Upon entering the duel arena, Jemma knew that the blonde haired duelist was her brother. Unfortunately she knew little to nothing about dueling and spoke out, interrupting him. It was her impulsive behavior that caused her not to think her actions through before acting. But it was Jasper she saw and she wanted nothing more than to run into his arms, even if it meant calling him over to her in the middle of whatever he was doing, (which was rude and she knew it). In her defense she had seen his eyes move to her before he stepped forward to attack once more, in this acknowledgement she thought it would be okay to call out to him, especially since she was concerned about the dagger sticking out of the door wooden door behind her. When her twin heard her voice she instantly saw his eyes grow wide and move to look at her once more, the other duelist disarmed Jasper and gave him a wound he would not come back from. With a gasp, Jemma watched as her brother made a pained noise and fell before his opponent, giving in to him. Was it a real battle, was Jasper about to be put to death? The Prince of Iglasia, who the Golden Princess recognized once she saw his face, did not further attack Jasper, but knelt to see if he was okay; this act surprised Jemma, what was going on? That's when she heard Jasper speak, his voice sounded different then before, a bit deeper with a cold tone that cut like a knife.

Once the Iglasian prince moved on, Jemma stepped forward to go to her brother. But he stood and limped toward her first, taking his obvious frustration out on his blade by kicking it away and then when he made it to Jemma he stopped only a moment and looked into her eyes. With all the cuts and blood on him he appeared to be in almost as worse of shape as before she left. What had she come home too? In his eyes, which did not shine like the matching pair of blue pools for eyes that she had, Jemma saw something there that was like something she had only seen in people that had gone through severe pain, not physically but more mentally. "Glad you came back?" he asked in a way that she didn't understand, a way that made her heart ache. The prince didn't even let her speak before taking off toward the main part of the castle. Princess Jemma looked down confused, her arms hung at her sides, she no longer held her dress up, she turned her head to watch him hobble away. Her trained eyes saw two things of interest, the ribbon in his hair which belonged to her mother, and the empty sheath for a blade on his back, it matched the blade in the door.

After a few minutes of recollection, the young lady took to finding where Jasper had gone. In one hand she held Jasper's rapier with the beautifully designed hilt, and in the other hand she held the shorter blade which had taken a bit of effort to get out of the wooden door. She cared not for where Rune had gone off to or for the guards that questioned her, she had her mind set on seeing Jasper, and talking to him, and she wasn't going to let anything or anyone stop her from going to him. Still, she kept her wits about her and remained both friendly and respectful toward everyone she passed. There was the matter of going to see her father and mother who she hoped where anxious to see her. But, impulsive as she was, she had to see if her twin brother was alright after whatever had happened in the arena.

It had taken her a while to find him. When she had gone back to the room they once shared everything was different. The room had been cleaned up so it seemed like nothing had ever happened, both child beds were no longer there. Their room had been completely redesigned and refurnished, the walls now bore a lovely pink flowery pattern, the floor was an elegant whitish stone with silvery specks covered by a large, fancy and incredibly soft rug with a red and gold swirl design along the border of it. White, girl furniture now stood in the room, a large bed with a silky white canopy overhang was draped with a deep red comforter lined with golden thread and white sheets along with pure white pillows sat against the wall on her right side with the foot of the bed pointing toward the left wall. There was also a rather big white wood wardrobe with handles of gold against one corner of the room. Her orange, black and gold chest with all her sentimental things was where she had always remembered it being, at the foot of her bed, it didn't match, but her mother must of told them to keep it. The last thing Jemma saw was a white tea table with two chairs and a recently dusted white tea set with pink flowers painted on it sitting neatly on the table, as if waiting for her return.

This was all wrong, this room didn't suit her at all; and even with all the new furniture Jemma could still remember exactly what it looked like before, the painful memories were still there. But then again, so were the good ones, her and Jasper used to have so much fun, what had happened to him while she was gone... why would he speak to her that way? A memory of the night of the second storm in her room flashed into her mind. The thing she remembered most about that night was Jasper being hit by a bolt of lightning and being slammed against the door. That was another thing that was different, the door had been replaced. It was wrong, she wanted her old room back, she wanted Jasper back.

With a sharp exhale the princess stiffened up and moved to one of the guards who was posted nearby, "excuse me, where can I find Jasper's room?" she asked politely. The guard was not only surprised to see someone in this particular hallway, since nowadays no one went there except the maids and they didn't speak, but he was also shocked to see that it was the princess. "Your Highness!" He bowed at the waist. "Prince Jasper's room is on the opposite side of the main hall" the guard replied with haste. Jemma's brow furrowed, she was inquisitive in nature and wanted to know why so far away, "why would he want his room to be so far from mine?". The guard was unsure of what to say, he had heard rumors but knew it was probably better not to discuss it with the princess. "Forgive me majesty, for I am unsure of the answer" hoping this would please her he stood up straight, his gaze was down upon her since she was so short, but she paid no mind to it.

"Well thank you very much anyhow..." She walked slowly down the hall and around the corner, once out of view of the guard she sprinted toward the hall where she could find Jasper's room. With her hands full she was unable to hike up her dress which caused her to fall down in front of several servants. "Princess Jemma?!" They all rushed to her aid and helped her up, one tried to carry Jasper's weapons for her but she snatched them off the ground before they could. "I'm sorry, I'm just trying to find my way to my brother's room, could one of you take me there... if it's not too much trouble"

"Oh highness, it's no trouble, you are the Princess, we will do anything you ask of us" A kind and gentle old maid-servant spoke, she smiled at Jemma and began to walk, "right this way, Princess" the woman led the young princess to the hall where Jasper's room was and they stopped outside his door. "Shall I see if he has returned to his room for you?"

"No thank you, this is one visit I'd prefer to make alone" Jemma said seriously. With that the maid curtseyed and promptly left so the princess could speak to her brother privately. A deep breath. In and out. Princess Jemma knocked lightly on Jasper's door. "Jasper, are you in there, I've brought your things back to you, your sword and such?" She questioned it for she did not know the proper terms for the weapons she held in her hand. "I'm sorry if somehow I upset you, can you please let me in so we can talk? It's been such a long, long time and even now I don't know what to say to you after all these years, I'd been so worried about hurting someone with my curse that I never even thought about what I was going to say when we were reunited, please believe me when I say I missed you, I thought about you every day when I was gone..." Her words trailed off, this was too deep, too serious for her fourteen year old self to handle. "Jasper, open the door"

As the Golden Prince made his way to his room, away from the Dueling Chamber, he continuously stared down at the marble white flooring, thinking about every mistake he made, but his thought kept transitioning to his returning sister. He wanted to know things about her but his hatred kept getting in the way and blocking his curiosity. He wondered so much, if she learned anything interesting, what she saw, who she met, he was very curious. Then he started to wonder if she was ever taught the proper ways of royalty from Rune, he figured the Guardian would, but he still questioned it, she seemed a little off perfection.

Blood stained the floor as he limped, passing guards and maids looked in the opposite direction, the Prince had given off a bad vibe to them for a couple years and they knew better than to approach him or bother him. When he finally arrived at his chambers he opened the large door slowly and shut it behind him, he closed his eyes a bit before opening them and examining his room more than usual. He had what was expected of a Prince to have, especially in EverGlenn. His flooring and walls were a combined marble of pearl and gold, the bed frame matched. His wardrobe and chest were mainly a golden color that was lightly trimmed in velvet with a small sharp looking pattern. He had a rack for his rapier and it bear the same golden light as his wardrobe. The only dark parts of his room were the drapes and his sheets, both a deep velvet, slightly darker than those around the castle but instead of being trimmed and patterned in gold, it was white, the thin thread formed swirls and diamonds across the red fabric.

Jasper weakly went over to a small table in his room, where he had papers of his daily duties and upcoming events. He leaned with most of his weight on his hands, he balled them into fists and pounded the table hard, "Damn it!" he was more upset at himself for losing than his sister returning, though she was a close second on his list of hatred. If he had just been better, if he had focused more on the match, he may have won, he would have won, but his demeanor and selfishness got in the way. He started analyzing his moves in his head and figuring out that he could have reacted differently to each attack, but then he thought again, it wasn't his fault, if she hadn't returned today the guard never would have intruded, and if she didn't walk in, he would blocked that blow and possibly countered, this was all her fault.

There was a knock at the door, Jasper started to stir a bit thinking it was a maid or butler, possibly another guard but then a soft voice spoke. She spoke of bringing him his belongings from the duel, apologizing for upsetting him and talking about missing him and such. She finally said to open the door and he was slightly annoyed, he was already angry enough with her why would he want to talk to her, but she had his things and he cared less for what she had to say, though he still wanted to ask her why. He limped over to the door and opened it, glaring at her before returning to his table, allowing her to walk in if she must. "My weapons go over there," he pointed to his rack in the corner then started working at the straps on his wrists connected to his blouse. He kept his body from facing her directly, not wanting to make eye contact, before she could speak he made the tone of his voice more direct and that he was the one who was going to talk, "Where have you been?" he took out the ribbon in his hair, the golden locks falling from their place, "I've never been more alone than these past years, father never had time, he's been so caught up with all the castle duties since mom passed so I never bonded with him, and I'm both scarred inside and out," he started working on taking his blouse off to clean his wound, "Cause you were never here, I blame you Jemma," there was a short pause as he took a breathe, taking a wet cloth and cleaning his chest, "for everything," he looked away from at the ground, whispering just loud enough for her to hear, "I hate you."

Young princess Jemma entered her twin brother's room somewhat cautiously, but with an air of curiosity as well. When she saw him, saw the blood on his shirt and on the floor she couldn't help but feel guilty for causing him to be harmed. But, this wouldn't be the first time. He did not make eye contact with her; Jasper didn't even seem excited to see her at all. All the prince did was simply point toward his weapon rack, stating clearly that that was where his weapons belonged. In an attempt to impress her brother with her ability to be proper she held her dress properly with one hand as she carried his weapons tucked under her other arm to his weapon rack. Her brother beat her to it when she wanted to speak after placing his rapier and shorter blade carefully in the proper places. It was clear in his tone that he wanted her to listen and nothing more; which was fine with her, she turned to face him and watched as he prepared to clean his wound. "Where have you been?" He asked in an almost accusatory way, Jemma was sure now, the ribbon he had taken out of his hair was their mother's. Intensely she listened, wanting him to be more accepting of her, for the time he seemed like he didn't want her there.

Then she heard him say it, the words that cleared up the mystery of her mother's ribbon. Their mother was gone, passed away, she would never get to see her again. Jemma squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, ignoring her urge to cry, to question him about what happened, she stayed calm and stood up straight and tall, letting him finish what he had to say. He blamed her, that was something she didn't expect either, and something else, those scars on his chest. Like what he was doing in the arena got him hurt all the time, the wound couldn't have been her fault, but still, he said he blamed her, for everything. There was a small pause, Jemma had not shed a tear like most girls would at hearing these things from their brother or twin or loved one. Her emotions were under her control. But she couldn't help it when she heard what he had to say next.

"I hate you." Jasper whispered.

Jemma clenched her back teeth and stared at him in surprise. Inside, her heart broke at hearing those words. Not only was her mother gone forever, but her brother hated her, and for what? For being gone to get rid of a curse that nearly killed him? She wanted to understand, she almost felt like she could, but there was nothing tangible there. He had no reason to hate her. Jemma looked down for a moment, took a deep breath then looked up with tears in her eyes that she tried to pretend weren't there. "I'm sorry you feel this way brother, and I hope you can forgive me for all that I have done" Her words were sincere, she was in no way joking about what she said. Slowly she curtsied, a formal gesture that showed that they had no close connection. Not another word was spoken, she went to the door and saw herself out.

When the door was safely shut behind her, Jemma allowed the tears to overflow and slide down her cheeks. It all made sense now. Now she knew the reason for Jasper treating her the way he did, now she knew why he had their mother's ribbon, now she knew the truth. Why hadn't Rune told her about Queen Eileen's death? Jemma inhaled and exhaled slowly, trying to stop the tears from flowing. But knowing that her mother wasn't going to be there when she went to see her father tore her apart inside. Her father... He had to be waiting to see her, right? She hoped her father hadn't changed. Jemma moved at a turtle's pace toward the throne room, thinking on all that Jasper had had to say. For now, it was about time she got to see her father again.

King Mitus sat upon his throne with advisers from other kingdoms and his own, all trying to get to his ear but he can only focus on one thing at a time. One kingdom is in the middle of a war and want troops, a town nearby is low of supplies and hundreds of other problems he wishes he didn't have to deal with by himself. He wore the colors of EverGlenn, Gold, White and Velvet, his coat was nothing but covered in complicated and elegant patterns of the finest threads. He lifted his crown off of his head and ran a hand through his hair before replacing his crown back. He tried to talk some sense into his audience, "My Daughter has just returned today, so please be patient, any problems associated with war or the army talk to my Personal Guard Rune, I can't be bothered with such requests right now," a few people left his presence towards the main entrance where Rune was last seen. He turned toward his own personal adviser who was alerting him of the castles problems or duties that had yet to be dealt with, "Marcus! Set those aside for now, I need you to deal with these people in the matters of their own villages before our castle, there will be time to deal with this."

Mitus was stressing out, he started to wonder about his son and how his duel went, and possibly giving him some responsibilities of his own for the kingdom, but that would take some thought, he hadn't really paid attention to his own son that much since the day his wife passed away. He closed his eyes trying to block out the ten voices talking to him, that's when he looked up and saw Jemma enter the room, a small smile formed on his face and he had to immediately make time for her. He gently grabbed the collar of a guard nearby and spoke to him, "Grab a pen and paper, note down their records accordingly," he looked back to the people "If you have status reports or records that I had requested in the past please give them to him, he'll write them down and dismiss you afterwards, any emergencies, go to my lounge and have a drink, I'll be with you before the day's end, anything else can be dealt with another time." The small crowd moved around and left the King, they all knew he would help when he can but there was a time when he needed to have a break.

He stood up and looked at his Daughter across the room, she appeared as elegant and beautiful as ever, just like her mother, he approached her slowly and took her hand in his own before speaking, "Jemma, my Daughter, my Princess, I'm so glad to see you, its been far too long and we've all missed you very much. We have to catch up, tell me about your travels, what you learned and how you rid that dreadful curse of yours," he smiled and gave his daughter a gentle kiss on her forehead, so happy to see her and grateful that she had returned unharmed.

---

Jasper hardly looked her in the eye the entire time she was in his room, he didn't want her to be there but he wanted answers and he really didn't get any. She excused herself and shut the door, when the Prince heard the hinges close and the door click shut he fell back into his seat hard. His mind was stirring with a mix of emotions and he could only express one, anger. As his body hit the chair hard he growled before shouting and pounding his fist hard against the table, cracking the thin marble, but that was the beginning of his rampaging tantrum: he got up and punched down on the crack of the table, breaking off a rather large piece and hurling out his window, shattering the glass, he grabbed the chair and chucked it at his wardrobe, watching it splinter the floor with golden painted wood, he took his rapier off the rack and started to attack his bed post but the thick marble seemed unbreakable until he took both hands on the hilt and shattered both steel and marble.

He felt a little relieved but still angry, he had wanted answers and had received none, he will get his answers though, at any cost, but for now he needed to formalize himself. He eased away the debris of his wardrobe to put on his Royal attire, straight slick white pants with a golden trim and a light velvet pattern on the bottom, he wore a similar blouse as before but with a golden vest over it, then topped with a thick pearl colored coat with straight edged shoulders, both patterned in velvet. His father said that soon he will wear epaulettes but he was too young and needed to show more involvement in the kingdom, of course those words were said back when mom was around so he probably forgot by now.

Jasper left his dorm and looked towards the nearest butler, "There seems to have been an accident in my chambers, fix it up now and bring me brand new steel, the way I like it," he demanded more than asked and the butler nodded and went on to complete as he was asked. The Prince then walked down the hall standing near the main hall, he figured he would notify his father of his loss then proceed back to the dueling chambers to make sure everything was cleaned up and prepared for practicing the next day. As he approached the throne room his body stood tall on his small heals, his back straight and his shoulders edged with his hands at his side. He touched the door and opened it to see his father and sister talking, he heard the King state, "..How you rid that dreadful curse of yours," Jasper shook his head in disgust.

"What does it matter, she's still cursed to me," he said while approaching the two, "Mitus I lost the duel today, due to a small mistake that was costly in the end. Thought I'd let you know, since your my King, but like you care anyways," as he said those last words he left towards the door mumbling, "You never had," and shut the door behind him, making his way towards the dueling chamber.

Princess Jemma stared in disbelief as her very own flesh and blood (royal blood no less), blatantly disrespected their father, the king. Jasper addressed their father by his first name, something a well-mannered child would never do, Jemma at least knew that. But then Jasper left with the words 'like you care anyways', and Jemma could have sworn she heard him finish with the remark, 'you never had'. It was bad enough that he entered with cruel words toward her but a royal should know better than to act so rudely, especially toward the king. What all had happened while she was gone, everything was topsy turvy. She watched her father sigh deeply and shake his head. "If I may father..." She began.

"Yes, my daughter? I'm sorry you had to come home to things this way" He seemed to be apologizing for Jasper's rudeness as if he knew he was responsible for it. "Things have been quite different since your mother's passing..." King Mitus embraced his daughter, something she hadn't felt for many years, something she now found it hard to believe a king would do. "I could not be there for your brother as much as I wanted too, and he has become like the son I never wanted him to be" When he released her from his warm hug he rested his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes; he saw so much of his long lost queen in the bright blue pools. "I am very glad to have you back, Jemma, but I'm afraid I must ask something of you... if not for me than for Jasper"

She had wanted to ask about her mother and her mother's death, but it seemed like it was too painful for him to talk about, the only way she would get the whole story was from someone else in the family who had actually witnessed it, Jasper. For now, all she could do was listen to what her father had to say, which was fine, she missed his voice, his scent, his warmth, everything about him. "Anything father, I'll do whatever you ask" The princess gave her king a smile, letting him know she meant what she said. So far so good, she was worried she wouldn't be able to survive amongst real royals since she had been away so long, but things seemed to be going alright for now.

"Please, if you can, I want you to bring the Prince Jasper we once knew back. If he is to be king some day he cannot continue on the path he is on right now, you are his sister, he may be bitter about you leaving but deep down he still loves you very much. I believe that only you can help him see the that everything is not all bad. Can you do that for me?"

"Yes of course" Jemma stood tall with confidence, though inside her emotions still stirred regarding her mother and Jasper hating her.

"Now I will send a few of the maids to help you get settled into your room" He smiled at her but the smile did not reach his eyes, they still held sadness. "And one last thing, your mother had this made for you so that you could always have your brother close to your heart" The king took a golden heart locket out of his coat pocket and held it by the ends so she could see. It was too beautiful for words, Jemma bowed her head and held her hair so her father could clasp it onto her.

"Thank you, father" With a polite and oddly loving curtsy the young girl hurried out of the throne room to her own room. Somehow she would have to think of a way to make the old Jasper come back.

---

A week had passed and Jasper had barely even looked in the Jemma's direction since she had been home. The young princess had had a few mishaps in the castle but for once (thanks to Rune) they did not involve her curse. She was caught practicing archery in the training yard intended for the knights, something she didn't know was off limits for a princess. Another time she tried to cook her own food which got her shooed out of the kitchen by the fat old castle cook. And even worse she was sent to her room to change because her tight, boyish looking clothes were of course, not appropriate for a young woman, she just couldn't help herself. It seemed that all this only made Jasper despise her more. And oddly enough, Rune never seemed to be around to help her, unbeknownst to her, he was trying to allow her to learn the rest of the royal ways on her own.

That day, Jemma decided, would be her first attempt at melting Jasper's ice cold heart. He was where (she was told) he usually was, in the duel arena, training. She put on a somewhat comfortable black and gold, not as puffy as the other dresses, dress. It was one of her favorites, short sleeved and flowing, just how she thought all dresses should be. Carefully she hiked it up and headed into the arena. Peering inside she saw her brother, hacking and slashing at a training dummy with his knew blade, most likely taking out his frustrations on it. His strikes were a little sloppy and she could tell, she may not have known much about dueling, but she knew about sword play, and his technique needed a little work. It was obvious what the problem was, she knew her brother was left handed, but for some reason he wasn't using his left hand. Jemma crept over cautiously, "Jasper..?"

The training room was practically his home, Jasper spent almost every hour of everyday in there practicing his dueling technique. He knew something was wrong about it and each session of training he gave himself he would focus on something different, one time it was his feet. He shuffled his boots across the floor at different speeds and different variations and yet nothing was wrong there, or that he saw. He figured it might have been the way he turns his torso when striking or blocking but that was nothing, he narrowed it down to his swordplay. He thought he had great sword play, able to strike when needed and block in precise timing, but he knew he was not using his dominant hand. He didn't want to use his left, ever since that night, their last night together, that flash of lightning and the intense pain in shoulder, he was afraid of using his arm, he didn't want to damage anything that could be scarred on the inside.

Today though he was slashing for no reason that involved training what so ever, he attacked the dummy in pure anger. A week had gone by and his sister had been committing actions that should not be done by a princess. Jasper had thought of what mom would do and tell her but she wasn't there to say anything, and he was still too angry to talk to her himself, he was just frustrated that no one could get the point across of proper behavior of a princess. He held his golden hilt rapier in his right hand, striking the wooden dummies like they were toys, and they were to him. His strikes were not of great speed or strength, he only created gashes and marks upon the wood that mimic the space between pages of a partially opened book. He didn't know why his attacks were so weak and he became more frustrated only striking harder with no difference in damage.

His name was said in a quiet and familiar tone, he stopped and stood up straight turning his head over his shoulder to look at the one he despised, "What do you want Jemma? I'm in the middle of something." That was his excuse for everything, he figured people would leave him alone if they knew he was busy and it did work, it kept everyone away except for of course his sister.

Quick-witted Jemma smiled when Jasper looked in her direction and snapped at her; she quickly responded with, "you're always in the middle of something". Since a week had passed she was already beginning to recover from Jasper's hurtful words upon her arrival, and the loss of her mother, which came as a devastating surprise. "I've come to talk, Prince" The young princess continued over to her brother, this time around allowing her dress to drag on the ground a bit. "You've changed, but I still know you deep down, I know you want to talk, so let's talk, like the adults that we are pressured to be" Jemma kicked herself inside for letting that last part slip, but it was truly how she felt. "Of course, if you do not wish to speak with me... I'll leave you alone" This was indeed a lie, she made a promise to her father and to herself as well, she wasn't going to give up on Jasper.

By that point it she was undoubtedly sure that her brother's somewhat sloppy fighting was due to his right hand usage, he was using his non-dominant hand. She wasn't sure if Jasper would speak to her so she stood her ground a few feet from the training dummy on his right side and continued to speak. "I want to mend our relationship, Jasp. I love you, you're my brother, so let me start by giving you some simple advice" Now she stood next to him, facing the training dummy holding out an imaginary rapier in her left hand. "You're left handed, you always have been, so, if you want your attacks to be stronger and more precise than ever, use your left hand, like this" Mimicking a simple wrist movement she had seen him too she was trying to show him how it'd work, but unfortunately for her this showed to be difficult. Unlike her brother, Jemma was right handed.

Jasper just gave a frustrated sigh and turned back to the dummy, but did not raise his blade, he found it kind of hard to focus now that she walked in, disturbing him once more. His thoughts trailed off away from her words for a moment as he noticed she wasn't picking up her dress as she walked, he rolled his eyes and wondered if she would ever learn. She mentioned that he had changed and he had a hard time agreeing with it, he always believed that everyone else just didn't understand and had changed themselves, things in the castle went to hell once the Queen had passed. "You came to talk, so talk, don't expect anything from me, I'll speak when I feel I must." He raised his blade and hit the dummy once like a whip before realizing she was standing right next to him.

He dropped his hand and indirectly looked at her, not making eye contact but showing that he was obviously paying attention to what she had to say. When she said his nickname and about how she loved him all he could think of was 'Then why did you leave?' though he wanted to say it, something held him back. He decided to give in for a bit, allowing himself to cooperate with her, but there is no forgiveness between the two, he still hates her for leaving. She spoke of giving advice about his technique, he found it a bit of a shocker but knew that there were things she learned while on her journey away from everyone, maybe one of them was sword play, knowing Rune, most likely, he had nothing to say on the remark. "I may be left handed but my shoulder is scarred, I don't want to use it."

Jemma wore her self confidence around her like an invisible cloak, she wouldn‘t let Jasper‘s words deter her, she was determined to help Jasper and please her father. “Jasper, I know you may not be able to forgive me for, how you say, abandoning you, but trust me on this one. Although your shoulder was injured, I’m sure it can withstand just a bit of use… so please, just give it a try, it’ll be worth it I promise” Jemma urged her brother to try the technique, she wanted to try and help him in any way she could, somehow she felt like she owed it too him, or knew that he felt she owed him. “You’re my brother, our father’s son, the proud son of King Mitus, Prince of Everglenn. This will help you prove to all others that you are someone not to be trifled with”

With a warm smile she stepped back a bit so he could, hopefully, try out what she showed him. “Also, from now on, I’m coming to all your duels, so we can grow closer and be like we once were. Please don’t fight it Jasper, we are twins, meant to be closer than any other family.” The princess took a deep breath and let him take this in, she didn’t want to overwhelm him with what she had to say. “Listen to me rambling, don’t think on it too much, just focus on training for now, I’d love to watch if you’d let me”

Jasper continued to look down and barely acknowledge his sister, though he knew she was there and was listening to what she had to say he made it seem like he didn't care. Though in truth he wanted to hear her, but at the same time he wanted to hide his feelings of missing her, he really did miss her, but at the same time he hated the fact that she left and he wanted her to fix that. He didn't know how she would fix it but that it was mainly her fault so he shouldn't have to change. He wanted her to be more involved, make up for loss time but at the same time he didn't want her around, he was just confused and in a mix of emotions, going with the flow for now. She was convinced that he could use his arm for a bit without causing damage, Jasper wasn't so easily, though for her sake and for what she had said, proving to other, he would try it.

He switched the hilt to his other hand, feeling its weight for the first time, "Fine, but if I get hurt I'm blaming you," he said in a rude manner. He lifted the blade as if starting a duel. The weapon was lighter than when in his right, it seemed more comfortable, it seemed right. He flicked his wrist one way then the next to land a solid strike across the wooden dummy. Immediately there was a difference, he was astounded by how fast he was able to move, it didn't compare to when he used his right hand, and the mark left upon the wood was even more astounding, it was deeper, cleaner, looked more threatening if someone were to just walk by and judge the fighter by the marks. He felt a different kind of energy, a strength, a different power when he used his left. He started to circle the dummy and struck at it several more times, smiling a bit as he realized his true potential in battle, then there was a pop, it came from his shoulder and his arm dropped, the blade nearly stabbing into his foot. Jasper grunted and clutched his shoulder, "Agh! God Damn it!"

Ignoring the once again hurtful tone he used and the rude words he spoke, Jemma was filled with glee when he finally decided to give her idea a try. She scurried to the seats where the audience would be sitting and sat to watch. It would work, of course it would, but what actually happened she didn’t expect. As she examined each of his movements with much focus she could see how much more damage his left-handed attacks would do in a duel, or in a real fight for that matter. Jemma had turned out to be right, she knew what she was talking about, thanks to Rune and her other friends she met on her travels.

As her brother circled his prey she could see a small smile begin to form on his face but it was quickly erased as a painful sound was heard from his left shoulder and his arm went limp at his side. He reached for his shoulder in pain and yelled. “Jasper!” Princess Jemma gasped and ran over to her brother. “Are you alright, what happened?” She couldn’t have guessed that this would happen, she didn’t know enough about the wound to predict that using the arm would cause pain.

Jasper didn't want to stand anymore, he collapsed to the ground to give his feet a rest and be able to feel his shoulder, trying to figure out what had happened. All he could feel was pain and regret, "I knew it, I knew I shouldn't have used my arm!" he yelled into the white flooring of the castle. He thought the event over and actually thought straight for once, it wasn't really her fault, it was his for trying, even if she suggested he could have refused, that's how he saw it, he had no reason to be upset at her. Though he did find that using his left hand was better, he needed to figure out why his shoulder gave out. He stood up and grabbed the hilt of his rapier with his right hand and sheathed it before taking a couple steps towards the door, looking to his left back at her but not making eye contact, "Thank you for trying to help but I need to visit the doctor about this," he started walking and touched his hand on the handle of the door, "I regret doing as you asked," he walked out to leave her in the room alone.

He made his way downstairs towards the doctor to get his arm checked out, but first stopping a guard and asking him for a favor, "I need the training dummy's replaced, and this time with iron armor please," he continued his way as the guard was in surprise by the sudden change in the Princes behavior. The guard immediately did as he was asked whole notifying a few butlers and other around the castle of the change in attitude but not to make that big a deal about it, it could just be a lucky day. Jasper made it to the doctor and had his shoulder check, he let him know about using his arm in practice and then it started to hurt. The Doctor sighed , "I was afraid this was going to happen when you were little, your arm is still in workable condition but you can't use it for long, you just loosened your shoulder a bit, nothing major, no activity for a bit will allow it to go back in place, your fine Jasper," with a smile he was dismissed.

Jasper nodded and left the room, he started heading back to his room, his mind repeating the doctors words and he started to think, maybe he could just use his left when he needed that extra push, but he won't be able to use it for long or afterwards, he would give it a try in his next duel but notify no one. He became curious as to why and how Jemma knew about sword play, he wanted to hear her stories but maybe for another time, her return was still much too soon for him to start recovering like everyone else.

Though her heart sank a bit she knew better than to give up, it wasn’t in her nature. She stood by while Jasper had a little ‘moment’, after which he stood to leave. Surprisingly he did not cry foul, did not yell curses or straight out blame her like she thought he would have. Even as he began to leave and looked back at her, he still did not make eye contact which for some reason bothered her. He stated that he regretted doing as she asked this was understandable and she felt bad but knew he too would not give up in this. It just wasn’t like Jasper, if she knew anything about Jasper it was that he wasn’t one for giving up, he had too much honor and pride. Jemma headed out after a few minutes of contemplating what could have happened, she returned to her room and wrote in her journal that she had kept for years now. This was her way of venting out her feelings, Rune said it would help her learn to control her emotions when she had her curse, and it somewhat had, thankfully.

---

Over time Jemma had learned what to say to Jasper and what not to say, as well as the things that were okay to do in front of him and things he disapproved of. That was his thing, he wanted her to be something she wasn’t, she learned that the hard way when he got upset at her one day and yelled at her to be more like their mother. Of course it hurt her, but she couldn’t let it get to her, she had made a promise to the king, and she always kept her promises.

Two years had gone by and now the twins were sixteen and growing fast. Jasper was becoming such a strapping young man and Jemma was blossoming into a beautiful young woman before Mitus’s very eyes. Since Jemma had arrived the king had tried to make more time for his children with very little success. But Jemma appreciated it none the less, even if Jasper didn’t. The princess made sure to go to all of Jasper’s duels to make him happy, anything to get him to open up and get closer to her. And it wasn’t bad, Jemma actually enjoyed watching the sport, except for the parts where Jasper got cut, that was never fun to see.

But luckily for her, her work was paying off, Jasper was finally beginning to be like before toward her. He often asked about her travels and wanted to learn all that she had. This always made her feel special because he was actually interested in something that she was interested in, things were starting to be like their childhood. Jasper was even starting to allow her to do certain things that princesses were forbidden to do. All and all, the kingdom was feeling more like home everyday for her.

Over the past two years Jasper had changed his relationship with his sister in ways he didn't think would happen, he had always formed a deep hatred for her but now he was actually getting along. Though he always had an interest in what she had done and learned during her journey away from the kingdom, he didn't think he would start to like her again. She had showed up to every one of his duels celbrated his victories with him, he had her to thank for convincing him to use his left hand instead of his right but after his first injury two years ago, he developed a strong strategy and technique to take advatage of his left hand.

Jasper started to be nicer to those within the kingdom, a big turn of events that no one saw coming. The Prince wasn't as cold as before but he was still strict to the rules, it was the way he was raised, the only way he knows how to live. He was still angry at his father though, he could tell the King was trying to make more time but Jasper didn't want anything todo with it, he failed as a father to him, and it would take a lot to earn the Prince's forgiveness. Things in the castle were going well and everyone started to be happier day by day.

Jasper held the bow in his right hand and an arrow in his left, this weapon was definately out of his comfort zone, he didn't like wood or ranged, he prefered his rapier over everything. He sighed and raised the bow and notched the arrow babck, it wasn't that he didn't know how to use one, he just didn't like to. He let go of the arrow and it soared through the air hitting the target on one of the outer rings, "Come on Jemma, how do you do it? I can never hit the target." It was late in the night, the only time where Jasper would allow time with his sister where rules of royalty don't exist, not that Jasper still dressed like a prince, the rules just didn't apply.

The golden twin, Jemma felt a warm feeling inside knowing that somewhere deep down her brother did not truly hate her. She enjoyed more than anything the time that they spent together, especially these specific nights where she could almost completely be herself around him. The princess held back a small laugh as Jasper hit the target on it’s outer rings instead of a bull’s-eye. He asked how she did it and she took her own bow and raised it in front of her as a rebuttal. “Okay, watch me again, Jasper” Slowly she notched an arrow and pulled back the bowstring. “You want to slightly over compensate for such things as distance, wind resistance, and the overall strength you use to fire your weapon”

To show him what she meant she closed her left eye and looked down the arrow to it’s point, adjusting accordingly. “From this far back you want to aim a little bit higher than normal, so if you think it’ll hit the center of the target from right here,” she moved her arm down slightly, “than you want to aim it just a little ways higher, accounting for the distance, you’re already hitting the target a bit high so try lowering your aim just a little. Also, since there is a slight breeze going East then you want to point your arrow slightly to the West but just the slightest bit.” With a small smirk Jemma finished her list of tips, “Lastly, you must think on how far back you pull your string, pull it back too far and you may over shoot and miss the target altogether, if you don’t pull it back enough than it will most likely hit the ground before the target”

Finally, Jemma inhaled deeply and released her arrow; it went whizzing through the air and hit the target dead in the center. She exhaled as she brought her bow down and looked at Jasper with a smile. “Just like that Jasper. I know you can do it if you keep trying. It took me years to get to where I am in archery. Similar to how it takes years of practice to become as good as you are in the duel arena”

Jasper stepper to the side to let his sister have her turn and explain, he watched her carefully, spotting every motion and detail about her structure as she pulled back the bow. She explained in deep detail for what he had to compensate for, he thought to himself that using a bow was far more complicated than using a blade, so he respected her for it. He nodded at her as she finished explaining, then she took a breath and let the arrow fly through the air, it hit its mark dead center. Jasper shook his head, "Amazing, you've done every time tonight," he swapped places with her and raised his own bow once more before notching an arrow, he aimed just as she said, over compensating towards the west and aiming a bit higher. He thought he was going to miss but he let the arrow go and it made it to one of the inner rings, still far from bulls eye but closer at least. He let out a breath and smiled, "Closer but not as near as good as you, I'll leave you to the archery, not exactly my cup of tea," he walked over to the target and set the bow leaning against it while pulling the arrows out.

Jasper looked back at his sister and smiled, "Thanks though, it's nice to know how to shoot properly, but we should probably head to bed about now, it's getting a little too late, and I have to leave in the morning to head to Iglasia, I'll be representing our Kingdom during a trade meeting there, Calorean is suppose to be there as well, Father gave me the responsibility since he has too much to deal with here, and if all goes well there might be some dueling the day after, you're welcome to join if you want, I'll be there for a couple days." Jasper started to think of the Princess of Iglasia that he only saw a couple times, but hasn't said a word yet, this will be the first time seeing her in a few years, he's kind of excited for it.

The golden daughter of Everglenn smiled at her brother as he said she was welcome to join him on his trip to Iglasia. Her brother had invited her to come with him, which was something she never expected from him. Ever since returning she could hardly imagine Jasper even wanting to be around her, but the two of them together were almost as they used to be. Jemma nodded her head, still smiling, “yes Jasper, I’d love to go with you, I can speak some Glasian, so I shouldn't be too much trouble. Oh, and don’t worry about the archery, sword fighting is an art I’m not quite that great at myself and yet you make it look so easy. We all have our strong suits.” She reassured him.

“I’ll head off to bed so we don’t get in trouble” The princess turned to leave but then stopped, thinking for a moment. She put her bow on her torso so the string was across her chest, her quiver remained on her back, her hands were now free. Jemma turned quickly and stole a hug from her brother, whispering, “thank you for tonight, twin, good night” It was a gentle, around the waist hug, she nuzzled his chest for a second then hurried off to her room.

Jasper smiled at his sister who agreed to come with him to the meeting the next day, she said she spoke some Glasian and he figured she learned while away for all those years, but he was fluent and would help her if she didn't know a word or two. The language could be confusing to learn and speak but starting young the task is trivial. He nodded at her when she mentioned she wasn't that great at swordplay and that everyone had a strong suit, she was right and it was something to remember. "Agreed, it's getting a little too late for comfort," he agreed with her on leaving before getting caught by one of the guards. As he made his way back behind her, he was surprised to see her arms quickly grasping around his waist, on instinct one of his arms hugged her back but the embracement was still something he wasn't expecting. He smiled when she whispered to him and he had to respond, but all he could get out was, "Good night Jemma."

The Golden Prince returned to his chambers and dress himself into his sleeping attire before making sure his blade was ready for tomorrow, it was a little dull from practice so he quietly called over a maid and had her take it to the blacksmith for a sharpening. He then laid in bed looking at the marble ceiling thinking about the next day, he was leaving early and he couldn't wait to see the Princess of Iglasia, possibly a future bride. He closed his eyes and emptied his mind so he was able to fall asleep faster, only to dream about his sister and their small adventures they recently shared.

Jemma was happy that her brother hadn’t gotten angry at her for hugging him. Also she was rather excited to be joining him on a mini adventure, or what she thought was an adventure, to him it was just duty. She’d make the best of it regardless. Knowing that the wise men of Calorean were going to be there made her happy, she knew them well and vice versa; the young princess would be able to communicate with them. Perhaps she could even be of use to the others by translating for them, maybe… As she prepared for slumber, she thought of Rune, and how he was the main reason she possessed all the experience she did. She missed her friend and guardian and wondered what he had been up too. They hadn’t gotten to see each other much any more because Jemma was busy getting proper royal schooling in the castle while Rune watched over the King. Apparently while she was gone, tensions with the Zanonians had worsened and Rune had to stay at the King’s side in case of an emergency.

After changing into a pure white silk night gown and putting her weapon in its hiding spot, the princess curled up in her bed and pulled the blankets up to her neck. “Tomorrow is going to be great” The princess assured herself in a whisper. Sometimes she just had to reassure herself, ever since the incident she never knew what would happen during the night. Even with her curse gone, deep down she still worried. Without another sound or movement, Jemma closed her eyes and allowed herself to drift off to sleep.

Jasper awoken in his bed without messy sheets and the sun was still down, he had learned to wake up early and on his own, forcing himself to only sleep for a certain period of time, he will always have short nights. He dressed himself and allowed one of the maids to enter to help him with his things, "Is the carriage prepared?" the maid nodded and went to grab his Golden coat, "Have the guards received any warning from the scouts about possible invading forces?" he was mostly worried about Zanonians but his skills would surpass even his own soldiers in a sword fight, so he didn't worry too much but running into them regardless would be unfortunate. The maid shook her head at the question, "No my Prince, all is well for your travels." Jasper smiled and started tying his tall boots, he preferred to dress himself, setting the tightness of his belts and straps to his own comforting rather than to just tight. "Thank you, retrieve my blade from downstairs and bring it to me, I'll be with my sister, if you don't find me wait for me by the carriage.

He left the room and went straight down the hall towards Jemma's dorm, he knocked on the door and waited for an answer but didn't hear anything, he looked around, making sure no one was around to think how improper his next move would be, before entering into her room and shutting the door. He walked around seeing as how she changed it to her own liking, then opening her wardrobe to see what she has grown accustom to before going to the foot of her bed hitting the side of her foot, "Jemma, hey, wake up, you should be used to this by now," he knew she would still be asleep, she always woke up later than him but he hoped that the royal schooling would help her a bit, nothing has changed.