notes: i'm sure this has been done before.

It was approximately half an hour after they had set off for the storybook kingdom that the prince and his princess for the first time fell into an awkward silence.

Rue had experienced many silent moments with her prince over the years. Such a thing wasn't new to her. But those were contented silences, a calm blanket that settled over her from just knowing her prince was by her side, heartless and susceptible to any demands of spoken love. Now, her prince had a full heart, a full soul. He had memories, a history, real and true emotions. A silence couldn't be blamed on his inability to respond with his will anymore.

And when the subject of their last conversation fell to a natural conclusion, Rue felt at a loss of what to say next. Unthinkingly her fingers toyed together, then with the cloth of her dress. What must her prince think of her now?

She watched out of the corner of her eye as her prince lightly flicked the reins and tightened his grip, before turning to her and offering a gentle smile.

Rue suddenly blurted out: "What is your favorite color?"

Prince Siegfried raised his brow, before chuckling. He turned back to the horizon and answered simply, "White."

A lock of his downy hair swayed in the wind before his ear, giving Rue the impulse to reach out and tuck it, but she resisted.

"White?"

"I love each and every color, actually," he explained. "So perhaps it would only be natural that I favor the one that is the combination of all others."

"I see…"

For a few moments after Rue was afraid they would fall into a silence yet again, but then her prince spoke up before she began racking her mind for more conversation topics.

"If I may ask, my princess, what prompted your question?"

Rue blushed. "I… my pri— Prince Siegfried, it's simply that I feel… foolish."

The prince looked at her with concerned eyes. "Whatever for?"

Before she realized it, she had begun playing with the cloth of her dress again. "You have been with me for so long, ever since I can remember, and yet… such simple things, I don't even know about you. What is your favorite meal? Your favorite story? Your favorite memory? I never…" Her expression fell as it really began to sink in. "I never even once asked." How could she be worthy of her prince's love when in reality she knew so little about him?

Prince Siegfried dropped one hand from the reins and reached for her own, still twiddling together in her lap. The warmth of his palm was calming as he gently stroked a thumb over her wrist. "My princess… I wouldn't dare think of you as foolish. I doubt I would have even been able to answer any of those questions, had you asked me just a few short weeks ago." He smiled at her. "So please… ask away to your heart's content. And if you allow it, I… would like to ask about you, as well."

"Of course," she whispered, linking her fingers with his own. They had the rest of the carriage ride to get to know one another, after all. Really, they had the rest of their lives.

This time, the moment of silence that fell between them was one of comfort.