Chapter Four - The Night Angel
"Zane?" Lloyd asked.
The horse strapped to the cart gave a huff and shook its dark mane with impatience. Zane paid it no mind.
"You know of me?" Zane tugged down on the blood-red shawl. His striking pale skin seemed to glow in the twilight. He studied Lloyd with an intense gaze. "It is an honor to meet you, My prince. And- an even greater honor to be recognized by you."
"Prince." Lloyd echoed the word with a forced laugh. Things just got better and better. Of course he was a prince! Why not? "Me?"
"Yes. I have been searching for you for years, even though most believed you dead. And at last-" Zane bowed. The horse stomped on the ground. "Born of the womb of Queen Misako- you are the true heir to the throne. Your royal blood is strong and pure, My prince. After Pythor attacked- well, you must have been taken into hiding. I am not surprised you did not know the truth of your heritage."
"Heritage. Yeah. That's- well, what are you supposed to be then?" Lloyd's harsh tone made him flinch. New world or not, Zane didn't deserve the cheeky attitude. True to his essence, however, the stoic man was unbothered.
"I am a servant to the royal family, sworn to protect you. Even if it results in the death of others, or myself." The devotion behind Zane's tone sent a chill through Lloyd's spine. "Now- we must go somewhere safe."
Zane gave another bow, then climbed onto the horse. With a flick of the reins, the horse rushed off into the forest.
"Thank you." Lloyd half-shouted as they rushed through the uneven ground. He gripped the edge of the cart like his life depended on it. Which it probably did. How much force did it take to break your neck? Not much, Lloyd was willing to bet. "For saving me."
"I do not need to be thanked." Zane shouted back without turning. "I am only doing as I should."
"Well, thank you anyway."
For a while, Zane stayed quiet. His posture shifted. And despite the power and skill he'd show off only moments before, Zane looked … sheepish.
"Of . . . course. My prince." Zane replied at last, with a small gaze back at Lloyd. His eyes were full of wonder.
Lloyd smiled. Zane looked away, and gave the reins another flick.
The emotional distance- hurt. Lloyd felt desperate find a connection , anything, within the people that were supposed to be his friends. But there really was nothing. They shared the same face, the same basic mannerisms but these people were not his friends.
Strangers. The people he trusted with his life- were strangers.
With a defeated sigh, Lloyd leaned back against the edge of the cart. The twilight faded away to welcome the darkness of night. A chill rushed through the forest.
Lloyd struggled to remember what it had been like, meeting Zane for the first time. The man's polite demeanor had first struck him as cold- but that had changed soon enough. Zane was different in a lot of ways, but no one cared as strongly as he did.
"If you're sworn to protect me- what are your thoughts on getting rid of Pythor?"
"I apologize, My prince, but that task is too large for me to complete on my own." Zane's voice filled with genuine shame. "I truly wish I could do more to be of service."
"Ah- No, Zane I'm sorry." Lloyd grimaced. "I didn't mean to suggest that . . . it's alright, Zane. It's alright."
Zane gave a nod, and Lloyd sighed. It was all wrong, his words having so much weight. Not to mention Zane's constant use of My prince. That was awkward, Lloyd felt awkward, and- as the cart jostled his insides into places they shouldn't be- he felt the furthest thing from royalty.
The cart slowed to a stop. Lloyd looked around, but nothing suggested any sort of safe house. Just trees- and behind them . . . trees.
Zane jumped off the horse. "We are here."
"I can see that." A new voice came from nowhere. Lloyd's heart jolted. His eyes seemed to glaze over for a moment as a shape materialized out of the darkness. "And- you're late."
Zane gave a half bow to the figure that now stood beside the horse. "My apologies."
The cloaked figure said nothing. They ran a gloved hand over the horse's mane. The horse gave a contented huff, and leaned into the gesture.
With Zane's help, Lloyd climbed out of the cart. His legs hurt, but by some miracle, they held him upright.
"Remember your oath." The figure pressed and, at last, stole a brief glance in their direction. Crimson eyes dug into Lloyd's own.
Lloyd fought the words in his throat. Couldn't be. Couldn't be. And yet-
"Always." Zane replied.
With a dismissive nod, the figure climbed onto the horse. In a matter of seconds, the figure, the horse, and the cart faded into the night.
"Who . . . who was that?" Lloyd asked. He cringed against the hope in his voice. If his father was here- what did it matter? It didn't make any difference.
Right?
Right.
"No one you need to acquaint yourself with." Zane said. "Now- Follow."
A pause. A frown.
"Please." Zane corrected himself. "Please follow, My prince."
"You really don't need to call me that. Lloyd works just fine."
Zane said nothing.
Little by little, pieces of the world around him fell into place. Yet each new piece that revealed itself only brought along more questions. How had Pythor come to power? What had happened to Misako? Where had Zane come from? Where were the others?
But most importantly- the Lloyd in this world. Was he dead? Or still lurking somewhere, unaware that he was being replaced?
Lloyd followed Zane in silence. It wasn't until his questions began to move to the back of his mind that Lloyd realized- it was a little too dark to see. And despite that, Lloyd knew exactly where Zane was. He felt-
Connected.
"Zane." Lloyd pushed himself to move a little faster, to walk beside the man. The light soreness in his muscles ebbed away. The feel of power became impossible to mistake. "Zane. Those- the guards. Back there. How did you manage to take them all down? We were running, they were everywhere and well- it was impressive."
Impressive- bordering on impossible.
Zane paused. He turned back to look at Lloyd. Lloyd's eyes sought the man's apparel, but all the shurikens on his chest were made out of silver.
"I was gifted with a special weapon. To make sure I had enough power to keep you safe."
"Yeah?"
Zane nodded. Then, from within his sleeves, he slid a pair of golden shurikens into the slender fingers of his hand.
A strong sense of comfort washed over Lloyd at the sight of the weapon. The pull he'd felt before, with the nunchucks, came again. Something in Lloyd's chest almost purred. Power. His power. Not as strong as he was used to, but stronger than it had been when he'd tried to call to it before.
"Your eyes . . ." Zane said, his own alight with wonder.
"Huh?" Lloyd reached his hand up.
"They are- no, I apologize. I must have been . . ." Zane shook his head. He slid the shurikens back up his sleeve. "Come. It is not much further now."
Lloyd rubbed at his eyes as they continued to walk, but they felt no different than usual. Whatever Zane had seen-well, Lloyd could only add it to the list of piling mysteries.
Zane came to a stop before a tree. It looked just the same as any other, if only a bit thicker. Zane kneeled, and tugged on a lever camouflaged as a root.
The pull revealed a hidden door. It dropped open, and Lloyd peeked into the uninviting hollow. A slide led down into deeper darkness. Stale air- and a sharp smell of blood wafted up from within. Lloyd grimaced, and stepped back.
Zane was Zane, and Lloyd was inclined to trust him. Not to mention the fact that Zane had saved his life. This however . . .
"We're not going down there, are we?" Lloyd said, his voice no more than a squeak.
"Of course we are." Zane frowned. "That is why I opened the door."
Lloyd sighed.
"It is the only place safe from Pythor and his spies, My prince." Zane urged Lloyd forward. "Please- go on. I promise you will be safe."
"Oh Zane- I think I might just be too trusting." Lloyd sighed.
He stepped forward but stopped just at the edge of the entrance. Well. It wasn't like he could stay out here. And Zane- Zane hadn't given him a reason not to trust him. The man had cut through over a dozen guards with ease. If he'd wanted Lloyd dead, Lloyd would be dead. Simple as that.
Lloyd lowered himself onto the opening, the tilt of the slide giving him a sharp sense of vertigo.
"You're sure about this, right?"
"Of course, My prince."
"Well, then-" Lloyd closed his eyes. Gritted his teeth.
Pushed forward.
Gravity tugged at him with dizzying force. His body slid into the unknown, accelerating far past what Lloyd felt comfortable with. How far down could it possibly-
Thud!
Lloyd's body shot out of the slide. He rolled against hard ground. The cuts on his wrists and the cricks on his neck flared with discomfort. Before Lloyd could sit up and assess his surroundings, he felt a sharp blade settle on his throat.
"Who are you?" A girl's voice whipped against his ear. The knife pressed down on his skin.
"L-Lloyd." Lloyd whimpered. "Garmadon. Lloyd Garmadon."
"You got a middle name?" The knife pressed down again.
"A-Agh. . . Montgomery!"
The knife left his throat. Lloyd fell forward, then spiraled around to face the new addition to the story.
Narrow dark eyes. Unmistakable black hair. A smile that both mocked and reassured.
Nya.
"Nya." Lloyd sighed the name, but Nya didn't hear him. Her grin spread further as her eyes flickered up behind him.
"It's true! Guys- the Night Angel was right! The prince is alive"
Lloyd turned his head again just in time to spot two men emerge from the shadows of the hideout. These, he did not recognize.
"I'd reckoned he'd be- taller? More . . . impressive?" The man who spoke first had bright orange hair, shaped by a bad haircut. There was a bruise on his face, subsequently paired by lines of scars that reached down onto his neck. "He's a kid."
"And you're not?" The other man teased with a grin. Long blonde curls hung over his right eye, which he pushed away as he leaned closer to Lloyd. "He does have the eyes though. See? Emerald green. Way emerald green. Little spooky."
"I-" Lloyd crawled back some. "I don't-"
With a soft thud and a respectable landing, Zane appeared beside Lloyd. "It is disrespectful to disregard personal space, brother."
"Ack!" The blonde man jolted at Zane's sudden appearance. He scrambled to his feet, and gave Zane a light bow. "My apologies, Night Angel. But maybe it's disrespectful to scare others?"
Zane ignored the words, and helped Lloyd up to his feet. "I apologize for their behavior, My prince."
"Lloyd." Lloyd muttered, face flush with embarrassment due to all the unsolicited attention. "Please. Just Lloyd."
Again, Zane ignored the request. "This- is our brother, Drake."
The orange haired man gave Lloyd a grin. The scars in his face seemed to grin, too.
"A pleasure, kid."
"Kid, he says." The blonde man rolled his eyes.
"Drake is an expert of the bow. He is able to kill anyone with a single, clean shot. He does not miss." Zane continued, then his eyes turned to the other man. "And this is Logan. His expertise lies in poisons."
"Ah- don't sell me short like that, Night Angel!" Logan smiled. "Poisons, Medicine, Aphrodi-"
Drake slammed his hand over Logan's mouth.
"And this is Nya. Her sharp mind is the reason we continue to operate her successfully." Zane finished. "She keeps us together, and I suggest you never put yourself on the wrong side of her dagger."
Lloyd's hand moved up to his throat. "I figured that much."
"Ah- sorry." Nya smiled. Not sorry.
"I myself carry the title of Night Angel, although it is only to label me as the one responsible for keeping my fellow brothers and sisters alive, and within the true path."
"Humble as always, Zane." Logan pushed Drake's hand away and clicked his tongue. "You're the best of us and you know it."
Zane ignored the compliment. "For years, we have been rendered almost powerless. We have done what we can against Pythor, but his grip on the Kingdom has been too much for our abilities. But now- now that you have returned, My prince, we will be able to reclaim all that once was lost."
"Huh?" Lloyd looked from Zane to the others. "What . . . do you mean?"
"We're taking the kingdom back." Nya grinned. She pointed at Lloyd with her dagger. "Under your command."