Hey all!!
This is SunRise19 and we're back with chapter 2, so we hope that you'll enjoy it! As always, reviews are greatly appreciated!
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Chapter 2: Getting to Know You
Jane winced, rubbing her lower back. Sitting in the saddle for four straight hours quite did a number on her muscles. Rubbing one of her thighs, she glanced at Gunther. He looked impassive, sitting straight and regal on his steed.
But Jane knew better. A closer look would reveal Gunther's lips set tightly, in a tight grimace. His hand sitting perfectly still on his lap would twitch every now and then. Jane rolled her eyes and looked ahead. That man would be too proud to admit being tired first. The woman looked to the sky, pondering for a moment.
'Perhaps if I were to suggest resting, we both- Oh, this is nonsense,' Jane frowned. They were older now, and should be past these silly prideful games. The red-head sighed and glanced once more to Gunther before speaking.
"I think a rest is in order."
"What is this? Jane tired already?" Gunther teased her, a smirk on his face. But it wasn't his usual one as Jane arched an eyebrow. It seemed to lack the normal disdain that she thought the man held to her. Rather, it looked to be more jovial.
A comment about the smirk was right on her tongue, but she found herself instead saying, "I am simply looking out for your sake. After all, a knight must place himself second to his comrade." She also smirked and briefly wondered if Gunther paid any heed to what it meant…
The man didn't show any reactions as he rolled his eyes. "Ah, yes. Using our knightly code to hide your own fatigue." Jane gave him a look; she didn't want to play this game anymore. Rather, she wanted to see that odd smirk again.
"Believe what you will, Gunther." The female knight looked forward, immediately spotting a tree. She pointed to it. "Look there. A nice spot for our lunch."
"You mean breakfast," the black-haired man looked to her. "Pepper gave us breakfast and a lunch. And I do not know about you, but I had eaten my usual breakfast this morning."
Jane blinked, looking thoughtful. "As did I. I wonder why she then is giving us two breakfasts."
Gunther chuckled a bit, "well, breakfast is the first meal. So of course, it must be the most important…"
"Pepper is so kind, always looking out for us," Jane smiled. She started slightly, realizing that she and Gunther just had a civil conversation. There was no joking, jesting, teasing, snarky-remarking, taunting, mocking, ragging, kidding, tormenting, or any hint of insulting in their exchange. Her smiled grew a bit. Perhaps Gunther could be a good, decent friend after all.
And to add to the pleasant surprise, Gunther didn't make a remark. When Jane looked over, she found Gunther giving her a thoughtful look. She cocked her head to the side, her soft smile turning into a grin.
"What is it?"
Gunther blinked and shook his head, seeming to rid himself of any thoughts. The man looked a bit awkward before suddenly taking his reigns and kicking his horse with a shout, "race you to the tree!"
Jane's mouth dropped open and her competitive side immediately took over as she also kicked at her horse. "No fair, you did not give a proper warning!" Despite the outrage, she found herself grinning as her horse was catching up to Gunther's. The race was short, however, as the horse Gunther rode on slowed from a gallop to a trot. The man sat in his saddle underneath the shade of the tree, putting on a smirk.
Unfortunately, it wasn't the smirk from before.
Jane gave an aggravated sigh, feeling cross. "To do a race, one must announce it before starting off."
The man simply shrugged, dismounting his horse.
Shaking her head, Jane slipped off her horse and began to walk it over towards another tree, looping the reigns over a branch before securing it and walking back towards Gunther who had just finished tying his horse.
"Are you not forgetting something?" he questioned, looking over to the bundle that was on Jane's horse that had begun to eat some grass. Feeling stupid, although hiding it, she walked over and retrieved the breakfast that was her lunch.
"You better start looking out for yourself Jane," Gunther said as he moved, carrying his bundle farther in to the trees. "You should realize I will not be around all the time to do that myself."
Jane scoffed at this remark, "when have you ever looked after anyone but yourself?"
"Since I told you that you forgot your bundle," he replied as she watched him sit down a little ways off. Opening her mouth in order to retort to his comment, she closed it, not coming up with anything to say. Instead, she moved closer, sitting a few feet away and facing Gunther as she unwrapped her meal. There was silence as the two began to eat, Jane not realizing how hungry she was.
"I am surprised the lizard has not followed you," Gunther said after a moment, causing Jane to look up from eating.
"Well, Sir Theodore told him not to," she replied, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.
"Still," Gunther retorted, "that Dragon barely listens to you, let alone Sir Theodore."
Jane thought a moment as she chewed a bite of the food, "well, perhaps Dragon is meant to learn something from all this, just as we are supposed to."
Gunther looked thoughtful for a moment, however didn't reply back as the conversation lagged again between them. They both continued to eat the food, one stopping to take a drink of water before resuming to eat again.
It wasn't long before lunch was over, and Jane stretched her arms and legs out in front of her after she finished packing the garbage from the meal back in to the bag. She knew that they had a ways to go yet as her green eyes searched the skies. Her eyes then returned back to the ground, or rather, Gunther. She watched him copy her actions and noticed the way his arms looked as they moved above his head. Blushing and standing up, Jane moved over to her horse, signaling that it was indeed time to start traveling again.
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After a moment, Gunther rose and averted his eyes from Jane as he retrieved his horse and swung up on to the saddle. Glancing over at Jane, he noted how she waited for him instead of speeding off. Kicking his horse in order to start it moving at a walk, he began to lead them out of the grove of trees; Jane closely following before matching his pace and riding beside him.
"At least the weather is not extremely hot," the teen female said after a moment as Gunther looked at her from the corner of his eye.
Biting back his sarcastic comment, he replied, "yes, and as we near the ocean the breeze will pick up." Gunther knew that the comment about the weather was her way of starting a conversation. He decided to give her a break, and not criticize the feeble attempt of talking.
But he did appreciate it.
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It was many hours later, and Jane could barely sit upright in the saddle. Judging by the sky, it was nearing evening and the two of them could see the ocean in the distance. The sight made Jane straighten herself and speed up her horse. She patted its neck as she rode the steed. She tried not to show her tiredness to Gunther, although she did admit that the off and on talking they did was civil; though short and about meaningless matters.
The coming darkness did present a problem, however. Without decent light, or knowledge about the whereabouts of the Rocklust, the two would never be able to find it. Jane looked to Gunther, and wondered if he also was thinking along those lines.
"Gunther," she started. He glanced to her, showing he heard. "It will be dark soon. Perhaps the two of us should find shelter and sleep for the night before resuming our search in the morning."
The man gave a nod as the two finally emerged onto the tree-less plain of the ocean front. Ankle-high grass stretched to the right and left for miles, unburdened by trees. A constant wind made it seem that the blades were dancing. Even though the plain was tree-less, there was a small town sitting on the edge of the plain. The fire lit from the houses cast a warm glow to everything around it.
Jane smiled, inhaling the salty air as she listened to the crashing waves. However, they didn't sound close at all; rather, the beautiful noise came from a distance. Jane allowed her steed to take the lead on Gunther and walk towards the noise. The horse fidgeted slightly and immediately came to a stop as it neared the edge of the plain. Biting her lip, Jane leaned over her saddle slightly, looking to see an almost vertical drop to the ocean front, where raging waves crashed over jagged rocks. The wind howled, screaming almost.
The sound didn't seem as beautiful now.
"Gunther…" she trailed off, brows drawn together in concerned curiosity.
"What, Jane?" Gunther rode over and mimicked Jane, arching a brow as he saw how steep the cliff was. He looked to the red-head, who returned his perplexed stare.
"You do not think…" she started as Gunther slowly shook his head.
"That the Rocklust would be along those rocks…" he finished, glancing down again. The drop down seemed to stretch a good while. Jane briefly closed her eyes, holding up a hand with a short sigh.
"Sir Theodore and Sir Ivon surely would not have sent us on a mission for a bunch of rocks in a very, very dangerous place." The woman shook her head as if to reassure herself. Gunther gave a nod, starting his horse off on a walk towards the town.
"Of course not. After all, they care more about our safety as opposed to this Rocklust." Jane's horse was beside him as the two looked at the town. Jane turned to Gunther, smiling hopefully.
"We will rest for tonight, and then go out in search for the Rocklust tomorrow."
The young man nodded in agreement as they kept their horses at a walk, using the left over light from the sun to guide them. Since they didn't know the town that well, neither one wanted to go speeding through it. Jane carefully gazed around her, not seeing many buildings near them aside from the town ahead.
"Do you have coins for the inn?"
The sudden question from Gunther made her snap her head towards him as she answered, "Yes, I made sure to bring some along."
"Good," he replied as they continued on. The grass plain seemed to stretch on forever. As they rode on the wind began to pick up and they could see storm clouds in the distance.
"That is interesting how the weather can change like that," Jane commented as she looked at the sky, "It is fine one moment and then the next…"
Gunther held up a hand in order to cut her off as he pointed ahead, "let us speed up so if it begins to rain, we will not be caught in it. It is only a few yards away, anyway."
The female beside him who was going to interrupt him for interrupting her, closed her mouth and looked to where Gunther was pointing. The woman was surprised that she hadn't seen how close the town was herself as she arched an eyebrow and sped up her horse so she could catch up with Gunther.
The sound of thunder rolled across the sky just as the two entered the town. It was a normal small settlement; several buildings had signs posted before them, marking them as shops. The only difference this town had than others were smaller windows. To prevent the rough winds from entering the buildings, Jane guessed.
"Jane, do you see an inn?" Gunther inquired, looking about the town. No one was outside, save for one or two people. The thunder lowly rumbled again as Jane looked to a younger looking man. He wore brown slacks and a white top. His coarse brown hair hung just above his eyes.
"Excuse me, but is there an inn in this small town, sir?" She smiled to him.
The man looked up, his blue eyes visible to Jane as he gave a small smile in return, "no, my lady. No inn here. But I offer shelter for those who are looking."
Gunther opened his mouth, but Jane spoke first. "Brilliant. Would you mind if the two of us stayed?"
The young man nodded, "of course. Please, follow me." Just as he finished his sentence, lightning struck and rain suddenly broke free from the sky. Gunther muttered a word but Jane ignored it. The young man motioned with his hand as he jogged over to a house near the edge of the town. Leaning up against his house was a small stable that looked to be poorly made with the wood looking as if it had been used for something else. Jane and Gunther eyed it slightly, but the rain did not allot them to make a comment. Instead, they dismounted their horses and lead them into the dry area.
The young man stood near the entrance, an apologetic look on his face. "You will have to forgive the mess. I am in the process of building a stable when I get a horse of my own."
Jane smiled to him, shaking her head. "No, it is alright. We are grateful that you will take us in."
"Even though 'we' did not make the decision," Gunther spoke up lowly beside her, removing his sword from the horse's saddle. Jane looked to him, frowning.
"Gunther!" she admonished. "He had offered us a room to stay, since there is no inn here. You should be thankful." She likewise grabbed her sword, securing it to her waist.
Gunther glared at her, turning to the young man. "We thank you for allowing us to stay," he said, as if satisfying Jane. Jane, who was satisfied, turned and smiled too. The young man nodded.
"You are very welcome… uhm…" he looked between the two of them. Jane briefly closed her eyes, pointing to herself.
"Oh. Sorry. My name is Jane, and my companion is Gunther." Jane waved a hand to Gunther, who nodded his head in greeting.
"I am Dehio," the young man nodded his head in return. "Please, this way." He walked back into the rain as Gunther nudged Jane.
"You should have asked someone else if there is an inn. We do not know if we can trust this man."
Jane rolled her eyes as she began to follow Dehio. "Gunther, even if he cannot be trusted, there are two of us and one of him. Besides, would you like to be still in this rain?" She held up her hand as the two entered the downpour. Gunther frowned, shaking his head in resignation.
"I would still be wary," he muttered. Dehio stood before the doorway, holding it open for them. Jane smiled to him as she entered, Gunther close behind. The young squire looked around the room. There were two beds, side by side, in one corner while a large table with a few chairs sat in the middle. Papers were strewn all across it while a fire crackled warmly on the adjacent wall. The corners were mostly dark due to the ill light.
As Dehio shut the door behind himself, Jane smiled to him, "you have a very, ah, humble home, Dehio." The man, who didn't look to be much older than Gunther, gave her a shy smile.
"Well, I have the largest house in Rocklust, so I decided to be generous to any weary travelers… We do not often get many out here, of course…" he looked to the ground and walked over to the fireplace, where a small iron pot hung from a wire. Both Jane and Gunther stared at him.
"Did you say Rocklust?" Gunther spoke after a moment, stepping into the one-room house fully. Dehio nodded, taking a wooden spoon off of the mantle and stirring what was assumed to be their dinner.
"Yes. We are named Rocklust after the rock that resides along the cliffs here," he took a rag off of the mantle and picked up the pot. "If you two would not mind, would you care for some soup?"
Jane nodded as she walked over, her hands holding onto one of the backs of the chairs. "Dehio. Did you say the rock residing along the cliffs?" Her stomach folded in half. With all of this rain, and especially with how steep that cliff was, this journey looked to be slightly more dangerous than the simple 'go forth and retrieve rocks' task the knights had told them. The young man nodded as he moved a few of the papers, setting the pot down. Gunther leaned over, looking at it, along with Jane. It seemed normal enough.
"I am sorry about this mess. As I had said, we do not get many visitors…" he began to collect the papers. Gunther picked one up, inspecting it. Jane watched him, wondering why his eyes looked so curious.
"What is this?" he questioned, his nose wrinkled. Jane frowned, but sighed. Gunther and his manners… She looked at the parchment too, eyes widening a bit. It was white, with small black marks strewn all about it. Thin black lines connected a few of them, while writing in an unknown language was all over the page.
Dehio looked up, then smiled sheepishly as he continued to pile up the papers, "it is but a foolish hobby of mine…"
Jane pointed to one of the cluster of dots, "I see this in the southern sky at night… Are these stars, Dehio?" The man nodded as he picked the pile of papers up and took it over to another table that had hid in a corner.
"Yes. I study them from time to time… Although it is not my main desire in life."
Gunther spoke up, surprisingly, "and what is that?" Jane was amazed that he showed interest as she studied him for a moment. Perhaps there was more to Gunther than what Jane had thought…
"To be a knight, like my grandfather…" Dehio's smile was a bit sad as he walked over, now with three bowls in hand. Jane cocked her head to the side.
"That is nothing to be sad over, Dehio. To aspire to be a knight is a noble dream."
Dehio nodded, spooning some soup into a bowl, "yes, I know. I am just sad because my grandfather passed recently."
Jane's eyes lowered, saying softly, "I see." Gunther didn't say anything, instead placing the paper he was holding down to accept the bowl of soup from the brown-haired man. Jane likewise accepted her bowl, an awkward moment of silence hung in the air.
Dehio offered the two a smile, "so why are two knights in Rocklust?"
"We were sent here to gather as much of the rocklust as possible for one of our mentors," Jane explained as she held her bowl of soup, the steam hitting her face.
"I see," Dehio replied as he pulled out one of the chairs sitting down in it. "If I may assume, you train at Kippernia Castle?"
"Yes," Gunther answered as he too pulled out the other chair and sat down placing the bowl upon the table.
Jane was the last to sit, also setting the dish on the table as the steam began to lessen. Silence fell between them as Dehio picked up his bowl, taking a drink from it before setting it down again. After seeing Dehio eat first, Jane and Gunther both felt more comfortable in starting to eat as well.
"You mentioned that your grandfather was a knight," Gunther began after swallowing the food. "Did he train you at all?"
Dehio nodded, "yes, but only a little bit. For you see, he was very sick."
"I understand," Jane replied as she tucked a piece of red hair behind an ear.
"If I may inquire of you Jane, how a woman became a knight? I am sure my grandfather would have been very surprised to see that indeed."
Jane gave a slight smile, "I am fortunate to be living in a kingdom that gives me such respect and the chance to fulfill my dream of becoming a knight."
"How did you get that chance?" Dehio inquired. He listened attentively as Jane started to tell about how a dragon had kidnapped the prince from the castle, and instead of slaying him she had befriended the beast who let the young boy go. When Jane was finished, Dehio leaned forward and smiled at the young woman across from him, "that is amazing Jane, to be so young and brave to do a deed such as that."
"Thank you Dehio," she replied as he seemed to enjoy her story in her eyes. Turning her head, she met Gunther's gaze as he looked not at Dehio but at Jane with a look of wonderment on his face.
She was about to inquire as to the look before Gunther spoke, "I am surprised you have never heard that story."
"Well," the man paused for a moment, "I may have some time back. However, I may simply not remember hearing it."
Silence once again fell between them as the three still continued to eat. It was broken a few minutes later as Dehio asked, "would you mind if I assisted you two in collecting the rocklust?"
"Oh," Jane began, "we do not want you to go through any kind of trouble for us. I believe we'll be…"
"My apologies," Dehio quickly stated, "I only inquired because of this down pour of rain and how steep the cliff side is… I know trails along the cliff that you can use."
Jane smiled, "no apologies are necessary." Jane's smile grew, "I would not mind the help if it does not trouble you to give it."
"I am sure Jane and I will be fine on our own," Gunther spoke as he finished the last bite of the food and placed the bowl down on the table. Jane shot him a look before turning back to Dehio.
"Well, I guarantee that it is no trouble at all. To help two knights of the king's guard would be an honor for me."
"Actually," Jane was quick to correct him, "we are just squires at the moment."
Dehio gave a grin as he replied, "it does not matter, for one day you both will be knights. I would still be honored to assist you in your quest."
"Thank you," Jane said as she finished the meal, placing it on the surface in front of her.
"You are very welcome, Jane." Dehio stood, taking his bowl as well as hers. Gunther handed Dehio his empty bowl. The man turned and went back to the corner of the room as Gunther leaned towards Jane.
"Yet again, you made a decision for the two of us," he whispered. Jane gave a short sigh as she rolled her eyes.
"Gunther, he is a nice fellow. Perhaps you can learn from his manners," she replied smartly, smirking. Before Gunther could retort, Dehio returned to the table.
"I am sure the two of you are quite tired. You can use those beds," he motioned to the two beds in the corner. Jane and Gunther looked to the beds, then looked to each other. Both wore expressions that were anything but ecstatic.
"Those beds are… rather close, are they not?" Gunther spoke. Jane, who slightly agreed, gave him another look.
"If it offends you so, we can move the beds," she said. Gunther snorted.
"I was only thinking of your privacy."
Jane stood, scoffing, "Gunther, the two of us will be knights one day. Of equal stature. It should not matter how close we will sleep together. I mean, next to each other." Her cheeks reddened a bit as Gunther gave her an odd look.
Dehio thankfully spoke up, "please have a good rest." He blew out the lantern, leaving only the dim light from the dying fire place lighting the room. The man walked towards the entrance of the house as Jane looked to him.
"Where will you sleep, Dehio?"
He turned to smile to her, "in the other room connected to this house. Please sleep well, Jane. Gunther." With that, he opened the door to the torrential winds and rain and exited. After the door closed, Jane looked to Gunther.
"We best get a good sleep now," she sighed, heading towards the beds. She stared down at it, then looked to Gunther. He was still sitting. She watched him for a moment, remembering how he was during the day. At times, it seemed that Gunther was not himself. That he was someone different, someone who was more kind and gentle. Jane smiled, remembering the non-threatening smirk that Gunther had presented to her. Untying her sword from her waist, she leaned it on the wall beside the bed before she climbed into the bed, pulling the covers over her.
She looked to him, seeing that he was still sitting. He was looking at her, an unreadable expression on his face. Remembering the smirk, she gave him a gentle smile as she patted the bed beside her. "Gunther, come on. We will not be able to find any rocklust if we are half asleep."
The man nodded as he stood up and walked over, leaning his sword against the wall as well. He got into the bed, lying on top of the covers. He didn't look at Jane, mumbling, "good night."
Jane smiled as she mocked him, mumbling back, "good night." She still smirked, thinking about the day and the way Gunther acted. It didn't even cross her mind once that as she fell asleep, Gunther was the only thing she was thinking about.
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Kioa here! We hope you enjoy! Just remember, for the love of fanfiction and for imagination itself, you will have to suspend a bit of belief. Otherwise, you can't have fun!
