Queen's Princess

Chapter 66

"Do you think Jay will be happy with us?" I asked Odessa as I was being held by her. 

"I hope she will be. I don't want anything bad to happen to 'er when we're looking after 'er," she said.

"With you lookin' after her, I'm sure she'll be alright," I chuckled, reaching up and placing a hand on her cheek. "Dez?"

"Yeah?"

"Have you ever thought of another Reckoning?"

"I-I haven't. No one has challenged me in a while and I don't think people want to challenge me."

"Do ya think Jay would be a good fit?"

"Maybe in five years when she's almost twenty."

"How old do ya have to be to fight in the Reckoning?"

"Old enough to wield a weapon without cutting your head off or someone else's on accident."

"So a child can't fight in the Reckonin'."

"Exactly."

"I see."

"But if there were to be another ruler in Junkertown, and if Jay wants to prove her worth, I'll give her everythin' I've got. Everythin' I've got left in me."

"Are you saying," my voice trailed off.

"We're gettin' older, Y/N, unfortunately not any younger. I wish I could spend all of eternity with ya, but we can't. Might as well live the best life we can. And if it means givin' Jay a chance at the Reckonin', I might as well give what little fighting I have left in me and use it to train her for it."

"If she were to make it to the Reckonin'," I began.

"I'd have to give her a fair fight. If people knew that Jay was our adopted daughter and I just handed her the throne, people wouldn't like that. Every one who has sat on that throne has earned their way to it. Well, other than you," she chuckled.

I scoffed and lightly punched her shoulder, "I could earn my place on that throne just as much as you had."

"Sure."

"Challengin' me?" I asked.

"Are you," Odessa grabbed my wrists with her one hand, squeezing it tightly, but not too tight, and pinned me to the bed. "Challengin' me?"

"That ain't fair, Dez."

"Life's not fair," she smirked at me, placing a kiss on the tip of my nose. "Get used to it, princess."

I sighed, but I wasn't going to accept defeat just yet. I was about to use my legs to wrap around her waist, but her other hand pressed one side of my hips down just long enough for her to straddle me.

"Saw where that was goin'," she laughed.

"Come on, Dez."

"You come on, Y/N. I taught ya how to fight."

"Not on a bed."

"Still, come on, think of somethin'! I'm sure you can think of something in that head of yours," she said and poked at my forehead. 

"Maybe if I had my hands and legs I could."

"Try something."

It just resulted in me wriggling around, squirming underneath her grasp. She chuckled as she leaned down towards my ear, whispering in it.

"Seein' ya squirm like that makes me want to do round two."

"Then why don't ya?" I asked. "It's not like I can do much with your hands on my wrists."

"But where's the fun in that? Doin' it here like normal people."

"What do ya mean, Dez?" I asked.

"You'll have to see tomorrow," she said, removing her hand from my wrists, but still straddled me. "Meet me in the throne room and we can have a private chat on how we can train Jay to become the next Queen of Junkertown."

She rolled off me and her back was facing me. I moved my head and got up, leaning on my pillow to see her eyes were closed. 

"Are ys serious, Dez?"

"Very serious, Y/N."

I scoffed and playfully hit her back with the back of my hand, "I see how it is. Not wantin' to tell me."

She rolled over, her arms wrapping around my waist, "Where's the fun in the surprise then, love?"

"I'll still be surprised if ya tell me," I chuckled, wrapping my arms around her neck.

"I'm still not gonna tell ya," she snickered, placing a kiss on my cheek before placing her head back on the pillows. "Now get some sleep."

"Alright," I said and buried my face in the crook of her neck. "Goodnight, Dez."

"Night, princess," she said. "I love ya."

"I love you, too."

I opened my eyes to see Odessa was already gone. She probably had to get an early start. Slowly getting up, I looked over to see there was a note on my bedside table. Reaching over, I grabbed it and read it.

"There are some mech battles I gotta watch. I let Jay in the warehouse and she's helpin' out Meri and Geiger. Hammond is participating in the mech battles. I'll see you in the throne room whenever you're free."

I smiled to myself and got up, getting ready for the day. I grabbed my swords on the way out and locked the door, making my way over to the warehouse. As I was walking closer to the warehouse, I looked over to the surrounding houses to see everyone was out and about. I walked into the warehouse and was met with Meri, Geiger, and Jay.

"Hey, Y/N," Jay smiled, greeting me. "I had no idea how big the warehouse was. Meri and Geiger have been showing me around and I just love everything about it."

"I'm glad ya love it in here. We're a bit short on hands now, why don't ya join us 'ere."

"Ya mean it?"

"Of course, Jay."

"I-I'm not the best when it comes to my hands."

"That's alright," I said. "Neither was I until my dad and my grandfather taught me everything I needed to know. There are still some things I don't know, but all ya gotta do is not be afraid to try and mess up."

"How many times have ya failed when ya thought you were good at somethin'?" Jay asked.

"Many times, Jay. Think of it like your training with Dez. You're gonna win some and you're gonna lose some."

"Same with the mech battles," Meri said. "There was a lot of times where the champion of the mech battles lost over and over before they reclaimed their title."

"Jay," I placed a hand on her shoulder. "When I see ya fight against Dez, you're not afraid to try new things with your weapon. You're not afraid to learn a fighting style that is completely your own. And if ya want to try your hand at what we do here, then you're more than welcome to try as much as ya like. Just promise me one thing?"

"Yes, Y/N?"

"Don't give up after the first day."