*I don't own Jane and the Dragon or its characters
Based off another one of my mental rants. And if SkyeElf is reading, I'm sorry I haven't finished your requests yet. Trying to get out of a minor writers block. Please enjoy.
Dragging Gunther outside the throne room, Jane scolded "Do you ever have any manners?"
"I never intended to hurt anyone's feelings, I was just being honest"
"By telling Pepper you hated the fish?"
"It was too fishy"
"It's a fish! It's supposed to taste like a fish. If you do not go back and apologize I swear I'll..."
"Do what Jane? Nag me to death? If you must know it may seem at times that I'm being rude"
"Which you are"
Puffing out his chest, he replied "And I'm described as arrogant or haughty, but I do not use it as an excuse to act as I please, for I choose what I feel and choose how to think"
"Everyone has a right to choose how they feel, but still you have no right"
"It shows what you know"
"Then what are you saying? Please enlighten me"
"I'm saying is that I'm not going to allow you to tell me what to do, my father does that enough"
Noticing the hurt on his face, Jane looked down "Oh, I'm sorry"
"You should be"
"Well you don't make it any easier"
Poking her in the rib, he retorted "I find it useless to give compliments to those not deserving of them, that way most conversations are impersonal. I am not lying, but I guess you could say it is a little less than honest"
"Forget it! If you are going to be rude..."
Grabbing her by the wrist, he sat her in nearby bench "Quiet! Tell me, what makes you different? What have you done?"
"Are you trying to accuse me of being a liar? Are you telling me that I'm not honest?"
"No Jane, you have this way of prying into other people's business where it doesn't concern you. It's like you're trying to peel off layers of my personality and looking for faults in me that aren't there."
"I'm am just trying to help my friends out, but for you it's not that the faults aren't there you just don't want to see them"
"Then let's keep it that way! Everyone has problems, and it is not your job to fix them"
"Don't your friends do that for you? You know, to help you out?"
"No Jane, I don't have any mindless minions who speak nonsense while playing dress up with the princess"
"Everyone has friends"
"The closest things I have to a friend is you Jane"
"Me?"
"With you it is different, I feel naked, like I have no choice but to show you my true feelings and understanding. Do you ever get that feeling? Must be just me. Even if I think talking is empty, and keeping company is vague, I know it's not true, even if my heart wants to tell me otherwise."
Jane didn't want to allow herself to feel moved by Gunther's words. Standing up, she turned away, ready to leave "Thank you, um I should get going"
"You can't leave yet, I haven't finished. Sometimes you are just the most stubborn, obnoxious girl I've ever met. But you can't and I can't help feeling the opinions we have of each other. That's why I decided that I want to change. Nothing will change unless I do something different. I think that... No, I know you are worth my time and more than all the coins in my father's purse. And I just hope I would be ever so lucky as to be worth yours."
Still looking away, Jane asked curiously "Why are you telling me all this?"
"For once, I want to be deathly honest even if it hurts. Tell me, what makes you different? What have you done to me? All my thoughts and all my hopes and all my dreams lead back to their original source, they lead me back to you. I want you close, yet I want you far away as well. You cannot begin to understand all the mayhem you brought me, but you now have a chance to atone for your evils. I wish I could cry, I really do but my body forgot how to. So can you show me? Or have you forget too? I promise to be sincerely honest if you'll be my friend, if you'll give me something to care about, otherwise I'll have nothing to live for. I can't live with myself if you don't forgive me, because I care about you. I can't breathe at times, the air seems so thin sometimes when I get this painful ache in my chest. And I think I can give that feeling a name, it's called a man who loves Jane"
"Are confronting me or complimenting me?"
"No! Not at all. I'm just saying it is your fault that I fallen so hard for you. So, what do you have to say for yourself?"
"I... Wait... You... What?"
Now she knew there was more to this argument then she bargained for. There was a familiarity to this argument, as though it happened before. She waited for his response, waiting to see if what she thought was true. Listening to his nearing footsteps, she's suddenly hit with a bouquet of roses. Playfully, he wrapped his arms around her, whispering in her ear "Do I have to repeat myself? I swear Jane, don't tell me you are going deaf now?"
A smile found its way on her face, though she wasn't ready to give in. Moving away from his grasp, she began to walk away "See, you just like to tease. I'm leaving"
"Hey Jane"
"Yeah?"
"I love you"
The simplest three words one could only hope to hear in their lifetime were the words that just spilled from his lips. As though an arrow struck her in the chest, she stopped in her footsteps. It was clear who won the battle when she turned and he saw that smile he loved ever so much. Tossing her hair, Jane teased "How am I supposed to answer to that?"
Handing her the bouquet of roses properly, like a gentlemen her kissed her ring finger "This is the part when you see past my grumpy disposition and say you love me too"
"Don't you think it's about time we stop role playing? This isn't a fairytale?"
Taking a step forward, he looked into her emerald eyes with the warmest smile "It may be playing to you but I meant every part of this so called fairy tale for the last fifteen years"
With open arms, she flashed him that look, you know the one where it appears as though she's teasing but it's that I love you, you know that right? look "Come here you beef brain"
Giving Jane a tight embrace, Gunther whispered ever so softly into her ear, so softly it actually tickled "Happy Anniversary"
Relishing in those few, but tender moments, she asked in a low voice "How is it that you still remember your awkward proposal after all these years?"
"I wrote it down, always knew of would come in handy"
The comfort of his resonating voice, made her forget what it was she was upset about. Instead, it was replaced by the warmth and tranquilizing effect of nostalgia. The moonlight glinted off her golden ring, the constant reminder of the legendary girl who tamed a Dragon who was in turn tamed by her fellow knight. They danced to the silent music in their hearts, not caring who stared, flirting to their hearts content "You always were a sneaky one"
"As I recall Jane, you said I was unpredictable. How was it that I was ever so lucky to ensnare your heart? It must have been the moonlight, I always knew it couldn't be trusted"
"You're memory proves you treacherous for I recall it was a random sort of confession"
"It was not! It was more of a... Well you may be right. But it was romantic was it not?"
"Romantic yes, though there is something I wonder"
"What is that?"
"Did you and the others plan this fake argument so that we could have a moment to ourselves?"
"It worked did it not? Now, don't tell me you're not going to shower me with the affection that I so duly deserve"
"But you will apologize right?"
"Yes I'll go tell Pepper her cooking was fantastic but you'll have to do something for me"
"Here's a catch"
"Don't ever change, you must promise"
"I promise"
Sealing the promise with a kiss, they went back to their fifteenth wedding anniversary dinner cooked by Pepper, in a room full of all their friends and family.