Outside, fireworks were being set alight in the night sky as citizens gathered for their own celebrations throughout the city.
The Empress wandered past a dark room, where she finally saw a figure sat at a wooden desk. She tentatively stepped over to the door, gazing at who was inside. The person turned around casually, and his eyes lit up again.
"Jupiter!" He chuckled nervously. He brushed a hand through his unruly black hair and lifted himself from his seat. Without a second thought, Jupiter ran across the room and embraced her long lost friend in a hug.
"Nice to see you too, Your Majesty." Hector said softly into The Empress' soft brown hair.
Jupiter sighed and asked quietly, "Have you been here this entire time?" She pulled away from the servant boy. Hector tilted his head and gazed at her.
"You look different." He said.
"I asked you a question." The girl replied sharply. Hector raised an eyebrow at her harsh retort.
"Have I been in this palace the entire time? Yes. Have I been in this room the entire time? No." He grinned mischievously. "I was snooping around in the hall when Axel caught me and sent me to this room. It's what I get for being a servant boy." He sighed.
"Okay, but what are you doing all the way out here? You should be back home in Ninjago City...Y'know, at school, preparing to graduate and stuff."
"So should you. Yet here you are, dropping your ninja duties and suddenly ruling over this place." Hector retaliated. He turned his head in deep thought.
"After hearing that you left to become a ninja, I guess I was a bit jealous..." He started. Jupiter glared at him. She was about to speak but Hector continued.
"...Jealous that you were about to live your dream, about to go on adventures, meet new people...fall in love with new people. I got tired of living the same life as everyone else so I went my own way too. Unfortunately, I crossed paths with the wrong people. They took me in but tricked me; now I'm a servant boy at a palace."
He sighed and turned back to Jupiter, but she had a strange look on her face. It was like her mind was preoccupied with something else - she was glaring right through him.
"You okay, Jellybean?" He asked, waving a hand in front of her face. She shook her head briskly and nodded.
"Yes. I'm fine. And stop calling me 'jellybean'." She elbowed him playfully in the ribs.
Hector shrugged and chuckled. "Heh. A nickname's a nickname, Your Majesty."
They sat down on two chairs by the window, looking outside at the beautiful city at night.
"So tell me about the ninja. I met them once but give me your insight - are they as annoying as I assumed?" Hector inquired, grabbing an apple from his almost-empty bowl of fruit.
Jupiter quickly turned her head at him. "You thought they were annoying?"
"Yeah, especially the green one. "
"You mean Lloyd? He's not annoying! He's one of the nicest people I know." Jupiter argued. She crossed her arms before asking Hector a question.
"So what's the deal with Axel? Has he really been looking for me to replace him? I mean, this whole coronation seemed a bit...desperate..."
Hector looked at her with a chunk of apple still in his mouth.
"Well, I've only seen the 'bossy' side of him - ordering me to clean up spillages and windows. But I overheard his conversation with his brother the day they were leaving for Ninjago."
The Empress' eyes widened.
"Well, what did they say?" She asked curiously, sitting straight up in her seat.
Hector opened his mouth to speak, but was suddenly grabbed by the arms by two palace guards. Axel rushed inside the dark dusty room.
"My Empress! Are you alright!?" He yelled in a concerned manner. The two guards manhandling Hector tied a rope around his wrists and a scarf around his mouth. He muffled in a panicky tone, desperately trying to release himself from their tight grip.
"I...I'm alright. But why--" Jupiter was interrupted by a bizarre pulse of energy through her body, coming from the jewel around her neck. Her head felt fuzzy for a split second but immediately returned to normal.
"I apologise, Your Highness - this was definitely the last straw for this servant boy, considering his previous...mishaps." Axel turned to the servant boy, painfully detained by the guards.
"I don't know what you think you're doing, boy; distracting the Empress with your stories during her coronation! Send him to the farmhouse right outside the palace - as detrimental as he is, we still need someone to cater for the cattle." Axel ordered him out. He turned back to Jupiter, who was still dazed by the odd effects of her necklace and the hasty taking of her friend.
"The guests have left, my Empress - it is a shame that boy caused you to miss most of the celebration. The maids have prepared your bedroom."
Jupiter nodded with a small smile and followed him out into the corridor. They walked in silence; the sound of their footsteps echoed through the palace's tall walls. Before heading into her grand bedroom, she turned to the man.
"Axel," She hesitated. "Is the Sky Jewel supposed to..."
The man tilted his head in curiosity to her question.
"To what, Your Majesty?"
She paused and sighed heavily.
"Never mind."
YOU ARE READING
NINJAGO: Corrupted
Adventure[𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙙!] Join the six ninja, Kai, Cole, Zane, Nya, Jay and Lloyd in a quest to find their missing teammate Jupiter, whilst uncovering the secrets behind her power and what it all has to do with a mysterious jewel... Find out in this ill...
