Reunion

At dawn, the Black Bounty landed in Kaytake's estate. The cold end-of-autumn winds had long since turned the grounds brown, and all of the trees had long since dropped their leaves.

Red-uniformed guards were pouring out of the mansion, swords drawn and arrows knocked, prepared for an attack. They surrounded the Black Bounty, preparing to defend the Sheshin Keep from the Dark Knight.

Kai almost found the scene amusing as he watched from the bridge window. Ah...if only I'd found a way to contact Father. Then this whole debacle wouldn't be necessary.

"I don't see Malian," Kai said at last. "That's strange. He's usually right there with his men."

"He's probably inside protecting Father," Nya said wryly. "After all, they think that the Dark Knight and his stone warriors are here for an attack. They aren't expecting us."

"Yeah," Kai agreed. He looked at the table, where every member of their party sat anxiously. "All right. I'm going out." He turned and walked out of the bridge, stopping at the edge of the quarterdeck to look down at the men.

One arrow was shot. Kai ducked moments before it could land in his chest. It hit the wall behind him. Kai stood tall again and continued staring.

He could have just said something, but he really wanted to mess with the guards for some inexplicable reason. Perhaps Cole's cruel sense of humor was finally wearing off on him.

It didn't take too long for them to recognize him, though. And once they did, all weapons were hesitantly put away.

"Milord," one man- wearing the decorated uniform of a lieutenant- stepped forward and spoke slowly. "Are you...is everything... What's going on?"

Kai could hardly blame the man for being so flustered. They had probably decided him dead weeks ago. Seeing him now, smiling down at them from the Dark Knight's ship as though nothing had happened... Well, who wouldn't be a bit startled?

"Where is my fahter?" Kai asked. "I must speak with him at once."

"O-of course, Milord." The man waved a hand, sending one of his subordinates to fulfill Kai's request. "I trust that you will tell us all what-"

"Of course," Kai interrupted, still smiling. Hosts, but it was good to be home.

Not waiting for the soldier to respond, Kai pulled the arrow from the wood and walked back into the bridge. He threw the arrow down on the table, grinning perpetually. "Let's go," he said. "Honestly, I can't wait to see Father's face when he sees us all safe. Mostly unharmed, even."

He realized that he had said the wrong thing. Pixal, Hagar, and Chedva had been killed, so while most everyone was safe and unharmed... Well, it was a little too soon to speak like that around their grieving family.

Zane gestured to the arrow, pretending not to notice Kai's over-enthused comment. "The man who shot that," he said. "He must be feeling a little guilty."

"Yeah," Kai said with a wry grin. "I'll have to remember to send him a gift basket." He turned to Besai. "You ready?"

Besai nodded, but her face showed reluctance.

"Great. Come on, Nya." He held out a hand.

Nya stood and stared at his hand, as if in awe. "You..." she managed to say.

"Me!" Kai said. "Is something wrong?" After all this time thinking that there was no way he'd ever return home- that he'd be killed, or enslaved- the prospect of going home elated him beyond his ability to articulate.

Nya took his hand, smiling.

Kai squeezed her fingers and made for the door again, gesturing for the others to follow. "Oh, this is going to be fantastic."

Zane and Lloyd prepared the gangplank, then stepped aside so the siblings could pass. By previous arrangement, they were going to help Cole- who could not walk without a cane- after everyone else was across.

"There he is!" Nya said. She was laughing and crying as she saw Kaytake and Driniah on the path, running as though their lives depended on it. "Father!"

"Nya! Kai!"

Kai forced down a lump of emotion as he heard the voice of the man he feared he would never see again.

Kaytake, looking ten years older than when Kai had seen him last, enveloped his children in a warm embrace. He smiled as he pulled away and looked into his daughter's eyes, asking her if she was all right. She nodded, tears in her eyes.

Then Kaytake turned to Kai.

"Kai," he whispered. "Oh, Kai." He wept as he held his son's face in his hands. "You're alive."

Kai had seen his father cry on only a few occasions. One of those was four years ago, when Driniah had fallen to a terrible sickness. Another had been when one of his closest confidants, Sir Leryn Keith, had been executed by the Overlord.

"Yeah," Kai said. Somehow, he managed to withhold his owntears as his mother wrapped her arms around him and kissed his cheek. "I'm alive."

"I'm so sorry," Kaytake said. "I was a fool, letting you two go alone to the cove on that day. I won't make the same mistake again."

Kai returned his mother's embrace, then stepped back and laughed. "I want you to meet a few people," he said. He turned to his companions, who were just catching up. "This is Varasach, Cole's servant."

Driniah rushed to the teen and hugged her quickly. "You poor dear," she said. "Poor, poor dear."

Varasach seemed surprised, but she allowed Driniah to touch her without struggling too much.

Kai put a hand on Besai's shoulder. "And this is Besai," he said. "She's...my servant."

Driniah's ecstatic expression immediately put Besai on the fritz. "Oh, she's cute," she said. "Hello, darling." She let Varasach go and held out her arms for Besai.

Besai trembled, gripping Kai's hand. "Hello," she said, voice hardly more than a whisper. Her face went into his shirt.

Kaytake looked the women over. "Where did you get these two?" he asked. "And why do you own one of them?"

Sensing Kai's hesitation, Zane filled in. "Overlord has a large village on the island. We rescued these two. Besai insists on being Kai's servant."

Kaytake seemed placated by this half-truth. He looked at Cole, who was still on the gangplank with Lloyd, and frowned. "Who is the short man with the cane?"

"He...can tell you himself later," Zane said. "He needs a doctor. We've done all we can, but he still has a severe lung infection, and his heart is weak."

"Of course!" Kaytake took his wife's arm and turned back toward the mansion. "Come. I will call for one of my doctors once we are inside."

"Your father scares me," Besai whispered.

Kai wrapped an arm around her, smiling brighter by the minute. "He's a bit...uncharacteristically chipper today, isn't he? But then, I am, too."

Once they were all inside, Kaytake started giving orders. Two groups of four men were to give the good news to King Garmadon and Lord Julien. A servant was sent to fetch a doctor. More servants were to start preparations for a feast, and soldiers dispatched to inform King Garmadon and Lord Julien of their sons' returns.

"You all need decent clothes and a bath," Driniah said. "Come, Varasach and Besai. I'll go with you upstairs."

Besai immediately darted behind Kai.

"Hey," Kai said. "My mother won't hurt you. We went over this on the ship, remember?"

Besai nodded once. "I doo not want your mother," she said in a low whisper. "You come und help me."

Kai felt heat rise up his neck. "Umm, no," he said. "That's not very proper."

"Then I want Nya. Please?"

Kai sighed and cast Nya a look. She returned it, then rolled her eyes and held out her hand. "Come on, Besai," she said. "You can take a bath with me."

Besai took Nya's hand and followed her up the carpeted steps. Driniah left with Varasach, not put off in the least.

Kai looked after Besai, smiling wishfully for a moment. Zane elbowed him.

"What?" Kai jumped away.

Jay snickered. "She invited you to bathe with her," he said. "How could you turn something like that down?"

Thankfully, Kaytake was too busy giving orders to overhear them.

"Easily, with Father around," Kai said. "I'll just pray for luck, then maybe ask him in a couple days."

"Ask him what? If you can have a romantic bath?" Lloyd asked.

Cole snorted, then coughed.

"Well...I don't plan on asking for permission." Kai gestured for the men to follow him down the hall, to where thy would each have separate rooms and tubs waiting for them. "Just his blessing."

Cole stared at the steaming bathtub, hands trembling. Did they expect him to sit in that water? Hopefully not, because it wasn't going to happen. The doctor did realize that, right?

"Can you undress yourself, or do you need help?" Doctor Channing asked in a kindly voice.

Cole coughed into his sleeve but said nothing.

Channing turned and examined Cole through spectacled brown eyes. "Are you afraid of baths?" he asked.

Aaand here we go, Cole thought as he continued to cough. "I just don't want to bathe," he said. "You can understand that, can't you? After all, I'm nothing more than a poor young man who's served as the Dark Knight's plaything his whole life. Revealing my scars...well, you get the picture."

He had to play his cards just right. Tell just enough of the truth to slip by. Pretend to be a victim who had been emotionally damaged by both the Overlord and the Dark Knight.

And the hilarious part of it was, the old man seemed to buy it.

Doctor Channing set a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Of course I understand," he said. "But we have a lot of work to do before I leave. The sooner you cooperate, the better."

Cole almost grimaced. That sounded like something the Overlord would say.

"All right," he said. "Let's get this over with."

"Good boy," Doctor Channing said. "We can be slow. Let's start with this shirt."

I think I overplayed the sympathy card, Cole thought as he handed his cane to the doctor and unbuttoned his shirt. Now he's treating me like a traumatized child.

"Good," Channing said. "Now. I'm going to take away these bandages."

Cole turned his body and allowed the doctor to do his work.

"A flogging?" Channing asked as he uncovered the red, swollen skin on Cole's back.

"Yes."

"And the way that the bandages are wrapped around your upper back...broken ribs?"

"A week ago. Not sure how many."

"Who set them?"

"Kai."

"Ahh," Channing undid the wraps and helped Cole sit in a chair. "So he was paying attention to that lesson." He seemed pleased as he felt the ribs with his thumb. "How old are you? Twenty-one?"

"Twenty-two."

"Ah, yes." Channing adjusted his spectacles, then continued feeling Cole's ribs. "Tell me where it hurts."

After a few minutes of feeling around, Channing declared that two were cracked, and his sternum was bruised. "Kai did a good job," he said. "It will heal just fine." He then unwrapped Cole's wrists. "Self-harm?"

Cole hesitated. "...Shackles on the whipping post."

"You poor boy," Channing said softly. "I've heard many tales of the Dark Knight's cruelty, but this..."

Cole wondered why he was condoning this stigma. What he should be doing is making the Dark Knight sound like a good person.

But even Cole could not believe such a lie. This stigma was justified. He knew it, and his hundreds of victims would know it, too if they were still alive.

Channing sponge-bathed Cole's torso and rewrapped his ribs tightly to prevent further damage. "Do you feel more comfortable now, son?" he asked. "I am going to held you with your boots, then your trousers. I'll wash you in the water as quickly as possible since it makes you nervous."

Cole was too weary and resigned now to resist the doctor's touch.

"That's it. Just stand slowly." Channing took Cole's hands and pulled him to his feet. Not that he needed a boost or anything. "Is the water too hot?"

Cole looked down at the porcelain tub and blanched. The temperature of the water was the last thing on his mind. "I don't care," he said.

"What about the water makes you nervous, then?" Channing asked.

"Everything."

"Everything? That's an exaggeration."

"No, not really." Cole reached down with a trembling finger and touched the surface of the frothy water. He flinched and flicked his fingers. "It sticks to everything. It kills people."

"You don't have to worry about drowning, son. It isn't that deep."

"I've watched a good many people die in water half this depth."

"Well, you can trust me. I won't let you drown."

That's what Zane had said at the river. And what had happened?

"I'm not getting out of this, am I?" Cole asked.

"I'm afraid not."

Cole took a deep breath. "I'll try."

Kai, dressed in fine black trousers and an embroidered red shirt, wandered through the many halls of the mansion. Servants all bowed respectfully when he passed. He nodded in return.

"How did your bath go?" he asked Cole, who walked beside him with a cane- not his old one, but a new wooden one with intricate wood engravings in it. His long black hair was combed and fell around his shoulders in shiny waves. He almost looked like a gentleman.

Ha. 'Cole' and 'gentleman' were quite the oxymorons.

Cole coughed fitfully into a napkin for a few moments. "I got one leg in the water," he said finally. "I almost feel sorry for that doctor. That scratch might leave a nasty scar."

"So what did he do?"

"Never lost his composure. Didn't even seem to notice the blood dripping down his sleeve. He calmly pulled me out of the water and washed me with a rag as I retched into a bowl."

"Wow."

"Uh-huh."

"What about your lungs? What did he say?"

"That it should go away on its own in a few weeks. He left some herbal concoction in my room that's supposed to speed up the process, told me to take it easy until it healed."

"That's good. Did he find out your identity?"

"Doubt it," Cole said. He coughed again. "He seemed to buy my story about being the Dark Knight's lackey. Although I'll have to...tell them...eventually..." He trailed off, staring at the library door.

"What's wrong?" Kai asked

"Do you hear that?" Cole stopped and pressed an ear to the door.

Kai watched him with a raised brow. "Yeah. It's a piano. Haven't you heard one before?"

Cole didn't answer. He pushed the door open and stepped into the large, dimly lit room.

Zane sat at the grand piano's bench, back turned to the approaching men. He played a simple tune, not noticing the entry of his teammates. His falcon preened itself on a shelf in the corner.

Cole hobbled over to the bench and sat down on Zane's right. He set the cane between his knees.

Zane stopped playing. "I know," he said. "It sounds terrible. I'm not a very good pianist."

"You can say that again," Cole said. "Play it again. And this time, spread your fingers. Your arms are like a banner in the breeze. Don't oppose the motions of the music." He tapped Zane's elbow. "You're too tense. Relax your arms, and the music will flow smoother."

Zane followed Cole's advice and began to play again. "Like this?"

Cole's grunt was all the reply he received.

"Do you play piano?" Kai asked as he settled himself in a chair.

Cole shook his head and coughed fitfully into his sleeve. He shuddered, then swallowed. "Why do you want to know?"

"Because for a heartless killer, Dark Knight, you have quite a few unexpected talents." Kai crossed his feet and folded his hands. "If you play the piano- or a violin, if we can find one- then you'll have less a chance of being recognized. It could buy us more time until you're healed enough to begin searching for your Blade."

"Why do you all care so much?" Cole asked. "Do I look incapable of keeping myself alive? You treat me as if Ninjago's upper class is more dangerous than the Overlord."

Neither of the noblemen knew how to respond. Cole was right, as usual. He had managed to keep the Overlord from killing him thus far, so why should they worry about, of all people, Kai's father?

Cole stood and went to the shelf closest to the piano. He rifled through a few stacks of books, then tucked one under his arm. "I'm going to my room," he said. "I am not to be bothered under any circumstances. I don't care if Garmadon himself comes charging through. Understood?" He stormed away without waiting for a response.

Zane slumped down on the bench. "What are we doing wrong?" he asked.

Kai shrugged. "If I knew, I'd tell you."

"It's like he's bipolar. One moment, he's being open and kind. And the next, he's..."

"And the next, he behaves like we're predators," Kai said. "Which I get, since I spent a week in his shoes. It's kind of hard not to feel like building up a wall when people ask you questions."

"What goes on down in those dungeons?" Zane asked. "I have a hard time understanding how the Overlord can control people the way he does."

Kai frowned, rubbing the fabric above his tattoo. "What doesn't go on down there?" he said. "I went through a few water tortures that messed with my mind. Overlord focused on breaking me with confusion. Cole apparently had more physical tortures, which focused on the pain."

"How could a water torture cause confusion?" Zane asked thoughtfully.

"I have a wall," Kai said blandly. "And I'm done answering questions. Go away."

Zane regarded Kai sympathetically for a few seconds, then summoned his falcon and left the room. He paused at the door just long enough to say, "I'm here for you, Kai, if you ever need to talk." And he was gone.

Kai closed his eyes, shoulders slumping. Nya's right, he thought. I have changed. A month ago, I'd be out in the garden playing pranks on the stable boys or stealing fruits from Mother's trees. Now, I'm sitting in the library, reveling in a few minutes of complete silence.

Thump.

Kai's eyes shot open as the distinctive sound of a book dropping to the carpet reached his ears. Someone was in here with him.

He stood and tiptoed down the aisle, peeking into each row as he passed.

To his left, he heard another clump. He turned and saw Jay, sitting on the floor with a pile of books stacked beside him.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you for disturbing my peace," Kai said.

Jay yelped. "Don't scare me like that," he said, looking up from his book. "I'm just minding my own business."

"I'm seriously one step away from murdering you."

"It's like I said. I'm minding my own business, reading a book."

Kai raised an eyebrow.

Jay sighed. "Okay, fine. I was reading a book. But then Zane walked in. You guys came a minute later. I was too distracted to read, so I...eavesdropped."

"So what did you think?"

"Er...think?"

"About our conversation?"

Jay shrugged. "I think that you and Zane are wasting your time, hiding Cole's identity like this."

"Why is that?"

"Because Kaytake already knows that Cole is one of the Blade wielders."

"How do you know that?" Kai asked, surprised.

"Because I'm smart like that," Jay said with a grin. "And because I heard Garmadon tell Kaytake and Julien in a meeting several weeks ago."

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?"

"You never asked." Jay looked back down at his book and continued reading.

Kai shook his head. "I don't know what to make of you."

"Preferably not a corpse." Jay turned the page.

Kai threw his hands in the air, defeated. "I'm surprised someone hasn't done that already."

"I'm just lucky like that," Jay said.

Kai snorted. "I'm going to find a quiet corner," he said. "Maybe some attic on the third floor. Please don't let anyone bother me."

"I wouldn't dream of it, Milord."