I stood in front of my bedroom mirror, carefully applying the traditional makeup for special events like  this. After all, it wasn't often the Emperor made speeches to the public. We barely attended political meetings as well!
   
       The maids insisted that they do my makeup, but I managed to persuade them otherwise. I knew the process well enough from classes to know what goes where, what to use, and how to use it. It was practically sewed into my memory at this point.

       Upon finishing, I gave myself a look, checking snd double-checking to make sure I had not made any mistakes with the makeup. Then, I glanced down at my outfit, making sure there wasn't any wrinkles in the spaces of my clothing. After checking I sighed.. Luckily, there wasn't any wrinkles.
   
    Knock, knock!

       "Your Highness?" A voice came from behind the doors of my bedroom. It was Mr. Hutchins. "Your Father has asked that you hurry, you have five minutes before you have to present yourselves," He warned. In response to him I rushed over to open the door.

       "Yes. I apologize for any hold backs," I said. "I was only checking for anything wrong with the clothes and makeup." Mr. Hutchins smiled, looking me up and down.

       "You look amazing, Your Highness," he responded. "Now, let us get you to to rest of the Royal Family. We don't want to start off without Ninjago's next in line, right?" He questioned. I laughed softly.
 
       "No. No we don't." I beamed. Hutchins looked back at me, and mentioned that the Ninja would be here too, making sure that my family and I were safe from any attacks. I thanked him for the extra protection.

       Soon enough, I was brought with the rest of my family outside in front of the crowd, and stood right in between my mother and Harumi. Harumi giggled.

       "Fashionably late, as always, dear sister." She whispered. I hushed her silently, still smiling at the crowd as I did so.

       "Hush, Rumi. You know this never happens!" I chided her quietly. She smiled, but didn't say another word.

       The crowd fell silent as my father stepped up to the podium.

       "As many of you know," he started. "My family has kept a private life. We aren't interested in meddling with current affairs, but as crime has risen, so has our concern. So it is time to step out of the shadows, and into the light."  The crowd cheered once he finished with the beginning of his speech.
   
       As my father spoke, I couldn't help but notice people on the rooftops with colorful clothing. My eyes widened slightly once I realized that they were the Ninja. Currently, I was only able to spot five out of six in their group. From doing my research on the Sons of Garmadon, I was also able to gain information on the Ninja as well. From what I could see, only Kai, Jay, Zane, Cole, and Lloyd were seen. Nya didn't seem to be with them at the moment. Perhaps she was somewhere else? Or maybe she was in the crowd. Sure enough, once I started looking for Nya in the crowd, a girl with black hair and ponytail stood out to me. More so because she had her hand beside her ear and didn't have a phone next to it. She paused every once in a while, but her mouth still moved. The Ninja most likely had earpieces, no wonder.

       My eyes wandered off to the side, and managed to catch a color of green clothing. Soon enough, my head was being pulled along as well.

       It was the Green Ninja, Lloyd.

       For only a few seconds— what seemed to be an eternity to me— our eyes met. His eyes were a beautiful vibrant green unlike no other, as if they were sculpted from beautiful waters and colors only made by the First Spinjitzu Master. Almost as if he were the center of a canvas full of multiple things. And he, the center of them all.

    At this point, I quickly looked away from his eyes, focusing on something else instead so I wouldn't distract myself. From the corner of my eye, I saw Harumi take a look at where I was looking. She must've thought what caught my attention and decided to look herself.

       "....and always stay united!"  The crowd cheered at the end of Father's speech, he stood there for a bit as the cheering and wooing went on. It wasn't until I spotted a ballon with a familiar emblem on it that everything started to go haywire.

       What sounded like gunshots scared and terrified the crowd. Screaming and crying were the only things I heard before I was shoved alongside Harumi towards the ground, being shielded by what seemed to be Lloyd. The green articles of clothing said it all. Soon enough after a few seconds he sat up and put a hand to wear his ear would be.

       "Is the threat clear?" He firmly asked. Some random mumbling from the earpiece confirmed that it was clear. Although all I heard was the word 'firecrackers.' Then it may have been a false alarm. Lloyd got up, and held out his arms for Harumi and I. We gratefully took them, but before I got to bow and say my thanks, mother ushered me over and I was forced to go along with my family.
 
       I glanced behind me to see Mr. Hutchins heading over to the Ninja. Before he could get closer to them I held Mr. Hutchins back.

       "Mr. Hutchins," I started. He nodded, looking down at me. "Could you perhaps tell them that the Royal Family gives them our gratitude?" He nodded. Harumi must've heard the conversation as well and decided to add a little more to it.

       "Could you invite them to stay at the Palace as well" she asked. "The Mask of Deception needs all the protection it can get." Mr. Hutchins, albeit seeming reluctant, nodded at her request. With that we left him to talk to the Ninja, and headed back to the Palace. I glanced at Harumi.

       "I bet it's because you wanted to meet the Ninja." I grinned. Harumi laughed nervously.

       "Please don't tell mother and father my ulterior motives." I laughed softly.

       "I won't. Besides, they would've invited the Ninja anyways. The mask really does need all the protection it can possibly get." She sighed, relieved.

       "Thank you, Y/n." She smiled. I nodded.

       "Anything for you, Rumi."

       Approaching the Palace, we headed our separate ways. I headed towards my room to relax and chat with my maids.  Harumi headed towards the dining hall, perhaps to check on the food...or eat it herself, perhaps.

       Once I headed inside, both my maids rushed towards me, asking me how it went. We chatted about the speech and they gushed about how beautiful Harumi and I looked on television.

       "Although you looked absolutely stunning on TV, Your Highness, I believe I prefer the real thing better," my first maid, Maisie, commented. Her brown locks of hair were set up in a bun, preventing hair from falling over her face. Her dark complexion made her look so regal to the point I wanted to dress her up on numerous occasions to look like a real princess. She practically resembled that one hard-working strong woman in that movie about a frog prince.

       "Yes, Maisie's right!" Adelinde, my second maid, was just as beautiful. Her black hair, unlike Maisie's, was pulled back with a headband, showing off her light-filled eyes. She was equally as stunning as Maisie, with her black hair, green eyes and olive skin, she was just as regal. Both of them taught me most of the things I needed to know in life, and I could never ask for better teachers.

       "So," Adelinde started. She was taking off Bobby pins from my hair to make sure I don't have a splitting headache the next day. Maisie had taken my clothes and was ordered by my mother to get me identical ones, as I had been pushed on the floor and gotten them dirty. She had finished ironing the new ones and stood beside Adelinde, pointing out which Bobby pins she had missed every now and then. She's always had a good eye for things. Even the little ones. "What did you think?" Adelinde continued. I got confused.

       "Think about what?" I questioned. I could practically hear her smile.

       "About the Green Ninja, of course!" She exclaimed. I grew a bit flustered, thinking about how I was entranced by his eyes.

       "He's... he's alright," I responded. "I love how dedicated he is to protecting Ninjago along with the other Ninja. " At that moment, Maisie asked as well.

       "But you've got something else on your mind, what is it?" She asked. Like I said, every little thing. I sighed.

       "His eyes... they're lovely, in a way." Adelinde grew excited. Maisie had to shush her so she wouldn't attract too much attention.

       "How so?" Maisie continued.

       "I don't know how to explain it, only that his eyes held me in such a trance, I almost missed father ending his speech." Adelinde gushed.

       "I think our next Empress has a crush~" she whispered. Maisie chuckled softly.

       "Perhaps."

       I groaned in embarrassment. My head falling in my hands. They both laughed at my behavior. Maisie patted my shoulder.

       "Don't worry," she consoled. "Once the threat to the throne is over, he'll stop protecting you guys, and you won't be distracted anymore."

       "Somehow that sounds both good and bad at the same time for me."

       We all laughed and continued to chat. Soon enough, I was ready to be presented along with my family to the Ninja.

       I stood beside Harumi and my mother once again. Waiting for the arrival of the Ninja. Somehow, with the distance between us and the doors, and how thick the doors were, I was able to hear the chatter of the group from outside those doors.

       Suddenly, Mr. Hutchins opened the doors, and introduced us to the Ninja.

       "I present to you, the exalted Emperor and Empress of Ninjago," he started. "And their two daughters, the Jade princesses, Princess Y/n and Princess Harumi." My small smile widened a bit at seeing Ninjago's heroes. The ninja bowed, although it seemed like Nya seemed irritated, but Lloyd nudged her a bit and she bowed, reluctantly. Father spoke first.

       "We are honored by your presence." He said we all bowed slightly. Lloyd smiled.

       "The honor is all ours." Lloyd responded. Harumi was next to speak, most likely eager to confront the ninja one by one.

       "I have read much about you," she said, going down the stairs as she spoke. "Your heroics will surely become legend." Lifting up her arms,, it was a small signal so they could syop bowing. She approached the first of the bunch, Kai.

       "Kai, the hothead who acts without question." Kai smiled and bowed once more. She moved on to Cole.

       "Cole, the rock and foundation of the team." He bowed as well.

       "Jay, the joker who's mouth is as fast as lightning." After bowing, he grinned and nudged Cole, proud of the small compliment he recieved.

       "Zane, the cold and calculating android." Before moving on, Zane politely corrected her.

       "Nindroid, Your Highness." His appearance changed. Although his clothes remained the same, his skin turned to metal. His voice sounded a tad bit robotic too. Harumi bowed and moved on to Nya.

       "And Nya," Nya began to bow before Harumi said the next two words. "The girl." Nya stopped short when she uttered those two words, but bowed nonetheless. Harumi continued with her praise.
   
       "The girl I've wanted to be ever since I first heard about her. With her mastery of water, and her skill that could rival any master."

       Nya glanced at the others before speaking.

       "I like her." I smiled at that. Harumi always left the best for last.

       "And Master Lloyd, the Green Ninja." She and Lloyd both bowed at the same time.           
       "The youngest but most powerful protector. The chosen one." Her face became grim. "I, too, have lost my parents. But we are both not without family, hmm?"  Mother spoke this time.

       "We adopted Harumi and raised her as our own right alongside Y/n." She said.
   
       "When her parents passed away, and we didn't want Y/n to be alone without anyone else her age to be with." Father added.

    Lloyd spoke up.
  
       "Thank you for inviting us into your home," he said. Father shook his head.

          "It wasn't us, it was our daughter." He corrected.
 
    "And she would like you stay with us until the threat to our throne is over." Mother grimly said.

       "These are troubling times," Father mentioned. "And as long as we have an Oni mask, we fear our lives are in jeopardy." I stepped forward, taking this chance to talk.

       "The masks must never be reunited," I warned. They all turned to me. "Please say yes."

       Lloyd smiled.

       "Then you have our help." He bowed once more.

       "Great!" Harumi exclaimed. "Then Mr. Hutchins can show you the palace." Mr. Hutchins came forward once Harumi mentioned his name.

       "Yes!" Cole exclaimed, elbowing Jay. I smiled. Things were gonna get more lively in here.