Flames of the Past #4: A Tangle of Lies (A Ninjago Fanfiction)

Chapter 25

Kai flipped the gadget in his hand as he hurried toward the throne room. He wasn't exactly sure what the device he'd taken from Lloyd was, or how to work it, but he trusted it had the evidence Lloyd told him it had.

He managed to slip past the eye of the guards the whole way. He was determined to get to the throne room undetected. He had to show Alec the evidence of what had really happened that day in the library—not just for himself, but for Skylor. He wasn't about ready to break his promise to the princess. He was going to protect her.

He slowed down as he came to the large doors. Enclosing the gadget in his hand, he burst into the throne room.

Alec was sitting on his throne and talking to a few guards. No one else was in the room, and Kai was glad. At the sound of the door slamming open, the king and his guards turned to face him.

Alec blinked in surprise, slowly rising to his feet. "How convenient," he murmured. "We were just talking about you." He waved his hands toward the guards.

Kai kept his eyes on the advancing guards, but still came closer. "Before you arrest me," he announced, "I have something to say!"

Alec stared at him. Curiosity lit his gaze and he raised his hand again to stop the guards.

Kai took a deep breath. "I didn't hurt Skylor," he claimed, "and I can prove it."

Keeping his gaze on the ninja, Alec walked down the platform, his silver staff in hand. "How?" he questioned.

"I have evidence," Kai replied.

"Oh?" Alec waved to the guards again and two of them carried over a table. The king stopped beside it. "Show me."

Kai was a bit surprised the king was this willing to hear him out. He guessed it was true that Alec would believe whoever had the most evidence, despite how he felt. Kai had to respect him for that.

The guards drew closer to the table as Kai tossed the gadget onto its surface. Alec drew back a pace. "Forgive me if I'm wrong, but that looks like a weapon," the king grunted.

"It's not a weapon," Kai assured him. "I think," he mumbled quieter. He peered closer at the device, flipping it around to try and get it to work. Come on, help me out here, he silently told it.

Alec raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. Kai laughed nervously. "It... takes a minute," he stammered. He smacked the gadget against the table, and a sudden blue light nearly blinded him. He stumbled backward as a hologram projected from the device. He smiled in relief. "See?"

Everyone in the room watched the hologram intently. Kai immediately recognized Trynia's library, and he began to experience deja vu as Chester entered the scene. Yes, he remembered every second of that day. He remembered Chester shouting at him and Skylor. He remembered Skylor attempting to stand up for herself and only angering the prince more. And then—

Kai flinched as he watched Chester hit Skylor across the face. He looked up at Alec. The king's eyebrows had raised slightly, although the rest of his face remained focused on the hologram. Kai watched as he and Chester got into a fistfight, wincing at every blow. He was able to look at Skylor this time, and his heart shattered to see how scared and broken she looked.

Then her expression started to change. Kai listened to the words he was speaking on the hologram.

"You're wrong if you think you can push Skylor around! That's not what love is! Love is respecting one another, not beating each other up!"

"Don't lecture me about love, ninja," Chester hissed back. "Skylor knows I love her."

"If you really loved her, you'd never hurt her!" Kai shouted back.