Work Text:
Pivot, pivot, parry. Parry, parry, strike.
Jane and Gunther dance around the courtyard. A broadsword stick in one hand and a shield in the other, the teenagers eye one another. Within the kingdom, they move about and fight for their knight-in-training titles. Out on the battlegrounds, the duo is looking out for each other. The redhead parries when she’s supposed to strike, causing two swords to fly into the air. She stumbles toward the ground, but the raven-haired boy grabs her arm in time.
Gunther is seventeen now. He’s more rebellious toward his con man by the wharf father Magnus. The man wants him to be a fine salesman and warrior, but he’s determined to shove his son through every low-down nook and cranny in the deep-seeded underbelly of the world. Gunther is stronger in his morale than he had been three years ago. The Knights Code is something he has memorized and does his best to live by. Through this, he has made a comradery with Smithy, Dragon and, reluctantly, Jester. Rake and Pepper will befriend anyone but also hold grudges with anyone, so Gunther tries not to dwell on them.
Jane is fifteen now. She takes her mother’s pride in modesty, contending to wear skirts for the castle balls. She has grown since arriving in Kippernia at the tender age of twelve. At thirteen, she had attempted a relationship with the court jester of the same name. Upon kissing the hatless boy, she hadn’t felt any sparks but decided to remain friends. Despite her words, her actions proved otherwise, and she had broken down in front of Gunther during one of their practices. Rather than ridicule his rival, Gunther had shown his maturity and become a shoulder for her to cry on; an ear that could understand even the most trivial circumstance.
She places her hand over his, cursing under her breath as he helps her to her feet. “Thank you, Gunther. If I had done that on the field,”
“I would’ve had your back.”
As Jane feels guilty for her mistake – and she complains about missing a practice step she’s completed with ease over the past few years – Rake struggles with a decision he’s made. Seventeen now, he continues to work in the garden. He is now engaged to fifteen-year-old Pepper and they will marry when she comes of age next year. However, he loves her too much to admit when she has made a mistake. Pepper is the kingdom’s source of nourishment, taking in the fruits and vegetables from Rake’s garden, as well as the fish and other meats Gunther has procured from the market by his means of persuasion and intimidation.
The stew she has come up with for the weekend’s ball has a tangy palate with a bitter aftertaste, but Rake doesn’t have the heart to tell her so. Pepper had burnt her tongue on toasted charcoal two moons ago through Dragon’s unintentional scorching barbeque. He had smiled upon sampling the meal, replying how he hadn’t tasted anything like it before. To pull the conversation to a close, Rake had decided to stoop down and give her a blushing kiss.
“What have I done? When the King and Queen take a spoonful of this… this… this swamp water!?”
“Did the cook make a bowl of crow’s feet again?” Dragon asks the rambling gardener, popping his head over a section of the castle wall.
“Oh, Dragon!” Rake cries out, nodding.
“Crow’s feet” has become a symbolic language for a disgusting dish meant to be a new treat. Pepper has been making good-smelling slop like this for years. Each time, Dragon gulps it down like a coyote would in the privy. On the other end of the castle, avoiding Dragon’s delighted twitchy tail, Jester paces by the fountain. He’s recently turned fifteen and is scheduled to perform a strong sonnet in response to Prince Cuthbert’s birthday. He’s turning ten and has grown considerably. He no longer acts as the thief of the kitchen, nor does he smite out those in charge of the animals which hurt him through provocation.
“The lad is turning ten, to the double-digits does he vent… he stole my jingle hat, maybe he should get – no, no. The King and Queen wouldn’t appreciate that at all.”
“Wouldn’t appreciate what, Jester?”
Princess Lavinia hops onto the fountain wall and leisurely skips along the edge. She is seven and quite a jewel. She has surpassed her brother in memorizing the Knights Code. She has obtained her own armor and often spars with Jane and Gunther in the practice yard. Smithy makes jewelry for her while she trains on a practice dummy. Pepper has taught her to dance, and Rake shows her how to detect the ripest of the fruits. She has also grown accustomed to accompanying Jane on her nightly patrols with Dragon. The young girl bounds to a stop in front of Jester.
“Oh, the sonnet, Lavinia. I’ve come up with a great many, but your brother…”
“He’s a slimy maggot.” She nods with a toothy grin. “How many have you tried?”
Jester tosses his script. “That was my twentieth attempt. Try as I might, I will never be great a jester such as my father before me.”
Neither of them comments on Jester’s father having disgraced the court years ago. While the kingdom had forgiven him, the man had been too embarrassed to continue. The catastrophe had driven his self-esteem to the gutter, leaving his son behind at the castle as well. Prior to the fiasco, Jester’s father had been favored among the realms.
“You’re smart, Jester.” She smiles, leaning over to give him a peck on the cheek. “Don’t let a little writing problem get you down.”
Jester flushes and grins as well. “Alright. He is a young prince from Kippernia…”