Chapter Text
Aspheera grinned as she aimed her staff at Wu, Lloyd could not quite hear what she was cockily monologueing about as she went to blast Wu with one of the Scrolls of Forbidden Spinjitzu, the other on a staff in his own hand. Without a second though, he dashed forward, “ Uncle Wu !” He shouted as he stood between the blast and Wu. He heard shouts, for only a moment before silence rang out.
His mind was fuzzy when he woke. A frozen wind hit his face as he opened his eyes. He remembered shouting, a name Lloyd. The people shouting had sounded fearful in his blurred memory as he sat up, snow stuck in his blond, bloodstained, hair. A pain in his temple went ignored as he looked around. A staff laid next to him in the snow, a scroll connected to it, a powerful aura around it. Nearby a mech sat in the snow, it seemed familiar. Standing, shivering, he picked up the staff, energy and warmth rushed through him; the snow around him melting, replaced immediately by grass and flowers, only for them to rot and fall apart just as quickly as they had appeared.
He was not sure how to feel about the power coursing through his veins, he was not even sure who he was. Lloyd, he thought, reminding himself of the fearful voices from his memory, his oh so foggy memory, Is that me? Is that my name? The wind blew again, covering his eyes with his own hair, It feels like that’s right. Shoving his hair out of his eyes, Who was yelling? Why were they scared? He glanced at the mech, and moved toward it before looking back at the short path forming behind him; a path dying plants quickly being covered with snow, Was it me they were afraid of?
Another burst of wind nearly knocked him to the ground, looking again at the mech he began to climb up to pilot it, “I sure hope this is mine.” The mech would not move, turn on yes, but it would not move from where it stood. He sighed, frustrated, and climbed back down, “I should look for shelter.” He muttered, looking up at the mech, “I don’t think I should leave this here…” the staff in his hand seemed to hum, looking between the staff and mech he paused, What if… he raised the staff, the ground seemed to shake as a layer of green ice formed under the mech, “How did I…?”
He shrugged it off, Muscle memory I’m sure , he thought, creating a path of ice and using the tremoring of the ground to move the mech along behind him for some time.
“A cave,” He smiled slightly as he found shelter, “perfect.” He thought aloud, only for a massive bird to swoop at him, “ Woahno !” He shouted, dodging as the bird attacked, as it went to attack again, he raised the staff defensively; lightning shot out, warding off the bird. Using the trembling of the ground and ice he moved the mech into the cave. He looked to the entrance of the cave, “That bird might come back…” He muttered as he walked back out into the snow and raised the staff once more, blocking most of the cave’s entrance with green ice and only leaving an opening that he could walk through. He moved quietly back into the cave to look once more at the mech, “It feels familiar.” He muttered, setting down the staff. Bitter cold seemed to seep into his bones as soon as his hand left the staff; with a shudder he glanced at the staff, then to his clothes, “Why was I in the snow?” he mumbled, “Shouldn’t I have a coat?”
He thought again to the fearful voices, the shouting. He could not picture where he had been, what he had been doing, or the faces of those who the voices belonged to. It must have been me they were afraid of.. . The pain in his temple surged as he picked up the staff once more, warmth surrounding him, Whoever they were… or are?
“Was I left out there on purpose?” He questioned quietly, looking at the thin material of his clothes, a green gi in no way made for cold climates, “Was I left to die?” He spotted a tablet inside the mech, turning it on he did not notice it beginning to record as he saw the source of the pain in his temple in the image, “What happened ?” touching the wound hesitantly, he found the blood had dried and glued some of his hair into the forming scab. He looked pale, almost hypothermic in the image, “How long was I laying there?” He stood, walking away from the tablet. What do I know? “What do I know?” he began to pace as he muttered to himself, “I woke up in the snow, a mech and a staff nearby. I must've hit my head? I guess? Or someone hit me… I can’t remember much… I think, I think my name might be Lloyd? I remember voices… They sounded scared but I don’t know who they are or why they were scared. I think it might have been me they were afraid of, since they were shouting Lloyd, which is why I think that’s my name…” He sat on the cave floor, setting the staff down once more as he put his head in his hands, “I want to go home , but I don’t even know where home is.” A sound came from the entrance to the cave, he looked quickly toward the sound, “Hello?” He questioned, standing only to grab his head in pain, “Who's there?” A man stood at the cave’s entrance, glaring at a rock he had accidentally kicked, “Who are you?”
The man froze for a moment before speaking with a smile that seemed kind, “Don’t you remember?” He stepped forward, “I am Vex.”
“I don’t… I don’t remember much of anything at the moment. Are we friends?”
The man, Vex, smiled again, “Of course.” He bowed, “I am your loyal advisor.”
“Advisor? What?” He stepped backward, away from Vex, “What do you mean?”
“A pity, you have truly forgotten.” Vex walked toward him, “You must not even remember the traitor, Grimfax’s attempt to overthrow you.” He picked up the staff, examining it for a moment, “Worry not My Lord, I will help you, it is my sworn duty after all.”
“I don’t understand, your sworn duty?”
“You are the Emperor of this realm,” He paused, trying to use the staff for a moment before holding it out, “This is your scepter, now that I have found you, you can return to the palace and reclaim your throne.”
“I’m an Emperor?” He asked as he took the staff and began to follow Vex out of the cave.
“ The Emperor, the youngest this realm has seen.” Vex explained, leading him through the snow toward a palace in the distance, “No doubt why Grimfax had you attacked and left to freeze, he deems you unworthy of the throne. Too young, too weak to lead.”
“Why?”
“Simple, My Lord. You are young, only just having come of age to rule. Furthermore, he grew comfortable with the power he had
temporarily
been given until you were old enough. He does not want to give up that power, despite it not being his.” He gestured to the palace as they approached, “This is your home, and now we can reclaim it, My Lord.”