Disclaimer: dit-to.

Rule #3: Stop daydreaming, you have a family to serve.

Mush couldn't have helped it if he had wanted to.

He fell asleep in the orchard. He blamed Blink for it. If he hadn't had to entertain company until the wee hours of the morning, he would have gotten a decent night's sleep.

He had told himself he'd only take a quick nap, let his eyes rest momentarily so that he could see straight. One thing led to another and…

His father had stolen a boat.

"I didn't steal it," the old man said. "I borrowed it. There's a huge difference between those words and if you want to get anywhere in life, you're going to have to remember that."

The boat was floating down the creek; Mush sat on one side, his father on the other. "Do you still have that wooden horse I gave you?"

"Of course father."

"Good. I think that it's time you found the other half."

"I can't. I don't know where to even begin looking. There are so many places it could be."

"Where does your heart tell you to go?"

Mush hung his head. "That's the problem, father. I don't know."

"You will, son. You will."

"Can't you just tell me?"

"I wish I could, but for now it's time to wake up."

"What? No. Father I—"

"Mush!"

Mush sat up and looked around. In the distance he saw his stepbrothers running frantically toward him.

Something must be wrong.

His brothers never ran, nor did they leave house.

Mush stood up, brushed the dirt off his shorts and stared as the boys halted in front of him. Oscar was wheezing so Morris grabbed a piece of paper out of his brother's hand and shoved it at Mush.

"A ball!"

"What?" Mush looked down at the paper in his hand. A ball. Thrown in honor of the prince's twentieth birthday.

"He's going to choose a bride," Morris continued.

"What does this have to do with you two?"

Morris and Oscar looked at one another and then at Mush. "We need your help," Oscar supplied.

"Mother wants you to make our dresses."

"Have you two forgotten that you're my brothers?"

"No no, not at all. Mush, all we need to do is get the Prince to fall in love with one of us, marry us, and then we'll take his money and skip town," explained Oscar.

"Which means," said Morris, "that Oscar and I need to be the best looking girls there."

"Except for, you're boys."

"A detail. Really, the prince doesn't know that."

"But he will!"

"Mom said you have to help us."

"Fine, I'll help you just…leave me alone."

Morris and Oscar slapped each other high fives and then ran back toward the house.

Mush had made up his mind.

Packing was easier and quicker than Mush had planned it would be. The only possession he had other than the clothes on his back, was the wooden half-horse, and that was light and small.

He placed it gently on top of the food he had shoved into a potato sack, and slung the sack over his shoulder.

He had no idea where he was going, only that he was going, and no one was going to stop him.

He reached for the handle on the door just as a knock came from the other side.

Who in the world could that be?

He pulled it pen and peered out. Grinning back at him, white teeth blaringly bright in the moonlight, was Blink.

"Miss me?" he asked pushing past Mush.

"It's only been a few hours," Mush pointed out.

"I missed you," Blink pouted.

Mush laughed out loud. "You can't stay here, Blink."

"Why not? This is my new sanctuary."

"Because I'm not staying here."

"What? Where are you going?" Blink suddenly noticed the sack in Mush's hand and stared at Mush expectantly.

"I have to find…" he trailed off.

"What? What do you have to find?"

"Its stupid really. Just…" Mush sighed.

"Mush, tell me. If it's important to you then it's not stupid."

"It's…" Mush reached into his sack and pulled out the half-horse. He pushed it into Blink's hand and then waited for a reaction.

"I don't understand."

"My family, my real family, has the other half, Blink. I need to find it. I can't stay here anymore. Here I'm…I need…I just have to go, alright?"

"Alright." Blink handed the horse back to Mush. "I'm coming with you."

"You can't, Blink. I don't really know where I'm going, and I…it could be dangerous."

"I like danger."

"What if…what if you died?"

"I welcome death. In fact, there are times I wish for it."

"But I…you…we…what if we get lost?"

"I know every inch of this kingdom, backward and forward."

Mush couldn't think of another excuse so he relented. "Fine, come. But you better not die."

Blink grinned and crossed his heart. "I will try my hardest not to. Promise."

"Alright then." Mush grabbed the sack and hoisted it over his shoulder again. Then a thought struck him. "Don't you need to get your things?"

"What else do I need? I have clothes, my dashing eye patch and the best traveling companion a guy could want."

Mush blushed and ducked his head. He stepped over the threshold into the moonlit darkness and waited for Blink to step out before shutting the door securely behind him.

It was only when he looked up into the dark windows of his family's bedrooms that a wave of guilt washed over him. They would starve without him, that was for sure. And Oscar and Morris would beat him to death after they found out he was unable to make their dresses for them. If he ever returned home.

If…

TBC… Sorry. That chapter was kind of short, not that my chapters are ever very long but, yeah. My dialogue muse took over. He seems to have replaced my absurdist muse, which sucks, I really liked that guy!

Thank you to all of my wonderful reviewers.