The four young people began to compose themselves. Jade was the first to recover.
"Denya, it is so good to see you. Home…I mean the Mallard household has been empty since you left. Aunt Melissa has had no one to keep her on her toes, and I haven't…" Jade trailed off, not sure how to say how much she had missed him, how empty life had seemed with him gone from it. She slowly stood and walked over to the window, pooling magic without thinking in her hand as she walked.
"Jade…" She turned and Denya pointed to her hand. "You still have that habit I see. What is on your mind? You always pool your magic when you're upset or confused…" He looked up expectantly at her. Archer looked to Jazz for something to say. She jerked her head towards the door. He nodded in return and they slowly stood and walked outside the door.
Denya and Jade barely noticed them leaving. Denya remained on the floor watching Jade. Not knowing where to look, Jade concentrated on the magic in her hand, pulling in back into her skin.
"You're getting better at that…it used to take you ages to pull it back in. Please Jade, I know I have been gone six seasons but I'm still the same Denya. And you are the same Jade if that little magic show was anything to go by…tell me what is on your mind." He looked up to see tears in her eyes. "Jade! What is it?" Denya leapt up and went to her, pulling her into his arms. She buried her face in his chest and let the tears come.
Outside on the landing Jazz sighed, feeling the sadness that rolled down the tie from her sister.
"What is it Jazz? What is going on in there?" Archer looked at her, concerned. He quickly looked out the window opposite the twin's door. "Should I warn everyone inside of rain?"
Jazz laughed at the reference to her magic. "No Archer, I'm the one with the weather…it's Jade, she's really upset. Do you know any twins? No? Well, it's kind of hard to explain but when one of us feels a really strong emotion or one of us gets hurt, the other can always tell. It's a bond we have always shared. Also if you were to warn people of rain, then you would best warn the people outside. My magic makes the weather work, I mean the real weather, outside." She shrugged not sure how to explain it better. Archer looked at her in amazement.
"You mean that you are connected with the weather outside? I mean, wow. To have that strength. Its bad enough for me…I'm connected with the wind and rain and everything, but to control it. And outside as well…I means wow. How do you deal with it? As for the bond between twins, yes I have heard of that before actually. So, if your sister is upset right now, it probably is not the best thing to go back inside?" He looked to Jazz. She shrugged again, implying that it was not that much of a deal then she turned to the door and sighed.
"Yes, you're right. It's best for us to just leave them work things out. Jade is pretty confused and upset when it comes to Denya…" She saw the understanding in Archer's eyes. "So, do you know anything we could do while we wait?"
A smile lit up Archer's face, making Jazz glad she had asked.
"Well, it's not the sort of place for a Princess…" Archer hesitated, not sure if he had judged Jazz right, her answer proved he had.
"Let's go then!"
They entered the carpentry wing in the palace, the smell of cedar and pine meeting them before anyone else did.
"Archer! About time you got back here! Who is this beautiful creature?" A tall youth with arms like the tree trunk that sat on his shoulder called out to the two who had just entered. "Hey, everyone, Archer's finally come back, and he's brought a friend!"
The workshop turned as one and greetings rang out to the pair.
"Who's your friend Archer?"
"Where have you been?"
"Where are your manners you pig? Hurry up and introduce her!"
Archer grinned as Jazz shrank back against him, awestruck by the giants who worked here. Well, the men who seemed like giants. All of them were strong and tall, made that way through long hard strenuous work.
"Woah everyone, calm down, you're frightening my friend here." After saying this he turned to her and put his hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright Jazz? Do you want me to tell them who you really are? Or would you prefer Jazz?" This last bit was said in an undertone. She grasped his hand and whispered in reply. "I'm alright Archer, thank you for your care…I just feel like a sapling among giant trees." She then laughed realising where she was. Archer grinned to see her relax, he had started to feel the wind pick up through the still open door.
"My good friends, I have returned to you!" Archer took a mock bow, including all the room. "May I present a new addition to our palace. This is Jazz, an old friend of Denya's from Mallard." The room, which had stirred with laughter at his bow, fell into stunned silence. By now everyone had heard of the twin Princesses who had returned to the palace. This girl standing, now confidently, beside Archer must be one of them. One by one they bowed from the waist, not daring to look back up. Jazz's heart twisted to see these men, who were completely at ease minutes ago, bow to her, give her respect that she felt she did not deserve.
"Please, please get up." Tears came to her eyes as she implored with them. Again the formalities of court had returned to bind her. Archer put an arm around her, feeling her trembling under his arm.
"Everyone, why are you bowing? This is Jazz…this make's no sense." Jazz threw him a grateful look.
"Because she is the Princess Jasmine you dolt!" The tall youth who had first greeted them looked up in shock. His expression clearly said that he thought Archer had lost his mind. He then bowed his head again.
"Did I say that Erisk? No, I don't believe I did. Did I say that Jazz?" Archer turned to her with a straight face. Jazz matched his expression and for once managed to hold it.
"No Archer you didn't."
Jazz walked over to the youth that Archer had called Erisk and put a slender finger under his chin and lifted his face to hers.
"Tell me Erisk, do you really think a princess would be in the carpentry workshops and sharing the company of a rouge like that one?" She pointed to Archer.
"Hey Jazz, be nice! I may not take you anywhere else exciting." Archer put on a hurt look and pretended to be serious. The rest of the men seeing the easy at which the two exchanged insults slowly rose to their normal height.
"I suppose not, Jazz was it? When a creature as beautiful as you graces our humble workshop we must assume that they are royalty." Erisk grinned knowing from the banter previously said that this would be appreciated. Jazz just winked at him and laughed, sending the beautiful sound through the workspace. Erisk looking at Archer knew he had fallen hard and fast, not that Jazz was any better off.
"So Archer, what made you finally gets to our part of the palace? We have hardly seen you in the last six months."
Jazz shot a look at Archer, knowing that this was how long Denya had been there.
"Well Erisk, we have a new mage in our midst. Denya of the Mallard household and friend of Jazz here arrived six months ago and I have been ensuring he doesn't fall into any…trouble." At this Erisk burst into laughter.
"You! You keep him out of trouble? That's rich Archer. That still doesn't explain why you're here all of a sudden. It takes longer than six months to train a new mage, even with your…unique teaching."
"I must remember to ask Denya about your teaching when we return Archer, it may prove to be quiet amusing." Jazz said catching the subtle implications in Erisk's comments. Archer rolled his eyes.
"That may take awhile Jazz. And to answer your question Erisk, I thought it would be a good idea to show Jazz the workshops while Denya and her sister sorted out some things. She is a weather mage as well and will be here for a while. So I thought that maybe she would need a place to escape to, you remember how I used to? When my magic was, um, slightly out of control."
Erisk's eyes grew wide, he looked from one to the other then round the workshop.
"I knew it! She is the Princess! There is not another red headed, green-eyed weather mage with a sister in this entire palace! And you tried to trick me!" Jazz decided it was time to step in and try and calm Erisk down before his heart stopped in shock.
"You know I'm surprised that you don't know about my birthmark, I mean you know all that why not that as well?"
"But I do Your Highness, it's a lightening bolt on your left shoulder, your sister's is on her right shoulder." Erisk stared at her as she completely lost control and started laughing. She sat down hard on the ground and continued laughing. Archer managed to stay upright but was also unable to control his mirth. Men all over the shop stopped what they were doing to watch, as the two were lost to laughter as Erisk looked on in shock. Most shrugged and returned to their work, while others grinned to see that at least some were enjoying their day.
Finally Jazz and Archer had control for the second time that day.
"I am terribly sorry Erisk. That was a joke on my part. You see, I really hate formality and Archer understood that and introduced me by the name I normally go by. He didn't actually say I was the Princess Jasmine but he didn't say I wasn't either. So he didn't really trick or lie to you. So yes, I am the Princess Jasmine of Tortall, but first and always I am Jazz, sister to Jade and friend to Denya. And hopefully to you, Erisk."
Erisk nodded." I hope so too Princess."
"Alright. First rule, order, what ever you would like to call it. No Princess, I am Jazz, understand?"
Erisk nodded again." Understood…Jazz"
"Good, now that that's sorted we can get down to why we are really here." Archer stood rubbing his hands together, a evil look on his face.
"Oh no Jazz, you had better run while you can. I know that look, it will involve something long and pain full on our behalf." Erisk said looking at his friend.
Archer looked shocked and raised a hand to point at himself." Who me? Would I do something like that? Anyway, Erisk where is the two person saw? You know I can never remember the name of that thing."
Erisk nodded and motioned for them to follow him. He walked into a room off to the side of the main room. Resting on a sawhorse in the middle of the room was a giant stump. Leaning against the sawhorse was a saw with handles on either end. It was easily as tall as Jazz and around two hand spaces wide. She shot a puzzled look at Archer, he motioned for her to be patient.
"Right, Jazz you stand here and Archer as you know, over here. Now Jazz when you are sawing you have to keep in time else the blade slips and the wood ends up uneven. You keep the time of one…two…three…four" He said clapping his hands in a slow but steady beat. "As you get better at this you can speed up. Now this room is warded so you don't have to worry about your magic leaking out into the workshop or causing a storm. What I suspect is that Archer here is going to use this to get you to focus totally on one task until your body becomes used to it, but once that's done you can forget about sawing and…clean I suppose you could say, your magic up. Understand? Good, I will leave you to it." And with saying that he left the room, closing the door after him.
"Will this really work?" Jazz had her doubts but she was already itching to pick up the saw and start, just so she would be doing something. Archer nodded, already sinking into obvious calm. She shrugged and picked up the end of the saw: Archer already held the other. They set the heavy steel teeth into the wood. Meeting eyes over the wood they started to count together.
"One, two, three, four, one , two, three, four." Slowly their voices faded away as the rhythm took over their bodies. Jazz slowly relaxed and let her body do the work. Her arms pushed forward, pulled back, piece after piece fell to the floor. A perfect circle every time. Slowly the stump shrunk until the saw meet empty air. Jazz gasped at the sudden change of pace. Her arms tingled with over use, the muscles almost screaming their protest at stopping.
Archer looked up to see her rubbing her arms.
"Don't worry, the pain will pass in a few seconds, but it will be back tomorrow. But how do you feel?"
Jazz felt the tingle slowly recede from her arms even as he was speaking.
"I…I feel good. Relaxed, calm. I haven't felt like this since…oh I don't remember when I last felt this good. Thank you Archer, I am greatly in debt to you."
Archer made one of his mock bows.
"It was nothing Princess, I know how the pressures of court can eat away at you. I can't imagine how it must be for you. I mean, I have grown up in court, you have been thrown into it…it must be hard."
Jazz just nodded, her body wanting to lie down and sleep forever, she couldn't remember the last time she had felt this tired. Archer laughed, seeing her eyes slide slowly shut and struggle to reopen.
"I had better get you back to you room. You will sleep for a long time tonight, which by the way is still a fair way off. We haven't actually been here that long. Come on, don't worry about the wood on the floor, we have saved the carpenters a great deal of time." With saying this he ushered Jazz from the room just as the bell echoed around the palace.