Co-written with miss mika namariya! We own nothing. :)

When they stopped for the evening to make camp, Kyoko was not pleased to discover that her careful packing job had been tampered with. Having to think of everything the Prince might possibly need for a trip of unknown length with no particular destination hadn't exactly been easy — and once Kyoko had a final packing list, she'd spent the better part of two days squeezing everything into the saddlebags of their single packhorse. The packhorse was actually a pony, a dark gray mare with a jagged white marking on her face and an almost haughty temperament, more suited to a thoroughbred warhorse than a pony.

Originally, Kyoko had been planning on carrying everything for the trip herself, but Kuon had point-blank refused to go on the trip at all if Kyoko didn't split the load. They had argued over the point (politely, of course). There was no way she could let her charge — the Crown Prince — carry his own bags like a commoner! But Kuon pointed out that the bodyguard couldn't possibly hope to be at maximum effectiveness if she was weighed down by all of their things. She was constantly going on about the bandits and assassins that they might encounter on the road— how was she going to defend him if she was carrying all their camping equipment?

Not that Kuon was actually worried about being attacked. Thanks to the blessing of the monarch's True Love, the kingdom was peaceful and prosperous, and the roads were safe for travelers. But the argument worked against Kyoko, who took the overprotective King and Queen's words to protect their precious son to extreme levels. She had no choice but to concede (but only after a very impressive demonstration of her skills while holding nearly her bodyweight in camping equipment).

Kyoko swallowed a sigh, and began to take inventory while unpacking the bags, making a small pile of the things which she hadn't packed. When she finished, she stepped back and evaluated, mentally double-checking her packing job against the items in front of her.

"Let me guess," the Prince said dryly as he joined his bodyguard. "One of the bedrolls is missing."

"Yes," Kyoko admitted, keeping her voice even. Then she seemed to shrug it off, turning around to inspect the firepit that Kuon had set up. Her nonchalant attitude surprised the prince. While Kyoko definitely had some outlandish and decidedly unorthodox methods, she was very particular about propriety and personal space and boundaries — you know, all those things that might become blurred by two attractive, young people sharing a bed together. But instead of demanding that they return to the palace at once or declaring that she would make herself a bed of pine needles instead, she had just turned around.

A spark of hope lit in Kuon's chest. Could it be that the idea of sharing a bed with him was something that secretly excited her? Maybe she wasn't quite so indifferent towards him, afterall. Or, his brain suggested pessimistically, perhaps she wasn't bothered because she didn't see him as a man at all. Kuon studied the bodyguard's back as she crouched near the firepit, looking for some clue as to what she was thinking and wishing he could read her thoughts.

Kyoko, in typical Kyoko fashion, had completely misinterpreted the King's intention with his last-minute pack additions. She had seen the King slip things into the bag of course (Kuu hadn't been nearly as sneaky as he thought he was). The bodyguard had tactfully looked the other way. She hadn't exactly been pleased, but Kyoko would spontaneously combust before she would even think of reprimanding the King. Besides, a part of Kyoko had thought it was sweet that Kuon's father had wanted to pack his son a surprise gift.

It was less sweet, though, when it came at the cost of her bedroll. Did the Prince really need to drink champagne while on the road? Kuu had no sense of practicality. There had been a small glass bottle snuck in as well, which Kyoko had given an inquisitive sniff and deduced to be some kind of perfumed body oil. It was like Kuu didn't know his son at all, Kyoko thought. The Prince didn't use any sort of fancy cosmetic products. Oh, he had plenty of them (Kyoko couldn't help but notice with an envious eye when she had ventured into his dressing chamber), but Kuon didn't seem to use them.

The bag of rose petals also made no sense to the guard — what were either of them supposed to do with those? The only reason Kyoko could think of was that they were meant for the Prince's True Love (whenever they found her). Although personally, Kyoko thought the traditional gift of a single red rose was much nicer than a handful of petals. But then again, the guard admitted to herself with a smile, nobody had asked what she would want — which was probably for the best.

"What are you thinking about?" Kuon asked, snapping Kyoko back to reality.

"Pardon?"

"You were smiling just now," he elaborated.

"Was I?" The guard stood up, dusting off her hands. She briskly began pulling out ingredients for a simple camp dinner. Better not to bring up the topic of love, Kyoko thought. She had noticed that the Prince seemed to get almost nervous whenever the subject was brought up. He was probably under a lot of pressure, Kyoko thought sympathetically. After all, the entire Kingdom wanted him to find his True Love and settle down. Even Kyoko's patience was beginning to wear thin. What was taking so long? This darn girl better be worth it.

LINE BREAK

The sleeping arrangements worked themselves out, in the end. Kyoko told Kuon that she'd take first watch, with absolutely no intention of waking him up. As Sir Hoppington snoozed in his special tank, Kyoko sat quietly, tending the fire and keeping watch. Of the road and of the camping area, but mostly of Kuon.

The firelight made shadows dance on his face. She wished that she had paid attention to how it danced in his eyes before he fell asleep. Green had always been her favorite color - the color of forests, the color of the fae. The color of Sir Hoppington, who let out a croaking snore in the stillness. The color of the bedroll the prince slept in, his breathing soft and slow. The color of his eyes. Eyes that she sometimes caught herself wanting to lose herself in the way she always lost in memory-based games with Moko.

She shook her head and forced herself to scan their surroundings. Such thoughts were dangerous. They wouldn't help her find his True Love. They would only serve to distract her from her mission. Still, her eyes caught the way his hair reflected the firelight. How it looked like the gold that Rumplestiltskin had spun from straw. How soft it looked. She could just imagine the strands running through her fingers, and —

And he was grumbling in his sleep. He was having a bad dream. As his guard, she couldn't allow that. So she scooted over to him. It was her duty to keep him safe, even from his own mind. At least, that was the excuse she told herself as she started stroking his head.

Oh, his hair was so much softer than she'd even imagined. It must have been all those fancy bath products he had. Maybe they were even enchanted. There was no other reason she could fathom for it being this silky.

He moved in his sleep, reaching out for something that she couldn't see. She shifted closer, lying down next to him so she could soothe him from a better angle. She would stop soon. Just five more strokes… ten more strokes….

If she fell asleep next to him, her hand resting next to his head, the stars were their only witnesses.

LINE BREAK

Kuon thought he was still dreaming when he woke up the next morning. There was no other reason for Kyoko to be curled up with him. But all too soon, his body informed him that he had to pee, forcing him to realize that this was real. Using the most willpower he'd ever used in his life, he disentangled himself from his guard and slipped away to the camp's designated toilet. He did make sure to tuck the blanket around her before he left, though. He wasn't an animal.

She was still asleep when he had washed up and returned. For a guard, she was a remarkably heavy sleeper. And that's when it hit him: She had never woken him up for his turn on watch… and knowing Kyoko, had never intended to. Which meant that she was a lying liar who lies.

And lying liars who lie get a burnt breakfast.

Not because he was trying to punish her. Just because he was a prince and had never so much as touched a frying pan in his life. But while he understood her reasoning (she was scarily intense about his health), he couldn't let her do it again. He couldn't have her passing out from exhaustion or getting sick from sleeping without a blanket in the elements. They would have to just… figure out the bedroll situation.

But for now, he was trying to make her breakfast, the smoke from which woke her up. She did her usual over-the-top apology (speaking so fast he couldn't understand what she was saying, but he did catch something about… hair?) while fixing the burnt mess. But before he could figure out how to bring up the bed roll situation, she was hurrying them onto the road again.

He made eye contact with Sir Hoppington. Maybe it would be better to wait until that night.

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