As I stated before, I don't know much about medieval times. However, I am making an attempt to make this as realistic as I can without it being annoying. This chapter talks about armor, so anything mentioned regarding that subject is purely from quick Google searches.

Jane had rushed back to her tower after the altercation with her mother. She was thankful she made it without anyone stopping her because she didn't trust herself to not take her frustrations out on them. After some private screams of aggravation, Dragon popped his head through her window. "I trust it did not go well," he asked with a laugh. He was met with a scowl which told him to lay off the jokes. Following this, the two of them decided to move to the top of the tower so Dragon could comfortable sit and there was no chance of others overhearing their conversation. The sun was low in the sky but the wind was still hot from the day. As Dragon got comfortable, Jane settled herself beside him and rested her body against his stomach. A silence fell over them, which Jane was very thankful for. However, she knew it couldn't last. Dragon was far too curious in nature and she could tell he was getting antsy by the twitch of his tail. She enjoyed it while she could until finally the beast spoke, "Soooo, care to tell me what happened?"

"Must I?" Jane mumbled

"Yes, you must!" Dragon replied, only half joking.

"Ugh, fine." Jane sat up a little straighter but still didn't say anything. This was such an awkward conversation to have and she didn't know how to start. If she had to talk to someone, she was glad it was Dragon. Unfortunately, she worried he wouldn't understand the significance of her "short-life" conundrum.

"Wellll..." Dragon coxed her.

"Mother plans to have me wed," She blurted, deciding the straight-forward route was probably the best.

"She does? Hm, it's been a long time since I've seen a good wedding. Of course, I've never been to one before." Dragon rambled absentmindedly.

Jane wanted to yell at him for responding so carelessly but instead she groaned in frustration. She tried to think of a way to explain to her friend why this was troubling her. "Well, although I've been to weddings before, never my own." She found herself unable to stay mad at him. Dragon's innocence had a way of calming her.

"That's true. I probably would have been invited if you did," he giggled at his own joke.

"Unfortunately you'll have to go longer without attending a wedding, because there isn't going to be one." Jane huffed.

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want one!" Her temper got the better of her and she quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, it's just that I have no desire to be married. At least not right now. I have my knights training to focus on!"

"But can't you be a knight and be married? I know I've seen other knights with those little rings on their fingers." Dragon asked genuinely.

Jane put her head in her hands and racked her fingers through her hair. She knew what Dragon was saying was true but she didn't know how to convey her feelings. After taking a deep breath, she continued, "I'm not like other knights Dragon. If I were to be married... I may not be allowed to continue being a knight."

Jane thought he'd ask another question after that statement, but he was quiet, so she continued, "Women are property, Dragon. The wedding will be planned without my consent and I'll be given over to a random man who will most likely force me to end my knighthood." A silence fell over the two as she assumed Dragon was taking his time to think of his response.

He finally spoke, "It would be quite impressive for any short-life to stop you from being a knight," he laughed once again and she couldn't help but be eased by his flippancy. Jane knew it wasn't so simple but trying to communicate that at this time would be useless.

"I'd rather avoid the whole thing. I need to think of a plan to get the wedding canceled. As far as I know, there aren't any preparations in place because a groom hasn't been picked yet. If I can make sure no man finds me appealing at the ball, then my mother won't be able to convince anyone to marry me!" She perked up, "Yes, that's it! That's what I'll do! Thank you Dragon. I can always count on you." She gave her friend a hug. She stood up, filled with determination.

"Always happy to help," Dragon smiled as they said their goodnights.

The following morning, Jane set out on a mission. Marching down from her tower, she waved Dragon a good morning before crossing the training yard to Smithy's forge. The blacksmith was already hard at work. He said he did his best work in the mornings and evenings because it was hottest in the afternoons. Smithy paused his hammering as she approached, "Good morning Jane. Need something?"

"Yes, actually." She was thankful for how eager Smithy was to help his friends despite how busy he was. She did her best not to take advantage of that kindness, but this time, she really did need his help. "It's an odd request..." Jane trailed off, suddenly worried that her plan may be too ambitious.

Smithy was in no rush and simply waited for her to gather her thoughts. At this point, Pig had also stopped her work on the wheel and came over to Jane looking for some head scratches. She leaned down and obliged, speaking as she pet the pig, "I need some armor that is styled to go over a gown. Something that won't obscure the gown completely but will let everyone know that I am a knight."

Smithy rubbed his chin, grease smearing over it, "Hm, that is an odd request. I don't think I've ever made something like that before." After a moment of thought, "Did you have particular parts in mind?" He asked.

"Oh, I don't know," Jane lied as she focused more on Pig. She had stayed up most of the night imagining her outfit for the ball. However, she didn't want her excitement to spill out to wrong people. "Although, Smithy is probably the best with secrets..." After only a second of debate, she couldn't contain it any longer, "I was thinking a gorget. High on the neck but not too low on the chest. With matching spaulder that does not bulk out." She touched her corresponding body parts as she spoke, "I can't decide if I want a breastplate. I feel like that would be too much. However, I think a tasset with chain mail hanging down the rest of the gown would be nice." She ended her rambling by placing her hands behind her back and expectedly looking at the blacksmith. Who was his usual quiet self, patiently listening the whole time.

"Hmm..." was all the response she got as he started looking around at the metal in his forge. Jane's excitement faltered a bit by his lack of enthusiasm, but she had to remind herself that was the type of person Smithy was. Finally he spoke, "what color is the gown?" Jane's smile returned as she answered, "It is an emerald green with gold colored detailing."

"Well, I have nothing in green and gold makes for a terrible armor material. It's much heavier than steel but not as protective. Worst of all, it's expensive." Smithy replied, looking back to her. He was knowledge on his craft and straight to the point. Jane liked that about him.

"Well, I did have gold in mind but I suppose iron would do just fine"

Smithy and Jane spent some more time going over details and pricing before coming to a final agreement. Smithy seemed happy with the challenge as he and Jane excitedly chatted over the concept. During the conversation, Jane filled Smithy in briefly on the reason behind the dress armor. However, she assumed he already had figured it out for himself. He was always very observant.

The sound of someone clearing their throat caused them both to startle. Gunther seemed to have materialized out of thin air. He stood proud as he usually did but the slight wave of his hand exposed his unease in the stoical interaction. "Sorry to interrupt whatever this is, but Jane, did you forget about our morning sparring time?" Jane blushed a deep red, worried how long he had been standing in the side-lines, waiting for her to finish up her conversation with Smithy. "Oh! Um, yes, sorry. I did forget but, uh, I think we're done here now, right Smithy?" She glanced towards the blacksmith who absentmindedly nodded in her direction, having already gotten back to work. "Champion! Then I will make you wait no longer for your defeat," Jane teased her fellow squire. Feeling more confident now as she strode past to get her staff.

If Gunther heard any of their conversation, he didn't mention it during their training. Which relived Jane, because she felt he would have if he did. Having taken control over the whole wedding situation had Jane in better spirits today. Allowing her to best Gunther in a few rounds of practice. However, she had to admit, Gunther's mind seemed to be elsewhere. He was slower than usual and his taunts were stale. Not to the point of concern but enough for Jane to notice. After suffering another defeat, Gunther called it on account of needing to go help his father with something. As he turned to leave, Jane reached out to grab his arm to ask what was wrong. However, she ended up thinking better of it. Gunther was a mystery to her and sometimes asking him questions like that only made matters worse. Besides, she needed to refocus on her masterplan. She wanted to learn more about the guests who were coming to the ball and which of them may have her mother's attention. Placing her practice sword away she headed towards the kitchen where she knew the one person who would know all the good gossip around the castle.