Two Worlds Apart (Ninjago x Princess!Reader)

See You Next Fall

After Grayson gave your group a map and some directions, much to his enjoyment, you left his house.

"Are you really sure you want to come with us, Princess?" Cole asked as your group marched down the pathway back to the road in front of Grayson's house.

"I- I think so, yes. It sounds interesting to me, to be inside a volcano, you know?"

"I get that it's interesting, but couldn't it be dangerous?" Jay said anxiously.

You swallowed hard as you thought of being incinerated by the boiling, ashy lava. "I promise I'll leave if there's any hint of danger. Does that sound like a good compromise to you?"

Zane nodded. "It seems valid. But I'm not sure that the king and queen would be okay with us taking their daughter into a volcano."

"Oh, please, Zane!" you begged. "I've been waiting my whole life for something interesting to happen to me. Now I finally have the chance!"

It was true. You've always dreamed of going on an adventure outside of your depressing castle, seeing the world, falling in love. Though, the last part probably wasn't relevant in this moment.

Kai shrugged. "I guess I don't see why not. But you promise you'll leave as soon as it seems too dangerous?"

You nodded vigorously. "I promise."

"I suppose it is settled, then," Zane said, though doubts flooded his mind.

 ~

"You can turn back at any time, Princess. Just say the word, okay?" Lloyd had repeated to you at least three times on your way there.

"I understand, Lloyd. I will if I feel uneasy," you'd reply every time.

After walking tirelessly for what seemed like a thousand miles, you made it to the coast of the island, where the volcano sat just about two hundred feet away from the edge of tide. On your left, the dark blue waves bathed in moonlight rushed up and down, and on your right a lava monster of certain death awaited your arrival.

"It's still not too late to go back," Cole said.

You took a deep breath, in and out. "No, I wanna go in."

The guys shot nervous looks at each other. They had all expected you to chicken out at least by the time you got there. You chose to ignore their expressions.

Reluctantly, they took a sharp right and began to trudge through the snow toward the opening in the volcano.

You almost began to regret letting Harley go back to the castle. At least having her here would have eased your anxiety a bit. You had to take a few more deep breaths to get your heart rate down.

"Are you okay, Princess?" Cole asked, his chocolate-colored eyes filled with concern.

"I'll be fine, don't worry about me, Cole," you insisted. Somehow, the way he looked into your eyes helped you feel a bit better.

An oddly shaped hole, about six feet tall, awaited your arrival, inviting you to go inside the fiery mountain.

Lloyd went in first, the others and you following.

"Oh, my," you gasped as you stepped onto a circular platform made of stone. It rocked back and forth unsteadily as each member of the group added their weight to it, and you realized it was floating on top of the lava lake that filled the entire bottom of the labyrinth.

In the very center of the domain stood a tall pillar made of volcanic rock. The top of the pillar was flat, except for a pedestal made of glass sitting on top, seeming quite out of place.

"That must be it, up there!" Shouted Kai, pointing excitedly at the tippy top of the pillar.

At the edge of the stone raft was a titanium pole. Jay picked it up and studied it for a moment. "Do we use this as an oar?"

"I suppose that would make the most sense," Zane said.

Zane took it from Jay, not trusting him enough to row the raft, and stuck it into the lava lake.

"It seems about three feet deep," Zane commented as he began to push the raft towards the pillar in the center of the labyrinth.

Instinctively, you clung to whoever's arm was nearest to you. That person's arm just so happened to belong to Kai.

"We won't let you fall, Princess," he reassured, though you could hear the smirk in his voice.

Cole shot him a warning glance before turning back to the matter at hand.

In just a couple of minutes, your group arrived at the strange stone pillar. Curving all the way up and around the pillar was a stone staircase, carved right into it. There was no platform before the staircase began, so everyone just had to go onto the first step to start their journey.

"Ladies first," Zane smiled, ushering you forward.

You took a deep breath, in and out, before leaping across the small gap of lava onto the first step. Zane lightly touched your back to make sure you didn't fall backwards.

You murmured a "thank you" as you moved up a couple of steps to make room for the others.

After everyone was on the stone staircase, you all began to make your way up the pillar. The guys were able to  climb with ease, but you struggled to keep up.

"You doing alright back there, Princess?" Cole asked, briefly glancing at you behind him.

"I'm not so sure. Could we slow down a bit?" you wheezed.

Thankfully, they agreed to go slower than they were before.

The stone steps were old and had clearly been worn down over the years. They were cracked and jagged at the edges, and every once in a while, you'd come across a pebble or two.

When you and the ninja were about three-quarters of the way up the staircase, you had become exhausted. The only thing you could focus on in that moment was getting to the top so you could rest. While you were fantasizing about achieving your goal, you stepped on a pebble.

You slipped and started to fall backwards, flailing your arms in every direction as you tried to regain your balance. Your heart sank into your stomach as you began to fall off the edge of the step, towards the pool of lava. But before you could, Cole grabbed your hand and yanked you toward him. He pulled you close to his chest, wrapping an arm around your waist as he peaked over the ledge.

You stood still for a moment, breathing heavily, your mind racing. This boy, who you've only known for about a day, just saved you. You lifted your head up to see his face, and his penetrating gaze met yours.

"Thank you," you choked.

"No need to thank me, Princess. It was my pleasure," he replied.

"How could I ever repay you, Cole? You just saved my life!" Your words came out roughly, your throat like sandpaper.

"Please, I don't need anything. It's what we do, back in Ninjago. It's our job to save people."

He let go of your waist and released your hand, letting his arms dangle by his sides once more. He turned his back to you, taking one step forward, before peering back at you and offering a gentle smile.

"Let's get this ring, yeah?"

And so you followed your new-found friends up the mysterious spiral staircase.

Word Count: 1180