Nya woke up to the sound of the wind, rain and thunder crashing outside her porthole window. 

   Someone knocked on her door. 

  "Come in!" She yelled, trying to make herself heard. 

  The door opened and Jay slipped in. 

   "Hey, hope I didn't wake you." He sounded apologetic as closing the door behind him. 

   "No, you didn't. I was already awake." Nya smiled. 

  "As you've noticed, the storm's still raging, so we're still dealing with things on deck. Once you're dressed, you can head over to Harumi's cabin, the others are there already. Breakfast will be served there by one of the crew." Jay said.

   "Oh, okay, thanks." Nya yawned. 

  "Try to stay out of trouble, the last thing any of us want is Lloyd yelling at our faces for being, and I quote, "insane"," Jay laughed lightly, "but seriously, please stay safe and keep out of Lloyd's way. When there's a storm, he turns into one too." 

  Nya laughed along with him but then jumped when a clash of thunder ripped through the air. 

 "Anyway, I'll take my leave. If you need anything, just come ask me." Jay smiled before he left. 

    Nya got out of bed, swaying as the ship moved from side to side, throwing her off balance. She dressed in leather leggings, a light blue, long-sleeved shirt and a dark blue sweater. 

   Trying to stay on her feet, she made her way to Harumi's cabin. 

  "Hey Nya! You're finally awake!" Seliel greeted her.

  "You are just in time, Nya, Griffin has just brought us some breakfast." Pixal gestured to the trays of food. 

   "Good! I'm hungry." Nya sat down on the floor next to her and Skylor.

  "Did you get a visit from one of the boys?" Seliel asked, "We did." 

  "Yup, Jay came. He was so apologetic at first because he thought he woke me up." Nya giggled. 

  "Ooooh!!! Jay and Nya sitting in a tree..." Skylor started, but jumped when lightning flashed across the window. 

   "Skylor!" Nya whined.

   "K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Skylor finished, laughing and high-fiving with Seliel. 

  "Well at least you got someone who was considerate enough to apologise to you and be nice. I got Lloyd." Harumi rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. 

   "What happened?" Nya asked. 

  "He charged into my room yelling for me to get up, before charging back out again. Zane came in a few minutes later apologising and informing me about breakfast." Harumi laughed. 

  "Kai was no better," Skylor sighed, "He came charging in and poured a cup of freezing cold water on me. Then casually told me that breakfast was in Harumi's cabin as if nothing at all was the matter." 

  Nya laughed. 

   "Mine was uneventful." Seliel pouted. 

  "Mine was quite nice. Zane was very polite." Pixal said before taking a bite out of her toast. 

 The ship tipped over to the side and one of the glasses went smashing into the cabin's wall. 

   "Oh dear, I hope we will not get in trouble for that." Pixal said, staring at the shattered glass. 

  "It's fine, I'll just go find another one. I can ask Jay." Nya stumbled to her feet as she headed towards the door. 

   "Are you sure that is a good idea, Nya?" Pixal asked. 

  "Yeah, I'll be fine." Nya smiled before shutting the door after her.

  "Famous last words...." Skylor muttered. 

  Nya made her way to the Main deck, looking for Jay. 

    She shielded her eyes against the rain as she scanned the deck. She could see Morro and Griffin tying down barrels and crates. She spotted Jay and Kai pulling against some ropes up on the Forecastle deck. Clutching the railings she pulled herself along, heading towards them. 

   Suddenly, a huge wave crashed over the ship.

  Screaming, Nya was swept into the raging sea.

    "Man overboard!" 

   "Nope, it's one of the girls! Quick!" 

  "It's the Princess!" 

   "Princess overboard!"

    "Nya!" 

   "Grab the ropes!"

  Shouts and yells rose from the deck of the ship as everyone rushed.

    "HELP!" Nya screamed, flailing her arms about. 

   Waves and crashed around her. 

There was a splash near her. 

   Another wave crashed over her and she went under. 

  "Hurry! She just went under, she'll drown!" 

  "Ready the rope ladder!" 

   "Watch the sails!" 

    "Skylor, get back below deck!"

    "Fetch the ropes!"

     "Someone get towels!" 

  Nya gasped as she was brought to the surface again. Someone was holding fast to her. Spluttering, she looked towards her rescuer.

   Jay. 

 At the moment he payed her no attention as her swam towards the ship. 

   A couple more splashes were heard as Kai and Cole joined them. 

  "Lower the rope ladder! Someone grab her as she comes up!" Kai yelled up.

  "Jay, you go first, we'll send Nya after you. Take her." Cole instructed.

   Jay handed Nya over to Kai before taking hold of the ladder. He reached the top and Paleman helped him over. 

   "Send her up!" Jay yelled down to his comrades.

  Kai and Cole helped Nya onto the ladder. 

     Nya felt lightheaded as she struggled up.

  She felt someone pull her over and onto the deck. 

     A towel was wrapped around her as she leaned against Jay.

   "Nya! Nya are you all right?" Skylor was asking. 

   Kai and Cole by now had climbed back up. 

"Get her below now!" Kai ordered, accepting a towel from Skylor. 

    Nya's vision blurred and the sounded around her muffled. She collapsed into Jay's arms the next moment. 

   "She's passed out!" - "Get her dry and warm!" - "Jay, take her below, Skylor you go too, and fetch Pixal." - "What was she doing on deck in the first place?" 

   Jay swept the girl into his arms bridal style and carried her off, Skylor at his heel wrapping a towel round his shoulder. 

                ⚔⚔⚔⚔⚓⚔⚔⚔⚔  

  Lou looked down at the locket in his hand. 

    It held to pictures. One of him and one of Lily. 

  "Congratulations, my lord, you have a son." 

  He smiled as he held his baby boy. 

    "What are we naming him?" He asked, as he looked towards his wife. 

   "How about... Cole." Lily replied, confidently. 

  "Do you hear that?" He asked, as he turned to his son once more, "Little Lord Cole." 

      Lou placed a  finger on the portrait of Lily. 

    "Hello sweetie, you're my precious little boy." Lily smiled down at the baby in the cradle as she held out a finger for him to play with. 

   "Mummy and daddy love you very much." Lily whispered, as Cole giggled, gripping his mother's finger tightly. 

    Memories, bittersweet and painful, came flooding back. 

   "My lord! Cole, he's gone!" 

   Lily gasped. 

   "What do you mean, 'he's gone'?!" He roared. 

   "He's not in his nursery, and the window was forced open." The guard said. 

   "Find him! And the kidnapper. He can't have gotten far!" 

  He was seething with rage.

    "Your orders will be carried out, my lord." The guard bowed before running out of the drawing room, calling orders. 

   Lou sighed. 

  "My lord, I'm afraid her ladyship his gravely ill. We don't know exactly what the cause is, but I'm pretty sure she's depressed and heartbroken over the loss of your son. She may not have much time left. I have spoken to a friend of mine and he says that the same thing has happened to Lady Zoe, bless her soul." The doctor bowed his head. 

   "Thank you. You have done what you can." He sighed, dark circles under his eyes. 

  "I advise your lordship to spend as much time with her ladyship as much as she has time left." The doctor bowed once again before taking his leave. 

   He paused for a second before entering the room. 

  Lily lay on the bed, pale and nearly lifeless. 

    "L-lou." She coughed, reaching out her hand for him to take. 

   "Lily, darling..." He took hold of her hand and sat on the bed next to her. 

      "P-promise me, dear, t-that you will keep searching for h-him, for Cole. Promise me that you will n-never lose hope. Promise m-me?" She asked, coughing now and then. 

   "I promise. I promise I'll keep looking for him, even if it's the last thing I do." He gave her his word. 

   "W-when you do, t-tell him that I love him, and that I will always be with him, even if I am not with him physically. Give him t-this locket and tell him that." Lily placed her locket in his hand. 

   "I will." Lou nodded, "I promise I will." 

  "I love you, Lou. And tell Cole I love him, I always will..." Lily placed a hand on her husbands cheek before it fell back onto the duvet. 

   "I love you too..." He whispered, tears flowing down his cheeks.

    She was gone the next moment. 

  Lou closed his eyes, recalling the promise he made. He wasn't going to give up on his wife's dying wishes. He could keep on searching... even if it killed him. 

                       ⚔⚔⚔⚔⚓⚔⚔⚔⚔

       Nya's fluttered open as she woke up. 

   Sun was pouring through the porthole to her left. 

     'Wait... this isn't my cabin.' She thought, alarmed. 

   Nya sat up and looked around her. Everything was a shade of blue, more to the dark shades than the light ones. The bed was luxurious. Weapons of all manner were hanging on display hooks on the wall to the right. A dresser, mirror and wardrobe was on the wall opposite her and a couple of chests and a window seat by the wall to the left. 

    That's when she noticed Jay. 

  He was fast asleep in a chair on her left with his head resting on the bed. 

    'Oh the First Spinjitzu Master! Am I in his room?!' Nya thought. 

   Looking around once more confirmed it. She recognised his jacket that was draped over the chair at the dresser and above the headboard of the bed were a few more weapons. 

   Jay yawned and sat up, stretching his arms. 

  "Oh! You're awake. Good morning." Jay greeted her as he stood up and walked over to his wardrobe. 

   "Morning?" Nya was confused. 'Did the storm pass quickly?' She wondered. "How long was I out?" She asked. 

   "A day." He replied casually.

  "A day?!" She shrieked. 

     "Yup. You fell into the sea yesterday morning. After we got you out of the water, you passed out and I brought you to my room." Jay explained, taking his pyjama top off.

    Nya blushed, diverting her attention elsewhere. A minute later she looked back to see Jay in a shirt and was fixing a dark blue cravat. 

    "A cravat? Is there a special occasion I should know about that's happening?" Nya teased him, grinning. 

   He grinned back at her. "Nope, but the ship was damaged during the storm, so we're heading to port in the city of Stiix, where we have a friend that will help repair it. When we're in town we dress like 'gentlemen', so that people don't think that we're pirates. So, cravats, waistcoats and suits for us." He said ruefully. 

   Nya laughed. "Do we have to dress like ladies then? Oh! But, won't people recognise us?" She asked. 

   "Have you been out much traveling?" Jay asked instead. 

  "No -" Nya started.

     "Then you have nothing to worry about. Just wear a sunhat and sunglasses. And just wear normal summer dresses." Jay assured her. 

   "Okay..." Nya nodded, then she paused, "Listen, about the kiss I gave you at the festival -" She began.

   "Oh! I enjoyed." Jay said, buttoning up his waistcoat.

  "Y-you did?" Nya asked, as she started fixing the bed. 

     "Yeah..." Jay looked slightly embarrassed. 

   "Well, I enjoyed it too." Nya smiled, "Listen, Jay. I really like you, as in, like-like you. And I get it if you don't feel the same way." She confessed. 

   "Don't worry, I like-like you too." Jay grinned at her. 

  "Really?!" Nya gasped, surprised and delighted, "Since when?"

     "I suppose since I first set eyes on you. But officially when you shot at me with the pistol." He smirked. 

   Nya groaned. "I'm never going to live that down, am I?" 

  "Nope!" Jay beamed like a child at a fair. 

  "Well, I'm glad to get that off my chest!" Nya laughed. 

   Jay laughed along before he cut himself off abruptly. "Excuse me a second." He said rapidly before rushing out of the room. 

   "Okay...?" Nya was confused. Did she do something wrong? 

   Jay barged into Kai's room.

     "Jay?! What in Ninjago are you doing in my cabin?" Kai looked at him as if he were insane, "And why are you still in your pyjama bottoms?"

    "Never mind that!" Jay panted, "I just told Nya I like her and she like me back!" 

   "What?!" Kai spun around, "Wow.... I never thought you would get a girlfriend before me." 

 "She's not my girlfriend -" 

   "Not yet. She's not your girlfriend yet." Kai emphasised. 

  "What do I do?!" Jay groaned, "I just ran out on her! She probably things I'm having second thoughts!" 

   "Well, go back in there and kiss her! What are you waiting for? Christmas? That's four or five months away yet! GO!" Kai pushed a protesting Jay out of his cabin. 

    Jay sighed and entered his cabin again.

  "Umm, uh, sorry about that. I had to, um, speak to Kai about, err, something." Jay sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. 

   "That's fine." Nya smiled, "I'd better go pick out and dress and get ready." She said, making her way towards the door, but was stopped when Jay grabbed her arm. 

   "Wait! Ummmm..." He trailed off as he looked at her, "May I?" He asked hesitantly. 

  Nya, realising what was about to happen, nodded, butterflies in her stomach. 

     Jay leaned in and kissed her on the lips. 

  Nya's heart fluttered as she closed her eyes and stepped closer. 

   They pulled apart a minute later. 

   "I was, uh... wondering..." Jay began, "Will you be my girlfriend? Haha, sorry... I'm not a master in the girls department." 

   Nya nodded, smiling. "Yeah, I'd love to." She whispered breathlessly.

     Jay smiled goofily. 

  "Now," He said, nudging her, "Go get ready. We'll be arriving at Stiix near lunch time." 

           ⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓

     Well.... there's a chapter full of Jaya for you... And now they're together!!!! 🥰🥰 

   Anyway, I had this chapter planned out for ages!!! So, about the fashion business, I'm sort of creating a mixture of slightly modern and old fashion attire, just in case you're all getting confused...

   Anyway, I'll see you all in the next chapter!!! 

Claire xxx⚓