A drop of sweat travelled down Jade's brow as she pulled the bucket full of water with a heave. She pushed back her shoulder length hair and with a grunt finally got the bucket by her side. The girl looked upwards and what should have been an easy walking distance up a hill seemed like a quest of epic proportions. Her broken bones were still mending despite the months gone by.

Careful not to jostle the wooden bucket she made the slow, winding trek up towards the cluster of buildings. Despite the cold biting her nerve ends Jade's face turned red with exertion. Each limping step reminded her of the painful crunch of broken bones.

"I'm never doing this again," Jade grumbled even though she knew it was a lie. She was tired of making bread and if there was any other task that got her out of the kitchen this was it. She opened the cottage door and luxuriated in the warmth of the fireplace.

"I told you," Jemima screeched as she saw the girl drag her limb from exhaustion, "I told you that you'll make yourself sick. It's much too far. You've barely stopped using your crutches a week ago."

Jade set the pail of water, with a cross expression on her face, at the threshold of the cottage. She seethed at the thought she had been proven incorrect despite all her efforts. She wiped the specks of water off her skirt that was fashioned in the village style, above the ankles.

"Maybe, darling, you should stick to making bread," Agatha's gentle tones were a contrast to Jemima's excitable voice. She poured her brewing tea into their respective, mismatched cups.

"I hate bread. I would rid of the world of my bread if it weren't so tasty," Jade grumbled to herself. The older women just ignored her as they always did.

"You do make a tasty loaf of bread," Jemima declared, loudly. Jade was convinced the old woman was losing her hearing but Jemima would not hear a word against her ears.

"I've made more than a hundred loaves of bread and I've had enough!" Jade announced which too was a lie. As long as she was trapped in this fistful of homes that called themselves a village she would be making bread. Her two hosts had tried to teach Jade other chores but they had soon learnt she was vastly useless. The only thing she had succeeded in was making bread. To stop would mean being ungrateful to her hosts who welcomed her in their home.

"Well the bread business is booming. Down in the town everyone always talks of your bread. Especially Bernard," Jemima grinned and winked at the brown haired girl.

"Bernard can piss off for all I care," Jade was in a miserable state of mind and was not afraid to show it, "And it's not like they have anything to talk about. Of course, my bread would be the talk of the town."

"The last topic of discussion was your arrival and that was a long while ago," The talkative of the two chattered as she folded the laundry. She knew Jade could never achieve the creases from her coal iron hence forbid her from touching it.

"Don't forget the bandits, my dear," Agatha took a sip of her tea. Jade's tea had tasted sour for some reason and they had never asked her to make it again.

"The bandits were barely a challenge. One good explosion from my rucksack and they never came back again. Craven trash!" Jade took a bite of her own bread and was transported to heaven. It really was lovely.

"Well, we were thinking of going down to the village for a drink in the evening," Agatha broached the question gingerly. She was always mindful when Jade was in a mood, "Would you like to join us?"

Jade's shoulder's deflated. It wasn't like she had anything better to do other than plan her escape from the two elderly women. Her vantage point showed her exactly where she was on the map of Edenshire that was seared in her brain but her physical attributes were too diminished to allow her back on the road.

It seemed like reverting to her female form had taken away all of her strength and independence, both symbolically and physically. The arrival of winter also made heading out all alone without a ride next to impossible.

The three women had their early supper and made plans to head down to the newly repopulated village. When Jade had been found only half a dozen families still remained on the plateau. The rest had been driven off by the mauradering bandits or the witch's dark magic. It took only a few weeks for the former residents to come back after realising the witch was no more. Life was returning back to normal although no one dared leave the boundaries of the village, even for trade.

Jade wore a dark green gabardine coat over a matching skirt for their evening entertainment. It was not as fancy as the garb she wore in the capitol for even her morning dress but it suited the small town life well. Anything fancier and she would stand out like a rotted peach on a tartlet.

"And there's Bernard," Jemima waved at the young redhead boy. He seemed to have his heart set out on Jade despite being a few years younger than her. The girl pulled her hat down in an effort to avoid him.

Bernard raced towards them with evident enthusiasm and exclaimed, "Have you heard? Marigold's seen some horsemen in the valley this morning."

"No, no, that's poor form. We should have been notified immediately. What if they're bandits?" Jemima lost all her good will towards Bernard and glared at him. The redhead visibly shrunk at the force of her disapproval.

"How many?" Jade asked. Her waterproof rucksack contained only one more dynamite. After that they were on the mercy of the new arrivals.

"I cannot say. I never asked her, I suppose that's an important question. I never thought they could be enemies. She said they weren't trying to conceal their presence like the bandits," Bernard now began to feel very dim. The sharp girl always had questions he could not answer.

"Are they meant to kill us, sister? I can't suffer any more turmoil again. That witch was enough. I was much too old to evacuate then and I'm much too old now," Poor Agatha lost her nerves as she spoke and both Jade and Jemima took her shaking, frail hands. They led her to the bench outside the tavern and sat her down.

"I should hope not. Jade'll save us," Jemima remarked flippantly. She blew her own white hair out of the way.

"How?" The younger girl scoffed although she still had her hand on her rucksack in case of an emergency, "I can barely stay on my feet tonight."

"You were feeling so poorly when the bandits came. You got rid of them without even getting up from your chair. I knew it was my luck that brought you here," Jemima folded her wrinkly hands one atop the other and gave their house guest a vibrant look, "I knew you were something special when I found you bleeding and broken in the stream dressed as a boy."

Marigold disturbed their conversation by pottering over and pointing at something at a distance, "It doesn't matter who's sitting on those horses. When you see them you bow. Wouldn't want to set a poor example, would we..."

"Gibface busybody," Jemima's private mutterings about her romantic rival were once again audible to the entire town. They both had their heart set on the elderly village dandy who wore the most colourful hats.

"How do you know they're important?" Jade asked impatiently. The villagers were not behaving as one should with an unknown foe. They were chattering brightly and looking around with expectant expressions.

"Two words: Royal banners," Marigold's green eyes rounded as she squealed, "They're here, they're here!"

Jade's toes curled as her emotions heightened. The new arrival should be her salvation but it only caused her dread. The upcoming soldiers would assume she was lying when she explained she was Prince Luke's secretary. In her waterproof rucksack she possessed no proof of her identity nor any symbols of his office.

The sound of arriving horses galloping was as if her heart had risen from her chest and decided to expose itself in front of an audience. Jade tightly grasped the wooden staff she used for her limp as she waited in silence. Jemima's chattering was all but noise in her ears.

Jade closed her eyes and looked down at her dowdy shoes as she did not wish to look at whoever it was representing the royal family. Perhaps the group was here to gather supplies or perhaps they wished to see how many survived Edenshire after the witch's reign. It would be a hard pill to swallow once they left without believing her fantastical story.

"Jade?" Dimitri's voice broke the silence of the villagers.

The girl's brown eyes blinked open and she scanned the scene before her. A group of men riding horses stood in front of her bearing the royal symbols and wearing the king's colours. A man slid down from his white horse and Jade recognised her childhood friend looking hale and hearty as if he had never been inflicted by the witch's spell. The shorter man raced towards her leaving a trail of dust beneath his leather riding boots.

"Jade! You're alive! You're truly alive!" The man exclaimed. He took her by the shoulders and gave her a hug which she eagerly returned.

"Look who's talking. You were frozen stiff last time I saw you. I thought you were dead and gone by now," Jade released him from the embrace and gazed at his travel companions. Many of them were familiar faces from their previous quest who were all gaping at her changed attire. A wave of self consciousness attacked her but she squared her shoulders and faced them head on.

Her eyes found Prince Luke amongst them and lost her fortitude. She kept her gaze away from his probing eyes. Even in the heartbeat of the moment their eyes had met she had observed all the changes in his appearance. He had lost the length in his straight, dark hair. It was funny for she had gained the amount of length in hers that he had lost.

Jade bowed at the company, especially the Prince, remembering her manners. She could no longer act with the uncouth familiarity that had become their norm. She expected she would be treated as one would a stranger.

"How did you get here..." Jade asked gently as the Prince was announced and the townsfolk scurried around the Royal presence. Each demanded he give them a moment of his time.

"We searched everywhere for you, even in the lake where the last vestiges of the river retired but you ended up in another branch of the river we had not forseen," Dimitri whispered, "Back at the palace the Prince discovered a way to find you, but come on, we have ears upon us. I shall discuss the matter later."

The travelling party descended from their horses and planned to make camp in the an empty field, long abandoned by their missing owners. Marigold insisted they take refuge in her home but her offer was warmly declined. Jade watched the Prince from afar but made no move to approach him and neither did he. The travelling party was then urged to join the newly reopened, rundown tavern, an offer they gladly accepted. Jade was abandoned by her hosts who decided accosting a handsome prince was worth their while.

"Are you avoiding him?" Dimitri sat down at the table Jade sat alone, bearing drinks for the both of them. He still had his rucksack on his back just like Jade who clung onto hers like a lifeline.

"Does it even matter. Hardly my place to waylay the Royal Prince," Jade replied imperiously. She cast a glance around the tavern and it was stuffed to the brim with people.

"He never gave up hope that you were alive. He searched and searched until he discovered a way to find you," The man said, urgently, "Your accident traumatized him. If you thought your prince was reticent before..."

"Don't say that. I no longer find amusement in your innuendos," The brown haired girl replied formally, "He was just my employer but now he's..." She trailed off.

"Hardly felt like nothing when we were on our horses the entire journey. You should have seen how we trod on the ground beneath us. Nothing could have stopped us," The shorter friend revealed, kindly. He felt he was doing a disservice by being a poor narrator. His friend needed to know the agony the Prince had been in by her absence.

"How's Eleanor?" Jade asked. She did not wish to hear what a tragedy her death was upon the tortured Prince. He should have been bathed in the new glow of love instead of being wrought with guilt. She was terribly sorry her existence was such bane for the Prince.

"Who?" Dimitri asked with his freckled nose scrunched. He was genuinely confused by her question until he remembered, "Oh, she's old news. She's been married long enough that she cannot be called a newly wed."

"Married? The Prince is married already?" The taller girl asked with nails digging into the checkered table cloth.

"No! To her fiance! The Prince officiated their wedding. The royal family has powers to officiate weddings, funerals, christenings and who knows what else. It was a small little event. She made a beautiful bride," The young man declared and Jade exhaled not even knowing she had held her breath. Her fingers let go of the table edge abruptly and she placed her hands delicately on her lap.

"But he was besotted with her. He couldn't have a change of heart so soon. I thought he would have fought a duel for her hand," The brown haired girl sent the topic of their discussion a furtive look who was flanked on both sides by elderly women and then stared back at her friend, demanding answers.

"Oh, come on? When has he ever given the indication he was a brute. You know him better than all of us. Despite his status he really didn't want to force her into submission. She loved that other boy and that was enough for him to step away," Dimitri vehemently defended his charge. He knew the girl in front of him was being obtuse.

"And he loved her enough to let her go," Jade uttered, finding the painful demise of the love story to be an uncomfortable topic.

Dimitri made a tutting sound and pushed his hair back from his face. His friend's obstinate expression was frustrating though he had not expected any less. Difficult topics of discussion were not her speciality.

"If he loved her I wouldn't know. Ever since you fell you're all he's ever talked about," Dimitri declared.

"Enough about me. How did you survive?," The taller girl waved her hand to indicate a topic change was necessary. She gave another glance at Luke and found him staring at her. Her eyes sprang away immediately, fixing on Dimitri all her attention.

"The spell broke when the witch died. We knew something was wrong but not how much. It was still nightime when we awoke and assumed very little time had passed. The pair of you were missing and finding both of you was our priority," Dimitri took a sip from his drink and continued the story despite his drying lips, "We met the Prince half way to the castle. He was... distraught to put it mildly. He insisted we make a search party at once. We followed the river down to the end but found nothing. No sign of the witch nor you. At least he gained some spirit knowing you could swim."

Jade eyes found her green clad lap as another one of her lies was found to be dismantled. She felt ashamed at all the deceitful words she had uttered to hide her identity. How could she ever show her face to anyone.

"Does everyone know... About me being a girl?" The question was softly asked.

"It's not a secret but only the royal family is privy to your identity. No one else is deemed worthy enough to be informed."

"Oh, well. It's not as if I'll ever meet then again," Jade tried to look uncaring but the smile didn't reach her wide eyes.

"He's come to get you. Where do you think you will go?" Dimitri's stare was quizzical, "You must talk to him and make your plans clear."

"I can't face him," Jade's cowardly side made an appearance. She shook her head, her brown hair followed her every move.

"I knew it! What happened? Was it a night of passion between two men and he discovered you were a woman," Dimitri hissed scandalously. The woman in front of him just rolled her eyes.

"Oh piss off you loon. Nothing of that sort happened. The witch made some rather bold claims and I fear he might remember..." The girl worried her lip nervously.

"She couldn't have done worse than reveal you were a woman," The stocky man muttered, flatly.

"She told him I love him!" Jade rasped and downed her entire drink in one go.

"I knew it! And she wasn't lying?"

"She wasn't. And I'm embarrassed to death. Can't a girl fancy a charming Prince in peace," Jade slammed her forehead on the table. The checkered table cloth was no protection from the rough wood underneath.

"Look out, look out. Your Prince charming is on his way here," Dimitri's voice held far too much mirth for her liking. Jade carefully pressed her hands down her front to look composed and dignified.

"Here you go. Just what you need" Prince Luke said, breezily. He placed a large jar of her favourite mead in front of her while carrying his own drink. He too had carried a nonchalant air about him that was a careful construct for anyone who knew him.

"Contrary to what you believe I'm not an alcoholic who likes pissing in my pants at the end of the day," Jade took the offered drink with a friendly smile.

"No, just upending the contents of your stomach on my shoes," The Prince retorted.

"I'll be leaving," The Prince's bodyguard jumped from his seat, "We've had our reunion and you must have yours."

The Prince gratefully took the vacated wooden seat, "You don't look too bad."

"Not quite the cripple you assumed," Jade's lips held a faint smile. Despite her fears there was an instant effortless camaraderie between them. It was as if they had never been apart.

They looked at each other in an easy silence as if cataloguing the changes in each other.

"How did you find me, the marbles?" Jade guessed easily. If their physical groundwork hadn't given them any clues then they must have taken a magical route. Harry had shared much of his research with her and knew the marbles had more uses.

"Yes," The Prince nodded as he leaned in closer, "I just needed one of your possessions even if it were not magical."

"Mine? It cannot have been anything I wore for most of my clothes were new as were my belongings. The object needs to be important."

The dark haired man looked away, regret lining his face, "I know you despise others using your father's memory but I had to do it. I apologize for using him for my own gains."

The tall girl watched him look down at her bare wrist and understood his meaning, "My mourning ribbon!"

"It slipped off your hand into mine when..." Luke's voice wavered as if reliving the memory. His shoulders were hunched over with misery.

"I fell," Jade completed his sentence flatly, "I wish you wouldn't feel guilty about my death. It was a dangerous trip and some fatalities should have been expected."

"It was my own vanity that led us on the trip. I thought my chivalry would be accepted open armed," The man's short hair was still unruly and untame as it shook with each shuddering breath he took.

"We ended up freeing Edenshire from the witch's influence. These villagers were going through a horrible ordeal. I have seen their pain firsthand," Jade explained, softly.

"I could not protect my men and neither could I protect you," Luke's grey eyes were harsh and full of self recrimination.