"We should be able to make it back to the castle by nightfall if we keep a steady pace." Gunther, who was tired from days of riding across the kingdom, said sleepily. "If I have to spend another day camping outside I will kill something."

Normally Jane would have made some snide remark about him being a princess, but she too was far too worn out so she simply nodded in agreement.

"You know you have a twig in your hair." Gunther said after several minutes of nothing but the sound of horse hooves on soil.

"Shut up bird-brain." Jane snapped, "Aren't we supposed to be nice to each other? Learn to get along or something?" She asked as she shot him a dirty look, moss green eyes locking with fog grey ones.

"I was trying to help you out. A lady must look her best." Gunther teased as he steered his horse closer to hers so they were so close he could reach out and touch her. "But I guess if I had hair that served as a natural trap for all manner or rubbish it would be a sore point for me as well."

Jane reached out and shoved him. He let out a deep, hearty laugh as his horse veered left. Somewhere along their two week journey his scathing bitter laugh had evolved into a sincere one. His jokes had lost their edge and even once in a while, he said things sweet enough to make her smile. All these changes made Jane deeply uncomfortable because she wanted to hate Gunther Breech; she knew no other way of feeling around him.

"Attacking a fellow knight?" Gunther teased, "Very unbecoming of a lady." Much to Jane's chagrin, made sure to stress the word 'lady'.

"Squire." Jane corrected, the tiredness seeping out of her voice to make room for the fire that sparked in her words. Good, Gunther thought as she smirked slyly, he disliked it when Jane was too tired to shoot back; it took all the fun out of things. "Know your place Gunther Breech."

"I am going to be knighted soon."

"And I am going to be knighted early." She said, reminding him that although she was younger than he was, she would be knighted with him thereby making her the youngest knight ever.

"It was my wonderful training." He huffed, pretending he didn't care. But he did. Envy dug deep into his soul and every time he thought of her going down in history as the first dragon rider, the first female knight, the youngest knight ever – well, he almost hated her again.

Jane threw back her head and laugh, unaware that his irritation was sincere. Gunther's features darkened and he moved his horse away from her. Their one-sided spat was cut short by and arrow whistling past Gunther's right ear.

"Hello dear knights." A voice called from one of the lower branches of a tree, "it seems you have yet to pay the toll to pass through here."

Two hooded men appeared from behind the tree ahead of them "Are you kidding me?" Jane said exasperatedly under her breath.

The leader leapt down from the lower branch and strode towards them with his arrow aimed squarely at the back of Gunther's head. "Pay your toll, and we shall let you pass."

"I am a knight of the king's guard. Do you really think I feel threatened?" Gunther said darkly. He really wanted to make it home before sundown, and was ready to kill anyone who would threaten that.

"Dear Sir," Jane said in the sweetest voice she could muster. She pulled down her hood and turned her horse so it was facing the leader and found she was staring at a rather handsome man with eyes just a violently green as hers. "My name is Jane Turnkey, and I am a lady-in waiting of the Princess Lavinia. This kind night was escorting me back to the kingdom after visiting my sick sister."

"A lady?" He said in disbelief as he lowered his bow. Gunther would have moved it the other three didn't have their weapons fixed on him. The man walked towards Jane and bowed deeply, "Sorry to interrupt your travels fair lady, I swear on my honour that no harm will come to you."

Honour? Gunther almost laughed out loud.

Jane leapt off her horse, using the leader's bowed back as a step. He collapsed under her weight and before he could register what was happening he was lying face first in the dirt, Jane's knee digging sharply into his spine and her dagger pressed at the nape of his neck. "Call off your men and I won't hurt you."

Obediently the men put down their weapons. Gunther got off his horse calmly and searched each man, making sure they had no hidden weapons on them. "What were you thinking attacking one of the king's knights?" Gunther asked, his voice seeping with arrogance. He looked over at Jane, who still had the leader subdued. Light for the setting sun hit her and cast a an orange-red glow around her hair that, where he a better person, Gunther would have admitted looked breath-taking and fierce. But this was skinny Jane Turnkey, so he told himself she looked unkempt. As usual.

"Well she did all the work" one of the men objected.

"She is one of the king's knights." Gunther shot back so quickly and defensively that Jane herself was shocked. He turned to Jane and found that she was staring at him with wide, incredulous eyes that made her look like the twelve year old girl he used to tease relentlessly during sparring sessions. Which was funny, given that she was currently keeping subdued a man almost twice her size.

"We should tie them up and head up. We are losing too much light and I really would like to not spend one more night in the woods." Gunther said sharply, he was trying to get his mind off the uncomfortable churning in his stomach. He didn't admire her, what she did was impressive but in the end she was still that silly girl with too much hair.

"Oh, sorry I forgot that the princess needs his bed." Jane teased as she dragged the man to his feet.

"Shut up Turnkey." Gunther said as he steered the other two men towards a tree.

If Jane thought their appearance out of nowhere was an inconvenience, she was sorely mistaken. The leader would not shut up about her being a lady knight, about whether she would let him court her, he kept calling her a 'flaming beauty'.

She was walking back to her horse when he called out from the tree he was tied to, "My lady, I know these woods like the back of my hand, let me escort you." The leader said, his emerald eyes refusing to leave her, "for a price of course. A simple price of a kiss from you."

Jane spun round sharply and stormed toward him with a rage that was half irritation, half exhausting from days of travelling. "One more word from you and I swear I will knock you out." She bridled.

She was back on her horse, ready to set out again when he called out "My name is Eldridge Walker and I want to marry you." At those words Gunther burst out into laughter.

"Shut up dung-brain!" Jane yelled at Gunther, her face turning almost as red as her hair, "let's go and stop burning light." With those words she pushed her horse into a gallop. Gunther followed suit, his laughter still ringing in her ears.

"Won't you at least stay to make wedding plans 'fair lady'?" Gunther teased, enjoying the hints of red that rose to her cheeks.

It was already dark by the time they made it back to the castle. "I never want to make that journey again." Jane muttered as she tied up her horse.

"Why, you don't want another suitor falling out of a tree?" Gunther said, his lips turning up into an amused smirk.

Jane cast him a dirty look that only made him laugh. Her eyes were droopy and her head already hanging low from sleepiness, "I am too tired for this Gunther. I am going to bed."

With a grand, mocking gesture Gunther bowed deeply, "Good night fair lady."

"Bog weevil." Jane said sleepily as she walked away. What an insufferable bog weevil.