"The Lady knight is back," annaounced the court jester happily when he saw Jane walking towards the table for midday meal. She took a seat in front of him and lifted her spoon in the air.
"I am not yet a knight,"said Jane, playfully pointing her spoon at him.
"Ah, but you will be."
"Where did you find Gunther?" Smithy, who was sitting down next to Jester, looked down at his food unknowingly. He stared at the food for a long while, then looked up at Jane. "Where did you find him?" he asked again, tilting his head a little to the right.
"Well," started Jane, when she noticed what was on Jester's bowl then looked down at her own. Jane wrinkled her nose and pushed the bowl away from her. "He was with two of his friends down at a bar near the edge of the village."
"A true knight would not go near that place," said Smithy, looking down at his pig, Pig.
"Wait a moment," said Jester, holding his hands in front of himself, "Gunther has friends?" A goofy grin spread across his face.
Jane laughed, then abruptively stopped. "There was this odd thing one of them said to me."
Jester seemed bothered but said nothing.
"Out of nowhere he called me a 'fire goddes' and Gunther's lady friend."
"Anything else they said to you?" asked Smithy, his gaze on the jester.
''They said they were coming here tomorrow.'' Jane replied.
Jester looked quikly at her. "Really?" His voice was quavering a bit and his hands were balled up into fist under the table.
"Shall we change the subject?" Asked Jane nervously. Smithy nodded. "Were are Rake and Pepper?"
"They went to the village. Rake was going to ask if he could marry Pepper. Tomorrow is also her birthday. She is turning sixteen."
Jane sighed."I feel so glad for the bboth of them. And I will not yet be that age until three months from now.''