"I still don't get why only Nya got to talk to the emperors," Kai said for probably the fourth time that morning. "Were they trying to get her alone to manipulate her easier? 'Cause no one messes with my sister!"
They were sitting on wooden benches at a table in the palace gardens, where Skylor had brought them before heading to breakfast in the great hall with the imperial family, which was being held in honor of Emperor Wu's return. Nya sighed. She was growing exasperated with her brother.
"I already told you–we were in a hurry, it takes like an hour to get there, and we were meeting one of the most powerful people in Ninjago and didn't want to disobey his orders!"
Kai raised his eyebrows. "Wow, no need to get fired up. Besides, I could've helped you two get up there faster. I could get up there in twenty minutes." He pointed to the upper palace, far up the rocky mountain slope behind them.
"Hm, farmer. I bet a soldier could beat you." Cole challenged.
Nya sighed again.
"Well, unluckily for us," said Skylor, sliding on to the bench next to Kai, "we'll actually get to see who wins."
"Is your family breakfast already over?" Nya asked her.
Skylor nodded. "The imperial family is busy. It was quick. Are you all done?" They all nodded, so she continued. "The emperors would like to deliberate privately today, but tomorrow you may all come to the upper palace for a discussion. Personally, I would prefer it simply be held here, but they will be heading there shortly for peace and quiet, and think it is the proper place for such a momentous decision."
---
As it turned out, when it came to actually reaching the upper palace first, neither a rebellious and overconfident farmer nor a military trained border guard could beat a samurai.
They set out the next morning soon after breakfast and introductions, dressed in their nicest clothes, accompanied both by Skylor, who seemed to be serving as a sort of ambassador for them, as she had been the one to bring them to the palace, and by Pixal, who seemed to take the fact that she had been summoned along with the others as a good sign. At the very least, she certainly seemed in good spirits, and as Kai and Cole raced up the mountain, Zane whispered something to her, and she smiled and set off at a faster pace, quickly but quietly gaining on both of them, then passing them.
Zane and Jay stayed behind with Nya and Skylor, who were both dressed in kimonos. Nya was glad to be back in her usual clothing, and glad it included pants, and didn't sweep the floor like Skylor's. Skylor looked very elegant in the pressed golden-yellow silk, her hair swept up in a comb, but she didn't hesitate to lift up her skirts in a rather unladylike fashion in order to make her way up the stairs quicker and more safely.
When Zane, Jay, Nya, and Skylor arrived at the upper palace gates, they found Cole breathing heavily and pacing back and forth, hands rested on his head, Kai doubled over with his hands on his knees and gasping for air, and Pixal leaning against the wall next to the palace gate. Although she had left behind her helmet, she was still wearing her full suit of armor. However, it didn't seem to have hindered her at all. She was breathing normally, her pink cheeks the only indication of her recent exercise.
"After all the time I spent getting you an audience and making you look like nice gentlemen for it, you just had to go running up a mountain." Skylor scolded the winded, flushed, and sweaty Kai and Cole with a disdainful look.
"I apologize, ma'am." Cole returned for a moment to his army-engrained manners, but Kai wasn't so quick to back down.
"You should have told us not to beforehand, then." He pointed out. "Besides, she ran up just as fast as we did."
"Faster." Pixal and Skylor said at the same time.
"And the difference is," Skylor continued, "She looks far more presentable than you ever do."
"Oh, come on. You know I don't look that bad." Kai gave her a smug grin, and Nya could've sworn Skylor started to blush.
"Excuse me," Zane raised his voice to be heard over the bickering. "Are we not here for a reason?"
"Right." Skylor strode over to the guard who had been standing on the opposite side of the gate from them the entire time. She apologized to him briefly, and he opened the gate for them. They filed through in silence, following Skylor to the throne room door, which was opened from the inside before she had a chance to knock.
"Come, children, no need for formalities." Emperor Wu said, walking back to his throne before they could bow to him. This left them in a rather awkward position, as they had never been taught any other way to greet such powerful people, and they ended up standing in a line in front of the dais, waiting for instruction.
"Feel free to introduce yourselves," Emperor Garmadon finally said.
"Oh, sorry," Jay stumbled over his words. When no one else said anything, he went on. "That's Kai, Nya's brother. Zane, and Cole." He pointed to each as he spoke. "I'm Jay. Um, my parents are wheelwrights."
Emperor Wu nodded. "It was brave of you, of all of you, to come here. Do you wish to go back to your families?"
Jay nodded nervously. "Yes. But I want to do what's right. I want to help you fix things."
Cole nodded too. "My father will be worried eventually. But I've been in the army for several years, and I've learned more about how our country really is, how it's run. I don't want to be part of that anymore."
"And we don't want you to have to be either." Emperor Wu went on. "Keep in mind, we did have a plan, one that was strategic, that we were confident would work. I must admit I have a tendency to put things off until I have a well-laid plan, and occasionally the fact that I am not ready to spring into immediate action does backfire."
"We also realize just how much your people are suffering," Emperor Garmadon continued. "We have been hesitant with how much we publicize the conditions of your kingdom to our own subjects–we hide nothing, of course, but we have not been trying to promote the idea that they must fight back. But they are realizing more and more on their own, and wanting to do something. And as we do as well, we believe the best plan of action is simply to do so."
"The change will not be immediate," Emperor Wu cautioned. "It would be foolish to charge into war with no preparations–for war is what this will certainly become. But we will begin to prepare immediately. You may choose to go back to your country, your families, before the fighting starts, and help inform people of what is to come and rally them against your Queen. Or you may stay here and help with the effort on our side. That includes you, Lady Skylor." He looked at her long enough to make her squirm before turning to Pixal. "And you, my loyal student. You will have a great responsibility in this war, if you choose to accept it, and turn yourself fully to this life."
She stared at the ground. "I will do my best, your highness. But I do not know if I can bear to–"
"You will find, child, that sometimes you must take the risk in order to achieve happiness." He told her sternly. "But I will give all of you time to consider the decision, before we meet again for more planning. I am sorry to be so abrupt, but my brother and I have much to discuss if we are to go through with this plan. And I believe we will, unless there are any objections?"
They shook their heads, a little in shock at the sudden proposal.
"No objections, your highness." Kai spoke for all of them. "Nya told us what you had talked about before, and if you had not suggested that we declare war on Queen Aspheera, I would have myself."
Nya bowed slightly to them. "I agree with your decision. Thank you for listening to us, and our wishes."
"Of course." Emperor Garmadon said. "Your opinions certainly helped us in our decision, for if you all support our plan, we have faith that the rest of your kingdom may as well."
"I think they will." She was telling the truth when she said it. "It will not be easy–we realize that, and the people will have to as well. But I trust you."
"That is good." Emperor Wu said. "As we previously mentioned, our chief strategist thinks this move unwise. But we have been trained in strategy as much as he, and, in my opinion, put our training into use a good deal more. And I have trained Pixal, and trust her to do what is right, if she accepts."
With that, they were dismissed, and before they knew it, they had started down the mountain again.
"Remind me again why we all had to go up there?" Kai complained to Skylor. "We hardly said a thing! They just told us their plan, and we left!"
"That's how the emperors are, sometimes," She told him. It doesn't always make them easy to live with, she thought, but didn't say.
---
That evening after dinner, they all parted ways. They had a lot to think about, to be sure, and they would all have to talk about it again, but they knew it was no use to worry too much at the moment.
"Come on, I found a place when I was exploring yesterday that I want to show you." Jay told Nya. She followed him down the hall past their rooms, which met another corridor perpendicular to it, with doors running down its near wall and windows down the far one. They turned slightly left down this, and Jay opened the single door in the windowed wall, leading Nya out onto a small balcony porch.
There was a bench pushed up against the palace wall at one end of the balcony, and Nya was ready to sit down, but Jay stepped onto it instead, holding out his hand to her.
She took it, stepping onto the bench beside him. "Please don't tell me you're about to do something dangerous."
He grinned. "That would depend upon your definition of dangerous."
Reaching up to grasp the edge of the roof, Jay stepped from the bench to the balcony railing, then pulled himself up onto the roof itself.
"You coming?" He asked Nya.
Nya surveyed the situation. It didn't look that dangerous, but a fall off the roof, although probably unlikely, might still be deadly. Although they were technically on the ground floor of the palace, since the balcony looked down on a sunken courtyard, with doors from the half-underground basement opening into it, it would be a two story fall if she were to slip from the roof, miss the balcony, and hit the courtyard floor.
"Of course." She said.
Since she was too small to get a good grip on the edge of the roof even from the bench, Jay held his hand down to her, and she held it firmly as she stepped first onto the bench arm, then onto the narrow wooden railing. Her heart beat faster as her brain registered her precarious position, but Jay kept hold of her left hand while she grasped the edge of the roof with her right, hoisting herself onto the roof with his help.
She sat gingerly next to him, bracing her feet against the sloping tiles. The view was beautiful–the sun had nearly set, and the pink and orange sky was turning to blue and purple. Still, Nya felt as though maybe they ought not to be climbing the imperial palace.
"Um, Jay, are you sure this isn't, like, illegal?" She couldn't help but ask. "This is the palace and everything."
He shrugged. "What the emperors don't know can't hurt us. Wait . . ." He furrowed his brow, looking adorably confused. "Can't hurt them? Anyway, I'm sure it's fine."
"I guess so." She giggled at his puzzled expression–he still seemed to be trying to work out the expression in his head. "So, what did you think of the emperors' proposal today?"
He shrugged. "It's good that they're recognizing the urgency of the situation. Otherwise who knows what Kai would've done." He laughed nervously. "But seriously, it's important. I mean, I definitely had it pretty easy as a kid, compared to some people. My parents let me stay in school for longer instead of working, since they made enough money from their business most years. But still, there were years of famine and stuff, and we didn't always have it great. The thing is, the Queen didn't do anything about it–she never does. I guess she doesn't care so much about keeping the population up as the guy who made . . . you know."
"My curse."
"Yeah . . ." He dragged the word out. "Only, I don't really think of it that way. I mean, I know it's caused you a lot of trouble, but it also brought me to you. Think about it–you grew up in Ignacia, and you might've stayed there if it weren't for you becoming the thread-mage. We might not even have met yet if that had happened."
"Yet?" Suddenly, a horrifying scenario flashed through her brain. What if she had never met Jay? What if they had lived in their separate towns their whole lives, and never known they were soulmates? And wasn't that just what would happen to hundreds, maybe thousands of people if she stopped being the thread-mage?
"Yeah," Jay was saying. "I mean, eventually we would've grown up. We still would've been living relatively close, and we're meant to be. We would've met eventually."
Nya didn't know how he could be so optimistic about the whole imaginary scenario. "But what if we never did?"
He shrugged. "If we really cared enough, we would've. If not, well then, I guess you wouldn't be missing that much."
His tone was joking, but it wasn't funny to her. Because she would be missing a lot if she'd never met him. The scary thing was, she wouldn't know what she was missing.
"Hey, I'm sorry I mentioned it." He placed his warm hand on top of hers, twining their fingers together. "It's okay, really. You can't be all pessimistic and dwell on what could've happened. We have each other now, and we're making a difference. That's what's important."
But it wasn't just them–not to her. Whatever decision she made, she would be making a bigger difference than he ever could.
"But . . ." She tried to figure out how to explain it to him. "If I stop reading people's threads, no one will ever know their soulmates for sure. A lot of people might never find them at all. That would be horrible–I'd never be able to live with myself."
"Well, you'd only be delaying that happening by a little bit." Jay said. "If we manage to kill the Queen, you'll be the last thread-mage born during her family's reign–the last one to ever have the curse. So either way, sooner or later there will be no thread-mage anyway."
"Unless I train another one. Emperor Wu said I could regain the power to read threads much more easily than someone learning for the first time. And he said he'd appreciate my helping him learn. That must mean he thinks that with my teaching, someone could learn to do it faster than if they just tried to learn on their own." She hated to keep shooting down his arguments, since he was only trying to make her feel better, but everything she said was true.
Jay sighed, and she thought he'd given up, until he squeezed her hand. "But is that what you want to do? Spend your whole life reading threads and training someone to take your place after you die?"
She shrugged helplessly. "I don't know."
He looked her right in the eyes, making her hold his gaze in the dim light. "Then tell me again, exactly. What is it you want? If you could have an ideal world, and not worry about anyone else, what would you want to do with your life?"
She had to think about it for a moment, but when she started talking, the words spilled out of her. "I guess . . . I just want to be able to do what I want, even things I don't know I want yet, and not care what other people think. And not be defined just by what I choose to do. I want to be able to be your girlfriend, without only being known as that, or for breaking my vows to be with you. And if I ever feel responsible enough and want to learn to read the red threads again, I want to be able to without having to only be the thread-mage."
He nodded. "Sounds like a plan."
"What?"
"Well, that seems completely reasonable to me. And I'm sure anyone else who really cares will agree. And if they don't, that's okay. It's your life, after all. And I'll help you make it happen."
"But . . ." She stared at him, trying to figure out what was going on in his brain. "Why? Isn't it not the logical option? Isn't it selfish? Why would you want that?"
"No, of course not!" He sounded horrified that she would even suggest such a thing. "Of course it isn't selfish. It's just giving you the opportunities that you deserve, that everyone else has but you. And as for the logical option, I don't think there is one, exactly. There's no perfect choices when it comes to this sort of thing. But if this is what you want, so do I. Because we're soulmates, right?"
He smiled at her, and she so wanted to believe him, but another horrible thought was surfacing in her brain, and she couldn't stop it, and–"How can you trust that we actually are soulmates, if it's just because of a curse?" She blurted out.
"It's not just because of a curse," He told her logically. "Emperor Wu said so–at least that's what you told me. He said the curse just makes you able to see the threads–which are already there and beyond our control–without all the intense studying and stuff. Right?"
She nodded. "I guess so."
"And even if I can't see the threads, and neither can you," He continued, "we still know they're there. Because . . . this feels right. Doesn't it?"
"Yes." She smiled, for what felt like the first time in too long. Then he leaned towards her, bringing his hand shyly to her chin, pulling her lips to his as she wrapped one arm around his neck, her other hand grabbing onto his shirt. And then–
An explosion rang out somewhere below, and Nya screamed.
"What was that?" Jay shrieked.
"What was that?" Someone else shrieked, even higher pitched, from below.
Nya peered down into the darkness, heart pounding. She couldn't see much–the sun had fully set–but then she noticed, on the far side of the courtyard, a glowing light rising into the air, then coming towards her and Jay. Then she realized it was someone lifting a lantern, and running across the courtyard.
"My stars, are you on the roof?" The someone called, and Nya realized it was Skylor. Suddenly embarrassed by her earlier scream of terror, she felt her face warm.
"What was that noise?" Jay asked indignantly.
"Firecrackers." Skylor replied, sounding as sheepish as she could while still keeping her voice loud enough for them to hear from two stories above her. "The prince and I sometimes set off firecrackers, as long as the emperors are in the upper palace."
The prince–Nya could just make out his small figure running haphazardly across the courtyard to join Skylor.
"Who are you talking to, Sky?" He asked timidly. "The sky?" He giggled at his own joke.
"It's just Nya and Jay. They're on the roof, see?" Skylor pointed up at them with the hand not holding the lantern.
"Oh." Lloyd seemed to think for a moment. "Why can't we go on the roof?"
"Because you're too small to climb up here." Nya said, thinking quick. She assumed the emperors wouldn't want their heir climbing about on roofs, even if Skylor didn't mind.
"Yes," Nya was glad Skylor went along with it. "Besides, I tried it once and it isn't much fun. Firecrackers are much better."
"Oh, okay." He tugged at her arm. "Can we set off more then?"
"We'll set off more tomorrow night, if your father's still up on the mountain." Skylor said. "We don't want to disturb our guests."
"Oh, no, it's alright." Nya didn't want to ruin their fun. "Go ahead and set them off tonight."
"Are you sure?" Skylor asked. "I mean, I know it's pretty loud. We can just leave you to your–"
"No, it's fine." Jay said. "Feel free. Just give us one minute. We should really be going back inside soon anyway."
"Okay." Skylor sounded surprised. "Thanks." She turned to Lloyd, always quick to teach her young friend how to behave. "Say thank you."
"Thank you!" He jumped up and down. "Goodnight!"
"Goodnight, your highness." Nya laughed. "Goodnight, Skylor."
While Skylor and the prince walked back across the courtyard towards their firecrackers, Nya turned to Jay.
"So, what did you want the one minute for?"
He smiled, then reached forward to rest her cheek in his hand. "To do this."
Then he closed the gap between them, all the way this time, so their lips fully touched, and kissed her for a long moment. She kissed him back, wrapping her arms around him in a warm embrace.
Neither of them were certain who pulled away first, but when they did, they both knew it was different from their other brief, sort-of kisses. Because this time, it wasn't a fleeting goodbye. Neither of them felt awkward or ran away. Jay simply helped Nya down from the roof and they headed inside, closing the door just as the next explosion rang out behind them.
Note: I think I'd better use this opportunity to clear up a mistake I made that's been in the back of my mind for a while. Firstly, yes, this is their first actual kiss on the lips, the other "sort-of kisses" weren't. Quite a while ago Jay kissed Nya's forehead, and she described it as "he'd kissed me again and I'd done nothing about it" or something like that, which is a mistake because the last time they'd sort of kissed, she actually instigated it, kissing him on the cheek. Anyway, I know that doesn't matter much but I did notice it a while after publishing that chapter, so if any of you did, just wanted to acknowledge the mistake I guess.
Also, thank you all for reading! This book is almost over, so thanks for sticking with me and my weird posting schedule through all this. You certainly deserved the fluff.