Harumi could hardly concentrate on her training. 

   He eyes kept flickering back up to Lloyd who had taken over the wheel, his face absolutely stony. 

   "Harumi! Concentrate on what you're doing! Aim for the target and flick your wrist to throw the dagger." Paleman instructed. 

   Harumi flushed with embarrassment. 

 "I'm sorry," She murmured, before doing as told. 

  "What in Ninjago is the matter with you?!" Morro groaned exasperatedly, "You know what to do, we've demonstrated a dozen times and you have the skill. So why in all the seven seas are you so terrible at the moment?" 

   "Sorry, I can't seem to -"

  "Concentrate?" Griffin cut her off, "Yes, we can see that. What we want to see is you concentrating and hitting the target right in the centre!" 

  "Try it again!" Paleman ordered. 

  Taking a deep breath, Harumi aimed and flicked her wrist. The dagger landed on the centre ring but not right in the centre. 

 "Much better, although lot of room to improve." Paleman said, before he turned to assist Skylor. 

  Harumi looked once again at Lloyd, this time, catching his eye. They held each other's gaze for a couple or so minutes before Lloyd looked away sharply, turning his attention back to the sea. 

   'I guess he hates me now, though I can't blame him,' Harumi thought. 

 She took the opportunity to get a good look at him without him snapping at her. His pale blonde hair was windswept at the moment, his colour palette was mainly dark green, black and gold plus white here and there. She had always imagined pirates with hats, but so far, the only time she had seen him with a pirate hat on was the first time she saw him. 

   "We'll take a break, it's nearly lunchtime anyway." Morro ordered. 

  Putting down the daggers, Harumi sighed. Lloyd had managed to avoid her all morning, much to Harumi's bewilderment. They were on a ship after all. How could one avoid another? They were bound bump into each other at some point. 

    'Sooner rather than later,' Harumi thought, sighing once more.  

   "A penny for your thoughts? There is something on your mind that troubles you." Pixal came up beside Harumi as they leaned on the railing, their backs facing the sea. 

   "I want to apologise to the Captain about what I said, but how am I suppose to if he avoids me?" Harumi groaned. 

   Pixal looked up at the Captain who had handed the wheel to Clancee and was now looking at what looked like a journal and a map. 

   "Well, how about you approach him now? Since there is a crew member nearby, he won't try to kill you." Pixal suggested. 

   "Thank you, Pix," Harumi chuckled, "But they don't kill, at least, that's what Faith told us last night, and what we heard the Commanders themselves say." 

   "True." Pixal agreed.  

  "I'll confront him now, but I bet we'll come to blows again." Harumi sighed before walking off. 

  "Where's she going?" Seliel asked, as she, Nya and Skylor joined Pixal. 

  "To speak to Captain Lloyd." Pixal replied, nodding up at the imposing figure.  

  "She's doing what?!" Nya gasped, raising her eyebrows.

  Harumi hesitated as she stepped on the Sterncastle deck. Lloyd stood a few feet away, his left shoulder facing her as his attention was absorbed in the book and map. 

   Taking a deep breath, she spoke up, "C-captain Lloyd." 

  Lloyd's head snapped round to look at her, his eyes holding a steely and guarded look. 

  "I wish to have a word with you." Harumi held her head up, though the look he was giving her made shivers run down her spine. 

  He didn't say anything, only looking at her. When he closed the book slightly, Harumi took it as a sign to speak.

   "I wanted to talk about our argument last night, and I -" 

  "What? You want more?" Lloyd cut her off sharply, "As far as I could make out, your highness, you have said more than enough."   

   Harumi flinched at his tone, but kept her voice steady.

  "No, of course I don't want to continue arguing. I just wanted to say -" 

 "Say what? That I'm cryptic? Temperamental? Bad tempered?" Lloyd cut her off again, "I think I made myself quite clear that you have said more than enough!" 

   "That's not what I'm here to say!" Harumi gasped angrily, "Although you did deserve a few of the words I said -" 

   "I thought you just said that you weren't here to talk about it!" Lloyd snapped. 

  "And I wasn't! You're the one that's bringing it up again!" Harumi snapped back.

  "Me?! Maybe if you start correctly, I won't get ideas on what you're about to say! And talk about me being temperamental, you're temperamental too! You're such a hypocrite!" Lloyd glared. 

   Harumi opened her mouth to fire back at him but thought better of it. She took a few deep breaths, closing her eyes. He was right after all, she was temperamental, but not as often as he was. 

  Opening her eyes again, she looked at him. Looking dead straight at his eyes, she suddenly forgot what she was going to say. 

   "Perhaps you would like to paint a picture." Lloyd snapped, as Harumi continued to stare at him, lost for words. 

  She quickly shook her head and collected her thoughts. 

  "Well?" Lloyd pressed, irritated. 

 "Look, I know you don't want us here, at first we didn't either. But since we're stuck together, can we please get along?" Harumi asked, almost pleadingly. 

   Lloyd raised an eyebrow at the request. He opened his mouth to answer, but before he could, a cry went out. 

   "Captain! Ship to port side!"  

  Lloyd hurried to the railing, his head looking towards the left. 

   Sure enough, a ship with the unmistakable flag of a Ninjago trading ship was sailing in the opposite direction. 

   "All hands on deck! Lower the main sail, man the cannons and prepare yourselves!" Lloyd yelling out his orders right left and centre as he descended from the Sterncastle deck, "Clancee, steer the ship towards it. We're looting that ship."

    The bell at the top of the mast rang out, alerting the crew. The ship came to life, crew members dashing about, carrying crates of weapons and ammunition. Dogshank and Paleman were lowering the main sail. 

    Harumi hurried down after the Captain.

  "What can we do?" Harumi asked, as the other girls joined her. 

  Lloyd paused and he and the other Commanders turned to look at them. 

 "You can go to your cabins and stay out of the way." Lloyd instructed sharply, glaring at them. 

  "What?!" 

  "We want to help!" Seliel exclaimed.

  "Yeah, what's the point in teaching us how to fight if we're not going to?" Skylor huffed, annoyed. 

   "You have only just started training! Do you really think I'm going to let you participate in a sea battle?" Lloyd snapped. 

  "But -" Nya started.

  "No buts. Do you really think this a good time to argue? Morro, Griffin, take the girls to their cabins." He signalled the two crewmen over, jabbing in the direction of the girls.

   They both nodded and guided the girls under deck. 

 "Why can't we help?" Harumi grumbled, crossing her arms. 

  "Captain's orders. Now stay in there, or he'll have our heads on a silver platter." Morro said, as he pushed them all into Skylor's room, slamming the door after them. 

  "He's unbelievable! He has us to learn how to fight, but then won't let us!" Harumi seethed. 

   "The Captain has a point, we have only just started training. And I for one will not go against his orders at this point. He already wants Harumi's head." Pixal said. 

    "I hate when you're right." Harumi sighed. 

                  ⚔⚔⚔⚔⚓⚔⚔⚔⚔ 

      "Still no sign of them?" Garmadon asked, as he and the other men sat in one of the drawing rooms. 

    "No, everything's happening all over again." Ray said, sighing before taking a sip from his champagne glass. 

   "What could they possibly want with them?" Cliff asked. 

  "I don't know, whatever it is, they want all of them." Chen clenched his teeth. 

  "But why leave it this late to take them? They took the boys when they were around two to three months old." Julien mused. 

   "You have a very good point, and I'm afraid I don't have the answer. Let's hope that the captors have kept them all alive." Ray sighed again. 

   "Libby, Maya and Misako are convinced that the boys are still alive, refusing to even consider that they might be dead." Garmadon said, sipping his champagne. 

   No-one said another word for a while. 

 Suddenly, the doors flew open and General Akita strode in. 

  "Your majesties, my Lords," She addressed them, bowing. "Duchess Mistake would like to have a word with you. With your permission, I will escort her through." 

    "That will be fine, thank you Akita." Garmadon nodded at his general. 

   Akita bowed and left the room, returning a few minutes later with the Duchess in tow. 

    "My Kings, my lords, please, no need to rise." Mistake waved her hand at them as she sat down. Akita closed the doors and stood next to them, waiting for further instructions. 

  "You wanted to speak to us?" Garmadon asked, offering Mistake a glass of champagne. 

  "Yes, I do," Mistake said, as she took the glass, "It has come to my attention that you believe that the boys are truly dead?"

   All the men looked at each other.

  "Well, we want to believe that they're still alive, but after all these years without a single trace of them? I've started giving up hope." Garmadon replied softly, looking down at his hands. 

   "Well, your wife hasn't given up hope, nor has Queen Libber or Queen Maya. So if they haven't, neither should any of you. The loss of a child, two in King Ray's case, is a hard thing. But if you still have hope, and believe that they're still alive, trust your instincts." Mistake leaned forwards slightly in her seat. 

   "But -" Wu started.

  "No ifs or buts. There is hope yet." Mistake interrupted, "Hoping and believing is all you can do at the moment. I have a feeling that all will be well in the end." 

                ⚔⚔⚔⚔⚓⚔⚔⚔⚔ 

        Deafening sounds echoed throughout the ship. 

   "Ugh! That's it! I'm going up to help them, I'm not sitting around like a damsel in distress." Harumi announced and barged out off the room. 

   "Harumi! Wait for us!" Nya called after her, scrambling to her feet. 

  "What?! Are you crazy? The Captain will have our heads on a gold platter if not on a silver one!" Skylor grabbed Nya's arm.

   "Let me go, Sky. Look, I've spent nearly 17 years of my life in a palace, feeling like all I was born to do was to sit pretty and act like a stiff princess and then one day govern the kingdom. Not that I didn't enjoy it, I did. But for once I want to feel useful and not sit around and have others do things for me. Getting captured was one of the best things that happened to me. For once I can drop my act and title and just be me. Don't you want to feel free too, for the amount of time we have on this ship? We're not here to stay for ever, and I plan on using my time here to get a taste of freedom." Nya slipped out of Skylor's grasp and headed for the door. 

    "You're crazy," Skylor muttered, "And I think I am too, let's go!"

  The four girls ran out of the room and up the steps. They found Harumi kneeling beside a chest full of weapons. 

   "Grab what you want and need. Hurry before the Captain sees us and sends us down again!" Harumi grabbed a katana and a pistol. 

   "Throw the grappling hooks! Prepare to board the ship!" Lloyd's voice cut throw the air, loud and clear. 

  The girls hid behind some barrels waiting for a chance to enter the fight. 

 Some of the crew were pulling on the ropes, bringing the trading ship closer. As soon as it was close enough, the Commanders and the crew jumped on board. 

   "You all know what to do!" Lloyd called out again, before firing his pistol and swinging his katana at a couple of sailors. 

   "Ready?" Harumi asked, turning slightly to the other girls. 

  They all nodded. 

     "Then let's go!" Harumi sneakily made her way to the railing and climbed aboard unnoticed, the others following her lead. 

   As they joined the fight, no-one noticed them, to busy caught up in their own problems. 

 Harumi looking around caught sight of Lloyd. He had his mask pulled up and was firing right, left and centre. Her eyes widened suddenly when she caught sight of a sailor, creeping up to him with a dagger raised. 

    "Look out!" She yelled, running towards Lloyd as she aimed, firing her pistol. 

       ⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓

    Right... there you have Chapter 7... Not as long as the last chapter. (2280 words count.) 

  But anyway, you might be wondering Why Akita is Garmadon's general when in the 'Hello' part I wrote his general as RSeven? (And yes, RSeven is Racer 7 from season 12.) But back to the point. I decided to change it, so now, Akita is Garmadon's general and RSeven is Ray's... I think I got that right. 

   But, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, sorry for the cliffhanger! XD XD XD XD 

 I'll see you all in the next chapter!

 Claire xxx ⚓