Happy dance New chappie teeheehee all that stuff bout TP being the ruler of the earth and evrything.

Chapter 6

Denya had felt the listening spell from the second he walked in the door. A dark cloud, different to all the other spells in the palace. He should know, he had spent the last four weeks with his teacher there, pulling apart and renewing the various spells that protected the royal bloodline. When he went back there later on, he would clean it out. "At least it gives me a chance to return to her, maybe this time I could leave a message…Jade will understand why I couldn't say anything." Denya spoke aloud, trying to sort his turmoil of thoughts.

He continued down the hall towards his room, and his fellow mages. There were six of them on his floor; the other five of them had been there since they were young. They had accepted Denya quickly, wanting to know more about the boy who grew up in the Mallard household.

"Denya! How did it go? Did she recognize you? Did you tell her what you think of her?" His roommate, Jon named for a old king, bombarded him with questions the moment he walked through the doorway.

Denya laughed. "Fine, yes, um I think so, absolutely not! How could I do that? Jade hasn't even seen me for the last six seasons and before that we were friends, nothing more…God I wanted to though. When I came to their room, she had just taken her hair out…it's grown, down to her waist now…" He trailed off, realizing what he was saying. He felt the blood rushing to his face, turning it a bright red.

"Keep going Denya! You know how much we love to hear about the famous Jade Marie of Mallard!" Denya swung around to see the other five of his friends crowded at his door grinning at him.

"But that's the thing, she isn't Jade Marie of Mallard any more…she is the Princess Jade Marie ofTortall, heiress to the throne. I didn't even know she was royalty until last night."

"But Denya you fool! Neither did she! You did tell her it was you, didn't you? I mean you didn't just pretend not to recognize her because you think you don't know who she is?" said Halien, one of the boys lounging in the doorway, knowing full well what the answer was.

"Well, ah, you see…no, no I didn't."

Denya disappeared under the pile up of bodies as his companions flung themselves at him.

"You great fool! Why did you do that! You probably just ruined all chances of ever getting her! Do know how hurtful that would have been for her!" All of a sudden the press of bodies all pulled up from Denya and focused on Archer.

"What? What did I say! Come on, I have a sister. I know about this stuff." Archer came from the fiefdom of Kellory and was the only one who had a sister nice enough to talk to him. She was also the only one who wasn't in a women only household for lessons in being a lady.

"Are you certain Archer? I mean, really sure of this? It's the last thing I want to do…hurt Jade." Denya felt dizzy at the thought of hurting the one person he cared for.

"Yes, Denya, I'm certain. All females are like that. Very touchy, you had better have a good excuse and a good grovelling technique." Archer said, his expression ranging from serious to amusement as he thought of his long legged friend begging.

"Well as a matter of fact, that attack last night provided me with the perfect excuse not to acknowledge her. The spell wasn't really an attack at all, it was…I think, an ingeniously disguised listening spell. I could feel it as soon as I walked through the door. I will just tell Jade that I couldn't say anything because the…um because the ah, the um…well I will work it out before I go back." Denya was feeling more confident now that there was a way out of hurting his friend from his childhood…well he hoped that she would be more than a friend in time to come. But that was before he had found out she was a princess, the small hope that had just returned, died.

Archer raised his eyebrows, "Do you really think she will be gullible enough to fall for it Denya? From what you have said she is not only astonishingly beautiful" At this he sighed and made an over dramatic face of longing, for which Denya promised himself to give Archer a sound beating. "She is also incredibly smart. What makes you think she will fall for that?"

"Because, my dear friend Archer-"

"Oh no, I know that whole dear friend line, I'm up for a beating aren't I?" Denya just gave him an evil look before continuing.

"As I was saying, by the time I gather the equipment to go back and clean up the spell, Jade would have sensed it herself. The only reason she didn't, was because she raised a Mithro's shield-"

The boys sprawled around the room sat up instantly, all clamouring.

"Mithro's-"

"No way, that's im-"

"She couldn't have, she's only sixteen-"

Denya held up his hands for silence.

"I told you, she's a very strong mage-"

"And very beautiful, ey Denya?" Archer decided that if he was going to get it for needling his best friend, he might as well make it count. Denya threw a look at him that promised something cold, wet and squishy in his bed very soon. The other boys grinned in anticipation; Denya had proved to be very inventive when it came to revenge.

"By the gods Archer, can you keep your big mouth shut for more than ten minutes? Anyway, both Jade and Jazz are powerful mages. Mithro's shield is probably only one of the things they have learnt in the six seasons since I left there." Denya made his way through the forest of legs and collapsed on his bed. "Sometimes I wish I was still there. The look on her face…she was so happy to see me."

Denya looked at the ceiling with a vacant expression on his face. Halien decided it was time for his friend to return to Tortall, quickly.

"You great twit! She doesn't know it's you! Remember, you told her that you were not Denya!"

Denya returned with a jolt, his friend's words ringing in his head as much as the bell that had just sounded overhead.

"No! I'm meant to be back there now and I haven't even packed my equipment!"

Denya leapt off his bed and started tearing around the room, throwing things with a toss of magic into the bag that hung unsupported in the middle of the room.

"Look Denya, would you like me to come with you? I have the afternoon off, up until the late bell. I could come with you and help clean up that listening spell. Also help ease the tension between you and Jade."

"Would you Archer? Thank you. But I get the feeling there is an ulterior motive there." Denya stopped his frenzy of packing and looked at his friend with raised eyebrows.

Archer spread his hands in a gesture of innocence.

"What? Ulterior motive? Me? Never. I'm your friend. I want to help you. And if that just happens to involve going to the bedroom of the supposedly most beautiful twins in the kingdom, then so be it."

Denya couldn't help but laugh at his friend as he pushed him out the door.

"I'm warning you now. Jazz is every bit as strong as her sister, and wild too. She has weather magic, which as you obviously know, is very unpredictable. You won't win her heart easily."

"You know I love a challenge. Now about that message to Jade…"

I love Archer teeheeheehee hes mad fun, and Denya 2, so anywayz, i got a special treat 4 yas :) 2 CHAPPIES AT ONCE!

Thank u Dominion Jewel, im glad ur enjoying it.

Feel free to pull me up on mistakes, sepcially spelling! i suck at it lol.