A/N: Hi all!

Well, this is my first JatD full-length story, I really hope you will enjoy it! The idea would not go away, and so I just had to write it and get it out of my head. I've done a lot of research and have put effort in to knowing how things were done back in JatD's time. However, I will make changes later in the story to suit myself and the story but they won't be anything drastic.

I really hope you all will enjoy this, reviews, ideas, comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated!! I will reveal the show where I got the idea for the story very soon, unless you guess where I got it from first. I have left the answer in a post in my journal.

THANKS!!!! Go to my lovely beta!

WARNING: This fic will be dark and will contain descriptions and actions of violence. As well as mentioning and descriptions of rape, abuse and other things my mind can come up with. If this offends you, then please don't complain because I have warned you.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything. Characters that you don't recognize from the show are mine.

--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..

Chapter 1:

The morning air felt cool against Jane's skin as she awoke. Getting out of bed, she stretched and rubbed her shoulder. Gunther had landed her a hard blow the day before, and the bump was there to prove it. The young woman changed her clothes and exited her tower room in to the cool morning air. The seventeen-year-old stretched again, and made her way towards the kitchen where she knew that breakfast would be ready.

"Good morning Pepper, how are you feeling today?" Jane inquired of her friend who had made her way out of the kitchen as fast as she could in her condition. Pepper was ripe with child, the babe due to come in a few months.

"I am well this morning," the cook cheerfully replied as she smiled. "The little one has been moving quite a lot lately and keeps me up at night however I am well."

Jane smiled as she walked over, taking the bowls from her friend. "I will help you with these, why not go sit down?"

The squire was surprised when Pepper gave her a grateful smile and did what Jane had suggested her to do. The female squire past out the morning meal to Rake, Jester, and Smithy. She was just about to sit down when she heard a familiar voice call out to her.

"Good morning Jane!" Jane looked up as Dragon swooped down and made a pretty good landing not too far away from her.

"Morning Dragon. I'm surprised to see you up so early." Indeed it was early, the smell of the morning dew still lingered in the air and Dragon usually didn't come see her until later.

The reptile inhaled deeply, a grin on his face. "The music of those beautiful creatures would make any morning easy."

Jane smiled as she walked over towards him.

"The cows again?" she said with a chuckle in her voice.

Dragon nodded, "Jane, I simply can't understand why you are unable to appreciate their magnificent, lulling sound!"

The knight-in-training reached up and patted his head, "perhaps I will someday. Care to go on patrol?"

"After you've had your grub, shortlife. Won't have you being tired on me now," he grinned to her. Jane chuckled as she sat back down at the table, making small talk amongst her friends. Over the years, Jane had grown taller and the many days of training certainly showed on her body. Her red hair was above her shoulders, and Jane did not want to grow it any longer for she knew it would only be in the way. Sparring with long hair flying about she knew was very impractical.

"I told the king that the ballad would be complete by tomorrow evening, however I can not think of what to write about! It is so tiring at times, however I still love it." Jester sighed as he took a bite of his breakfast.

Jane arched an eyebrow, "come now Jester, you have never gotten down like this before. Perhaps if you go and sit in a quiet place you will think of something?"

"How about a ballad of a dragon that helps a jester?" The entertainer looked up with a puzzled expression to see the large reptilian head of Dragon. A moment passed before Dragon shook his head sadly.

"I was just trying to help."

"Perhaps a story of a flower overtaking other flower's spaces?" supplied Rake as he sipped at his water.

"A cook running out of recipes?" Pepper said after a moment of silence in the conversation.

Jester nodded. "I thank you for all of your suggestions, I really may use one of them. This certainly has never happened before."

"Well," Jane began as she stood up after finishing her meal, "I wish you luck on your ballad Jester, however it is time we go on patrol. That is, if Dragon is ready." She neared her large friend in just a few quick strides and patted his head again.

"Here is hoping he won't get distracted by the cows," she said with a chuckle.

"You shortlives need to learn how to appreciate the finer things in life." He said, lowering his head to Jane.

"Like what?" Jane said, but she knew the answer. Climbing onto Dragon, she waited for him to lift off.

"Can someone please tell Sir Theodore that I am out patrolling with Dragon," she asked no one in particular. Smithy nodded to her request as Dragon lifted the two into the air.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence between the two friends Jane asked, "So, how long had you been waiting for me?"

"Just for a few minutes, honestly," he paused. "Okay, I lied. I was up at the crack of dawn, listening to the cows." He grinned and moo'ed himself.

"You actually got up that early?" She raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "you can be so unpredictable at times."

"Well, I am a dragon after all," he smirked and did a sudden bank to the left; all within safety's measure. She smirked and hung on, although she knew she was in no danger. Ever since Dragon had done a flip that almost cost her life five years before, he had learned his limits with her.

"Ha! How 'bout that for predictability?" Dragon gloated. Jane said nothing as her eyes scanned below them.

"See anything Dragon?" she inquired as they flew over the fields. Lush green grass stretched in all directions, with trees and the farming land dotting the landscape.

He shook his head, "nope, nothing out of the ordinary."

After a few more minutes and after making sure that the kingdom had awakened to another day of peace, Jane suggested, "Dragon, care to go to the cave to look at the runes? I really think we're getting close at one of them."

"Alright! You know, I was just about to suggest that," Dragon turned and began to fly towards the cave. "But I figured to let you feel special in saying it first."

Jane laughed. "Aww, you are so nice and sweet," she said patting his head. She meant what she said even though Dragon wasn't exactly the sappy type. And, to tell the truth, neither was Jane.

"No, no. You got it all wrong; I'm ferocious and mean. I'm a dragon, not a candy. Honestly, think you would've figured that out by now."

Jane chuckled, "of course you are." They arrived at the cave in just a few moments. The air felt almost too still to Jane. It felt like something was amiss, that something wasn't right. Nothing stirred in the air, not a breeze was felt.

'Stop it Jane, it's only your imagination running away from you,' she thought as she grew quiet in the silence. Dragon landed, walking towards the place with the runes that he and Jane had been looking at since they met.

"Aww, can't I go first? You always..." Her voice cut off as her eyes picked up something facing the carvings in the cavern wall. She was just about to ask the person why they were there until she leaned over Dragon's neck. Jane gasped at what she saw. A naked woman, kneeling, as her unblinking eyes stared upwards at the runes. From what Jane could tell, her throat had been cut and rocks had been placed around her to keep her body in the upright state. Tendrils of her hair stuck to her ashen colored skin, no doubt held there by the dried blood that was on her body. Various cuts and wounds lined her upper body on her shoulders and back.

Dragon stiffened when he saw the corpse, his eyes wide as he gazed ahead. He knew he had smelled something odd as they had flown closer towards his cave, however he couldn't tell exactly what it was.

'Perhaps you did know and just did not wish to believe it.' Dragon thought as he sniffed the air again. Traces of blood did linger and he knew that it would only be a matter of time before all sorts of animals would come to his cavern. Jane swallowed and blinked before dismounting Dragon.

"She's dead," were all the shocked words she could say as she stared.

Dragon took a step forward, then quickly bristled as he gazed around himself thinking he picked up another scent other than the blood in the air. But, no one was about, not even the wind blew as Jane moved closer towards the body. She knew the face as soon as she had seen it; the baker's wife.

Dragon snorted, coming closer to Jane, "Jane, what if... what if whoever killed her is still around?"

She took a step back, "I, I am not sure Dragon. We need to go and find Sir Theodore and tell him what has happened."

The reptile lowered his head, eyes still going around in search for anything suspicious. All that he saw was the kneeling woman, with a jagged deep slash across her throat. It was her face that disturbed Dragon the most however. The lady wore a smile while gazing at the runes.

Jane quickly moved away from the body, "alright, we scan the mountain and all around here. Then, we find Sir Theodore."

"No, we first find Sir Theodore," Dragon said stubbornly as he rose his head and turned, beginning to exit the cave.

"Oh, right," she said as she climbed on and let Dragon exit. Taking a few breaths to try and calm herself down, she thought about who could've done this as her eyes searched the ground. She didn't see any tracks leading up towards the cavern's entrance, and when she asked Dragon if he had smelled anything out of place he had nodded his head.

"I thought I smelled blood," he said after a moment. "But, I really wasn't sure. I mean I didn't think it would be…"

"It would be that," Jane finished his sentence as Dragon nodded again.

They made it to the castle in record time, something Dragon would have bragged about if the matter had not been such a serious one.

"Ah, just in time Jane," Gunther began as he neared the female who had quickly gotten off of Dragon. "Care to practice staves? You could certainly-"

"No Gunther," Jane interrupted, "I must find Sir Theodore or Sir Ivon, have you seen them?" The woman paced, her eyes going this way and that as if she were looking for something or someone. She looked as if she were ready to run at any moment, and Gunther noted how her hands kept clinching and unclenching.

The male paused in slight confusion as to her state and in seeing Jane's serious expression. "In the knight's quarters, wh-?" Before Gunther could finish his question, Jane had sprinted past him and headed towards that direction.

'Calm down Jane and think properly.' She told herself as she neared the door to Sir Theodore's chamber. Knocking on the wooden door she called out, "Sir Theodore, are you in there?"

The female tried to keep the panic out of her voice as her mentor opened the door, "Jane, what is it?"

"Dragon and I went up to his cave after our morning patrol," Jane began, standing up straight as one could on trembling legs, "and, well, we found a dead body." Jane lowered her eyes so as Sir Theodore couldn't see the panic, sadness and anger flash in them all at once.

"What?" Sir Theodore gasped in surprise as after a pause Jane moved to allow him to exit his quarters.

"We must go to Dragon's cave now," the man began as he hurried along with Jane towards the outside. "Tell me; did you touch or move the body at all?"

"No sir," Jane replied after getting her composure back. "Dragon and I only looked. From what we could tell, she had her throat cut and she had no clothes sir." The knight didn't answer as they made it to the practice yard.

"Gunther, go fetch Sir Ivon and come to Dragon's cave now," Sir Theodore firmly spoke as Gunther wearing a bewildered expression on his face nodded and went off to do what the knight had told him to do.

"You and Jane go to your cave site," Sir Theodore said as Jane hurriedly got on Dragon. "Start searching for tracks, blood, clothes anything you can find as a clue."

"Yes sir," Jane said as Dragon lifted off again. Sir Theodore watched them go before he turned his attention towards the stable. After requesting Smithy to saddle him a horse, and the knight sped off towards Dragon's cavern, only having a vague idea of what he would find upon his arrival. Not knowing of the things that were about to unfold from the discovery of the first victim.

--..--..--..--..End of chapter 1--..--..--..--..--..