Disclaimer: I do not own Jane and the Dragon, either the book or the cartoon.

XxWarningxX: Mildly explicit, public sexual content.

Italics pull double duty as flashbacks and word for emphasis. Bold text are thoughts or for emphasis as well.

Rare

She gave the back of Sir Theodore's head the most incredulous stare she had within her power to bestow.

"I-I'm sorry, Sir, but I really don't believe I heard you quite right. I could have sworn you just said 'unicorn…'" She had to have some kind of build-up in her ears or something. There was no way Sir Theodore could have uttered that rare word. The grizzled, stately old knight returned to her with a most serious expression upon his wizened face, however.

"And that is exactly what I did say, Jane." He said in his eloquent, no-nonsense tone of voice. "Reports from the village claim a few fortunate, young maidens have seen one trotting around in the forest. It couldn't have come at a better time, too, what with the Queen being so ill." He lowered his gaze to his feet in contemplation as he began to pace around his study in a slow circle, his hands clasped behind his back. Jane's frown deepened considerably in spite of this clarification and she swiveled her eyes to the right to look at Gunther leaning against the wall in his corner away from her, arms crossed as they had been for a long while. The bewilderment he displayed with his hawk-like features was the same as, she imagined, was on her own. She turned back to Sir Theodore on his third trip across the room.

"But…I thought unicorns didn't exist." She revealed in her confusion of the moment, but the statement was enough to catch Sir Theodore's attention and he halted himself right in front her.

"Who, pray tell, informed you of that?" He inquired in such a severe fashion that Jane had to retreat a step for fear of a punishment that never came. Once she realized she was not in trouble, she cleared her throat to compose herself but kept her line of sight on her boots, too flustered by her reaction and puzzlement to look up at Sir Theodore again.

"Well…I know I have heard Prince Cuthbert tell Princess Lavinia several times that they are not real…" She admitted in a small voice, getting more and more embarrassed by the minute as she came to the conclusion that the spoilt, young prince was probably not the best of sources on this matter. It was driven home when she heard Gunther make a huff of amusement at her, but thankfully he was prevented from venturing into mocking her by a sharp glance from Sir Theodore. The old knight then addressed Jane again.

"While it is prudent that we, as knights, must listen to our majesties, even the smallest and overindulged ones," He paused as a knowing smile spotted with good humor spread slowly across his aging cheeks. "I would think someone of more credential would have been more knowledgeable on the subject - perhaps your father or even Dragon?" Before Jane could muster up an answer Gunther jumped in in that very Gunther way of his, finally stirring out of his long, solitary tenure in the corner.

"Sir Theodore, if I may?" He ignored Jane's reproachful glare aimed right at the side of his head and sauntered out of his secluded alcove. "Dragon once chased me around the castle with the delusion that I was the tooth fairy. How on earth would he know anything about unicorns?" Jane lamentably caught his point and whirled to Sir Theodore as he regarded Gunther's rather good inquiry. He only chuckled, the air from his mouth making his mustache twitch.

"I think you'd be rather surprised at what Dragon does know, Squire Gunther. He may have his faults and idiosyncrasies, but he has a fairly good head on his…" He paused to twirl his hand at the wrist as he searched for the correct word. "…neck" He finished with a pleased air about himself as he looked between his two underlings. Jane was lost in thought for a moment and her concentration was focused on a hole in the weathered, wooden floor, but quickly snapped her head back up as she sensed Sir Theodore's expectation for more conversation.

"But sir, wouldn't Dragon at least have told me if these animals were real, especially if he knew how important it'd be to the Queen's health?" She had to believe this was so. After all, Dragon was her best friend. Sir Theodore raised his eyebrow. …Was that a look of empathy? If it was, it was instantaneously covered by a large, black-gloved hand to the chin.

"Hmm… I gather he should have, but supposedly these creatures were all hunted down and were all but extinct by the time I was undergoing my own squire training. They were and are very valued for their horns. Other than that, such little is known about them. They were sometimes captured by baiting them with virgin girls, but were otherwise extremely difficult to apprehend. More is known about dragons than unicorns and conceivably our friend Dragon wanted to protect a fellow mythical beast. Or maybe did not even know at all." Theodore informed them thoughtfully. Jane felt her heart drop a smidge to rest upon her stomach and settled her distressed green gaze down on the hole again.

Would Dragon really have kept something this important to the castle and King Caradoc? From Jane herself? Even if she had asked? Surely not. Honestly, the only logical explanation was that he had no prior awareness of the unicorn being in this area. It had to be…

Gunther covertly eyeballed Jane's darkening features from his side of the study. He could tell that the idea that Dragon, Jane's closest companion, was withholding secrets from her bothered her quite a bit. Furrowing his brow, he turned to Sir Theodore and cleared his throat.

"E-excuse me, sir, you said that unicorns are highly coveted for their horns – why is that?" He asked, veering the subject a little for Jane's sake of mind. He could feel her stare whip up from the ground to him quizzically, but he heartily avoided direct eye contact with her, as he had seemed to be doing for the whole discussion. Sir Theodore regarded the younger man for an instant before suddenly remembering he had been pacing earlier and he began to retrace his steps around the room.

"Well, Squire Gunther, unicorn horns have been known to cure diseases and neutralize poisonous substances. They are even said to be able to purify the most stagnant of waters. I'm sure by now that both of you are realizing why this animal is so meaningful to our cause?" He didn't even need to see his students to perceive that they were acutely mindful of the situation at hand. The Queen had been ill for months now and was steadily growing worse. Many in the kingdom were afraid she had somehow contracted The Plague and feared contagious consequences.

Jane twiddled her thumbs and fingers until they were liable to twist together as she kept a close watch on Sir Theodore's movements. Something else he had just said was weighing on her mind now and she had to voice her question before she burst, but she was afraid of being seen as selfish if she brought these concerns to light.

"S-Sir?" She stammered harumming to clear the frog currently residing in her throat. "How exactly, if this unicorn is indeed proven to be a tangible thing, are we to catch it? You…you mentioned something a few minutes ago about…virgin girls being used as a lure..." She trailed off, feeling puny in her stinginess to be reluctant to do her duty as a squire should she really be needed in…that way. She failed once again to notice Gunther shifting as he hid a small smile he had not meant to unleash, but also to conceal the perturbed expression in his stone grey orbs. He had not thought of Jane ever being used for – ahem – her maidenly attributes. While the image amused him a bit to think of the crazy-haired girl seducing the unicorn to follow her back to the castle, the idea just did not seem right when in regards to Jane. She just wasn't the type, but he knew she'd bend to any of Sir Theodore's whims if he so called her for it, no matter how uncomfortable it made her.

But instead, they were both surprised when the aforementioned man chortled quite heartily and they looked up promptly to see him shaking his head, presumably tickled pink by them jumping to conclusions. Once his laughter had subsided, he faced Jane head-on with a warm smile.

"My dear, young lady, as conscientious as you are to give up the most precious facet of your being for your knightly service, I am right here and now telling you that you may only use that as a last resort." The crow's feet around his faded blue eyes crinkled amicably to be almost becoming. "Do not let such distressing thoughts burden your head, Jane. You are a squire under my tutelage - I would not even think to put you in a position that would make you feel awkward." He reached out and ruffled Jane's already wild hair affectionately as she allowed a small grin to appear on her face.

As he observed this exchange, the air whooshed quietly out of Gunther's body in relief at hearing Sir Theodore reassuring words, but he also let the smile he had been trying to mask split across his own cheeks. It was too good an opportunity to pass up…

"Yes, Jane, so whatever femininity you have in that skinny, little body of yours is safe to not use for another day!" He teased as obnoxiously as he could, accompanying with wild gesticulations of his hands, to cover up the fact he had actually come to appreciate the slow maturing of the said body in question. As he suspected - and perhaps hoped – he was hit with a pair of glares, one a look of slightly abashed annoyance and the other of laden disapproval. He shrugged at them as if to convey that he was only speaking the truth. Finally, Sir Theodore just closed his eyes and shook his head again as if the movement would rid him of Gunther's lack of decorum and he strode over to his desk where a plethora of maps of Kippernia were spread out.

"In any case, what my real plan is to send the knights of the castle in groups of two across the kingdom, to the borders of our neighbors if need be. Since the both of you are our oldest squires, you will be joining the hunt. I'm sending you together south along the river, away from the sea." As he explained this, he failed to notice just behind him Jane and Gunther turning to each other with marginally concerned expressions. While they have been training together for five years now, it by no means meant that they were…close. And though they worked well together as a team when the time called for it, it did not make missions where they had to work in tight quarters any easier. It also did not help that Gunther had recently realized he carried a torch for his rival squire, something he wanted to keep hidden for the remainder of his days. The look passing between them just then was practically enough to make his knees weak, but if there was one thing he perfected over time, it was keeping his emotions under wraps and soon they were gazing once more at Sir Theodore hunched form, the brief connection of their eyes broken. Sir Theodore tittered around his desk for a few extra minutes before pivoting on his toes back to his underlings, arms spread wide.

"We will be staying out as long as our provisions allow us, and even then, we only return for rest and replenishing our supplies. We must find the unicorn before it is too late for our beloved Queen." He stepped forward until he could place each of his hands on their shoulders in camaraderie, Jane on his right and Gunther his left. As Sir Theodore did this, it became more apparent than ever how much the two knight-in-training had grown. While Jane had become level with her master's shoulders, Gunther was a head above her and few inches more. It brought a smile to Sir Theodore's face to see how his pupils had matured and he knew by the determined looks on their faces that they were ready for the task ahead of them.

But since he had also always been aware of their little rivalry since they were children, he had one more incentive for them up his sleeve that would perhaps motivate them to play nice with each other.

"And another thing…should it be the pair of you that happens to bring our target, dead or alive, I will see to it that you are knighted that very day as soon as possible." At this revelation, both Jane and Gunther's jaws dropped, nearly to their knees. Jane clapped the flat of her palms together and brought them into a prayer position at her lips in amazed disbelief while Gunther shrank away from under Sir Theodore's suddenly weighty hand and began to amble back-and-forth across the study in a similar fashion to the older man earlier; his eyes wide and his fingers digging into his skull under his black hair – obviously sure his dreams were leaking right out of his subconscious. His breathing was so erratic that Sir Theodore had to laugh, releasing Jane and quickly grabbing back on to Gunther so the boy would not hurt himself in his shock. "Of course, let me repeat myself by saying that this is only if you find the animal." He said in between dying chuckles. Jane nodded vigorously and strode forward with a renewed sense of purpose, Dragon not permeating her thoughts whatsoever.

"Yes, yes, of course, Sir! We understand completely!" She tried to reassure him (though he hardly needed it), but it was clear from the stars in her emerald eyes that most of her speeding thoughts were somewhere else entirely; in a place where knighthood was in her grasp and the teasing and dragging down of her self-esteem by others was left far behind her. Gunther's own storm-grey orbs were unfocused as well. He had not uttered a sound since Sir Theodore's proclamation, his mouth opening-and-closing like a fish and his legs appeared about ready to give out on him. For all intents and purposes, he was probably more astonished than Jane was at the joyous news.

Sir Theodore chortled a last time and gave a couple of hearty pats to the space between Gunther's shoulder blades, effectively snapping him out of his dumbstruck daze and leaving him a little on the confused side. "Great to hear to it, Jane." He walked over to a blank wall to the left of his desk where his shield and sword were hung on hooks and pegs and took them down, slinging the shield over his shoulder as he turned back to them. "We all gather in the training yard with the other knights at dawn. I expect you both to be well rested and ready." He dropped his orders for a second to scan over them one last time. Jane stood as straight as a taught bow string with an attentive look to her face. Gunther was behind her still in the process of trying to handle Sir Theodore's previous announcement. He appeared days away from letting it sink in. The elder knight smiled. "Now, since we are all in accordance, I suggest we all go and see Smithy so that he may fine tune our equipment. You are dismissed." And he nodded to the door leading to the hall, sheathing his sword with a metallic shink!

Gunther, surprisingly, led the way out, his aforesaid shoulders stooped in deep thought as he basically floated on a cloud of narcosis. Jane had to grin at this behind a fist and she had to admit, as she had in other sporadic moments of her life in the past five annuals that sometimes she was quite fond of Gunther; especially instances like this when he let his sillier side get the best of him. *Now if only he'd stay that way…* She mused laconically before shrugging and making to follow in his direction until she felt Sir Theodore's firm grip on her upper left arm. She gazed up at him curiously, if a little cautiously.

Why would he hold her back? Did she do or say something wrong?

"Sir Theodore…?" She ventured guardedly, but he refused to speak to her at this stage, observing the door in a much focused manner and Jane realized he was waiting until Gunther was out of earshot. Oh, whatever was on his mind concerning her must be doozy.

Once he was sure the male squire was not going to be eavesdropping, Sir Theodore released Jane to instead continue holding her in place with a mighty rigid stare. "Jane, forgive me for causing you unease just then, but I must request of you a…somewhat large favor." He said this all in a hush, as if still entirely certain of the possibility of being overhead, but by whom, Jane didn't know. She also could not help catching the note of slight guilt edging his appeal.

"Of, course, Sir, anything." She replied in a whisper as well. Sir Theodore nodding in understanding and bent a little lower to her level, glancing from side-to-side quickly before drawing breath.

"That's good of you, because…well, you see…" He trailed off, a hand coming to rub the back of his neck in clear embarrassment. Jane's eyebrows elevated upwards at this. Now she was very nervous about this so called inquiry. Sir Theodore did his best to keep going with his thoughts. "Jane, ah… Oh, there is no easy way to ask this. …I want - need - you to try coercing Dragon into aiding us trap the unicorn."

A beat of time where nothing was spoken ticked by. Jane's stomach had left her body.

"S-S-Sir… I-I'm not sure if that is conceivable whatsoever. You know how Dragon feels about animals being hunted. Remember the boar?" She stopped here as a smile that disarmed the awkwardness passed between the two of them at the memory and allowed the return of her stomach. Of course, the old knight would recall. He'd always known what had become of the wild pig. The practice had had to be abandoned the next year because all the others in Kippernia had disappeared and there was no prize to the one who guessed who was behind that.

"Yes, but the fact of this matter is a bit more important than an old tradition and maybe even more than Dragon's opposing view on the subject. Not even I delight in the idea of destroying such a rare and glorious creature. However, the Queen's life is in the balance and it would be a hell of a lot more expeditious if he would think of her and the kingdom instead of his own selfish whims." He gave Jane a squinty-eyed, sidelong expression that implied that she knew that her mentor was speaking the truth. Even still, she clasped her left hand around just under her right elbow behind her back and scuffed the toes of her already mussed boots across the wood of the floor in an unsure demeanor, staring downward at that same, rotting hole off to her left.

"As much as I wish to concede, Sir… Dragon is as stubborn as a mule, or perhaps ten times worse. Even if he lets slip that he knows where the unicorn is – " Her eyebrows furrowed deep in unsettled thought at her own words, not wanting to believe them, but having a harder and harder time doing so. "…Even if he did…I highly doubt he'd find it in himself to lend his support to the endeavor of snaring and most likely killing it. Quite assuredly, he'll take his anger out on me and refuse to speak with me for a long while." She really didn't want that to occur. Sir Theodore, while sensitive to the reason for Jane's hesitance, lifted a hand again to pinch at the bridge of his nose with thumb and forefinger. He liked the beast – really, he did – but it was at times like these when he deserved to have his ego deflated a little. He was a good friend to Jane – the best – and even to the rest of the inhabitants of the castle and being possibly the last of his kind was obviously very difficult for him, but this situation could not rest on a giant, flying lizard's disapproval of a certain custom that could save her majesty's life.

"Jane…" He finally groaned tiredly, obtaining the girl's attention back. "I know the relationship between you and Dragon is precious, but so is the Queen to this kingdom and to King Caradoc himself and their children. Unfortunately, the world does not revolve around Dragon, no matter how much he thinks it does. And if you want to prove yourself as a knight and not a lady-in-waiting, sometimes you've got to make tough decisions." She blushed bright red at the mention of being a knight again and he knew he at last had her, even if she didn't want to admit it to herself yet. "Just…try your best to convince Dragon. Appeal to his softer side – ask him if it were you that were ailing, would he put aside his own self-centeredness to help." Sir Theodore reached out and gripped her chin gently like a father negotiating with his child and held her gaze. "Please, Jane, for the good of everyone involved. Will you attempt to persuade Dragon?" His blue eyes bore into hers, every bit his surname and just as tenacious as Dragon could be.

Jane had no choice but to stare back, even if Sir Theodore didn't have her chin in a vice. She legitimately wanted to please him, she did. There was just no way in heaven or hell that Dragon would go for this at all! If it was her that had turned up sick, maybe…but that would be a very big maybe. She wasn't implying that Dragon didn't have a large heart – he had a lot of love to give and there was many times he put others before himself – but this was a topic of great significance to him. For years the two of them had been searching for signs of other dragons that might be alive out there, but so far nothing but small clues had been discovered. As sad as it was, Jane was beginning to think that maybe he honestly was the sole survivor of his species. And he blamed Dragon Hunters for it, an exclusive group Sir Theodore himself had been a part of. Jane just did not see the silver-lining anywhere in this.

On the other hand… …The Queen... She was in peril. Jane just could not ignore her duty to the royal court; not even for her best friend. Alas, Sir Theodore was right, as usual. If she was to be taken seriously as a knight, she had to do what was expected of her. So, closing her eyelids to hide her emotions from her mentor, she gave a little nod.

"Al-alright, Sir, I will do my best to speak with Dragon. …I cannot guarantee his compliance to be involved, however." She said solemnly. At this, Sir Theodore smiled brightly and freed her chin.

"Thank-you, Jane. From the bottom of my heart, thank-you." He responded emphatically, using the same hand that had kept her chin to ruffle her hair that really didn't need it. He then placed it behind her back and began steering her to the door once more. "Who knows, perhaps the conversation won't go as horribly as you think it will. One can always hope." He finished before taking his hand back and giving her a curt bow of respect and gratitude, something Jane wished he hadn't done for it made her feel slightly jinxed in the prospect. Once he straightened up again, he grinned a second time in more appreciation than was fit to be necessary and then finally walked out into the corridor and out of sight to pay his visit to Smithy. This left Jane alone in the study with her anxieties about the discussion to come.

"Or it could go precisely as I predict…" She whispered dejectedly to no one in particular as she sighed, glanced around the room a last time, and eventually dragged herself out as well.

Jane recalled all of this silently as she followed behind Gunther along the trail by the rushing river. She bobbed from side-to-side as she sat astride Cleaver, her preferred mount of choice after Dragon. The easygoing mare stomped along at a laid-back pace, as no one was in a hurry since the unicorn had yet to be spotted. They had been out here for a day and a half already and had not encountered hide or hair of the mythical animal. The only one still excited about the whole outing was Gunther's horse, a younger, grey colt that needed the experience. He was calm under most circumstances, but he would speed up into a trot at odd times and surprise Gunther into nearly unseating himself and he would have hurriedly force the little bruiser back under control, annoyed into grumbles and giving Jane no shortage of entertainment.

They came to a part in the trail where they had to cross the river to continue on their quest. Both horses waded in up to their bellies to the point where Jane and Gunther's boots would've been covered by water and they had to raise up their feet to avoid getting uncomfortably wet. They paddled through uneventfully until they came to the other side. Gunther's colt gained the higher ground easily, his youth making him practically fearless as he jumped up the muddy bank. When it was Jane's turn, however, Cleaver made the attempt to climb in her leisurely way, but her hoof slipped once and she balked on trying any more, neighing in consternation when Jane made to coax her ahead.

At last, Jane had to sigh and dismounted, splashing into the water up to her knees. She winced at the liquid managing to squeeze into her footwear as she grabbed onto Cleaver's reins and tried to pull her forward. The mare refused to budge.

"C'mon, Cleaver!" She groaned frustrated, tugging again, but the mare was rooted. Gritting her teeth, Jane gave the horse a hardy jerk, but Cleaver did so, too, at the exact same time in the opposite direction, causing Jane to fly face first into the river. She came back up on her hands-and-knees, coughing and sputtering, her hair hanging off of her head in a limp, red, ropey mop. She could only imagine Gunther was getting a good chuckle out of this, wherever he went. Things may have been slowly becoming complacent between them over the years, but he still had the capacity of showing off the little weasel side of himself sometimes, especially when something really crazy happened to make Jane slip up and humiliate herself such as now.

However, as Jane flipped over to sit on her rear, submerged and sunk in mucky river-bottom as it was, and was in the process of swiping the slimy, sticky tendrils of her hair out her face she suddenly felt watched. So, after shaking the last bit of red mane and liquid out of her eyes, she glanced up in shameful reflex and felt her stomach plummet to aforementioned buttocks as the sight of an amused Gunther swam into view.

Gunther was smirking, but strangely enough it was not unkindly, and one of his narrow, black eyebrows was raised almost to the odd point his hairline made on his forehead. His arms were crossed loosely over his chest as he stared down at her with a twinkle in his own narrowed, grey orbs. He looked very tall from this angle, Jane noted, although she was sure it had be an optical illusion from her own position sedentary in the water and muck. That, and the location of the sun high in the clear, blue sky just behind his head resembled a halo that cloaked him in some kind of ethereal light and made him appear as if a Godsend. Jane furrowed her own eyebrows at her out of place thoughts, but Gunther obviously read the expression as a scowl for his smug grin shifted into a full-blown smile full of…affection?

"That can't be too pleasant down there." He stated bluntly, but not in a way that implied he was trying to make fun of her. Jane pursed her lips in a pout and shrugged sluggishly.

"Yes, I've had a bit better." She groused in a slightly icy tone that dared him to tease her in any fashion, but Gunther just ignored it if he heard it at all and gave a cordial, good-natured chuckle before detaching an arm from his chest and lowering the hand to her. Jane squinted a green glare at it, flicking it suspiciously up to his face and back again several times. It didn't take long for Gunther to get the message and he exhaled knowingly.

"C'mon, Jane, it's just a hand…" He assured her gently without a hint of irritation or sarcasm in his voice. In fact, it seemed he was rather hurt by her mistrust and it jolted Jane to her senses with the sincerity. She hesitated a moment longer before finally taking the offer and grabbing on to him, immediately feeling the warmth at the contact of their palms. Gunther's beaming features brightened as he hauled her up to her feet and she had to it admit that he looked…nice that way.

She honestly hoped he would not notice her blush as they both claimed a purchase on to Cleaver's reins again and hauled her up the bank together.

A/N: My first (sort of) mature fanfiction. I've liked Jane x Gunther together since the first moment I saw the show and this little plot-bunny has been nagging at me since I finished the series. It was such as a cute program for a kid's show and I was sad there were no plans for a second season.

I just want to point out again that this story takes place five-years after the end, so Jane and Gunther are both a little older than they were. This is my first venture into explicitly mature romance fiction, so be nice, please. Also, because I am still currently working on my other multi-chapter fic for "Harry Potter" and school is starting back up soon, I wouldn't expect quick and frequent updates to this story.

Hope you enjoy!