On a planet called Azarath, made mostly of water, (The Great Sea), there were 3 known inhabited continents and several islands. On the largest continent of them all was a particular kingdom called Everglenn. A beautiful kingdom surrounded by majestic mountains; it was a kingdom allied with most of it’s neighbors except the neutral forces of the Eskimos and the Atlantians. Their enemies were few, just those of Zanon island, the Zanonians who wanted to conquer Everglenn for themselves, and the dragons who despised all who were not of their kind.
Quite some time ago, a rumor was being spread, and from it grew a legend that no one could have ever imagined. The rumors told of an evil king from another world who was taking twins by means of dark magic, and whoever else he claimed became the beasts of his armies. This evil king’s name was Aron, and he was more ruthless than any ruler Azarath had seen before. Aron wanted to build a large and powerful army to conquer Azarath, and then many more.
But our story is about two twins who by Fate, were touched by Aron and though they managed to find a way out of his trap, his relentless ways managed to catch up to them in the future. By their birth the legend of the evil king Aron was just that, nothing but a legend, believed only to be a horror story parents told their children to get them to be wary of strangers and mind their manners. However, this is the story of Princess Jemma and Prince Jasper of the Kingdom of Everglenn, and how a simple curse on the first born from said king, would change their entire lives forever.

It’s been centuries now. A handful of centuries since my quest began. At first, I set out only to build a small army to control my home world. Be that as it may, when I realized my full potential, I wanted to create an army large enough to conquer another, larger world. The more I studied the dark magic of my people the more I began to learn about traveling to other worlds and even from dimension to dimension. As my knowledge of the mysterious expanded so did my army, and then I discovered Azarath. Most of it’s people are ruled by their so called “emotion” something I have never experienced, nor ever will. I am fueled by nothing but my desire to rule, to conquer, to claim all that is and was meant to be mine. Selfish I am not, it is merely the way of my people, to have all the control, which is why my world crumbled to ruin after I took over, I did not need those useless beings any longer.
Eventually I found an easy way to manipulate the duplicate born creatures of Azarath to sign their souls away to me. Seeing as their auras together are stronger than any I’ve seen before I’ve tried to claim as many pairs as I could, with much luck.
Decades ago I came across a set of twins that intrigued me to almost no end and I could not figure out why, I had to have them for myself. When I went to free the first born twin from his curse the other gave herself up to me as most do. Freeing them from their land bound sacks of skin gave me a closer view of the two, that’s when I realized it. These two had something special, and after a bit of training they became my most trusted and possibly my most powerful workers.
These two are now Criss and Cross. They work the special cases for me, for in the coming of my new empire I have been rather busy. Stealing ancient artifacts, cursing first born twins, killing kings and such. And now, there is something very important I need them to do for me. For you see, a rather meddlesome young man has managed to free one of my twins from their curse, I don’t know how, but it has happened, and now, I need these twins turned to my side by other means. Criss and Cross will do this for me, and consider it their final test if they want to be by my side when the new beginning comes. Soon, very soon, once those two are mine, so too will the world be.

A few years back, in the garden of the castle of Everglenn, two small children were playing innocently, unaware of the future that would come upon them soon enough. The small six year old girl with the shoulder length blonde hair and eyes as blue as forget-me-nots ran to a boy who looked as if he could be her clone, only, as the opposite sex. She wore a black ribbon tied in her bangs and a small orange and black dress with black Mary Jane shoes. Her dressed dragged across the ground a little as she ran, as a youngster she often forgot to hold it up like a lady. “Jasper! I found one, look!” In her hand she held the thorny stem of a beautiful bright red rose that looked as if it had just recently bloomed. As she moved her arm to show it to him one of the rose’s sharp, ravenous looking thorns pricked her finger, drawing blood. “Ouch!” The rose fell from her blood as well as a few blood drops that contrast against the near-white stones they stood on out in the garden. This was Princess Jemma of Everglenn; as a royal not used to the pain, she bit her quivering lip and her eyes welled up with tears.

The Kingdom of Everglenn, its had its share of shallow times in the past, years and years before their current King, and far before that the land was hardly called a Kingdom, but the villages held stories of the mighty and strong willed that roamed there. Forging from the great steel that laid within the rocks of the mountains, they built a castle like no other. It held the appearance of pearl white stones, scraps from mining, but laid within were supports of their strongest metal. It was built so that no earthquakes could shatter it, where it could take the beatings of a thousand armies and still stand, as a sign for peace and justice, a place that people could look for guidance, where safety was gifted just by laying your eyes on it, a place where a Kingdom was born. Within that Kingdom a single family emerged, Hetterwood, the family held all kinds of rulers, ruthless war seeking, tranquil peace keepers, greedy barters, selfish loners, but none of them, none of them ruled up to King Mitus, Everglenn’s current ruler. He ruled in a way that was fair for the people and the countries around them. He created an equal trading system that aloud old separations become a thing of the past and form new allies. He managed one of the greatest armies known to date, but fought very few wars since there was only a couple warring countries. And he did all this while raising a family, a young and beautiful wife at side, who shared golden twins with each other.

The pair fit for each other better than two cards from the same deck, though they had their differences, they were looking forward to growing up and living their lives standing by each other’s side. A youngling of a child, standing in a sloppy manner but wore clothes that fairly resemble royalty: tight black pants with a collared blouse that seemed too big to fit him and held air throughout most of it, his shoes were similar to that of his sister’s though with a golden buckle laid across the strap. His hair laid around the crown of his head at the length of a child’s hand. His tropical blue eyes rested on his twin’s hands as she showed him a brightly colored rose. He started to form a smile to share the moment with her but he had to share her pain instead as she was pricked by one of the thorns. His eyes widened at the sight of her blood. He hadn’t seen that velvet liquid often, this being probably his fourth or fifth time, it still shocked him. He grabbed her hands gently in his clutches, looking over her wound as if to reassure himself it was real, “Jemma!” he shouted in worry, “Come on, let’s fix your finger,” grabbing her wrists and pulling her with him as he ran inside to the nearest maiden. Future ruler of Everglenn and forever guardian of his sister, Prince Jasper.

Jemma walked with Jasper as he pulled her; she trusted him, he always protected her and made her feel safe. Seeing the deep red color rising from the prick on her finger made her stomach feel strange, it was a feeling she hadn't felt before, Jemma was queasy. When they made it to the maid standing at the top of the white marble stairs leading up to the porch, the maid quickly turned from tending to the potted plants to see them coming and bowed respectfully to the young master and mistress of the household. This young maid was shorter than the average woman but slender with long brown hair tied up in a bun and matching chocolate brown eyes. She wore the customary maidservant’s outfit which covered and fit her nicely. At once she saw the blood on the hand that Jasper held out to her. “Oh my, what’s happened, young master?” The maid was surprised because the children were not to be left unsupervised, so where was the one on duty to be watching them? “Right this way, I shall tend to the wound this instant” Before the maid could lead them inside a man seeming in his late twenties walked out to them.

He seemed a little less surprised then the maid had that Jemma was bleeding, she had a tendency to get herself into trouble, even if it was just a small wound. “Ah, there you two are, I’ve been searching all over the castle for you, don‘t worry Evalynn I‘ll take care of this” The man spoke to the maid without looking at her. This was Rune, guardian to the twins who was around when the nannies or maids weren’t watching them. Once an esteemed knight in King Mitus’s army, he was chosen by the King himself to protect the Prince and Princess with his life. Rune did not mind, he cared for the twins as if they were blood related to him, while still maintaining the respect aspect of their relationship. Rune knelt down before the six year olds and removed a role of bandages from the satchel at his belt. “How’d this happen, Princess?” He asked while gingerly taking her hand from Jasper’s and starting to wrap her finger. “I was just playing with Jasper… we were looking at the flowers when I went to show him the red one with the thorns I got cut” The princess told him while gripping Jasper’s hand with her free hand. It was a small pain, but pain was not something she was used too, at all. “It’s alright Princess, it’s all wrapped now so the bleeding should stop, try to relax, remember your curse” The words came out so casually, remember your curse. No one flinched at the mention of a curse, it was normal talk to them, they all had to be wary of Jemma’s curse. It was just something she was born with, an uncontrollable power over storms which was reigned by her emotions. Therefore everyone in the castle did their best to keep her calm and happy, and keep her curse a secret. Rune stood and looked at them both in turn, “I’m sorry you two, I have failed you as your guardian, I let Princess Jemma get hurt… Prince Jasper, can you forgive me?”

(Pic of Rune posted in OOC)

As Jasper ran inside with his sister the great halls of the castle nearly matched the brightness of the sun outside. The interior of the large palace was mostly made of a white marble, imported from the Kingdom's neighbor, Iglasia, and the gold trimmings came from another, Calorean, back of course when these three Countries were on good terms, but since the changes in rule for Everglenn, some ancestor's made mistakes and caused a few disagreements, this is the first time in decades since Everglenn has been on good terms with its neighboring Kingdoms, all thanks to Mitus. The large chandelier in the middle of the hall seemed to shine light everywhere as it reflected off of every inch of marble, making the palace one of the brightest. Jasper often had to shade his eyes for a second but quickly adjusted. He usually found a strange comfort in the darkness, the thick shadows of an unlit hall not bothering him, but he preferred the light. With the castle well lit, the Royal family felt comforted most by crimson decorations, trimmed and lined with a pattern of gold, large frayed carpets and massive curtains painted the marble surface nearly every corner. Large paintings of their ancestors decorated some of the hallways, but the biggest painting laid on the east wall in the main entrance, it was of the Royal Family, Mitus in the back on the left side, with his bride at his side, his son stood firm and still by his feet while his daughter stood under the Queen, elegant as ever. The picture had been replicated by many but not to perfection, almost everyone who entered the castle would look at that painting as it immediately caught their eye, Jasper especially would look at it, it inspired him to be just like his father, wanting a family like that, but this time he didn't bother moving his head an inch towards it.

He ran straight to the maid who asked them what had happened, "She cut her finger on a flower," he said, his voiced pitched like a youngling but he tried match his father without making it obvious. The maid started to lead them, "Hurry!" he knew of her sister's curse and knew for sure that there would be worry in her thoughts, he could already see it in her eyes, and having worry might cause an accident, his mind trailed off to that time in their room where she woke up and flooded the place, the beds were burnt from shocks of lightning and Jasper was forever scarred in his thoughts and didn't want that to happen again, but he still stood by her side. Just as they moved a few feet Rune had stepped in and taken control of the situation. Jasper had an uncle-nephew style relationship with him, though when it came to important events such as this, that was pushed aside. He let go of his sister's wrist as he tended to her wound, he watched carefully as if he didn't believe Rune could fix her, but deep inside he knew he could. When the man was done he apologized to them both and asked for forgiveness from Jasper, failing at his duty, but the Prince didn't respond right away as he gently took his twin's hand again to study her finger, making sure it was well taken care of. He turned his head back to his guardian and couldn't decide whether or not to forgive him, a side of him wanted to say yes cause the wound was fixed and he apologized, but another wanted to say no since he wasn't there and this could have caused another accident with Jemma's curse, he stuttered as he spoke but managed to say, "I...don't know...she could have had another accident."

With a small deep breath Jemma smiled and took her brother's hand after their protector had tended to her bleeding wound. The smile was warm and sincere, she didn't want her brother to worry. "No, it's okay Jasper really" For a short moment the young princess went silent, lost in thought. "Oh, I know, wait here" She spoke to both Jasper and Rune before hurrying outside, this time remembering to lift her dress a little, keeping it from dragging. Rune waited patiently and in the mean time looked too Everglenn's future king. "I don't expect you to forgive me right away, this time it was only minor, and I surely won't be around all the time, something major could happen, despite my efforts... It just goes to say that she's a princess and it's inevitable, you're strong Jasper, you must be there for her as I am for you both, you can promise me that, can't you, young master?"

Before Jasper could reply, his twin returned to stand before them in the hallway. "Here, I brought these for you both, since you both helped me" The princess held out the red rose to Rune and a beautiful orange calla lily to Jasper, orange and yellow were the colors of the golden children of King Mitus. "The rose for Rune, so he can protect me from it, and the lily for Jasper, because it's a symbol of beauty, like the kingdom you will rule some day" n_n. She seemed to get over the whole finger prick incident pretty quickly, from day one she had to learn to adapt so that others wouldn't be affected by her curse, still it broke through from time to time, she was still young and learning.

Rune bowed his head at Jemma and graciously took the rose from her, being sure not to allow to prick her again. "Thank you milady. You are so very kind" He smiled sweetly at the young girl, she was almost as a younger sister to him or even a daughter, where as he wasn't as close to Jasper. "So Jasper, about that promise, will you do me this one kindness, no, not for me, for the princess of Everglenn, your sister."(you can add stuff and then skip ahead to night time in their bedroom if you'd like)

Those words rang through the Princes ears 'No, it's okay Jasper really,' they echoed a few times, he had heard this from her before and every time he had to react the same way. He had to go along with it, acting like it was okay, giving the appearance that he too had forgotten, but inside he knew the risk was there and he hated knowing that she could hurt someone, or maybe even herself. He sighed and let his head hung low for a second, he clenched one of his fists tightly, and his eyes started to water, he was scared, though at the time he acted on impulse and showed little emotion, reflecting on it revealed its true risk and Jasper was paranoid about it. He feared for his sister's well-being, the others in the castle, his father's, mother's even Rune's before his own. He let out a breath and released his fingers from his palms grasp, raising his head slowly so his eyes would dry and show that he wasn't about to cry, "Alri-" she cut him off and ran out of the great hall. He sighed once more and relaxed his posture, being formal in front of Rune wasn't much of priority to him as it was to be in front of Jemma.

There was nothing but silence in the hall, the marble reflected light and blurred silhouettes, the smell of flowers filled his nose, the maidens rearranging them. It was then that the silence was broken, Rune had spoke to him but the Prince did not give a returning look of attention, he just listened. The words were said like they were recited, read off a manuscript, that's how Rune often spoke, sounded so formal and wise yet relaxed as ever. He hesitated to respond, his mouth opening and only air escaping, "...I..." Jemma returned. She gave each of them a flower from their garden, one was a rose and Jasper immediately feared she would be pricked again, and the other resembled just as she said, beauty. He watched Rune with the corner of his eye carefully taking the flower out of her hands, and then looking right at Jemma with a smile that seemed to be painted on his face, but if you knew him, you could tell there was something bothering him.

He straightened up his posture and took the flower with a smile staring at it, trying to picture his life in the future, ruling this kingdom just like his father, maybe even greater than him. "Thank you Jemma, I'll cherish it," being royalty their education was far greater than the average kid at their age so bigger words could be said and understood, Jasper had no problem understanding what Rune was saying and proceeded to turn his attention to the tall man before giving a nod in acceptance, showing that he both forgave him and promised but with no need of speaking. He then looked down at his sister's hand and grabbed it gently, "Come on, let's go put this in a safe place," he started to guide the Princess away from Rune and towards their room.

A few hours had passed and Jasper had placed the beautiful flower in a small safe box, one similar to a jewelry box but without the extra compartments. He sat upon his own bed, his shoes off and his shirt untucked, he rarely wore his shirt like that, but being in his room and away from all the formality he could relax and let loose a bit. He stared at the ground before looking up at his sister across the room. He opened his mouth to say something along the lines of what had happened today, but he felt like it wasn't a proper time, no time was, she was hurt and talking about her risk could cause an accident, it was hard for him to hold back such thoughts and wanting to express them with her, but instead he just raised his head and painted another face, a happy and cheerful one, "Jemma? What do you suppose we do tomorrow? All I know is that Father has another meeting and Mother will be leaving to go to Iglasia, visiting for business matters."

Later, when the evening had come, Jasper and Jemma were able to relax in the room that they shared. Since Jemma had nowhere else to go she had changed into one of her orange and yellow, child-sized night gowns made from only the finest fabrics. It was like silky clouds running over her skin whenever she wore it. After changing she had gone to admire the flower in its lovely new case for a while. Then she retired to her bed. In the back of her mind the youngster knew her brother wasn’t alright, as a twin she could sense without difficulty that he was uneasy. And to make matters worse it was her fault, her and her awful curse.

If only she could learn how to control it, but even with what little control she had over her emotions, the curse she was born with still threatened her and those around her every single day. If she became scared, sad, or angry enough storms would loom over her wherever she was, be it indoors or outdoors, the clouds would come and pour rain down followed by thunder and lightning. The memory of her waking up from a nightmare to find herself soaked and their bedroom flooded still haunted her and Jasper alike.

Jasper spoke to Jemma as she was lost in thought; it took her a moment to process what he had said. Jemma returned his feigned smile with one of her own, only hers was more practiced. “Maybe we can convince Rune to take us into town tomorrow? If I promise to be… safe?” She questioned her own words, how could she put it. “If I promise to try my hardest not to have an incident, but you know whenever Rune is around is when I’m safest, when we are safest…” Jemma let out another small sigh and stared up at the ceiling of their room, all stone. The young princess did not like the confines of the stone castle, she wanted to go out, explore, and be free. But due to her curse she could hardly ever leave the castle.

As the sun started to fall the brightness of the castle fell, even though its bright and clean white marble is capable of reflecting the smallest bit of light, in the midst of the darkness, it can be a real nightmare. Though luckily this night the full moon was out and it lit the castle well without the use of torches or lamps. At this hour the maids usually went to sleep and the butlers finished their routine check on every room making sure everything was in its place before the end of the day, though they did not disturb those of royalty so Jasper didn't have to worry about going to the door to confirm everything was alright. King Mitus and his wife retired to their own room, giving their final words of the day to the golden twins, the door opened a little bit and a couple words entered the room. Jasper turned his head with a response, "Good night father and mother."

Their parents interruption slowed his sister's response and even her own hesitation stopped from responding right away, the prince sighed in waiting and got up from his bed and proceeded to his wardrobe. Since his blouse was a little big on him he simply had to toss the collar over his shoulder and it would fall to the floor. His body was often called pale, his skin never saw the light of day and his small frame held no muscular structure, yet, though he knew in a few years he would start to show muscle, but not like anybody would see except for his sister, it wasn't proper for royalty to show skin. He dropped his pants to his ankles and dug through his drawers till he found a golden silk pair of sweats and a long sleeve shirt, the golden silk was patterned and trimmed in black thread. As he dressed, his sister answered talking about tomorrow, talking about her curse and saying she'll keep it in check if they ever go to town, but Jasper had his doubts and inside didn't want to risk it, he feared for her and the people of Everglenn more than his own life.

He made his way back to the other side of the bed while buttoning his shirt, he pulled back the red velvet covers revealing the pure white sheets below that was also, just as his garments, patterned and trimmed, but with gold instead of black thread. He sat upon the soft bed and looked up at his sister sharing the same painted face, they both knew that something was bothering the other but it was best not to talk about it so there wasn't another accident. He hesitated to say something, just like he had all day, he gave her a small smile, "If that's what you wanna do, it sounds like a lovely idea," she was right about being safest when with Rune, but even with Rune he had his doubts, the smallest thing can make her tick and it bothered him to know that many lives are at risk.

“Good night mother, good night father” Jemma called out after her parents, she always was sure to say good night to both her parents, she had the worst fear of waking up and them not being there. That had been the nightmare she had had the night of the incident in her bedroom. Over on the other side of the room Jasper spoke to her. And even at the young age of six, Jemma wanted to question her brother; she wanted to know straight out what was wrong. But the youngster knew better than to dwell on things, that’s how the storms came. “I really hope we can, I haven’t been outside into the town since… what happened the last time” Out in front of her face she held the hand which she had gotten hurt on and examined her wrapped up finger in the dark. “Hey Jasper… Don’t you think it’s weird how something so beautiful can be so harmful?” It was somewhat of a rhetorical question, sometimes she was afraid to talk to him for fear of something serious coming up in the conversation and making her have another incident. She didn’t wait for a reply; Jemma rolled over onto her side and pulled the covers up onto her, making sure her favorite silk sheet went over her head to keep her safe. It was like her security blanket. A girlish yawn could be heard from underneath the covers on the girl’s bed. “Tomorrow will be a great day, no matter what we do, I promise” The words were muffled but still understandable. “Good night, Jasper”

Shortly after the words were spoken the girl, lying on the most comfortable beds in all of Everglenn, drifted off into peaceful sleep. That is, it was peaceful… Hours passed and later into the night, when the twins were both fast asleep, a nightmare came to the girl. This nightmare seemed more real than any dream she had ever had. She felt all the pain, physical, mental, and emotional. The hurt was unbearable. In her nightmare, there was a man, a tall inhuman looking man with pure white hair and a heavy suit of armor on. This man stood over the dead bodies of her father, mother, and brother. They had been severely mutilated and possibly tortured beforehand. All the young girl could do was scream and cry, she’d never felt so weak in her life, they were dead and he claimed it was her fault. “This world is mine now, girl. None of them could stand in my way, see” He held up the head of Rune to show it too her. The dead man’s eyes were wide and his mouth hung open with blood dripping from it. “And neither will you” He dropped the severed head of her guardian and drew his broadsword, kneeling quickly and plunging it through the girl’s chest.

Her breathing was burdened, her eyes were wide and pain overtook her. This was unlike anything she’d ever felt before. “J-Jasper…” Was all she could say. With a tear stained face and blood filing her lungs and mouth Jemma fell over as the man pulled his sword from her chest. She fell to her side with a limp body; the young princess was drowning in her own blood now, this was it, the end of her, of Everglenn, of the entire world of Azarath.

Jemma woke up gagging and coughing, her clothes were soaked a loud roar shook the castle. With a hard coughed the young girl cried out for her brother. “J-Jasper!” The room was filled with water, almost halfway already, her brother had been trying to shake her awake. With deep stuttering breaths she looked at him, eyes wide with fear. Her nightmare had triggered her curse like before. It only took a few seconds for another lightning bolt to strike before another boom of thunder. It drowned out the sound of Rune trying to get the door open, to rescue the twins. Jemma trembled and clung to her brother. “Jasper, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!!” She spoke in her childish voice. When the words left her mouth one last lightning bolt struck and hit her brother in the chest sending him flying back into the water. “No!!”

As Jasper waited for his sister to respond, he turned his body slowly and laid in bed, he didn't bother putting the covers on, just letting it fold across like a triangle. He laid on the silk sheets with one hand behind his head and his leg up, relaxed and pondering. She spoke of hoping to go and mentioning the memory of what happened last time, he thought to himself that she really needed to stop bringing up such topics, it was too dangerous. He took his time to respond, the day being late and it was acceptable to just dwell in thoughts before responding. Then she mentioned the rose, yeah it was strange for something like that to be both beautiful and dangerous, but a lot of things are, it shouldn't surprise him, he sees something so beautiful yet dangerous everyday, his sister. He didn't respond to her previous statements, feeling no need to and that they both knew each others answers most often, an agreement in most things, but she made a promise in the end, "Yeah I know it will," whenever she promised something he felt like it was also his duty to make sure she kept it, keeping her curse from causing an incident. "Good night Jemma," he closed the words quietly and rolled over pulling the blankets over him before drifting off to sleep.

A few hours passed and Jasper dreamed of having yet another wonderful and risk free day with his sister, her curse gone and both of them roaming the Kingdom with no worries at all, but it was stopped short and interrupted by a moist feeling upon his bed. For a brief instance he thought of the impossibility of him wetting the bed. He sat up quickly noticing hardly any light in the room, he looked up when he heard the rolls of thunder, he shook his head and clenched his fists, "NO! NO THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING AGAIN!" he yelled in disbelief trying to convince himself it was just a nightmare, but a bolt of lightning struck his bed like the time before, inches from his foot and sparked the bed, almost igniting it but luckily the rain kept it from flaming. He scanned the room, his hair soaked and flat against his skull and covering parts of his face, the rain itself was making it hard for him to see, with the darkness of the night included, he felt a moment of not being able to find his sister and it scared him tremendously. "JEMMA!" he screamed across the room.

A couple pounds came at the door and the Prince quickly turned his head in that direction, "Jasper! Jemma! Open the door!" Rune was pushing on the handles and trying to make the door budge but it wasn't going to open, the doors were one way and they opened inward so the water kept it shut. His care for the twins safety kept his formal speech of titles out of the situation. He knew that Jasper's bed was closest to the door and tried to call for him when he heard his screan, "Jasper! Over here!" he knew that the young boy would do whatever it took to save the princess but it was hard to see and hear from all the thunder.

Jasper stumbled out of bed, "I-I'm coming!" he leaned against the bed post and tried to walk through the waist high water, it was rising fast too. The height of the water caused him to fall under a couple times, his lungs engulfing large amounts of water before clawing at the water till his feet got under him again and his mouth gasped for air. With extreme effort he made it to the door, following the constant calls from Rune, "I-I'm here! Rune! Help!" he small pale fists pounded at the door hoping that it would some how magically open and Rune would save them both from harms way.

"Jasper!" a sigh of relief came over him, now that he had contact with the Prince he could start to control the situation, or some of it. Rune pounded his large palm against the door to get the boy to listen, "Jasper! Go to your sister, wake her up, I can't get in so it's up to you!" it was a big task to pin on the boy but the older he got there would be far more for the young Prince, but the Guardian had no doubt that Jasper would be able to accomplish it.

"Rune! I-I can't see! The rain!" his fist turned into a flat palm against the wet wood of the door, and his forehead met by its side, tears were streaming down his face, blending with the rain. Jasper had started to form thoughts of his death, drowning in this storm, unable to save his sister, failing at what he promised to himself years ago when this first happened.

"Just remember your room! The beds! Remember where her bed is!" Rune couldn't say much else, or do much, just words escaping his lips hopefully hitting the courage and will inside of Jasper.

The Golden Prince banged his fist once more and said quietly to himself while grinding his teeth, "Okay." He turned around and tried his best to remember the layout of the room and find Jemma's bed. The water was up to his mid chest, now easily covering the top of the beds, he had to make it to her quickly or she might drown in her sleep. He stumbled again and fell under the water, he clawed trying to find something, then his hands hit a familiar chest, her chest, the one near her dresser. He used all his body strength and pushed up and out of the water, he coughed for air, gasping and clutching his chest in pain, that's when he heard a slight peep. His sister was mumbling in her sleep, something bad had to be going on. He hoped she would continue and use that to find her quickly. He jumped back into the water, up to his shoulders now, he used his feet and hands to feel around the water, hoping to find her bed. His eyes went wide as his hand landed on her bed post, he hurled himself up onto her bed, soaked and it was hard to walk and crawl on the large sheets, sinking in the mattress deeply and slowing his movements, tiring him out.

She called out to him and he reached out to the voice, his hand landing on her leg, "Don't worry Jemma, I'm here" he said to himself, it wasn't loud enough for her to hear it but it was more for him to keep going. He crawled a bit further till he made it on top of her, his eyes welled up and pink, though his body protected her from the rain, his tears still struck her face, he grabbed her shoulders roughly and shook her, "Jemma! WAKE UP!" she coughed and gagged till her eyes opened and he helped her sit up. They both stared at each other in worry and it was disturbed by yet another lightning bolt that made the two jump. She lunged at him for a tight hug, clinging to him and he did the same, holding her close to keep her safe. He doubted the door would open but at least he would be by her side if they ended up drowning. She apologized and he just shook his head, right when she finished and he was about to speak a sting met his chest, near his shoulder. It was like nothing he felt before but he knew what it was by the flash, he blacked out and his hands opened from grasping her and his body flew through the air away from his sister, landing in the water near the bottom of the door, cracking it a bit.

Rune heard the biggest bolt of lightning from within and feared the worst, his eyes landed on the crack that followed shortly after. He stepped back and ran at the door kicking the crack as hard as he could till the door finally gave way and the water rushed out with a young boy tumbling in the waves and the light of the hall brightening the room for the Guardian to see, "Jemma! Where are you?!"

Seeing her brother thrown back by the lightning made her shout out his name a third time. Although many children their age new how to swim, the Golden twins did not. How hard could it be? Besides Jasper needed her help. Jemma prepared to lunge into the rapid, swirling waters created by her storm. A loud crash stopped her dead in her tracks. It was Rune, he had busted the door open where Jasper's small body had cracked it. He was there to save them. Despite the fact that her eyes were swollen from crying and the rain decreased visibility she knew it was him and hoped he could see her. The frigid waters rushed out as Rune had gotten through the door, she could hardly see as Jasper was taken out by the current just by Rune's feet. "Jemma, where are you?!" She heard Rune call out. Jemma was on her soggy bed, her arms wrapped around herself, body trembling. She cried out meekly, "R-Rune?"

The young man saw Prince Jasper lying on the wet floor just a foot or so away; the prince was bleeding from a wound on his chest. Rune let out a small gasp and quickly removed his coat to place it under the boy's head. "I'll be back in a moment your highness, hang in there" He spoke to the unconscious boy before standing and running into the room against the rain to find Jemma. "Speak to me, princess!" He called out once again to get her to lead him to her. "I'm h-here Rune, please help!" Her voice quivered. His eyes moved to the princess's bed, the rain that had already soaked him head to toe was also blurring his vision but he wouldn't let that stop him. Jemma stood up and moved toward him, her feet sinking into the wet mattress and sheets. "Princess, you must calm down or this storm will continue, think about that place I told you about, remember? With the flowers in all the colors you can think of, the luscious green fields of grass and the endless blue skies, think about that" He reached out and took her in his arms, holding her close, trying to protect her from getting any more soaked. "Breath princess, breath." Rune whispered to her.

Jemma closed her eyes and instead of the visions of her family murdered she started to see what Rune was talking about, the beautiful place that she always wanted to go, she wasn't sure if the place was real, but she considered this place her safe place. Within a few deep breaths the rain started to dissipate and the room became silent. Rune carried the princess out of her and Jasper's room and set her down to attend to her twin. "Jemma, whatever you do, do not look." He ordered the girl. As much as she wanted to see if Jasper was okay, she did as she was told so the storm would not come back. Behind her she heard footsteps coming toward them, it must have been her parents, the king and queen, and a handful of guards. That's who arrived last time this happened, besides Rune of course.

As the storm surged on an shook the castle it wasn't hard to the inhabitants to know what exactly was happening, Rune was first to act and it only took just a few minutes for others to start taking action. King Mitus and Queen Eileen woke up quickly from all the commotion and the pounding at the door by one of the guards. The couple quickly rose from their bed and hurried through the halls to the twins bedroom, by the time they got there Rune was attending a body and Jemma was looking away drenched. The Queen instinctively ran to Jemma, falling to her knees and holding her daughter close. Her eyes started to water, scared of what had happened and feared her childs safety, she looked over Jemma's shoulder to the body Rune was attending, "Is that...?" she was interrupted by a hand being placed on her shoulder, Mitus's hand.

The King looked down at his wife then over to Guardian, "How is he Rune? Is it serious?" he hoped for the best and knew that his son should be well, if he survived this then his future life as King would be painless. He felt no sudden urge to rush to his son's side, the trust he had with Rune was far greater than most, he knew his son was in good hands, but none-the-less he walked over and knelt by his side.

Rune paid no attention to the Royal couple as he remained focused on attending the Prince, he removed the burnt silk top and examined the injury. He only looked over his shoulder at the King when he was spoken to, then returned to the boy, "The wound is deep and everything looks to be burnt to a crisp, luckily it wasn't near anything vital, and there is no blood loss from the instant clot, he just needs his burns attended, but quickly and properly, the wound is not far from his heart and it's beating rapidly, the burning sensations can cause it to beat too fast and stop."

The King nodded, remaining a calm state of mind but kept his sympathy aside, such feelings can cause poor decisions, "Then lets get him to a doctor immediately, Eileen, take Jemma out for a walk in the garden, ease her mind," he looked over to a nearby guard, "Get the Princess some fresh and dry clothes from downstairs, afterwards get a team to keep watch over my son, along with the maids to start cleaning up this mess, we'll be in the infirmary." The guard nodded and went straight to his duties. Mitus helped Rune carry Jasper to the room.

Once they arrived the doctor started treating the burn with medicinal oils and creme. Rune shook his head, hating himself for letting this happen, he felt like it was his fault and he failed his duty, "My Lord, this has gone too far, please forgive me in my failure to protect the twins."

"Don't put this all on yourself, you can't prevent what happens to Jemma or Jasper, her curse has taken a tole on everyone in the castle, and if you agree with me, I think it's time we start to do something about it," The King rested a hand on the Guardian's shoulder, trying to comfort him.

With a deep breath Rune replied post haste to his king, "I agree with you wholeheartedly, your majesty" Turning his head he peered over at Jasper who was lying on the doctor's table being taken care of with the great expertise of the king's doctor. Prince Jasper looked so small and fragile on that table, unconscious and wounded; Rune couldn't help but feel guilt for the boy getting hurt, despite the King's comforting words. Out of respect, Rune looked back toward King Mitus when he spoke again, "King Mitus, you have entrusted me with protecting the Prince and the Princess, I believe in order to protect them both I must find a way to rid Princess Jemma of her curse, that would require her and I being gone for quite some time" Rune knelt down on one knee and bowed his head. "But I swear to you my king that I will find a way to free your daughter of the Fate that has befallen her, with your blessing of course"

After receiving a fresh outfit from a kind older maid, Princess Jemma changed and went with her mother to the garden where all was peaceful, unlike that of inside the castle. In their home there were guards and maids scurrying everywhere. The maids had a large cleaning job to tend to and the guards had to calm down the handle of villagers who had rushed to the castle gates to see what was going on. The guards made up a lie about one of the court wizard's spells gone wrong, no one could know the truth about the princess. Meanwhile outside in the large and beautiful garden of the castle the queen walked with her young daughter, trying to comfort her.

Jemma kept her head down, trying to hold in her tears and keep herself calm. She tried with all her might to block out the vision of her brother getting hurt by thinking of the wonderful place Rune talked about before. "Jemma, please look at me child" Her mother took Jemma's hand. "Your brother is going to be alright, Rune and your father have it under control." Although Jemma's mother was indeed frightened of what kind of power the young girl held and was worried about her son, the time was not then to show her true feelings. Princess Jemma looked up at her mother with a worried and questioning expression. "You really think Jasper will be okay, mother?" Queen Eileen feigned a smile and gently stroked her daughter's hair. "Of course, my dear, he and you both have the same strength as our King, your father" A little while passed and the queen suggested that they go inside and check on Jasper. She led her young one to the infirmary and stood outside of the infirmary, knocking lightly on the door.

There was a small pause after the Guardian had spoken, agreeing with the King's suggestion, then he broke the silence going on about an apology then asking for a blessing for a journey to rid his daughter's curse. "Rune, you have the highest blessing I can bestow, I will allow you to take Jemma away for some time, how ever long it may be to rid her of this nightmare we all witness, you have access to the Kingdom's money, for anything you may need, just send me a letter and I'll supply, but just remember Rune, the longer you stay away, the bigger of an effect it will take on Jasper, he cares for her very much and with her gone it may seem like he has nothing else to live for, so hurry." The King smiled down at the red haired man before looking over at his son, making sure he was okay.

Before Rune could response there was a knock at the door, instead of speaking he simply gave the Ruler a nod and went to the door, creeping it open to find the Queen and the Princess standing there wanting to see Jasper, "Your Highness's, I'm afraid thye Prince isn't awake yet, but the Doctor said he'll be fine," he spoke to both of them. Mitus came up from behind and opened the door a bit wider, "Rune why don't you talk to Jemma, I'm sure you have quite a lot to say to her, come on dear, I need to tell you something." He let Rune out first before closing the door behind him to let the Prince rest some more. Mitus then takes his wifes arms and escorts her down the hall a bit, "Eileen, Rune is going to take Jemma away from her for some time, he is going to find a way to rid her of this problem, we agreed that it was both best for the safety of our people and of our children."

Rune nodded at his King before taking Jemma's hand and guiding her down the opposite way of the Royal Couple, when they got far enough to give them space and room to talk he knelt down to meet her eye level, "Princess Jemma, you and I are going to go on an adventure, we're gonna travel the world and see lots of new and exciting things, learn the ways of other people, but..." he paused for a moment, he knew that she would ask if Jasper would come so he quickly spoke, "Jasper can't come, I'm sorry, but you and I have to travel alone, we are going to find a way to rid you of your curse, so that way we don't have to worry about anybody getting hurt, especially you and your brother."

Hearing that her brother was going to be alright brought some comfort to the young girl. But she wanted to see him, she wanted to know that her father wasn't lying for her sake. For all little Jemma knew her brother could be dead because of her and her awful curse. Rune took her hand and led her away from the room and from her parents. He spoke of an adventure that they were to go on and before she could ask about how Jasper was going to come with them, since it was assumed he would, Rune interjected, "Jasper can't come..." That is all the youngster heard, everything else was nothing but muffled, blocked out noise. "He can't?" She shook her head and pulled her hand away. "I'm not going anywhere without my brother" The princess stomped her foot, letting him know she was serious but not going to get upset about it because she didn't want the storms to come back.

..... Queen Eileen walked with her husband, a worried expression on her face. "Rune is to take our little girl away? Is this what it's come too, my love?" She asked sadly. The queen didn't wait for a response, she wanted to grieve but knew she would see her daughter again some time, it was best for this to happen, so Jemma could live a better life. Eileen kept a stiff upper lip and stayed strong like a queen should. "I understand... If this is what must be done, it's better for all of us, especially Jemma, she'll get to see the world and learn more then we could ever teach her." .....

With an unhappy expression Jemma moved toward the infirmary door to open in, she had to see her brother. Rune's face became serious and he stepped forward to stop her. The door had already been opened by her; all the princess saw was her brother on the doctor's table, unmoving. "Jasper?!" At last the emotions broke through and her eyes filled with tears. Her guardian stood behind her, with his hands on her shoulders. "He's okay Jemma, just resting, we have to go now, I don't want this to be any harder on you both" He told her. "Then don't make me leave him!!" Pulling away, the girl ran over to her brother, "Jasper, Jasper wake up, don't let them take me away, please wake up!"

King Mitus held his wife's hands in his own, the two sharing their sorrow for what is to come for the Golden Twins, a separation almost as tragic as war, they didn't want to take her away from him but it was for the greater good of everyone, "It'll be the best thing for everyone, especially Jemma, but we just have to stay strong and trust that Rune will take care of things like he always has, come now, lets go pack some of her things." The King lead his Queen out of the hallway away from the Jemma, Rune, and Jasper. The Queen went to gather some things for the Princess while Mitus spoke to a nearby guard, "Alert the nearby Kingdoms that there will be a traveling agent of ours, protecting precious cargo and that they are to be treated with the utmost respect, also go to my office and retrieve one of my letters of Authority." The guard nodded and issued commands to a couple more ranked below him before heading toward the office himself.

Rune quickly reached for the small Princess, easing her off of the wounded boy, not wanting anymore serious damage to be done, "Come on Jemma, we have to leave him, let him rest, I promise he'll be okay, but we can't stay," she resisted greatly but it was easy to subdue her because of her size. He pulled her back and held her in his arms tightly, but not enough to hurt her, "We have to go Princess, we don't want to cause anymore harm to anyone else, relax, we'll be back soon." With that said she was already up in the air and being carried near Rune's shoulder, he walked out the door and left the Prince in the room to rest, safe from harm, and in watch by the doctor. By now the guards ordered from before were standing outside the door, making sure no one that wasn't allowed to see the Prince could go in.

As the door shut with Rune passing through it, Jasper's eyes opened wide and he tried to sit up, "Jemma?" he did not yell but questioned, he swore that he heard her in the room. The doctor was surprised that the boy had awoken so quickly, and rushed over to the bed side trying to keep the Prince calm, he didn't want him to make any sudden movements and end up injuring his shoulder more, "My Prince, please, remain calm, you have suffered a bad injury, your sister is fine, she got out of the room safely thanks to Rune."

Jasper was trying to take everything in, the last thing he remembered was being thrown through the air looking at his sister with his arm out, and a burning sensation in his chest, after that it was just black. He remembered how bad the storm was in their room and feared for his sister's safety, but the doctor's words were not enough, he had to see for himself, "No I want to see her, let me go, I have to see if she's okay," he tried to move off the bed, but a searing pain entered his wound and he fell back onto the bed hard. The doctor had placed his hands on the boys shoulders trying to keep him down the bed, but not hard enough to cause anymore damage to the wound.

Rune made it to the main hall where the Royal Couple was waiting, the Queen had a small bag of Jemma's clothing and small belongings, while the King had a piece of paper, signed with the family seal on red wax, "Rune this is for you, it will grant you passage and proof of your travels to the neighboring kingdoms, I've had guards send word already, so they'll be expecting you." The couple then looked to their daughter and they faces were painted with happiness but held sorrow, they did not want to see her go, but they did not want her to see their sorrow, so they tried to reassure her that everything was going to be okay, "Your brother will be safe Jemma, don't worry, we'll be fine here as well, we love you deary," the King then kissed his daughter's head before the Queen did the same, "Safe travels." Rune took her outside to the horse and prepped everything.

By now Jasper had fought against the doctor a great deal until the man had no choice but to let him go, or his strength would end up injuring the Prince even more, "Let me go, I have to see her." He launched himself off the bed but collapsed on the floor, his injury weakening his body a bit, he struggled to get up, using his right arm till he was on his feet. He stumbled over to the door, getting his legs straight beneath him before opening it and falling on the floor between the two guards standing watch. The guards were in surprised and stepped back before kneeling down to see if he was alright, but the doctor shouted at them, "Don't touch him, let him be." The Golden Prince got back on his feet, wiping his mouth before leaning against the wall to head toward the main hall where he figured she would be.

His legs were weak and with the doctor telling everyone to leave him alone, he was able to make it there without being slowed down, but the main hall was empty. The King and Queen had stepped outside to wave goodbye to their daughter as she was being taken away. Jasper looked out the window to see them standing there, his instincts kicked in quickly and he ran towards the door, but his feet stumbling beneath him, he managed to stay balanced none-the-less. He opened the door and scanned the area, spotting his parents still staring into the distance and then spotting Jemma on horseback. He pushed past between his parents running after his sister, "JEMMA!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. The sky was dark and a storm was brewing, everyone knew it was because the Princess was sad, rain had poured down and the ground was a slippery mud. Jasper continued running after them, ignoring the rain, a small thunder rolled through the clouds and the Prince stumbled to the floor, falling into the mud as a bolt of lightning struck the ground in front of him, just a few feet away. He ignored the flash and the intense pain in his arm from his fall, but using all the strength the young boy had left to reach an arm out for his sister, calling in a faint voice, "Jemma."

"No, please don't make me leave my brother behind!" Jemma shouted, which was against the normal princess code, but seeing as she was 6 years old and upset, that didn't seem to matter. Her small hands reached toward her brother as Rune pulled her off and away. By now tears formed in her pure blue eyes and streamed down her cheeks. "Jasper wake up!!" For all the child knew her brother wasn't going to wake up because of her, and now they were taking her away for what could be forever? Jemma would not stand for it. Many guards looked with concern but stood up straight and said not a word out of respect for the tiny princess. As much as she struggled, she could not escape the strong but gentle man that held her. Upon arriving at the main hall Rune placed Jemma down and whispered for her to be still for her parents. She did as he told her for although she was upset she didn't want them to see her storm. The girl looked up at her parents with tears in her eyes.

"Thank you your majesty, I shall not fail you" Rune bowed at both the king and queen and turned so they could say there goodbyes to their young one. Jemma sniffled and clutched onto her parents. "Don't make me go, I want to stay here with Jasper" Princess Jemma begged them. Although it tore at their heartstrings they had to say goodbye, each of them kissed her goodbye and assured her Jasper would be alright. Her guardian led her outside; by now she was trembling, overwhelmed by emotions. The sky darkened and rain poured down, a true example of the storm inside the little girl. Rune lifted her onto the horse after strapping her belongings onto the animal. "Don't worry princess, we will be home before you know it, and who knows, you might even have fun while we are gone" The young man tried to sooth her. Before she could protest, Rune got on the horse behind her and grabbed the reigns, they were off. Under the safe and dryness of the front porch's overhang, the king and queen waved goodbye, the queen couldn't contain herself any longer, she hugged onto her husband and wept.

In an instant Jasper pushed past them trying to get to his twin, calling out her name in desperation. Jemma heard her brother shout and looked back past Rune toward her home, she saw him run and fall. Thunder roared and lightning struck. "Jasper" She whispered as more tears rolled down her pale cheeks.

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8 years. 8 years and 2 months have passed since then. She had seen and learned more than could have ever been imagined. And as Fate may have it, she was finally rid of her curse after years of searching for a "cure". Rune had finally done it, he had finally freed her from it and they could return home. It had taken many people along the way, not just Rune. Many friends, and even enemies helped her to learn, to grow, to control her curse (for the most part). And once it was gone it took some getting used too.

First they spent a year in Everglenn, traveling around speaking to nomads and wise men alike. Jemma was still young then, just 6 and then 7 years of age. There she just learned to hide so no one would learn of her curse or that she was outside the castle, vulnerable to everything and everyone. The small princess learned to blend, to run and hide, to be on her own and wait when necessary.

From there they traveled to the neighboring country of Iglasia to find out more about a so called legend that may have had something to do with how Jemma came to be cursed. Two years they spent in this place, young Jemma picked up some of the Glasian language while her guardian Rune, with all his mysterious contacts/friends/allies, worked toward getting rid of her curse. The girl even made some friends of her own along the way, friends she'd never forget. They taught her things such as, how to survive a harsh weather (since Iglasia was known for it's many different environments and weather patterns), how to read basically anything in her language, how to scavenge and most importantly they taught her the first steps of patience. It was here that she earned her first weapon, a simple yet beautiful dagger given to her by Rune. He taught her how to defend herself in case of an emergency. Around this time, Rune received a letter from the King that the Queen had passed, he decided against telling Jemma for the time being to protect everyone, especially her.

After learning about the Legends of the Evil King Aron, Rune brought the princess to a place she would quickly fall in love with. Calorean was quite different from her mountainous home; the Elves of Calorean made their homes in all of the wondrous forests that covered the land. They spent the most time here, for the Elves were kind and very wise. While Rune spoke to many elders of the Calorean Elven villages, Jemma was growing up before his very eyes. She was 10 and grew up to 12 before they left. Here the princess made the best of friends, they were almost as close to her as Jasper was. In this forest country was where she was taught how to use a bow and to hunt. It was not long before she excelled at archery and hunting. As she grew older the more calm and controlled she became, even though her curse was getting worse, she was more able to keep it at bay. Jemma learned the importance of good and bad and how to know the difference.

By the time Rune and Jemma left for Atlantica, Princess Jemma was fluent in the Elvish language and was a pro archer, able to take down any foe if need be. The young girl lived for the adventure and didn't mind so much that she wasn't back in Everglenn. Rune was no longer too worried about her safety. But as always, he kept both eyes on her and never let her stray too far. Around six months they stayed in the strange country. Only Rune knew how to speak their language, for not many outsiders were welcome, but it seemed Rune had been taught years and years before. He had friends there, just as he had every where else, the perks of being a well-known and respected knight. The young princess learned meditation and discovered her love for sweets and sea food here. From the Atlantians she learned a very important lesson that she would take with her wherever she went, "try again". She would never give up from then on.

Rune had found out what he needed to know, there was a certain witch doctor on the island of Ticeron that could help Jemma with a certain artifact that was being kept on The Glenn, the island owned by Everglenn. They spent a short amount of time at The Glenn, it had actually taken them longer to get there. Jemma was becoming a woman and her strong sense of justice often overtook her. It was becoming more difficult for Rune to keep her at bay, she wanted to take down every petty criminal they crossed paths with, but he had to remind her it wasn't her responsibility. At The Glenn, Rune was able to easily retrieve the stone tablet that they needed to take to the witch doctor to help Jemma.

Finally, they headed toward Ticeron, Jemma enjoyed her time on the ocean, for the food was her favorite. Her and Rune had talked about it, she knew it was only a matter of time that she would be stuck in the castle having to tend to her duties. Ticeron, being a pirate port mostly, was a place of bad omens. There were places on the island where even the fearsome pirates dare not go, for they were superstitious and did not want to die or be cursed as Jemma was. This was the place where Jemma was hurt and would have the scar to prove it. She got into a fight with a scoundrel who was trying to harm a woman and he ended up trying to get Jemma when her and Rune had their backs turned. The young girl received a deep wound across her right shoulder blade. Rune was furious, but tried not to show it, after nearly killing the man he whisked Jemma away form all the fighting that had ensued and tended to her wound. The guardian had been wounded in the riot that had broken out after he attacked the man that harmed Jemma and there was nothing Jemma could do but attempt to patch his wound, which was not her forte. She hated herself for causing them both to get injured. After quite a while, the duo finally found the witch doctor deep in the supposedly haunted swamps away from the rowdy pirates. The blind woman had indeed known what to do to take Jemma's curse away, in exchange she wanted the guardian, Rune. Jemma got the woman to settle for something else, something to which Rune could not protest against, Jemma was old enough to give him orders now. Thirteen going on fourteen year old Jemma Hetterwood gave the woman nearly a jar full of her Royal blood. After bleeding herself, the princess fainted and Rune (however upset he was), politely thanked the woman for curing Jemma and carried the girl out. At last they could go home, the nightmare was over.

However... even though they'd be home in six months or so, and all could be well and good once again.... The nightmare was far from over.

Its been eight years since I've seen her, I wonder if she even looks the same, though there isn't much I remember about her, its been so long and I don't really care anymore. Jemma, even thinking of her name hurts, she's been gone for too long and for important parts of my life, things I wished I could have shared with her, but now it seems she has let me down too many times. I know she was off doing things that my father said would make everything better, but so far it has ruined my life: Mother died and now Father has no time for me, I'm all alone in this castle. Things would have been better if she was with me, but it's too late now, I don't think I can forgive her for leaving, I counted on her and she was never there.

I started dueling when I was eight, two years after she left, though I was only put through training, how to step and read my opponent before making a move. When I was ten I learned how to use a rapier properly, though with my injury on my left shoulder from that incident before she left, I hold it in my right arm, it doesn't feel right but I manage well. When I was eleven I had my first duel, I lost but I learned. From then on I knew how dangerous this sport was, two challengers each facing one another wearing no armor and just their personal attire, you would fight each other till the other gave in, usually ending with permanent scars to the body and arms, I now have plenty to show. 'No quarter' was not allowed in these duels, that is I was told for my age, I still have yet to know of the future but I think rules change depending on the situation. I got better, winning most but still receiving marks from my losses. I wish she was here for these, cheering me on and wishing me luck. Mom died while I was still learning, I sometimes think she is watching above but I still feel alone, and father was always busy so I never had anyone by my side, someone to be there, to give me strength. I fight alone now, I'm independent, I relied too much on others being there and it was dumb of me to even think they would, now I don't care about anybody but myself, I don't even have a sword bearer anymore, I carry my own weapons and prepare myself on my own, while my opponents share strategies with their master's, most of the time it doesn't do them any good anyways. I don't talk to my trainer anymore, he said he taught everything he can, all I can do now is learn from my mistakes and continue dueling on my own, saying I would get better the more I tried, I would learn things on my own, he never showed at my events anyways. I take dueling very seriously, its the only thing I really have, it carries my family's name and brings honor to EverGlenn, it's what I'm good at, and I think father wants me to continue, to make a name for our family, my goal is to be the best Duelist in all of Azarath, but now she's back.

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Jasper stood in the Dueling Chamber of the castle, located in the west wing, he was rather tall for being fourteen but still shorter than the adults. He held his golden rapier in his right hand loosely, the soft of his wrist upwards the tip of the thin steel blade pointing down at the floor at an angle. He examined the straight and stillness of the blade, lifting up the hilt to a couple inches from his nose and staring where the steel met the gold, making sure it was sturdy while glancing at his opponent across the room. He was slim like himself, but had a bit of bulk in his arms, a rough chin and rather large feet, then again this was one of the many Princes of Iglasia, age sixteen and third in line to the throne. He challenged the Lone Golden Royal of EverGlenn after one of his younger brother's was defeated and badly injured cause Jasper had pushed a little too far, this was revenge.

Jasper was ready, he had his opponent mapped out already and stood awaiting. The Prince wore a loose pearl blouse that was trimmed with gold around the edges and a small pattern on the chest, it was tucked into tight black trousers that gave a small amount of air between the fabric and his skin, those were only lined in the same velvet as their castles curtains, his boots ridges were roughly a few inches from the bottom of his knee and patterned elegantly in gold, with a matching buckle on the vamp to hold firmly against his foot.

Jasper stepped back and lowered his rapier with wrist cocked downwards but this time with the soft of his wrist pointing towards the carpet. He held his weapon in a easy grasp, one that was both loose and firm so his strikes were swift and his recoils sharp. He glared at his opponent, a small amount of his hair falling from the crown of his head and swinging to block his right eye, luckily he could easily look past it since the rest of his long hair was wrapped in a velvet ribbon in a ponytail, the ribbon belonged to his mother and he took it when she passed, wanting to keep her close at all times. "En Garde!" he told his challenger, warning him of the duels start.

As the two stood ready to strike, Jasper stared with an intent to leave a mark, the command to go was given and the Golden Prince stepped forward striking upwards only to clash blades and the main door to open disruptively by a guard, "Your Highness, please forgive me but the King asked my to let you know when the Princess had returned, her carriage just pulled up at the front, would you like me to put off the duel for another time."

Jasper started stirring with anger and dropped his guard, his heels clicked echoing through the room, he whispered to his opponent, "Forgive me," then turning quickly towards the door and shouting at the guard, all his anger towards his sister and his hype for the duel was a bad mix, "I don't care about her anymore, send her my regards or whatever but I'm in the middle of something," he pulled out the small dagger sheathed on his back and threw it at the door, hitting the wood hard and stabbing through the other side. Each duelist was given a small dagger to be sheathed on the lower back in case of a life threatening blow where their rapier could not block in time. Jasper took in a deep breath as the door was shut, he turned back towards to his challenger once again and loosened his legs, trying to re-prepare for the duel, his mind now not concentrated on the match. "Alright, en garde," and proceeded where he left off, sharing strikes with the Prince of Iglasia.

Today is the day. I can’t say I’m not nervous to see him again. But more than anything, I’m excited. I’ll finally get to see how much he’s grown since we were so tragically torn apart all those years ago. Has it really been 8 years? I’ve changed so much. Going from a weak coward who could do nothing but hide behind her guardian to probably the best and only female fighter in The Kingdom of Everglenn, my kingdom. I can’t wait to see my parents again. This is the reunion I’ve been waiting for, for what seems like a life time. But returning back to a world of responsibility doesn’t sound all that fun. I’m sure I’ll adjust.

I can’t wait to see Jasper.

---

The fishing ship came into the docks early that morning. It was nothing fancy, just a plain wooden ship with off-white sails that wreaked of anchovies. But it suited the princess and her guardian just fine. Since getting her sea legs, Jemma didn’t have a problem with any ship they traveled on. With a final deep inhale of the sea air, the princess walked down off of the ship onto the dock. Out in the cool, crisp air it was still a bit dark but she didn’t mind a bit. Rune came up behind her carrying their things. “Rune, I’m sorry but I really don’t like this dress… Can I please change back into my pants and shirt?”

Rune smirked with exhaustion in his eyes, but his humor never failed, “I’m not sure milady, can you?” It had been quite a long time since the teenage girl had worn an outfit suitable for a princess. She had grown accustomed to her “adventure clothes” that here would be considered either boy clothes or inappropriate clothes. Or both. Either way, her dress that was custom made for her was rather uncomfortable in her opinion. Despite it being elegant and beautiful with it’s sleeveless corset top, open laced back and black ruffles on the edges of the cut off long sleeves and top. The huge golden and black ruffles at the bottom hindered her speed and made her feel too exposed. The rest of the dress was decorated with four big black ribbons, neatly place one on her breasts and the other three at her waist. Indeed it was a lovely gown, which Rune helped design, but she disliked dresses now, and this one wasn’t helping at all.

Still, she dealt with it and returned Rune’s humor, “I know that I can’t for ‘it is not appropriate for a young lady to wear trousers, especially not a princess’” Jemma smiled, quoting her guardian’s words to the letter. In the distance she could see a group of men in armor on horses, knights from her kingdom come to meet her and Rune no doubt.

“Come now your highness, you want to see Prince Jasper and King Mitus, don’t you?” Rune asked as he led her towards the knights that he knew were some of King Mitus’s men, he could tell by the insignia on their horses’ saddles. He was thankful that they were finally going to be home and Jemma could be back with her family. On the other hand he felt a serious amount of guilt for Jemma still not knowing about her mother’s death.

“And my mother of course” Jemma replied as the two walked toward the entourage of knights. Her bright blue eyes were filled with excitement as she saw them, the first sign of home that she had seen in years, she pushed back a few strands of her blonde hair and adjusted the clips that held her bangs back. It seemed that she hadn’t given much thought to Rune not mentioning her mother in his question.

“…yes, of course, Queen Eileen as well…” Rune loaded their stuff onto one of the horses and gave each of the men a look that told them not to say a word about the Queen’s death. Out of respect for their old captain and for the princess they did just that, no one commented on the duo’s discussion about the Queen.

“Welcome back Princess Jemma, sir Rune, a pleasure to see you back safe” One of the men said politely and with sincerity. With ease Rune climbed up onto the horse behind the princess, who he had helped onto their silvery colored horse, and rode off. He allowed the men to lead him toward the kingdom since it had been so long since he had been in the territory and things had changed, he didn’t want to get them lost.

Inside Jemma’s mind, an endless amount of thoughts swirled through her head relentlessly, dizzying her. However, she tried to focus on the positives of her thoughts rather than the negatives. “Do you think Jasper will be taller than me? Long hair or short? Do you think he’s learned any special skills while I was gone? Maybe father taught him how to hunt like me. I wonder what my new room is going to look like, I know you said we can’t share the same room anymore, him and I, so I wonder which room will be mine…” She spoke aloud, verbalizing her thoughts to Rune so that they weren’t so jumbled in her mind.

Rune, who was sitting behind her on the horse, holding the reigns like he did the night he took her from the castle, replied casually, “you will find out soon enough, young princess”. He knew the princess was excited to see her brother but didn’t have the heart to tell her that Jasper had changed since she had been gone, according to the King and the Prince’s former wingman and faithful servant. The servant, named Raven for his jet-black curly locks that contrasted his pale skin and golden eyes, had served Jasper loyally for years since Jemma had left, only to be released from servitude by the Prince a year prior to the Princess’s return. Soon after that Raven was sent to serve in another Kingdom, away from the Prince that he would have died for.

Raven often sent messages to Rune for the King about the Prince just so Rune could tell Jemma that all was well. But all was not well, Jasper had become cold and callus, an arrogant and merciless shell of his younger self. This was due to the fact that his mother had died and Jemma was not around when he needed her most. Rune knew that when Jemma found out the truth about Jasper, and about their mother, she’d be devastated.

It was only a matter of time.

Night began to fall and they would not risk traveling with the Princess at night, not even on their own land, the Zanonians would never miss a chance to get at the young, supposedly defenseless, golden child of Everglenn. While the others set up camp in the damp forest at the foot of a number of large mountains, Jemma looked around at the trees smiling, this reminded her of Calorean, she wished only for a moment that she could go back.

That night in the tent that she slept in alone, she couldn’t stop thinking about her brother. Over the years she had learned to push thoughts about him aside so as to not cause an incident with her curse, but since it was gone her need to disregard these thoughts was no longer there. Her mind was worried that Jasper wouldn’t know who she was, or wouldn’t want her around because she hurt him. There was no way he would want her around, right? Rune, who was keeping guard outside her tent, heard her whimpering quietly in her sleep and wanted so desperately to comfort her, but knew not to leave his post or show certain feelings toward her. Though they had grown quite close, like family, he could not express this for it was improper.

Finally, the sun rose and they were met by a carriage when they got to the dirt roads leading toward the kingdom. On the way there, with just her and Rune in the carriage, Jemma rested her head on his shoulder and slept quietly, knowing she was safe and that her bad dreams were untrue as far as Rune had told her.

His words drifted into her head fading in and out like her consciousness, she didn‘t want to wake up. “Your highness, we’ve arrived” Rune had stiffened up and leaned her gently back against the seat, preparing to get out and hold the door open for her. “Time to awaken, your majesty” Rune fought the urge to wink playfully at her when she opened those pretty blue eyes of hers to look at him. “S-say again?” Jemma was proper even in her sleepy daze. “I’m sorry but, I didn’t hear you, did you say we’ve arrived?” She asked, rubbing her eyes trying to wake up more. “Yes princess, now please, step this way so we can get you in to see The King and The Prince” Rune smiled sweetly at her, a look she knew well.

Jemma nodded slowly and took one part of her dress in her hand so she could carefully step out of the carriage without her dress tripping her or dragging on the ground. It almost pained her to have Rune being so formal toward her, but it was the way it had to be. “Can we go see Jasper first, please Rune?” Jemma asked, her childishness showing once again, she was still very young and wanted nothing more than to see her twin and have things be the way they were before she left.

Before Rune could reply a guard came out and informed them both that Jasper was currently in the middle of a duel and wanted not to be disturbed. The man also added that her brother sent his regards. That last part was what got her the most, but she calmly processed it and stared up at the blue sky, making a clicking noise with her tongue as she thought.

“That’s all well and good, but I’m going to see my brother, I don’t know why he won’t come out to see me” It was not an angry tone she used, more of a questioning one. The young but independent and fearless princess walked past Rune and the man toward the dueling arena that she had never actually seen a duel in before. Rune chose not to follow and didn’t allow the guard too either, this was one problem the princess would have to face on her own.

The princess approached the door to where Jasper was and saw a blade sticking through the broken and splintered wood of the door. “Jasper…?” She spoke to herself. A guard rushed to open the doors for her and she walked in, still holding her dress up like a proper lady should. That’s when she saw him.

Her fourteen year old twin brother Jasper looked almost exactly as she imagined he would, a lot like her, only as a male. His lovely blonde hair was tied up, he had grown tall, taller than her and his stance, his aura… Everything about him was different. “Jasper?” She called out to him whilst he was in the middle of a duel, something she knew little to nothing about.

The only sound in the chamber was the clashing of sharp steel and fabric ripping, the two Princes had exchanged slashes and blocks. The challenger, Prince of Iglasia, was taking large and solid steps, while the more nimble Jasper was crossing his legs often and staying on his toes. He concentrated as best he could on blocking and attacking at an opportune time. The two had now circled around a few times, forcing one another back and forth. The larger of the two was already sweating and droplets were obviously seen from a distance while Jasper had merely a small glaze that shone in a certain light. The Golden Prince's inability to focus, due to news of his sister's arrival, had caused him to fail at reading a couple attacks and took cuts to his clothing on both his legs and his shirt, the black trousers were slightly shredded with trace amounts of blood dripping and his torso was lucky enough just to be scratched, but his opponent had taken a fair amount of damage himself, large and deep gashes on his arms.

Jasper was surprised to see that he was still going, unlike the younger brother who gave up rather early but the Prince still did more damage than needed to be done, that is why they are where they are now. Jasper paused in his steps, his stance the same as he started, glaring at his opponent, this fight wasn't going anywhere and he needed to do something fast but risky. He gave a quick smirk before stepping forward and slashing upwards, clashing with metal, then bringing the blade back down but keeping contact to push his challenger's rapier outwards and away from his body. He took another step forward but to the side of his opponent, ducking a bit but his blade was horizontally across his lower back, striking his foe across his abdomen. If this didn't finalize things then he doesn't know what would. He trailed a bit before turning around and forming his stance again, surprisingly the Prince of Iglasia still stood and with a greedy smile upon his face, Jasper gave him a disgusted stare.

The door opened but this time not so disruptively, the door was in Jasper's line of sight, just past his foe's head, he glanced at the door and saw a young blonde haired girl that somewhat resembled him. In that instance he questioned if it was his sister but he didn't believe it for a moment, that girl seemed to have a form like no other, royalty. He shook his head and focused back on his target, he took another step forward but this time going to strike downward just when that girl had called his name in a soft voice. His eyes widened and he stared at her, dropping his guard, the challenger knocked Jasper's rapier out of his hands and slashed deeply across his chest. The Golden Prince grunted and fell to one knee, "Gah! I give, I give," he stared at the ground, dripping blood from his chest, feeling remorse for glancing at the door, he felt ashamed for his family's name, he was so close to beating most of the Iglasian family and she had interrupted him. He closed his hand into a tight fist and and whispered to the victor as he knelt down to see if the Prince was okay, common courtesy, "What are you doing? You won, go rant about it, don't care about me, I wouldn't have cared for you."

The challenger left confused and a bit misunderstanding but still went back to his family and cleaned up, Jasper stood up weakly, the lower half of his pearl blouse now drenched in a velvet liquid. He stared at the ground, wrapped one hand across his wound and started limping towards the door, he kicked his rapier away from him and slowly made it to the door. He glanced up at the girl and knew for sure it was his twin now, as he neared her he simply paused to look in her eyes, the same matching blue as his, he saw his own reflection a bit but focused on her, "Glad you came back?" he said in a rather quite but stern tone and started making his way to his chambers. She caused him to lose and he wanted nothing to do with her.