A/N: Oooooh boy. I am very sorry it's been over two years since my last update. Thank you so much for all of your kind words and encouraging reviews. For a while I thought I was done with Jane and Gunther, but could never bring myself to call this story finished. I'm very glad I waited for them to come back to me. In other news, it's been almost exactly five years since I first uploaded this story! Wowza.

Hope you enjoy!

The sight of Jane with a mug of ale in her hand was undeniably bizarre, Gunther thought. She was laughing loudly at something Mouse had said, the mug swinging gently in her hand as she shook with laughter. Jane's hair danced as she moved, falling in tight curls to rest on her casual green tunic and light brown vest. It was the first time he'd seen her out of armor in weeks.

Gunther sat back in his chair, positioned between Jane and Mouse, and watched the pair lean toward each other over the table and giggle at various soldiers making fools of themselves. He took a sip of his own cup of ale, relishing the feeling of safety that washed over him as the cool liquid slid down his throat.

However, even the strongest of ales couldn't push away all his uneasy feelings. They'd been in quick pursuit of a band of Brynn soldiers for weeks now, hoping that the group was one of the last regiments still terrorizing Kippernia's eastern ports. A swift battle had wiped out the small Brynnian company three days prior. In the morning, their regiment would ride out, heading to the Northern border where peace had not yet been made with Brynn. Three years of brutal war had nearly exhausted their resources, but King Caradoc hoped that a final push at the border would force Brynn to retreat once and for all.

Tonight, though, they celebrated. The soldiers were overjoyed to receive a warm welcome at a small fishing town. It wasn't much, but it was more hospitality than the knights had seen in several months. They accepted the warm food and cool drink gratefully but the night had quickly descended into chaos as the soldiers got drunk off their night of freedom.

Mouse nudged Jane to look to the corner. Eldric, a rude and boastful knight was clearly trying to engage one of the serving girls. He smiled cockily at her and lightly trailed his hand up the outside of her skirt, creeping towards her thighs. The serving girl squirmed away, but he latched on to the top of her skirt, pulling her back to his chair. Jane slammed her mug of ale down with a bang.

"Oy, Eldric!" Jane called, standing up. The inn quickly quieted as heads turned to see the source of the disruption. "Maybe if you were half as good at fighting as you are at groping uninterested women you would actually land a blow sometime."

The inn roared with laughter as Eldric's face reddened and he hastily let go of the serving girl. She gave Jane a grateful smile before dancing off into the kitchen. Jane curtsied to the room, swaying slightly, before plopping back down in her chair.

Mouse wiped tears of laughter from his cheeks. "His face was priceless, Jane, priceless."

Gunther smirked, smacking Jane on the shoulder. "Glad to see your quick tongue does not go away when you have had a few drinks."

Jane was flushed; her cheeks matched her hair. "Gets even better," she countered, wiggling her eyebrows at Gunther.

The serving girl appeared at the table with a tray full of drinks. She smiled at Jane again, placing the cups on their table. "These are on the house," she said, gesturing to the full mugs of ale. "Thank you for what you said. I thought this would be an acceptable reward for your chivalry."

Jane started to protest, but Mouse quickly exclaimed, "We'll take them!" which made the serving girl blush and smile more.

Jane rolled her eyes and thanked the girl, adding, "Men are pigs, especially the soldiers. Believe me, I would know." The girl laughed and left the group, hips swinging.

"We are not pigs!" Mouse slammed down his mug and gestured wildly between Gunther and himself. "I demand you take that back, Jane Turnkey, or I shall have to challenge you to a spar!"

Jane raised an eyebrow and turned to Gunther, eyes dancing in laughter. "What do you think, Breech? How long would Mouse last against me?"

Gunther took a deep drink of his ale. "Not two minutes, Jane. After all, you did train against the best squire in Kippernia." Mouse laughed his cockiness, glancing between the old rivals.

Jane merely smacked Gunther's shoulder and picked up one of the mugs the serving girl had left at the table. She raised it, looking expectantly at Gunther and Mouse to do the same. "To free ale!"

"To ale!" they chorused, slamming the mugs together and drinking deeply.

Later

Gunther giggled as he almost tripped over what felt like the fiftieth root on the walk from the inn to their camp. He pulled Mouse's arm, which was slung around his neck, as he stumbled, nearly dislocating it from his shoulder. This movement pulled Jane, too, as Mouse was suspended between he and Jane, passed out but breathing heavily. Jane cursed as she fumbled over Mouse's feet, which dragged on the ground between them. The ridiculousness of the situation caused both to laugh quietly, shoulders jostling Mouse's slumber. The ale still bubbling through Gunther's brain made it hard for him to stop giggling.

Jane had stopped walking and was leaning over. For a split second Gunther worried that she was going to be sick, but he soon heard her quiet laughter. He hoisted Mouse off of Jane's shoulder and lay the young man down on the cold ground. Jane plopped down next to Mouse, a dark shape in the night. Her curls were visible only from the faint light from the moon.

"We must… be close to camp by now" Jane slurred, still chuckling.

"Maybe we have just been walking around in circles… this whole time," Gunther replied, falling to the ground on the other side of Mouse, who was snoring lightly. Suddenly, Gunther hiccupped loudly. Jane collapsed into another fit of giggles as he quickly slapped his hand over his mouth.

They had stayed for at least another hour at the inn, watching the chaos unfold. Drunken soldiers had begun to leave, one by one. By far the most entertaining had been watching Mouse unsuccessfully flirt with a local older woman. She had put up with countless drunken stories before finally leaving the table in search of a better opportunity. Mouse had pounded two more mugs of ale, resulting in him collapsing on the table as Gunther and Jane looked on in amusement.

"That woman was really not interested in putting up with Mouse's jokes," Gunther mused patting his passed out friend absentmindedly on the arm.

"Yes he was rather unlucky in his romance tonight… unlike some others," Jane spoke calmly, but Gunther noted a slight edge of bitterness in her voice. His drunken mind ignored it.

"Some others?"

"You can not tell me you did not notice the girls constantly fluttering eyelashes at you all night. I doubt you even had to pay for any of your drinks," she responded curtly.

It was true—Gunther had not noticed the girls. He had been rather distracted by the enticing sight of Jane's complexion reddening from the heat and the ale. He shrugged. "I was otherwise occupied. Besides, it is not as though you do not have your fair share of suitors waiting for a chance with the infamous lady knight."

Even through the dim light of the moon, Gunther noticed Jane's cheeks flush alluringly. "Oh do not be so romantic, Gunther. All they want me for is a quick night during the war so they can tell their friends. To them, I am more of a novelty than anything else," she commented matter-of-factly.

"Oh come now, Jane," Gunther chided, smirking slightly. "Do not be so down on yourself! I seem to remember a certain jester calling you… luminous? Bewitching? Radiant?" After the words spilled out of his mouth, Gunther wished he could take them back in. The ale made his words looser.

To his relief, Jane merely chuckled at the mention of her past love. She leaned over Mouse's body, challenging Gunther's words playfully. "Jester cannot be considered a reputable source. He was rather… infatuated."

"Delusional, more like," Gunther grinned, leaning in to match her. "To think you would be ready to marry before knighthood, and that you would be satisfied with such a bumbling fool such as himself."

Jane moved closer still, her breath warm and smelling slightly of alcohol. "You think you know what… satisfies me, Gunther?" she said coyly, eyes skimming his face for signs of weakness.

His mind raced, unsure of what was happening but desperately wanting it to happen. He glanced quickly down at her lips, pink in the moonlight and inches away from his. He gazed back up at her eyes and opened his mouth to reply when suddenly Mouse coughed loudly. The pair sprung apart as Mouse quickly sat up between them, coughing, before turning to one side and retching horribly. Gunther jumped up to avoid the mess while Jane stood up slowly, legs shaky.

The two avoided eye contact as Mouse continued to empty his stomach. When he finished, the sour smell of sick permeating the night air, Gunther helped Mouse up, both swaying a little. Without a word, Jane grabbed Mouse's other arm and slung it over her neck and the three continued their trek back to camp.

A/N: No promises on when the next will be up, but I have some plans for it. Hopefully sooner than two years. I hope you all are well and as always comments and constructive criticism are always welcomed and appreciated.