The evening before his execution was a gloomy one. Nezumi watched the sun slowly set knowing he would never see it fully rise again. He no longer felt trapped. He no longer was mourning. He was numb. It really didn't matter anymore, nothing did. Between the numbness and his lack of things to do other than to wait, he found himself running over the situation that led to this point. Questions like, "what could I have done differently?" ran though his head. It was easiest to blame the fairy for everything that happened. He could say it was all her fault and curse her name as he was led out to be executed but he knew it was more complicated then that. The truth was, though he hated to admit it, it was his fault as well. The actor had been given multiple chances to choose a path and stick with it. If he had decided to stay human, then he would have told Sion the truth and they would have planned on how to take down the fairy in the safety of the castle. If he had decided to stay to stay a rat, then he should have gone to the garden and not change his mind halfway through the process. His indecision was his and Sion's downfall. It was ironic how he always blamed humans for their wishy-washy ways and here he was the most wishy-washy of them all. It was pathetic.

Nezumi also decided it was partly Sion's fault. The prince shouldn't have sacrificed himself to save the dark-haired man. The prince should have been smart and realized this was Nezumi's mess and Nezumi should take care of it. He should have seen a lost cause and just left him to his fate. He knew it wasn't in the prince's personality to do so but it still annoyed him. He knew the prince would always defend the actor even when he didn't deserve it. It was something that he both loved about the prince and despised. He knew kindness and empathy were weaknesses that lead to pain and suffering. His years of as a rat had taught him that much. He looked out for himself and no one else. Sion's actions were his own stupidity and downfall. Yet…yet Nezumi found himself drawn to Sion's kindness. Even though it was a weakness it was something he loved about the prince. When the white-haired man allowed Nezumi into his life the dark-haired man had found a home there. He was able to let his guard to go down a little and relax. He knew if he reached out Sion would take him and hold him secure. This gentle kindness was one of the many reasons that Nezumi had fallen in love. As he thought of the princes' sweet smile and kindness a lump formed in the actor's throat. If only Sion was a little less kind; (he couldn't ask for him to be not kind at all) then the white-haired man would be human right now.

In the distance the sound of footsteps approaching pulled Nezumi out of his thoughts. Blinking in the now dark cell he glanced at the window. How much time had passed? Was its morning already? From his view he could see a faint glow over the horizon as the last bit of sun disappeared. His execution wasn't until the next morning, he still had time. Nezumi closed his eyes and readjusted his expression. For a second he had panicked. The dark-haired man didn't want whoever was coming to see his weakness. Once his face was neutral, he listened to the approaching footsteps. They were heavy and stiff. They definitely belonged to a guard. He listened again; the footsteps had a rhythmic pattern to them. He could identify them as Sir Williams. Nezumi surprised a sigh. He didn't want to deal with the knight at that moment. It was easier to mock the random guards and knights who didn't have much power to fight back. Sir William's misguided grief and anger were too much for him. Just as he predicted the knight came around the corner.

"This is a surprise." Despite his best effort for neutrality Nezumi couldn't help the irritation that slipped into his voice. "For what do I own this pleasure?"

The knight didn't answer right away. He just observed the imprisoned man solemnly. At the sight of the older man's expression Nezumi felt some of his numbness eb away. He remembered how the knight had hurt and threatened Sion's life. His own prince's life…It made Nezumi's blood boil. The knight was too loyal for his own good. If he could have gotten off his high horse and just see that there was a possibility that Sion could be the rabbit, he wouldn't have hurt the prince back then. Nezumi remembered the sound of Sion's panic squeaking and he pulled back his lips in a snarled. Sir William noticed this, and his frown deepened. The dark-haired man forced his expression back to neutral. He was over this already. Blaming the stupid knight for his passion wouldn't do anything.

"Did you come down here just to stare at me or is there a reason for your visit?"

"I'm here to bring you your last meal." The older man pushed a plate with a slice of bread and some cheese through the bars. "A meal fit for a rat."

"How kind of you." Nezumi took the plate and gave the cheese to Sion. The bunny gratefully chomped down on the food. Sir William watched him.

"Why are you feeding it?" he finally asked. "We all know it's not Prince Sion. You're just wasting food." Nezumi ignored him and bit into the bread. It was stale but edible. As a rat he had eaten worse.

"What happened to Cinderella?" he asked ignoring the knight's question. "Is she also in prison?" He didn't know why he cared. He didn't really like the naive girl. She was tolerable at best and annoying at worse. Even so, it seemed cruel if she was killed, especially since it would be Nezumi's fault. The dark-haired man cursed quietly. He had become way to soft as a human.

"No. It was decided that she was manipulated by you into believing your ridiculous story." The knight waved his hand. "We all know how good you are as an actor. It's the only explanation."

"I see." Nezumi didn't bother to point out how farfetched that theory was. It really didn't matter. Truthfully, he was slightly relieved to hear that she was alright. He didn't want her death on his conscious as well. A part of Nezumi found it interesting how, by getting along with everyone, Cinderella was protected by Sir William. Cinderella might be an idiot, but she understood human culture. That's why she knew not to provoke the guard's anger.

"She didn't get off completely thought." The knight's voice tightened. "It was her alibi that allowed you to stay near the prince. She's currently under house arrest in the castle."

"Oh dear, poor her." Nezumi muttered dryly. He took another bite and chewed. Sion nudged his arm and Nezumi fed him some of the bread. He watched the bunny hungerly gobbled it down.

"What's going to happen to Sion after you hang me?" he asked.

"You mean the rabbit. Probably make him into rabbit stew." The knight shrugged. This got Nezumi's attention.

"Why? If I'm dead, then this whole thing is over. Why would you still take it out on Sion? He's innocent."

"Perhaps."

"What do you think he's an assassin too?" Nezumi aske waving a hand irritably. "Maphodora must be quite an impressive country if they can train bunny assassins."

"It could be carrying a letter." Sir Williams stated. Nezumi stared at him incredulously.

"Where? In a little bunny pouch?"

"I'm not stupid. I know people can hide letters and other small items in animals. It's a common way to sneak something out." He glared at Nezumi. "Don't you think it was too obvious? After all, why would you try to keep the rabbit alive after your cover was blown?"

"You're insane." Nezumi concluded weakly. "Accuse me of crimes. Blame me for everything. Hang me if you must, but stop taking this out on Sion." His voice became pleading. "Just let him be." The knight gave a mirthless laugh.

"You're good you know that?" he said coldly as he turned to leave. "You're acting is on par. If I didn't know you were Eve I would actually believe in your story. It's no wonder you won the prince over." He glared back at him. "Goodbye Nezumi or Eve or whatever your real name is."

"Wait!" Nezumi called to the retreating back of the knight. It was no use. After a few minutes the footsteps faded away.

Nezumi stood there fuming. He had always assumed that after his death Sion would be able to live the rest of his life peacefully as a bunny. Maybe be would be allowed to live in their little garden. Sion would like that. Now however he realized Sion was going to be eaten. His Sion was going to be killed, chopped up into pieces, and cooked to feed the nobles. They were going to eat their own prince. The thought of it made him gag. It was disgusting. It was horrifying. It was all his fault.

Sion nudged his hand for more food. Nezumi bent down and picked him up. The rabbit nuzzled into his hands sniffing around clearly still hungry.

"I'm sorry." He croaked. "I did this to you." He gave a weak laugh. "I messed everything up." Sion gave up on looking for food and curled into his stomach. Nezumi put his hand gently on the prince's head and rubbed it. Sion's fur was soft and fluffy. It was different from the softness of the prince's hair. Sion's hair was soft and velvety. It made the dark-haired man miss Sion all over again. Nezumi closed his eyes and buried his face in Sion's fur. He could hear the small bunny's heartbeat against his face. In the silence that followed Nezumi came to a conclusion. He brought up his head and walked to the barred window.

"You need to leave." Nezumi pushed the little bunny through the bars. "Go make a life for yourself out there. This is your chance to escape." The rabbit hopped a few feet away sniffing the clean night air. After a few moments he stilled, and his ears pricked. Then he turned back to the window and quickly scampered through the bars into Nezumi's arms.

"What are you doing? Leave!" he tried again but Sion pressed his paws into the ground and refused to budge. The dark-haired gridded his teeth and pushed harder. He managed to get Sion through the window only to have the bunny return. He attempted it again and again, but Sion always came back. Finally, he gave up and slumped down against the wall. Sion sniffed his boot. Nezumi watched him dully.

It was no use. When Nezumi was human, his wild rat instincts remained. Now that Sion was a bunny, he still had traces of his human side. He was too domestic. He had next to no animal instincts. All he knew was that Nezumi was his food source. He had no reason to leave his food source. No matter what the dark-haired man said to him, the rabbit couldn't understand the danger. He would always return to Nezumi's side until the end.

"Damn it." Nezumi burying his face in his hands. He couldn't believe this was how his life was going to end. He had doomed himself. He had doomed this kingdom by taking its heir. He had doomed Cinderella to suspicion. He had doomed Sion to be eaten. He had ruined everything. He was trapped, helpless, useless. He hated it. He hated humans with a burning passion. As he wallowed in his hatred, he heard a new set of footsteps approaching. These were soft and uneven. He could recognize them anywhere; Cinderella was coming to pay him a visit. After a few seconds Cinderella appeared around the corner. She paused when she saw him her eyes widen with shock.

"You look horrible" she whispered.

"What did you expect?" Nezumi snapped. He really didn't want to deal with her right now.

"Are you alright?"

"Did you come down here to ask me stupid questions?"

Cinderella bit her lip and looked around the cell until her eyes fell on Sion. She bent down and reached her fingers through the bars. The bunny hopped over and sniffed them curiously.

"Is that Prince Sion?"

"Yes." Nezumi said his annoyance fading. "I take it you believe my story then?"

"I do." Cinderella turned her attention back to Nezumi, her eyes watering. "It's unfair that it came to this." She stood up, wringing her hands fretfully. "I tried to explain what happened, but they don't believe me."

"Why is it so hard to believe?" Nezumi asked irritated. "Sion was almost turned into a rabbit when he was a child. You got to go to the ball because of a fairy. Why can't they believe that Sion's the rabbit? It's like Sir William is trying to turn a blind eye to the truth." The young woman looked startled.

"I forget sometimes." Cinderella whispered. "How much you don't understand. Magic is…strange. It's not consistent. In different places magic means different things. Although magical things can happen in this land it's rare. If you go to the lands in the far east, you'll find more magical creature. I heard that dragons live there in the open. If you travel to the lands in the far west, you'll find that even normal people can do magic. All the kingdoms there have court magicians. Where we are though, magic is more random and sporadic. Magical things only happen every century or so. That's why Sion's situation as a child was so dire. We don't have a court magician and traveling alchemists are rare and not effective."

"I see." Since Nezumi came from a magical spell, he never thought about how relevant magic was to the world.

"You have to understand. Having two magical occurrences within a century is considered strange. People have a hard time believing that a fairy appeared to me. Even those who do believe me find it frightening. Having a third magical occurrence is…unheard of." She shot Nezumi an apologetic look. "It's so unlikely that no one would believe you."

"You believe me." Nezumi pointed out.

"I know your whole story." Cinderella said. "Sion would believe you as well. If he wasn't a rabbit, he would understand your side of the story. Ever since he had a spell cast on him, he researched more about magic than anyone else." Nezumi was quiet as he mulled things over. Now that he understood, he saw why his story was met by skepticism. No wonder Sir William didn't believe him at all. This left only one path left open to him.

"Take Sion." The dark-haired man scooped up and pushed the little bunny through the bars into Cinderella's arms. Sion wriggled and tried to get back to Nezumi. "Sir Williams wants to kill him because he thinks I am using him to smuggle letters. You need to keep him away from the knights until you are released from the castle." Nezumi gulped. "Give him a good life. Make sure he's never hungry or scared." He stopped talking as a wave of emotions hit him. He fought back his tears. He was not going to cry in front of Cinderella.

"No."

Nezumi looked at her. He must have heard her wrong.

"No?"

"Nezumi I can't do that." She handed the rabbit back. Sion gratefully snuggled against Nezumi.

"You don't understand." Nezumi said desperate laced in his voice. "He's going to die." He picked up the rabbit and held him out again. "Take him, please!"

"Nezumi." She paused. "I can't let you die either. I have an idea…or at least I've been researching…Have you heard of the Midnight Fairy Circle?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Nezumi snapped. The midnight fairy circle was a mythical circle of rocks that was supposedly a portal to the fairy world. It was just a myth; however, people had been visiting it for centuries and no one had seen a single magical occurrence there. It was just a bunch of rocks that looks mysterious enough to make humans super superstitious.

"If you bring him there then maybe you can turn him back."

"Cinderella." Nezumi said slowly. "You do understand how dumb that is. We both know it's fake. It's been proven over and over again. You just told me how rare magic is. Why would there suddenly be a magical portal that no one ever could get through." Cinderella was quite for a moment.

"Prince Sion believed it exist." She whispered.

"Sion was an optimistic."

"Nezumi, if anyone could get in it would be you." She said calmly. "You're a rat. Rats get into all sorts of places."

"That's your reasoning?" Nezumi asked.

"Please Nezumi, this could be the only chance to turn him back."

Nezumi was quiet. As ludicrous as it was a small part of him wanted to try. Sion was basically dead either way. As a rabbit he was still not human Sion. He could try The Midnight Fairy Circle and if it didn't work, he would run away with Sion or, if he caught again, he could set Sion free.

"You do realize you'll get in trouble." Nezumi warned. "Not even your good will can protect you from this."

"I know." Cinderella gulped. "But this could be our only chance. According to Prince Sion magic is more reversible at the beginning of a spell. He hasn't been a rabbit for that long. We still have time."

"If this doesn't work, I'll break you free." Nezumi promised. "And we can try to fix this. We'll go west until we find someone who can undo the spell." Cinderella nodded weakly. Nezumi let out a long sigh. Now that he had a plan his numbness was disappearing. He could do this. He would do this for Sion. This wasn't the end.

"Ok then, The Midnight Fairy Circle is supposed to open every full moon at midnight." Nezumi said. "When is the next full moon?"

"In three days,"

"That's not enough time."

"It is if you go by horse." Cinderella said. "There's one that is always tied to the front gate in case a messenger had to be sent out in a hurry." Nezumi closed his eyes and rubbed his temple. Cinderella didn't seem to have planned this very well.

"Did you get the key to my cell."

"No"

"Lock picks."

"Where would I have found those?" Cinderella asked. Nezumi growled in frustration.

"Pray tell how I'm supposed to get out?"

"With this." the young woman handed him a small bag. "It's Sleeping Beauty Powder. I found the plant next to the recipe. When the guards come to get you blow some in their faces." Nezumi took the bag as an insane notion to laugh almost overcame him. This was not how he expected to use his sleeping powder. Back at the garden Nezumi would never had thought he would have to escape prison.

"Thank you."

"Don't" Cinderella looked down sadly. "It's my fault the guards found you. I told them where you were. I-I didn't realize what Sir William's would do."

"I'm not surprised" Nezumi said dryly. "You were always naive enough to believe the best of everyone."

"So did Prince Sion."

"Yeah." Nezumi chuckled weakly. "And look where that got him." Cinderella stepped away from his cell.

"I have to go." She said. "I was allowed to visit you to say goodbye. If I say any longer, they'll get suspicious." She paused. "Goodbye and…good luck."

"Thanks" Nezumi muttered as she disappeared around the corner. Once she was gone Nezumi sunk to the ground. He needed to make a quick plan and get some sleep. If he wanted to make it to the Midnight Fairy Circle by the full moon, he would have to ride almost nonstop for three days. He wouldn't be able make it if he didn't sleep now.

Sion hopped forward and sniffed experimentally at the bag of sleeping powder. Nezumi chuckled and he took it away.

"That's not food." He said pocketing it and lying down. "Trust me you wouldn't like it." Sion bounced over to Nezumi's chest and curled up next to him. A few seconds later soft purring emerged from the rabbit. A lump rose in the dark-haired man's throat and he gently stroked his ears. "I promise I'll get you back."