Thank you guys for all the reviews and thoughts.

TheSecondBestBed, Kyra4, and Lily.

SunRise19 this entire story is because of you :)

You are all wonderful so I included what I had from the wedding party from Gunther's point of view AND the next part of the which I was planning to skip to.

Enjoy!

They are immediately bombarded by cheers and applause. (The drinking is certainly well on its way) They can't even take in any of the décor before the people start flooding forward to offer their congratulations and well wishes. Gunther thanks people mechanically, words and people blending in together in a seemingly endless array of guests. He isn't even sure who most of the people are and can guess that most of their words are hollow with meaning.

"Congratulations to you both." Lavina's voice breaks him of his inattentiveness.

He focuses on her, she is clad in a delicate purple dress, a knowing smile perfectly etched into her face as if she had known they would be married since they were children. He has a sudden vivid memory of her at six in her toy dragon wings parading around with a bouquet of flowers in her hand preparing for his and Jane's supposed wedding. Then again, Lavina always walks around with a look like she knows the whole world's secrets, he starting to believe that it just might be some truth to that smile. She pats Gunther on the arm and hugs Jane with great gusto then announces rather loudly, "I want to show you something." Grabs Jane by the arm leading her to the far side of the hall. Gunther follows, you don't refuse the princess, and in any case it is a relive to be away from all the well wishers. "There isn't much of interest over here really." The princess confesses, once they are out of earshot and in a relatively empty space. "I wanted to get you away from all those people quickly, so that we can get the dancing started soon." Her smile is bright and unapologetic as always.

"Princess those people were expecting our thank you," Jane cuts in lightly. "It isn't very polite to pull us away." She sounds somewhat disproving, but even he can tell she is also relived to get away.

"It would have taken ages, they are only there to be polite themselves, now they can get back to drinking and gossiping about your hair." Lavina tells them, waving her hand dismissively. She was right, regardless, the small crowd by the door had already dispersed and seemed to be enjoying doing what they were here to do, no one seemed put off for not speaking with them, no one even seemed to care where they had gone. "Now Gunther," Lavinia turns to him now that they have stopped walking, her arm still hooked around Jane's. "If you don't mind, I would like to steal your bride for a moment." It wasn't a question and he doubted very much that she actually cared if he minded at all. She was already leading her off to some other part in the hall.

He stands there for a moment, watching Jane's mane of read hair until he looses her in the crowd and then makes his way to where the largest gathering of people are, he seriously needs a drink.

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The dancing around them resumes once more and people saunter off elsewhere to enjoy the festivities. Gunther looks over at Jane, she is staring off into the throng people who are enjoying themselves now that the feast is over, with a hazy sort of look as if she isn't seeing the dining hall in front of her at all. They haven't spoken much to each other all evening. All day really, although he had considered going to speak with her in the morning about what they would be facing this evening, but Dragon had thrown that out the window. And now they are married, time slowly dwindling he can see out the far door that dusk has fallen, someone has already begun to light the outer torches.

"Do you want to dance?" She turns toward him at the sound of his voice, blinking like she is coming out of a day dream. They had already danced their wedding dance, and Jane had had danced more than him, Lavina had evidently coerced her into promising more than one dance with her, and she seemed to have enjoyed herself. But now that everything has begun winding down she has grown more and more pensive. She doesn't particularly look like she is in the mood to be even asked. "Or, perhaps, some more wine." He doesn't wait an answer this time, just grabs the jug and pours some of the red liquid in both their glasses. They are the only ones left at their table, and he offers the drink to her, thinking about being alone with her, and trying not to think about being alone with her later tonight; in their house. She takes it from him without a word. He he takes a swig of his own drink taking in the alcohol and hoping it might make this whole thing easier. He has been drinking his fare share this evening and doesn't feel as better as he should, his father definitely watered down the wine. He sighs, what did he really expect from Magnus?

Thinking about his father he eyes him in the corner of the hall, chatting away and no doubt making business deals with some other drunk merchant, Gunther is quite sure that at least their drinks will not be watered down.

Jane drinks some of her wine but mostly just stares down at it in her thoughtful way, he is starting to feel a pang in his chest everything he looks at her, and not in a good way. She is a million miles away and he doesn't know how to bring her back it's a rather oppressive feeling. He cannot just sit here with her like this for much longer, he will go mad.

He gets up abruptly, "Would like me to bring you anything?" He asks her, moving his chair back finally free of the confines.

She looks up at him in an almost bored way. "I'm quite alright, thank you." And she takes another small sip of the wine no longer paying him any attention.

He makes his way down the hall in the midst of people, someone congratulates him and he sends a half-hearted wave in what he hopes is their direction and keeps walking. He isn't sure where he is going just wanted to move around mostly.

He stopped short by Sir Ivon who grips him by the shoulder stopping him mid-stride, the older man smells strongly of Ale. "Well done lad! Ye bagged a good one! I'm very proud." He starts up, thumping him clumsily on the back. His accent always thickened whenever he was inebriated. "Ye ken, me own mother had red hair, she always told me..." Gunther sees fit at this moment to disengage himself from his drunken mentor, he ducks away as quickly as he can. He also runs into Sir Theodore who sees the opportunity to remind him that Jane is also a knight and should be treated as such, although much more coherent and sincere than Sir Ivon, it is obvious enough that Theodore has partaken in his own fair share of ale.

His father catches him next and there is no getting away from him. Gunther spends the rest of his time only half listening to the men around him, they impart their "wisdom" on women and marriage but mostly make jokes at the expense of the "weaker gender" and each other. Until someone comes and pulls him away, it is time to head home.

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They walk up the pathway Jane looking superstitiously around at the building that will now be their home. She had flat out refused to enter at any point before this and by the way she was eying it now it seemed she hadn't even sparred the outside a good look. The moon let the entire thing in white and black, silver in the highlighted areas. But with the full moon out tonight it was easy to see even small details, just not much in the way of color. He holds the gateway open as she passes through, her hair unlike everything else does not lose its fire, even in the moonlight. A tad darker perhaps but it would not be mistaken by for anything other that the red it is, striking against her white dress.

She stops about five feet away from the main entrance and he realizes after a moment that he is still at the gate studying her back and curves. He snaps out of it and walks forward until he is next to her and stares up at the two story building as well, wondering what it might look like to her. A monster waiting to shallow her? The unhappiness of their union represented in stone and mortar? Or perhaps just a plain house with nothing admissible or distinguishable.

"Well...?" He hardly recognizes his own voice when he speaks, braking the silence the night had build around them. She doesn't respond just keeps her eyes on the big building. She is steeling herself to go inside. She never wanted to, he remembered when he first asked her if she would like to see the house. She had blanched as if he had thrown scalding water at her. All subsequent tries had been to no avail and similar reactions; in the end he had just bought without her input. She failed to want to see it after as well, so he had stopped asking and more or less had settled it to his liking. He looks at her, she couldn't say no to going now, although he wouldn't put it past her to decide to sleep in the garden instead. He smiles, well that was currently unavailable thanks to Dragon.

"How about we go and admire the present the big green reptile you call a friend, dropped of this morning?" He asks her.

"Right, Dragon mentioned something this morning." Her voice is quiet.

He grabs her hand, grateful, when she doesn't flinch or pull away. And leads her toward the back of the house.

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"There you have it." He tells her, letting go of her hand only now that they have reached their destination. Jane takes in the poor creature that is tied to the outer fence by a long rope.

Her laugh comes in spurts as she speaks, "Should, have... known." She shakes her head and he is glad to note the smile on her face, it is the first genuine happiness he has seen from her all day. He follows closely as she approaches the large white and black creature.

"He woke me at the crack of dawn this morning," Gunther speaks, as she pats their new "pet" and it stares forlornly back. "Saying he had to be the first one to give you a gift, or something. Apparently only this would do. I suggested he get you a book or a dagger or something more practical. He obviously didn't listen." He leaves out the part where dragon threatened to charcoal him when Gunther refused to assist in the endeavor.

"How did he even get her, and where?" Jane looks over at him disapprovingly, as if he and Dragon might have stolen it.

"We went to go see the farmer, the one who lives just outside the castle and grows the cabbages. Apparently he and Dragon had already come to an agreement. Dragon gave him five of his scales in exchange for her. And I had to bring her here." Which had not been fun and taken a lot of his morning, leaving him exhausted before the wedding had even began. The nerves had eaten the tiredness as the moment got closer and by the time Jane arrived he was as taught as a wire. "She is Dragon's favorite apparently, she is 'the least skittish around him,' or so he said." He adds on as an after thought, as Jane pats her once more and the cow moo's in appreciation. He was still having trouble believing he had spend his morning retrieving the darn thing, if wasn't for the nerves eating away at him still, he would have felt inclined to let her know just how much of an annoying hassle it had truly been.

"Well, at least there is plenty of space and grass for her." Jane says shaking her head sightly with a half smile on her face as she walks away from the creature and back towards him.

"Of course," He responds automatically, "One of the reasons I picked this place was because I knew we need a place for Dragon to land and be able to move around. I was not expecting a cow, but it works out just the same I suppose." She looks at him strangely and he suddenly wishes he had stopped talking two sentences ago.

"Yes it does." She answers him but she is still looking at him in away that is making him very uneasy and it suddenly becomes very awkward as they stand there in the grass while their new cow moos occasionally. Finally she breaks the silence, "Well..." This time its him who doesn't answer, having no idea what to say to the look of expectation she is giving him. "I suppose we should go inside then." He shallows and then complies.

I'm still surprised no one guessed Dragons gift!

Thanks again for the lovely words ladies

Let me know what you guys think of this chapter!

See you next Thursday! :]