The royal family sat in silence as they ate their dinner that night. Svern sat at the head of the table while Zero sat to his left and Aria to his right.
"So," Svern broke the silence "how did the visit to your uncle go Aria? Did you like the talent show?"
"It was good father," Aria replies "I saw my cousin Cole as well."
"Did you?" Svern questions "I thought he was away at school?"
"He was, he brought some friends and entered the talent competition." Aria replies with a smile "They're living up to the family expectations and won."
"That's good to hear," Svern replies "did anything else happen? Anything bad?"
"Not at all," Aria says "Ninjago is a perfectly peaceful empire."
Svern sighs in relief "That's good to hear, I was worried."
Aria glances at her brother who was staring at her with a questionable look. Aria looked away from him and continued eating. After dinner, Svern went back to work as Aria headed to her study.
"It's not like you to lie to father," she heard Zero's voice behind her.
"Oh?" Aria turns to face him. "What makes you think I'm lying?"
"I've been outside the palace more then you," Zero replies as he walks up and grabs her arm "What did you see?"
"Nothing," Aria states as she pulls her arm away from him.
"You saw the Serpentine, didn't you?" Zero questions.
"If you're worried, I'll say something to father then you're wrong." Aria tells him "I don't know what good it is to keep the state of our empire from the emperor but I'm not about to throw away my chance of ever leaving this palace. Why are you so concerned about it anyway?"
"Solving this issue on my own is enough to prove my competence to inherit the throne," Zero says "I don't need you taking that chance away from me."
"Ha," Aria puts her hands on her hips "you think getting rid of some snakes is enough to prove you're good enough. I hate to break it to you, but you can't change the fact that you're not father's son."
"You're lucky you're a woman," Zero growls. "Or i'd-"
"You'd what?" Aria questions "You'd hurt your younger sister, brother dearest?"
"Don't start a war you can't finish," Zero says "you can't rule an empire you know nothing about. The longer father keeps you inside, the more detached from the world you become."
"I never asked to be protected," Aria argues "I never wanted to be the pretty princess. I want to go out and help people-"
"You will never, leave this palace." Zero cuts her off "Your father's precious child, if anything happens to you, he'll lose his reason for living."
"I don't even want to be Empress!" Aria shouts at him finally snapping "Why do you have to be so damn mean to me?!"
Aria turns and runs away from Zero.
"I'm not the only mean one here little sister," Zero comments as he turns and walks away.
Aria runs into her room and closes the door behind her, her maid knocks on the door as Aria sat on the ground with her head in her arms.
"Princess, are you alright?" Mary asks worriedly.
"I'm fine Mary," Aria replies through tears "I just want to be left alone."
"Yes ma'am," Mary's reply came before she walked away from the door.
On the training field, the white knights sparred with each other. Kaname and Hanabusa stood by watching as Zero ranted to them about what happened.
"She has the nerve to say I'm mean," Zero scoffs "I mean can you believe it."
"Yeah, you are kind of a dick." Hanabusa replies.
"What?!" Zero turns to him.
"You've been hostile towards her since her since she could walk prince Zero," Kaname comments.
"That's because she gets everything that she asks for while I'm out here busting my ass off for father just to look at me," Zero argues.
"That's not her fault though," Hanabusa says.
"She even gets the white knights as her personal guards!" Zero shouts "My knights! The ones I've been training with since I was 5!"
"So, you're jealous?" Hanabusa questions.
"I'm not jealous!" Zero growls "Are you seriously taking her side?!"
"Their's no sides here," Kaname says "You're mad at the child for the fault of the father."
"Huh?" Zero raises his eyebrow.
"Your father is the one who chose to ignore you," Kaname explains "your father is the one who's hard on you. Aria tried to be friends with you, but she learned at a young age that her big brother wanted nothing to do with her."
"Yeah, I don't really blame her for being harsh with you." Hanabusa agrees "You started it your highness."
"I'm just angry that no matter what I do, father will choose her to inherit the empire over me." Zero sighs "I want to prove that I'm more than capable."
"Why are you so sure Emperor Svern will choose Princess Aria to inherit the crown?" Kaname questions.
"I'm already 20, if father was going to make me the crown prince... he would've done so already." Zero says as he picks up his sword. "That tells me that he intends to make Aria crown princess."
"If you want to fight for the crown so bad, then why don't you get a wife." Hanabusa suggests "Or you know, at least engaged. The old farts on the council are always going on about the imperial legacy."
"Yeah, Ninjago is hundreds of years old, and your father's rein has lasted all of those years," Kaname comments "Surely the old bats are waiting for someone else to take the throne."
"I don't know," Zero sighs as he puts his sword over his shoulder "I'm just annoyed that Aria's getting everything handed to her. She has no idea what the real world is, she doesn't even know who mother really is."
"And if it's the king's wishes, we shall keep it that way." Kaname gives him a look.
"Yeah yeah, but one day he's going to realize he was wrong." Zero sighs "That girl is a ticking time bomb, waiting to go off. It'll be harder to explain then."
YOU ARE READING
Romancing the Emperor's Daughter
FanfictionSince he was a kid, Lloyd Garmadon has always been spontaneous and wild. Like his father's mini-me, he followed him everywhere at the age of 6, including the Imperial Palace. There he met the Emperor of Ninjago, Garmadon's trusted friend, and his da...
