Disclaimer: I don't own Princess Tutu...never have, and probably never will...okay, you can scratch out the probably part...lol.

Thank you Astale5, bree luv, Chrysanth Florence, FeelTheBeat, Ineterin, James Birdsong, MeraLee, and yayabrande for the lovely reviews! ^_^

Thing don't always turn out the way you expect them to..."Happily Ever After" just got put on hold...it's time to see who sinks and who can swim ;3 (Please don't hit me with fish...italian food is fine, but please no fish...)

Things are going slow...or not...well, lol, you'll see what I mean...anyway, I'm off to battle the plot bunnies~!

Chapter 5: Bad Timing

During the long run down the stairs, neither Fakir nor Roxanne spoke. When they were finally out of the tower, Fakir finally put the poor red-faced girl down. She was so embarrased she couldn't even look at him.

"Where can I find Mytho?" Fakir asked, a bit too distracted by the sudden brightness to notice her behavior.

"Um...I can take you to him," Roxanne whispered, fiddling with the cloth of her skirt.

This time he looked at her, and raised an eyebrow at her, "What was that? I couldn't hear you."

"I-I said I can take you to him!" she spouted, finally looking up at him.

Her outburst surprised him at first, but something about her expression left him with a feeling of nostalgia. For a second he smiled, just a little bit, "Thank you."

Roxanne saw this, turned an even brighter shade of red, and quickly turned away, "A-all right! Just follow me!"

'It's so strange...' Fakir thought as he stepped forward to catch up with her, 'She...really doesn't remember me...'

After a moment, Roxanne risked a peek at the young man who was now beside her instead of behind her, 'I wish he didn't look so...well, I don't really understand why, but his expression just...makes me think something is troubling him...I just...want him to smile again...like in my dream...'

"Princess!" a maid exclaimed nearby, "There you are!"

"Oh, hi Gretchen-san," Roxanne waved sheepishly.

"Princess Veronica has everyone looking for you," the maid said worriedly, "And your brother is missing too!"

"Alfy!" Roxanne gasped as she remembered something crucial, "Oh no! I forgot him!"

"What?" the maid asked in confusion, then noticed Fakir, "And who is this?"

"Um, this is Fakir," Roxanne said, "He said he's a friend of papa's...and Autor knows him, so it's okay! I was just taking him to papa, he said he needed to talk to him."

"Oh?" the maid considered the information, then frowned, "Well...then, I'll escort the two of you to the conference room. Your sister is waiting there with your parents."

"I-I see..." Roxanne said, suddenly not looking forward to the near future.

Meanwhile...

"Darn it!" Alphonse swore.

"Young Prince!" a maid exclaimed, "There you are!"

Then she saw where the Prince had come from, "Eh? Were you just in the West Tower? You know only Lord Autor is allowed in there! The King and Queen are the exception of course...but you shouldn't be here!"

"It's Autor's fault for being a lousy guard dog," Alphonse told her, "Anyway, have you seen Roxanne? That stupid prince just ran off with her..."

"Eh? N-no...what are you talking about, Prince Alphonse?" the maid was confused.

Alphonse sighed, "Please just take me to father...that's where they were headed..."

"Uh, y-yes, Prince Alphonse," the maid bowed and quickly led the way, wondering whether or not she should mention that he would soon be facing a very angry Queen Rue and Princess Veronica.

A few moments later...

"...young people..." Autor grumbled, finding that no one had bothered to wait for him.

Back to the story...

"Here we are," the maid, Gretchen, knocked on the door to the conference room.

A male servant opened the door, saw little Roxanne, looked at Fakir quizically, then shared a quick nod of confermation with the maid. The two servant opened the twin doors, and ushered them inside.

"Thanks Gretchen-san, and Roy-san," Roxanne said before walking inside.

With small, slightly worried, smiles, the two closed the doors behind them. Once inside, all eyes turned toward them. Besides Roxanne's family, there were several well dressed individuals, and a few servants in the room. Veronica frowned at her sister before noticing Fakir with confusion and surprise.

"Fakir!" the King abruptly stood, forgetting any conversation he'd been having, and all but ran to greet him.

"Mytho?" Fakir gasped at the now taller man.

"It's good to see you!" the King dropped all propriety and hugged him, "It's been so long!"

"Myth-o..." Queen Rue coughed, "King Siegfried!"

King Siegfried blinked, then released his hold sheepishly, "Please excuse me gentlemen. And please, allow me to introduce Roxanne's intended, Fakir."

Veronica's jaw dropped, Fakir stood frozen, and Roxanne simply looked confused. At the door, Alphonse's eyes bugged. In her seat, Queen Rue face palmed. And while the whole of the room was left speechless, Mytho just smiled, oblivious to the bomb he'd just dropped.

Till The Next Chapter...

Yeah...Mytho...that wasn't the right thing to say...but hey, they all love him anyway...just like a cute little puppy...lol.