Another more laid-back chapter for this week. Also I'm sorry if Seliel seems overly disagreeable in this chapter, she's going through a lot. She's stressed and confused and just all-around irritable, but that's just part of being human. This chapter in general has just been really hard to get right, but let me know what you guys think.
After night fell, everyone was assigned a shift to take watch. The prisoners were moved inside the palace to a makeshift space where they could be supervised closely. All the Elemental Masters were tired, and no one was very keen to have to stay on the island for yet another night. However, few people complained – mostly Lloyd – as they had all agreed to see it through to the end. They were so close to capturing Chen, and the general hope was that, by noon the next day, they would be able to set out for the mainland.
After a meal and sleeping arrangements were made, the grounds fell quiet. Seliel had made sure to be on first watch. She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep easily while their job was yet unfinished. She strolled atop the wall at the front gate of the palace, her gaze fixed on the rolling waves of the sea as her hand trailed over the stone parapet. The mainland was somewhere in the distance, although it was too far to see. A breeze blew in from the ocean, whisking through her hair. The noise of the jungle behind the palace sounded far away, almost drowned out by the tumultuous waves crashing over the dock below.
Seliel took in a deep breath. It felt good to be able to rest from the chaos of the past few days. Being a ninja didn't allow for much time to take it easy. In the peaceful lull of the night, she felt a touch of heartache for the familiarity of her quiet village home.
But Seliel didn't think she would truly be able to rest until they had won. She was happy to have Skylor back safe and sound, but she still wasn't satisfied. As long as Chen was free, there was still danger.
There was a sound of scuffling just behind Seliel. She started and whirled around, sword unsheathed. But to her surprise, dark hair and brown eyes peeked over the top of the wall.
Cole gazed at her with equal surprise. "You're not gonna make fun of me for this again, are you?"
Seliel huffed and sheathed her katana. "Well if you're going to make it so easy."
"Mind if I join you?"
Seliel simply shrugged and turned away. She didn't care what he did.
He heaved himself onto the wall and came to stand beside her. "Any sign of attack?" he asked.
"From the ocean? Hardly."
He looked back over the palace grounds and the island as she continued her walk. "You can see a lot from up here."
"Mmhm," Seliel answered. She couldn't say why, but there was something about him that put her on edge. Was she just being paranoid? He couldn't have been there just for her company. He may have wanted to keep watch too, or maybe he was hoping to get some information out of her. She remembered what Sensei Garmadon had said about resting on her laurels. That included the ninja too, right? Unless she really was just being paranoid.
She paused and turned on him. "Do you want something?" she asked harshly, overcompensating for her unease.
"Same as you, I think. Keeping an eye out for Chen. He may be at a disadvantage, but he's crazy enough to try anything."
That still didn't explain it. They would have been able to do way more if they were spread out. So why was he here? She was starting to feel more annoyed than uncomfortable.
He changed the subject. "You all did a great job today," he said. "I'm happy for Skylor. She deserves to be with people who really care about her."
Seliel sighed, backing up to lean against the low barrier that fenced off the wall. "Yeah. I guess you guys really did help us out."
She risked another glance at him as he stood beside her, trying to read his thoughts. There had to be something else he was up to. The golden scythe rested on his back, glowing faintly in the darkness of the night. She couldn't believe she was going to let him stand there and keep it. So much about this truce felt backwards. It didn't feel right to put so much faith in the ninja after everything that had happened.
Maybe this truce had gone well so far, but it was impossible to ignore the distrust that still lay just beneath the surface. And yet, she was reminded of something else Garmadon had taught them: Beware how you treat those around you for they will treat you the same.
Usually she didn't care what anyone else thought, but when Chen turned the other Elemental Masters against them in the tournament, she realized that there was some value in her Sensei's words.
Seliel didn't want to make the wrong choice. There was too much at stake. She didn't want to be caught off guard and let the boys gain an advantage while no one was looking. She didn't want to defeat Chen only to trade one threat for another. But if the Alliance was going to defeat Chen together, she needed to know who was on her side. And, maybe, she would need to try and extend a little trust herself.
"Cole," she said, finally turning to fully face him. He looked at her expectantly, making her feel uncomfortable again, but she held his gaze. "I need to ask you something. We've already made our agreement, so . . . I won't break it, no matter what your answer is," she promised, already regretting it. "Be honest: have you really not seen Master Wu lately?"
He hesitated, and for a moment, Seliel was convinced that he was planning to lie to her. His eyes were drawn back to the sea as he answered, "No, we haven't. Not since before I lost our fight." He heaved a sigh. "I'm worried, though. We may have let him down one too many times."
Seliel was a little taken aback by his openness. She had asked him to be honest, but she hadn't expected him to be that honest. She furrowed her brow. "You're kidding. You think he's abandoned you?"
Cole shrugged. "I don't know. No. I don't think he would, but I can't imagine why he would go quiet like this. We all got captured and we lost the weapons to Chen, even if for a moment. I think we might have messed up big time. At least, I did."
"Really?" Seliel asked, incredulous. "Because my team ran away to attend this tournament, and our sensei is still here. Doesn't it seem wrong that he would give up on you like that?"
Cole raised a hand to stop her. "You know what, never mind. Forget I said anything. I don't want to argue right now."
Seliel wanted to press the subject more and make him see how messed up that was, but she knew that would probably just make him leave. She still had more she needed to say.
She took a deep breath. "Okay, look, there's something I've been meaning to say," she started. "You remember that night at the Lightning Ruins?"
She expected him to gloat, but he just nodded. "Yeah?"
"Well . . ." Seliel looked away, screwing up her lips as she fought internally with herself. "I guess I never thanked you for rescuing me."
From the corner of her eye, she saw him smile. "Well you did rescue me in the Caves first," he reminded her. She wanted to remind him that it had been an accident, and he was only alive because he managed to latch onto her before she teleported. But before she could say so, she continued, "Honestly, I would have done it anyway. I couldn't let you fall to your death."
Seliel clenched her fists, knowing that wasn't the whole truth. Garmadon had warned her about the dangers of holding a grudge, how she needed to forgive and let go and see people for the good they had done, not just the bad. But Cole's words were just rubbing her the wrong way. "So you didn't just want to take me hostage to bargain for the shuriken?"
Cole grimaced. "Oh, yeah. If it makes any difference, that was kind of an afterthought."
An 'afterthought' which they had decided to use later with Nya. Seliel shook her head. She didn't know why she even tried.
"Look, we're not like that," he said defensively. "Of course I couldn't let you fall to your death! We're not evil, we're trying to do the right thing, same as you."
That gave Seliel pause. She found that she actually did believe him. He didn't seem like that bad of a guy. It didn't erase everything else he'd done, though. Even if they were both doing what they thought was right, that didn't change the fact that their morals were still very much in conflict with one another.
Sighing, Seliel crossed her arms. "Well one of us has to be wrong," she pointed out.
"I know," he said solemnly.
They fell back into silence until Cole said, "I've been wanting to apologize, too. I'm sorry for the way our first fight went. I shouldn't have been so hard on you."
And there it was again. Seliel resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "We were on opposite sides. Like you said, we were both just trying to do the right thing. You did what you had to."
"I feel bad, though. Now that I know –"
Seliel threw her hands up. "I know, I know, if you knew I was a girl, you would have gone easy on me. But believe me, I can handle it." She pointed to herself, to her eye that had long since healed completely. "Look at me, I'm fine now."
Cole's eyes widened. "That's not –" He broke off with a wince. "Okay, yeah. You might have a point. At firstI just felt bad for beating up a girl. But you should know that it was out of respect, not because I thought you were weak or anything," he added hurriedly.
Seliel quirked an eyebrow but let him continue.
"But now I want to apologize because . . . well now I've gotten to know you a little better . . . and it doesn't feel right to beat up a . . . an ally?" He scratched the back of his head. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that I have even more respect for you now as a fellow ninja. If we had to fight again – I mean, again, again – I'd want it to go differently."
It wasn't what she had expected him to say, but his words actually sounded genuine. Seliel was reminded of their most recent fight during the tournament, the so-called race that Chen had made them do. He hadn't been very honest then, but he had been noticeably less . . . brutal. Something about the fact that he fought so harshly against an opponent simply because he didn't know them still didn't sit right with Seliel, especially since she had been the one to experience it firsthand. But the fact that he was willing to apologize was more than she ever expected him to do.
"All right then," she said steadily. "I guess I can forgive you. But don't expect me to apologize for beating you every time since then."
Cole laughed. "No way, you've beaten me fair and square."
Seliel smiled, in spite of herself. It almost seemed like something about him had changed since they first met. Or maybe he hadn't changed at all, but she was only just meeting him for the first time. In the beginning he had seemed to Seliel like an arrogant ninja with nothing but malice in his heart, just as evil as his master. But throughout this mission, their alliance, and even a little during the tournament, she had seen a side of him and his friends that she hadn't expected to be there. The more she saw of them, the more they seemed like . . . well, people.
Maybe things weren't so simple. Maybe the world wasn't just good and evil, and they could learn to get a long and maybe they kind of sort of made a good team. But their alliance was temporary. At the root of it all, nothing had really changed, even if they saw things differently.
"You know . . ." she said. "If all goes well, then we'll be mortal enemies again by tomorrow."
Beside her, Cole nodded. "I know . . . But that's tomorrow. I prefer to live in the moment."
Seliel thought about that as she leaned over the edge of the wall, watching the rolling ocean. Cole didn't say anything more, and Seliel was content with that for now. Even though they were allies, what would happen when it was over? Would it last beyond these walls?
Seliel could only hope.