Guard of Laughter

Chapter Five

 "Please, sit down." Queen Jade gestured to the chair in front of her. Jingle did as she was told and found the seat warm. Like someone had sat in it a long time before her. That adviser must have been with the queen for a while. But wasn't that improper? For a woman to be alone with a man other than her husband. Especially for a Queen. "Do you like tea?" She asked, and Jingle nodded without thinking, only realizing as she was being poured a cup that she didn't like tea much at all.  She was handed the drink, the cup warming her hands, while the queen continued to speak. "I... I hope you like it here at the castle. It's been terribly dull as of late. I haven't found someone to keep me entertained for a long time." She commented before taking a sip of her tea. Her eyes not meeting the Jester's. Jingle thought back to Ryan's words. Could she really ask the queen a question? That wouldn't cause for means to be hanged or anything? Well, she certainly seemed like a kind lady.

 "If I may ask my queen, why have you picked me? Certainly there have been better performers than I." The queen smiled softly. "There have been." Jingle's heart dropped slightly. "But there are all kinds of performers in my court already. I have pretty much seen them all. I wanted something different." Her dark brown eyes met with Jingle's again. "Your jokes are strange and unique. They may be kind of lame, but I get them and they're funny to me." Jingle took that as a complement and even an encouragement to keep on going. "Knock knock." Queen Jade's smile widened as she replied: "Who's there?" "The queen."

 Many people passing the room heard the queen's laughter. News of her joy was spread throughout the castle. But what they didn't know was that jokes weren't the only things the jester gave the queen. Soon the jokes had stopped and they begun chatting. Both exchanging information about each other. They were becoming fast friends, adding to each other's happiness.

 Jingle felt a sense of pride as she left the tea room. The queen actually enjoyed her jokes, something that she thought no one else would get. But she wasn't the only one. Sir Ryan got them too. Well, at least she'd like to think that. He was smirking under her helmet (possibly), and she caught him smiling a couple times at the tablet. Jingle was glad that she took his advice and talked to the queen. It made her feel a hundred times better. She felt like maybe she really did belong here.

 The girl continued to think about Ryan. It was almost as if her thoughts about the knight drew him to her, for she almost ran into him as she turned a corner. "Oh! My apologies!" His deep voice drowned out her stuttered "Sorry." The knight was wearing his armor again, this time without his helmet. Not like she minded. She much prefered to see his face over that peice of metal. Though that thought sent a weird feeling through her.

 "Wearing a helmet is standard protocol most of the time, but I've seemed to miss place it." He commented, as if he read the question in her mind. But instead he was just stating a fact that lead up to his inquirey. "You haven't seen one around, have you?" Jingle shook her head after thinking for a little while. "No." "Ah. I see. That's too bad." Sir Ryan was about to bid farewell until she spoke up again. "Would you like some help looking?" He smiled at her, which gave her another weird feeling. "That would be appreciated."

 So the two of them went off together, asking around if they had seen a helmet lying around anywhere. Each person denied it. Jingle suggested Ryan retrace his steps, so he did. But still, no sight of the helmet. "It's like we're two slueth's trying to crack open a case." The knight joked. "It is, isn't it? What would this case be called?" Ryan tapped his chin in thought. "The missing helmet?" Jingle laughed. "Yeah, too boring." They two of them continued to exchange title ideas as they started to make their way to the kitchen to ask Jerrica if they had seen his helmet.

 A friendship had started to bud between the Queen and the Jester. The same thing was starting to grow too, with the Knight. But who knows what would bloom between them.