Bertrem stared at Tanya as she appeared in his bedroom within a soft glow of light. She looked dazed, and her eyes glazed over almost immediately as she collapsed on the floor. He bolted out of bed, rushing over to her as her body began to glow. By the time he reached her, she was a duck, lying unconscious on the floor. He tried desperately to tamp down his panic, and noticed that Fakir's leather belt was mixed in with her clothes. He snatched it and fumbled with the clasp, managing to get a pill out. With shaking hands, he put it inside her mouth, and watched her breathlessly.

After a few seconds, her body shone gold again and shifted back into the body of a young woman. Relief coursed over Bertrem as she slowly opened her eyes, blinking up at him. "Rem? Is it really you? Did I make it?"

The words surged through him. He swept her up into his arms, pressing his face into her neck. "Tan, it's me. Are you really here? I thought I'd never see you again." He squeezed her tighter as he said this, and the weight of that fear resounded through him. "How did you get here?" he asked wonderingly.

Her voice grazed over his ear as she replied in a dazed voice, "I'm not really sure. I tried to use the same power my dad has. I guess I can do it, too."

Bertrem laughed, a release of his amazement. "I always knew you were impressive."

Her head lolled forward onto his shoulder, making her chest press into him. He suddenly remembered that when she changed back to human, she didn't have her clothes on. Feeling his face flush, he tipped his head up to look at the ceiling. "Um, Tan, do you need any help putting on your clothes?"

She scrambled out of his grip, and he felt a moment of sorrow as her body left his arms. He immediately scolded himself as she muttered an apology and gathered her clothes. A minute later she mumbled, "You can look now."

He brought his head down to look at the pretty girl sitting in front of him, and was overcome again by the sheer fact of her presence. He dropped his head forward onto her shoulder and whispered, "Tan, are you really here? Really and truly?"

She stiffened. "Prince Bertrem, I'm not sure if we should be alone like this if you're engaged."

His head shot up, and he grabbed her hands in both of his in a desperate motion. "Tan, please don't start speaking to me formally again. I can't bear it. From anyone but you, Tan. Please, just talk to me like you always have."

"But if you are engaged to another woman, this isn't—"

"We aren't engaged!"

She stared at him blankly. "What did you say?"

Relieved that she wasn't trying to get away from him anymore, Bertrem rushed into an explanation. "I don't know where you got that idea from in the first place. There was some talk of an engagement between us, but nothing was ever finalized. And the day of my coming-of-age ceremony, after you...after you left, I straightened everything out with Berenguela." He felt Tanya's hands stiffen a little as he said the princess's name, and tightened his grip before continuing. "You see, she and I were never romantically involved at all. When I went to Castile a few years ago, I realized pretty quickly that she was in love with her guard, Alfonso." Tanya gasped a little, but he kept talking, desperate for her to know. "That's when the two of us became friends. We both were in love with someone who we thought we had no chance with, so we would often talk about those things when we were together, and eventually we became friends. I know she's a little bit hard to deal with, as you've seen, but she's really a nice person underneath. She just doesn't know how to express herself. And I feel like she was really hard on you because of that. She just wanted to make sure I wasn't going to get hurt, and had a hard time getting that across. Well, and I think part of it was she wanted to make Alfonso jealous by trying to imply that there was something between us."

Tanya was looking more confused by the second. "Rem, what are you talking about? What does that have to do with her being mean to me?"

Bertrem stared at her hard for a moment, gathering up his courage. "Tan, she was hard on you because she knew I was interested in you." Her blank look intensified, so he inched closer to her and looked searchingly into her face. "Tanya, I love you."

She gasped, and drew back a little. Bertrem's heart sank. She certainly didn't seem happy to hear his feelings. To distract himself from the dull ache spreading over him, he resumed his story. "Anyway, that last day you were here, I went and straightened everything out with Berenguela. I told her that both of us needed to stop pretending like we weren't in love with other people, or our parents were going to force us into an engagement that neither of us wanted. Last I knew, she was headed back to talk to her father about marrying Alfonso." Out of things to say, Bertrem sat back on his heels, trying not to look into Tanya's face, for fear of finding rejection there.

After a pause, he heard her quiet voice. "So...you aren't in love with the princess?"

"No, I'm not."

"And...you care about me?"

He looked back at her, steeling his will. "Yes. I love you."

A slow, radiant smile spread over her face, and to his alarm, tears began to fall down her cheeks. He reached a hand out to wipe them away as she cried out, "Oh, Rem, I love you too!"

His hand froze on her cheek as he stared at her. "You...what?"

Breaking out into joyous laughter, Tanya cried, "Oh, Rem, I love you, I love you!" She launched herself into his arms, and he caught her out of reflex, holding her body to his as she shook, either with tears or laughter.

He rested his cheek against her and said into her vibrant orange hair, "Really, Tan? I was so scared when you left me. I thought you hated me and wanted nothing to do with me anymore."

Her head, buried in his chest, shook back and forth. "I was devastated, because I thought the person I loved was getting married to someone else. I was trying to put on a brave face so you wouldn't see me cry. And, besides…" Her voice dropped down to a whisper. "I thought I'd never be able to see you again."

Bertrem clutched her tighter to him. "But you're amazing, and found a way to come see me. Tan, I'm so glad to see you again."

She laughed, and finally drew her face out of his chest. "And now that I'm here, I can stay with you forever!"

A warmth spread through him at her words, but it was followed quickly by a question. "But, Tan, what about your parents? Do they know you're here?"

She pouted at him, and he thought how adorable she looked, despite the severity of the situation. "No, they don't know where I am. And why should I tell them? My father tried to keep me from seeing you, and told me I can't practice the sword anymore. He was even talking about trying to marry me off to the baker's son!"

Bertrem's blood ran cold at her last sentence. He brushed a kiss against the top of her head absently as his brain focused on another issue. "Tan, if he told you that you can't have a sword, then what's that over there?" He had noticed the sword lying next to the leather pouch, but hadn't thought anything of it until now.

Her face turned red, but she lifted her chin and glared at him triumphantly. "It's my father's sword. He's had it in his closet for years and never used it. I knew he wouldn't miss it, so I brought it with me. As long as I'm breaking away, I might as well do it whole-heartedly!"

"Tan, that isn't a good idea. You have no idea where that sword came from, or what importance it has to your father, or even if it's safe to own! And besides that, you can't just—" He stopped talking as he noticed that Tanya's eyes were starting to glaze over again. "Are you all right? Do you feel anything strange?"

With an unfocused gaze, her eyes met his. "Now that you mention it, I do feel a little…" She swayed, then toppled over. He managed to catch her before she hit the floor, but her body glowed a bright gold, and a moment later he was holding a small yellow duck in his arms.

Frantically, he reached for the pouch and opened it. Inside there was just one more pill. Grabbing it, he placed it in Tanya's mouth and waited for it to take effect. Several agonizing seconds later he was once again holding a naked girl. He waited until she opened her eyes, then cleared his throat as he helped her sit up. Turning his back, he waited for her to get dressed, but couldn't help expressing his concerns.

"Tan, that was the last pill you had, and it seems like your power is draining pretty quickly here. It's probably because you came here by yourself and your body isn't used to doing this. Pretty soon, you'll change into a duck again, and we'll have no way to contact your father." Panic began to mount inside of him. "What if by the time he finds you, it's too late, and you're stuck being a duck? What if he never figures out where you are?"

A hand tapped his shoulder gently, and he turned around. "Rem, calm down. It's not that bad. I'll figure out some way to deal with it."

His anxiety frothed over. "How? How are you possibly going to deal with this? There's only one way to reverse the transformation." He stopped, as an old memory came to him. "Or...perhaps there is another way…"

She looked at him suspiciously. "Rem, what do you mean another way? What are you thinking?"

Quickly, he stood up and pulled her to her feet along with him. "Nothing, Tan. At any rate, we should get to bed. I'm sure you're tired, and that's probably affecting how quickly your body is changing. We should try to sleep." He pulled her over to his bed and sat on it, then looked up questioningly at her.

She paused, then answered his question by sitting down next to him. He smiled in relief as he moved to the other side of the bed to make room for her. "I won't do anything to you tonight. I just want you to rest."

He adjusted himself under the covers and felt her climb in next to him, positioning her body so it was close to him. She whispered, "But what if I wanted you to do something?"

An electric charge ran through his body, and he turned on his side to look at her. With a start he saw that her face was very close to his. Close enough, in fact, to…

Bertrem rested his hand gently on the side of her face, and shifted his head forward slightly, pressing his lips softly into hers. For the space of a few breaths, he held this position, enjoying her softness. Then he forced himself to pull back, relishing the wide-eyed look on her face. He couldn't help himself, and brushed another quick kiss onto her lips before whispering, "There. Now go to sleep."

Despite her apparent shock over being kissed, it didn't take Tanya long to drop off to sleep, and soon she was breathing slowly and evenly next to him.

Bertrem, however, knew he couldn't sleep. Trying his best not to wake Tanya, he slid out of bed and threw on a dressing robe before slipping quietly out of his chambers.

He wasn't entirely sure where he was going, but he had a hunch, and headed to the royal treasury. The guards looked surprised to see him there late in the night, but they allowed him inside without any problems. He strode quickly to a small door set in the back of the vault and opened it, praying that what he was looking for was still kept in here. As the door swung open, the light from the main chamber glinted off of a thin blade. He breathed a sigh of relief, and reached in, pulling out a long, silver sword, decorated with twin swans on the hilt. Years ago, his father had brought him here and explained that this sword was a treasure of the kingdom, and something that could be used to protect it as a last resort, although it came at a terrible price. Staring at it, Bertrem gripped the handle tightly. He knew from his father's stories that this sword also had another use.

Decisively, he turned around and strode out of the vault, not even pausing to acknowledge the guards as he went. He didn't allow himself to think at all until he was back in his chambers, standing in his darkened bedroom.

He had to allow his eyes to adjust to the darkness of the room, but when they did, he saw that his bed looked strangely empty. With his heart in his throat, he walked over and drew back the covers. Sure enough, there was Tanya, in duck form, fast asleep.

The sight only strengthened his resolve. This was obviously the only way, and the only thing that he could do for this girl that he loved so much. Taking a step backwards so as not to injure Tanya, he reversed his grip on the sword, pointing it at himself. He rested the tip on his chest, trying to reason through what he was going to do. His father had said that the sword could be used as a sealing device, but the cost was shattering the user's heart. Since he wasn't trying to seal anything, surely he didn't need to shatter his entire heart. If he was careful, he could get a small shard, like the one of his father's heart that had turned Tanya's mother human. He shut his eyes and whispered to the sword, "Please, take whatever you want from me, just let her be all right."

With a deep, steadying breath, he pressed the sword's tip into his chest.

As it went in, he felt a searing pain, and nearly cried out. When he looked down, however, there was no blood, and the sword itself was emitting a faint silver glow. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he pushed it in further, and grimaced as he felt it reach his heart. He was nearly there. This was the moment where he had to be careful. Gingerly, he pushed the sword a bit further.

He felt the moment when a piece of his heart snapped, as if one of his digits was being ripped from him. His knees buckled from the sensation, but he managed to stay upright, although his vision swam. Gingerly, he withdrew the sword, and with it came a small, red shard that looked like a piece of a crystal. It emitted a soft scarlet light, and as he caught it in his hand, it even felt warm. He stared at it for a second in wonder before catching himself. This was no time to be distracted. Who knew how much longer Tanya would hold out?

Setting the sword on the ground, he knelt on the bed over the small duck, holding the shard of his heart in his cupped hands. As he gazed at her prone form, Bertrem realized that he didn't really know how to give her the heart shard. He had assumed that it would act on its own. He lowered his hands down and uncertainly laid it upon Tanya's chest.

For a moment nothing happened, and the heart shard simply sat on her downy breast. Then, ever so slowly, it began to sink into her, until it disappeared with a flash of light. Bertrem shielded his eyes against it with his arm. When he looked back, there she was, lying on his bed, fully human. With a trembling hand, he reached out to touch her face. As he rested his hand on her cheek, she opened her eyes. "Rem? What happened?" She sat up groggily.

A noise close to a sob sprang from his throat, and he jerked her into his arms roughly, burying his face into her hair. "Thank goodness," he whispered.

Her voice, thick with sleep, asked in his ear, "Rem, what is it? You're scaring me."

It occurred to him that he didn't really know for sure if the heart shard had worked. What if it was only a temporary fix like the pills? He decided he should wait until morning to see if she was still human before letting her know what he had done. He drew back from her and pushed her down gently onto the bed by her shoulders, tucking her under the covers. "Nothing, Tan. Go back to sleep. I'm sorry I woke you. I just...I had a bad dream, that's all." He climbed onto the bed next to her and was about to get under the covers as well until he remembered that she hadn't been wearing anything. Instead, he settled his body next to hers on top of the bed, propping his head on an elbow so he could watch her. She looked back at him with sleepy eyes, seeming all too ready to go back to sleep despite the worry on her face. He smiled at her reassuringly and stroked her hair. "Go to sleep," he soothed, and her eyes fell shut. Bertrem, however, laid awake watching her for a long time, fighting against sleep with his need to watch over her.

It felt like he blinked, and suddenly the room was flooded with morning light. He sat up swiftly, hand automatically reaching to the bed next to him for Tanya. His hand met her shoulder, and he saw her peacefully sleeping face. His movements had disturbed her, however, and her eyes cracked open. He had never been so happy to see her clear green gaze.

She sat up slowly and stretched languidly. When she was done, she looked down at herself, and noticed that she was naked. Blushing, she clutched the blankets to her chest, then gave Bertrem a sheepish smile. "Well, it looks like I'm still human today. I guess that pill is still working? Either that, or my body is getting used to this."

His chest felt tight. He had to tell her the truth now that he knew the change was likely permanent. "Well, actually...I think I know what happened."

Tanya looked at him suspiciously. "What do you mean?"

"Last night...you turned into a duck in your sleep. I knew I had to do something about it. We couldn't just wait around and hope that your father showed up. So I remembered what my father had said about your mother, about how she became a human because of his heart shard. And I remembered when a few years ago, he showed me a sword in the treasury that he said had the power to seal an enemy, at the cost of shattering the heart of the one who wielded it, and I put them together." A horrified look was growing on Tanya's face, but he continued talking. "I went last night and got it, and came back here, and...well, I'm sure you can guess the rest."

Her grip on the blanket loosened a little as she stared down at her chest, then back up at him with dismay. "You mean...Rem...oh, Rem, you didn't…"

He returned her look firmly. "And why shouldn't I have? Tanya, you're the most important thing in the world to me. What good is having a heart if the one it belongs to isn't with me?"

"Rem…" Her eyes filled with tears, and she leaned forward into his chest. His arms wrapped around her naturally as she whispered, "Does it hurt?"

"No." He reasoned with himself that it wasn't a lie, because it certainly didn't hurt anymore.

"Do you feel all right?"

"Yes, I feel fine. What about you? Anything unusual?"

"No, I feel...whole, somehow. As if I've been missing something." She lifted her face off his chest and smiled shakily. "I suppose if you're fine, then...Rem, thank you so much." She tipped her head upward, and he responded, leaning down to kiss her gently.

Just as he was considering deepening the kiss, the door to his room burst open. Startled, he hugged Tanya protectively to his chest as he turned towards the intrusion. To his horror, he saw both of their fathers standing in the doorway.