Title: Princess Troubles
Writer: Tacuma
Pairing: Perfect Pair
Genre: AU, romance, fluff?
Word count: 9224 words
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis

Princess Troubles

'It's about time you find your one true love,' said King Tezuka Kuniharu to his son. 'You're reaching the age of twenty-five. You should prepare yourself to find someone to marry. Start your journey and search for a princess.'

Tezuka Kunimitsu nodded. He knew he was getting older, and that he couldn't stay alone the rest of his life, no matter how much he wanted it. Princesses could be really annoying. He had met plenty of them already. He wanted to share his life with someone funny, talkative, friendly and honest, not with a blabbering, picky and complaining princess.

'I will, father,' he said, knowing he had no other choice.

The next day he told the servants to prepare food for his journey and to prepare his horse. He took his bags, filled them with clothes and the food he needed before he said goodbye to his parents. Together with his mother he walked to the stables and climbed on his white horse.

'Good-bye mother,' he said.

'Good-bye my son, make sure to bring back with you a person to love,' his mother answered with a smile, but there were tears in her eyes.

Tezuka told her he would be fine. He had a plan and if everything went right, he could be back home pretty soon. After their final goodbyes Tezuka left.

In a city, twenty miles from the place he lived, was a second hand shoe shop where he could readily purchase a pair of glass slippers. A long time ago, princes held parties in their kingdoms, and the attending princesses would leave their glass slippers at the end of the night. The many parties had become too expensive and nowadays, they used the second hand shops. Princesses left their shoes so that princes could buy them and start searching for their princess. It was easy and simple. It just couldn't go wrong. It might take some time to find the right girl, but once he found her. He would be done, and he could go home. The plan was perfect.

'I would like one pair of glass slippers, please,' answered Tezuka.

'I'm sorry. We don't have those anymore,' said the man. 'So many princes come here to find a princess .. As soon as we have a new pair a prince comes to buy them. They are gone within a day. You either have to wait until we have new ones, or you can try the princess who lives in the next city. I heard she didn't marry yet. It's only half a day from here if you travel by horse. You can try but I'm not sure you have a chance. Rumors say she likes them wild.'

Tezuka sighed. Great, this was not how he had planned it. It seemed he wasn't the only one with this idea. He looked around in the shop and noticed many pairs of other shoes.

'What's with the other shoes?' he asked.

'They are from girls all over the county,' answered the store clerk. 'They don't have money for glass slippers and bring their normal shoes instead. They hope a prince will pick them up and will come to find them.'

'No noble girls then?'

'No, most of them are just ordinary girls, but some of them are really beautiful,' continued the man. 'Like the girl who brought in these shoes. She looked very good and she wasn't poor. These shoes are quite expensive, still she brought them here.'

Tezuka examined the shoes. They looked rather new and expensive indeed. A girl who wasn't a princess, but that was rich would probably be a good bride as well. He could at least try to find her and see what she was like.

'I'll take those then,' he said.

The store clerk smiled and said he had made a good choice. The prince paid for the shoes and put them in his bag.

'I'll travel to the next city to find that princess you told me about. Could you tell me where I have to go?'

'Travel to the West. Just follow the road and you will find it. But I wouldn't go now. It will be dark within a few hours and there are wolves on the road. It can be dangerous.'

Tezuka thanked the man for his advice, but as soon as he left the shop, he jumped on his horse and left the city. He wasn't planning on waiting any longer. Now that he didn't have the glass slippers he didn't know how long it would take him to find himself a bride. He didn't want to waste any time.

He was halfway to the next city when it became dark, just like the clerk had told him. Tezuka didn't stop, not even to have some food. He wasn't scared, but he knew evil things lurked in the woods, and it would only slow him down if they appeared.

Luck didn't accompany Tezuka that day.

When the light of the full moon singularly guided his path, a few dark figures appeared on the road. Tezuka slowed his horse down to a trot and he slowly approached the dark shadows. He couldn't see their faces, they were hidden in the shadows of the trees.

'I would like to pass,' he said. 'Please let me through.' He still wasn't scared. He had his sword and he was trained. He could easily beat three of his father's soldiers, so thieves wouldn't be that hard either.

The three figures stepped out of the shadow. Wolves. Tezuka could have known. He had been warned. He had never fought a wolf before in his life, and he had no idea how strong they were. 'Please let me through,' he repeated.

'In exchange for some food we let you through without hurting you or your horse,' said one of the wolves. 'But you better feed us. I'm so hungry I could eat a girl.'

'That's nothing,' said the second. 'I'm so hungry I could eat three whole pigs.'

'Three pigs?' snorted the third. 'I'm so hungry I could eat seven goats.'

Tezuka listened to the strange conversation and wondered if he just should continue his journey. They might not even notice he was gone. If they were really that hungry they would be weak and not able to follow him. However, these wolves were his underlings. They were part of the people of his country and as the prince he was supposed to help them. He took his bag and took some food out of it.

'Here, share this,' said Tezuka. 'I don't have much, but if you follow me to the next city I will buy dinner for you at a restaurant there. But only if you three promises me to find a proper job, so you can earn money and buy your own food.'

'You're one to talk,' said the first wolf. 'You're a prince. You don't have to do a thing for your food. You're traveling around a bit. I wouldn't mind doing that and earn money with it.'

'I have a lot of tasks and responsibilities,' answered Tezuka. 'I'm not searching for a bride for fun. I don't enjoy it, but it's simply another of my tasks. Now, will you join me to the next city? I will help you find a job if necessary.'

'If it means you give us food until we find a job. You got yourself a deal,' said the third wolf.

'I will,' answered Tezuka. He knew this was going to cost him a lot of money, but at least he would be safe in these woods, and he wouldn't have to go to that princess on his own. He was a little nervous to meet her.

When the wolves were done eating, they followed Tezuka, talking exited about their future life. Tezuka didn't join their conversation. His future life was going to be completely different than theirs. It took them a few more hours to arrive in the next city. It had already been midnight, so it was hard to find a place to stay. Most hotels and inns were closed already. The only place that was still opened was old and smelled weird. The owner had only one room, so Tezuka told the wolves to sleep in the stables. As the prince he would, of course, take the room. The wolves were used to sleep outside anyway.

They slept for the rest of the night and had breakfast when they woke up. It was weird for Tezuka not to be treated as a prince, but he didn't mind it at all. He could have a little peace this way.

'I heard a princess live in this city,' said Tezuka to the owner of the small inn. 'Can you tell me where she lives? I would like to visit her.'

'It's not far from here,' answered the old man. 'When you go outside you see the tower of a big house. That is where she lives. Easy to find. Be careful when you go there. She is beautiful on the outside, but her inside is different.'

Tezuka thanked the man before he told the wolves it was time to go. The house of the princess was indeed easy to find. It took them only fifteen minutes to get there. The prince was a little nervous when he knocked on the door. He didn't know what to expect. A servant opened the door and looked at him.

'Whatta you want?' she asked. The woman didn't seem impressed by a prince and the three wolves behind him.

'I'm looking for the beautiful princess,' said Tezuka. 'Is it true that she lives here?'

'I'll get her for ya,' said the woman and she slammed the door shut.

Tezuka blinked. He didn't expect this. He waited patiently until the door was opened again and a beautiful girl appeared. She was probably a few years younger than Tezuka. She had big eyes and beautiful brown hair. Her yellow dress suited her perfectly.

'I'm princess Belle. I heard you…' the girl stopped her sentence halfway. Her eyes grew wider and her mouth was opened a little. 'You are the hottest and wildest thing I have ever seen!'

Now it was Tezuka's turn to look surprised. He took a step back, but it wasn't necessary. The girl wasn't even looking at him. She grabbed one of the wolves by the hands and pulled him inside. Then she slammed the door shut, leaving Tezuka and the other two wolves flabbergasted behind.

'Can you believe that?' asked one of the wolves. 'Did she really just pick him? I can't believe it. Did you see his fur? My fur looks so much better! Yours too. And his ears, way too pointy for a wolf. And his teeth, I don't think I have seen anything more yellow than that!'

'You forgot his tail, seriously. He didn't take care of it at all! How can such a beautiful princess pick someone with such a tail? Is she blind?'

Tezuka felt like strangling the two creatures behind him. The princess was a human. He was a human, but she picked a wolf over him. Was there anything more humiliating than that? He turned around, pushed them aside and left the house.

'She said she liked them wild, so stop arguing already,' Tezuka said as he jumped on his horse.

'Where are you going?' asked the first wolf. 'Aren't we done yet?'

'I have to find myself a bride,' sighed Tezuka. 'Since this princess preferred a wolf, I will have to find a girl somewhere else.'

'Why don't you go to the castle where they put girls asleep?'

Tezuka blinked. 'They put girls asleep?'

'Yeah,' answered the wolf. 'The girls will sleep for a hundred years, until a prince will kiss them awake. I heard it happened a lot. We can be there in the evening if we leave now and take the road. We will be there earlier if we take the shortcut through the woods.'

'We take the shortcut through the woods,' replied Tezuka immediately. He wanted to leave this place as soon as possible. The wolves followed him without questions, and soon they were entering the woods.

Birds were chirping and the sun was filtering through the trees. This place didn't seem so bad and this way it was nice to travel. They made great progress, since the wolves could run nearly as fast as Tezuka's horse. Things were going too well and just when Tezuka thought he might be luckier this time. He practically ran over a man who stood on the road. If Tezuka would have been a person to curse, he would have done so.

'What are you doing in the middle of the road? Are you trying to kill yourself?' asked Tezuka a little angry.

'I am,' answered the man. He looked up at Tezuka. 'You shouldn't have stopped! My life is worthless! It would be better if I died!'

Tezuka sighed and jumped off his horse. He really wasn't in the mood for this right now, but he had to help his underlings! 'What is so bad about your life?' he asked. He doubted it could be worse than his life at this point..

'My business is ruined! I'm a lumberjack, but I don't earn enough to support my family. I had to send my two little kids away, because I couldn't feed them anymore. I can't do adequate amount of work and earn enough money, my lord! I sent them away on their own to die! I deserve to die myself!'

'Where is your house?' asked Tezuka. The man pointed in a certain direction. 'You go ahead and find for your children. You two, take that short cut to the next town and buy food there,' said Tezuka to the wolves. He gave them a little money. 'If you're not coming back I will have your heads.'

They all ran away to do what they were told to do. Tezuka climbed back on his horse and wondered what he should do. His journey to the castle with the sleeping girls would be delayed, that was for sure. He decided to go to the house of the lumberjack. It didn't take him long to get there. When he knocked on the door, the wife of the man opened the door. She stared at Tezuka, mouth open wide.

'Your husband is searching for your children, and two wolves are on their way to buy you and your family some food,' said Tezuka. He knew it sounded weird, but having a prince on your doorstep was probably unbelievable enough already. 'I will try to help you and your husband to get back in business.'

'Thank you!' said the woman, tears running down her face. 'Thank you so much! Please come in! I'll put your horse in the stable! Please come in!'

Tezuka entered the house while the woman took the horse to a small shelter behind the house. The prince felt a bit awkward to be in the house on his own. It was dark, small and dirty. These people probably really had a difficult life. When the woman came inside as well she served Tezuka some tea. Together they waited in silence for the others to arrive. Luckily, for Tezuka it didn't take very long for the lumberjack to come in with his children. The woman hugged her children and her husband, and they were very happy to be a little family again.

'How do you think I can save my business, my Lord?' asked the man.

'The wolves need a job,' started Tezuka. 'They are strong and they are hard workers. They could work for you. They will also be able to bring the wood to customers or to sell it on the market if you want. I will pay their salary the first two months. After that you will have to pay it yourself. That means you have two months to make your little company bigger than it is now. That means you will have to find regular customers and find the best way to transport everything. Will you be able to do that?'

'I will, my Lord. I will!' said the man as he bowed a few times deeply. 'I'll do everything! Thank you so much! I can't thank you enough! Oh, I know, you should stay the night here. And tomorrow my wife will make you waffles for breakfast, her speciality! And I'll give you some of my wood when you leave.'

'Thank you,' said Tezuka. 'But that really won't be necessary.' Tezuka would be helped enough already now that he was rid of the wolves. They wanted a job. They would get a job.

It wasn't much later when the wolves returned with food. They bought as many as they could for the money they were given. While the woman cooked the food, Tezuka discussed the plan with the wolves. One of them protested. He had hoped for a job at the castle, with food and luxury. Tezuka told him such a job wasn't realistic, and that he had a chance to help building a big business this way. In the end, everybody agreed to the plan.

That night Tezuka slept in a very old bed. He was afraid it would break down if he moved around too much. Before he fell asleep, he wondered why a lumberjack couldn't make himself a better bed.

The next morning the prince was forced to stay to see if the wolves were doing well. He'd rather continue his journey, but he promised the lumberjack help, and he promised the wolves a job. Trouble might arise if he would leave them alone already. So he had to stay and watched how they worked together. Everything went on better than expected, and Tezuka didn't have to do much. The lumberjack was a good boss, and the wolves worked hard and learned quickly. They sold more wood in a day than the lumberjack had done in an entire week.

Tezuka left the day after, quite pleased he didn't have to sleep in the horrible bed .He could continue his search for a wife on his own again.

'Please take this,' said the lumberjack as he handed Tezuka a few pieces of wood. 'I don't know any other way to thank you!'

Tezuka raised an eyebrow when he saw the wood. He had no idea what he would have to do with it, except using it to make a fire, but he took it anyway.

'Thank you and good luck,' he said before he climbed on his horse. The whole family waved at him when he drove away. Tezuka didn't look back. He had to go to the castle where they put princesses to sleep.

The castle was surprisingly easy to find. There were signs everywhere that pointed towards the place. Apparently, the place was called 'House of the sleeping beauties'. A big sign next to the gate explained what it was about. Any prince could come to kiss one of the princesses awake, and they would live happily ever after. It didn't sound very difficult to Tezuka, but when he tried to open the gate, it was locked.

'Great,' sighed Tezuka, not understanding what was going on.

'Excuse me,' sounded like a girl's voice from behind the gate. 'Are you a prince?'

Tezuka turned around. 'Yes I am. Could you tell me why the gate is closed?'

'We're out of business, your majesty,' answered the girl. 'A few days ago there was an accident with one of the girls. She didn't wake up anymore. We could save her, but after the incident inspection came to check everything. They said the drink, we give to the princesses was too dangerous and that maybe one day a girl would never wake up anymore, so we had to close the place down. I'm very sorry.'

Tezuka sighed again. 'Thank you for telling me,' he said to the girl. He climbed back on his horse again and drove away, no idea where he should go next. This was taking much more time than he had hoped. He drove to the village that was close by to see if he could get some information there.

The village was small, but there were two enormous houses that stood out. They were visible from far away, because they were even higher than the trees. The two houses stood apart from the other houses and had big gardens as well.

'Who live there?' asked Tezuka one of the people he met in the village.

'Two giants,' answered the boy. 'I wouldn't go there if I were you, sir. They're really gloomy.'

Tezuka looked at the enormous houses once more. Somehow he had the feeling he had to go there. He thanked the boy and went to one of the huge houses to take a look.

'What are you doing here?' asked a loud voice. Tezuka looked up and saw an enormous man come from behind the house.

'I am looking for a place to stay tonight,' answered Tezuka. 'There is no inn in this place, so I'm searching for someone who can give me a decent meal and a bed for the night. Of course, I will pay for it.'

'You look fancy. I'm sure you can afford to stay at my place,' said the giant. 'Let me guess, you're another one of those princes searching for a princess.'

'I am,' answered Tezuka.

'Then come in, if you can help us, maybe we can help you.'

Curiously, the prince followed the giant inside and found the other giant. He was cooking a banquet dinner in an enormous kitchen.

'We have a guest,' said the first giant.

'Hope we'll have ample food then,' answered the second giant as he turned around. 'Oh, I see. It will be enough. He looks fancy. You brought him to help us?'

'I did,' answered the first one. Tezuka started to wonder what their problem was, and if he could do anything for them. If he couldn't, he hoped they would stay friendly. They could easily crush him. He felt incredibly small next to them, but he didn't show any fear.

After that nobody spoke. The giants finished the cooking and served it at the table. Tezuka was way too small for the huge chairs, so one of the giants lifted him up and put him on the table. Tezuka felt humiliated, but knew there wouldn't have been another way for him to climb the all the way up there. He had to eat with his hands, because the giants only had gigantic cutlery.

Dinner was almost over and nobody had spoken a word. Once all of them had eaten enough the first giant spoke.

'We know where you can find a princess. However, in exchange for that information you have to help us find two guys, Tom and Jack. They escaped from us, so we are stuck here. They have to pay for what they have done.'

'What have they done?' asked Tezuka.

'I had these wonderful boots,' continued the giant. Tom Thumb came here and stole them. I don't know why.'

'I know why,' answered the second giant. 'You tried to eat him and his siblings. My fate is much worse. I had a beautiful castle in the clouds, until this Jack came, climbing up a beanstalk. When I followed him, he chopped the beanstalk down and I almost died!'

'With good reason,' stated the first giant. 'You ate his father!'

Tezuka gulped. He felt a little uneasy between the two enormous men, who were talking about eating human beings. He felt much smaller than he had felt before. However, then he remembered they wanted his help. If he could help them, they might let him go.

'How can I help with those problems?' he asked.

'Find Tom and Jack,' answered the giants at the same time.

'What will you do if I find them?' asked Tezuka. 'If you had your revenge, will you feel any better? You will still be stuck here in this place.'

'Then what do you suggest?' asked the first giant, glaring at the little prince. Tezuka's expression didn't change, still acting like he wasn't afraid.

'A beautiful castle in the clouds sounds like a good attraction. People will probably want to see it with their own eyes. You should try to grow a beanstalk again or find a more convenient way to make it possible to get to your castle.'

The giants looked at each other, back at Tezuka and then to each other again. 'We can make money with that!' said the first.

'We don't have magical beans, but we could build stairs!' said the second.

'How can we build stairs?' asked the first.

'Wood,' answered Tezuka. 'He took the wood from his bag. 'A lumberjack lives in the woods, and he could deliver very good quality wood to you." .

Immediately, the two giants started to discuss how they could build stairs with the wood. They were strong and big enough, but they had to build stairs normal people could use as well. They discussed the , project in detail and by the time they were done, Tezuka had fallen asleep on the table.

When he woke up, he was in something that was supposed to be a bed. There were blankets and it was soft and warm, so Tezuka didn't mind it looked like a shoe box. But he was not going to tell that to anybody, ever. He wondered how he got into the 'bed', since he couldn't remember climbing down the table. He walked through the house to ask the giants, but they weren't around. On the floor was a huge note that said they were gone to get wood, and that they would be back before lunch. If they managed to make a start with the stairs they would tell him where he could find the princess.

Tezuka sighed. That meant he wouldn't be able to leave this place for a while yet. Since there was no food around and the cupboards were too big for him to open them on his own, he went outside. Luckily, the giants left the door open a little, or Tezuka would have been trapped. He walked into the village and bought himself some food.

People were looking at him, knowing he stayed with the giants without being eaten. Tezuka didn't pay attention to them. He bought himself a book and started reading until the giants came back with a lot of wood. Tezuka helped them and showed them how high the steps had to be. Then he watched how they were doing and how they build the first part of the stairs. The giants were strong. They made it look like building with high stairs was the easiest thing in the world.

'It's going well,' said the second giant. 'We're going to have lunch now. If you join us, we will tell you about the princess.'

Tezuka joined them for lunch and was dropped on the table again. He listened carefully as the giants explained where he had to go.

'Leave the village by taking the road to the west. If you drive for a few miles you will see rocks on your right. There are lots of plants growing over those rocks, hiding a tunnel. Go through the tunnel. On the other side is a valley with a tower. Call for 'Rapunzel' and ask her to let down her hair.'

Tezuka raised his eyebrows. 'Let down her hair?'

'She has very long hair Climbing her hair is the only way to get into the tower.'

'Thank you for the information,' said Tezuka.

'Thank you for helping us with such a brilliant idea,' answered the first giant. 'Here are two tickets. When we're done you can come and see the castle in the clouds for free, together with your princess.'

'Thank you,' said Tezuka. He deposited the tickets in his bag and asked the giants to put him back on the floor again. Before mounting his horse and proceed west, he bid the giants farewell and wished them luck.

He found the rocks the giants had been talking about, although it was like mountains to him. It took the prince a while to find the tunnel. It was well hidden and dark. He didn't want to leave his horse behind, afraid someone would take it, so he took it through the tunnel to the other side.

The valley was beautiful. The small lake was surrounded by grass filled with all kinds of flowers. There were birds singing in the trees and the sky seemed bluer than before. Tezuka walked towards the tower, not really sure what he should do. Should he call? It was worth trying, right?

'Rapunzel?' he called, but there was no response.

'Rapunzel, let down your hair?' he called again, louder this time.

He waited for a few minutes before he tried again, but there was only silence. Tezuka walked around the tower to search for a door or any kind of entrance, but didn't find any. There was only a small window in the top of the tower. The prince called once more, but when there still was no response he sighed and left again. If there had ever been a princess, she wasn't here anymore.

A bit disappointed Tezuka left again. He took his horse back through the tunnel and went to the next village. Maybe he could get some information about Rapunzel there, or about another princess.

Once again, he drove through woods, until he saw smoke. Afraid the woods would burn down, the prince went to see what was wrong. Instead of a fire he found a house. Not just a house, a house completely made of candy. A little surprised Tezuka stared at it. He didn't particularly liked sweets, but this looked tasty. He looked closely at it and noted it really was candy, not something faked. Tezuka was about to touch it when he heard a voice.

'Get lost! That's only for kids. If you eat it, kids won't come! I need them.'

Tezuka looked around and noticed an old lady walking out of the house. She looked rather angry.

'I wasn't about to eat this, Madame. I I only wondered if it was real.'

'Of course it's real! If it wasn't real the kids wouldn't come!'

'You must really like kids,' said Tezuka, not sure what he could do to get away from this woman.

'I do, especially grilled.'

Tezuka eyes widened. Why did everybody eat kids or humans these days? He wasn't afraid of the lady. She appeared smaller than him, and she was old. Knowing that she ate kids made him shiver.

'You only eat kids?' he asked, like it was the most normal thing in the world.

'Of course not, are you stupid? I'd rather eat cake, or even vegetables, but I don't have money for that!' answered the woman.

'You could eat parts of your house, right?'

'Then where do I have to live? Don't you see I don't have another option? So don't you dare touching my house!'

The story didn't make any sense to Tezuka. He could think of plenty solutions for her problem. 'Why don't you start working at a bakery,' he asked. 'Your house looks good and I'm sure it will taste good. That way you can earn money and buy the food you want. Until you get paid, you could eat different parts of your house. Not all parts are necessary. You can eat those.'

'No bakery would hire a witch!'

'Why not? You could use your magic to make the products taste even better, right?' Tezuka had no clue about magic, and he hoped he was saying the right things. 'We could go to the village and see if there is someone needed at the bakery?'

The witch was hesitant, but agreed in the end. Luckily, the village wasn't too far away. They could walk to it within half an hour and searched for the bakery. As the witch had said, they didn't want to hire her, despite the prince's recommendation. Tezuka tried two other bakeries, but they didn't need anyone either. It frustrated the prince to no end, and he was about to give up when he noticed a pastry shop. He quickly entered the shop and found a kind, old lady standing there, trying to reach for something on the top shelf.

'Excuse me,' said Tezuka. 'It looks like you could need some help.'

'I do,' said the woman with a bright smile. She waited for Tezuka to take the box from the shelf, but the prince beckoned the witch. 'This woman is looking for a job. She can bake very well and will be able to help you with other things as well.'

'Oh, that is very nice,' said the old lady. 'I can't pay you very much, but if you help me to sell more, I can pay you more.'

Tezuka looked at the witch. 'Alright,' she said. 'I'll do it.'

'Good,' said Tezuka. 'Good luck to both of you.'

'Wait,' said the old woman. 'Is there anything I can do for you in return, young man? At least take these cookies!'

Tezuka took the cookies, but hesitated about asking for help. 'I'm searching for a princess, actually. Do you happen to know one?'

'Yes, you should go to the mines where the seven dwarfs live, and you might happen to come across a princess. When you leave the village head south until you find them. I wish you the best of luck.'

Tezuka thanked the woman and left the shop. The mines weren't hard to find, neither were the dwarfs. They were singing as they transported coal out of the mine. When one of the dwarfs noticed Tezuka, he told the others to stop singing and approached him.

'Is there something we can do for you?' the dwarf asked. He stroked his beard as he looked at Tezuka.

'I was told that there might be a princess here,' answered Tezuka. He didn't feel comfortable with all those eyes on him. The moment he spoke those words. All the all the dwarfs started laughing.

'A princess?' the dwarf before him laughed. 'Years ago there used to be princesses here. But they all disappeared just around the same time the mine ran out of diamonds. What should a pretty lady do with coal? They only came here for free jewelry. We have nothing to offer them anymore. If you're searching for a princess you should go to the beach. I heard sometimes princesses come out of the water. Don't ask me how that is possible, it's only a rumor that goes around town.'

'I'd like to see if it's true,' said Tezuka. 'What way is the beach?'

'Follow that road westwards for about two days,' spoke the dwarf. 'You'll smell the sea soon enough!'

Tezuka thanked the dwarfs. He turned around and sighed. This was taking way longer than he expected. He mounted his horse and head west. It was already getting dark, but he didn't want to waste any time. When it got too dark to see where he was going, he searched for a place to sleep. There weren't any villages around, so he laid down on a well-hidden spot underneath a tree. It wasn't comfortable, but he was alone, and it was quiet. He slept until dawn and was awakened by a voice.

Slowly, the prince sat up. He picked some leaves out of his hair, brushed the dust of his clothes and stood up. He walked back to the road and found a little girl with a red cape. She was crying her heart out. Tezuka didn't really like kids, especially if they were crying, but he couldn't just leave here there.

'What is wrong?' he asked.

'I can't find my grandmother!' cried the girl loudly. 'She lives in a candy house, but when I came there she wasn't home. I searched for her the entire night.'

Tezuka felt a little guilty. He helped the witch find a job and because of that- this girl was completely lost. He wasn't going to bring her to town, for he would end up losing another day. How long had he been gone from home? One week, two weeks, maybe a month- He couldn't even remember.

'Your grandmother isn't gone,' he said. 'Just follow this road. In a few hours, you will find a little cottage. There live a few dwarfs. They will show you the way to the village. In the village, you should go to the pastry shop. That is where your grandmother is.'

The girl dried her tears. 'Really?'

'Yes,' answered Tezuka. He hoped he didn't make a mistake. Who knew what the witch would do if this girl arrived? She did mention she ate children! 'Are you hungry? Do you want breakfast?'

'No,' answered the girl. She showed him a little basket. 'My mommy gave me food for grandmother. I ate it as breakfast.'

Tezuka was glad about that. He only had a little food left, and it would hardly be enough for him alone 'Good, I think you should go then. Remember, just follow the road.'

The girl hopped off and Tezuka walked to his horse. He took the food out of his bag and ate it while he drove further. Just before the sun would set, he arrived at the beach. There was no one there. Wasn't there supposed to be a princess here? With a sigh he sat down in the sand. If there wasn't a princess he could at least rest a bit and watch the sun set.

Slowly, his eyes started closing. He laid down in the sand to rest. He would find himself a place to sleep when the sun had disappeared. However, the prince never saw the sun actually set. He was asleep already.

The next morning Tezuka woke up when he heard a strange sound. He sat up and looked around. Then he remembered where he was and what had happened. He stood up, wiped the sand of his clothes and looked around. There was a woman, half in the water, half on the sand, with her face down. Tezuka didn't waste a second. He ran towards her and helped her out of the water.

She was completely naked and it bothered the prince a little. He had never seen a nude woman in real life, but this was not the time to think about such things. He tried to turn her around, but she resisted. She coughed a few times before looking up. She seemed happy, but as soon as she saw Tezuka's face her expression turned angry, and she shook her head.

'What is it?' asked Tezuka a little surprised.

'Oi! What do you think you're doing with my girl?' sounded a voice from behind. Tezuka turned around. A fancy dressed man approached them

'She is mine!' said the man. 'If you want your own mermaid, go and catch one. You're not getting mine!'

He helped the girl up, and they walked away together. He was trying to comfort the girl with soothing words. Now Tezuka understood what was going on. If you went fishing and caught a mermaid, she would go to the witch of the sea for a potion and turn into a human. The potion had a horrible side-effect though, the mermaid would not only lose her tail, also her voice. Tezuka loved fishing and he was good at it. He would definitely be able to catch a mermaid, but having a mute wife wasn't what the prince needed. He didn't say much himself. The house would be terribly quiet.

When the guy who took the mermaid was out of sight Tezuka quickly undressed and washed himself in the sea. He hadn't bathed for a while, and he felt dirty. He tried his best to wash all the sand out of his hair before he got out of the water again. He stepped into his clothes, not liking being naked any longer than necessary. His clothes got wet, but the sun was shining. They would dry within no time. He didn't wait for it to dry, instead he went to search for his horse. When he found it, he left.

Tezuka knew what he was going to do, and he felt stupid for not thinking of it earlier. At the dragon's castle, if he slays the dragon he'll get his princess. Most princes end up with a girl the easy way and slaying a dragon was far from easy. Yes, this time he would find his future wife.

It took the prince only a few hours to reach the castle. It was almost lunch time when he bound the reigns of his horse to a tree and knocked on the gate. A minute later a head popped up over the thick wall.

'Can I help you?' a man asked.

'Yes, is this the castle of the dragon?' asked Tezuka. He didn't see a dragon anywhere. Dragons were supposed to be big, right?

'Yes and no,' answered the other. 'This used to be the dragon's castle, but now it's mine. You must be looking for a princess, am I right? I'll have to disappoint you, there aren't princesses here anymore.'

Tezuka sighed heavily. He really didn't know what to do anymore, anymore and he couldn't go home alone! His father would be furious.

'Did you slay the dragon?' the prince asked. The man didn't look very strong.

'Not really,' answered the other. 'It's a long story. Do you want to come in? I can make lunch for both of us and tell you everything you want to know.'

Tezuka hadn't eaten that day, so he was glad that he was offered some food.

'The gate is open, just push it,' answered the man. 'You can bring your horse too. There are some nice stables here, so it can relax a little as well.'

The prince pushed at the gate, and one of the doors opened. He took his horse reigns and entered. The castle was enormous, big enough for more than one dragon. But those monsters probably also needed enough space to live. Tezuka brought his horse to the stables, so the animal would be comfortable. There was enough fresh hay and another horse to keep him company.

'Looks like you found the stables,' said a voice behind him. Tezuka turned around and saw the man standing there. He looked younger, smaller and prettier than Tezuka had thought he was. If he has slain the dragon, Tezuka figured it would not be by a sword, but with poison or sleeping pills.

'My name is Fuji Syuusuke,' said the man with a closed-eyed smile. 'Come, you look like you're in need of some food.'

Tezuka hastily introduced himself, meanwhile thinking that this Fuji-guy was so skinny he should eat something himself.

'Oh, Tezuka Kunimitsu, that means you're the prince! I never thought I would have a real prince in my humble home. I hope my cooking will be good enough for you!'

'You don't have a cook?' asked Tezuka a little surprised. People who owned such an enormous place to live often had their own staff as well.

'No, I don't have a cook, nor do I have butlers, maids or stable boys. I live alone here. I can cook pretty well, and I use only a few rooms, so I don't bother to clean any of the others.'

Fuji took Tezuka to the kitchen and told him to sit down. Tezuka sat down at the table and watched the other man prepare him dinner. It took him only five minutes to prepare something, before he put it in the oven.

'It will take ten minutes before it's done,' said Fuji. 'I didn't want to make you wait too long. I promised to tell you about the dragon.' He closed the oven and put away the ingredients he had used. 'The dragon lived here for years. I don't even know how long exactly, but I heard a rumor he lived here over 200 years. During that time, he used to have lots of princesses in the rooms upstairs. They're specially made so someone can live comfortable in there for a few weeks. None of them ever stayed long. By that time a prince or a hero had already come up to rescue them. They all had to 'slay' the dragon in a game of chess. Even though he played it so often, the dragon wasn't particularly good at it, so most of the guys won and got a number of the room where 'his' princess was waiting for him. It wasn't heroic anymore. It was pure business. The dragon got money and food in exchange for a room the girls. The princes actually had to pay to play against the dragon.'

'Chess?' asked Tezuka. 'Did they really play chess against the dragon?'

'Yeah,' answered Fuji as he checked on the food in the oven. 'Good, it's almost done. Well, as for me, it was a little different. My father is a strict man. He wanted my sister to get one of the rooms here at the castle. My sister was already in love, and the man loved her back. It would have been cruel to make her marry some prince she didn't know, so I helped her to marry her beloved secretly. My dad was furious and as a punishment he sent me here. Not to be locked in a tower, but to get myself a princess.'

'How is that punishment?' asked Tezuka. 'You don't want to marry a princess?

'No,' answered Fuji. 'I'm homosexual. My father hated it and was glad he had a reason to force me to marry a girl. But I was lucky. When I arrived here the dragon was packing. He said he couldn't help me anymore. He was going to retire. There were no more princesses. He thought I would be disappointed, so he offered me to play a game of chess. If I won I would get the castle. I couldn't go home right away, my dad wouldn't believe I actually tried to get myself a girl, so I played him. Never played chess before, but somehow I won. Pure luck, I guess.'

Fuji checked the food in the oven and took it out when he noticed it was ready. He took two plates, knives, forks and glasses from a cupboard and set the table. A minute later they were both eating.

'When I came home, I told my father that I got myself a castle instead of a princess. He was furious. He told me I would have to live here, and that he did not want to see me ever again. I don't mind it that much. My mother and sister still come to visit. My brother can't come. As soon as I left the house he was sent on a quest to find himself a princess. He is the heir now. I feel sorry for him. He has been searching for months already. It must be really hard to find a girl.'

'Tell me about it,' sighed Tezuka.

Fuji smiled. 'Seems you had the same problem. If you want you can stay here for a while to get some rest. There are plenty of rooms. Or if you ever need some rest you can come back. I love to have some company. It's lonely here sometimes. You're one of the first people who took my invitation and came in. It seems the rumors have spread that I'm a magician or something, because of the color of my eyes.'

'I don't believe in rumors,' answered Tezuka simply. 'I'd like to stay for a night. It's been a while since I slept in a bed.'

'You look tired. It must have been a difficult trip.'

The prince just nodded as he continued eating. Fuji was a very good cook. It had been a while, since he had a decent meal. Fuji was a magician when it came to food for sure. They ate the rest of their dinner in a comfortable silence. When they were both done Fuji stood up and put the empty plates in the sink.

'I'll make you a cup of tea and after that I'll show you a room. You can do whatever you want. There is a library, so you can get yourself a book, you can get some sleep or go out for a walk in the gardens. You could also take a look around the castle if you make sure you don't get lost.'

He boiled some water for tea and went to a get two cups. He accidentally kicked against Tezuka's bag on his way. The bag fell open as it touched the ground and a shoe rolled over the floor.

'Where did you get that?' asked Fuji shocked. He took the shoe in his hands and looked at it. 'Where did you find it?'

'I bought them in a second- hand shoe shop,' answered Tezuka. 'Do you know who owned it?

'They're mine,' answered Fuji. 'I lost them months ago, before I moved here. These were my favorite shoes and I searched our entire house to find them back, but they were gone! I… I don't understand.'

'The shop owner said a beautiful woman had brought them,' said Tezuka, not really sure what else he could say. How was it possible that he ended up at a castle with the shoes of the very male owner of the castle? Was this some kind of fairytale where everything happened for a reason?

'I see,' sighed the blue-eyed man. 'It must have been my sister who took them. She went on a trip around the country, as her honeymoon. It was more a way of escaping my father's rage, but she must have taken my shoes to that shop as a favor in return for my help.'

Fuji took off his old shoes and pulled on his new found one. He was surprised it didn't fit. He put his hand in the shoe and took out a piece of paper. He unrolled it and smiled.

'It was indeed my sister. She even wrote me a letter. I'll read it for you.'

'My dearest Syuusuke,

I'm sure you will hate me for taking your favorite shoes, but I'm also sure your love for these shoes will bring them back to you one day. If you read this, they indeed have found their way back to you. I hope they're in the company of a very handsome prince. If it's not a prince it's fine too, as long as he is male and handsome. I'm not worried about his level of homosexuality. Any man that will pick up these shoes and will start searching for a princess that will fit them must be gay. He must have fallen in love with the shoes himself, not with the idea of a pretty girl wearing them. I mean, look at those shoes! I know you love them, but no girl would ever wear them!

Know that I love you forever!

Your dearest sister Yumiko'

'That is so much like Yumiko-neesan. If only she knew how right she was about the handsome prince,' chuckled Fuji. When he looked up, he saw that Tezuka was blushing.

'Don't worry, Tezuka,' continued Fuji as he pulled on the shoe. 'Even though you're the one to return my shoes, I don't expect you to fall in love with me or something. I mean, your parents told you to come back home with a princess by your side, right? I won't get in the way. But I was making tea. Let's see if I still have some cookies.'

'No,' said the prince suddenly.

'Excuse me?' asked Fuji and he turned around with two cups in his hands.

'My parents didn't tell me to bring back a princess,' said Tezuka. 'They told me to search for a princess and to bring back my one true love.'

Fuji dropped the cups the moment the prince spoke. They shattered to pieces on the cold stone floor. With wide open eyes, he looked at Tezuka. What was he trying to tell him?

'Be careful,' said Tezuka as he quickly stood up and walked to the other man. Fuji was still wearing only one shoe. His other foot was bare. 'You should put on your other shoe. I'll clean this up.'

Without saying a word Fuji walked to the table and took his other shoe out of Tezuka's bag. He also found a package of cookies.

'I hate you,' he whispered softly.

Tezuka blinked as he looked up. 'I'm sorry if I've done something wrong,' answered the confused prince.

'You didn't,' stated Fuji. 'You did everything right. You came here on your white horse. You accepted the invitation to come in. You were the one who brought my shoes. You tell me your parents don't expect you to bring home a girl. You help me clean when I make a mess of things. You even brought cookies just when I ran out! The only thing missing is your shining armour! If you don't stop being perfect I'm going to expect you to take me home to your family.'

'I have tickets for a castle in the sky,' said Tezuka. 'It's in the clouds. Two giants built the stairs, so you can visit it. I can take you there, if you let me?'

Fuji started laughing. 'You're not helping! Are you asking me out on a date? Because if you do, I will definitely say 'yes'.'

Tezuka's face turned bright red and Fuji couldn't help, but laugh again. He pulled on the second shoe before he stood up. 'Let's finally have that tea.' Fuji took two new cups, while Tezuka picked up the pieces of the broken cups. Fuji poured them both a cup of tea and waited for the prince to offer him a cookie. His patience soon got rewarded, and he happily munched on the treat.

'I think I don't mind taking you on a date,' said Tezuka. He didn't look at Fuji, but at the tea in his hands.

'I know,' answered Fuji. 'The rumor being a magician is true. I can see the future and in that future, you and I are living happily together in this castle.'

'Really?' asked Tezuka surprised.

'No,' answered Fuji. 'But I can keep dreaming, can't I? You're taking me on a date. That is a great start. I will make sure you will start to like me a lot. Besides, I have more to offer than any girl. I have my own castle. I can cook better than any woman, and I have a very hot body. What more could you possibly want? Besides, if this isn't fate, fate doesn't exist!'

Tezuka smiled. Fuji was funny, talkative, friendly, honest, good looking and a very good cook. What more could he possible want? This was definitely worth trying.

'Let's go on our date tomorrow.'