The Color of Goodbye

A/N: See end for notes.

The height of summer was fast approaching, with long, hot days bleeding into cool, bearable nights. Evenings were generally long and warm, with the capability to take everyone from sweating to shivering in a matter of moments when a rare breeze picked up. The longer days made for good traveling and the short, cooler nights made for decent rest.

Beneath the weight of his short hauberk and gambeson, Gunther could feel the sweat pooling at the small of his back, soaking his linen tunic. His feet too, stuffed into his leather boots, were hot and ached from having been walked on for so long.

He patrolled the castle walls with easy steps, his shift nearly done. From where he stood he could see where Rake and Jester busied themselves with flowers and paper decorations near the back of the royal kitchen where many of the castle staff would often eat or relax. The niceties were no doubt for Jane, who would be leaving Kippernium early morrow with Dragon. There had been whisperings of a small get together all week, but Gunther hadn't been directly invited and couldn't be bothered to invite himself.

In his twenty years, at least he had grown in that respect. Even just two years ago he might have been indecent enough to insert himself.

He watched the gardener duck into the stairwell before moving further on along the wall, eyes scanning the open courtyard. As always, everything was where it should be. With a heavy sigh, he kept walking with his aching feet.

When Sir Ivon relieved him later on, Gunther would be sure to find Jane before her friends to wish her his own farewell. Nearly ten years of working side by side had eventually matured their tumultuous relationship into something of a friendship, and he would be sad to see her leave.

Down the steps into the training yard, the shade of the wall provided him with a well-deserved break from the sun. He wiped his brow and grabbed the water skin hanging at his hips, taking a few sips of cool water as he pressed his back to the stones behind him.

Tucked away in his bag was a parting gift for Jane; a detailed map of the many lands bound in a fine leather. He had stolen it from his father's mercantile days ago and hidden it until today. With some luck, Magnus Breech was none the wiser. Gunther saw it as a way to make up for some of the cruel things his father had attempted against Jane and Dragon, and to the same extent, it was a gift he hoped she would be able to use. If not to trace her steps then at least she could keep it as a memento.

Returning the flask back to his bag, Gunther continued his patrol. The slow drone of Smithy hammering in his forge echoed between the walls and guided the young knight into the next yard.

Gunther kicked up dust around his ankles as he started up the next set of stairs to the catwalk with easy steps. He perched himself in the cool shade of the tower, seating himself with his legs dangling over either side of the wall, eyes set forward over the rolling landscape. He could see so much from this point that he figured he could spend the rest of his patrol hiding out there.

The sun was just starting its descent behind him, the shadows gradually growing longer, painting everything in a warm, orange light.

Dragon's massive form appeared in the distance, his approach slow and lazy. He landed in the next yard over, where Jane no doubt was waiting patiently for him.

Gunther worried a piece of string from his shirt between his fingers as he looked out over the fields again.

He could hardly believe she would be leaving; not only the kingdom but her new role as a knight of the guard as well. The title she had so hungrily worked for was finally hers, finally in her grasp, and she was pushing it all aside in search of answers for Dragon.

Of course, he thought, there had to be other dragons somewhere. He doubted the species could end with the likes of their Dragon, as he was little more than an oversized, cow-loving lizard and once upon a time many kingdoms had dedicated themselves to ruthlessly slaying them kind. But they didn't need to go looking for them.

These were also thoughts he tended to keep to himself, both to avoid inspiring his father on some ridiculous dragon hunt for their teeth and pelts, as well as to avoid upsetting Jane or Dragon should his thinking not correlate with theirs.

He kept many thoughts to himself, truthfully, and was far less outspoken as a young adult than he had been as a young boy. Gunther had more confidants now than then, though the only people he ever found himself confiding in were Smithy and Jane, with confessions far and few between. It didn't matter though in a grander scheme. He stayed his own path and had learned that a held tongue was favored over a loose one.

He would miss late evening patrols with her when they would banter back and forth and just talk for hours about anything and everything, like good friends. He was positive he would be lonely without her.

Gunther got to his feet and wandered off toward the knight's quarters as his shift dragged to an end. Sir Ivon stood chatting idly with Sir Theodore in the yard, the roster of new young squires the topic of discussion. He greeted the older men with a nod as he approached them.

"Good evening, Gunther." Theodore greeted as he crossed his arms over his chest. He looked thinner and older than he had in Gunther's youth, but his face was still bright with life.

"Sir."

"How are things this evening?"

The young knight shifted his weight to one foot and propped his hands on his hips. "All is good. Slow. Hot. I'll be glad for a bath. The midday shift always seems to fall to Jane and I."

Theodore chuckled with amusement as Ivon turned a sharp eye to Gunther, as though he had revealed some important information to the old man that the other hadn't.

"I have the eyes of a hunting owl, lad, my eyes work better in the night." came Ivon's reply, a dramatic lie but a funny one.

"So I have heard. Tell me, do owls hunt with their eyes closed?" Ivon flushed a flustered red, veins swelling on his forehead as he stumbled for one of his ever clever retorts.

"I'll take my leave now." Gunther said with another nod in Sir Theodore's direction, a smirk tugging the corners of his mouth.

When he turned he heard Ivon huff behind him with irritation and another warm chuckle, which made Gunther break into a full smile as he trotted off toward the forge.

Smithy was standing in front of the hearth, turning a fine silver piece in the fire as he walked up. He didn't look up but acknowledged Gunther with a grunt as he lifted the piece from the fire and set it on the anvil beside him.

Gunther took a seat on the bench at the other side of the forge and dunked a rag into the barrel water, then wrung it between his hands before wiping his face and neck, making sure to get beneath his hair, which was pulled into a lazy half-up, half-down. The blacksmith continued working without a second glance.

Gunther dipped the rag again then placed it over his eyes, allowing his body a few moments of rest and relief from the heat.

Unfortunately, it did little to take his mind off Jane's departure. He sighed.

"Something on your mind?" Smithy asked as he broke away from his work, examining his handiwork in a set of worn tongs.

"Same thing that is on everyone's minds, I suppose." He answered.

"Ah, yes." Smithy said, dunking the trinket in the cooling tank "I feel the castle will lose a lot of its color without Jane here."

With a nod, Gunther agreed. "Things will be less lively, that's for certain."

"I have not seen her yet today. I am sure she will be making rounds with goodbyes."

"Do you think she will be gone for a long time?"

"Hard to say. I think she will miss home enough that it will bring her back eventually. How long that is will remain a mystery until her return." Smithy wiped his brow with his arm and took a few heavy steps away from the fire.

Gunther held the damp rag out to Smithy, who took it graciously and ran it over his face, cleaning some of the soot that had gathered in the shallow lines of his forehead. He looked tired and beyond his years, no doubt worn from long days in the forge and long evenings on patrol spent learning the duties of knighthood which Jane would be leaving behind. While he would not take the title of Knight, Smithy would be treated as such in Jane's absence. Admittedly, Gunther was glad for it. It afforded him a friend among the ranks so that his days might not feel quite so empty.

"When does the new blacksmith arrive?"

"Two days or so. His work is spoken of highly. It will be nice to have a capable apprentice to help around. Pig will appreciate someone new to spoil her."

"Sure. As if the Princess doesn't do a good enough job of that."

"They are quite fond of one another, aren't they?" Smithy chuckled softly. "Will you be at the party this evening?"

Gunther gave a shake of his head. "I don't think so. You're the only one who has mentioned it to me. I don't want to impose. I can say goodbye to Jane on my own terms."

"You'll be no imposition."

"To you, no."

"I need to finish this commission. You should come this evening. Think about it."

He gave a sigh and stood up, stretching his arms above his head before offering a parting wave to the blacksmith. He moseyed into the next yard with his fingers laced behind his head, keeping to the shade of the walls as best he could.

Jane and Dragon chatted to one another quietly as Jane prepared her bags for departure. Gunther could see a small bedroll already tucked up, tied with two flimsy leather strips. A saddle bag of sorts was spread on the table under the apple tree Jane was working beneath, with rolls of fabric and food supplies bulging from the large pockets.

As he neared, Gunther picked her knapsack up off the ground and gave it better purchase on the table. "Packing still?"

"Last minute things." Jane said, tying the saddlebags closed. Gunther took a moment to appreciate how she looked under the tree in her usual garb, relaxed and ready for anything. He wanted to commit this to his memory. There was a little sadness in her eyes, like she was homesick already, but the rest of her seemed to thrum with excitement.

The burning sky made everything orange and the setting sun caught the gaps between branches, like little spotlights. Her hair looked so red in the light that it hardly seemed real. Fitting, Gunther decided, since her leaving hardly seemed real.

"Short-lives always seem to have last minute things." Dragon offered as he scratched at his belly. Dragon, at least, seemed comfortable in the heat.

"Minutes matter when your life is short."

Jane snorted quietly as she set aside her bags in favor of the knapsack. "What an oddly poetic thing for you to say, Gunther."

"Being oddly poetic is one of my many very secret talents." He jested, seating himself next to the tree with its trunk at his back. He folded up his legs and watched her as she neatly rolled a few bits of her clothes and tucked them away safely.

And just like that, she was finished, ready to leave.

With a sigh, she took the spot beside him, her elbows resting on her knees. A slight breeze picked up, rustling the leaves quietly. The map in his bag burned at his side, but he wasn't sure how to give it to her. Perhaps it was too nice a gift, perhaps it was too over the top, despite its usefulness to her. He didn't want his gesture to be misinterpreted as his flaunting his status one last time (he hadn't done something so pathetic in years, anyway).

"Will you miss us?" Jane finally asked, resting her head on her arms, those green eyes peering up at him.

"I shall miss Dragon." He said without missing a beat.

She laughed and nudged him with her sharp elbow. "I am trying to be serious."

"...Yes, I suppose I will miss you. Even though you cannot best me, you are the best to spar with."

"Oh, you're so kind."

"They do call me Gunther the Kind."

"Anyone who calls you that has obviously never had the pleasure of your company for very long." She teased.

"Hm. I suppose." He said, sighing. "I'll miss you Jane."

"I'll miss you too, Gunther."

This was solidifying the weird tightness he felt in his chest, that squeeze of sorrow that clenched his heartstrings. He would never show it, but he was struggling. This was Jane. His, dare he say, best friend. And she would be gone soon.

They sat quietly together for a few minutes listening to the wind in the tree before Gunther mustered his courage and reached into his bag and pulled out the map he'd stolen for her. Without speaking, he sheepishly pushed the leather bound document into her hands.

"What is this?" She asked, giving the leather tie a tug.

"It's a map of the lands outside Kippernium. It's not much of a memento, but hopefully you can use it on your adventures." He said quietly as she unbound it and folded it open. "I wanted you to have something to remember me by. This was more fitting a gift than trinkets or linens."

"Gunther, this is… I…" Those big green eyes began to water and Gunther felt a knot form in the middle of his throat above the knot in his chest, making everything inside him feel closed off. "I love it."

In an unexpected show of emotion, Jane threw her arms around his shoulders, hugging him close. He reciprocated, holding her for a few seconds before they parted and she fixed her watery eyes on the map once more.

"I will treasure it." She murmured, running her fingers over the painted landscape. "Perhaps, today only, you may be called Gunther the Kind."

"I can live with that."

Gunther decided to commit this moment to memory, locking away her soft smile deep in his heart with Jane's flushed face was cast in the last lingering rays of the sun. There was something about the warmth of the color, something very Jane about the whole moment.

He let out the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "...You'll visit, won't you?"

Jane clutched the map to her chest and gave an awkward shrug, like she wasn't sure how to answer him. "I'd like to, but I don't know where our search will take us." Her eyes flickered up to Dragon. "I won't be gone forever."

In a moment of vulnerability he offered her a quiet response. "It will feel like an eternity."

"An eternity may pass quickly."

He turned his head and was surprised to find her so close, her lips pulled into a frown. The space between her eyebrows wrinkled and not for the first time in his life he felt overcome with the urge to close the distance between their mouths.

"Jane, I do believe your other short-life friends are looking for you." Dragon announced with a toothy grin, ending the moment as quickly as it had started. "I don't want the gardener to eat all of the pumpkin rolls."

"Oh, Dragon." She sighed, leaning back away. "I suppose I ought to say my goodbyes to everyone else..."

"Uh. Yes, you should." Gunther agreed, nodding his head away. "It's your going away party, after all."

She laughed softly. "I told them I didn't want anything big."

"Another thing about short-lives, they have a hard time listening."

"I'll be there in a second, Dragon. Go get your sweets before they're all gone." She said to the great lizard with a shoo of her hand. "I'm going to put this away."

Jane pushed herself up and opened the knapsack on the table to safely tuck away the map. She watched Dragon lumber away and tucked a few unruly strands of hair behind her ear as she glanced over her shoulder at Gunther.

"Thank you," she started, "so much."

"What time will you leave?"

"Before the sun comes up." She murmured, turning away.

Gunther found his feet and stood beside her. "Hm. Don't be afraid to drop a letter home when you stop. To tell us how you are."

"I'll write, don't worry."

"Good."

Jane turned to him and slipped her arms around his waist in a proper hug, with her head on his shoulder and their chests pressed together. Gunther took a deep breath and held her tightly.

Jane mumbled, voice thick with sadness this time. "You're making me cry."

"Me? You're the one leaving." He teased with a prod at her side. "No tears. You'll be back soon because you'll find hoards of dragons across the sea, each one more annoying than the next."

"Hush, you beef-brain." She took a step back and stood straight, eyes damp. "We should go. They'll be waiting."

"I'm not going." Gunther breathed. "This," he gestured between them with a hand, "is our goodbye."

She took a moment to let his words sink in and gave a nod. "...so it is, then."

"Take care, Jane. Take care of yourself and your overgrown frog." Without thinking, he reached out and placed his hand atop her head and gave her unruly hair a light ruffle, drawing out their parting for a few seconds longer.

"...I will. Goodbye, Gunther."

"Goodbye, Jane."

His hand fell at his side as he watched her start toward her party. In the dusky light, he could only make out a shadow of her figure and waited until she was well into the neighboring yard before wandering his way up to the patrol catwalks.

It added only a few minutes to his walk, but he circled around toward the back of the kitchen to glance over the festivities.

Jane was laughing with her friends, arm in arm with Jester who dragged her about in a ridiculous dance to poorly strummed music. He smiled to himself and moved on.

When he woke the next morning, Gunther leapt from his bed in the knight's quarters and rushed his way to the top of the nearest tower, the thin linen fabric of his sleeping gown practically tangling in his legs.

The sun was nearly peeking over the horizon and stars still littered the dark dawn. Jane and Dragon were nowhere in sight, so he waited with crossed arms and bare feet, shivering in the breeze. He settled on the wall and just when he began to think he had missed their departure, he saw Dragon rise into the air on the other side of the grounds with Jane perched in her usual place.

Gunther watched with a heavy heart as they left, departing Kippernium without a second glance. Each flap of Dragon's wings was harder than the next and he watched until they were no more than a speck in the red morning sky, his vision blurred with tears.

He hoped their travels were exciting. But more so he hoped that she would return to him quickly, because he missed her already.

A/EN: I hope you enjoyed. All mistakes are mine. Please note that the rating currently stands due to the nature of future chapters. Chapters will be marked appropriately with any warnings that may need apply. If you have any questions, drop me a line!