"Daddy, you're home!" cried out a young blond headed boy as he ran for his father's open arms.
The taller man chuckled at the force that his young son used to warp his small arms around his thick waist. Picking the small boy up, the Dark Lord, chuckled at the site of Lloyd's fly-a-way hair that peaked out of his black hood.
"I take it that you missed me today, Lloyd?" chuckled the Lord of the Underworld
The small boy raised his head from his dad's neck and looked at his father with bright hazel eyes and exclaimed
"Of course, daddy! I missed you a LOT!" Pausing Lloyd lowered his head and snuggled against his father's chest before softly adding "I always do."
Touched by his son's innocent confession Garmadon wrapped all four of his arms around Lloyd's body just as he felt his son go to sleep.
~End
-(Story change)
Inside the Hypnobrai's tomb, the young son of the Dark Lord was struggling to keep up with the older male that slithered with expertise across the icy terrain.
"H-hey!" Lloyd shouted. "W-wait up, Slithraa! I-I can't go as fast as you on the ice-!" The young boy screamed in shock as he began to lose his balance. Afraid that he was going to fall head first on the hard floor, Lloyd covered his face with his arms and braced himself for collision. However, what he didn't expect was a strong tail breaking his fall and wrapping around his shivering frame.
Surprised, Lloyd uncovered his face and looked into the red eyes of the weathered Hypnobrai general.
Nervous and embarrassed that he lost his footing, Lloyd managed to give a squeaky breathe of thanks, as the general helped him regain his balance.
"You are welcome, Lloyd." Slithraa rasped quietly before placing his claw on the boy's shoulder and leading him to his private chambers.
Not to far behind from the duo, Skales let out a hiss of disgust as he watched his leader break the brat's fall.
That boy is making Slithraa going soft! Then again...Slithraa has always had a soft spot for his family." cackled Skales wickedly. I'll make sure that when I challenge Slithraa to the Slither Pit that I will humiliate him greatly in front of the boy! Then that brat will truly see how pathetic his idol has become!"
-
Lloyd let out a small whistle of amazement as he marveled the size and greatness of Slithraa's room. "Wow, Slithraa, you have the biggest room inside the entire tomb!"
Slithraa chuckled from his bookstand. "I am glad that you admire the girth of the room so much, Lloyd. It makes me happy that someone else admires the room for its architecture and not for its size."
Furrowing his eyebrows in confusion, Lloyd turned around and faced the Serpentine in question. "What do you mean by that, Slithraa?"
Taken back by the straight forward question, Slithraa shook his head in amazement, before slithering over to his bed before gingerly sitting his old body down. "You see, Lloyd, a lot of people in the dream envy me for my status and..." He paused before continuing "my...power."
The bed shifted as Lloyd sat down beside the dark blue general. "Isn't that what being a general is about? Having power?"
Slithraa glanced over at the wide eyed boy before smirking "Is having power all that you think about?" He chuckled as Lloyd's face turned red in embarrassment.
Shifting uncomfortably under Slithraa's stare, Lloyd hugged his knees and mumbled "N-no. That's not all that I think about..."
Sensing that he brought up something that he shouldn't have Slithraa placed a claw on Lloyd's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Would you like for me to continue on, little one?"
Briefly looking up, Lloyd nodded his head before snuggling deeper into his cloak. "Yes, Slithraa, I would like that...very much."
"First of all, Lloyd, would you like for me to get you a blanket?"
"Mhmmm."
-
Skales was starting to become inpatient. He already walked past his commander's room six times now in an entire hour. He growled between his teeth How long does it take for a brat to go to sleep?!
At the sound of footsteps coming from the other side of the doorway, Skales stiffened before growling. "Who ever is there, you have ten second to get past here before I kill you!"
Out of the corner of his eyes, Skales saw Rattla run for his life before dissapearing around the corner of the icy hallway. "Stupid useless buffoon!" Skales mumbled while crossing his arm tighter against his chest "Why bother keeping him anyway?"
-
Unknown of the evil plot that his "trusted" second in command was planning, the Hypnobrai general watched Lloyd's chest rise and fall with interest, as he moved his long body closer to the young 11 year old boy.
Slithraa sighed wearly. It's been a very long time since he had a in depth conversation with anyone in his tribe; ever since he...exiled his little sister Opal.
Slithraa began think back to the happier days when he could talk and see Opal as often he liked. Hours for time when he had the time to visit his sister in the Nanny Snake's area, he would observe Opal as she flitted around the vast room. He would watch how she took care of the sick children, listened when she sang age old lullibies as she rocked the little vipers to sleep, and grin and laugh at the jokes she told to entertain the old and honored scouts, and warriors.
However, all that changed when a huge earthqauke caused a cave in and killed one of his sister's charges. It had been entirely his fault after he denied the Nurses to move to a safer location.
Long tale short, Slithraa had Opal exiled two hundred years ago and the pain of having his sister whipped fiftly times across her back still haunted him. He whimpered deep in his throat as he tenderly moved the blanket over Lloyd's shivering frame.
Just before Slithraa closed his eyes and entered the land of sleep, he whispered "Opal...please, where ever you are, forgive me."
-
Skales, refusing to wait any longer, carefully opened the door and nearly yelled out in disbelief at what he saw. "The general...was...sleeping next to the boy?! NO! NO! NO! and NO! This is can't be true!" Forcing himself to close the door as gently as possible without waking the general, Skales seethed.
It was time to put his plan of over throwing Slithraa once and for all!
~End