So this took several months and was initially going to include Harumi's trial but I realized I was going to have to break the whole Ninja in the castle thing into two parts so next chapter will have the trial. Sorry this took so long, way too many details I wanted to include and couldn't figure out a good spot to break off the chapter. Some season 15 spoilers but only if you squint, also my headcanons. Yeah I know I spell Aurum's name differently for most of the chapter, I didn't feel like going through pages and pages changing it. My own political opinions make a slight appearance but nothing major, only a slight jab at the orangeness of a certain figure. Other than that, glaicer fluff, pampered ninja, small mlp reference for those who like discord, don't stare at plot holes.
Three weeks later it was the day before Harumi's trial and Cole was double checking his notes on trial etiquette and laws of the universe.
"Honey, I think we need to bring the guys, Nya and Pixal here, they're key witnesses and it would only be for a little bit, plus it would give us a chance to mend some fences," said Cole
Zane sighed, he knew Cole was right.
"I'll have the staff fix up the rooms, Arum and Hailey are also spending the night and Arum is bringing the impartial jury, looks like the cooks will have an actual reason to make a feast tonight, could you go get the ninja?" asked Zane
"Of course babe, I'll be back in a bit," said Cole kissing Zane softly before making the portal.
Zane gave the orders to golems and sent word to the kitchen that there would be over 75 people for dinner so pull out all the stops.
…
Cole stepped out of the portal.
"COLE!" exclaimed the ninja
"Not staying long, I need all of you except Wu, Pixal, and Misako to come with me, Harumi's trial is tomorrow and all of you are witnesses so we need you to testify, just pack nice clothes and pajamas, everything else is being taken care of," said Cole
"Well this is unexpected," said Jay
"NOW!" commanded Cole.
"Ok ok," said Lloyd
It was ten minutes later that the ninja were packed and ready to go.
"We will be landing in the entrance hall, if I hear one comment of criticism at Zane, the person who made it is sleeping outside," said Cole firmly
All the ninja kept their mouths shut as they stepped out into the gleaming entrance hall.
"Woah," exclaimed Nya after a moment of looking around. Their footsteps echoed on the floor as they followed Cole over to one of the guards.
"These are the ninja, please have then shown to their rooms and then led to the formal dining room in two hours for lunch," said Cole
"Sir, their rooms are on the 23rd floor, are you wanting them to walk that whole way?" asked the guard
"Yes, they are used to walking up a mountain to get to the monastery, there is no reason they can't walk that same distance to get to their rooms," said Cole before walking off into the throne room where Zane was waiting.
"How'd it go?" asked Zane
"They're on their way to their rooms, I told them that if they gave you a hard time about anything they'd be sleeping outside," said Cole
Zane smiled and kissed his boyfriend.
"Though I did make them walk up the stairs, I needed to have my revenge somehow," laughed Cole
"They'll get over it when they see their rooms, all guest suites on the 23rd floor are the size of the bounty and twice as tall, Hailey and Arum are going to be on the same floor, the people Arum is bringing are going to be on the 22nd floor, I had an elevator quickly installed, well it's more of a motorized platform that moves up and down the stairs, " said Zane
"Have Hailey and Arum arrived yet?" asked Cole
"Arum is still picking the jury, he'll be here an hour before dinner, Hailey is making sure her minions can cause as much chaos as they claim in her absence so long as they keep their shenanigans out of the castle, and she's bringing a team of lawyers because she's more verdict than tactful argument so the ninja have representation, she also said something about needing to prep a division of politicians from Universe E, Arum refuses to let most of them in and they don't come here, so it falls to her to put them somewhere, they have weird people there because I heard her talk about a cheeto in a tie,she'll be here in a few hours," said Zane
"What's a cheeto?" asked Cole
"No idea," said Zane
They sat on their thrones as a servant brought over the morning report.
"Oh no not the singing guard again," mumbled Zane
"This is the morning report, I'll give you the long and the short-"
"I kinda like it," said Cole
Zane just rolled his eyes and half listened.
…
Meanwhile on the 23rd floor.
Lloyd stared open mouthed at the massive room he had been led to.
"Enjoy your stay master of energy, if you should need anything during your night here just pull on the rope by the bed, the bathroom is fully stocked with everything you may need," said the guard
"Thank you," said Lloyd.
He walked over to the doors to the balcony and flung them open. The cold air hit him at the same time as the view.
"No wonder they don't want to come home," he gasped. He knew discussions were going to have to wait until lunch.
Nya's first reaction was the fact that she got a bathroom all to herself for the whole night with a whirlpool tub, any product she could possibly need, and enormous towles in the color of her gi. Ignoring the bed that was three times the size of a king, she made her way into the tub for an uninterrupted soak, she had briefly heard the guard say that her and Jay's rooms were connected.
Jay took a running start and slid from one end of the room to the other, before crashing into the dresser.
"Ow," he said before trying to ice skate over to the bed. He looked at the nightstand and saw something that caught his eye.
It was a book titled
"Laws of Robotics and Their Limitations, a History of the progress of AI in Developed Realms,"
"Ooh, this looks cool," said Jay, sitting on the bed and starting to read.
Kai looked around the massive bedroom, if this was one of the guest rooms what could the master bedroom be like? He looked at the fireplace on the wall that had a few sofas and chairs around it, he had been cold since he got here so he decided to go try to warm up. He noticed a tv and a game system over there too.
"I wonder what games they have?" he wondered out loud. There was a small shelf with around fifty games for him to pick from. They seemed to be from multiple realms.
"Huh, what's Nahdakahn's Fall?" he asked, looking at the case. It looked like it was pre fall of the cursed realm and the gameplay looked simple, capture the rogue prince of the djinns and banish him from the realm. Based on actual events of the 12th realm.
He shrugged and put the disc in the system, it was a weird system he'd never heard of but it seemed compatible with games from all 16 original realms. The controller was also strange (Picture a Nintendo 64 controller with 20 different buttons).
"Let's see if I can beat this in two hours," said Kai, flopping onto a couch and hitting the start button.
…
Cole's footsteps echoed down the hall toward the office where Harumi was speaking with Richard. Cole took a deep breath, this was going to be his first solo act as co-ruler of the realm, he had to inform both Harumi and the Lawyer of the time and location as well as how many people were going to be in attendance at the trial.
The guards posted outside the room opened the door for him and announced his arrival.
"Tomorrow's trial will begin at exactly 10 am with an hour recess for lunch at noon, there will be four judges including myself, a jury of thirty, the other ninja will also be in attendance and represented by Lawyers hand picked by the Queen of the Damned, Harumi's parents, both sets, will be in attendance per your request for character witnesses. The trial will take place in courtroom 10 on the 12th floor, second door on the north wing," said Cole with all the regality and formality he could while still remaining aloof and uncaring.
"Thank you, your majesty," said Richard
Harumi just looked away, ashamed of herself. Cole couldn't stand to look at her, hatred for what she had done, boiled in his heart. He kept his expression neutral, he knew he would need to be impartial tomorrow. He left the room and headed back to the throne room where he and Zane were handling some appointments that certain citizens had scheduled.
…
"Miss Harumi, based on the evidence and the recent knowledge of what witnesses will be present, our only chance is for you to plead guilty. We might be able to swing this to charge Pythor with the charge of upsetting the balance as he was the one who unleashed the devourer in the first place and there is no statute of limitations in universal law and domino effect is taken into account, with any luck some of the jury members will also be victims of the devourer attack but we can't rest on that hope. But you are going to need to plead guilty to the charge of illegal cross-realm summoning of a known being of destruction. That way we can get your sentence reduced to 500 years of reformation in the departed realm, but if you are found guilty on all charges you are facing eternity in the torture realm," said Richard seriously
"Which one is the most serious charge?" asked Harumi
"Attempting to overthrow and conquer a sovereign realm with intelligent life inside in an attempt to enforce a dictatorship, there are a multitude of other charges but we can swing that one to make you only an accomplice, also since you were the princess we might be able to claim you were trying to claim your right to the throne but with the murder and destruction charges that probably won't work," said Richard
" How likely is it that we can get our requests met?" asked Harumi
"Pretty good, with a sympathetic jury," said Richard
"Hopefully the judges will be fair as well," she said
"The Blizzard King is known for being calm and fairer than the Demon Queen but I know very little about the Earth Lord, The First Spinjitzu Master is also known for his fairness but all of them need to side with evidence instead of their own feelings," said Richard
"I understand," said Harumi.
"Good, I have been preparing your defense but tomorrow you will not say anything unless on the stand," said Richard
"Can I ask a question? Why is the jury going to be so large, I thought 12 was the maximum," asked Harumi
"Those are Juries of mortal courts since this trial is dealing with both mortal and laws of the universe, the jury is 20-30 individuals," said Richard
"Oh," said Harumi, her heart sunk as the reality of what she had done hit her.
...
Both sets of Harumi's parents had been invited to stay in the palace and they were talking with each other in one of the sitting rooms of the 10th floor while drinking coffee. Even though they were from vastly different social circles they were able to find common things to discuss. Both women were talking about Harumi as a child and sharing stories. The men were talking about Fritz Dongagan movies because even ruling Ninjago didn't stop the emperor from being a nerd and proud of it.
…
Lloyd had gotten bored of staring at the view and decided he'd have a look around the castle. They had been told they were to wear their nice clothes for dinner tonight but their gi's were fine for lunch. He looked at the carvings in the walls that danced in the torchlight. There were tapestries and paintings also on the walls, art from all the realms of creation. The whole place made him feel small. He walked toward the staircase, passing faceless golems going in and out of rooms, skeletons in suits of silver armor. He heard laughter and went over to one of the balconies. This one overlooked the mountain that kids learned to ski, snowboard, and sled down. The blizzards over the past two weeks had put fresh snow on the trails so there were kids all over the mountain. Then it hit Lloyd where he was, all those kids were dead. But he heard their laughter and shrieks of excitement as they shot down the mountain without a care, and he smiled knowing that all of them were happy. There were teenagers at the bottom having the biggest snowball war Lloyd had ever seen.
"Beautiful isn't it," said A voice behind him.
Lloyd whipped around to see Cole standing there.
"When did you get there?" asked Lloyd
"I'm a ninja, also I was coming up to check on all of you anyway, Zane's in a meeting and if I stayed with him I would have punched the delegate," said Cole with a light laugh.
"Must be nice, having all this, not having to save the world all the time," sighed Lloyd
"It's not all lazy days and feasts Lloyd, I had to learn a lot of stuff these past three weeks to be able to be a good ruler. There are meetings all the time, paper work almost every day, open court on wednesdays. It's hard work even helping to rule an entire realm, I'm still learning," said Cole
"Bet it's easier than being a ninja," said Lloyd
"No, diplomacy and patience is much harder than fighting, Zane and I still keep up with our ninja training but it's hard with all our other duties, I'm only co-ruler, Zane is the king and has much more work than I do. With great power comes great responsibility Lloyd, you know that better than the others. But Zane has a lot of power that comes with more responsibilities than you could ever imagine. I help him as much as I can but it's hard," said Cole
"I guess I never thought about that," said Lloyd sheepishly
Cole leaned on the railing of the balcony and stared out at the laughing children.
"Look at all those kids, playing, laughing. No cares, no worries, just fun for as long as they are here. Why do you think that is Lloyd?" asked Cole
The answer went unsaid because Jay came out of his room and walked over to them.
"What are you guys looking at?" asked Jay
"The view, some teenagers are having the biggest snowball war ever," said Lloyd
Cole chuckled.
"Nah, those are normal sized snowball fights, there's only fifty people per side. The biggest one I've seen is a thousand per side and it was multi sided because everyone represented the realm they came from," said Cole
"Wow, sounds fun," said Lloyd
"They are, I've participated in one or two," said Cole
Then Nya came out of her room, a towel on her head and a fluffy bathrobe and slippers covering her.
"Cole I'm stealing the shampoo,conditioner, and bodywash. I've never used anything that amazing before," said Nya
"Go for it, all of you have the products tailored to your needs and preferences so go ahead and take them, but use them sparingly because you won't be getting more until your next visit and who knows when that will be," said Cole
"Does Kai have his own hair gel?" asked Jay
"Of course, though I do suggest you all follow Nya's example and bathe before dinner tonight because The First Spinjitzu Master will be here," said Cole
"Wait what?" asked Lloyd
"Your grandfather is the ruler of the paradise realm, therefore he is going to be one of the judges at the trial tomorrow. He is going to be spending the night here on the same floor as the rest of you, please be on your best behavior," said Cole
Suddenly his own calling crystal glowed black.
"What Hailey?" he asked
"Is there going to be a stable prepared for Kryptonite, also why did you answer, I thought I called Zane?" she asked
"He's in a meeting, all his calls get routed to me when he's busy," said Cole
"Oh, alright then, then can you tell me if everything is prepared to my standards?" asked Hailey
"Yes it is, interior room, no windows, heat set to 1,000 degrees, black velvet bedding, and no there is no stable for Kryptonite, he will be staying in your room with you, we don't have dragon stables because some of our citizens are dragons," said Cole
"What will he sleep on then?" asked Hailey
"His own bed, and we've dismantled several of the skeleton armor set so he has things to chew on," said Cole
"Oh, well that's great, what floor?" asked Hailey
"Floor 23 room 13," said Cole
"Perfect, well I will be there tonight, what time is food being served?"
"7pm is first course, but guests are required in the dining room at 6:45," said Cole
"I will be there by noon for lunch and will be attending the 3 pm tea time and you better have that cinnamon tea I like, oh and apple fritters," said Hailey
"Tea will be in the main parlor, I trust you remember where that is," said Cole
"Yes, oh, and put whiskey in my tea," said Hailey
"Sorry, can't do that, you can have rum in your coffee during the coffee course tonight but tea is a no alcohol time," said Cole
"Fine, as long as I get cocktails tonight," she said
"Cocktails will be served on the main balcony tonight at 11," said Cole
"Ooh, you two are pulling out all the stops tonight, I'll see you both in a few hours, toodles," she said and hung up.
"Lloyd, before you ask, yes you can have alcohol tonight, just don't tell Wu or your mother, this realm has no age restriction on alcohol, as long as you aren't hungover tomorrow it's fine," said Cole
"YES!" exclaimed Lloyd
"Another rule, Nya, make sure your brother does not get into a drinking contest with Hailey, he will lose and it will be a disaster," said Cole "Also Lunch is semiformal but tea and dinner will be high end, so I know Kai probably found his game system but he needs to get off it if he wants to be presentable for later,"
"I'll go tell him," said Nya
"Oh and Nya, around 1:30 some of the golems will be coming to your room to do your makeup and nails as well as your hair, don't worry they are aware of your perfume allergy and have found an alternative , the same will be done after breakfast tomorrow and all of you will be having a guard wake you and get you prepared for the trial," said Cole
"But I hate makeup and I brought a pants suit outfit for tomorrow," said Nya
"They aren't going to make you look like a china doll, they are just going to bring out your features and make your hair behave itself. As for the perfume problem I think they are going to have you rub flower petals on your neck and wrists, you will need to wear a nice dress for tea but I can have a team of golems make you one that will fit with your particular style preferences" said Cole
"Ok, better not be roses though," said Nya
"I think they're using lotus," said Cole
"I think I can live with that," said Nya
"Good, I have to head back downstairs now so feel free to explore, if you get lost ask a guard," said Cole before walking back down the hall at a brisk enough pace that his cape billowed behind him.
"Might be nice to be pampered," said Lloyd
"I wonder if we get massages too," said Jay
"That actually sounds nice," said Nya.
"Well I'm going to go take a nice bath and see what scents they gave me," said Lloyd
"Mine smelled like seasalt and oleander, and it turned the water a deep ocean blue" said Nya
"Ooh, that sounds nice," said Lloyd. All of them went back to their rooms, Nya stopping at Kai's and telling him what was up.
He paused his game and went to go check what his shower amenities smelled like.
He got the bath going and added the bubble bath and bath salt that had been set out for him. Everything had a smoky woodfire scent to it. Even his hair gel smelled like a campfire. The water looked like swirling flames.
He sunk into the tub and turned on the jets.
Lloyd went into his bathroom and looked at his soaps.
"Oh wow, it smells like a lime gummy bear," he said. Adding the bubble bath turned the water as green as his gi and it smelled like heaven.
Jay smelled his soaps and was surprised to find it smelled like the air after a thunderstorm despite it's electric blue color. It made his skin tingle and seemed to be infused with elemental energy. The water itself was so pure and hot it felt like he was immersed in glass. Even when he added the bubble bath and salts the water became a stunning tropical blue.
"Woah," was all he said as he allowed himself to be swallowed by the most wonderful thing he had ever experienced.
Cole poked his head into the seamstress room and told the golems that Nya needed a dress in time for tea,
He gave them one of her gis for her measurements. They began working on a tropical ocean blue cocktail dress that wasn't too frilly or girly but it wouldn't look out of place at tea or tonight during cocktail hour. It had an ombre effect and would look perfect on Nya. Nya hated heels so flats were made for her to match the dress.
Cole walked into the throne room just as the meeting finished. Zane looked annoyed and exhausted.
"How'd it go?" asked Cole
"I wanted to throw them all through a wall," said Zane.
"We have a few more things to do before lunch, mostly paperwork," said Cole looking at the written list of things that needed to be done. Cole sat on his own throne and looked through the list. The doors to the throne room burst open suddenly and one of the guards came running up.
"Your highnesses, the Dragons and Hunters have declared war on eachother!" exclaimed the Guard
"I'll go sort this out, Cole can you deal with the other things on the list while I'm gone?" asked Zane
"Sure babe, I've got this," said Cole
Zane swiftly exited the castle and got on his power dragon. Cole decided to get the biggest item on the list out of the way first, guard accommodations. Both Arum and Hailey were bringing guards along with their guests and the mid realm guards needed to be briefed about the extra help that would be arriving. Cole couldn't wait to see his mom again.
…
The Ninja had all congregated in the sitting room that was across from Jay's room.
"This place is amazing," said Nya
"Yeah, it is," said Kai as he lounged on one of the plush blue sofas. Lloyd was perusing the bookshelf that was full of ancient scrolls his mother and uncle would possibly kill to get their hands on.
"Cole's changed a lot in three weeks," said Jay
"I don't even think we've seen the half of it," said Kai
"How do you figure?" asked Nya
"We've only seen him relaxed and not exercising his power, he's a ruler, we saw how Zane was with Firstborn, tomorrow we are going to see Cole like that, heck we might even see him like that tonight at dinner," said Kai
"I don't know how I feel about seeing Harumi again," sighed Lloyd flopping down on a white armchair.
"I don't think any of us will need to talk to her, I heard something about a team of lawyers being provided for us so we won't be talking to her," said Nya
"That's good," sighed Lloyd
There was a flap of wings by the balcony and all the ninja rushed out to see a pissed-looking Zane flying by on his power dragon.
"What's got him so mad?" asked Kai
"Judging by his scythe being on his back and all those scrolls in his saddlebag, if I were to guess I'd say there's a fight he had to break up, he's landing not taking off," said Nya
The slamming of the entrance hall doors reverberated throughout the castle alerting them that Zane was in a worse mood than they thought. The subsequent cracking followed by the sound of breaking ice told them that Zane had broken the doors.
…
"What happened?" asked Cole who had come rushing out of the throne room and into the entrance hall the moment he heard the door open.
"I need to move the hunters and dragons further apart, there are only about ten hunters, don't ask how they managed to start a full-on war with 300 dragons," exclaimed Zane before turning to the guard
"Get someone to fix that," he barked, gesturing at the shattered door before he stormed into the throne room.
"Lunch is in 20 minutes lets go into one of the lounges and you can calm down," suggested Cole
"No, we are going straight to the dining room and I'm having a glass of wine," said Zane
"Babe it's not even noon yet, are you sure you want to be day drinking today?" asked Cole
"Fine, I'll stuff my face with cannolis," grumbled Zane
"That's better," said Cole with a small smile. They entered the dining room to a spectacular spread of soup and sandwiches with a six-tiered dessert tray in the center and a wide variety of drinks.
Zane made a dive for the cannolis while Cole sat in his seat.
"Babe how many of those are you going to eat before the others get down here? Rather undignified for the host to be stuffing his face before his guests," said Cole amused
"I'll stuff you," growled Zane
"Later dear," chuckled Cole
That made Zane laugh and take his seat. Hailey was escorted in by several of her personal guards and some of Zane's. She also came with an army of lawyers to represent the ninja, a team of five for each ninja though Lloyd had six. A portal opened in the middle of the room and the good Garmadon, Lilly, and then Libber Gordon, last was Morro.
"Hello Zane, Hello Cole, it's good to see you two again," said Garmadon.
All three of the guards were dressed in white and Gold robes and carrying spears, gladiator helmets under their arms, and sandals on their feet with gold chainmail shirts. Hailey's guards were suits of jagged black armor that were slightly rusty, glowing flames for eyes and tendrils of shadow holding the armor together. They carried rusted iron swords and one could faintly make out the shape of a charred skull behind the flaming eyes.
Zane's guards were of course shimmering golems of crystalline ice covered in polished silver suits of armor and carrying ornate but functional rapiers of cronosteel with carved vengestone and silver handles.
"Hello Master Garmadon, I understand you are going to want to greet your son but even as an informal lunch we are going to need to treat this as a meeting of realms and as a guard and not a representative I am going to need to ask that you maintain a composure equivalent to your status," said Zane
"What if my son runs towards me?" asked Garmadon
"All the ninja are being informed by the accompanying guards what is expected of them at this luncheon, so that is unlikely, you will be given a post to guard later that will allow you and your son to reconnect," said Zane
Garmadon bowed and took his place. All three sets of four guards took their posts in the room. The Paradise and Torture Realm guards separated by Zane's guard.
The Ninja filed in, Lloyd first, followed by Kai, then Nya, and lastly Jay. They were led to specific seats before the guards went back to their posts at attention.
Zane stood and addressed the people at the table.
"Welcome everyone, as this is a fairly informal luncheon I will save the speeches for this evening, right now I invite those of you at my table to eat your fill and get to know one another before this evening's affair of state," said Zane
The ninja hardly recognized the man speaking to them as the socially awkward nindroid they had lived and trained with.
Then the doors opened and golems wheeling carts loaded with crocks of soups, chowders, and bisques, and stews, every kind of roast meat sandwich on any bread you could imagine. There were sides of homemade potato chips, pickled squashes. Sparkling juices, mugs of hot spiced ciders. It was certainly an impressive spread and Hailey was practically salivating over a roast venison sandwich within arms reach of her, but protocol dictated everyone waited until Cole and Zane began eating.
Zane was served a roast beef sandwich and a bowl of onion soup. Cole was given a venison sandwich with a vegetable stew. Once they began to eat the others were served the food they requested and began to all eat like kings. When the pastry course came Zane only had a small slice of cheesecake because he had so many cannolis earlier.
After everyone had eaten their fill, Cole stood this time.
"If the mid realm guards would please escort the ninja and the legal delegation of realm seventeen to the grand guest office at this time, also please escort Hailey to her room, after which all of you assembled guards may take your lunch break before taking your posts," said Cole.
...
Zane and Cole walked back to their thrones, dismissing the servants and telling the guards they were not to be disturbed.
"Come here," said Cole.
Zane climbed onto Cole's lap and rested his head on Cole's chest, sighing contentedly as he felt Cole's arms wrap around him, and Cole's fingers running absentmindedly through Zane's hair.
"Next time something like this happens I'm making Arum host it," mumbled Zane
"Noted," said Cole softly
"How much paperwork do we have to do before tea?" asked Zane with a sigh
"Everything just needs your signature, I finished all of today's and tomorrow's work that way we won't have anything except the trial to do tomorrow, so you can just sign everything after dinner tonight," said Cole
"Have I ever told you how much I love you," murmured Zane
"All the time, but I never get tired of hearing it," said Cole as he pressed a gentle kiss on the top of Zane's head.
"I'm not looking forward to the ball coming up, it's so much work," sighed Zane
"You'll have a much better time when waltzing in my arms," said Cole
Zane laughed and snuggled closer.
"Hard to believe we've only been together three weeks, feels so much longer," said Cole
"We should get married. It would probably be the biggest thing in the 3 after realms," said Zane
"Just name a day," said Cole
"How about the day before the ball, then we can treat the ball like the reception," said Zane
"Sounds good to me," said Cole
…
Libber paced nervously outside Jay's door, she knew she was supposed to be on duty but she hadn't seen her son since he was a baby and now he was just on the other side of the door.
"Libby stop pacing, we're supposed to be at attention," said Lilly
"Oh come on, like you don't want to run and hug your son," said Libber
"Of course I do, but my boy is currently in the throne room and I was informed that they don't want to be disturbed," said Lilly
"I don't know what to do, The FSM sent me on this assignment to reconnect with my son but I'm scared he won't want to," sighed Libber
"Answer his questions before he has the chance to ask them, make sure he knows why you did what you did, and most importantly understand that he isn't going to turn his back on the parents he has. They love him, took him in, raised him as their own, and even now still support him in everything. He is as likely to renounce them as his parents as my own son is likely to give up cake," said Lilly
"He did that once," said Libber, raising an eyebrow.
"And just like all children with loving homes have spats with their parents, the animosity fades very quickly. Trust me, my son can no more give up cake than his dad can stop singing and dancing. It's part of who they are, though Cole gets his sweet tooth from me," said Lilly, putting her arm around her friend.
"Ok, I'll talk to Jay," sighed Libber
"Better do it soon, tea is in a couple of hours," warned Lilly before going back to her post.
Libber took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
Jay opened it.
"Oh, I think I remember you, you're one of the guards that came with Master Garmadon, can I help you?" asked Jay
"Actually, yes. Jay, I'm your birth mother," said Libber
"Oh, come in, guess we need to talk then," sighed Jay, opening the door wider.
She sat awkwardly on one of the couches by the fireplace. Jay sat next to her. The silence was deafening for a few moments before Libber decided to go for broke.
"I know you must have questions, starting with why Cliff and I left you on the doorstep of the Walker's with no explanation,"
Jay nodded
"It was one of the hardest things I ever had to do, you were barely a month old and we loved you so much but with Cliff's career, the paparazzi being almost as vicious as some of the enemies I've faced, and with my duties as an elemental master making things even more dangerous. Cliff and I wanted you out of the spotlight and given as much love as possible. Cliff was hardly ever home due to movies and celebrity appearances and leaving you with a nanny with no way to protect you from outside threats was too risky and you wouldn't be shown as much love as you deserved. We left you at the Walker's so that you would be safe and most importantly, loved," said Libber
"But once I was old enough to defend myself, why didn't either of you reach out to me?" asked Jay
"Sweetheart, I was killed in a battle just before you turned five, and Cliff was always so busy that by the time you were old enough to know the truth, you were already a ninja and the publicity scandal would have meant that the press would have been following you everywhere and would have gotten in the way of your duties as a ninja," said Libber
"So why didn't Master Wu ever tell me? He had to have known since I got my powers from you!" exclaimed Jay
"That I don't know, you are going to have to ask him that yourself," said Libber
Jay's anger deflated.
"You know, I don't think I've ever had a conversation like this before without talking the other person's ear off," laugh Libber softly
"Guess I get that from you," chuckled Jay.
Libber hesitantly reached her hand out to touch his cheek and was delighted as he leaned into her gentle touch. She then pulled him into a hug.
"You look so much like your father, the freckles, the soft brown hair, of course, he always had to dye it black and slick it back for movie shoots," chuckled Libber
"When I faced Nadakhan I was given a letter that said father was dead and the estate was mine, I don't know if that's true in this timeline or if he's still alive, I haven't gotten the letter so I assume he's alive," said Jay
"Yes, he's alive but very busy, but if you go see him before the end of the month I'm pretty sure he'll arrange a private showing of the latest starfarer film for you and your friends," chuckled Libber
"So is your name a nickname or is it your real name?" asked Jay
"It's a nickname that Ray gave me because I talk so much, my real name is Liberty," she laughed
"So is Jay my actual name or did ma and pa rename me?" asked Jay
"It's close enough, your father and I named you Jason, but your nickname would have been Jay anyway," laughed Libber
…
In a room across the hall, another family reunion was taking place. Lloyd absolutely refused to let go of Garmadon.
"I-I don't want to lose you again," whimpered Lloyd
"I know, but I can't go back to Ninjago, perhaps tonight you can talk to your grandfather and ask for a way that we can visit each other," suggested Garmadon.
"Question, Cole said I can have alcohol tonight during cocktail hour as long as I don't tell mom and Wu, are you going to overrule him or can I still drink?" asked Lloyd
"I have absolutely no authority here, and can't overrule a decision made by Zane or Cole so I suppose it's alright as long as you don't overdo it," said Garmadon
"YES! Thank dad!" exclaimed Lloyd
...
There was a knock on Nya's door causing her to open it and find a team of masseuses, the seamstress, makeup artists. All of them were female-esque ice golems.
"Alright let's get this over with," sighed Nya
"Do not fret my lady, we shall not make you look like one of those painted porcelain dolls," said one of the golems kindly
"Fine," sighed Nya
"Perfect, we'll start with the massage," said the golem
Nya lay on the special massage bed that had been set up in front of the fire, she was in nothing but a bathrobe as she felt every ounce of stress and tension ebb away. Her hands and feet were massaged before the manicurist began working.
"What color are you painting my nails?" asked Nya in a slight panic
"Aqua blue with a white lotus design," said the golem
Nya relaxed, at least it wasn't pink.
After the massage, she slipped into the flowing dress and stood still as the seamstresses made their final alterations. Then she sat at the large vanity and stared into the mirror as the makeup artists worked and the pedicurists applied a clear coat of nail polish to her toes. She noticed the only amount of color on her face was the aqua blue eyeshadow being applied and the soft skin tone pink lipstick as well as the dark mascara. The black and blue contrasted nicely with her hazel eyes and the lipstick smoothed her lips and made them shiny. The flats were the same sea green as the bottom of the ombre effect on her dress. Then her hair was put through the curling iron and cascaded down her neck and shoulders as jet black ribbons of curls, a sea-green headband was placed to keep her hair out of her face.
"Wow, I actually feel nice, and these shoes are really comfortable," she said in surprise
"Our work will last well through the night and will only come off when you take it off," said one of the golems
"And your hair will only come undone in a hot bath," said another
Nya was then escorted by two guards to the main parlor. All the boys were in suits with ties in their gi colors.
"Wow, Nya you look amazing," said Lloyd
Jay was staring at her slacked-jawed and near-catatonic which made her giggle. Eventually, they all sat down on the plush couches as Zane and Cole walked in.
"So we have decided that in three weeks you will all be back here for our wedding and the ball that will follow, Master Wu, Pixal, and Misako will also be invited as long as the police can keep Ninjago safe for three days," said Zane as he and Cole settled onto their favorite couch, Cole's arm wrapped around Zane, pulling him close causing him to lean against Cole. There were cups of strong peppermint and cinnamon teas being poured by the servants and a tower of light pastries and finger sandwiches, each one was made to pair perfectly with the peppermint and cinnamon. So that meant chocolate and apple sweets and lamb sandwiches. The fire was roaring in the grate and the light glittered off the walls as the sky outside darkened with an oncoming blizzard. There was an awkward silence other than the clink of delicate china.
"Sooo, what are we going to have to wear to the wedding and ball?" asked Kai
"Once the details are finalized we will let you know," said Cole
"Do I have to wear a poofy dress?" groaned Nya
"You and Pixal will both be given tailor-made gowns, one for the wedding and one for the ball, the wedding gowns will match however that ball gowns will be made to fit your individual styles, there will be a bit of puffiness but nothing over the top, I suggest you bring your own jewelry unless you want the grandmothers we have on staff lending you their strange assortments of very out of date pieces," said Zane with a small laugh
"Alright let's cut the formality, we're brothers, let's act like it," suggested Cole
"Ok then I think the first thing we need to address is what happened a few weeks ago, I think I speak for all of us when I say, we're sorry," said Lloyd
"Yeah, we weren't thinking and it was still a high stress situation, we should have sat down and discussed things instead of dissing you behind your back," said Kai remorsefully
"Apology accepted," said Zane with a smile, his mood changed for the better.
"So, how often can we come over to escape the press?" laughed Jay
"How about every 6 months, thats twice a year," suggested Cole
"Fine, but we still get the leftovers right?" asked a hopeful Lloyd
"Well, two people can't eat a five gallon bucket of fried chicken by themselves," laughed Cole
"Mmmm, chicken," said Kai, Hailey, who they all forgot was there, snorted into her tea.
"Oh, sorry, forgot my etiquette, I never use it anyway, I'm Hailey, Queen of the 17th realm, also known as Queen of the Damned, torturer of souls, Overlord Golfing champion," she said
"You're the only one who plays that," said Zane with an eye roll
"Therefore I'm the champion, it's called logic," she said smugly
"Whatever," smirked Zane
"Is the FSM really coming tonight?" asked Lloyd
"Yes, he will be sleeping on the same floor as the rest of you and Hailey," said Cole
"Why aren't they on the same floor as you two?" asked Kai
"Because the whole entirety of the top floor is our bedroom and ensuite, all of you are in the VIP guest suites on the floor below us," said Zane
"Lloyd, you're next to your grandfather, Kai your next to Hailey, Nya and Jay are next to each other," said Cole
"Wait, my room is next to the FSM himself?"asked Lloyd
"Well he is your grandfather and he's really looking forward to meeting you, he's a really cool guy when you get to know him, he's only like Wu when he's actively trying to be a mentor and good influence but when you spend time with him he's a lot more like Jay," said Zane
"He's a real prankster when not on duty," said Cole
"Because this is a more formal event, your interactions with him are going to be limited to dinner and cocktail hour but next time you are here there will be more time for you to get to know him, just stay away from golf, I don't need more cake on the walls of the putting green," said Zane
"How did cake get on the walls?" asked Lloyd
"Because your grandfather decided to swap my golf ball for cake made to look like a ball when I wasn't looking, I swung my club and vanilla cake and frosting went everywhere," said Zane
"I remember that, you were so mad, you chased him all the way around the golf room with your club for 20 minutes," laughed Hailey taking a bite of her apple fritter
"Needless to say he's not allowed in my golfing rooms anymore," said Zane with a sour expression
"Cole do you have any stories about the FSM?" asked Kai
"Not really, I haven't been here long enough to have very much one on one with the other rulers other than Hailey here who calls six times a day," said Cole
She stuck her tongue out at him.
The rest of the afternoon was spent laughing and talking about previous adventures.
"Nya, Jay, I know about the other timeline, it caused a few intake issues here and I do remember everything from that timeline, surely you would now know that I would never have let what happened towards the end actually be permanent," said Zane
Jay and Nya looked at eachother.
"Wait, what happened in another timeline?" asked Kai
Zane sighed.
"Jay they are going to have to know at some point," said Zane
"Fine, but I don't want to be the one to talk about it," said Jay, looking at the ground before Nya pulled him close to her.
Zane nodded and turned on the TV that was above the mantle.
(all of Skybound plays)
"Jay," said Kai gently
"Its over and done, no use talking about it," snapped Jay
"Your dad is THE Cliff Gordon!" exclaimed Lloyd
"Yeah, and that blonde guard from the paradise realm is apparently my mother, I'm going to have words with Wu when we get back," growled Jay
"From what I heard, you've made amends with your mother," said Zane
"Yeah, I did, because it wasn't their fault, but Wu could have told me, Wu apparently knew everything," growled Jay
"Dude, you have to talk with Cliff when we get home, I mean he's the biggest movie star in Ninjago," said Lloyd
"And how is he going to react to me just suddenly showing up, what if he isn't even home?" asked Jay
"We're Ninja, we're celebrities ourselves half the time wherever he is we can get in," said Kai
"Heh, that's kinda true," said Lloyd
"Ya know, this day of the departed I want to go up behind dareth and scare the crap out of him," laugh Cole
"Why do we keep him around anyway? He's kind of a liability and his ego gets really annoying," said Nya
"I honestly have no idea," said Lloyd
"Comic relief?" asked Jay
"No, that's you," teased Zane
"Hey! No fair!" chuckled Jay
"I really hope Dareth doesn't decide to wait here for the rest of you when he dies, otherwise I'm overriding his decision and making him The FSM's problem," said Zane
"Now that's just being mean, to the FSM," laughed Cole
"I do think it's time to ditch the pompadour," said Kai
"I'll handle it, if I can deal with stuck up rich assholes I can deal with a mooch," said Cole
"Good luck," said Kai
"Trust me, he'll be out of your hair in no time," said Cole.
…
After tea Zane had scheduled the ninja to go on a tour of the castle while he and Cole went to their office so Zane could sign the last of the paperwork.
The ninja gazed at the artwork carved into the walls and the intricacies and detail on the suits of armor.
"I can't believe they have this whole place to themselves," said Nya
As they entered the main library Lloyd let out a gasp. The whole thing was three times the size of the Ninjago city museum.
"Look at all these, and I thought Wu would kill for the bookshelf in my room, this is just insane," said Lloyd
"I heard this is the main library, there are loads more smaller ones throughout the castle," said Nya
"It would take six lifetimes just to read everything in here," said Lloyd
"Good thing Zane and Cole are staying here forever then," said Kai
"Guys look what I found!" exclaimed Jay
"What?" asked Lloyd
"Each of us have our own shelves, they have prophecies linked to each of us and locked tomes for future events, every moment of our lives and our places in the universe is all right here," said Jay
"Ooh, I wanna see," said Nya running to where Jay was and looking for her name, she noticed towards the middle that her shelf sloped down and Jay's went up, both shelves meeting at a single point where there was a locked book. However Nya's turned pale blue long before that point, a blue with golden touches
"Guys this whole shelf system for us looks like a tree, Wu and mom and dad are on here too, mom's shelf looks like it split from dad's and converge's into Wu's, it does that multiple times and one of the together shelves splits and becomes mine," said Lloyd
"I wonder where Zane and Cole's shelves are," said Nya
"Right here, looks like the locked wedding book isn't too far from the one dated tomorrow but the shelf converges several weeks ago, and all of our shelves are different types of wood, defining life moments seem to be much larger books than the day to day," said Lloyd
"Hey look I found the end of mine," said Jay
"Looks like it continues on long after all of yours end except for Zane and Cole's, and mine, your's seems to turn purplish blue with gold," said Nya
"Mine extends well past Kai's but it looks like theres a golden section marked for paradise adventures, Zane's looks like it turned silver a while ago while Cole's is still redwood but it becomes silver before any of ours turn gold, there are shelves here with politician names on them, some look like they turn black after death, the shelves that aren't wood look like they fill up when we die, but Nya your's turns blue really soon and Jay's goes purple and then seems to crash into yours, before Cole's becomes silver, I wonder why" said Lloyd
"Hey if being serious about each other as couples makes the shelves combine lets see who our's runs into," Kai said to Lloyd
"There's no name on mine, probably because I haven't met them yet, but wow thats really late in my life close to when Kai dies," said Lloyd
"Hey Kai who do you get with?" asked Jay
"The named is illusioned so I can't see it but it looks like the shelf almost converged back during chen's island, just a couple years after Zane's turned silver, it looks like it crashes into mine in a week but the wedding book is two years from now," said Kai tracing the shelf
"Wait, chen's island, Kai there's only one person you got close enough to during that, Skylor," said Lloyd
"Oh yeah, looks like I need to get serious and soon," said Kai
"I'll say, looks like you're going to be spending a lot of time at the noodle house," said Kai
" Jay and Nya look like they have an entirely separate section that is in total chaos, oh wait, it says alternate timeline, irrelevant," said Lloyd looking at the books that were falling apart.
"Let it fall apart," said Jay darkly.
"Hey look, mom's shelf run's into Wu's and stays that way in a few weeks, the book is locked but it looks like the wedding books," said Lloyd
"Wow, your dad's shelf is gold and has books on it, it runs into theirs in what looks like 50 years," said Kai
"Yeah it looks like your mom finally throws in the towel and stays with both of them," said Jay
"What we've seen here can't leave us," said Lloyd
"HEY LOOK COLE'S BABY PICTURES!" exclaimed Kai lifting one of the books off Cole's shelf and opening it.
"Awe, he's adowable," said Nya
"Put it back and see if there's any of Zane's baby pictures," said Jay, Kai did so.
"OMFSM, look at wittle Zane cuddling that toy, man Julien looked young," said Nya
Then Jay got a smirk on his face and looked at Kai who put the book back and slowly started pulling one from Nya's shelf
"KAI DON'T YOU DARE!" exclaimed Nya trying to grab the book from him. He held it over her head before she tackled him.
"Aw but you were adorable on your pewee basketball team," said Kai
"Kaiiiii," warned Nya
"Fine," said Kai going to put the book back before he threw it to Lloyd
"Damn it Kai!" exclaimed Nya
"Awe, he's right, you were adorable," said Lloyd
"That's it, time for them all to see your My Tiny Horse phase when you were six!" said Nya, grabbing a book off Kai's shelf and opening it before he could stop her.
"Aw Kai in a unicorn shirt is so cute," squealed Jay
Kai went as red as his gi.
"I think that's enough pictures for now," said Kai
"But we didn't even look at Lloyd's," pouted Nya
Lloyd shrugged.
"You guys were there for a good chunk of my childhood, other than my baby pictures that my mom may or may not have kept there isn't much of me you haven't seen," said Lloyd
"Well then, only one thing to do," said Jay pulling the very first book off Lloyd's shelf.
"Awe you were such a tiny little thing," cooed Nya
"Let's look at Jay's," said Lloyd
"I have nothing to hide, I have always been the cutest ninja," said Jay confidently
They opened the book and saw three year old Jay in a preschool play.
"Awe, you were such a cute flower," said Nya
"Only reason they cast me as a flower was because my toddler singing voice was high pitched," said Jay
"Ooh, lets see if Master Wu's baby pictures are here," exclaimed Kai
"BLACKMAIL!" all of them exclaimed at once.
"Wow Lloyd he looked a lot like you," said Kai
"Yeah, he does," said Lloyd
…
"I thought you said you finished today's and tomorrow's paperwork," said Zane looking over the stack in front of him on the desk
"I did, but I guess the sorting office had to account for the almost war and had several last minute requests come in," said Cole looking over the stack on his own desk.
"How many hours till dinner?" asked Zane
"Two," said Cole with a sigh
"And if this is today's last minute workload I hate to see tomorrow's, on top of the trial finalization papers," sighed Zane
"Lets get what we can done now and then wake up early enough to finish it tomorrow, and pull an all nighter for tomorrow's work," said Cole with a sigh.
"Or we could burn all these HOA formation requests and say they were lost in the file sorters, thats what 90% of these are," said Zane
"Are you serious? What in 19 realms is with all the Karens in our realm lately?" asked Cole
"I don't know," sighed Zane
Cole hit the intercom button on his desk.
"If a guard could please escort Kai, Master of Fire to the the high office please do so now, his services are required," said Cole
"Wouldn't it be faster to throw them in the fire place?" asked Zane
"Nah, more fun to make the human flame thrower do it," said Cole
"True," said Zane
It was five minutes later when a guard walked Kai in.
"Hey Kai, can you burn a few things for us?" said Cole
"Uh sure, what do you need burned?" asked Kai, trying not to be distracted by the vast and ornate office.
Zane set the stacks of what was essentially junk mail on the coffee table.
"Nothing in here will melt, have at it," said Zane
Kai ignited his hand and started pressing on the stack which went up like a kerosene soaked rag.
"Thanks man, you just saved us 12 hours of writing eloquent NOs," said Cole
"Happy to help, and if you two ever come back to ninjago and have stacks of paperwork with you I can burn whatever you need, also we have yet to see the throne room," said Kai
"All in good time Kai," said Cole with a smile
"Go enjoy yourself, we have some important things to discuss," said Zane
"Alright, oh yeah, we found our shelves in the main Library, Nya's turns a different color than our do when we die and it turns blue really soon, Jay's does too, why?" asked Kai
"Kai, that is an explanation for another time, and one that none of you will want to hear, as you have noticed, the colors change according to the afterlife the person goes to, but certain people have different courses than others," said Zane
"But it happens in less than two years," said Kai
"Kai, I can tell you this, mortal realms are finite, a person's soul is forever, when the soul outlives it's realm, paradise awaits but they're the forms their souls take forever, whatever happens in the future, you will see Nya and Jay when Ninjago's time ends, changed yes,but happy," said Zane
"Elements bond, even opposites like your parents, that bond is hard to break and will call to each other through time and space to be together, Jay and Nya's relationship started out rough but it was their elements that ensured they got together, should something happen to either of them, the other will follow in time, whether it be a day, a week, a month, 6 months or even a year later, they will find a way to be together," said Cole
"So we are going to lose Nya and Jay?" asked Kai
"That is for fate to decide, as well as their own choices," said Zane
"But no matter what happens we cannot intervene, our place is no longer among mortals on the day to day, even now my own soul is growing impatient in this mortal form, eventually my powers will overtake me and my physical body will evaporate," said Cole
"Have no fear Kai, remember, nothing in the mortal world is permanent, whatever happens, time will run out and you will see them again despite what fate decides in that realm," said Zane with a smile
"You talk like these realms are above fate," said Kai
"For the most part yes, all fate has control over here is Hailey's realm, lady fate speaks with her to decide the punishments for the damned, usually going along with Hailey's creativity," said Zane
"So even if they do something weird we'll see them again?" asked Kai
"Yes," said Cole
"So how do we unlock the books?" asked Kai
"They unlock on their own, literal timelocks," said Zane
"But you two know what's in them," said Kai
"Well yes, because it's in our library and it's not like we can change whats in them but if you got ahold of the information in someone's book you could destroy the timeline with one wrong move," said Zane
"And before you say we could do something like that, remember we are not in Ninjago we can't control anything that happens anywhere but our own realm, sure we might go to Ninjago to help you guys out on occasion but we aren't there all the time anymore," said Cole
"Oh yeah, we found both your baby pictures," said Kai
"Yeah, I figured, Unicorns huh Kai, never picked you as the horse type," smirked Cole
Kai flushed red as his gi.
"Why don't you go tell the others to get changed, dinner is soon and I think Lloyd is going to need to mentally prepare to meet his grandfather," said Cole
"I think we all need to mentally prepare to meet the FSM," muttered Kai
"Trust us Kai, he's more like Jay than most would think and where do you think Lloyd got his own love of pranks from? Oni blood claims chaos as a victory no matter how small that chaos might be. I fully expect a prank tonight to lighten the mood and can only hope it's less messy than the last one he pulled in my castle," said Zane
"Jay, Lloyd, and a prankster FSM all at one table and on the same floor tonight, this could be a disaster," said Kai
"Sleep with one eye open Kai, I know we will be," said Cole
Kai shuttered at the thought of a pranking trio containing an all powerful being.
…
Dinner was interesting. Not only was the grand dining room full but Lloyd had been the victim of the first of Aurum's pranks. Zane had no idea how Arum got ahold of a squirting soup tureen, but Lloyd got a face full of minestrone soup, thankfully it was lukewarm because Aurum had brought it from his realm.
"So much for a formal dinner," muttered Zane
"Lets just hope Hailey doesn't start a food fight," muttered Cole right back.
After Lloyd had gotten cleaned up things had calmed down and dinner went much smoother, although Lloyd, Aurum and Jay were discussing a prank of momentous proportions for all of Ninjago.
"Ok, now it looks like I'm going to have to go back and prevent a pudding flood," groaned Cole
"Lets just try to enjoy dinner and worry about shenanigans later," said Zane.
They were only halfway through the salad course at that point and tonight was already off to an interesting start. Aurum was loving the role of fun grandpa rather than ruler of paradise.