1. The Dark Side of Destiny: Beginnings

Chapter 15 - Homeless and Hopeful

It was done. The weapons were hidden, the guardians were set, and now, at least, Wu wouldn't be able to get the four Weapons of Spinjitzu without a fight. There was only one thing left to do.

Garmadon walked up the gentle slope of the hillside, following the well-worn path up towards a little house. The air rang with a rhythmic beat as metal struck metal. As he approached, the air grew steadily warmer with the heat of a large fire until it was sweltering. Garmadon paused a few feet from the house and called out, "Still trying to replace your old sword, Ray?"

The man at the forge turned to him, and his face lit up when he saw his old friend. "Garmadon! What are you doing here?" Ray put down his tools and came out to greet him with a hug. "Good to see you again. It's been too long!"

"It's good to see you, too. I would have stopped by more often, but . . . I've had a lot going on. Even now, I wish this was a personal visit. However, I've come to ask you a favor."

Ray's features darkened as he realized the implications. "What do you need?" he asked without hesitation.

Garmadon heaved a sigh. "After all these years, my greatest fear finally came true. Wu tried to steal the golden weapons, and he nearly succeeded. But he was banished to the Underworld, and since then I've been hiding the weapons all across Ninjago. I know he'll return for them one day, and when he does, I want to be ready."

Ray nodded, thinking he understood. "You need help protecting them?"

"I will. When Wu returns, I may have to ask for your help to defend them. But for now, I've stationed the elemental dragons at each site to keep an eye on them for me. I need you to protect this." Garmadon pulled a rolled up piece of parchment from his robes and handed it to the blacksmith.

"What's this?" Ray asked, taking it.

"A map to the weapons. If they are ever needed again, if something happens to me, this will show you the way."

"Of course. I'll keep it safe for you."

"Thank you, Ray. I hate to drag you into this, but I knew I could count on you."

Ray shook his head. "Don't apologize. It's my responsibility to protect the Sword of Fire, as well as the rest of the weapons. I'll do whatever I have to."

"Thank you," Garmadon said, feeling genuinely relieved to have him on his side. He hesitated before continuing, "I also wanted to say . . . I heard about your wife. I'm so sorry."

Ray lowered his gaze and sighed. "Thanks. It's been hard, but . . . we're managing." His eyes darted up again and he asked, "How's Misako?"

Garmadon sighed. "Anxious, but in general we're all happy. She and Lloyd made the journey with me. He's growing up to be a strong boy." He didn't want to tell Ray about the prophecy. Talking about it only made it seem more inevitable. For now, he would rather watch his son grow up in the normal way and pretend it didn't exist. "How are yours?"

Ray chuckled to himself. "Kai's getting a bit of an attitude, but I guess I should have seen that coming. He's been pestering me about letting him try his hand at the forge. He's a popular kid, too, always running off to play with his friends. I hardly ever see him these days. And Nya's got a magnificent brain, she's always building something new. You know, if you've got a moment, you could come inside. It would be nice to catch up with an old friend."

Garmadon thought about it. Surely Misako wouldn't mind if he took just a little bit longer to get back to her. "I would like that very much." It would be nice to relax after his long journey. Now that it was finally done, he could have some sense of peace. The weapons were hidden and well protected, and the map was in safe hands. Soon, he could return home to the monastery, and then maybe have a normal life with his family. Just for a little while, at least.