Sir William pulled on the reins of his horse as he and his men approached the natural garden. As the horses slowed to a stop, he surveyed the area. The garden was too quiet, Nezumi and Sion were nowhere in sight. The knight jumped off his horse and quietly crept through the natural garden. Behind him his men followed. Sir William didn't where the two young men were hiding but he didn't want to give Nezumi a chance to run if he really was up to something. As they passed some trees the knight saw a hunched figure curled up on the ground. He put up a hand to stop the men behind him and softly pulled out his sword. The huddled figure didn't move. Slowly and carefully the knight crept forward again. As he approached, he could see in the faint moonlight that the figure was Nezumi. The knight's heart quickened. Nezumi was alone. The prince should have arrived long before them, yet he was nowhere in sight. As Sir William took another step forward, the dark-haired man's head snapped up to look at him. The older man couldn't really read his expression in the darkness, but he guessed the actor was surprised. The knight straightened up and approached Nezumi. He expected the dark-haired man to run or to get into a fighting stance, but instead he just sat their quietly. The dark-haired man watched until the knight came right next to him.

"Where's the prince?"

Nezumi didn't answer. He paused for a moment before uncurled his arms and holding up a small white bunny with red eyes. Sir Williams looked at it unimpressed.

"I'll ask you again. Where's Prince Sion?"

"He's the bunny." Nezumi croaked weakly. The knight felt his temper rise. The dark-haired man had always mocked him. Usually Sir Williams was able to brush it off, but this time was different. The prince could be in trouble. If the actor thought, he could get away with not answering then he was in for a shock. Sir William bent down and grabbed the front of the actor's shirt. He pulled him up to his feet until the younger man was only a few inches away from his face.

"I'll only ask you one more time. Where is the prince?"

Nezumi's eyes widened. Sir William thought he detected shock in them. In the dark-haired man's arms the rabbit trembled and tried to hide in the actor's shirt. Nezumi pushed him down as he made eye contact with the knight.

"I told you it's the rabbit!"

"Listen." The knight snarled shaking the man a little. "I know you already heard the story of the curse the prince was put under, but that spell ended long ago." He glanced down at the bunny. "You're not going to convince me that this." He grabbed the bunny and pulled it out of the younger man's hands. "Is the Prince."

The bunny squeaked and grinded it's teeth together in fear. Nezumi's eyes widened and before the knight could reacted the actor shot forward. Sir William pulled back as Nezumi's foot hit his chin. At the same time the actor's arm snatched the rabbit from the knight's grip. The older man half leapt; half stumbled backwards. In front of him the dark-haired man fell to the ground again and curled his arms protectively around the rabbit.

"Don't you dare touch him." He snarled baring his teeth like an animal. Around them the other knights pulled out their swords. Sir William lifted a hand to still them. As he did so he felt something dripping down his face. He touched his check and felt blood there. He bit back his surprise. The knight rarely got injured. Even after hours of training the new recruits he could hold his own without so much as a scratch. The older man knew Nezumi was fast, but this was something else entirely. There was an almost animalist nature to his movements. He was unpredictable and wild. Sir Williams shook his thoughts away. It didn't matter if Nezumi was stronger than he looked. Right now, he had to find the prince.

"Nezumi." He said keeping his voice soft and steady. He stepped forward so he loomed over the huddled man. "Where is the prince."

"He's the rabbit."

"Do you want me t-"

"Sir!" A voice called out. The knight paused and turned to see one of his men bend down and pick up something up from the ground. The man turned and handed the object to Sir William. It was a jacket, more specifically the prince's jacket. As his eyes traveled up it, he noticed that there was blood on the sleeves and collar. He glanced back down at Nezumi. The actor wasn't bleeding anywhere. Fear griped the older man chest. If Nezumi wasn't hurt and there was no one else here except him and the prince…

"Where's the prince!" the knight demanded yet again this time desperately laced in his voice. Nezumi didn't answer. He just glared at him defiantly. Sir William wanted to strangle him. Did the dark-haired man think he was still under the prince's protection? Nezumi was smarter than that. But then why wouldn't he just answer the knight's question. He should have figured out that Sir William had the power to hurt him if necessary. The only reason he would refusing to speak would be that his answer would anger the older man more than just staying quiet. Sir Williams could only think of one situation in which that would be the case…

If Prince Sion was dead, it wouldn't matter if Nezumi if he told them or not. It would probably be better for him to lead the knights on into believing the prince was alive by not answer. Even if the knight hurt him it would be far tamer then his fate if anyone figured out that the prince was dead.

Around him he could hear the other knights muttering to each other. Many of them were still trying to figure out what happened. Sir William ignored them as fear ran down his spine. It couldn't be true. He was wrong. The knight was jumping to conclusions. There must be another explanation for this. He couldn't be too later. The prince couldn't be gone.

"Men!" He roared. The knights turned their attention back to their leader. "Search the area Find the prince!" There as a chore of "Yes sirs!" before they turned and rushed off. Once they were all busy Sir William turned back to Nezumi.

"Listen" he tried to keep his voice neutral. Yelling at the dark-haired man wouldn't solve anything. "I don't like you and you don't like me but if the prince is still alive then you have to tell me. I can get you off easy for your crimes. It doesn't matter if you were planning to kill him or not. For your sake and mine tell me where the prince went." The knight held his breath as Nezumi's eyes slowly rose to meet his. He was hoping that he had got through to the actor. Once they made eye contact, he realized how futile his peas were. Nezumi's eyes only held only disgust.

"Are you def?" he hissed. "I already told you that he's right here!" The dark-haired man gestured at the bunny snuggled in his arms. "How many times do I need to repeat myself?"

"We both know that's not Prince Sion." The knight said. "Stop playing this game and answer me!" Nezumi was quiet. Sir William felt a weight in his stomach. It was true then.

"Sir, we searched the area but can't find the prince anywhere." A knight said as he hurried back. Behind him the other knights were returning as well. "However, we did find this." the man held up one of the prince's rings, "It was on a rock near the lake."

"Did you check the lake?"

"It's too murky and deep sir. Even in daylight we wouldn't be able to find anything in it."

Sir Williams took a deep breath in as he tried to crush his emotions. There would be time later to mourn the prince.

"Nezumi." He said when he could talk again. "You're under arrest for the assassination of Prince Sion." Nezumi's mouth fell open in shock. Around them the men murmured among themselves.

"I don't believe this." the dark-haired man growled. "Look do you want to know what happened? Sion was an idiot who thought it was a good idea to run in the dark. He fell and hurt himself and got a nosebleed. That's why there's blood on his jacket. He gave me the jacket, but it fell off when we were fighting Cinderella's stupid fairy godmother. Sion's ring probably also fell off during that fight as well."

"What a very well thought up story." Sir Williams growled. "However, why would Cinderella's fairy godmother suddenly appear and turn Sion into a rabbit?"

"She didn't do it on purpose. She was targeting me. The fairy wanted to turn me back into a rat. Sion got in the way while protecting me and she hit him by accident."

Sir William raised an eyebrow. Nezumi's story was well crafted. Everything from using rat as both his name and the animal to using Prince Sion's kind nature to explain why he was turned into a bunny was well thought out. It must have taken the actor many months to create such a story.

"I don't believing you." The knight said. " If you were a rat why didn't the prince tell me? He was hurt that I didn't trust you. Wouldn't telling me the truth make all parties happier?

"He didn't know!"

"Oh, why didn't you tell him then?"

"Because…" Nezumi trailed off. "I didn't want him to know." He looked down at the bunny. "I was so stupid."

"I see." The Sir William said dryly. He motioned to the other knights and they surrounded him. "You're sentence still stands. Come quietly or you will be hurt."

Nezumi hissed again and pulled himself into a crouch. Sir William tensed. If the dark-haired man was going to fight, it could mean trouble. The older man didn't know how strong the actor really was. Sir William opened his mouth to tell his men to be careful but before he could get any words out Nezumi moved. The dark-haired man sprang forward, landing on one of the knights. The man yelled in agony as Nezumi bit into his exposed wrist. While the man was struggling, Nezumi wrenched the knight's dagger out of its sheath. He swung it at the other approaching knights, managing to slick one man's cheek. The other men fell back cautiously. Nezumi took advantage of their slightly retreat to pushed against the knight he was attacking and topple him over. As the man fell the actor jumped over him and scurried across the garden. He moved fast and was already a good distance away before any of them could react.

"Stop him!" Sir Williams bellowed. Most of the knights gave chase. A few hung back to take care of their wounded comrades. Next to Sir Williams one of the knights pulled out a bow.

"Make sure not to kill him." Sir William ordered. "We need him alive." The man nodded and took aim. He released the arrow as Nezumi made a beeline for some trees. The older man watched the arrow fly through the air. It landed in Nezumi's upper leg. The dark-haired man gave a cry of pain but didn't slow down. Sir Williams watched as the fleeing man disappeared among the trees with his knights right behind him Once they were all out of sigh he turned back to the archer.

"How deep is that forest area?"

"Very deep sir." The archer said. "the forest goes on for miles. This natural garden is as close to that forest as most people are willing to go." Sir William cursed quietly. It was a perfect place for Nezumi to hide. The dark-haired man had proved at the caste that he was a master of stealth. If people didn't travel in the forest that meant there was no footpaths nor landmarks to follow. It would be easy for Nezumi to lose his men in there.

"Go back to the castle." He commanded. "Have them send out the hounds." He handed the man Prince Sion's shirt. "This has Nezumi's blood on it. Have the use that to find him." The man bowed and took the shirt. Sir William watched him leave before returning his attention back to the forest. Although he knew Nezumi was a master at hiding and sneaking he was still at a disadvantage. The dark-haired man was still injured and carrying that bunny. This would hopefully slow him down enough for the hounds to find him. The knight clenched his fist. Nezumi would be caught. He would pay for his crimes. There were many times in his life where Sir William had felt angry. Right now, however he was more lived then he thought possible. Prince Sion was dead. It was all Nezumi's fault.

In his mind he knew it was his fault as well. He should have never let it come this far. He shouldn't have allowed Nezumi into the castle in the first place. Even if Cinderella vouched for him, he should have realized the danger he posed. Sir William had chosen to push his worries away and to trust that Cinderella and Prince Sion was right about him. He had hoped that Nezumi truly cared about the prince and that he was just cold and aloof by nature. Even when he learned of their secret dating and that Prince Sion had chased after Nezumi, a part of the knight really hoped that they were just saying goodbye. Now however with Nezumi's fake story and the prince nowhere in sight he had to face the truth. Prince Sion was gone. He wished it wasn't so. He wished that Nezumi's story was true and the rabbit was the white haired prince. A part of him was desperate to believe anything as long as it didn't involve the prince's death. Of course, he wasn't stupid. Magic didn't just happen every day. It was already hard too believe Cinderella's story and she was an honest person.

As Sir Williams lamented the prince's fate, he heard barking in the distance. Over the hill came six hunting dogs. They were followed by more knights on horses. The dogs sniffed the ground where Nezumi was hit with an arrow. Then they poked their noses into the air and howled. One of the guards blew a horn and they all charged into the forest.

Even with the hound it took almost six hours to retrieve the dark-haired man. In that time many knights returned to their horses because of their wounds. It was clear that Nezumi was putting up quite a fight. When the guards finally dragged Nezumi out of the forest it was clear that this battle took a toll on them. Many of the men had scrapes and bruises. Two of them where limping badly. Most of them needed bandages. Nezumi himself only had the wound on his leg and some cuts on his face. He was still limping but looked like he could bolt at any moment. There was a feral look on his face as if he wanted nothing better than to tear out the men's throats with his teeth. This look did not go unnoticed by the knights who were dragging him. They kept glancing back uneasily as if they weren't sure if he was going to attack. Many of the other knights still had their sword in hand as they watched for any sudden movements. When Nezumi got closer Sir, William saw that the actor was still hugging the stupid rabbit close to his chest.

"Why does he still have that thing?" Sir Williams asked exasperated.

"It was the only way to convince him to come quietly." One of the knights replied glaring at Nezumi. "We were able to wrestle it from him. He turned himself in when we threatened to kill it."

"You'll pay for that." Nezumi snarled hugging the rabbit closer.

"He seems protective of it." Another knight said uncertainly. "I mean he did turn himself in for a bunny…Maybe there's some truth to his story" Sir Williams waved him off.

"Of course, he's protective of it. It's his cover story. If he convinces us, it's the prince then he gets off without penalty." he glared at Nezumi. "You heard of what's happening in Maphodora. Don't you think it's a little strange that Nezumi's story lines up perfectly with the events there?" All around him the knights murmured in agreement.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Nezumi snapped. "What's Maphodora?" Sir William ignored him. The actor could play innocent all he wanted, it no longer mattered.

"Take him away." The knight said to his men. "And if he tries anything funny kill the rabbit."

"If you touch him, I'll make you regret it." Nezumi hissed as the men dragged hm to the horses. Sir Williams turned his back on the scene and went to his own horse. Now that Nezumi was caught, his grief was flooding back. Prince Sion was gone. Prince Sion was dead. The little prince Sir Williams used to play with would never smile again. The young prince who asked the knight every question under the sun would never ask another question again. The teen prince who came to Sir William with a blueprint of a library would never read a book again. The adult prince who gave a speech at his coming of age party would never become king.

Prince Sion was gone.

It was almost impossible to keep his expression neutral, but the older man tried. He was a royal knight of the queen. He had to be cold even during his own grief and rage. To keep himself from showing any strong emotion he reminded himself that Nezumi was caught. The actor would pay for his crimes. It was a small consultation, but it helped.

Behind him he could hear Nezumi's snide remarks to the guards. This annoyed Sir William. Even though his grief Nezumi could make his blood boil. The dark-haired man's attitude was still so arrogant. Why was he still acting this way after they caught him? Why couldn't he just give up and submit to his fate? He should have seen this coming. What did the actor think would happen if he killed the prince? Sir William had warned him that if he hurt or laid a figure on the prince he would pay. Nezumi had managed to do both behind his back. Sir Williams would make sure that he was hung for his crimes.

.

.

.

Nezumi never thought much about how the human world worked. He didn't care who was king or who had power. He never worried much about the human's laws or what happened if one was caught breaking those laws. Now however he realized how ignorant he had been. The dark-haired man had done whatever he wanted and said whatever he wanted anytime he wanted. He had basically turned most people at the castle against him. Even if he didn't want to suck up to them, he could have been nicer. It didn't seem to matter at the time. Even if everyone hated him no one said anything. Other than some empty threats from Sir William no one even acted as if he was doing anything wrong.

Now Nezumi understood the truth. All that time the only thing protecting him from the law and those in power was Sion. The prince allowed Nezumi to do what he wanted without consequence. He put up with Nezumi's unpleasantness. He allowed Nezumi to sleep in his private library even though he didn't let most people in. The actor could go where he wanted in the castle and if anyone tried to stop him Sion would scold them. It was only now that the prince was gone, and he was accused of his murder that the dark-haired realized how lucky he was. He had never seen Sion as a prince. He knew he was, but it wasn't until now that he understood what it meant.

After Nezumi was hauled away back to the castle, he was thrown in the dungeon. Of all the places in the castle the dungeon was the one he knew the least about. There wasn't an easy way to get in or out of it. Unlike the rest of the castle the dungeon lacks passageways or exists. Whoever made it wanted to make sure no one ever escaped. Since there was no easy access to the dungeon the dark-haired man tended to avoid it. There was no reason to go down there and explore. Now he wished he had found a way to break out.

The second the dungeon bars slammed behind him he knew he was in trouble. The cell was small, and his animal instincts started panicking. Rats didn't like to be trapped somewhere they couldn't leave. The closed gate made his anxious, causing him to act out. He attempted to scale the walls and break the small bared windows. He even gnawed on the bars. The maid who brough him food panicked when she saw that. He heard her yelling that he was possessed all the way back up the dark dungeon passage. After that guards brought him his food. It took him almost a day before he was able to calm himself. Usually his human instincts would have kicked in earlier but the stress and sadness from yesterday's events dulled them

Once Nezumi had calmed down and accepted he was trapped his energy gave out. He lay there on his small stone bed with Sion tucked to his chest. Now that he wasn't moving his pain and exhaustion returned. The knights had bandaged his leg, but it didn't stop it from throbbing. The food he was given wasn't a lot and he shared more of it with Sion. He lay there in pain and hunger. It wasn't the first time he felt this way. As a rat he got into fights and had to slink away and stay the night with his wounds and hunger. He wasn't a rat however so instead of just sleeping it off he lay there in the dark lost in his gloomy thoughts. The numbness that had been persisting since Sion was turned into a rabbit was starting to wear off, leaving behind all his thoughts from the day before His thoughts bounced off the small cell as they tried to suffocate him.

Sion was gone. He was a rabbit, a dumb animal. It was all his fault. He should have done something to stop the fairy. He should have told Sion to keep out of it. Instead he welcomed his help. Now Sion was gone. And Nezumi was alone and imprisoned. It felt weird to think that the day before he met the fairy godmother he was laughing with the prince in their garden. The warmth of that afternoon seemed years ago. It felt like he hadn't seen Sion for ages. He already missed the white-haired man's laughter and smile. At that moment Nezumi would have given anything to see them again.

In the back of his mind the dark-haired man dully wondered what was going to happen to him. He didn't need to wait long to learn his fate. The trail was a few days later. There Nezumi told his whole story in front of a court. He started all the way back from the first night as a human to the night when Sion became a bunny. It hurt telling his story to stranger, as if he was revealing something personal. He felt as if he was being exposed to them, all his secrets and past laid out for them to analyze. All his instincts were telling him to stay quiet, but if speaking would help free him and mean that Sion could spend the rest of his life comfortably as a bunny…well then it would be worth it. After he finished his story there was a stunned silence followed by commotion. To Nezumi's disappointment his story was received with skepticism and anger. No one believed him. He had lay bare his secrets, his past and it was being discarded. It made him sick.

After the uproar died down, it was Sir William turn to talk. The knight stood up and gave his piece about some kingdom's rebellion. Nezumi had to admit it was strange how those events correlated with his plan. The dates were close enough that it looked like Nezumi could be an assassin. Even though the dark-haired man explained that it was a coincident, by the end it didn't matter. Everyone believed Sir William over Nezumi. The actor would have felt more agitated if he didn't understand why that happened. After all, why believe the manipulating suspicions intruder over the queen's personal knight?

After he was found guilty the court, they debated on what should be done. This took a few days to decided. Nezumi was sent back and forth from prison as they argued over his fate. Some of the nobles wanted to torture him. They had multiple reasons for wanting this. Some argued that if he was an assassin, he must have information. Others just wanted revenge for his crimes against the beloved prince. Many other people were afraid to keep him alive. They argued that their neighboring kingdom was too powerful and if they kept him alive someone would be sent to free him. These people wanted to execute Nezumi quickly and send his head back as a threat. Sir William was part of the second group. He pointed out how many assassins attempts these days were done in groups. He argued that Nezumi probably had comrades somewhere who were buying their time until the right moment to free him. Once again, the knight influenced the court. After a couple days he won out and the actor's fate was decided.

Nezumi was sentenced to death by hanging by dawn the next day.