I'll say it a hundred times: there is not enough good Jane x Jester stories out there, so my over-imaginative mind has to conjure up my own while I'm trying to fall asleep. Enjoy...

...What if King Caradoc had not been kind and sought out Jane's reason for refusing to pledge her allegience? What if he had followed through with banishing her from the kingdom, and she was forced to leave for good?

Chapter 1

I can't believe this is happening. My whole life crashing down. I won't even get to say goodbye to my family, my friends. What have I done? What COULD I have done?

Young Squire Jane Turnkey, no - just Jane Turnkey now - awaited her guarded escort in an empty throne room, every door shut and locked to keep her from escaping. But would she try to escape? No, she would keep her dignity and honor right to the moment she stepped out of the kingdom's borders. She must be strong, she must be brave, she must -

"Jane!"

"Keep back, lad! No one enters by order of the king!"

"I must see Jane, Sir Ivon! Jane shouldn't be going through this alone! Jane!"

Poor Jester! He must be worried sick!

Tears sprang into Jane's eyes unexpectedly, suddenly craving her best human friend's comfort. She ran to the locked double doors between them, and could hear the two men arguing just on the other side. Sir Ivon's gruff rebuttals to Jester pleading voice.

"Jester! I'm here."

"Jane?"

Suddenly his voice came very near, and she could tell he must have been pressing his mouth to the crack where the doors met. She pressed her own face against the crack, unable to see him but knowing his nearness brought a sliver of comfort.

"Step away, laddie, I cannae allow you to be here!"

"Please, Sir Ivon!" Jester begged. "Just a minute or two? I cannot do any harm, for the doors are locked and only you hold the key."

Jane heard a harrumph come from the knight, then heavy footsteps moved a short distance away.

"Make it quick." Came the gruff relent, and once again Jester's anxious breathing was against the crack.
"Jane!" He whispered. "Oh Jane, what is happening! I cannot lose you! Tell the king the truth!"

"He refuses to see me, Jester," she answered back. "Besides, what will he do if he hears about the tomb of the real King Caradoc? He may order me killed to keep me silent! Who knows what our king is capable of?"

"I will get you out of this mess, Jane, I promise!"

"No, Jester! You will do no such thing! This was my decision alone. No one needs to know you were involved. You must remain safe. I will be fine."

Her voice cracked with the last few words, as she did her best to hold back her tears. Through the doors she heard a muffled sound, like a sob, then Jester's voice again, shaking.

"As you wish, Jane. But I cannot bear to not even be allowed to see you! I must do SOMETHING!"

"Alright lad, yer time is up! Move along now!"

Jane gasped, pushing against the doors frantically as she heard the sound of Sir Ivon dragging Jester away.

"Jester!"

"Jane! Don't forget me..."

A door clanged shut down the hall, then the knight's heavy footfalls approached the doors, stopping outside of them, then silence. Jane turned and retreated to one of the benches in the great hall, falling onto it and letting out her tears as quietly as she could.

No one must hear me cry... I must bear this alone. Knights do not cry. Knights are brave. Knights are honorable. Knights are...

She repeated the phrases over and over in her mind until her tears stopped, and there she sat, head in her hands, awaiting her escort.

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The familiar swish of her chainmail skirt was hauntingly absent, as Jane was marched between armed guards and her former knight commanders, Sir Theodore and Sir Ivon. She had been given clothes befitting a peasant woman, linen garments of a skirt and blouse, and leather shoes. Plain brown in color, with a reddish laced vest overtop the blouse. Sir Theodore held her dragonblade tightly in one hand, keeping the furthest away from her as if he expected her to make a move for it. As they marched through the castle yard and approached the gate, she saw a small group of people standing beside the entrance. A gardener, a cook, a blacksmith, and a jester. Beside them stood her parents, the chamberlain and the queen's lady-in-waiting. Both were teary-eyed and in great distress.

Suddenly Sir Theodore ordered a halt, then turned to cast a steely gaze at Jane.

"Maid Jane, you may bid your parents farewell, but make it quick. We have a long road ahead of us."

Jane wasted no time in rushing into her parents' arms, feeling crushed by the sobs of her mother and the tight grasp of her father.

"Oh Jane! However did it come to this? Why have you done this?!"

"I am sorry, Mother." Jane replied, barely keeping her composure. "I cannot explain. I can only say that I must follow my heart, and it would not allow me to make my oath."

"My brave girl," her father choked out. "Nothing you have done will ever change how I see you: fearless, proud, strong. I do not understand why you have done this, but I will find out the reason and get you home. I promise, my girl."

"Thank you, Father," was all Jane could get out through her own sob which slipped out, before a firm armored hand on her shoulder gave a gentle push away from her parents.

Obeying the silent command of Sir Theodore, she forced her feet to walk away and follow them out the gate, and she stole a glance at her group of friends as she passed. Pepper was crying freely, partially onto Rake, who stood stock still with an arm around the cook, looking empty-eyed in shock. Smithy stood with a great stoop of his shoulders, as if carrying a heavy burden, and his bright blue eyes shone with unshed tears. He gave a slow nod at Jane as she passed, his way of saying goodbye. The only one not standing still was Jester. He lept forward as she neared him, reaching out a hand to grasp her arm.

"Jane!"

Overcome with emotion, she turned to recieve him but a sharp unsheathing of a sword halted both their movements as a blade flicked in between them.

"Stand back, you fool! You were not given permission to come to her! Back, I say!"

"Sir Ivon," Sir Theodore's voice said calmly but with authority. "Let them be. Jane, Jester, be quick, and not too close."

The sword lowered between them as Ivon grumbled to himself, and Jester snatched Jane's hands up in his own larger ones, both of them trembling. He stared into her green eyes, doing his best to convey steady calm, both for himself and for her.

"I will find you, my dear Jane. This is not the end."

Jane shook her head, and answered in a whisper only he could hear.
"No, Jester. You mustn't. Promise me, you will stay safe, and say nothing to anyone about the tomb we found. Promise me!"

"I promise."

Tears filled his eyes, and he opened his mouth to say something else but Sir-Theodore cleared his throat meaningfully, indicating their time was up. Jester quickly drew Jane's hands up to his face and kissed them swiftly before dropping them and stepping back, his blue-gray eyes never leaving her face.

"Let us go." The older knight ordered. "Jane, come."

The former squire obeyed, and held her hands together, feeling the spots Jester had kissed, a bittersweet reminder of what she was leaving behind - her best friend whom she loved.

I wish I could have told him! But then he would never have stayed, and he may have been found out for helping me find that tomb. No, he will never know. But, oh Jester! How my heart burns for you!

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"We will stop here. Jane, you must go alone from here on. You will speak to no one of any details about King Caradoc's kingdom, or what you have learned while being in his service. To anyone you meet, you are just a peasant woman with no history of knighthood. If you are found to have returned to Kippernia unbidden, you will face certain death. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Sir Theodore. Thank you, Sir, for everything you have ever done for me. It will never be forgotten in my heart."

She bowed low, and when she rose she caught a falter in the man's stoic expression, but it immediately vanished as he unbuckled her dragonblade in its scafford and offered it out to her.

"The king has kindly decided to return your sword to you, Maid Jane, for your own protection. And now, we must depart. Farewell... Squire Jane."

His last words were a whisper that only she could hear, before he turned on his heel and marched away with the others in tow, leaving Jane alone at the border of the only kingdom she had ever known. She strapped her sword to her hips, then rubbed her wrists, scratching at small red marks encircling them. They had traveled for two days on foot, stopping only to sleep at night, and before going to sleep Sir Theodore had to bind her hands and tie her to a tree to ensure she did not escape. She had seen the pain in his eyes as he did so, knowing that it was not personal but that she must be treated as a prisoner for what she had done. She was only grateful that she had not been bound for the entire journey, something a normal prisoner would have had done, giving her a small consolation that maybe her old mentor believed she was not a real threat.

Her soft leather shoes made little sound as she began moving away from the kingdom of Kippernia and into unknown territory. The land looked much the same as Kippernia's, but she was unaware of which kingdom it was exactly. Probably they didn't want her to be too aware of where she was, therefore helping her new life as a stranger in the land. She chose to climb the tallest hill nearest her, to get a vantage point of where she was and decide where to go. Tears threatened to spring up in her eyes but she pushed them down mentally, continueing on up the wooded hillside.

I must be strong. I am a knight. I will not falter!

She reached the top and took in the view of wooded valleys and broad fields, and noticed a winding river also in the far distance. Water was a necessity, and now her first priority. But it was a far walk on foot by her estimate. If only she had...

Dragon! What was he thinking about all this?!

He had been nowhere to be seen after the pledge ceremony, and surprisingly had not caught up with the group as they escorted Jane. Did he not know where she was? Surely he must be frantic! Quickly Jane unsheathed her dragonblade, worked to unlock the secret chamber of the hilt, and pulled out the section inside. She whirled it above her head through the air, releasing a haunting whistle sound from its hollow inside.

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Hours later, her arm was growing tired. She had switched arms halfway through, and now she realized she would have to stop soon and rest. Just as she was about to drop the sword hilt, a familar flapping sound reached her ears.

"Dragon!" She yelled. "Over here! On the hill!"

"Jane?!" Came the frantic reply of her green friend.

Dragon appeared over the treetops, making a sharp dive straight down to her, crashing through tree branches before landing in a heap and rolling partly down the hill. Jane rushed to his side and threw her arms around his neck.

"Dragon! You heard my call!"

"I found you, Jane! I was so worried! They wouldn't tell me where you went, and the king locked himself in his chambers. Probably so I wouldn't roast him for answers, and that old Rusty Legs was nowhere to be found either! I flew far and wide in search of you, but couldn't find you. The only thing I found was Floppy-Hat miles away from the castle. After a while I sat down to rest and then I heard your call, and I came straightaway!"

"Jester?" Jane drew away from Dragon. "What was Jester doing in the forest?"

Dragon rolled his eyes.

"Moping, what else? He always followed you around like a big blue horsefly and now you're not there for him to follow. He was no help either though. He had no idea where the king had sent you."

Jane swallowed the lump in her throat. Poor Jester... and now she would never see him again. No one back home knew where she was except the king and his knights.

"And did you come to say goodbye to me also?"

"Jane! What do you take me for?! Where you go, I go." Dragon declared with a snort, bringing a smile to Jane's face.

"Champion! I knew you wouldn't leave me out here alone. Thank you, Dragon."

He nodded, and she turned her gaze towards the land stretching before them, pointing out the river to Dragon.

"That river is our goal. It is too late now to travel there, so we must make camp and go in the morning."

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"Wake up, Green Lips! Time to go get a drink!"

Jane clapped her hands to rouse the giant creature, provoking one amber eye opening to glare at her.

"Aw, come on, short-life. Ten more minutes! It was tiresome searching for you yesterday!"

"No time to waste, Dragon. I cannot survive as long as you without water, and I haven't had any since yesterday morning."

He growled before opening both eyes and lifting his head up, stretching out his neck with a sigh.

"Oh, fine. Let me stretch my wings and then we'll be good to go."

Jane shook her head.

"Sorry, Dragon. No flying today. I must map out the land on foot, in case I should ever need to find my way back on my own. Besides, it will give your wings a break!"

Dragon humphed, then began grumbling something about flying all that way just to walk, while Jane had already begun traipsing down the hillside ahead of him.

Jane took in a deep breath of the clean forest air as she descended the rooted hill, making mental notes of any good landmarks as she went - an oddly shaped tree here, a bright rock there, a cluster of vines twisting up a trunk. It kept her mind busy so she didn't dwell too much on the events of the past few days. Her long brown skirt made hiking more difficult than her knight's tunic she was used to, but she did her best to appreciate that at least her shoes made it easy to feel the ground beneath her. Dragon thumped behind her with heavy footfalls, bumping into trees every now and then, and scaring various birds in them.

"So, Jane," he called up to her. "What exactly is the plan?"

"Plan?"

"Yes, you know, now that you're exiled from your home, what will we do?"
Always so tactful, Jane thought to herself, but bit her tongue.

"We will find a way to survive. We will find a new home to live in, and a means to feed ourselves."

"And a cave for myself," the beast said with a twinge of sadness in his voice.

Jane turned around to look at him.

"I am sorry, Dragon. I was so focused on what I had lost, that I didn't stop to think about what you gave up to be with me. You are the best and most faithful friend."

Dragon gave her a grateful look, then shook his head with determination.

"Alright, no more mushy stuff, I can't take it! Come on, let's get to that river."

Jane laughed, and they continued on through the forest. Normally Jane would have been much more careful about the trail she was leaving behind her in the ground, but somehow she felt she needed to leave a trail. Perhaps someone would come looking for them?

No, that's stupid! The king has exiled me, and it is against the knight's code to defy the king's decree. No one is coming for me.

Yet she made little effort to start covering up her trail, knowing she was simply acting upon a fool's hope, and that it was a hope in vain.