Co-written with miss mika namariya! We own nothing!

When they woke up, they found that a faerie ring had sprouted overnight around them in a perfect circle of little white mushrooms. Technically it had grown around Kyoko, but since they were sharing a bedroll, it was an immaterial difference. Kuon eyed the circle nervously.

"Er," he said, clearing his throat. "Are we allowed to cross it?"

"Of course," Kyko replied. "Just don't break any of the— Hey! Stop that!"

The guard was yelling at the gang of weasels that was busily sifting through their food supply.

The weasel family looked a little miffed. The largest one cocked its head, as if thinking. It was clear that the large, mundane two-legger was no threat, if it was sleeping in the same strange human den as the changeling. Which meant the two were a pair. And since Kyoko was one of them, everything that belonged to her also belonged to the rest of the forest creatures.

The weasel chirped, then almost seemed to shrug as it continued digging through their pack. Sir Hoppington let out a loud croooooooak! of disapproval.

Kyoko fought to untangle herself from Kuon and the blankets. Really, this was terrible from a tactical standpoint. Kuon's cheeks reddened and he sputtered incoherently when Kyoko planted her hand solidly on his chest, her skin warm against his own through the open neck of his nightshirt, and shoved herself up and away. She gave them all a good scolding about asking permission first and not just helping themselves to any two-legger's packs (as though she was just any old two-legger) and proper behavior around royalty. The Prince could have sworn that one of the larger weasels rolled its eyes as it stared up at the girl, pretending to listen while the smallest weasel kit continued to steal hazelnuts and a whole biscuit out of the supply pack, before they all unceremoniously scampered off into the bushes.

"Honestly," Kyoko said, slightly embarrassed. "Sorry about that— they're normally better behaved, but I suppose I shouldn't begrudge them, it is only fair after all…" she trailed off, as if waiting for Kuon to comment. But the Prince, while a smart and generally well-informed person, hadn't the faintest shred of an idea about proper etiquette between fae-changelings in a wild forest and said forest's inhabitants. Such matters were much better left to Kyoko, and he didn't want to embarrass himself in front of her by admitting that he hadn't a clue as to what the proper behavior was. He settled for keeping his mouth shut and giving (what he hoped was) a dignified, Princely nod.

After they packed up camp, they continued winding their way through the forest. There wasn't exactly a path, of course, but Kuon didn't bother asking where they were going. It was pretty clear to him that Kyoko was letting the forest decide their way, and as long as she was happy, he was perfectly fine with wherever they were headed.

The trees began to change over the course of the morning. The overhead canopy of great conifers was slowly giving way to golden elm trees and sturdy, towering oaks that were already turning a gorgeous russet brown that Kuon's lovesick brain couldn't help comparing to Kyoko's glowing golden eyes. The sumptuous colors of autumn had nothing on the shining copper of Kyoko's hair— wait, autumn?

He came to a dead stop, making Kyoko turn around and look at him curiously. Normally, he would have answered her questioning look, but he was too deep in his own head. It wasn't until she tapped his face gently with one of her small, calloused hands that he found his ability to speak again.

"How - how long have we been in here?" he managed.

"I don't know." Kyoko shrugged. "Time passes differently in Wild Forests."

"But it's autumn." When she remained unfazed, he continued, "It was summer when we entered the forest. Early summer."

"Yeah, we're lucky! It's not winter yet." She turned and started walking. When he didn't follow, she returned and looped her arm around his to tug him along. "So we should keep going."

"Where are we going?" he dared to ask.

Again, she shrugged, making her arm slide along his. "Wherever the forest thinks we need to go."

Kuon walked beside her in silence, letting himself be distracted by how warm and soft the skin of her arm was against his. He wasn't going to think about it, he decided. Kyoko was fine with it, and Sir Hoppington was peacefully snoozing in his travel tank. So as long as they weren't worried about it, he wouldn't be either.

The trees started to thin as the day wore on, and the forest eventually spit them out onto a well-trodden dirt path. Kyoko took this as her cue to let go of Kuon (much to his sorrow), lest they come across his True Love and she take their contact the wrong way. Sir Hoppington let out a sleepy croak of disapproval. Their pack horse, which only exists when the story remembers that it's there, whinnied in relief to not have to weave through trees anymore.

Slowly, the trees turned to freshly-harvested fields, and then into a town. A strangely empty town. Kyoko was immediately on the defensive.

"Where is everyone?"

"Ribbit-rib."

"Oh!" Sir Hoppington had pointed out an elderly woman who had just emerged from a home behind them. Kyoko turned around and greeted her. "Hello!"

Before the woman could reply, Kuon asked, "What year is it?" The woman chuckled and told him. He breathed a sigh of relief. It was the same year as when they'd left.

"In the Forest, were you?"

Kyoko nodded enthusiastically. This was a great sign! A wise old village woman - those were always helpful in fairy tales! She was sure to lead them to the prince's True Love! "Yes! And we were wondering, where is everyone?"

She smiled, making the wrinkles on her face more pronounced. "Why, preparing for the harvest festival, of course!"

LINE BREAK

The harvest festival turned out to be part county fair, part harvest celebration, and part carnival. It was apparently quite the destination, judging from the numerous carts and horses that were gathered around the edge of the field. Young couples were dressed in their best, strolling around between the stalls arm-in-arm and occasionally sneaking off into the haystacks. Kuon did his best to blend into the crowd, with marginal success. Nobody recognized him as prince of the realm, but he was simply too tall and too handsome to go unnoticed. Nearly every woman between eight and eighty— regardless of their own companion—couldn't help but sigh wistfully as he walked by, which caused a great deal of grumbling and general discontent from the young men present. They would follow the gaze of the woman on their own arm and glare at Kuon resentfully.

"Er, let's go this way," the prince said. He grabbed Kyoko's hand in what he hoped was a natural, definitely-not-over-thought motion and steered them away from the majority of the crowd.

"But everyone's over there," Kyoko protested slightly, looking over her shoulder. "Your True Love could be there!"

"No, I don't think so," he said firmly, trying to ignore the hostile looks from everyone around them. "Besides, I really want—" Kuon pointed randomly down a row of stalls. Kyoko's gaze followed his hand.

"Alright," the guard said dubiously. She wasn't exactly sure what the prince wanted with a giant stuffed rooster toy that was clearly meant for children, but it wasn't her place to question royalty.

"Er, actually," Kuon amended, seeing the object. But it was too late. The guard was already gone.

Said rooster toy, which on closer inspection seemed to be some sort of animal of local fame, was sitting on the top shelf of a wall of prizes behind a counter. Kyoko was already forking over two coppers to the stall owner, who pocketed the money with a smile and handed the young lady a miniature bow and three arrows, gesturing to the row of small targets set up.

To be fair to the stall owner— let's call him Gregory— the petite bodyguard did not look particularly strong or intimidating. And also, he did not know she was a bodyguard, which again, to be fair, was a bit of an unusual occupation for a teenage girl. So if Gregory was looking at the young woman and mentally banking on her needing at least three more tries, it was a somewhat understandable thought. Unfortunately for our pal Greg, Kyoko confidently drew the bow and shot three perfect bullseyes in the span of a second. The arrows were buried so deep in the target that he couldn't yank them out. Grumbling, he handed over the toy rooster to a beaming Kyoko, who promptly handed it to Kuon.

"Anything else?" Kyoko asked, in the same helpful tone she used in the palace.

It was not long before Kyoko was getting just as many (if not more) dirty looks from the game stall owners than Kuon had received before from the village youths. If the prince looked at anything for half a second, Kyoko offered to get it for him. Kuon didn't really want any of the prizes, but there was something captivating about watching Kyoko expertly throw darts and toss rings and scoop up fish with a tiny paper cup. A group of village children came over to watch, amazed by the bodyguard's talents. Then the bravest of them, a little girl who must have been about Maria's age, tugged on Kyoko's sleeve. The bodyguard crouched down to eye level, and the girl pointed at a stuffed bear prize on the top shelf.

"You want that one?" Kyoko asked. The little girl nodded. "Okay."

The carnival stall owners looked like they were ready to riot as the children queued up, waiting for their turn to ask the bodyguard to win them whatever prize they wanted. Of course, nobody wanted to be the miser that denied some cute kid a toy, but they all had kids of their own to feed. Thankfully, Kuon was there to slip a few gold coins to each of the vendors, which mollified them, although they all heaved a grateful sigh when Kyoko steered Kuon away in search of something to eat.

After they had been fed and watered, Kuon pointed towards the corn maze. "Aren't mazes and other puzzles a big motif in fairy tales?"

"You're right!" Kyoko lit up, glad that the prince was finally, finally taking some initiative in the search for his own True Love.

Kuon, who totally had not been looking for an excuse to hold her hand "so they didn't get separated," nodded along. He also had totally not been looking for a way to evade the increasingly large number of glares they were getting from the townsfolk. Glares, and lustful stares. Not all of which were aimed at him. He had to agree that seeing Kyoko ace all those games was sexy, but we can't really blame the guy for being jealous. Well… we can. But should we?

Sir Hoppington, who was very grateful that none of the small children had noticed him in his travel pack, let out a ribbit of approval. A corn maze sounded like a great idea. He would be safe from small two-leggers and their grabby, grubby hands in there.

To Kuon's utter delight, as soon as they were in amongst the ears, Kyoko took his hand of her own accord. "Don't get lost," she said, looking up at him in that serious way of hers that always made him want to kiss her. Instead, he just nodded.

Sir Hoppington ribbited in approval, and they set off into the maze.

There was something oddly calming about being surrounded by corn. It was almost like they were in their own little starch-filled world. Just them, Sir Hoppington, and the rustling ears. Her hand was as warm in his as the autumn sun was on his skin. Kuon couldn't remember the last time he had felt so at peace.

"You know," Kyoko said, breaking the silence, "the first time I heard your name, I thought it was Corn."

He couldn't help but chuckle. "How old were you?"

"Six, maybe seven. I'd just started studying under Duke Takarada. One of the first courses we study at the academy is etiquette." She cut a sly, almost teasing look at him. His heart skipped a beat. "The duke used you as a bad example."

Despite himself, he grinned. "I bet he did."

She had to look away from him - the sun was in her eyes, that was why. It wasn't his smile that was too bright. "I remember a story about a spoon, some stew, and an attempted food fight."

"The chef never forgave me for that."

She turned to gape. "Is that why he glares at you every time you're in the kitchen? I thought it was just because you don't like food!"

He shrugged. "Maybe it's both."

She had just shut, then opened her mouth again to reply, when she heard a rustle. Instantly, she was back in guard mode. She whipped around, the hand that wasn't holding his bearing a dagger that hadn't been there moments before. Her eyes scanned the corn, waiting for any movement that would indicate an enemy. Really, she shouldn't have let him come in here. They were too vulnerable, there was such poor visibility; anyone could come at them -

"BOO!"

Anyone, like someone holding an obviously fake sword and wearing a duck mask. They just stared at each other for a moment, Kyoko gripping her dagger. Why hadn't her team attacked? There must not be any real danger.

"Uh, this is where you scream?" the duck prompted. "Y'know, because it's a spooky haunted corn maze?" When the duo just exchanged a look, the duck huffed. "I told Lou that ducks weren't as scary as geese. Just keep going." With a rustle, they disappeared back into the corn.

"Ribbit."

That was all it took for the two-leggers to dissolve into laughter.

"What I'd like to know," Kuon choked out between guffaws, "is what's haunted about a duck."

Kyoko wiped tears from her eyes and did her best to keep a straight face. "Didn't you know? They're some of the most haunted birds in the animal kingdom! There's even a children's game about it."

"Really?"

"Yes! Haven't you ever heard of duck, duck," she mimed tapping heads, "ghost?"

Let it be to her credit that she kept a straight face for all of ten seconds before dissolving into laughter over her own pun.

Kuon watched her with a stupid grin on his face. That was awful. I'm so glad I'm in love with her.

The rest of the corn maze had pretty typical costumes - sheet ghosts, people with fake arrows in them, the works - and Kyoko was on the defensive for each and every one. It was a relief when they found the exit. Kuon, for his part, was only sad when she released his hand.

Kyoko stretched (Kuon did not stare, nope, not at all). "Should we find an inn?"

"Sure," he said, but he felt a pang of loss. At an inn, there would be no reason for them to share a bedroll. As excited as he was to sleep in a real bed, he didn't know if he would sleep as soundly as he had with Kyoko in his arms. But, he told himself, this was always going to end. At least until the next time they were on the road.

So the two of them set off down the path to the inn, ready to turn in for the night. On the way, they gave away most of the prizes Kyoko had won to the local children.

Except the rooster. They kept him, and named him Bo.

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