A/n- ignore the electric lights in the above photo 😆. Also, because my phrasing has been confusing people, to clarify there is NO infant in this chapter 😅

"The cake is ready?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

Skylor stepped sideways to avoid two servants carrying a table. Her eye scanned the expansive room currently filled with people setting furniture, hanging tapestries, and arranging cutlery. "The drink table is prepared?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"The guests who have arrived have been taken care of?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"And what about-"

"I'll take it from here." Chamille stepped in front of the maid whose green eyes were growing wider with each question. "Thank you Pixal." The girl curtsied and briskly left to take care of some other task- and before Skylor could send more questions her way.

"We've got this girl, you can breathe. It's not the first time the palace staff has put together a party."

"I know, I know." Skylor resisted the urge to rub her temples. "But this is the first time Father has put me in charge of the preparations. I don't want this to reflect poorly on him."

"He knows that and based on how everything is going, I don't think you'll have anything to worry about."

"She's right my dear," Another female voice cut in, "From what I can see you are doing a fabulous job."

Skylor's heart rose at the voice. She turned to face the newcomer. Standing calmly among the organized chaos, a stately middle aged woman, clothed in an emerald green gown that matched her eyes, smiled at the princess. A slim bundle rested in her arms.

"Lady Misako," Skylor gave the woman a deep head nod, the largest gesture of difference her elevated station allowed in front of so many people. In reality she wished to wrap Misako in a hug. "It means so much to me that you would come. If I may be candid, I was surprised that you accepted the invitation. My deepest condolences on your loss."

News had come only two months ago that the aging Lord Garmadon had succumbed to the illness that wracked his body for years. No one had ever officially figured out the cause of his ailment, a wasting disease that ate at both his body and mind, but gossip had whispered it stemmed from a broken heart over the loss of their son.

Sadness flickered in Misako's eyes even as she gave a gentle smile. "Thank you. As much as I will miss him, my husband is finally at peace. Besides, I wouldn't miss your coming of age birthday celebration for anything."

Those words meant more to Skylor than anyone might ever know. Though Misako's visits to the palace were few and far between, because of her husband's health, those visits allowed for a close bond to form between the women. In a way Misako became a surrogate mother for Skylor and Skylor was the child Misako never raised.

"When did you arrive?"

"Just after midday. I finished preparing my belongings and one of the maids informed me you were here."

Skylor swept her gaze around the room then sent a quick look to Chamille. With a nod Chamille turned to one of the annex rooms that lined the ballroom.

"It seems everything is taken care of for the moment. Let's retire to the drawing room for a few minutes where we can speak in relative peace."

Chamille ushered the two inside the room and closed the door behind them. Skylor let out a tiny sigh of relief as the noise instantly dimmed to a muted hum. Several plush couches sat close together in a U shape. Vaulted windows allowed golden sunlight to fill the room. Skylor settled on one of the seats facing Misako.

"How was your journey here?"

"Uneventful, which is as much as I could ask for- given our route."

Hiding a grimace, Skylor nodded. The two day journey from Hiroshi Manner led past cliffs notorious for hiding waiting criminals. Another reason Misako didn't often make the journey to the palace. "I'm glad."

"I knew I would see you tonight at the ball, but I wanted to catch you early to give you this in person." Misako gently handed the bundle in her arms to Skylor.

Skylor tried not to look too eager as she unwrapped the package. In a matter of seconds she held two scrolls bound together by a silver chain set with a delicately carved oleander blossom.

Skylor's breath caught in her throat. "It's beautiful."

"There's an old proverb that says 'the flower that blooms in adversity is the beautiful of all.' I've seen that be true for you my dear. As you enter adulthood don't lose sight of the lessons you've learned. Speaking of lessons..." She gestured to the scrolls. Skylor unrolled them to find depictions and detailed depictions for sword forms and attacks. "These scrolls have been passed down from my father's fathers for generations. They have been carefully guarded and selectively utilized over the years so that only a few know their prowess. Garmadon and I have no heir and, as such, I would be honored if you accepted these. I know you would put them to good use."

Even with all her etiquette training Skylor couldn't keep her jaw from dropping. "My Lady... these- I couldn't accept-"

"Yes," Misako interrupted, "you can. They are a gift."

"Thank you.' Skylor stared in wonder at the scrolls. Such a gift was not only priceless, but in the gift -and in her phrasing- Misako was practically claiming Skylor as her heir. She shook herself and gave Misako a tight hug.

A soft knock came at the door. Skylor started and reluctantly let go of Misako while Chamille opened the door.

"Yes?"

Skylor couldn't hear the reply but Chamille nodded and closed the door.

"Sorry Highness, your father wants to see you before the party kicks off."

"Alright." She shot a look at Misako, who waved her toward the door.

"Don't worry about me dear. I plan on staying for the next two weeks. We will have time to catch up."

Skylor smiled. "I look forward to it."

With a final nod Skylor passed her gifts to Chamille and left the room. People still swarmed the halls, most too focused on their tasks to notice the Crown Princess walking in their midst. Skylor smothered a smile. It wasn't often she could walk about unnoticed even in the palace.

Soon she reached the large wooden doors leading to the King's chambers. The two guards standing in front of them bowed to her and knocked on the door. Seconds later it opened and a man, a little on the heavier side, poked his head out.

"Ah my Princess! Come in, come in!"

Skylor gave a tight smile at the man's enthusiastic response. "Thank you Dareth. I was told my father sent for me?"

"Yes he did. In fact I was about to go find you myself because obviously whoever they sent wasn't as fast as I- ahh!" Dareth's words broke off with a yelp as he tripped over his pant leg and landed face first on the floor.

Fighting a sigh, Skylor waited for her father's manservant to stand up again. Why Chen kept him as his personal attendant, Skylor had no idea. Though in her father's weird way he probably found the man's endless bumbling a cheap source of entertainment. But that meant the rest of the castle had to put up with the messes that inevitably followed.

At that moment Chen stepped out from one of the adjacent rooms. "Skylor my dear, happy birthday."

Skylor gave a small curtsy. "Thank you Father."

"Ach, don't tell me you're too old for a hug now."

Smiling, Skylor shook her head. "Of course I'm not."

The two embraced before Chen pulled back and looked her over head to toe. "I can hardly believe it. My little girl, all grown up."

"Father." Skylor glanced at the servants in the room, most of whom were watching the pair. She fought against the heat rising in her face.

Chen smirked. "What?"

"Father!" Skylor didn't hide the exasperation in her voice this time.

Laughing, Chen ushered Skylor to his solar. The little red and gold room held two couches facing each other with a table- currently holding a tray of bread and cheese- between them. Several other chairs and cabinets lined the room. Chen shut the door behind them and Skylor relaxed her posture. This room was one of the few places in the castle where Skylor and Chen could be father and daughter rather than king and princess.

Skylor traced the back of her usual chair before pointing an accusing finger at Chen. "You enjoy embarrassing me entirely too much."

"What else are fathers for? And now that it's your 18th birthday I won't have many more opportunities since you're no longer my little girl."

Rolling her eyes Skylor settled into the chair. "Somehow I doubt you'll let it go that easily. But thank you Father."

"If only your mother could see you now. You're so much like her." Chen took his own seat and chose a goblet from the table.

Skylor brushed the hair out of her eyes. Given that her mother had died in childbirth Skylor never knew the woman. However, Chen's stories helped paint a picture of who she'd been.

"What was her opinion on birthday celebrations?"

A distant look came into Chen's eyes and he smiled. "She hated her own. As if being queen wasn't enough, she then had another reason for everyone to be paying her attention. But she loved hosting for others. She kept track of almost all the staff's birthdays. When we found out that you were on the way, Adela was so excited. I had lists written all over my desk of plans she wanted to complete with you one day."

But instead something had gone wrong and none of those plans had been able to come to pass. Skylor's heart clenched. What was fair about a mother being taken from her newborn and husband?

"I have a gift I've been saving for your coming-of-age celebration." Chen pulled out a small box from his pocket and handed it to Skylor. "In a way, it's a gift from both your mother and me."

Hands shaking, Skylor gently opened the lid. A small gasp of wonder escaped her lips. Inside two gold rings lay side by side. One was encrusted with rubies while the other had orange topazes inlaid along the band.

"Father... these are beautiful."

"They were our wedding rings. And now I want to give them to you. Even before you were born Adela talked about how she wanted to do this on your 18th birthday. You have three more years before the law dictates that the heir is to be wed, but at 18 we had wanted to remind you that love can come even when you least expect it."

"Like with you and Mother?"

Chen nodded. "You know we were an arranged marriage. But with patience, and a lot of communication, we became best of friends. Whoever you end up marrying I want to see you happy. And I do want grandbabies one day."

"Father..." Skylor drew out the word.

"I know, I know." Chen raised his hands in surrender. "But it's never too early to be looking."

Grimacing Skylor traced the rim of her goblet. "None of the nobles around here are worth my time. Not only are they exceedingly dull, but they're only after your position."

Chen rolled his eyes. "They'd do well to brush up on Ourboron law."

To be fair it had been nearly 150 years since the last female heir inherited the throne. Unless her husband was a king already, the man a female heir chose would not become king but would instead take on the title of Consort. Though he would hold a measure of power in the palace, it would be the Queen who ultimately retained the seat of power. That would only change if she became incapacitated or if she abdicated to her own heir.

"Either they don't know or they don't care. At this point I'm not sure which is worse."

"Well, you will have the opportunity to mingle with more men your age at the ball tonight. Speaking of..." Chen swirled the glass in his hand and looked up at Skylor, "What do you think of Prince Cole?"

Skylor narrowed her eyes. "In what way?"

"There's more than one?" Chen asked- entirely too innocently in Skylor's opinion.

"Father!"

Chen laughed. "Generally speaking."

"I haven't seen him since his party arrived so I don't know him well enough to form an opinion. He seems nice... but at the same time he walks as one who carries a great weight."

"Which could be from being a Primary Elemental Master." Chen mused. "We haven't known one before to adequately understand how such power might affect them."

Skylor quietly disagreed. Amber was considered a secondary Element so Skylor was used to people placing certain expectations on her for that, even more so with her being the princess, but the heaviness in Cole's eyes didn't seem to just be from being a Master.

"I suppose it's possible."

If Chen picked up on the doubt in Skylor's voice he didn't comment. Instead he looked deep in thought. "I would like you to hold off practicing Earth for now. The power it is capable of is astounding if he's causing region wide chaos without trying to. I'd like to know if any... unnatural phenomena are his doing and not yours."

In the business of preparing for the upcoming ball Skylor hadn't had time for any training let alone experiment with a powerful new Element. Though disappointed, Skylor nodded. It was a delicate balance but, realistically, if the Master of Earth were to lash out with his element she wouldn't be much use even if trained. The nerves in her arm tingled at the memory of the raw power that had come from his touch. Yet if he weren't in control of his actions wouldn't her having some control help mitigate any potential problems?

Whatever Skylor's opinion on training in Earth might be, Chen's pronouncement meant the matter was settled.

For the moment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Your Highness, it came together beautifully."

Skylor, wearing her finest red dress, grinned at a purple clad Chamille. The two women stood side by side near the ballroom's main entrance admiring the sights around them.

A large crowd of men and women decked in their finest clothes intermingled. Domestic and foreign dignitaries had been invited, many of whom Skylor only knew of only by name but Chen insisted for her coming of age to widen the usual group invited for palace celebrations. To Skylor's surprise she even saw Clouse having an animated conversation with a man whose face was obscured from her current line of vision. Though the colors he wore matched those of the palace guards. Mentally shrugging, Skylor surveyed the room again.

Beyond the guests, red and gold banners hung between chandeliers dotted with candles. Warm firelight flickered off the walls covering everything in a golden sheen. The effect was breathtaking.

"Thank you, but all I did was coordinate it."

"Don't sell yourself short. It still took your brains to make this come to life."

Though Skylor let out a small scoff, a sense of pride rose within her. Organizing a party might not be the most important of royal duties, but she'd done it well all the same. Tapping came from the corner of the room and Skylor saw the orchestra conductor raise his baton. Lively music soon filled the room.

"Your Highness," Turning Skylor saw Cole standing near her side. For a formal occasion he was dressed rather simply in a tunic the same green as Trerian's crest. Yet the lack of finery suited him compared to the prancing peacocks that attempted to get Skylor's attention earlier in the evening. "May I have this dance?" Cole bowed.

"I'd be honored." Skylor curtsied rather than nodding in return. Technically speaking, Cole was the only one here equal to her rank.

Cole offered Skylor his hand and for a brief moment she hesitated, memory of the first time she'd felt his power coming to mind. But it wasn't like Skylor could refuse his gesture. Internally holding her breath Skylor took his hand. Nothing.

Well, that wasn't completely true. She could feel his power, like it was humming beneath his skin, but, since her Amber had already absorbed what it could, the Earth didn't overwhelm her senses. Releasing her breath slowly Skylor allowed herself to smile.

"Have you enjoyed your stay thus far? I'm sorry I haven't seen you since you arrived."

The music swirled around them, Cole and Skylor matching their steps to the beat.

"Think nothing of it. I know my visit was a surprise. The hospitality I've received has been more than generous considering the circumstances."

"Ouroboros has much to offer. I hope your stay will grant you the answers you seek."

Cole smiled and Skylor realized this was the first time he'd seemed genuinely happy in their brief encounters. "Thank you, Your Highness. Already the palace library has been a treasure trove of information. I look forward to continuing to explore possibilities with your father's advisors."

"Do you mind telling me what Trerian is like? I've read about it of course, but I'd love to hear about it from one of her countrymen."

Skylor felt tension relax from Cole's shoulders. "In my opinion it's one of the most beautiful places in the world. I'm sure you've read we're set in the Jakai Mountain Range. The peaks stretch beyond the clouds and everything is green for as far as you can see..."

During the next two songs Cole continued to describe his homeland. In his words and tone Skylor could easily see he loved Trerian, but she noticed he focused on the outlying regions, not his home in the capital city of Thyra. Before she could ask questions about city life the third song ended and Chen cut in.

"Thank you for entertaining the princess Prince Cole, but I believe it's time I had a dance with my daughter."

Cole's expression shifted from relaxed to blank so quickly that Skylor stared in surprise for a moment before realizing what she was doing.

"Of course, Your Majesty." Bowing deeply at the waist Cole left the pair.

Skylor watched him go, and noticed for the first time the stares many of the courtiers had been giving the two of them. Frowning slightly, Skylor watched most of the other guests either glare at or ignore Cole. For his part Cole didn't appear to notice and all too quickly he was swallowed in the crowd. Before Skylor could say anything the music resumed.

"My dear?"

Skylor turned her focus back on Chen. "I'm sorry, Father. I was just thinking. Now you said something about a dance?" She forced a smile.

"Indeed."

The tempo accelerated and Skylor lost herself in the music. When it was finished Chen gestured for a servant. Moments later a tray with two glasses was offered to the pair. Taking one Chen steered Skylor off to the side.

"I believe it's time to greet some of the other guests. There are dignitaries here I've been wanting you to meet for several years now."

Which would explain why many of the faces in the ballroom were ones Skylor was unfamiliar with. "Of course."

A young man with light brown hair and an easy smile approached them. He wore a crisp white shirt embroidered with a red lion that Skylor recognized as the Turner family crest. She shot a look at Chen but the king's face was impassive.

"Your Majesties." The man bowed. "Thank you kindly for the invitation."

"What better way to renew alliances than at celebrations?" Skylor narrowed her eyes at the tone in her father's voice. "It's been many years since we were graced with your family's presence Lord Griffin. I don't believe you've met Princess Skylor before."

Griffin held out his hand to Skylor. "My princess. You honor us all with your presence and grace."

Taking his hand Skylor felt the familiar zing of her Amber absorbing another Element. This time she did shoot a glare over Griffin's head at Chen. He could have at least warned her. And at the moment she didn't remember what Griffin's Element was- a key component in her actually being able to use whatever Element she came in contact with.

Seeing the look on his daughter's face Chen stepped forward. "You remember that the Turner House is famous for racehorses and inventions to cut travel time."

'Oh right, Speed.' Glancing around, Skylor eyed the other guests around her. Crest after crest denoted other Elemental families. 'Poison, Light, Plants, Gravity.' Specifically the ones that Skylor hadn't personally interacted with before. That might explain why Chen was adamant in being the one to oversee the guest list. But why not tell her that her birthday was a means of acquiring new Elements? Burying her irritation, Skylor forced a smile on her face as an older man in teal approached.

This was going to be a long night.

A/n- this is kinda what I was go for with the necklace Misako gave to Skylor :)