Prompt: AU
This was an interesting prompt for me, there are so many possibilities! If there's an AU I really want to see though, it's something fantasy related (generally my favorite genre). I decided to combine Ninjago with another franchise I love because I'm hyped about the upcoming expansion! Bonus points if anyone knows what it is (especially if you know without googling the names of some of the places ;) - this is technically an AU of both Ninjago and the other franchise. Elemental powers definitely exist there and Ninjago stories would fit in well, but as much as I'm a lore junkie for every franchise I follow, I don't know the exact history and lingeage of the characters in this particular location so I'll be changing that some too. ~
Jay followed the imperial guards as they pushed their way through the crowded streets of Kaineng City, lagging behind slightly. It was all a bit much for Jay to take in; not just the crowds of people, which made him uncomfortable, but the summons that had brought him here as well. The Emperor of Cantha himself had called for him? He was nobody, just a kid from Shing Jea Island, off the coast of mainland Cantha. The only thing that made him interesting was his abilities. But how could the Emperor even know about him, much less his elemental talents, something he usually tried to hide anyway? Jay's thoughts were interrupted when he almost walked into his escort. The guards parted and gestured to the stairs in front of Jay. He'd always dreamt of seeing Raisu Palace as a child, but now... he only felt anxious, wondering what crime he could have committed that was so heinous as to warrant conviction by the Emperor himself.
"Enter the courtyard. You are to wait peacefully until given further instructions."
Jay nodded agreeably and tentatively passed through the front gates. He shifted nervously, jostling the longbow on his back. Maybe that was what gave him away in the first place. A bow constantly crackling with lightning was a rare weapon. Jay had never seen another like it, but his had been with him as long as he could remember. His parents were always evasive about how they came to own such a weapon when he asked, but were always adamant it was to be his, as if they wouldn't dream of wielding it. Which was true, he supposed. His parents' passion was creativity, not combat. They loved to create strange new things out of items others would only see as junk.
Jay found his thoughts interrupted once again, this time by the realization there were other people in the courtyard. The first person he noticed was another young man with straight, blond hair and a scepter dangling from his belt. The weapon of a true master of magic, designed primarily to amplify one's abilities rather than serving as a weapon itself. At first glance, the man seemed imposing and cold. But something compelled Jay to look again, this time coming away with the impression of friendliness and sincerity. The boy was hard to read, as if something wasn't quite right.
An even younger boy, barely a teenager by the looks of it, stood in the corner. He too had blond hair. Blond was an exceedingly rare color for Canthans, so both of the boys either weren't from Cantha originally or had had some manner of magical tampering done to them, Jay concluded. A forcibly carefree posture, a sour expression on his face, and a single sword slung dramatically across his back. Whoever this kid was, he was practically radiating angst.
The third man waiting in the courtyard also had a relaxed posture, but Jay could tell immediately the difference. He was genuinely at ease, apparently entirely unburdened by the fact the Emperor himself had summoned them for reasons unknown. A staff stood propped against the wall by the man, who was currently munching on something while fighting against the breeze to keep his tousled black hair out of his face.
