Dreams and Desires

Chapter 4

Proposition

*I own nothing and any similarities with any other works are purely coincidental.

He was trekking through a dense and thick jungle. The foliage was covering and obscuring the trees, casting a long shadow across the damp ground. He was getting slightly bored with their exploration, and he despised the fact that his injured arm was preventing him from truly helping. He sighed and trudged forward, only to find himself caught in the clutches of strangle weed. He tried to get a word out to Harumi, but he was dragged away from her in an instant.

"Lloyd!"

She was running extremely well, and was somehow avoiding all of the imposing plants threatening to interrupt her path. Despite her best efforts, she wasn't quite fast enough. Lloyd was about to be dragged into the tree and she wouldn't get there in time. With no option left she grabbed her dagger and flung it at the parasitical vines. The dagger hit its mark and sliced them apart. However, the remaining strangle weed wasn't letting go of Lloyd. They were still holding him just as tightly and he could do nothing to break their grasp.

Harumi watched with mild amusement as he struggled and squirmed against his captor. Lloyd violently twisted and shook himself, but nothing he was doing was working. Sighing to himself, he stopped moving and looked up pleadingly at her.

"Would you mind freeing me from the strangle weed please?" Lloyd asked, his voice as polite as he could manage.

Seeing him like this had done something to her. She felt a massive rush of excitement, and it was a sensation unlike anything she had ever experienced before. It was difficult for her to fully comprehend, but seeing Lloyd tied up and helpless had aroused her, in ways she'd never felt before. A mischievous smile crept up her face, and she began moving her hand slowly down her leg.

"Uh, Harumi? Are you going to help me?"

"You know, I don't think I will. I like seeing you tied up Lloyd."

Lloyd looked confused for a moment before his face went completely pale. She giggled at his awkward reaction and started walking over to him. He had been taken aback by her suggestive statement, and he began to struggle once more against the vines, although to no avail. Harumi watched him strain and convulse against his bondage for a bit longer before running her hands gently over his twitching body. He immediately fell still, and all of his problems just washed away. He looked up at her, equally shocked and enchanted by her intimacy.

"Oh, Rumi…"

Lloyd woke with a start, panting for breath and finding his heart racing. He couldn't believe what he had just seen; it was so vivid and real. What he had just experienced was very, very different from his past nightmares. Not only had this been the first dream to sharply depart from his memories, but it had done so in such a profound manner. His body still felt tingly and aroused, as if she had actually been there with him. Then reality hit him and his eyes began to well with tears.

Lloyd had never been that physically intimate with anyone, and he now wondered if he ever could be again. Would he ever be able to see anyone else in the same way? No. he silently answered. No, I love Harumi with all of my heart, even if she may be gone forever. With that thought the tears came crashing down. All the pain and emotion he had been suppressing for the past year could no longer be contained. He hadn't allowed himself to cry, or show any of his true vulnerabilities for the longest time, but he just couldn't hide them anymore. Lloyd was no longer capable of lying to himself.

After several minutes, he was able to stabilize and steady his heart rate and breathing, but he found that he couldn't move his arms up to wipe away any of his tears. Looking down he saw his wrists were once more bound in vengestone. With a large groan, he pushed himself up and looked up at his surroundings. He had been lying on the peak of a tall mountain. He could see a whole line of smaller peaks and cliff faces lining a beach, and further out he saw a raging ocean. "Okay, so I'm on the coast." he mused. "That's helpful, but which coast am I on?"

"I'm surprised you don't recognize it."

Lloyd froze at the sound of the voice. He was not in fact alone as he had thought, and as such he had unknowingly shown someone else his true feelings. His blood began to boil at the thought, and he vowed to himself that he would never break down like that ever again. Lloyd would not allow anyone else the chance to possibly manipulate and exploit his emotions again. He just couldn't deal with any more pain or heartbreak.

But there was something off about their voice. Lloyd had heard it before, somewhere. It sounded so familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. He guessed that the voice was being slightly deepened through some sort of technical filter, or at the very least through conditioned acting, but there was just something about it that rubbed him the wrong way. Lloyd didn't know who was speaking to him, but he was certainly going to be very wary of whoever it was.

Lloyd slowly turned around, surmising that he was probably going to find the same cloaked figure as before. His eyes went wide with shock. It was far worse than he could have ever imagined. He nearly collapsed at the sight, but he managed to stay up and alert. It was indeed the same cloaked person from before, and they were leaning up against a very rusted but unmistakable work of craftsmanship. They were standing next to the Celestial Clock.

Lloyd had been brought back to the Dark Island.

"Yes Lloyd, welcome back to the Dark Island. It's one of my favorite destinations; it's just so serene and peaceful." the strange person remarked blandly.

"Who are you?"

"Oh, you're so right Lloyd! I haven't introduced myself, have I? I am the last Elemental Master of Dreams." They gave an over-dramatically regal bow, and proceeded to shoot another cyan beam from their outstretched hand. It was far from hitting Lloyd, but he was still a bit shaken up by the gesture.

"I've never heard of anyone having power over dreams before."

"Well of course your beloved Wu wouldn't tell you. After all, he was the one who killed the rest of my family." they said solemnly. "I alone survived."

Lloyd's face drained of its color. He stared at the person, unsure of quite how to respond. Was he being baited? They had made the statement with such a genuine and sincere tone, but he just couldn't believe what he had been told. No, there was no way that my uncle could have done such a thing.

"You're lying." he stated flatly.

They tilted and leaned their head off to their shoulder in a mocking sense of concern. "Oh no! Am I? Well then, why don't you go and ask him about it yourself?" they said with a wave of their hand.

Lloyd spun around and saw his uncle standing near the edge of the cliff face. He looked over at the aloof stranger and then back at Wu. How the hell had they been able to transport him across half the realm with a single hand gesture? This just doesn't seem connected to dreams at all, and it's starting to freak me out. he thought.

"How did you do that?" he asked, with an odd mix of fear, confusion, and awe of their power.

"Do what, I didn't do anything. Don't tell me you're seeing things now Lloyd."

Lloyd narrowed his eyes. He had just about had enough of their flippant remarks. He turned back to Master Wu. "Is it true? Did you try to kill off their element?"

Wu looked down at his feet, crestfallen and ashamed. He slowly nodded, and kept his gaze fixed to the ground. Lloyd stared back at him, surprised and worried by what he had been told. Why would Wu have done such a thing? He certainly would not have done it lightly. he told himself. No, there has to be something truly evil and dangerous about the Element for him to have attempted such a drastic measure.

"Yeah, well, I'm really sorry to break up the family reunion, but it's my turn to talk." With another short wave the apparition of Wu vanished into thin air.

Lloyd stood transfixed for the moment. Lloyd shook his head, still refusing to believe what he had learned. He turned his attention back to the mysterious stranger.

"What exactly is it that you want from me?"

"Oh, bravo Lloyd! I'm very glad that you asked. As you may have seen before, one of my many wondrous talents is the ability to temporarily conjure an apparition. That was indeed Wu you just saw, but in reality you were only speaking with his soul, which I briefly detached from his normal body. Your brain just made you think that you were actually seeing your genocidal uncle. Make sense so far?"

Lloyd glared with malice at his eccentric captor. He didn't trust them in the slightest, but there wasn't much of a point to push the issue. Starting a fight when he still couldn't access to his powers would not be a very good idea. "I don't see what this has to do with me." he replied.

"Well no, of course you wouldn't because I'm not finished yet! The point is that my power of apparition is limited by what others wish to see. I can only make something appear when another person truly wants it to. Like watch this, I can summon your bitchy lover girl again." With another short wave, Lloyd once again found himself standing next to an illusion of Harumi.

Lloyd ignored her completely and continued to glare at the Master of Dreams. "Don't ever call her that again. This is your one and only warning."

"Have it your way Lloyd." she said grumpily. Harumi threw her knife at him, causing Lloyd to recoil with fear, but the blade vanished before hitting him, along with the apparition.

"Yeah see, I don't buy that bullshit Lloyd. I don't think you would ever truly have the guts to kill me or anyone else. I mean, what would the public think of their beloved prince in green? Their one true hero and savior couldn't possibly be a murderer, now could he?"

Lloyd continued to stare down the indifferent trickster, completely unfazed by their taunts. "A year ago I would have wholeheartedly agreed with you. But now, I'm not so sure. Sometimes I find myself looking for a fight, and I can be pretty violent. I know I shouldn't, but fighting is just the only reliable way I can deal with my emotions. So no, I wouldn't suggest taunting me any further, especially if you want me to work with you willingly."

"Okay, well, regardless, my point is that nothing I conjure will stick around for very long, and that is where you come in. My powers to temporarily fulfill desires of another can become permanent if my powers are used in conjunction with the Element of Creation."

Lloyd cut them off, responding immediately with a surprising combination of anger and condescension."Yeah, sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but my Golden Power has been completely spent. I can't create jack shit anymore, all I can do is use my native Energy powers."

"What an astute observation Lloyd! You're so very right, just like always." they said with even more sarcasm. "Fortunately for you however, the Golden Power still exists within the Golden Armor. Should you be able to reclaim the armor, I would be able to help resurrect your beloved Princess. She could be here with you again; giving you a fresh start and another chance to mend your broken heart. All that you desire is easily within your grasp."

This was a lot for Lloyd to take in. He would give anything to have her back again. Even if she returned as the same evil and conniving woman, he would prefer it immeasurably over his current purgatory-like state. And it all seemed so simple. Lloyd knew exactly where the armor was, so all he had to do was get past Borg's stupid nindroids, which just about anyone with enough determination could easily manage. And the Golden Power was rightfully his, so would it even count as stealing? No, I would only be reclaiming what was once stolen from me. he answered.

"Alright, you've piqued my interest. But let me ask you once again. What exactly is it that you want from me? I find it impossible to believe you would do this without asking for some sort of reward or compensation. I would give practically anything to have her back, but what is is that you desire?" Lloyd asked.

The Master of Dreams looked down and sighed. "Yes, as you can no doubt guess, there is indeed something I wish in return for giving you back your romantic partner. I just want peace. I don't want to be hunted or chastised any more for my powers; I just want to be left alone. And I know what you're going to say, that oh, I was minding my own business and doing just fine until I abducted you. But I want to be able to walk through Ninjago freely again. I don't want to have to hide and obscure my identity to avoid persecution anymore."

Lloyd stood still, contemplating the sincerity of their words. Was that all they really wanted? Lloyd found himself very confused by the person standing before him, but he could not pass up this chance. He wanted desperately, more than anything in this world, to have his Harumi back. And he would have her. By any means necessary.

"Consider it done." he replied. "I'll make sure that you can have your freedom, even if it means I have to confront or fight my uncle."

"How excellent! I will await your return with great hope Lloyd." They sauntered over and undid his handcuffs. Lloyd immediately felt his energy and power return, and it was such a relief. He had felt severely limited and restricted without it, as if someone had removed one of his most important senses. "I'll be back!" he yelled before jumping off the mountain and summoning his own dragon.

Lloyd stared down at the water beneath him. He had never attempted such a long journey before, and he was not entirely sure if he would be able to sustain his Elemental Dragon for the flight back to Ninjago. Then he remembered his failed escape attempt from earlier, and was relieved to know that it was at least possible. The Master of Dreams had managed to fly across the entire sea, and Lloyd would do it too. Because when it came to Harumi, nothing would ever get in his way again.

I had so much fun writing the Elemental Master of Dreams, and I hope you all like them. The plot is beginning to take shape, but there are still so many more twists yet to come. I tried to shift the focus back to Lloyd and his emotions a bit more in this chapter, so hopefully that worked out well enough.

On an unrelated note, I am wondering whether or not I should change the story to be marked as mature. I personally think that Lloyd's suggestive dream at the start still fits within the teen rating, but it is skirting that line quite a bit. So far I don't think the language or violence are really enough to be mature, but the story will get more dark and disturbing later. I don't know, we'll see I guess.