She Walked with Dragons

AN: I don't own Victorious or any of the characters. I just keep them alive through my stories. I make no money from my use of these Characters.

Chapter1: All Your Eggs in One Basket

It was a beautiful day and the young Tori lay on her back in the hay wagon trying to find animal shapes in the clouds. This small ten year old girl has seen a lot of hardship already in her life, but she still manages to smile and always find simple joys in life.

Tori was a slight girl for her age and had long dark hair that when loose was lots long enough for her to sit on it. She also had eyes as dark as the heavy winter beer that was brewed from all the dregs in the bottom of the kegs. When her father looked in her eyes she swore that he could see forever. It was her smile that was the light of his life. No matter how hard times were her smile could light up the room and make you forget about your troubles for a time. She also had the voice of an angel.

She was a happy child and was very creative. She did not have any brothers. She had one older sister, Katrina who never liked to work and didn't like to get dirty. The two girls did not get along well so they chose to spend most of their time apart. For a child who grew up without any friends she was still a very pleasant little girl. She was kind, honest and well mannered. Everyone told her parents that she was a blessing.

Her father came to the village to sell the hay that she was lying on and she would sold the eggs that were in the basket next to her. This has been her responsibility for the last year. Going to the village was always exciting. She experienced so many new and wonderful things in the village. Sometimes she would stare up at the castle on the hill that over-looked the village and dreamed that one day she would be fortunate enough to see inside the ivy covered stone walled buildings. Her mother was always giving her heck for being a dreamer.

Her mother wasn't trying to be mean, she just didn't want to see her daughter have all these fanciful dreams that would never had a chance of coming true. They were nothing but poor peasants and always would be. Victoria would not grow up and marry a prince or a knight. She would grow up and be the same thing that her mother was. The wife of a peasant. She would take in laundry and mending and sell eggs, milk and butter. There would never be meat for the table and real clothes for her many children's backs.

When Victoria was four she told her mother that if one followed their dreams they could be anyone they wanted to be, it hurt her mother dearly. She wanted to tell her daughter to hang on to those dreams and stay that innocent, but she could not. Instead she told her that dreaming never fed a family and it never paid the landowner. Any other child would have had their dreams shattered and cried their eyes out at the loss, but not Victoria. She said to her mother, "You just can't see it mommy, but I am different. One day I will show the world that I can do something that no one else has ever been able to do." It was her mother Holly who cried herself to sleep that night for being so hard on her baby girl.

She sold a few eggs, but the market was slow that morning. Then she saw the brown and white puppy run around the corner of one of the vegetable stands. Tori loved all animals especially young ones. Thinking that the puppy must be lost Tori left her small stand and chased after the little dog. That is where she ran into Jade.

Jade, or Princess Jadelyn as she was known to the world, loved to come to the market to see new things too. She did not get a lot of time away from Mrs. Fuller her nanny. Fuller was a fat old lady that often couldn't keep up with Jade so Jade found that if she kept moving sooner or later Fuller would sit down somewhere and then Jade would have all the freedom she wanted.

That morning she found a puppy that was for sale at one of the booths. She walked up and held the puppy and it licked her face. She wanted the puppy, but of course she had no money to pay the man. He told her it would be his honour to give her the puppy. She told him that she would tell her father and he would be very grateful to him for giving her this wonderful gift. The man bowed respectfully as she carried the puppy away.

Jade and Tori were both chasing the pup and neither saw the other resulting in the collision that knocked both of them on the ground. Tori looked at this other person and saw that she was wearing a very nice long dress and was now holding the puppy. "I am sorry I didn't mean to run into you." Tori said. Now feeling somewhat self-conscious about the rags that she wore.

"No I wasn't paying attention. I was trying to catch my new puppy. His name is Samson. But I call him Sammy." Jade said.

"My name is Tori. It is a very nice puppy."

"My name is Jade. He is so cute." She hugged him until he squeaked.

"I am here with my dad. We sell hay and eggs." Tori said.

"I live up there on the hill. I like to come here and look around." Jade said while the dog licked her.

"Do you live near the castle?" Tori asked.

"Yes I actually live in the castle." Jade said rather matter of factly.

"I wish I lived in the castle that would be such an adventure." Tori said with stars in her eyes.

"It is not that big of a deal. It is old and dark and smells funny. Do you want to play with my puppy and I?" Jade asked

"I have to get back to my eggs. I left them at the stand." Tori said suddenly feeling terrible about not doing her job. Her father would be so let down if something happened to the eggs. This was how their family made their money. If they didn't sell the eggs they would not have money for food this week.

Tori ran to the stall only to find that the basket with the eggs was gone and so were the coins that were hidden in the bottom of the basket. What would she do now? She just sat down and cried. Jade couldn't let her new friend cry like this. "Why don't I help you look around and try to find who has your eggs?" She helped Tori dry her tears and the two set off through the market.

There were a lot more people in the market now so it was very crowded and it was growing very busy. Tori was so afraid her father would see her. They were about to give up when Tori saw a large dirty man carrying a basket that looked just like the one she had her eggs in. Tori crept up through the sea of people and peaked under the cloth that he had put over the eggs to hide them. This was the basket, they had found him! Now what?

Jade said that they could go and get a palace guard, but Tori said her father would find out and she would be in big trouble. They decided that they would steal the eggs back. Tori didn't like the idea of stealing, but Jade convinced her that they were her eggs to start with so this wasn't really stealing. They were just get them back from the thief.

They started picking out the eggs one at a time from the basket. They were putting them in the apron Tori wore over her dress. She held it like a sail on a ship and they carefully put the eggs in the apron.

All was going well until the man realized that the basket was getting lighter. He turned and saw the girls and shouted, "THIEF! The girls ran as fast as they could to the stall where they had left Sammy tied. Tori had to be careful that she did not break any of the eggs. The man was hot on their heels as were two palace guards. They all seemed to arrive at the stall at the same time.

The man grabbed Jade by the wrist and pulled back his other arm to strike her with the back of his hand.

"Halt! What is going on here?" One of the guards shouted.

"These girls stole my eggs and I am going to teach them a lesson." The man said turning to the soldier.

The soldier looked to the girls the dirty peasant girl he did not know but he certainly recognized Princess Jade.

"This man is lying. He stole my friend's eggs and money in that basket. We were just trying to get them back without causing a scene." Jade spit her words like venom at the man. Tori was seeing for the first time this side of Jade. It was confident and strong and if Jade had the size Tori was sure that Jade would have handled this man herself.

The soldier nodded to Jade and bowed ever so slightly. He then grabbed the man while his partner took the basket and handed it to Tori.

"Unhand me! I have a right to teach these little thieves a lesson."

"So help me if you lay another hand on that girl I shall kill you where you stand and take great joy in doing so!" The soldier said to the man. "You are under arrest for theft and common assault. The only place you will see for the next year is the dungeon. "M'ladies!"" They soldiers gave a slight bow and then took the man struggling through the crowd.

"Wow that was some luck that those guards believed you Jade. I don't know what I would have done if they had arrested us. Are you alright? He was going to strike you. I wonder why he stopped." Tori said puzzled.

"Well as I told you my father works in the castle and is well liked. Those men must know him." Jade said with a bit of a twinkle in her eye, knowing full well why the guards had taken their side and removed the man. There was no way she wanted her new friend to know who she was. It always ruined things. She once tried to make friends with a servant girl, but they could never get past the status issue. In the end it did not work.

The girls took turns looking after Sammy and selling the eggs. For some reason Jade seemed to get more money per egg, but that didn't bother Tori. She was happy for the time to play with the puppy. When all the eggs were sold there was a tidy profit in the bottom of the basket. Jade told Tori that she must be leaving and that she had enjoyed the day ever so much. She would be back next Saturday to see Tori and they would wonderful adventures together.

When Tori's father arrived from selling the hay, he was happy to see that she had sold all the eggs and very surprised at the price she seemed to get. Tori told him all about the new friend she had made. She prattled on and on about all the great qualities that her new friend Jade had. David had learned long ago when Tori got onto one of her stories it was just easier to let her go and he also learned to tune most of what she said out. That is why he never made a connection at all between Jade and Princess Jadelyn. Even if he had made the connection he would have thought she was not telling the truth.

Tori would go home to her humble cottage to work in the fields and the chicken coup. The entire time she would be thinking about Jade and all the adventures that they could have. There was something special about this girl, Tori couldn't put her finger on it, but there was something different about her. The greatest thing was she was Tori's new friend.

AN: I hope you like this little story. It is going to be a little lighter fare than my previous stories, but there will still be friendship, pain, deceit, some violence and wonder. Please, please, please leave me some feedback so I know what you are thinking. Even if it is to tell me that you hate my stuff and wish I would quit polluting this site. SM.