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

"I beg your pardon?" Kyoko asked the innkeeper.

"I said I'm very sorry, miss, but we only have one bed left. Busy season, ya know." She gave a helpless little shrug. This young woman was strangely insistent on not sharing a bed with her handsome young companion. The innkeeper thought that she was a little too insistent.

"We'll take it," Kuon said, talking over Kyoko's protests and sliding the innkeeper a few silver coins — far more than the cost of the room. "Is there a way to take a hot bath?"

The woman tucked the coins away with impressive speed. "Of course, sir! The baths are right down the hall from your room."

Kuon finished the transaction and headed in the direction the woman pointed, ignoring the way Kyoko was muttering to herself about getting the bedroll from their pack so she could sleep on the floor. That wasn't going to happen, not if he had a say in it. But first, a bath.

Once they were both clean (and Kyoko had scouted out every inch of the inn), they found themselves arguing again. This time over the bed, instead of a bedroll.

"There's no reason for us to share a bed when we have a perfectly serviceable bedroll!" Kyoko argued. "It wouldn't be proper!"

"And it wouldn't be proper for me to let a lady sleep on the floor when I have the bed."

"Ribbit," offered Sir Hoppington from his tank. Kyoko had caught some lovely bugs for him when she was scouting. "Roob-rib."

Kyoko turned red and rounded on the knight. "You stay out of this!"

"No, I agree with him," Kuon said, having exactly no idea of what the frog had said. "So you're outnumbered. We're sharing."

Her hands balled into fists and her face turned even redder, but she mumbled, "Fine."

Kuon, frankly impressed that that had worked, just crawled into bed. He opted for the side against the wall, correctly assuming that Kyoko would want to be able to get out more easily for tactical reasons. After barricading the door with everything she could find, Kyoko finally came to bed. She grabbed the stuffed rooster she'd won him, Bo, and placed it next to him before sliding in next to him. The rooster served as something of a barrier. Kuon let it slide. She seemed much more embarrassed about sharing a bed than she ever had about sharing a bedroll.

Besides, he knew from experience that once asleep, Kyoko would cuddle up with him. He just wished that she would do so when awake — for more than simple body heat.

He had to resist pressing a kiss to the back of her head as she got comfortable with her back to him. "Goodnight, Kyoko."

She couldn't risk anyone realizing he was the prince, so using his title was out. Still, her face burned as she whispered back, "Goodnight, Kuon."

LINE BREAK

True to form, Kuon woke up partway through the night with Kyoko cuddled up against him. One arm cradled Bo to her chest (he was deeply envious), and the other was gripping his tunic. One of his arms served as her pillow (it was asleep, but he could not bring himself to move her). He used the other to pull her closer.

She mumbled something then, smushing her face against him. He stilled. What had she just said? Did she say his name? Or was she just dreaming about the corn maze? He had never wished so desperately to be able to see into someone's dreams.

But he couldn't, so he just let himself believe that when she smiled against his skin, she was dreaming of him.

LINE BREAK

Kyoko woke up as the first rays of sunlight began to creep through the window, peeking around the shutters to greet her. She smiled without quite opening her eyes. It was so nice to sleep in a real bed after so many nights camping out. She was just so cozy. She settled deeper into the warmth surrounding her, wishing to return to unconsciousness. She'd been having such a lovely dream….

Then her pillow sneezed.

Kyoko shot up, instantly on the defensive — until she realized who her pillow was.

Right.

"Sorry," Kuon said sheepishly. "I didn't mean to wake you."

She slid out of bed and went to check on Sir Hoppington. He was still snoozing in his tank. "It's okay. As your bodyguard, I should have been up first."

For some reason, that stung. Maybe it was just because she hadn't mentioned her role in so long. Maybe it was how casually she left his arms. Or maybe it was the shattering of the illusion he'd had, just for those few moments before he sneezed, that she'd wanted to stay in his arms.

Kyoko bustled around the room, efficiently packing up their things. "So, where to next?"

"What?" he asked, sitting up with Bo the stuffed rooster in his arms.

"Where to next?" she repeated, turning to look at him. "You know, to look for your True Love. The Forest led us here, but you didn't seem to feel the spark with anyone yesterday. So where should we go next?"

"I don't even really know where we are," he admitted. "But I had been thinking… what if we just went home?"

She looked affronted. "But we haven't found your True Love yet!"

I found her before we left the palace. "Well, I was just thinking — isn't it dangerous to travel in the winter?" When her expression softened into a thoughtful one, he pressed on, "Especially for Sir Hoppington. He's cold-blooded."

"That's… true." Besides, it's not like she could ignore the wishes of royalty. She started rooting around in their bags and eventually pulled out a map. "I'll be right back. Do not leave this room." She disappeared through the door, making sure to lock it behind her.

"Ribbit," Sir Hoppington commented. As a knight, he couldn't really protest when his monarch used him as an excuse. "Croaaak-rib." As a frog, however, he absolutely could.

Kuon just played with the plush rooster's comb. He wasn't going to apologize. He genuinely didn't think it was safe for Sir Hoppington to be traveling with them in the cold. And as a prince, he had to protect all of his subjects, even the four-legged ones.

"Okay!" Kyoko clambered in through the window of the room, startling Kuon. "I figured out where we are." She spread out the map on their floor and pointed.

Honestly, at this point, he was just amused. "Didn't you leave through the door?"

"Yes. Anyway, it looks like the quickest, safest route back to the capital is by sea. So I figured we'd head down to port," she pointed to a town maybe half a day's travel from their location, "and find a ship heading to the capital."

"Ribbit!"

"Right, of course." Kyoko lifted Sir Hoppington out of his tank and set him down on the map, where he sat like a mountain range.

Kuon watched, smitten as ever, as Kyoko held an in-depth conversation with the frog about the best type of ship to choose. Kyoko favored smaller vessels, as they were more maneuverable, but Sir Hoppington argued that something larger would be more appropriate for transporting a prince — besides, they did have a pack horse that needed to be cared for during the trip (even if the story forgot about it most of the time).

"Rib-roob!" He patted the map with a mucousy foot for emphasis.

"That's fair," Kyoko conceded. "But it'll really depend on what types of ships are even heading to the capital."

"Ribbit." He puffed up. "Roooooob."

"You're right, we should get going, then." She scooped him up and deposited him back in his tank, then wiped his mucous off of the map. Glancing up at Kuon, she asked, "Are you ready?"

"Ah — yeah." He hurried out of bed and into his traveling clothes. "Let's go."

They had a quick breakfast downstairs, and then they had their usual squabble about who should carry the packs down to the horse (and wound up both carrying some). With the oft-forgotten pack horse ready and Sir Hoppington snugly tucked away in his tank, they set off down the road.

LINE BREAK

Their trip to the port town was uneventful. They didn't encounter any other travelers (most of them presumably hungover from the harvest festival), and the weather was pleasant. Kuon spent the walk just enjoying his beloved's presence. Kyoko spent it on constant vigilance. Sir Hoppington spent it on a nap.

The port town was bustling with activity. The sea never slept, not even the day after a harvest festival, and so neither did her admirers. Seafolk of all kinds called to each other and heaved heavy-looking parcels on and off of ships. The salt in the air stung and refreshed Kuon at the same time. He turned to comment on this to Kyoko.

Kyoko, who was gazing out at the vast sea in utter awe. Her golden eyes sparkled in the sunlight, made even more obvious by how wide they were. The salty breeze played through her hair, making it dance. Her mouth was slightly open, her soft pink lips looking extra kissable. He could just —

"Ribbit?" Sir Hoppington asked, before Kuon could do something he might regret.

"Oh!" Kyoko said, snapping out of her daze. She shifted Sir Hoppington's container around and unzipped it. He hopped out onto her waiting hand so that he, too, could enjoy the view. Kuon went back to doing just that, admiring his beloved until —

"Omigod, Kyoko?"

Kyoko turned, frog still in hand, and her face lit up. "Chiori!" She handed Sir Hoppington to Kuon and went to hug the girl whom she apparently knew.

Kuon looked over the intruder with a critical eye. She was around Kyoko's height, and was dressed in leggings, a flowy white top, and a leather vest with many pockets. She also had a sword strapped to her hip in a scabbard. He glanced down at Sir Hoppington, who looked back up at him blandly. "Croak."

"So, who's tall, dark, and handsome here?" Chiori asked, when she extricated herself from Kyoko's death-grip hug.

"This is Sir Hoppington," Kuon offered, holding up the frog.

Sir Hoppington gave a small bow of introduction. "Rib-rib."

Chiori grinned. "Neat. Who're you?"

"Oh, this is Kuon!" Kyoko said. His name rolled off her tongue so naturally that Kuon almost missed it.

Kuon extended a hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you…?"

"Chiori," she replied, giving his hand a startlingly firm shake. She had calluses on her hands just like Kyoko's. She let go of his hand and turned back to Kyoko. "What brings you out this way?"

"Oh, we're looking for his True Love!" Saying that didn't hurt at all, nope, not even a little bit.

Kuon subtly pointed at Kyoko. Chiori's eyes caught the motion and her grin grew wider. "Yeah? How's that going?"

Kyoko's smile fell. "Not great."

"Aww, cheer up. You'll find her eventually." She rested her hand on the pommel of her sword in a casual motion. "Where are you thinking of looking next?"

"Actually, we're heading back to the capital, so we're not on the road during winter." Kyoko gestured at the port. "We just need to find a boat heading that way."

"Well, you're in luck!" She pointed to a medium-sized boat halfway down the port. "That one's mine. You can sail with us."

"Really?" Kyoko's eyes sparkled. Sir Hoppington shot out his tongue and caught one. Tasty.

"Oh, definitely. I still owe you from the academy."

Kuon's ears perked up at this. "You went to LME?"

She looked off to the side, embarrassed. "Well… sort of. I dropped out. Wanted to find more practical applications for my studies, you know?"

"Sure," he lied. "So that's how you became friends? You were in the same classes?"

"Yup! She pushed me down the stairs, I blackmailed her, and we've been friends ever since!" Kyoko said cheerfully, taking the sleepy-looking Sir Hoppington from Kuon's hand and settling him back in his tank.

"She pushed you down the stairs?" He cut a sharp look at the girl who, to him, was suddenly seeming a little too friendly and helpful.

"Yes, and I blackmailed her. Pay attention." She tugged on his arm, moving him out of the way of a seagull's droppings as they fell from the sky.

"Good times. Well, not really. But after the blackmail, it was fun. How's Kanae?" Chiori started leading them towards her ship.

"Moko's wonderful! She's known as the Archive now, and —" Kyoko was off, rambling about one of her favorite subjects in the world. She looped an arm through Kuon's to drag him along towards the ship.

Kuon let himself be led, just enjoying the slide of her arm against his.