Chapter XII

After two days of being bored stiff, stuck in the Physician chambers under observation, with very little to keep her entertained, Jane was grateful to finally be released. Even if it was only to her own chambers it was still better than being stuck in the dank, smelly healing chambers? Any change of scenery she would happily take without complaint.

"Now you must stay quiet and not move your arm. Or you may just cause it more harm." Her mother had fussed as she helped Jane into her own bed.

Jane had been fighting to keep herself temper and from scowling over her mother's relentless fussing since she first woke. She knew her mother meant well but with her mother's constant company Jane's friends only came to visit her for a few short periods throughout the day.

Jane understood that they were busy, but she also knew they would have stayed longer by her side if her mother hadn't been subtly glaring at them from over her needlework. This irritated Jane to no end; for when any of the noble born girls came to visit her (and she wished they'd leave after a few short minutes) and they stayed, chattering amongst themselves – never to her, of course – and her mother smiled in delight every time they appeared at Jane's chamber door.

She remembered Gunther's words from the Ball, about her mother trying to keep her away from her true friends, and have her befriending those shallow scatterbrain girls.

"And you want me to be like them?" Jane had finally spat after their latest aggrivating visit. Did those girls possess even a single logical thought in their painted heads at all?

Her mother eyed her disapprovingly.

"Jane, that's not very…"

"Nice? What about what you're doing? To me? Is that very nice?" Jane exclaimed heatedly, "Forcing me to abandon my friends because you don't believe they are suitable? Forcing me to be friends with people like those spoilt girls! Oh yes Mother that is very nice of you, thank you." Jane fumed while her mother simply stared back at her, monetarily speechless.

"I only want what's best for you."

"Trying to keep me away from my friends is your idea of what is best for me?" Jane spluttered, her eyes flashing angrily, "I actually think I preferred it when you were against my becoming a knight!"

"Jane." Adeline started to say, her own temper starting to rise.

"What? It's the truth! I don't care what you or anyone else thinks; I will do what I wish to do with my life because it is my life and I will live it how I wish to live it!"

Adeline opened her mouth to argue, to defend herself and her actions when there was a soft knock on Jane's door.

"Come in." She fought to keep herself from snapping and was glad that she had controlled temper for it was Lady Regine who stepped into her daughters chambers, her beautiful face twisted in concern.

"Good afternoon Lady Adeline, Jane." The beautiful noblewoman greeted with a wide smile at both mother and daughter.

Out of her eye, Adeline observed her daughter's expression drop from heated one to her smiling shyly at the grand lady, making her heart sting.

Why did her daughter have to hold this strange, beautiful woman in such esteem when she could barely hold conversation with her mother that didn't end with the two of them arguing?

She shook her head as she picked up her needlework and her sewing basket.

She would leave the two to talk, her daughter was clearly tired of her company and she had no wish to upset her daughter further. Both the wizard and the Court Physician had warned her against allowing Jane to work herself into a state, for that would be bad for her health.

Her daughter made no call for her to stay, too busy chatting with Lady Regina to truly notice her mother's leaving.

Again, Lady Adeline shook her head, this time fighting back tears. She only wanted what was best for her child, her only child, but whatever she did, whatever she tried, it seemed to be the wrong thing, at least in her child's eyes.

Most of the noble ladies thought that she was too lenient with her daughter, for allowing her to dress as a boy, to become a squire and to play with commoners. Their words hurt her deeply and she only wished to protect her daughter from them and their nasty words, but her daughter did not make it easy for her, fighting her at every corner, pushing her away. It was almost too much for her to bear.

But then, as she watched a group of those shallow, vain noble girls pass her by, all simmering and giggling over some nonsense or other, she knew that deep down, despite everything she said, she was glad that her daughter was not like them, that her daughter aspired to be something more than them.

She was proud of her daughter and had tried to tell her as much the first morning Jane had returned from her travels but her daughter seemed to have forgotten that conversation and Lady Adeline supposed that she had too.

She sighed heavily as she fought back the desire to roll her eyes at the high-pitch screams the noble girls were making in response to a spider climbing on a pillar.

"Kill it! Kill it!"

"Never fear, my ladies, for I will remove this evilest of beast from your presence." Lady Adeline looked back over at the girls at the sound of Jester voice.

The boy was smiling and bowing and doing all things that a proper jester should do, overdramatically removing the black spider from a pillar that none of the still squealing girls were anywhere near, dropping into an extravagant bow before disappearing as quickly as he had appeared. The girls giggled after him while Lady Adeline simply stared at the spot where he had vanished into the gardens and after hesitating for a moment, she followed him.

She found him easily enough, crouching by a rose bush and coaxing the little spider off of his hand and onto a leaf.

"You'll be far happier out here than you would be in there," she heard him say, "out here you are free while in there you'll be lucky to last a day before someone goes out of their way to squash you. Yes, out here is a far better place for you to be."

"Jester." She calls to him, sighing when she watched just how his body stiffen as he peeked over his shoulder back at her.

He stood up quickly and politely bowed to her, his face sunny and full of mischief, a classic court jester.

"How might I be of service this fine afternoon Lady Adeline?" He asked brightly showing her all the courtesy that he hadn't showed her the day of the Ball.

"I've noticed that you haven't been visiting Jane." Normally she would never be so blunt and to the point, but this boy was so very much like her Jane, and as she had long discovered with Jane, Lady Adeline knew being blunt with the boy was the best way to deal with him.

He blinked at her, but his face remained calm and cheerful, brightly explaining that he has been busy with his jester duties.

"You stayed by her side for three whole days while she was unconscious." Adeline interrupted him, watching him carefully. He was surprisingly good at masking his emotions. As a jester, he was meant to be, but this, this went beyond any court fool she had ever met before.

He shrugged saying nothing.

"You didn't leave her side for even a moment during those three days and now you haven't been to see her even once. Why?"

"Why do you want to know?" He asked, still bright and cheerful but she could see that he was watching her as carefully as she was watching him.

"You are a confusing lad; I find it very difficult to read you." She admitted and his smile seemed to only grow.

"I have been told that I am an overly complicated short-life." He replied cheekily and she has to fight down the desire to hit him over the head with her sewing basket.

"Does it not bother you that you might be hurting my daughter's feelings?" She asked briskly and was glad to finally see some emotion that wasn't bight nor happy in his expression. His eyes darken and she could see regret within them before it disappeared and he was smiling once again.

"Jane will get over it. She's a strong girl." He answered with complete confidence. Confidence that Jane would get over her annoyance at him for his not visiting her or confidence that she will get over him; Adeline was not sure which he meant. A bit of both, she supposed.

The boy was a puzzle, much like his court jester uniform implied and instead of her figuring him out as she planned she was now finding herself all the more confused by him.

"Why do you care, Lady Adeline?" Jester asked her, his voice now quiet and serious, all mirth gone from his face and eyes as he met her gaze without any of the respect that a servant, even the court jester, should have, "I thought that you wished for me to stay away from her?"

Adeline opened her mouth before closing it again.

How did he know that? She had told her husband that this was her wish, but he had been the only one she had spoken to in regards to the matter, so how did the boy know?

"Because it's obvious my lady." The boy replied as if he had read her thoughts and gave a small shrug of his shoulders.

"Oh really?"

"Yes. You don't think I'm suitable for your daughter," as he spoke Lady Adeline was slightly amused to watch his cheeks grow pink, "and you are right, I am not. I am not a fellow of her own station. I am worse than a commoner, worse than even a beggar really; I am a gypsy by birth and court jester by trade. I am not a good match for her. But," He met her eyes directly once more, "I am a good friend to her. And I will continue to remain a good friend to her, whether with your approval or not. I will not abandon our friendship."

"It's not your friendship with her that worries me…" Lady Adeline started but boy interrupted her.

"I know that, but I already told you that I know that I am not a good match for Jane and that I never will be, so I'm not going to try to be. I, like you, want only what's best for her. And in this day and age, that means for me to remain her friend, her best friend and nothing more. And," She watched the boy swallow thickly, "I accept that. I'm not going to do anything to compromise her social standing, I promise you… No, I swear to you."

Adeline stared at the boy and saw only truth in his dark grey eyes and a part of her felt sadden that this kind, good boy was not of a high social standing because she could see, even though she didn't want to, just how much he already loved her daughter.

"You would do that?" She asked, "Stand aside and allow Jane to marry another." The thought of Jane marrying made Lady Adeline's heart ache a little and from the look on the boy's face she knew that it was not only she that had no wish for that day to come any time soon.

"Yes." He replied simply before grinning to hide the obvious pain in his eyes, "I might take a trip away from here when the time comes, but yes. I might even help the lucky fellow. I do know her quite well after all and the poor fellow will need all the help he can get to gain her heart." Even through his obvious pain, Adeline could see that the boy was genuine.

He truly does wish for only the best for her, she thought and felt even guiltier for the ill thoughts she had been directing towards him over the passing weeks.

"But please, when the day does come, let her marry," again he swallowed thickly as he stared at the ground in front of him, "let her marry for love. Don't force her to marry someone she does not and will not ever love."

"Of course." Lady Adeline said unable to quite believe the selflessness of the boy in front of her. Her guilt for thinking poorly of the boy continued to only grow within her chest.

"Thank you." She said and he nodded, not looking at her now, "for being such a kind friend to her. You truly are a good friend to her."

"So, I'm allowed to see her now?" He asked softly, still not looking her in the eyes.

"Of course." His shoulders slumped forward in relief.

"Thank you." He mumbled.

She could hear the grief in his voice, but his happiness and relief at simply being able to remain friends with her daughter drowned it out.

"If that is all my lady?" He asked. He was still not looking at her but that was alright, that was how things were meant to be. Wasn't it…

"Yes, that is all Jester. You may go." The boy bowed politely to her before taking his leave. And even though she was now reassured, her heart still felt heavy as she watched the boy walk away.

oOo

Jester was biting down hard upon his lower lip to keep himself from screaming and yelling out in fury.

He knew that this conversation had been a long time coming, had been half expecting it after his three days of refusing to leave Jane's side – that was why he hadn't been to see her since her waking up. Call him a coward if you will but he had been trying to avoid that particular conversation with Lady Adeline for as long as possible – but even with knowing it would be coming, it still didn't soften the blow of the actual conversation.

It wasn't as harsh as he had been expecting it to be and for some reason that had made it all the worse.

Having Lady Adeline being almost kindly towards him as she basically told him that his feeling for her daughter would not be respected or stood for just made it all the more terrible.

If she had been harsh and angry about it all, he was sure he would be able to deal with the whole thing a little better. Not much, granted, but a little.

That was why he had acted so cheekily towards her, hoping to annoy her enough to get angry at him, instead she seemed to only grow more sympathetic towards him which wasn't what he wanted at all.

"Dammit!" His hand smashed into the Castle wall, smarting terribly as he withdrew it, cursing loudly.

He was glad that he was in a secluded part of the castle so no one would hear him and come asking what was the matter with him? He had no wish to speak about what had just occurred with anyone at the moment.

He shook his smarting hand, fighting back furious tears.

It was stupid to be so upset over something that he in his very heart knew could never be. And yet… the idea of not being with her he couldn't – he couldn't even start to imagine it. No future he saw for himself had her not in it.

You can still be her best friend, he thought, you can still have a future with her in it, just not… he scrubbed his face with his hands, not wanting to think of the bright side of the situation just yet.

"Alright there, Jingle boy?" Jester didn't look up at the sound of flapping wings or the groaning noise that the castle wall made when the heavy lizard dropped down upon it.

"Jingle boy?"

"Why aren't you with Jane?" Jester asked dully, still not looking up.

"That strange lady is with her." Jester looked up at him sharply.

"And you just left Jane alone with her?" He demanded angrily momentarily forgetting his previous distress.

"They're just talking; I doubt the Lady will do anything."

"You don't know that!" Jester snapped.

"Neither do you." Dragon reminded him and Jester fell promptly silent.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing."

"It's not nothing. If it were nothing, you'd be with everyone else and not hiding back here."

"It doesn't matter. Nothing matters, not anymore." Jester whispered staring desolately at his feet.

"Jane's mother been talking to you, huh?"

Jester jumped and looked up startled at the over-grown lizard before his face fell into a scowl.

"Have you been eavesdropping again?" He demanded hotly.

"No… I simply overheard. And I heard Jane complaining to the strange Lady about her mother." Dragon shrugged his great green shoulders, "You're not going to listen to her are you?"

"How can I not?" Jester cried, taking off his hat to run a hand through his messy fair hair. "She's right! I mean, I'm a jester! That is all I am. All I will ever be! Jane is a noble! She was born to be a lady and one day she'll be a Lady Knight!"

"And you think because of that, you can't be with her?"

"I can," Jester said and Dragon raised his eye ridge, "but as her friend."

Dragon rolled his yellow eyes and snorted.

"Yeah, alright. Let's see if you'll still be singing the same tune in a couple of years. You're both still very young, things change."

"Exactly." Jester said, "In a couple of years, whatever feelings Jane has for me, she'll get over them and she'll…"

Dragon interrupted him with another loud snort.

"Do you truly believe that? This is Jane, after all."

"She will."

"I doubt it."

"Dragon! This is how it's meant to be. It's better to stop this now, then wait and…" He shook his head.

"You don't know what will happen in the years to come. I have been around for a long time Jingle boy and trust me on this, as years pass you short-lives by, things tend to change."

"Not this…"

"You want to bet?"

Jester glared up at the big lizard.

"Why are you doing this? I have to accept this Dragon! I have to accept that I can be nothing more than her best friend! Why are you not letting me?"

"Because you don't know the future! None of us do. And you and Jane are both very young still."

"So?"

"So, when you get older, you two will be able to decide for yourselves what you want. If you both want each other than no one will stop you."

"They will!" Jester insisted his chest tight with panic, "Jane will be disgraced and forced to leave court and…"

"It's the future; you don't know that will happen! For all you know, from now to then, things might change to point where being married to a commoner, to the court jester, is considered normal for nobles. You don't know."

"Anyway," Dragon gave another shrug of his great shoulders, "Both you and Jane's silly mother are getting ahead of yourselves. Both you and Jane are far too young to marry and if you even mention the word marriage to Jane, in particular her marriage, she'll all but rip your head off. So don't get yourself all tied up in a knot. The future you fear is still away off yet; a lot can happen and change between now and then."

Jester stared up at the over-sized newt in awe for a moment or two.

"When did you so wise Dragon?" Jester asked with a small smile.

"Oi! I have been around for a while; I do pick up on things." Dragon replied sounding a little annoyed before grinning his large lizard grin, all pointed teeth, "But do you feel a bit better now?"

"Yes, I do actually," Jester admitted surprised by how much his chat with Dragon had actually lifted some of weight that had settled upon his shoulders since his talk with Lady Adeline. Not all of it, of course, but the heaviness of his current predicament was no longer weighing him down.

"Thank you."

"Happy to help." Dragon replied with another wide grin, showing off all his sharp teeth. "You short-lives do get yourselves worked up over the silliest of things sometimes, honestly." He shook his great head, laughing.

"Yes, yes we do." Jester agreed with his own grin, feeling much lighter and happier than he had previous.

He turned to leave; it was close to dinnertime after all when Dragon called after him.

"But with all that said, you should probably take more care on the where and when you kiss Jane. Don't want someone to accidently see you." Dragon laughed even more loudly at Jester's red face.

"You were A-SLEEP!" Jester yelled back at the oversized newt torn between embarrassment and outrage.

"And then I woke up." Dragon chuckled, readying himself to take flight.

"Over-grown newt!" Jester shouted at him.

"Boy with silly floppy hat." Dragon shot back cheerfully as he took flight and soared up and above the Castle.

Jester watched him fly high up into the late afternoon, a small smile on his lips.

oOo

"Your mother has upset you again, hasn't she Jane?" Lady Regina asked gently as she came to sit down upon Jane's bed once she was sure the Lady-in-Waiting was well out of earshot.

Jane hesitated for a moment, before nodding, letting a little of her anger towards her mother show.

"Tell me about it." Again Jane hesitated. Regina gently took hold of her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze, "it's alright to talk about such things Jane. Sometimes it even helps."

So Jane told her, told her everything that her mother had forced her to do at the Ball, mingling with stuck-up vain nobles when all she had wanted was to be at her friends side, all that Gunther had told her and what she herself had figured out. She told the grand, beautiful, wise and kind Lady everything.

Well, maybe not everything.

Her cheeks warmed as she remembered one thing that she would not tell a single soul about. It was hers… and his and she was going to make sure that that precious moment stayed between them. Oh and Dragon – she had just remembered him as she heard him take off from where he had been originally curled up on the wall just by her bedchamber – but she had sworn him to secrecy.

"You mother only wants what's best for you, dear Jane." Lady Regina said kindly. She hadn't spoken a word as Jane explained away her frustration, anger and hurt that her own mother was causing her.

"That's what she said. What everyone else says too!" Jane grumbled and Lady Regina laughed softly as she pulled the young squire into her arms.

"No one understands you, do they Jane?"

"Dragon does. And Jester and…" She blushed as she smiled shyly up at the Lady, "and you seem to."

Lady Regina smiled.

"And for that I am glad. We are very alike you know, you and I."

"Really?"

"Really," Regina nodded her beautiful head, "You see Jane dear; my mother was very much like your own. She only wanted what was best for me, but to me she felt like my jailor. She forced me to be friends with people that I detested, to leave my true friends behind and abandon. To give up the one thing I loved more than anything else in the world."

"What did you do?" Jane asked softly.

"Nothing," Lady Regina said with a wistful shake of her head, "nothing… at first. You see Jane, while we are very alike in many ways, we are also very different," She reached out and gently touched Jane's cheek, "you are far braver than I ever was at your age. At your age, I feared to speak out against my mother, though as I grew older, I grew braver." But she shook her head as she spoke. "Growing braver did not help me, not in the end."

"Did you ever forgive her?"

"My mother? Oh heavens no, she destroyed everything I ever loved. I could never, will never forgive her for that." Regina's eyes grew dark and Jane saw a fury in the beautiful lady's eyes of which she had never seen an equal too.

"But," And, just as suddenly she was smiling again, "that is all in the past now."

Jane nodded her head slowly in agreement but a part of her still felt nervous at the dark look that was still showing within the very depths of Regina's lovely eyes.

"Do not fear Jane," Regina said with a smile, running a finger down the side of Jane's face, "one day you will have all the power to do whatever you so wish and no one will be able to stop you from doing so." Again Jane simply nodded for really what could she say in reply to that? She didn't even understand what Lady Regina even meant.

"You do trust me, don't you Jane?" Regina asked and there was again something about her that made Jane feel a little strange, maybe even a little scared, but that was ridiculous and she tried pushing those feelings aside.

But, this proved to be something of a challenge. Ever since she had woken up from her ordeal she had been having these strange little feelings but over the last day she had learnt to ignore them, putting them down to her own silliness than anything she should truly be worried about.

"Of course my Lady." Jane forced herself to reply with a smile. Because she did, even with her silly feelings, she did trust Regina. Regina understood her like no one else in the castle did. She understood why Jane was so desperate to become a knight, why she went out of her way to undermine her Mother's wishes for her to become a proper lady. Regina understood all of those feelings and encouraged them.

"Good," Regina breath out, closing her eyes for a brief moment, "that is very good. It gladdens my heart to hear that Jane."

"You such a bright, brave girl. I really would hate for anything to happen to you."

"My Lady?" Jane asked frowning a little.

Regina let out a small laugh.

"Forgive me dear girl. I only meant that your collapse gave me such a fright and I would hate for it to occur again. The physician says that you are well on the mend?"

"Oh, yes," Jane said nodding her head vigorously, "both he and the old wizard. The old wizard says that I have a strong soul so it will take a lot of magic for something like this to happen to me again."

"That is very good." Regina said smiling. "Does he suspect what might have caused your arm to be cursed like it was?" She asked with concern.

"He thinks," Jane hesitated as she always did whenever she started thinking about Shadow Knights, her stomach turning and her healing arm aching slightly at even briefest mention of them, "He believes that the Shadow Knight's blade might have had something to do with it."

"Poor child." Regina said, clucking her tongue softly.

"But I'll be fine now. I'm recovering well he says."

"I am so glad, so very glad indeed. And then you'll be free again."

"Yes."

"Well, you must do as your mother says so that you can be deemed well enough to be out of this room and back with your friends."

"Yes my Lady." Jane said smiling a genuine bright smile.

Regina winked at her.

"Sweet girl. Now, I'll let you rest and I will see you again soon. Do not fret about your mother, Jane, all will be worked out, I am sure."

"Yes my Lady." Regina smiled warmly as she closed the young Lady Squire's door. The girl had a spirit of like she had never seen before.

Smiling at the thought, Regina took herself on an evening walk around the castle battlements.

She noticed that Jane's dragon had once more position himself on a wall near the girl's chambers. He appeared to be sleeping but Regina knew better. He was watching her from beneath his eye's many lids. A talent, she had read, that dragons' possessed of being able to watch their prey while appearing to be in a deep slumber.

He didn't trust her; she knew it from the way he was always watched her. Nor did the court fool, for that matter. The boy trusted her even less than the dragon.

Speaking of which…

She saw him leaving the castle kitchens, calling after his friends as he did so, his body language relaxed and calm. That is until he felt her gaze upon him.

Their eyes met and for a moment she thought he possessed the brains to look away from her, only he didn't. So not the intelligent coward she had previously thought he was but rather an arrogant fool. Or maybe brave was a better word for him. No matter, he was still a fool.

And instead of ducking away as he so usually did whenever their paths crossed, he came up to meet her.

He has gotten plucky, she thought with a smile as he came to stand before her. He truly looked ridiculous in his jester's costume wearing such a stern face.

"Jester." She greeted him with a wide and friendly smile that of course the lad returned. Of course, he did. The boy saw right through her and for once, was happy to play along with her.

"Good evening my Lady." He said bright and cheerful, bowing an extravagant bow to her just as a good castle fool would.

A good fool who is so much more, she thought.

"It is a lovely evening, isn't?" Regina said. He nodded his smile still sunny and playful but she could see the wariness in his dark grey eyes.

"You don't trust me, do you Jester?" She said her smile still friendly and warm. The boy didn't even flinch at her words nor lower his gaze in shame. He simply kept looking at her with an open and almost stupid expression on his face. Still trying to appear the classic castle fool.

"I know that you don't Jester."

"Then why are you asking me?" He sang cheerfully.

"I just want to know why?"

He shrugged his shoulder in an over exaggerated fashion.

"Just a feeling," his eyes turn cold as he continued to look at her, "and an old story that my mother told me years ago."

"Oh?"

"It was more of a warning than a story really but it was told as a tale so as to be remembered better by youngsters, only I didn't remember it fully until the days Jane spent sleeping, after the discovery that she had been cursed."

Regina continued to smile easily at him but in her heart she felt a sense of coldness. She had suspected from the beginning that the boy would be a danger to her, but she never suspected how much of one until now. His closeness to Jane could and actually was extremely problematic for Regina and her plans.

"And what is this story?" She asked continuing the charade of friendliness and warmth when really she wanted to end the boy's life here and now.

He was much too like… She shook her head and continued to smile at the boy, hoping to unnerve him, only of course the boy was too much of a brave soul to be frightened of her. But he would be, in time, he would feel true terror in her presences.

"It's not a particularly old tale, at least not compared to the tales of old, of dragons and their riders. But it is still old enough to warrant folk to take heed of its warning."

"The tale is of a mother and her daughter, both of whom possess great powers. The greatest of powers… with a terrible price. But the price is one both women are willing to pay if it means they might gain an upper hand over the other. For the tale, it is said, they hate each other with a fiery passion and that neither will truly find happiness and peace in this life while the other lives. So they continue to fight and pay the terrible price for their power, their longevity and beauty. All young women who possess beauty or kindness of heart and soul should be wary, for it is their beauty and youth that is the price that must be paid for mother and daughter to continue their war."

"And you think..." Regina felt only coldness within her as she stared at the fool.

"Yes." The boy replied his face now solemn and stern.

"Why?" she laughed, smiling still, though it was cold and brittle smile.

"I don't know." He answered honestly. His honesty made her laugh again.

"Sweet Jester, if this is your only source of proof, then…"

"I know that. But I do know that you cannot be trusted."

"But no one will believe you."

"But no one will believe me." He agreed and didn't the knowledge make him look green, she thought smugly.

"So," she purred, "what will you do?"

For a moment she watched his fear and trepidation play across his face before he quickly hid them behind his jester grin.

"I don't know what you are planning to do. I don't why whatever you're planning, needs for you to be here. The tale never spoke of events such as theses." And he's right; never have events such as the one she has set in motion occurred in her history before.

"Why are you here? What do you want that could possibly be here?" He truly was a brave one, to ask such bold questions given that he knew who she was and exactly what she could do to him.

She smiled widely but it was not a kind smile as she leant forward so that she looked him directly in the eyes.

"Wouldn't you like to know, but I'm afraid, dear Jester, you won't know the answers to all your questions until it is all far too late."

She watched him grit his teeth, his mouth pressed into a firm line as he glared up at her.

"What are you planning on doing?" He whispered harshly. "What do you want?"

She smiled and laughed a high ringing sound.

"I'll make you a deal, dear Jester. I'll tell you what I am planning to do with this little kingdom if," she reached out and ran a finger down his cheek, causing him to jerk away from her, "you tell me your name."

"Jester." He replied automatically without blinking, without hesitation.

She laughed again, shaking her head.

"No, silly boy, your true name. Tell me your true name and I'll tell you all that I am planning."

She watched him lick his lips and even going so far as opening his mouth as if to tell her but no word left his lips and his grey eyes grew dull.

"You don't know it, do you?" She narrowed her eyes as she peered deep into his eyes, searching.

"Why?" She mumbled under her breath before the answer became apparent to her and she found herself smiling again, though it was hardly what one would call a happy smile.

"Ah, you have a spell on you, don't you? A protection spell. Who put it on you dear boy? Someone who loves you very much obviously and knew that you would be in need of protection. I wonder how it can be broken? I suppose you don't know that either, do you?"

Jester kept his mouth firmly shut as Regina spoke.

"Well," she said with a graceful shrug of her shoulders, "it does not matter in the long run. You should go to bed, dear Jester. It is late and you do not know what tomorrow will bring." She watched in amusement as the boy tried to pick apart her words, searching for the hidden meanings and threats behind them.

Laughing softly under her breath, she walked back to her rooms, leaving the foolish fool to stand alone in the night air upon the battlements.

Soon, now. Very soon and then everything would be hers.