Co-written with miss mika namariya! We own nothing!
"Are you sure you don't want to travel with us for a while?" Chiori asked Kyoko once the docks were on the horizon.
Kyoko nodded, a mixed expression on her face as she looked out over the sea. "I have a sacred duty to perform."
"What - ohhh, right. The True Love thing." Chiori grinned that lop-sided grin of hers. "Good luck with that."
"Thanks, I really seem to need it." Kyoko chewed her lip, then burst out, "Why is it so hard to find one stupid girl?"
"Uh, tried looking in a mirror much?"
"I tried scrying for her!" Kyoko wailed, missing the point as usual. "It just refused to show her. Maybe because it's True Love or something, and not that easily found."
"Careful, you're starting to sound like the Duke," she teased, playing with the sapphire ring on her hand.
She stuck out her tongue at her.
Kuon, watching this exchange from afar, realized something. He hadn't really been mistrustful of Chiori - well, he had, but that wasn't his main problem with her. He was jealous. Jealous of how carefree Kyoko was with her friends. He was jealous, as he watched her embrace her friend, of how affectionate she was. Jealous of their history.
Well. Except the stairs part. And the blackmail.
"Ribbit?" Sir Hoppington asked from his hand.
"Yeah, I still don't fully trust her." How could he, when she'd pushed Kyoko down the stairs?
"Roob-rib."
"Though I guess I don't need to."
"Rib-rib?"
"After all, Kyoko's heading back with us. Not her."
Sir Hoppington puffed up happily.
LINE BREAK
Their dutiful packhorse, certainly the unsung hero of the journey, was glad to be back on dry land. Kyoko turned around and gave one last full-arm wave to the ship, which was already sailing off to the horizon. Then she turned to the Prince and gave him a smile.
"The duke will be pleased to hear that I ran into Chiori," Kyoko said as she began walking towards the road.
Kuon hummed what could have been an agreement, and Kyoko certainly took it that way. But privately, the prince doubted that Lory would be pleased to hear that one of his Academy's graduates had turned to piracy.
They spent the rest of the day walking at a leisurely pace. Kuon didn't mind. He was happy to be headed home after a long time away, but he was in no rush for his time alone with Kyoko to end. He spent the time mostly thinking about all the places they'd been and the people they'd met. Kuon thought even Lory would be impressed by the cast of characters, when they finally told him the story (that was, if Lory hadn't somehow been spying on them along the way. Kuon was fairly certain at least two of the wandering merchants they'd run into had been the Duke's trusted manservant in disguise). Honestly, for the Prince, it had been a much-needed eye-opening experience. He'd gotten to know his kingdom and his people better. And, he thought with a sidelong glance, Kyoko hadn't fallen in love with him, but they'd at least gotten closer. All in all, Kuon considered the journey a rousing success.
Alas, Kyoko did not. She was fairly certain that she wouldn't be dismissed in disgrace when she returned with the Prince to the palace, without a lovely maiden in tow, but she felt as though she ought to be. She'd failed. she'd completely failed. And she had absolutely no ideas to try, nowhere else to look for this elusive lady.
After supper, when they were sitting around the campfire, Kyoko cleared her throat and meekly suggested they turn around and continue their quest.
"I think we've done enough searching, don't you?" Kuon said with a gentle smile.
"But I didn't find her!" Kyoko wailed. She would have thrown herself onto the ground, but the prince was an expert at preventing that now.
"I didn't expect you to," he said easily.
Kyoko looked both offended and like she'd been struck through the heart with a spear of truth. "You— you don't trust me." Her lip began to wibble.
"I trust you with my life," he replied. "I trust you almost absolutely, in every respect. Which is probably a bit crazy, given some of the things I've seen you do," the Prince mumbled to himself. "I know you gave it your best." Even when I really wish you wouldn't.
"What will I dooooooooooo?!" Kyoko wailed. "You can't be alone forever!"
"Hey, wait— nobody said that," Kuon interrupted, feeling a bit miffed.
"I failed! I failed you, and I failed the kingdom! What about the girl at the fair, are you sure she couldn't be—"
Kuon didn't know how to insist for what felt like the thousandth time that yes, he was sure whoever Kyoko had her eye on wasn't his True Love. So he hugged her. She gave a squeak, as if protesting the fact that she was being comforted instead of thrown in the stocks, but the prince ignored this. Instead he patted her back, making soothing noises to drown out Kyoko's now-muffled grumbling into his shoulder.
Sir Hoppington ribbited wisely as Kyoko's grumblings slowly, over a very long hug, turned to soft snores.
((line break))
They were about three days away from the palace, leisurely taking a path through a tame and regular forest when they heard a cry of distress. Kyoko was instantly on alert and one moment later a young woman came bounding through the trees.
Kuon did not need to look at his bodyguard to see the hope rising up within her. He could feel it emanating from three feet in front of him. A mysterious young woman appears before them in the woods? A maiden in distress? The prince suppressed a sigh, wondering how long it would take to convince Kyoko that this girl in front of them was not his True Love, either. He shifted Sir Hoppington's tank on his back, waiting for the stranger to speak.
"Please," she said frantically, "you have to help me!"
From Sir Hoppington's travelling tank came a loud SMACK.
"Of course we'll help you," Kyoko said immediately, extending an arm to steady the young woman, who was nervously shifting her weight back and forth and in danger of tripping on her gown every second. "What's wrong?"
"No one believes me," she whispered, staring at Kyoko with wide eyes. "I've been cursed!"
"Cursed?" the bodyguard repeated. Kyoko's eyes glinted and she shot Kuon a look of trembling excitement before turning back to the lady. "Is there any chance you were cursed with oblivi—"
Kyoko was cut off by a loud "Crooooak!" from Sir Hoppington.
"It's too horrible! I've been turned into a beast!" the girl collapsed on the ground in front of the bodyguard with a wail.
Kuon and Kyoko exchanged a look while Sir Hoppington let out an increasingly loud "Rib rib riib-RIIIIIB," as if demanding that the prince turn around so the knight could see this stranger for himself.
Kyoko knelt, pulling the woman up from the ground and gently brushing away the bits of dirt and leaves from her hair.
"Listen, Lady, uh…"
"Lily," she supplied, with a tearful sniffle.
"Lady Lily," Kyoko said, reaching for Lily's hand, which was rather clammy.
"You don't have to touch it! I'm sure it disgusts you," she said unhappily as she pulled away her hand. "I'm hideous like this."
"Rib-rib!" Sir H said indignantly
Kuon frowned. Her nose was perhaps more wide and flat than considered fashionable, but that certainly didn't make her hideous. The strangest thing about her appearance was her rather lumpy silhouette, which, the prince realized, was mostly due to her gown being much too long for her short frame and on backwards.
"RIBBIT!"
Sir Hoppington smacked against the glass window of his tank again. Kuon set the traveling pack down on the ground. The knight was practically vibrating inside his mobile terrarium. Kyoko leaned over to undo the latch and lift the frog out, but Sir Hoppington sprang out before he could pick him up. He leapt directly at a stunned Lily, his tongue shooting out and hitting her lips with a wet SMACK!
There was a POOF of sparkles and pink smoke. Kuon even thought he saw some heart-shaped bubbles. When the air cleared, Lady Lily was gone, and sitting cuddled together on top of her rumpled dress were two frogs.
Sir Hoppington had been reunited with his True Love at last.
((LINE BREAK))
The King was ecstatic to see his son return. He swept Kuon into a bone-crushing hug and wept tears of joy for nearly twenty minutes, alternating between exclamations that Kuon had grown impossibly more handsome while away and scolding his son for never thinking to send a letter. Queen Julienna was equally delighted that her son had returned, and proclaimed her desire to cook him a meal herself to welcome him home (she was quickly dissuaded by Kuon, Lory, Yashiro, the Duke's aide, and all of the castle servants present).
The royal couple demanded to hear every last detail of their journey. In their private quarters, Kuon recounted his time away. His parents were a captive audience. Kuu was indignant to learn that his gift of champagne had been stolen by some rambunctious forest critters.
"This is a remarkably well-made stuffed toy," Kuu said as he inspected Bo the rooster, which Kuon had produced. The king's eyes sparkled. "It's perfect for children. Kids would just love it! It's a grand toy. Just so grand for children, wouldn't you say, dear?" Kuu asked his wife.
Julie patted her husband's hand indulgently.
"Anything else?" The queen asked. "The servants, ah, mentioned that you asked for a larger tank for your chambers…" she trailed off. Unlike the King, the Queen had much more modest expectations when it came to the results of the 'quest,' as Kuon's bodyguard referred to it. But she hadn't expected her son's pet frog to find True Love before Kuon did.
One person had, though.
All throughout Kuon's retelling, Duke Takarada had been paying half-attention. The other half of his mind was occupied with carefully checking his ledger to see who had bet on what and if anyone had won.
The Duke's aide silently stepped forward to collect his winnings.
"I know you've just earned a fortune, but please don't retire," Lory said as he handed over a full gold purse. "I cannot possibly do without you."
"Of course not, my lord," Ruto said, before melting back into the shadows.
"Next time we really should do a bingo board," the Duke muttered as he looked at the list of bets.