I knocked on Wyn's bedroom door only once, then knocked another time out of caution. I was concerned that the servants wouldn't hear me. As soon as I had the thought however, a young maid opened the door quietly, bowing her head as I walked past.

Wyn's room was decorated with dark and light blue wallpaper, both shades being tinged with a familiar grey. I didn't understand why House Lightning's blue had to be so unsaturated compared to the other House colors, but I was told it was because we had to separate ourselves from the blues of House Water and House Ice. A few wooden toy trains had been tucked into a intricately carved toy cabinet next to his closet. Other than that, his room was barren, save the chamber pot in a deserted corner and a pitcher of water on his nightstand.

The man, the myth, the legend himself was lying in his bed, sleeping. Mother was standing next to the bed, watching as a maid wiped Wyn's sweaty forehead off with a towel. Mother coughed twice into her satin gloves, but angrily waved off any of the maids who started to look concerned.

I plopped down on the other side of Wyn's bed, ignoring the sharp glare coming from my mother.

"Winnie," I nudged his shoulder.

"Whaaaaa," Wyn lazily opened his eyes, then sneezed all over his front. A maid was quick to pat down his face.

"Winnie," I paused whilst trying to figure out how to put my news lightly. "Winnie, I'm going to have to go away for a while."

"Are you getting married? Like North?" Wyn asked. His voice was thick was fever.

I laughed, only for his benefit. I usually wasn't this social with my sickly younger brother, but I was too scared to miss my last goodbye.

They called it the snake influenza. Ever since the Serpentine had started rising in significance, people had been coming down with a dangerous strain of the influenza. Our town had been lucky enough not to get hit until recently. I heard that the towns that had the worst cases had several hundred deaths. Wyn had recently traveled to North's town to visit her, and when he came back, he was constantly sniffling. Within days he had a fever bad enough where the medic advised we not let him out of bed.

I was afraid that when I returned from the war, my once smiley little brother would not be there at all.

"I am going to fight Serpentine," I told him, gently tucking a strand of his dark hair behind his ear.

His eyes lit up as he breathed, "Wow."

I nodded. Mother cleared her throat—I was far too close to him for comfort—but I ignored her once again. "I'll be back in a few months, okay? I just wanted to say goodbye, little warrior."

"One day," Wyn murmured, already sleepy again, "one day I'll fight with you. We'll be heroes, just like the stories."

My heart jumped to my throat as I watched him settle back into a feverish sleep. After planting a gentle kiss on his damp forehead, I slid off the bed. Mother watched me through narrow eyes as I patted my navy skirts.

When she gestured for me to follow her outside, I didn't resist. Mother was dressed more intricately than normal. Her grey bodice was decorated with blue beads, and her skirts were filled with a crinoline. Even her dark beehive hairstyle gave her that appearance of importance, despite her small stature.

She coughed once more into her fist before turning her irritation to me. "Storm, I must insist that you please leave Wyn alone. He is dreadfully tired."

"I'm just saying goodbye," I said. Mother seemed paler than usual, almost sickly.

"The snake flu is dangerous, Storm. I do not want you to die from it before going to war. You know what your premature death could do to this House, especially since you have not yet named a Second."

I knew, and I tried not to think about it.

"My apologies, Mother," I forced out.

Mother reached out to pat the top of my head. She walked back towards the room, coughing twice as she did so. I watched her leave, silently, somberly.

Lady Zella Shadow had been matched with Lord Naveen Lightning because she was a lower ranking member of House Shadow, and he was a higher-ranking member of House Lightning. Just like with all the other marriages, it was one of convenience.

Lady Zella was quiet with a quick temper that she kept under control as well as every civilized lady should. Her husband was bright and cheery in public, but in private he was just as quiet as she. They had no strong attachment; all their time at home together was spent with him in the library, and her in the drawing room. I suspected there was another reason for their lack of interest in each other than the vast time they spent apart.

Like all lords, Naveen needed a male heir. Lady Zella had North when she was sixteen, and I came when she was nineteen. She spent year after year having miscarriages. Right as both her and Father were about to give up, Wyn was born. It took them ten years after me to finally produce an heir. Mother continued to hold a tiredness in her eyes ever since that long span of loss; sometimes I wondered if she just wanted to get away from it all. I wondered if she, perhaps, thought that she had lost herself in keeping to the ways of noble Houses.

In an unfamiliar way, I was very much like my mother. And at that moment, watching her slink back into a sick boy's room with a defeated expression, I could finally bring myself to be okay with that.

>(<>)<

I snuck around the grounds next, pretending to be taking a walk with my favorite parasol. It didn't matter to my family if I was leaving for a war tonight. I was still dressed in a shift and layers of blue skirts. Mother said I still needed to appear like a lady if I was going to walk about the mansion. She was the reason I didn't own a pair of pants outside of my combat uniform.

When I made it to the stables, Cliff was already there, cooing at my father's horse. He brushed its mane with a wide smile, rubbing its nose with too much affection for my heart not the burst at the sight of it.

"Mr. Gordon," I said in my best lady voice. He turned around, his smile growing, until he noticed that we weren't alone. A few other servants were making their way to the laundry lines behind me. When he saw them, he bowed in my direction.

"Mistress Lightning," he respectfully said.

"I require your assistance in gathering a bouquet for my mother," I added in a lower voice, "and I need to tell you something."

He patted the horse's nose once more, then followed me towards the gardens.

"I have something to tell you too," he said.

Once we reached the gardens and were obscured within its flowery trellises, I began plucking daffodils and hyacinths from their stalks and handed them to him.

"I was alerted last night," I started quietly, "that the Serpentine tribes have banded together under the Anacondrai's leadership. They are attacking any city they come across, pillaging and hypnotizing any villages that try to resist. They've become so much of a problem that Wu Garmadon has found it necessary to intercede."

Cliff looked extremely uncomfortable at those words. He didn't say a word, his attention on binding my flowers together with a maroon satin ribbon.

"They want me to go to war, Cliff," I said. When he didn't respond, I added, "They're calling upon the Elemental Masters to help them fight the Serpentine."

Cliff was silent for a few more achingly long moments, staring at me, then at the flowers we were gathering.

"When are you leaving?" he asked.

My words were barely a whisper.

"Tonight."

He pursed his lips, and gently handed me the bouquet. "I guess that makes my news easier."

"What?"

"I'm leaving too," he said, wringing his hands together. A single petal drifted from the plants around him and hit his shoulder. "There's a band of traveling gypsies that arrived last night to put on a show for the commoners. I went to see them after the ball, and they agreed... well, they agreed to let me travel with them."

"What?" I asked now, more agitated than surprised.

"Look at my life, Storm," Cliff gestured to where the stables were, beyond the garden. "I'm a stable boy for a living. Any meager money I make goes to keep my alcoholic father alive. There's no way I'll ever be able to support anyone other than him and myself. I mean, I barely support myself as it is."

"If this is about what I said last night—"

"No, Storm, this isn't about last night," he said firmly, placing a hand on my shoulder. It took all my willpower not to crumple against it, against him, and never let go. Cliff wasn't leaving. He couldn't be leaving.

"I've been considering... leaving... for a while. Maybe if I find another profession I can make a bit more money and... I talked to Penelope about supporting Father and she said yes... I'm rambling aren't I?"

"You're leaving."

The words were achingly hollow.

I hated my world. I hated the ostentatious manners I had to practice, I hated the people I had to interact with, I hated the destiny that I was supposed to follow. This war would be a fight, yes, but after it everyone would return to normal. I would be expected to marry Thunder Shadow again. I would have to return to dresses and finery and marriages of convenience. The only thing I had to look forward to was seeing Cliff again, to completing my master plan, to marrying and spending the rest of my life with him. And he wasn't even going to be there.

A single tear dripped down my cheek and onto the bright flower buds gathered below my chin.

Cliff became a statue. "Storm, you'll be gone too."

"But at least I'll come back!" I said vehemently.

"And I'll come back too," he promised. "The gypsies make a rotation of the towns they visit."

The air was filled with pollen and the sweet scent of blooming flowers. The sun made the grounds warm like an embrace. The world was filled with spring; it was far too happy for a scene like this. Why couldn't it be raining? At least that would provide come catharsis for my heartbreak.

Cliff sighed, moved forward, and planted a single kiss on the top of my forehead.

"If this is goodbye forever," he murmured, "then I thank you for every moment we spent together. They were magical."

"You are my entire world," I said, bitterness leaking into my voice.

"I'm sorry Storm."

He didn't sound sorry. He sounded tired. The way he was looking at me made me feel like a child. He looked at me like I didn't understand him clearly.

When I stubbornly kept my mouth shut, he sighed again. He ran a hand through his auburn hair, waiting one more second for me to say I forgave him, or that I would miss him, or farewell. Something of the sort. I was too mad to care. How dare he leave? Didn't he see he was the only happiness I had remaining?

Cliff finally figured out I had nothing to say to him, so he backed away and left. Only once he was gone did I allow myself to cry. This was terrible; this was horrible. My life was the worst.

But there was still a war to fight, still an eternal pact to keep.

So, I rose to my feet and made my way towards the mansion.

It was time to prepare for war.

>(<>)<

They said Wu was the nicer of the two brothers, and I had no evidence to refute that. The other Garmadon hadn't even bothered to show up for this. Wu excused his absence as him following his own path.

We all met at a neutral field in the middle of several towns belonging to House We're-So-Pretentious-That-We-Own-Everything.

It turned out Wu didn't invite every single elemental master. I was disappointed to see that not everyone was required to attend. When the older Master Aster Ice of House Ice brought that up, Wu replied that we were chosen based on our skill, rather than us simply having power.

"I have sent notices to the other masters should we be in need of their assistance," Wu said to everyone.

I rolled my eyes. Next he told us we were walking to the encampment. Walking. Walking.

I expected everyone (especially Maya) to start shifting uncomfortably. I had spent years under the previous elemental master of lightning's tutelage training to fight with power. However, that training did not include walking for miles to get to a war encampment. However, no one seemed bothered. Wu said he'd explain strategies once we reached the camp, and we set off.

I was annoyed to find Thunder had been invited. He walked with grace next to the older Aster Ice, discussing in low tone Aster's past experience with wars. Ray found his way over to my side, but his attention was on Mistress Water, who was walking with a reasonably attractive blonde man.

"I don't recognize him." My nose scrunched as we trampled through mud.

Ray grabbed my elbow to steady me when my foot slipped. "I'd answer your inquiry, but you didn't say hello to me yesterday at the party. I thought we were friends, Storm."

He said it with a very serious face, but his tone was teasing. I lightly flicked his nose in response.

"I didn't want to interrupt your courting session."

He flushed beneath his battle helmet. He was wearing both the robes and armor of the previous elemental master of fire. The Elemental Masters' alliance to the First Spinjitzu Master and his offspring was steady and unchanging, so we were expected to show that through our attire. I was finally allowed into something other than skirts as the maids dressed me in clothes meant for a warrior. They were a darkish grey-blue (of course) with white stiches of lightning running through the exterior. It was very comfortable, but then I was doused with armor to keep myself protected.

I was still getting used to walking in it, as Ray was now aware of.

"You are excused," he whispered smilingly. "The man doesn't want to be recognized. That is the Master of Form taking upon a new shape."

"I thought House Form had disbanded."

"It's like House Ice. They barely have enough property to keep themselves important, but they still own enough to technically be considered an Elemental House. Give them two or three months and the rising cities will buy out the last of their lands." Ray kept his voice low, his grip on my elbow not allowing me to move out of earshot. Though he only had eyes for Maya, it would seem to an outsider like we were in an intimate conversation. I hope Thunder saw us.

"Wait, the cities are buying out Elemental Houses?" This was news to me.

"A lot goes on with the lower Houses," Ray replied, "a lot that the higher Houses don't have to worry about. In this year alone the cities bought out nearly half of our property."

"I don't understand why the cities are growing in popularity. Who would want to live in a place where you aren't protected by the Elemental Masters? I mean, if you choose to live with a bunch of powerless poor people, then the EMs could just band together and burn your city to the ground."

"We wouldn't do that," Ray frowned.

The tone in his voice caught me off guard. "Wait... don't tell me you're looking forward to the disbanding of the Elemental Houses?"

He shushed me, this time glancing at Wu before turning his attention to me.

"Being the leader of House Fire," he admitted slowly, "has its disadvantages. One day I'd really like to travel and maybe go on an adventure or two. I can't do that if my House is still standing."

He waited for me to say something, then pursed his lips when I didn't. "Oh, come on Storm. There's nothing you want to do that the Elemental Houses forbid?"

He was referring to Cliff, so my face drained of color.

When I had first met Ray, he had been thirteen, and I eleven. We did that polite thing of conversing during parties, and dancing together. When he was almost fifteen, he asked if we could start a secret courtship.

Both of us were too young to understand what a courtship truly meant. To us it was hushed whispers, finding private time to spend together, and not being afraid to speak out of place with each other (away from the public ear, of course). It was only a matter of time until Mistress Maya caught his eye. Our temporary relationship abruptly ended with my fourteen-year-old self yelling at him for breaking my heart. I had stormed off out of the ballroom, tripped over the hem of my large dress, and fell straight into the arms of an odd stableboy who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Less than a year later, Ray and I wholeheartedly forgave each other. I understood his conflictions, and we had both matured enough to realize that we had never been in love. We simply both wanted an escape from the dreary life of rules that surrounded us. Our method of casting that off was trying out something forbidden. Ever since, we had remained good friends. We still told each other everything, and I was his wingman when it came to winning the heart of the Mistress of Water.

Ray noticed my pale expression, and his exasperated look sunk into a sympathetic one.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"I don't know if either of us will come back," I returned, fidgeting with my heavy armor.

"Oi, Fire!" the Master of Form called. "Water here said you know how to forge weapons. Is that true?"

Ray was sheepish. "Yes, us lower Houses sometimes have to do the servants' work."

Form laughed. "Not all of us can afford to be ostentatious like some Houses. Come, I want to hear about the process of forging."

Ray was loath to leave me by myself—Thunder was in a close vicinity—but I shooed him away so he could be next to the girl of his dreams. I tried to insert myself into a conversation between the Masters of Time and the Master of Gravity, but they were too engrossed in an economic discussion to pay me much attention. My attempt with Sound and Earth went just as well. After about an hour, I noticed Thunder glancing every now and then at my walking alone. To make sure the brat didn't try to start a conversation, I made my way past the other members of our group to Wu.

Wu and I hadn't interacted much, but he seemed like a nice enough guy to shield me from interacting with Thunder.

"I got to thank you," I clapped Wu's shoulder. He was a bit startled at the physical contact but went with it anyway. It wasn't like he had much of a choice. "You saved me from one terrible engagement party with that stunt you pulled last night."

He looked slightly uncomfortable, an expression that only worsened when Thunder flanked his other side. How that boy was able to get away from Aster Ice's long conversations, I had no idea.

"Storm, dearest, it wasn't that bad," Thunder flashed a wide smile.

"Worst night of my life," I scowled, which made him laugh.

"Well you only have to endure one more like it. When we have our wedding ball."

I huffed, shooting him the death glare before looking away so he wouldn't catch the sadness in my eyes. Cliff was gone now. We couldn't get our happy ending together. Did that mean that my master plan had to be abandoned? I didn't know—I just knew I couldn't marry that piece of garbage.

Wu shakily laughed to ease the tension, then started ahead of us.

"Come on everyone," he called kindly to the small group, "let's get a move on. Once we reach camp we can focus on our training for the war. The Serpentine may be strong, but we're stronger. Remember that."

Ray bounded forward with a spring in his step. "I'm excited to go to war. It's nice to finally be able to put these powers to use."

"You put your 'powers' to use when you didn't laugh at that swooning lady last night," I laughed, "I certainly would have."

Ray grinned at me, and we continued to walk in pace with the group, following Wu to the battlefield beyond.