I looked at myself in the foggy mirror. I was slim, with breast and all. Tall, and I had an innocent look to me. My hair, now going down to my lower back, was only wavy. Mother had said it might straiten, as I mature into a woman, like my father's. I was six-teen, the ball was two days away, and I was going alone.
I had wished for Jester to come with me, but he hadn't asked. Pepper was going with Rake, and Smithy with a girl he met at the village. Gunther would not say, and neither would Jester. Now I will have to face Gunther in my bitter disapointment.
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"Come on, Jane,"complained Gunther. "At least make this challenging."
"Do not talk! I am tired of this. I cannot stand it anymore! The ball is in two days and I am going alone. I cannot get anyone to go with me, and yet I still have to go, and I still have to wear a stupid gown."
I let my anger get out verbally. Then I realised I said it in front of Gunther. I dropped to my knees and put my face in my hands. A few tears fell down my cheeks in defeat. Now Gunther was going to enjoy this alot. Perhaps even tell everyone in the village about me. That I started crying just because I was going alone. I looked up to see what Gunther had decided to do with this new information.
"Jane, I want to ask you one question." he said."Will you got to the ball with me? I know you were expecting Jester to ask you but he did not, so will you come with me?"
He said it so sincierly, so truthfully, I had almost belived him."You are treating this like a jest, are you not?" I asked. "You want to make a fool of me. You want me to belive you really want me to go with you. This is all a jest to you."
"No, Jane. This is not a jest to me."
"Yes, it is Gunther. You hate me and you want me as far away from you. You always did. The only reason you ever talked to me was because of the training and nothing else, unless to hurt me."
"Jane, you have changed now," he told me."You have grown from the twelve years you were before, the years you spent with Dragon. He is gone now, and you have matured. And I had changed along you."
"You truly have?" I asked, half to myself. He slowly nodded. He put his arm around me in comfort, and my head fell on his shoulder and found it surprisingly warm. This is a side of Gunther I thought I would never see. He lifted me up and carried me to my room, where he placed me gently on my bed, and slipped away quietly through the door.
I lay there, on the bed, thinking of what would happen next. With all my toughts, I drifted to sleep.
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I was soaring high above the clouds, with Dragon. I was twelve again. The happy times were here, with Dragon near. The sky was endless, as we went through it. The castle was there beneath us, as we flew into the practice yard. Dragon landed softly, not a single sound. All my friends were there. Pepper, with a smile on her face. Rake, with a new flower he found. Smithy, petting pig. And Jester, comming up next to me, the bells on his blue floppy hat ringing.
This is what I want. This is what I have always wanted. A normal life, a happy life, with my friends near me. I wish I could stay here forever. "Jane, I want to tell you something important," said Jester. " I~"
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There was a knock on the door."Jane, midday meal," it called. I rose from my bed and answered the demanding knocks. There, outside my door, stood Jester with a goofy smile on his face. "Jane, I want to tell you something important," said Jester." I~" , the words from my dream came back to me. It was the only part I could remember clearly. What did Jester want to tell me in my dream? What was so important there?
"Um... Jane? Are you well?" he asked me when I did not speak. "Jane, midday meal," he repeated."Pepper, Smithy, and Rake are there waiting for you to come down."
"Oh," was all I could come up with. I stepped outside, and as soon as I closed the door behind me, the wind blew orange leaves into my face. I started choking on one that went inside my mouth. Once I calmed down, Jester sat at the table and I went into the kitchen to get a cup of water. When I came back, everyone was eating. I sat down next to Jester. Once we finished, they started asking me questions.
"What did Gunther do this time that kept you in your room all morning?" asked Pepper.
"Um... He came faster than normal?" I suggested. Everyone took the explanation. Everyone except Smithy. He kept looking at me curiously. Once everybody left the table, I headed back to the practice yard. Smithy stopped me by the stables.
"Jane, what happend with you and Gunther?" he asked me. i looked at him questionly. "Look, I know I am not to be in your private life," he told me."But I know you and Gunther were not sparring during the morning. Will you give me an explenation?"
"Just some complications,"
"Are you sure,Jane?"
"Yes."