After eating everyone sat patiently, waiting for Sofia to tell her story.
"This was about a year ago, I had just turned seventeen." She began. "I had heard rumours of a group of men kidnapping young women and selling them to god knows who.
I waited to see if the law would get involved but it seems that they didn't believe any of the rumours. So, I took matters into my own hands and investigated the kidnappings myself.
I got told that the last time some of the women were seen, they were invited to a mansion for a ball of sorts, and that every month there'd be one. But the women would never return.
So, I decided to infiltrate the mansion myself. I wore a simple dress and hid my dagger under it, strapped to my thigh. I also had my throwing knives on me, but I won't say where." She winked.
Everyone was transfixed on her.
Gunther sighed and watched her expressions. Serious, angry, sadness and embarrassment in one sitting.
"I got into the mansion. I let myself get 'kidnapped.' They had put me into a dungeon below the mansion. There were about a dozen other girls down there with me, I told them not to worry and to run when I gave the word. I tore my dress at the bottom to make it shorter and easy to run in.
It became dark and I called on one of the guards for a drink of water, I was lucky, it was the same guard who held the keys, he also had a sword. So, I turned on the charm and persuaded him to open the cell... then I used the oldest trick in the book..." She smirked.
The boys let out a moan of sympathy pain for the man.
"Anyway, we all ran out, I took the guards sword and the keys. We went around the dungeons setting all the girls we could find free. At the top of the stairs we met the boss. He asked who the ring leader was... I owed up and requested that he'd let the others go if I stayed.
Obviously, my staying would've been for his entertainment uses so he agreed, my hair and eyes are a strange combination of colour, that I would fetch a heavy price."
Jane stared at Sofia, who was so calm and collected. She was the knight that Jane always dreamt of being.
Gunther was staring at her too, transfixed on her eyes. They were every shade of blue he could think of.
"So how did you get out?" Smithy asked. Surely, she used dragon magic! He looked around the table.
She inhaled. "Well, um... he set the girls free but kept me in his chamber, we were alone and he tried to uh... you know." She added with a blush.
A rush of fury went through Gunther. "Sick git." He growled.
Jane looked to him in surprise. Maybe Dragon was right, maybe Gunther does like like Sofia... She suppressed a giggle.
"Well... anyway, as he was... amusing himself, I managed to take the dagger from the place on my thigh... all I can say is, he and his followers will never touch a hair on an innocent girl's head again. All the girls I saved never mentioned that I was there so I managed to go free. I've told Sir Theodore the same story, he isn't going to take matters further because it was a good deed. I saved hundreds of innocent women from a fate I couldn't even begin to imagine." She finished.
Jane let out a breath she never realised that she was holding.
Jester sighed. "I'll definitely not be writing a ballad about that, lady knight." He chuckled.
"Just goes to show, Jane, sometimes the most dangerous people are the ones you least expect." Pepper commented. "Oh, I'm not saying it's dangerous to be around you, Sofia, I'm just saying you fooled the bad man. Beauty doesn't mean innocence all the time."
Sofia petted the cooks arm. "No offence taken. Now Jane, are you sure that knights shouldn't wear dresses, to a ball, where they will be dancing, not swinging a sword around?" She smiled. "Unless they really want to."
Jane laughed. "I guess you're right. It's only for one night, and it's not stopping me hiding a weapon for my own piece of mind."
Smithy was looking at Sofia with a small smile.
Gunther stood up. "Let's get to practice Jane, Sofia? We've been here almost an hour."
Sofia stood too. "More like, I teach, you practice." She poked his cheek playfully.
He pouted. "Hay! I'm not that terrible."
She smirked. "We'll see, shall we?" She stepped around him and walked across the courtyard, towards the practice area.
Jane prodded him in the arm. "Why are you so mushy for? If I insulted your fighting you would've bit back." She pointed out.
Gunther shrugged. "Maybe I tolerate her teasing more than your childish insults."
"Hurry up! The sun will have set by the time you get your rears in gear." Sofia called.
Gunther picked up pace and took Sofia's practice sword. "You can't beat me without this..." He smirked, holding the wooden sword out of her reach.
"Gunther, don't make me lose my temper." She laughed, trying to get the thing from him.
Jane shook her head. "Bog weevil, do you remember a few years ago? A rumour started about us two when you did that to me."
Gunther shrugged. "The princess already thinks this is true regardless." He muttered, keeping his eyes on Sofia's blue ones.
Jane sighed and went to the practice dummy.
Gunther was having a lot of fun playing with Sofia.
She chased him half-heartedly, cursing him. "Gunther I swear; I will roast you!" She hissed as she chased him into the stables.
He turned quickly and she smashed into him, resulting in them in a heap on the stone floor.
"Ugh... I'm sorry." Gunther opened his eyes to see hers staring at him in surprise.
He took in her dark lashes that framed those marble-like eyes, her tanned skin that was the colour of honey, her plump dark lips and her raven locks that brushed against his cheek. He licked his lips subconsciously.
She too was taking in his face. His stormy grey eyes that lured her in, she could see the curiosity in those eyes, his sharp, dark features, she noticed the lick of the lips. Even his scent reached her nose, well her dragon sensitive nose. He smelled of spices and cinnamon, probably from working for his father with the traders. She blinked out of her trance, then jumped up. "Are you done messing around?" She asked coolly, holding out her hand.
He took it and got pulled up. "Yeah, here." He gave her the sword. "That was fun though." He smiled.
She nodded. "I believe it was."
"So, about your story... did you roast them or just let them bleed to death?" He smirked.
She laughed. "A bit of both."
Jane wandered around, looking for the pair.
She came to the stables that they ended up in and saw them talking, looking rather fondly at each other. She shook her head. Who knows, she might make him into a decent man. She went back to practice, leaving the pair to it.
Sofia gave Gunther a smack on the rear with her wooden sword. "Go practice. You were the one complaining that you were wasting time." She stated.
He blushed slightly. "Yes, you're right." He headed out, Sofia not far behind. I can't get her face out of my head!
Sofia watched as the two squires sparred.
