Author's Note: Thank you all so much for your response to the first chapter! I hope you enjoy this chapter too!
Lloyd hummed absentmindedly to himself, staring out the window of the limousine as people bowed and curtsied as the royal vehicle passed. He watched shop after shop and business after business pass by, most of them cluttered with people watching Lloyd on his way to school for his sixteenth birthday but a few without any people at all. Those ones instead had snake, skeleton, and shark warriors and identity locks out front. Lloyd knew those places had to be dangerous places, places where rebels could make mechs to try to hurt Ninjago and its people, so those places had to be locked down with only their residents, people who Lord and Lady Garmadon picked, and Lord and Lady Garmadon themselves allowed in. Lloyd was okay with that. After all, it was something his parents had come up with to keep Ninjago safe.
After a few minutes of driving, the limousine pulled up to his school. The driver got out and opened the door for Lloyd, and Lloyd stepped out, looking around in astonishment. His school had been transformed overnight.
Balloons were tied to stair railings and door handles and even some of the students. Confetti was littered across the ground. Wrapped boxes sat in piles here and there. Everything everywhere was styled in dark gray and purple, his favorite colors, just like his dad's, and stretched above the doors was a huge banner reading "Happy Sixteenth Birthday, Lloyd 'Lad Garmadon' Garmadon! Everyone loves you, and not because we have to or we'll be in danger or anything!" It was amazing.
Lloyd didn't wait for his attendant to get his backpack out; after all, the woman knew his class schedule, she could catch up with him. Instead, Lloyd set off at a trot, examining it all. Student after student bowed and curtsied as he passed, calling to him one after another with respectful greetings and merry birthday wishes.
After several joyful minutes of exploring the changes to his school, Lloyd decided he might as well head to class. Just because it was his birthday didn't mean he didn't still have to do his lessons, after all.
Lloyd went to his homeroom and made a beeline for his seat, the only comfy chair in the whole room, situated front and center so nobody would block his view and impede his learning process, just as his parents made sure it always was.
"Hey, Brad!" Lloyd greeted cheerfully as he went.
"Hello, Lad Garmadon," Brad Tudabone said nervously, bobbing in a bow from where he stood next to his own seat. "Happy birthday, Lad Garmadon. May your special day be incredible, Lad Garmadon."
"Thanks, Brad," Lloyd beamed. "And it's okay, you can call me Lloyd, remember? My parents aren't here and I'm not as formal as they are."
For some reason, Brad shot an anxious glance at the twin shark guards standing at attention at the back of the classroom in case of rebel attacks. "Um, no thank you, Lad Garmadon."
Shrugging and putting Brad's nervous behavior out of his mind, because that's how Brad always was, Lloyd flopped down in his seat.
Now that Lloyd was sitting, all the other students sat in their seats and the teacher started going through the daily announcements. Once the teacher had stated the normal stuff about what was for lunch in the cafeteria and what activities were happening after school, she pointed at the board (which had a drawing of a birthday cake on it) and said, "Finally, and most importantly, it's Lad Garmadon's birthday today! So of course, we've got lots of things planned. Lessons will take place during the afternoon, but for the morning, we've got a celebration planned on the football field. Lad Garmadon, would you like to lead the way there, or would you prefer to wait until everyone is in the stands for you to make a grand entrance?"
Lloyd shrugged amiably. "What do you want me to do?"
"All that matters is what you want, not what I want," his teacher promised. "What would you like to do?"
"I don't really care. I guess I'll lead the way," Lloyd answered. He stood and started making his way out of the classroom, calling behind him when none of the other students moved, "C'mon! It's going to be fun!"
Heading for the football field, Lloyd nodded and waved to the people peering out of the classrooms along the way, smiling when the students and teachers and guards bowed and curtsied before tentatively walking out of their rooms and following him. The citizens of Ninjago were so nice; they respected and loved him as their Lad Garmadon so much that they bowed and curtsied whenever he passed even though there was nothing that said they had to do so.
Lloyd exited the school building and made it to the football field's gates before pausing. Hmmm. Where to go? It was a celebration in his honor, so they might want him on the field where everyone could see him, but then again, they might want him seated comfortably in the special chair reserved for him in the stands so he'd have a good view of whatever festivities his parents had planned and gotten the school to do.
Deciding to err on the side of caution, Lloyd headed up to his seat in the stands. If he was wanted on the field, someone would tell him. Getting settled, Lloyd watched the students, teachers, and guards file into the stands, greeting each one who passed him. "Hey, Sally! How's it going, Finn? Hi again, Brad!"
It took a while for everyone to get settled, even though all the students, teachers, and guards were moving as fast as they could, probably because they were almost as excited as Lloyd was about the celebration. At long last, each student and teacher and guard was seated, and the celebration began.
It was a wonderful celebration, not that Lloyd would've expected it to be any other way with his parents planning it. There were entertainers of all kinds, ranging from the famous many-time-Blade-Cup-winner barbershop quartet The Royal Blacksmiths singing a song in Lloyd's honor to the Cliff Gordon (the actor who played the main character in Lloyd's favorite movies) performing his famed "fair is not a word where I come from" speech. Food aplenty was passed around, all of Lloyd's favorite kinds, mostly dumplings and types of candy. Student after student and teacher after teacher and even many of the guards went down to the field, stepped up to the microphone that had been set up, and proclaimed their favorite things about Lloyd.
Time passed at a breakneck speed, and it felt like only moments had passed when Principal Darkley, who had been supervising everything from the side, came to the microphone. "Thank you all for celebrating in Lad Garmadon's name. Now, if he would like to do so, Lad Garmadon may come down and say a few words, but only if he'd like to do so, of course."
"Sure!" Lloyd exclaimed, rising from his chair and heading down to the field, waving off everyone who stood and bowed or curtsied as he passed.
Principal Darkley stepped back and bowed respectfully as Lloyd came to the microphone.
Clearing his throat, Lloyd looked around with a grin. He was so lucky, so happy, so grateful, so honored. His life was the best, although he was sure all the other citizens of Ninjago felt the same way about their own lives. All the other citizens of Ninjago didn't get to have this much fun, though, he'd bet, but that's because they weren't the son of the beloved and rightful rulers. Oh well. Lloyd cleared his throat again and began, "I'd just like to say-"
"STOP RIGHT THERE, YOU BRAT!" A voice screamed.
Confused, Lloyd looked around, wondering who was speaking and to whom they were speaking. Who needed to stop what?
Without any warning, the gates to the football field crashed open and people flooded in, people Lloyd had never seen before. They were strange people, some of them covered in burns and bruises, others dressed in dirt and rags, with still others wearing masks and loose clothing to completely disguise who they were. All of them, however, were clad entirely in one color, either black, blue, white, red, silver, or green, mostly green.
Lloyd stared at them in shock as the strange people ran in. They seemed to be heading straight for him. ...Did they want to wish him a happy birthday too?
"Rebels are attacking!" A shark guard cried. She shook her spear in the air. "Charge!"
Oh. Rebels. Oh, this wasn't good. Lloyd knew about rebels, and now that he had that context, he realized what was going on.
The rebels, for one reason or another, didn't want Lord and Lady Garmadon to rule Ninjago. They wanted to (Lloyd shuddered at the thought) destroy them, and that meant destroying Lloyd too. After they destroyed the Garmadons, the rebels would destroy Ninjago City, re-summon the beast Meowthra and Lloyd's evil Uncle Wu, and under Wu's command sic Meowthra on the rest of Ninjago, not stopping until all was in ruins.
Lloyd was jarred out of his thoughts by a clang, then a rush of noise. The guards had hurried forward and met the rebels midway across the field. He'd heard the clang of the first guard's weapon meeting the first rebel's makeshift weapon, and now all the guards and the rebels were embroiled in fighting.
"Students! Teachers! Everyone, to the school!" Principal Darkley yelled, pointing to the gate on the other side of the field from where the rebels had come from.
At that moment, that gate flung open and more rebels poured in through it.
"Or not!" Principal Darkley yelped. "Stay in the stands! Take cover!"
Noticing the new rebels, the mass of shark, snake, and skeleton guards (who had been soundly on their way to beating the first group of rebels) split in two, one half continuing working on the first group of rebels while the other half ran to meet the new rebels.
Lloyd stood in the middle of the field, stock-still with shock, watching the battle in daze. His parents had tried so hard all his life to keep him safe, and now here he was, in the middle of a fierce fight. What was he to do? What even could he do? He didn't know how to fight, how to use a sword or throw a punch.
Lloyd was struck with a realization as a green-suited rebel snuck past the line of guards and came running at him, a rake held high and ready to hit him with.
He didn't know how to throw a punch.
But he did know how to throw.
Lloyd plucked the microphone from its stand, detached the cord, and threw it with all his might. It soared through the air and hit its target with a resounding smack right in the face.
Lloyd thrust his fists in the air in victory. His dad had taught him to throw well.
Staggering from the impact of a microphone to the face, the rebel went down with a yelp and a guard, noticing that a rebel had gotten close to Lloyd, broke from the back of the group pushing the rebels away. The guard handcuffed the rebel and barked, "Stay down!"
The guard turned to go back to the battle, but just as quickly as the fight had begun, it was already ending. Most of the rebels were fleeing, and those who weren't on the run were being handcuffed and dragged away in shifts.
"Thanks!" Lloyd called to the guard cheerily, although his voice was shaking for some reason.
"No, thank you, Lad Garmadon," the guard replied respectfully before going to help bring all the captured rebels away.
Lloyd trotted over to the stands, where the students and teachers were cowering fearfully. "It's okay now, everybody! The guards have got it handled! It's okay!"
"But are you okay, Lad Garmadon?" Brad asked nervously, peering over the seat he was hiding behind.
Lloyd looked down at himself, then up at Brad. "Uh, I think so. A little shaken-up, but I'll be fine. I think. Yeah, I'll be fine."
"Good," Brad said, sounding relieved. For some reason, he looked at the guards leading the rebels away, then he quickly returned his glance to Lloyd. "That's good."
"Yeah," Lloyd agreed. He looked at Principal Darkley, who was pressed up against the stands and looking terrified. Why did he look so scared? The rebels were gone now, and they hadn't even destroyed anything or anybody.
Well. "Hadn't even destroyed anything" might be an exaggeration. The football field was kind of scuffed up; the Ninjago City High football team wouldn't be playing any games on it any time soon. But that was fixable with a little time and effort, and since Lloyd's parents were so kind they'd make sure it got fixed, so it was okay.
"Principal Darkley?" Lloyd ventured. "Are we going back into the school for lunch and lessons now?"
"Uh, yes, yes we are," Principal Darkley stammered. He looked back at the students and teachers huddled in the stands. "Let's go, people! You heard Lad Garmadon! We're going to lunch!"
Slowly, the students and teachers began toward the school, making their way around the last of the rebels and the guards pulling those rebels away. Lloyd followed contentedly, ignoring the strangely desperate looks the rebels around him were giving him. It was lunch time, the rebels weren't going to hurt anybody today, and it was his birthday. Lloyd had nothing to worry about, and for that matter, nobody else had anything to worry about either.