Or rather, they were overseeing the inventory, when Seleth called them both to his office on the second floor.

"You wanted to see us, father?" Kalyen, a Blue Zafara, asked.

Her brother was a Pink Zafara, and held up a clipboard. "Father, we were just looking over the inventories. The chocolate came in today for our famous Valentine cakes, and - "

The corpulent Elephante held up a hand, and both his children fell silent.

"Listen to me," he rumbled, his wrinkled face downcast, "I understand the supplies have arrived, but this year, we will not be making any Valentine's Day goods..."

"Jhudora Day?!" Kalyen and Kennett exclaimed simultaneously.

Seleth sighed heavily and held out a hand to forestall their jumbled words. "I know, I know. But it's got the Queen's personal seal on it. Queen Nabile has always been one to see the best in people, like how she saved King Jazan from his curse. Maybe she's decided Jhudora is also in need of kindness."

"Maybe you're right, father," Kalyen said, glancing at Kennett.

"I guess we'll need some purple and green dyes, then," Kennett said, skimming through his clipboard. "We'll go to the market and see what we can find."

As the twins left their father's office, Kalyen nudged Kennett with her shoulder. In a whisper, she said, "You don't really believe that Queen Nabile wants to celebrate Jhudora Day, do you?"

"Not a chance," he whispered back. "But we can't worry father about it until we find out the truth."

Her eyes lit up. "That's why you told him we'd need to head to the market, to give us an excuse to leave for a while."

"Right! And we will go to the market. But first, we need to..."

Reuben was a longtime regular of the Heart of Qasala, someone their father had known since before the twins were born. He was also a Qasalan city guard - albeit a fairly low-ranking one. The twins approached his post with their usual offering in hand.

The Blumaroo sat up straight as they approached. "Why, if it isn't my two favourite twins," he said. "What brings the two of you here on this fine day?"

"Hi Reuben!" said Kennett. "We were just going into the market for supplies. But before that, we have a quick question for you."

Kalyen stepped forward and placed the package in front of Reuben. The guard sniffed the air and his eyes lit up. "Does my nose deceive me, or is this one of your delicious cupcakes?"

The Pink Zafara nodded. "We made it for you, because we were hoping you could help us. Our father received a scroll this morning from Queen Nabile. It said that we're not to bake any Valentine's Day goods this year, and instead we need to bake goods for Jhudora Day. Do you happen to know anything about this?"

Reuben unwrapped the cupcake and took a large bite. He chewed slowly, his head tilted, clearly deep in thought. "Now that you mention it, I have heard a rumour..."

"That's it!" cried the twins in unison.

"Jhudora must have put magic on the letter," Kalyen said, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.

"And used it to command Queen Nabile to celebrate Jhudora Day!" Kennett finished.

Reuben took another bite of his cupcake as the two Zafaras put their heads together in thought. "But why would Jhudora want your bakery to sell Jhudora themed cupcakes?" he asked. "I understand that decorating baked goods is an art form, but -" he gave a large swallow to finish off the cupcake "- it's all the same once it goes down."

"That is a good point," Kalyen said slowly.

"Maybe Queen Nabile does just want to give Jhudora a chance," suggested Kennett.

"Or maybe there's something we're not seeing," Kalyen said.

"We still have to go to the market," pointed out Kennett. "We might find out something more there."

"And I should get back to work," Reuben said. "Thanks for the cupcake, you two!"

Even more confused than they were before they had spoken to Reuben, the siblings set off for the Qasalan market. It was a bustling city centre filled with tents of all shapes and colors. If you wanted to buy anything in Qasala, the market was the place to do it. Kalyen instinctively made to go to the normal place where they bought their food colouring, but Kennett gripped her arm with a gasp.

"What?" she asked.

"Look," he said, pointing.

Kalyen followed her brother's finger and saw, right there in the market...

Both of the twins’ mouths fell agape, frozen in place as they gawked at the master of melancholy herself.

Jhudora tapped her long, lacquered fingernails on her pointed chin as she assessed the wares before her, her face contorted in percipience. There, in the heart of the Qasalan marketplace, was a Jhudora-themed stand, poised with memorabilia of the Dark Faerie and souvenirs from the Bluff to boot.

“We need to move those t-shirts to the left. They are atrociously out of place,” she snapped at a member of Queen Nabile’s royal guard who was obviously there to do her bidding.

“Sh-should we ask her directly?” Kalyen stammered to her brother, her mouth suddenly becoming dry. They watched as the guardsman moved stacks upon stacks of t-shirts.

“Maybe we should just observe for now,” Kennett responded in a whisper. “If she really did put a curse on that letter, there’s no saying what she’ll do to us… Come on!”

A pair of fuchsia paws wrapped around Kalyen’s arm and dragged her into the shadows of a nearby alley, providing them with a perfect vantage point that was just out of sight.

It was in that moment that they overheard…

"What do you mean that's too expensive?" Jhudora snapped again as she stared daggers at the poor royal guard who was now apologising profusely.

As the Zafaras continued to listen, it seemed to them that Jhudora really was just here to sell goods. Sure, she was terrifying and snapped at the guards, but that was to be expected. Maybe she was trying to turn a new leaf this year! New year, new Jhudora?!

As they watched the Dark Faerie continue to work on her stall, they saw the royal guard slip away down a side street.

Kennett grabbed his sister once again by the paw and followed the guard.

"The guard might know something! Let's ask him while he is away from Jhudora!"

They walked quickly, hoping to catch up with the guard and learn more.

However, before they could reach him...

‘You two,’ they heard the sultry drawl of Jhudora utter, ‘you are the twins from the bakery, right?’

They each felt their bodies start to hover mere centimetres from the dusty ground as the holding spell she had cast upon them started to rotate them and slowly float them to the intimidating Dark Faerie.

‘I hope your father has received the note I sent via Queen Nabile? I’m ever-so looking forward to the abundance of Berry Jhudora Petit Four, Domed Jhudora Petit Four and even some Jhudora Day Pastries that you will be producing for me.’

She was listing off items and staring into the middle distance as she opined about the potential treats that the twin’s bakery might produce.

However, as she stared back at the Zafaras again, there was something unusual about the intensity of the stare coming from Jhudora’s purple eyes. As the twins started to stammer a response, it occurred to Kalyen that…

"A-Are y-you ok-kay?" Kaylen forced out of her frozen lips. They dropped down a couple inches as Jhudora released her hold on them.

"Of course I am!" She snapped back like an arctic wind, her focus clearly back on the twins.

"What are you doing? You can't ask a Dark Faerie how they're doing, especially Jhudora!" Kennett whispered harshly at his sister.

"He's a sensible one, and I'm far too busy for this pointless babble," Jhudora sneered, clearly flustered. "Now run off unless you're curious about what life would be like as a Mortog! You have pastries to make and time's ticking!" She turned around and stormed back to her stall, pushing aside a couple bystanders along the way.

"Wow, who put the thorn in her foot?" Kennet expressed, trying to make sense of their encounter.

"When isn't she cranky?" Kalyen pointed out. "Something's up with her, and I don't think she's just trying to make a profit."

"Should we see if we can find that guard?" Kennett asked.

"No, we need to...

And so it was. Trembling with fear but with courage nonetheless, the two twins hid behind an abandoned stall and kept watch.

Jhudora remained in a foul mood. She yelled at the guards for minor details, and when they got things right, she yelled some more anyway. When one guard found the perfect shade of velvet curtains to drape around her stall, the Dark Faerie smirked, pleased, but turned the guard into a Jhudora Rotten Negg. After what seemed like an eternity, and just when they thought their efforts were to be fruitless, at last something happened.

Queen Nabile herself appeared!

"How is it going, Jhudora?" the queen asked. "Are your plans for Valentine's Day almost complete?"

The twins glanced at each other. Valentine's Day? Hadn't Valentine's Day been cancelled for Jhudora Day?

"Going great," Jhudora said, and took a step forward, only to get her boot splattered with the Jhudora Rotten Negg from earlier. "My plans are always perfect."

Queen Nabile surveyed Jhudora's stall, so decked out in Jhudora-ness that it seemed to be a shrine dedicated to the Dark Faerie.

"When I heard you wanted to reconcile your friendship with Illusen, I was thrilled," Queen Nabile said. "Especially so close to Valentine's Day, when celebrating friendships are especially important.

"But," the Queen continued, "perhaps a more balanced approach would be more beneficial to show your appreciation of your old friend? You could maybe add an Illusen Crepe or..."

Jhudora fumed.

"There's already green, isn't there?" the faerie snapped, waving her hand at a Jhudora Lollipop, and Queen Nabile sighed.

Then, with a most gentle look, Queen Nabile said, "Let me tell you something..."

How will this story end?

Kalyen and Kennett held their breaths; they watched Jhudora's face contort into an expression that could have vaporised Nabile on the spot. The dark faerie raised her hand, energy building at the tips of her poisonous green fingernails, but instead, she aimed it at the Jhudora Rotten Negg, changing it back into a bemused guard rubbing a bruised spot on their knee.

"What are you talking about? I meant what I said when I told you to contact that bakery you said was the best in all of Qasala. Forget all that silly Valentine's Day drivel. Aren't green and purple a much better colour scheme?"

"May I ask you, something, Jhudora?" asked Nabile quietly, so quietly the Zafaras had to strain their ears to hear her.

"What?" On the other hand, Jhudora's voice was loud and clear, and the guard who had been transformed back jumped at the sound.

"What does this have to do with reconciling with Illusen?" The Ixi waved at the displays of Jhudora T-Shirts and paraphernalia. "What do purple and green pastries have to do with it? Would Illusen even care what they look like, if a friend offered them to her?"

Kalyen moved as though wanting to say something, or pull Nabile out of the path of another Jhudora Rotten Negg-ifying blast of magic, but Kennett grabbed her shoulder in time.

This time, Jhudora just glowered at Nabile.

"That's more than one something you're asking me. And come on, I'm taking time away from my quests. I have to make up for that somehow." She glanced away, folding her arms across her chest.

"I don't believe you."

"You - "

Nabile reached up and touched Jhudora's arm gently. "Come on, no more smoke and mirrors, at least for one day. I think both you and I know that Illusen would not obsess over what sorts of treats The Heart of Qasala would be offering her. Isn't that right...Kalyen, Kennett?"

"I thought I told you two to beat it!" Jhudora exclaimed as the Zafaras peeped out from their hiding place.

Kalyen gripped her brother's hand tightly and answered, "W-We were w-w-worried about you!"

"And Her Majesty is right," said Kennett sagely, clutching his clipboard to his chest. "Our Valentine's Day pastries are for everyone, and can be appreciated by anyone. We invite you and Illusen to try them for yourselves; all the ingredients are ready, after all, and we were just here to pick up green and purple food colouring just like Queen Nabile wanted us to."

Nabile shook her head and said, "That won't be necessary now. Won't it, Jhudora?"

The Dark Faerie merely shrugged.

"Fine. Do whatever you want. But I'm still going to try and sell at least some of this merchandise so I don't have to lug it all back to the Bluff."

"Actually," said Kalyen slowly, "I think Kennett and I still need that food colouring. Just...not as much as we thought." She looked over at Kennett, who immediately scribbled something in his clipboard.

* * *

"I'm so glad I can finally taste the famous cakes from The Heart of Qasala," said Illusen, smiling as Seleth wheeled a three-layer chocolate cake with two cookies iced and shaped to look like Illusen and Jhudora standing amidst a field of mushrooms made of candy and trees of peppermint bark. "Thank you, everyone. And thank you, Jhudora."

"Yeah, yeah, just don't expect this every year, Salad Mix," Jhudora grumbled.

"Both of you are free to visit whenever you'd like, at any time of the year." Seleth watched as his children began slicing up the cake for their guests. "We do take requests, so let us know what you'd like to have."

"And give us at least a week of preparation," Kalyen hastily added, chuckling sheepishly. "Er, no last-minute changes. Especially not this month."

Jhudora gave her a dirty look, and the Pink Zafara tensed, the pastry knife gripped tightly in her hand.

"Fine."

Illusen frowned slightly. "Oh, come on, at least thank them properly."

"Okay, okay! Thank you, but don't expect me to go easy on you when you visit my Bluff."

The End.