing to the newcomers as they stepped in.
There was bowing, handshakes, and general introductions before Master Wu gestured to the chairs and asked the lords and ladies to please have a seat. Lloyd examined each member as they sat down, trying to determine what kind of a person they were.
Lady Tano was fairly young, probably somewhere in her early thirties. She had long black hair tied back into a thick bun, and there were several beautiful pins holding it together. She seemed nice enough, and had a graceful smile on her calm face.
Lady Ida was older, around her mid-sixties. Her face was showing signs of age, and her hair was gray. It was very short, much like the lady herself, and kept in a neat pixie cut. She wore very little makeup, and looked very serious. Lloyd decided that she made him slightly nervous.
Lord Adachi was younger than Lady Ida, but older than Lady Tano. Probably in his late forties or early fifties. He had a wedding band on his finger, and he played with the gold piece absentmindedly. He seemed nice as well, but he was also very quiet, making it difficult to be sure.
Lord Kimura was around Lady Tano’s age. He was definitely the most talkative person in the group of representatives, and very expressive. When he talked, his hands were all over the place. He smiled a lot, and he smiled with all of his teeth. Lloyd couldn’t decide whether or not Lord Kimura was actually nice, or if it was an act.
“Lloyd, are the others joining us soon?” Master Wu’s question pulled Lloyd out of his musings.
“Um, yes. I do believe so. Zane and PIXAL were preparing some tea, I think.” Lloyd kept his voice as even as possible.
As if on cue, the doors to the library slid open again. Cole walked in, the rest of the team behind him in a single-file line. Zane and PIXAL were both carrying tea trays, which they then set down on the table. PIXAL offered each member a drink, and everyone but Lady Ida accepted the drinks. Lloyd sipped on his own cup of green tea and tried to calm himself. It didn’t work very well, because as soon as Lord Adachi said his name, his stomach did a flip.
“So, Master Lloyd,” the man said, setting down his teacup. “I would first like to congratulate you on your successful defense of the nation. As always, it is extremely appreciated.”
Lloyd bowed his head. “Of course. That is what my team and I are here for.”
The rest of the ninja nodded, but they looked very tense. Jay shuffled his feet nervously, and Cole dabbed at his forehead with a handkerchief. Lady Ida narrowed her eyes and looked at each team member carefully before turning to Lloyd.
“We are here because of what happened to the royal family.”
Lloyd’s stomach dropped horribly. He felt slightly sick at the mention of the royal family. Honestly, he could go the rest of his life without thinking about any of them ever again. Especially her.
Lady Ida continued. “Unfortunately, Princess Harumi was a traitor and murdered her parents, the emperor and empress, in cold blood. That line of the royal family has been completely exterminated, and there are no living successors. No distant cousins or anything. Nothing.”
“I see. That is an issue, I take it?” Lloyd tried his best to not dwell on her name.
“A very big one,” interrupted Lord Kimura. “Lots of power-hungry parliament people and business people are trying to sink their claws into the empty throne.”
“Oh,” said Lloyd, unable to come up with anything else.
“Yes, Lord Kimura is correct, even if he is slightly brash about it.” Lady Tano said calmly. “That is why we are here.”
Lloyd looked at the other ninja, and found that they were even more confused than him. Lloyd turned back to the representatives.
“So, are you saying that you would like us to guard the throne until a new emperor or empress is elected?” Lloyd said quietly. He suddenly felt Master Wu’s hand on his knee beneath the table, and he forced himself not to jump in surprise.
The lords and ladies looked at each other for a moment, then Lord Adachi leaned forward in his chair.
”Master Wu, is your nephew aware of his heritage?”
Painfully so, thought Lloyd. But what does that have to do with this?
Master Wu nodded. “Yes. I was unable to explain the agreement before you arrived. Unfortunately, the letter only arrived just this morning.”
Lord Kimura threw back his head and laughed. “Oh dear, that’s quite unfortunate isn’t it? Well, I’m not surprised. The hike up here was something else!”
No one else laughed. Lord Adachi coughed and began speaking again.
“Lloyd, your grandfather, the First Spinjitzu Master, was the first emperor of this realm. He started the royal line and established the rest of the government.”
Lloyd’s stomach did another flip. He didn’t like where this was going. Lady Ida took over talking.
“When the throne was meant to go to his sons, your father and your uncle, they declined. They were dealing with a lot of other problems, including the Serpentine War, the civil unrest, and then the turn of your father. They started the second royal line, which is the line that the most recent royal family came from. Unfortunately that line is gone now.”
Lloyd gripped the armrests of his chair tightly. “I-”
“So now, according to the laws written by the sons of the First Spinjitzu Master and the rest of the Ninjago government, the throne reverts back to the line of the First Spinjitzu Master.”
Zane and PIXAL both gasped behind him, and it took Lloyd every ounce of strength in his body not to turn around and ask them what the hell was going on. He could hear the rest of the ninja team starting to whisper to each other in confusion. Master Wu kept his hand on Lloyd’s knee. Lloyd stayed very still, thinking Lady Ida’s words over very carefully in his mind.
Oh no. No way. There was no way.
“…I am assuming that the throne will not go to my father, so it is going to Master Wu?” Lloyd started to pray like his life depended on it. “Master Wu will be the new emperor?”
“No, Lloyd.” Master Wu said softly. “It is you. You are in line for the throne.”
“What?” Jay, Kai, Nya, and Cole all yelled in unison.
Master Wu turned around to frown at them. Lloyd froze, his heart hammering against his chest and his mind going a million miles an hour. No way. There was no way.
“The throne would go to Garmadon because he was the oldest son, but he is… not fit for it, as we have seen first hand.” Lady Tano stated delicately. “You are the oldest and only child of the elder son, so the throne goes to you. Besides, Master Wu has already revoked his rights to the throne several times.”
“Holy moly. Lloyd?” Jay’s voice was borderline hysterical. “No way!”
Lloyd agreed with Jay. There was absolutely no way. However, the lords and ladies all nodded, looking very serious. There was no way that this was a joke.
Lord Adachi pressed his fingertips together. “Lloyd, we came to ask you to please accept your position. The nation needs an emperor, and what better choice than you? The public knows you, and they know that you will always look out for the best interests of the people.”
Lloyd shook his head. “I’m sorry. I’m not qualified for this at all. There is no way that I could lead an entire country! I- I’m sorry, but I don’t think I’m what you’re looking for.”
“What? Nah, you’re exactly what we’re wanting!” Lord Kimura grinned. “Look at you! You’re humble, you’re kind, and you’ve led others before.”
“Usually a group of six people, and at most twenty. Not an entire country,” argued Lloyd. “How do I revoke my rights to the throne?”
“Let’s not be too hasty.” Lady Ida stood. “Think about it, Green Ninja. If you don’t accept the throne, someone a lot worse might. We can’t risk that. About seventy percent of parliament voted yes to sending you that letter and coming to talk with you. You will have support from most of your peers. You are very capable, and I have no doubt that you would do a good job.”
Lloyd leaned back in his chair and wiped his sweaty palms on his pants. His heart was racing. Suddenly, he felt Master Wu’s hand on his shoulder.
“May we perhaps discuss this in private?”
The lords and ladies all agreed, and Lloyd felt himself being guided out of the library. He couldn’t feel his legs moving, but he was aware that he was walking. Someone was trying to talk to him, but he couldn’t tell who over the roaring sound in his ears. Once they were in the courtyard, he tilted his head back and took what felt like the deepest breath in his life.
“There we go. I thought you were gonna pass out for a moment there.” Cole’s voice finally made its way to Lloyd’s ears. “You’re about as green as your shirt, buddy.”
“Urgh,” was the only thing Lloyd said in reply.
Zane carefully guided Lloyd to sit on the steps of the porch, and PIXAL emerged from inside the monastery with a glass of water. Lloyd accepted it gratefully and took several large gulps of the liquid.
“Not so fast, you are going to make yourself ill,” fretted Zane. “Drink it slowly.”
“I already feel ill, it’s fine.” Lloyd said gloomily. He gazed up at Master Wu, who was standing before him. “Master Wu, please say that I can revoke my birthright or whatever. I don’t want to be the Emperor of Ninjago. Please?”
Master Wu looked down at him sadly. “Lloyd, I think- I think you need to do this.”
There were several quiet cries of disagreement from the rest of the ninja.
“He doesn’t need to do anything he doesn’t want to!” Kai said angrily. “I can’t believe you’re dumping all of this on him like this!”
“Yeah,” agreed Nya. “Lloyd, you don’t have to do it. Just tell them that you’ll be a temporary placeholder or something, just until they elect another person.”
“But didn’t you hear?” PIXAL interrupted. “There are many bad people trying to usurp the throne. Of course they would rig the election so that they would win.”
“PIXAL is correct,” murmured Zane. “I do not like this at all.”
Jay was pacing wildly around the courtyard. “What would they do if you said no? Would they hate us forever or would they just, like, move on?”
Lloyd buried his face in his hands. This was giving him a headache. He looked up at Master Wu again, and saw that his uncle was gazing down at him sadly.
“I’m so sorry, Lloyd,” he whispered. He sat down next to his nephew. “I’m sorry I couldn’t prepare you for this. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you.”
Lloyd suddenly felt like he wanted to cry. But he couldn’t do that. Instead, he took several deep breaths and let his eyes wander across the monastery yard. He stopped when he came to one corner of the yard. In that corner, there was a pile of broken tiles and wood. The old monastery doors were a crumpled heap of wood, and Lloyd suddenly felt like a switch had been flipped in his brain. The First Spinjitzu Master had said-
“You need to go home. There are so many things you still need to do.”
Lloyd felt confused, but not distressed. It felt impossible to be frightened or anxious in a place as beautiful as this. He reached out and brushed his fingertips across the soft golden petals of a small flower.
“I am tired, grandfather. I defeated the Overlord with my family. What else is there to do?” Lloyd felt a deep ache in his bones. A tired, exhausted ache. He wanted to stay here forever.
His grandfather reached out and cupped the Green Ninja’s face in his hands. He looked at his grandson with warm golden eyes.
“There is a lot more to do. Besides, my child, you have a family waiting for you. Can you hear them calling your name?”
Lloyd tilted his head to the side and listened. Faintly, he could hear the soft calls of his family. They sounded sad, their voices choked up and trembling.
“They are sad,” said the FSM. “They are missing you dearly.”
“I-” Lloyd stopped. He missed them too.
“When you return to my land, will you do something for me?” His grandfather asked softly.
Lloyd nodded. “Yes. What is it?”
“You must lead my people, lead my country.” The First Spinjitzu Master said. “You will be a great leader, I know it. You are exactly what they need. Now, you will have a choice in the matter. You could say no if you truly desired to. Just know that that is not what I want.”
“I don’t think I can lead a whole country, grandfather.” Lloyd said, feeling slightly apprehensive. “I’m not that smart, and I’m not involved in politics.”
“You will be fine,” his grandfather said softly. “Your family will support you. They will be all you need. Now, will you do this for me?”
Lloyd thought about it for a long moment, then nodded. “Yes. Yes, I will.”
Lloyd opened his eyes and found that he was staring up at the bright blue sky. His family was gathered around him, talking to each other anxiously. Zane held up a hand when he saw the Green Ninja open his eyes.
“He’s awake!” The Ice Ninja announced.
There were several relieved cheers and more anxious chattering. Jay loudly declared that he was glad Lloyd wasn’t dead. Lloyd sat up slowly, assisted by Cole and Zane, and looked Master Wu in the eyes. Master Wu stared back, and a silent conversation took place between the two of them. Master Wu nodded, and slowly got to his feet.
“Was there anything else that he said?”
Everyone else fell silent. They stared at their teacher in confusion, then at Lloyd waiting for an explanation. Lloyd carefully got to his feet, took another sip of water, then addressed his team.
“When I died, I saw my grandfather.”
“Yeah, you told us that.” Kai had his arms crossed, and he was tapping his foot anxiously. “What does that have to do with this?”
“Well, I remember what he said to me. He told me that I still had a lot to do here. He told me that I needed to go home.”
“Okay, that’s good, I guess,” said Cole. He looked at Lloyd. “And…?”
Lloyd took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. He looked at each team member before he spoke again.
“I must accept the position as emperor.”
Immediately, chaos broke loose. Jay and Kai both yelled, Nya barked out “hell no you mustn’t”, and Cole sat down heavily on the porch steps. Lloyd held up his hands helplessly.
“I made a promise to my grandfather that I would lead his people and his country. I can only assume that this is what he was talking about, I just didn’t understand it at the time.”
“Oh, Lloyd…” PIXAL looked distressed. “You are sure?”
“Sure as I can be.” He shook his head. “Look, I don’t want to do it, but I made a promise. This is what I’m supposed to do.”
Master Wu reached Lloyd first. He wrapped his nephew in a gentle hug and held the boy in his arms. Lloyd froze for a moment, then melted into his uncle’s embrace. Wu squeezed Lloyd a little tighter.
“You will be the best leader this nation has ever seen. You are selfless, kind, humble… the list goes on and on, Lloyd. I am-” the old man’s voice shook. “I am so proud of you.”
Master Wu released Lloyd from his hold, and took a step back. The rest of the team immediately filled his place, surrounding the future emperor. Kai was shaking his head, face drawn up in worry.
“Lloyd, you’re crazy. You know that right?” The Fire Ninja held Lloyd tightly. “But you’re also really great.”
“Crazy? He’s flipping insane!” Jay threw his hands in the air. He then ruffled Lloyd’s hair affectionately. “But yeah, he’s gonna be great.”
Zane fixed Lloyd’s hair, then looked the Green Ninja in the eyes. “You are sure?”
Lloyd nodded seriously. “As long as I have you guys by my side. I can’t do this without you all.”
“Of course we will stand with you.” PIXAL squeezed on of Lloyd’s hands. “We will be there every step of the way.”
“Yep,” interjected Cole. “You will always have us to help you out.”
“I wonder if they’ll let us come with you?” Nya mused. “If they don’t we’ll still sneak in of course.” She grinned at Lloyd, but her eyes were slightly sad.
Lloyd thought for a moment, tapping his chin thoughtfully. After a moment he snapped his fingers.
“I’ll tell them that I’ll only be the emperor if you guys can come with me. You can be my personal advisers!”
The others all agreed enthusiastically, chatting as they began walking back to the monastery library. Lloyd gave a heavy sigh. Did he want this? No, he did not, but he would be alright as long as his family was by his side. I hope you know what you’re doing, grandfather, Lloyd thought. I really hope you’re right.
When they opened the library doors, the lords and ladies all immediately jumped to their feet.
“Master Lloyd, if there is any way that we can make the situation more appealing-”
Lloyd held up a hand, effectively cutting Lord Kimura off. He took his seat again, and gestured for the representatives to do so as well. Once everyone was seated, Lloyd looked at each member. He saw now just how worried they were. Lady Tano was fanning herself with a painted silk fan, and Lord Adachi was playing nervously with his wedding ring. Lloyd sighed, and he saw Ladies Ida and Tano look anxiously at each other.
“I accept the position as Emperor of Ninjago.” Lloyd said gravely. “However, I do have a few requests.”
“Name them!” Lord Kimura laughed, sounding very relieved. “Whatever it is, it’s yours.”
“Almost whatever,” interjected Lady Ida. She didn’t look as serious as before.
Lloyd smiled. “I would like the rest of my team to accompany me. They will be some of my advisers and can also act as effective bodyguards.”
“Absolutely,” piped in Kai. “We would be great bodyguards.”
Master Wu was smiling and nodding gently. Lady Tano jumped to her feet and clapped her hands.
“Of course! Oh, this is wonderful! Thank you so much.” She bowed deeply, and the rest of the parliament members did as well. The ninja followed suit, making Lloyd’s heart sink a little.
For the next few hours, the group discussed the plan of action moving forward. Lloyd would study the basics of ruling for two months, and at the beginning of the third month he would be coronated. He wouldn’t move into the royal palace until then. Master Wu, Zane, and PIXAL would be teaching Lloyd the material that parliament would send them. Lloyd would arrive at the palace exactly one week before the ceremony to discuss his policies and standpoint with the rest of parliament. Parliament would be told that Lloyd accepted the offer, but no one other than the four who had met with the future emperor would know where he was.
“For your safety, we suggest you move around quite a bit.” Lord Adachi said. “Hopefully there won’t be any major problems, but we can’t risk it right now.”
“Okay, we have lots of places we can go.” Nya spoke up. “We can always live on the Bounty for the next few months.”
As the representatives got ready to leave, they each thanked Lloyd profusely. Lord Kimura bowed and kissed Lloyd’s hand, and the others followed suit. Once the door closed after them, the monastery courtyard was silent for a few minutes. Lloyd sighed and turned around. The others bowed to him as he turned, making the Green Ninja frown.
“Oh, great and powerful Emperor Lloyd.” Jay said dramatically. Lloyd laughed when he saw that it wasn’t serious. “We common folk don’t deserve to bask in your glorious presence! Mwah!” Jay lunged forward and kissed Lloyd’s hand.
“Ew! Cut that out!” Lloyd pulled his hand out of the Lightning Ninja’s grasp. “You’re killing me, Jay.”
As the others got to their feet again, he gestured for them to come closer. Once they had, Lloyd pointed a finger at each and every member of his crew.
“Don’t you dare bow to me. Got it? Do not kneel, do not bow, and especially do not kiss my hand.” He shuddered. “I don’t like it at all.”
“Won’t we get beheaded if we don’t?” Kai teased.
Lloyd narrowed his eyes. “No, you’ll get beheaded if you do. That’ll be my first new rule: None of my friends can bow or kneel before me.”
The group laughed and made their way inside for dinner. Master Wu watched them from the door of the courtyard, and let out a small sigh.
“I hope you know what you are doing, father,” he whispered. “I hope that this will not change him.”
He felt a wave of sadness rush over him. Of course this would change Lloyd. Who was he kidding? There was no way the boy was going to be the same throughout his reign. Master Wu’s next thought made him feel sick. How long would Lloyd reign? He could reign for thousands of years if he lived as long as the rest of the First Spinjitzu Master’s descendants had. Thousands of years, people coming and going around him, of course the Green Ninja was going to change. Master Wu closed his eyes, letting one solitary tear run down his face.
“Please, I beg you, watch over him. Do not let him suffer.”
Lloyd could not fall asleep. The excitement of the day and the utterly terrifying news was still sending adrenaline through his body. That was unfortunate, as he really wanted to sleep. He rolled over, sighed, then sat up and lit a candle. There was no way he was going to get any sleep anytime soon. Not after getting his entire world flipped on its head like that. Lloyd picked the book he was currently reading up off of the nightstand and flipped to where his bookmark was. After a few minutes of staring at the page, he realized that he wasn’t really reading, and that he was definitely not absorbing any of the words on the page. He sighed, put the bookmark back in, and closed the book again. This was starting to get frustrating. He grabbed his phone, turned the flashlight on, and made his way to his bedroom door. Maybe a cup of chamomile tea would help.
“I’m willing to try anything at this point,” he murmured as he slid the door open and crept out into the hall.
The monastery was silent, everyone else either asleep or lying in bed. Lloyd winced when one of the floorboards creaked underfoot. He was so distracted, he had forgotten to step around it. Eventually, he made it to the kitchen and pulled out a mug from one of the cabinets. He set a kettle of water on the stove and turned on the burner. He watched it begin to bubble, his mind wandering away.
“Got enough for two?”
Lloyd jumped at least a foot into the air. He whirled around, a kitchen knife in hand, and came face to face with a startled Kai.
“Kai!” Lloyd hissed, grabbing his chest. “You scared the daylights out of me!”
“Sorry, sorry.” Kai held up his hands. “I didn’t mean to. You can put the knife down now.”
Lloyd looked at the utensil in his hand, then sheepishly placed it on the counter. Kai pulled out another mug and the hot cocoa box, then set both items on the counter next to Lloyd’s mug.
“I’ll have hot cocoa, though. Not tea.”
Lloyd nodded, clicking the stove top off. The water was just below boiling, and he poured it into his mug and Kai’s. The two boys prepared their drinks, then sat down at the kitchen table. Neither one of them spoke for several minutes. Eventually, Kai took a long sip of his drink and looked Lloyd in the eyes.
“Can’t sleep, huh?”
“Nope.”
“I can’t blame ya. Today was… something else, that’s for sure.”
Lloyd hummed in agreement, taking a small sip of his tea. Kai was quiet again, but not for long.
“Are you doing okay? I mean, how are you holding up?”
Lloyd rubbed his eyes, rested his face in his hands, and let out a long sigh.
“I don’t even know. I’m exhausted, I’m terrified out of my mind, and I wish I was asleep right now. But hey, I could be doing a lot worse.” He shrugged and tried to make a joke. “I could be dead!”
Kai didn’t find it funny, and gave the younger boy a pained look. “Please don’t say that.”
“Sorry.”
“It’s okay. I think you deserve a lot of grace right now.”
Lloyd stared at the drink in his hands, his fingers curled around the warmth of the mug. After a few seconds, he sighed and looked at Kai.
“I don’t know what I’m doing.”
Kai huffed. “That’s pretty obvious, but you’ll learn. Don’t beat yourself up about it.”
“What if I mess up?”
“Nobody’s perfect, Lloyd. Especially not politicians and leaders.” He let out a short laugh. “You have good intentions, and that’s what matters most right now. I know you’re gonna work hard and do your absolute best.”
Lloyd sighed again. “I didn’t want to do this, Kai. I’m so sorry.”
“Why are you apologizing to me?”
“I should be apologizing to the whole team really. I’ve messed it all up. We’re not going to be the same, it’s going to be different.”
“We’ve changed before. We’ve adapted before.” Kai reached out and grabbed Lloyd’s hands in his. “Trust me, no one here blames you for what is going on. It just happened this way.”
Lloyd gazed at Kai, his eyes filled with sadness. Kai felt his heart turn, and he reached out to the younger boy. He wrapped Lloyd in a hug and held him tightly, silently vowing that he would always take care of his little brother. Especially in this new, uncharted territory. The world was changing for them, but they could change with it. They always had. Kai silently cursed the First Spinjitzu Master for giving Lloyd yet another destiny that seemed to place the entire world on his shoulders. He wasn’t even an adult yet, he didn’t deserve this.
“We’ll get through it, Lloyd,” he whispered as he held the younger boy in his arms. “We’ll get through it together, I promise.”
Right now, that was all the Master of Fire could say. He had no other words of comfort to offer. But when Lloyd gave a sigh that sounded more relieved than exhausted, Kai knew that it was enough for tonight. Tomorrow, the sun would rise and shine its light on a very different world, but that was tomorrow’s problem.