"Three chests of ammunition, two chests of firearms, two sacks of fruit, two chests of gold, five barrels of gunpowder, three cases full of bottles of oil, one hundred bottles of wine and a case of silverware." Seliel listed down on the sheet of paper in her hand.

  "There! We're done! Finally! Hurray and thank the first spinjitzu master!" Cole threw his hands up in the air.

  Everyone else laughed.

 "Oh you're not done yet, Cole, " Lloyd grinned, "You, are taking these goods down to the hold." 

    Cole groaned. "Celebrated to early..." He muttered as he heaved up a barrel and went below deck.

   "Where are we heading to next?" Skylor asked.

  "The Western Kingdom. We're going to drop some of the goods there for the poor, then we're raiding the palace." Lloyd replied.

  "The palace?!" The girls exclaimed.

  "What? Got something wrong with that?" Lloyd raised an eyebrow, amused.

 "Well... no! No we don't!" Seliel shook her head, her eyes lighting up with mischief. 

    "Good, be ready and up here in five minutes. Scat!" Lloyd jerked his head in the direction of the ladder.

    All the girls ran un-ladylike down the ladder and into their cabins.

  "I prefer this side of them..." Kai said, leaning against the railings. 

     "Yeah, they're fun to have around." Jay agreed.

    Lloyd stayed silent. Yes, they were fun to have around, but he knew at some point they would be taking them back. At first, he was looking forward to getting rid of them, but now... 

   "We're ready to go, Captain." Griffin said.

   Lloyd shook his head, clearing his thoughts. He had been so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice that the girls were on deck and ready to go.

   "Right then, let's go. Girls, masks on remember, we don't want anyone seeing your face and possibly recognising you." Lloyd instructed before he pulled up his own mask and leapt over the side of the ship. 

 ⚔⚔⚔⚔⚓⚔⚔⚔⚔  

     The palace seemed deserted as the ten figures silently made their way through the gardens.

  "Right, once we're in, split up to cover more ground. You guys know the drill... keep your masks on and hide if you hear anyone coming." Lloyd said, prying open a window and ushering everyone through in to what appeared to be the kitchen.

  Grabbing silverware, gold and silver plates, food and goblets and stuffing them in the sacks, they left the kitchen.

   Lloyd carefully placed a vase into a sack between to expensive cushions. He was so busy opening drawers and taking things that he was sure won't be missed immediately that he didn't notice that the others had gone on without him. But he didn't mind. He sometimes did solo missions before, and he had looted this particular palace before.

  Wondering around the hallways and corridors, stopping now and then to place something in his sacks, he came across a doorway that he had never seen or noticed on his previous 'visits'.

 It was a white door with gold-leaf designs with a big gold 'L' in the middle.

   Lloyd didn't know why, but he suddenly felt drawn to the room. 

  He lifted his hand, taking the doorknob and turning it, pushing the door open.

    Inside, it was wallpapered green and gold. The furniture was white with gold details, and the curtains on the windows and on the balcony doors where white. It looked like it was only used for a short time. But even then, the place was spotless, as if someone came regularly to clean the room.

  Lloyd then noticed that something was off. One of the curtains was slightly ripped and dirtied, and a rocking horse was tipped over, leaning against the wall instead of straight up.

  'What happened?' Lloyd thought as he looked around what was obviously the royal nursery. 'King Garmadon never had an heir... did he?'

   He slowly walked around the room, examining the place, making sure to be careful not to move anything. There was a white and gold crib in the middle with the letter 'L' again in gold on the headboard. In it was a stuffed green and gold dragon toy was placed on top of the pillow, but the blanket missing. A chest of drawers was off to the side beside a big mirror. Most of the toys were placed neatly in an open chest, but some where littered on the floor. 

  On further examination, the balcony doors, nearly hanging off its hinges, seemed to have been forced open with a dagger or something equally pointy but easy to handle.

   Lloyd was confused. 'I'm sure King Garmadon never had a child... No one has said anything if he did.' 

  When he reached the chest of drawers, he noticed a ring on a chain lying on top. 

 Lloyd picked it up and turned it around in his fingers. 

   It was gold and the chain was silver. Engraved delicately on it was a dragon with a tiny emerald for it's eye. On the inside of the ring, directly under the dragon, was the letter 'L' again. 

  Lloyd didn't know what to think. He was sure no one had mentioned an heir to the Western Kingdom throne, and he was sure that there was no royal family member with a name starting with the letter 'L'. 

  "Lloyd! There you are! We've been looking for you. Come on, we need to get going." 

  Startled, Lloyd whipped around.

    Kai was standing leaning against the door frame, three sacks slung over his shoulder.

  "Oh! Yeah, sorry. I'm just coming." Lloyd breathed in deeply.

  "You alright?" Kai asked.

 "Yeah, yeah I'm fine..." Lloyd nodded.

    "Well, come one! The others are waiting on you." And with that, Kai disappeared down the hall.

  Lloyd looked down at the ring he still held in his hand. He didn't want to take it, as it was obviously something special, but at the same time, he felt drawn to it. 

  He quickly, but carefully stuffed it into his pocket and left the room, closing the door behind him.

 ⚔⚔⚔⚔⚓⚔⚔⚔⚔

  Garmadon was standing on the balcony adjacent to his room.

    Inside, his wife was sleeping soundly.

  He took out his pocket watch. It was nearly eleven o'clock. 

   Sighing, he slipped the watch back in his pocket and instead drew out a medallion. Every time a baby was born in any royal family, a medallion and a ring was made for it. The medallion would have the face of an animal on one side, and then an inscription on the back, including the baby's name. The ring would have a dragon engraved with any jewel for the eye and the first letter of the name on the inside. 

   Garmadon turned the medallion around in his hands. It had the face of a dragon on one side, professionally carved, and on the other side were these words:

Prince Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon 

Our precious little angel 

Who we will love and cherish till our dying days.

We love you so much,

Mum & Dad 

xxx 

   Garmadon had left the ring in the nursery back in his palace, but he always took the medallion with him everywhere. 

   What would be his son's 17th birthday had come and gone. Seventeen years not knowing whatever became of his son. Seventeen years spent without his son. And seventeen years unable to hold, care for and have fun with his son. 

   "Garmadon? What are you doing up?" 

  Garmadon turned to see his wife sitting up in bed, wrapping a dressing gown around her to keep out the cool draft.

  "Oh, sorry, I couldn't sleep..." Garmadon apologised sheepishly.

  Misako slowly got out of bed and joined her husband on the balcony. She immediately noticed the medallion in his hand.

   "We'll find him again, I'm sure of it." Misako smiled softly as she slipped her hand into his. 

  "It's been seventeen years, Misako..." Garmadon sighed, "I miss him so much..." 

    "I know, I miss him too. Like you, not a day goes by without me thinking of him." Misako said, squeezing her husband's hand gently.

   "We missed a lot of things, his first word, his first step..." Garmadon looked out across the wide sea that stretched towards the horizon, the sound of the waves crashing on the shore reached his ears.

   "Like Mistake said, we need to keep our hopes up. We'll find him, and the others, we just need to be determined." Misako said.

  Garmadon nodded, "You're right... over the past few years, I'd given up hope, but now..." He looked at his wife with a new determination in his eyes, "I won't give up until I find him, and all the others." 

   "Now that's the man I married." Misako smiled, reaching up to give him a kiss. "Come on, we should get to bed." 

   "The emerald in this ring matches the colour of your eyes, doesn't it little one?"

   "Your majesty, I must say he has the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen. He'll have ladies and princess fainting and falling at his feet one day."

   "Thank you for the compliments, Queen Lena. But let's hope, it doesn't quite unfold like that. I'd rather not have all the girls fainting when they see my son at special occasions or when he goes out. The hospitals will be up to their necks in a lot of work!"

   "What's your name, boy?"

   "Exile them, and you exile us!"

   "T-this belongs t-to y-you... I-'m s-sorry I took i-it, I know it m-means something s-special to you." 

   "Save your breath, boy. We'll get you fixed up."

   "Don't you dare die on me now!" 

   "I l-love you s-so much." 

   "Is it really you?"

   "Rumi! Get yourself and the others back to the ship. It's not safe here!" 

   "I'm not leaving without you!" 

    "GO!"

     "He's... gone? He can't be! No!"

     "I'm deeply sorry..."

     "Who would like to hear a story?"

     "I can't believe you! Why?! You lied to us!"

     "Seeking revenge, won't bring him back. He wouldn't have wanted you to do this."

     "LLOYD!"

   Garmadon's eyes flew open and he bolted upright, breathing heavily. Misako started and rubbed her eyes as she tried to see what was going on.

   "Garmadon? What's wrong?" She asked, sitting up and placing a hand on his arm.

  "Nothing, just... a confusing and weird dream of sorts." Garmadon shook his head. 

    "Lloyd?" Misako took a guess.

  "Yes, in a sense. I also heard Princess Harumi's voice as well, mine's and a couple of others." Garmadon looked baffled.

   "Well, that does sound odd." Misako furrowed her brow.

  "I'm sorry I woke you up again." Garmadon apologised.

    "It's fine, you always have these kind of dreams around the time of his birthday." Misako smiled.

    "Goodnight..." Garmadon kissed her on the forehead.

  "Goodnight..." Misako smiled.

⚔⚔⚔⚔⚓⚔⚔⚔⚔

    Lloyd listened to the waves lapping gently on the sides of the ship as he leaned against the railing on the Forecastle Deck, facing the sea.

 Cole was steering the ship as he and Jay bantered back and forth.

    Making sure no one was looking, Lloyd pulled out the ring. Held it up by its chain, the ring slowly turning and spinning. It sparkled slightly under the lit lamps, shining brightly.

   He knew that a ring like this would cost a fortune, or that some poor person would love to have it in their possession, but he had no plans on selling it or giving it out.

  There was something about the ring that made him feel... as if someone was wrapping their arms around him, hugging him, comforting, protecting him. 

   A gentle breeze swirled around Lloyd, whipping his hair into his face, as he sighed.

 "Something the matter Big Shot?"

   Lloyd turned his head to see Kai making his way towards him. 

 "Oh, hey. Nothing, I'm fine... just thinking." Lloyd smiled tiredly.

     "Must be some hard thinking, you were frowning." Kai joined him by the railing. 

  "Was I? I didn't realise..." Lloyd looked back down at the ring.

    "Where did you get that?" Kai nodded towards the object.

  "At the palace, it was in the nursery." Lloyd handed it over to Kai so that he could take a look. "Hey listen, have you ever heard of King Garmadon and Queen Misako having a child? I haven't. And yet in their palace they had a nursery all set up, it looked as if it was used for a short time. The ring has an 'L' engraved on the inside." 

   "Weird... No, I haven't. In fact, there is no male heir to any royal family at the moment." Kai shook his head as he examined the ring closely. "I've heard about these rings..." Kai said slowly, "Every time a child is born of noble status, they have rings and medallions created. In fact! I think I saw Skylor's ring around her neck the other evening." 

   "I see..." Lloyd nodded.

  "What are you planning on doing with it?" Kai asked, nodding in the direction of the ring as he handed it back.

   "Keep I guess... It's weird, and you can call me crazy if you want, but I just feel... connected to it somehow. I don't know why. I can't seem to let it go." Lloyd looked at the emerald eye of the dragon.

   "Wow, that's weird. But you're not crazy. Things like that happen, I think." Kai said.

  "You think?" Lloyd snorted, amused as he glanced at him.

     "Oh lay off..." Kai grumbled but laughed anyway.

    "Anyway, we should get to bed, it's nearly midnight. See you in the morning!" Kai saluted before walking off.

   Lloyd smiled. He looked at the ring one last time before he placed it back in his pocket and headed down towards his cabin.

⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓

    Here's the next chapter!!! Sorry for keeping you guys waiting, but I was away at camp.... 

  Anyway, hope you all enjoyed it and I'll see you all in the next chapter!!!

   Claire xxx⚓