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.

Chapter3: Losing Jade

The girls couldn't believe their eyes. There was a small dragon. They were thought to be creatures of legend. Most thought that last dragons were killed hundreds of years ago, but this proved that they remained in certain areas.

This dragon was what was called a Mountain Brown Dragon. It was called this due to the fact that these dragons live in the mountain areas and are coloured the same as the rocks so as to be camouflaged.

They had large leathery wings which made them excellent flyers. Their bodies were covered with scales to armor them. Their heads were large block-like structures with two large horns that swept back from behind the eyes and multiple smaller horns around the jawline.

They defended themselves and attacked their foes with very long sharp claws and fangs. The older dragons could blow fire from their mouths and whip a tail that could bring down a castle wall.

They fed on any flesh living or dead. The larger ones were known to even carry off draft horses and now the two girls and the pup stood face to face with not one but two juveniles. To Jade they were terrifying, but to Tori they were the most beautiful creatures she had ever seen. The scales on their backs looked brown, but when you got up close they were actually transparent and the light made them iridescent.

Jade drew back in fear, but Tori inched ever closer to the dragons. She tried to hush the male dragon. He was howling in pain. His sister was being protective, but she was also very concerned. The female told Tori that they were wrestling in the tunnel and a huge rock fell on her brother's wing and she couldn't get it off. They didn't trust humans, but they needed help.

Her brother said it didn't feel like his wing was broken it was just that the rock was very heavy. Tori introduced herself and explained that Jade was a princess, but she could not talk to animals. Tori tried to pronounce their names, but they were a language she didn't know and she struggled. They told her she could call them anything she liked. She told the female that she would call her Tanis and she would call him Pathios.

Tori reached out and ran her hand over Pathios' tail letting him know that she would never cause him harm. He reacted to her touch guarded having never had a reason to trust a human before. Tori's hand was warm and calming. He soon calmed down and started to enjoy her touch. Tori then started to size up the rock. It was a very large rock, but she was a strong girl. Tori thought that she might be able to lift the rock off Pathios' wing.

Tori grabbed the rock in her outstretched arms. She used all her strength and could not move the rock. She could move it and raise it up a little, but not enough that he could pull his wing out from under it. "Jade you must get past your fear. We need your help. If we don't get this off his wing he will starve to death. He doesn't deserve that. He will not hurt you. You have my word. Would I ever let any harm come to you? No so please help me lift this rock."

Jade slowly walked one step at a time towards Pythios. Tori wrapped her arms around the rock again and she told Jade where to grab the rock too. On the count of three they lifted the rock. This time the rock was lifted about six inches off the ground. It was enough for Pythios to pull his wing free. Then the girls dropped the rock. Pythios jumped back and pulled in his wing.

When Pythios was clear from the rock he extended his wing and flapped it a couple of times. The wind from the wing blew the girl's hair back. Tori laughed at the experience. Pythios decided that his wing was in good shape and there would be no permanent injuries. He was very grateful. The lifting of the rock also lifted the guilt off of Tanis' scaled back. She reached out what would be an arm on a human gently ran a claw through Tori's hair. This was a huge act of trust on both their part and showed Tori just how thankful she was.

Jade was still shocked and slowly backed away. Soon she was back up against the wall in the shadows again. To her Tori was just making strange noises and saying that she was talking to these human eating beasts. She was no longer sure that she truly knew her friend anymore. She wanted to pick the torch up off the floor and run, but she didn't want to leave Tori behind.

"Tori …ah…. we should probably get going." Jade said from the safety of the shadows.

"Yes you are right. I hope to see you again soon." Tori said running her hand over the backs of her new friends.

When they made their way out of the tunnels Jade knew that something had changed in their relationship. She could not put her finger on what it was, but things were different now. She felt like she was losing Tori. There was a small piece of her that had changed and would never be the same.

Tori's parents needed help on the farm so she was not able to play with Jade. Days turned to weeks and Tori was sad that they would not be able to play and that she would not have a chance to try and find the dragons again.

Tori had time and decided to go the castle and see if Jade had time to play with her. Tori walked to the castle and was very excited by the time that she got there. She went right through the gate, because by this time most of the guards knew who she was and why she was there. As she walked through the archway she saw Jade.

Jade was not alone. She was with a group of girls about her age and a year or so older. Tori did not know these girls, but always liked to meet new people. She walked over to the group to introduce herself. She found out that all the girls were daughters of knights and nobles. The same kind of girls Jade had once said she did not like.

Tori asked Jade if she had time for her that day. "Jade I would like to go out on an adventure today and was wondering if you would like to come?"

"Me come with you? Why would I go anywhere with a peasant" Jade spit out with a snarl. The other girls all started to laugh.

"Jade! How cheeky you gutter rat. You will address her highness as Princess Jadelyn or Her Highness. You should have her flogged for such impudence." A younger girl said to Jade.

"Go away or I will have you thrown in the dungeon you mud grubber." One or the girls said to Tori.

Tori was very confused and very hurt as well. How could her very best friend be treating her this way? What did she do to make Jade suddenly hate her that much?

Tori started to cry and turned away so the other girls couldn't see face. That was when Jade did the most damage of all. "I don't even know who you are!"

"No matter what you say Jade I will always be your friend. I know the real you and this is not you. I will always be there when you need me Jade." Tori said as she ran away.

Tori was very sad she had for some reason lost her only friend. She spent the rest of the day sitting at the Keep trying to figure out what she had done to make Jade so mad at her. Why would Jade treat her so poorly?

Jade felt horrible for treating Tori the way she had, but Tori's abilities scared Jade. She had never known anyone who had strange abilities. Jade was afraid that if the other girls in the castle found out that she was friends with Tori that she would be teased and gossiped about.

A few days later Tori was selling eggs at the market and saw Jade and her new friends moving through the streets. Tori waved and called out to Jade, but Jade never even acknowledged her existence.

When they came near to her stall she shouted, "Jade! Errrr. Princess Jadelyn I have not seen you in a while. How are you?"

The smile soon faded from her face when Jade shot her a sneer and said, "Do I know you from somewhere?"

The other girls laughed and one of the girls came over and knocked the basket of eggs and three fell out and broke on the ground. Jade flinched knowing well that selling eggs was Tori's only way of bringing in money for food. These girls could never understand. Now Tori would have to tell her father that she broke three eggs because she would never tell him what happened.

That was when Jade came up with an idea that would let her save face with her "new friends" and still make Tori's life a little better. She reached in her purse and took out a full gold coin. She knew that this was more than Tori would normally earn in three months of selling eggs, but she also knew the effect would be greater on the other girls as well.

"If I give you this gold coin, will you finally leave me alone?" Jade said with a smirk.

Tori took the coin from her and Jade let her hand make contact with Tori's hand just a little longer than was necessary hoping she would be able to read something through this action. Tori didn't know if she should be grateful or hurt by what Jade had done. It was so confusing for her.

The last time that Tori tried to make contact with Jade was a little more successful to start with. Tori asked the guard at the gate if he would see if Princess Jadelyn would come and see her. He knew Tori and offered to take her inside were a servant would help her, but now she felt self-conscious about her clothes and her station in life. Never had she ever even given her life a second thought until it was pointed out by Jade and the other girls. She told the guard she would be out of place and maybe she would come down and meet her at the gate.

The guard understood how Tori felt. After a while Jade came down to the gate. She looked around and then quickly gave Tori a hug. This was just another mixed message that Tori did not understand.

"Look Tori, I am sorry about how I have been acting. It is just that…" She was cut off when she saw her new friends coming their way.

"…. I said if you don't leave me alone I will have you thrown in the tower for the rest of your life." Jade said this louder than she normally would have so that the others would be able to hear her.

Tori was looking for anything to make contact with Jade. "How is Samson?"

"My dog? You want to know how my dog is. Why don't you ask him yourself? You are the one that claims you can talk to animals. Not me!" Jade shouted realizing she crossed the line this time.

"You talk with animals you freak!" one of the girls questioned.

"What are you some kind of witch?" another asked.

"She is a witch!" another yelled.

"Go away now witch!" Jade shouted at Tori ignoring the absolute hurt in her eyes. Jade was felt like she just took a kick to the stomach, but there was nothing she could do now. You can't ever take back what you say.

Jade didn't want the girls to tease her so it seemed that having them tease Tori was a better way to go.

Not that they would dare taunt her in front of any adults, but adults are not always around and they would pick their moments. Normally Jade was not the kind of person that needed to fit in, but after all even though she was the Princess, she was still a child like all other children.

This peer pressure is timeless and very powerful. Everyone wants to fit in even if they say that they say they don't care. Sometimes it is even powerful enough to make us forsake our friends and families. That was the case in this situation and it hurt both girls.

Tori no longer went to the castle. She spent more time at home helping on the farm. Her parents knew that something had changed, but because they never knew about her friendship with the princess, they didn't know about Tori's loss.

After a few days Jade walked up to the Keep a few times, but Tori was not there and things were not the same. She stopped going out of the castle after that. The girls that she had turned her back on Tori for, soon became less interesting and Jade stopped hanging around with them. Now she was alone again like she was before she met Tori.

One day Tori's mother asked her if she was feeling well. They were not used to seeing their normally bubbly child depressed. They were worried more about her health as she wasn't eating or sleeping. Peasants that got sick did not get better and most likely would die. They needed Tori to help on the farm. They were already at a disadvantage of not having any boys. If Tori were to die they would have no one to help on the farm because Katrina was not much help.

Tori decided that maybe if she went to the Keep she would feel better. It was a beautiful day so she quickly got all her chores done and went to her favourite place in her world.

The Keep had not changed, but then it had not changed in a couple of hundred years. The feeling had changed. It was no longer a place that inspired her imagination. She sat on the low stone wall and stared out over the Kingdom and felt very small and very sad. Without Jade in her life it would be a terrible existence. How could Jade be so mean to her?

AN: Thank you to all that are reading this story. Please leave me some feedback. It is the only way writers know how you feel about the stories. I ask you though if you are leaving feedback please make sure it is feedback, please don't try to lead my story though. I hate that! S.M.