What is Forgiveness?

Part 3

Lloyd stepped inside the living room, and the welcoming smile of his friends and family greeted him. Harumi trailed behind him, a half-empty coffee cup in her hand. When she met eyes with the rest of the ninjas, they immediately guessed what she had done.

"She ordered by herself?" said Cole in a more confirmative tone.

Lloyd looked at Harumi, and she nudged him as encouragement. "I'll tell them," she whispered in his ear. "You have someone to talk to."

Lloyd, despite his anxiety, left Harumi to tell the boys her story as he traveled to his father's room.  Since Lloyd found out his father was still around, his relationship with him wasn't the best one. He tried to be nice to him, but he cannot help but snap every time his father spoke. He still felt resentment for his father leaving him after they destroyed the Oni -- he wanted to bond, spend time with his father and renew their profound relationship -- but at the same time, he felt guilty for thinking that way. The only way he'll get this off his chest is if he talks with his father -- without snapping at him.

He stood at the door as if someone will open it for him. He took several breaths as he rehearsed his speech inside his head. Of course, no one will open the door if you stay out here, he reasoned with himself. He gathered up some courage and slowly opened the door.

"Dad?" Lord Garmadon (should we even call him "Lord", now) sat on his desk in the corner of his room, tending to Christofern. He looked up at the sound of his son's voice and gave him a welcoming smile.

"Lloyd! Come," he called, motioning to an extra chair beside him, "I assume you have something you want to talk about."

"Um, yes," responded Lloyd, quite surprised at how his father read his mind.

"So what is it?" Garmadon turned to meet his son's intent gaze, and he saw no anger in his eyes, which he noticed.

"I see you aren't yelling at me," he stated. "If you were younger I would've given you a spanking, (and maybe I should've done it whenever you would talk back,) but I see that you have learned your lesson, just. . .how?"

Lloyd took a deep breath as a rehearsed his speech in his head one last time. He wanted to apologize and ask for forgiveness without having to actually say it.

"Well," he started, "when I helped Harumi for the past two months, I felt my guilty conscience telling me to apologize to you. I was angry that you left after you helped us defeat the Oni, but over time I realized you were trying to do the same thing that Harumi is doing right now: understanding love. You both committed an equal amount of sins, but Harumi is different. She is just a friend --"

"Crush," his father corrected.

"Former crush," recorrected Lloyd with a small chuckle. "But you -- you're my father. It's harder when it's someone who's supposed to be close to you. . ."

"To be honest, I should've spent the time trying to understand how to be good," he put a comforting hand on his son's shoulder, "with you. (Not to mention your mother.) I regret not spending that time with you, but I needed space to think and contemplate. Besides, I know you wouldn't approve, since. . .I am Oni." Tiny beads of water lined his eyelids. "I'm sorry for not telling you earlier. Will you forgive me?"

Lloyd never expected a plea for forgiveness. And he never thought his father would want to ask forgiveness because he was evil. There is more than just his Oni side, thought Lloyd. I just never considered it before. As he thought about it, tears filled his eyes as he realized what a hypocrite he has been.

"I'm so sorry!" he exclaimed, his hands covering his tear-stained face in shame. "I should've seen past that dark past of yours, like how I did Harumi. My unfulfilled desire fueled my anger, and my anger made me ignorant of the good inside of you. Will you accept my apology and --" he tried not to choke back his next words, "forgive me?"

His father gave him a warm embrace. He hid his head in his chest and for the first time in forever he gave him a light kiss on his soft, blond hair. "I forgive you," he said with a cracked voice. "Will you forgive me, my son, not only for this reason but for being a horrible father to you?"

A muffled voice came from the head in his chest. "Yes," he said, nodding ever so slightly.

His father pulled away from his embrace to look into his blurry eyes. Lloyd blinked hard to break away from his gaze in shame.
"Look into my eyes," said Garmadon, gracefully but commanding.

Lloyd listened and gave him a remorseful look.

"I love you, Lloyd. Nothing will change that. Not even the fact that I left you for half of your childhood."

The both of them chuckled at his sarcasm before Garmadon took one more deep breath before he spoke.

"Forget all that has happened. What matters is that I can bond with my son because he forgives me."

Lloyd sheepishly smiled through his (slightly) embarrassing, tear-stained complexion. "I love you, too, Dad. Nothing will change that. Not even the fact that had to battle you for the majority of my childhood," he chuckled lightly, spoofing his father's sarcasm to the best of his ability. "I guess I was mad for you leaving me, but that doesn't matter anymore."

Garmadon hugged Lloyd one last time. "I love you, Lloyd."
"I love you, too, Dad."

They were left in comforting silence as they stayed in their tight embrace.

"I guess it was easier to actually say it than to say it another way," commented his father.

They laughed once again as they finally pulled away from their hug. "Maybe I should go thank Harumi," said Lloyd. "She kinda helped me with this."

"Really? Women are the wise ones."

They both cracked up at the comment as they walked out the door with their arms around each other's shoulders. They were both glad their family was back together again, all through the power of forgiveness.