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Chapter Text

made a cover finally!

Chapter Text

Trapped within darkness for years upon years. The light from Samukai’s wasted form is blinding. He takes his first step into freedom.

And falls.

The fight with his brother had left him with nothing. Just like his soldiers, Lord Garmadon had wasted away to nothing more than skin and bones, rotting in the depths of the Underworld. Returning to Ninjago was no different.

He has no strength to move from the ashy floor of the Fire Temple. His helmet clatters and clangs as the oversized thing falls across the ground.

There is silence, cut through like a knife by his first real breath of air. It burns his mouth with its heat, singes the back of his throat, makes his chest ache as it expands, but he is breathing. He is alive.

The ninja, mere children, gawk at the heap of bones that have fallen between them and their fancy new toys. Kai, the spitfire that had caught his eye so long ago - bright like a flame, it could have been so easy to use his spark for more than simply retrieving a sword! A warrior spirit, just waiting to be unlocked - is reaching for his sword now.

But they are his toys now.

Garmadon uses the air in his lungs to laugh, to laugh and laugh and laugh. His form shifts, muscles swelling into being, bones breaking and realigning. The laughter becomes hysterical, the fresh blood that begins to flood his veins giving the Dark Lord a new energy. And Garmadon is beside himself for it. He is alive again.

He stands, steady, rising high above the ninjas heads. Garmadon clenches his fists, but the motion feels different somehow, greater than before.

Samukai’s hands crack and snap as they bend, adjusting to where they now sit on his hips.

Oh, that’s right. Samukai had so kindly given himself over to his King of Shadows.

He must have been a powerful man when he was still flesh and blood.

His momentary inattention has not gone unnoticed. While the rest of the ninja have finally come forward to collect their weapons, Kai has raised his sword. They meet eyes and he strikes.

The blade falls heavily into his palm, but he doesn’t feel the skin break, not so much as a scratch.

Garmadon grins wickedly, baring his new fangs.

Oh, won’t this be fun?

Chapter Text

Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon, son of the evil Dark Lord Garmadon and future dark ruler, could not tie his shoes. It wasn’t that he didn’t know how - only babies didn’t know how to tie their shoes - he just couldn’t reach.

There was nothing quite like dangling from a shop roof top corner to make you realize both your shoes were untied.

Lloyd felt his chest well up, but he took a deep shaky breath and shook his head. He wouldn’t cry, he couldn't cry. Evil overlords didn’t cry and they didn't get hung up over their failures. They got even.

And he would get even. Not any time soon, but the ninja would regret this. They would come to regret ruining his plans, getting him pelted with vegetables and garbage. They would regret hanging him high over the candy he had been starving for and leaving him there all day long.

Tears were running down his cheeks. Lloyd whined and scrubbed at his face. Villains. Did not. Cry.

The sun had been sinking below the horizon and was barely visible any more. The streets of Jamanakai became darker and darker, until the only light that could be seen were from the different shops. One by one, they each went out, until all that was left was the one Lloyd was attached to. He watched as the man bagged his candy and came out again to drag the table inside.

Lloyd sniffed hard. He didn’t even look up at him.

The store closed, the lights went out, and the child was left in darkness.

This had to be the worst day of his life.

He would start over, find a different village to get candy from. He would come up with a new plan and show those jerks at the academy they were wrong to kick him out. He was Lloyd Garmadon! The son of the Dark Lord! They would pay dearly for what they did to him!

Except…

How was he supposed to get down? At this height, if he even managed to get loose, jumping down was sure to hurt. Why didn’t the ninja get him down? Weren’t they supposed to be the good guys? If not the ninja, who else would have even an inclination in helping him down? Not the villagers, that much was obvious.

It hit him like a bullet train to the chest. Nobody, nobody would help him. He was alone and would just have to accept that. Nobody actually cared about what happened to him anyway.

The dam burst. Lloyd let his head fall and sobbed. He would never get back into the academy, back home.

Something tapped against the bottom of his shoe and Lloyd jumped, his eyes snapping open.

Red. Spots of red below him, all in pairs -

Lloyd shrank into his sweatshirt, pulling his legs up.

It was too dark to see anything, but he heard someone whisper something in a not-so-happy tone, and the following noise of someone being hit. It must have been with something metal - he recognized the metallic clang of a sword, like Kai’s. The resulting “Ouch! Hey!” sounded too loud in the sleeping village, and especially to ears that had heard nothing but quiet, idle chatter below.

There was another pair of angry red eyes at the end of street, the sound of their approach sending the ones below him scurrying away. Lloyd could take a hint; he struggled to follow their lead, squirming, trying to make himself fall free. All he could see were those angry red eyes, moving closer and closer. The boy yelped, trying to curl up in his sweatshirt and covering his eyes.

He heard a clamor below, a low, frustrated growl and the tin rattle of a garbage can. Lloyd braved a peek through his hands, in spite of the fear.

Though his eyes had long since been adjusted to the dark, he couldn’t make out who or what was in front of him. His eyes desperately darted across the space before him, trying to make it out, but every time a shape formed it just blended back into the shadows.

In hindsight, he should have realized they were helping him down. Lloyd couldn’t help it - feeling hands around his middle, he shrieked.

All hell broke loose.

“Shut him up!”

“Too loud!”

Feet scraped on the ground as the others ran off in all different directions, lights beginning to flicker on around them. People were hurrying outside to see what was wrong, why was he screaming like that? Did he have any idea what time it was? He thought he heard someone call for the ninja.

Lloyd hasn't stopped screaming, so he really can't make it out. His eyes are clamped shut as he kicks and throws punches with whatever energy he has left. Granted, they probably didn't do any sort of damage, but he was tired and hungry and not going down without a fight. He felt the grip around him tighten and Lloyd was lifted, his hood coming free and falling flat against his back.

Then Lloyd heard a voice. The same low tone that had been growling before.

“Shh, Lloyd,” he softly says, and the boy feels his feet touch the ground, a hand moving to his shoulder. “you're safe now.”

Lloyd can feel himself slowing. The next fist he throws is easily caught, then the other hand taken. The others grip is soft, gentle, keeping him from trying to lash out again.

He squints one eye open, then both blow wide in surprise.

Lloyd doesn’t remember what he looked like, or when the last time it was that he even did, but it was him, he knows, he knows it, its-

“Dad!”

A hand brushes through his hair, coming to cup his cheek to brush away the tears. His father is crying now too.

“It’s okay now, Lloyd,” he says, “Everything is okay-”

Lloyd rushed forward into his arms. Garmadon held his son tight against him, curling over him.

There was no way to stop the tears at this point.

The skeletons return to their master to see his great form heave and shudder with hushed sobs, struggling not to cry loud enough to upset his son. The streets have become silent.

“I thought- I thought I'd never see you again.”

Garmadon goes to pull back, to wipe his son’s tears again and check him over to be sure he isn't hurt from whatever sick prank has been played on him; but at the slightest pull Lloyd clutches him tighter and burrows deeper into his arms.

No, he’ll do it later. There was time for that later.

Lloyd wasn’t going anywhere any time soon.

Chapter Text

Hearing that Lord Garmadon had really been spotted was the only thing that stopped the four ninjas from training in the dark really. But by that point they were exhausted, so it was decided that they would simply do recon and make sure no one was in danger.

When they arrived at the little grocery store the alarm was still going off. The kid behind the counter was too scared to give any helpful information besides a direction, but at least from there they were able to pick up tire tracks.

Garmadon’s camp was a bit of let down, all things considered. He went from the impressive fort built in the pits of the Underworld, to a ring of vehicles around a tent. It was pathetic. The army must have been jumping from place to place to avoid them. The tent was clearly for Garmadon, seeing as it was well kept and none of the Skulkin dared draw too close. They stayed to themselves, milling around small fires on the opposite sides of their vehicles creating a wall around the tent in the center.

“Look there he is!”

Kai perked up, searching for the Dark Lord in the fire light. Lord Garmadon had received an upgrade since their last meeting, wearing thick armor plates across his chest and shoulders. He was carefully being helped down from his skull truck on the opposite side of camp, revealing strong steel heals, but his eyes were drawn to a dark something draped over one shoulder. It could be something from the store Garmadon had just robbed, but the skeletons were the ones carrying those distinct, white grocery bags.

The four ninjas moved closer as the Dark Lord disappeared into the tent, but not before they caught a glimpse of messy blonde hair.

“Is that-?”

“That would explain why he has only now revealed himself, as well as only stealing food items,” Zane surmised, turning to his brothers, “He must have taken Lloyd in.”

Kai narrowed his eyes.

“But why didn’t he just take him back to the Academy?”

“Perhaps he-”

“You guys are missing the big picture here!” Jay hissed, struggling to keep his voice down as he scoot back from the camp. Only now did the fire ninja realize how panicked he looked. “If Garmadon has Lloyd, then he must know what we did to him! What we did to his son. ”

The ninjas pulled out their weapons.

“If he finds us we’re toast!”

Kai clenched his fist around the Sword of Fire, already feeling the familiar burn of it against his palm. “And we’re too tired to do our Spinjitzu.”

Just then the tent flap opened again, Garmadon sticking his head out to glare at the Skulkin. They were at immediate attention. If someone had just killed their strongest and absorbed his essence to gain power and a pair of arms, Kai figured he would be scared too. The ninjas stayed where they were, not even daring to move.

“Secure the perimeter!” He barked, already sending them running, “Double the patrols! The ninja won’t let us rest now that I’ve shown my face. We’re packing up in the morning, it's only a matter of time until they catch up.”

At that moment the Dark Lord snapped his attention to the bushes, right where the ninja sat. It took everything not to flinch. Kai held his stare even as stepped outside entirely, waving a hand absently at his soldiers. His eyes narrowed and he turned back into the tent.

Inside, laying eyes on his son, Garmadon felt his anger fade. Lloyd was just as he had left him, laying on his side on his cot. Tear tracks stained his cheeks, the skin there lighter for the lack of dirt. His father knelt by his side.

He really did not want to wake him. Lloyd, after helping him pick out food, had passed out still sitting in the shopping cart at the store. The child had hardly stirred during the rough ride in the truck back to camp. He must have been exhausted. Right now though, Lloyd needed to eat and they needed to talk.

Garmadon brushed his fingers through his hair, softly stirring him awake. Lloyd couldn’t seem to bring himself to open his eyes, scrubbing his tiny fists over them as he sat up.

“Are we home now?” he whined, voice thick with sleep as he squinted up at him. Garmadon chuckled and sat down on the ground beside the cot.

“For the night at least” he said softly. “I need you to wake up so you can eat something, kiddo. Or did you have dinner before all of that?”

Lloyd shook his head, eagerly accepting the lunchables he had chosen. Some weak form of nachos. They were cheap and Lloyd claimed to love them, so he wouldn’t judge them too harshly. The boy peeled back the plastic, took a chip, and scooped out all the salsa in one bite.

“Lloyd, do you know your mother’s address? I can take you there as soon as you finish eating.”

His son froze, stopping halfway through stuffing another overloaded chip in his mouth. He stared. He swallowed then slowly shook his head.

Garmadon tried a different approach.

“That's okay. Do you know her phone number then? I can find a way to call her and I'll have you back home, safe and sound, within the hour.”

But Lloyd’s eyes had narrowed. He looked confused, staring at his father like he had three heads.

“What is it?” His father asked.

“I don't live with her.” Lloyd stated. Setting the little plastic plate into his lap as he stared up at his father. Why would I live with her? his gaze seemed to say, as if it were the most absurd thing in the world. Garmadon looked away, brow knit.

“But then… where is she?”

“Not with me, that’s for sure.” Lloyd shrugged, unbothered. He finished the tiny meal and went for the desert, eating the kitkat in a single bite. He didn't seem to care about his lack of a guardian like his father did.

Garmadon had left his wife and newborn son behind years ago to pursue the golden weapons. Misako had seemed to deem it inevitable, and had not tried to stop him, though he could remember, clear as day, the pain in her eyes as she held their son close. Trapped in the Underworld, Garmadon had no way to contact them. Nevertheless, he expected a happy life for his family without him. Misako could easily continue her work and Lloyd would perhaps grow up to be an inquisitive child like his mother, helping her explore dig sites and discovering ancient artifacts alongside her.

The idea had been a great comfort during the first lonely years in the desolate bowels of the Underworld, but had turned bitter and sour when he thought of how he was torn apart from that perfect picture. It was clear now he was wrong to assume things would fall into place without him, and for once he was glad to be wrong.

The sudden thought that passed his mind infuriated him to no end, but it was all he could think of keeping his son safe without his mother.

“Were you staying with my brother, Lloyd? Has Uncle Wu been watching you?”

By the look of disgust on his son’s face, he need not be worried. Lloyd snarled and stuck out his tongue.

“No way I hate him. Him and his stupid ninjas always get in my way. I’d never wanna hang out with that guy.”

Garmadon murmured a “good” before he could stop himself, but it only made Lloyd laugh.

Garmadon got up from the floor and brushed the dirt off his armor. With no way to contact his mother and staying with Wu clearly off the table - probably wasn't even near the table - he knew what he had to do.

“Let me go find some blankets, Lloyd, I’m sure you're still very tired. If you're still hungry though, just let me know.”

“Wait - I get to stay?”

Garmadon paused and turned back to his son. Lloyd was at the edge of the bed, nearly tipped off with a huge, excited grin on his face.

“Of course, where else would you-?”

Lloyd jumped down and rushed to his father, slamming into his leg with a hug so hard the Dark Lord staggered. After a moment he felt his father’s hand on his head.

This had to be the greatest day of his life.

Chapter Text

The thought came to him, slowly, that he was asleep. It was just barely enough to shake him loose from his dream, but there he lay, buried under a layer of blankets. He was still wearing his academy jeans, as well as his sweatshirt. The others must have taken his pajamas last night.

Lloyd rolled unto his stomach, too comfortable to care. He hadn’t noticed the low murmur across the room until it was gone.

He tensed, lying still, waiting for it to pick up again.

“I need to spend some time with son today, alone.”

His eyes snapped open again. He had been turned out, and then the ninja, and the villagers-

He was in his father’s camp.

“We have a lot to talk about,” his father was saying, “I’ve already found a nice family pizzaria about a mile from where the rest of you will be. I’ll brief everyone together before we set out; we still need to take down camp.” There were retreating, clattering steps and he heard a chair shift.

The child peeked his eyes over the pillow he had buried his face into.

His father was cleaning up a desk by the entrance of a tent, his arms quickly filling with papers. A few blank pages were left on its surface, and after a moment he had found a pen to place alongside them. Behind him stood two Skulkin, but Lloyd didn’t recognize them from those in his father’s army. They wore actual clothes, for one thing, brightly colored to match the bright colors that had been painted across their faces. One had a bit of fabric wrapped around their skull like a shawl.

Lloyd was still staring at them when he realized he’d been spotted.

“Awake, son?” Garmadon asked, moving to kneel beside the bed. He gave his shoulder a gentle shake. “Did you sleep alright? How do you feel?”

The boy sat up and nodded, scrubbing his eyes in what he hoped looked like believable drowsiness.

“I’m fine,” he replied, adding a yawn for good measure. Garmadon laughed, ruffling his hair as he got to his feet again.

“Great! Well, first thing is first-” He turned to the Skulkin behind him, first the one with the shawl, then the other, “This is Fracture and Feemur. They’re going to help you this morning.”

“You’re leaving?”

At the sight of the boy's face, Garmadon was to quick to reassure him. “No, no! I’m just going to organize the troops while they pack up camp; they’d lose their heads without me to keep ‘em on their shoulders.” The Dark Lord chuckled at his little joke, making his son crack a smile too.

“I’ve got a very important job for you here in the tent. Can you write?”

Lloyd hesitated. He raised a hand, before awkwardly tipping it from side to side. Garmadon just smiled at him, guiding his son up off the bed and over to the desk.

“That’s alright! I want you to make a list of some of your favorite meals. You don’t have to spell it perfectly, or even at all if you don’t want to; pictures will work just fine too. Just do your best, kiddo.”

He still didn’t look sure, but his dad was still smiling at him as he left, so Lloyd guessed he was gonna try. Darkley’s wasn't the place to learn how to read or write, as it was generally encouraged to get bad grades. Unless you were trying to become an evil genius. Lloyd often was stuck in the same class as one, Gene, and that nerd was enough to convince him he wasn’t going to be an evil genius.

Now though, he was starting to wish he had payed more attention.

The blonde picked a pen offered by the Skulkin and stared down at the page, then glared down at the page. He didn’t know what to put besides school food, so he tried to imagine what a father would cook for his family.

Dads liked to grill things right?

Lloyd tried to write for a solid 3 seconds before he switched to simply scribbling pictures. It was hard to tell what was what just drawing with one color, but he hoped everything looked alright enough. He offered his page of hotdogs, hamburgers, and steak to the Skulkin, but they didn’t seem to know what they were looking at. Though that might be because they were dead, and not because they couldn’t make out his drawings.

Maybe he would try writing again, just in case?

The boy had worked through HOTDOG and was working on HAMBERG when his father returned, the tent flap violently thrust aside as he stomped in. Garmadon looked furious, rubbing his temples and muttering to himself with a bitter scowl. Feemur and Fracture were quick to rise and stand at attention, and their movement seemed to remind him of his son.

Lloyd gave his page one last unsure look, then wordlessly offered it to his father. It took a moment, but when he felt a pull on the paper he let it go.

First his skeletons were annoying him and now his son, he was sure to-

Garmadon knelt beside his son, looking over the page, then back up at Lloyd again. He kept his eyes down at his feet, twiddling with the strings of his sweatshirt. His father looked back at his list with a smile, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and pulling him close.

“This is a great start, Lloyd!”

Lloyd looked up at him, wide eyed.

“Really?”

Garmadon laughed and gave him a squeeze. “Really!”

His father picked him up entirely, taking him over to the desk. He flipped the page over and quickly added a few things of his own, then handed it off to Feemur, sending the two Skulkin running off together.

“Now,” Garmadon said, grinning, “How about pizza?”

/-/-/-/-/

The streets were calm and quiet, though deserted would be a better description given what was happening on the other side of town. They were only going for pizza, somewhere small, yet Garmadon had worn his heavy armor and brought all four of his katana, just to be safe. There was no telling who they may run into. The ninja would be no problem, but in the city proper things got a bit more complicated. He didn’t want to have a run in with anyone while he was with Lloyd; the more violence he could keep Lloyd away from the better.

Neither spoke, but neither tried to. It had been years since Garmadon had seen the city himself. Buildings had popped up like daisies and there was a lot to look at. Looking down to his son though, he seemed disinterested. He stuck close to his father’s side and spent more time looking at his four arms than he did the array of shops they passed.

“Have you been this way before, son?” He asked suddenly.

“Yeah,” Lloyd shrugged, “A few times.”

He didn’t elaborate and his father didn’t push him to. They would do plenty of talking at lunch.

“Then maybe you’ve been where we’re going.” He said simply.

They were coming up on it now. It was small and rather nondescript, but that was just what he had wanted. A place with as few people as possible, though just looking through the window he could see he was wrong on that account. Must be because of his Skulkin. Or maybe it was just the lunch rush.

Garmadon crouched, leveling a smile at his son. “I’ll go in first, alright? Just to be sure no one tries any funny business.”

Lloyd gripped his pant leg and nodded. His father drew his katana with his upper hands and swung open the door.

The Pizzeria was decently full, given the time of day and the state of the opposite side of town. So, when the Dark Lord entered with sword drawn in full battle armor, it became decently loud.

He had heard worse, and used the moment of surprise to survey the scene; a few small families sat at tables, as well as a group of teens in the far corner. There were two workers behind the counter. No one moved to call the ninja, or even the police it seemed, so he moved to put his weapons away. Garmadon startled halfway through the action when another voice joined the crowd.

It was Lloyd, covering his ears and burying his face in his hip.

Garmadon hurried to tuck the weapons away and scoop up his son. He stomped his foot, making the ground shake as he gave a sharp bark of “ Silence! ”

The Pizzeria obeyed and the room fell silent, save for a woman’s hiccuping breaths as she tried to smother her sobs. Garmadon rolled his eyes, shifting to hold Lloyd away from her hysterics.

“You knock that off!” He snapped, moving towards the counter, “I haven’t even done anything yet!”

The employees were in a similar state, but he was glad to see at least one of them knew how to hold themselves together enough to take their order. The child still shook like a leaf, and he could faintly hear their teeth chattering, but they didn’t mess anything up so he really didn't care.

Father and Son picked a booth, each settling down with a slice of hawaiian pizza. Pineapple on pizza was every villain's favorite, of course.

As an infant, Garmadon didn't know who his son was. He had been a blank slate, as all newborns were. All that would separate him from others aside from appearance was how he could kiss his tiny toes, and Lloyd would squeal with laughter.

As he was now, Garmadon had no idea who his son was. He had missed his early life, had missed seeing the boy the little babe had become. What sorts of things did he enjoy?

Well, no better way to find out than to simply ask.

“I’ve been gone for so long,” His father began, resting against the table, “I’ve… I’ve missed everything. But I’m here with you now and you can tell me everything.”

Lloyd stopped mid bite, watching him.

“What sort of things do you like? Where were you staying all this time? Do you know anything about your mother? Or what about training; have you had any training?”

With each passing question Lloyd shrank farther back into his seat, his heart pounding. He couldn't tell his father he didn't remember his mother’s work, or even her face. He couldn't tell his father about Darkley’s or how horribly he had failed as a villain to be turned out, despite staying as long as he could remember. He couldn’t tell his father anything; there was no way to tell how he would react - !

“Lloyd, hey,” Garmadon made his son look up at him from his suddenly very interesting fingernails. He smiled, warm and kind, reaching across the table to take his hand. “This isn’t a sort of… interrogation, sweetheart. If you aren’t comfortable telling me, that’s okay, I understand. I won’t make you.”

“That’s not to say we won’t ever.” His father continued, “We will have to talk about things eventually, But later, when you’re ready.”

Lloyd blinked.

Oh. That was… He was…

Lloyd still didn’t speak, so Garmadon took it as his cue to move on.

“Do you not like the crust, son?”

“No,” his son replied softly. “Do you want it?”

“Sure.” And the warlord crunched on it while he watched his son go back up to the counter for another slice.

A noise drew his attention in front of him again, to a family sitting in the booth connected to theirs. Garmadon had hardly noticed them all huddled together like they were. The food was gone, but they dared not move. Father tried to comfort mother, who was pressing fervent kisses all over her infant’s head. Another child, a little girl, stood on the booth close to her father. Garmadon couldn't keep from staring at her.

She looked just a bit younger than Lloyd did, but she stood out as entirely unafraid, leaning over her father's shoulder to stare just as intently at him as he was at her. Her hair hung over her face in a dark, frizzled mess, but when she pushed it away her face was clean. Her clothes looked clean as well, looking fairly new.

The thought struck him as odd until Garmadon turned back to Lloyd. The boy's face was covered in dirt, a bruise turning green on his forehead with an angry red scratch on the tip of one round cheek. His sweatshirt, which had looked beyond cute in its childish likeness to him, now struck the Dark Lord as being nearly two sizes too large.

Lloyd slid into the booth beside him this time, but did not move to eat. Instead he picked at the table, eyes darting between his lap and his father.

Was he… nervous-?

He was going to tell him something, something important.

“I, um…” Lloyd's voice was so soft Garmadon had to move closer to hear. It looked like he didn't want to continue, but he had already started and was trying to make himself finish. “I haven't really been staying anywhere. I was just… walking.”

Garmadon said nothing at first. He didn't know what he could say. He only hoped his momentary silence wouldn't speak for him and the horrible feeling that was overtaking him. But he had to say something .

Garmadon ran a hand through his son's hair while another settled on his shoulder.

“Thank you for telling me.”

Lloyd looked up at him then, a tear stealing down his cheek his father was quick to wipe away.

“Why don't we blow this popsicle stand?”

Lloyd unsuccessfully smothered a laugh as his father scooped him up and out of the booth.

A strange feeling settle over the Dark Lord at that moment. Holding his son close, his eyes drifted over the pizzeria again, over the still frightened works, the frozen patrons, the terrified parents and their tiny children; and he felt the oddest remorse that he had no money to spare for a tip.

Garmadon instead redirected his attention to the food, taking a few napkins and wrapping up Lloyd’s uneaten slice of pizza.

“Once we get back to camp I’ll use my katana and we can split it.”

Lloyd’s eyes lit up.

“Cool! Do I get a sword too?”

Garmadon grinned.

“Of course not.”

Chapter Text

She heard the scream before she heard anything else. It was followed immediately by a chorus of more screams and shouts, pushing her up from her desk. There was a clatter throughout the hallway and when she went to open her door, there was already someone on the other side, holding it closed.

Skeletons. Skeletons had taken over the office. There was one on every door, keeping the agents all locked in their offices. There was no more screaming. She could pick up the muted yells of her co-workers from where they were trapped. Then a voice boomed just outside her door.

“Don’t let anyone escape! Not until we’re through!”

She bolted for her desk, throwing her chair aside and ducking under it. She could hear him still, speaking to the Skulkin trapping her inside.

“I don’t want to see the ninja anywhere near here, understand? First sign of them and we leave.”

If she could get to her phone, she could contact-

The door opened. Her breath caught in her throat.

His boots thumped gently across the rug. She could tell exactly where they were when the steps became harder, coming off the soft material and onto the hardwood. Gunmetal grey heels appeared along the bottom edge of the desk, moving behind it to where she curled up. A burnt, black arm reached under and hauled her out into the open.

She screamed.

“Stop that!” Lord Garmadon barked, setting her into her chair and pushing it closer to the desk. It was... oddly gentle. She would have expected to be hurt by this point. He moved to the opposite side of the desk and took a seat, and now she could see why.

A little boy sat beside him in the chair. His hands had been pressed over his ears, but now that things were quiet again he pulled them away and stared at her. He wore a big sweatshirt with splotches of paint on it, as well as plenty of dirt. In fact, all of this kid was dirty.

When was the last time this boy had a shower?

Better question: why was a kid with Lord Garmadon?

Garmadon cleared his throat, pulling a little card that had been tucked into his armor and sliding it across the desk.

“Patty Keys, right? If I have the right office.”

Patty nodded dumbly, staring down at her own business card.

“I need a place to raise my son. He had heard that you were one of the best.”

She snapped her head back up, meeting eyes with the Dark Lord’s son.

“We get a discount if we bring the card, right?”

Garmadon laughed and mussed up his hair.

Now that her mind was starting to clear of the shock, she could see she wasn’t in any immediate danger. Garmadon had no weapons, and though he wore armor, it was light. He probably didn’t have anything other than armor to begin with. He looked relaxed, a smile still on his face even after his son spoke.

Patty sat up straighter, pulling her chair closer to her desk.

“No, no you don’t. But I can assume money won’t be discussed?”

Garmadon waved his hand. “Money won’t be a problem.” He assured. She didn’t want to think too hard about that.

“Well, what were you looking for, Lord Garmadon?”

The Dark Lord opened his mouth to speak, but his son beat him to it.

“I want a treehouse!”

Garmadon turned to his son, eyes incredibly fond with a smile on his lips as he said gently. “Lloyd, I can build you a treehouse. We need to find a real house.”

“Can we get one with a pool?”

“No. Unless you want to be the one to deal with all those chemicals and keeping it clean in the fall?”

Lloyd slowly shook his head.

Patty could hardly believe her eyes. This had to be some sort of dream. Lord Garmadon, the man who wanted to conquer Ninjago just to destroy it and recreate it, couldn't really be in her office right now. He couldn't be the man across from her, telling his son “no” so kindly it probably didn't even register as a negative to the boy.

Lord Garmadon was practically asking for all the houses she was never able to sell. They were looking for a house that was small, hidden away from the general public. Despite his plans to recreate Ninjago, they seemed to be moving towards a long drive to civilization. They were flying through this meeting.

“And what about school? Will you want to be close enough to one to enroll your son?” Patty asked.

Garmadon seemed to be really considering the best house for his son, and the prospect of giving him an education made him pause.

Lloyd, on the other hand, jumped up from his seat and slapped his hand against the desk.

“Of course not! I’m never going to school again! These past few days have been the best days of my life!”

“No, no. No school.” Garmadon said, voice soft. His eyes looked distant. Kids often complained about school being the worst parts of their lives; Patty knew, she had 2. The Dark Lord didn’t seem to realize that, letting his son climb up into his lap.

“What about a small school?” Patty offered, pulling up files for houses as she spoke. “Schools in the outer villages are much different from those closer to Ninjago City. In some, schools are only for the children there and only last a few hours each day. Some don’t even have school every day they are so small.”

At length Garmadon asked in a quiet voice. “Maybe we can try a small school...?” He looked unsure, but it was all swept away in a smile when his son turned to him and pulled on his arm.

Patty Keys offered him a file.

“Try here. It’s remote, yet cozy. It’s already fully furnished-”

Lord Garmadon was on his feet in an instant, file already open and reading through it. After a moment he snapped it closed and tucked it under one arm.

He thrust a hand over the desk, making her flinch. But he did nothing, just held his hand out to her.

She hesitated, taking the hand offered.

Garmadon smiled, another hand covering theirs good naturedly as he shook her hand.

“Thank you for your help, Patty,” He said warmly, turning to offer his son one of his hands to hold, “If this works for us then, ah, I suppose I won't be by again to bother you.”

He looked down at the file, frowning.

“If not… hm. I would call, to save everyone from this mess again, but I don't have a phone. Oh well, I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.”

And with that he left, leaving Patty staring after him. When the ninja rushed to her later, asking what had happened, was she okay? She nodded dumbly.

They would be at the house by now, she thought. Garmadon would be looking through the house with his son, getting him situated in what had once been a guest room. She wondered what he would do with the study. Though her mind supplied no few evil possibilities, something told her Garmadon wouldn't do any of them with a child in the house.

Lloyd would be happy there.

Patty forgot to offer him the key.

Garmadon set Lloyd down on the porch - a nice sized porch, a rocking chair or even a swinging bench would look good there - and frowned. It would be easy to kick the door in, but difficult to fix again. Perhaps a window then. He waved for his son to follow as he made his way around the house.

The window he settled on overlooked the backyard, which had gone from overgrown to melding into the woods around them, it seemed.

“Alright, Lloyd, here's the plan; I’m going to get this window open and you get to go in and open the door. What do you think?”

Lloyd bounced on his toes and grinned brightly.

“Yeah, yeah!”

“Here we go-!”

Garmadon put his upper hands on the top and his lower on the bottom, then carefully pushed the window up. He didn't want to use his full strength or the window would be unsalvageable, but if he used just a little extra-

The frame began to creak and groan, then Lloyd jumped back as the window cracked and shattered in quick succession. His dad snarled, brushing the little pieces of glass off as he reached inside and unlocked the window. His face softened as he turned to his son again.

“Your shoes should be enough against any cuts, but don't drag your feet, kay son? We don't want glass all over the house.”

Lloyd nodded. His father lifted him through the window, carefully placing him on the floor of what looked like a study. The glass cracked and broke under his feet, but he lifted his knees high and marched out of the room.

Everything looked so… normal. This was their house, but it just made him feel out of place. There was a shelf in the hallway, bare of books but topped with a bowl of pinecones and weird looking balls. After a moment he took one down and tossed it in his hands as he walked on.

The kitchen was connected to the living room, and none of it made the feeling go away. There were little fake flowers on the mantle and the kitchen archway had a hanging sign that read “Bless this Mess”.

Lloyd scrunched up his nose.

There was a knock at the door. The boy scrambled to unlock it. But for some reason his dad was smiling when the door swung open.

He stepped through the threshold and grinned as he called out- “Honey! I’m home!”

Lloyd didn't understand it, but he didn't question it either.

Garmadon paused to take it all in. It really was a far cry from a tent in the dirt. Patty had been right. It felt like a cozy, family house. It felt like coming home.

He moved to the kitchen, placing their few things on the island. The little sign caught his eye and he turned to his son with a laugh.

“I’ve been blessed!”

Lloyd had tried to smother the feeling that had overtaken him, but his dad saw it as soon as he turned around.

“What is it, son?”

“Is this really where we’re staying?”

Garmadon blinked. “You don’t like it? Where else would you want to stay?”

Lloyd hesitated, then shook his head the barest tilt.

“I… I wanna go back to camp.”

Garmadon moved around the counter and put a hand on his hip.

“If you really don’t like the house we can go back and look for another, Lloyd, but you aren't spending another night in that tent if I have anything to say about it”

His father got down on his knees then, a hand on his shoulder.

“Now, I won’t ask just how long you were… walking around.” Lloyd tensed, but Garmadon gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “But things will be better this way. We're a family now, father and son, together again. As all fathers do, I am going to try my best to do what is best for you. And this is a pretty big step towards that. It's a big change, so it may feel a bit off for a while. Do you feel that way, son?”

Garmadon met his son’s eyes and smiled as he slowly nodded.

“That's okay! Completely okay. It will pass as we get settled. But it looks like you might have questions for me.”

Lloyd ducked his head.

“If we don’t go back to camp, then what’ll happen to the skeletons?”

Garmadon blinked, surprised.

“You said they would lose their heads without you. What're they gonna do now?”

What would they do now?

Chapter Text

What would the Skulkin do without their king, you ask?

They would do well to stay out of his way , at the very least.

No more playing in the dirt with the undead, no more eating dinners over an open fire; what Lloyd needed was the stability of a routine only a proper, secure home could provide.

Garmadon pulled on his robe and emerged from the study just as the sun was rising. Sleep had been short lived last night - not that he felt he particularly needed it. His body seemed to still be adjusting to living.

Garmadon paused outside his son’s room, peering through the open doorway the same way he had many times the night before.

And just as he had found many times before, Lloyd was nowhere near his bed. He could just barely see his blanket where it was trailing behind the open door. His father quietly entered and, wrapping Lloyd up in his blanket, laid him back into bed. The boy would be waking up for breakfast soon anyway, but he could use any extra sleep he could get.

Adjusting to all of this would take time. Settling into routine would take time. He had to keep reminding himself each time he found his son out of bed, or dozing off over his coloring books, or passed out under a chair in the kitchen.

Just as he had cracked the eggs into the pan there was a weight against his side.

“Good morning, Lloyd.”

The child mumbled a “good morning” in return and scrubbed the sleep from his eyes.

“Did you sleep alright?”

Lloyd hummed, leaning his head against his father’s hip.

Same answer as yesterday.

“Well, maybe you can get a little more rest this afternoon, hm?”

Garmadon transferred the scrambled eggs to a plate of toast and set it on the island as Lloyd climbed up.

“You know…” The man began softly, resting against the counter, “If there’s something bothering you, son, you can tell me. It doesn’t matter what it is, I’ll listen and do my best to help.”

Lloyd frowned at that.

“I don’t need help.” He grumbled, and pulling his plate to him, began to eat his eggs with his fingers. Garmadon offered him a fork without comment.

Alone in the woods, isolated from his army and with a small child in his care, he was vulnerable. Practically a sitting duck. So Garmadon had set to hiding various weapons from his armory within arms reach.

A scythe hung over the mantle, feigning decor. Sai sat among the fireplace tools. Nearly a dozen shuriken lined the bottom of their fruit bowl.

Today he would be adding a katana to the collection, to be hidden within the umbrella stand beside the front door.

As much as he would have enjoyed teaching his son actual techniques with these weapons, he forced the feeling down and focused on basic safety.

“What’s the rule again, Lloyd?”

“Don’t touch it unless you say.” The boy chirped.

“Thank you. Now, use both hands - yes, just like that, and-”

A small, dilapidated pine tree stood in the front yard. Instead of tearing up the eyesore, Garmadon let it stand and set Lloyd to it with his weapons. It didn’t stand a chance against him, sending up a spray of needles and making one branch flop brokenly towards the ground.

“Almost!” His father cheered, moving to take the weapon back, only for Lloyd to jump back from his hand. “Now, Lloyd, it isn’t a toy, give-”

“I know that .”

His father blinked, taken aback. Lloyd held the weapon up, the blade shaking with his white-knuckled grip. His face was set so seriously that Garmadon relented without another word, sitting on his knees behind him.

The boy lowered the blade to the ground and began to adjust his stance, not unlike he was preparing a shot for golf rather than a blow. Usually it would make him smile, as with the other weapons they had gone over but now he watched the action with opened eyes. Lloyd was focusing entirely on his form, trying with utmost gravity to replicate the manner his father had haphazardly shown him to hold the sword.

The katana was raised and after a quiet, tense pause, was brought down with all his might on the broken branch. It didn’t go entirely through the wood, but it fell nonetheless when he pulled the blade free.

Lloyd turned to him, eyes begging for praise and guidance. Garmadon moved closer, resting a hand on one shoulder.

“You seem… different today, Lloyd. Is there something on your mind?”

“Let me try again,” his expression hardened, snapping his head back to the tree. “I can do it. I’ll get it right this time.”

“Do what?”

“I want to fight. I want to fight too.”

Was that what this was about? Lloyd must have picked up on something , because he believed there would some sort of attack made on the house.

Could that be why he wasn’t sleeping?

Garmadon turned Lloyd to face him.

“I suppose I could teach you a thing or two, but if something were to happen, Lloyd, I don’t want you to worry, alright? There isn’t anyone in Ninjago stronger than I am, definitely not when I get my weapons-” Garmadon shook that train of thought from his head, adding simply, “I’ll protect you, no matter what.”

“Really?”

The look in the boy’s eyes, the soft disbelieving whisper of his voice; it all cut his father like a knife. He could only nod, the words catching in his throat and choking him.

“But-but what if you’re gone, or you’re hurt or-”

“Easy, easy, son! Whatever happens, I’ll be there to protect you.”

Lunch was served, a meal Garmadon actually felt able to share with his son this time. He settled onto the couch with a book afterwards and Lloyd joined him, bringing his papers and crayons and making himself comfortable at the coffee table.

It was around this time his son would slow down. His father kept a close eye on him to ensure he didn’t fall asleep upright and fall -which had given both of them a scare when it had first happened- but instead found his eyes locked on his drawings.

It had started as a self portrait perhaps? from this morning with the katana, until Lloyd had started drawing another person. A person with dark, spiky hair.

Before Garmadon could offer any questions the boy took the red and orange crayons together all over the character.

Lloyd put the paper aside and started on another one. His picture was holding two yellow rectangles this time and the person beside him was blue and round, looking very sad.

Garmadon put his book aside.

Lloyd took a blue and grey crayon together and drew jagged lines - lightning bolts. He pressed so hard chunks of crayon were left on the page and they looked ready to snap any second.

“What are you drawing, son?”

The boy startled, jumping up from his seat on the floor.

“Huh, what? -Oh, uh… just an idea I had.”

Garmadon pulled the red and orange picture closer to himself.

“Is this the fire ninja?”

Lloyd paused on his next tiny self portrait.

“Yeah! How could you tell; the fire right?”

“His hair, actually. You really captured it.”

Lloyd beamed, moving closer.

“His name’s Kai. And this one right now is Zane.”

Thus far each ninja was surrounded by each of their elements and looking very upset about it. Garmadon pointed this out and to his surprise Lloyd snarled, baring his teeth down at the paper.

“Because I hate them.”

Garmadon stared. Lloyd was really taking him off guard today. What could the ninja have possibly done to garner such fury from a child… He had not even been aware Lloyd knew them, let alone their individual names, until just now.

Now. Now would be a good time to open a conversation about what had happened before…

“Lloyd?”

The boy was beginning to slow, his grip going slack on the brown crayon he was currently scrubbing over Cole's image. He looked up at his father, blinking rapidly to keep his eyes open.

“Yeah?”

“Why don't you come rest up here on the couch.”

After dinner baths were taken and teeth brushed and they were ready to sleep, though he had the feeling neither of them would really be sleeping. Although perhaps tonite would be different, Lloyd was already half asleep in his arms.

His father pulled the blankets back and tucked him in, leaving him with a kiss on the forehead.

He had hardly reached the doorway when Lloyd suddenly shrieked. Next he knew the boy was on the floor, kicking his blankets away and scrabbling back. With a shout Garmadon darted forward, lifting him up and away.

The poor boy clung to him for dear life, shaking like a leaf while his breath came in short and fast bursts.

“Just breathe, everything is alright. I'm here, son.”

Garmadon slid down to the ground and let Lloyd sit on his lap as he grew gradually calmer, though still staring wide eyed at his bed.

“Are you okay? What happened?”

But Lloyd didn't respond. He looked as if he didnt know what to do with himself, eyes brimming with tears and darting between his father and the bed.

“Talk to me, son. What do you need from me?”

Lloyd gripped the shirt of his pjs.

“I-I… you need to check it.”

“Check the bed?” Garmadon clarified, already moving forward.

Under the bed was clear and all that was on top were his sheets and the last of his blankets. Still, he untucked the comforter and pulled it away entirely, examining the sheet under it. It was clean, the material the same pale shade of yellow it always was, so he pulled that back. The fitted sheet was much the same. Would Lloyd want to take that off too?

His son was standing beside him now, staring hard at the offending fabric. His gaze shifted when Garmadon brought his hand up and brushed over it, studying the way the fabric moved in case something actually was beneath it. Finally, Lloyd put his hand on the bed too and climbed up.

“All clear, son?” He asked, watching Lloyd examine his pillows. He nodded and laid down, letting his father pull the covers over him again.

Garmadon leaned up and kissed his forehead. “No bedbugs, no worries.”

“I wasn’t… looking for bedbugs, dad.” He said softly.

“What then?”

Now his voice was too quiet as he pulled the blanket over his head. His father shook his head with a smile and pulled it down again. Lloyd looked away, playing with the material.

“A kid from school put fire ants in my bed and then the other kids started doing it an-and now-”

“Fire ants? Lloyd, tell me something was done about those kids.”

But Lloyd just shrugged it off as if it were nothing. “It wasn’t a big enough deal, the teachers got excited when they heard about it.”

It had to be the most defining thing Lloyd had ever told him about before he took him in. It definitely answered some things, but it filled him with a fair share of new questions as well.

Questions he was sure to ask in the morning, when his son had slept and recovered from this. They burned the back of his throat, so he took a picture book off the shelf and settled beside his son to read.

Lloyd helped him read some pages, but drifted off somewhere into the second Dr. Seuss book. His father continued even as be slept, reading it aloud cover to cover.

He set the book on the nightstand and closed his eyes, determined to stay put should Lloyd need him again.

Chapter Text

Today was the day. The most important day in the life of every family.

Pride couldn’t begin to describe what the Dark Lord was feeling that morning. Sending a child to school had become a sort of right of passage for a parent. When he was a child, both he and his brother had simply learned from experience and the little time their father could spare seeing to Ninjago. Lloyd had the chance to receive a much more rounded education than he ever had.

His son wouldn’t be cooped up in the house all day anymore. He could get a formal education, expand his horizons beyond what his warlording father could reach, while spending time with children his own age. There would be no more wondering when a dead warrior could drop by to play.

After a rather awkward call on his end - the local school board didn’t seem to believe he was well and truly Lord Garmadon - they were prepared for this bright Monday morning. He made a filling breakfast, packed them both lunch, then set to helping his son get dressed.

“I don’t want to do this.” Lloyd announced.

“Why don’t you just give it a try, son?” His father replied, fixing his collar. “It’s only twice a week, ‘an hour at most’, they said. If it doesn’t work out then we won’t keep going after that, alright?”

Any number of things could go wrong. He was the son of the Dark Lord, it wasn’t like they could just waltz in and have nobody bat an eye at them. Or at least, at him.

Lloyd grimaced, pulling at his collar and making the topmost bottom pop loose. “Do we really need to dress like this?”

Garmadon laughed and shook his head, readjusting his son’s collar.

“First impressions are very important, Lloyd. Now do you want a regular tie or a bow tie?”

Making a good first impression was crucial, at least on his part. It was unlikely classes would even continue if the Dark Lord appeared in full battle armor. Not to mention how his son was still wanting for clothes. He had a few, but he had special plans to get Lloyd more in the future.

There may have been the option of dropping Lloyd off, but he wouldn’t let him go alone. Not on the first day, when he had no desire to go in the first place.

“Dad, you look like a dork.”

Besides, who could turn away a father and son in matching button downs and ties?

“Hmm… I do suppose you’re right.” Garmadon tapped his chin then broke into a grin, “I’ll tell you what; I’ll sit in the back of the Skull Truck and you can make me look a little less like a dork by pulling my hair back for me. What do you say?”

Getting Lloyd to follow him out to the truck was as easy as offering him a few ponytails and climbing into the back now. The complaints were put on pause as Kruncha drove them, giving his son just enough time to try his hand at a ponytail and tie a bit of fabric around his forehead. It was clumsy and all of it did little to keep his newfound bangs out of his eyes, but Lloyd was smiling when they climbed out, so it didn’t matter.

The scene they walked into was one so simple, so domestic, a very distinct feeling washed over the Dark Lord at the sight. The children played noisily on the playground while their parents watched them from benches and picnic tables, making small talk. There were no ninja, no villains, no weapons or minions; only peace.

A peace that became a rare sight unbroken.

“Ah, excuse me-”

The trio they were closest to turned readily enough to the soft voice, but instantly jumped to attention when it became clear just who they were talking to. None of the parents jumped to rescue their children and flee, however, so Garmadon counted that as a win.

“Has the, ah, instructor arrived yet? What time does he usually call the children together?”

One pointed him to a high hill, topped with a tree, where a man sat rifling through papers and flipping through books. Their hand didn’t shake, so he counted that as yet another win.

“There isn’t a specific time class starts,” another said in a quiet voice, just loud enough to hear, “He just waits until all the kids are here.”

Speaking of children, Lloyd’s grip had gone slack to the point of being able to slip away with ease. He stood a few paces off, watching the others play.

Garmadon thanked them kindly, keeping his voice low and even, then took his son’s hand and head up the hill.

“Hey, dad?”

“Yes, son?”

“If this guy gets scared can we go home?”

His father shook his head with a smirk, making the child pout.

The teacher had caught sight of them before they reached the top, so that idea was out. He wasn’t scared at all; in fact, he almost looked angry with the way his eyes were narrowed.

The man called out, “I wasn’t aware the Dark Lord had a son.”

“It’s a sort of recent development, more or less.” His father replied.

During most parent-teacher conferences, the respective adults shook hands before discussion began, from what he knew. Neither moved to. Instead, Garmadon filled the space by wrapping an arm around his son’s shoulders, hugging him affectionately to his side a moment before settling a hand on his shoulder.

“This is my son, Lloyd. Hopefully you’ll have room for him in your class?”

The man softened at that, kneeling and resting his chin in his hand. A long, tense silence stretched on as he looked the boy over. He could just barely see Lloyd’s face from this vantage, but he looked to be sizing the teacher up.

If they weren’t careful the boy would probably try to start something.

At last the teacher seemed content, holding a hand out to him with a smile.

“Lloyd, huh? I’m Edwynn.”

The little blonde took his hand and gave it a firm up down, then crossed his arms over his chest.

“Have you ever been to school, Lloyd?” Edwynn asked.

“Yeah.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful. Then you must know how-”

“School sucks.”

His father cringed. “Lloyd, please.”

In perhaps his first non-threatening act toward the Dark Lord, Edwynn raised his hands placatingly. “No, no, it’s alright. School does suck, doesn’t it?”

“It sure does!” Lloyd stamped his foot into the dirt and finally broke into a smile.

“I was about to say that my school here isn’t anything like your typical school.” Edwynn continued, “In my school, I’ll show you and your father what to do today, and then your dad becomes your teacher. You get to take the work home and do it however you like. You can space it out or do it all in a day if you wanted. Friday you get to come back and I’ll grade everything. Much better than sitting at a desk for eight hours a day, amiright?”

Eight hours?

That explained Lloyd’s apparent hatred. This sounded much more enjoyable, but the boy was still disinterested. He turned away to look out at the playground. They had a perfect view of everything from here.

“Do I actually get to play there or do I have to just look at it all day?”

Edwynn laughed and got to his feet again.

“Of course you can, Lloyd. I’ll call everyone together after your dad and I hammer in the details. Paperwork and all that.”

Lloyd didn’t need to be told twice. With a nod from his father he scampered down the hill. Garmadon watched him go, tumbling over himself once or twice before he reached the bottom and using his speed and momentum to practically fly up a rock wall.

Edwynn turned on the Dark Lord the instant the little blonde left hearing range. He had on that same sweet smile he put on for Lloyd, only there was a glint in those emerald eyes that fumed .

“I must inform you that, given Lloyd’s age, you can’t leave the area until I dismiss the class. A guardian must be present for him at all times.”

Cold fury surged through his veins. Here he had no armor, no weapons - he had no way to fight for himself. And that was the point. Against the ever present evil coursing through his veins, Garmadon forced himself to surrender.

“Of course not. I wouldn’t abandon my son on the first day of school. Lloyd needs me here.”

Edwynn almost seemed to deflate. He dropped to the ground in the center of his schoolwork ring, waving for the other to follow. Sifting through his papers, offering the father this to read and that to sign. The two worked quietly, trying to go over what Lloyd probably knew.

Garmadon received a workbook for his son and flipped through it idly as the other made a list of books for the boy try to read on his  own.

After a moment Edwynn cleared his throat.

“I’m sorry for my behaviour before; I really didn’t know you had a son. You said it was a recent development?”

“You could say that,” Garmadon explained, settling back on his hands in the grass. “I had Lloyd before any of this really got its footing. After I was banished well… I still don’t know what happened after that. All he’s told me is that he was ‘walking around’. Now though, he hasn’t been with me for much more than a few months.”

He sighed and looked out over the playground.

“I wish I knew what had happened to him. I won’t push him though. All I know for now is that Lloyd needs this.”

Eyes pressed uncomfortably against his side, but Garmadon forced himself to ignore it, keeping his eyes forward and trained on Lloyd. He was climbing up a slide now, despite the protests of the other children. It wasn’t all that high so he made no move to stop him. That must have been the thought of the other parents nearby, as they made no move to stop him, even with their kids running to tattle.

“Oh.” Edwynn murmured. Something in not having the Dark Lord’s eyes on him seemed to embolden him as he went on. “I never took you for the fatherly type.”

That made him look over. The laughter burst out of him before he could even realize it, let alone smother it.

“Don’t judge a warrior by their armor. My wife and I were insufferable when we finally got the news she was pregnant - no, after we married! By the time we were settled into our own home there were more books on parenting than there were shingles on the roof!”

They both laughed and stood again. Edwynn whistled and waved down to the kids, who, all but Lloyd, eagerly ran up to meet him. He turned to the other before they made it too close.

“I’ll meet with the parents after class and talk things over with them, but don’t worry about the ninja coming by while you two are here. Your son needs you here.”

He couldn’t remember the last time he was shown such genuine kindness. Garmadon thanked him from the bottom of his heart and went to try his luck sitting with the other parents at the bottom of the hill.

Garmadon sent his son a few thumbs up as he passed. Lloyd halfheartedly returned them.

He didn’t want to do this. He didn’t want to have to tell his teacher he couldn’t read or write or do math or science. He definitely didn’t want to tell his teacher in front of a bunch of strangers.

Edwynn carefully broke his ring of papers with his foot, making way for the children to form their usual semi-circle around him. He sat just as Lloyd reached the top and watched and waited until he too sat. He kept to the back, but the other kids were quick to press close to him.

“Everybody, if you haven’t already noticed; we have a new friend here today!” The teacher exclaimed. Lloyd made no move to introduce himself but he didn’t seem to mind. “This is Lloyd, he’s-”

“Is Lord Garmadon your dad?” A girl beside him asked, cutting the teacher off. Lloyd broke into a grin.

“Yeah, he is! He’s the best!”

“If he’s your dad,” Another said slowly, her brow furrowed as she thought hard, “They why don’t you have four arms?”

“Because I’m not the super cool ruler of the Underworld yet. You get the arms when you leave. Like a weird goodie bag, I think. My dad’s skeletons call me ‘dark prince’ though, so that’s cool.”

The other kids were entranced. Edwynn snorted.

“Alright, alright, let’s get started now.”

He handed each child their respective books before taking out his own. The older ones could work on their own, while the younger kids all used the same kind of book and crowded around the teacher to read. That was where Lloyd sat. They showed him where they were and the other kids explained what they had already done.

Flipping through the book along with them, Lloyd already knew all of this stuff, or at least most of it. Not that he was going to actually tell the teacher that though. If he already knew it all, it wouldn’t be hard to blow all the other kids out of the water. Plus, he was less likely to mess it up.

The little blonde shifted where he sat, holding his book open and staring at nothing until his eyes went crossed and his vision went double. It didn’t matter. He undid his sleeves then shoved them back up his arm when it got too hot under the big tree. He picked at the grass nipping at his ankle. He picked and he picked and he picked until there was no more grass to pick and instead dug his nails into the dirt and began to dig and dig and dig.

Glancing at the others, he flipped the page. Nobody seemed to notice the lapse in attention, most notably Edwynn, so he turned his back to the little bare spot of dirt beside him.

A bright pink worm was peeking out from the dirt. Lloyd carefully dug his nail beside it, helping it wriggle topside. It was a long one, with part of its body a brighter shade than the rest, like a bandaid had been stuck around its belly. He stamped his foot onto the page to keep it open, stooping low so he was nearly eye level as gently held it and pulled.

The worm stretched , then finally slid free into his palm. Lloyd ran his fingers over it, brushing the leftover dirt off and examining it.

Weren’t these weird bandaid strips from where it had been cut off? He thought he heard that somewhere. Lloyd held both ends of it between his fingers, pulling-

“Lloyd? You’re not going to tear that little worm, are you?”

The boy jumped, snapping his head back to the little circle. The other kids his age were gone, only the older kids working by themselves left. Edwynn was still sitting on his knees. His book was wasn’t open anymore.

Lloyd hastily slapped his book closed but it was too late. There would be no hiding that big muddy shoe print from anyone.

“Couldn’t keep your attention, could I?”

Lloyd shrank into his shirt.

Edwynn shifted closer, taking the workbook. Lloyd didn’t argue. He flipped through its contents, overlooking the big crinkled page and splattering of mud, and set it before the child on a new one.

There was a worm on the page.

“If you want to know more about your little friend, why don’t you try to learn by reading rather than by dissection, hm,” laughed the teacher. “I’ll mark this page for you and your father to work on for Friday.”

Lloyd blinked.

“And don’t worry about the footprint, Lloyd; I can give you a new book if you’d like.”

In a matter of minutes he was walking down the hill to meet his father for lunch, holding a pristine new workbook with his name on it. And he would keep it pristine.

It wouldn’t take an evil genius to fill it cover to cover anyway.

Chapter Text

None of them had so much as touched their food. It was an expensive place so they only managed a plate to share, but no one was actually hungry. Instead, all eyes were directed out the window, into the small family diner on the other side of the street.

Lord Garmadon had actually made reservations to eat here this morning; something big was happening today, and the ninja would be damned if they didn’t figure out what it was.

If he actually showed up, that is.

Kai adjusted his sunglasses again. They felt too heavy for his face with the hidden camera on them and more often than not he found himself looking over them rather than through. Zane was wearing glasses with his disguise too, though his rose tinted shades looked right at home on him. Cole and Jay had relied on their hair to hide their faces, Cole’s brushed and hanging over his eyes while Jay had spent over an hour curling his.

That and he was wearing makeup. It looked better than he expected-

“There he is!” Jay practically jumped in his seat, hopping closer to the window to see and squishing him against the glass in the process.

Garmadon could have easily blended in with the crowd if he didn’t have four arms. There was no armor or weapons anywhere near him and his hair, which had stuck up as if he were struck by lightning last Kai saw it, now was tied back out of his face in a messy bun.

It took him a long time to realize Garmadon wasn’t alone. Lloyd was just as dressed up as his dad was, clean and wide-eyed as he followed his father inside, though perhaps a little dazed.

“What’s he got Lloyd with him for?” Cole mumbled, starting to pick at their shared plate. “I thought this was going to be some sort of meeting with another criminal or something. Like they would discuss territories.”

“You have been watching too many movies, Cole.” Laughed Zane. “While it is possible Garmadon could have been meeting with another villain, I also find it unlikely. He wishes to conquer Ninjago to recreate it in his own image; adding others with their own agendas would likely jeopardize that.”

“Well, he can’t be out for Sunday brunch!”

“It is Tuesday.”

“I know that!”

Kai had yet to look away from the pair. Garmadon lifted Lloyd onto a high stool and, before going to sit down himself, helped him look over the menu. Only when he seemed to decide, he didn’t sit down, instead stalking off farther into the restaurant.

Lloyd was left to twiddle his thumbs and gape at his surroundings. He turned to look out the window and Kai ducked his head. The others quickly followed his lead.

“Wait- where did he go?”

“Away.”

“Obviously, Kai! But did he leave-?”

“No, he just went to find a waiter or something, I don’t know. He just left Lloyd there.”

“So he will not go far.”

Garmadon came back only a moment later, grinning from ear to ear. Lloyd tipped his head to one side and said something that somehow made Garmadon’s smile even wider.

“Zane, can you-”

“Yes, of course. Garmadon is now wondering aloud what could be significant about today’s date, and says ‘We will see soon enough’.”

Jay slapped his hands on the table and stood up from the booth.

“So he is up to something!”

He shrank again at his brothers’ hissed shushes.

In that short span of time, something had obviously changed across the street. The server had brought them their food and Lloyd was standing on his chair, staring down at his plate. And then, after a pause, his face broke into the brightest smile any of the ninja had ever seen on the little blonde.

He yelled something, making everyone in the diner smile at him. Zane went very still. His face fell.

“What, what is it?”

“Yeah, what did he say, Zane?”

But Zane didn’t respond, watching as Lloyd settled down again and father and son ate their breakfast. He pulled off his glasses to blatantly gape across the street, much to the surprise of his teammates.

“It… it is Lloyd’s birthday. That is why Garmadon made reservations.”

---

Lloyd’s energy was endless. What else would you expect when a child learns that today is their birthday? Regardless, Garmadon had no problem keeping up with him and smiled and grinned at his antics and constant questions. 

Judging by their path, the little blonde wouldn’t have to wonder much longer. Cole could already see the Ninjago City Mall from where he and Zane tailed the pair a few paces back.

It was all new to Garmadon, but if Lloyd were paying attention he would surely know within a heartbeat. The Ninjago City Mall was the first place he’d met the ninja, after all. Darkley’s had sent his entire class on a rampage there just before Christmas. He couldn’t shake the odd feeling that washed over him at the reminder.

After passing through the mall’s massive entryway, surprisingly without any notice of security, Garmadon led them into a children’s clothing store. Zane and Cole easily blended in with the other teens around the area, leaning nonchalantly against a wall beside a pretzel stand.

“Is this… something many fathers tend to do for their children on their birthdays?”

Cole blinked at the question.

“Uh, yeah, sometimes. I mean, my dad never did anything like this for my birthday. We always just stayed home with his troupe or went out to the theater.” All things his father liked to do on his own birthday. He never had been the best at picking up his interests.

His brother’s responding hum broke him out of his thoughts.

“But hey, you remember your father now, right? Did he do anything special for your birthday?”

A warm smile lit up the nindroid’s face at the reminder. He hummed again, tapping his chin as he recalled his newfound past.

“Well, for a time we had a sort of celebration every month after I onlined. They were always small, a happy ‘you are doing so well’, until I reached a full year old. We baked together that day.”

Cole shifted, leaning his shoulder against the wall now.

“That sounds really nice, Zane.”

Zane leaned back too, crossing his arms as he watched Lloyd and Garmadon coming back out of the store.

“It was. I do wonder, though, how many birthdays Lloyd celebrated with his family before they sent him to Darkley’s.”

Garmadon was covered arm to arm in bags. Lloyd himself was wearing something completely different from before, now sporting a pair of overalls over a green and white t-shirt, jumping in a pair of little green sneakers.

“He must be trying to catch up on all the birthdays he missed in the Underworld.”Their next stop took the pair to the arcade. Kai and Jay had staked out the place, knowing Lloyd would pull his father that way eventually. It also happened to be across from a video store which they thought was equally as likely to be a stop. So they split off; Jay in the store and Kai in the arcade.

At least with Kai in the dark Garmadon wouldn’t notice him for his hair. And it kept Jay from getting distracted and playing a few rounds for himself. It really was the perfect cover.

Cole shot them both a warning.

It was Kai who responded, having heard them before he saw them.

Lloyd’s voice was high, cutting through the air and splitting the crowd as he pulled his father into the shadows of the arcade. The other kids were polar opposites to their parents, crowding the pair.

“Please , dad! You have to try a game, just one, I swear!”

They closed in on the game the fire ninja was beside, though thankfully Garmadon was too overwhelmed by the sea of wide eyes and tiny gaping mouths around him to realize.

“Th-that’s alright, son, really; I’ll be just fine without playing any of these. I’ve gone this long already-”

His voice was so quiet. He sounded like he was trying to calm an infant, and judging by the rising exclamations of the kids around him, it wasn’t working. More and more they pressed in, until Lloyd could hardly be distinguished from the rest. Garmadon wobbled against the wave of chattering, reaching children.

“Never played-?!”

“There’s no way!”

“You’ve got to!”

“I thought he was in that one-?”

With one last shove he reached the console, having to stoop to properly see the screen. Everyone huddled in around it, Lloyd having to haul himself over his father’s shoulder to point down at the controls. He showed him how to move and fight, then Garmadon inserted his tokens.

A hush fell as the game began proper, an intro cutscene rolling and plopping Garmadon’s player on the battlefield. And within taking two steps, the Lord of Darkness died.

His eyes blew comically wide. Kai had to slap his hand over his mouth to keep from laughing loud enough to hear. Everyone else erupted into laughter and Garmadon cracked a smile of his own. Lloyd was in tears, nearly slipping off his perch before his father raised a hand to steady him again. He was so glad he was the one wearing the camera for this.

“You ran right into him! Dad, that’s the monster, you have to hit him!”

“What? Can’t I just push him?” His father laughed. Again he rocked on his heels, everyone pushing and shoving at his joke.

“No! You can’t just push somebody, dad! You have to fight!”

Garmadon shook his head as his character flickered back to life.

“If you say so, son, if you say so.”

On his second try, Garmadon lasted a fair few minutes before he jumped off a ledge and died in a pit. On his third, he somehow made it all the way to the end of the level. Things grew comically tense, everyone waiting with baited breath as Garmadon used his last life against the boss. Kai couldn’t help but lean forward a little, watching the way his four hands all worked in tandem on the keys, eyes pinned to the screen.

It startled both ninja and warlord when the beast scored a nasty hit, killing him instantly. The others practically wailed in disappointment.

Lloyd scampered down to the floor.

“That can’t be it! You were doing so good! You were so close! ”

Garmadon hugged his son from behind, watching the screen flash its ‘GAME OVER’ at them all. His eyes softened, looking over the many sad faces around him. Then he knelt, slipping another coin into the slot and starting up the game just where he left it.

“For me perhaps. Why don’t you give it a go now?”

The other kids all roared and like a wave rose around the little blonde. Garmadon was gone as if he had never been there to capture their attention in the first place.

Kai himself slipped away, completely unnoticed.

Suddenly the arcade became the worst place to lose sight of the Lord of Darkness. He melded with the shadows with ease, the loud games and the light layer of carpeting muffling any sounds of movement. Kai stuffed his hands in his pockets, struggling to fight the urge to stalk the aisles.

Garmadon was too large to fit behind the consoles, right?

It felt like running into a brick wall. Kai stumbled back, holding his head and glaring-

Only to be met with a similar expression. One with red eyes that burned with fury and fangs lit up by the neons of the arcade around them. For a moment it was all he could see before his eyes adjusted to the dark and the shadow in front of him took form.

“What,” The Dark Lord ground out through gritted teeth, “Are you doing here?”

Kai dropped into a defensive stance, a hand darting behind his back.

“I could ask you the same thing.”

The motion didn’t go unnoticed. Garmadon’s hands curled into fists at his sides. Yet he didn’t make any move other than to snap his head back to the ever present laughter of the children on the other side of the arcade.

“This little act of yours isn’t fooling anyone, Garmadon. Stop playing daddy and leave .”

And suddenly his feet were off the floor, held aloft by the collar of his shirt, glasses askew and barely managing to stay put on the bridge of his nose.

“Stay away from my son.”

The silence seemed to stretch, forcing the other to yank him eye to eye.

“I know you’ve done something to him; how else would he have any idea who you four are? And when I find out…” Garmadon sneered, shaking his head, “Let’s just be glad he hasn't seen any of you yet.”

He couldn’t move. If he drew his weapon now, Garmadon could easily take it from him. Let go of it now and it would clatter to the floor, drawing even more attention to it. He knew the Dark Lord was already aware he had a weapon, but if he realized it was the Sword of Fire he’d be done for. All Kai could manage was to shove his free hand against the warlord’s chin as he kicked and squirmed to fall free. Garmadon was unphased.

“Because you’re evil!” He spat, “And like it or not, so is Lloyd!”

Garmadon roared and slammed him into the ground. He was never so aware of the concrete they all stood on for hours while playing as he was then. His sword clattered and slid behind him.

“My son is kind and wonderful and good , how could you possibly-”

Kai could see the light reflect in the Dark Lord’s eyes; the Sword of Fire, still lightly smoldering. Again he was hauled up by his shirt, tossed to the side as he advanced on it. The sword burst to life in his palm, lighting up the arcade and part of the mall outside of it.

There weren’t any kids laughing anymore. The only thing he could hear over the pounding in his ears was the voices of team mates, berating him for bringing the sword in the first place. 

Garmadon ran his fingertips along the blade’s edge, the fire making his hand steam as he pulled it away to level it at the fire ninja before him.

“Dad?”

Lloyd’s voice cut through the air like a knife. His father startled violently, so much so that the Sword of Fire flickered as it slipped from his grip. His eyes blew wide, head snapping left to right.

“Lloyd?”

The boy answered, voice high and excited, closing in on them.

“Dad!”

Garmadon turned on him, burying the Sword of Fire through his jacket and deep into the floor. The light went out, save for the few wisps that caught on his clothes. He sped to the end of the aisle, meeting his son halfway to the scene. Kai could see him from here, gripping a DVD and waving it up at him.

“You’ll never guess what I found! Where have you been?”

“Where have I been?” Garmadon laughed, tense, quickly ushering Lloyd away, “I told you not to wander off, sweetheart. Where did you find that?”

“It’s not far, it’s right across from here! I knew you’d find me anyways. Aren’t you going to guess what it is, dad?”

“I’ll certainly try, but why don’t you show me just where you found it first?”

====

After their trip, things around the house had been filled with excitement. Lloyd was talking nonstop, whether it be about his comics or about his new games. He couldn’t sit still either, pacing and jumping, and kicking his legs while he laid on the couch.

So, all in all, his birthday was a success.

“Lloyd!” Garmadon called, turning to lean over the back of the couch, “Time to brush your teeth!”

His son had calmed down and had been playing in his room until now. He heard his door open, then the bathroom door. Garmadon turned back to his work on the shirts in his lap. 

The day’s success was in part of these shirts. He’d spent hours yesterday stitching extra sleeves into them, to help him blend in with the crowds as much as he could. It had done the trick, allowing him to even stand amongst groups of little children without drawing the ire of concerned adults around him. Not even the mall security had bothered the two of them today.

It was only a moment later when Lloyd climbed up on the couch beside him, followed by a quiet tune that did not sound anything like brushing teeth.

Garmadon looked up.

Lloyd had his toothbrush in his mouth, chewing it while he stared at the little device in his hands. His thumbs were working overtime on the buttons and it continued to sing its fast little song. But he didn’t recognize it; in fact, Garmadon had never seen one of these before.

“Where did you find that, Lloyd?” he asked, leaning over his shoulder, eyeing the screen.

“While we were out today,” Lloyd replied past the toothbrush in his mouth.

“No, where did you find it, Lloyd. I don't recall getting that for you today.”

Lloyd popped his toothbrush out of his mouth and grinned.

“There was this kid at the arcade and she had her bag sitting next to her while she played. It was just right there! Wide open and everything! So I-”

“You stole it.”

His heart dropped into his stomach.

“Yeah, and she didn't even notice!” Lloyd went on beaming, completely unaware. “I must be getting better!”

“Better?” he parroted.

It was then his son seemed to realize things weren’t quite right. He looked up at him, closing the game and leaving them in silence.

“Yeah, I-I used to be really bad at taking stuff, but I've been practicing more and now I think I'm a really good thief. I guess not that good, ‘cause I haven't tried taking from a big store or anything, but…”

“Lloyd, will you show me all that you took today?”

Lloyd slowly slid off the couch, eyeing his father over his shoulder as he was followed back to his bedroom. Garmadon didn't miss his white-knuckles grip on the little game.

His son went to his bookshelf, climbing onto the first shelf to reach the books he had placed there at the top. They were primarily history books that had been left at the house from the previous owners, and neither of them read the things, so he had put them up and out of the way. Lloyd reached for a massive text on world history. Garmadon hurried to help him given its weight, but to his surprise he lifted it with little trouble.

They both knelt on the floor beside the bed. Lloyd opened the book, revealing its mutilated insides. The pages had been carved out, leaving a secret box at its center, filled with an assortment of things. He was somewhat relieved to see it was mostly candy, though looking more closely he only began to feel worse.

There were clips of cash sitting in this book, the tens and twenties, even fifties folded neatly and stacked into one corner. Credit cards and cell phones floated throughout. Someone's wallet glared at him.

The words stuck in his throat, practically choking him. “You… you took all of this today?” 

Lloyd’s head hung as he stepped back, pushing the mattress up just enough to reveal a little square bag. He put that on the bed too, zipping it open.

It was neatly lined with small rectangular cards, a space left where Lloyd’s new game would sit. On the inside in bright blue letters, a child's messy scrawl read “Paisley”, with a street address neatly beside it.

Garmadon could feel himself choking up. He scrubbed his hand over his face and bit his lip to stop its wavering. He wouldn’t cry - he couldn’t cry, not in front of Lloyd.

He put a hand on his son’s shoulder, making him look up and meet his eyes. 

“Why… why would you do this?”

Lloyd’s face turned white as a sheet. 

“This little game was hers , Lloyd. This could have been a gift from her own birthday. Why would you take it from her like this?”

Garmadon brought his other hand up and carefully made soothing circles on his shoulders. The poor boy felt as if he could collapse at the wrong move. There was a long moment of silence, Lloyd’s trembling beginning to match his own.

“I… I thought… I thought you were stealing too.”

Garmadon bit his lip harder, biting back the tears as he took in a sharp breath through his teeth. It didn’t help, so he pulled Lloyd against his chest.

“No, no Lloyd. Not today. Not for something like this.”

Nothing that came through Lloyd’s life had been stolen ever since the house itself. He had discovered he and his wife had a large savings shared before he had been banished and now with what interest had accumulated over the seven or so years, there was no reason to steal. In fact, some weeks ago Garmadon had taken it upon himself to actually call Patty Keys to properly purchase the house and have it insured.

And here was Lloyd, spending his birthday pick-pocketing because he thought his father was doing the same.

Garmadon hugged him tighter, resting his chin on the top of his head.

“I thought I was doing really good.” The boy hiccuped. 

“I’m so sorry I let you think that."