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~Round and round like a horse on a carousel

We go, will I catch up to love I can never tell

I know chasing after you is like a fairytale

But I feel like I'm glued on tight to this carousel~

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Lloyd had flown them back to the palace before the clock struck eight, signalling dinner time. The dragon had been dispelled well away from the main building and the two used stealth as means to sneak back into the palace. A few of the Ninja met them halfway, frantically hissing at Lloyd to immediately escort Harumi to her quarters before the Emperor called for her.

Surprisingly without any complications, Harumi had been safely brought to the confines of her room balcony. Now, Lloyd was crouched on the railing, wishing for his mask because he was certain there was an idiotic lovesick smile on his face. Harumi let out a contented sigh, stepping closer to the rail.

"Tonight was wonderful, Lloyd," she whispered. "I had a great time. Thank you."

"I bet the tension wore off?" Lloyd grinned, earning a nod from the princess. "And you're welcome."

Harumi fell silent for a minute before finally taking off her hood. Her dyed hair gleamed under the rays of moonlight, appearing to Lloyd as no different than something ethereal. Her sapphire eyes caught the light and glimmered mysteriously under her heavy, tired eyelids. Lloyd would've been stuck staring if she hadn't spoken up.

"I feel like I've known you my whole life," Harumi muttered, hugging herself against the cool night breeze. "I don't feel reserved around you. Like I can tell you anything."

"Me too," Lloyd murmured dreamily before shaking himself awake. "Uh, I mean– of course you do. I'm the Green Ninja after all. There's no way you could've not known me. Am I right?" He tried to force a laugh to cover up his infatuated behavior but was failing miserably.

Harumi managed a giggle. "Not like that."

Lloyd tried to gather his thought. "Then how– oh, right, I get it. Sorry."

An amused smirk took form on the princess's face. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Um, yeah! I'm totally fine," Lloyd stuttered. He stood up suddenly and his head collided with the roof-like structure above the balcony.

Cursing his luck and rubbing his head, Lloyd lowered himself again. A furious shade of red painted his cheeks as he realized how stupid he must be looking in front of the princess.

Harumi, suppressing a laugh, smiled up at him. "I think you better leave before Hutchins finds out you're here."

"Yeah," Lloyd groaned, waiting for the pain to subside. "That guy is probably the scariest person I've ever met. And I've seen a lot of scary people."

Both of them chuckled at that before Lloyd reached for the girl's hand. He quickly pressed his lips to her fingers. It was a bold move. A very bold move. But Harumi hadn't slapped him clear off the balcony for his impertinence so that was good.

"Goodnight," he muttered softly, pulling down his mask.

He stayed long enough to catch Harumi echo back the words before leaping off the railing and climbing in through a window at the ground floor. He rushed and made it back to his post within minutes, thankfully not slipping on the marble floor. Hutchins walked past him, eyeing him suspiciously but Lloyd didn't give away anything. The Master at Arms headed straight towards the staircase, probably to check on the princess.

The rest of the night went on with the usual. He and Jay were patrolling the corridor that held the resting place of the Mask of Deception. Lloyd was recounting the events of the evening to Jay (only because Jay wouldn't stop pestering him) as dinner was in the process of being laid down in the great hall.

Right at that moment, Lloyd's comlink crackled. Cole's panicked voice issued from the other end. Static was making it hard to hear him and Lloyd shot inquisitive looks at Jay. The blue ninja, sensing something was up, pulled out his nunchucks and charged them.

"Cole!" Lloyd yelled through the device, "You're not coming in. You have a bad signal."

Crackling ensued again before Cole reiterated what he had said earlier.

"Blast sap! There's blast sap in the underground tunnels. It was Hutchins! I saw him!"

Lloyd's eyes widened at the news. He lowered the bottom of his mask to breathe in air, trying to process the shock.

"What's the matter?" Jay asked, coming to stand next to him.

"The whole palace is rigged to blow!" Lloyd replied, voice amplified by the sudden rise in panic. "We have to get the Royal Family and the Mask out of here!"

They took off running down the hall, Lloyd alerting the rest of the Ninja throughout the dash. Their desperation showed in the thundering of their usually light and silent footsteps as they raced around the corner and into the main hall.

"Do you think it's the Sons of Garmadon?" Jay asked, avoiding ramming into a statuette display. "Maybe Hutchins is working for them and let them in through security."

"I think–" Lloyd began but didn't get a chance to finish.

The first explosion sounded under their feet and the whole palace shook violently, throwing everything to the floor. Crashing sounds echoed all around them and rumbling of motorbike engines tore through the noise.

A high-pitched, manic battle cry rose above everything else and soon they were surrounded by thuggish people sporting the same symbol he had seen on that parachute the other night.

The Sons of Garmadon had invaded the Palace of Secrets.

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As soon as Lloyd had left, Harumi hurried back to her room. She changed out of her pants and jacket and pulled on her royal gown. She hooked on her white cloak printed with the Jade crest and made up her hair. She fumbled with her headdress but manged to set it on her hair. She quickly lathered on makeup and stuffed her feet into the emerald slippers.

A knock sounded at the door and Hutchins called out. "Your Highness, it's nearly time for the feast. The Emperor and Empress request your presence in the banquet hall."

Harumi didn't respond. Instead, she shuffled over to the door and pulled it open a little. She peeked out at the man who gazed back expectantly.

"Ready the bombs," she whispered to him, eyes inspecting the empty hallway. "And send in the Sons. Keep the Ninja busy but don't hurt Lloyd. We need him alive."

"Shall we take the Mask of Deception?" Hutchins asked.

"Yes, but you're to hand it over to Lloyd," the princess stated, not missing the confused look the man gave her. "The Ninja are likely to suspect you. It's the least you can do to gain their trust. Don't worry, I won't let them have the Mask for long."

"And what about the Emperor and Empress?"

Harumi broke into an evil grin. "I'll deal with them myself."

. . .

The explosion that followed after a while indicated the plan had been initiated. Harumi, still dressed up in her royal attire, prayed for good luck. The "ghost" had resumed it's usual pleadings but she was so close to her success, she paid no heed to it. The building rumbled and quaked but Harumi kept on her feet.

She rushed through the halls in search of her parents. Many of the Sons passed her, but her determined and vengeful body language made them cower when she walked by. She smirked internally, remembering the cautious whispers that would travel through the cult back at their base: the Quiet One was pretty scary when angry.

Harumi went down a narrow passageway, stopping when she heard her preys calling out to her. Turning to the left, she spotted her mother and father advancing towards her, faces full of fear. The expressions morphed into relief upon seeing the princess safe and unharmed.

"Harumi, thank goodness you're alright," the Emperor managed to say as he and his wife paused a few feet away from her.

"Come to Mother, dear!" the Empress exclaimed, holding out her arms.

They frowned when instead of rushing towards them, the princess began laughing. A low, cruel chuckle that dripped with venom.

"I'm not Harumi anymore," the girl murmured, excitement flooding her entirely. "I'm the Quiet One."

The reigning monarchs stared, horrified, at their daughter. The Empress let her hands fall to her sides as she stepped forward. "N-No," she mumbled, resisting the truth. "You're Harumi, our little princess. You can't–" 

"You let your love for me blind you," Harumi seethed, glaring at her mother. "You were unable to see me for who I am."

"What are you talking about?" the Emperor thundered, sounding stern.

"Don't you see it?" Harumi smiled, casually inspecting her nails as another explosion shook the palace. "I'm the one who brought together the Sons of Garmadon. I got Hutchins on board with the plan and he has helped me considerably. I have gathered up an army and enough information to bring back Lord Garmadon, the true ruler of Ninjago!"

"No!" the Empress shrieked. She tried to move closer to the princess but her husband held her back. Hurt had embedded into their features as they stared at the girl they had once called their daughter.

"You were right about one thing, Father," Harumi said, innocently using the title that she had resented all her life. "We must never let our hearts interfere. Sadly, both of you did that. Now, you must pay the price."

"Guards!" the Emperor yelled over the din of the fight and bombs. The Empress had completely broken down but Harumi only grinned wickedly.

Two armed soldiers walked in on the scene. The Emperor pointed at the girl next to them. "Seize Princess Harumi! She has committed treason!"

The girl's smile grew only wider when the guards did nothing of the sort. The two of them slowly removed their helmets, revealing their sneering faces coated with paint and tattoos.

"How about we seize you, old man!" cackled one of the Sons, bumping fists with the other.

The Emperor and Empress slowly began backing away. Harumi eyed them for a while before nodding at the thugs. The two pulled out daggers from under the armor they wore.

"Take care of them for me," the princess commanded. The Sons ran to attack, weapons raised. Harumi only watched with a grim look as her parents' screams rang through the passage and their blood splattered a few inches from her feet.

'NO! PLEASE, STOP!' wailed the voice inside her head.

Harumi only picked up her gown and walked away from the gory scene. Her feet led her back to her room where she would be required to act as a damsel in distress to prove her innocence. She cursed herself for feeling a little twinge of remorse at what she had done.

She knew the haunting cries of the Emperor and Empress and the look of horror on their faces would haunt her for the rest of her life just like the spirit of the little girl in her mind. After all, these were the people who had taken her under their wing when the world had shunned her. They equalled her beloved parents in many ways. Maybe even surpassed them in a few. But Harumi would never allow that.

Despite admitting that she had developed a weak but true attachment to her adoptive parents over the years, she would still not let her actions break her.

"Princesses don't cry," she quoted the Empress's words from long ago, wiping away a tear before it travelled farther down her face and ruined her makeup.

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Lloyd tackled Hutchins and pinned him to the wall, leaving the Ninja to deal with the bikers. "You did this! You helped them!" he yelled at the man.

"I have not!" Hutchins fought back.

"You're lying! Cole saw you!"

Hutchins used up his strength and pushed Lloyd away from him. "Whatever your friend saw in the tunnels, it wasn't me. I've served the Royal Family for the better part of my life and I've sworn to protect them– look out!"

Lloyd felt himself be pushed out of the way just as a dagger whizzed past his head and struck the pillar to his left. The Green Ninja climbed to his feet and roundhouse kicked the biker who had targeted him. "You– You saved me!" he choked out at Hutchins, not really wanting to believe it.

The Master at Arms ignored the remark and glanced about the room. "Does anyone have eyes on the princess?"

Harumi, Lloyd thought, wondering where she might be in the kerfuffle. He hoped she was alright and out of harm's way. He was about leave the fight in search of her when Zane shot around the corner at the end of the throne room, pulling Harumi along with him. Relief trickled through Lloyd as he received the princess.

"Are you okay?" he asked, taking her to one side.

Before Harumi could reply, Nya's voice traveled through the comlink. "Guys . . . I think my brother just destroyed the Mask of Deception."

"What?" Lloyd sputtered.

"That was a fake," Hutchins spoke, procuring the said Mask from under his robes. "I have retrieved the real one from the vaults."

"A fake?" Harumi breathed out, running her fingers over the Mask's ugly painted features.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, but I didn't think I could trust the Ninja". Hutchins turned to share an approving look with Green Ninja, saying, "But I do now."

He shoved the Mask of Deception towards Lloyd and moved over to the Emperor's throne. He fumbled with something at it's rear before opening up a trapdoor behind it. Helping Harumi halfway down the steps, he addressed Lloyd.

"Use the passageway to escape the palace. Get the princess and the Mask to safety."

Harumi reached out from the trapdoor. "What about my parents?"

"I will find them," Hutchins promised. "But you need to get out of here."

Lloyd climbed in after the girl, shooting the Master at Arms an apologetic frown. "I was wrong about you."

"Hurry! Go!" was all he got as a response before Hutchins shut the door above their heads.

"This is bad," the blonde heard Harumi mutter in the dark. "We shouldn't have left the palace, Lloyd. Who knows what damage–"

"Don't worry, it'll be okay," Lloyd replied, feeling guilty for abandoning his duties and putting the Royal Family's lives in jeopardy. It was a wonder Hutchins still trusted him with the princess. He handed Harumi the Mask and led the way down the tunnel. "We're going to stop them but first, you need to get away from here."

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Yes, I changed the book name. The song just fit way better with the protagonists' internal feelings.

Just the epilogue left and then this book will be the first one that I can finally term as a "finished project". Yay! 😁