Chapter Two - King Pythor
Lloyd sat with his back against the wall. He kept his eyes down.
Jay's anxious blabber peppered through his thoughts here and there. But Lloyd's mind was too frazzled to make sense of it.
Within the past hour, Lloyd had managed to stumble through the five stages of grief. He'd gone from This isn't real, to They can't do this to me, then shifted down to Maybe it really is a prank, before falling into the pits of I'm going to die here.
And now-
Acceptance.
Yes, this is real. Yes, I'm in trouble.
Yes- I can get out.
A plan. A small plan, but one that he could hold on to. Step one, escape.
(Somehow)
Step two- Find Sensei Wu.
Somehow.
If Jay was here, and Cole was here, it only stood to reason that his uncle would be too. And if there was anything Lloyd had learned during his time as a ninja, it was that Sensei Wu always had an answer.
Maybe his uncle would know a way back to Ninjago. Or, at the very least, he could hit Lloyd's head hard enough to force the new world around him to make sense.
"-ok, so, yeah, maybe I've never been in a dungeon, dungeon, like in every sense of the word." Jay's voice came back into focus as Lloyd's desperation waned. "But that doesn't mean I'm not a hardcore thief. If anything- I think it means I'm the hardcore thief. Since I haven't been caught. You feel me? You do. So then, I'm great! Except- my escape skills aren't what you would say … sharp."
Lloyd sighed. He watched Jay as the man paced. Left, right, left, right. If this was another world, an alternate dimension, couldn't he have at least landed in a world where Jay knew how to keep quiet?
Maybe all Jays were inherently the same. Maybe all Lloyds were, too.
Did that mean there was another version of him that already existed here?
And so- what about his father?
Was he-
No. No, he couldn't think like a child. The only thing he needed to worry about was getting back home.
"But, but- I can always come up with a plan. Thieves live on plans. Yes- no. That's not right. I mean- Thieves have to be ready for anything. So thieves are good at … improvising! Yes, thank you, that's the word."
Jay stopped, and pointed toward Lloyd.
"And what's improvising whittle down to, friend? Making plans faster than one can even say plan. So don't you worry friend, we're getting out of here."
"So you've got a plan." Lloyd said.
"Not yet. But it'll come to me. No way I'm losing my head!"
Lloyd sighed.
"You don't believe me, do you?"
"I'd like to." Lloyd said. "But I don't."
Jay sighed. He leaned back against the wall beside Lloyd, and slid down to the floor beside him. "Fair enough. It isn't like I come off as someone who's got it all together, do I? You probably think I'm an idiot."
"Of course I don't!" Lloyd said, too fast, too sharp, and with the last couple of syllables tilting up to a pitiful squeal. Lloyd grimaced, and shook his head. "I don't, really I don't. I'm just- overwhelmed. This is . . . a lot."
"You've never been caught either, then?"
Lloyd chuckled. "Well- it isn't exactly my first time being held against my will, no."
Jay's eyes roamed over Lloyd. "You really did kill someone, didn't you?"
"I already told you no."
"Well, I guess you don't look the type. It's just hard to know who to trust when it-"
Jay pressed his lips shut as a set of steps echoed toward them. They both turned toward the hall as a shadowed shape approached them.
"You, the traitor." A bulky, one-eyed guard banged on the bars of the cell. His single eye locked onto Lloyd's. "King Pythor wants to see you."
Lloyd glanced at Jay. Jay's eyes were full of pity.
"Sorry, friend."
Lloyd stood. So much for escaping before things got worse. For a second, Lloyd considered a fight. Then again- there was no way to know if his abilities had traveled to this new world with him. Better not test it out just yet. The razor sharp sword strapped to the man's waist cemented his decision.
The man opened the cell's door, and pulled Lloyd out. Lloyd stumbled and his shoulder flared with pain. He kept his face blank. Nothing he couldn't handle.
"I'm sure it'll be okay!" Jay called from within the cell, but the shake in his voice betrayed his true feelings. You're screwed. "You'll be fine!"
"Thanks." Lloyd said. He flashed what he hoped was a confident smile, just in time for the guard to shove him forward again. This time, Lloyd fell. Jay flinched.
I'm screwed.
Lloyd scrambled to his feet, lest the guard decide to kick him, and rushed forward down the hall. The guard kept pace just behind him.
Look on the bright side. At least it'll smell much better out there.
Won't do me much good if I get killed.
Way to ruin the mood, Lloyd.
"Up the stairs. Don't try anything. I don't have to bring you in one piece, you know."
"I got it." Lloyd sighed.
A wave of reluctant awe fluttered through him as they moved into the main part of the castle. In his time as a ninja, Lloyd had seen plenty. Beautiful things, terrifying things, things that both defied and nurtured the imagination. This castle however-
It was in a league of its own.
Stained glass windows looked down on him as he trudged forward. The light settled on his skin like a rainbow. The ceiling curved high, high above him, tall enough to accommodate a giant if the need ever arose. And it really did smell better. The smell of roses permeated the hall, sweet enough to soothe Lloyd's mind.
All in all, the castle belonged within the pages of one the books he'd clung to back at Darkley's.
In any other circumstance, he might have enjoyed the experience.
The guard pulled him to a stop, and nodded toward a door three times Lloyd's size. "In there."
Lloyd stared at the door. Would Pythor really be on the other side?
Memories of the snake fluttered through him. Friend, foe- regardless of the version of him that awaited Lloyd, Pythor was not someone he should underestimate. Lloyd was far from the child he'd been when they'd first met, but the blended feelings of terror and betrayal from back then still lived in the corners of his mind.
"Well, don't keep him waiting!" The guard hissed. He shoved Lloyd against the door.
The force swung open against his momentum, and Lloyd landed hard against the cold floor.
A soft, sinister chuckle enveloped him as the door shut behind him. Lloyd felt sick. He was afraid. Why was he afraid? He felt his years and experiences fall away from him one by one, leaving him bare, nothing but a child all over again.
"Why, Hello Lloyd." Pythor's voice was almost a purr. Lloyd kept his head down. "It's certainly very nice to see you again."
Lloyd tried to focus on breathing, but the pulse of adrenaline made it difficult. Something wasn't right. He shouldn't feel like this.
"Looks like you're not feeling well. Maybe you've grown unaccustomed to facing things alone?"
Alone? No. He'd been alone before. He knew how to be alone. He'd grown away from that fear. Grown away from the boy who clung so desperately to everyone around him. Learned to believe that his friends would support him, even if they were out of sight.
But what about now, Lloyd?
What about now?
Your friends really aren't here.
Lloyd forced himself up. His eyes found Pythor, and he somehow managed to hold the snake's gaze.
Pythor was different. His scales were bright purple, like when Lloyd had first freed him from his tomb. He looked stronger, too. The golden crown atop his head would have been silly, had there not been a persistent pulse of power emanating from his body.
"How are you liking it here? Isn't it just the sort of place for happily ever afters?" Pythor grinned. "Well- as long as you play the right role."
Nice to see you again.
How are you liking it here?
Lloyd took a step back as the meaning behind Pythor's words slammed into his guts. He knew. Pythor knew him. Unlike Jay and Cole, Pythor knew that this was not their world. Which meant-
"You did this."
Lloyd's voice was soft. Weak.
Afraid.
He cleared his throat. Swallowed his fear. Spoke louder. "Pythor- what did you do?"
Pythor's grin widened.
"You and your pesky little friends sure thought you had it all figured out, didn't you? Lock the snake away, rip his dreams to shreds, then go on with your lives. Well … that ending doesn't satisfy me. So how about we make another one?"
Pythor pushed himself off the throne, and slithered forward. Lloyd fought against the urge to run.
"Welcome to my world, Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon."
"Why?" Lloyd shook his head. "Why do this? This is insane, even for you. How did you even manage to- what did you do?"
Pythor's tongue shot forward as he hissed through his smile. "That's a secret, Lloyd. And one you've no need for. You'll be dead soon enough."
Lloyd said nothing.
"As to why, well, that's easy isn't it, my boy? You're smart enough to figure it out. Go on! Give it a try."
Lloyd's eyes narrowed. Yeah, the answer was clear. He glanced up at Pythor, who still towered above him, long neck curved down to meet his eyes.
"Revenge."
Pythor's eyes glowed. "That's right. Revenge."
The snake's neck curled further, until his face was only inches away from Lloyd's. The snake's oversized fangs glinted against the light. A warning.
"You made a fool out of me, Lloyd. And I don't appreciate that. Not one bit. But now- things will be different. Your friends don't know you. They won't help you, not here. You will fall by my hand and you will realize that you should never have made an enemy of me."
Lloyd's hands shook again. He tried to quell the fear with a defiant smile, but he couldn't deny the sickness in his stomach. "One way or another, I'll make it out of this. Good always wins, Pythor. You should have learned that by now."
"Perhaps that was true in Ninjago." Pythor's voice dropped to a low tone. "But here, dear boy? Here- I make the rules. And in my world? Well. In my world heroes end up dead."