The Light To Her Darkness

Chapter 4: The Kidnapped Princess

WORDS: 4585

HARUMI'S POV:

Meeting the Ninja was just amazing. They were all so much taller in real life! Their Gi's were so beautifully crafted too! I wished I could have one, but I didn't have elemental powers. Each one of the ninjas had their special traits. Kai was the hothead who acted without question. Cole was the rock and foundation of the team. Jay, the joker whose mouth is as fast as lightning. Zane was the cold and calculating nindroid. Nya was the girl I wished to be. She was strong, and kind, and her skill could rival anyone with or without elemental powers. Finally, there was Lloyd.

During Halt's speech, I caught Lloyd staring at me. Of course, I was also staring at him while he was looking out into the crowd. How could I not? He was the most handsome man I've ever seen. Halt had already tried to get me to have a boyfriend with other kingdoms just so he could get money. All those boys wanted from me was my richness. They never loved me. They never truly meant all those compliments. It was all fake. But Lloyd? He'd surely have a heart of gold.

While I saw Lloyd staring at me during Halt's speech, I decided to shoot my shot and smile and give a small wave. I could've sworn I saw his cheeks redden. Or, I may have been hallucinating. Either way, my cheeks had reddened as well. Lloyd was so heroic and valiant. As the firecrackers began to pop, Lloyd tackled me to the ground, covering me all up. He and everyone else had thought of the worst and what they thought were gunshots.  If it were gunshots, he sacrificed himself just to protect me! He was on top of me for about three minutes; I felt every part of my face begins to heat up. I was so lucky I was wearing my Kabuki makeup. If I weren't, that would've been an awkward conversation.

I heard Lloyd yell into his intercom and ask someone if the threat was clear. Luckily it was. As he helped me up, he held my hands gently but also protectively. I thanked him for saving me with a smile. If I had said more words than that, I probably would've been stammering and stuttering. I didn't understand why he made me feel this way. When I began to name all of the Ninjas' special traits, I felt my heartbeat quicken as I got to Lloyd. Unlike the others, I had stepped closer to him and grabbed his hands into mine. Sure I guess I was shooting my shot, but, how could I resist? 

I tried desperately hard to calm myself down as I held his hands. I could hear my heartbeat and wondered if the others could hear it too. When I made eye contact with Lloyd, I saw his whole appearance. His eyes were a beautiful emerald green which had seized the light. He had blonde hair, eyes as emerald as the jewel itself, and a well-toned body. I noticed his pupils began to dilate. I felt my cheeks start to burn with color. Once I finished my statement, I released his hands with a tinge of sadness. I would do anything to hold his hands. Lloyd was the most handsome man I'd ever met. Would he be handsome on the inside as well?

As the mini-meeting with Halt, myself, and the Ninja ended, I raced back to my room. I still had to attend a small conference with some people to pick some party favors for someone. I began to touch up my Kabuki makeup and adjust all the minor mistakes. In this palace, mistakes could get you hurt. Frankly, I could not deal with another bruise right now. As I sat facing my vanity, I saw Lloyd peek in. I made eye contact with him and smiled. He had backed away shyly. After the whole conference picking party favors, I went back inside my room to change my clothes. I wore a green hoodie and pants. I had snatched some food from the buffet in the palace. No one would ever notice anything was missing. I looked inside my closet and took clothes of different sizes out. I stuffed the clothes and food into a sack and suited up. My bedroom looked like a mess, but whatever. No one was coming inside anyway. 

My training had been paying off. I was able to jump across building roofs. I wasn't fast or that slow, but it was a good speed. Because of my slimness, I was agile and that helped me out too. As I rushed out of my bedroom, I accidentally knocked over one of my vases and it crashed to the ground. I cringed and raced out. No one was in the hallways either way.