Disclaimer: I do not own Jane and The Dragon, they belong to their rightful owners

Chapter Three

Supper With The Fairchilds

Gunther Breech was in a foul mood. One hell of a dark mood that even the very Scottish Sir Ivon did not utter a word concerning the fact that the young knight did not appear at the castle for the past two days. Normally if any of the young knights does a disappearing act for even an hour, they could be sure to get an earful from Sir Ivon and then given odious chores for the rest of the day as punishment. But to everyone's amazement, Sir Ivon kept quiet and carried on to tinker with one of his inventions as Gunther walked into the courtyard, his handsome face pinched into a frown and his steel grey eyes almost black.

Certainly, everyone who walked past the courtyard speculated and gossiped about the mood Gunther was in as they momentarily watch the arrows fly and hit the bull's eye each and every time. But they all quickly scuttled away again with a shudder and the thought that if they stick around any longer they might be Gunther's next practice target, even Smithy moved closer to the safety of his workshop rather than work outside like he normally did.

The only one who seemed brave enough to be near Gunther at that moment in time was Jane who busied herself with the practice dummy and her wooden sword. She lazily struck the spinning dummy as half her attention was on her fellow young knight. She hasn't seen Gunther in such a bad mood before and wondered what got him into such state of mind. She was certain it had something to do with the Merchant, it always does. So the question was, what has the Merchant done this time?

"Good morning short-lives!" Dragon's booming voice echoed around as he swooped in and perched himself on the castle wall beside the apple tree. He studied the apple tree for a moment before he picked off the brightest red apple he could find and proceeded to throw it into his great big mouth. He happily picked off a few more, oblivious to the sullen mood the courtyard was shrouded in and the fact that no one had greeted him back, but between his twelfth or thirteenth apple he soon realised this and narrowed his eyes at the humans below.

"Isn't it a fine and wonderful morning?" Dragon said slowly but merely huffed when not even Jane paid him any attention. She was too busy pretending to strike the dummy than acknowledge him. Well, how rude!

"What got your breeches in a knot?" Dragon wondered when he saw Gunther pelting the targets with his arrows and sensed that the young knight was taking out his frustrations with his oh so perfect archery.

But instead of Dragon continuing his poking and prodding to find out why Gunther was caught in a dark mood, Dragon burst out laughing when he realised what he just said "Do you get it? Breeches in a knot? Breeches, Gunther Breech! HAHAHAHA!"

Roaring with laughter, Dragon rolled on his back with his tail whipping back and forth as he laughed at his own joke that appeared to be the funniest one he ever said, but he was cut short when the apple that he was about to eat flew out of his hand and lodge itself on the castle wall with one of Gunther's arrows through it.

"Hey!" Dragon looked at his apple on the wall in shock then down to the courtyard and saw that Gunther was aiming an arrow at him, but Gunther merely arched an eyebrow and went back to his targets.

"Hey!" Dragon repeated in annoyance.

"Be quiet, toad." Gunther sneered coldly not bothering to look at Dragon.

"Don't call Dragon a toad, Gunther!" Jane said defensively to which Dragon nodded his head vigorously.

"He is irritating and I can call that overgrown tadpole whatever I please." Gunther snapped icily without looking at Jane as he pulled the string of his bow taut, took aim and let the arrow fly.

"If anyone is irritating, it's you! You've been in a foul mood all day and it's not fair that you take it out on other people." Jane bristled, hands on her hips like she meant business but she got nothing other than a soft thud of an arrow hitting the target.

"Well, answer me!" Jane repeated with narrowed eyes before softening her glare "What did the Merchant do now?"

At the mention of the Merchant Gunther stiffened, his jaws clenched even tighter than before responding in a clipped tone "None of your business."

"Gunther!" Jane demanded. She hated that Gunther could be so cold and detached when he wanted to be, she supposes she envied his ability to shut himself in, the way he could build a stone wall around him and will not let anyone in. But it frustrated her to no end when she thought she was making progress in understanding what made Gunther tick like she understood her other friends, something happens that made Gunther close himself up and all her work comes crumbling down again. How can someone be so difficult and complicated to understand?

"Gunther, what happened?" Jane said softly, careful to thread slowly as she changed tactics hoping that he will open up and tell her what has happened.

"Jane!" Gunther snarled in warning.

"What has he done? " Jane pressed.

"It is none of your business, you infuriating woman! Just leave it alone. Nothing has happened and it certainly has nothing to do with you! Why do you have to poke your nose in where it is clearly not wanted?" Gunther whirled around; his steel grey eyes most definitely turned black in cold rage as he stood so menacingly still in his anger it made Jane shudder inwardly.

"I know something had happened, why will you not tell me? You always do this; you strode in here in the foulest of moods and take it out on everyone. It is not fair!" Jane huffed, determined not to shy away from the icy glare of Gunther that would have made every other person in the castle walk away before the young knight explode and they would most certainly take the brunt of his pent up anger.

"Not fair? You want fair? Do you not know that nothing in this life is ever fair, Jane! Just leave me alone." Gunther seethed, his temper edging ever so close to boiling point but he managed to grasp at the last of his control and walked away furiously before he could release all his pent up anger on Jane who certainly was not at fault.

No, it was not Jane's fault at all despite her determination to poke and prod through his problems. She was just so meddlesome it raked on Gunther's nerves differently that if he stuck around any longer she would definitely end up taking the full brunt of his anger and he might say something he would regret later.

Any other day it would have been endearing in an odd sort of way that she was determined to find out what has set him in a foul mood and would most definitely try to figure out an answer for his problem. It was just the way she is, she needed to know her friend's problems were and hatch a plan to help them out in any way she can.

But this time he cannot afford her meddling nature to help him through his problem especially against the Merchant's new scheme.

Two Nights Ago…

"So good of you to finally join us, my son." The Merchant's irritated tone rang out in the dining room the moment Gunther entered. With a mocking bow, he silently acknowledged his father's presence who was sat at the head of the table piled high with a cold banquet meant for their guests that certainly had gone home by the time Gunther swaggered into the house.

"Where are your guests? Gone home so soon?" Gunther could not help but taunt his father who reeked of wine which was the only thing from the elaborate banquet set before them that was consumed.

"You insolent boy! Do you know what sort of damage you caused tonight by not showing up? It had taken me months to arrange everything up to this and you have shamed me in front of them by not turning up like you were supposed to!" The merchant stood up menacingly, hoping to scare Gunther like it used to when he was younger.

"I told you, father, I do not want to be married off for your advantage." Gunther retorted calmly, he was no longer scared of Magnus. He was physically taller and stronger than his fat and ageing father, nothing Magnus could do that would turn him into the snivelling boy that he once was. He was only biding his time and saving up enough money so he could move out and finally and completely detached himself from everything to do with his father. He was already half way there, all he needed to do was tolerate his father and his cruel ways a little while longer then he'll be out of the door as soon as he can.

"My advantage? Of course, it is to my advantage!" Magnus barked a snide laugh "Do you know how much dowry that girl will give me when the two of you are married? Her father owns more than half of the vessels coming into this sorry kingdom and its neighbours. When you are married I owe a share of that!"

"Well if it is her dowry that you are only concerned about why do you not marry her?" Gunther challenged, clenching his jaws tighter in irritation as he ignored the dull ache that was spreading from his temples. How dare his father use him as a mere pawn, be pushed and pulled to his advantage? Magnus was truly a despicable man and Gunther had to remind himself that he only need to bear with his father for just a little while longer.

"Do not be so cheeky, boy. You are a disappointment to me after all I have done for you. It is the least you can do to marry the girl." Magnus slammed his meaty fist on the table, his eyes narrowing in anger. The muscles in his arm twitched like they would when he is very close to striking his own son, but thankfully for Gunther his father remained seated.

"I will not." Gunther willed himself to be calm and stand his ground. He certainly did not want a repeat of what happened before and find himself at the mercy of his father's hand once more. It wasn't the first time his father had raised a hand, or a fist, at Gunther. He grew up knowing how painful a bruise, or even a broken rib, can be despite all his training to be a knight. He supposed all that heavy blows he endured from Magnus's cruelty helped him in his training.

"You will not?" The merchant hissed.

"I will not," Gunther repeated.

"I suppose that rabble you surround yourself with had fed you ideas that you can disobey your father. Well, my son, it has absolutely nothing to do with what you want. You are going to marry that girl and you will not disappoint me." Magnus said deliberately slow to make sure that his intentions of Gunther marrying the girl are driven home. He pushed his chair back away from the table making a screech against the floor so loud it made Gunther wince inwardly.

Without another word Magnus walked out of the dining room leaving Gunther rooted in the middle.

The girl was beautiful, Gunther had to admit. With her flowing golden hair, her bright blue eyes practically gleaming with curiosity, and her slender yet well-endowed frame should have made up for her lack of intelligence, yet nothing about her appealed to Gunther. If anything he felt sorry for the girl being caught in one of his father's scheme.

For a moment his father's boisterous laugh echoed throughout the room in response to what the girl's father had just said. Magnus leant back into his chair, some of the wine in his goblet spilling onto the table yet he didn't seem to notice and nor did their guests who joined them despite the disastrous banquet the night before where Gunther failed to show up. Gunther had no idea how his father had pulled it off and managed to invite the girl's family the evening after.

"Sir Gunther, rumour has it your fellow knight the Lady Jane," Lord Stephen, the girl's father spoke to Gunther for the first time that night and never in his life did he want to wipe a sneer that graced the older man's face when he said Jane's name "has a dragon for a pet."

"It is no rumour, my lord Stephen, it is, in fact, the truth." Gunther carefully measured his tone as not to sound so bothered by the wicked glint the two older men in the room shared the moment he replied. What are they up to?

"That beast has been nothing but trouble to me ever since that Lady Knight befriended it." Magnus exhaled dramatically as if the root of all his problems is Dragon's fault. "Yet the king himself is so fond of that beast and even made it a member of the scouts patrolling the borders."

"Dragon is useful to the patrol, he can cover more of an area and see further up in the air." Gunther couldn't help but retort in Dragon's defence.

"He spooks the livestock every time he takes flight. Just last week I have lost a dozen of my prized cattle for his amusement." Lord Stephen huffed, his wife who was as beautiful as his daughter merely patted his arm sympathetically and Gunther has yet to hear the Lady Mary utter a word.

"Father's prized cattle hails from the Western Islands and fetches a hefty prize." The girl, Matilda Gunther was sure her name was, offered when Gunther merely raised an eyebrow at the topic.

"Those cattle would have been just enough to buy the silk for my dress." Matilda sighed, and at that Gunther frowned at how superficial the girl sounded. In that one sentence, Gunther decided that there is definitely nothing in that pretty little blonde head of hers apart from money and dresses and he will be damned if he has to spend his lifetime listening to her nagging about silks and dresses. He needs someone who can challenge him, someone headstrong and have their own ideas and opinion that will not change once they put their mind to it. He needs someone like Jane and with that thought he shook his head in defiance and berated himself for coming up with such a thought.

"Don't worry pumpkin, we will still buy silk for your dress." Lord Stephen offered with a sickly-sweet smile in an attempt to coddle his daughter.

"But it won't be the same quality of silk the cattle would have fetched if it were not for that wretched beast," Matilda whined, pouting like a child at the thought of not having the best dress the kingdom has yet to see.

"I know of a merchant who deals in fine silk, Lady Matilda, such silk the Queen herself wears. If it would please you I could speak to him and see if I could barter you the silk you want." The Merchant said smoothly in an attempt to please the blonde.

"Did you hear that, father? Same silk the Queen wears." Matilda beamed at her father.

"In fact, I will send Gunther early tomorrow morning to speak to the merchant. It shall be the first of many gifts for his intended, what say you son?" The Merchant looked at Gunther with an expression that challenged him to contradict what his father has just said if he dared.

"It will be my pleasure, Lady Matilda," Gunther said with a plastered smile, knowing deep down he will most certainly not do such a thing.

EDITED 13.04.17

Review, pretty please! I am so so so sorry it had taken me so long to update this story! I got a bit sidetracked -_-