#cursed!lloyd

Something was wrong with Lloyd. And Kai couldn’t for the life of him figure out what it was—or why the others hadn’t seemed to notice. There were so many hints to something being off, how hadn’t anyone else caught on to it?!

The way Lloyd seemed to have been expecting them, knowing just where to wait; the frost coating him, which he had waved off with the excuse of having been inside the palace too long recently (which itself was suspicious); how he seemed to know his way by memory as he led them through the icy halls...

It all didn’t add up.

Which made the master of fire’s current situation all the more threatening.

Pinned against the wall by the teen in question, the others nowhere to be seen as the master of energy had told them to go on ahead, he had to...“talk”, with Kai. Alone.

The chill in his voice when he’d said that made the red ninja shudder.

Lloyd’s grip was like ice, unsurprising due to the thin shell of frost encasing him. It hurt, his fingers digging into Kai’s shoulders as he forced him against the freezing wall. Staring up into his teammate’s cold, icy-blue eyes.

(The eyes should have tipped all of them off, honestly, how had they overlooked it?!)

This was bad. This was so bad.

“Lloyd, please, wha—why are you doing this?!” the master of fire demanded, fear leeching into his tone. He didn’t expect any response at this point, but who knew, maybe there would be one forthcoming this time.

Those empty blue eyes narrowed slightly.

“The Emperor wants to speak with you.”

...Kai was wishing now that he hadn’t gotten a response, because this reply chilled him to the bone.

The Emperor?! What did—Why would Lloyd...

No. No, this couldn’t be, but it all made sense now.

Lloyd was under the control of the Ice Emperor. That must be why he wasn’t acting right.

This wasn’t him.

‘No—don’t think about what that means, you don’t even know how it happened, don’t think about how this means we must all be walking right into a trap—‘

“You—you can’t keep me from warning the others,” Kai nervously stated, trying to sound defiant but failing. “I’m—I’m onto you—“

“Do you really think so?” Lloyd’s voice was so cold, so devoid of emotion, that he couldn’t help but shudder. “You don’t even know where they are right now.”

...He was right, and Kai hated it. For all he knew, they could already be captured, or worse—

‘No, don’t think about it!’

“That doesn’t mean I—I can’t try,” Kai shot back, trying to stay strong. He had to, he couldn’t let this situation get the best of him.

“Are you sure?” A faint smirk crossed the controlled ninja’s face, but his voice remained even. “I would suggest you don’t try anything.”

Cursing internally, Kai knew that he’d been called on his bluff. There really wasn’t much he could do, was there?

“...Fine. You’ve got me,” he admitted resignedly. “I’ll go talk with your ‘Emperor’.”

The pressure on his shoulders lifted, but the red ninja had no time to react to this before he found his hands help behind his back, chained together by cuffs so cold, he’d be surprised if they weren’t made of ice.

“Just as a precaution,” Lloyd stated, still in the same near-monotone. “If things go well, you won’t need them for long.”

And then Kai was being briskly marched down the hall, stumbling as he tried to keep up with the pace he was being forced forwards at.

They’d all been walking into a trap. He’d walked right into a trap.

But at this point, there was no use in trying to escape.

The ninja arrive at the palace

(Krag stays behind somewhere because I don’t know how to work him in and also just don’t know enough about him)

Lloyd has been waiting/hiding outside

They knew the ninja were coming because Vex has that ice mirror thing so they saw that they were close

He gets their attention, pulling them to a side entrance or something

(Note I have no clue what the palace’s layout is so bear with me)

They ask him what’s going on and he tells them that he’s found Zane

(The irony is that it’s true but he thinks it’s just a lie to trick them cause, y’know, the whole mind control situation)

They follow him in but are wary

Lloyd is acting like his normal self, but something just feels off about him and the others can’t place it

They do notice that he’s covered in ice

Otherwise they don’t have any idea

After traversing the halls in silence for a bit, hiding from any patrols, Kai finally asks what they’re all fearing

“Lloyd...is Zane the Ice Emperor?”

Lloyd freezes up slightly at the question, as if it just doesn’t sit right in his mind

But with true sincerity, he replies

“No, the Emperor is not Zane.”

(If anyone is able to figure out the specific thing I did with the word and why I will be very glad)

EDIT: The info from this point on is now outdated due to my snippet “Coldhearted”

Eventually they get to the main doors to the throne room, Lloyd is the last to enter

Suddenly they hear the door slam shut behind them

They turn and see Lloyd is now bowing, his entire demeanor shifted

“They’re here, my Lord.”

When he stands back up his posture is unnaturally rigid

All the emotion has left his face, his expression now serious and blank

The ninja have absolutely no idea what is happening but are immediately set on edge

“Lloyd, what are you—“

Lloyd’s hand shoots to the hilt of his sword, a replica of his S11 one but made of corrupted ice

They all back away slightly

His voice is cold, hollow, almost monotone as he simply stated

“The Ice Emperor wants to speak to you.”

And they finally realize what had felt so off before as he gazes as them

With empty, ice-blue eyes

How had they not noticed his eyes?

Before they can question this further, however, a familiar, yet foreign voice calls out a command for Lloyd to return to his post

Silently, with a nod and a small bow, he complies, walking past the others

And they watch as he ascends the stairs and stands next to the Ice Emperor

Who is in fact, as they feared, Zane

They’re all silent as they try to process the scene in shock

Finally, Kai’s the first to break the silence

(Yes this thing is involved as well)

“Okay, WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?!”

The Ice Emperor lets out a dark chuckle

“Your friend here? Oh, I merely put him in his place, that’s all.”

Cole’s the next to speak up, his tone a mix of horror and disbelief

“Showed him—‘showed him his place’?! You’re controlling him! Zane, what are—“

“The Emperor is not Zane!”

It’s a dark echo of what he’d told them earlier, but this time, Lloyd says it defensively, almost angrily

His hand flies back to his sword and he takes a step foreward, eyes narrowing slightly

But the Ice Emperor merely gestures and the action stops

Lloyd relaxes, almost as if being suspended like a puppet

If the ninja weren’t scared before, now they’re terrified

Not only do they realize how far gone Zane is (because if he would never be this cruel normally)

But also the extent of his control over Lloyd

Individual reactions time!

Nya is just unable to speak

Cole is probably trying to figure out what they should do

Jay is in freaking denial, trying to convince himself it isn’t real

And Kai...is literally on fire

But also smarter than people give him credit for

He correctly assumes that Lloyd has tried and failed to get through to Zane

So he instead decided to focus on trying to snap Lloyd out of it

This doesn’t work, Lloyd’s been put into a trance almost, like he’s asleep

He’s only aware of what the Emperor lets him be aware of

And they get told as much

Kai is too stubborn to give up though

At this point Jay can’t take it anymore and basically starts having a panic attack from all the stress building up

Cole and Nya are now focused on trying to keep him calm

Kai starts up the stairs, Nya calls out for him to wait

But falls silent when he looks back at her

His eyes are literally ablaze with so many emotions, revealing how much this is affecting him

Which all suddenly morph into fear as he sees what is happening behind the others

(Where is Vex during all this? He’s the one who was directing what’s going on back there)

They’ve been completely surrounded by guards from behind

It was a trap. All of it.