Her mother had sent ladies-in-waiting to fetch her that morning before she even had the chance to exit her tower. Leaving with the women Jane saw that the castle was alive with activity. Servants rushed around carrying food, clothing, decorations, and even luggage. Knights lined the castle walls in their finest armor in an attempt to show off the kingdom's power to the arriving nobles. Speaking of which, as the group neared the castle Jane was greeted with an assembly of fancy carriages pouring in from the main entrance. They held the early arrivals of nobles and their servants. Jane had hoped she would help escort the dukes, earls, and other important guests like the other knights. However, she was not chosen to stand guard overnight to greet them. That fact wouldn't have stung so much if Gunther hadn't been chosen, but he was. Although she didn't envy the lack of sleep she knew the knights would be forced to operate on all day and likely late into the night. As the ladies drew closer, dodging and ducking out of the way of rushing servants, Jane's stomach was in knots. This ball looked like it was going to be one of the busiest and grandest yet but she wouldn't allow herself to be excited for it. Any of these men unloading from their carriages could be her future husband, and that thought caused her to swallow some bile that threatened to escape. The ladies attending her ushered her toward a side door, as not to disturb the guests arriving. Jane didn't like the feeling of powerlessness as she was carted around like live-stock. Everything about the situation made her feel like she was preparing for battle, not a ball.
The day went by painfully slow and yet the sun hung low all too soon. She stared out the window as she waited for her mother to fetch her so they could go downstairs. Her face had an itch but she feared she would ruin her recently applied makeup if she tried to scratch it. So instead she rubbed her fingers anxiously on the green fabric of her dress. Her gorget, spaulder, and tasset fit perfectly but they didn't help ease the feeling of needing to vomit nor give her the confidence she had hoped. When her mother finally arrived, she too was dressed in her finest attire. Jane was hyper aware of her mother's tightly hidden hair, bound in cloth and wrapped in a simple headband. Despite some people teasing Jane for her wild red hair, she was still sad to think she too would have to cover her hair after marriage. She didn't understand the tradition, which meant it was going to be hard for her to follow it. Her mother approached, taking her daughter's hands in hers, "Are you ready my dear?" Jane desperately wanted to say "no," but she responded with a defeated, "yes, mother." Adeline raised a hand to Jane's face and tilted it up to meet her gaze, "It will be alright, Jane. I will never let you out of my sight." She said it so lovingly, Jane knew her mother was trying to comfort her. However, she couldn't help but find those words unsettling instead.
The sound of music bounced down the hallway she, her mother, and father walked down. The ball was about to officially start, although the party had been going on her a while. As they took the stairs down to the main ballroom, Jane noticed the band first, playing one the opposite side of the room from the thrones. The rest of the room was filled shoulder to shoulder with guests already drinking and laughing. However, the middle of the room was reserved for dancing, with some people already partaking in the activity. Her sour mood faded at the thought of dancing but it returned quickly wondering who she would be dancing with. As her family reached the bottom of the stairs, her mother and father immediately begun to socialize with the nearest party-goers. Well, her mother socialized, with her father only speaking to answer the few questions thrown his way. Jane stood to the side, purposely trying to look disinterested from the conversation, just in case her mother was already trying to advertise her. Unfortunately, she could not hear what they were talking about due to all the noise from everything else around her. She dared a peek toward the crowd her mother was speaking to, and to her horror, an older man was staring directly at her with a look in his eyes that sent a shiver down her spine. She returned the stare, morphing her face into one of disgust, which wasn't hard to do. The man was probably in his forties and looked like he hadn't worked a day in his life. This, luckily, seem to deter him as his expression changed and he turned back toward the conversation. She sighed and thought, "This is going to be a long night."
She looked around the ballroom again because she needed to find an excuse to "disappear" from her mother's view. She begun to slowly inch away from the group, heading in the direction of the throne's stage. The King and Queen sat upon said thrones, talking to those close by as they were passed snacks and drinks from servants. As she drew closer, she heard the faintest sound of a jingle bell, "Jester?" she hopefully called out. Sure enough, the boy in blue was on the stage as well, sitting on the edge heckling the guests as they walked by. "Whatever look you were aiming for, you missed," he commented to a woman with the tallest hennin hat she'd ever seen. The woman was quite offended but her date laughed with his whole gut. The woman made to take a swing at Jester, but he dodged just in time, scooting further back onto the stage and out of reach, "I was going to give you a nasty look, but I see you already have one," was his final jab before the woman was dragged away by her date, who was still laughing. Seeing an opening, Jane made her approach, "and what do you have to say to me, fool?" she teased. Jester did a double-take before exclaiming, "Jane!" and scrambling back to the edge of the stage. "I feel bad for those in this room, because your face now makes everyone else's look ugly," he said, quieter, just for her to hear. "It sounded like you already thought that woman looked ugly," she giggled, gesturing in the direction the pair went. Jester waved his hand in a dismissive manner, "my insults are my job, my compliments are for you." She blushed despite herself but also wished he didn't say that. She had come over to momentarily forget about finding a husband, but was now only reminded of a relationship that could never be. Before she could voice a response, a man from behind her cleared his throat, causing her to turn around.
He wasn't ugly by any means but still at least twice her age by the looks of him. "Lady Jane, may I have this dance?" he bowed, extending his hand. "Why?" was her inappropriate response. In her defense, she was genuinely caught off guard. The man looked back up, "um, your mother suggested it," he stammered, pointing to her in the crowd. Adeline was watching the two of them intently and simply waved back. Jane audibly groaned before she could stop herself which caused her to fake a cough in an attempt to save the situation. "Um sure," she paused before remembering to take the ends of her dress and bowed, "I mean, I'd be honored." Ew, why was she so awkward? She waved a half-hearted goodbye to a sad looking Jester as she took the strangers hand. Although she wished the circumstances were different, she couldn't help but be a little excited to dance. It was one of her favorite things to do and she hoped this man wouldn't disappoint. They got to the center of the floor just in time for the next song to play. It was a slow, romantic song, which wasn't Jane's first pick when it came to songs she liked to dance to. It had been a while since she had proper dance lesson but the memories of her lady-in-waiting days came back to her naturally as she placed a hand on the man's shoulder as he placed his on her waist. His hair was long and blonde and his stature tall, although lanky. Most people would probably consider him handsome but Jane felt like she wanted someone more... rugged? These were things she never spent time thinking about before, so she didn't know how to explain why this man's soft hands and princely appearance wasn't attractive to her. However, she had to remind herself that at least the man wasn't ugly or old enough to be her grandfather. Jane debated whether she would be okay settling for second best in fear of never finding perfect. She hated the odds.
Jane honestly didn't want to speak with the man but she needed some information, "Who are you and what is it that you do?" He smiled, obviously overjoyed she was taking an interest in him, "My name is Henry and I am the son of the Duke of Neuweg." He spun her in a twirl, which made it slightly difficult to process his words. "Neuweg? That is quite far away," Jane thought to herself, growing increasingly worried. The worry must have shown on her face, because he reassured her, "Fear not, you will love Neuweg! I understand you enjoy riding. Luckily I own several horses and we have many trails through the countryside." Although Jane did like to ride horses, she had a feeling her mother conveniently left out that she more often rode a dragon than a horse. "Now tell me about yourself, my sweet rose," he cooed. She had to restrain herself from visibly gagging at the unoriginal pet name he decided to give her. "We just met and he is already calling me his 'sweet rose'?" Shaking her head, she knew that was the least of her problems. She needed to get out the important things first, "Well, I am a squire, training to be a knight of the court. So I may need to stay here a little longer to finish my training before going somewhere like Neuweg." Although she felt she was doing well keeping her facial expressions under control, Sir Henry had no issues giving her a grimace. "Your mother did mention that..." he paused, most likely trying to think of a way not to hurt her feelings, "I fear you may have to leave this hobby behind. I must return to Neuweg soon, as to take my father's place as Duke. I feel the people would prefer I to have a wife of more traditional duties..." he trailed off, maybe pondering how to continue. However, Jane didn't give him the chance, "Then I fear we have no more business with each other." With that, she promptly let go of his hand and shoulder and pulled away. She did a quick bow and exited the dance floor. Henry did not follow.
The night progressed in a similar fashion. Adeline continued to send men her way and Jane would quickly send them back. Sometimes running. The men kept getting less and less ideal and Jane assumed her mother must be running out of options. What would happen if there were no men left in the kingdom who wanted her? Would she be let off the hook? It couldn't be that simple. Jane knew that some of these men may be willing to deal with her attitude, thinking they could "tame" her. Some had even verbalized that, speaking to her as if she were a dog. "These men would be lucky to still have hands if I were their bride," she thought bitterly. Besides some casual insults directed toward her knighthood, armor, and even intelligence; the men had been fairly polite. Which she was thankful for. A few of them held her too close and others attempted to hold her buttocks rather than waist, but she swiftly ended those encounters with a stomp to their foot. Signing, Jane feared she would grow to hate dancing after this night. Her mother was officially getting fed up with her, having just finished another small lecture about being "polite" and "more willing to compromise." Jane argued that giving up her knighthood or being forced to birth babies to men old enough to be her father were not "compromises," but her mother wasn't listening to her anymore. As her mother left, desperate to find someone willing to marry her daughter, Jane decided she needed a break. She grabbed a mug of mead from a nearby servant's tray. Jane had never drank anything before but she felt now was good as time as any to start. She pushed her way through the main throng of people and found a quite space behind some columns and in an alcove. After taking a sip of the foul smelling mead, she abandoned it on a nearby console table.
"Could this night get any worse?" she thought aloud.
As if on cue, one of the suiters she had interacted with earlier appeared from around one of the columns, "what's wrong princess?"
His tone put her on edge. She remembered this guy as one of the men who groped her buttocks. Although he made quite the impression, she couldn't for the life of her remember his name. His hair was slimy to the point she wasn't sure if it was supposed to be a dirty blonde or just blonde. He was short but still taller than her, and much older. As he took a step forward, she took a step back. They were in shadow and no one else was around. Well, no one sober that is. There were a few unconscious bodies back here, but no one who would be of any help. As he drew closer, Jane instinctively went to grab her sword, only to not find it there. Her mother had insisted she would have no use for it and that her armor was enough proof of her knighthood. She was now up against the wall and the man was in reaching distance. She outstretched her arms, attempting to block him from coming closer. He pressed his chest against her hands, "Come now, don't be like this. Let's go have some fun. Get you out of that silly armor-" he grabbed her wrists and started pulling her toward a doorway. "Unhand me this instant!" She demanded, loudly, hoping she didn't sound as nervous as she actually was. Seeing that the man was stronger than her, she decided to take a risk and pulled all her weight backwards until she was basically sitting on the floor. From there, she made a single hard kick in the place she knew it would hurt. The man screamed and released her wrists, which allowed her to roll out of his way and to her feet. Before she was able to make a break for it, the man grabbed her hair and yanked it hard. She let out an embarrassing squeal and begun to struggle against him. Before she was able to come up with another plan, she heard a familiar voice, "What's going on over here?!"
"Gunther? Gunther!" She knew he would be armed and so she didn't hesitate to call for him, "Over here, Gunther! I need help!"
The man didn't even wait to find out who "Gunther" was, releasing her immediately and running back to the main part of the ballroom. She was in the process of catching her breath as the squire in question approached, "are you alright, Jane?" His speech was slurred and he held his sword poorly. Now that Jane had her wits about her, she was able to take in the entirety of the situation, "Great, not only was I unable to fight off a singular man, but I had to be 'saved' by a drunk Gunther. This night truly could not get any worse." She patted her hair, trying to ignore his question, and could tell it was now out of it's braid and completely ruined. Taking a breath, which was shakier than she would have liked, she finally spoke, "Actually, I am not alright. I don't care what my mother says, I am leaving!" As she shoved passed Gunther, he made to grab her arm, but missed. The stairs were nearby and she ran up them, unable to control her tears any longer.