Bambi sat peacefully beneath his favorite tree in the castle courtyard, a book in his hands and not a care in his head. To his mind there was no better place to read a book, either for leisure or to study as he was now. The shade of the tree beat the castle's library by a long shot. He felt less confined when he was outdoors. The fresh air was fragrant and free of dust. Plus, it was such a beautiful day. This bright, sunny weather always made him feel like he could accomplish anything, including studying for a literature exam.

There was no questioning it. This was his favorite part of the castle. Still, he had to admit that it was the slightest bit strange to be there all alone. He had spent so many great, and sometimes not so great, times there in the company of his friends. He, Theodore, and Florean all agreed that it was the perfect place to escape from the stresses of their lives and freely discuss them amongst themselves. Only a week ago in that same spot, he had lamented to them about how he had argued with Faline, failed an exam because of it, and expressed his fear of having to break that unfortunate news to his father. They of course weren't the only ones he shared this special spot with. He and Faline had always made a habit of meeting up with each other there when they had no other commitments. But today, the shady spot under the tree was his and his alone. Theodore and Florean were busy helping their parents with work. And Faline? Out of the question. He was keen to follow his father's advice and give her some space for the time being. And the feeling seemed to be mutual: she had not yet contacted him either.

But perhaps it was best that he was under the tree alone at the moment. He had studying to do after all. Even though the exam was not until the end of the week and Oswald had only just announced it to him that same day, Bambi thought this was as good a time as any to begin studying. Anyway, the fiasco that had been his previous exam was still so very fresh in his mind. He wanted to make sure nothing could go wrong with this next one.

As he read on, a voice said, "What are you reading, Son?" It was an all too familiar voice, but the friendly tone in which it had spoken was something Bambi was still getting used to.

He looked up from his book to see his father smiling strangely casually at him.

"The Iliad," he said simply. "It's for my next literature exam."

Barron scoffed. "Some things never change. Oswald had me read The Iliad when I was around your age. I hated every moment of it."

This was news. Bambi never thought he would see the day when he heard his father say he had hated something he had read.

"Really? Why?" Bambi asked.

"It's so depressing," said Barron, a hint of disgust in his voice. "Nothing but war and romance and a war that would never have taken place if not for romance and..."

"Dad, don't go giving away the ending," Bambi interrupted, though he tried to sound amused.

"Oh, of course not," said Barron, clearing his throat apologetically. "Now The Odyssey? That's a great read. A true epic poem about a war hero and the countless obstacles he faces during his journey home. I couldn't put it down when I read it. I had trouble believing it was written by the same man who wrote The Iliad."

"Dad, did you have something to tell me or did you just think I needed help with my homework?" Bambi asked, as politely as he could.

Barron looked slightly affronted. "Forgive me," he said hastily. "I saw you reading there and... Well, I've always enjoyed the idea of sharing knowledge with another."

"I understand," said Bambi patiently. After a moment's silence, he added, "Uh... Did you want to tell me something?"

Barron shrugged. "Nothing in particular," he said earnestly. "I suppose I just thought it was strange to see you here all alone and that you might be glad of company."

Bambi winced. "I know what you mean. It is weird to be here alone," he admitted, out loud this time. "But it's not like I have a choice. Theodore and Florean are busy today."

Barron nodded comprehendingly. "And... Faline?" he asked in a tentative voice.

"No," said Bambi evasively.

It had been a brief answer, but Barron seemed to understand.

"Still, I like coming here, even if I am alone," Bambi continued. "It's my favorite place to escape to when I'm feeling overwhelmed about..." He paused, trying to think of an alternative way of saying, "being a prince".

"Life in general?" Barron guessed intuitively.

"Exactly," said Bambi, deciding that that was as good as anything he could come up with.

"Believe it or not, I know the feeling," Barron admitted. "It's bliss to be able to escape the rewarding, though to be honest strenuous, lifestyle of a king, if only for a few precious hours a day."

Bambi knew he was referring to his daily afternoon ride. He smiled. The more time he spent getting to know his father, the more they seemed to have in common. They both seemed to have their own special way of escaping when life had proved to be too much to bear.

"What say we both escape sometime?" Barron said suddenly.

Bambi looked up at him puzzled.

"Go someplace special," Barron explained. "Some secluded place only we know about."

"Like where?" asked Bambi, who for the life of him couldn't think of any such place.

Barron looked thoughtful for a moment and then said, "I'll show you. Why don't you come riding with me today?"

Half an hour later, after changing into something more suitable for riding horses, Barron and Bambi made their way to the royal stables. Upon arrival, Barron approached the stable that housed his favorite horse: the magnificent chestnut stallion he had been riding when Bambi had first seen him. A sign just above the stable said that the horse's name was Prince. Bambi chuckled under his breath. Was it any wonder this horse was his father's favorite? "Prince" was practically his favorite word.

"Hello, old friend," said Barron as he reached Prince's stable.

Prince returned the greeting with a neigh and nudged Barron with his muzzle.

"I brought you something," said Barron.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a sugar cube. The horse sniffed it as he held it out in his open hand, neighed gratefully, and took it from him. Barron stroked Prince's handsome muzzle as he chewed the sugar cube. It was rather amusing, Bambi thought, to see these two regal beings showing so much affection to each other. It was almost like watching a small boy with a puppy. It seemed that, like Barron, Prince's strong, dignified exterior masked a gentler side that only a select few knew about. Bambi considered this and decided that maybe this was why the king and stallion were so fond of each other: they were two of a kind.

Bambi, who had had riding lessons but couldn't honestly say he had a favorite horse, browsed for a few minutes amongst the other options.

"Pick one you know you can trust and that trusts you in return," Barron told him.

Before too long, he settled for a palomino stallion named Buck. Bambi liked this horse. He was one of the youngest in the stables. He had a spirited yet gentle nature. What was more, Bambi remembered learning during his riding lessons that Buck's mother had passed away when he was still very young. This, more than anything, made Bambi feel a sort of connection between himself and Buck. He opened the door to Buck's stable, took him by the reins and led him outside. The moment he was out in the sunlight, Buck began neighing excitedly, almost jumping with joy. Bambi assumed this meant he was thrilled to be going for a ride. Prince gave Buck a rather stern look and made a noise that sounded like he was clearing his throat. Buck, looking apologetic, stopped neighing and put on an air of unconvincing pride. This made Bambi laugh. Evidently Prince was something of a father figure to Buck.

After mounting their horses, they were off. They rode away from the castle and slowly down the cobblestone path that ran through the village. Everyone they encountered moved to the side of the road and bowed to them as they passed. Bambi, like Barron, politely accepted these gestures. It was not until they entered the woods on the outskirts of the kingdom that they dropped the royal act and allowed their horses to break into a trot.

"Alright, where are we going?" he asked.

"You'll see," Barron replied simply.

Bambi, realizing he was not going to get an answer until they reached their destination, dropped the subject and admired their new surroundings as they rode on. Only seconds later, Prince trotted a few paces ahead of Buck. Bambi, who had not expected this, looked at Barron. Judging by the smile on his face, he had sped up on purpose. Bambi, determined to show his father that two could play at this game, gave Buck a slight squeeze with his legs. Buck obediently picked up speed so that Bambi and Barron were again neck and neck. This continued for a moment. Then Barron unexpectedly leaned forward, gave Prince a squeeze, and shouted, "YA!" Prince neighed excitedly and ran off, leaving Bambi completely taken by surprise.

"Hey!" he shouted at Barron, who was laughing loudly up ahead.

Bambi, now about to burst into laughter himself, leaned forward on his own horse, loosened his hold on the reins, and allowed the horse to break into a run. They rode on through the forrest for several minutes thereafter, racing and laughing as they did so. Bambi didn't try too hard to get ahead of Barron, as he still had no idea where they were going.

When Barron finally gave Prince the cue to stop, he and Bambi were both breathless from laughter. After dismounting their horses, Barron walked over to a nearby apple tree and plucked two of the bright red fruits from a low hanging branch.

"I think you just broke your own record, old friend," Barron said to Prince, offering him an apple. "Enjoy. You've earned it," he said as Prince began nibbling the apple.

"Let's let them rest," said Barron to Bambi, tossing him the remaining apple.

Bambi offered Buck the apple, which he took from him as gratefully as Prince had taken his.

"So where exactly are we?" Bambi asked, looking around and trying to figure out what was so special about their surroundings. They seemed to have come to a dead end in the woods, composed of a tight-knit body of trees and bushes.

Barron pushed back a branch of the first bush and said, "Go on," apparently indicating that something lay beyond what Bambi had thought was a dead end.

Curiously, Bambi walked on through the bushes with Barron behind him. After about fifteen seconds, they were through. Bambi almost froze in his tracks. They had come to a beautiful, well-concealed glade. Everything in it was so very green and fragrant, yellowed slightly by the beams of golden sunlight that were poking through the high tree branches overhead. A dozen or so gold colored butterflies were fluttering lazily in the breezes. There was even a small lake.

Stunned by the mere sight of his surroundings, Bambi turned to face Barron.

"Where are we?" was all he could think to say.

"Suffice it to say, you and Faline aren't the only young lovers with a special meeting place," Barron replied.

Smiling vaguely, he leaned against the trunk of the nearest tree. As he did so, Bambi noticed something that seemed to have been carved into the tree's bark. Upon closer examination, he realized that it was a carefully drawn heart surrounding two letters separated by an "and" symbol: B+V.

"B and V?" he asked.

Barron just smiled and raised an eyebrow, not saying a word. He clearly wanted Bambi to figure it out for himself. He thought for a very brief moment, and suddenly it hit him. B and V.

"Barron and Vera?" he asked.

Barron's smile widened in acknowledgement, but his eyes saddened slightly as he turned to face the beautiful glade. "Your mother and I used to come here to escape. This was our favorite place in the world."

Knowing this made Bambi realize that the glade was more than just beautiful. He walked further into it to get a better look. Barron followed, watching his son fondly.

"Do you always come here?" asked Bambi, coming to a stop inches from the small lake.

"Only on special days. Usually your mother's birthday or our anniversary," Barron explained. "But every time I do come, it's as if no time has passed since the time before," he added in an almost dreamy tone of voice.

Bambi remained respectfully silent for a moment as Barron took a reminiscent look around the place.

"This place always has a way of making me lose all sense of time," he said after a minute or two. "Even after all these years it looks no different than the day your mother and I first came here. Sometimes I stand here and fool myself thinking nothing's changed in the world."

He then turned his head downward, apparently staring into the lake beneath them.

"But on closer examination, I'm reminded of how much truly has changed," he said with a slight chuckle.

Bambi stared at his father for a moment, and then lowered his gaze to whatever Barron was smiling at. But all he could see was Barron's reflection in the water, looking impressively handsome, tall, and strong next to his own reflection. It took Bambi a moment to realize that that was what Barron was referring to: his reflection, or rather Barron himself. Bambi did not need an explanation. He understood perfectly well. Barron must have been around his (Bambi's) age when he had first visited this glade. But now that same boy stood there, having become a man, a king, a husband, a widower, and a father. What a shocking reminder that must have been to someone who had momentarily lost track of time.

Bambi saw Barron's reflection turn its eyes towards his, and then smile.

"That's certainly changed," Barron said.

Bambi looked up at him.

"I've never shared this place with anyone other than your mother, until now," he explained.

Bambi gave him a grateful smile. "Well I'm glad you did," he said. "And you were right, it's the perfect place to escape."

They both stood there for a while, admiring the tranquil beauty of the glade. After almost an hour, they reached an unspoken agreement that standing had grown strenuous and they sat down on the grass. This, coupled with the realization that they were all alone, seemed to bring out the more casual side to Barron. He put an arm around Bambi's shoulders and pulled him a bit closer to him. Bambi accepted the gesture and comfortably leaned against Barron.

As they sat there in silence, Bambi found himself strangely at peace with the world. Even more so perhaps than he had earlier that day in the shade of his tree in the courtyard. Maybe it was being away from the castle that gave him a feeling of freedom from the stresses of a prince's life. If so, the feeling must have been mutual. This was certainly the most relaxed he had ever seen Barron, although that was not saying much. But then, was it any wonder? This place was so beautiful and serene. Its view was enough to make anyone forget their troubles. And that was exactly how he felt at that moment, with his mind free of all troubles and concerns.

But then, he thought, maybe the his current location was only partly accountable for this newfound peace. Maybe his real source of comfort right now was, not where he was, but who he was with. He looked up at his father and realized that this was the first time they had ever truly bonded, unless you counted that moment the week before when they had discussed his concerns about Faline. But then, they had only sat and talked. And hugged of course, which was by all accounts a huge shift in their relationship. But in the last couple of hours, they had gone riding together, laughed together, and visited the spot that had been his mother's favorite place in the world together. And they had gotten through it all without Barron saying what a prince would or would not do. If anyone had told Bambi that this day would happen this time last year, he would have laughed himself hoarse. Because the cold, hard truth was that this time last year, their relationship had been, if anything, a very delicate one. Perhaps it had even been a stretch to call it a relationship at all. For so many years, it had seemed that they were little more than victims of circumstance: a father and son who barely knew each other but had been forced together because of the untimely death of their wife and mother. Now here they were eight years later, bonding for the first time in living memory.

But why, he had to wonder, had it taken them so long? Now that they were getting to knowing each other, they were finding that they had a great deal in common. Why hadn't they reached out to each other all those years ago? The most likely reason was fear. That had been Bambi's reason at least. Fear of the towering, intimidating king whom he had both admired and envied since the moment they first saw each other. Then a thought occurred to him. Maybe, just maybe, that was Barron's reason for being so distant towards his son. Maybe his fear was based out of his lack of experience with children. He had been completely absent from the first seven years of Bambi's life because of his time-consuming royal duties. When Vera died, he had been unprepared to be tasked with raising their son on his own.

Thinking of his mother made Bambi feel less at ease. But only slightly so, strange though it was to admit. He had never fully recovered from her death and he had felt so very alone in the world since it had happened. That tragic day had been one of the coldest he had ever seen and the cold seemed to have stayed with him everyday since. Clearly the cold had had little to nothing to do with the snow and the blizzard that nearly frozen him solid. That had come and gone yet the cold had remained constant and unchanging... until now, he noticed. Sitting there in the bright afternoon sun, leaning lovingly against his father, he did not feel cold at all. He felt a great deal warmer than he had felt in years. In that moment, he came to the conclusion that the cold he had felt since his mother's passing was from loneliness. Emptiness. A monumental lack of parental affection. But now he had no reason to feel lonely. His father was finally a part of his life. The dreadful cold could no longer consume him.

Still, his father could never replace his mother. No one ever would. He had loved her very dearly and now she was gone, plain and simple. Bambi had to wonder what this day would have been like if she was still alive. Would she be back at the castle, leaving her boys to bond and waiting to greet each of them with a kiss when they got home? Would she be here with them so that they could all be enjoying this special place as a family? Would she and Barron be sitting in this spot huddled together while Bambi explored the glade, watching his parents from a distance and smiling as his mother stole a kiss on his father's cheek? He could only guess. She was truly gone and she couldn't be there with them.

Then he noticed something. An individual butterfly fluttered downwards, away from its companions, and came to land on a small plant that was growing a few yards away from where he and Barron were sitting. Bambi stared for a moment, admiring the butterfly's brightly colored wings. But then his attention shifted to the plant on which it had landed and saw that it was, not one, but two plants. The butterfly was resting on a larger, leafier one but next to this plant was a much smaller one that was interestingly wrapped around the large one beside it.

Bambi smiled at the sight and decided maybe his mother really was there with them.