Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Sunlight peers between the sheer curtains of the elegant room, as the auburn-haired man stirs awake. An instinctive hand comes to shield his eyes, a grimace covering his lips. He pushes himself to sit up, a deep sigh leaving his lips before a soft incantation leaves them; he finds that it’s six in the morning. Two hours earlier than he’d usually wake up from his slumber. He slumps back onto bed, knowing himself well enough to figure that he probably wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep. Making a move that surprises even himself, he manages to heave himself out of the oversized bed, tossing the cerulean duvet aside and sitting on the edge and rubbing the remnants of the previous night of sleep from his similarly coloured eyes.

As he finally brings himself to his feet, he sways from side-to-side momentarily. Once the dizziness is rubbed from his eyes, he gains his bearings and makes a plan. Eyes shut as he thinks, whispering the words that come to mind.

“Dressed… gotta- gotta work on that thing… food, I guess… then, castle,” he breathes deep as he finishes, trudging across the fine wooden flooring toward the elaborate chest of drawers in the corner. Hands tug the drawers open and pull out his clothes. As he pulls on his clothes and gear, he feels the ache in his joints, like rust against an old metallic rig. He should be getting up earlier, as he’s been told to, but the late nights trying to take care of that brat living at the castle have seemed to take over his life. Key word being trying; he does not make it easy at all. Jay’s even beginning to suspect that the little shit is being annoying on purpose.

He pushes the thought to the back of his mind as he finishes pulling on his harness, grabbing his worn goggles from atop the chest of drawers and finally departing the room. Relieved to be out of it, Jay takes another deep breath after shutting the door behind him, before trudging down the winding hall and down the stairs of the manor. Hand softly dragging across the fancy banister in place. Finally reaching the bottom, taking a slightly stale bread roll that had been left out from the side before walking out and toward the workshop located a ways down the street. Given the early hours, the amount of the usual horse-drawn carts on the streets is few and far between. The wooden board holding the words ‘Ed ‘n’ Edna’s Scrap ‘n’ Junk’ looks as structurally unsound as ever, the letters themselves being metal beams arranged and melted together in the required shapes. Jay momentarily looks up at the sign as he approaches, subconsciously making sure that it’s the right place— even though he’s made the walk across to the shop almost every day for most of his life.

Slowly, his hand reaches for the doorknob and turns. Continuing his deliberate movements, Jay opens the door just enough so that he can slip through, before closing it behind him— however as he takes his first step into the shop, the rotten floorboard right up from the entrance that he forgot to remind himself about cracks beneath his weight, swallowing his ankle and causing a shriek of shock to exit his lips. A hand quickly comes to cover his mouth, whispering curses under his breath before pulling himself out. A sigh leaves his lips as he looks at the damage. A hand rubs his forehead as he helplessly looks to his surroundings for help. They offer none.

Admitting defeat, Jay’s arms flail to his side momentarily before he turns and copies the same movements he made for the front door with the door to the basement. He slips through the crack and steps lightly down the stairs, creating little to no noise at all as he does so. When he reaches the bottom and the basement itself, he mutters magical words beneath his breath, and a small bolt of lightning subsequently ejects from the tip of his finger to light a candle. Slipping his finger through the handle of the candle-holder and breathing a sigh of relief as he rolls his shoulders, he approaches his project. The bronze frame of the carriage reflects the dim blue glow of the candle as Jay encircles the object in front of him. Setting the candle down on a nearby bench, Jay begins his work. Mouth moving as fast as ever as he does so.

“C’mon, you stupid—” he says, attempting- and failing- to twist a bolt into place. Continuing the motion, it eventually backfires; the bolt pinging away from the contraption and smacking him in the face. A yelp of pain as the metal hits him, before throwing the wrench to the ground out of anger— not thinking it through, and accidentally hitting himself in the foot. He groans in pain, but pushes through it as he plops himself onto the floor, defeated, kicking the ground. “Stupid Wu telling me to do this stupid mission, and I gotta make a stupid carriage all by myself and I only have a few stupid days to do it!” Another groan as he finishes, hands delving into his hair as he slumps down in despair. After a few minutes of worry, Jay regains his composure and continues his work. He has to finish this quickly, for his own sake.

A few hours of gruelling work pass, feeling much longer than it actually is as he slogs his way through armouring the carriage. By the time he’s finished, he collapses onto the cold ground of the basement. At least the job is done.

After a few minutes of regaining his energy he heaves himself to his feet again. Looking upon his work, he gives a chuckle of pride. His smile persists, a small bounce in his step as he licks his fingers to stub out the flame of the candle. A tinge of exhaustion is creeping up on him, but a large part of him doesn’t care as he’d finally finished the task at hand. Now there’s nothing left to do but go back to his duties at the palace. The tinge of tiredness is replaced by that of dread as he thinks about what- or who- awaits him there. But he pushes it to the side as he skips up the stairs, opening and shutting the door behind him. Reaching the main floor, he spots Edna behind the counter. They trade a jolly smile, as the younger approaches.

“Mom!” he exclaims, sliding behind the counter next to her and pulling her into an embrace. A deep sigh of comfort leaves his mouth as they embrace each other, before Jay pulls back.

“Oh, I told you not to call me that,” Edna says, her tone as jovial and comedic as always, but with a hint of seriousness to it. He gathered she’d feel guilty, his godparents are his biological parents' closest friends after all.

“Yeah, I know,” Jay grins. “But, uh, you’re around, and I haven’t seen Libber or Cliff in over a month so…” He trails off; tone as happy and light-hearted as always, but his jokes about his own situation don’t always end up with the other laughing. Case in point, the guilt is clear on Edna’s face.

“You know they’re always busy, Jay,” Edna argues softly. She & Ed are always defending them, unsurprisingly. Jay doesn’t hold it against them, of course they would. And sometimes it’s even useful to hear as he isn’t always totally right about whatever he’s mad at them for.

“Yeah, I guess,” Jay sighs, stealing a bread roll from the counter and taking a bite. “At least Lib- Mom is doing important stuff, y’know, protecting the realm. Cliff is just… acting. Who cares about actors?”

Edna gives a stern look. “A lotta people, sweetie. They say he’s the best!” Jay side-eyes her jokingly and she gives a gesture as to admit to an omission. “Okay, okay, I did go and see one of his plays a couple a’ weeks ago. He’s real talented,”

Jay releases a dry laugh as he tucks into his food. “Yeah, talented at acting. Not at being a father, apparently.” Edna’s mouth opens to argue, but she has enough experience to know that arguing about it is fruitless. Jay takes a step back, as to indicate he’s going to leave, before leaning in and giving his perceived mother a kiss on the cheek.

“I gotta get to the palace,” he speaks, jogging to the exit and waving to her as she waves back. “Give Ed all my love!”

His back meets the door with a thud, a chuckle at his mother before turning around and pulling it open. A deep breath of fresh air as his nose meets the outside. As usual, the air actually isn’t so fresh; acrid with the smell of horse droppings and other assorted attacks on the senses. But it’s home. The now-bustling streets had exploded to life in the hours Jay had been cooped up in the basement, carts hauling goods being ridden all over the place and stalls dotted across the streets. Jay would usually have stopped by the market to buy a few things, but there was no time for that today as he was already running later than he would’ve liked.

The palace is a towering jewel amongst Ninjago City, pristine bricks and polished coloured roof tiling, alongside beautiful stained glass windows depicting the origins and history of the world. It was truly a gorgeous building. Standing as a symbol of hope for the people; while used as a place to hide by the rich bastards who had been in control prior to Wu, Ninjago City had seen a much more equal & community-run society since the wise old sage took over. Much to the people’s shock, he decided to use the power he had to actually improve the capital. What a shocker.

Jogging through the double doors to enter, Jay finds his way to the team’s meeting area at the centre of the courtyard. Wu stands upon the steps, addressing Cole & Zane— together, the three of them make of the Ninja, and simultaneously princes.

Cole, the rock and leader of the trio of students Wu had taken on. With wavy black hair and a much taller and broader build than the other two, he could lift them both up easily. Despite his wide appearance and large stature, he was also undoubtedly the most gentle of the three; while Jay could be overwhelming in his speech and Zane unknowingly cold in his demeanour, Cole was a gentle giant powered by his love for those around him.

Jay had always got the feeling that Zane was always zoned out, but every time he has tried to catch him he’s been able to perfectly summarise what they’ve been talking about in whatever lesson they were in. Ironically, better than Jay would be able to. He was slightly shorter than Cole, and thinner, giving him a slightly lanky build. His hair was weirdly flat, and his expression more often than not blank. He was a mystery to Jay— but a valued friend nonetheless

Jay himself was the shortest of the three, by an embarrassing amount. His auburn hair was slightly longer than Cole’s, but concentrated higher up on his head, a mess of auburn atop his head. He was slightly embarrassed, seeing the two already in their colour-coded uniforms while he himself was left still in his inventor clothes. They were mostly blue, at least.

“Sorry! Sorry, guys, I was—” a sigh. Looking up at Zane’s blank face, Cole’s warm smile and Wu’s stern look. “I finished working on my carriage. Y’know, armouring it.”

Wu’s face, surprisingly, relaxed, a bit. “I understand, my student. Your journey is tomorrow, and protection is paramount.” Cole clapped a hand on his best friend’s shoulder, giving it a pat.

“You’re a lucky guy, old money,” he jokes. “Anyone else and the king here woulda chewed you out- ow!” Cole is cut off with a bonk to the head by Wu with his staff. “Sorry,” he mutters.

“Cole is right,” Zane looks over to Jay, and the blue prince can hear a twinge of laughter bubbling up in his tone. “I’m sure your money is an incentive to treat you with a little leniency,” Despite Jay giving a bit of a chuckle, Zane also receives a bonk on the head.

“Cole. Zane. You both know Jay is also here because of his skill,” he says, almost exasperated. Jay can’t help but feel a little bad about how tired he sounds of getting the other two to stop poking fun at him for getting bought into the Ninja program. Jay doesn’t mind, though. He expected it, even.

“Students!” Wu calls out, breaking Jay’s train of thought and making all three of them stand at attention. “Your table for today is free, mostly. Do with your time what you will, but make space for training. The discipline that comes with forcing yourself to hone your skills is the backbone of these teachings. Your lesson for today is this: trust comes with time. You should not demand it from others immediately nor should you expect it to be demanded from you. Each one of us is different and special in our own ways. Some hold up a mountain, while others bring them food and water. No matter your role, you are not unimportant. Remember this, as you go through this day and week. Dismissed!” A chill runs down Jay’s back as he hears Wu’s speech. Somehow, his teachings find themselves to be relevant later in the week or even day.

As the three turn to leave, they conjoin as a convoy. Cole leans down to Jay. “Hey, we were gonna go over to The Misfortune's Keep tonight. Have a little fun, have a lotta drinks. You want in?”

“No, man, I’ve got that diplomatic thingy tomorrow. I gotta be energised, and not hungover!” he replies, with a disappointment to his tone that his friends pick up on. Cole deflates a little.

“Oh, yeah,” he sighs. “Forgot about that.  Okay, how long are you stayin'?"

Jay searches the recesses of his mind for that information. "Uh, I think the journey there is, like, a day? And I'll be staying there for two nights after. And them coming back. So I won't even be gone a week, dude."

Cole scoffs, a smile on his features. Though still confused. "Why’d you even get it, anyway? It’s not like you’re renowned for your diplomacy skills,” A snicker.

“Har, har, boulder brain,” Jay snaps back, a playful punch to his shoulder. “I dunno. I think it’s Wu’s way of tryna teach me a lesson but, man, I don’t care what lesson he’s trying to teach, I am not looking forward to it. Just seems tiring."

"You can say that again," Cole chuckles. "I gotta say, though, happy it's you and not me. I never liked the travelling, I got sick. So glad I moved to Ninjago City proper."

"Gee thanks, dirt clod," Jay laughs. "You're really lookin' out for me."

"Sure! It's literally my job as team leader," that earns Cole a smack on the arm from Jay again.

"Yeah, what a good team leader you are," Jay trails off. The quiet of the air finally hits him, and he frowns. He looks around, a confused look painting Jay's face before morphing into one of joy. "Dude, where's the little shit?"

Cole gives a chuckle. "Wow, that's rude. Lloyd's at school today. Wu said something about wanting him to have somewhat of a normal life."

"What? Dude, the other kids are gonna hate him and his stupid pranks." Jay says, disdain in his voice. That kid was part of the reason he was kinda relieved to be going on the trip. He'd been terrorising the three of them for weeks, since Wu took him in.

"C'mon, he's not that annoying," Cole reasons.

"He turned my clothes pink," Zane interjects. "I do not even know how he did that."

"Yeah, but that was funny," Cole chuckles, and Zane simply blinks at him. Cole turns his attention back to Jay. "Look, don't talk about Lloyd like that. Wu might actually kill you if he heard you talk about his nephew that way,"

Jay rolls his eyes. "Ugh, he probably can hear me. He's got old man-" Jay looks back over toward Wu suspiciously.

“Jay! Return to me,” Jay is cut off by Wu calling for him, hand gesturing for him to come back as he strokes his beard. Cole supresses a laugh and gives a nod to Jay, patting his arm and departing with Zane as Jay flips him the bird and walks back over to their King.

“Yes, Sire?”

“The location you’re travelling to tomorrow,” Wu gives him a quizzing look, as if he’s expecting an answer quickly.

“Uh— Ignacia, sire,”

“Very good. Why are you going?”

“Uh…” Jay rubs his head for a moment. “Sorry, do you mean like, why me specifically? Or, like, conceptually why is someone- who coincidentally is me- going to Ignacia?”

Wu blinks, pinching the bridge of his nose. “The… The second one, student,”

Jay nods. He knows this one. “Due to a recent and sudden change in leadership, Ignacia’s relationship with the Kingdom of Spinjitzu has changed, which means conversations about our alliances are needed,” Jay gives a proud smile to his master.

“Very good, Jay,” Wu replies. “You may not know why I have given this mission to you. But your skills in— talking, a lot, will be helpful. And remember, an entourage of our best knights will be there to escort you. You’ll be safe.”

Jay nods slowly, a deep breath. “Thanks, sire. I- uh- I really wasn’t sure I could do it. Just doesn’t seem or feel like my bag, y’know?”

“It is,” Wu speaks. “Of course it is. Talking is one of your strong suits, Jay,” Jay gives a chuckle, and a low bow. 

“Heh,” he says. “That's a compliment, right?" Wu blinks, and Jay clears his throat. "Well, let’s hope I am that good at it!" I wouldn’t wanna cause a war…”

As the conversation reaches its conclusion, Jay takes a deep breath. He has a feeling that Wu has some kind of plan here that he can’t see, and it kinda scares him. Even so, he faces up to it as best he can— despite the prospect being terrifying. He’s looking forward to seeing Ignacia anyway, he’s never been. It's only a few days, then he can go back to his normal life. Not much can happen it only a few days, right?

Chapter Text

Chocolate eyes flutter open as curtains flutter against the soft breeze. Nya takes a deep, slow intake of breath as she mentally prepares herself for the day ahead. She tilts her head to face, feeling the sun against her face and basking in its warmth and light. She pushes herself up, swinging her legs around and off the bed. Her hand finds her head, rubbing her temples with closed eyes. She thinks about her first moves in the morning, as well as considering the day ahead. She doesn’t want to, but training is probably most important right now. Sighing, she heaves herself to her feet and takes the bandages atop her newly shined dresser. She stares at it for a few moments, blinking. It’s all so new, it’s slightly overwhelming— and feels like a betrayal of who she is, who her family is. She shakes her head to snap herself out of it, wrapping the bandages around her knuckles and wrists to ensure protection from splinters and injuries. She takes care as she wraps bandages across her toned torso, similar to those around her wrists. Her usual garb when she trains. Lazily, she grabs some baggy short bottoms before slipping out of her door. The wide hall of the longhouse definitely takes some getting used to, and she has still barely processed it being her place of residence now. It’s jarring.

She pushes open the creaking wooden doors out to the courtyard, and they swing and slam shut behind her. Stepping across the cobbled stone ground, she moves to a sort of side cupboard she already has set up, taking a few wooden posts, dummies and wooden weapons from it and preparing them. A spear is her usual weapon of choice. One would usually take a shield with it as well, but she doesn’t; she prefers to have a lot of freedom and versatility. She turns back, spotting the tower of the longhouse with the clock atop it; it’s only just a few minutes past four. She’s up early. She turns back, gaining momentum and slamming her fist into the post. The crack of fist against wood echoes throughout the quiet early morning— a sound that continues for the hours to come, in which she trains.

The wooden post splits and cracks as a fist is launched into it, battering the material. The woman responsible for the damage pants as sweat drips from her hair. A strand of hair escapes from the ponytail above her head, and she blows it back. Her fists lower and eyes narrow at the broken post, grabbing it and gently setting it down on the ground. Walking a few feet away, the woman rests on a bench, taking the already prepared cup of water and downing it. A sigh as she swallows the liquid, setting the cup down and lying across the bench. Eyes close peacefully, as bandaged-wrapped hands come to rest behind her head. The belltower bongs a few times to signal six o’clock in the morning. She has a few hours before she has to cave in to her responsibilities, so she catches up on her sorely missed sleep.

Nya is jolted awake by a hard slap to her stomach, causing her to kick wildly at whoever her attacker was. Hearing his cries of pain brings the clarification that it’s not an attacker, and just her brother. She clutches her stomach momentarily, before standing up and folding her arms. Giving him a judgemental glare as he heaves on the ground. She rolls her eyes, squatting down and picking him back up by his arms. He’s still clutching his stomach.

“Oh come on, Kai,” she groans. “Grow up. ‘S your own fault for sneaking up on me,”

“Eh,” he waves her off, regaining himself. Somehow still managing his regular cocky smirk, though it hides obvious pain. “Just- Just testing your reaction time. You did good.” Nya rolls her eyes, though a chuckle peaks its way through her tough demeanour.

“Sure,” she says sceptically. “What did you actually want?” Kai pants for a few moments, before leaning against the statue in the centre of the courtyard. A hand moves into his hair to style it, before his attention turns back to his sister.

“Mom wanted to see you,” he says, and Nya deflates. She begins unwrapping the bandages from her fists, a sigh leaving her lips. Kai takes a step forward, moving to put a comforting hand on her shoulder but stops himself. “Look, I know you two are… not getting along. Maybe she wants to make up?”

Nya shoots him a deadpan glare. “Are you serious? She’s just gonna- gonna baby me and act like that fixes everything!” She slaps her wrist bandages against the bench she was laying on previously, turning herself to face Kai. “Neither of us wanna be here, Kai! We’re only here ‘cause-”

“‘Cause Dad couldn’t keep himself to himself, I know,” now it’s Kai’s turn to roll his eyes. “He did the right thing, you know.” He looks back up at Nya, almost ready to get chewed out.

Nya’s frown deepens, but soon softens as she sees Kai’s demeanour. She pinches the bridge of her nose and takes a deep breath. “I know he did. I just wish he didn’t take over after. Being a knight was easier when… I don’t know, I didn’t have to worry about representing the literal leader of the town. And this—?” She gestures to the courtyard around them, and subsequent longhouse behind it. “It’s too much. We weren’t meant for this, Kai. We belong out there, working. Like we have our whole lives.”

“I know, I know,” Kai sighs. His own hand reaching up to his forehead. “But we can’t just abandon this. Ignacia needs a leader, and Dad… people like him! And they know him,”

“He’s a blacksmith!” Nya snaps, hand flailing. “You’re a blacksmith! What is he doing running the town? It isn’t our place. We should just— have just stood up to Chen and then let people who know what they’re doing sort it out. We aren’t meant for this, Kai.” She sees her brother’s jaw clench, and sighs. Taking the opportunity, she storms back towards the longhouse to talk to her mother, with the assumption that she will have at least calmed down enough to have a normal conversation with her. Kai considers it for a moment, before following.

“Hey, you may not want anything better than what we have, but I do!” he shouts. She pauses.

“Oh, tell me a reason you like this whole thing other than the girls!” Nya snaps back. “Don’t act like you have some- some high purpose here!” While Kai seems genuinely hurt by the assumption, Nya doesn’t have time to face the tidal wave of guilt that will soon wash over her: she continues into the longhouse, leaving Kai alone in the courtyard.

She makes her way through the main hall, a grunt of frustration at the mere sight of the wide and open space that now belongs to her family. Whatever the opposite of claustrophobia is, that’s what she feels. There’s a certain anxiety and rush to her heart whenever she enters the building. Maybe it’s the feeling that she doesn’t deserve to live here, that she is too inadequate for such an illustrious building. Maybe it’s that she hates the idea of being relatively wealthy. There was a certain pride she took in her status before; she was a working woman who became a knight, poorer in comparison to the others. And moreover, the best of them. She earned her place more than the others there, that was for sure.

A huff as she leans against the wall, reaching the door to Maya's room. She pauses, stepping back and shutting her eyes. She breathes deeply; in and out, in and out. Calming herself down. She knows she can be very short, and given that she’s assuming that her mother wants an actual, emotional conversation with her— despite her immediate thoughts when talking with Kai— she doesn’t want to lose her cool quickly. She owes her that much. She raises a hand hesitantly, taking a deep breath before allowing her fist to knock against the wood. Her mother’s reply comes surprisingly quickly.

“Come in,” she’s as softly spoken as ever, and it even makes Nya’s heart break slightly. She pushes open the door, clicking it shut behind her before taking another deep breath. Maya looks busy at her desk that’s pushed up against the wall, seemingly writing on papers. She sets her pencil down, before turning and standing. Smiling over at her daughter, as she takes a few steps forward and pulls her into a warm hug. As upset as she still is, she hugs her back with the same amount of love her mother offers her. They hold each other for a few tender moments, before Nya pulls back. Hiding the smile tugging at her lips and forcing a monotone expression.

“What- What did you want, Mom?” she says exasperatedly. Nya can’t tell if her demeanour is actually getting to her mother or not. She’s always been good at acting as if it’s all fine.

“I just wanted to talk to you, Nya,” Maya says. The younger is taken aback; no ‘sweetie’, no ‘darling’. She wasn’t expecting that. Is she finally treating her as an adult? “Come on,” she gestures towards her bed, sitting on the edge and patting the space beside her. Nya hesitantly follows, placing herself beside her mother. She avoids eye contact, spotting Maya wringing her hands in her lap. Nya looks up at her, looking into her eyes. They’re brown, like hers. Silence permeates between them for a few moments, and Nya finally realises why people insist that she looks so much like her mother. They have similar eyes. A similar shape of face. Maybe the reason she felt so much friction against her is because of their similarities. 

Nya banishes the thought from her mind as Maya speaks up. “I’m sorry, Nya.” she breathes a sigh; is she nervous? “I— understand I can be overbearing. Especially the other day. I guess I just… heard you were leaving and panicked. It’s- It’s not an excuse, just— trying to help you understand.”

Nya opens her mouth to speak, but pauses. She’s never heard her apologise for it, being overwhelming. She always assumed it was less about power over her children, and more about worry for them. She knew herself and her mother well enough to see that she wasn’t the type to do that. Nya nods, letting her know that she understands. “Dad got to you, huh?” Her grin indicates that she’s joking, and she can tell Maya almost missed it judging by her momentary widening eyes. “No, no, Mom, I— thank you. I… don’t know if I get it. But thank you.”

Maya nods. “After we did this whole… rebellion thing, I’ve been more worried than ever. I’ve always wondered, been scared about you or your brother leaving. It’s… counter-intuitive to being a parent, I suppose, but it’s only natural. I don’t like having the knowledge that you’ll be burned by the world and I won’t be there to clean your wounds.” Another deep breath from her mother, and Nya follows suit. A small and understanding smile tugging at the corner of her lips as she looks over at her. “I know very little for sure. But what I do know is that you’re an amazing young woman. And whatever they have for you in Ninjago City is surely great. Ever since you got that letter, it’s been: worry, worry, worry. But I need to let go. Let you go.” Hearing her finally validate her dream is like a weight lifted off of Nya’s shoulders. Ever since she received that letter, it’s been like her parents have been unable to leave her alone. Her mom is worse than her dad, that’s for sure.

Nya feels her eyes burn. Tears? The last thing she wants, in any situation. Crying is the bane of her existence. “That- That means a lot, Mom,” she manages to speak. Maya smiles warmly, a hand placing itself on her shoulder. Then, tenderly cupping her daughter’s cheek. Nya leans into her touch, and allows her mom to bring her head forward and press their foreheads against one another.

“I am so proud of you, my little fighter,” she whispers. Nya needed it.

They sit there for an embarrassingly long time, at least for Nya. It feels like hours, but that’s the norm for most emotional situations she finds herself in. Always running from them. She’ll make sure this instance of emotional vulnerability is not repeated any time soon.

“What time is it that you’re leaving?” Maya asks as she pulls their heads apart, hand moving back atop her lap. Nya thinks.

“I- I don’t know. A couple hours. I- I got up so I could get some training in,” she stammers out. Maya nods along, standing and ushering her daughter up as well.

“Well, go on! You should get some food and ready yourself up,” she says, continuing to shoo Nya towards the door, pulling a laugh from her. As Nya exits through the door, she hears her mother continue to yell after her. “And apologise to your brother too!” She hasn’t the foggiest idea of how she manages to know whenever they’ve fought. Probably some kind of mother’s intuition.

Nya makes her way through the halls, a lot less tense now. Much of the anxiety given by the wide and open hall of the Longhouse has faded, albeit probably temporarily. Her stress over her argument with her mother was definitely contributing heavily to her irritable and tense demeanour. Naturally, she’s heading back to the courtyard where she last saw her brother, however when her hands meet the handles of the door she pauses. She hears voices from the other side: one is the unmistakably flirtatious tone of her brother making a move on someone and the other is… it can’t be. Can it? Sneakily, she presses the handle down. Opening it just enough so that her frame can fit through; an annoyingly large amount, due to the musculature of her arms. Her training having paid off is good for fighting, but bad for being stealthy.

After making it through the doors, she dives behind a pillar. Making sure the coast is clear, before peering out from behind it. Her suspicions are confirmed as she sees the blazingly bright red hair and orange sleeves of Skylor Chen. She grits her teeth, straining her ears to hear the conversation.

“So, yeah, y’know… didn’t really ask for this whole deal but-” Kai is cut off.

“But it came with overthrowing my Dad?” Skylor bites. Nya knows that tone all too well; the sarcastic fangs that will almost definitely dig into her brother’s flesh. He stumbles over his words a few times, trying his very best to get a coherent sentence out but ultimately failing. “I’m just messing with you, pretty boy. My Dad is a piece of shit,” He, once again, stumbles over his words.

“Pfft, yeah, ‘course. Hate that guy,” he sighs, and Skylor gives a chuckle. Nya hears a shout come from another direction, and Skylor looks that way and back at Kai as if it’s for her. Whatever she says next Nya doesn’t manage to make out, but she’s soon running in the direction the voice came from. As Kai waves her off, his shoulders slink back dreamily. His hands dig into his eyes, and he smacks himself on the forehead with the heel of his hand. As he turns in Nya’s direction, she shows herself. Smirking and folding her arms. Once again, her brother is stammering.

“Uh… well- h- hey, Nya!” he manages to get out. “Fancy- Fancy seeing you here!”

“At our house?” She speaks. Kai freezes, before groaning.

“C’mon, man, how much of that did you hear?” he whines, prompting Nya to walk toward him before slapping a hand down onto his shoulder.

“Enough to know that she’s got you wrapped around her finger,” she warns. “Trust me, that girl can chew you up and spit you out. Did that with me,” Kai sighs.

“Yeah, whatever,” he groans, almost defeatedly as he takes a step back. Nya clears her throat, moving the conversation along.

“About just now…” she begins, prompting Kai to turn around. “I’m sorry for what I said. It was too much.” Kai shrugs.

“You should know I’m used to it by now, sis,” he replies nonchalantly, surprising Nya.

“But I-”

“C’mon, you think you haven’t said worse?” he scoffs. “Water off a swan’s back, or whatever the stupid saying is.” Nya goes to correct him but decides against it. 

“Okay then,” she says, taking a step backward with a smirk growing on her face. “I’ve gotta go get ready for my ride over to Ninjago City. And I guess you are going to try to figure out how to get her to give you attention?” She jokes, before turning back and re-entering the building. Hearing him shout after her:

“Hey, you’re not funny!”

---

Nya stands beside her carriage driver. Her things already inside of it and her suit of armour donned, she looks out at the town of Ignacia fondly. It’s her first time moving away from it for a substantial period of time; heck, she doesn’t even know how long she’ll be going for. She’ll miss it, but she needs to spread her wings finally. She looks out amongst the people seeing her off. Childhood friends she occasionally talks to, familiar town guards she occasionally chats with. Maya and Kai stand at the front, waving her off sweetly. She thinks she can see tears brimming in her mother’s eyes, and that almost brings some of her own. But she pushes them back, keeping her promise to herself that she won’t be crying anytime soon again. There’s someone missing, though. A large gap beside Kai that would represent her Father. She looks at it, smile fading and sigh leaving her nostrils. As her hand lowers, she steps down a few to become face to face with Kai and Maya.

“I’ll miss you guys,” she whispers, pulling them both into a hug at the same time.

“I’ll miss you too, sweetie,”

“I’ll miss you more, sis,”

As they separate, she moves as if she’s about to ask a question. But she hesitates. Maya knows.

“I’m sure your father tried his best, darling,” she comforts, a hand on her shoulder. Nya gives another somber sigh.

“Yeah, I hope so,” was he that disappointed in her for leaving? That he’d act as if his new job as town leader is more important than seeing his daughter off. He doesn’t even know how long she’ll be gone! She doesn’t even know how long she’ll be gone! How could he just-

Then, a face amongst the crowd. The familiarly well groomed moustache and chin beard of her father, pushing his way through the crowd. She locks onto him, instinctively sending waves in his direction as if he can’t see her. As if she isn’t the centre of this. He looks… frazzled. Overworked, which is surprising because he makes his own hours now. He looks exhausted, and like it takes most of his energy to heave himself between the bodies of the crowd. Eventually, he manages to claw his way to the front.

“Nya!” He calls, as Kai and Maya make space for him. Nya is surprised by his movements as he immediately pulls her into a tight and clearly loving hug. “I- I’m sorry, I was— it doesn’t matter now.” He holds her by the shoulders, hands against the metal plating of her armour. “You look just like your mother,” He speaks softly, the tender gruffness to his voice something that she’d missed since. Taking on the role of leader had taken a lot of his time from his family. “I would never miss this, not for anything. I hope you know that.” Nya holds back her previous judgments and nods. “I love you, my daughter. I could not be any more proud of you. You are going to do great things out there, I just know it.”

Ray takes a step back, and his hand dives into the satchel at his side. From it, he produces a small, metal rod, a couple of feet in length. Its colouring is of a shining silver, and it’s obvious it’s newly crafted. This is most likely why he looks so tired; he’d worked himself half to death making a gift for her.

“This,” he begins. “is something I made with the help of magic.” Nya’s mouth parts. “I know, I know, I hate magic, but… you have earned me setting aside my biases.” He directs her hands to a button, and holds her hands as he extends them outward, pressing the button in. As he does so, the metal rod extends outward at both ends, transforming into a purely silver spear. “Truthfully, I have no idea how the magic in this thing works. I just designed the- the weapon itself and it’s- it’s compartment.” He speaks incredibly fast, it’s almost hard for her to keep up. “But what the magic does is, it lets you summon it. If you throw it, you can simply think it back in your hands and it’s there.” Nya raises her eyebrows as her Dad smiles proudly. “I noticed your fighting style favours fluidity, dexterity. So the magic also… I’m not sure how to explain how he did— something like ‘it flows as you do’, or something,” he gives a nervous chuckle, as Nya presses the button again. Her smile goes from excited, to proud— to tender, as she turns to him. She didn’t know he’d watched her train. It warms her heart.

“Dad, this is…” she’s lost for words. “It’s perfect. And definitely worth you almost missing this, ya big asshole,” lightly punching her Dad’s arm, he chuckles.

The driver of the carriage peaks from the window, waving for Nya to get a move on. Sliding the gift onto her back, she gives her family one last hug and goodbyes, before clambering into the carriage. She peaks her head out, waving still. She doesn’t say anything, only mouthing ‘I love you’ to her family, as they yell it back at her. She’s always struggled to say it, even in situations like this.

As the driver lightly taps the horses, they start to trot their way across the path out of Ignacia. For the first time ever, she feels truly alone in the world. A daunting feeling.

Chapter Text

Nya jerks awake, a yelp leaving her mouth. The first thing notices, before she even opens her eyes, is her pounding headache. The next thing she notices is the metallic tankard tumbling to the floor, clanging against the sturdy wooden floorboards. The sound of it is even louder than it actually is, which— combined with her pounding head— tells her that she’s hungover. A groan leaves her mouth as she leans back in the chair, eyes opening and scanning the room around her. Her vision is blurry, at first, before it focuses in on the aproned fellow cleaning the place. He turns back to spot her, offering a nod. She nods back. No words are needed. She grounds herself by grabbing the edges of the table, head swirling for a few moments. Why was she drinking last night? Because she was depressed, obviously, but there’s something else too… fuck. It occurs to her: the journey. The carriage journey all the way back to Ignacia. She doesn’t quite remember how she got saddled in with the protection entourage— maybe it’s how highly she was spoken of by the other people of Ignacia. She doesn’t know nor care, she just knows that she has to get ready soon, and she is way too tired to even try at the moment. She takes a deep breath, before pushing herself off of the table to stand. She almost falls over in the process, but manages to keep herself upright; perks of this being a normal thing for her, she supposes. She sees the exit door and makes her way towards it. She’s sure that this looks pretty ridiculous to the cleaner, but she doesn’t care. She knows he isn’t judging her.

The sun stings her eyes as she’s assaulted by it when exiting the tavern, a groan leaving her lips as she shields her eyes from its rays. She curses under her breath, leaning against the wall as she gathers her bearings. She’s dreading it; the rich sop she has to guard is the worst thing on her mind. She can only imagine the type of person they’ll end up being. Demanding, cruel, thinking less of her not only because she’s a woman but because she’s less well off than them. Even the thought makes her grumble.

She’s torn from her thoughts when she hears a commotion across the street, making her peak an eye open. She shields the sun from her eyes with her hand, squinting to see what’s what— and what she sees certainly is interesting. It’s a man, probably around her age, with messy brown hair, stumbling through the streets with an ungodly amount of papers in his hands. He’s certainly making lots of noise about it. She stands up straight, still looking over as she sees him trip over a rock and comically faceplant on the cobbled ground as his parchment flutters everywhere. She both chuckles and winces. It looks pretty painful. She sighs, digging into her heart of hearts and walking on over, squatting down beside him and shaking him by the shoulder. He merely groans in response. She releases a sigh, gently taking him with both hands and sitting him up.

Objectively, he’s cute. Nya isn’t swooning or anything, to be clear, but it is noted. The freckles dotted across his cheeks are probably mostly why, that or the piercing blue eyes he has, but he has a demeanour to him that is endearing at least. As the man catches his bearings, Nya picks back up his papers. When he seemingly comes to, he panics; lunging forth and helping her pick up his stuff.

“Oh my FSM, I am so sorry!” he makes a weird noise, some kind of mix between a groan and a yelp of social panic. “Did I bump into you? Shit, I totally bumped into you, I’m so sorry, I’m really busy today, and- and-”

Nya raises her hands in front of her to indicate she means no harm, smiling softly as she does so. “Woah, it’s okay,” she gives a soft chuckle, helping him in retrieving the remainder of his papers and handing them back to him. She sees his heavy breathing, placing a hand on his shoulder as to attempt to comfort him. Still smiling. He freezes, and she feels him tense up. Nodding furiously, he takes the papers and holds them closer to his chest.

“Th- Thanks, ma’am,” the man replies, a small salute. He seems to shrink into himself a bit, and Nya raises a brow. Before she can even string a sentence together in response, he’s zooming off. She shakes her head in surprise, slightly confused by the encounter.

Jay speeds away from the woman, internally cursing him and his awkwardness. She was pretty, and he made himself seem like some kind of rude asshole that lets random people pick up his stuff when he’s a dumb idiot and falls over! He tries his best to push it from his mind, but he’s unable to. It seems like he’s just been constantly drawing the short straw today; first, he woke up an hour late, second he had to gather his papers because he’d stupidly forgot to take them over to the palace the night before, and then that totally awkward encounter with the person nice enough to clean his mess up after him.

He’s too busy dwelling on his own awkward moments that he completely misses the trap waiting for him when he enters the palace. After entering the main gates, he rushes up the stairs and away from the courtyard, heading towards the back area where the paperwork is collected. On his way there he’s interrupted, however, by that blonde kid and his stupid pranks; a whole hog sprints beneath his feet, completely clearing him out and, alas, sending his papers flying everywhere as he thuds against the stone floor. This time the noise he lets out is less sympathetic, and more of an irritated yell.

“God—!” he stops himself by breathing deep, as he looks up to see that annoying, short, blonde kid with the bowl cut pointing and laughing. He can even hear the pig squealing from behind him. Thankfully, Cole is also around the corner; kneeling down to help Jay with picking his things back up. Lloyd should be grateful, as Cole is much more mellow than Jay.

“Lloyd, go get Zane and get the pig. It was funny for about five minutes, but now it’s annoying.” he speaks; a certain sternness to his voice that comes off as almost paternal.

“Oh, come on, Sir Cole!” Lloyd complains. “It’s a pig! It’s so funny!”

Cole simply turns back to look him in the eyes. “Go.” Lloyd lets out a groan, and continues down the hall. Jay turns to glare at him as he runs off, before turning back to the ground.

“Stupid kid is gonna be the death of me,” Jay laments. “I fell down in the fucking street already too!”

Cole’s brow raises. “Really, Jay?” The other scowls at him, and Cole recoils defensively.

“Yes, really.” he sneers. “A really cute girl had to help me get them back together. Do you know how humiliating that is? If it was any other circumstance, it’d be nice. I could make a good impression. But— God! It’s just so fucking stressful today!” Cole seems to internally debate his words for a few moments, before patting Jay on the shoulder as they finish gathering up the papers.

“I’m sorry, man,” he says. “I get it. But it’ll be okay, it’ll be all fine, alright? Nothing’s gonna go wrong. Or, terribly wrong, at least.” Jay’s expression turns monotone.

“Cole, I’m being sent on a diplomatic mission to our one ally that doesn’t seem to like us very much, and I don’t even have any diplomatic experience but for some reason King Wu thinks ‘oh, it’s a good idea to send the guy with the coordination of a pig on this really important mission in the middle of a war with the power that could completely wipe us out if he really put his mind to it’! Fuck!” Jay’s rant leaves Cole pretty lost for words. Jay pants, as Cole slowly takes the rest of the papers from him.

“Jay, buddy,” he speaks softly. “I’ll take the papers over. You chill out. You need it, okay?” Jay nods, and Cole stands up, taking Jay by the arms and taking him up with him. Patting him on the shoulders to steady him out, before giving him a quick hug. “You can do this, Jay.” he says, before turning to leave.

Jay turns back, leaning against the wall and bringing his hands over his face exhaustedly. It’s all too much for him, and yet he’s just supposed to keep going. He thinks back to his own life, even in his attempt to keep himself calm. Despite the stress of the situation, he can’t help but wish his biological parents were here to celebrate his departure. Even though he isn’t necessarily confident in his abilities, it’d be nice to see them at least trying to support him. Maybe he can excuse his mother not attending, as she’s literally one of the kingdom’s greatest heroes, but at least his Dad could attend. But, alas, he’s too busy acting for strangers rather than spending time with his child. At least his godparents will be there for certain. Which reminds him— he’d like to see them before he leaves. Whispering an incantation under his breath, a spectral pigeon appears. “Hey, can you ask Ed and Edna to come over? Thanks, li’l guy,” And as he finishes, the pigeon disappears into the air. The message having been sent.

About half an hour passes. Jay sits on the steps up to the palace, his chin resting on his hand as he awaits the arrival of Ed and Edna. There’s a lot on his mind, for sure, and hopefully speaking with his chatty godparents will help him to feel a bit better. Speaking of, he sees them cresting over the streets, excitedly walking over. Speeding up into a run as they spot him, almost tackling him with a big, warm hug. He leans into their embrace, a soft hum leaving him before they pull back; pride etched across their wrinkles.

“Oh, Jay!” Edna begins, pressing a big kiss to his cheek as he chuckles modestly. “We are just so proud of you!”

She holds his shoulders, as Ed pokes his head in next to her. “Now, careful, Edna we don’t want to overwhelm the poor boy-”

Edna nods along. “Oh, sorry, Ed, but he needs to know just how much we’re proud of him!”

Jay interrupts, laughing softly. “I- I know, I know. Look, I just wanted to talk to you. Properly. Before I have to go.” He smiles at them, but it hides an anxiety that his godparents know all too well. Edna tilts her head.

“Aw, you sweetheart,” she sighs. “Ya didn’t have to.”

“But I wanted to,” he sways on his toes a bit. “You guys have been better parents to me than Cliff and Libber ever have-” seeing Ed and Edna’s reactions before they make them, Jay speaks. “-and I know you guys don’t like me saying that but— just take the compliment, okay?” Edna opens her mouth to reply, but Ed shakes his head. Taking a step forward with his big smile, he speaks.

“Oh, you’re too nice, kiddo.” he says, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. “We’re just- just here when they can’t be.” Jay smiles still as Edna nods along. They’ll never be able to accept the impact they’ve had on him; they’re the reason he’s the person he is today— a good person. He looks at them with love in his eyes, a tinge of sadness behind them as he knows he won’t see them in a while. He sits down, guiding them next to him as they talk. Just a conversation— something he’s needed for a long while now.

---

Nya was almost forcing herself forward before she stopped in the bathhouse. Given that she’s attending a fancy event, she thought it prudent to make a quick stop at the local bathhouse to get the stench of alcohol off of her. Her objective was met, and she was better for it as she found the steam and comfortable warmth of the bathhouse gave her a burst of energy to get herself ready. She really should stop going to the taverns so late at night, but she just always manages to find herself there. It isn’t healthy, she knows that perfectly well. But that doesn’t stop her. She wonders why she's found herself so reliant on alcohol in the last six months, what has led her to become so… depressed. She pushes the thought to the back of her mind. The mind is a den of scorpions best left running away from, not towards in her experience. She looks up at the nearest clock tower on her way to her destination, seeing the time and noting it. Three in the afternoon.

As she shuts the door behind her, taking her steps into the house, she breathes a deep sigh of almost relief. At least she wasn’t in public anymore, she thinks to herself. She heads upstairs before she does anything else, knowing she only has an hour before the event starts. In that time she needs to pull herself together, shine her armour and sharpen her spear. The only reason she isn’t screaming from stress is because she’s too tired to. She turns left when she reaches the top of the stairs, dipping into the spare room she had set up. An admittedly empty room, as she didn’t really have all that many belongings. Out of the siblings, her brother was the much more materialistic one. She looks at the suit of armour she has on display, a grimace as she sees its condition. It’s in much worse shape than she initially thought. She swiftly leaves the room, plans changing. Entering her own bedroom, she begins to get herself ready for the day ahead.

Her first order of business is to get her under-layers ready. Taking a newly clean, light blue gambeson out of her wardrobe and swiftly donning it over her undergarments. Next is grabbing her weapons. First it’s her spear, given to her by her Father. It’s easier enough to store that. Second is her dagger, keeping it on hand just in case her spear fails her. Finally is getting together her suit of armour; she has to think about it for a few minutes, before disassembling it from its stand and placing it in a cart. With that, she carefully exits her house with her things and starts heading for her destination— the local blacksmith’s.

She heaves the cart with her armour through the streets, ignoring the curious onlookers as she takes it up the street towards the blacksmith’s shop. Passing the shop labelled ‘Ed ‘n’ Edna’s Scrap ‘n’ Junk’ is what tells her she’s almost there, turning a corner soon enough and entering the blacksmith’s area. A forge to the right, to the left is a grindstone and a work bench with awning jutting out of the building to provide cover. Nya sees the fellow working at the forge, hammering away at the anvil. She politely clears her throat, but he doesn’t hear her. Awkwardly, she waits a few feet behind him until he finishes; turning around and jumping as he sees her.

“Oh!” he yelps. His face is wrinkled, and his hair is shock white and comes into a widow’s peak at the centre of his hairline. A soul patch of white hair is beneath his bottom lip, and a leather apron donned over his usual clothes. “Nya, dear, sorry! I didn’t see ya there,” he carefully sets the piece he was working on down, walking over and pulling Nya into a familiar hug. She would hug back, if she could. Instead, her arms were full with one hand on the cart and the other holding her folded-in spear.

“Hey, Ed,” she speaks, waddling forward a few steps and releasing the cart, letting it stand still. She chuckles as he separates from her as he looks over at her carted armour. “I just wanted to see if you could clean up my armour a bit?” Ed frowns, looking down at it before Nya begins getting it out.

“Hmm,” he thinks aloud. “The ceremony starts soon, doesn’t it?”

Nya swallows. “Mhm,” her voice lowers. “‘Bout three-quarters of an hour,”

Ed’s eyes widen, before breathing a sigh of shock through his mouth. He thinks for a few more moments. “Oh, well I don’t know if I can get it ready in time! It’ll take a while to clean it thoroughly enough for an event like that,”

Nya’s head falls into her hands as she thinks. Taking a few moments before speaking. “Screw it, just clean it up as best you can. Please. I’m- I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Ed nods, getting the suit ready for cleaning. “I’m- uh- you mind if I sharpen a couple of my things?”

“Oh, sure thing, sweetheart!” Ed replies, receiving a nod from Nya as she sits at the grindstone and begins. She’s half-expecting Ed to start talking at her, as he does so often. She has no problem with it, unless she’s in a particularly bad mood. Such as today; not in a bad mood necessarily, more so too stressed to get herself through the conversation. Despite this, Ed speaks. She’ll just push through.

“Oh, y’know, my boy works at that palace,” he starts. Much to Nya’s surprise, she actually finds herself slightly intrigued. She didn’t expect that. She gives an attentive hum in response, turning her head slightly. “Yeah, his- uh- real parents are family friends. All well to do they are, and named us his godparents! And we’re lucky to have him, such a sweet boy. Anyway, he’s goin’ on that little mission. Talked to him a couple a’ hours ago, poor boy doesn’t think all that confidently of himself. Anywho, we’re confident in the boy. He knows what he’s doing,” Him? Nya’s heard him talk about his kid before, she never realised he was… well, not his kid. She’s not exactly sure of him now, learning that he’s actually a rich kid. Given that he’s this close with the village blacksmith, she gets the vibe that he thinks of himself as not a rich kid. One of her least favourite people. Skylor was a handful, but at least she never pretended as if she wasn’t the child of the richest man in the town. She gives another hum in response, taking her spear off the grindstone and replacing it with her dagger, and it doesn’t take all that long for her to finish with it.

From there, she waits for Ed to finish with her armour. By the time he’s done, she doesn’t have long before she has to head out to the palace. A proud glint in his eye as he presents it to her, and she’s genuinely impressed. She gives him a big hug in thanks, and he kindly allows her to dip into his empty basement to put her armour on. It almost feels too empty, like something was recently moved out of it. She doesn’t think much of it, given that she doesn’t have much time before she has to leave. It takes a couple of minutes to clamber up the stairs and leave the room with her armour on, giving a wave over to Ed as she leaves. She hasn’t worn her armour in a while, and it takes a while for her to get used to it again before she can walk normally.

Before she knows it, she’s staring up at the palace. A deep sigh, ready for many of the rich sops she’s met here before. The rich people of Ignacia are one thing, but the rich of a big city— the capital city no less— are on a completely different level. And much more hateable than the Chens.

She makes her way up the stairs to the main throne-like area of the palace, staring at the throne. Over the past few months in the big city, she’s gotten better at hiding the disdain that comes into her eyes whenever she encounters something like this. She’s ripped from her daydream by a fellow in white, with strangely flat hair. Her eyes linger on it for a few moments before her eyes focus on his own.

“Welcome to the palace, Dame Nya,” he greets, a smile on his face. She forces one in return. “You should know your way around here, correct?” She nods. “Good, then I will simply take you to King Wu, who will talk you through the event. Is that alright?” Once again, she nods. Zane bows, guiding Nya around the winding halls of the palace toward the back, where Wu is outside of a room. Nya thinks his placement is strange, but she doesn’t think much of it.

“Ah,” Wu extends a hand, and Nya shakes it. As much as she dislikes his placement in the city, she does begrudgingly respect Wu. If nothing else because of his warm demeanour and long, white beard. “It’s nice seeing you again, Nya.” He leans in a bit, whispering. “This time without any of the snobs.” Nya chuckles, a genuine one. “The man of the hour will be out soon. There’s been a few complications regarding his outfit, but it should be resolved now-”

As if one cue, the door swings open with a man at the centre. His outfit is interesting, to say the least. An elaborate garb of a yale blue. It’s almost coat-like, with it folded over one side and held in place with buttons to make it flush against his chest. Though Nya has next to no experience with corsets, she could swear he’s wearing one based on the narrower width of his torso. Then again, it could be the seeming tightness of his top. A cloak of navy blue is folded over one shoulder, and the collar of the top climbs uncomfortably high up his neck.

She hardly notices her mouth hanging agape, and she tells herself it’s because she recognises the man; the curled locks piled atop his head, the freckles splattered across his cheeks and the piercing blue eyes she remembers from just a few hours ago. It’s the guy that tripped over, whom she never received the name of.

“You!?”

Chapter Text

Jay finds the garb he’s been forced to wear irritatingly tight. It tows the line between bearable and uncomfortable, and he hates it. He stares at himself in the mirror, forcing an expression of high regard and pressing his arm across his chest. It doesn’t suit him, at all, despite his rich background. He’s never necessarily thought it to himself, but he’s never fit in with the higher class he was born into. He found himself much more at home amongst Ed and Edna, his real parents. Maybe his distance from the class is due to his biological parents being so distant, but he isn’t ready to go into that at the moment.

He sighs, clipping the cloak around his back and moving to the door— but, as normal, he slips; a hand presses against the door to break his fall, and it swings open aggressively.

He sees her and his jaw unashamedly drops to the floor. She resembles an angel even more so than when they first met; broad shouldered, taller than he and he could swear he sees a halo above her head for a split second. Her hair is raven black, and looks recently washed, pulled back into a ponytail. Ringlets of curls fall at either side of her head, framing her face between them. He can’t exactly tell, but the width of her arms tells him that she’s muscular. He sees, for just a moment, the soft remnants of a laugh on her face, and he fears her smile will be ingrained into his memory for as long as he lives. Unfortunately, her expression quickly changes, and he catches a look of something he can only describe as disdain in her eyes.

“You!?” They both yell at the same time. The woman recoils, looking to Wu for help. Jay frowns, a blush on his cheeks in embarrassment at her reaction. He doesn’t hear what he says under his breath, but it obviously isn’t good. She rolls her eyes as Wu looks between the two of them.

“Jay, this is Dame Nya.” the King introduces. “She’ll be the head of your guard. You can trust her; she’s an experienced Knight from Ignacia.” That’s where he’s going. Pretty convenient. “Nya, this is Jay. He’s the- uh- ‘rich sop’ you’ll be guarding.” Another eye roll from her.

Jay looks desperately between the chuckling Zane and Wu, who also looks to be holding back a laugh. He stands up still, straightening himself and his outfit out. “What- Is that what she said?” He asks his two friends as Wu begins walking down the hall, quickly followed by Nya. “Zane, buddy, did she say that about me? You’ve got good hearing.” Zane shrugs. “Uh— K- King? Were those her exact words?” Wu doesn’t reply. Nya, however, does.

“Yeah, they were my exact words,” she snaps. “Got a problem?”

Jay frowns and almost hears his heart break. “That’s not very nice, Dame.” He speaks; despite her being very rude to him, he’s still taking his parents’ advice of always being nice to people around him, no matter what. To an extent, of course, but she’s nowhere near the level of mean or bad that he’s been taught not to take. “I barely met you,”

“Yeah, and it’s a fucking mystery how you’ve been chosen for this,” her words bite. No matter how little they know each other, they still hurt. Probably because of his growing crush on her.

After that, Wu seems to pull Nya toward him and calm her down a bit. At the very least, he stops her from talking to him like that again.

Jay sighs, running a hand through his hair as the four of them walk through the palace. Eventually, they catch up with Cole and Lloyd; Wu picks up his nephew, and Cole joins Jay in the back. Evidently, Jay is looking pretty miserable, as he feels a hand clap on his shoulder as Cole joins them.

“I am… gonna assume that she doesn’t like you very much,” he jokes, and Jay looks up at him with a pout.

“Yeah, how perceptive of you,” he huffs, arms folding. “She called me a ‘rich sop’! She got Wu to say it! And he laughed!” Cole snickers. “Come on,”

“What? It’s totally something I’d call you,” he reasons.

“Yeah, but I’ve known you for, like, years. I just met her!” he interrupts himself. “Oh! She’s that girl I bumped into earlier. She was nice when she helped me, but it kinda seems like she, uh, doesn’t like me very much. 'Cause I’m rich.” Once again, Cole snickers. “Don’t laugh! I don’t even wanna be— rich.”

“Why? You wouldn’t even be here if you-”

“Don’t even, Cole.” Jay’s expression betrays him, and Cole silences himself. “Ed and Edna are basically my parents anyway. I don’t even talk to Cliff! I haven’t seen him in weeks! Libber in, like, a month! But still, I’m classed as a ‘rich sop’ when I don’t even wanna be like that,” Cole nods along.

“Yeah… I get it. Kinda.” he sighs. “I mean, you know how it is. ‘Least my Dad finds time to be around. Yours doesn’t even try.”

Jay nods, a sigh. He looks over Zane’s shoulder, spotting the back of Nya’s head and sighs. His luck, as always, remains to be the worst it can be.

---

Nya is miffed, and that’s probably a light way of putting it. The only solace she finds in her situation is that she won’t have to talk to him. As Wu explained to her while he walked her and the other princes to the area of the palace sectioned off for the event and subsequent parade out of the city, she and the other knights will be on horses on the outside of the special-made, armoured carriage that Jay will be in. They’ll be riding alongside the carriage in order to give protection from outside forces. Whatever cold war Ninjago City is involved in, the King is definitely worried that it’ll be escalating soon. He certainly seems to understand the risks of this whole mission, hence the entourage following them. Inside the carriage, Wu explained further, there were more resources for the group and Jay; sleeping bags, even enough to set up a few tents. Despite the journey not being a long one, only at least a day, he’d decided to pack enough rations for a couple more days. She hopes that they won’t have to use much of them. Wu has brought them to an open area toward the rear of the palace, with a private garden and path leading to an outside wall and gate. This will evidently be the exit path for the carriage from the palace.

When they arrive, Wu and Nya turn to face each other. Being the wise old man that he is, Wu is able to tell something is off with her. She sighs, as he gives her that look— the look that encourages her to talk.

“I am aware of your dislike for the rich, Dame,” the older man says. “But this is necessary for our kingdom, and your home. With Chen ousted, we can finally forge a stronger bond between our two homes.”

The woman sighs, rubbing her forehead. She’s aware that this is her duty, but she isn’t happy about it in the slightest. Thinking about it, she hadn’t spotted any servant-type people around the palace as she expected from her experience of higher class palace-type places. Maybe it’s a reflection of the stances of the people inside, that they aren’t as high and mighty as she thought they thought they were. “I know, I know. It’s my job. What I signed up for when I became a knight, or whatever. I just can’t stand the thought of having to spend… however long with him.”

“Well,” Wu begins. “You won’t have to talk to him a lot. You’ll be on a horse, outside the carriage. Little to no interaction.” She believes him. But there’s a twinkle to his eye that has her questioning; she gets the feeling there’s something he knows, or believes that she doesn’t know. It’s an odd feeling, she doesn’t exactly distrust him but there’s something making her hesitant. Wu seems to catch on to this, turning around and facing the boys. “The four of you… get the decorations ready before the event begins, please.” They nod and bow before leaving, as Wu turns back and begins walking down toward the gardens. Nya is confused, but follows.

There’s silence between them for a while, and Nya is worried that he thinks this is some kind of relaxing experience for her. If that’s the case for Wu, it’s unlucky for him; slow walks around gardens don’t really suit her very much. She’s more inclined to train for relaxation, but if the King wants to trudge around the garden for a while then she supposes she’ll have to. Her train of thought is disrupted when he speaks up again.

“I know you think of us as looking down upon others not as lucky as ourselves, Dame,” he says. Nya doesn’t reply, knowing that he’s right. “But the divide in this city between the rich and the poor isn’t as drastic as it used to be. It isn’t perfect, there’s still work to be done. But all things are a process of long effort. Large systemic changes aren’t so quick.”

Nya curls an eyebrow upwards, a curious hum leaving her. She’s inquisitive as to what he has to say further. “What are you changing it from? Someone worse was in charge before you?” Wu strokes his beard and gives a slow nod, a deep sigh before speaking. A hand lowers, lightly brushing against the vibrant flowers of the garden. Nya is perceptive; she can tell that the garden is tended to very well and given the noticeable lack of servants or anyone of the sort in the palace, she comes to the conclusion that Wu had been quite the gardener himself. She chuckles at the thought.

“Years ago, before we stood on the soil beneath our feet, the Overlord had dominion over Ninjago and the lands beyond it. The Overlord was the manifestation of all that is dark in the world; hatred, fear, and anger toward those undeserving. His rule was a dark time for the world; creatures of shadow walked the earth and chaos flourished. Until my father arrived. He was the opposite of the Overlord; he was all that is good. He was love and he was the embrace of change. His war with the Overlord raged for years, but eventually my father was victorious and the Overlord was locked away. When the dust settled and life of all kinds flourished, he had myself and my brother, Garmadon. He raised us for a time, before he had to ascend to a plane higher than ours. Years passed, and history with it. Times of peace and war fluctuated— until the Iron Baron rose to power in Ninjago City. He was a tyrant, and he banished myself and my brother from the city. We could not fight back, as the Serpentine Wars drained our energy. In our absence, his regime began. The divide grew. The rich became richer and the poor died in the streets, neglected and starving. Meanwhile, my brother became hopeless, as his wife and unborn child were left under Iron Baron’s thumb. Corrupted by the same darkness that fuelled the Overlord. We fought, and our clash was so powerful that— when I was victorious— his hate consumed him and he was dragged into the Underworld. I was weakened, and knew I had to take back my home soon before it was wiped off the planet. It was then that I spoke with Firstborn, the mother of all dragons-” Wu is interrupted by a sputtering Nya, whipping around to face him with disbelief in her eyes.

“Dragons?!” she yells, earning a chuckle from the elder man. She’s unsure as to why he’s so chill about it, most likely because his life has been so long that it seems insignificant to him.

“Yes, Dame, dragons,” he smiles. “They are real— but do not exist in this realm any longer. They left years ago. Where was I?” Nya hisses through her teeth guiltily at the playful jab by the older man, who simply chuckles again. “As I was saying, Firstborn assisted me and a few who turned against the Iron Baron in overthrowing him. With Firstborn returning home, it was up to myself to take down the system he put in place and rebuild from the ground up. The power comes from the council, as I can only act with their permission. This diplomatic mission was enacted with their say-so. The council themselves, they are made up of people from all walks of life, giving a voice to every group in the city to make sure no-one is left unheard. The Ninja- or princes- in my charge were allowed to be hand-selected by myself by the council.”

Nya ponders the lengthy speech she was given. She didn’t know the ins and outs of the system Wu had crafted, but she finds a little respect in his seemingly successful attempts. She sees him kneel down, taking a handful of unused soil that lies in the flowerbed. He lets it flow and rush through his fingers and land back amongst the sea of soil that holds the flowers from which the petals bloom. She trusts him.

“Your father and I are like-minded, I believe,” Wu says. “We both seek to fix the broken systems of worse people than ourselves. That’s why this mission is important.”

Nya takes a step forward, lowering her voice. “If it’s so important then why send that guy on it? He’s a rich kid with no experience, what kinda diplomacy skills is he gonna have?” Wu gives another knowing chuckle.

“Of course, Sir Zane or Sir Cole could be better suited. But if the chance is there, why shouldn’t he develop his abilities?” Wu reasons. Nya groans.

“Come on,” she responds. “He’s a rich kid. Why is he even here?”

Wu breathes deep. “Dame Libber encouraged Cliff Gordon to push Jay into this program, yes. But I selected him because I saw a spark in him.” Nya gives an unconvinced grunt, but doesn’t pursue the subject any further. Continuing to walk alongside the elder man, taking in the peaceful atmosphere of the gardens. She will admit, this conversation and walk has lifted a bit of her worries about the mission. Maybe it’s the garden, maybe it’s Wu’s calming presence. She’s unsure— but maybe she’ll stay here a while.

---

Jay can’t believe the chore he’s been stuck with. Sticking up magical powered lights when he could be doing things to actually help get ready. He asked Cole if he could help get his own carriage from his own family’s shop, but he and Zane said that they didn’t need the help; purposefully leaving himself and Lloyd alone to set up the lights and other decorations. There’s a sigh of annoyance as he sticks it up, looking over towards Lloyd upon a stepladder. Despite his disdain for the kid, there is an inherent worry watching him tiptoe at the top step of the ladder trying to get the lights into place. He hobbles over, standing beneath the ladder and watching him struggle.

“Hey, kid!” he calls, causing Lloyd to groan. “It looks like you need a hand.” The blonde child furiously shakes his head as he stretches to his limits, grunting as he reaches as far as he can. Just as Jay thought, Lloyd eventually tumbled down. With his arms already outstretched, Jay managed to awkwardly catch the boy and set him back down. Lloyd simply folds his arms defiantly.

“I had it! You just distracted me!” he accuses, poking Jay in the thigh. Jay blinks.

“You didn’t have it, kid,” Jay sighs, moving to climb the ladder himself— but hesitating. He sighs. He should use this as a learning experience, as the responsible adult here. But that’s not exactly his bag; being parental is more Cole’s thing than his own. Still, though, he thinks he should give it a try.

He turns back to Lloyd, arms outstretched toward him. The child looks confused, before folding his arms again and turning away. Jay groans, leaning forward and taking Lloyd by the sides. Heaving him up onto his shoulder.

“Hey! Put me down!” he shouts, smacking Jay on the shoulder.

“St- Stop hitting me, you little-” stopping, taking a deep breath. “I’m letting you put them up, okay? Stop hitting me so I can hand you the friggin’ lights!” Lloyd stops and seems to consider the order for a few moments. Humming softly, before obliging and allowing Jay to hand him the lights. Jay holds him in place as he carefully sets up the lights, locking them in place with a chuckle.

“Hey! I did it!” Jay glares at Lloyd. “We did it, I mean. Why’d you help me?” Jay shrugs, before offering a high five to the kid. Lloyd giggles and does so, smacking his hand against Jay’s.

As the two laugh, however, Jay’s legs start to give, as well as the balance he’d managed to maintain on the stepladder. In just a few moments, he slipped off of the thing and tumbled toward the floor with Lloyd still on his shoulder. Luckily, the fall isn’t a big one at all and neither of them are harmed at all— in fact, Lloyd sits up and starts laughing as if the ordeal was fun. Jay, on the other hand, rubs his back in pain. It hurts, but even he will admit that looking back at the laughing child brings a warmth to his heart.

He does feel bad for him; separated from his father when he wasn’t even born, and only cared for by his mother for so long before he was placed with his uncle. Nobody has much of an idea why she left, but Wu seemed confident that it was for good reason. It didn’t stop the kid from becoming a troublemaker though; when they eventually joined the palace guard, Lloyd’s pranks on Jay, Cole and Zane became relentless. Annoying, but generally harmless.

Jay heaves himself to his feet and helps Lloyd up as well, taking five and sitting on a nearby bench. Lloyd plops himself beside him, swinging his legs happily.

“Who’s that girl?” he asks suddenly, and Jay’s face turns red from embarrassment. He’d hoped he wouldn’t have to think about Nya until the event, but apparently not. “The knight?”

Jay sighs. “That’s Nya. She- uh- I bumped into her in the street earlier today. She seemed nice, but I guess she’s super turned off by me being- uh- born into wealth,” Lloyd laughs, and it would be callous if he wasn’t prepubescent. “Don’t laugh, kid. It’s rude.”

“Pfft,” Lloyd scoffs. “It’s funny! She was, like, really big. Bigger than some of the other knights I’ve seen! She probably eats loads of vegetables. So I’m probably not gonna look like her at all. Do you think she’ll want to hang out with me and eat candy? She probably won’t if she eats a bunch of vegetables all the time. Do you eat vegetables, Jay? Maybe you can eat vegetables with her.” Jay blinks. He was finding it hard to follow for a moment.

“Uh…” he thinks for a moment. “Probably not, kiddo. She seemed to really not like me.” Lloyd looks disappointed, and Jay pats him on the shoulder. There’s a few beats, before the sound of wheels rolling against stone becomes louder.

The pair stand up, looking in the direction from which it’s coming and spotting Cole & Zane rolling Jay’s custom made carriage along the palace halls. With the extra work he’d put into it, it looked admittedly very beautiful. The main body of the carriage is a metallic cobalt blue, with ornate golden inlaid decals along it. The inside, as Jay knows, is made of the same bronze as the frame, an extension of it. The seating is a warm brown leather and the roof of the carriage holds a lantern atop it, fastened in place by a bronze metal cage. a Lloyd’s eyes go wide with wonder.

“That’s so cool!” Lloyd shouts excitedly, looking at Jay. “You made that?” Jay stands proudly, hands on his hips with eyes shut. As he does so, he feels a hard solid object hit him in the chest. Reacting swiftly as per his training, he tries to grab it; failing momentarily, it bounces between his hands a few times before he takes it. He looks up, seeing Cole had chucked it toward him. It’s a bottle of fancy perfume.

“Hey, asshole!” He calls to Cole as he and Zane pass him and Lloyd. “Where’d you get this!?”

“You left it in there, Jay!” he yells back. “Maybe it’ll impress Nya!”

Jay looks at it, then back at Lloyd. He doesn’t know why, he’s a kid.

Jay sighs. Is he really so desperately smitten that he’d use perfume to try and impress a girl he likes, like he’s still in school? To a girl that probably won’t even be impressed by it, no less.

Apparently, the answer to that question is yes— but he tells himself it’s for the impending event.