Acquiescence

Pixal let go of Zane and stared at the dark man in the corner, dumbfounded. "What do you mean?" she asked. "Who do you think you are, making such claims?"

Cole stepped into the light, ducking low to avoid hitting his feathered hat on the ceiling. "I mean that I need you, Lady Pixal," he said, softening his tone a touch. "But details can wait until we are back on the ship. I don't know about you, but I need a bottle." He cooly walked out of the cave, and left the siblings alone.

Pixal turned her head back to her brother, her eyes wide with alarm, and glowing with anger. "Is that Sir Cole?" she whispered. My goodness, the man is a maniac...

Zane nodded and shifted his position on the ground. "My knee got knocked out of joint. Can you twist it back into place? Kai couldn't do it, and Cole doesn't seem capable of anything as...delicate as this."

Pixal nodded and rolled his pant leg up to the thigh. "You're not even a little bit concerned-" The sound of a horn cut her off. Her eyes grew rounder. "What was that?"

Zane sighed heavily and furrowed his brows. "It would seem," he said slowly. "That I am not going home today after all."

Pixal examined his face carefully. He was obviously under a lot of stress, and was a little bit panicked. He just wasn't showing it on the surface. She ran her hands down his leg and forced a smile. "This might hurt a little," she said as she twisted his calf to the right with a sudden jerk.

Zane let out a short cry of pain, but quickly stifled it, biting his cheek. He looked at her and nodded. "Thank you," he said. He grabbed his sister's hand and got to his feet slowly, testing his weight. He smiled weakly at her. "Being a robot has some distinct advantages." He rolled down his pant leg and gestured toward the door, where sound of angry shouting could be heard. "Let's go and see what Kai and Cole are fighting about this time." He went through the door, with Pixal on his heels.

The moment Pixal was out and into the open again, she could sense that something was wrong. Kai was shouting at an unfazed Cole, who was playing with a small ebony horn in one hand.

"Kai." Kaytake came forward on his horse, a stern look on his face. He looked between his son and Cole, his gaze lasting a little longer on the black cloaked man. "Sir Cole, right?" His voice was harsh and angry.

"I am," Cole nodded once and put the horn in his pocket. "I would suggest leaving before my warriors get here." His voice held a foreboding quality that said he was not joking. "I have no need for you, your guards, or your prisoner," he nodded at Jay. "I will be forced to kill you four if you do not leave now."

Kaytake stared at Cole for another long moment, his mouth agape. He looked at the three people behind the knight with a feeling of intense frustration. Both of Lord Julien's children, and his own son, captive of the Overlord's most powerful henchman.

Kaytake knew he was no match for the man. Some of the best warriors in the country had lost their lives in the never ending battle to bring this man down. His eyebrows dug deep, almost touching his eyes. He cast his son a desperate look, but saw only the same hopelessness and anger that plagued himself.

He leapt down from his horse and grabbed a knife from a sheath on his hip. He cut Jay free and helped the man onto Pixal's horse. He looked once more at Kai and nodded. "I love you, son." He said, keeping his voice taut so that it wouldn't crack. He gestured to Jay, and they followed the guards off at a fast lope, without daring to look back. He cursed himself for running away like he did, but he knew that he had no choice.

After several miles, they reached the bridge and crossed without incident. Kaytake was glad, because the last thing he wanted was to run into a vicious stone samurai warrior.

Jay did not know Kaytake, but he could tell that being forced to leave his son, and the Nindroids, in the hands of Sir Cole had driven a dagger into the man's gut.

"It wasn't your fault, sir." He said hesitantly.

Kaytake looked up at Jay and offered him a weak smile. "Thank you, Jay." He said sadly. "I just..." He swallowed hard. "I hate feeling so helpless. One minute, we are all there, and I humor myself with thoughts of returning home with my son. And the next," he frowned. "I am forced to turn a blind eye to my son's plight."

Jay nodded in agreement. "You made the right choice, sir. Fighting back would have undoubtedly gotten your son killed."

Kaytake did not reply. The silence reigned for another long moment before Jay spoke up again.

"Why did you let me go?" He asked hesitantly.

Kaytake's eyes shot up, and he looked at Jay as if regarding him for the first time. "Come again?" His voice was weak.

The younger man cleared his throat and spoke again. "You untied me and gave me a horse. Surely you know that I could just run off at any given time," he reasoned.

"But you haven't." Kaytake said blatantly. "You've stayed with me. I am second in command, one of the most powerful people in the nation, and you are a thief who makes his living off of robbing us nobles of our most precious national treasures, and selling them to merchants, who then take them overseas." His brown eyes bored into Jay's blue ones. "I could have you killed, you know."

Jay frowned and pursed his lips. "I know," he said.

"Then why on earth are you still here?" The nobleman prompted. "I am on my way to the king, you know. Do you think he'll be very happy to see you?"

Jay laughed dryly. "No, I suppose not," he said thoughtfully "But...I trust you, sir. And call me crazy, but I don't think I can't leave you."

"Why not?" Kaytake raised an eyebrow.

"Because..." Jay's face flushed slightly with embarrassment. "I know, this just seems crazy, but I am drawn to you. It's like I have this voice in my head, telling me that I must follow you, no exceptions."

Kaytake's mind began to race. It's happening, he thought excitedly. Garmadon will be pleased.

Out loud, he simply said, "interesting."

Kai watched his father turn and leave with a feeling of intense sorrow and dread. If even his father was walking away without a fight, then he himself was most certainly a goner. "I love you too, father..." He whispered under his breath.

He watched with mild curiosity as Pixal let out a shout and lunged herself at Cole. She drew a knife and, with one fluid motion, went for his back.

But Cole, Kai decided, had been expecting nothing less. He whirled around and drew his sword in one motion. His free arm went up in a block, and he shoved her to the ground. His sword was at her neck a moment later, and the knife was at Zane's feet.

Cole let out a wicked laugh. "A feisty one, huh?" He grinned and went to one knee, digging it into her torso to keep her still. She wriggled and thrashed with her arms, trying to claw at his face. Cole started swearing at her after several seconds of this.

"Pixal," Zane picked up the knife and glared at her. "Please calm down." He handed the knife to Cole. "Don't hold that sword at her neck, use the smaller blade. You'll be able to control it better."

Cole raised an eyebrow at him and took the knife after only a moment's hesitation.

"Zane!" Pixal screeched. "Who's side are you on? Why aren't you helping me?"

Zane frowned at her and dropped to his knees next to her head. "I am helping you, Pixal." He said in a firm, patient voice. "Can you hold still? It'll make things easier for everyone, yourself included." He looked up at Cole, then at Kai. "I'm going to assume you'll make good on your promise to tell us what's going on?" He asked.

Cole nodded and slapped Pixal's cheek before she could bite him. She laid still and stunned for a moment after that, allowing him to speak. "On my word," he said calmly. "But I'm wondering why you're not throwing a fit like your sister here."

Zane smiled and reached into her cloak. He produced a rope and handed it to Cole. "Because I'm not my sister." He replied simply. "I will speak to you with complete honesty, and say this." He drew out several other weapons from her pockets and tossed them to the ground, out of her reach. "I am not happy with what you've done. I don't appreciate that I'm still going to the Dark Island. But," he held up a hand. "I also know that I have no choice. So helping you get back to the ship seems like the best option, at least for me."

Cole looked up at him, and was silent for a moment. His face was indiscernible. "I've never met a man like you, Zane." He said slowly. "Your courage is unequalled."

Kai couldn't help but smile at the awkward scene in front of him. It took two men to hold down a ten year old robot, who on all accounts looked at least twenty-five years old. "You two need help?" He couldn't resist the joke. "She looks like quite a handful."

"Shut up, Kai." Cole growled. "Just stand there, and the stone warriors won't hurt you."

Kai held up his hands in defeat. "Yes sir," he laughed lightly at himself. He was beginning to see why Zane had a lack of fear around the man. For all the toughness Cole seemed to be on the outside, he was really just another guy with an anger problem. Not that he could claim to be much better than the knight there. It was just nice to know he wasn't the only one out there.

Zane gave Cole a humored look and chuckled. "Kai is joking with you." He stated. "I think you've finally found a way to make friends with him."

"How's that?" Cole rolled Pixal onto her back and tied her hands behind her back. "Strangling women amuses him?" He tied the knot tightly.

"No!" Kai said indignantly. "The fact that a single women is giving you trouble, that's all."

"Sure." Cole said in a crisp voice, although a smile was starting to peek through his lips.

"I'll want those back later," Pixal said tersely, nodding to the weapons on the ground. "Namely, the sword. It was a gift."

Zane chuckled and took it from her waist. "Perhaps later, sister."

At that moment, all forty or so stone warriors came through the trees in formation, and saluted respectfully. One came forward and spoke in its rough language. "Shaak tik ash?" It asked.

Cole looked at the man and spoke. "Drik nash rizt." He replied harshly. He pointed into the trees. "Graak ash porsh."

The warrior nodded and shouted a command to his men. Two of them came forward and grabbed Kai and Zane roughly, but did not bind them. They were simply guided by the arms in the center of the procession back to the Bounty.

Kai grumbled under his breath and allowed himself to be pulled along at the fast walk. "You want to do any of that explaining now, Sir Cole?" He asked after several minutes of walking.

"No," Cole replied immediately. "As I said earlier, as soon as we are situated at the Black Bounty. Understand?" He threw Kai a dark stare.

Kai returned the stare, all too aware of the fact that they seemed to have made a game of exchanging those looks.

Kaytake and Jay approached the castle gates with their two guards right as the sun was beginning to touch the mountains, basking everything in a warm orange glow.

"What do you want me to do when we get inside, sir?" Jay asked. He shifted uncomfortably in his saddle. This was the longest he had ever been on a horse in his life.

Kaytake walked over the bridge and was waved forward without a word by the imperial guards, who recognized him immediately. "Just stay close to me, Walker." He gave Jay a short smile. "And be quiet, please. Quiet, respectful, allowing those in power to speak first."

Jay bowed his head and returned the smile. "Yes, sir. I can do that."

"Good." Kaytake turned to one of the guards, of whom wore green cloaks, and black tunics and pants, tucked into boots that came up to the knee. He pointed at Jay and said, "he's with me. Not a threat."

The guard immediately bowed at the waist and waved them through the gate. They were met on the other side by an escort who grabbed their reins so they could dismount.

Kaytake leapt from the saddle with ease, and stretched his legs with a sigh of relief. He looked up at Jay and chuckled. "Having trouble?" He asked.

Jay nodded. "I'm not really the greatest horseman, sir." He said with a sheepish smile. "I can hardly move my legs."

Kaytake laughed, as if his prisoner had just told a joke. He helped Jay take his foot out of the stirrup. "Swing your leg over, Jay." He said. "Hold on to the horn, lean into the seat of the saddle, take your other foot out, and slide down to the ground."

Jay did as he was told, shaking his other foot out of the saddle and sliding awkwardly down to the ground. He of out a short yelp of pain when his heels dug into the ground, making a shooting pain go up his leg. He masked it immediately with a smile and walked forward. "Thanks." He said.

Kaytake chuckled again and slapped the man's back. "We will be working on that dismount, Walker." He waved once to his guards, who had also dismounted. "Go and get drinks, rest for a few hours while you can." The two red cloaked guards bowed at the waist and followed the horses to the stable, talking to the escorts as if they were old friends.

Kaytake put a hand on Jay's shoulder, making the man flinch momentarily. "Let's go and talk to the Garmadons." He said.

Jay nodded and followed his lord up to the magnificent stone steps to the front doors. The two guards that stood at attention opened the doors, then shut them once they were through.

Kaytake let go of Jay's shoulder and walked up to a sentinel. "When is the meeting?" He asked.

The guard saluted. "Less than an hour, my lord." He waved with a gloved hand down the hall. "Lord Julien is in there already. Food has been laid out already." He cast a glance in Jay's direction and hesitated. "Is that Walker?" His hand hovered over the hilt of his sword.

Kaytake waved the man off. "Yes it is, Colton. He's with me. I am taking him to Julien."

"Unbound?" The guard named Colton said, gesturing to Jays hands, which were crossed casually over his chest.

"Mind your own," Kaytake said tersely. "He's with me, and that's all you need to know."

"Of course, sir." Colton said quickly. "My apologies."

Kaytake did not bother with a reply. He gestured to Jay, and the young man immediately uncrossed his arms and followed a few feet behind the Southern lord.

A man dressed in a green shirt and black pants suddenly leapt from the shadows and drew a sword.

Kaytake drew his sword and engaged the blond man in a fight without hesitation. "Good evening, sir." He said cooly, leaping from foot to foot, using a series of harmless combinations to push his opponent back.

The man's green eyes were alight with excitement and humor as he expertly dodged each blow, taking two steps forward. "Good evening, my lord." He said with a grin. "What do you think?" He suddenly leapt into a graceful attack, weaving his sword in and out so fast that Jay had a hard time figuring out which blade was which.

The young man got Kaytake's sword in a lock at the hilt and pulled it out of the elder's hand. The blade went spinning across the floor, and they both smiled at each other and shook hands.

"Well done, Lloyd." Kaytake praised. "Much better than the last time. Although," he winked once in Jay's direction. "I was easing up just a bit."

Lloyd snorted and grabbed the sword from the floor. He gave it to Kaytake with a wide, one sided grin that bunched his left cheek. "Sure you were." He said in a condescending tone. He brushed a lock of his long blond hair out if his eyes. His blond hair went in neat waves down to his shoulders. "Where's Pixal?" He asked. "Don't tell me you actually beat her here." He nodded at Jay. "She wants him in the dungeon, you know."

Kaytake nodded. "I know, Lloyd." He frowned deeply. "But Pixal is not coming."

Lloyd raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

Kaytake sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair. "Where is Julien?" He asked. "I need to tell him too, you know."

Lloyd nodded and spun on his heel, looking a little pale. He waved them forward. "Follow me, sir."

Zane, Kai and Pixal were led to their cell, and Sir Cole waved his men off with a quick word in their language. He turned back to his three prisoners with a thoughtful, distant look. "Is there a way to turn off your robotic powers, Zane?" He asked after a minute.

Zane shook his head. "No, sir." He said quickly.

Cole stared at him for a long moment, then let a chuckle break through his teeth. "Liar," he said, shaking his head. He turned to Pixal and jerked the rope, which he still held in his hand. She to the floor with a short cry of alarm.

The Dark Knight drew his sword and held it to her neck. "What do you think I needed her for, you fool?" He growled. "She is your liability."

Zane and Kai looked at Pixal with alarm. All the rage in her eyes gave way to panic as she stared at her brother pleadingly. Her chest moved up and down in short heaves.

Cole nodded. "Good," he said slowly. "I see my point is getting across." His green eyes bored into Zane's bluish grey orbs. "How do you turn off your special abilities?" He sensed his prisoner's doubt and shouted. "Do you think I would hesitate to kill her?"

"Okay," Zane nodded quickly. He shed his cloak and pulled his shirt over his head. "Here's how you do it."

"No, Zane." Pixal said frantically. "Just run him through. He'll never-"

Cole's sword pressed so hard she was forced to stop her sentence. He glared at her. "Be quiet, you wench." He looked up at Zane with mild curiosity. The man had opened up a panel on his chest, and was pressing buttons with quick, sure fingers that had obviously done it a hundred times before.

Zane looked up at Cole and nodded as he shut his panel again. "Done." He said in a strained voice as he looked at his sister. "Anything else?"

Cole nodded at the girl. "Does she have those powers as well?"

Zane shook his head. "No, she doesn't." He quickly pulled his shirt over his head again. "I programmed her to have superior skills with every weapon type out there instead of being a weapon. I believe it is better than-"

"Okay, I get it!" Cole growled, sensing that his prisoner was about to get way off subject. He released the sword's pressure at her neck and turned her over roughly. He cut her bonds with one swing of his sword and put it away. "If you dare even touch your panel without my consent, I will run the brat though."

Zane's face drained of color, and he swallowed. "Yes sir," he said quickly.

"Excellent," Cole nodded and gestured to the door. "Follow me, you two men." He said curtly, walking back in the direction he had come. "The wench stays here."

He turned around at the door and saw that Zane was helping Pixal to her feet. Kai was ignoring the Nindroids, and was walking straight for the door.

Zane followed after whispering something inaudible in his sister's ear, and Cole locked the door. He turned to a stone warrior who was walking by right then, and shouted for it to get the ship in the air. The warrior bowed once and was up the stairs in a blink. The three men followed at a more casual pace.

Cole's sharp, harsh demeanor seemed to melt away as they mounted the steps. He began speaking in a casual manner, as if to old buddies. "Feel free to roam about the ship at your own leisure," he said, waving his hand around the deck. "Unless I ask you to do something. You are here as slaves, at least until we get to the Dark Island. You do as I tell you, but I most likely won't need you. I have enough other men to do the hard work."

Zane cleared his throat and spoke. "What about Pixal?" He asked respectfully.

"She stays in the cell." Cole said immediately. "If you want to see her, come to me, and I will let you in for a few minutes at a time for visits, but only if I'm in a good mood." He chuckled as they entered the dining area. "Circumstances being as they are, I will probably be too dangerous to approach the entire time we are over the water."

He reached onto a shelf and grabbed a bottle and three large glasses. He sat down and popped the cork on the green tinted bottle. He held it up and nodded to Kai and Zane. "Care for a drink before we get started?"

Kai shook his head. "But I would appreciate some food. It's been almost an entire day, you know."

To his surprise, Cole simply nodded. The man seemed more concerned with filling his own cup to shoot back a comment along the lines of 'you had your chance yesterday,' or 'go cook it yourself, weakling.'

Cole took a sip of his cup and looked at Kai curiously. "You sure?" His voice seemed almost polite. "It's an excellent batch, made in the Middle Realm during one of its best years."

Zane held up his cup. "I'll try a few sips, sir."

"Cole," the Dark Knight replied. "Just call me Cole." He tipped the bottle and poured a little into the bottom of the Northern nobleman's cup. "Is that enough?"

Zane nodded and took a sip. "Thank you, Cole."

Kai rolled his eyes, quickly becoming impatient with these two men. "So..." He gestured with his hand, and the two men turned their heads to face him. "What was the point of the past few hours?" He asked. "Why pretend to be on our side, only to recapture us again?"

Cole chuckled low in his throat, as if there was something funny in what Kai had just said. "It was all a test, Kai." He gave Kai an impatient look, clearly stating that he thought he had better things to do with his time than explain things that were clearly beyond their comprehension. "I wanted to see how you two worked in the field, so to speak."

Kai raised an eyebrow, no less impatient than before. "So what did you learn?"

Cole chuckled, as if he found something funny in Kai's words. "I learned many things, prisoner," he said, gesturing to Zane. "For instance, I learned that he has special abilities. Abilities that, if I had not found out, could have been used against me." He took another long drink of the brownish liquid in the glass. "And you, Kai, are a little more tricky." He sighed and put the cup down with a loud thud. "You don't really have...special abilities, like Zane, but I learned many things about your personality. I learned many of your weaknesses, and a few of your strengths."

"I must say," Zane said, taking a small sip of his drink. "It was a clever plan. Well done, my friend. Kai is a mystery indeed. Are you saying that you figured him out?"

Cole gave a nod and a shrug at once. "Yes, I have learned a great deal about the two of you. But no, the test did not exactly give me all of your secrets."

Zane put a hand on Cole's shoulder and nodded slowly. "It was a clever plan, my friend." He said with a smile.

Cole slapped Zane's hand away with a short, surprised yelp. "Keep clear, prisoner." He shifted down the bench, away from the mildly startled nobleman. He cleared his throat and rubbed his forehead momentarily before letting out a long, drawn out sigh. "Sorry," he said quietly. "I'm just a-"

"A little on edge?" Zane raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, you've already said that." He tapped his empty cup on the table to a beat in his head. "That excuse isn't going to last much longer, you know."

Cole glared at him. "I say you don't have any urges to make me talk of my behavior. And I also say that you don't care what my habits are, because your captor won't always be in the amiable mood he's in right now." He took a knife out of his belt and began to cut up the bottle cork into tiny pieces.

Lloyd opened the conference room door and walked inside, nodding once to Lord Julien, who sat at the table. "Here they are, sirs." He looked back at Kaytake and Jay. "We have food laid out for you three, please make yourselves at home."

Kaytake nodded and followed Lloyd through the door. "Thank you," he said with a distracted smile. "It's been a while since our last meal."

The prince nodded and backed out of the room. "I will tell my parents that everyone is here."

Jay followed Kaytake to the table and sat down quietly.

"Don't talk so much, Jay." Kaytake teased as he filled his plate with a variety of cold meats and fruit. "I can hardly hear myself think."

Jay chortled and followed his master's example. "Well, you told me to stay quiet," he reasoned. He cast a furtive glance in Julien's direction, avoiding eye contact.

Lord Julien looked at Kaytake and nodded politely. "Good evening, my friend." He said.

Kaytake nodded back. "Good evening." His voice was hesitant.

The grey haired, spectacled man squinted at the younger lord. "Pixal isn't coming, is she?" His deep grey eyes were alight with worry.

Kaytake shook his head and set down his fork. "I'm sorry, Julien." He said.

Garmadon entered the room right then, interrupting the conversation. He walked with long, purposeful strides and a hard look in his eyes. Lloyd and an elderly woman walked in behind him, both wearing slightly less bold expressions.

Unlike many would expect, King Garmadon almost never wore formal attire. Unless a situation demanded it, he dressed like those in the lower classes. Plain colored tunic, black pants, and worn brown boots. Today's color was purple, and a sword hung at his hip, partially obscured by his green cloak. "Good evening," he nodded at Kaytake and sat down at the table. Lloyd and Misako sat on either side of him.

He folded his hands on the table and sighed. "I want to start off the meeting by letting you both know how sorry I am about your children." His green eyes drifted between the faces around the table and his own family. "The Dark Knight is becoming too bold. He is taking away our greatest treasures now, instead of simple winery raids and kidnappings."

He let his words settle in the silence before stirring up the dust again. "Kaytake, I see you have Walker with you." His eyes locked on Jay's handsome face, and they regarded each other casually for a long moment before he spoke again. "Why did you bring him in to this highly confidential meeting?"

Kaytake put an arm on Jay's shoulder. "I have some suspicions that I felt would go along with what we were going to talk about tonight."

Misako gave him a knowing smile and spoke for the first time. "And what would those suspicions be, Kaytake?"

The Southern nobleman sighed and dropped his hands to the table. "I think he may be one of the chosen." His words drew a collective gasp from the room. He held up a hand, stopping the flow of questions before it could begin. "I may be wrong, sir." He said quickly. "He just has that aura. I can feel something different when I look into his eyes."

Jay's mouth opened wide, and he dropped the fork he had been holding in his hand. "Me?" He stuttered. "B-but sir, I am a peasant. A thief, who has stolen millions of dollars worth of your treasure and sold it overseas!" The words came out before they could stop them. "Look, I don't know what you're trying to pull me into here, but I don't deserve your trust."

Misako stood and walked over to him, smiling kindly through spectacled eyes. She walked right up to Jay and pulled him to his feet. She examined him head to foot for a long moment, and stared into his wide eyes for even longer. "Everyone knows that you have exceptional swordsmanship skills, Walker." She reasoned. "I can see that you are by no means perfect. You are not my first choice in a mentor for my son, but that choice has never been mine to make."

Jay stared at her in confusion. "Whose choice was it, then? If it wasn't yours, I mean."

Misako put a hand on his chest and smiled kindly. "Don't use past tense in that question, Jay." She said. "The choice has not been made yet."

Jay felt a strong urge to step backwards, but resisted it firmly. "Then...who's choice is it?"

Garmadon got to his feet and went to his wife's side. "It is your choice, Jay." He smiled. "Would you like to become a knight, and-"

"No!" Jay said suddenly, leaping backward and tripping over his seat. He fell to the floor and got to his feet again quickly. He looked at the king and queen with shock. "I-I mean, thank you for the offer, but no." He rubbed the back of his leg, which had received the brunt of the pain from his fall. "Find someone more qualified. Like I said, I don't deserve your trust."

Misako and Garmadon exchanged looks in the way only a good couple could, and turned to face him again. "Jay Walker," Garmadon said. "Your hesitation only makes me more confident that you are the one." He held out a hand to Jay. "Do you want to earn our trust?" He asked. "The first step in us trusting you is knowing that you trust our judgement."

Jay stared at the hand for a long moment, stuck between a frown and a grin.

But in the end, he did neither. He grabbed the hand hesitantly, and gave a short nod. "If it's what you want, my king," he said, shaking it firmly, gaining confidence, but firmly telling himself to show no emotion.

Garmadon nodded and squeezed back. "If it is what you want, Walker."