ok so here it is =] chapter one all new and shiny for you. I added some new stuff and fixed some old stuff, just cause my writing is changing a little and I wrote this a year ago. Please read it and tell me if it's better than the old. I've already started chapter two but it probably won't be up until next week, like around monday-ish becuase I'm going away for fourth of july weekend without my computer =[ but that just means I'll have more time to make chapter two awesome =] so i hope you enjoy it!!

M

disclaimer: I don't own JatD or any characters from it. Just the plotline is mine =]

p.s. i know last time you guys told me that Jane being girly is reaaaaally ooc. In here, since my story is going to have a little bit of romance between her and jester, I do need to kind of give her a more feminine side. So, I hid it in that awkward stage we all go through when hormones just start up and we don't really know what's going on. I tried to make it as 'whatever' as I could while keeping her in character and also helping the storyline.

Chapter One: Dreaming

Right, left, up, left, down, jump, up, jab, jab, duck. Watch his feet, look out for his elbow, steady, keep your balance.

Jane teetered slightly on the balls of her feet, almost losing her balance while trying to hold off Gunther’s attack. He had her backed into a corner of the practice yard. To her right sat a few barrels filled with horse feed and to her left, the stone castle wall. Left, up, up, jump, swipe, dodge, watch his feet, keep his stave in sight. Thinking quickly, Jane ran through her options just as Sir Theodore had taught her.

She could let Gunther beat her, but put up a good fight so it did not seem like she had completely let him win, or she could try and knock Gunther aside, then run for the open yard where she would have room to pull herself together and regain her footing. No and way too risky, she thought. Her only other escape route was over the barrels….That’s it!

Meneuvering her body so her back faced the barrels, Jane began to turn the match around. She stepped to the side and Gunther reflected her movements, but on the opposite foot. Keeping a look of slight hesitation and worry on her face, Jane knew she could feed Gunther’s ego and make him think he still held the upper hand. Once she was in the right spot, a triumphant smile flashed across her face.

Jane wished she could have a picture painted to forever remember the look of surprise and confusion that spread across her fellow squire’s face as she drew back from the combat. Gunther had stopped swinging his stave and Jane saw that as her window of opportunity. She turned quickly and leapt up onto the first barrel. It rocked violently with the addition of her forced weight, so she jumped quickly to the next and then to the ground.

An angered hiss of disgust erupted from Gunther as he charged through the barrels towards Jane. Turning quickly, she met his first blow, knocking him back a bit. She regained her footing and began her offense. The two swept across the yard, past Jane’s friend Smithy’s blacksmithing quarters and towards the barn. Just as she began to think she had beaten Gunther, a shout shattered the quiet of the practice yard, and Jane’s focus.

“JANE!!”

The second Jane took to glance into the sky and see what the commotion was was a second too long. She instantly knew she was done for as she felt her feet being swept out from under her and something hard smacking into her shoulder. Reaching for anything to stop her from hitting the hard ground, Jane felt the rim of a bucket. Unfortunately, it was the horses’ water bucket that was kept on a nail on the wall of the barn, and even more unfortunately, it was full of water from the previous day’s rain shower.

As Jane fell to the ground, the bucket tipped over, spilling its contents all over her. Landing on her back with a thud, and the bucket beside her, the pigeons nesting in the rafters just above the bucket spooked and sent clumps of hay tumbling down to stick to her newly wet clothes. Fanning the dust and dirt that was kicked up from the fighting and her fall from her face, Jane saw Gunther’s face split into a wicked grin as he began to laugh hysterically.

“JANE!” the voice screamed again. Jane looked up at the sky to see a huge silhouette of a dragon that was out of control bearing down on her.

“Whoa, whoa! Look out below!” Jane rolled quickly out of the way of a huge flailing tail. Dragon made a clumsy landing on the spot where Jane and Gunther had been fighting moments ago, and slid into the castle wall. This caused even stronger peals of laughter to come from Gunther who was nearly doubled over from being unable to breathe.

“Oh yes, it is terribly funny Gunther.” Jane scoffed as she pushed herself up off the ground. She fixed her fellow squire with a dark glare that he did not seem to notice. A loud moan from behind her reminded Jane of the lizard that had just fallen out of the sky. Turning to face him, she sighed. Dragon was almost standing on his head, with the rest of his body halfway up the battlements. Although she was very embarrassed and angry at Gunther, Jane couldn’t help but smile at Dragon’s odd pose.

“Are you all right Dragon?” she asked, walking towards him and trying to suppress a giggle. She must not have hid her amusement as well as she thought, for although he was upside down, Dragon shot her an angry look.

“Oh yeah, don’t mind me. I’m just peachy!” he retorted. As Dragon shifted himself slightly to remove a pitchfork from his back, Jane stepped back and looked up at her best friend. Well, her best non-human friend.

She thought back to the first time they had met three years ago. After her act of bravery, Jane had been rewarded with a knight’s apprenticeship, which she accepted right away rather than becoming a lady-in-waiting. Since then, Jane and Dragon were inseparable

“Come on you big lizard, let’s get you down from there,” Jane said, pushing Dragon’s shoulder. He flipped himself over and landed not-so-gracefully on the ground with a thud that shook the yard. Flicking the last stone off his scaly back, Dragon looked down at Jane.

“Jane,” he said mockingly, “have you been playing in the stables with the animals again?” Jane shot him a glare.

“No. But thanks to your champion landing skills, I lost at Staves.” Jane crossed her arms over her chest, and let the embarrassment of losing to Gunther fuel her anger for the moment. Dragon looked a bit bored and picked a few more pieces of rubble from his scaly arms.

“You know,” he said in a low whisper, lowering his face right next to Jane’s, “I could just turn the little shortlife into charcoal. Then you would never have to worry about losing to him again!” An eager smile stretched across his face and he looked down at Jane expectantly.

“Excuse me,” Gunther said angrily from only a few feet away, “I’m right here!” Jane just laughed and shook her head. She turned to her scaly friend and began to scold him.

“You really should work on that landing before you knock an entire wall down.” But, before Dragon could begin to defend his side of the story, Jane turned back towards the practice yard. Gunther was nowhere in sight.

“Maggots,” she hissed to herself. “He’s gone. But that is alright for I will beat him next time.” Jane had a smug smile on her face as she faced Dragon, who was still convincing himself that setting Gunther on fire would be a far more amusing way of beating him at any game. Jane rolled her eyes. Being so lost in her match, Jane only just noticed the growing hunger pains in her stomach. She was reminded by a loud gurgle, and realized that she had missed the midday meal. Leaving Dragon to his own thoughts that had now turned to frying pigeons instead of Gunther, Jane skipped off to the kitchens.

She threw open the door and sprinted down the stairs, not even paying attention to where her feet were taking her. Because she was not watching where she was going, she ran right into the cook, Pepper and the two girls tumbled backwards onto the stone floor.

“Oh, Pepper! I’m so sorry, I wasn’t paying attention. Are you all right?” Jane squealed as she took Pepper’s arm to help her up. The girl brushed off her apron and smiled.

“I’m fine, Jane, don’t worry,” she said as she straightened up. “You must be hungry thought. Where were you?” Pepper bustled over to a table and grabbed a plate of fresh rolls. Turning back towards Jane she stopped and took in her friend’s ruffled appearance. “And, how did you get so dirty Jane?”

Sighing Jane answered, “Well, I was playing Staves with Gunther.” She walked over to the tables and took a seat. “And then Dragon decided to make a surprise landing.” She left out the part where Gunther tripped her and knocked her to the ground, but Pepper seemed to understand.

“One day, that overgrown lizard is going to knock the whole castle down!” Jane complained while Pepper nodded her head in agreement and set the rolls in front of her. Jane took one and bit into the warm bread.

“Mmm, these are delicious Pepper.” The cook smiled and hummed as she continued stirring whatever she was cooking in the cauldron over the fire. When Jane had eaten enough, she watched Pepper run around the kitchen preparing supper for the entire castle.

Finally, Jane said, “Pepper, would you like some help?”

“Oh, I would Jane! Thank you! But, first….” Pepper walked back to the fire and picked up a pail of water sitting next to the hearth. “Would you mind washing up a bit? You’re covered in dirt!” Pepper giggled a bit as Jane looked down and took in her dirty clothes. She looked up at her friend and shrugged her shoulders.

“Let me go get you a brush.” Pepper turned and left the kitchen to go gather supplies. Jane turned back to the table and began tracing the grain in the wood with her fingers. As she was humming to herself, she heard two familiar voices growing louder through the large window. Jane turned as the voices entered the kitchen.

“But really, what is the difference between talking to a plant and singing to it?” Jester was asking. Rake just shook his head in disagreement and was about to explain when he spotted Jane sitting at the table.

“Oh. Hullo, Jane.” He said in a shy voice. Jester looked up from their argument as well and smiled at Jane. Jane smiled and returned the hello. Jester skipped over to her, because he almost never walked, and sat down on the bench next to her.

He took in her dusty clothes and the hay that was stuck in her hair. He opened his mouth to ask what had happened, but Jane just shook her head and said, “Dragon.” As Jester took a piece of hay and carefully unwound it from one of her bouncy red curls, Jane suddenly wished she looked a lot cleaner than she did. Stop it, she told herself. It’s just a bit of dirt and he’s just a boy. These increased amounts of butterflies she had been feeling lately around her best friend were really starting to bug Jane.

Jester held the piece of hay in front of his face and began to speak to it in hushed tones, “I think she’s a bit angry today, don’t you? Maybe she was playing hide-and-seek in the haystacks with the Princess again.” He put a hand in front of his mouth and said in a loud whisper, “I think the haystack won.” Jane couldn’t help but laugh; Jester always knew how to cheer her up.

“Jane, you really do look awful,” said Rake in his whisper of a voice, “What happened?” Sighing, Jane retold her story of Dragon’s less-than-graceful landing, and they all laughed. As they began to talk about what else Dragon could damage while trying to land, Pepper rushed back into the kitchen with Jane’s scrubbing brush and placed it on the table in front of her.

“Thank you Pepper.” Jane said. The girl nodded in response and glanced at Rake, who quickly looked away. Smiling shyly, Pepper went back to stir the contents of the cauldron that was simmering away in the fireplace. Jester stayed at the table with Jane, while Rake drifted over towards Pepper. Jane watched them begin to talk in hushed tones and giggle and she smiled.

Rake was the castle’s gardener, so he was always helping Pepper in the kitchen with her cooking. But, since Jane had arrived at the castle, she had watched Pepper and Rake’s relationship blossom beautifully. Rake always brought Pepper flowers from his garden which she always accepted with a pink tint on her cheeks. They would just sit for long periods of time together, avoiding each other’s glances and smiling slightly, and Jane loved to watch them.

She wondered what it would be like caring for a boy that much. Her knight’s training left her with no time at all for courting, even though Jane was already thirteen.

“Normal girls start finding suitable husbands at you age,” Jane’s mother had fussed just the other morning. Jane had waved her hands dismissively and retorted, “Normal girls also don’t carry swords and ride Dragons, Mother, so I hardly think I can be placed anywhere near that category.”

Sighing, Jane picked up the brush. She dunked it in the bucket of water and began to scrub her face. Jester sat there, drumming his fingers on the table, and stealing glances at Pepper and Rake, flirting by the fire.

No man in his right mind would ever court her, Jane thought. She did not act, smell, or even dress like a young lady. She never minded about getting dirty or doing hard work and enjoyed wearing tunics and breeches much more than stuffy dresses. She did not giggle stupidly as the knights rode through the village like the other girls her age. She thought they were handsome, for sure, but Jane was a realistic thinker. She had no time for men or romance while training to be the first female knight someday. And, seeing her reflection in the bucket of water, who want to romance a freckled, dirty, tangle-haired girl in the first place?

Angered by the ridiculous turn her thoughts had taken, Jane threw the brush into the bucket a little more forcefully then she had meant to. Water sloshed over the sides and some splashed Jester right in the face. Jane’s hand leapt to her mouth as she stared in shock at Jester’s dripping head. Pepper and Rake had also paused at the sound of the splash and now watched as Jester removed his hat and wrung it out over the bucket. His face held no emotions as he placed the sopping material back onto his head. It squished pathetically as he shook, trying to make the bells jingle, but to no avail.

Jane began to laugh, and a smile lit up Jester’s face. Pepper and Rake sighed in relief that Jester was not angry and giggles a bit themselves.

Picking up his piece of hay, which was soaked through and drooped to the side, he sighed. “Well…there’s only one thing to do now,” Jester said as he picked up the bucket and turned towards Jane.

“No. Jester…it was an accident! I swear!” she squealed, jumping up from the bench and backing away. Jester grinned slyly and continued to follow Jane as she retreated up the stairs and out into the garden.

Realizing that it was no use arguing, Jane began running as fast as she could. Jester ran after her sloshing water out of the bucket as he did. Pepper watched them from the kitchen door and smiled to herself as their laughter echoed through the grounds.

******

Hours later, after a warm supper of soup and plenty of towels, Jane was exhausted. She bade her friends goodnight and headed toward her room, yawning as she climbed the stairs to her tower. Once she was inside, Jane walked over to her mirror.

A tall, skinny girl stared back at her with hair the color of fire. She wore and orange tunic and orange and yellow stockings beneath an armored skirt. A pair of bright green eyes looked back at her from the other side of the glass. She smiled, and her whole face lit up. “The face of a knight-to-be,” her father had told her. But right now, her face was flushed from all the laughing she had done all afternoon and all through supper.

All her thoughts of courting long gone, Jane put on her battle face and growled at her reflection. One day she would use it in battle to scare off any enemy that dared endanger her king. She was so focused on practicing her expression that she did not notice Dragon stick his head through her open window.

“Oh, just lovely, Jane. So glad you’re happy to see me.” He said sarcastically. Jane turned, laughing, and walked over to him. “Now, that,” he said, “is more like it.”

“May I help you, Your Scalyness?” Jane asked crossing her arms.

“No. Not really. Unless you have changed your mind and want to help turn Gunther into charcoal,” he said offhandedly.

“Well he wouldn’t have tripped me today if someone hadn’t decided to land in the practice yard,” Jane pointed out.

Dragon gasped in mock surprise. Placing a hand on his chest he said, “That was a nearly perfect landing if you ask me!” Jane shook her head and sighed as Dragon continued to give himself compliments. “My tail was up, claws down, I had my balance…oh yes it was perfect.”

Walking towards her chest to fish out her sleeping clothes, Jane reminded him, “And yet, among all that aerodynamic perfection, you still managed to hit a wall.” At this, Dragon glared at her and lowered his voice angrily.

“That wall was in my way. It is not my fault if you shortlives do not understand proper medieval architecture. But, oh Jane, you should have seen how quickly those pigeons flew away when they saw me coming! Out of terror I suppose. I am a rather frightening creature.” Jane laughed.

“Oh yes, a terrifying beast who also happens to be very ticklish.” She began to tickle underneath Dragon’s chin and he roared with laughter. He stomped his foot and a stone from the tower’s wall fell and landed on his head. Dragon rubbed his head, looking annoyed, and Jane started to laugh but it was interrupted by a very large yawn. When she was finished, Dragon nudged her towards her bed.

“You need to sleep now, Jane. You’re exhausted.”

“Knights do not have bedtimes,” Jane yawned again. Dragon fixed her with a loving but stern look.

“You are not a knight yet, Jane. And therefore you need sleep.”

“All right, all right.” she yawned, “Goodnight Dragon.”

“Goodnight Jane. Sleep tight.” And he withdrew his head from her room and flew off to sleep on the roof of the tower.

Jane changed into a large shirt of her father’s that she wore to sleep, for she could not wear a nightgown. Knights did not wear nightgowns. As she walked to her bed Jane passed her sword that was placed against the wall. It was sheathed but still managed to shine in the moonlight. Jane stopped and ran her hand over the hilt. Shivering from a non-existent breeze, Jane fell into bed and stared at the sword. She could see the ancient dragon runes on the handle, as well as the picture of a flying dragon on the hilt.

As she drifted off to sleep, Jane could have sworn she saw another sword that looked exactly like hers. But, this one did not have a picture of a flying dragon on it, but a dead one. In fact, it looked exactly like the one Sir Theodore owned up until about a year ago.

How could this be, Jane thought, that sword was destroyed. I saw Dragon do it. By now, the swords had begun to glow, Jane’s blue and the other red. She was getting a headache from watching the swords whizzing through the air. A loud, metallic clashing hit her ears and Jane realized the swords were locked in combat. The whole scene was fuzzy though, and she could not tell who was fighting, or even where she was.

As she finally fell into a deep sleep, Jane could have sworn she saw a blue fire glowing in the background and Dragon shouting her name.

and there you go =] R&R and I'll try to write as fast as i possible can! you guys are great =] love you all!!

M