When they got back to the castle, It was rather quiet. Jack and Jess had gone to bed, and Amy didn't want to talk to Sarah. As Sarah entered their shared sleeping space, Amy rolled over facing the wall. Sarah frowned as she hoped in bed and tried to get some rest. The next morning the two girls were woken by a loud knock. They both groggily sat up, rubbing their eyes.
"Come in," Sarah said with a yawn.
The door opened revealing Flora on the other side. "You ladies better get a move on. Yen Sid has requested your presence in the grand hall." She then closed the door, leaving them to get ready.
Sarah let out a yawn as she looked over at Amy. "Sleep well?"
"You could say that," she said getting up, tossing her boots on.
Sarah sensed a bit of anger left over from last night. She swung her legs over the side of her bed and said an apology. "I'm sorry about last night. I got into a fight with Yen Sid. I need someone to talk to who understands what happened and-" she pauses, wondering if she should talk about the kiss.
"And?" Amy said getting up from her bed.
Sarah shook her head as she placed her boots on. "Nothing, the point is I'm sorry I didn't talk to you first."
Amy sighed "No I'm sorry. I shouldn't have acted like that. We've been away from each other for a while, it's gonna take some time for us to rebuild our relationship." The two sisters smiled at each other. "You're forgiven." Sarah cracked a smile as she stood up. Together they left their bedroom and headed for the grand hall.
The grand hall was a large empty gathering space used when a large group of characters came over. It was a simple room, with gold wallpaper with a marble floor. Although there was a small table with six chairs around it in the center of the room. Sitting at it were Yen Sid, Jack, and Jess.
"Amy, Sarah, nice of you to join us." Yen Sid greeted them from his chair.
Amy and Sarah shared a confused look before making their way over to the group of chairs. They both sat down as Sarah raised a brow at her master. "Is everything alright master?"
"For now yes." He placed his hand on a book that was in front of him. "It's time I tell you all what the book of magical music is and how it came to be." He flips it open to the first page "Not long after Sarah arrived, this book magically showed up in the castle library. Originally the pages were blank, nothing but a warning on the first page. But all that has changed since the book reappeared, and it seems Jess is the only one who can use its magic."
"But why me?" Jess questioned, fidgeting with her hands.
"You must fit the book's criteria." Yen Sid explained.
"How come I can't touch it?" Sarah blurted out.
"That I am unsure of, there could be many reasons. There still a lot of questions about the book, that none of us have answers to." He then shut the book and picked it up "For now we will use it to our advantage in getting Tessa back."
"What do you mean?" Jack questioned.
"If we want to assist in getting Tessa back, you, Jess, and Amy need to know the workings of our world." he began walking toward the door "Luckily we've got just the place." He gestured for them to follow.
The group got up and followed Yen Sid through the castle and down a spiral staircase that led to the castle basement. They walked further down another dark stone hallway that was only lit by torches. They continued further down till they came across another staircase. They walked down a small flight of stairs till they came across a large open stone room.
"Welcome to the castle's training Arina." Yen Sid said, gesturing to the open space with his arms as he faced the group.
"It's so-" Jess said as they all looked around.
"Empty," Amy said, crossing her arms as the words echoed off the walls.
"Oh, you would be surprised as to what goes on down here," Sarah stated.
"Starting today you will learn how to adapt to our world. Jess, you'll learn how to use the book of magical music, Jack, you'll be trained in swordplay. Sarah, why don't you take your sister to your training session today?"
"Actually master, I was hoping-" she began to say. But Yen Sid shot her a look that quickly shut her down. "Yes master," she said, taking her sister's hand and walking across the room. Yen Sid watched them for a moment before addressing the trio in front of him.
"Will first need to start with the basics. If you are both gonna going to be fighting magic users, then you're gonna need to understand how our magic works. Our world is full of it, both good and evil. As you probably have guessed, we the heroes try to balance out the bad, but that doesn't always happen. With Tess being on the villain's side now, and you both being Sarah's friends, we can only presume that you both would be the next target." Yen Sid explained. "So it's important that you both are ready to face whatever is tossed your way. And with my help, along with Arthur and Phil's help, you both should have the basics covered by this evening."
Jack and Jess both exchanged a look before looking back at Yen Sid. "Phil?" they questioned, not sure who he was talking about.
"That would be me" came a voice from behind them. They all turned to look at the small satyr entering the room. Philoctetes, better known as Phil, from Hercules. "Sorry for being late, little legs can only get you so far." he then walked up to Jack and Jess, giving them a good once over. "So you Sarah's friends."
"Indeed." Yen Sid added. "I plan on teaching them about the laws of magic. But I could use some assistance training them in swordplay."
"Well, they do look like they could use some work. But if I can train the scrawny boy, Hercules, then I can handle two kids," he said, rubbing his hands together. "So where do we start?"
While all that was going on, Sarah brought Amy to the other side of the room. They faced a stone wall, standing as if they were waiting for something.
"What are we doing over here?" Amy questioned.
"All is not as it seems sister," Sarah explained as she lifted her hands and shut her eyes. She reached out with the force, focusing on the wall. She used the force to separate the walls in two, sliding them into the wall. Amy watched in amazement, her sister had come a long way since she had last seen her. The walls slide to reveal a hidden room. Once the walls clicked into place, Sarah let her hands fall to her side. "It's not called a secret training room for nothing." She smirked before heading inside the hidden room.
The room was similar to the regular training arena. Completely made of stone, with a couple of comfort items. There was a big rug on the ground, along with two chairs in the back corner of the room. Sitting in them was a male dressed in all black with bold hair, and a female wrapped in white and tan clothes with brown hair.
"Ah Sarah, right on time." the female said as they both got up from their chairs. "I see you also brought a guest."
Sarah nodded as she turned to her sister who was still outside. "Luke, Rey, this is my sister Amy. Amy, these are my other masters, Luke and Rey."
"Luke and Rey?" Amy questioned, trying to remember where she had heard the name from before. "As in, Luke and Rey Skywalker?"
"That's correct." Rey nodded.
"But-" Amy looked at Luke "Aren't you supposed to be older, and dead?"
All three broke out into a small burst of laughter. Sarah shook her head as she walked back over to her sister smacking her on the back. "Oh Amy, there is still so much you need to learn. He may be dead where we come from, but here, he is his younger self. Taking on one of the many forms most people remember him as."
"Though if you like," he did a full 360 spin, his form changing to one of a much older Luke, resembling his last Jedi form. "I could be old Luke," his voice also sounding much older.
Amy looked stunned by the quick transformation. She quickly shook her head, averting her eyes from staring at the man. "No, that's alright." She then mumbled to herself as Luke changed back to his return of the Jedi form 'This world really is something.'
"Trust me, there's a lot you still don't know," Sarah said as she guided her sister further into the room. "Master Yen Sid thought it would be a good idea if Amy joined me for today's lesson if that's alright?" she said, coming to a stop in front of them.
"We have already been informed," Rey stated as she eyed Amy up and down with a smile.
"We were gonna focus on meditation today." Luke began as his eyes switched from Sarah's to Amy's "but with Amy joining us, I would like to see her demonstrate her abilities."
Amy felt a wave of excitement and nervousness overtake her. Never once did she think she'd meet her idols, or get a chance to train with them. "Alright, what would you like me to do?" she asked as calmly as possible.
"Will start with a simple levitation." he lifted his right hand in front of him, levitating a small rock from across the room as he pulled it back into his hand. He then placed it on the ground in front of Amy. He and Ray then stepped back "Begin when you're ready."
Amy reached out her right hand. She closed her eyes, focusing on the rock. It shook for a moment before levitating in the air.
"So you know some skills?" Rey questioned, seeing if Amy would get distracted.
Surprisingly she didn't. She opened her eyes and smiled at them. "Almost my whole life. Our parents collected a lot of ancient texts when we were little. I studied them. After learning Sarah had similar powers, I began teaching her everything I knew." she said as she floated the rock around the room a few times before setting it on the ground.
Luke nodded in approval "Impressive. But let's see how you do in combat" he then looked at Sarah "Up for a little challenge?"
Sarah nodded, grabbing her lightsaber from her belt. "Always."
"Then let's see what your sister can do." Rey gestured to the rug. Both sisters made their way over to the run, standing in the center, facing each other.
"Ready positions," Luke called out. Both sisters activated their lightsabers and went into a ready position. They stood in a lung, lightsabers just over their shoulders. Each used the two-hand method as their blue lightsabers illuminated the room.
"Begin," Rey said and both sisters went at it. Sarah was first to strike, slashing her saber at Amy's midsection. But Amy was quick as she stepped aside, ducking under Sarah's blade. She quickly stood back up swinging for her sister's legs but was quickly blocked. They went at it for a while, dodging and clashing with each other. Sarah eventually got the upper hand as she force-pushed her sister up against the side wall. Amy didn't foresee this coming and was tossed against the back wall with a decent force. She felt herself slumping onto the floor, light lightsaber deactivating and rolling out of her hand. Sarah quickly came over and placed her lightsaber under her sister's chin.
"Checkmate!" she said with a grin as she deactivated it before offering her sister a helping hand.
"No fair," Amy said as she took her sister's hand and stood up. "No one said anything about force powers."
Sarah playfully rolled her eyes. "Everything is fair in a fight sister."
"Excellent work, both of you," Rey said as she approached the sisters. "Your lightsaber skills have improved immensely Sarah, Amy gave you a good fight."
"Indeed," Luke said, crossing his arms. "There is no doubt you both have a strong connection to the force. Before we go on any further, however, I think we should do a quick meditation to clear our heads."
"Yes, Master Luke." the sisters said in unison as they sat on the round rug in the middle of the room. They did a quick meditation, that was followed by a few hours of training. After they had a two-hour lunch break that was followed by another several hours of training. It wasn't until seven pm that they finally were relieved from their training.
Luke addressed Amy as he deactivated his lightsaber. They had just finished some combat training. "Good work today Amy. Your meditation skills could use a bit of work, but your lightsaber skills are excellent. If you are up to it, you are welcome to join your sister during her training sessions"
Amy looked a bit studded at the offer. So much had happened since she first arrived, and now she was being given a chance to train with her idols. She glanced at her sister who was waiting by the door for her and smiled. "That would be great, thank you, Master Luke."
"Please, just call me Luke." He nodded his head before gesturing to Sarah. "Now go be with your sister. Believe me, I know how hard it is to be away from a sibling."
Unsure how to respond, Amy quickly rushed over to her sister and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Sarah did the same, only it was more around Amy's chest. "Do you do that every day?" Amy questioned, a bit exhausted from the training session
"Nope, just every other day. And every other day I work with Yen Sid." Sarah said looking up at Amy "A savior's life isn't all it's cracked up to be."
"I bet." Amy nodded as they walked into the main training area. There they found Jack and Jess practicing. Jack was standing with his sword in hand while Jess was staring at him holding the book of Magical music. Jack had been practicing how to swing a sword when hit with magic, while Jess had been learning how to focus on her spells while being attacked.
"Alright let's try this one more time, then will be done for the night." Yen Sid said as he and Phil observed the two. "Begin when ready Jess."
Jess looked down at the book of Magical Music in her hands. "Can you sing with all the voices of the mountain? Can you paint with all the colors of the wind? Can you paint with all the colors of the wind?" as she sang a strong gust of wind filled the room. Jack shut his eyes as he braved the strong gust.
"Keep your eyes open Jack, you won't see the enemy if you keep them shut!" Phil shouted. Jack reopened his eyes, squinting them. He stood in a lung position, raising the sword high above his head as he struck down on the wind. They had been at this for over an hour and had finally gotten themselves to a point where both Yen Sid and Phil were pleased with their progress.
As Jess ended the song the winds died down. Phil clapped his hand cheering "Exilent, you both are doing great." Phil praised as Jess closed the book of magical music and Jack lowered his sword. "At this rate, you'll both be ready to fight the villains and Tess."
At those words, Tess drops the Book of Magical Music onto the ground. "What?" she questioned, unsure if she heard right.
Phil shrugged, "It probably won't happen, but there could be a chance you'll need to fight your sister."
"WHAT?!" she questioned again, much more frantic.
"Phil!" Yen Sid said, cutting him off, crossing over to retrieve the book of magical music from the floor. "Jess, I don't think you will have to use this against your sister."
"But, you're saying there's still a chance I might" She went numb on the inside. The thought of having to fight her sister was not an easy one to overcome.
Yen Sid sighed as he picked up the book and looked down at Jess "I'm not saying you will, but you must do whatever it takes to protect yourself, even if that means-"
"No! No, I can't, I won't." Jess said as she began to freak out. Tears spilled from her eyes as she stepped back. "I won't do it, not if it means fighting my sister." with that said, she bolted from the room.
"Jess Wait!" Jack called after her, dropping the sword onto the floor. He raced back up the stairs after her. Sarah thought about following them and was about to when Amy raised a brow at the situation. "What was that about?"
"It's complicated." Sarah sighed now that she was gonna have to explain the whole first battle again. She also had a feeling this was gonna be a very long night.
By the time Jack caught up to Jess, she was sitting under a tree on a concrete wall just outside of Snow White's Enchanted Wish. She was hugging herself looking at the ground. The park was still full of guests, but he could spot Jess from a mile away, due to her being almost identical to her twin sister.
Jack approached with caution, slowly taking a seat next to her. He sat down, hunched over elbows on knees. He folded his hand and glanced at her unsure what to say. "Jess' ' he began to say but was cut off.
"I can't do it, I won't fight my sister," she said, turning away from him.
"No one is asking you to. All Phil and Yen Sid was saying is that you just need to be prepared," he sighed. "Truth is I don't want to fight either." He then placed a hand on Jess's shoulder. "But I will do whatever it takes to get your sister back."
Jess looked at Jack "But- what if I hurt her with a spell while trying to save her, or you accidentally hurt her with your sword? How can you not be afraid of that?"
"Oh I'm petrified of the idea," Jack said before cutting a smile. "But I know that's not gonna happen because the heroes will make sure she doesn't get hurt. I also don't think the villains would purposely put her in harm's way either."
"But how can you be sure of that?"
"I'm not." Jack let his hand slip to his side. "I'm hoping that the odds are in our favor, and Tess will see she has been on the wrong side this whole time."
"Or will I?" a new voice entered the conversation. Both kids looked up to see a young girl in a black and red robe with blue-dyed hair. On her shoulder was Iago. She may look different, but both kids could place her facial features and voice anywhere.
"Tess?!" they both shouted in shock.
Tess couldn't help but smirk as she stood in front of the two, arms crossed with a wand in her right hand. "Hello sis, Jack, miss me?"