Yao stared in horror, struck suddenly by a multitude of possibilities whirling through his mind. Had he come here by accident? It certainly seemed so. Now he had to go home, which wasn't a terrible prospect in the end, but still…

Yao still didn't want to go home, at least not yet. He wanted to experience a new culture, see more of the world in his short life. Shyly, still, he stepped away from Ivan and gave him a reproachful glance.

Sveta looked from one to the other in great confusion. "But, Ivan…?"

Ivan then burst into laughter—warm and bright. He stepped forwards and embraced Yao and set him down, kissing his cheek in greeting. "Hello my prince!" He said, "So you're what I bargained for, hm? Well, I'm glad to see you! We'll be off at night, so you may sleep in the carriage and wake up in the country side. I promise it is much more beautiful there than it is in this stuffy and cramped city."

With that Ivan turned away and went into the kitchen, having a desire for some tea. Sveta went to help him. Lena lingered and giggled, "I told you, Ivan is such a mystery! You never know what he is thinking. I once asked him about the war and he could not reply. Now, I'll go pack your things." She started towards Yao's room, beckoning him to follow. She explained that she would pack his books so he could continue learning Russian and that she would pack a sandwich folded in a napkin in case he feels famished along the journey.

"You have the most beautiful clothing from where you come from," Lena commented longingly. A trunk lay before her, planted firmly on the bed and creating a summit below it. The bed creaked as she shifted it. Piling in clothing and organizing it alongside books, she continued; "Here we have the coarse fabrics and colorless shirts. And you have these soft pastel colors I envy so… Now, remember what I asked you."

Yao looked intently at her from his position on the bed, crossing his thin pale legs and spreading out his toes near the trunk.

"Ivan has a tough exterior but don't let that dishearten you from learning more about them. And I hope he learns more about you. By then your language will be strong enough so that you can express yourself freely. I feel like you keep your inner self hidden from courtesy and alienation. I can tell from how you walk and how you stare out the windows with such sorrowful eyes."

Yao allowed a smile to cross his lips and nodded, rifling through his bedside counter. Inside was a box he brought from home, containing some items that were of more importance to him than all the money in the world. He set it in the corner of the trunk. Lena made no comment and went on working, singing quietly to herself.

When finished, Lena left Yao alone for some time. He remained perched in his position, feeling a strange feeling well up in his chest. Lena and Sveta had become so familiar to him in that short time. He didn't want to leave them, just as he didn't want to leave his home. His brother had gone off elsewhere and, despite being abandoned, he still grew to love his home with little company. The beautiful designs, trees, plants, flowers, and all the pretty things there were in his life had fallen from existence when he came to this new country.

Lost deeply in thought, he did not notice when Ivan entered the room. The man stood tall and broad at the doorway. He looked inside with bright, clever eyes. He took to the room with long strides and sat down beside Yao, startling the prince.

Ivan laughed. "I'm sorry for scaring you! Relax," he added in a gentler tone.

Yao glowered at him briefly and turned away.

"Is something troubling you? Is the prospect of running away from this city with a strange man not even in the least interesting to you? Ha! I suppose it is a princess ordeal more so than it is a prince's. Still, I can see why it bothers you. If it makes you feel any better, once my two maids clear up this home and manage to sell it they will join us in the country side."

Yao's spirits lifted all at once and he turned to face Ivan eagerly. "Tell me more of the country house," he said, proud of his own advancements in the language.

"So you can speak my swan," he chuckled, "The country house is not too far into the woods but rather in a rural area. There are a few lively characters around and my sisters often come to visit. I haven't told them anything of your presence yet so I believe that will be a terrifically funny surprise! Imagine that, my two sisters—one most gentle and sweet and the other cold as ice—coming to visit me and finding instead a strange prince."

Yao frowned. "I do not want to be used as a joke."

"But you won't be, my swan."

"Why do you call me a swan?"

Ivan was taken aback. He mulled over it for a minute, pressing his thumb to his chin and lowering his eyes. Yao noticed a faint scar trailing from under his ear to the edge of his mouth. "Isn't it obvious?" Ivan said, "You are as beautiful as a swan and as rare as one, too."

"That's flattery and you won't win with it," Yao said.

Something curious came over him in those moments. Near Ivan he felt as though all his outer layers were shed in a single breath and he stood, naked and exposed, with his personality visible from all sides. The feisty and sharp nature of his woke with fiery passion and sprung at each opportunity. With the maids he could not, as they treated him as a prince like all the other people he knew. Yao guessed that it was Ivan's soft words and eyes that eased him into relaxation, into exposing himself. Yao flushed as he realized this, but did not apologize for his coarse, accented tongue.

Ivan laughed his tinkling laugh again. "You have a strong character, I like that. Anyone with a strong character is worth talking to. It's the people who are feeble and soft and weak in nature and hide themselves away that bother me most." He stood up quickly, his expression shifting from jollity to grim seriousness. "If you excuse me, I'll go fetch a carriage. Dress warmly. The winds will be chilly and will steadily grow colder as we venture on. We leave in an hour." He turned away and left to the corridor, pulling on his coat and hat, slipping into his boots and packing a bundle of money into his pockets. The door shut behind him.

Yao ventured out of the room to find Sveta there.

His boldness at once trickled away and he found himself the shy and amiable prince again. "Miss Sveta?" He called.

She looked up, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Her soft cheeks were tinted with red from the cold gush of air Ivan had allowed in moments before. "Yes?" she said.

"Why is Ivan selling this home?"

"What use does he have of it? He only kept it to have a place in Moscow to come to after wars. But now since he does not need to go anymore he has decided to settle down at last. He's past the prime of his life now. It's about time he did so."

"Who will he sell it to?"

"That has yet to be discovered." Sveta smiled briefly and, when Yao hesitated, raised her eyebrows. "What's the matter?"

"It's nothing of importance." Yao said and turned back into his room, picking up a book on his way and sitting down to read from it.

As promised, an hour later, Yao stood at the door way. His trunk was in hand and he was bundled up in a fur coat and hat, his hair tucked away and only his pale face visible. His dark eyes stared patiently at the door. When Ivan pushed it open, they landed upon him in a forceful seriousness. Ivan noticed but made no remark. He bade Lena, who had come back from her errands, and Sveta good bye. He kissed their cheeks and embraced them. Had an onlooker viewed this, he would never have guessed that the women were his maids by the way Ivan treated them. The friendly manners, however, seemed to Yao as a piece to a large and complex puzzle that Ivan incessantly was crafting.

Yao kissed the maids good-by as well, doing it awkwardly as he was unaccustomed to such formalities. In a moment he was whisked away and taken outside. Darkness settled in. Clear stars twinkled in the vault of the sky like precious gems. The horses huffed, their breaths coming out in white, smoky clouds. Yao placed his trunk in the back and clambered into the seat, feeling at once sleepy and comfortable. Ivan, after distinct instructions to the driver, piled in as well.

The cab started to move. It rocked and the sound of clip-clopping horses greeted the silence between the prince and the soldier. Ivan settled snuggly, his large coat providing warmth even from the leaking cold from outside.

Yao's eyes grew heavier and heavier as he watched the city flit by outside the small windows. The inside of the cab was dim and only a trace of Ivan's bright eyes were visible.

"I know you are sleepy," Ivan whispered after some time. Yao had started to doze off, feeling a pain in his cheeks from straining his eyes open.

Yao, stifling a yawn, agreed.

"Then lay your head down here. Don't worry, I won't bite."

Yao looked at him and felt his head, despite his own concerns, start to drop onto Ivan's warm and soft shoulder. The furs tickled his nose and he smiled despite himself, thankful for the dark that shielded it from Ivan's sight.

Ivan settled back, listening to Yao's soft breaths and going into his thoughts. What passed through his mind is indistinguishable, for many things were whipping though and fading away instantly. He thought, however, mostly of this new life.

"Oh I've never been more grateful for saving someone's life!" He thought, closing his eyes and falling into a light doze himself.