Jane and the Dragon 1. Chapter 1

"Straighten the flowers! Snip that blade of grass! Move that barrel a smidge to the right! They're going to be here any second!" The king continued to bark out orders, as everyone scrambled around to fulfill the commands. Every staff to the king have been preparing weeks for the arrival of the royal family from the visiting kingdom, Veolium. The royal family had their best garments prepared, the knights had their armors shined, and the staff have been slaving away to prepare their best meals and to have the castle looking spotless.

The twenty year old Jester continued to fidget in his spot, nervously scanning the skies for his red haired friend and her dragon. He was stood along side Rake, Pepper, Smithy and the rest of the castle staff and knights to welcome the visiting royal family. Unlike Jester, his friends were concentrated on the giant doors that would reveal their guests.

It was then did everyone within the wall hear the approaching sound of a horn. The gatekeepers gave each other nods, before turning the cranks that opened the large gates. The Kippernook family flashed their best smiles at the sea of knights, and soon the Veolia family. The king was first to appear on his horse, sitting proud with his chin held high. He was dressed in royal purple garments with a gold crown rested on his head. His hair was black and curled, and a face that held very minimum facial hair.

Two horses followed behind him, pulling along a carriage. The visiting king jumped from his horse and approached the carriage as a knight opened it for the women that were sat inside. The king took his wife's hand and helped her out first. She was a beautiful, fair skinned maiden with long light brunette locks. Her hair was pin straight, and her eyes soft like a mothers' eyes should.

Once out, the king helped out her daughter. She looked to be the same age as Princess Lavinia. Her medium brown hair was braided and put into an updo. She gave her father a thankful nod and stood beside her mother.

Finally, the king helped out the eldest of his two daughters. The air in Jester's lungs was pulled from him at the sight of the beautiful maiden that was helped out of the looked to be around the age of eighteen, the same age as Jane. She wore a purple dress, the shade that sat between the Queen's colour and the youngest princess. Her dark brown hair held large soft curls, put into a half up, half down hair style. Her petite lips tugged into a sweet smile towards her father, as she stood with the rest of her family.

"King Nicholas!" King Caradoc greeted with open arms. The visiting king gave a toothy grin as he hugged his friend. "Ahh Caradoc! Please, drop the formalities and call me Nicholas! How are you doing, old friend?"

"Swell swell! Look at you! You haven't aged a bit!" King Caradoc complimented, pulling back and holding his dear friend at arms length.

King Nicholas threw his head back and gave a roaring laugh. "I guess I'm not commanding my castle hard enough, aren't I?" he shifted his gaze towards the castle staff and scanned them all. "And I see that you have. They looked disciplined and-"

"Dragon, slow down!" a voice said from the distant skies. Everyone's eyes darted towards the voice to see green and gold reptile scales fast approaching them. Having no time to scatter, everyone quickly crouched and soon a loud crash and groan was heard. Everyone peeked up and slowly straightened their backs to see Dragon laying on his back, and Jane going to stand on her wobbly legs.

Looking up and seeing the angered face of the king, Jane quickly mumbled to Dragon to get up. Hearing the urgency in her voice, Dragon scrambled to sit like a pup and gave a cheeky smile at the furious king. King Nicholas looked absolutely livid, as he gave his good friend an infuriated stare. "Caradoc! What is this?!"

King Caradoc's face faded to white that nearly matched his wife's powdered complexion. "Nicholas! Let me explain-"

"Father, please." a soft voice came from the Veolia women. Everyone shifted their gaze at the eldest daughter who spoke with a smile. Everyone stood like statues as they watched the princess approach the woman knight and her dragon. When close enough Jane dropped on one knee and bowed while Dragon held his head low.

"Princess of Veolia. I greatly apologize for my tardiness and improper arrival." Jane spoke with her head hanging low. Jane gave a nude to Dragon's leg. "O-oh! I'm sorry too!" Dragon stuttered out, bowing his head lower.

"What is your name, dragon rider?"

"I'm Jane, a knight of Kippernia Castle, and this is my friend, Dragon. He serves the king and helps with knightly duties."

"A female knight and a dragon of the castle?" the princess questioned, sounding rather intrigued. "Please stand, Jane, and raise your head, Dragon."

Jane and Dragon did as they were told, and looked at the princess with a hint of worry on their faces. The visiting princess kept her smile and switched her gaze between the two friends. "You both are very interesting. I'm sure there were some knightly duties that had to be done that caused this delay?"

"Evelyn-" King Nicholas spoke, but was quickly cut off by his daughter.

"Father," Evelyn turned around and faced her father, the features on her face still soft and understanding, "don't you think it's rather admirable that King Caradoc has a female knight fighting for his kingdom?"

"W-Well I suppo-"

"And that he has taken the danger of the kingdom and used it to his advantage?" she asked, motioning towards dragon who gave a nervous smile.

Never having the heart to fight against his sweet daughters, King Nicholas sighed and looked at King Caradoc. "How about you show us to our room while we prepare ourselves for dinner?"

"O-oh yes!" Caradoc quickly recovered and looked towards a few of the castle staff. "See to that the Veolias find their room and that everything is to their liking!" The king gave his friend a proud smile. "I had the cook prepare your favourite roast ham."

Nicholas's face instantly turned up as he patted Caradoc on the shoulder. "A-ha! We shall feast happy tonight then, aren't we friend?"

As the housemaids lead the Veolia's into the home, Evelyn turned her attention back to Jane and gave a deep curtsey. Jane's face flushed red at the sight and bowed again. "Princess Evelyn, I should be the one bowing!"

Evelyn kept her lips turned up as she straightened her back, her deep blue eyes meeting Jane's green ones. "Seeing a female knight is an admirable accomplishment. Was it you who tamed this dragon?"

Jane smiled as she glanced at Dragon then back at the princess. "Not really tame, but befriend, your Highness."

"How splendid." Evelyn looked towards her family as she heard his father call her name. She brought her eyes back at Jane to excuse herself. "It was wonderful meeting you, Jane. I'd love to hear more about yourself and you friend here. Maybe of all your adventures."

"I'd be honored to tell you, Princess." Evelyn gave a final nod, before making her way to her family.

Once the royal families were out of sight, Jane's friends ran towards her with their faces holding the look of shock.

"What did you two talk about? Was she cross?" Pepper questioned with a troubled tone.

Jane shook her head and gave her friends an assuring smile. "She wasn't cross at all. She's interested in hearing some stories about me and Dragon's adventures. She…actually saved us from getting in trouble with the King."

As the friends spoke and hummed with chatter, Jester was deep in thought about the dark hair, blue eyed angel.

"Evelyn…" he spoke, testing her name on his lips and liking the taste that was left behind.


	2. Chapter 2

The hall boomed with laughter as Jester bowed at the completion of his act. Bringing his head up with the jingle of his hat, his eyes met with blue joyous ones as Evelyn continued to cheer him on. His smile widened at the princess's amusement as he took his items and walked off.

Jane, who was on duty and watching the hall doors, smiled as her friend approached her. "Another humorous act, Jester. Champion job."

"Thank you, Jane. Are you going to be on watch all evening?"

"I am. It's suppose to be a two person job but…" Jane's sentence trailed off as her eyes was rested somewhere behind Jester. The bell headed boy turned around to seek the thing that caught his friend's attention. A sudden rush of jealousy consumed him at the sight of Gunther and Evelyn in deep conversation. "Gunther was suppose to be watching the other door. I'll make sure Sir Theodore hears about this later on." Jane said bitterly.

Jester's attention never faltered from the princess and Gunther, even as Jane continued to talk. He watched as Evelyn looked down and giggled, while the sleek haired charmer gave a proud smirk. Ever since Gunther entered the castle to train to be a knight, Jane and her friends always had a sense of dislike towards him. He was a snotty, overbearing person that would do anything and harm anyone that would get in the way of what he wanted. While Jester had a liking towards the princess, he believed that Gunther had a different motive for grasping Evelyn's attention.

"Jester? Jester!" The castle jester snapped out of his thoughts and quickly turned around to look at Jane. Her brows were knotted in question and concern. "Is everything alright? You've been giving the royal table an unusual stare."

"O-oh! It's nothing! Just a bit tired, I suppose.." he lied, rubbing the back of his neck and keeping his eyes on the floor to avoid his friend's stare.

~~~

That night, Jester laid in bed, wishing that sleep would overcome him. Instead, his mind was swimming with images of Evelyn and Gunther's exchange during dinner. Flopping onto his back and opening his eyes, he stared at the faint outlines of the stone ceiling. His wooden shutters caused lines of moonlight rays to illuminate his room, as though the moon was shining brightly to provide him company.

_"Through wooded glade I wander  
Gathering blossoms as I go."_

Jester quickly sat up from his bed at the sound of the melodic voice that sang a familiar tune. He swung his legs over his bed and tip toed over to the shutters, where he'll soon discover the owner of this angelic voice.

_"I'll bring them to milord  
That his favor he bestow"_

Quietly opening one of his shutters, he peaked his head out and laid his eyes upon the familiar maiden with the brown, wavy hair. She was dressed in her sleeping attire, her back to his window. The ground was clear of people, and her head was raised high as though the song was for the moon. A smile touched Jester's lips as she continued to sing.

_"Shall I bring him roses  
or lilacs for his hair"_

_"But the finest bloom of all  
Is the love that we do share."_

Princess Evelyn quickly spun on her heel at the voice that finished her song. Her heart was beating out of her chest; both from the feeling of sudden freight, and at the man that sang along with her. One arm was rested on the ledge while the other was propped up on its elbow, his face resting in his hand. He gave her a lazy grin, as she looked down in complete embarrassment.

"You sing beautifully, princess. No need to be ashamed" he spoke, causing Evelyn to look up at him again.

"I'm sorry if I've awoken you, Jester." Her fingers fiddled together, her face looking evidently flustered.

"Oh, but to be awoken by this singing is a pleasure, Your Highness. I'd be honored to hear this everyday if I could."

Evelyn felt the colour deepen in her cheeks as she stared at his moonlit face. "You're too kind."

"Just being honest." Jester watched intently as she slowly approached him.

"Your hair is lovely. It's a shame that it's always covered under your hat." She complimented

It was Jester's turn to blush. He instinctively ran his fingers through his light brown locks to move it away from his face. He kept his grey eyes locked onto her stunning face, as she did onto him. After a few moments, Evelyn dropped her eyes to the ground but Jester caught sight of the emotion that crossed her face before breaking contact. "Is there something that's disrupting your sleep, princess?"

"Yes… A thought, really."

"Did you want to talk about it?" Jester watched as she opened her mouth in hesitation, then quickly close it. Wanting to help get her mind off of her troubles, an idea sparked his mind. "How about I sing you a few of my ballads until you grow tired?"

"I would love to, but what if someone heard us out here?" she asked, bringing her eyes up to look at him again.

"Well then how about you come into my room?" Seeing Evelyn's face twist into confusion, Jester saw his blunder and quickly tried to correct it. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean it in that way! A princess coming into a castle staff's room! It's simply preposterous! And also not very lady-like.. Not that I'm saying you're _not_ a lady bu-"

"I'd love to Jester." she responded with a smile.

Jester looked at her, flabbergasted. "R-really?" She responded with a small nod. "I'll meet you near the side, then."

Watching Evelyn walk off to meet him, Jester quickly dashed for the door and walked down the silent corridor to meet her. He felt his heart thump against his chest in excitement to be able to spend some time with the princess.

~~~

"You seem tired, Jester." Rake commented as Jester eased out of his yawn. "Did you have trouble sleeping?" Jester couldn't stop the smile that was tugging on his lips as memories of last night came rushing back.

They sat on his bed, as he played a few of his songs and chatted about both their lives. She seemed to have enjoyed the company, judging by the way she smiled throughout the evening. Even after departing, Jester was able to smell her lavender scent from his pillow that she hugged.

"Yes, something like that." Jester responded to Rake's question.

It was then did Rake and Jester come across Prince Cutherbert and the other visiting princess, Princess Lilly.

"Your Majesty's" they greeted with a bow. Cutherbert rolled his eyes while Lilly gave a small giggle.

"Come on, grouchy prince." Lilly chimed as she grabbed his hand and ran off with him. The two men looked at the children as they ran off in glee.

"Anyways, " Rake spoke as he headed towards the kitchen, "I better help Pepper with lunch."

Jester chuckled as he patted his friend on the back. "Go enjoy your time with your sweetheart." he teased. Rake blushed in embarrassment and quickly walked off. Jester turned on his heel and walked the opposite direction to help Smithy with any chores.

On his way, he heard the familiar noise of flapping wings approaching from the skies. Covering his eyes from the sun's glare, he watched as Dragon landed in front of him with Jane and Evelyn riding on his back.

"That was absolutely thrilling!" Evelyn beamed. Her face quickly turned down at a thought. "Oh, Jane, please don't tell my father about it!"

Jane hopped off the giant reptile and helped the princess down as well. "You're secret is safe with me, princess. I'm glad you enjoyed."

"Though, your scream in the beginning has caused a ringing in my ears." Dragon said as he picked his ear with his claw.

"I'm sorry, Dragon." She apologized whole-heartedly, "How about I go to the black smith and personally ask him for some good iron for you to snack on?" Evelyn bribed. Dragon stood more alert, his face showing pronounced signs of amuse.

"I'll take you up on that offer, princess." The trio gave a laugh, which caused Jester's smile to widen also. His eyes trailed from Dragon, then onto the joyous ladies. Looking at Jane first, he remembered the way he felt about her when he was just a young lad. He always appreciated her strong will, ambitious mind-set, and quick wit. Although it began as a crush, he grew to think of her to be just a friend after realizing that she wasn't interested in being courted. His eyes then trailed to look at Evelyn. Just meeting her the previous day, he felt the familiar feeling of love grow within him again. This time, he knew it wasn't just a simple crush.

As Evelyn opened her eyes from her laughter, she spotted Jester as he made his way to the laughing friends. Her smile mirrored his as she composed herself.

"I knew I was funny, but not _that_ funny." Jester commented.

"You wish you were funny, Jingle Boy" Dragon snipped back. Jester gave a shake of his head as the girls giggled.

"Thank you again Jane, Dragon." Evelyn spoke, nodding to the two friends. "I'll head off, since I'm sure you both have duties to fulfill for today."

"Yes, Princess. I'll see you later." Jane spoke, climbing onto Dragon's back once more. Evelyn went to stand beside Jester as they both watched Dragon levitate into the sky, then fly off.

"Jester, would you be so kind as to escort me back to my room?" she asked, feeling as though the previous night had brought them closer and more familiar with each other. Jester chuckled as he gladly offered his arm, which she took.

They slowly walked towards the main castle, enjoying the sunlight and garden. "So," Jester began, looking at his companion, "what do you plan to do with the rest of your day, princess?"

"Well, I plan to nap first. I'm feeling quite tired." With her free hand, she feigned a yawn. Jester smiled at her action.

"Was there something that kept you up with the moon, your Highness?" Jester inquired, going along with her act.

"Well you see, castle jester, I was with company last night."

"Oh? And what did you and your company do?"

"He bored me with songs and stories." Jester mocked offense, which caused Evelyn to giggle and tighten her hold on his arm. "I fooled a fool."

"No one fools this fool. I'm always one step ahead."

"I'm sure you are, Jester." They stopped walking as they were stood in front of the princess's room. She released his arm and stood near her door. "Thank you for escorting me to my room."

"Anything for the princess." Jester said with a playful bow. Evelyn blushed as she rushed inside and softly shut the door behind her. Though his face muscles ached from all the smiling, he couldn't help but have it plastered on even after departing from her.

"You think a castle jester can charm a princess?" Jester heard a familiar mocking voice from behind him. He whipped his body around to find Gunther leaning against a stone wall, his lips turned up into a mischievous smirk.

"I don't have the faintest idea as to what you are talking about." Jester retorted, turning back around to walk off. He was stopped again in his tracks as Gunther spoke.

"Don't play dumb with me, fool. You're in love with Princess Evelyn. I'm sure far ships at sea can see it." The bell-headed boy stood still on his spot, allowing this venomous snake to snap at him. "A jester and a princess simply cannot fall in love. Remember that, castle fool." 


	3. Chapter 3

Throughout the days as the Veolias stayed in Kippernium, Evelyn had grown to love the kingdom. During the day the princess would explore the castle, go to town, ride on Dragon's back and gotten to know the castle staff. At night, she would sneak into Jester's room where he would sing her his new songs and where they would chat until dawn. Jester's feelings for Evelyn were evident and she felt the same for him, but the distance between their statuses were oceans wide. As much as Jester didn't want Gunther's words to linger, they stuck around him like the scent of dung (The words were as fowl as dung too).

Jester's thoughts swam in his mind as he continued to sweep the horse stables. It was then did his ears perk up at the sound of a familiar voice that caused his heart to soar.

"Hello, Smithy." Evelyn greeted at the blonde black smith. She made her way to his pig companion and began to pet her head. "And hello to you too, Pig."

The pig gave a delighted oink at the princess, while she giggled in response. Jester paused his sweeping to hide beside the stable entrance, and peek out to look the fair maiden. While Jester listened, the two friends chatted about each others days, and nothing else in particular.

"Princess Evelyn," Smithy spoke, resting his hammer from hitting the overheated iron, "when will your family depart from here?"

Jester watched as Evelyn's face drop from her usual happy expression. It was the same look she had given him the night he heard her sing. The princess rose from her crouched position and dusted her dress. "Well-"

"Evelyn!" called a small voice. Everyone's attentions turned towards Lilly as she came running towards her older sister. "Daddy is calling you to the throne room. It's urgent."

Evelyn gave a nod, and followed her sister towards the main castle. Jester lowered his head as tiptoed back to his position to continue sweeping.

"It's not right to eavesdrop, Jester." Smithy spoke, before Jester had a chance to move his broom again. The bell-headed boy cheekily popped his head out of the entrance to give a nervous smile to his friend. Smithy shook his head, but with a smile also playing on his lips. "You should of just greeted the princess."

"I already saw her this morning." Jester shrugged, now pulling his whole body out from the stables.

"Yes, I'm sure you see her every morning, since she never leaves your room throughout the night."

Jester snapped his head up at what Smithy had just said, a mix of worry and freight flowing through him. Smithy kept his eyes down and pounded the newly heated piece of metal. The truth and excuses jousted in Jester's head, wondering which one to spurt out.

"Your secret is safe with me." The castle jester let out a sigh of relief at his friend's reassurance. "Though, I suggest you don't get too close to her."

"And why not?" Jester asked. Feeling slightly offended, he puffed out his chest and rested a fist on his hip while the other held the broom.

"She is to wed Gunther. I'm sure she's just finding this out right now, as we speak."

A different emotion took over the fool's mind and heart, staring at Smithy and what he had just told him. "How.. do you know this?"

"Sir Ivon and Gunther were talking about this yesterday. Gunther had asked Princess Evelyn's parents for her hand in marriage. Seeing that he is a knight and the purpose of this visit was to join the kingdoms together to become stronger, they gladly agreed." Smithy finally stopped his job to look up at his friend's distraught face. "I'm sorry, Jester."

The blue clad boy swallowed the huge lump in his throat as he looked past Smithy and at the burning red flame rested on the fireplace. Was this to be expected? How will Evelyn react? What was Gunther's real motive? Before Smithy had a chance to say anymore, Jester dropped the broom and dashed towards the main castle.

As though his chest was glass and his heart a strong wind, he could feel his body threatening to shatter into a million pieces from every beat. Sweat pricked the surface of his skin, the wind not helping to cool him. Everything around him was incoherent; even the bells on his hat wasn't heard. He just needed to see for himself. To see if this marriage was true.

Approaching the throne room, Jester pressed his ear against the closed door and listened intently on the conversation.

"You shall wed 10 days from now. I hope this will give you enough time to prepare?" The voice that was heard was unknown by Jester, but he guessed it was the King of Veolium. After hearing a few agreeing voices, they were excused from the throne room. Knowing that they would be exiting from the door he was pressed up against, Jester quickly ran behind the pillar to see the bearer of this news.

As to be expected, Evelyn was the first to exit. As sunlight hit her flawless face, Jester saw that her eyes began to well with tears. He frowned as he saw the tears slip down her face as she walked off, possibly to clear her mind. As much as he wanted to run after her to provide her comfort, his curiosity was getting to the best of him.

Just a few seconds after her departure, the beau of the woman swung open the door with is father, the merchant, on his heel.

"This was a brilliant idea, boy. In 10 days, the Breech name will be royalty and you will be a prince. Ahh, I can practically feel the weight of the coins in my hands." The older, larger man spoke with such pride and satisfaction.

Jester carefully peeked around the pillar to look at the two conversing men. The Gunther and his father looked rather proud with themselves and their clever plan. Jester couldn't help but glare at their deceitful ways. He knew that Gunther had a few good bones in his body, but this was steeping too low. To marry a maiden only for her money and status was absolutely despicable.

~~~~~

Jester was rested in his bed that night, until his train of thought was interrupted by a soft knock at his door. His heart fluttered, knowing who the company was. After seeing her leave the throne room that afternoon, she was nowhere to be seen the rest of the day. As much as he wanted to comfort her, he knew that she needed space to think with herself.

Walking to the door and swinging it open, he saw Evelyn stood on the other side with her usual sleeping attire. She kept her eyes on the ground, her hair covering any given hints as to how the princess was feeling. He silently welcomed her in, moving out of the way for her to enter, then quietly shutting the door. He turned around and watched as she sat herself on the edge of the bed, her eyes still fixed on the ground.

"Princess…" Jester finally spoke after a moment of silence between the two, "I don't think we should see each other like this any longer. In just 10 days, you'll be a married woman."

Evelyn looked up to lock eyes with the man before her. Jester saw the exhaustion in her eyes and the slight puffiness that rimmed her beautiful blue orbs. Though his arms wanted so desperately to wrap around her small frame in a loving embrace, he kept his ground. No matter how much love he felt for her, he refused to do such thing to a betrothed woman.

"Jester…" her soft voice spoke as she stood and made her way to stand before him. "Tell me, how am I possibly going to marry a man when my heart is in the hands of another?"

Her petite hand reached for his wrist as she brought his hand up over her heart. Jester added pressure to his hand, feeling the soft beating of her heart. They kept their eyes locked on each other, enjoying the small moment of intimacy. Evelyn released his wrist, as Jester kept his hand in place. She reached up and lovingly placed her hand on his cheek, relishing in the warm he provided. The boy dropped his hand as she leaned in, closing his eyes as their lips touched. Jester cupped her cheek to deepen the kiss, as Evelyn's hands moved to rest on his chest.

They pulled back after savouring the feeling of their first kiss. Though guilt should of washed over the forbidden couple, the feeling of love nullified it. The lovers instantly embraced, as they silently thought about how they could overcome this upcoming obstacle.


	4. Chapter 4

It was just 5 days before the wedding, and the close friends of Jester and Evelyn were troubled by their detached moods. Jane, having known the two the most, set off to find them and get them talking.

Walking along the outside second floor of the castle she spotted her blue clad friend ahead, sitting upon the wall and drearily strumming his lute. She continued to approach him, though he continued to play as though she weren't around.

"Hello, Jester." She greeted, watching as his sad looking eyes moved up to meet hers. She gave a small smile, hoping it would brighten his spirits. "How are doing?"

"The shattering of a broken heart feels not too well." he responded, playing a few more notes on his instrument.

Jane wasn't the best at comforting others and she knew of that trait. It was Jester she would always seek out when she was upset or unsure. How must one cheer up the jester, the master of smiles and laughter?

"Jester, I know this is a very hard predicament to be in but…you should do whatever feels right for you. Not what everyone thinks you should do. Not even me."

Jester flashed a small smile. "You're quoting me from years ago."

"So it's something you should follow yourself, should you not?" the red-haired knight challenged.

Jester looked off into the distance and thought about what his friend had said. It was then did he look more alert, his eyebrows shooting up and his back snapping straight. Jane looked at him in question and waited for words to leave his lips. She was suddenly startled as he jumped off his spot.

"I just got the most brilliant idea! Thank you, Jane!"

Before the knight had the chance to ask, Jester had aleady dashed off to put his plan to action.

"Smithy, I need something from you." Jester spoke excitedly, approaching his black smith friend.

The shaggy blonde lad paused from brushing the horse to look at Jester in question. "And that is?..."

"A sack. A rather large sack." the jester spoke, his hands portraying the size of the item he was asking for.

Smithy walked over to where he stored his miscellaneous items and rummaged through it until he found what his friend was looking for. "What do you need it for?" he asked, handing Jester the heavy sack.

"You'll see on the day of the wedding." Jester responded with a hint of mischief in his voice.

As Jester walked away from his work station, Smithy gave a small shrug to his sudden change in attitude and went back to work.

~3 Days Later~

"Oh hello there, Jester." Pepper greeted. She continued to cut carrots along side her sweetheart, Rake, who was cutting turnips. He gave his jester friend a small wave before continuing with his task.

"Hello Pepper, Rake. I'm glad you both are here. I'm in need of a few favors from you both." he said, looking noticeably more cheerful than days before. The courting couple gave a smile at their friend.

"We'll do what we can. Won't we, Rake?" Pepper spoke hopefully.

"Yes, of course." Rake agreed with a nod of his head and a large grin plastered on his face.

"Good good. Pepper, I'm going to need 2 loaves of bread and some cheese. Rake, I'm going to need apples, oranges, carrots, and potatoes. Gathering these items by tomorrow would be ideal."

Pepper and Rake gave each other a look before gazing back at their bell headed friend.

"And what exactly do you need these for?" Pepper slowly questioned.

They watched as Jester gave a proud grin and stood a bit taller. "I've been inspired by Rake's look-a-like vegetables to use them in my act for the wedding. As much as I'd like to tell you all the contents of my new act, it would ruin the fun."

"Well… alright. We'll have them ready by late noon tomorrow." Pepper spoke with a slight hesitation in her voice.

"Thank you kindly." Jester gave his friends a nod before exiting the kitchen.

"I'm glad my look-a-like vegetables has given him some inspiration." Rake proudly smiled. Pepper gave a giggle at the man that courted her, feeling his excitement being shared with her too.

That night, the friends sat around for dinner outside. Seeing as though the old, cheerful Jester was back, their dinner was filled with delightful conversation.

"So Jester." Jane began, looking at him from across the table, "I hear you have this big act you'll be performing for the wedding."

Jester gave a proud nod. "It's all coming together."

"And what is this amazing act that you'll be performing for Princess Evelyn and Gunther?"

"Well-"

"Excuse me" a soft, familiar voice spoke from the darkness.

The friends followed the source of the voice to find Evelyn standing near their table. Having been caught up in the conversation, they hadn't notice the royalty that had been present. They all gave a bow of their head and greeted her.

"Jester, may I have a word with you?" she asked, her eyes resting on the castle Jester.

Jane had noticed the lack of emotion in Princess Evelyn's face and the way she spoke. She wasn't the same princess the knight had met just a few days back. Jane's green eyes shifted to look at Jester, the glee in his face noticeably dropping from moments ago. He gave a stiff nod and got up from his seat. The friends watched as the two walked into the darkness to where they couldn't be seen or heard.

"So much heartbreak in such a young couple." Pepper stated sadly, giving a shake of her head. "I do hope everything is resolved between the two."

"The only way we can find out is through this performance at the wedding. You know how Jester can be. He always has something up his sleeve." Jane spoke, more so saying it to herself, rather than her company.

~Morning of the Wedding~

Jane was suddenly awoken from her slumber at the loud, constant banging on her door. Being a knight, it was her duty to react quickly to given situations. She jumped out of bed and swung open her bedroom door to see Smithy, his face struck with concern. Before Jane had the chance to ask, Smithy spoke words that caused her heart to momentarily stop beating.

"Princess Evelyn is missing."


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: **I think it's important to tell you all that I'm horrible at ending stories.  
For this, I ended it abruptly and it's honestly shitty. I only wrote this story to set up the character background for my one shot stories, which will be similar to the episodes where it's the adventures and troubles the friends go through.  
So apologies in advance for the ending. I honestly didn't really read it through either. I hope you all return for the one-short stories, in which I hope comes out better than this.

* * *

"Princess Evelyn is missing?" Jane asked, hoping that she had misheard her friend.

Smithy gave a nod. "Sir Theodore is calling you down to the throne room."

Jane didn't give it a second thought as she ran down to where she was being called.

Upon entering, she saw the room filled with knights from both kingdoms. Her eyes glanced up the thrones to see worried stricken faces of the King, Queen and princess of Veolium. The Kippernook family stood by the Veolia family and comforted them as best as they could.

"Jane," Sir Theodore called as he approached the red-haired knight, "I'm sure you're aware of the situation."

"I am, Sir Theodore. What do you need for me to do?" Jane asked, her facial expression hard as stone.

"I need for you and Dragon to look for the princess from the skies. We need eyes to look as far and wide as possible."

Jane instantly rushed out the room to find her large friend for this duty. She walked quickly and with purpose, hoping that Dragon was already waiting for her by the practice yard.

~~~~~

"You see anything, Dragon?" Jane asked, her eyes looking at every road, tree, and rock that her eyes were able to spot. Dragon circled the area, following the directions as to where Jane was leading him.

"Too much commotion for a short-life, if you ask me" Dragon commented.

"Dragon." Jane warned, not wanting to joke around when her friend, and a princess of a kingdom, was missing on the day of her wedding.

"You know, I saw the princess with Floppy Hat talking one evening. It was before we went on our nightly patrols." Dragon spoke nonchalantly.

"And?" Jane asked, more or less intrigued. Her mind was set on finding Evelyn, and didn't want anything to do with Dragon's jokes.

"They spoke quietly but I picked up a few words. They said something about 'e-looping'?"

Jane's body instantly tensed. "You mean.. eloping?"

"Ah, yes! That word! They were going to do that. " Dragon said, not knowing the seriousness of the information he had just given Jane.

Jane's heart was intensely beating in her chest, hoping that the giant lizard had heard them wrong.

"Dragon, bring us back down to the castle, now!"

~~~~~

As Jane arrived back at the castle, she made sure to ask everyone if they had seen hey humorous friend. The responses were all the same, which caused the worry and anger to grow within her.

Rushing to his room, she didn't bother to knock and barged in. Much to her uneasiness, he wasn't anywhere inside. Knowing that time was precious she instantly began to rummage through his things. Her hands grew increasingly numb as she realized that a lot of his items were nowhere to be seen. It was then did her eyes fall upon a piece of paper that was rested on his pillow. She snatched it up and read the perfect cursive that was written in ink.

_To Jane  
I present to you to performance I've been diligently preparing for:  
The disappearing act of Jester and Princess Evelyn_

"The sack from Smithy… The food from Pepper and Rake." Jane spoke with herself, looking up and fixing her stare on the stone wall. "Jester… Jester you wouldn't."

"What are you doing here?" a voice spoke from behind her. Jane instantly whipped around to see the source of the voice, hoping it was her bell-headed friend. Much to her misfortunate, behind her stood the husband of the missing princess. "What are you holding?" he asked, snapping Jane out of her thoughts.

She had no time to dispose of the note as Gunther marched up to her and snatched it from her hands. No words were able to leave her petite lips as she watched his furious look turn into pure shock.

"Were you in on this, Jane?" Gunther asked, his voice slightly quaking and his eyes shooting up to look at hers.

Jane quickly shook her head in denial. "I came down here to see if what Dragon said was true. Apparently, it was.." Jane said quietly, not able to believe the words she was saying herself.

"I must inform the King." Gunther spoke, regaining the strength in his voice.

Though Jane was incredibly cross with Jester, she cared for him dearly. The female knight acted quickly and grabbed onto Gunther's wrist. The slick haired man turned to look at his colleague, his expression looking impatient.

"Gunther… Do you intend to marry the princess because you truly love her?" Jane asked, her stern green eyes locking onto the dark brown ones before her, "or did you have other intentions?"

Jane swore she saw a flash of something in Gunther's eyes before he broke their shared gaze. She released his arm as he harshly pulled it away, and stomped off in the direction of the throne room.

~~~~~

Guilt poked at Gunther's heart as he mindlessly made his way to where the Kings and Queens awaited on some news on Princess Evelyn. Though her beauty was something to marvel and admire, he had no interest in marrying her. Being a knight was all that was important to him at the moment.

His father's usual schemes had made the young knight do what he did. He never intended to hurt anyone so deeply nor encourage the princess to want to elope. It was Magnus's acknowledgment did Gunther so desperately wish he had, which caused him to do the extreme. He felt a great amount of resentment towards himself, for his actions has caused a kingdom to lose their princess.

With Gunther's mind shuffling through ideas and thoughts, he hadn't notice his rather large father that stood in front of him in the gardens. His body made fast contact with Magnus's round stomach, which cause Gunther to bounce back from him and stumble slightly. The note he held in his hand slipped out and landed near the toe of the malicious man. Though he was rather plump, Magnus was able to snatch the note faster than his son. Gunther watched in terror as Magnus's face turned furious.

"Elope!? What is the meaning of this?!" Magnus roared with anger. Gunther tried his best to calm his father and have him lower his booming voice. This only raised Magnus's anger, which caused his face to grow blotchy red from rage. "Don't tell me to shush, boy! Our plan to place you up on the throne and to receive a great deal of money is failing! You were suppose to watch her! What are we to do now!?"

"Explain yourselves, possibly?"

Magus quickly turned around to find angry faces of both the royal families, Sir Theodore and Sir Ivon. Gunther watched as his father attempted to stammer out an excuse, but was silenced by King Nicholas.

"You, merchant, have tried to deceive us. Both you and your son are at fault for the disappearance of my daughter. As we search for Evelyn, I'll be thinking of a suitable punish for you both." He spoke sternly with an expression that could kill an army.

Gunther's head hung low from shame. From the corner of his eye, he spotted a familiar red-haired lady, stood stones away from him on his right. As if he wasn't embarrassed enough, now the female knight of the castle was watching him get a scolding. Though he couldn't see much of her face, he knew it held the look of pride and joy.

"Princes…" everyone heard Jane softly spoke, her eyes wide as she stared at something in front of her.

As everyone moved their gaze to see what caught her attention, everyone was taken aback to see Princess Evelyn approaching the group with Jester at her side. They both looked unharmed, wide smiles plastered on their face. The Veolias rushed to Evelyn to bring her in for a hug. They continuously asked if she was alright and thanked the Gods for her safe return.

"I'm well. In fact, Jester and I haven't even left the castle. With so little staff, it was easy avoiding them all." Evelyn spoke, the usual smiling gracing her lips.

"Then what on earth were these crooks talking about you eloping?!" King Nicholas questioned.

"All part of the plan, father."

"Plan?"

Jester cleared his throat, which caused everyone's attention to shift onto him. "If I may explain, your Majesty. I over heard Gunther and his father talking about marrying the princess simply for the status and money. Not wanting a fair maiden to be married for such ill intentions, we conjured up a plan to have the deceivers tell the truth themselves."

"But…" Jane stammered, clearly confused. "The talk we had… The things you asked of Smithy, Pepper and Rake. A-and the note-"

"All part of the grand scheme." Jester responded. "No one fools this fool. I'm always one step ahead." Jester lightly flicked a bell on his hat to complete his statement.

Evelyn giggled at how he quoted himself from days before.

"Mother, Father. As much as much I hate being deceived, I wish for both of you to not punish them too harshly." The eldest Veolia daughter spoke.

"But Evelyn, they almost succeeded in fooling us for our money!" King Nicholas thundered.

"But father, the engagement wouldn't have happened if you would of simply asked me if I was keen on marrying Gunther."

"He is a knight! There is no one else you could possibly marry to bring our two kingdoms together!"

"You're forgetting the second daughter that you have. If my assumption is true, then I'm sure Prince Cuthebert would gladly marry Lilly in the future." Evelyn looked over at her sister and the Prince, as both their faces turned beet red in embarrassment.

The mothers gave a laugh at heir children's obvious attraction towards each other, which eased the Kings minds on their plan for stronger kingdoms. Though, King Nicholas continued to feel uneasy for his eldest daughter.

"My lovely Evelyn, you're an adult who still hasn't wed. We can possibly visit another kingdom and-"

"Father, I have someone that I already wish to marry."

King Nicholas and his wife gave a rather surprised look at their daughter. Having no other royalty or knight her age to marry, they were intrigued to see where her heart lie. Evelyn shifted her eyes to Jester as she grabbed his hand to hold. Jester gave a startled look, unsure whether to proclaim their love. Evelyn flashed him a reassuring smile and gave a small squeeze of his hand.

"This is the man I want to marry." Evelyn spoke. Jester's heart overflowed with love at his lover's words.

"That's preposterous!" King Nicholas boomed. "I can not possibly have my daughter marry a castle staff!"

"Nicholas," Queen Isabella spoke. Nicholas looked at his wife, hoping that she would take his side. Instead, she stepped in front of him and placed a loving hand on her daughter's shoulder. "My darling, is this really who you wish to marry?" Evelyn gave a nod in response. The queen then shifted her gaze to Jester, who had regained his composure to prove himself before the king and Queen of Veolium. "Jester, do truly love Evelyn?"

"Milady, I love her and need her like the night sky loves and needs the stars. Princess or not, I love her all the same. Queen Isabella, King Nicholas, with all my heart, I'm asking the honor to marry your daughter, Princess Evelyn." Jester spoke with such chivalry, and ended his speech with a low bow to the King and Queen.

Turning back to her husband, Queen Isabella held his hands and looked into his eyes. "The Gods have blessed us with the luck of falling in love at first sight. When birthing Evelyn and Lilly and watching them grow, I wanted for them to find a man to love as much as we love each other. Lilly is already fond of the Prince Cuthebert. Wouldn't you want Evelyn to find her love also? Even if it is with the castle staff of Keppernium."

Evelyn teared up at her mother's words, seeing where she had gotten her soft heart from. She watched as her father's eyes soften towards his wife. He released her hands and stood before the bowing Jester. "Lift your head boy. Jester, I'll allow you to marry my daughter. I'll withdraw my compliance of you if my daughter approaches me with broken heart. Is that understood?"

Jester gave a strong nod. "Understood, your Highness."

"Evelyn," Nicholas continued, now facing his daughter, "Do you wish to return to Veolium with your beau?"

"Actually father.. I plan to stay here."

"And do what?"

"To stay by Jester's side and.. possibly work for King Cardoc."

"You mean become a castle staff of Keppernium?!"

Evelyn nodded. "Father, this is Jester's home. I cannot possibly imagine taking him away from his home. So I've decided to strip of my title of princess and stay here."

Queen Isabella placed her hand on his husband's chest before he had to chance to thunder out another dissent. "We will allow you to stay in Keppernium with your lover, Evelyn. Though, you will keep your name as princess in Veolium and will take the responsibilities as one when needed. Is that understood?"

"Yes, mother." Evelyn nearly shrieked with excitement before hugging her parents.

Feeling defeated by the women in his life, Nicholas gave a sigh and returned the hug.

~Days Later~

Jester and Evelyn laid in bed within their shared sleeping quarter. They were stripped of energy from the wedding that happened just hours before. It had been made official that they were wed, and that Evelyn would now be working under King Cardoc.

Finally feeling relaxed, Evelyn gave a content sigh as she held her lover closer under the warm sheets. She relished in the feeling of his large hands softly running through her hair as she lazily dragged her fingertips over her arm.

"So Evelyn" Jester spoke, breaking the comfortable silence that sat between them.

Evelyn smiled at the sound of her name as a casualty, rather than a formality of her status. "Yes, my dear husband?"

"Now until we meet our inevitable end, you have no choice but to listen to my boring songs and stories. How do you feel about that?"

Evelyn giggled at her lover's teasing ways. "Well, I have no other choice, now do I? We've already made our vows before the Gods."

"Aha! All part of my plan, darling. To marry the princess and give her no choice but to have her listen to all my stale songs and jokes."

The two laughed as Evelyn smacked his chest. "You're absolutely mad."

"No, my love" Jester softened his voice as he kissed his wife's head, "I'm just a fool in love with a princess."


End file.

Jane and the Dragon, Romance