CHAPTER 3

THE MEETING

It was the hour of seven in the evening. The night autumn air was cool and the sky had already darkened. It felt like a time of peace. But with the men of Jamma Village out, the night ceased to be peaceful. All were attending the village meeting at town hall to discuss the issue with taxes on everything rising and for a solution to stop the Warriors before things got way out of hand.

Walking down the trail, Ray and Kai, being escorted by Dr. Simon Julien, were making their way towards town hall. Up ahead, they could see the village doctor's son Zane Julien. His light blonde hair stuck up in an unusual way and his icy blue eyes glowed brightly, even in the dark. He wore a blue shirt with a white vest over it and tan trousers. He wore brown work boots as well.

The young man was standing in front of the doors of the building. He looked ahead to see his father along with the village blacksmith and his son. But Zane knew Kai was still seventeen and was told not to let anyone that was still under eighteen inside. He blocked the doors. "Halt! My apologies, but Kai cannot enter. He is not yet eighteen."

"No need to worry, son," Dr. Julien said, "Kai was invited to attend by his father. As long as he's with Mr. Smith, the governor won't mind."

"Well then, welcome to your first village meeting, Kai." Zane stepped aside, allowing all three inside town hall.

Kai looked at Zane a moment before facing his father. "Zane Julien always takes things too seriously. When given a task, he makes sure nobody steps out of line.

"One day the both of you will work on the village council together," Ray told his son, "Sometimes the skills people have are worth having."

Kai and Ray led themselves to the front row of chairs in the room. Kai noticed that everyone else remained standing. "Why is everyone still standing?"

"You remain standing until Governor Garmadon comes in and addresses everyone to be seated."

As if on cue, Governor Garmadon walked inside, making his way over to the podium. A lot of years have been placed among the old governor. His hair was graying but managed to keep it from falling out. He wore a pair of black boots while wearing black trousers and a light purple shirt. He wore a dark purple robe over his clothing. In his hand was the staff that was passed down to him by his father.

Garmadon stood in front of his podium. Standing behind him were his younger brother Wu, the master of the temple, and his son and only child Lloyd Garmadon. Lloyd looked so much like his father, except his hair was blonde and he had his mother's eyes. He mainly wore all green, from his green shirt to his dark green trousers. He also wore black boots as well.

Wu wore simple attire, such as his straw hat and a white temple robe that went down to his feet. Whether he wore shoes or not, nobody knew. He had a long white beard that showed his age. He was only two years younger than his brother, but age has its way of sneaking up on people.

The governor stood in front of everyone. "Good evening, gentlemen. You may all be seated." Soon everyone was seated. Garmadon was given a scroll and unrolled it. "Before we begin this meeting, I would like to start by reading the first few line of the Nin Independence Statement." Clearing his throat, Garmadon began:

"The land began to start a new reign of peace. Peace is a word that has been passed down to we, the citizens of Nin, for thousands of years. Our land will no longer bow down under the harsh laws and suffer the consequences of our sworn enemies. Our land, our nation, our country, will rise above the darkness and enter a new era of light. By the power of the Great Sensei Himself, we exile evil and place in peace, light, and goodness of all men."

Garmadon rolled the scroll back up and returned it to his brother. He stared upon the room full of men. "Now we can begin our discussion upon an issue that needs to be solved. The Warriors have taken things too far. Not only are they making sure that we use taxed goods, but they are preventing us from trading with our neighboring villages. The last few times we have tried and it turns out a disaster. We're short on horses and losing resources as well. We sent out one of our young men, but he ended up like the rest. Look at what they've done to Cole Brookestone." Cole brought himself inside the room to show his condition. Some of the men began to mumble, but the governor quieted them down. "Quiet down, gentlemen. Thank you. I have shown you the evidence. It is time that you all give out your opinions. One at a time, please."

"Governor Garmadon, these Warriors have gone too far," a man in a wooden wheelchair known as Cyrus Borg said, "I would like to give out my own opinion and it is to declare war on them."

"Hey, Cyrus has a point," somebody in the back said, "We should declare war."

"Governor, we need to form up a militia," somebody in the second row said, "Why haven't you thought of this before?"

"Declaring war is too risky," Garmadon said, "You've seen how the Warriors are."

"The governor's right," somebody else in the back said, "I've seen a Warrior snap a man like a twig and leave him out dead for all the animals to take their share of food."

"But if we declare war, they'll leave us alone," Ed Walker said.

"Ed, it's not that simple," Garmadon said, "Telling them to leave our land won't work."

"Governor, what do you suggest we do?" Dr. Julien asked.

Garmadon was at a lost for words. He hadn't thought up of any suggestions of his own. He actually had thoughts of forming a militia and warning the Warriors what will happen if they don't leave, but declaring war would be dangerous. A person had to be prepared and find the right people. A group of a few people could stop one Warrior, but a village full of men could stop a group of Warriors.

He was just about to state what he thought when he saw young Kai Smith stand from his seat. He was surprised. This was the boy's first village meeting and he already felt like he was a regular person that came to all of them. He decided to give the boy a chance to state his opinion. "What is your opinion, Kai?"

"Well, wouldn't it just be better if we could find a different route to send supplies to our neighboring villages?" Kai said, "If we thoroughly search for a route that the Warriors are never at then we can use it. I know that it will take some time, but it's better than taking drastic measures, isn't it?"

Garmadon took in all Kai said for a moment and nodded. "That actually sounds like a good suggestion to me, but let me ask you this. What happens if the Warriors have used all the routes to watch over or what if they've blocked ways of getting inside the villages? Plus what if they force people to remain inside their villages?"

"I suppose that if searching for a new route fails to work, then we may have no choice but to take drastic measures."

Garmadon smiled. "You've actually changed my thoughts. Alright then. We will search for a different route. If that fails, we'll take matters into our own hands. Zane, I will send you out after the meeting to search for a different route. Now, on to the subject of high paying taxes."

Kai actually felt good knowing his first given opinion worked. He would actually be looking forward to making decisions at future meetings. He looked at his father who smiled and nodded seeing that his son has already learned a lot.

Looks like I've suceeded with Kai, Ray thought, Now all I have to do is help Nya. I guess I'll have no choice but to do it all for her.

The rest of the meeting commenced on about the subject on taxes, a topic everyone hated hearing about.

NEXT SCENE:

Outside on the trail of Jamma Village was Nya, who was making her way over to a good friend's home. That good friend happened to be Jay. She knew he would make her feel welcomed and would give her a place to belong in.

Nya knew Jay wouldn't be at the village meeting. He told her that he only went to one. They didn't interest him. They were always talking about too many problems. That's all Nya knew about the meetings, but that convinced her to want to be a part of them. Until her father told her she couldn't. She shook thoughts of the previous events out of her head. She kept moving until she made it over to Jay`s window. Yes, Jay`s window.

The toolmaker's son rarely ever came out of his home. What people didn't know was that Nya got him out at night. It was the only time they got together where nobody would bother them. They could talk about pretty much anything. Jay always read the morning paper so he would always talk to Nya about his opinions about it. His mother, Edna Walker, was the town gossiper. She knew pretty much everything about everyone in the village. So Jay would always tell Nya about the things his mother would tell him. There were nights he made her laugh and just plain smile. He always made her happy. Sometimes they would talk throughout the night. Some nights Jay would sneak out and spend time with Nya in her father's shed. Some nights they would stay in Jay`s backyard. Some nights they would send letters to each other by a carrier pigeon, which was really a falcon.

That's actually how Nya and Jay met. She was only eight and he was ten, but even their friendship back then was a secret.

FLASHBACK:

It was just a normal day and Nya was outside playing hide and seek with her brother. It was Nya's turn to hide. The little girl went to hide behind a huge elm tree and did her best to make as little sound as possible. She heard the sound of a bird from above her. She looked up and saw a falcon carrying a piece of parchment in its mouth. It flew down to her and flew in front of her, motioning for her to take the paper. She cautiously but gently removed it from the bird's beak and unfolded the parchment.

She looked at the words written on the paper. It was a letter written to her. There wasn't much on the letter, but it said:

Hello Nya. Salutations. You may not know me and I don't know you very well, but I've seen you before. I don't come out much around the village. I tend to be shy. I only come out when my mother takes me shopping with her. I've seen you before, but I don't think you've seen me. I hide sometimes. I really want to be your friend, but I can only ask through a letter. Will you be my friend? If you don't, that's okay. If you do, please write me a letter back.

Signed by Jay.

Nya had never heard of a person in the village named Jay. She was only a little girl and felt bad that this Jay person didn't have any friends. He was from the village, but that's all she knew. She decided to write him a letter back. So she let Kai find her and told him that she didn't want to play anymore. Which was good timing because their father had returned home and needed Kai's help in the garden.

Nya raced home and started writing a letter at her's and Kai's desk. She started off by saying hello and asked him how old he was. She also asked him if Jay was really his name and also said that all in all, she wanted to be his friend. She folded the letter and gave it to the falcon, who flew off to deliver it.

Since then they were known as mysterious friends. It only lasted a few months. Fall rolled around and Jay finally wrote to Nya to come see him. He gave her an illustrated map to where his house was. He even gave her clues which were gifts for her. She eventually found his home and rushed over to the exact spot where Jay wanted her to meet him at. There was when she finally saw him.

He was just as he described himself in one of the letters to her. She was happy to finally meet him. She was also happy to finally say what she's always wanted to say to him.

"Hello, Jay," little Nya said.

Little Jay smiled. "Hello, Nya."

They talked throughout the whole day and when evening came and both had to return home, they become best friends.

END OF FLASHBACK

Nya never forgot that day as she tapped on Jay's window. The eighteen year old man poked his head through the window, smiling at his friend.

"Hey, Nya," Jay said, "Wait for me in the backyard."

Jay was a handsome young man in Nya's eyes. His red hair made him look flattering and his lightning blue eyes were striking. He wore a blue shirt and light blue tights. He didn't often wear shoes, but when he did they were a pair of worn out sandles. Some wouldn't believe Jay to be a handsome fellow, but Nya liked him for more than his looks. He was sweet, generous and funny. He was brave, but he never showed it. He was still shy every now and then, but he's been able to get over it. Most men don't think of Jay as a man, but looks can be deceiving. Jay knew the art of martial arts and sword fighting. He's even taught Nya how to use a sword. He even taught her self defense so she could learn to protect herself. Even Jay knew Nya was no ordinary woman and was willing to learn and do anything. And he was willing to teach her.

When Jay got outside, he saw Nya sitting on the wooden bench with her head hung low. He sat down next to her, knowing something was wrong.

"Are you okay?" Jay asked.

"Why would you think I'm not okay?" Nya asked, mustering up a smile.

"I know that look in your eyes. What's going on?"

Nya sighed. She and Jay have known each other for so long, the young man can always read her expressions by just looking at her beautiful face. She decided to at least tell him since he's always kept her secrets. "I had an argument with my father."

Jay's eyes widened. "Oh. That's very surprising. I know you have arguments with your brother and sometimes your mother. Even you and I have arguments sometimes, but I've never heard of you ever having one with your father. What was it about?"

"I know you would be against it, but I asked if I could go to the meeting."

"And he said no?" Nya nodded. "I've said it before. They're not interesting. It's always discussing about unsolved problems. That's why I told my father I didn't want to go back to any of them."

"My brother went to his first meeting today. Our father invited him to go."

"Isn't your brother still seventeen?"

"Yes, but my father believes it will be a good learning experience for him."

Jay nodded. "Well, I bet he'll be bored out of his mind. So bored he'll fall asleep and spend the night there."

Nya laughed. "Or maybe my father will drag him home." The both of them laughed. Nya looked lovingly in Jay`s eyes. "You know I love coming over here. Just spending time with you makes me smile. Even when the world's gone mad, you always make people happy."

"I don't like hiding myself, but people don't expect me to come out and enjoy being in the open world. I just don't think I can stay inside knowing that the Warriors are out there hurting people. But I'll make sure they don't do anything to you."

"Can I promise that they won't do anything to you as long as I'm around?"

"You can promise me anything you want."

The two stared at each other before locking lips together and sharing a passionate kiss. The last few times they've seen each other, their visits together always end with a kiss. Their friendship has turned into true love. They both loved each other. They've known each other for so long, what reason would there be in not being together?

Nya stayed for a little while longer in Jay`s arms before telling him she needed to go home before her father found out she was gone. After giving Jay one last kiss, he snuck back inside the house while she started making her way home. Back to the place where her dreams had to be changed into reality.


I'VE ALWAYS BEEN A HUGE JAYA FAN. THOSE TWO BELONG TOGETHER. COLE HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE ONE I'VE HAD A CRUSH ON. HE'S ALL MINE! JK!

WELL, KAI ATTENDED HIS FIRST VILLAGE MEETING AND WE KNOW HOW NYA AND JAY MET WHEN THEY WERE KIDS. THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE FILLED WITH SOME FAMILY ISSUES. MAINLY FOR NYA.

WELL, UNTIL THE NEXT CHAPTER.

PLEASE REVIEW.