The ride back home was tense at best, Zane still gripping onto his boyfriend's waist, but only out of necessity rather than closeness as well. Once they arrived back, the Fire Ninja practically tugged Zane down the hallway, despite the protests of his companion. Kai slammed the door to their room behind them, facing Zane with a new fire in his eyes.
"What the hell was that?" He growled, hands making a grasping motion, fingers curling in.
"You were about to die, I couldn't just stand there!" Zane defended, eyes narrowing.
"We don't kill people, Zane. We protect the people, even the bad ones. We do this by not stabbing them with ice!"
"What was I supposed to do?" The heir crossed his arms, and Kai mirrored him.
"We have a plan for when that kind of stuff happens. Jay doesn't need his nunchucks to summon lightning. We had it under control."
"How was I supposed to stand there, and for all I knew, watch you get shot in the back of the head? I had no idea Jay could do that!"
"If you had just waited a second-"
"I didn't have the time to-"
"I told you to stay-"
"I was scared-"
"You killed people-"
"I thought I had-"
"It doesn't matter, Zane!"
That stopped the prince, making him look up at Kai with defeated eyes.
"People are dead, and it's your fault, and you don't seem to see anything wrong with spearing people with giant icicles! Just- just go," Kai sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I need a few hours to cool down, and then we can talk this out. Go help Jay with dinner or something."
Zane looked between Kai and the door quickly, the gears in his head turning. He reached over, gave his beau a quick, solemn hug, and quietly shut the door behind him as he left. Now he stood in the hallway, two courses of action weighing in his mind. Karen's words filled his brain, and his feelings for his boyfriend weighed heavily in his gut, the two feelings at war in his heart. Once he chose between the two, he started towards the kitchen, glad no one had started cooking yet. He picked up the phone, dialed a number he had had drilled into his head, and waited. After a few rings, the line clicked.
Hello, Karen speaking.
"It's Zane."
Hey bud! What's up?
"I'm on the Bounty, just east of Ninjago City. Come get me please."
Woah, did something happen? I know I told you to distance yourself, but-
"I'll explain when you get here. Just come quickly, please."
Alright, alright. Be there in a half hour, hang tight.
Click.
Zane put the phone down, adjusted his shirt collar, and went outside to wait. He looked around at the open skies and the city in the distance, admiring the skyline. He shook his head minutely, and sighed to himself. He was only invited onto the Bounty until he had recovered from his injuries, and it seemed that he had overstayed his welcome.
Karen sat in the back with the prince as Zane squeezed her hand tightly, the grip being his distraction from simply breaking down into tears. He watched the scenery pass by, appreciating it before he stepped back inside the palace walls. They arrived at the gates not long after, the Captain leading him through incredibly familiar halls until they arrived at what used to be his parents' room, the nameplate long since removed. It truly dawned on Zane in that moment that he would have to start preparing to take over his parents' rule.
"So," She bit her lip, cracking open the door. "You want to tell me what the fuck just happened?"
He nodded, and followed her inside. He traced the furniture with reverence, aware of the significance of him being able to do so without being scolded for touching.
"I was on the Bounty for too long," He stated, hand resting flat against the top of the ornate bureau. "I got too comfortable, and started to relax too much into the role of a civilian. I- I thought Kai was about to die so I killed the gang holding him hostage, and apparently I'm in the wrong because the ninja supposedly don't kill people and there was a plan that I wasn't made aware of."
Karen grimaced at the thought of Zane even being in a battle, much less killing anyone.
"I'm sorry Zane, that sucks," She pondered for a moment how to make him feel even a little bit better, and her eyes lit up quickly. "However, I have someone I think you'd like to see. But, uh, you might want to change into something a little more formal first."
Zane looked down at his clothes, which at the moment were a pair of blue jeans and a white polo, and sighed.
"Yes, I will do so."
He opened up his parents' closet absentmindedly, and was rendered speechless.
"Karen... are these my clothes?"
"You betcha," She beamed, standing beside him. "I figured once you get coronated they'd have to be moved anyway. Also, I'd imagine you want nothing to do with your own room after all your parents did to you."
Zane didn't respond immediately, thinking back to all of then punishments that seemed so far away. Thinking of the cruelty only brought memories of Kai to the forefront, of all the nights spent comforting Zane when nightmares wracked his sleeping hours. Zane's breath clipped, and Karen rested an easy hand on his arm.
"Sorry, sorry. I won't bring it up again," She squeezed gently before releasing him, and he nodded.
"I will change, and then we can leave."
He picked out his not-so-standard dress pants and a patterned button-down, the royal crest of a snowflake and a sword decorating the pocket. The irony was not lost on the prince. Once he had swapped attire in the bathroom, he revealed himself to Karen, who smiled enthusiastically.
"Looking good, buddy. Now, let's get going."
As soon as they started down the familiar path, Zane knew immediately where they were going.
"Karen, are we going to the library, per chance?" He asked, barely containing his enthusiasm, his fingers itching to shoot some ice and speed the process up. She saw his intentions, and smiled.
"Yes, Zane. And go nuts. You're the boss now, dude."
Zane grinned and flung himself ahead of her, skating on his ice with deft feet, a smile plastered on his face as he skid to a stop in front of the library, throwing open the doors to see his absolute favorite palace staff member, and she was just as happy to see him.
"Zane, oh my!" Mrs. Glamore caught him as he launched himself at her, gripping her fiercely. "It's a pleasure to see you home, but why so soon?"
"Long story," He let her go, sitting down in his reserved chair. "But for right now..."
"I think I know what you're about to ask," She smiled, and reached into her desk.
"New book?" He smiled, and she laughed.
"You betcha. Enjoy, Zane, and welcome home."
"Uh, has anyone seen Zane?" Jay poked his head out of the kitchen about an hour later. "He's usually in here by now."
"Nope," Kai answered from the game room. "And honestly, I'm kind of okay with that."
"Kai, still?" Jay scolded, leaning on the doorframe fully. "You know that he had no idea I was gonna save you. Stop being an ass and go find your boyfriend."
"Yeah, Kai," Cole teased from the bathroom. "You heard the man. Now go get your man."
"Fine, fine!" Kai threw his hands up, even though the others couldn't see it, and stalked out of the room, peering up and down the hall. No obvious signs anywhere. He checked in each room, called his name a few times, and even checked on top of the ship just in case he had gone up to meditate.
He eventually returned back to the game room with a sigh, only to have Jay call everyone a moment later.
"Dinner! Come get it while it's hot!"
And so Kai joined the rest of the Bounty, although the seat beside him felt oddly empty without the prince.
"No sign of him?" Cole asked once the Fire Ninja sat down, and Kai huffed.
"No. Can we not talk about this for just a few minutes so I can eat my dinner in peace?" He threw up his hands, and only earned glares and blank looks from the rest of the table. He reached over and took some of Jay's lemon chicken, cutting into it with a little more force than necessary.
"Kai," Lloyd asked weakly, almost afraid to interrupt the elder. "Aren't you worried?"
The Fire Ninja shrugged and swallowed his food before speaking.
"A little? I would probably be more worried if I still wasn't pissed at him."
"Kai, he acted because he thought he was saving your life," Nya put down her fork, a clear sign of her intensity. "He cared for you enough to throw himself into the way of gunmen because he thought you were about to be shot, and you repay him by yelling at him and chasing him out?"
"He killed people, Nya! I get that he thought it was right but nothing can undo that there are people that died because of him."
"He loves you, Kai," She stated quietly, but the anger made her voice waver. "And all you care about is that he reacted a little too quickly and wasn't informed of the plans."
She sighed, and stood up.
"I'm not hungry, enjoy your meal, guys."
She stalked out the hall, pulling out her phone, and shot Skylor a quick text.
Hey, you want to get food somewhere? Can't stand my brother right now.
Sure. Where did you have in mind?
Anywhere but here.
You got it. I'll pick you up in a bit.
Nya looked around one last time, just in case the heir happened to appear out of nowhere, and started walking. She might as well get a head start before Skylor meets her.
After a few hours, a knock on the library door made Zane look up from his novel, startled. Mrs. Glamore looked up as Karen entered, two other guards flanking her.
"Hello," Zane greeted, forgetting that he was even in the palace at all thanks to his reading.
"We figured you might appreciate this," She cracked a small smile, and held out a box to the Ice Ninja. He blinked, and accepted the gift with little flourish. The boxed was opened to reveal a cell phone in a sleek white, the family's signature snowflake engraved on the back.
"If you're going to revamp the monarchy, you might as well be connected to the people," She explained as Zane turned the phone on, and found it already set up.
"Karen... thank you," He looked up at her once more, a little speechless at the sudden changes.
"I loaded mine and a few other important people's contacts into the phone already, so we can contact you instead of trying to track you down in the castle."
Zane just nodded along with her words, opening up the contacts list, and a small, irrational part of him was sad that Kai's number wasn't in it. With disappointment, he realized that he didn't know his number at all. He blinked himself out of his pitying stupor, and opened up a new contact, passing it to Mrs. Glamore immediately. Karen beamed.
"See, you're already getting the hang of it. Dinner will be ready in less than an hour. The chefs wanted to make sure your welcome home meal was perfect," She jokingly threw Zane a chef's kiss as the guards exited, shutting the doors heavily behind them.
Out of the corner of his eye, the prince saw the phone passed back. He looked over at the woman beside him, her expression morose.
"You don't look happy," She mused, placing a bookmark on Zane's page, shutting the novel. "Why did you return, anyway?"
"I screwed up," He wrung his hands in his lap, eyes turned downwards. "I- I thought I was doing the right thing but I was wrong and now Kai hates me a- and..."
She reached over and placed her fingers over his, squeezing minutely.
"I'm sure he doesn't hate you, Zane. From what Karen has told me, it seems as though you two are quite close."
"We were, anyway," The prince reciprocated, head falling back in his chair. "I thought he was about to be shot in the head by a gang member, so I speared the gang members holding him hostage with ice. Apparently I was supposed to know that Jay had it under control, and now he thinks I'm a murderer."
"I'm sure he doesn't Zane. So you came back because you thought they were going to kick you out?"
"I came back because I realized that I didn't belong there anymore, and I had to return to the palace eventually anyway. I'd rather not put them in the position of not being able to kick out their future king."
As Zane spoke the words out loud, he felt shivers crawl up his neck.
"Mrs. Glamore, I don't know what I'm doing," He found the fact almost funny, laughing a small bit at his own misfortune. "I'm supposed to take over running the county, and I don't know what I'm doing."
"I wish I could help you, Zane, but I am no politician," She agreed grimly. "However, I can offer you emotional support in this time. Please, don't hesitate to come see me if you need anything."
"Of course, Mrs. Glamore," He sighed, picking up his phone. "Let's see, I should probably work on getting used to this phone."
She laughed.
"Yes, I suppose you should."
Karen was only a few minutes away from the library when her phone rang. She dug it out of her pocket, and looked at the caller ID. The Bounty. Just wonderful. She took a deep breath, and held up to her ear.
Karen, we can't find Zane, do you-
"Stop, I know."
You, you what?
"I said I know. He's at the palace. Don't sweat it. Goodbye"
Wait, Karen-!
Karen hung up with an eyeroll, quite annoyed with the ninja crew. Her job was to keep the prince safe, including emotional harm, and they were making her job rather difficult. She felt it buzz again, and silenced it, slipping it back into her pocket.
On the other end of the line, the Bounty sans Nya was crowded around their one landline, all silent as they heard the dead tone of Karen hanging up.
Kai was the first to react, slamming his hands on the counter.
"Dammit! He went back to the palace? But why- why would he...?"
Cole shook his head, rubbing fingers over his eyes.
"Aye, this is a mess."
"So, are we going to go get him back or what?" Jay asked, rocking on his heels. The crew turned and looked at him, waiting for an explanation. "Well, I mean, he was obviously enjoying himself here up until today, and I can't imagine he wanted to go back and be lonely in the palace, so it should be pretty easy to convince him to leave the castle for a little longer."
"Actually, it's not that easy," Kai mumbled, and the attention swiveled to him. "Karen talked to him a week ago and told him that he needed to start distancing himself from us to make it a smoother transition to the palace. He went back because he thought this was enough distancing. I doubt he wants to be royalty again, but it's gonna be a hell of a lot harder than you think to get him out of there."
"Well, the worst they can do is say no," Lloyd suggested hopefully, and the Fire Ninja shook his head.
"I've met Karen, and you guys just heard her now. She's gonna fight for what she's being paid for, and that's protecting Zane."
"Are we just going to give up?" Jay asked desperately. "I was enjoying having him around, even if it took a while to get there. I at least want to say goodbye before he becomes completely inaccessible!"
"We can try," Kai warned, not believing any of this was even real. "But if we get put in the dungeon, I am so blaming you."
