Harumi's POV

"Rumi! Rumi, can you hear me?"

I was lying on some grassy surface and vaguely felt someone shaking my shoulders but didn't want to open my eyes. Couldn't someone give me a break already? I literally just died. Also, who even called me "Rumi"? The guards, servants, and Hutchins always referred to me as "Princess" or "Princess Harumi", and the emperor and empress always called me "Harumi". The Sons of Garmadon always said "Quiet One" whenever addressing me. Only the Ninja ever used "Rumi", and they definitely wouldn't anymore. Nevertheless, I didn't care enough about the answer to that question to look. It was only when my neck felt like it was going to snap that I forced open my eyelids.

Crouching over me was a girl I'd never seen before in my life. I wanted to jump up, pin her to the ground, and ask what was wrong with her, but I figured that wouldn't be a wise move on my part.

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh my god, you're finally awake!" the girl said, her sapphire blue eyes gleaming. She brushed her dark brown hair with pink streaks out of her face and smiled at me. On her head stood a silver tiara. She must be a princess or something. Just the thought of that word made my stomach feel twisted.

"What happened?" I muttered groggily, annoyed that she just had to shake me awake, "Also who are you?"

The girl furrowed her eyebrow and held out a hand to pull me up that I didn't take. "Uh, Ruby, your sister?" When I showed no signs of recognition, a look of realization crossed her face. "How hard did you hit your head?"

"I don't have a sister," I said bluntly, narrowing my eyes, "I've always been an only child." She better not be my sister. There was no way I was going to continue being a princess in the Departed Realm. But then, the emperor and empress would probably disown me anyway once they figured out I'd planned the attack, so I wouldn't have to suffer for much longer. The thought of them made my chest ache, since I knew that no matter how much I despised them, I was a murderer and my actions weren't justified. A part of me wanted to apologize, but the other part just wanted to avoid them for the time being so that I wouldn't have to deal with the shame. Maybe this was the punishment in store for me? That I would have to suffer being a princess for eternity to pay for my crimes in Ninjago?

"Okay, Rumi, is this some sort of joke?" Ruby asked, the smile vanishing from her face. A slight crease appeared between her eyebrows.

"No, I don't have a sense of humor," I said flatly, "Who are you? Where am I?" I should be asking her if she was joking, because anyone with half a brain cell would know that I didn't have any siblings. Besides, why would anyone claim to be my sister? Simply being associated with me was a bad omen.

The girl gave a nervous laugh. "We're in the palace... Don't you remember how we were riding and then Flash accidentally threw you up into a tree? Also, you should probably get up now, Mother's going to be so mad that you ripped your dress."

"Who's Flash?" I asked. Why would I let someone throw me into a tree? And how did they get the chance to do such a thing if I just got here? And why was I wearing a dress?

By now Ruby's expression was worry mixed in with annoyance. "Your horse. Are you okay?"

I'd never seen a horse before in my life. And something told me I was supposed to know all this stuff. Ruby didn't seem like she was lying. "Yeah, I'm fine," I said with a grin, finally taking her hand and allowing her to help me to my feet, "I was just teasing."

She raised both of her eyebrows for a split second. "So you remember everything?"

"Yup."

"Okay, because you had me worried," she sighed, rolling her eyes. "By the way, the ceremony continues in two hours, so you should probably clean up."

"Oh, alright," I said, not knowing what ceremony she was talking about. "Also, I'm hungry."

"Really? We literally had lunch like two hours ago."

I shrugged. "I'm a growing girl." Back in Ninjago I hadn't properly eaten a single meal since Emperor Garmadon took over. Mostly it was because we were busy all the time, and even if I did have a chance to eat, I was too scared to eat much in front of him. He ate a lot, and I didn't want to be the thing preventing him from fulfilling his stomach.

Ruby took in a deep breath. "Well, we won't be able to go into the kitchen at this time. Oh! We should head to the village."

"Yeah, we should," I agreed, and as if on cue, my stomach grumbled.

"Let's go get some disguises," my "sister" said, "And you should clean yourself up. No offense, but you kinda look like a mess."

I smiled sweetly and ran a finger through my tangled hair. It was less greasy than it had been the last time I checked it, which surprised me. I quickly glanced at my arms and realized that all my scratches were gone. Whatever this place was, it definitely wasn't Ninjago, but I started to feel like it wasn't the Departed Realm, either. Deciding to play along with whatever Ruby was saying, I followed her into the palace. Since I didn't know where my room was, I had her escort me. When she seemed confused at first as to why I was requesting this, I said I just wanted some sister bonding time. Ruby seemed to buy it. I couldn't help but notice how the technology here was very behind, as everything was lit by oil lamps.

When we were ready, Ruby and I headed off towards the stables. A boy laid across the haystack, his mouth hanging open as he snored loudly.

"Thomas!" my sister said, grabbing a handful of hay and throwing it all over his face. He spat out the strands that fell into his mouth and shot her a glare until his gaze rested on me.

"Rumi! Hey!" he said, running a hand through his light brown hair, "I almost didn't recognize you in that." The boy, or Thomas, gestured to my maid's outfit that Ruby had "borrowed" earlier from the servants' quarters. She said that was the only way to sneak out of the palace unnoticed.

"Hi," I plastered a smile on my face and waved. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Ruby giving me a smug smile.

"Anyway, we're gonna go to the village for a bit," Ruby explained, "Could you take us?"

"Sure," he said, his eyes never leaving me. Feeling uncomfortable, I shifted a little on my feet.

Ruby and I followed him to a line of carriages parked side by side. We got in the simplest one, so as to not attract too much attention, and set off.

Lloyd's POV

It was another boring day. As always, I headed over to my uncle's house. Today, Princess Ruby was holding a ceremony where she'd be meeting all the eligible young men in hopes of finding a suitor. Almost all the villagers went, so the town was pretty much empty. Except for me.

I wasn't allowed to go. They said I was too little. They always said I was too little. Even those two-year-olds went. But maybe it was because they needed taking care of. Still, those other kids old enough to stay home alone and younger than me went, too. I guess that was just my parents' excuse for not bringing me.

My parents couldn't afford a tuxedo and Father had to go wearing a sweater. We were lacking in money (having barely enough to keep food on the table), ever since Grandfather passed away. When I was younger, Father told me stories of him, how he aided the weak and helped the ones in need. But one night, when Father was barely a teenager, Grandfather left and never returned. He and Uncle struggled to make a living, only to get fired multiple times because of running off to aid people nearby who were in trouble. Father said that despite being poor, helping others was something that the rich often weren't able to do. It made him feel good. He told me that aiding those in need made one rich in other ways, and that not everything was about money.

Father said that we were born with great power, and that that power was a gift we needed to use wisely. It ought never be used for evil, or for selfish reasons, only for the sake of others. I had the power to create balls of energy, useful for both offense and defense. Despite how cool it sounded, my power was useless in everyday life, unless I wanted to be a magician or something, which I didn't.

My friends' powers were much cooler. To be honest, my friends and I had met in an obligatory manner, because my parents and their parents thought we should be as close as they had been with each other, because of our powers. At first the others didn't like me, but after being forced to hang out, we ended up getting along surprisingly well. Now we were almost like a family outside of our individual ones.

I sat at the doorstep of Uncle Wu's house. Nobody was there. I wish I could have just taken one sneak peek at the two princesses. Calvin Walters, one of my classmates (and my enemy), said that Princess Ruby was every guy's dream type. And that was it. He wouldn't say anything else and laughed when I pressed on.

They wouldn't be back before dinner. According to my friend Zane, they'd dine at the royal palace. At least I could cook.

Out of pure boredom, I picked up several pebbles and threw them so that they hit the wall of the house across the street. Mr. Rogers was a grumpy old man and would get mad at me for even talking too loudly, so I couldn't care less about his stupid wall. After all, he constantly banged against Uncle Wu's door for his special teas, which annoyed all of us, so throwing a few measly pebbles when he was gone was the least I could do to repay him for all our inconvenience. I would use my powers, but then it would cause actual damage. Not that I didn't want to do it, but my parents would be furious.

Sighing, I slumped against the wall. I remembered how Uncle Wu used to say that when one does not have anything to do, one should meditate on the meaning of life.

Father says every man has a purpose. I for one, couldn't wait to fulfill my destiny. I closed my eyes and imagined myself holding a sword and a shield, standing atop a hill as crowds cheered for me below. I would then be given awards for my bravery, skill, and valor. The King would then appoint me as their Master-at-Arms, I'd accept it, and our family would return to its former glory. Then Calvin Walters could go die in a hole of jealousy. That, I told myself, would be my purpose. Maybe the king would even give me the hand of one of his daughters in marriage (both of them were adopted). Maybe the younger one since Princess Ruby was already selecting a suitor.

I gave myself a facepalm. "Pull it together, Lloyd," I muttered, "That's never gonna happen."

I picked at my nails and groaned. There had to be something I could do. I couldn't daydream all day. Lost in thought, I picked up another pebble and threw it at Mr. Roger's door.

Then a girl spoke. "Excuse me, but do you know where we could get something to eat? I mean, we haven't seen anybody so far, and my sister's hungry."

I almost jumped and looked up. They both wore olive green dresses with white aprons. The one who spoke had shoulder-length curly brown hair with pink streaks in it. She was decent-looking.

But my attention was on the other one. She was the most beautiful girl I'd ever laid eyes on. Her eyelashes were the longest I'd ever seen, and her bright blue irises were like crystals. She was staring at me, her mouth slightly open, as if she'd seen a ghost. Our eyes met, and my heart began beating like crazy.

"Oh, um, uh..." I stuttered, and suddenly there was a giant lump in my throat that made it hard to speak. Feeling like an idiot, I stared down at the ground and traced the cobblestones with the tip of my shoe. I looked back up to face the brown-haired girl, knowing that looking at the other would do me no good. "Hi, uh... Why aren't you at the palace attending the ceremony?"

The brunette smiled. "Why aren't you there, then?"

I blushed hard, knowing I couldn't possibly tell them it was because I was poor. Instead, I decided to respond with something smarter.

"Oh, I didn't want to," I said, waving a hand casually, "Who cares about those royal people? I mean, I'm perfectly happy just the way I am, aren't you? I mean, it's a waste of time and it's not like Princess Ruby's gonna marry a commoner." The white-haired girl smiled, showing her perfect teeth, and I was immediately on cloud nine.

The brown-haired girl laughed. "We work in the palace. Is nobody else around?"

I shook my head. Just then, the door opened, making a creaking sound. I frowned, peering in. As I'd thought, no one was there.

"What was that?" the brown-haired girl cried.

A sound came from inside:
"The Shadow Knight shall meet his end
And never haunt this land again
A white-haired princess will arrive
Through grief and pain she shall survive
The Chosen One will face her destiny
And finally bring this fair realm peace"
I looked at the two girls, stunned. Uncle Wu had told me of the legend of the Shadow Knight, of how Grandfather tried searching for him but failed.

"Princess..."

The white-haired girl gaped and stared at her sister. The other one just peered into the room, frowning slightly.

"Princess?" I whispered, confused. The girl with brown hair spun around. "How'd you know?"

"Wait, what?" I gasped, "You're the princess?!" Darn. I'd said all those stupid things about not caring about "those royal people" in front of the princess. Was I going to be arrested? Shoot, my dad was gonna kill me.

"Don't tell anyone," she pressed a finger to her lips and glanced around, "We don't want any attention."

So she was Ruby. My jaw dropped, and my gaze turned to the other girl. Princess Harumi. The King's younger daughter. And I had literally just been thinking about maybe marrying her. I squirmed. And there she was, standing right in front of me, secretly laughing at my stupidity. Not to mention rudeness. Okay, she was way out of my league.

"Who's the Shadow Knight?" she looked straight into my eyes, piercing my vulnerable soul.

"Who?" Ruby asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously as she looked back and forth between me and her sister.

I felt like I was going to faint.

A/N: I know I said I was gonna upload on Monday's and Friday's but then I was like screw it this chapter's ready so why not.

Lloyd's been introduced! Any thoughts or predictions?

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and if you did, please consider giving a vote. Thank you so much for reading and have a nice day!