*a week later*

Seliel's POV

Nervous is an understatement as we sit in a circle of chairs as the sun sets. It's not just myself and Cole nor just the rest of the elemental creations and their soulmates. Everyone at the camp is sitting around a large table outside, bundles of candles already lit to preserve the light.

Tomorrow, we are going to attack Aria. We are going to drag her down and make her pay for all of the pain she caused everyone. The unnatural elemental army, the whole reason why I was forced into an arranged marriage, will be no more.

When I think back to that past reality, one in which I was about to be shipped off to another realm in return for militarial help, I can't help but feel a swell of joy in my chest. I escaped that fate and will now be able to live the rest of my life with Cole.

I look beside me and place a hand on one of his solid thighs. He's talking with Jay, and while his conversation is serious, he is already more at ease here than when we were at the palace. He is so much less rigid now that he is in his element with the other guys, and it's honestly adorable. Seeing him like this brings me a level of joy I hadn't known was possible up until recently.

Cole wasn't unhappy at the castle per say. We would have nice conversations and spend a lot of quality time together (especially after he revealed everything to me), but he could never be open about who he was, who we were. He was tortured by lies every day. Now he can stand up proud and brush them off without any fear. He's free out hare, and it's lightened him up.

"Is everyone here?" the master of water asks from her spot between her brother and Jay. She stands tall and is absolutely radiant, sending off a serious aura that shows that she means business. After no one protests, she continues to talk. "For the ease of everything, I'll be running this meeting. I have a little itinerary here that Zane helped create," she shoots him a quick smile, "but feel free to raise your hand to interject at any time."

A hand instantly shoots up. Its owner doesn't even wait to be called on before saying "Why are we listening to you? I understand how at one point of time you were seen as impartial, but your interests are clearly compromised now," this guy lays it on thickly with his sharp glare directed at her then at Jay.

"My love life is none of your business, Gravis," she shoots him a forced, closed mouthed smile. "I still have the most experience with both groups of people, and I feel like I am impartial enough to..."

"But actually you aren't, clearly," he cuts her off, "Shade is our leader, so I think his input matters the most. Besides, you are totally biased cause you're all buddy-buddy with them.You can't forget that those people are wanted criminals."

"They are completely innocent, so stop with these pointless accusations," Princess Skylor joins in, shaking her head. "I was there the day that the 'crime' was committed. I would know if the claims were true."

"Why is she here?" a man with gray hair flicks his hand in her direction. "I understand she is a princess, and we would protect her if we were sure of her intentions, but we aren't. She was literally on the enemy's side not long ago, and now she can hear all of our plans. This thoughtlessness alone shows that Nya shouldn't be in charge."

"Her memories were blocked off when she was with them, so don't even try to spin this to make Skylor seem unloyal or else..." Kai presses his hands against the wooden table. Smoke rises from beneath his hands, the wood turning black underneath his touch.

"Enough," I slam my fists on the table. Everyone freezes and turns their head towards me and I just sit here, eyes wide at what I did. I quickly clear my throat before talking again. "We will get nowhere through fighting. I know you two are confused and upset on your friend's behalf..." I look towards the two men who were putting up trouble, taking a not so subtle look of the Shade that looks absolutely checked out. His skin somehow has even less color than usual, and his dark eyes are just staring at an indistinct point in the distance. Not a hint of emotion can be seen on his face, "...but the master of water is still the best candidate to be running this meeting, so let's give her the respect she deserves."

I finish by folding my hands in front of me, but the others stay silent. Everyone just continues to look at me until the master of water breaks the silence.

"Our goal is to capture Aria and keep her forever separated from her resources. If she doesn't have access to her blood collection," I shiver at the break in her words, the image of those maroon tinted vats still haunting me, "and her army is occupied, she'll just be a regular human for us to deal with, and that won't be too bad."

"This sounds too good to be true," the gray haired guy chimes in again, now with his hands behind his head.

"Her blood collection? I'm so confused right now," the first guy huffs with his arms crossed.

"Aria maintains the powers of her elemental army by injecting her soldiers with doses of blood from the elemental masters of creation. However, this alone is very unstable and results in the user crashing after a certain period of time. She found out that this doesn't happen if she also injects the blood of the corresponding soulmate. She collected everyone's blood when she was a physician at the castle centuries ago and has it saved up," she explains in detail, and I watch the faces of the natural elemental army transform. Their eyes widen. Their noses scrunch up. Their heads fall into their hands.

"So at this very moment, she could possess all of the elements of creation with no hesitation? We're fucked," a man with long black and green hair creating a curtain over his face groans with his head in his hands.

"Yes and no. She has all of the blood that grants her powers, but she's still missing Princess Seliel's blood as well as my own, so if she tries to get earth or lightning powers, the effects will be temporary and will practically destroy her combat abilities once the fatigue kicks in. I think if we force her to use at least one of those powers instead of just the three that she can safely use, we should be in good shape."

"And how exactly are we going to make that happen?"

"Easy. We're going to make her think that she's won. However, to do that, we need to do two things. The first is that we need to keep her army busy, which is where you all come in. The elemental army has to stall them while the rest of us take her on."

"You're insane if you think that will work," Shade's eyes are on his ex. It's weird because he doesn't even sound or look mad. His words come out as more of a tired sigh than anything else. It's as if conjuring up any emotion will drain him too much. "We were overpowered by them before being poisoned by vengestone. Our powers are back now, but they won't be as good as before."

"You don't need to defeat them. Just stall them and draw them away from her. As long as..."

"Won't work," he deadpans.

The Master of Water takes a deep inhale before slowly exhaling. Some of the tension eases out of her as her shoulders drop just a little bit. "Do you have any suggestions for how we could deal with this then?"

Shade just looks away from her, turning his head in the other direction, and I can practically see the Master of Water's blood pressure rise. Her face is nearly as red as her brother's shirt. She purses her lips before parting them. However, once Jay lays his palm on her leg, she closes her mouth to take another breath.

"Zane and I volunteer to assist the elemental army," Princess PIXAL interjects. "Although I cannot recall the malefaction, I do not wish to stand before my murderer. I would rather remain on the path of moving forward."

No one makes a noise as the weight of her statement envelopes us. Regardless of how the elemental army feels about the five boys sitting next to me, they always strived to put the royals of this kingdom above all else (except for that guy who talked poorly of Princess Skylor, apparently). They will respect her wishes no matter what.

"If this is really what you want, it will solve our problem. I'm sure having Zane there will turn the tables in our favor."

---

"So this is it, the calm before the storm," I sigh, resting my head on Cole's chest as the ten of us relax in the common room on the Destiny's Bounty. "Tomorrow, everything will change."

"Not to be that guy, but I'm still not a fan of this plan. I didn't want to say it in front of everyone, but I don't think this is how we should go about things," Cole pulls me tighter against him.

"I won't let anything happen to Seliel in the time before the rest of you show up. I promise that I'll jump between her and Aria if things go awry in any way, shape, or form," Jay says from across the room. His head is resting on the Master of Water's lap as he lies on his side.

"Are you sure you're okay with facing her though? She traumatized and harassed you during and after your relationship, and seeing her..."

"It doesn't matter how I feel. It has to be me doing it," he shakes his head. Nya gives his arm a light squeeze.

"Come on guys. It's the night before our victory! We can't be all sour now," Kai stands up straighter from where he was leaning against the wall.

"I agree with Kai. Let's appreciate what we have and rest up before tomorrow," Lloyd says from beside him.

"Actually, speaking of appreciation, I have something to say," the Master of Water looks around the room, meeting every pair of eyes. When we make eye contact, a little jolt of excitement shoots through me. I know that I watched her flounder romantically for a while, but she is still my hero. I always wanted to be just like her, so seeing her is still surreal even if I have seen some mistakes.

"When I set out on my mission to find you all, I was determined, but I honestly had my doubts. Not only did I expect you all to be a bit rude, but I also expected most of you would turn me down. I wouldn't have blamed you all. However, I am so grateful that that was not the case, and I'm happy to say that because of it, I am the most fulfilled I have been my whole life.

I know that you all left your lives to come here, to fight for a world that you dislike. I find that very honorable of you all, and I hope that after tomorrow, you can all live the lives that you were deprived of. Thank you all so much," I know that her words aren't intended for me, but something about her gratitude strikes me and makes me so proud of Cole and the people around me. Every single one of them is spectacular, and the trauma they have undergone is insane. The fact that they are still holding on to their sanity is beyond me.

"And we are grateful for you, Nya," Lloyd smiles at her. "We were all living in fear before you brought us back together. We tried to move on, but no matter where we were, we could never truly settle down and pick up the pieces because it felt like if we let our guards down, they'd catch us and keep wrongfully accusing us. You've given us a chance to clear our names, and most of all, you brought us all back together. Ninjago is lucky to have you."

With her hand on her heart, the Master of Water says "Thank you for your words, Lloyd. They mean a lot to me."

"I propose a toast," Kai takes a few steps towards the rest of us, giving his drink a small little shake as he does so. Lloyd follows suit, and the two stop beside the couch where Princesses Skylor, PIXAL, and Harumi are sitting. "To my wonderful sister who has led us to this point, to the four other guys – and myself, of course – who haven't slacked on our training and can still wield our powers like bosses, and finally, to the badass princesses who have been to hell and back just to reach this point. I love you all."

A/N: So sorry for the wait again everyone (especially for an admittedly mid chapter whoops)

We're in the endgame of this book! Next chapter, we get to see the plan unfold. I can't wait for you all to see what's in store!

Any thoughts/ predictions?

Thank you all so much for you continued support! It means the world to me! Don't forget to vote, comment, and share this story!