Forty Minutes Before:
Kai's head rested against the wall behind him, a small whine escaping between his lips. He had been throwing his body against the door again. Using the last of his strength to get the dang barrier to open.
He had been trying for almost half an hour. After he had put on the clothing that was left for him, he immediately started to bang furniture into the stubborn piece of wood. After that didn't work he began using his body.
He stood up to try again only to hear the sound of a key turning. The door opened. Kai was exhausted, and in no condition to fight but if it meant escaping he would do anything. He was ready to barrel down whoever it was.
On the other side of the door was a woman wearing a guard uniform. Kai has never seen her before, but when she saw him she called out his name with a smile.
"Who are you?" He asked. His plan to attack her temporarily put to the side.
"What? You don't recognize me?" She said slyly. Kai narrowed his eyes.
"No." He said coldly. The strange woman rolled her eyes. Kai stepped backward. Her appearance was changing!
"How about now?" There in all of the glory of a master of Ember stood Skyler. Kai could have cried.
"No way!" He said, pure relief filling him. "How are you here?"
"Duh, I'm the master of Ember. I can look like anyone. The more important question is are you okay?" Kai paused, memories he would die to get rid of filling his head.
"I'm fine." He said. Skyler eyed him.
"I guess I will know when we get out of here and back to the monastery. Lets go." She made a move to grab for his hand. Kai pulled back. Though he really didn't want to be touched right now, like not what so ever, that wasn't the reason he pulled back.
"We can't leave. The others are still here." He said. He gave her his most determined look.
"We know, the other elemental masters are here to help, but It's my job to rescue you." Skyler said. Kai shook his head.
"I won't leave here without them. Ninja never leave another ninja behind." he recited. Skyler didn't seem convinced. "Family never leave family behind. So you can either help me, or..." He let the sentence sit. The mistress of noodles sighed.
"Fine. But before we go, I need to know." Kai dreaded the rest of he question. "What in the first spinjitzu master are you wearing." He could have laughed. All that came from him was a snort, but to his ears it sounded like a sob.
"I don't even know." He answered.
Other Ninja:
"So decide wisely." The king finished. Lloyd glared at him.
"Can we have time to think about it?" He asked, he gave the fakest but most angriest smile.
"Yes, but if we find the Chosen before you, it won't look pretty." The king than walked away, leaving them. The ninja started talking as soon as he was out of ear shot.
"This smells like a trap." Cole said.
"I agree with Cole, this seems suspicious." Zane said nodding.
"But it gives us the perfect chance to get Kai and escape. If we find him first we can use the closest window to get away. They won't even know we're gone until it's too late." Lloyd said.
"You want us to jump out a window?" Jay asked. Lloyd nodded. "Right, of course. Why not?" Jay muttered sarcastically.
"That may be falling straight into his trap." Zane said.
"What do you mean?" Nya asked.
"Why would he need us to find Kai? This is his fortress and he has hundred of his own people to look for him. This suggests that Kai is doing so well on his own that they need his friends, the people who know him best, to find him for them. Or that the king wants us to look for him instead of trying to escape. I bet he's smart enough to know that with enough time on our hands we can eventually find a way to get out of here. So if that's the case than they probably hid Kai where we would never find him. The king knows we wouldn't escape without Kai." Zane said.
"Maybe..." Lloyd said slowly.
"Nya was about to escape right before that King came." Jay said tapping his chin.
"And he did let that guard get hit first, knowing we were probably able to use our powers." Cole said. "Dang this king is good."
"Let's look on the bright side." Lloyd said with a smile. "We know about his plan." The ninja also beamed. "We'll separate. Nya, since your hands are golden together, you can't use attacks, so you should be the one to head to the monastery to tell Wu and get help." Nya nodded, though she seemed reluctant. "Jay and Cole, you head to the Kings chambers, maybe there's information that can be of use. Zane, we'll look for Kai. You can use your DNA scan. "
"With so many people in one building, he'll have to be nearby for me to locate him." Zane said. Lloyd nodded.
"Right, we will look in the most inconspicuous and obvious places first." He said.
"The most obvious?" Jay asked. "How does that make sense?"
"What's a better hiding place than the places so obvious that no one would ever look?" Lloyd said.
"But what happens if there are complications?" Nya asked. "Say if the King finds out I'm going to try to leave? Or what if he threatens Kai again. Anything can happen."
"Then we'll deal with it like we always have!" Cole yelled.
"Recklessly and irrationally, using our powers to knock down everyone in our path that results in destruction of the area surrounding us?" Zane asked curiously and innocently. Lloyd bit his lip.
"Well...-"
"And when that doesn't work, one of us gives an inspirational speech that turns the tides of the war?" He questioned.
"Exactly!" Cole said. Most of the ninja cheered. Lloyd deadpanned.
"Let's just try to stick with the plan." He turned to the barred door. "We will help you!" he shouted to whoever was outside.
Kai and Skyler:
They just left the kings room, heading down the fortresses hallway quietly. Before they had left Skyler had thrown a sheet over him, covering his body. "There, perfect disguise." She had said.
"You should try to wipe off that makeup." She said quietly.
"Oh, I forgot I was wearing any." He said as he rubbed his face with the back of the sheet. Skyler stared at him. "What?" He asked, feeling self-conscious.
"Well, at least we know your not Mulan. You still have makeup smeared over your cheek." Kai was confused.
"What's Mulan?" He started rubbing his cheeking vigorously with his palm. Was it a good term, a bad one?
"Nothing." They were silent for a bit as the came towards a corner. Skyler touched her head. "Curses, I sense guards coming this way."
"How many?" Kai asked.
"Too many. Quick hide in this room." She pointed to a door. Kai pulled the door slightly open, she slipped in, and he quickly followed. The room was dark, he could barely see his hand. Skyler raised her arm, fire blooming between her palms. "It looks like..." Kai's eyes widened.
It looked like a ceremony room, a lot like the one he was in when he became Chosen. He gasped an unsettled breath. Why did they have to come into this room?
The King:
He walked down the hall. Some would say he strutted or glided, but he was merely walking with the confidence of a hundred master swordsmen. He was heading towards his room, the one that carried the Chosen. He would have smirked, if it wasn't that he noticed paint smeared on the Empress's Room door handle. Thats what they called the room that was said was destined to release the Empress herself. And SOMEONE had gotten decorative paint on the entrance!
He stepped forward, a snarl on his lips. But when he got near, his mouth opened.
"What is it, my king?" A soldier next to him asked. The other ones surrounding him stopped as well. It was decorative paint, yes, but it was the fine paint only the highest wear, and it was gold.
The king laughed and he reached for the handle.
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"Who are you?" He asked again. The woman in front of him appeared to be one of his people, but she spoke with an accent that suggested she was from Ninjago.
"Like I'm going to tell you! Let me and Kai go!" She looked over at the slumped form. The ninja had put up a fight but his strength was depleted, and he could barely use his power.
"Did you come alone?" He asked without missing a beat.
"Thats a stupid question, do you really think that if I came with help, me and Kai would be in your nasty hands right now?" She snarled. The King studied her, she was red with anger, but appeared nervous. When she spoke her eyes couldn't stay on him. She was either rolling them, looking away in annoyance, or glancing at the Chosen.
"You didn't come alone." He said smoothly. Her breath quietly hitched but she soon started talking again.
"Do you even listen? I guess they will call anyone king these days." She said. Some of the guards around him stiffened. The king didn't say anything but raised a brow.
"How many did you bring?" He asked.
"A thousand." She said sarcastically. The king turned away.
"Put the chains on her." He said. He then pointed to one of the soldiers. "You, come with me." The soldier nodded.
The king headed out of the door. He and the guard followed some stairs, to the floor of the cells.
"Bring them out." He told the subject. The warrior bowed his head and went to a cell. He opened it and stepped in. The king waited out of the ninja's sight.
"Follow me." The soldier said just as he was shot out by a blast of water. The king swiftly stepped into the doorway, encasing the first hands he saw. He looked around the cell. The girl was the only one unchained. I guess I came just in time. He thought.
"I need your ninja's help." He said as they gave him dirty looks. He could have smirked.