Chapter Text
Lloyd would like to be able to say the last year and a half has been the most eventful period of his life, but it’s honestly hardly even close. The good news is that he’s really grown into his role as a leader and he’s quite happy with where he’s at in his transition. The bad news is that his uncle has been lost to the timestream and Lloyd hasn’t been able to see his friends nearly as often as he’d like to.
Fortunately, the theft of the Oni mask of Vengeance is high profile enough to call in all the ninja. Lloyd probably shouldn’t be thankful for a threat to the royal family’s security, but the ninja haven’t all been in the same room in at least a month. A reunion is long overdue, even with the suboptimal circumstances.
It’s nice to be together, even as his friends tease him on the clock. Lloyd can acknowledge the princess is pretty, okay? If that makes this a crush then so be it.
And if he finds himself connecting with the princess – who insists Lloyd can call her Rumi – then that’s no one’s business but his own. He had thought she had been kidnapped after all, but learning she just wanted to help the less fortunate, Lloyd wasn’t in a rush to head back. “So what led you to this? Sneaking out at night to give food to the poor doesn’t seem like something you do without forethought,” Lloyd asks.
Rumi laughs softly, handing a roll to the nearest person – a young man with a cane – before answering. “We have more than enough in the palace,” She says simply. “I wasn’t born royal. For too long I took what I had for granted, but I know I just got lucky. I’m not more deserving of a warm home and a good meal than any of our citizens. Being Princess is just a title.” She looks at Lloyd meaningfully. “This is the only way I’ve found to truly help my people.”
Lloyd returns her gaze with a sad smile, handing a loaf of bread and a small bundle of fruit to a couple kids sitting on the sidewalk. He watches as Rumi gives some food to a pair of older women before catching up with him. “That’s quite admirable,” He says genuinely, “Though I’m sure you wish you could do something more sustainable for them.”
“Yes.” She says, stopping halfway across the bridge and leaning against the railing. “But the royal family has no real power these days, we’re just a bunch of figureheads there to anchor ninjago to her past. What we need is a better future.”
Lloyd joins her, looking out at the river below and the stars above. “Do you not like being princess?”
Rumi sighs, “It has its perks.” She says with an upward quirk of her lip. “But it’s not something I chose. It’s a title I inherited, and it’s determined my whole life thus far. I’m thankful for the opportunities it has given me, but sometimes I wish I could just… explore who I could be outside of it, you know?”
“Yeah… I do,” Lloyd contemplates, “It’s not quite the same, but I’ve been the green ninja since I was a child. I love being able to do something that matters, being able to help people. I love my friends too, I don’t know where I’d be without them.” Lloyd pauses, looking back out over the waters. “It’s just that I can’t imagine my life without this. I don’t know who I’d be if I weren’t the green ninja.”
Rumi hums sympathetically, “Well, Lloyd Garmadon.” She starts, catching his gaze with her own. “I’m sure you’d be amazing, whoever you became.”
He laughs slightly, “I never even had a chance at a normal life, anyway. Just being my father’s son is enough.” Deathly quiet, Lloyd continues, “I wish he was still here.”
Feeling a touch on his arm, Lloyd looks up. “I lost my birth parents, too. It’s hard to escape how much of our stories came from tragedy.”
“I’m sorry,” Lloyd says, “I didn’t realize…”
“Don’t be,” She cuts him off, “It’s just another thing we have in common. Maybe we can find a way to make our stories our own together.”
—
Harumi’s adoptive parents are killed and her home burned down that very night. The princess may well be in imminent danger from the same gang that assassinated her parents. Lloyd and the rest of the ninja offer to shelter her for the time being. Lloyd doesn’t want to leave her alone, not with the threat to her life still at large and not with her grief.
“You’ll be okay, I promise.” He reassures Rumi, the girl having collapsed into his arms with silent tears falling steadily. “I’ll do everything within my power to keep you safe. You’re not alone, Rumi.” If only he had known how true that was.