A Ninjago AU, hope you like!

A cry sounded through the palace halls. The woman caressing the tiny baby rocked her son in her arms, humming a lullaby. The boy, wisps of light-colored hair sticking up, could seemingly sense something wrong. Creases of stress lined his mother's face and her light blue eyes were darting around wildly. The only light in the hall at night were the torches, but even those provided very little light, much less warmth in the corridor. The baby let out a cry again and, exasperated, the woman placed her hand gently over his mouth. His tiny green eyes were wide in the dim light, but she had to keep moving. He was waiting for her. Clutching her son tightly, she bounded through the castle, the only sound her sandals clapping on the ground. Her royal robes were flying as she ran, her light brown hair as well. Soon, she found herself in the large outdoor courtyard of the castle. She scanned the area. Where was he?

Suddenly, she caught a flash of white. Sighing in relief, she trodded slowly across the grassy plain to where he sat under a tree. She couldn't help but notice how tattered his robes had become. She looked guiltily at her own for a moment, but quickly turned her gaze to him. "You came, Wu."

"Why would I not, Misako?" The man's head was adorned with a straw hat and a white beard was beginning from his chin.. His old eyes glittered in wisdom. "Or should I call you queen now?"

Misako couldn't help but suppress a chuckle. "Please, no. I haven't heard my real name since your brother made me his wife." She held out her son to him. "This is your nephew, Wu. His name is Lloyd."

Wu took the baby. He looked just like his father used to, with the slightest resemblance to his mother. "Will you tell me once more why you must give him to me?"

Misako felt tears form in her eyes. It was so heartbreaking, giving her one and only son to her brother-in-law. "Garmadon has too much power already," she started, talking about her husband. "I have seen prophecies that say that Lloyd will have as much power as your father. This such power is dangerous in the hands of Garmadon. He would take over the world! I…" Misako faltered, wiping the tears away, "… I must give Lloyd away, to save all of Ninjago, and the world."

"He would have a better life with you, Misako," the elderly man pointed out. "I was exiled when my brother became ruler. I'm not living with any luxuries whatsoever. Not to mention you are his mother."

"I don't care," Misako sniffed. "Anywhere's better than here."

"Alright." Wu stood up holding Lloyd and, crying, Misako hugged her old friend.

"Thank you." And she ran back into the palace.

She tried to wipe the wetness from her face as she took a deep breath. She stood in front of a large door, her husband's room. She burst through the double doors to her husband's private room. "They took Lloyd!" she cried out. Garmadon stirred in his bed and quickly jumped out. His skin was as black as coal and his eyes glowed an eerie red shade. This was the king of all Ninjago, Misako's husband, Wu's brother, and little Lloyd's father, Lord Garmadon. Misako lead him to her chambers to see the baby crib dressed in green silk sheets, but devoid of any baby boy. Beyond, a window was wide open, illuminating the room with light from the moon. Misako had prepared it all.

"How did this happen?!" Garmadon growled, his voice deep and slightly demonic. He looked around the entire quarters looking for his son.

"The rebels," Misako lied. "They ran in here and took my son." Just to add that extra little effect, the queen allowed tears to fall from her eyes. "They have to be stopped!"

Garmadon turned to his wife, a murderous look in his eyes. "They will all be killed!"

Cole looked all around him in the night, expecting a spy to be following him. But the area was clear. Cautiously, the dark-clad man lifted up a manhole cover in the street and climbed the rusty ladder down until his feet touched water mixed with other… substances. Breathing through his mouth only, Cole treaded down the cylindrical sewage system pipe. Finally, he reached his destination. A place where multiple pipes met, creating a large opening where already many people were gathered. Slaves, mostly, with the occasional commoner. When they all spotted Cole, the entire group let out a large sigh of relief.

"You made it!"

"We thought you were caught!"

"Don't scare us like that ever again!"

Cole smiled grimly. He had been... held up at his home for a little while. But it was nothing too serious. Clutching a piece of paper in his hand, Cole joined the group. Everyone hushed at once. "Thanks for being here," Cole started. "Garmadon's on our tails." Now frowning, Cole held up the paper to reveal a wanted poster with his face on it. "He knows for sure." Looking at his own wanted poster, he added, "Forty-two pieces of silver for the turning in of me. Heh, almost makes me want to turn myself in."

Despite his joke, few laughed. "I don't know how Garmadon figured out that I'm the leader of the rebels." Cole looked at the crowd before him. The slaves were more miserable than most, so none of them would rat Cole out. And Cole personally knew all the commoners. They were good people. But then there was the Samurai...

Cole spotted the man, his red and silver armor standing out in a crowd of gray and brown. He wore a helmet that totally covered his face and Cole could see the daggers and shurikens tucked into his belt. He was very mysterious; not one person knew his true identity. When Cole met him, he had introduced himself as X, a private assassin trying to do everything to take down Garmadon. That was three years ago. He hasn't been doing a good job.

"Why is Garmadon still hunting us down? His son was kidnapped ten whole years ago!" an older commoner pointed out. "And it wasn't even us!"

Cole nodded. He had been only fourteen when Prince Lloyd went missing, but had already been in the rebellion. It only took a few years for him to rise up as leader. Garmadon was the bane of their existence, swearing vengeance on the rebels for stealing his son, even though they didn't. Sighing, Cole remembered the leader before Garmadon. He was twelve then. No one knew his real name, but he was a very just and wise leader. But when he died, his eldest son, Garmadon, took his place. Cole heard rumor that Garmadon had a younger brother that was banished from the land, but this had never been proven for sure. So Cole hoped that maybe, just maybe, if they could take down Garmadon, his younger brother or his son, wherever he was, would become ruler. No one could be worse than Garmadon, right?

"I had to quit my job and move," Cole said. "I'm too easily recognized. I was late today because a man came knocking at my door, saying he knew Cole Brookstone lived there. Luckily, my wife, Anne, covered for me, saying that her husband was an accomplished carpenter and she was awaiting his arrival and had no time for nonsense." Cole smiled widely. "Boy, do I love that girl."

"But what do we do when you do get caught?" a slave whimpered.

"That'll never happen," Cole chuckled. "Garmadon only takes his butt of the throne for mealtime. He's too lazy to come after me."

"But forty-two pieces of silver is a lot!" a commoner shouted. "Many people would go great lengths to get you. That's more than I make in a year!"

"That's more than I've made my entire life!" a slave said sharply. "You're in big trouble, Cole."

"Enough talking about me," Cole said, realizing they had a point. But he would never admit that. He had to stay strong. He had to keep hope. If not for him and his family, for these guys. All the slaves risked execution for sneaking out of their master's house at nighttime. The commoners risked being hanged for rebelling Garmadon. He looked at his watch in the dark. "It's past midnight. You all should be getting back." Though his words were mostly directed at the slaves, all started leaving towards their homes. But one man remained.

X.

"You could stay with me," the mystery man suggested, his voice very robot-like through his helmet. "I have a bounty on my head too. I know what it's like."

"Nah, I couldn't ask that of you." Cole looked at his feet, as looking at the mask of the Samurai sent chills down his spine. "And I've got to get back to the wife. She'll be worried." With a sigh, he added, "As usual."

"Suit yourself." And with that, Samurai X walked down his path, leaving Cole alone.

Cole walked back through the drainage pipe and up the ladder. Once on the street, he rushed to the shadows made by torches. One reason he wore dark clothing, especially now. His house was just down the lane, where Anne would be waiting anxiously. Cole stayed in the dark and ran down, not affording to even touch the light.

But then the alarm went off.

Cole almost had a heart attack. He froze in his tracks as villagers ran out of their homes, muttering, "Who spotted him? Where'd he go?"

Figuring they were talking about him, Cole delved into the dark alleyway between two run-down houses. People were marching all around, freshly lit torches in their hands. Cole couldn't move. He couldn't be caught. Oh gosh, what did Anne think when she heard the siren?

"Come with me!" a voice hissed, and Cole whipped around to see a young man with brown hair and gleaming blue eyes. He didn't look like he wanted to capture Cole, but Cole did not oblige to his command. He looked around. He was stuck in an alley, mobs of angry villagers on one end, this man at the other end.

"Dude, I'm trying to help!" the man whispered. Without notice, he grabbed Cole's arm and pulled him through a small door into a house. Cole would have never noticed the door there; it blended in well with the stone face. The man closed the door behind them and said, "You're welcome."

"I..." Cole was confused. A man who didn't want the silver reward and was risking charges of treason by holding a criminal in his home? You don't find that everyday.

"You're an idiot for coming here," the man added, leaning against a wall in the house. "Everyone wants the reward." He squinted his eyes, looking straight at Cole's face. "Boy, whoever did the drawing on your wanted poster did a heck of a good job. They're almost identical!" With a grin, the man held out his hand for Cole to shake. "I'm Jay."

"And I'm not too keen on trusting a person I just met," Cole said, turning Jay's hand down.

Jay frowned. "I just saved your life. If you were turned in, Garmadon would chop your head off and use it as a trophy in his throne room. And you don't have to worry about me. I hate Garmadon, and I already have forty-two pieces of silver."

"Good to know." Cole looked down at his watch once again. It was almost one in the morning. "Look, I have to get home. My wife is going to be worried sick." He didn't dare say where he lived, just in case this man was out to get him. He may deny it, but you never know.

"I really thought you were smarter than that," Jay mused. "The street is crawling with people who want the reward. You set off what they like to call their 'Cole Call,' which means someone spotted you. We all have buttons in our homes." Jay motioned to the red button on his wall that had a black exclamation point painted on it. "Everyone's really excited to use it, for some reason. And, someone got the idea that whoever turned you in would share the reward with everyone in the neighborhood. Like that's gonna happen. These people are more greedy than a leprechaun at the end of a rainbow. You are staying here. And I've heard about what you've been doing every other night. I'm totally for it. Garmadon's reign has gone on for too long."

Boy, did he talk a lot. Cole knew there was no way he was convincing this man to let him go. He looked around him. Jay lived in a very small and simple house, much like his own. There was a kitchen, a dining room, a family room, a master bedroom, and a guest room. Cole reluctantly nodded and Jay smiled. "Great." He led Cole to the guest bedroom, which only held a bed and a dresser.

"I won't thank you until I'm sure I can trust you," Cole said grudgingly. But Jay only shrugged.

"I don't care. Just know that you can."

"No, no, no!" Kai bellowed. He gripped the handle of his sword tightly in fury and pointed the weapon straight at his trainee, who quivered in fear. "You wanted to be apart of my army, correct?" The small man nodded his head rapidly. "Then you must do exactly as I say, or my sword just might find its way into your chest!" Sighing, Kai turned to the straw dummy standing beside him. He aimed a flying kick at its chest and hit it square on. "That is how you disarm a rebel." The trainee nodded again, and Kai swung his sword through the dummy's head, straw flying everywhere, like their enemy's blood. "And that is how you kill a rebel. I don't take any of this 'long drawn out duel' crap. We want to kill them swiftly. Now leave. You disgust me!"

The trainee ran away, dropping his own weapon in the process of doing so. Kai only grinned. As the commander of Garmadon's army, it was good that his soldiers feared him. They didn't need to think he's weak. Kai sheathed his golden sword and wiped the beads of sweat off his brow. Screaming at men was hard work.

With a glance at the time, Kai decided to turn in to his personal quarters, courtesy of Garmadon. All his soldiers were most likely fast asleep by now, except for the imbecile trainee. He would be having nightmares all night. When he walked into his own room, Kai removed the scabbard off his belt and tossed it, sword inside, to the floor. And then he flopped onto his bed. His room was quite simple; a bed, a dresser, and a desk. Not much, but just enough for a man who was out training every day. Kai accidentally let his gaze hover over his desk, upon which pieces of paper and a pencil laid. He covered his face in guilt. He knew he should write to her, he just... didn't know what to say.

But she's my sister! Kai thought. But he couldn't show any sign of softness. The day he walked into the post office with a letter for his little sister was the day he might as well hang himself. He needed to be feared, not laughed at. And his sister was always strong. He knew she could take care of herself. But along with that strength she was defiant. Kai's only fear was that one day she would go against the law and get herself killed.

Once again, Kai pushed the thought aside. She was fine. She had to be.

Right?

Yay, so there's chapter one! Zane will be introduced in the next chapter, which may come in a few weeks, or a month. I never know. But stay tuned for more!