Story: Of Knighthood and Marriage
Rating: Low T
Pairing: Gunther/Jane, one-sided Jester/Jane, Rake/Pepper
Summary: Jane's mother has had enough of Jane's knighthood nonsense. Either Jane finds a husband soon, or she will pick a respectable one for Jane. Regardless of age.
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Jane and the Dragon, and am merely using the characters for my own entertainment.'
"Jane! You are of marrying age! It is improper for you to spend your time frolicking about. Especially with grown men! You are a grown woman now, it is time for you to show tact as a lady!"
"I am a squire and a knight apprentice mother. And I have a duty to fight for my people, not get married and have children!"
"Jane Turnkey, no more of this foolishness! I've let you play your silly little knight game for six years! It is time for you to settle down and learn how to be a proper wife and mother now."
"Father, this isn't fair!"
"I'm sorry honey, but your mother is right this time." He was reading in a chair in the corner of the living space, trying to avoid the argument.
She glared at her husband, "This time? I am always right!"
He waved her off, clearly exhausted by his wife's constant shrillness, especially where Jane was concerned. "Jane, dear, it is time for you to produce an heir to succeed the family."
"Then I'll find a husband!" Jane stomped her foot, "In my own time!"
Her mother laughed, a short bark that left Jane feeling entirely belittled and like a child. "Nonsense! Do you think any man will want you once you're past your prime?"
"Someone wanted you."
Her mother frowned angrily, "Insolent child. Yes, I married late, but I was lucky. I was well bred, refined, and gentle, though a bit sickly. You are a brute and no man wants a wife who is stronger than he is."
"These are different times, Mother. Girls don't need to be wed by fourteen anymore! Why should I have to find a husband?"
"I will not be the laughingstock of the kingdom Jane! I refuse to be the only woman who's daughter is yet to be married." she crossed her arms, "Are you not embarrassed? Even that kitchen girl, Verbena, was wed to your gardener friend when she became fertile. You have bled already! That is your body telling you you need to be wed."
Jane's mouth dropped open, "Mother! Not in front of Father!" Her mother rolled her eyes, "Pepper is not a knight Mother. The circumstances are different."
"Ladies are not knights. And even if they are, I'm sure they all get married. Now it's time for yours."
"And if I refuse?"
"You cannot. I am your mother. I decide what is best for you."
Jane turned around to leave, "Then I guess I will defy you once again mother. I am not getting married right now."
"Come back here Jane Turnkey! We are not finished discussing the matter!"
"Oh, I think we are. Good day!"
She stomped across the grounds, literally feeling the steam coming out of her ears. Who did her mother think she was anyway? Jane could easily get a husband! Just because she was a knight and a little bit of a rough around the edges didn't mean she wasn't going to ever be in a relationship. And yes, sometimes after training her hair made her look more like a rabid lion, but she was still beautiful. Well, she considered herself as such. And Dragon kept telling her of the short-lives in the kingdom, she stood out the most, though she wasn't sure if this was actually a compliment. She'd had a few suitors in the past, so she was certain she wasn't a complete turn off to any possible husbands.
She rounded a corner and headed over to the courtyard. Jester hopped down from the ledge he had been sitting on.
"Jane, you look set to kill! Penny for your thoughts?" The penny appeared from out of nowhere and he held it between two fingers, a grin on his face.
"Jester, not now."
He put his hands up in surrender and fell into step with Jane's brisk pace. "This cannot be good."
Smithy smiled upon seeing the two approach, but seeing Jane's face, looked worried. "Something the matter, Jane?"
"My mother's the matter! One of the reasons I became a knight was to avoid all the trivial troubles with being a lady-in-waiting and of marriage."
"Marriage?" Jester looked alarmed, "Who's getting married?!"
"I am!" Jane cried to her friends' collective gasps, "I mean I'm not getting married yet, but mother says I'm growing old, and I am to be wed soon. And she's picking my husband! I'm seventeen! It's not like I'll be barren once I turn eighteen."
Smithy nodded and pointed to Pepper's rotund belly, "That is true. Pepper is soon having a child in a few months. How old are you Pepper?"
"Eighteen in a few months." she smiled as she patted the large protrusion on her abdomen.
"You see!" Jane slammed her hand down onto the table, "And she thinks no man will want me. Ridiculous! I don't want some idiot from the kingdom to be tied down to."
Pepper patted her hand, "But Jane, can't you still be married and be a knight?"
"I would love for that to be true, but what kind of knight stays at home to raise the children? It would never work. And the time I spent taking care of the children would detract from my training."
Smithy shook his head, "Parents shouldn't force their children into marriage."
Jane frowned, "Tell me about it! I wish I was born a male! At least you don't have to worry about getting married. You can pick any girl you want! And my mother would have no qualms with me being a knight."
Smithy made a face, "Well, that's not entirely true, Jane. As working men, we need to find a young, strong wife who can take care of all household affairs and raise the children. And produce good heirs to continue the family business. If you don't get an early start, all the good ones are taken."
"But at least you have a choice!" Jane sighed dramatically, "I don't want to stay home and raise children. I want to fight!"
Pepper frowned, "Are you okay Jester? You look a bit pale."
He shook his head fervently, the bells on his hat jingling in reckless abandon, "I'm fine. I just can't believe Jane is getting married."
"I'm not getting married, Jester! I refuse! I need to establish myself as a knight first and foremost."
"But what if your mother arranges a wedding anyway, and you don't even get a chance to pick your husband?"
They stared at Jester in shock. None of them had even thought about those consequences. And they all knew her mother could very well go to extremes to get Jane to do what she wanted. Jane remembered the ball years ago when her mother had refused to let her go unless she wore a dress. Jane, of course, had not attended the ball, but her mother had continued to give her that ultimatum until Jane had finally given in, and allowed her mother to fancy her up. And that scared Jane. She was quite possible of resisting her mother's authority, but eventually, she always gave in because her mother was relentless.
"I'm sure Jane's mother would not be so cruel." Pepper said reassuringly.
Jane shook her head, "I wouldn't be so sure about that. Mother seemed pretty determined to marry me off."
"Then why don't you just pick a husband to marry?" Jester shrugged when Jane frowned at him, "I didn't say have a family, Jane. Marry someone, but wait to have children until you're comfortable with your status as a knight."
"But what man would be willing to wait for me that long? Who knows when I'll be willing to have children. It could be several years!"
Jester stood up and bowed to Jane, "As your best friend, I would be honored to be your husband. For you, I would wait a thousand years."
Jane laughed but shook her head, "No Jester. Thank you for your offer, but I'm afraid I'll have to decline."
He gasped in shock, "Why?"
"Because you're my best friend, of course. It'd be too weird."
Pepper giggled at Jester's crestfallen look. "Jane, maybe it wouldn't be so bad to be married. I mean you used to never want to wear dresses as a child, but now you don't care so much do you? Maybe your mother is right."
She narrowed her eyes at Pepper, "I know those words did not just come out of your mouth, Pepper."
Pepper smiled and gushed, "Jane, the married life isn't so bad. It's like you have an everlasting companion. One who is always going to be there for you."
"That's easy for you to say, Pepper. You're in love with your husband." Pepper blushed, "I don't even have feelings for anybody! How could I marry them so soon?"
No one responded and they all stared at the table trying to help Jane come up with a solution to her problem.
Jane pouted and slumped onto the wooden table. "It's not fair!" She knew she was acting like a petulant child, but she didn't care.
"What's not fair?"
"Gunther!" Jane stood from the table, grabbing her practice sword.
"Good afternoon Pepper and Smithy. Jester." Smithy nodded back and Pepper smiled, though Jester seemed displeased.
Jane went over to him, "I need a good spar. Can you render me the service?"
Pepper rolled her eyes, "Oh dear. Jane, fighting isn't the answer to everything." She stood up slowly from the table with Smithy's help and patted Jane's shoulder, "Good luck with the situation. Well, those potatoes aren't going to peel themselves. Good day everyone."
Jester glared at Gunther, "Don't you have some other duties to attend to? Aren't you to be knighted soon?"
He delivered him an equal look of contempt, "Shouldn't you be in the castle-what is it that you do- oh yes, 'entertaining' the royal family?"
Jane cut off their, whatever, was going on. "Enough you two."Jester turned away and walked off, grumbling under his breath. "Well, Gunther? Are you up for a match?"
"Me against you, Jane? Are you prepared to lose?"
She would never admit it to him, but Jane knew if Gunther became truly serious and fought her for real, she would. Over the past six years, though she had put her mind, body, and soul into her training just to keep up with him, she knew he had surpassed her a long time ago. Yes, when they were kids she had clearly been the better knight in training. But once Gunther had escaped the clutches of his father when he had been exiled for treason and really became devoted to his studies, he quickly became the ideal type of valiant knight that the king could rely on and exceeded in all subjects, becoming an excellent knight in training.
Over the years, though their rivalry continued, their petty childish battling had decreased and she actually found him to be a rather agreeable person. She wouldn't say they were friends or anything of the sort, but she knew she could trust him with her life. Their relationship was a strange one bred from mutual respect and competition. And when she had been squired, a few years back, he had defended her against the other squires who mocked her for being a woman. Of course, she hadn't actually needed his aid, as during training, she quickly rose to the top and gained respect from the others, but she found the gesture quite kind and it was through little things like that that she realized she had probably misunderstood his character. It was a little weird for him to be so... nice sometimes, but she figured as adults, they could very well coexist as knights. Within time, her friends accepted that he had changed and could associate harmoniously with him, though he and Jester seemed to have some sort of ridiculous rivalry going on for some reason.
"It is you who will lose." She set herself on the ready, "On guard, Gunther. I'm not going easy on you today."
She wasted no time in attacking, putting him immediately in the defensive. He blocked, she spun and attacked again. He frowned, realizing she had no intention of relenting her attacks. It threw him off a bit. It was far from her style. Though impulsive and reckless in fighting, Jane was careful and used her brain and eyes to figure out when to continue the assault or back off and bide her time and save her energy. He hadn't seen her fight this brutally since her mother had refused to allow her to see Dragon after he had accidentally burned Jane's hair. Jane didn't seem to mind, but Adeline was furious. He only knew two people who could make Jane that angry: her mother or himself. And he was fairly certain he hadn't done anything to chagrin her.
"So are you going to tell me what happened?"
She grunted and parried his counter, "It's my damned mother..." Dodge, parry to the right, slash. "She thinks I'm growing too old for marriage and I'll soon become an old spinster."
"But you're a knight. Why must you worry about marriage?" Jane hit particularly hard and he heard the loud crack of the wood contact when her sword struck his. He winced. He had narrowly avoided that strike, and he didn't want to know what could have happened to him should that have struck him.
"She also says that ladies are not knights and she wants me to cease my training."
Carefully avoiding getting clobbered by Jane's sword, he stepped back to catch his breath before Jane attacked again. "Jane, just tell your mother you refuse to be married now."
She glared at him, "Don't you think I've tried? She thinks I will not be able to conceive should I wait too long! And I no longer have a choice. I'm positive that if I continue to refuse, she'll find one for me!"
"Why don't you just marry a knight? Same profession, you'll see each other every day, and you'll both be too busy to even think about having children."
Her jaw dropped and she paused in her attack, "I never thought about that." Her pause gave Gunther an opening, and he took the offensive. Jane, caught off guard, blocked too late and slipped backwards and fell on her behind.
Gunther laughed heartily, despite Jane's murderous glare. "And what the hell is so funny?"
"Nothing." He chuckled, "It's just that I can't imagine a single knight who would want to marry a woman who can kick his butt."
"Oh wonderful, thank you for the vote of confidence."
"Well, aside from me, of course."
Her eyes shot up and met his in alarm and she held his grey-eyed gaze, surprise written all over her face. She could clearly sense the sincerity he had in tone, which was shocking to say the least.
Was he implying...?
Gunther seemed to realize he had added that as an afterthought but hadn't really meant to say it out loud. He quickly cleared his throat, blushing a bit and picked up her sword, hoping to change the subject and the suddenly awkward mood.
"Round two?"
Jane grinned, moment forgotten and hopped up, taking her sword from his outstretched hand, "Only if you don't mind being battered and bruised. I don't intend to go easy on you, you know?"
His smile grew, "We'll see who ends up battered and bruised, Jane."
End Chapter 1! Hope you enjoyed :)
