The Fire Within a Ninjago Soldier

Chapter 42 - New Year's Day in a Prison Camp

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Howdy! If you can, please check out the latest YouTube videos by my friend Stephanie Brown. She creates great Ninjago music videos!

Our story will continue to focus on Kai for the moment. (But don't worry...we will eventually see what is happening with his beloved wife Sam back at Garmadon Ranch!) The chapter below takes place on New Year's Day, one week after the previous chapter...

Chapter 42 - New Year's Day in a Prison Camp

Kai lowered himself into the tin tub of hot water. The heat felt good to his sore muscles. He was overdue for a cleansing, anyway. He certainly hadn't had an opportunity to bathe since his capture by the Purple Army in November, and now it was the first day of January, New Year's Day.

According to Sergeant Brossette, who had escorted him here to the registration building this afternoon, Skylor had arranged this soak for him, and now here he was, sitting in the tub in front of the fire in the fireplace alone, surrounded by privacy screens. Pots of water were being kept warm over the fire, ready to be added to the tub when the bathwater temperature became tepid. A cloth, towel, and soap were within reach. There were even implements for shaving the weeks-old beard from his face.

As Kai quickly ducked his head in the water before sitting back up and slicking back his wet hair, he wondered why Skylor was being so nice to him. Did she feel guilty about rejecting his marriage proposal two springs ago? She didn't have to worry about it anymore. He had moped around for only a few weeks before he had met Sam, and since then he had been very happy and did not bear any resentment toward the red-haired beauty.

If anything, Kai felt he was the one who owed Skylor an apology for his behavior one week ago in this very room. Due to the wine he had consumed that night, he didn't exactly remember everything that had happened, but he did have a vague recollection of lying on the floor, holding her close in his arms. And when he woke up the next day with a splitting headache, he discovered some of her cherry red lip makeup on his own lips, proving that there had been kissing.

Upon that discovery, Kai had been mortified by his behavior. Yes, Skylor was an elegant, graceful, beautiful red-haired woman who had once been his sweetheart. And yes, it was wartime and people got lonely when separated from their loved ones for extended periods of time. And he had sensed Skylor was flirting with him. But Skylor had promised herself to another man. And Kai himself was committed to an elegant, graceful, beautiful blonde-haired woman back home at Garmadon Ranch, who he dearly loved and who would be hurt if she found out what he had done.

Kai decided that the best thing to do was to apologize for his behavior to Skylor, who he had not seen since that night, and then never speak of it again, resolving to be more vigilant about upholding his marriage vows to Sam. And more vigilant about watching his intake of wine.

On the other side of the privacy screens, Kai heard the door to the building open. He froze, literally and figuratively, as cold air rushed inside, finding its way past the screens to his wet skin. He stayed as quiet as he could, silently shivering, listening and waiting to see what would happen next.

The main door closed again, and footsteps traversed from the main door to the privacy screen.

"Kai?" a familiar female voice asked from beyond the screen.

"I'm here, Skylor," Kai called out.

"How is your bath going?" she asked.

"It's fine," he replied as he heard her footsteps walk around the screens so that he could tell she was behind him. "Listen, Skylor, we need to talk-"

"Need help washing your back?" Skylor interrupted, poking her head inside the screens.

Flustered, Kai quickly sought the towel and draped it across the tub to protect his privacy, now that she had breached the screens. He sloshed water around as he did so.

"Skylor! What are you doing?" he demanded to know.

The green-eyed officer walked around the tub into his line of sight. "Checking my prisoner," she smiled, surveying his bare chest. "A little gaunt, but still nice."

"Skylor, we need to talk-" Kai began again, before he saw her pick up his clothes.

"Um, what are you doing with those?" he asked, his eyebrow raised.

She grinned as she left the the screened area with them. "Come and get them when you're done!" she teased, waving the garments as she walked to the office room and shut the door.

"Skylor!" Kai hollered. She was not making it easy for him to have a talk with her.

I reckon as long as I'm in here, I'll finish bathing and shaving before I confront her, he thought, so he spent the next few minutes cleansing before he got out of the tub.

As Kai dried himself off, he felt refreshed. Ready to begin a new year, albeit not in a place he wanted to be. By the time the next New Year's Day rolled around, he certainly hoped to be standing on Garmadon Ranch soil.

Kai tied the towel around himself, then shaved. He didn't know who would take care of emptying the tin tub, but that question could wait until he got his clothes back. He walked out of the screened area and over to the door of the office room, shivering now that he was farther away from the fire in the fireplace.

"Skylor!" he said as he knocked.

"Come in!" Skylor called.

He opened the door. Skylor was sitting on the office sofa, but instead of wearing her uniform, she wore only an emerald green silk ladies' wrapper. It perfectly matched the color of her vibrant eyes. Her satin red hair flowed freely around her shoulders, no longer confined to a military bun.

"Wha-what's going on?" Kai sputtered.

Skylor rose from the sofa and sauntered past him to close the door behind him. Then she walked back to face him and put her hands on his bare shoulders, caressing them.

"I discovered something interesting involving you," she murmured.

Kai swallowed hard, struggling to ignore the touch of her hands. "And what would that be?" he gulped.

Skylor smiled, continuing her ministrations. "Colonel Doolverr received a telegram from my father telling him to leave you alone. I saw it in his office."

Kai took a step back, surprised at what she had said. "The general of the Third Division sent a telegram specifically mentioning me? Why?" he responded, holding her hands to stop what she was doing.

"I don't exactly know. The bottom half of the telegram was ripped away. I'm guessing it was a courtesy, seeing as how the Third Division is wintering at your home. We Purples aren't all bad, you know," she jested as she placed his hands on her hips.

"But enough of that," she smiled, moving closer to him and massaging his biceps. "You probably don't remember saying this last week, but you said that war makes you appreciate the simple things in life - a tasty meal, a hot bath, and a good woman."

Kai swallowed hard. "I don't remember saying that," he said thickly. He struggled to ignore her velvet touch on his skin and the scent of her enticing floral perfume.

She moved very close to him as she purred, "Well, last week you had a tasty meal. Just now you had a hot bath."

Sliding her arms around his neck, she whispered, "And now you can have a good woman."