Author's Note: Amazing how fast you can write with inspiration. I'll probably post the rest of it tomorrow. Please review!
When Jane awoke the next morning, she saw two things; one had bells, and the other black hair. "There must be something more useful that you two should be doing than standing watch over me. It can not be interesting." Both Jester and Gunther opened their mouths to say something, decided against it, and simultaneously stood up. They both muttered some excuse while they left.
"They stayed up all night, just watching you, holding your hands to 'check for a pulse' at all times, you know," Pepper said, entering the hospital side of her kitchens.
"While that is admirable, it was not necessary. You should not encourage them."
"Oh, come off it, Jane! At least this way, if you lose a pulse, they could do something about it before we lost you."
"I am fine, Pepper. In fact, I was going to report to the interim Captain of the guard."
"Only if he comes to you," Pepper replied, and she put her hands on her hips to show that she would be obeyed, especially in her domain. "I shall fetch him for you." Pepper scurried off, leaving a tart baking, to fetch the Captain of the guard. She politely knocked on the door and entered. "Please, Sir…"
"Bedwyr. Sir Bedwyr."
"Sir Bedwyr, some of the knights are getting restless. They require something to do. Of course, they can not train or any such thing, due to their condition…"
"Understood, Mistress…"
"Pepper"
"Ah, the cook. Anyway, Mistress Pepper, I shall send you back with some of the writs left in the chief's tent to give to the knights to go through. If they find anything, fetch me." And with that, he handed her the tallest stack of paper she had ever seen to bring to the kitchen. Pepper began walking toward the kitchen, but no sooner had she left the knight's quarters than did Rake offer to help her carry the writs.
"So you met Sir Bedwyr?" asked Rake.
"Yes, I did not know there were so many knights in the castle," responded Pepper, and with the look on Rake's face, she quickly added, though none are as handsome as you, of course."
The relief flooded back onto his face, and they began discussing such things that engaged people do until they reached the kitchen, when he headed back to his peas.
Pepper set down the pile of papers on a table and went over to Jane to explain what they were. Jane demanded a stack of them, and they were quickly supplied. Some of the other conscious knights requested them, and soon Pepper was busy with not only cooking, but also fetching more papers for all of the knights.
The rest of the day went on as such, and several days after that. A few of the more lightly wounded knights moved on, leaving only Sir Ivon and Jane in the hospital to go over the papers. The King had since decreed that once he was fully recovered, Sir Ivon would take over as Captain of the guard. Sir Ivon was almost ready to leave the kitchen when Jane's eyes went wide reading the document in her hands. She gestured for Sir Ivon to come over, as she was not yet allowed to walk.
Sir Ivon appeared over her shoulder, and he began to mutter such things that should never be repeated. "The dirty scoundrel, I should have known! Pepper, fetch Sir Bedwyr, and send him out with thirty knights to arrest the man whose name is on this piece of paper. He handed it over to Pepper, who once she left his sight, indulged her own curiosity. She looked down and saw that it was a writ for the entire royal family, as was expected, and below that, the name of the traitor to the crown. She quickly made her way to the knight's quarters again, and gave him the orders that Sir Ivon had given her. He was just as shocked, and as she returned to her kitchens, she knew that someone's heart could break tonight. She did not need any salt in her cooking that night, for what is more salty than tears.