The ballroom sits in dark and silence, holding only the memory of merrymaking that happened inside hours before. All waits for the dawn.
All except Fakir as he steals away in the night.
His feet heavily tromp through the courtyard, his easy danseur's grace now permanently gone. He chides himself and Prince Siegfried's decision, the Knight running from castle and court and love.
"You're just leaving? Without her?"
Rue's sudden presence and question stop Fakir in his tracks. He can't bring himself to say a thing.
"Why?" the Princess presses.
"Why does that matter?" the Knight asks back.
"You're breaking your word to Duck."
Fakir fixes a piercing glare on her. "I don't need you to remind me of that."
"Then stop this."
"I can't."
"Why not?"
The Knight remains there, silent.
"Answer me, Fakir," Rue snarls.
"Because I'm not the Prince, all right?" Fakir weakly replies. "And I'm never going to be the Prince..."
"How could you say-?" Rue starts.
"Because Duck can't, Duck won't. And you know she won't. She can accept her own unrequited love, however much it may hurt her. But how do you think she'd feel if she had to put up with mine along with that? How do you think I'd feel putting that on her? It's already bad enough that I've told her when I don't know how much of it is the story and how much is the real me."
"Liar."
Fakir didn't say anything about Rue's rebuke, knowing full well that he deserved it. But the silence after doesn't help any, either.
"I can't burden her by being with her," the Knight quietly admits.
"I won't just sit idle and watch you hurt her," the Princess bites back.
But he shakes his head before turning around and stalking away. "I'm going to hurt her either way. I might as well choose the way that will hurt her the least."
"Then you're choosing wrong!" Rue shouts to Fakir's retreating back.
She doesn't stay any longer, returning to the castle even as she hears the swan and chariot leave the ground.
"My Princess?"
Mytho crawls out of bed when Rue returns to the door, gingerly rubbing her shoulders when she's close.
"What's brought such a dour expression on this happy night?"
Rue sighs and responds, "Your Knight, who has taken it upon himself to leave alone."
"Fakir has gone? Without Duck?"
She nods. "I don't see what difference he thinks it's going to make. It won't prevent Duck from returning to Gold Crown."
"Hmmm," the Prince thoughtfully hums before pressing a kiss to the back of his Princess's head. "Fakir's not thinking clearly, Rue. Perhaps he just needs some time by himself."
Rue frowns even as she leans on her groom. "I'm not looking forward to how Duck will take this."
"Neither am I. But it would hurt her more if we keep it from her." Mytho shakes his head a little. "It looks like Fakir will probably get what he wants, though."
"What?" Rue turns in his hold. "You're not thinking of keeping her here, are you?"
"Only if she wants to stay, in which case of course we'll welcome her. But I mean she might want some time away from Fakir if this is the way he's going to act."
Rue nearly laughs at that. "I can't see her taking this sitting still. She might want to confront Fakir immediately."
"I suppose we'll just have to see in the morning." Mytho wraps his arms around her. "No sense in disturbing her sleep."
Duck tosses and turns, the events of the night playing in her head over and over. The questions of what, why, and how play in her mind, pressing down her very being. She fitfully curls her fingers in the quilt, her heart aching.
"...and I love you."
Duck's dreamed of love confessions but has never received one like this before. Suddenly things have shifted. Suddenly she must respond. But what to say? What to do? What does the Knight mean to her?
Somehow the wedding didn't weigh on her the same way, even if it meant the Prince is now forever beyond grasp. To see him and Rue together, that was right. She loves them both. She loves them together. But where does that leave her and Fakir?
How long has he felt this way about her? And how does she feel about him?
Does she love him?
She eventually drifts into dreamless slumber without an answer.