Thanks, melon, for your editing notices! =)

All right, I hope this makes up for last time's filler. I actually wanted to get back into some semblance of the actual fairy tale in this chapter, but then Prince Matthias did something I totally did not see coming and everyone kind of responded to that, and I didn't want to post too long a chapter. So, more plot next time! But this one is NOT a filler!

By the way, the Prince Matthias poll I mentioned is at the top of my profile.

"I can't see you tomorrow night." The rock Prince Matthias had flung into the water sunk at its third skip. The water was barely what one would call a pond, just a stretch of murky green water from which the gardeners filled their cans. The poor rock hadn't a chance of getting far.

"You can't? Why not?" Mimi habitually glanced back at the manor. The building was a quick run and convenient for an hour's humanity, but she could not help but worry the Prince would catch her at her most goose-like state one of these nights.

"I'm only here for a few more days, Mimi. The Duke wants to show me a lodge of his at the edge of the dukedom." He smiled, the childish smile that she loved so much. "He has a library there, too. He wants me to see it."

"You haven't even scraped the one here!"

"I know, I know. But my father wants me to impress him, make him more amiable to my family. You wouldn't believe how hard it can be sometimes to control the nobility. The trip is overnight. I'll be back the next day. I promise."

She frowned, the first sign of a sudden wave of emotion. "And you're leaving in a few days anyway? When were you going to tell me this? You're going to leave me here… under a spell!"

"Mimi, sweetheart." He pressed her hands within his. "You knew I was just visiting. I'm not moving here. Never was. And I'm not going to leave you."

"What? Take me with you? I'm under a spell." She tore her hands away. The night was suddenly much cooler. And did that pond stink!

"I know." He blushed, a mix of humiliation and frustration. Amazing how much she had discovered about him over the nights. "I don't know your spell. But maybe… my father's court has a magician. I can talk to him. He's wise. He'd know something. He'd have to."

Finally, another magician. Though merely a magician. Not a sorcerer. Her heart then twisted for her father. Not a sorcerer, just a pet court magician. Still, who knew? "And then?"

"And then I'd come back for you. I'd break the spell and…" The blush deepened.

She realized she was also blushing. "And…?"

The smile was back, awkward and endearing. "And, well, I don't know."

"You don't know? You're telling me you don't know? Prince Matthias, reader of all books, doesn't know?" She laughed.

"Um, Mimi, I wasn't going to do this tonight. To be honest, I don't know when I was going to do this. So I might as well get it over with."

"What?" Stupid word to say.

"Well," he said slowly. "The moon is out. Sort of. It's kind of cloudy. And this watering pond is, well, it's very mossy and it smells. But, well, you're beautiful."

"You think I'm beautiful?" She had not thought such about herself since childhood. "Prince Matthias, I'm wearing an ugly dress, I don't have a brush—"

"I like you fine this way. You'll only be all the prettier with those things. Now please stop talking." He dropped to his knees and took her hand. "Mimi, when I came here, I was just doing a service for my father. And then one night I met you. And you're the reason I drag myself through the day. You're the reason I get up at this absurd hour every night even though you very well know I have trouble sleeping. You're beautiful, you're smart, and I kind of like the idea that you are under a spell. It's romantic. So, even though I will never inherit the kingdom, I know I will have other things to offer you. Will you marry me?"

She would be lying to herself if she thought that she had not, on some deep and dark level, expected this. A hundred stories told by visitors to the crumbling castle in the forest came back to her. Brave princes, beautiful princesses… but she wasn't a princess. But he was a prince… And he was there, at her feet (human feet!), asking for her hand in marriage. She had to say something, beautiful and witty, something that would make him laugh.

"I…" It was all that would come out.

"I love you," he said. "I don't think I've said that yet, but I love you. Don't say it's not an appropriate length of courtship. My parents met on their wedding day."

"I…" And that was when she realized she couldn't say yes. The answer wasn't no, but there was something preventing her from a full-hearted yes. "Prince Matthias, you're the best thing here, but…"

"Are you saying no?" No offense, just a scientific inquiry.

"No. I mean, I'm not saying no."

"But it's not yes?"

"Yes, and I mean yes I'm not saying yes."

To her surprise, he just smiled. "I may have underestimated you, my dear. That's fine. I can't say I'm surprised. But you'll think about it? Tell me you'll think about it. After all, it would only be after I find a way to break your spell. And I will."

"Yes, I will think about it!" Finally, an answer with which she could live.

"Good. I'm glad to hear it. Take this until you've reached your decision." He pushed a gold band onto her finger. "I want you to wear it. In hopes you'll think of me."

She could not see the ring very well in the dark. She held it to her eyes, seeing what of the minor moonlight would reveal. It was not a simple circle but a molding of a vine. She gasped. "It's beautiful!"

"I found it in a shop in town. You said you liked plants."

He remembered. Maybe she should say yes. "I can't wear it with my spell, though."

"Well, keep it somewhere safe, then."

"I can do that. Thank-you!" Was "thank-you" an appropriate response?

He smiled, climbed to his feet, and kissed her gently on the mouth. She closed her eyes. She did love his kisses. "You should go. I don't know how long we've been out here."

"Mm." She wanted another kiss. "Please walk me."

He gave her the other kiss. "Of course."

The third kiss happened in the hallway, their hallway. "Think of the proposal," he said before they departed. "I won't get the entire kingdom, but I'll get something. Something for you."

She walked back to Jacob's quarters, dizzy, heart pounding, unable to stop twisting the ring on her finger. It was a lovely ring. But what to do with it when she became a goose? She patted the dress and soon found a small pocket. She slipped the ring in there.

She was already transforming as she shut the door behind her.

The day was odd, at least in Mimi's view. She awoke and stared at the dress, imagining the ring it held it its pocket. Part of her wanted to nudge it out with her bill and gaze it at, but she was too afraid she would lose the ring.

Marry Prince Matthias? That was the question, one that still blew her away every time she thought of she could not properly come up with an answer. She did like him, very much indeed. He was smart and handsome and dear. Her heart thumped at the thought of him. But marry him? Perhaps the time was not right. She spent twenty-three hours of the day as a goose, her father was in the clutches of Lavender, and her friend was supposed to be running the manor. And the Prince wanted her to think of marriage?

Still, she could not say it was not a lovely idea.

She thought of this idea all through the day, which she mainly spent in the kitchen, even when all had eaten and everything had been cleaned and there was nothing to do.

Jacob did not notice her silence for hours, though it was hard to judge when evening came around and he finally knelt down in front of her with a dish of tiny cakes. "Hungry? You've barely eaten all day."

She hadn't, she realized. The cakes were bite-sized and smelled of spices. "I guess I am. Thanks. From what desert are these?" She nibbled it at one. It tasted of spices and brown sugar.

He shrugged. "Oh, I made them just for you. You've been acting rather weird. Weirder than normal. Side-effect of your spell?"

She briefly considered telling him about the Prince's proposal, but imagined him making fun of it--and her. "I guess I'm just tired."

"You should be. You've spent most of the day sitting in a corner. That would fatigue anyone."

"I went outside!"

"For a minute." He shook his head. "Sleep tonight. It's normal. It's healthy. Besides, you can't see your prince because he and his Madness left hours ago."

She sighed. "I know."

"It's a hunting lodge. The Duke will probably try something stupid in pursuit of game and kill them both." He laughed darkly.

"That's not funny, Jacob." But she laughed as well.

"To me, it is. So it's settled. You'll sleep, and then I won't have you moping in my kitchen."

"I don't want to sleep. I'll just think about the Prince."

"What? Would you like you play chess or something? Not that we couldn't have done that earlier if you had said something. I'm not always busy."

"I didn't think of it earlier. And it doesn't have to be chess. Do you have any other games?"

"Cards? Though that would have to wait until you could hold them. "

Mimi laughed again. "So you'll be my entertainment tonight, then?"

"Apparently I no longer have a choice in the matter."

The game wound up as, of course, chess. Jacob brought up the snacks he had made and they played for hours. The game was addicting and they were equal challengers. And it did provide a way to stop thinking of Prince Matthias and his proposal.

Finally, after taking one of her knights, Jacob said "So you weren't able to talk to the prince about staying here."

She stared at the board, only half-pondering for her next move. "I don't think I even tried. I think I just complained he was leaving."

"Hmm. Well, I hear it's a nice lodge. Let's just hope the Duke doesn't slaughter him."

"That really isn't funny, Jacob." She moved a pawn.

"Why did he go there anyway?"

"Books. He loves reading, he says. Apparently the books here aren't good enough for him tonight."

He also moved a pawn. "Bitter much?"

She shook her head. "Just disappointed. Don't get me wrong, this is fun but it's weird to think I'm pushing around pieces of wood with this bill that is attached to me instead of waiting to see him."

"You're the one who eventually picked chess."

"I know. Check."

He stared at the board. "Is this your new strategy? Distraction?"

"Apparently it works."

He held up his hands. "I say defeat now. It's almost your hour, anyway."

"What? You didn't tell me?" She hopped from the chair in a flurry of feathers. "What do I have? A minute?"

"Maybe."

"I hate you sometimes."

He just laughed and closed his door behind her.

She was horrified to see he was right. The clock was nearly at the hour and he had said nothing, the stupid goblin. But the clock struck, and she felt the now-familiar twisting of her bones and body as she grew and changed. When she was human, she grabbed the dress and pulled it over her.

Boring old dress. She wished she had a mirror. If she could just see it, she could make it fit better. Prince Matthias had promised her dresses. Beautiful ones. Oh well. She set to her hair, still in its braid. She wasn't sure how this human form worked while she was resigned to being a goose, but it seemed the braid was nothing but snarls. Had it looked so awful last night? Did Prince Matthias just have low standards of beauty? So she took out the braid and clawed out her hair. Without the judgment of a mirror, she felt it did not look half-bad. A spell's length of braid hair resulted in some tangled but still nice waves. If only she had a brush.

"Jacob!" she called. "Do you have a brush? Or a mirror?"

He opened the door. "Why would I have either of those? Do I look like a girl?"

She gestured at her hair. "I took out the braid. Now it's a mess."

He stared at her for a long time. "So braid it back up again."

"Still a mess."

"Never mind, then. So now what?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said it that way. I'm not tired. I have one hour as a human and my prince isn't here. I want to do something."

"I already resigned the game."

She paced the room, loving the weight of her hair down her back. "I'm hungry. Your cakes were great, but I'm still hungry."

"So… you want me to cook you something?"

"Actually…" It was a strange urge considering that despite being a goose she was free from Lavender. "I want to cook something."

"You can cook?" he asked derisively.

"I told you. I did it for several years."

"That hardly makes you a cook. Come on. We'll go down to the kitchen and see what you can do."

She decided on soup. Even as Lavender's slave she had always enjoyed making soup. She filled a pot with water, herbs, and vegetables and waited it to boil. That recipe had always made a decent broth.

Jacob leaned against a table, smiling up at her, though with a smile that suggested he expected her to fail miserably. "Not a bad start."

Mimi was not going to let him get to her. "Do you have any peas? I'm great at shelling them."

"Wrong season and I never cared for peas anyway."

She rolled up her sleeves and marched into the pantry. Rice, more herbs, a sack of potatoes, a block of cheese… Well, she no longer had a recipe in mind, but she would make it work.

Eventually Jacob seemed to weary of his condescending watch. "Did you finish those books?"

"Not quite. Though thanks for not throwing them out. There were some good ones in there. I still can't believe you can barely read. My father loves education."

"Ask around. Plenty of people can't read. Oh, I'm not holding it against you, but, well, in my case and in the cases of others, other things… get in the way."

"Like what?" She tossed the potatoes into the pot.

Several moments passed before he responded. "Just things, I guess. My training focused on cooking."

He was hiding something, she suddenly realized. There was something on his mind he was not telling her. She wondered if she should press him, but decided against it. "Is there any butter?"

He retrieved it for her. "How's your soup coming?"

It looked like a strange combination of vegetables and rice. "Very well."

"Did you strain the stock?"

Oops. "It adds more flavor. I'll remove the big things later."

"Uh-huh."

"So we're not cavorting about the manor tonight," she said. "Do you think the Duke will sleepwalk down here?" Odd topic for conversation, but she needed something to say.

But Jacob actually laughed. "Good one, Mimi, since that would be sleepwalking across the countryside."

"I forgot," she said sullenly. She pulled the soup pot of the stove. "How does it smell?"

"Not bad. But how does it taste?"

She pulled out two bowls (amazing how she now knew where everything was kept) and spooned soup into them. "You have to let it cool first."

"Obviously."

She sat down on a chair as the conversation drifted to manor gossip. Being in the kitchen allowed much to be heard. As they talked, her hand found its way to her pocket. There was the ring, shiny and warm. She slipped it onto her finger.

When she trusted the soup to be non-scalding, she had Jacob test the soup. Perhaps it was a show of courage, but secretly wanted to know if it had indeed turned out bad.

He took a bite. "Not bad, Miss Goose. Maybe I should employ you at my inn."

"No. I do not want to cook forever." She tried the soup herself. Better than could be expected from throwing things into a pot. "Well, eat up, it's time to go."

"What's that?"

"I'm only human so long and--"

"No, I mean on your finger."

She looked at the ring. "Oh, this? Um…" No response was coming.

"It's pretty."

"Thank-you. It's from the Prince."

Jacob set his bowl down. "Really? He gave you a ring?"

The proposal. Still no answer. And here was where Jacob would make fun of her. "It's just a ring. A small token. It's not—"

"Did he propose marriage?"

"I don't think that's any of your business." She set down her bowl and headed for the door. "I'm tired now and I'm about to turn back into a goose. I'm going."

"Why would he give you a ring and not propose marriage? It's only logical." He followed her back to his quarters. "What did you say?"

"I don't have to tell you what I said."

"It's a fair question."

"What will you say if I told you I said yes? How I'm a goose with these crazy midnight meetings and how awkward the wedding will be?"

"Did you say yes?"

She dropped into a chair, arms crossed over her chest.

"You did say yes, didn't you? You're a bird-girl who sneaks off in the night for an hour-based tryst and now you're engaged! What a courtship! I'm sorry, but good luck getting guests to come to a wedding that occurs at two o'clock in the morning."

"I didn't say yes! Yet!" She pulled a cushion from the chair and chucked it hard at Jacob's ugly face.

But he slammed the door just in time.