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Jane marched onward with her fists clenched and her face hot with anger. She made a bee-line for the stables, even ignoring her friend Rake bid her a "good afternoon." Jane knew she was in no-mindset to chit-chat and would most likely blow-up at the poor gardener. No, she needed to save her fury for the one who deserved it. She threw the stable doors open, startling both the horses and the squire she was looking for. As to be expected, he wasn't working like he was supposed to. Instead she caught him writing in a book, which she promptly ripped from his hands. "What the- give that back!" He went to snatch it from her but she dodged his reach. "Not until you explain yourself!" she practically screamed the words which caused Gunther to jump in surprise. It took him only a second to recover, "what on earth are you talking about?" His voice was now also raised to match hers. "Oh no you don't, Gunther Breech," She threw the ring he had given her earlier that day to the ground, "You know damn well what I'm referring to!" He only glanced at it before his eyes locked back to hers, "Gods, Jane, if you don't like it, I'll take it back!" Jane took the journal she stole in both hands and squeezed the leather, "Don't play a fool, Gunther! I know about the engagement!" This really seemed to throw him for a loop. His face rarely displayed his emotions, but Jane was able to make out his shock and horror before he was able to regain control of his features. "Jane," he cleared his throat, "Listen, I was going to tell you-" "When?!" Jane physically couldn't stop herself from interrupting him, "At the alter?!" He had the audacity to roll his eyes, "No, I was going to tell you as soon as I..." He stopped himself and Jane grew suspicious as to why. "As soon as you what, Gunther? Has this all been part of a twisted scheme?" In that moment, Jane became aware of the book she was still holding. She flipped it open and Gunther lunged for it, "No, wait-" They both had their hands on the book. Jane felt in her bones that the book was important and she would not let go of it no matter what. They both tugged on it violently, the leather creaking slightly with the struggle. "What are you hiding?" Jane seethed. "Just let go," Gunther hissed. Neither did and soon enough the sound of tearing paper could be heard. Just like that, the book's binder gave way and both squires fell to the ground with the momentum. With pages now flying around the stable, the battle was over in Jane's favor. Despite this, Gunther scrambled to gather as many pages as he could. Jane easily grabbed a few and begun to read their contents. "Pepper could be a potential ally?" she read aloud, "get close to Dragon? See if he'll let me fly?" Jane didn't read every word but skimming over the paragraphs revealed a horrifying truth, "W-what is this? Notes on all my friends and I?" She spared Gunther a glance. The squire in question had given up trying to gather the remaining pages. He seemed frozen in place and his face was a sickly pale. Jane racked over a few more pages. There were notes on the flight with Dragon, the dinner with her friends, the market stall he took her to, and other ideas on how to snake his way into her life. It was like she was being studied akin to a wild animal. Every aspect of every day involving her was written down in detail. Jane felt sick. This wasn't normal behavior, surely. She slowly got to her feet and Gunther did the same, "Jane, listen to me-" his arms were raised and his palms were outward in a defensive position. Never the less, he seemed ill prepared for the slap that Jane was able to land to his cheek. The impact almost caused his body to turn a complete one-eighty. He didn't right himself to look back at her, instead keeping his posture was slumped with his hand instinctively resting on his reddening cheek. Jane was stunned by her own actions but couldn't find it in her to comfort him after all she discovered. After a moment of neither of them moving, Jane finally broke the silence, "This is sick, Gunther. Even for you." Her words were so quiet, she wasn't sure if he could hear her. She took a few hesitant steps back as she gathered her strength, "Mark my words, I will get this engagement canceled! I will not be tricked! Are you listening?" Gunther didn't move nor look at her. His body was stiff and his head was low. Seeing him so small and utterly defeated was not something Jane was used to. The whole situation was becoming unbearably uncomfortable but Gunther's silence unnerved her the most. After a few more small steps back, she eventually turned heel and ran. She didn't stop until she was safe in her tower. Despite initially worrying about him following her, she found her heart oddly sink when he never came to clear things up.
Gunther's body after the slap seemed to work on it's own accord. He gathered up the rest of the pages in a haze, barely even remembering the task. The only coherent thought in his mind at the time was the fear of anyone else stumbling upon what he now felt was a great shame. His walk home felt like it happened in the blink of an eye. Despite the rattling of thoughts in his mind, he couldn't recall any of them when he walked through the door. He soon found himself sat alone at the dinning room table in his home without any food or even a candle for the darkening sky. He was just sitting alone and trying to enjoy in the quietness. However, this stillness allowed him to finally begin to hear his own thoughts, and none of them were encouraging. "Father is going to kill me," being the most predominate thought. With the second being, "Jane is going to kill me. "Either way, he was a dead man. As he heard the door down stairs slam, he grew panicked. Rationally, he knew his father probably wasn't aware anything was wrong. However, this didn't keep him from expecting the worst. He quickly stood in an attempt to make a break for his room, but his father's call forced him to a halt. He sounded upset, which made the pit in Gunther's stomach grow larger and more painful. Gunther didn't respond to his father calling his name and instead waited the agonizing minute it took for his father to come up the stairs. Soon enough, his large figure loomed over him. "You have some explaining to do, my boy" his voice dripped with warning. Gunther forced himself to meet his gaze, although it was getting harder to see anything in the dimming light. "W-what about, father?" Gunther cringed hearing his own stammer. He was hoping to play the fool but now his father knew his discomfort. Magnus pushed past him and headed toward the waning fire-place. There were barely any embers left. "Blast it boy, the least you could do is tend the fire!" Gunther knew this wasn't what his father was mad about. It was simply an excuse for more punishment. Magnus liked to pile on things to be upset about when given the opportunity. Nevertheless, Gunther did as his father requested without protest. As he did so, Magnus paced around mumbling insults about their house servant, "that useless wench forgot to stock the fire before leaving again... what do I pay her for?" Once the task was complete, Magnus' attention was unfortunately redirected to his son, "Now, to business... what happened to my 'exotic wares', boy?" A wave of relief washed over Gunther. In his panic, he had completely forgotten that he was in charge of overseeing the cargo arrival earlier in the morning. Getting his father to agree to let him tally the cargo by himself was no simple task. Especially regarding shipments with "exotic wares" aboard. Which was his father's code-word for smuggled contraband. Nevertheless, Gunther had prepared ahead of time his response regarding the questions he expected his father to ask. "Ah, yes, well we agreed that it was in our best interest for me to gain the favor of Jane's family and friends," he did his best to sound as confident as he did when rehearsing this conversation. "I know it is a loss for the items to have been confiscated. However, I decided to forgo it in exchange of gaining the trust of the Chamberlin." His father no longer looked enraged, just horribly disappointed. However, Gunther prepared for this as well, "Now we may be able to smuggle in more things if I lead the shipments. Because the Chamberlin believes I willing to rat you out." Magnus pondered his words carefully, "I see the sentiment, but next time you pull a stunt like this I better know about it beforehand!" Gunther thought that would be the end of the conversation but his father continued, "How is it going with that girl anyway?" Gunther didn't like the way his father spit the words referring to Jane, but he held his tongue. On the bright side, he had one successful interaction with his father already under his belt, so Gunther felt more relaxed approaching the subject. "It was going well," he started. "Was?" his father interrupted, his tone slightly harsh once again. Gunther racked his brain on best how to phrase his next sentence. Jane had found out about the engagement and was upset. This wasn't anything unexpected. He concluded he could leave out the parts regarding his specific involvement regarding her anger. "Jane has apparently found out we are betrothed and she is not the happiest." Magnus looked puzzled, "Lady Adeline seemed to imply Jane was madly in love with you." Gunther fidgeted with his fingernails, "I am unsure if that is a lie she convinced herself of or not." Magnus waved his hand dismissively, "well never mind that. Contracts have already been signed. We have nothing to be concerned about." It was Gunther's turn to look puzzled, "but father, you and I both know Jane. She somehow always finds a way to get what she wants." There was a brief silence as Magnus' eyes got a dark glint in them. "Since when has a woman's unhappiness affected an arranged marriage?" Magnus paused for Gunther to respond, so he felt pressured to do so, "well I'm sure there have been situations where it has." At this, Magnus chuckled. Not a genuine chuckle. This one was dry and mischievous. "Of course many have tried, but there are ways to force their hand." "Meaning...?" Gunther didn't like the tone Magnus had taken and he felt the pit in his stomach slowly returning. Magnus stepped closer to his son until he towered over him. Despite how much Gunther had grown, his father still felt like a giant to him although at times it seemed to be an illusion his father could only pull off when he wanted to intimate him. "Simple, boy. No one of nobility wants to marry a noble women who isn't a virgin." Gunther saw it coming but it still felt like he got another slap to the face. His father continued, "So if rumors got out that something happened, or dare I say, she fell pregnant..." He trailed off and giggled before slapping a hand on Gunther's back, "then her choices would either to be married or publicly shamed. The answer is quiet simple in my opinion." The hand resting on Gunther's stiff back came to rest on his shoulder, "This marriage will change everything, my boy." It's grip tightened, "Don't disappointment me." With that, his father bid him goodnight and left Gunther alone to come up with a new plan while wrestling with his already shaky moral compass.