Jane and the Magician
Author's note: This chapter is strongly inspired by the book Jane and the magician. Everything in bold is copied directly from the book. The rest are modifications or additions I made to fit my story better. Note that in the book Martin Baynton referred to Dragon and Jester as the dragon and the jester.
The next day, Jane was polishing the armour when the dragon and the jester came by with royal news.
« We have been called to a meeting, » said the jester. «The Prince has got a royal cold and the King wants to cheer him up with a party. »
« Finally, something interesting! » cheered Dragon. « I hope that little brat is going to sneeze on his food again. That was hilarious! »
« Dragon! Please try to behave! the King was not pleased what you laugh at his son! » warned Jane.
« But, Jane! Shortlives are so funny! » Dragon laughed before flying off.
Later in the courtroom, the King was getting impatient.
« Where is my magician? » boomed the King. « We can't have a party without magic tricks. »
« He's gone, » said Jane. « He couldn't make a rain spell, so you sent him away. »
« And now I want him back! » roared the King.
« We'll find him, » cried Sir Ivon.
« We'll scour the land! » cheered Sir Theodore bravely.
« No, » said the King, « you will stay and practise a song for the party. Jane and her dragon will find our missing magician. »
Jane and the dragon searched all morning, but they could find no sign of the missing magician. Instead they found a problem – a wet and watery problem.
They found farmers floating in fields and cows climbing on cottages. They found babies in buckets and piglets in pots. They found turkeys in treetops and kittens in cups.
Jane and the dragon plucked them all from the flood and set them down on top of a hill.
« What's going on? » yelled Jane.
The crowd pointed to a distant figure floating on a cloud at the very centre of the storm. It was the missing magician.
Jane and the dragon flew up to meet him.
« Look, » laughed the magician, his eyes as dark as thunder, « my rain spell does work after all. I found the missing ingredient. »
« What was it? » asked Jane.
The magician clapped his hands together.
« Anger! » he roared, and the thunder roared with him.
« Well done, » shouted Jane. « But now you must stop. »
« WHY? » roared the magician. « I've only just begun! »
Again he clapped his hands and blue lighting sprang from his fingertips. It crackled across the sky and smacked into the dragon.
« No, no! » cried Jane, but it was too late. The dragon's wings folded like tissue paper and he tumbled from the sky.
« Wake up! » cried Jane. But the dragon didn't wake up. The thunderclap had closed his eyes and closed his ears, and he hit the flood with a terrible splash. Jane tried to keep his head above the water, but it was impossible. She was sinking herself, pulled down by the weight of her armour.
Down went Jane through the churning water. Down and round, deeper and deeper.
She struggled to pull her armour off, but there were too many buckles. So she drew her sword and sliced through the leather straps. Piece by piece her beautiful armour fell away and she swarm back to the surface.
Jane found her shield floating beside the dragon. She pushed it under his giant green head where it stayed afloat, bobbing on the water like a small raft.
When the magician saw what he had done, his anger vanished and the storm clouds melted away. He went in search of Jane and the dragon and finally found them tangled in the branches of a tall tree.
« I'm sorry, Jane, » he said quietly.
« Sorry is just a word, » said Jane.
« A very short word, » growled the dragon.
« You made this mess, » said Jane. « If you're truly sorry, then you'll help clean it up. »
It took them the rest of the day, but with the dragon's hot breath to dry up the puddles and the magician's spells to repair the damage, the work was finally done.
When it was over, Jane pointed to one small rain cloud which still hung above the magician.
« Can't you get rid of that one? » she asked.
« No, » said the magician. « I'm still a little bit angry: I'm angry with myself. »
Back at the palace, the party was not going well. The knights were singing their song and the Prince looked more miserable than ever. Then the Prince caught sight of the magician standing beneath his rain cloud with the rain trickling down his collar. And the Prince began to laugh. Then the King began to laugh, and so did the jester and the dragon and everyone else in the palace.
Finally, even the magician began to laugh, and with a soft splutter his rain cloud disappeared. In its place hung a bright and cheerful rainbow.
« Magic! » said Jane. And it was.