Connor watched Jude go over the rules one more time and then frown at the board. This game reminded Connor of chess, as it gave him the same sort of headache when he tried to figure out what game piece went where. Connor would have given up on it long before now, but Jude was overly determined to not only understand the game, but to play it out to its end. Connor could suffer along, if that was what Jude wanted.

Connor wasn't sure what else Jude wanted. Every time he asked, he always felt like he wasn't getting a satisfactory answer. He didn't blame Jude for that. Connor wasn't sure how to ask what he wanted from Jude either. But, maybe, he could do something for Jude. Something nice. He could gift Jude another room, but Jude didn't seem to have an interest in any of the other places like he did the Games Room. He liked the library, certainly, but no more than anyone else did. Then, Connor thought of the ballroom.

He knew how to dance. It was one of those things that a prince had been expected to be able to do and, even as a young teenager, he was adept at it. He'd hated his father's dances and political parties of course. He was always bored during, since Mariana, Jesus, and Brandon were always forbidden from attending and he was left alone. Back then, he'd vowed to abolish them when he became king. He was sure that spite had something to do with the absolute neglect of the ballroom.

He could get it fixed up. The idea formed in Connor's mind. They would dress up. They could feast on the fine foods that were always made for his father's balls. They could dance in the ballroom and then … then Connor would get a real answer out of Jude. He would ask what Jude wanted and then he would tell Jude that he loved him. Because of course he did. Because spending one winter with Jude at his side simply wasn't enough and he wanted to know if Jude felt it too. He wanted to know if Jude felt happier when he was near and if Jude looked forward to seeing Connor as much as Connor looked forward to seeing him. He wanted to know if Jude felt like they had the same sort of soul and if Jude felt the trust and urge to spill his heart's contents out for Jude to see the same way Connor did. This love thing was messy, Connor decided, but he was running out of time. He couldn't be scared now.

And the timing was rather perfect. He knew the weather patterns well enough to know that while it would still be cool for a while yet, spring was going to come in. The snow was going to disappear and there would be grass growing again. The ballroom cleaning was a big job. It would take a week, perhaps a week and a half, for the servants to return it to its former glory.

"I'll be back in just a moment," Connor told Jude.

"Sure. I'm just trying to figure this out." Jude turned the paper to the side and tilted his neck, as if it would give him better perspective on the impossible game.

Connor left the Games Room and bounded into the library. Stef and Lena were both in there, chatting quietly. With excitement in his voice, Connor asked them what they thought of his plan. He hoped they liked it. Connor wasn't sure what else he would do if they thought it a bad idea.

He needn't have worried. Stef and Lena both loved the idea.

"We'll have to get the both of you new suits," Lena said.

"Don't tell Jude that's what he's being measured for," Connor pleaded. "I want to surprise him."

"Our lips are sealed. We'll get everything in order for you," Lena promised.

"Thank you," Connor said breathlessly. "I'd better get back before he misses me."

"Go, go!" Stef urged. "Don't worry about a thing!"

Connor paused in the doorway of the library. "His favourite colour is blue!"

"Noted!" Lena said.

Connor ran off again, this time a smile taking over his face.

(-.-)

Jude looked out the palace window, though it was night and there wasn't much to see. He could hear the howling wind though, and he dropped the curtain, going to sit on his bed.

"I can't wait for spring," he mused.

"It's probably the last storm of the season," Mariana mused. "It'll change after this."

"Is the palace going to change after this?"

"How do you mean?"

"I'm not stupid, Mariana." Jude pulled his legs up on the bed. "Things have been weird around here for the past couple of weeks. I feel like I've barely seen anyone but Connor and even though we usually do the same things every day I feel like I've been really isolated. Like I'm being kept to the same places. I guess it's fair, though. I am a prisoner."

Mariana creaked as she shifted and then she took a few shuffling steps to Jude's side, unfurling one of her door handles to rub his shoulder.

"I'm scared to ask about it," Jude admitted.

"I suggest … you don't get too down in the dumps about it until tomorrow."

Jude looked up at her sharply. "You know!"

Mariana laughed and ruffled his hair affectionately. "You should know better than that by now. I always know what's going on."

"Yeah. I guess I do know that." Jude smiled up at her and then he let out a little sigh, leaning against the wall.

"What's on your mind?" Mariana took a careful seat at the edge of the bed, the mattress creaking and the wood of her body groaning.

"Connor, I guess," Jude said, and he picked at the seam in his pants. They were well-made, though, and nothing came loose. "I like being here. I like being here with him but sometimes I … I think about asking to go. I want to see my sister again and living here is … is wonderful, don't get me wrong, but, I'm trapped. And I know that was the point. But … he and I are friends now. I think that makes it different."

"I think it makes it different too," Mariana agreed.

"And I don't know what to do," Jude admitted. "I don't want to hurt him by asking to go or making him think that I just befriended him to get out of our prisoner agreement. That … wasn't why. I didn't mean to be his friend, but we ended up that way. What do I do, Mariana?"

"Talk to the Master. You two are friends, so I think that it could work out. But, one thing, though."

"What?" Jude looked up at her.

"Let the Master talk to you about something first."

"What is going on?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

Jude made a face at her and then pushed himself from the bed and onto his feet.

"Aw, come on," Mariana said. "You aren't that mad, are you?"

"No, I'm not. But I'm not really tired, either. I was going to go to the library and find something to read."

"I suggest the histories of royal lineage," Mariana said. "They could put anything to sleep. There's a hundred of them, at least, in the library."

"Have you read a lot of them?" Jude asked.

"I'm a little literate," Mariana admitted, then she beamed at him. "I'm the smartest wardrobe you know!"

"That's true," Jude said. "Okay, I'll be back in a little while. I'll try not to wake you when I come in."

"Don't worry about that. I'm always here if you need to talk."

"Thanks."

Jude took one of the torches from his bedroom and headed out into the hallway, shivering. It was still cool between the stone walls and he wished he'd thought to dress in a warmer top. He'd start a fire as soon as he got to the library, provided that there wasn't one already going. It was late, though Jude didn't know if the fires were completely extinguished at night or if they were kept up in the rooms that were used. He didn't usually wander around outside of his room at night. In fact, part of him was worried about getting lost on his way to the library, even though he had been there over a hundred times during the course of the winter. He just simply didn't go many places without Connor. Jude spent most of his day with the beast and while it could have been thought to be exhausting, Jude didn't find it that way. Spending his day in the company of the same person wasn't boring to Jude; Connor never bored him. When they talked, the conversation flowed. When they read together, it was comfortable.

Jude liked everything about his days with Connor. He thought that was why he felt so conflicted about asking Connor to go see Callie. Jude missed his sister, but he knew that if he went, he would miss Connor too.

The fire in the library wasn't much more than embers, so the first thing that Jude did was take wood from the pile and stoke the fire up. He needed a great fire going to get enough light to read by. Once he was sure that the fire was going to catch and grow within the grate, he took his torch to go inspect the stacks of books. He held the torch very carefully. He would hate to risk a fire in the room. Though he wasn't much of a reader and he lacked a finer appreciation for literature, he knew that they were important. And this had once been a royal palace. He was sure that the books in this room were even more important than the average book that might have existed in the small shop in the village. Jude found a book on pirates and he thought that it might be more interesting than the royal lineage, although if he really wasn't feeling sleepy in the next hour or so, he would consider taking Mariana's advice.

He tucked the book under his arm and went to get comfy in front of the fire. He was met with a near heart-attack, though, as Connor was peering in the doorway of the library.

"God!" Jude exclaimed, dropping the book and pressing his hand to his heart. "I didn't even hear you coming!"

"I'm sorry," Connor said. "I just heard you wandering outside of your room and thought something might be wrong."

"You heard that?"

"Yeah. I mean, things that happen in the hallways can be easy for me to hear." Connor flicked his ears and then reached up to scratch behind his horns. "Rooms, especially with doors closed, are hard for me to hear. From the West Wing, anyway."

"That kind of hearing must be hard to live with."

"You get used to it." Connor shrugged and then he stepped into the room in order to pick Jude's book up for him. "What are you reading?"

"Biographies of famous pirates. But I haven't gotten a chance to start it yet."

"Pirates, really?"

"Why not?" Jude asked. "I've never seen the sea. I thought it would be exciting."

"The sea's beautiful," Connor said.

"You've travelled?"

"I was … nomadic, once," Connor half-whispered. "I've seen some things."

Jude flopped down on the couch, rubbing his hands up his arms. He needed to be closer to the fire. "I haven't seen much."

"You will, someday."

"Not so long as I'm a prisoner," Jude said, and he couldn't keep his eyes from looking toward Connor. He didn't want to be free to go without Connor. He wanted to know what Connor looked like, standing on a beach with him, and it was a silly thing to want. Jude wasn't even sure where the desire came from. He cleared his throat. "Is it okay to move this closer to the fireplace?"

"Sure, I've got it."

"Oh, I can help –"

Jude's offer was cut short. Before he could even stand up off the couch, Connor had lifted it and moved it closer to the fireplace. It was perfect; Jude could feel the warmth of the flames evenly over his body, but he didn't feel as though he was going to burn up, which was the important part. Connor poked his head over the back of the couch.

"Too close?"

"No, it's great."

"May I sit with you?"

"Always."

Connor maneuvered his hulking body around to the front of the couch and sat down on the far end, leaving distance between the two of them as he always did. Jude stared over at him, trying to decide what he was thinking. Connor didn't seem to notice his gaze. Instead, he carefully used his claws to open the first page of the book.

"They've got really nice drawings," Connor commented.

Jude slid further down the couch so that his arm was pressing against Connor's. Jude was half-sitting on the long fold of Connor's cloak and he leant so that he could look at the picture. He heard Connor inhale shortly and then exhale in a long breath.

"It looks like a really nice ship, but what do I know?"

Connor closed the book.

"Or it's a really bad ship," Jude said with a shrug.

"I want to ask you about something," Connor said.

"What?"

"The night after tomorrow, I was hoping you'd … Um, attend a dinner … with me. I've been … planning and I'm hoping to make it a good night. For us."

Jude lowered his eyes. If he had just been overhearing the stuttered offer, he would have thought it was an awkward teenager asking for his first date. With that in mind, Jude was temporarily rendered speechless. He smiled, though. There was a warmth in him that had nothing to do with the fire. He looked back up at Connor, whose large fang was gripping onto his upper lip anxiously.

"I'd love that." Jude saw the doubt on Connor's face. "No, really, I would love it. Is this what everyone has been so busy with?"

"You noticed?"

"Yeah. But I think it's really sweet you'd plan this much."

"You do?"

"Yes." Jude smiled at him and Connor smiled back. "You could also be sweet and read some to me."

"I could."

"I know your eyesight has to be better than mine."

Connor opened the book. "Any particular pirate you want to start with?"

Jude peered at the table of contents. "Let's just start at the beginning."

Connor read very slowly, his grumbling voice low and even. Jude pulled a cushion into his lap and tucked his legs up on the couch. It was late at night and his eyes were beginning to drift shut. It didn't take long before he ended up with his head against Connor's meaty shoulder, the velvet cloak making a soft pillow. He didn't intend on drifting off but he must have, because his eyes jerked open and the evening felt much later.

"Connor?" he murmured.

He'd ended up curled on the couch, the top of his head touching the Beast's leg, though his head was actually resting on the couch. He was clutching the pillow tightly in his arms and Connor had draped his purple cloak around Jude, as a makeshift blanket. Jude half lifted his head off the couch, and then he decided he was too tired for that, and he dropped his head back against the couch.

"Hey," Connor replied. "What did you dream of?"

"Nothing, I don't think. I think I'm still sleeping."

Jude sighed and tried to turn over in order to curl up and fall asleep again. Connor put his hand on Jude's shoulder.

"You should go up to bed, Jude."

"Why?"

"Because you're tall and you're going to regret sleeping here."

"It's comfy," Jude whined.

"For now."

Jude flipped onto his back and stared up at Connor. He drew the cloak up around him. It was so large that it truly did feel like a blanket. "I'm tired."

"I know."

"And my bed's far."

"I know. I guess I'm just trying to look out for you." There was an embarrassed look on Connor's face when he looked away from Jude.

"And I appreciate it. If only I could be carried to bed." Jude stretched out. "Callie used to be able to do it, when I was really little."

"You can't be that heavy," Connor said.

"Well, you can lift couches," Jude said. "What is heavy to you?"

Connor shrugged and then he stood, stretching his arms out and then holding out his paws to Jude. "I'll help you up. Come on."

"You could carry me," Jude murmured.

"What?" Connor's ears flicked forward.

"You can lift couches," Jude repeated. "You could lift me."

"I could. I just don't know … if you'd trust me."

"What could you do to me that you've never had the chance to do before? Please, Connor."

"Don't get used to being carried," Connor said.

Jude was sure that Connor meant to sound stern, but he seemed more nervous. Jude promised he wouldn't and then he reached his hand up. Connor scooped him up, Jude's back supported by one of Connor's arms and Jude's leg supported by the others. Jude had never been so close to the Beast before. Connor had extreme heat rolling from his chest. Trying not to be obvious, Jude pretended to be fiddling with the purple cloak that still surrounded him, but, really, he touched the fur on Connor's chest. It was softer than the fur on his paws, which was what Jude was used to touching. It felt more like cat fur than Phillipe's slightly coarse hair. Jude quickly tucked his fingers under the cloak. Connor could be so touchy about his beastly state and Jude really couldn't be sure if he would be okay with Jude touching him like that purely for the sake of curiousity.

"Are you sure this is okay?" Connor asked.

"Positive. I actually really appreciate it." Jude yawned. "Sorry I fell asleep on you."

"It's okay. I know you're tired."

"You must be tired too."

"We can sleep in tomorrow," Connor said.

"I sleep too much here. With Callie, I'd be up before dawn."

"I know."

Connor's steps were long and steady, and it was like being rocked back to sleep. Jude's head fell against Connor's shoulder and he was almost back to sleep in the short time that it took Connor to get back to Jude's room. Connor got the door open and from the hallway torchlight made it to Jude's bed. Jude was only vaguely aware of Connor managing to turn some of the bedsheets down and then carefully lower Jude into bed.

"Thank you," Jude murmured.

"See you in the morning," Connor answered. "Don't feel bad about sleeping in."

Jude nodded and Connor drew the covers up around him. Then he left, closing the door securely behind him. Once he heard the door shut, Jude reached under the covers in order to messily push off the uncomfortable pants he was wearing and simply sleep in his softer shirt. It was only as his fingers brushed the material that Jude realized that he was still wrapped in Connor's cloak. After kicking his pants off, Jude cocooned himself in the soft velvet and snuggled in tightly.

He fell asleep with a smile on his face.

On tumblr I'm: we are all of legend now (with dashes between every word). If you want to find my replies to anon reviews, add backslash tagged backslash anon dash replies. If you want to see anything I post about Tale As Old As Time, add backslash tagged backslash tale dash as dash old dash as dash time. Note that the punctuation is spelled out due to fanfiction's restrictions. If you have any problems accessing the extra content on tumblr please send me a message and I can help you out!

I don't own anything recognizable – that being either TheFosters characters or anything affiliated with Disney.

~TLL~