A/n: The chapter was getting too long, so I had to cut it in half. I will do my best to make the next chapter worth the wait. I am glad you guys are enjoying it. I had no idea that when I picked up this story again that it would go this far. It's been wonderful and I love writing for these characters. Thank you all for reading my fic. Feel free to comment what you might like to happen, ;D or if you'd like a continuance of any events. As always, I would like to thank everyone for comments that encourage me to post faster and for all who are still following this story. Please enjoy!

Chapter 30: Tapestry

The moment the gardener had stepped into the kitchen, he was met with the sight of his wife's bright smile and giddiness. Whether this was a premonition to mischief or goodwill was left to be seen. "Rake," She started, "I know for a fact that she loves him."

"Are you referring to the rats I found in the barrel this morning?"

As expected, this earned him a slap on the arm. "Of course not!" She retorted, "I am talking about you know who."

Oh, turnips. Part of him had hoped they would avoid prying into the lives of their friends, but once Pepper set her mind on something, she would try to see it through; albeit to his dismay. "Oh, you meant that. What about it?"

"I have been watching how they interact with each other for a while now and do you want to know what I discovered?"

Nodding weakly, he wondered, "Was it something good?"

"I think it is wonderful. Have you ever noticed how they steal glances from each other?"

Being practical and unassuming, the gardener answered, "I thought that was because they sat across from each other. Where else would they look?"

"Then what about the fact that Smithy talks with Jane the most?"

"Is that not because she engages him in conversation first? They are both serious people and always got along."

"Oh Rake," she sighed; shaking her head at how her wonderful husband could be so dense. "where is your sense of romance? I admit, that perhaps it is a bit of a stretch, but I have seen the way he looks at her. There is no denying that he admires her."

If Pepper had mentioned this years ago, he would have disagreed, but as of recent, it was true; Rake had seen how the blacksmith's eyes would linger on Jane's retreating form. It was no secret that his friend Jester had loved her and that Gunther had been harboring feelings for her, but if Smithy got involved with her, the consequences would be great. If only there was something they could do, but for now, it was probably better off left alone. And the gardener always appreciated and loved his wife's fancifulness, but the thought of hurting two of his dear friends panged him. "Pepper, are you sure this matchmaking is a good idea? Sure, the ball in the garden had been fun, but what did it accomplish?"

What had it not accomplished? Her two dearest friends were more conscious of each other, and the cook thought they suited each other well. Jane's stubborn, fiery, unorthodox nature could at times be difficult to bear, but someone like Smithy who was patient, strong of character, and heart would never crumble under her treatment. He would not allow his pride to dictate what she ought and ought not to do, but at the same time, he would never allow her to act aimlessly if he could help it. No matter what the others thought, Pepper knew she was not wrong this time. "They were forced to deal with one another." She answered.

"What do you mean?"

"Smithy for one reason or another had chosen to distance himself from us all and during that time Jane could not understand what had gone wrong, but then they had reconciled, and all of a sudden he had returned to his old self. Or so I had thought. The evening of our ball, when it came down to Jane deciding on whom she would dance with, did you notice how surprised Smithy appeared to be when she proclaimed that he had reserved the first two dances?"

"Yes," He brightened, "I do remember."

"However," The cook continued; glad that her husband had seen it as well. "she corrected herself and used his proper name before they danced together. Is that not strange? Why would she call him by his name if they were not close? We all have known him for years, but we do not call him by his name."

"You do have a point there."

"Of course I do. And ever since then, he has not been as guarded towards her. As for Jane, I do not remember seeing her so happy. Oh Rake, I knew you would notice it. What should we do about it? I have so many ideas."

Placing a hand on her shoulder, he answered with calmness, "I think we should let them handle it on their own."

"But Rake…"

She stared up at him through her dark lashes in such a way that made him want to acquiesce, but he knew what he had to say. "I think it is wonderful that you want them to be as happy as we are," He confessed, "but you cannot force it. Maybe it is not their season, but when it is, they will be sure to bloom. It takes time Pepper."

"I know." She sniffled.

"Pepper," He softened, about ready to cry if his beloved was unhappy, "I know how much you care about them and I do want them to be happy."

"It is alright Rake, I know what you mean, but he will be leaving soon. What if Gunther or Jester take advantage of his absence? What then?"

"I think Jane can handle it. You know that when she sets her mind to something…"

"She will do it." She finished for him, "With or without our help."

Outstretching his arms, the gardener offered his wife that sweet smile that never failed to uplift her heart. And coming to rest her head on his chest, and relishing in the comfort of his affection, she sighed. "I hope everyone will get what they want in the end."

"I hope so too."

"I pray we can all be happy."

It was difficult to imagine who was more familiar with this tapestry other than himself, the chamberlain, the royal weavers, and the royal family. The reason he was familiar with this particular tapestry was that it was taken down to be cleaned at least once a year, and he was always the one that hung it back up. However, for it to be cleaned this late in the year, and without an event coming in the near future, or at least not one that he knew of was peculiar. "Are we receiving any visitors?" He wondered as he gave it a good whack with the rug beater.

"Not that I know of Sir."

Then why was she asked to clean the tapestry? It made no sense. Initially, he had not thought much of her request, but something was not adding up. It was not the fact that although capable, this task was a bit difficult for such a petite girl, but the fact that no matter how much they beat the tapestry, not much dust had fallen off it. There must have been a mistake made; the lady in waiting must have forgotten that it had been cleaned a few months ago, but if the blacksmith remembered correctly, it was the Chamberlain who would have taken record of the last date of its cleaning; he would have to inquire about it later.

During his ruminations, Smithy had almost forgotten about the young lady beside him; her countenance was not the sort that demanded attention. For her part, she was intrigued by his subtle expressions; if one did not pay close attention, they would have missed how his brow furrowed ever so slightly in thought, or how the lines about his mouth deepened. Mary wondered what he thought about; whether his thoughts were pleasant or of a more serious nature. Nonetheless, the chambermaid was concerned about the ongoing silence and wondered, "Is something the matter, sir?"

"Hmm? No, I am fine. How about yourself?"

Not many inquired about her well-being anymore. The usual question was whether she would like to be courted, but that question was always answered with a firm no; there was only one person she had been saving her heart for; that person she had deemed the most worthy of her affection. For the last three years, she had witnessed the blacksmith's goodness and had heard accounts from the other chambermaids about how wonderful and handsome he was. True, she had not always loved him and had not endeavored to, but she did and thoughts of him brightened her dreary days spent in the lonely hallways or empty, dark chambers when busy with duties.

It was odd how much time was spent alone, especially in a castle so large that required a fair amount of servants to run it, but although one could describe the lesser used, secluded areas to be melancholic, or adding to one's loneliness, Mary had found ways to occupy her time. On her least busy days, she would pass by the forge or peek into the stables to catch but a glimpse of him as he carried on with his duties; he carried himself with strength and dignity, but he was not pretentious as some workmen about the castle tried to be. And whether Smithy was speaking to the horses, striking metal, or caring for his pig, she observed and studied his agreeable nature. As a lowly servant, she had assumed her behavior had gone unnoticed, and it did, at least at first, but Sir Theodore had caught her; instead of reprimanding her, the aged knight warned her not to be foolish, but if she chose to continue in this manner, then she would have to report what she saw, and in turn for this information, he would provide protection. To this day, Mary could not understand why, but she had kept her word and had reported all she had witnessed; no trouble had come yet, except that now the fool knew of her habit as well.

If trouble was to be had, it was that now she was entangled in the fool's scheme. At the height of her foolishness, Mary had agreed to do as Jester commanded and hoped to be rewarded, for she thought she could withstand harsh storms and treatment if it meant the blacksmith would glance at her with at least a fraction of care as he did towards the lady knight. So far, his neutral glances and general agreeableness was all that she received. "I am a little tired," She confessed; noting his subtle nod of acknowledgement. "but it is nothing I cannot handle sir."

Taking her at her word, they continued their task in silence, but the blacksmith could still not shake off the odd feeling he had. During his previous encounters with Mary, although she was shy, she would venture to say a little more; always eager to maintain his attention. Perhaps her mind was preoccupied with different matters. "There is no need to be formal." He mentioned; taking notice at how she stiffened at his words. "I believe we have been acquainted with each other long enough to be able to speak freely."

Feeling herself color, she nodded. "Alright."

"I hope your duties have not been too difficult."

"Not at all." She brightened, "I am happy to have such an honor and privilege to serve my king in any way I can."

"I feel the same way," He admitted, "but did you seek out your employment, or were you chosen to come to serve here?"

"I was sent here after the death of my parents. My nearest relations did not want the inconvenience of housing, clothing, or feeding another mouth, so I agreed to the suggestion of seeking employment when the conditions in the kingdom had seemed to improve. I am glad I had come," At least now she was glad of it, "or I might have suffered from the malady that had overtaken my village soon after."

Remembering his circumstances and how he had come to reside here, Smithy felt a slight kinship towards her. It seemed that while the castle's inhabitants had come from different walks of life, they could relate to each other in some way like needing a home. "I believe our king has been most kind to those who are deserving."

"He has, and I hope will continue to be as his father before him."

The life of an orphan was not easy. Rake for example had inherited his duty when his grandfather died but did not have time to mourn for the ground needed tilling; if the gardener did not have the cook to console him, who knows where he might have been. "I am sorry to hear about your parents. I had lost my father a few years ago as well."

"Do you have any other family?" She inquired.

"I have my mother and uncle who live beyond the causeway, and Pig."

"Your pig is part of your family? Where I come from," Mary confessed, "they only serve as livestock."

"I know that may be a general opinion," The blacksmith explained, "but instead of seeing Pig as my property, I see her as my friend."

"Oh, I did not mean… that is to say…"

It did not matter what her intention had been in her comment, but as he suspected, Mary did not know him just as many others did not truly know him. Smithy knew how he was perceived by others; they thought him obsessive and unnaturally preoccupied with animals. Why, years ago, his father had said he needed to toughen up and understand man's need to dominate the earth and the animals on it if he ever hoped to attain anything; his fathers meaning of dominating, and his meaning differed, but he tried to be good and obey. His soft-spoken nature and his need to maintain calmness in the worst of situations had succeeded in drawing him away from the noise of his home and towards that of the animals who understood him better than his parents could.

Nevertheless, thoughts about a future outside the family farm never occurred to him, neither did thoughts of attracting a girl, let alone keeping one interested come to mind, but it had never mattered much because back then he did not know any better; his friends were the creatures that roamed the earth and the livestock he cared for. It had not been until his removal that he was better acquainted with how things were done in the court. Life at the castle had broadened his view of the world, for better or worse, but he was glad to know that if he was strange, then he was not the only one. People like Jester, Rake, Pepper, and Jane had shown him how friendship could be and was intended to be. Most of all, the lady knight had shown him that he could be himself, and be appreciated as he was and forever he would be indebted to her.

With acceptance, he mentioned, "It is alright. I know what you meant."

The chambermaid who was unaccustomed to his behavior took this in a positive light. Why did he have to be so kind? All those accounts and rumors had not prepared her for this. What's more, she had not heard him at first, because she had a flurry of thoughts, but when he finally had her attention, once more, he wondered, "If you do not mind my asking, were you truly instructed to clean this tapestry?"

Had he seen past her ruse? Meekly, she looked up at him through her lashes, and answered, "Yes."

To a lesser man, her intense gaze and open admiration towards the blacksmith would have been enough to sway a man's heart to submit to her, but while Smithy found this flattering, it did not move him. If he compared this look to that of the lady knight, the difference would only accomplish in adding to his disappointment. He knew he had no claim over Jane, and no right to believe he ever could, but he seemed to find hope in places where there should have been none. And the closer it got to winter, the more he realized that he would have to be without her. How would he bear it, not being able to have her company, and continue to be misunderstood wherever he should go?

The distress that was building within him was pushed aside once more as he resumed his thoughts to his current confusion, and commented, "It is just, this does not appear to be dirty. Do you not find it peculiar?"

"I am not in the habit of questioning what I am told. I just follow orders."

"We might be required to fulfill our duty," He said more to himself than to her, "but it is not always wrong to inquire. You might not know whether a mistake had been made. The answer you receive might not be what you were searching for, but if you never ask, then you will never know."

However, once he had said this, he realized that he had never thought to ask Jane if there had ever been the slightest hope of him succeeding. Used to seeing the lady knight's disgust and abhorrence to other men's affections, he thought his feelings were in vain, but he was almost certain they have had moments together that gave him hope that she favored him; albeit slight, but she did enjoy his company. To be sure, Smithy's obstacles were great, and if he could manage to let go of his beloved friend, and had to settle down, perhaps a pretty girl like Mary would do, but he knew that to be a falsehood. There had never been anyone else, and he doubted there ever would be. Be that as it may, he had never seen Jane fancy anyone, not even Jester, but it did not matter what man it could be, for if she did fancy someone, anyone, he might not be strong enough to bear it.

And like before, he had almost forgotten about the young woman beside him; reassuring him that his affections were not changeable. Nonetheless, it was of little conciliation. Without further question, they continued their task, and before long, it was done. Mary was relieved that she did not have to do the exhausting activity on her own, but to do so with the blacksmith; she had not been this happy in such a long time. As he hung the tapestry back up, she could not persuade herself to look away from him. He truly was such an agreeable man.

These thoughts along with others made her feel giddy, and both her heart and spirit felt strange, but it added to her current exhaustion, and placing a hand on her head, she struggled to remain composed. The chambermaid hoped she could hold on long enough to make it to bed. Oh, she should have never skipped her midday meal.