A blue Spouse (Ninjago Royalty AU)

Chapter 2: You don't need new slaves

Life was going smoothly on the ancient Kingdom of Ninjago... except for a certain young man.

Jay had awakened like any other day. The soft smell of his mother's vegetable soup invaded his senses. His eyelids popped open, only then he realized he had been drooling in his sleep. He wiped his face with the ragged sleeve of his pajama and sat up on the bed, which was only a pile of straw adorned with an old patched blanket. He saw his mother on the back of the room stirring a liquid in an old pot.

"Good morning, Jaybird."

Jay blushed at the nickname.

"Morning, mom." He finally got up and walked towards the woman. His eyes fluttering dreamily as the aroma grew more intense with each step he took. He looked down at the liquid content.

"Are those beans?!" he exclaimed with an excited voice.

Edna, his mother, nodded a soft smile on her face.

"Your father made a nice deal with this old farmer, he gave us a full sack of beans in exchange for helping him fix the roof of his house."

"Cool!" he quickly took a bowl and sat down urging his mother to pour some of the nutritious meal. Jay hadn't had beans in a while, it wasn't one of his favorite legumes but it was a nice change from their usual poor and boring diet. He savoured every bit of the soup. His mother soon mimicked his actions and served herself a ration.

"Where's dad?" Jay asked as soon as he devoured a second bowl.

"He went out early in the morning to see if he can get any new clients. Rumour says a few new merchants arrived yesterday."

Jay huffed. His father never ceased to look for new job opportunities. He worked so hard everyday to be able to maintain his family. He should do the same. The sun wasn't too high yet, but he couldn't waste any time. Soon the heat would become unbearable and make everything more difficult for his delicate skin. He rose up and changed to some more comfortable clothes before kissing his mother goodbye and getting out of the building.

His house was an old small hut, placed at the edges of an unpopular city, and surrounded by tons of materials of all kinds. Broken pieces of wood, bend over joists, torned fabric... But that was what feed them after all. Jay's father was a scrap dealer. Everyday he would walk around the whole city and gather abandoned materials to later bring them home. Normal people would see them as trash, but to him all those objects were like a rough diamond. He was a born-handyman, excellent in the art of crafting and inventing. He could transform a few pieces of broken wood into a practical bureau. Sure it may not have been the fanciest one in the world, but it still did the job. And people were more than happy to barter food or other goods for his skilled hands.

But Jay knew his father was getting old, that's why since a few years ago he made himself in charge of roaming the streets in search for potential materials his father could use. He also wanted to become someone his parents would be proud of and maybe, with time, they could save enough money to move all together to a better place. Dreaming was free, right?

Jay took one of his father's inventions, a bag with several pockets and shoulder straps made of leather that would allow him to carry heavy stuff on his back conveniently, and ventured into the city. A determined and positive smile on his face. He would have never guessed the usual routine would turn his life upside down in a few hours.

♦ ♦ ♦

A few days have passed since the royal meeting at the palace. The mission of taking down the rebels was pretty much a success, thanks to the fantastic work the soldiers did and Nya's strategies among other things. Really, who would have thought a princess was this good at tactics?