I know I should probably finish every other story I have, but I get sick of them! And their
hasn’t been one that’s able to hold my attention for very long. Anyway, here’s a ‘Prince
and Princess’ story about Jessie and James. I hope its good.

	Disclaimer: I don’t own Jessie and James

	Rating: PG  

	----------

	All Because Of You
	By Silver V
	Chapter 1
	

	Jessica Rose-Elizabeth Faerell II was extremely, utterly bored. She had already
completed her daily vexing of her poor maid Mildred, pushed her younger brother into the
pond, infuriated her mother by ruining yet another gown, and made herself hopelessly
muddy and dirty. The little whirlwind of energy and mischief felt horribly annoyed at the
whole world. What was there to do? Even at her father’s magnificent estate, the Manor of
Crassaden, she felt suffocated. Why are they always trying to ruin my fun, and turn me
into a ‘little lady?’ Just like your Mama, she thought mockingly. What’s so good
about being like Mama anyway? All you do is dress up in ugly gowns that make you stop
breathing and drink tea and talk with other ‘ladies’. Boys get all the fun. That was
the young mistress’ favorite saying. ‘Boys get all the fun,’ and she used it whenever she
was cross or bored.
	Jessie swiped at the leaves on one of the carefully cultivated trees in the garden.
Glancing around for the yuckiest, muddiest place she could sit in, she finally found one to
her liking and plopped down in complete disregard for her dress. Crossing her arms, she
stared around for something to do. Jessie’s eyes fell on a stick, shaped rather like the thin
‘sword’ she saw her brother practicing with. Picking it up she pretended it was a real
rapier, and started thrusting and parring with the tree she had been leaning against.
	And Jessie the bravest knight of them all, the strongest one in the Kingdom,
has won again. She has defeated the evilest one of all. The Black Deven. Jessie
conveniently used her brother’s name for the imaginary villain. But then, the Black
Deven called on his evil friends to come help him, and it looked like Brave Jessie was
starting to be beaten. Jessie wiped a drop of sweat away from her brow, as she
continued her fanciful battle. But then Brave Jessie used all of her strength and made
one final killing blow. The seven-year-old thrust the wishful rapier into the tree,
where it stood there quivering. Jessie blinked as the world melted back to reality. The dull,
boring reality.

----------

	Marquis Raess of the Manor of Crassaden stood vibrating with righteous anger as
he faced the poor messenger. 
	“What?”  That one, highly emphasised word was full of meaning and
danger. The young inexperienced lad heard that hidden meaning, and trembled visibly. If
he had known the Marquis better, he wouldn’t have quaked in his boots because the
Marquis Raess was mostly all bark and no bite. He was the kind of man who had an
awesome temper, and bellowed a lot, but when it came right down to it, he had never
intentionally tried to hurt anyone and--though he would never admit it--with his family he
loved with a fierce pride.
 	“The Earl of Dunfin is going to arrive on the morrow,” the messenger repeated.
	“What is that thieving, scheming........pig! going to be doing, daring to come to my
estate! Why I’ll....I’ll....I’ll.” 
	“Kill him?” the ever helpful messenger supplied, sort of hoping Raess would kill
him, as the Earl was not the most lenient of masters.
	“Yes! Now get out of here, you bringer of ill news, and tell that man if he dares to
show his face he better have a damned good reason for coming!”
	The messenger bowed slightly, and took his leave, hurrying as fast as he could.
The Marquis Raess began pacing, muttering to himself, and barking at the odd servant
who would accidentally find himself on the receiving end of Raess’ wrath. Eventually, the
Marquessa Raess, Lilly, was informed of her husband’s foul mood, and rushed to his side
before any more priceless vases could be broken.
	“Dear, what’s wrong? Is it Jessica?” with her pale, pale skin, and nearly
white-blonde hair, Lilly was the exact opposite of the dark-skinned, red-haired giant that
stood beside her. Lilly was serene, and always composed, an anchor for her Henri’s
volatile temper. But even being as different as they were, they shared one common feeling.
Their exasperation for their daughter. The little girl took after her father, with his dark red
hair, clear blue eyes, and explosive temper--and she had her mother’s pale skin--but no
one knew where she got her wildness from, or her extreme dislike of the royalties and
luxuries of the wealthy. The parents had a very hard time controlling the difficult child,
and the Marquis’ way of handling her was to fly into a frenzy, not setting a very good
example for Jessie. So that’s why the quiet but strong Marquessa thought her husband’s
rage could be over another escapade of their daughter’s.
	“Dear?” she repeated. “What happened? Did Jessica do anything?”
	Raess whirled around to face his wife and shook his fist at her. “No!” he shouted,
“It has nothing to do with Jessica! It’s that...that...that...stupid man the Earl of
Dunfin has decided to pay us a visit! On the morrow! How dare he!” and with that the
Marquis went back to his pacing’s and mutterings.
	Lilly was rather confused. “What is so wrong with the Earl, lord?”
	Aghast, the distraught Raess whirled again to his wife. “Wrong? Wrong? The Earls
of Dunfin and the Marquis’ of Raess are mortal enemies, dating back to our ancestors
time! Those conniving Dunfins stole our land, raided our stocks, but we showed them! Ah
yes, we sure got them, in the battle of-”
	“Well!” Lilly interrupted, having heard about that battle several times, “We shall
have to start preparing, won’t we?” 
	Lilly called Mildred to her side, and instructed her to go find Jessica and Deven.
Calling another servant, Lilly had rooms aired out and fresh linen placed on the bed. She
made sure all the right decorations were placed down; the roses in the china vase, the
tasteful pictures straightened, and the air perfumed.
	“Madness, its madness I tell you. Ah, but back in the downfall of that accursed
family, that was anything but madness.” The Marquis crossed the room, and reverently
pulled the heavy sword of his family’s off its place of honour high on the wall. Hefting it in
one hand, he started executing a complicated pattern of jabs and plunges, unconsciously
doing somewhat what his daughter had played around with only a short while ago, except
for the fact that he actually knew what he was doing.
	Lilly smiled indulgently as she watched her husband reliving the moment of their
glorious defeat over the Dunfins. With a shake of her head, she saw him stumble, and then
start blaming it on the bad luck of the Earl of Dunfin. What a silly feud, she
thought. But at least it occupies dear Henri, and keeps him from going mad from
boredom. For the Marquis and his young daughter were both quite alike, bored with
the world and seeking adventure.

----------

	“Ahem. Milord and Lady, the Earl of Dunfin has arrived,” The stately butler,
Schmee, calmly announced the Earl’s arrival. Schmee had been with them ever since Henri
had married Lilly, and had become the Marquis Raess. Schmee did everything calmly, and
never, not once in the thirteen years he had been with them, had anyone managed to get
even the showing of anger out of him. Not even Jessie, who probably had tried the most
out of them all, and was definitely the best at aggravating someone.
	“Oh, excellent. Show him into the drawing room, would you please, Schmee.”
Lilly asked, rising gracefully from the tall backed chair she had been sitting patiently on.
	The butler bowed slightly. “Yes, milady.”
	Lilly nodded at him, before turning to smile at her husband who was rubbing his
hands together nervously.
	“Dear, please stop fidgeting, it isn’t good for the nerves.”
	“Good for the nerves. Ha, I’ll decide what’s good for my nerves,” he muttered
rebelliously, looking like a grown-up male version of Jessie in her worst mood.
	“Oh yes, I’ll have to call the children, just for a minute. I’m sure the good Earl
would want to meet them.” Lilly rang for Mildred and asked her to bring down the
children.
	The maid herded the freshly washed, and freshly dressed Jessie and Deven down
the stairs, and gave them a quick pep talk before shooing them into the drawing room.
Immediately Jessie ran towards her father, whom she knew might listen to her.
	“Daddy! Daddy, listen, Mildred did these braids so tightly around my head, I think
it’s going to burst!” the little redhead looked earnestly at her father. Mildred had braided
Jessie’s long crimson hair into two braids and wound the thick ropes into a cris-crossing
crown of braids. “And that would be bad, right? So I can take them out?” she asked
hopefully.
	Raess let out a shout of laughter before stroking his youngest child’s soft hair.
“You look stunning, honey. I’m sure the Earl is going to be green with envy and wish he
could have a daughter just like you when he gets a good look at you!” 
	Jessie sulked. That wasn’t the answer she wanted to hear!
	“And Deven, my boy!” her father continued. “You look very handsome there,
lad!” Deven was a shy eight-year old with his mother’s coloring and a bit to skinny for his
age. He just smiled shyly at his father. 
	“Marquis Raess, allow me to introduce the Earl of Dunfin.” Schmee stepped aside,
and let the portly Earl enter.
	“Ahhh, my dear Raess, how good to see you!”
	“Humph, yes well. What do you want Dunfin?”
	“Want? But I want nothing! I have come here with a sort of peace offering.”
	“Peace offering? I don’t want no peace offering from a murdering Dunfin! You
think you can just offer me whatever it is your offering and I’ll let the feud that has been
going on for hundreds of years be terminated? Ha! You insult me!”
	“Now dear, maybe we shouldn’t be too hasty about this.” Lilly cautioned her
husband. “A peace offering, you say?” she asked, turning to the Earl. “What sort of peace
offering?”
	Dunfin grinned, displaying large, crooked, and yellow teeth. Lilly made a game
effort at trying not to wince. He snapped his fingers and then beckoned for someone to
come into the room.
	Jessie had been sitting quietly, bored out of her mind during the whole
conversation, paying only enough attention to decide she disliked the Earl. But when a
young boy was pulled into the room, her attention was roused.
	A sullen boy was standing in the middle of the room with his chin raised defiantly.
He had cropped lavender hair, dark green eyes and he was built like a young boy reaching
adolescence. Tall and skinny, and not quite used to his new height. She estimated him to
be about eleven.
	Laughing heartily, the Earl clapped the boy on the back. “Young James here is
willing to do some hard work for you folks.”
	Jessie sniffed. She could see why her father detested the man so much. He was
loud, arrogant, rude and very ugly. James shot a murderous look at the Earl, and Jessie
figured that James wasn’t very willing to do hard labour.
	“I found the boy on the side of the road half starved to death. Well, being the
generous man that I am, I took him in, and decided to give him to you for work. I’ve been
hearing you needed some new male workers. So, will you accept my peace offering?”

----------

	James glared at the family across the room, daring them to accept. He glared a bit
more, then shrugged. It didn’t even really matter whether they took him in or not. If they
did, he would just grab some food and hightail it out of there before they could put him to
work. James prided himself on his ability to escape out of any building. 
	He had first realized he had the talent of lock-picking when he was only seven,
escaping from the orphanage. James had been born into the world by his young mother,
who had died in the birthing. His father--deciding it was too much work--had taken off,
thinking only enough of his son to drop him off at the orphanage. James had been living in
that hell-hole up until he was seven, when he had used all of his young wits to escape. He
had been doing just fine on his own until he was set upon by two older boys, taking his
meagre possessions and beating him up quite badly. That was when Dunfin had found him.
And now here he was, being given like a head of cattle or some such thing to this wealthy
family who obviously didn’t care about him.
	James studied the family across the room. It was always a wise move to know your
enemies. The old man looked like a large red-bearded Viking who looked like he would be
happier with a sword in his hand on the battlefield, then squirming on his chair in all his
fine clothes. 	
	The woman looked like a stiff, proper lady, but had an air of compassion around
her. Her light hair was styled in the very latest fashion and her gown was without one
improper wrinkle. 
	The young boy James dismissed as a weakling. His eyes darting around nervously,
James waited for the boy to meet James’s gaze, but finally gave up in disgust, now
labelling the boy as a weakling and a wimp. 
	But the girl. James blinked when he saw the girl already sizing him up. Her catty
blue eyes were narrowed, her dress rumpled, and loose tendrils of hair were already falling
down from her crown of braids. The corners of James’ mouth lifted slightly in a small
smile when he saw the girl give a quiet snort of exasperation and tug on her tight braids.
Her eyes lifted from studying his clothing and met his gaze. He was quite taken aback
when she grinned. Jessie had decided that he looked like alot of fun, exactly the thing she
needed now to relieve her boredom. When he didn’t grin back she lightly stamped her
foot, her grin fading. Everybody always at least smiled when she showed her dimples, why
didn’t he?

----------

	While this silent exchange was going on between the two children, the adults had
been discussing James’ future.
	“I don’t want your blasted peace offering!” the Marquis roared. He’d die before
taking a gift from a Dunfin!
	“But dear, we do need some extra help at the Manor! I think we’ll take him,” Lilly
made up her mind, smiling politely at the Earl. She hadn’t liked the look about the boy.
Haggard, ratty clothing, and filthy, she knew the boy needed some care and attention and
would never receive that with the Earl.
	“Lilly! Tarnation, I won’t accept him!”
	Her patience starting to thin out, Lilly smiled through clenched teeth. “Yes, you
will.” Lilly was a quiet woman, but her stubborn streak could match her husband’s if need
be.
	Dunfin sneered, “Can’t even handle your own woman, hmm?” he raised his
eyebrows mockingly.
	“Why you!” Raess was out of his chair like a shot, ready to pound the Earl’s face
in but he gained control right at the last minute. He sat stiffly back down into his chair and
crossed his arms defiantly.
	“So, my dear Earl, if you’d be so kind to leave the boy here, I’ll get Schmee to
escort you out.” Ringing a bell, Lilly very nearly smirked at her husband who was red in
the face with his suppressed urge to rant and rave.
	The Earl of Dunfin stood up and bowing slightly--if ungracefully--he followed the
butler out of the room and off the grounds.
	“Well now! I’ll start cleaning the boy up and let you take out your anger on more
of our china. Come along children. That includes you, ahem, James, I think he said. Is that
correct?”
	James looked around, as if surprised to find the Earl gone, but managed to nod.
	“Okay then follow me, and let’s leave the Marquis alone before he starts to smash
you too.”
	When James still didn’t move, Jessie marched up to him and raised up on her
tip-toes so that she was eye level with him. Toe to toe she threatened him, “You better
listen to my Mama,” and gave him a hearty push to start him on his way. Prodding him the
whole way up stairs, she finally left him to her mother’s ministrations.

----------

	James threw himself onto the dirt, thankful for the small break he got from the
stables. As soon as he had been healthier, the Marquessa had sent him to help their groom,
Jaren, with the horses. He had been worked like a horse himself ever since.
	Propping himself onto one elbow, he stuck a piece of grass in his mouth and began
chewing thoughtfully. When should I leave? he thought. I haven’t really had a
chance to though. And besides, they really aren’t treating me that badly. I’ll give them a
couple more days, he decided.
	James was shaken out of his thoughts when a head of bright red hair appeared next
to his own.
	“Hi. I’m Jessica. But only my Mama and Father call me that. Everyone else calls
me Jessie. You’re James right? The new stable boy?”
	James eyed the young girl silently. It was only ten o’clock in the morning and
already she was filthy. Much like myself, he thought.
	“Well aren’t you going to answer me?”
	“Sure. Yeah I’m the stable boy and my name is James. Why do you care?”
	“I’m bored silly with this whole thing of being rich and I need a friend. Someone
who wants to have fun,” she replied.
	“What about your brother?” he asked.
	“Deven?” she wrinkled her nose. “He would rather go read a stupid book than play
with me. But you look like fun. Wanna play?”
	James raised an eyebrow. What kind of rich girl was this? Asking him, the stable
boy, if he wanted to play. “Why don’t you go read or learn Latin or something. Do what
ladies do. That’s what you gotta be y’know. A lady.” James didn’t even have time to blink
before her fist connected with his face. He sat up abruptly and rubbed his cheekbone. She
was definitely no lady. “What’d you do that for?”
	“I ain’t no lady. I’m never gonna be a lady, and don’t you ever say I will be!”
Jessie shouted, standing up with her fists clenched. Her eyes sparkling dangerously, the
little girl grabbed James’s shirt and pulled him up. “Now I want to play, and we’re going
to play.”
	James eyed the steaming girl and thought it better to his health if he just decided to
go along. “Sure, fine. What do you want to play?”
	“Knights! Let’s pretend we’re two knights for the King and we have to protect
him. Come on! Let’s find some swords,” her anger evaporating, she scampered off to find
suitable sticks.
	James sighed, his eleven-year-old ego saying knights was for babies, but he played
along and found a pretend sword. Soon, before he knew it, he was caught up in the game
just as much as Jessie was.
	“En garde!” Jessie shouted to an imaginary foe, and hacked him down with just
one swing of the sword. “Come on James, more enemies are coming!” 
	The little girl and the older boy raced off to save the King, the unshakeable bond of
friendship blooming as they fought their way through countless enemies.

----------

	Five years had passed. Five years of Jessie and James being inseparable. Henri and
Lilly tried to keep them apart, for it was unfitting that a nobleman’s daughter be
conversing with the stable boy. But every scheme they came up with, Jessie and James
found a way around it. They were best friends, romping around, playing knights, and
occasionally just talking together. James still worked at the stables, but every break he got,
every spare minute he had, he spent it with Jessie. And even when he worked, Jessie often
decided she would take a gallop with her horse, just so she could talk while he saddled up
her horse.
	James was fifteen now, and uncomfortably starting to realize how pretty Jessie was
getting. Although she hated it, and denied it every step of the way, Jessie had started
filling out in all the right places. She tried to disguise it with baggy clothes and dirt, but
even at age twelve there was no mistaking her for a boy now. She had recently chopped
off her long red hair in a rage of frustration, and now it just brushed her shoulders. She
hated her big blue eyes, and usually squinted. It wasn’t that Jessie wanted to be ugly, but
becoming pretty was one step on her way to becoming a lady. 
	Jessie worshipped the tall boy with his dark green eyes, and still cropped light blue
hair. Sometimes Jessie thought his hair was purple, other times it was blue. Around the
time when they first met she named his hair color ‘plue’ for purple and blue. 
	She smiled at him, just coming out of the stables, and he grinned back and raced
towards her. Catching up with Jessie he tugged on her hair and then just laughed when she
pounced on him, ready to start one of their hour long wrestling matches.
	Watching from a window, Lady Lilly sighed and shook her head. It wasn’t healthy
for a girl of her age to be so devoted to a boy. A boy four years older no less. She needed
time, Lilly thought, then grimaced. She knew, for Jessie all the time in the world wouldn’t
change the young girl’s feelings towards James. He was her idol, her best friend and
nothing could change that. 

---------- 

	James groped around in the dark, trying to find his bag. 
	BONK!
	“Owwww! Son of a....dog! Ooooh, that hurt!” James swore quietly under his
breath after banging his shin on the side of a chair. Hopping around now, his hand finally
found the coarse leather of his shoulder bag. Slinging it over one shoulder he creaked
open the door as quietly as the ancient thing would allow. 
	Silently, he crept out into the night starting down a path that his feet had followed
many a time. Towards Jessie’s room. Often he had stolen up into her room climbing the
huge tree by her window and they had gone on a long walk or swim, or had a campout.
But now his reason for coming was different. Quite different. 
	He left his pack by the trunk of the aging willow. He jumped up and caught hold of
the first branch lowest to the ground. Noiselessly he swung himself up and began the long
climb. Reaching her window, he tapped lightly on the glass. Silence, then another tap.
Finally a sleepy red-head popped into view. Jessie hoisted the window up and helped
James clamber in. Shutting it silently she turned around and eyed him thoughtfully.
	“Why’d you come? You only usually come every other night. And we went for a
swim last night, so.....” she trailed off, catching the look in his eye. Troubled, worried and
a little scared. “Okay James, what’s wrong?”
	He hesitated for a minute then stepped forward to clasp both her hands. Jessie
frowned at the action, knowing James wasn’t a touchy-feely sort of person, and physical
contact he only saved for serious situations. Alarm began to seep into her system. Serious.
She knew whatever was wrong was very serious.
	“Jessie, uh.....you know that pact we made when we were younger? The one to
never leave each other?”
	“Yeah, what about it?” she said slowly, panic starting to rise.
	“Well, I didn’t realize back then how I would feel now.”
	“What? What do you mean?” her voice crept higher with every word. He wouldn’t
meet her gaze.
	“Um Jessie, I love you, you’re my best friend and everything, but.....I have to
leave.”
	Dead silence. James’ gaze shot to hers. He had thought she would scream and cry
and carry a typical Jessie fit, but he hadn’t expected silence. “Jessie? Did you hear me?”
He let go of her hands and grasped her shoulders, giving her a little shake.
	“You’re leaving me?” her answer was a breathless whisper. “You’re going?” her
voice grew stronger. “After everything we’ve said and done you just decide to leave?
What about that pact?” she was shouting now.
	“I know! I know, that’s why I agonized over this every night for almost three
weeks now. I didn’t just one minute decide to leave!”
	“Agonized? Agonized over this every night you say? Whatever! I bet you did just
decide to go! You just thought, Hmm, I’m getting bored, I say it’s time to skip out of this
place just like I did the orphanage and probably a million other places! How many other
families had you cozied up to, ate their food, probably even stole money from! How many
other girls did you just leave?”
	When James didn’t answer her, she forced her vision to clear up from the red haze
of anger and she glared into his eyes. What she saw was shock, a growing anger, and hurt.
Hurt? He didn’t have a right to be hurt! It was her that should be wounded! He was
leaving her! 
	“Jessie, I haven’t stolen a thing in my life except from disgustingly rich families
who could spare the missing loaf of bread or two-”
	“Like ours,” she interrupted.
	“Like yours,” he agreed. “Except I haven’t stolen anything from your family. 
Jessie, I only stole when I needed to. I didn’t need to here.”
	“So?” she stamped her foot down hard, much like she used to when she was
frustrated in her younger years. “This isn’t about the stealing, James, and you know it. It’s
the fact that your leaving, leaving after everything we’ve done. After we became best
friends. Remember on our last campout when you said we were two of a kind, and
everything else like that? Soul mates? Soul mates don’t leave each other, idiot!”
	James winced. He had known it would be hard to leaver her, and Jessie would be
spitting mad but did she have to throw his own stupid sayings back in his face? 
	“And another thing-” she started before he cut in.
	“No, now you have to listen to me. Hear what I have to say.”
	Her only response was an icy eyed glare. 
	“I can’t live my whole life as a stable boy. Jessie, I have to make something of
myself. How can I do that if I stay and work with horses? I don’t even like horses!” He
raked his hands threw his hair agitatedly, making the short ‘plue’ locks stand on end.
“Listen, I have to go live. I need to see for myself what living is. I’m sorry Jessie, but I do
have to leave. I hope you can forgive me, and find yourself a nice husband. Grow up to
what you want to be, not your parents and maybe some day we’ll meet again. But for
now, we need to go our own separate ways.”
	That was the longest and most heartfelt speech James had ever made in his life. It
was also the most heartbreaking and sorrowful speech he hoped he’d never have to speak
again. He waited anxiously to see what Jessie would say. 
	“Fine. Sure, leave. See if I care.”
	“Jessie-” he started towards her but she stepped back.
	“Go! Get out of here! I never want to see your sorry face again!” Jessie yelled,
advancing towards him but only to shove him towards the window. James dangled his feet
out the window and twisted to face her. 
	“Good-bye Jessie. I hope we meet again.”
	“I don’t!” she screeched out the window as loud as her fourteen year old vocals
would allow. She felt tears misting over her eyes as she watched his tall figure stride
towards the gate. “I hate you. You broke my heart, and I’ll never forgive you,” she
whispered softly. And then, for the first time in ten years, Jessie started to cry. She hugged
herself and sat rocking on the cold floor. 
	“Just because of you,” she gulped out between sobs, “Just...because of             
you....James...I’m going to become the-” she broke off as a fresh round of tears slid down
her face. “The one thing you never wanted me to be........a lady.” the last word was forced
out between a throat tight with misery. And she scrubbed her face with her hands, drying
the tears, and stumbled weakly to the window. Lifting her tearstreaked face to the moon,
she whispered softly.
	“All because of you.”

----------

	The master is done her masterpiece. Well, the first chapter of her masterpiece. I
think this might be a good story if I finish it. And I do think I’m going to finish it, it’s fun
to write. This idea came to me one day while I was complaining to my sister that I never
get any good ideas. And then, viola! A JAJRN just happened. So, get back to me with
your comments, and watch for the second chapter.


Silver V