Long before time had a name, the First Spinjitzu Master created Ninjago. He fought Overlords and Stone Armies, creating history in his wake. Right when he finally thought he could have peace, the Oni returned from his original realm to convince him to fight for them. To return to the war that he was wise enough not to fight. The Oni were demons with powers beyond understanding. There were only five of them, but the First Spinjitzu Master knew he could not fight them all off alone. Thus, he created the Elemental Masters to serve at his side and protect his realm from chaos.

When the Oni had been dealt with and the realm returned to peace, as a reward for their help, the Elemental Masters were allowed to keep their powers. They would pass them on to their descendants, training heirs in case the First Spinjitzu Master ever needed their aid again. Over time people came to respect the elemental power, and out of the ashes of roaming nomads rose the Elemental Houses. Society began to flourish under the elemental leaders, and the new generations were always preparing, ready to assist if called upon.

I wish that were how the story ended. It always seemed like a well whetted cycle of goodness and harmony, of people working together to secure the good of the realm. But when you dove into the statistics of it, I didn't think anyone was happy at all.

I wasn't happy, that was for sure.

I was currently weaving my way through big dresses and even bigger tables laced with hors d'oeuvres and oversized bowls of obnoxiously sweet juice. Loud women attempted to whisper gossip behind their fans, while men were either jumping over each other to get to the snack tables, or quietly trying to sink into the ornate walls that hosted many ornate portraits.

I was on my way to bother Ray—or, Master Fire, as I was supposed to call him in public—but the minute I caught sight of his bright red waistcoat, I noticed an equally bright blue dress standing beside it. Mistress Maya Water of House Water stood beside my friend, blushing beneath layers of luscious dark curls. Ray had had a crush on her for the longest time, and there was no way I was going to interrupt their flirting. For one, it was disgusting to watch, and two, best friends don't interrupt flirtatious endeavors.

So, I frowned, stole a few cookies from the nearest table, and slid my way through the ever-thickening crowd of nobles.

My family was hosting a party, one the biggest parties they'd ever thrown. Since House Lightning was second only to House Shadow in size and wealth, my parents were reasonably affluent and had gone all out with the party. I was pretty sure every single person in House Lighting and House Shadow were in the ballroom. I also saw the forest green colors of House Nature mixed in with the blacks and blues of Houses Shadow and Lightning, along with the reds of House Fire, the ceruleans of House Water, the greys of House Smoke, and even the deep scarlets of House Gravity. It was like my parents had gathered every single member of nobility they could find.

This party was for a very important event, one that I preferred not to think about. That was why I squeezed through one last set of blue hoopskirts and made my way out of the stuffy ballroom. The orchestra's music was still so incredibly loud, even out on the porches of our mansion, but at least it wasn't combined with the chatter of irrelevant nobles.

I didn't bother to pick up my skirt as I stepped down the flights of stairs into the gardens below. I didn't care about the dress; it wasn't like I was going to wear it again after tonight anyway. The servants had fastened me in a tight-fitting greyish lightning blue bodice, complete with puffy sleeves, pearl beads decorating the empire neckline, and a hoopskirt wide enough where I had to turn sideways to get through doors. It was a beautiful dress, but it had a meaning behind it that made me want to rip it to shreds.

It was the same dress North wore to her engagement party.

Now North was 'happily' married to a prestigious member of House Shadow. My older sister claimed she had everything she wanted. I had seen her new home—I wasn't convinced. Sure, she had various trails to walk, a comfortable manor, and a convenient set of servants, but her husband never showed anything but nonchalance towards her. It was a marriage of convenience, one to give North a high-class life and keep the money within the top two Houses.

And just like North, I was expected to marry a man I didn't love just to keep the bloodlines and money flow pure. It was disgusting. If the First Spinjitzu Master were still alive, I just might kick his shins for doing this to us.

I took off my flats and quietly made my way through the gardens. The high trellises of rosebuds and lavender tickled my cheeks as I walked past them. The moonlight was beautiful; the air was clear and crisp. It was truly a wonderful night to have a ball.

"Cliff," I hissed into the cool gardens, "Cliff where are you?"

Hands wrapped around my waist and spun me against a lean form. I squeaked in surprise, then started laughing. We laughed together, him and I, as we twirled through the petals of blooming flowers.

When he finally released me, I spun around and curtsied.

"Miss Lightning." Cliff smiled, his bright teeth catching the moonlight. His face may have still had a few dirt stains on it, but there was nothing as impeccable as his smile.

"Oh, stop with the formalities." I grinned as he took my hand and kissed it.

Cliff wiped a hand over his mucky clothes—he must have gotten straight out of the stables. He reached for my hand again, entwining our fingers with ease. His hands were always warm and rough. I'd say it was a stark contrast to mine, but I had my fair share of calluses.

"C'mon." Cliff tugged at our hands. "There's something I want to show you."

I followed him through the blooming gardens, watching his auburn hair bounce with each of his ecstatic steps. He'd been thrilled to find out the ball was tonight for reasons I wasn't yet sure of.

Once we'd made it through the garden, we stepped out onto a small clearing that overlooked the farmers' fields. The expansive mounds of growing corn spread out until the border wall. The wall wasn't very high, but it was a symbol of our territory. My family owned everything within the wall, and we tried our best to be self-sufficient. Who knows who might turn against us and try to start a siege? There had been traitorous Houses in the past.

The clearing was dotted with grass and small dandelions that were poking their heads up to spread their seeds. Cliff motioned for me to sit down, and we both spread our arms wide as we laid in the grass.

Up above us was the night sky.

It was vast and expansive; the darkness was speckled in white dots like powdered sugar over a confection. We were away from the bright mansion, so there was little light to interfere with our view. I opened my mouth in silent awe—and then I saw it.

A single white light, streaking across the sky.

I slowly rose to a sitting position, holding down my skirts so they wouldn't get in my face. The night sky started flashing with shooting stars. Cliff smiled at the little noises of wonder I was making.

I got on my knees and shook his shoulders. "Those are falling stars!"

"The local almanac said tonight was going to be one of the best nights to see them." Cliff reached up to touch one of my curls. He played with it like a child, smiling in fascination as it bounced in his fingers.

I wanted to scoop him up and twirl him like he did me. This was incredible. All it needed was—

"Oh!" I pulled out the crumbling cookies from the pockets of the dress, shoving some into his hands. "I brought treats!"

Cliff nibbled on one of his like a squirrel.

"Chocolate chip?" he asked playfully.

"I looked for gingersnap, but I couldn't find any."

He laughed and began scarfing down the rest of the cookies with much more vigor. Underneath his dirty set of clothes, I knew he was malnourished.

"How... how are they feeding you down there?" I asked tentatively.

"The stables?" Cliff's smile faltered. "Oh, you know, the usual. We love eating whatever leftovers we can scrounge from the nobles' feasts. Tonight we will all stuff our bellies."

His expression flickered into something darker. The look was gone before I could interpret it.

"The serving maids," he said after a few minutes, "they said that this party... that it was an engagement party."

The cookies crumbs turned to dust in my mouth.

"Yes," I choked out.

Cliff studied me for a long second. The moon ducked behind a cloud, and his face became barely visible in the dark. "It's your engagement party, isn't it?"

"Yes, but I will not marry him."

"Why?" he burst out, clutching at the grass beneath him. "Thunder Shadow is prestigious, powerful—"

"He's also a stuck-up brat whose social position has gotten to his head."

Don't even get me started on how much I despised Thunder Shadow. I preferred not even thinking his name, just on the off chance that I might be lucky enough to forget it.

"But he can take care of you—"

"No, Cliff." I silenced his rant. "I'm not going to marry him. My parents can force me to be engaged, but under no circumstance will I actually go through with the marriage. I don't care what he can offer me."

"Storm." His voice was small as he reached forward to clasp one of my hands. "Not marrying him isn't going to make your society accepting to it—us. It's going to be a scandal, whether you run off with me now or then. You know that as well as I do."

"I'm not going to 'run off' with you," I insisted. "I am going to annoy Thunder so much that he breaks off the engagement, and then I will pull you into high society with me. You will live the life of your dreams, Cliff. This plan is impeccable; I've been perfecting it for three years now."

He shook his head. "It's not going to work—"

"I don't care," I hissed, my temper suddenly flaring. "It will work because it must. I am their Mistress of Lightning. They will accept you as a full nobleman of the Houses and my husband. I will have both."

Cliff looked at me again, one of those long glances that was a mix of sorrow and longing. He touched my cheek briefly, then rose to his feet. He offered a hand to help me to my feet.

"Well, until the hour that ultimatum comes, let's still enjoy ourselves, eh?"

He showered me in a handful of grass and took off into the gardens. I stood a second in a stunned silence, still trying to process his quick change in mood, but when he called me a loser for standing still, I laughed. 

I chased him in hot pursuit. Twigs were stuck in my hair; flower petals clung to my dress. Despite all of this, I was having the most fun I'd had in forever. It was easy to get wrapped up in the politics of my world, where everything was a game of money and power. Here with Cliff was where all of that was left behind. With him I was just Storm. Not the princess-like being of House Lightning. Not the woman about to be engaged to Thunder Shadow. Just Storm. And that's all I ever wanted to be.

It's why I didn't understand why he didn't believe in our future. With him at my side I could give him money and affluence, but he would keep me myself. He would never go hungry again, and I would never fear becoming anything like all the other stuffy noblewomen. It was perfect; I wish he could see that.

We ran through flowers and skipped across stones. We danced to the faint music and watched the shooting stars sail through the sky. It was magical; it was the break from society that I drank up hungrily.

I didn't know how much time passed in that meadow; all I remember was Cliff leading me back towards the loud mansion as I laughed against his arm. He was telling the story of a newborn foal learning to walk while he attempted to clean me up for reentry into my noble society.

"Mistress Storm." A cold voice came a bit in front of us, stopping us both.

Instantly Cliff was stone, moving away and behind me a respectful distance. I stood alone facing the speaker, trying to keep my face from twisting into a scowl.

"Master Shadow," I sourly replied.

Thunder studied my muddied hem, then took a step forward.

"May I?" he asked.

"May you what?"

"You have a twig in your hair," he replied, a hint of a grin on his thin lips. I reached up and ripped it out. Thunder was not amused by this. His dark eyes narrowed next at Cliff, who was currently trying to decide whether to quietly slip away or wait to be dismissed.

"Who is this?" Thunder asked, displeasure leaking into his tone.

"That is my—that is the stable boy," I corrected myself quickly, forcing myself to meet Thunder's eyes. "I got um... lost in the gardens and needed help finding my way back."

Thunder softened at those words. "I understand completely, Mistress Storm. Parties of this magnitude can often be overwhelming."

His voice was like honey, just like all of his house. I hated him, I hated his voice, I hated his entire House and the fact that I was expected to marry into it. Thunder probably thought he could charm me with kindness so the whole ordeal went over smoother. I bet his mother put him up to this.

Thunder dismissed Cliff, the latter gave me a heartfelt and yet sympathetic glance before bolting back to the stables. Thunder offered me his arm, and I mentally heaved before taking it. He smelled like fresh grapes and a well-watered garden. Father must have been showing his family our vineyard.

"Storm, there is no need for formalities with me," he said quietly once Cliff was out of earshot. He was careful with his steps, as if he believed I was leaning on Cliff because I was injured. "The servants do not care about how we address each other."

"I am well aware of how you would like to be addressed, Master Shadow."

Thunder sighed, turning his attention back towards the lights of the open ballroom doors. It tended to get stuffy in the mansion, so door and windows were left open for maximum airflow.

"I am trying to help you." He stopped us before we reached the door. "Your mother would have a fit if she saw your hair filled with twigs and your hem covered in mud."

"I don't need your help." I pulled away from him, brushing off the last of the petals from my sleeves.

Thunder's mouth twisted into a firm line. "This doesn't have to be difficult, Storm. If you weren't so insistent on hating me, I think we might actually get along."

"Shove your stupid fantasies where they belong."

He flinched, and I almost regretted being so rude. Almost. Thunder was constantly surrounded by high society, so even insults were laced up with polite words. I usually had enough control of myself to jab at people politely, but with Thunder I was a venomous snake. He always acted like he was looking forward to our engagement, rather than being repulsed by it. It made me sick.

"Can I have everyone's attention please?" A powerful voice said from inside the ballroom. The music instantly died down and the loud chattering shifted to hushed whispers. Thunder took one last look at me (I scowled) and headed back in towards his family. "This ball is a very special one. Tonight, we are celebrating an engagement."

Cheers erupted from the pompous high society. I shoved my way through the crowd to find my family. If I didn't come when my father called, the whole ballroom would erupt in chaos. Last time someone had gotten lost at a ball, they'd sent out every single member to split up and search for the lost person.

"This engagement will be a testament to the strength of the Houses. It will be a unification between the strongest two, along with bringing about a marriage between two elemental masters."

Murmurs of surprise spread throughout the crowd. I stepped up a flight of stairs to join my mother, Lady Zella Lightning of House Shadow, along with a few of my older cousins who had come to watch the event. My younger brother was sick at the moment, so he luckily got to escape the madness. My father, Lord Naveen Lightning of House Lightning, was the one currently addressing the crowd.

"May I please present, with most humble gratification, Master Thunder Shadow of House Shadow!"

Instantly the air was filled with raucous applause and loud compliments. The women commented on Thunder's defined profile, or the sharpness of his black suit. The men called out how composed he was, how fit for an elemental master. All of them were cheering, adoring, mindless slaves to the nobility. They only worshipped him because he could grant them favors.

"Master Shadow has graciously agreed to this alliance, and we are more than happy to bring about the most genetically powerful descendants in the Houses' history."

My father was using big words, but once this was over, he'd go retire to his library. Just like with North, this was entirely a marriage of convenience. He couldn't care less about 'genetically powerful descendants'. He was only there because Thunder's parents had suggested the match, and no one said no to House Shadow.

"May I introduce the lucky girl for tonight, my lovely daughter, Mistress Storm Lightning of House Lightning!"

I hesitated, then Mother's small hand was around my wrist, her grip like iron. Lady Zella was far from the fragile woman she liked to pretend to be. She not-so-nicely tugged me forward, until she saw that I got the message. I forced a smile onto my face and stepped out in front of hundreds of people.

I heard the remarks about how beautiful my dress was, how picturesque my curls were falling down my back, how I held myself with such dignity—it made me want to lift up my dress and show them I was still barefoot. Not to mention it'd highlight the muddied hem. Now that would cause a scandal.

Thunder did look grotesquely handsome in the spotlight. His dark hair was the perfect mix between tussled and styled; his suit showed off broad shoulders I knew he was overly fond of. Even his pale cheeks were rosy with a hint of something—whether it be nervousness or delight, I didn't care. Stupid, handsome Thunder. I took consolation from the fact that once my plan went into action, those broad, protective shoulders would be crumpled with shame and defeat.

Thunder said a few words to the crowd. I didn't pay attention to any of them. I kept my mind focused on auburn hair, an ever-constant smile, and shooting stars streaking across the sky. Then, Thunder turned back to me, and got down on one knee. I'm pretty sure someone in the crowd swooned. Out of my peripheral vision I saw Ray holding back laughter at the scene.

Oh Ray. He was never going to let this go, was he?

"Mistress Storm Lightning of House Lightning," Thunder started, holding out a simple ring. It wasn't ugly by any means, but he paid more attention to my preferences with jewelry than I was comfortable with. Then again, Thunder could glance in my direction, and I'd feel uncomfortable.

"Will you do me the most exceptional and beloved honor of one day becoming my treasured wi—"

The only closed doors in the mansion, the entryway doors, slammed open.

And in their dark silhouette stood a young man.

One boy, physically only a little older than I was, stood with a staff in his hands, a grim look on his face.

Wu Garmadon.

Everyone knew who he was, and what he represented. So, no one was surprised when he spoke the words, "We're going to war."