The Sapphire Princess

Chapter 2: The Royal Palace

OMG I JUST RECEIVED MY FIRST VOTES!!!!
THANK YOU SO MUCH TO PrincePacman47 and Ivito_20 for voting!!!
I also want to give a huge thanks and shout out to SakuraToshiki for adding this story to your list. It means a lot to me.

Thank you all of my readers for supporting me! Now, on with the story :)

Lloyd POV

"I'm Sapphire. Nice to meet you."

Sapphire?

Zane frowned in confusion, echoing my thoughts. "Your title is the Sapphire Princess... and your name is Sapphire?"

She let out a laugh. "Weird, right? Blame my parents. They left me on the doorstep with a note saying 'Please take care of our daughter, Sapphire'." Her smile turned bittersweet. "That's how I got my name. The title came from the Empress and Emperor, who decided that I would no longer be Sapphire and instead be the Sapphire Princess, taking away my-"

"Sapphire," the Empress scolded, a note of warning in her voice. "Watch your tongue."

Sapphire rolled her eyes and settled her face into a neutral expression, erasing the bitter smile she had put on earlier.

"Wait," Nya cut in. "You're... adopted?"

"Yes," the Emperor admitted. "Both Harumi and Sapphire were adopted, though one was left on our doorstep while the other was chosen." He shot a glance at Sapphire. For a moment I thought I saw anger radiating from his eyes. I blinked and it was gone. Had I been seeing things?

"Sapphire," Harumi said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Perhaps it's time you went back to your room."

"Huh? Why?" Jay asked. "It's barely been 10 minutes."

Sapphire ignored him and, with a neutral tone, replied, "Yes sister. I'll be on my way." She picked up her skirts and walked off, her shoes making no noise as she disappeared down the hallway.

So she was wearing sneakers. But why...?

"Forgive her, Ninja," said the Emperor, letting out a sigh. "Sapphire is the most rebellious person I have ever met. She does not like following rules."

"She is young, Father," Harumi protested, defending her sister. "She will learn over time."

There was an awkward silence as the royal family sunk deep in thought. I couldn't help but study Harumi. The more I did, the more I noticed subtle details I hadn't noticed before. Instead of her eyes being brown like I had initially assumed, they were caramel colored. Her hair was not platinum-blonde. It was mainly white, with streaks of blonde. Her hair caught the sun's rays, making a halo of gold shimmer around her.

She looked like an ethereal creature.

Harumi looked up, her eyes meeting mine. I realized I had been staring and quickly ducked my head, trying to stop the blush on my face from spreading.

Unfortunately, Kai noticed. A smirk slid onto his face, and he raised his eyebrows at me teasingly. That only made my face burn hotter.

"Father, perhaps we should let the Ninja stay in the palace as a thanks for protecting us. It's the least we can do."

The Empress and Emperor exchanged glances before the Emperor smiled. "Welcome Ninja, to your home for the next few days."

Jay, Kai, and Cole all let out a whoop. "Staying at the royal palace! How awesome is that?" Kai exclaimed. He turned to Nya, smirking. "So sis, what do you think of this place now?"

Nya shrugged, grinning. "It doesn't seem half-bad."

"Where will we be staying?" Zane inquired.

Hutchins cleared his throat. "Please follow me to your rooms."

The hallway we walked down was decorated with pictures of Harumi and the royal family. But for some reason, Sapphire was not included in any of the photos. Had she been adopted after Harumi?

No, that still didn't make sense. There were pictures of Harumi as she was now. Where was Sapphire?

I shook myself out of my thoughts. Stay out of it Lloyd, I told myself. It's the royal family's business. And you're thinking too much.

"As guests of the royal family, you will be provided with nothing less than what lords and ladies receive," Hutchins informed us. "You have access to the spa and the rooftops, as well as the all-you-can-eat buffet-"

"SAY NO MORE!" Cole interrupted. "Where is the buffet?!? I need to go there, now!"

We all laughed as Hutchins gave him the directions. He sped off towards there, singing, "I'm coming for you, cake!"

I smiled, happy the ninja were enjoying themselves. Things were off to a good start.

For now...

So, how was it? Let me know in the comments!