Chapter 18

The teenagers managed to get closer to the palace than expected before having to drop the motorcycles.

"This part was easier than expected," Lloyd commented since they were actually pretty close to the palace already.

"It looked like most of the royal guards were busy with the protesters," Kai said. "There were a few I noticed weren't there though." It made sense that Kai would notice that. Zane and Nya nodded in agreement with what Kai said. With how the three of them were raised, they would probably know all or almost all of the royal guards.

"Well, let's go take down the emperor and empress!" Cole said. "It'll be easier to dethrone them with most of the royal guards focused on the protesters."

"Cole is right," Jay said. "Let's do this."

The three of them walked up to the palace and actually walked in through the front door. They really should've left some more protection at the palace. Jay, Kai, and Zane were still the only ones that had guns since they had them in the last fight. Skylor, PIXAL, and Seliel brought the frying pans they used since it was surprisingly effective. Nya had managed to sneakily steal a knife from Ronin before they left. Lloyd and Cole were just planning on winging it when it came to weapons. They had tried to ask Ronin for some guns, but he told them they had to pay which was fine until Kai, Zane, and Nya found out that their accounts had been frozen. Figures.

They walked all the way to the throne room before encountering any royal guards, but even then, the royal guards just let them enter. This was weird. Really weird.

They walked into the throne room where the emperor and empress were waiting for them. Lloyd looked around, but didn't see Princess Harumi. He was truthfully worried for her after she helped them escape the palace before. He hoped that her parents didn't figure out that she helped them. He hoped they were decent enough to not hurt their own daughter, but then again, they're cold blooded murderers, so you never know.

"So, the Truth Seekers have returned," the emperor said. "I have to say, that's very brave of you. Stupid but brave." He stood up from his throne and started to slowly walk towards the group. "I never would've expected to have the kids of some of my old enemies be the ones who reveal our secrets. The son of Cliff and Libber, the son of Lord Garmadon, and the son of Lily."

"You killed my mother! You murderer!" Cole snapped and was about to charge at the emperor, but Lloyd and Kai held him back.

"Calm down, Cole," Lloyd said. "Don't give him the satisfaction of you getting worked up."

The emperor chuckled. "As for you the three," he said gesturing to Skylor, PIXAL, and Seliel. "Don't think I didn't figure out who your fathers are. They're currently in custody as are Ray, Maya, and Dr. Julien."

Everyone was shocked by that revelation. "Why are our parents in jail?!" Nya asked. "They didn't do anything!" Nya might not like her parents, but they have been on the emperor and empress's side. Why were they arrested?

"Because they raised fugitives and it's to make sure that they don't try anything to save their kids."

"Why did you make it so easy for us to come in here?" Jay spoke up.

The emperor grinned menacingly. "Because I wanted to watch all of you meet your end."

A few more royal guards came running into the room. It still wasn't nearly as many as they were expecting. Jay, Kai, and Zane pulled out their guns and the rest of the group got their weapons ready, except for Lloyd and Cole.

It was a standoff for a few minutes. Neither side was making a move. Both sides were waiting for the other side to make the first move. Surprisingly, it was Kai who shot first because he was getting too impatient. He shot one of the guards and the gun dropped and ending up getting knocked across the floor and stopping in front of Cole.

"Thanks," Cole said quickly as he bent down and picked up the gun while a full fight started breaking out. The teens dispersed and ran to get some cover while shots rang out. The four with guns were the main ones doing any fighting, but they were actually taking out quite a few guards.

Nya looked over to the empress who was just sitting in her throne completely unguarded. No shots were going over to her, but she was an easy target. "Jay, can you cover me?" she asked her boyfriend.

"Why?" he asked concerned. "What are you doing?"

"I have an idea."

"Ok, but be careful."

"I will." Jay started covering Nya as she managed to sneak around to get to the empress. No one noticed, not even the emperor who was closer to the fighting than the empress. She snuck up behind the empress and took out the knife she brought and help it up to the empress's throat. "Tell your husband to stop this. It doesn't have to be this way."

"I'm afraid it does," the empress said. Nya was surprised when the empress managed to knock the knife out of her hand. The empress saw the surprised expression on Nya's face. "Don't think that just because I sit in my thrown all day that I can't fight." Nya started fighting with the empress. The empress was way more skilled than Nya expected and was actually a very difficult person to fight. After the empress managed to knock Nya onto the ground, she pulled out her own knife and started getting closer to the teenage girl.

Unbeknownst to anyone, Harumi was watching and she saw what her mother was about to do. She couldn't just stand there and let Nya die. She had been friends with Nya since they were kids, mainly because of their parents being supposed "friends." She knew what her parents have done and she wasn't about to let another innocent person die because of them. She noticed the knife that her mother knocked out of Nya's hands and she ran to grab it.

"This is the end for you," the empress said to Nya, but before she could kill the teenage girl, she felt a sharp pain in her back.

"I'm sorry, Mother," Harumi said while tearing up. Yes, this needed to be done, but the empress was still her mother.

The empress fell to the ground and Harumi put her mother's head in her lap. "H-how...c-could you?"

"I couldn't let you kill Nya."

"Y-you have...b-betrayed our...f-family." Those were the empress's last words before she took her final breath.

Harumi put a hand over her mouth to try to stifle her cries. She knew that her parents had to be dethroned, but she didn't want to be the one to end her mother's life.

Nya slowly walked over to the princess and knelt down beside her. "Thank you," she said. "You saved my life."

Harumi looked up at Nya with a sad smile. "Someone had to," she said.

The emperor saw what happened to his wife and saw that it was his own daughter who did it. "NO!" he screamed.

"It hurts, doesn't it? Losing someone you care about." The emperor turned around to see who was talking to him and was faced with the boy he wanted dead the most. "Now you know how I've felt my entire life!"

"You."

"That's right, me. You killed my birth parents and my adopted parents! I lost everything because of you! You don't deserve to rule Ninjago!" Jay was aiming his gun right at the emperor.

"You don't get to decide who deserves to rule Ninjago, boy! You will die, just like your family!" The emperor pulled out a knife without Jay noticing.

Jay wasn't expecting the emperor to start charging at him. He took one shot when the emperor was practically right in front of him, but he also felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. He looked down and noticed the knife.

"F-fitting...This was the knife...t-that killed your mother...a-and now it will also be your end." The emperor pulled out the knife and fell to the ground. Dead.

Jay put his hands over the stab wound and took a couple steps backwards. He was beginning to fall when Lloyd and Cole came up behind him and caught him. Jay didn't realize until now that the battle was over and they had won. Lloyd and Cole gently laid Jay on the ground and everyone else came running over, except Harumi.

"We need to put pressure on the wound," Zane instructed.

Cole took off his old hoodie and started doing what Zane instructed. Nya was the last one to get to Jay and when she saw him, she immediately knelt down and grabbed his hand. Tears were forming in her eyes.

"You promised you'd be careful," Lloyd said. Tears were also forming in his eyes. Lloyd was also pretty sure the same would be happening to Cole if he wasn't following Zane's orders to try to help Jay.

"S-some things are just unavoidable," Jay said to Lloyd. "N-no m-matter what...y-you and Cole will a-always be my brothers." It was becoming harder for him to keep his eyes open.

"No!" Nya said and lightly hit his face. "Stay awake! You have to stay awake!" she pleaded.

"I-I l-love you, N-Nya."

"I love you too."

The last thing Jay heard before everything faded to black was people calling his name.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed!