Sorry for another long wait. I hope that you enjoy...

The following evening, Maria decided that she was not up to riding, so the group wandered out behind the palace for their outing. Kyoko could sense that Maria had been nervous all day, and put all of her best efforts into distracting and cheering her charge.

"Maria, would you like to go fairy hunting?" Kyoko asked as the trio paused just outside the palace wall. Kuon smiled as Maria immediately perked up.

"Fairy hunting? How?"

"We'll have to be very careful," Kyoko told her, crouching down to Maria's level and holding a finger up to her lips. "And we have to be very quiet."

Maria nodded silently, a look of intense concentration on her face.

It was decided that the Prince would have to follow at a distance since he was much too tall to hide himself properly. And he would be a good distraction so that the girls could sneak up on their quarries. He was very eye catching, as Maria pointed out.

Kuon accepted his assignment, using it to his advantage and watching both young ladies with no small amount of amusement. He had not seen Maria since the evening before, and she had seemed very dispirited when he had first met up with her and Kyoko. Now she was smiling again, repressing giggles as she followed Kyoko, sneaking around trees and poking at small bunches of wildflowers.

They moved further afield and Kyoko pointed down to the river, whispering into Maria's ear.

"Over there. We should be able to see them dancing on the water."

Maria nodded and the girls moved along, creeping up to the water's edge and staring out over the rolling surface. Maria kept her eyes trained across the surface, trying to spot something. Kyoko watched the younger girl rather than the water, noticing how far Maria was leaning out. Keeping an eye on those small feet, Kyoko was able to notice a small pool of still water, trapped between a few rocks.

"Maria, look, there," she said, pointing down. Maria stepped back carefully, noticing the miniature pond.

"What is it?" she asked, peering into the water.

"Shh, look."

Kyoko had always been fascinated with magic and fairytales, but it had not been until she had been in one for the ball that she had really considered how much magic could be encountered in this world. The glances of darts of light and color that she had seen in the palace gardens had eventually developed into sightings of small winged beings, dancing about. With time and patience, two things she had plenty of, Kyoko had begun to easily spot fairies around the palace. There were not as many of them out here in the field, but the river fairies were some of her favorites, riding the flowing torrents of water while playing tricks on each other. When they grew tired, they would rest in pools like these, chatting with various other fairies that would visit at the river's edge.

"I don't see anything," Maria whispered, sighing.

"Look for the ripples," Kyoko told her. "See, there and there." She pointed to two places where a couple of fairies were standing, fanning their wings. Kuon, still standing back a bit, watched Kyoko as she gestured to the pool.

"Those are just reeds under the water," Maria told her friend, looking up sadly. "They aren't fairies."

"No, look closer. The fairies are resting on the reeds. You can only see them if you really try hard."

Maria stared intently for a few more moments before shaking her head. "Nothing's there."

"Is something wrong?" Kuon asked, moving closer as quietly as he could and keeping his voice low.

"Nothing's wrong," Kyoko answered, in an equally soft voice. "They're just resting."

"Really?" he asked, looking into the pool skeptically. He was diverted when he realized that Kyoko was pouting.

"Really," she told him. "They're sitting right here. Look, there's one just in front of you, behind that grass."

Kuon crouched down and pushed the plants aside carefully, disturbing the fairy that Kyoko had been talking about. However, instead of the pretty little lady that Kyoko saw, Kuon and Maria could only see a dragonfly dart off out over the river.

"A fairy?" Kuon asked, a smile on his face. Maria was watching the bug in disappointment.

"A fairy," Kyoko replied. "You just saw it."

"The dragonfly?"

Kyoko looked back, found the fairy and sighed when its form shifted briefly to show her what her companions saw. She watched it fly back and land delicately on the Prince's shoulder.

"The fairy," she sighed, knowing he could not see it. He laughed, looking over at the bug.

"Right. This is a fairy."

"It is," she retorted, flushing prettily in her anger. Kuon could not help smiling wider, which only infuriated her more. "It's a pretty little fairy, and if you could really see her, you would die of shock!"

"Well, I do think it's pretty," Kuon conceded. He did not have a problem with bugs, and even if most people did not consider dragonflies to be the most charming insects, he thought they had a certain elegance to them.

Kyoko, watching the fairy examine the Prince closely, became even more irritated at the creature's reaction to Kuon's comment. She preened, and hovered up to bow to him. But Kyoko's frown turned into a laugh as the fairy then darted forward to place a quick kiss on the Prince's cheek, confusing him because he could only feel a bug smacking into him before landing back on his shoulder. Kuon and Maria both looked over to Kyoko in confusion and she giggled.

"What?" Kuon asked.

"Oh, you just should have seen it. She is a fairy, you know, and she likes you very much. She was thanking you for your compliment."

"Really?"

"Really. She's still watching you. I think she's fascinated…" Kyoko watched as the fairy continued to admire the Prince, sighing in her tiny, musical voice. Kyoko could not help but giggle again as she recognize the wistful look on the small being. It was very similar to looks that most of the girls in the palace wore when they saw the Crown Prince.

"Am I that fascinating?" Kuon asked as Kyoko continued to stare at the bug.

"Of course," Kyoko responded absently, as she continued to watch the fairy. It was now bowing to the Prince again, bent in half and poised delicately on its toes. Kyoko could understand the fairy's reverence. Kuon was an anomaly in humanity and had a sort of ethereal quality to his attractiveness. It was probably addicting to such a curious creature. "I think she's enamored with you. She's bowing now. Maybe she thinks you're the Prince of the Fairies."

Kuon could only see that the dragonfly was crouched, but at that moment Maria gasped.

"Oh yes, look Prince! I saw her! I saw her!" Kyoko switched her attention to Maria and smiled.

"You can see her?"

"No, just for a second. But I saw her! And she really is bowing!"

Kuon could still not see the anything but an insect, but he was glad that Maria seemed to have cheered up. Kyoko was congratulating the younger girl and asking her if she could see any of the others in the pool. Maria looked down again in stern concentration and after a few moments of effort pointed excitedly.

"Right there!"

Kuon could not see anything on the water, but he did notice a set of ripples blossoming from the point and moving towards the river.

"Looks like he's going back to play," Kyoko commented as the ripples stopped at a rock and slowly faded. "Ah, but he bowed to his Prince first!"

She and Maria both giggled and looked back to Kuon, who shrugged, dislodging his passenger. She tumbled a bit, but caught herself and swooped around the trio twice before landing gracefully on Kyoko's shoulder.

"Seems like she likes you too," Kuon commented, watching the bug's wings flutter.

"Yes, look, she's bowing to you too," Maria added in excitement. Kuon noticed the bug crouching again.

"Looks like you're right," he told Maria, reaching out a hand and casually flicking her nose. He turned back to Kyoko, who was politely nodding to her new friend. "I guess that makes you the Fairy Princess."

Kyoko giggled for a moment before all of the cheer drained out of her face leaving her a ghostly white. She tripped over her tongue repeatedly as she tried to apologize for her insolence, her arrogance, and her presumption, all in one breath. Maria watched in horrified wonder while Kuon immediately turned sullen.

As she stopped to inhale deeply, his hand reached out and covered her mouth before she could start again. Making sure he had her full attention he spoke in his most serious tone.

"That is enough," he commanded, making sure she nodded before releasing his hand. Her face was colored with embarrassment and Maria was still concerned.

"Kyoko?" she asked, looking between her friend and Kuon.

"I'm alright, Maria," Kyoko responded as calmly as she could. "It's just a habit…"

The prince and young girl exchanged a look of shared distaste. Neither of them had seen Kyoko behave in such a way before, and it worried them both that she had ever been in a situation where she felt like she needed to act like that.

"Well, please try not to do it again," Kuon told her, trying to sound as relaxed as he could. "I want people to laugh when I'm being witty."

She tried to match his reassuring smile with one of her own, but it was weak. The little fairy, still sitting on her shoulder, reached up to stroke her face softly, concern written all over its tiny features. Kyoko reached up to touch its head reassuringly, murmuring nonsense as she did so. Watching her closely, Kuon was surprised, not only by her action, but by the image of a small humanoid figure on her shoulder that he glimpsed for a moment.

But then it was only a dragonfly again and it flew off, skimming over the water's surface. He watched it for a bit, but his attention was reclaimed as Maria let out a small yelp. She had tried to move back to the riverbank away from the pool and had slipped, getting one of her feet wet. She was teetering a bit and both Kuon and Kyoko moved to steady her. Kuon reached her first and picked her up, setting her down carefully on the bank.

"Are you alright?" Kyoko asked, moving to wring out a wet patch on the hem of Maria's dress. The younger girl nodded.

"I just slipped a bit. I think my shoe is soaked."

This was confirmed and Kyoko suggested that Maria remove the shoes to let them dry while she kept playing. Maria nodded at this and left her shoes and stockings with Kyoko while she ran off to go hunt down some more fairies on her own. Kyoko moved away from the river before collapsing on the ground, setting the wet articles next to her.

"Can I ask what you were doing yesterday, or is it a forbidden topic?" Kuon asked as he sat down next to Kyoko. He knew she was still uncomfortable, but figured this was a fairly safe topic. And he was still curious about it.

"It isn't really a secret. But I would appreciate it if you didn't bring it up to Maria, since she's still worried about it."

"I noticed she was upset earlier. Was it that bad?" Kyoko looked extremely guilty and barely managed a whisper.

"I made her write a letter. To her father…"

Even if the idea had been repugnant to Kuon, he would not have been able to be angry with her while she looked like that. And he was not upset by the idea.

"I'm impressed. I can't think of an easier way to make her hate you, and it looks like you pulled through well."

"She didn't get much worse than when you saw her," Kyoko explained, brushing the complement aside. "It wasn't too terrible." Kuon snorted.

"Clearly, no one has told you exactly how devious that child can get when she wants to. I'm surprised you risked the consequences."

"Actually, she's told me about her… exploits." Kuon blinked.

"Now I'm really impressed. I think everyone who knows her has wanted to get her to talk with her father since her mother's death. But no one wanted to incite that kind of wrath from her. I'm glad you took that chance."

"Well, no one would really miss me if anything happened," she responded flippantly.

"That's stupid." Kyoko was surprised by the intensity of his tone. "Plenty of people would miss you, and not just in the kitchen either. Maria would feel horrible about it and Lory would at least miss you taking care of her."

"Well, I wouldn't want to disappoint His Grace, or anyone else that I work with by dying inconveniently," she tossed back mildly. Both of them felt awkward then, and there were a few moments of silence.

"I am glad though," he eventually remarked. "It's sad to see them pushing each other back, and from what Lory says, both of them are just stuck with what they should do. It's good that you helped things at least start moving. It… isn't good to be angry at your father. Especially if he can't help the circumstances."

He had that vulnerable look again. The one that made her feel like Maria was not the only one that had grown up too quickly.

"Is it hard, living in that kind of shadow?" Kuon considered the question.

"I think so. It isn't just that he is good at what he does. He's strange too, but he manages to get everyone to accept it. The things that he wants to do, no one objects to."

"And you thought it didn't matter what you did?"

"More or less. And then people did care, and I didn't know what to do anymore. I guess I just tried to carry it off as not a big deal, but…"

"It was a big deal. You were going to be king."

"Yes. But when I first noticed, I only thought of it as a double standard. That it was only because I wasn't king yet that I couldn't get away with it. So I tried all kinds of other things, as distractions, to see the reactions…"

"They didn't go as planned?"

"Not at all. After the ball-" He paused. "No, after after the ball earlier this year, I realized it had all been pointless. It wasn't that people held a double standard, I just didn't make the cut. I'm not really sure I can at this point."

"Why not?"

"Well, I guess I just don't know what people expect anymore. I can't even decide if all the things I've done were that bad. It was a good thing that I didn't end up getting a bride because of the ball. I don't think that would have gone over well. And it would have been a mistake. But I can't say that I made the wrong choice having it, though I think everyone else thinks so. Yes, there were all kinds of people there, and it was stuffy and awkward most of the time. But it was the first time I felt like I had some idea of what the entire kingdom actually meant."

"Did you talk to everyone?"

"Not everyone. I tried to dance with as many people as I could and talk with others, but it was a lot of people. But I did talk to all kinds of people, and it was strangely enlightening to see how people acted around each other. And frustrating."

"Very frustrating," Kyoko sighed.

Kuon started to ask what she meant, but they were interrupted by Maria, who had finished playing and was getting cold. They walked back up to the palace, Kyoko still in a thoughtful mood.

Lory looked up when he heard a soft knock on his door and told the person to enter. Sebastian stepped in, moving silently, closing the door behind him.

"Your Grace," he bowed.

"Ah, you're back already. I'm guessing that means the trip was a complete waste of time."

"Only if Your Grace thinks that discovering where she isn't from is a waste. I checked my sources in the south, but they've never heard of a young lady like Miss Kyoko. Not even from a number of years ago. If she is originally from the south, she has not lived there for quite some time."

"And you have no new information about her?"

"Nothing helpful."

"This is impossible." Lory stroked his chin thoughtfully, grimacing as he reached an unsatisfactory conclusion. "I'm might send you north again. I hate to do it, but I can at least have you check on all the illegitimate children of nobles that we do know about. That will narrow down the list at least a little… maybe."

"Your Grace?"

"Not right away. I need you here now. My information for goings on in the palace has been cut with you being gone so much. And I need for you to check on what people are saying about the Prince."

"Yes, Your Grace."

"Let me know how if they've said anything about my granddaughter, too. A few of my acquaintance have made some comments, but I'm curious what people think."

"And what they say about Miss Kyoko as well?"

"Naturally."

"Yes, Your Grace."

The next afternoon found Kuon having invaded Maria's room yet again to watch while Kyoko helped the girl through her various studies. They were suddenly interrupted by Maria's grandfather, who stormed in all of his glamor, striking a dignified pose as he entered.

"I need Maria, now," he announced abruptly. After a quick recovery, Kyoko responded.

"Of course, Your Grace. Maria, we'll finish this tomorrow. Make sure that you don't forget the reading that went with it, alright."

"Yes. What is it Grandpapa?" she asked as he whisked her hurriedly out the door.

"We're accompanying Her Majesty on an outing-"

The door slammed shut, almost as quickly as it had opened. There was an awkward silence for a few moments before Kyoko sighed and moved to put everything away. Kuon watched her as she cleaned up and called after her as she moved towards the door.

"Where are you off to?"

"The kitchen. Since I don't have anything else to do, I thought I might help them for a while."

"You really don't have to, you know."

"I know. But I still think that I should. It seems like a waste for me to just be sitting around."

"Talk with me?"

"Your Highness?"

"We never did finish our discussion yesterday."

"I-" How did she explain how badly she wanted to escape. How did she tell him that the room, so small when he first walked in, had shrunk even further when Maria and His Grace had left? How could she explain that every moment she was near him, the terror of being discovered always lurked in her mind? That there was another fear that she could not explain and did not understand. "I know we were interrupted, but I didn't think there was anything else…"

"Nothing terribly important. I did wonder what you thought of the ball, though. You went to it, right?"

"Oh, yes," Kyoko considered this for a moment, sitting down in her chair next to the desk. "I think… it was a nice event. It was certainly a chance to get to meet lots of new people. It was very grand," her voice became a bit wistful.

"Thank the Duke. He took over most of the preparations outside of the guests since Yukihito was crushed under the load of invitations and replies he had to sort through. And His Grace can never do anything small. Which was probably a good thing, in this case."

"It was magnificent. The music, and the people, and everything. I think it was an especially nice event for all of the common people. A once in a lifetime experience, and done in a very orderly manner, in spite of all the chaos." She smiled at him. "I don't think your father could out-do it."

There was a strangely warm feeling sitting in Kuon's chest right then. He doubted he had ever had kinder feelings towards any person than he did for this girl right now.

"So I did something right?"

"Something incredible."

Definitely best feeling he had ever had.

"If only the end results had been as successful," he murmured, turning to look out the window. He missed her sudden flush. "It would have been good, if I had made the right choice there."

"You're dissatisfied with yourself now?" she asked, pointing out that she should not understand what he was talking about. He surprised her with his answer.

"Oh, that's right, you wouldn't know. I suppose it couldn't hurt to tell you. My parents, the Duke, and Yukihito are the only ones who know about it. But you aren't the kind of person to talk about it."

"Your Highness, I really don't think you should-"

"It's fine. It isn't about them, after all."

"If… if you really think that you would like to."

"I do." He paused for a moment. "The truth is, after the ball, I decided to ask one of the girls that I had met to marry me. She… rejected me. Without any hesitation. Which was fair. I didn't really make her a flattering offer." His expression became distant.

"Do you… regret it?"

"I regret looking like a fool, but I deserved it since I was one. I just wish I knew what I should do at this point. I suppose I have my entire life left to find someone, fall in love, get married. I just don't know what to look for anymore."

"Why do you have to look right now?" Kuon chuckled darkly.

"In case it escaped your memory, I am a prince. One that someday will have to be a king, and spawn little princes of my own. And I'm the only child of my parents. It would be a great comfort to a lot of very stuffy people if I were to get leg shackled, regardless of my opinion of the matter."

"That… is difficult."

"I have to meet some very interesting expectations to be sure."

"But, your parents aren't forcing you to do anything, are they?"

"No. They're far too overindulgent for that. They never ask me for anything, if they can avoid it. But I haven't done anything as far as anyone can tell to show that I'm thinking about my responsibilities in the future."

"So you think that if you get married, your parents would be happy and everyone else will be more comfortable."

"Well, I don't think my parents will be happy unless they think that I am, but I'm not sure that that should be my biggest concern anymore. I respect my parents, but they haven't exactly shown any restraint when it came to trying to make me happy. And I'm not sure that I've been better for it, or that it has been better for the kingdom."

"Being king means you have to make sacrifices," she suggested.

"Yes."

"Then, it sounds like you've already figured out what you need to do." He stared at her.

"I… I suppose so."

"It makes sense that you would try and appease the people you've been worrying. That doesn't mean you shouldn't try your hardest to find someone to marry that you like, but if you need to compromise, then that's what you can do."

"And don't throw any more crazy balls."

"No. That probably wouldn't go over well. And you can't really marry anyone they wouldn't approve of either."

This time, he did catch her blush as she realized what she had said.

"That would probably be good idea," he conceded, choosing to ignore her embarrassment. "Which would be another good reason to not host any more crazy and suspicious balls."

"Y-yes."

"It is a pity though. I really don't think my parents will be satisfied if I don't love the girl I marry. And the Duke will definitely throw a tantrum. He's like that."

"So I've heard. Well, you still have time to find a girl that you can love," Kyoko pointed out.

"I guess. I don't know that it matters too much though."

"Doesn't it. Being with someone you really care about is very different than being with other people. Especially being with someone you're in love with."

"I wouldn't know," he confessed. "I've… never been in love before."

Kyoko stared.

"You've… never been in love before? Ever?"

"Not once," he replied as casually as he could, in spite of his embarrassment. What had possessed him to tell her this?

"That's impossible," she declared. "Everyone falls in love. Even you-"

She cut off suddenly, turning deep red. Kuon could not think of a good reply to this declaration, and wisely kept silent.

It was probably a good thing for both of them that the door slammed open again just then, this time admitting Yukihito.

"Kuon, what are you doing? I've been looking everywhere for you. His Majesty wants to see you since Queen Juliena is out for the afternoon. Why on earth are you-" he stopped suddenly as he noticed Kyoko, sitting flushed. "Oh. My apologies. I didn't realize you were busy…"

"Oh no," Kyoko insisted. "Not busy. I was just headed out. Your Highness, I'll leave you to see your father. I'm sorry for keeping you. Master Yukihito."

She made a quick escape and Yukihito watched her with interest.

"Should I ask what you were doing?" he questioned with a sly smile.

"Probably, since you seem to think I'm up to something indecent," Kuon retorted. "We were talking. Speaking, a rather large distance from each other, in case you didn't notice."

"Yes, well, things happen…"

"Please never, ever say that again. Particularly not in that disgustingly suggestive way with that horrible look on your face. It is beyond disturbing. And it isn't fair to Miss Kyoko."

"Well, I'll admit that you've been much more… restrained lately, but that hasn't stopped girls from falling madly in love with you for existing. And she certainly looked flustered."

"She isn't madly in love with me. We just accidentally stumbled upon a topic of conversation that wasn't to either of our taste."

"Did it involve her liking you?"

"No," Kuon growled. "I thought that you had worked with Kyoko before."

"I have."

"I wouldn't have known it," Kuon snorted.

"Well, she is more… sober than most of the girls that are around here. You know, I think she reminds me of someone."

"Really? Who?"

"I'm not sure."

"Well, let me know when you figure it out," Kuon told him as he exited the room ahead of Yukihito, off to pay respects to his father.

It turned out that the king actually did need Kuon to help him with some work. Queen Juliena had abandoned her husband in the middle of answering letters because she had forgotten to get a birthday gift for the young daughter of an old friend. Hence Maria had been whisked away to help and Kuu had been left to answer the remaining letters. Between him and Kuon, they were able to remember all of the people they were supposed to be writing to, and compose appropriate replies. Juliena returned to find both of her men sitting at a desk, nursing cramped fingers and cursing shopping in all of its various forms.

"Did you miss me?" she asked them, gliding into the room. Kuu pouted and held out his hand for inspection.

"You broke it," he complained. Juliena laughed and took his fingers, kissing each one.

"Better?"

"Much," he smiled.

"Should I get yours too, Kuon?" she asked. Her son shook his head.

"You have too jealous a husband. I might lose all my fingers, and then what would I do?" His parents laughed and his mother moved around the desk to give him a hug.

"I'd have to make you clothes that didn't have buttons," she told him, dropping a kiss on the top of his head. Kuon shuddered.

"Another wardrobe fitting? I think I'll keep my fingers as they are."

Hope that you liked it. Sorry again for the slow updates. Life has decided that it is not my best friend, and has stolen my time away in large chunks. I won't trouble you with the details. Suffice it to say that Will's and my schedule have been at odds, so our usual efficiency has been cut greatly. Maybe next week will be better... I hope. Although, Will stabbing through her finger with a needle probably wasn't a good sign.

Thanks again to all my reviewers, and to Will. Especially to Will. She has had a lot of stuff to read through this week, and so much of it was no good. Hopefully, the end result is worth it.