Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Knowledge is like food, and your mind becomes overwhelmed just as easily as your stomach threatens to burst on over-consumption.  On most days, Ritsu would diligently copy just enough pages to be able to afford his groceries before packing up and hurrying home to his brother.  Today was different: the library got a new order of books in, and while Ritsu and the other scribes were tasked with copying the pages and returning the copies brought to them, the owner of the library gave Ritsu permission to instead dig through the new pages with vigor.

If only it had been for pleasure.

By the time he was done with the first read-through of all the books, Ritsu's head was swimming.  Information about human anatomy, new medical theories, historical accounts of neighboring countries, romantic fables, exotic recipes, theological papers and debates - everything under the sun except the only thing Ritsu actually wanted to learn.  The book on spells, the occult and curses raised his hopes, but dashed them by the time he closed the cover after the third thorough reading.  It didn't know what was wrong with Kageyama Shigeo… after six years of searching, it seemed like not a single tome in the kingdom did. Ritsu thought that, after reading hundreds of books just like this, the pit of disappointment burning deep in his belly wouldn't hurt so much.  In reality, the way that his optimism faded with each and every month made his heart feel heavier and heavier. Maybe soon he too wouldn't be able to freely walk around, too exhausted from being heartbroken.

"Ritsu?" his boss asked, touching his shoulder.  Ritsu jumped, looking up at her in surprise before looking down.  The librarian was an old friend of his older brother's, though Emi was a girl with a big heart.  She seemed to sympathize deeply with Shigeo's little brother as well, doubly so as his employer. "No luck, it seems… I'm sorry.  I tried to get as much as I could about the occult this time, too," she apologized, reaching around him and shutting the book for him.  It was a kind gesture, even if it was a bit stern. She was right, he had to go home. He shook his head at her apology.

"Thank you for looking out for us, Emi," he replied politely, even if he felt a bit terse.  Emi reached over and snuffed the candles that Ritsu had been using to read. "Sorry to keep you late.  I'll be going home," he added before she could scold him, even if she was always very gentle about that.

"I brought a cut of bacon from the butcher's on discount, take it home for your breakfast.  I can't pay you for today but I can at least do that," she offered. Ritsu nodded in agreement, too tired and defeated to turn down a gift.  "And take this to Shigeo… I know he's spending more time inside, so maybe he'll enjoy reading this," she added, passing a small novel to Ritsu.  It looked to be an adventure story, glimpsing at the title and cover.

"He'll like it, thank you," Ritsu agreed, taking the book and the parchment-wrapped bacon with him as he left the library.  His eyes were tired, and the gifts weighed far too heavily… even though they were a kindness, gestures like these always reminded Ritsu of a mourner placing flowers on a grave. 

Early autumn is one of Shigeo's favorite seasons.  Even with the chill of winter creeping closer, the sun still warmed the skin and plants still stood tall and healthy.  Summer and spring were best for his health, but they were far too rainy or hot to be outside all day. Around his home, flowers rarely bloomed in their proper season, so it was a real treat to see some snowdrops take root.  "A little early," he said softly to them, gently touching the bud with a finger. It quivered in response, growing a few centimeters larger and unfurling its petals. Fatigue washed over Shigeo, as did a fond smile.

After pulling the weeds and grinding them for mulch, he pat the dirt off of his gloves and took them off, heading inside to clean up.  He hung the gloves and his smock at the door and went to the sink, pumping water into it to wash his hands and upper arms. A cheerful chirrup accompanied the sound of the cat hopping onto the counter, before earning a flick of water in her direction to get her to jump back down.  "Down, Milk," he scolded, even if he could never say it with the sternness that Ritsu managed. Fluffing up indignantly, the little black cat rubbed at Shigeo's legs, chirruping and meowing for dinner. As he looked down at the black barn cat, eagerly begging and rubbing her hair all over his pants, he gave her a small laugh.  "Dinner time, huh…? I guess it is around that time," he muttered softly, looking at the setting sun painting the sky in oranges and reds to match the roses that dominated his garden. Ritsu must be coming home late tonight.

Nonetheless, Shigeo dutifully fed the cat and made dinner, stewing the beef with vegetables from the yard.  Ritsu always hated eating the plants that grew thanks to the effects of his curse, but after giving a little of the energy to the snowdrops, Shigeo needed the perk-up.  He stoked the fire, stirred the mix in the pot, and let it simmer slowly as he pulled a chair closer and sunk into it tiredly. At least with a slow cooking meal like this, it wouldn't hurt if he fell asleep before his brother returned from work.  From his chair he watched the sunset, enjoying the cool breeze through the window and the crackling fire, soothed by the smell of flowers and the hearty stew. He nearly didn't notice when he saw two mice scramble up onto the windowsill, sniffing about curiously - the two critters, one with black fur and the other a tawny color, were nearly off the windowsill and to the floor before their presence actually registered in Shigeo's mind.

"Oh... " he murmured out loud, getting up from the chair.  His head spun a little before he stabilized, and he tried to carefully approach the mice as they scurried towards the kitchen where Milk was eating.  "No, no, the cat's in there," he pleaded, even though they might not've understood - no, certainly not, because they ran into the kitchen with reckless abandon.  Hurrying around the corner, he watched the mice start rummaging around, ignoring the cat entirely. "Milk," he whispered in a beckoning voice, getting the cat's attention.  She looked up from her bowl and licked her chops, looking at the mice with disinterest before strutting to Shigeo's feet and rubbing against him. He smiled in relief, giving her a couple of fond strokes down her back before going to the cabinet to make sure the grains were secure.  The mice had crawled onto the counter to presumably look for scraps, but there were none to be found since the Kageyama brothers kept their home clean. He should probably just toss the critters outside, but Shigeo couldn't find it in his heart to do that… instead, he found some of their baked almonds and retrieved them, holding a palm filled with them out to the mice.

"Let's take you back outside," he said gently to them.  The black one seemed hesitant but the tawny one easily trusted him, crawling into his palm and nibbling on an almond.  After a few moments, the black one seemed to tolerate Shigeo picking him up, and the both seemed content enough as they were taken back to the garden.  He found a soft patch of moss and set the two down, petting the tawny one before piling the almonds on the moss bed for them.

The door latch on the other side of the house made Shigeo jolt out of his trance, and he stood up on shaky feet as quickly as possible.  He walked to the back door, meeting Ritsu who looked a bit agitated. "Welcome home, Ritsu," he interjected before his brother could fret too hard, earning a harried sigh from him.

"Brother. You're still up at this hour?" he asked, taking Shigeo's hand and leading him inside.  Shigeo just smiled reassuringly, following where he was led.

"I made dinner… did you eat, Ritsu?" he asked, knowing very well the answer was no.  "It's probably done by now."

"That means you haven't eaten," his brother argued, retrieving bowls from the cupboard.  Shigeo knew better than to dig heels in, since his brother was just worried… and from the way the bowls and spoons clattered on the counter, it seemed like yet another import of books didn't reveal anything.  Shigeo just patiently sat at the table, letting himself rest and letting Ritsu feel better by fretting over him. The stew soon was placed in front of him, and he stirred it gently to cool it enough to eat, staring somewhat absently at the way the potatoes and carrots bobbed in the stock.  A comfortable silence fell over them for a while as they ate, Shigeo finishing his stew by the time that Ritsu spoke up again. "I'm sorry, brother, I thought for sure this time--"

"It's alright, Ritsu," he interrupted.  He didn't want Ritsu to stress like this… it used to warm his heart and give him hope, but now it was just sad to see his little brother struggling so badly.  "There's no hurry."

"There is a hurry," his brother argued, pain etched over his face, "You're getting worse and worse every year.  It's not fair ."

"It isn't," Shigeo agreed quietly, and Ritsu stopped shouting, staring into his bowl.  The older brother wasn't sure what to say, so he stood up, taking his bowl to the sink to wash it.

"Let me, brother," Ritsu pleaded, getting up to follow him into the kitchen.  It was pretty clear by his tone that he wanted to do something to feel useful, or keep his mind off of things, or something like that… Shigeo looked at the bowl in Ritsu's hands, before nodding.

"Alright.  But finish your dinner first, and I'll go to bed." 

The moon was bright, that night.  Ritsu struggled to sleep, drifting in and out - he wasn't sure if Shigeo waking up to stare outside was a dream or not.  He closed his eyes, and opened them again, and the hazy image of his brother sitting on the windowsill filled his bleary vision.  He closed his eyes before he could think to do anything about it, and opened them again, feeling the breeze of the autumn air and the crunch of leaves beneath his feet.  Somehow, it didn't hurt, or feel cold… they just seemed to float along even as they crunched audibly along the forest floor, younger brother diligently following the older.  He closed his eyes, then his brother was too far ahead of him, walking on soft green grass.

"Wait--" Ritsu called, trying to run to catch up.  He moved no faster, even as he reached, feeling himself floating and fading as he could only spectate… his brother's form had abruptly changed, at some point that Ritsu couldn't quite remember, as if he'd always been ten years old again.

He was dreaming.

He hated this dream.

Shigeo, his tiny older brother, was hunched over the body of a beautiful white stag.  He was hugging around its neck, crying more than Ritsu had ever seen him cry before… or since.  A shadow of a man loomed behind his brother, and whispered… Ritsu could not hear it, but he knew the words anyway.

Do you want it to live?

"Yes."

No, brother...

What will you give?

"Anything."

It's just an animal. You're being tricked!

What a generous child you are.

Abruptly, Ritsu gasped and opened his eyes, staring at his ceiling.  Sweat was pouring down his face and neck, and his heart was racing, dream fading from memory even if the rush of terror and grief it evoked didn't.  He sat up in bed and grabbed his handkerchief from his bedside table, drying his face with his shaky hands. It was too late to undo the past. He just had to focus on finding the cure.  After that, they could finally have their happily ever after.

Chapter Text

The way his brother smiled in the morning always bothered Ritsu.  It wasn't that he was upset to see Shigeo happy, but it always challenged the way he felt after a poor night's sleep.  Last night's disappointment still weighed heavily on him, but it was hard to continue feeling completely defeated when he entered the kitchen and smelled bacon and eggs and saw a plate with those and some toast and jam ready to greet him at the table.  "Good morning, brother," he murmured.

"Good morning, Ritsu," Shigeo replied, not facing him yet.  He was still over the stove, cooking his helping of breakfast after Ritsu's since their pan was too small for the both of their meals.  Ritsu could hear the smile in his voice. "It's nice out today… you won't need a coat, I think," he added once his meal was done cooking and Ritsu was part way through his, "I'm going to be outside today."

"Just be careful, brother," Ritsu insisted through a mouthful of egg.  "Make sure you save your energy. Do you need anything?"

"Hmm… there are a few rocks that are a little heavy, near the christmas rose," Shigeo admitted, ears turning a little pink from embarrassment.  "But don't make yourself late for work…"

"It'll be fine, I should get a little work in before I sit and write all day," Ritsu asserted, finishing his bacon and chugging the glass of water before marching into the garden with purpose.  He didn't like helping the plants, but after years of trial and error, the brothers learned that the plants took less life from Shigeo if their lives were made easier. Ritsu swung open the door to the shed on the far end of the garden, and jolted to an abrupt stop.

There was something small, and green… it was floating in the corner of the shed, hiding behind the rake and trying to shoo away Milk, who was curiously batting at it through the spokes.  It flickered like a wispy green puff of smoke, and two eyes locked their gaze with Ritsu. "Hey, kid, this your cat?? Come get her, quick, before she eats me!! Ouch, no claws, stop it-- hey brat, are you listening?"

Ritsu was in fact, not listening.  He stared in surprise at the green creature, a deluge of information racing through his head as he frantically tried to puzzle together what this strange creature might be.  After a few seconds, he pieced it together: it was a faerie. A second more and he remembered what to do, and grabbed his cast iron hammer from the tool drawer. The wispy faerie panicked even harder, rippling brightly like a little green puff of smoke.  "WHOA WHOA, take it easy, n-no need to resort to murder!!" it wailed in vain as Ritsu pushed the cat aside with his foot and pulled the rake away. The faerie floated up to hide in the top corner of the shed, not that it was much safer from Ritsu's range of attack.  "Hey hey hey, you got me, fair's fair, wanna make a deal, kid?"

"What's a faerie doing in my shed?" Ritsu raised his voice, hoping he sounded more offended than mortified.  It seemed to have that effect, though the cold iron in his hand may have been giving him the edge for intimidation.  "You've got no right being here, I know how the fae are supposed to work. You should be near one of the faerie forts, or in the woods-- you've got no business here."

"That's not real hospitable of you," the faerie replied.  Ritsu recalled that faeries often get offended or hostile at poor hostility, and raised his hammer instead. "I'm joking!!  Look, look, I'll grant you a wish, just hear me out--"

"A wish?" Ritsu hesitated, staring intently at the wisp.  "What's the catch?"

"The only catch is that you don't kill me, kid," he pleaded.  After a moment's consideration, Ritsu lowered the hammer and tossed it back on top of the toolbox.  The fae relaxed, grinning an unsettling toothy grin. "Call me Dimple, little boy."

"Don't call me that.  My name is Ritsu."

"Right, right, Ritsu.  Listen, Ritsu, now that you and I have made a little promise, you should do me a favor and hear me out," the fae insisted.  Ritsu still didn't trust the thing, but crossed his arms and waited to get an elaboration. Dimple seemed delighted to take that invitation.  "I just wandered in this crazy garden to take advantage of the ley line here.  You've got a pretty prime location if you're a warlock or wizard, you know!  The place is absolutely teeming with power. That's what's making all the flowers grow."

"It's not a leyline," Ritsu said bitterly, "You're feeding off of my brother's life force.  He's been cursed."

"Oh, yikes," Dimple responded, though he definitely didn't seem to be nearly as bothered as he was pretending.  "Well I didn't know that. Besides, I haven't had it easy either, I was just knocked off my metaphorical high horse by another fae and had to run off to recover before I died."

"If you can't lift the curse, just leave," Ritsu interrupted, annoyed already.  Dimple grinned at him, not looking particularly trustworthy.

"I'm your new faerie godfather, Ritsu, I'll grant your wish.  I just need you to do me a little favor, first…"

Shigeo's reaction to seeing Dimple in his house wasn't much better.  He had been in the middle of washing the cast iron skillet and had turned, brandishing it like a two-handed weapon - at least, until Ritsu quickly told him to calm down and put the dish away and go rest already.  Shigeo only obliged so far, sitting in the dining room and staring intently at his brother for an explanation.  Ritsu could feel his hairs turning grey.

"So… this is Dimple," he began, glancing between his brother's unchanging attentive expression and Dimple's untrustworthy grin.  "I almost clobbered him to death with the hammer, so he begged for his life. And he said he would grant me a wish."

"Faeries are dangerous, Ritsu," Shigeo said flatly, sitting back in the chair and not taking his eyes off of the little green wisp.

"Who, little old me?  Why, I'm as harmless as a fly!" the floating green faerie replied in a sickeningly sweet voice.  Both brothers seemed thoroughly unimpressed. "Fine, fine. I am a great and powerful faerie, normally.  I just uh, ran into a fae from the Unseelie Court, that's all.  That guy nearly killed me so I limped off," he explained, getting no visible reaction from Shigeo and a gradually more perplexed expression from Ritsu.  "Me, I'm from the Seelie Court. We honor bargains and give people a little helping hand. You know, back in the day people used to worship me like a god.  I could be a pretty generous patron if you just got on your knees and did a little prayi-- okay, okay!! Why is there so much cast iron in your house??"

Shigeo put down the candle stand, not taking his eyes off of Dimple.  "If you grant my brother a wish, please give him a good life," Shigeo responded, surprisingly firmly.  "He deserves it. Don't trick him, or get him involved in anything dangerous…"

"Shige, I'm not going to make a wish about anything else," Ritsu retorted, frowning in a very hurt way.  "Dimple, I already know what my wish is. I want you to lift the curse on my brother. If you can't do that, then you leave."

"So nasty! Don't worry, it won't be fast, but I can fix him," Dimple said with complete confidence, floating in a circle around Shigeo's head.  Ritsu's heart lifted, and the feeling of hope started to overpower dread for the first time in years. The faerie noisily hummed and hawed, inspecting Shigeo as the frail man stood patiently and waited.  "Yeesh, that is one nasty curse," he muttered, "Never saw a Bleeding Hart this bad."

"A 'bleeding heart'? Don't make stupid jokes," Ritsu insisted, heart thudding in his chest in worry.

"Not heart, hart.  Actually, I'm not convinced the way that things grow around him is entirely this curse," the fae muttered.  Even with the enunciation, Ritsu wasn't sure what the difference in Dimple's words actually were. "But this is some old magic, kid. What'd you do to tangle with someone so powerful, huh?  Did ya kill a unicorn as a kid or something?"

"It wasn't a unicorn," Shigeo said in a murmur, sweat dripping down his brow and a sorrowful expression on his face.  "And I didn't kill it… it was a giant white stag, with antlers like tree branches. No one believed me when I said what I saw or that I used to play with it."

"No kidding they didn't, kid, that there was a god," Dimple hummed, crossing his little wispy arms.  "Like I said. A Bleeding Hart. Did it die?"

"No," Shigeo replied with a shake of his head.  A black, ugly feeling bubbled in Ritsu. He would've preferred that the god died.

"Well, bully for you, then," Dimple nodded thoughtfully, "Probably why you're regarded so highly, someone took pity on you for that bleeding heart."

"Bleeding heart, bleeding heart, how many times are you going to say it?" Ritsu snapped, looking especially cranky.

"Heart and hart, I'm saying two completely different words.  You know what a hart is, right, little Ritsu?" Dimple sneered.  Ritsu hesitated, because yes, of course he knew what a heart was.  What did Dimple mean, though-- what's the difference between two kinds of hearts?  "Stop, you're giving me a headache with how hard you're thinking.  Hart. H-A-R-T. Not heart, with an e. You'd think someone looking to find a cure for a faerie curse would be paying attention to double meanings!"

"Quit insulting me," Ritsu warned, though he didn't feel anything besides particularly embarrassed.  Hart was a very old word, and it was really only now that Dimple literally spelled it out that the dots properly connected.  A bleeding hart. "Are you saying that the stag cursed him?"

"Nah, looks like the Seelie Court blessed him," Dimple responded with a shrug, "It's an Unseelie curse for sure.  Don't know why but honestly it's better for everyone if you never find out.  It's never a good idea to cross paths with an Unseelie Fae, even if you're really itching for answers.  Just do your best to live out the rest of your short lives in the meantime."

"If you can lift the curse then lift it," Ritsu pressed, hackles raising.  He was absolutely sick and tired of the banter, even if it was incredibly enlightening - even if this faerie ended up lying about his ability to help, Ritsu felt a renewed drive towards researching the fae.  Dimple waggled a finger at him.

"I don't have the magic to just break this," he explained, which made Ritsu hitch his breath in suspense.  "But, I can figure out where the answer actually is.  There's a couple places in the world that know enough about that kind of old magic, after all, so it'll be no time at all before I find the answer.  Definitely before this kid finally keels over and melts into a bed of flowers."

"That isn't funny," Ritsu warned through gritted teeth, feeling ready to grab the candle stand and beat the faerie senseless himself.  "If you're tricking me, I'll nail you to the windowsill for the cat to play with whenever she wants."

"Yikes, lighten up, kid," Dimple retorted, putting a hand on Shigeo's shoulder.  "Tell him, big brother! I'll see that you stop leaking like a watering can full of holes in no time flat.  So don't worry your pretty little heads."

"Thank you, Dimple," Shigeo said politely, though he reached and brushed the hand off of his shoulder dispassionately.  "Ritsu… you're going to be late for work. I'll be fine today, I feel alright."

Ritsu still felt absolutely miserable, but packed up his things and marched towards the library.  He ignored the floating green faerie hovering over his shoulder as he marched down the town streets, mind too torn between feeling hopeful and feeling suspicious.

 As the weather got colder and colder, Shigeo started uprooting as many plants as he could in order to give himself a fighting chance through the winter.  One day he pulled out all of the potatoes in the yard and sold half of them to a neighbor, baking the other half for dinner and lunches. Three days later he did the same for the carrots.  The following week, when he finally needed a jacket to be outside, he clipped all of the rose bushes and gave them to Ritsu to go sell on his day off; Ritsu did so, begrudgingly, touching the flowers as if they were discarded limbs.  The week after that, he was too exhausted to do anything else. He excused it as the chill cutting too deep, though both brothers knew the truth. Diligently, Shigeo stuck to house work, making sure things kept clean for the mice that kept running in and under his feet.  No matter how hungry Milk was, she never seemed to bother them.

"Mice!" Ritsu cursed one morning, catching Shigeo by surprise in the middle of cooking the oatmeal.  "Milk, come here, kitty kitty," he ushered through hissed teeth. Shigeo smiled, grateful to have a break from his brother's worrying and instead have the chance to watch over his shoulder at Ritsu trying with determination to get the cat to chase the two mice.  To no avail, of course: Milk simply curled around the corner of the wall, chirruping and meowing to beg for breakfast. "Milk, I got you for one reason, and you aren't even doing it!"

"She catches all the voles and scares the birds away," Shigeo interjected unhelpfully, earning a pointedly tired look from his brother.  It was a pretty amusing expression. "They're fine, Ritsu. They keep me company too," he added more seriously, going to retrieve bowls for their breakfast.  "Did you want dates in your oatmeal, Ritsu? I already added sugar."

Ritsu pursed his lips, annoyed and red-faced.  Shigeo never forgot his penchant for sweet things.  "Yes, please, and you're not supposed to keep mice for company, Shige," he scolded, hands on his hips.  Shigeo chuckled a little, since his little brother looked so much like their mother used to when he was doing that.  "They're filthy. You're going to get sick, on top of--"

"They're not dirty, Ritsu.  They don't even have fleas," he argued in a subdued voice, passing the warm oatmeal to Ritsu after adding a liberal handful of dates to them.  "It's just two mice. It's nice to watch them when I'm taking a break."

"That's what the books Emi writes you are for," his brother sighed, taking his breakfast and leaning against the wall in lieu of sitting down.  "She said she wants to visit one of these days, too. I hope you actually took notes," he added, punctuating the accusation with a jab at the air with his spoon.  Shigeo didn't respond, but the sweat dripping down his brow said it all. "If you're having a hard time understanding what she writes, you should tell me, you know."

"It's… um.  It's fine," he muttered, suddenly the one on the spot.  "I'd like to see her, too… just let me know," he added. It'd been a long time since he met with friends, but town was too full of living people to be safe for Shigeo.  Still, that didn't excuse him from never inviting them to come visit, if he was being honest with himself. "Tome, too… and you could invite your friends to come visit. I wouldn't mind, Ritsu."

"I.  Well.  I did," Ritsu muttered through a mouthful of oatmeal, "Emi's going to come by."  Shigeo blinked at him, just making Ritsu a little more embarrassed.

"...You should go out more often, Ritsu.  You're really good at making friends, and you work so hard, you should be allowed to relax."

"I do relax, being at home is relaxing," Ritsu retorted defensively.  Shigeo sighed, looking worried, which only seemed to make Ritsu more defensive.  Pouring himself a bowl of oatmeal, Shigeo sat down in the chair next to the fire instead of going to the table, a little tired.  "Brother, I'm going to ask Dimple to stay with you today," his brother declared. Shigeo looked at him, waiting for elaboration, and Ritsu nodded decisively, "Aside from a couple days where he just disappears, supposedly following a lead or whatever, he floats around me all day at the library.  Make sure he's not up to mischief, okay?"

Making certain that Dimple wasn't up to mischief was most certainly not Ritsu's goal, and Shigeo knew that.  He was probably making sure that Shigeo wasn't alone and talking to mice today, or just worried for his health again.  After a moment's contemplation, he decided to feel agreeable instead of insulted, gloomy or annoyed, nodding in understanding.  "I'll keep an eye on him. Have a good day at work, Ritsu."

His brother swung his coat on and left, leaving only a meowing cat and the two mice scurrying in and out of the house behind.  Next to the fire it was warm and peaceful, and the trees were a little pretty with their brown leaves coated in bright frost. He got up, cleaned his bowl, and fed the cat before retreating back to the chair by the fire.  The mice seemed to be chittering at each other before they disappeared outside, staying out there for a little while despite having left the house empty handed (empty-pawed...ed…?) What were those mice up to…?

"Yoo, Shige," a voice like nails on chalkboard interrupted the peace of the day.  Shigeo glanced up at the faerie. "Ritsu's got me babysitting you, today, so be on good behavior, kid," he goaded.

"Why did you wait until Ritsu saw you in the shed to help?" Shigeo asked, eyes narrowed at the faerie, who was certainly caught off guard by the very astute question.  "You've been in the garden for a long time… since the end of last winter, haven't you?"

"Why Shige, it's not very nice to make false accusations," the faerie replied nervously, clearly intimidated by Shigeo's persistent stare.  "Okay, I might've been dropping by, but I really did think it was a ley line! Honest.  Would a guy like me take advantage of such a horrible curse?"

"Yes," Shigeo replied flatly, an exasperated look crossing Dimple's face.  Shigeo finally broke eye contact, staring out the window and into the garden for a few moments to collect his thoughts and temper his feelings.  "I could feel you there. You took a lot out of me, so it was easy to tell. But," he added, looking back at Dimple, who seemed to have literally and metaphorically shrunk under the critical words, "you told Ritsu that you could lift my curse.  So I expect you to."

Dimple flickered nervously, gritting his teeth anxiously.  While Shigeo might've been weak, the house was still full of cold iron... Shigeo wasn't sure that the iron itself was what made Dimple so apprehensive in that moment.  Maybe it was the accusation of being dishonest? Or the idea that he might get banished into the woods again, where something dangerous may still lie. "You calling me Unseelie?" he growled through gritted teeth - so pride might've been a part of it, or a convenient shield to hide behind.

"I don't care, Dimple.  Please, just… fix me," Shigeo sighed, looking out the window again.  He was worried that this may be one of his last years, but for the first time in so very long, he felt genuinely, deeply hopeful.  "For Ritsu's sake.  Please repay your debts and cure me, for Ritsu's sake."

After a long pause, Dimple placed his little hand on Shigeo's shoulder with a confident grin and said, "I guess technically I do owe you one.  Don't worry, kid. I'll make sure you live until all your other friends are dead."

When the first snow of December fell, Dimple had disappeared for nearly a week four times already.  Apparently he was traveling long distances to search through founts of knowledge, some of the greatest libraries in the continent and sniffing out some of the secret stashes of witches and warlocks to peruse their tomes.  With the shortness of the daylight hours, each day seemed to melt and blend together more and more for Shigeo as everything settled in a new routine. He couldn't go outside that often, and decided to let it lie, watching the flowers in the garden creep up to their previous heights despite their thorough grooming.  Despite the reason he was stuck inside and feeling tired, he couldn't find himself really complaining, enjoying the beautiful snow and the warmth of the cat in his lap and the smell of Ritsu making breakfast. His spirits were high knowing Dimple was following a lead soon, and he entertained the thought of being able to run in the snow and throw a snowball at Ritsu like he used to when they were little.

Milk jumped down from his lap to go curl around Ritsu's leg, leaving Shigeo to simply fold his hands in his lap as he stared outside in a sleepy daze.  The bacon must've been closer to done, since the rich smell started to fill the room. "Brother?" Ritsu asked, having to touch Shigeo's shoulder to get his attention.  Shigeo jumped a little, realizing he hadn't actually been listening even though he heard Ritsu's voice speaking to him. "Would you like tea this morning?"

"Oh.  Yes please," Shigeo agreed, smiling warmly.  It seemed to reach Ritsu too, who also smiled back before returning to the kitchen, plating the breakfast and replacing the skillet with a kettle.  It was most certainly the best winter they've had so far, and Shigeo was grateful. He heard the door click as Ritsu went to his room to go change clothes, and a comfortable silence floated back into the room.

He wasn't sure how much time passed, though it must've only been a few minutes, when he felt something crawling up his leg.  He jerked a bit in surprise before realizing that it was the same two little mice. He stared in surprise as he realized that they were carrying something - and he definitely recognized that patch of cloth from his assortment of fabrics for repairing clothes for himself and his brother.  He was pretty fascinated to see they had bundled something inside, and when they unfolded it, his eyes widened.

"Pumpkin seeds…" he said in genuine surprise, picking one up.  It was fresh and green, which meant that it was from his garden.  He didn't remember it being planted, and pumpkins were pretty uncommon in the area… "Are these for me?" he asked, looking down at the two.  The tawny one squeaked and let Shigeo pet his head with a finger. "Thank you… that was so nice. You two are really smart for mice," he complimented, feeling particularly flattered.  "You aren't humans that got turned into mice, right? I'll ask Dimple when he's back. Where did you two get these…?" the question floated into his mind again, and he looked at them again.  Fresh… if they had been deliberately planted in his garden, then…

The sound of water hissing angrily over the fire startled the mice and startled Shigeo, and he whipped around.  The kettle's lid had wobbled off and was overflowing with boiling water. Shigeo called for Ritsu, who hurried in with his socks still in hand and nearly burned himself yanking it off of the fireplace.  "Damn, I was hoping the logs would last the day," Ritsu grumbled, pulling the wet logs out and discarding them to replace them with the last few logs they had stockpiled. After a few minutes to light them, Ritsu pat the ash off of his hands, going to the hook to get his coat.  "I'm going out to collect more firewood before work."

"Ah… I'll come, too," Shigeo insisted, taking the seeds and putting them in his pocket as he stood.  The mice scrambled and hid away to avoid being stepped on as Shigeo went to retrieve his coat as well.

"Brother, you don't have to," the younger brother fussed, but with Shigeo shaking his head, Ritsu relented.  Simply gathering firewood should be fine, and Shigeo was sure he could do that, even if his body felt sluggish.  Sluggish didn't mean that he shouldn't attempt to help. "Alright, alright… get your scarf, too. Bundle up."

Shigeo nodded and hurriedly got dressed, only slightly winded from the effort.  Dimple floated in and agreed to join in and help, though it was probably merely an effort to keep them company.  It'd been a while since Shigeo treked through the woods, and he did wonder if they'd run into anything still awake in the trees.  The snow wasn't too deep, thankfully, and only the biting chill made Shigeo move slower than he already had been. Still, Ritsu was patient and didn't mind, which kept Shigeo from feeling self-conscious.  Dimple bantered with Ritsu the whole walk, and while Shigeo wasn't listening to anything other than his own wheezing breath in the dry winter air, he relished in how tall the trees stood. They really were impressive, being able to cast shadows on the ground despite none of them having any more foliage, the density of the forest awe-inspiring in its own way.  Even though Shigeo used to get lost in woods like these when he was small, he had befriended a deer that was taller than any man - sometimes even taller than the young trees. The stag would let him touch it, and run around with it, and tangle flowers into its fur… then as dusk fell, it would lead Shigeo back towards his home. He missed that old friend of his, the white stag with antlers that branched in all directions… the tops of the hibernating trees reminded him of those antlers a lot, he realized.  Now that he was grown, he'd probably never see it again... still, he hoped that maybe someday he could get one more glimpse. Once his curse was broken, maybe he could even have a future where something like that was possible… even if he personally never saw it, maybe he'd have a child that would.

He stopped daydreaming when he accidentally bumped into Ritsu, who had stopped walking once he found a tree.  Shigeo stumbled and nearly fell, knees nearly giving out beneath him, but Ritsu caught him and helped him upright.  The two laughed lightly, and he waited patiently as Ritsu chopped down a smaller tree for firewood. After a while and a lot of chopping, they started to pack as much as possible.  Even Dimple agreed to carry a log, so Shigeo made sure to bundle as much as he could in his arms. "Brother, that's too much. You don't have to carry that many," Ritsu lightly scolded, though the smile never left his face.

"I'm fine, Ritsu, just a little tired," Shigeo insisted.  He really did feel mostly fine… it was a little hard to hear over the rushing in his ears from his heart pulsing hard, and he was feeling a little lightheaded, and he'd probably stumble again - but he didn't feel pained or miserable at all.  It was so refreshing to be out of the house and trudging through the wilderness after so long. "I'll make it. Go ahead."

They walked for a while, and the dizziness got a bit worse.  Shigeo stopped, breathing heavily to compose himself, looking ahead to see the fuzzy shapes of Dimple and Ritsu walking up ahead.  Just beyond them, speckled in the white, he could see the splashes of color from his garden. Not much further and he could sit down, at least… he adjusted the logs in his arms one more time and started moving.  His legs felt weak, and his head so foggy, and it was as if he couldn't get enough air as he gasped and wheezed. He had momentum, he just needed to step forward, just a few more steps, and...

Chapter Text

It was a beautiful spring day, with warm weather and a refreshing breeze, the perfect amount of humidity and all of the garden colorful and inviting.  A great day to go read a book in the garden, or go fencing with your best friend, maybe even try out something crazy like going hunting.  Really, Prince Shou would've prefered anything to sitting with King Touichirou and getting very firmly lectured about attending balls, parties and political meetings with the intention of finding a wife.

"I was two years younger than you are now when I met your mother," he added, raising his voice and the hardness in his tone to command attention from his daydreaming son.  Shou rolled his eyes and glanced at his father, listening despite making his blatant lack of interest very unambiguous. "The sooner you figure out who suits you, the sooner it can be done and out of the way.  You'll need an heir eventually, Shou, to inherit everything you build this kingdom to be."

"I know," Shou replied blandly, "But I hate all those pleasantries.  If there was someone smart like mom, maybe."

"She is one of a kind," the king agreed, a smile tugging at the corner of his lip for a very brief moment.  Blink and you would've missed it for sure. "But kids are supposed to grow out of having a crush on their mother, boy."

"Eugh, shut up," Shou grimaced.  It was rare for the king to tease him, so apparently he was definitely desperate to get Shou to listen to him.  Resorting to gross-out tactics! "I'd rather meet her at a jousting tournament or something. Bring me a princess or duchess that can swing a sword around and I'll give her a look," he bargained, knowing full well that there was no such girl in the country.  The way Touichirou rubbed his temples made that obvious enough. "There's a line of succession even without a prince. I can just make sure those people are trustworthy. I think Hanazawa would be a decent king in an emergency," Shou explained with a shrug of his shoulders.

"By the time you are done as king, Hanazawa will also be too old.  And leaving a line of succession based on anything other than blood will be your undoing.  That is how you will be assassinated and this country will fall to civil war through dictatorships," the king scolded, his tone deathly serious.  It really was poorly juxtaposed with the cheerful goldenrods behind him. "I've arranged for a ball, and you will take the time to at least speak to your suitors.  You will pick one and we'll determine from there if they are worthy of being queen."

"What?" Shou was genuinely shocked, going from an informal slouch to gripping the arms of the garden chair.  "You just went ahead and decided that for me?  What the hell?"

"Naturally, if you don't find anyone suitable for you this time, we'll expand our invitations.  We will continue to have balls like this until you are intimately familiar with every one of your suitors and you will take the time to strengthen your relations with the other nobles as well.  You've neglected speaking to all of your Dukes, Marquesses, Earls, Viscounts--"

"I haven't neglected it," Shou insisted, baring his teeth and earning a dark scowl from his father.  "I am going to be a good king.  And I will socialize with the nobles, I'm not ignorant of my kingdom.  I'll go to your puerile ball, but it's not going to be to deal with this pointless thing about finding a wife."

If Ritsu lived a normal life, he could have sat down that morning and mentioned to Shigeo that the trees and flowers were finally blooming now that spring was here.  Instead, the flowers and trees were colorful and green as they had been all winter, all thanks to Shigeo's curse… it was so much stronger this year than it had been before.  He'd never thought that a bright red rose covered in a dust of snow would give him such a heavy feeling of disgust and fear.

Shigeo did not fare well that winter.  He got weaker than Ritsu had ever seen him, and while he expected his brother to lose that tan he'd gotten from working in the garden so much, Shigeo was absolutely lily white.  He needed help to be bathed, and dressed, and fed… his body was getting thinner and thinner, no matter how much Ritsu did his best to fatten him up with good food. More and more often, Dimple would return from his escapades with no news, and every time the faerie came back empty-handed both of the brothers felt hope chip away.  There were many nights where Ritsu couldn't even sleep, too worried and getting up in the night to put his hand to Shigeo's mouth to check he was still breathing. In the mornings, like this one as well, his brother would stare outside vacantly as tea was made - and thank goodness for having something to do in the morning to try and calm himself down from his worry.  He took the water away from the fire once it was gently bubbling, pouring into the cups to warm them before filling them and scooping in just a few teaspoons of the black tea leaves into the water.

"I'm proud of you…" he heard his brother's voice just barely raise over the sound of the boiling water he was pouring into the sink.  Ritsu stopped, picking up a spoon to agitate the tea leaves… though he did so hesitantly, listening to his brother's words. "You're very responsible, taking care of me like this… you've been working so hard for both of us," he elaborated.  Ritsu had thought to turn around, but he could feel the praise making his cheeks heat up and burn all the way to his ears. "I'm sorry that you're stuck here… with me," were the next words out of his brother's mouth, and instantly Ritsu felt his blood run cold with a sense of dread.  "…You aren't tied here, Ritsu. You can go out and see the world, and live your life, and… I remember you always said it was your dream to travel the world…"

"Brother!" Ritsu pleaded, having abandoned the tea at the counter and hurried to Shigeo's side.  He felt angry hot tears prickling at his eyes, as he grabbed for Shigeo's hand - his brother's fingers were ice cold despite the warm spring breeze wafting in through the open window.  He squeezed that hand and balled the blankets in his fist with another hand, fighting the tears to keep them from falling. "You're not some burden! You're my brother, of course I'm here to take care of you.  Brother, I can't just leave you!  Don't- don't say things like that, like you've given up!" It took all of Ritsu's willpower to keep himself from shouting and crying.  He was a grown man, now. And most importantly, Shigeo was relying on him to be strong.  He would be strong, for Shigeo.

Ritsu angrily rubbed at his face when Shigeo placed a calm hand over the one he was gripping his brother's older hand with.  Tears fell, but he caught them in the fabric of his sleeve, trying not to feel heartbroken at how much his hand felt like he had placed it between two slabs of ice.  "You're right, Ritsu," Shigeo ushered apologetically, "It's too early for this." Looking up with a grimace, Ritsu was about to ask what his brother meant, but words died on his tongue when his brother touched their foreheads together, nuzzling gently like he always did when Ritsu was much smaller and still relied on Shigeo instead of the other way around.  "Is tea ready?" he asked after a moment, letting go of his brother's hands.

With a shaky breath to steady himself, Ritsu nodded, retrieving the tea and adding an extra lump of sugar and splash of cream to Shigeo's cup.  He sat and joined Shigeo, watching his older brother's every movement, his heart heavy in his chest as Shigeo's hand seemed to tremble at holding the cup despite using both of his hands to keep it balanced.  Always, always, Shigeo would relax while drinking the tea that Ritsu brewed, praising him for how delicious it was and a healthy pink blush would cross his cheeks.  But today, or maybe just more recently, Shigeo simply tipped the cup to his lips and drank, eyes distant. Once the tea was finished, those eyes turned outside and towards the forest. He almost seemed to fade entirely, like ink on paper diluting in water, body sinking against the pillows weakly.

Ritsu didn't want to go.  Fear bubbled up, and he didn't want to leave, not if this might be the last time he ever saw Shigeo.  He didn't want… it'd be better if Shigeo wasn't all alone in his final hours. The thought struck him like lightning, and he stood up, taking the teacups to the kitchen in a haste.  Shigeo wasn't dead yet. He wasn't going to die today, and Dimple was following another lead. He just… had to hurry. Maybe he would skip work and grift instead, or pickpocket, or maybe he'd shove down the nauseous feeling he always got when cutting Shigeo's flowers and just sell some already.  Anything to get back as quickly as possible. The atmosphere in the room felt heavy and dark, or maybe it was just Ritsu fighting bitterness and sadness.

"Yeesh, it's gloomy in here," a voice suddenly cut through the tension, though it earned the faerie a glare.  "Oooh, what'd I miss? You've got tears all over your face," Dimple teased, floating closer to avoid the ire of the older brother.  Not that it mattered, with how despondent Shigeo seemed to be. "Cheer up, little Ritsu."

"You talk too much, Dimple," Ritsu said, feeling the venom pouring off of his tongue.  "A lot of talk and a lot of wasted time."

"I know you're disheartened, but you should go to work anyway," Dimple insisted, patting Ritsu's shoulder.  "We'll talk in the library, obviously. Because you can't yell at me in the library, which is always really funny.  Can't wait to see you when you can't contain yourself."

Ritsu deliberately ignored him, putting the dishes away and getting his jacket and shoes on.  He hesitated at the door, staring at his brother, who hadn't stopped staring outside the window the whole time.  It was as if his brother hadn't noticed at all that Dimple had returned. "I'm going to work," Ritsu announced. He waited for his brother's cheerful 'have a good day', but instead found himself holding onto the door handle and holding his breath.  Shigeo's head did not turn. Ritsu's resolve to leave started waning almost immediately all over again. "Dimple," he called, the faerie flicking and flowing closer, "Stay with Shigeo today, please. And… come get me if something happens."

"Nothing's gonna happen, Ritsu," Dimple said with confidence.  It might've inspired hope a couple months ago, but it felt entirely empty and hollow at this moment.  "Now go on," he insisted. Ritsu looked at his ailing brother one last time, before opening the door and leaving.  If Shigeo really did pass away… at the very least, he would have Dimple for company.  It didn't make Ritsu feel better, but it did give him just enough reason to make it to work.

Duke Teruki Hanazawa considered himself a humble man.  He was quite exceptional at it, in fact. But for all his great humility, Teru had to admit that he was most certainly unparalleled when it came to swordplay, and had been ever since he was a child.  The one person who could match him blade-for-blade and blow-for-blow was, slowly but surely, turning out to be Prince Shou.

Today was, unfortunately, not one of the Prince's best days.  With his mind clearly elsewhere, the Duke easily broke through Shou's defenses.  Shou swung and it was far too easy to parry and riposte, sword dangerously close to the Prince's sternum - not that Teru was anything short of masterful and knew exactly when to stop.  Shou groaned and sheathed his sword, stepping back and getting a laugh from Teru. "I could switch to my off hand if you want a handicap?"

"No," the prince sighed, sitting down on the garden bench begrudgingly.  He'd been complaining all during their first round, and tried to focus (to no avail) for their second round.  "I still can't believe he went ahead and decided for me even though he knew I'd say no."

"Cheer up, Prince," Teru snorted lightly, picking up a glass of water left out for them on request and taking a swig.  "Maybe you'll meet someone special. Someone who'll make your heart throb. Then the king will relent for sure."

"Teru, can you even see me with a wife?" Shou bemoaned, scooting over and taking his glass to sip it.  The prince made a mild face at the lime juice in the water, which was one of Teru's favorite drinks on a hot day.

"No, of course not," Teru replied matter-of-factly.  "But I can't see you lasting through more than three of these balls tops before you lose your patience and just pick someone that's politically viable for your kingdom."

"Don't say that so dispassionately," Shou complained, frowning at him.  "I'd rather stay solo and just have you or whatever advisor I end up with take over when I need a break.  Then you'll have some kid and they can be King after me."

"You're making a lot of assumptions," Teru responded blandly, raising an eyebrow.  "Don't shift this responsibility of yours onto me, Prince."

"Isn't that a Duke's job anyway?  Take some of my delegated responsibilities?" Teru rolled his eyes again at that, and Shou huffed, taking another swig of the water before turning the glass over and dumping the rest onto the hedge behind him.  "I'd rather stuff my face at the buffet than dance with any of these so-called suitors at this stupid ball."

Having known Shou since they were in their early teenage years, Teru could very vividly picture the way Shou's cheeks might bulge out like a hamster diligently packing food in them as quickly as possible. "Prince Shou, I will make it my uttermost duty to keep you away from the buffet for the entirety of the night."

Ritsu had never worked so quickly in his life.  He slowed down just enough to keep his writing legible, dismissed any distractions from Emi, and focused as intently on his work as he could manage.  Thirty pages… just a bit more, and he would meet his quota for the day. He never noticed the tea that was placed next to him, nor did he see anyone as they walked in or out.  He didn't even fully comprehend what he was copying down, the image of his brother fading away all alone haunting him and dominating his every thought. The very moment he finished he blew on the page to dry the ink and hurriedly put the stack down for Emi to sort on her own, grabbing his coat and bolting out of the door towards home.

The flowers around his home were still vibrant, no more or less so.  Ritsu wasn't sure how to feel about them, but didn't wait long before swinging the door open.  Shigeo was exactly where he'd been that morning, and didn't turn to greet him. Ritsu kicked his shoes off and forgot his coat, stumbling to his brother's side quickly and touching his hand.  "Shigeo," Ritsu pleaded breathlessly, lungs burning suddenly from the realization that he'd been sprinting the whole way back, "I'm home."

Shigeo blinked slowly, and Ritsu released a heavy breath of relief.  Icy fingers sluggishly moved, curling weakly around Ritsu's hand. It looked like it was extremely difficult and painful for his brother to even keep his head upright, and when he first attempted to speak, no voice really came out.  Shigeo paused, and tried again, "Ritsu… we have to talk."

"Brother," Ritsu pleaded, cupping the icy fingers in his hands to help warm them.  "Dimple will help us, I know it. Just hang in there, we've almost figured it out, I'm sure of it," he begged, eyes burning with tears that threatened to pour over.  He wasn't sure if the words were meant to reassure Shigeo or to reassure himself. "I'll run you a bath, you're ice cold…"

"You're not listening, Ritsu…" Shigeo repeated, eyes languidly opening again.  "Please… please listen," he implored, and though begrudgingly, Ritsu nodded. Shigeo gave a faint nod, looking grave.  "You have to get ready for my death, Ritsu," he continued, "I'm sorry. I tried… I really, truly tried."

"You're strong, brother," Ritsu whimpered, tears dripping down his face.  He gripped Shigeo's hand, hoping to tether him to life through his own willpower.  If only he had been a witch or a warlock--

"I wrote my will," he added, the words punching Ritsu in his ribs.  "So that you don't have to wonder what I would want… there's only one thing I want you to do for me," he continued, slumping towards Ritsu.  He recognized his older brother's intent, and leaned in to touch their foreheads and keep Shigeo from falling out of bed. "I want you to find a way and be happy… I want you to do everything you've wanted to do.  After I'm gone, you'll be free to do whatever you want…"

"I don't want that!" Ritsu shouted, pushing Shigeo back against the pillows.  His hands shook, and the flow of tears wouldn't stop, and even with them blurring his vision he could see his brother's sorrowful and resigned face.  "I want you to live, brother, and that's all I've ever wanted!  Don't tell me what I want!" he shouted even louder, letting go before he bruised his brother's frail arms.  Once his hands retreated, the rest of his body turned, and he stormed outside and left the room where Shigeo spoke about his imminent death behind.

Ritsu didn't stop until the burning in his lungs forced him to, and by then, he had run past the last few secluded homes and to the fishing pond several miles from his house.  His feet protested, and his body hurt, and Ritsu could only bitterly cry at how utterly insignificant his pain was compared to Shigeo's and how little it mattered compared to the pain of knowing he'd watch his brother die.  He collapsed on the bench and sobbed, burying his face in his hat and wailing harder than he had in years, harder than either he or Shigeo had cried when he collapsed in the woods. Words proceeded to utterly fail him and his thoughts, sadness crashing over him in waves until he felt dizzy from sobbing.  Though he didn't parse the words themselves, Dimple's voice suddenly cut through and he glared up at the faerie entirely with the intent of turning all of his hurt on the creature.

"Hey, did you hear me?  What're you crying about?  I've got good news," he insisted, waving a paper at him.  Ritsu snatched it, desperate to see a cure, but enraged to see it was nothing of the sort.

"You left my brother alone, in the house, dying to go get some stupid poster of a ball??" Ritsu roared, feeling a rage he'd never felt before once in his life.  He hadn't even been this furious at the faerie that had cursed his brother in the first place. "Why the hell does this matter when my brother isn't even going to survive the night?? You bastard--"

"Calm down!" Dimple insisted, smacking Ritsu's hand as it swung to grab and strangle him, "Calm down, calm down.  This is the answer to your prayers, kid, I know it for sure.  I know where you're going to find the cure to your brother's curse and if you wanna get it, this is your in."

Ritsu stopped, rage burning hot in his pulse as he uncrumpled the paper in his fist and looked at it.  A royal ball to find a suitor for Prince Shou Suzuki. When he looked up, he realized for the first time that Dimple had… a little wand, and little butterfly wings.  "What on earth are you doing?" he asked, confusion slowly seeping in and abating his anger.  He was too hesitant to let hope back in just yet.

"I have a plan.  And I am your faerie godfather, Ritsu," Dimple chuckled, wiggling the wand.  "I made a deal with another faerie in the Seelie court just for you, you know.  Elves are tough to make deals with, but lucky you, I've got connections and collected on some old debts," he boasted.  Ritsu was pretty much certain that Dimple was overstating his usefulness.  "I'm gonna doll you up, then you're gonna attend this party, and you'll woo the prince."

"I'll do what?" Ritsu asked, getting more and more perplexed.  He looked at the poster, which… yes, still very blatantly advertised that it was meant to present Shou with a bunch of suitors.  "I don't have time to waste with some ridiculous Prince, Dimple…"

"Of course you don't.  But you just need to talk to him long enough to figure out where his library is.  Maaaaybe even get him to show it to you. Because apparently he's obsessed with learning about the occult, and has a whole tome on faerie magic specifically from the Unseelie Courts.  Of course the thing's warded against the fae which is why I didn't just take it myself, but I convinced your little mice friends to do me a solid and not freeload anymore, so we know the book's in there."

Ritsu was taken aback, staring in disbelief.  All at once, all of a sudden… hope was a tricky thing, able to leak in like the rain through a broken down roof.  And right now, it was like the shingles were chipping away, pulled loose yet again, water seeping in and dripping.  It should feel uninvited, but Ritsu had never felt more parched in his life. "You… how long have you been planning this?"

"First plan was actually to marry you off to the king of the Unseelie Court to get him to lift the curse, but I like ya kid, so I'm not gonna doom you to that," Dimple laughed with that untrustworthy smirk.  "But after I got the spell for a wedding dress fit for a queen-to-be from the elves, I got this idea. I heard some rumors from sylphs about the king and his greedy son hoarding a bunch of books about all kinds of stuff, and how there's an Unseelie looking to grant someone a huge reward for stealing the book on how to fight the Unseelie.  So when I heard that I figured out that there was a library, so I started uplifting those mice and teaching them to read so they could tell me what they saw.  They're still not actually smart enough to tell me where in the castle the library is, but you're a smart guy, Ritsu.  You'll figure it out, you just gotta use that youthful beauty you got blessed with.  I wasn't sure about how to get in, but looks like fate's on your side, kid. So don't give up hope."

It sounded genuinely farfetched.  And Ritsu wasn't entirely sure he believed Dimple, but… he wanted to.  For the first time, he wanted to genuinely believe. If what he said was true, then his self-proclaimed faerie godfather really was working hard to grant his wish all this time… and if that was true, Ritsu was embarrassed and ashamed that he had felt so much doubt.  The ball was tonight, and time wasn't on his side, but Ritsu suddenly believed that fate was.  He nodded, sitting up straight.  "Please grant my wish, Dimple. I want to go to the ball."

"That's the spirit, kid!" Dimple laughed, waving his wand.  The tawny and black mouse popped into existence, dropping a few inches to the ground before they were followed by the hefty thud of a fresh pumpkin from the garden and then Milk, who gracefully landed on her feet.  "Now! Time to get this show on the road!"

Chapter Text

It wasn't the yellow he was going to argue with, naturally… the soft yellow did feel eye-catching and joyful, which admittedly did wonders for Ritsu's mood.  But the way the skirt billowed out around him… "Dimple… why am I in a dress?" he asked, starting to feel quite strongly that he was being made fun of.

"That's all part of the plan, too," Dimple insisted with a confident wag of his finger, "Any old joe schmoe has his sunday best suit, and the damn things all look exactly the same if you ask me.  They're not going to let in some guy in a nice suit. But this?  This here is a dress the queen herself would wear, and I guarantee you that not a single other suitor is going to be as pretty and eye-catching as you are."

"I think I'd rather shrivel up and die," Ritsu bemoaned, fidgeting with the gloves.  The most infuriating part of it was that not a single part of the garment felt uncomfortable, since it was magically tailored to fit him exactly in the most agreeable way.  Though he wouldn't admit it out loud, he was surprised to look at himself in the reflection of the pond and feel rather pleased with how he looked. It was outlandish in a way, but he really did look very nice in such an elegant dress.  "I won't get anywhere being a mockery…" he added quietly, voice wavering.

"That's what I'm saying, kid, you won't be mocked.  Just have a little self confidence and don't glare at people , and you'll have the Prince wrapped around your little finger," Dimple encouraged, pointing at the carriage with the wand.  "Now hurry up, because they're opening the doors soon! It's a pretty small window to be fashionably late, you know."

"Right…" Ritsu agreed a bit self-consciously.  He'd never been praised or encouraged so thoroughly before.  He took a step and hesitated, lifting his skirt to his ankle and-- "Glass slippers?"

"They'll sound like a chime whenever you take a step.  Don't worry, the things won't break even if you take a dive off the roof, they're magic," Dimple assured.  "Hey you two, look alive!! You figured out how to do your new jobs for tonight, right?"

Ritsu looked up to the two men, the black mouse looking sheepish at the front of the coach and the tawny looking curious and excited about his new state.  "Everything's good here," the tawny one agreed with a large, charming grin, "Let's hurry up and save Shigeo!"

"I'm sorry for trying to kick you out," Ritsu found himself blurting out at him, earning a laugh.  The former mouse took his hand and guided him towards the door.

"Don't worry about it, most mice are just selfish jerks," he replied. "You can make it up to me by calling me Reigen."

"Nice to meet you," Ritsu said a bit dazedly, the whole situation feeling a little surreal.  He glanced over at the former black mouse and said, "I'm sorry for accidentally stepping on you that one time…"

"Oh, um, it's fine," he said, looking surprised, "I forgive you.  My name is Serizawa. Uh, we better hurry, though, so please…"

"Right…" Ritsu agreed, stepping into the pumpkin-shaped carriage and sitting down, all of it feeling dreamlike and surreal.  Vaguely, he hoped that he hadn't gone mad with grief. The coach started rolling as Milk trotted down the road with her new hooves.

The ride in the pumpkin shaped coach was supernaturally smooth, and people in the streets jogged along with it in curiosity.  Ritsu kept the privacy curtains drawn, a little mortified at the possibility of being recognized by his neighbors, and twiddled his thumbs as Dimple ran over what he knew about etiquette at a ball.  None of it was actually new to him, since he had copied an entire booklet detailing etiquette before already, and Ritsu was fairly grateful that his mind was willing to conjure relevant information instead of going blank with anxiety in a pressing situation like this.  When Dimple ran out of things to say and switched to trying to get Ritsu to settle down and be more confident, Ritsu finally folded the poster he'd been staring at the whole ride.

"Dimple… I'm sorry," Ritsu apologized, still feeling decidedly ashamed, doubly so as he realized that everything happening now wasn't a dream and the strange green faerie really did fulfill his promise.  "I should have trusted you.  I just wish you had told me your plans, so that I wouldn't have treated you like that…"

"Don't worry about it, Ritsu," Dimple insisted.  "I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to go crazy splitting your attention between the plan and your brother when you couldn't really do anything involved with the plan itself.  But listen, once I drop you off at the gates, I'm going back to the house to check on Shigeo. I'll be back before midnight and before everything wears off, so until then you're on your own with the prince, got it?"

"I am?" Ritsu asked.  He wasn't sure why he was surprised when Dimple had pretty strongly implied that he'd be talking to the prince alone anyway.

"You'll be great, Ritsu.  Promise. Now go out there and break some hearts," Dimple encouraged as the coach pulled to a stop.  Reigen opened the coach door, naturally, and guided Ritsu down with a hand to the base of the steps leading up into the castle.  It was truly beautiful, brilliant and alight in the late sunset glow, music rolling out of the powerful stone walls. Despite feeling intimidated, Ritsu stepped forward with determination.  He had his last chance, his gift from fate, and he was definitely not going to waste it.

The steady procession of women approaching and greeting the Prince was unambiguously tedious.  King Touichirou knew this, despite having been the one to personally arrange for this.  He even anticipated the sheer volume of women that came to respond to the call, and didn't even begrudge the number of men.  "Even if they run counter to Shou getting a child, even a baron or duke would be acceptable," he found himself saying, tapping his chin thoughtfully.

"Oh?  The urgency of a father desperate for grandchildren all this time seemed to point somewhere else, your majesty," Duke Teruki teased lightly, offering the king a glass of wine.  Touichirou took it out of courtesy, but set it down without taking a drink.

"He might consider a child even if he picks a man.  He needs someone, and it doesn't matter who. He needs that voice that will tell him to stop once he goes too far," the King reminisced as he watched over Shou from his tall balcony.

"Is Her Majesty still cross with you?" Duke Teruki asked, to the King's chagrin.  He grumbled instead of answered, finally taking a sip of wine in lieu of dignifying that with a response.  His wife wouldn't be terribly pleased about this hair-brained scheme of his either, but that may very well be her fault for not being around to speak her piece.  ….He would deal with the falling out later. "Oh, Lady Tsubomi, I know her. Probably the most beautiful woman here," Teruki commented.

"Oh?" Touichirou pondered aloud, looking down at the elegance of the girl approaching Shou.  He was not particularly impressed since she looked even less invested than Shou himself did. She also lacked a kind smile that he's sure Shou would be looking for, since the queen had perhaps the loveliest smile in the kingdom.

"You, sire, are incurably romantic," the Duke offered in a light jest.  Touichirou glanced towards him, annoyed by the cheekiness that the boy never grew out of.  He was also rather annoyed at how particularly perceptive he was. "I would wager a mountain of gold that Shou will find the single most difficult person and get attached to them."

"I'm not a man that takes such dismal odds," Touichirou grumbled in response, looking down at his son and watching him as he rejected yet another perfectly lovely lady.

The feeling was utterly alien, and struck him harder and faster than anything in his life.  Faster than an arrow, faster than a horse, faster even than Teru's strongest lunge. Words completely failed to capture and explain the feeling, but it drove Shou forward to meet this strange boy who fixed a gaze so intense on him.  He never thought dark eyes would be captivating, but they drew him in like the depths of a pool in a warm summer dusk. He plucked an ivy geranium from where it had been perched and planted at the top of the stairs, bringing it along effortlessly and bowing to this new face, holding the flower out.

The man didn't take it, keeping his hands to himself as he also curtseyed, though there was no real sign that the intensity of that person waned in the slightest in that gesture supposedly showing reverence.  It only made Shou fascinated, and he reached out to take his hand… it almost seemed reluctantly offered in return. Why? Who was this? It was so mysterious and it made Shou thrum with excitement. "I've never seen you before, for sure… I'd remember a face like that ."

"I suppose I should be offended," the elegant man in the dress replied without hesitation.  "Either you meant that I don't look good, or that really is the best you could come up with," he continued, eyes wandering away from the prince.  Somehow, being dismissed instead of the center of attention was all the more captivating. "...I forget myself. That was mean of me," he said, sounding not the least bit apologetic.

"You're forgiven," Prince Shou said, feeling himself grinning like a child again.  It was honestly fine for the stranger to be himself, because that's exactly who Shou wanted to pry at and learn more about.  "Who are you? Please. You weren't announced."

"No one of consequence," he replied instantly and effortlessly.  And the very breath that Shou took to ask him again, he got fixed with a set look from the stranger and interrupted with a terse question, "Aren't you going to ask me to dance?"

"Hah hah hah!" Shou's breath released in a hearty laugh, before he tucked the geranium along black hair, over that pretty ear.  "Haven't I already?" he offered his hand again. The stranger pulled the flower out, before recognizing it and closing his eyes.  He seemed to finally interpret the gesture, and responded by placing the flower into Shou's chest pocket before taking the Prince's hand and following to the ballroom.  He could hear the chittering and gossip whispered by his guests, but it might as well have been just himself and this beautiful stranger dancing elegantly, both fitting in their posture far too perfectly in Shou's opinion.  "You're a natural," he complimented, though he definitely meant it - the stranger might've genuinely been more graceful in a dance than he was. He didn't get much beside a hum in response, but it didn't seem to offend at least.  He noticed the way the stranger's eyes kept wandering, looking around the ballroom and all around him. "Am I boring you?"

"I don't attend many parties like this one," he answered enigmatically, driving Shou up the wall in all the right ways.  "Nothing this extravagant, for sure. Castles like these are just insultingly gussied up… a rug on the oubliette? And no amount of flowers can hide the catapult behind the walls.  I never understood the need to disguise the fact that this is a castle , and thereby meant for wars," the stranger rambled, and Shou found himself merely silently listening to the rant, fascinated by the knowledge of the castle this mysterious man showed with absolute natural ease.  "Decadence like this just isn't worth my time," he added, wandering gaze suddenly locking with Shou's once again, "But this time, it's different."

There was a fire to this person, and a drive so blatantly clear, it felt less like a waltz and suddenly much more like a tango.  The stranger was absolutely radiant, and even if he had been able to wander his gaze, Shou was simply transfixed, far more invested than he was for any duel, any match, any suspense novel or any tense action scene.  And those eyes burned like the intense rays of a summer sun. Shou had to break away for a moment, pulling his dance partner into an underarm turn so he could stop himself from staring dumbstruck and compose himself.  When the turn completed, he saw the stranger blink in surprise. Shou decided that he absolutely loved that look on the man's face, and he would certainly take advantage of that moment of catching the boy off guard to give what he hoped was his most stunning smile and ask, "What makes tonight different, then?"

Instead of the cute blush and stutter he'd been expecting, he was treated with an unbelievably confident smile - something far more secure and natural than Teru's smug grins had ever been.  And the look was a far, far better reward than what he was even aiming for.  "It's a secret," he said in a masterfully charismatic tone, "But enough about me, Prince Shou.  This ball is about you… I want to know more about you."

"As do I!" Shou protested, wanting to meet confidence with confidence, "You've told me nothing about yourself, it's hardly fair."  They had waltzed out of the ballroom, wandering into the courtyard with music a distant murmur in the background. Who had led who out here, he wondered for a moment… he fleetingly hoped that the stranger had wanted him alone just as much as Shou decidedly wanted the same. He was certain that the man in the dress would recognize the fact that the music was nearly silence now, but he didn't want to let go.  They were so comfortably close, after all.

The stranger's lips were pursed, and Shou hoped that he'd speak more about that secret … really,  he hoped for anything.  He wanted to learn so much more.  Finally, he spoke, "Very well… I'll ask a question about you, and then you can ask one about me.  That should be fair." Shou couldn't help but nod, already invested enough to do anything that this beautiful man might ask of him.  When he sensed the man loosening his hold in the dance, the least he could do was let them part. It was disappointing, but he stepped towards the garden, glancing and watching as the stranger raised his skirts and beautifully descended the stairs, glass slippers chiming beautifully down the steps into the garden.  They walked in comfortable silence as Shou waited for the first question, willing to wait the whole evening if he had to. Thankfully, it wasn't long before the stranger relented. "I heard a rumor that you were very fond of researching the magical arts," he asked, gaze probing.

He'd find Shou very surprised by the question, for certain.  "Where did you hear that ?" Shou asked, utterly perplexed about who might've been gossipping about him.  No, rather, who even paid attention to that sort of thing?

"It's not your turn to ask me a question," the stranger replied coyly.  Honestly, where had this man been all his life?

"Fine," Shou replied with a shrug, letting the question go.  "I don't know what you've heard about me, but it is true that I like reading about it.  I've been collecting some of the rarest books in my study, some of them just to reread, and some of them to keep out of the wrong hands--"

"Where is your study?" the stranger asked abruptly, turning to face him on his heel. The skirts elegantly twisted with him, lagging behind that split second just like Shou did in surprise of such a sudden turn.

He grinned.  "It's not your turn." Exasperation was a really great look on the beautiful stranger, too.  The man sighed, shaking his head and giving Shou the go-ahead. "How did you know so much about the castle?  The oubliette especially, that's a pretty dirty secret, you know."

"I've read over a dozen books about the castle," he replied curtly, sounding utterly unimpressed and unconcerned with the fact that he knew about one of the dungeons.  They didn't use the damn thing these days, but before he'd been born, his father certainly had.  Still, the man had the confidence that knowing about the thing wouldn't endanger him, and that just endeared Shou further - he nearly missed the words that followed.  "Honestly, I don't understand why a single castle has to have so many books on its architecture.  There's just no need for it."  It got a hearty laugh out of Shou, for sure, which just earned him a glare, "What are you laughing at?  I had to read thirty of the damn things for my work!  It was utterly miserable."

"I laughed because you sounded ready to track every one of them down and burn them," Shou answered with a grin, more relaxed than he'd felt in ages.  "So, I've got to ask--"

"No, it's my turn," the stranger insisted, looking angry.  Shou just snorted another laugh.

"You had your chance, I told you why I was laughing," he replied, leaning a little closer to tease him further.  It gave him a chance to catch a pout on the man's face, which hit him harder than a suckerpunch and felt just as unfair.

"It didn't count…" he muttered, and Shou just laughed, leading the man to a fountain to sit down to talk more.  He had many, many more questions.

"Why did you want to know about me, huh?" Shou asked, "No, never mind, don't answer that one.  Why are you wearing a dress? "

"It certainly caught your attention," the man answered calmly.  Well, damn, he's got him there. "...Why do you read about magical things?" The stranger's voice was a little softer, a little less guarded and excitable.  Not as deeply thrilling, but Shou found himself feeling no less endeared.

"I think it's going to be good for my country. Plus, it's just really interesting," he explained.  The stranger was looking around the garden, staring at so many different things, but Shou couldn't find himself looking at anything but the stranger.  "What kind of work do you do that had you read thirty books about one castle?"

"I work with books, obviously," he joked, though even now the man didn't really smile.  How strange, how mysterious. "I spend a lot of my days in privacy and with books, that's all.  Aside from getting repetitive at times, it's really nice to be able to learn so much about so many different things.  I might be caught up on most of the research being done for medicine, for example…"

"So that's why you're curious about my collection," Shou remarked, leaning back on his arms a bit.  "That or you're just as exasperated as I am and trying to find a good person to marry. I was hoping to find someone really smart, too.  I nailed it, didn't I?"

"You already asked your question," the stranger replied calmly, and after a pause to remember the exchange, Shou mentally kicked himself.  This man was masterful at running him in circles.  "Are the books you keep safe?  Magic can be pretty dangerous."

"Yeah.  I learned a couple of warding spells to keep magical creatures away, first off.  Then the room itself is in the far wing of the castle overlooking the woods, rather than the garden.  Not a lot of people go down that wing, so it's a good private place," the prince explained. "Say, what's your favorite food?"

"What?" The stranger asked, caught entirely off guard again.  Shou grinned.

"Your favorite food!  I haven't actually eaten yet, I'll go grab something for us.  So? You said you'd answer a question!"

"Right… pork, I guess.  Ham, or bacon," he replied, shrugging and looking a little perplexed.  Shou grinned.

"Me too!  Hey, wait right here, got it?  I'll be back," he said, hopping to his feet and practically jogging on air as he returned to the party to collect hors d’oeuvres.

Duke Teruki had wandered down to mingle with the guests, talking about some of his recent vacations and adventurous exploits.  It seemed like the Prince had settled on a woman in a very beautiful golden dress, which meant the rest were free to chat with.  And Teru absolutely relished in the ability to weave himself into this new social order. He was about four glasses of wine in since the ball was pretty decidedly settled into the afterparty, and was partway through a fifth glass when he noticed a familiar shade of golden-white slip around the corner and down a corridor that wasn't being used for the party.  Excusing himself, Teru extracted himself from the lovely noblewomen and followed the mysterious stranger into the corridor.

He rounded the corner, and was a little surprised to not see anyone in an elegant gown - but there was a soft chiming echoing from further down, urging Teru to investigate further.  He kept his pace smooth and quiet, peering around the corner just in time to see that mysterious woman - oh, no, it was a man in a dress - entering the Prince's study.  He walked closer and as quietly as possible, highly suspicious… when he got to the door it was open, so he gently pulled it just open enough to peer inside.  The strange man was skimming through Prince Shou's bookshelves, and while Teru's hackles were raised and expecting to see an infiltrator looking for secrets, the person was decidedly fascinated by the Prince's collection of fiction and fantasy.  Well. There was only one way to get to the bottom of this, wasn't there?

"What are you doing in here?" Teru asked, swinging the door open.  The man jolted in surprise before composing himself and folding his hands properly, bowing his head.

"You startled me," he stated the obvious, "...The Prince asked me to wait for him, Duke Hanazawa."

"Excuse me?" Teru asked incredulously, taking a step towards the stranger.

"I thought you might be with him.  He said he was going to bring food, and we would eat alone together," the stranger said, clearly trying to hint to the Duke.  A private dinner was not particularly subtle. It wasn't the claim itself that surprised Teru, but--

"I told him to stay away from that buffet," Teru growled, turning on his heel to hurry and save what remained of the Prince's dignity.

Cutlets of pork, lamb meatballs, cheese fritters, stuffed eggs, and roasted vegetables… Shou had piled two plates high with plenty of variety, though he was looking at the cakes and cookies and debating bringing those as well.  It would be a bit of a balancing act… then again, if he just put the sweets on one plate, then--

"Prince Shou!" Teru's voice suddenly blared, and Shou looked up in surprise to see his friend looking a little haggard.  "You will not take a single plate and you will return to your ball at once."

"Relax," Shou protested, frowning and going to pick up the plates.  Teru's hand stopped him, and Shou could only grin at him. "You're way too many cups in to actually fence me off right now.  Besides, my guest hasn't eaten yet."

"You mean that unknown man wearing a dress," Teru huffed.  Shou nodded. " And you took off with him in private, with the intent on eating privately with him. I'm sure your father will be pleased."

"Eugh, don't bring up that guy when I'm busy being in love," Shou groaned, smacking Teru's hand out of the way and picking up the plates.  He turned to walk out to the garden, eager to see the stranger's face again.

"Where are you going?" Teru asked, following a step behind him.

"Uh, back to the garden?  Where he's waiting for me?" Shou looked behind him at Teru who looked… well, not indignant as he expected.  Teru looked confused.

"He's not out there, I just saw him waiting for you in your study," he said, looking perplexed.  Shou stopped where he was, thinking for a moment before turning red.

Oh.

He shoved the plates at Teru and shouted, "You were right, I'll come back for that later!" before bolting down the hall.  What was supposed to be in his private study? The only thing Shou could think was that the man wanted someplace very private, just for them to talk, and maybe they'd-- he had to get to the bottom of it.  He'd run in, swoop the man off his feet, and…

He rushed to the study and found no one there, but heard soft chiming and the creaking of a window opening further down the corridor.  He ran to follow the sound, acting before the confusion could make him hesitate, and swung open the door to the room that the stranger had disappeared into.  The window was open, moonlight shining beautifully on the golden-white fabric of the stranger's dress as he practically hung off of the windowsill. The prince was met one more time with that firm, fiery gaze.

Chapter Text

It was a relief that the Prince managed to find a way to excuse himself instead of Ritsu needing to hint it at him.  It gave him the chance to carefully walk back inside, doing his best to not get anyone's attention at the party - and once he got through and into the hallway that the Prince had mentioned, he started feeling more and more triumphant.  He wouldn't go home without the cure to Shigeo's illness, and it was so close.  So why, he wondered, did he feel a little disappointed under all the excitement…?

"You aren't in the room yet?" a voice asked, and Ritsu nearly jumped out of his skin.  He whirled around and saw Dimple, glaring angrily and nearly let the faerie have it. Dimple waved at him and made a gesture to be silent, before adding, "No one else can see or hear me, but they can still hear you.  Listen, you have to hurry up, you don't even have a full fifteen minutes to get out of here!" Ritsu nodded, returning to focus as he found the door and rattled the handle.

"Tsk," he slipped out, glaring at Dimple.  The faerie just laughed, passing an ornate glass key to him.  Ritsu took it and unlocked the door with a heavy clunking sound, the mysterious fragile-looking key staying firm despite how heavy the lock's tumblers sounded.

"Special-made skeleton key that'll last until you escape the castle.  Wouldn't want you getting locked up in the dungeon, right?" Dimple explained.  Ritsu nodded and entered the study, overwhelmed immediately by the pleasant smell of burned candle wicks, lamp oil, ink and books.  He didn't latch the door behind him, not wanting to make too much noise. He started examining the books on the shelves, passing over huge swaths of books that would probably be invaluable to a spy.  "Look over there, Ritsu, I can't get closer to that shelf," Dimple beckoned. Ritsu turned and immediately walked past his faerie companion, looking at the shelf and seeing all sorts of ornately decorated leather spines.  There were a startling number of titles that he did recognize… a lot of these books he had poured over with determination over the past few years.  He found a book he didn't recognize and slid it off the shelf. "No no, put that back, that's not what you're looking for," Dimple coached.  "Quit looking at the titles, you'll know which one's right the second you look at it."

"What are you doing in here?" a voice from behind them asked, and Ritsu felt his heart crash into his gut.  Adrenaline pumped relentlessly through his veins even as he wrangled his composure back together and turned around to face none other than Duke Teruki Hanazawa.  The man looked red-faced, though not from exertion; he must've been drinking. Good, Ritsu thought, I may stand a chance.

"You startled me," he began, watching a thoroughly unimpressed look cross the Duke's expression, "The Prince asked me to wait for him, Duke Hanazawa."  It wasn't a lie, at least, he just had to very carefully make sure that the Duke didn't figure out that he was supposed to be waiting in the garden.

"Excuse me?" he asked, taking a step inside the room.  Ritsu's heart rate spiked, and he gave the Duke as pointed a look as he possibly could.

"I thought you might be with him," Ritsu said, feigning surprise and confusion as best as he could.  "He said he was going to bring food, and we would eat alone together…" he trailed off, fidgeting in a way he thought might be interpreted as cute or shy or… something.  He saw girls do it when they confessed to him. Whatever he was trying to do seemed to work well enough, since the Duke growled something about the buffet and ran off.

"That was too close," Dimple groaned, and Ritsu couldn't agree more as he sighed in relief.  "No sighing, that means you only have a few minutes left before he comes back with the prince and some guards!!"

"Where's this damned book, then, Dimple?" Ritsu cursed, turning around and pulling at the books on the shelves.  He pulled out every single title he didn't recognize and nearly thought to take them all with him until--

"THAT ONE!" Dimple shouted when Ritsu's hand touched it.  He pulled it off the shelf, inspecting it. It was bound in dark black leather with silver trimming, and it was locked with a heavy cold iron lock.  Pressed into the leather was a pattern of thorns and a single rose. Ritsu dropped the other books on the floor with abandon and looked to the shelf, finding the accompanying key and grabbing it.  "Alright, hurry, let's get out of here," Dimple encouraged, zipping out of the room and into the hallway. Ritsu pulled up his skirt and held the book to his chest, following after Dimple. After being led to the far end of that wing of the castle, Dimple guided him into a small room that was likely meant for one of the servants.  Ritsu unlocked the door with the key and entered, setting the book down to unlock the window and swing it open. "The carriage is waiting straight ahead, across those fields and through the trees," Dimple explained, and Ritsu took a shaky breath in.

"We're really high up.  Is it going to be okay?" he asked, feeling a little vertigo from looking at the ground.

"Yeah, kid, break a leg," the faerie joked at him.

Ritsu was not amused and was definitely not reassured.  He hesitated until he heard footsteps running down the corridor - then before he really knew it he was swinging his leg over the windowsill, grabbing the book and clutching it tightly to his chest.  The doorknob rattled and swung open, and sure enough, it was Prince Shou himself, wearing a shocked expression that Ritsu could only guess was a feeling of betrayal. He swung his other leg over the windowsill and jumped, bracing for when he hit the ground and shattered his legs.  A sudden updraft of wind gusted and cushioned his fall, and he hit the dirt on his feet and took off running. It only took him halfway across the field to realize something was off, and that it was his right slipper.

"Damn!" he cursed, hurriedly yanking the other shoe off to help him run at full speed.  He heard the guards shouting at each other to stop him, and the thundering sound of armored boots and horses being mounted as the pursuit began.  He made it to the trees, pulling his skirts tighter and closer as he tried to run through. He saw the tawny mouse-man - Reigen, he quickly reminded himself - gesturing at him to hurry.

"Go, go, I'll distract them," he hissed, running in the opposite direction as Ritsu passed.  He did not hesitate, appreciating the former-mouse's helpfulness as he found his carriage hidden on the forest path.  He practically dove into the carriage, slamming the door behind him and clinging to the book as if his life depended on it.  While his life didn't, Shigeo's certainly did.

The carriage took off as Milk whinnied and began galloping.  Ritsu stuck his head out of the carriage window to see the king's men in hot pursuit, shouting and demanding that he halt and return whatever had been stolen.  As they charged through the streets and passed the large clock tower, the bells for midnight began to ring loudly and ominously. "Serizawa!" Ritsu shouted at the top of his lungs, "Hurry into the forest!  We can't be seen at the last stroke of midnight!" They turned into a heavily wooded path that was already nearly too small for the carriage. The damage the thing was taking didn't matter, as it was already beginning to lose its brilliant white luster.  Ritsu adjusted the book and the shoe in his grip, getting ready to scoop up his cat once she turned back into one. "Grab onto Milk right before the last bell!" Ritsu called.

They swung around a corner and at that last rung, Serizawa dove for the horse and clung on.  In a chaotic tumble, everything disappeared and Ritsu found himself in his normal clothes and coat.  Once he had his feet on the ground he lunged and scooped up Milk before diving for a bush, hiding as the king's horses trampled down the path and crushed the pumpkin.  Ritsu watched in tense suspense as they thundered by, waiting until he could hear them no longer to breathe.

"You did it!" Dimple cheered, patting Ritsu's shoulder.  For once, Ritsu felt truly triumphant, a relieved smile crossing his face before he shook himself out of it.

"I'm not done yet," he insisted, standing up. Milk squirmed out of his arms, and he looked down to see the little black mouse clinging to her fur.  He felt a little bad that Reigen was still probably behind at the castle, but he turned into a mouse - he would probably be fine. After a few barefoot steps, Ritsu stopped, looking at what he was holding in his hand.  "...Why are my shoes still glass slippers?" he asked.

"Oh, well, every spell has a catch," Dimple said with a shrug.  "There's always something like that. But hey, at least you've got a pair of shoes you can wear and feel pretty in, right?"

"I dropped one," Ritsu said, bristling a little in worry.  "Can the Prince figure out who I am from that?"

"What, with like a scrying spell or something?  Nah. It'll show him that I cast it but that's not gonna do him much good," Dimple laughed it off with a shrug.  "Don't waste your energy worrying about something that probably won't lead to anything! Go on, go on, your brother's waiting for you!

Once the initial shock had worn off, Ritsu ran the rest of the way home and flung the door open.  He hurried to Shigeo's side, finding his brother peacefully sleeping. "I found it, Shige," Ritsu whispered, hands shaking with excitement as he fumbled to unlock the book.  Shigeo didn't stir, but after a quick moment to check Ritsu was certain he was still alive and breathing for the moment. Ritsu flipped through the pages, skimming the descriptions of gruesome or depressing curses that these "Unseelie" faeries apparently inflicted on hapless victims.  After a few heart-pounding minutes, which were far more stressful than the entirety of his escape, he found a description matching the curse on Shigeo. Oddly enough, it didn't seem to say that the leaking life force would make things grow… but he didn't dwell. "Here it is. It's really here," he practically sung, reading and rereading to be absolutely certain that he was right.  He took a deep breath, bracing himself before reading the prayer aloud.

"Hear my wish, dear light I plead

To close this borrowed soul

From death’s relentless greed."

There was no rush of energy, no feeling of magic, no flickering of the candlelight, nothing at all… Ritsu stared expectantly at Shigeo, who still remained asleep.  He placed his hands over Shigeo's, waiting worriedly. "Did it work?" asked Dimple, who had been hovering around patiently. Ritsu put his ear to Shigeo's chest, a smile spreading over his face slowly as he realized that Shigeo's heart was steadily beating stronger and faster, and his hands were warming.  He finally let out a relieved sob, just listening to his brother's heart and holding onto his warming hand. He heard Dimple's far too rude remarks about how anticlimactic the whole situation actually was but Ritsu didn’t care. He just didn’t!

All he cared about was that his brother was alive. Ritsu didn’t remember when he felt so at peace. Happy tears clung to his eyelashes, then ran down his cheeks to his chin. He held onto his brother’s hand tighter and heaved a great sigh of relief with equal parts contentment and exhaustion once he felt the warmth spreading steadily throughout Shigeo's body. Ritsu laid his head on his brother’s chest, listening to his heart and letting its soft and steady beat lull him to sleep.

The sky was a beautiful blue, and the world outside was a vivid green between the grass and the trees.  Flowers fluttered serenely in a comfortable breeze, carrying their myriad of scents on the wind. Shigeo took in the smells and the sights happily, enjoying the feeling of the grass under his feet.  He walked around his garden, ignoring the fact that he was still wearing his pajamas, just utterly elated to be able to move. He pulled a few weeds, refilled the watering can, trimmed the overgrown rose bushes… it was tiring, but he could do it!  He found those rocks in the soil, and after digging a bit tried to pull them out. He pulled a muscle in his arm and laughed, rubbing it and giving up. It was fine… he would have plenty of time to build his muscles back up now that he was only going to get better.

"Ritsu," Shigeo called, bringing a handful of yellow roses inside.  It'd be the first time he could trust them in a vase, knowing that they wouldn't try to grow roots.  "I want to go see Emi…"

"I don't think you'll make the walk just yet," Ritsu chuckled, serving breakfast for the both of them.  "Come drink your tea. Don't worry, I think you'll be back to your old strength in no time, brother."

"Thank you, Ritsu," Shigeo agreed, only a little disappointed that he was asked to stay at home when he was certainly so motivated to go into town.  He slipped the roses into a vase they hadn't used in years before washing his hands and sitting to eat. He felt better than he had in ages, enough that he wouldn't have been surprised if this was all a dream - not that he would be any less happy if it was.  He had the strength to eat the full meal, though he didn't slowly savor his tea as per usual due to excitement. He took his dishes to the sink and enjoyed very much that he could wash them on his own again. "I know I shouldn't, but I do want to try, Ritsu…"

"This weekend, please, when I don't have work," Ritsu rolled his eyes, taking his time with tea and putting himself at ease more than Shigeo had seen him in years.  "I wouldn't want you to get stranded in the middle of town by yourself, alright?"

"I'll keep an eye on him," Dimple suddenly interjected, floating down and grabbing a cut of bacon and slurping it down.  Both of the brothers looked at him with surprise in their eyes. "...What?"

"You're still here?" Shigeo asked, and Dimple made an offended noise.  "I thought you'd be gone once the spell was broken…"

"It might be broken, but you're still not safe from other faeries without me!  Besides, you don't want to get rid of me that much, do you?" Dimple chuckled.  Shigeo thought for a little bit… it was true that he hadn't trusted Dimple much at all this whole time, but according to Ritsu, he really had been working hard to uphold his end of the bargain.  What's more, he'd been surprisingly kind, actually… maybe Dimple wasn't that bad.  "Hey, the silence is kinda speaking volumes here…"

"...Thank you, Dimple," Shigeo finally conceded, offering a small smile in gratitude.  "I would say that I owe you my life, but… you already took some of it."

"That's the most backhanded 'thank you' I've ever heard," Dimple complained, stealing another cut of bacon from the pan.  Ritsu covered the pan and scowled at him. "So whaddya say, little brother? Let me watch over Shigeo as he gets some exercise in today.  He'll be good and rest up tomorrow."

Chapter Text

It had been a very long and very chaotic night at midnight.  The Prince had bolted out of the castle and gotten on his horse, charging away into the night behind the rest of the king's guard to find the thief that had hidden himself in plain sight.  Teru kept the ball under control until Touichirou locked down the party and began interrogating the guests to see if a single one of them had any inkling who that thief was.  Teru was tasked with finding what remained of physical evidence, searching through Shou's study to find what had been taken.

The kingdom was in an utter uproar, tossed headfirst into chaos and scandal.  Confusion about the truth of the event was everywhere, some people even thinking that Shou had been abducted or even murdered due to his sudden disappearance in the middle of the ball.  Others suspected he had eloped, or that the king had gone mad and intended to assassinate his political rivals in the mayhem - Teru was utterly exhausted, since he had to maintain a lockdown the night before and try to calm nobles down that were utterly certain that they were in direct danger.  They were none too pleased to hear that something was stolen, and for the sake of not starting further uproar, Teru did not spare the detail that the only thing stolen was a book.

By the time the Prince returned, it was dawn, and all they knew was that the man had taken a book on the winter and fall court of faeries and had lost one of his slippers somehow.  The King demanded answers, particularly of Teru, forcing the Duke into the position to solve this crime once and for all.  And Teru had no real qualms about it - a thief is a thief, after all - it was just the minimal time allotted to him to eat or sleep in the middle of the utter madness. After being allowed to rest for a short while, he entered the Prince's room, finding him still underdressed and pondering over the glass slipper in his hand.

"Morning, Teru," Shou said absentmindedly, turning the slipper over and around as if he would learn more just by leering at it.  When Teru clicked his tongue in response, Shou looked up with a smile. "He's the one."

"Excuse me?" Teru asked, absolutely flabbergasted.  "He stole from you. We know he took the book on the winter faeries, who knows what else he took or planted.  He even knew to search for the iron key to the book!"

"I mean that part wasn't hard, it was right underneath the book itself," Shou said with a shrug, "That was just me being reckless.  But look, I don't care about that, it's just one book. You should've seen him, Teru, he was able to talk me in circles the whole night and he was just… you know, stunning.  I've never met anyone that's this smart and educated about stuff, I could have listened to him for hours.  I wonder what exactly he was really looking for, coming here that night dressed like that..."

Teru was admittedly a little curious, as he'd never seen the Prince get this invested in another person.  And the only time he'd seen that pleased little smile was when Shou was a couple drinks in… well, the duke supposed that there was such a thing as being drunk on love.  "Did he tell you his name?"

"No," Shou lamented with a groan.  "I know he works with books somehow, he said he's 'no one of consequence', I could tell he was really high strung… I kinda just assumed he was shy or something, but then again he'd stare at me with these amazing eyes.  Teru, has anyone stared at you and you thought 'he looks ready to throw down with me' and then wanted to kiss them?"

"Shou…" Teru groaned, slapping his forehead.  He isn't sure why he expected the Prince to actually settle down and handle romance like a normal person.  That was absolutely silly of him to expect. "Didn't you catch him?"

"Nope.  I saw him before he escaped, and he did leave this behind," Shou explained, holding up the shimmering glass slipper.  "And this is how I'm going to find him. We're going to find every person that attended that party and have them try this on until we find who it fits on."

"Don't you remember his face?" Teru asked, scrutinizing the glimmering glass slipper before looking at the Prince's face again.  He had a relatively normal expression, but there was a light airiness to him that was different. "Surely we don't need to check every single guest…"

"No, we definitely do.  He was using faerie magic, that's how he arrived and got into the party with no trouble.  Definitely made some kind of bargain or summoned a Seelie faerie. Or trapped it? Since he took the Unseelie book maybe he was looking to enslave more faeries," Shou said with a shrug.  "Whatever it is, I don't really care. I know for sure he's the one, so when we find him I'm going to marry him no matter what he looks like under all that faerie glamour."

"You'll do it, right?  Help me find him?" Shou asked, looking a mix of hopeful and happy.  He really seemed to be utterly enamored and certain that he'd find that mystery man.  "I'll grant him a royal pardon and then I'm gonna ask him to marry me."

"You really are not going to get anything out of this other than disappointment, Shou," Teru sighed.  Still, he was a little bit of a romantic himself… it was his favorite trait about the King, and it was just as endearing on his dearest companion and not-quite-brother.  Even though he stated his pessimism, he did hope that they really could find the mystery man and that things would go as well for Shou as the prince seemed to think they would.  "Alright. We'll mobilize soon. I'll have people keep an ear out for any strange curses that are popping up, too. I hope you didn't fall for some kind of warlock, Shou."

"Nah, he definitely wasn't one," Shou said with such utter certainty that Teru wasn't sure if he was blinded by love or just managed one of his rare moments of astute clarity.  He did pull off being decently perceptive sometimes, after all.  "Thanks, Teru. I owe you one."

"Well, save that for when I actually manage to find him," the Duke chuckled, flipping his hair out of his face.  "Then again, I am probably the best person you could have asked for help. We'll get this list completely scoured in no time so that you can be properly rejected."

"Shigeo!  Congratulations!" a familiar feminine voice cheered.  Shigeo looked up from watering the rose bushes and beamed at the town librarian, who hurried over and gave him an excited hug in a rare show of excited affection.  "I heard you're all better!! I'm so glad to hear it," she said, voice wobbling a bit like she might cry. Shigeo assumed it was because she was happy, since Ritsu had done exactly the same thing the very morning after the curse was lifted.

"I feel much better, thank you," Shigeo agreed, gently hugging her back.  Thankfully he hadn't gotten his gloves dirty just yet. "I'm sorry I scared everyone.  I'm very grateful you looked after Ritsu, too…"

"I couldn't possibly get angry at him, I don't think I'd have been able to leave you all alone either if I were in his shoes," Emi agreed, pulling away from the hug and tucking her mousy hair behind her ear.  She offered a small lily of the valley bouquet, which Shigeo took and looked over. They were very cute flowers, and in his hands they were slowly trying to grow roots. "It looks like things are still growing around you, Shigeo.  Are you sure you're okay?"

"I am.  We thought for a long time that this was part of the curse, but it doesn't seem like it was…" Shigeo replied, leading Emi to a pleasantly sunny spot in the garden free of the nearly oppressive rose bushes and dug a spot for the magically growing flowers with the trowel.  "Things don't grow quite like they used to… I think whatever it is that makes living things healthier around me just got stronger with the curse. I'm glad they still get to grow, though…"

"I guess it would be a little sad to lose your garden," Emi admitted, admiring the flowers once more.  "But I'm glad it's not eating away at you… it would've been an easy price to pay in my opinion."

"I agree," Shigeo nodded, patting the soil around the freshly planted lilies and soaking them thoroughly with water.  After planting them and standing up, patting the dirt off of his knees, he turned to smile at Emi. "Do you want to walk somewhere with me…?  Ritsu doesn't want me to leave the house on my own yet," he asked, eager to sate the wanderlust he'd gotten from intense cabin fever. Emi nodded in agreement, happily walking along with Shigeo.

They made it to the nearby fishing pond, Emi happily chatting Shigeo's ear off about where she was thinking of going with her novel and asking him questions about the drafts she had left with him when he was sick.  While he couldn't contribute much, Emi wasn't really bothered, having written all of those to give Shigeo some sort of escapism during all of that misery and rest. As their topics dwindled, they simply peacefully walked, watching the ducks swim about the pond and fish skim the surface a ways away from shore.

"Hold on…" Shigeo finally wheezed, fatigue wracking his feeble legs.  He meant to bend over, but sort of collapsed backward with a gasp instead.  Emi hurried to his side and worried immediately, but Shigeo waved her off, breathless and laughing a little.  "I'm just weak," he managed between heavy puffs of breath, "The sky is so beautiful today…"

"Is it?" Emi asked, looking up briefly at the bright blue sky mottled with fluffy white clouds before looking back down at Shigeo, who looked completely at peace.  She relaxed and laid down as well, next to him, staring up into the sky with him. "Must be a much better view than your ceiling," she encouraged, earning a small hum of agreement from Shigeo.

Emi didn't respond, but a smile did slowly spread across her face.  After a moment to regroup his strength, Shigeo sat up on his arms, taking a deep breath of the pleasant spring air.  "And I will, too. I have all the time in the world."

"Read what you wrote back to me."

The scribe finished the last few words, rolling his eyes a little bit before blowing on the ink to dry it.  He set his pen aside and looked at the proclamation dictated to him moments ago, reading it aloud. "All loyal subjects of his Imperial Majesty are hereby notified by royal proclamation that in regard to a certain glass slipper, it is upon this day decreed that a quest be instituted throughout the length and breadth of our domain. The sole and express purpose of said quest is as follows to wit: that every single attendee from the previous grand ball shall try upon their foot this aforementioned slipper of glass, and should one be found whose foot shall properly fit said slipper, they will be acclaimed the subject of this search and the one and only true love of his Royal Highness, our noble Prince. And said Royal Highness will humbly request the hand of said attendee in marriage to rule with him over all the land as future Royal Consort."

"That's all of it," the haggard Duke Teruki Hanazawa muttered with a nod.  He was certainly not looking forward to beginning this investigation, let alone the fact that he highly suspected that the mysterious thief wasn't even an invited guest in the first place.  He held out his hand, and Momozou placed the paper into his hand.

"Your grace, this is a joke," Momozou had the most incredulous expression on his face and if Teru were allowed to be entirely frank, he felt precisely the same.

"Alas," Teru sighed, passing it back and waving dismissively at the scribe.  He was normally much more polite, but pressure from the king was rather intense at the moment.  "Make certain that every plaza in the towns around this kingdom have a copy of this declaration," he ordered, picking up his coat from where it was draped over the back of a chair, "And don't complain to me, because I'm no more interested in doing this than you are.  Orders are orders."

With further objections from the scribe, Teru waved him off and marched out of the room, meeting with a member of the royal guard.  The guard stood to attention and saluted with clattering metal. Teru indulged with the salute in return, before folding his arms. "Take me to where you lost track of the thief," he ordered, and the guard bowed his head respectfully before beginning to direct the Duke.  They climbed onto horseback and rode through the bizarre winding wood path.

It was a dense winding path, and it was really quite remarkable that the carriage had fit down such an unkind road.  After getting his hair tangled in low-hanging branches, Teru finally dismounted his horse and walked along the path, looking at the old tread marks of the escaping carriage.  They were lost in the skirmish of pursuing horse hooves, and from the dry ground not leaving clear tracks… Teru looked up and around, looking to see if there was a hidden path that the carriage might've ducked into.  He pushed at some foliage to find no give, walking back and forth until he felt something squelch under his step. He looked down and grimaced, expecting road apples - but paused as he recognized what he had actually stepped in.

It was a pumpkin.  Wilted, split open, but not quite rotten yet.  The smell of fresh pumpkin hit his nose and he stepped back before kneeling to get a better look.  It had been thoroughly trampled by hooves, that much was clear, with only the white seeds looking still healthy and fresh.  That alone was absolutely bizarre and improbable - no pumpkins would be growing this soon after winter. There was strange magic afoot according to the Prince, and while Teru had believed him, it hadn't quite clicked as a real possibility until now.

"Now, where to find you, little pumpkin prince…" Teru mumbled, picking up a chunk of trampled gourd.  The guard approached to see what Teru was saying, and looked a bit surprised at the pumpkin. Teru turned to him, a little more confident with his new clue.  "Look for any sign of a pumpkin patch that's still growing in the spring.  Listen for rumors, check bakeries, and be on the lookout for anywhere that out-of-season plants might be propagating."  The guard nodded in affirmation, and Teru marched over to his horse, pleased with himself to have found a more serious lead.

Before getting up onto his horse, he tapped the pumpkin guts off of his boot.

It was a Friday morning, and normally Ritsu would go to work.  He'd gone for the last four days, but every time he felt a little too hazy and like it was all a little too unreal… he worried that he'd go home and find his brother sick and bedridden again because he'd just dreamed up saving his brother.  The only thing that seemed to anchor him to reality was the glass slipper he jealously hoarded, keeping it wrapped in plush cloth and in his bag. Annoyingly, the less he felt the pressure of his brother's curse on his life, the more he found himself reflecting on the night itself.  He'd kind of enjoyed wearing the dress and dancing… he enjoyed the atmosphere and the confidence he felt that evening... when he caught himself thinking that he'd like a life like that, he huffed at himself and remembered that now he could.  Maybe not in some fancy palace, but he and Shigeo could go to festivals together.  He could teach his brother to dance and encourage him to do so with whatever pretty girl caught his eye, and Ritsu could do the same.  And if he really wanted, he could become the joke of the town by getting a tailored dress and wearing it.

Emi had been very graciously forgiving of him being so distracted.  Even though he wasn't quite hitting his quotas for each day, she was cheering the two of them on and had been one of the first people to congratulate them and come visit his brother.  She'd brought a healthy bouquet of lily of the valley blossoms, one of the few species of flowers that never ended up growing in Shigeo's garden, and had spent a day off just talking and walking around town with her old friend.  Ritsu appreciated the few neighbors they had as well, who caught wind of it and insisted on coming to visit soon to celebrate. "Celebrate…" Ritsu murmured thoughtfully as he poured the morning tea for himself and Shigeo.

"Did you say something, Ritsu?" Shigeo responded, busy with chopping vegetables for the stew they'd be eating for dinner.  Ritsu shrugged briefly, setting a cup beside Shigeo and leaning against the counter to enjoy his own.

"We haven't actually celebrated this yet, brother," he elaborated.  Shigeo paused and thought for a second, before nodding a bit in acknowledgment. "Our neighbors down the road at the farm wanted to come visit and celebrate, apparently.  Emi's been telling everyone that already knew, it seems like."

"That's nice of her," Shigeo replied with a fond smile.  "I hope you haven't caused her trouble, Ritsu…"

"Don't tease me," Ritsu grumbled before sipping tea.  "She likes you, you know, brother."

"Really?" Shigeo turned to Ritsu with wide eyes, which just made Ritsu laugh a little in surprise.  "I didn't think about that… oh… I hope I haven't hurt her feelings."

"That's her fault for not being honest," Ritsu insisted.  "She said she's trying to move on, so maybe pretend I never said that.  Don't feel obligated to fall for someone just because they had a crush on you first, Shige."

"I wouldn't do something like that," Shigeo muttered, putting the chopped vegetables into the pot and washing the cutting board.  There was a comfortable silence for a few minutes, and Ritsu finished his tea. He waited for Shigeo to finish scrubbing the board, but his brother seemed to slow down in thought.  "Ritsu… how did you lift my curse? I wasn't awake for it and you haven't told me yet… what happened?"

A lot, was the real answer.  Ritsu stared into the bottom of his teacup as if the loose leaves clinging to the stained ceramic would give him answers.  Unfortunately, he wasn't a diviner, so the mottled shapes formed by the green clinging to yellow ceramic meant absolutely nothing to him.  "Like I said… all those times that Dimple was gone, he had been scouring the country for answers. And that night, he found where the book we needed was. I picked up everything I had been saving and bought it," he replied calmly, the lie rolling easily off of his tongue.  "I got to spend the money I was saving on your funeral. It was really nice to spend it on something else."

"I'm sorry, Ritsu…" Shigeo apologized, and Ritsu turned towards the sink and sidestepped until he had pushed his brother away from the sink altogether.

"Don't apologize anymore, Shigeo.  It's all behind us for good, now," Ritsu insisted, rinsing out and gently cleaning the teacup.  Shigeo put sugar and milk into his tea before drinking it, and Ritsu put the board and knife back on the counter before retrieving the meat from the butcher's.  "No more sadness, no more apologies… we're going to spend time with our friends and start going into town more. When you build up your strength, you can start looking at jobs like you always wanted."

There was another long, comfortable silence as Shigeo finished his tea and watched Ritsu cut up the beef for their stew.  Once that was prepared and set over the fire, Shigeo returned to the sink to wash dishes. In his usual subtle, sly tone, Shigeo remarked, "Speaking of work… shouldn't you be there right now?"

Ritsu frowned, but couldn't be too angry.  It'd been such a long time since he got that subtle chiding from his older brother that he was grateful to hear it.  He'd forgotten than there was a time when he still relied very heavily on his older brother, too. "I might not go today," Ritsu mumbled, getting a stare from Shigeo.  Not judgmental, but the message was pretty clear. "I know, I know. But it's been so nice, I'm worried something might happen. And no one's going to watch you today, so--"

"I can take care of myself, Ritsu," Shigeo insisted.  He paused in brief thought before putting his hands on his hips like their mother used to do.  "I'm just fine now… I can handle myself. Go to work, Ritsu. I'm going to get the groceries for the celebration we're going to have."

"No, Shige, please… ugh," Ritsu groaned, rubbing his temples. He couldn't shake the feeling that the other shoe was going to drop.  "I'll get the groceries, just stay home. I'll work extra hours on Monday, alright? To make it up to Emi. The garden's still tangling up the door hinges, so you can work on that, right?"

Shigeo went from hands on his hips to crossing his arms.  He was apparently quite spirited today and was quite willing to dig his heels in.  Ritsu folded his arms much more naturally, leering at Shigeo until his brother sighed and relented.  "Alright, Ritsu… but make sure you apologize properly," he conceded, drying his hands off and going to collect his gardening smock and gloves.

At least leaving the house for groceries was a much shorter trip.  He found their stash of coins, which had not in fact been saved up for a funeral and had not been touched at all for a few months, and withdrew a small handful of silver.  It would be more than enough to throw a lavish party, even if it certainly would pale in comparison to the beautiful ball at the castle. It'd be something Ritsu could properly enjoy, without pressure or worry.  As he walked down the road, he noticed a familiar green shape floating towards him. As they got closer, he realized that Dimple was carrying the tawny mouse.

"Yooo, Ritsu," Dimple greeted, floating to the ground to set the mouse down.  "Sorry about that, had to go find Reigen. Important to reward loyalty, you know?  Apparently the castle dog had him cornered."

"I see," Ritsu responded.  He wanted to ask what was happening at the castle, but decided that no, he really didn't want to know.  He did his best to shove curiosity out of his mind. "Can they become humans permanently?"

"I need to get a lot stronger to be able to pull something like that off," Dimple replied, floating next to Ritsu's shoulder.  Ritsu watched the tawny mouse scurry the opposite direction for a ways down the road before he turned and resumed his walk towards town.  "You know, if you and Shigeo prayed to me a little, your heartfelt wishes and faith will make me stronger…"

"I guess I did promise to think about that when we met, didn't I?" Ritsu groaned.  He'd refused to even consider it until he'd seen that Dimple was genuine about helping them and by now, he knew for sure that Dimple definitely had been.  "Well, you got your wish. I'm definitely thinking about it."

"That is not what I meant," Dimple objected, and Ritsu laughed, shrugging a little.  "I proved I'm a man of my word, it's your turn to pay up," he insisted, darting around Ritsu's head angrily like a buzzing hummingbird.  He didn't really pay Dimple much mind.

"Do you think it's alright to leave Shigeo alone today?  He's still not very strong, yet," Ritsu asked, worry and dread building up and persistently nagging at his thoughts.  Everything was going so well, it made him suspicious, even if he was being rather irrational and superstitious.

"He's a grown man and now he's not an invalid, he can take care of himself," Dimple retorted.  "You're gonna end up driving him crazy if you baby him too hard now, you know. He's going to want to take advantage of the fact that he can get up and walk around and do stuff on his own and you're only gonna frustrate him if you make him rest."

Ritsu frowned at the ground, reflecting on himself and the way he'd been treating his brother.  He supposed that Dimple was pretty much right… he'd been overtaken with worry even if the both of them had been laughing more than they had in years over those past four days.  "I suppose so. I'm just worried…"

"He'll be fine, Ritsu," Dimple insisted, patting Ritsu's head.  "Now let's go to work or do whatever it is you're carrying a fortune's worth of silver for today."

Chapter Text

Both the Duke and the Prince were getting exhausted riding in the carriage for the better part of the day.  Hundreds of guests had arrived to the palace, which meant hundreds of people to comb delicately through to find the right culprit.  They'd just finished attempting to fit the single glass slipper on every nobleman and noblewoman in the immediate area, which meant that soon they would have to start traveling further out into the kingdom.  That, in turn, meant carriage rides that lasted the better part of the day and sleeping in taverns instead of lavish and plush beds. While Shou empathized with Teru's visible wilting, he was set and determined to find the stranger even more than his father was aggressively determined to find the thief.  Shou was feeling jittery, running in his head over and over the argument he'd inevitably have to have with his father to protect the man he'd fallen for. While he could declare a royal pardon, there wasn't much he could do to convince the king, and his father was pretty desperately obnoxious about getting grandkids, so--

With a miserably weak tone, Teru interrupted the train of thought Shou was on.  "Let's stop for a while," he complained, to which Shou merely offered a dubious look in response.  "We have been riding all day. We need to stop for lunch before we go further or else we're going to collapse," Teru argued further.  While Shou did agree with that, he didn't resist the chance to lock eyes with Teru in an attempt to make him concede. Despite Teru's fatigue, the blonde locked eyes with him instantly, and the two stared each other down like a pair of wolves.  Shou was perplexed by just how undaunted Teru always looked, and the intensity of his gaze made each stare-down a huge silent battle. After a wordless moment of them clashing wills for no reason either of them could properly articulate, Shou conceded wordlessly and swung open the carriage door and hopped out of it before it could know to stop, a minor act of defiance in the face of defeat.  The horses were quickly pulled to a halt, and Shou heard Teru's footsteps joining him as they walked through a small town perched just inside of the palace walls.  It was a vibrant town that proudly boasted of its library, but neither Shou nor Teru were in the state of mind to admire it.

"Nice place," Prince Shou said with minimal interest, stretching his arms ungracefully behind his head.  "Kinda busy for such a small town. This is part of the road to the marketplace closest to the castle, isn't it?" he rambled thoughtfully, looking at the other carts slowly rumbling through the cobblestone streets.  Some bore their goods openly, like mounds of melons and large sacks of potatoes. Others were discreetly covered, only samples of the silks and jewelry were worn by those riding or driving their carts. It was pretty heartening to see the wealth of the town, honestly, as it meant that there had been a sufficient bounce back from the political uproar his father had caused well before Shou himself was even born.

"Oh, this is lovely," Shou heard Teru say, and turned to see Teru admiring a glittering peridot ring and some amethyst earrings.  He slipped the ring on and held up the earrings, turning to Shou, "How do they look?"

"Absolutely awful," the prince responded without missing a beat.  "First of all, the colors don't even match with each other, second of all both of those look totally hideous with your straw hair and blue eyes.  I keep telling you to lay off the jewelry or just stick to one color, Teru."

"Oh, what do you know," Teru huffed, taking the ring off anyway and placing it back.  "You don't keep up with modern fashion trends anyway."

"I'm perfectly coordinated," Shou rebutted, shrugging.  It couldn't be that hard: just wear black and a single accent color.  Teru merely huffed at him, so the prince started looking through the streets at the people milling about.  There were all sorts, men and women alike, shuffling about in clothes that would've been far too plain in the palace but looked a bit too nice to be impoverished.  Women in hand-sewn dresses that were full of delightful embroidery were clinging to the arms or otherwise nagging men in colorful vests and smart-looking hats. There were more simple folk wandering around too, wearing plain brown and white clothing with perhaps a nice looking jacket.  A lot of those people in particular looked rather muscular, meaning they were probably doing more physical labor… no one really struck Shou as someone that could be that mysterious man he met that night. The further they got, the less he felt like he understood about his guest.

"Let's stop for lunch over here," Teru insisted, gesturing towards a cookshop perched in the middle of long rows of stalls selling all sorts of meats and produce.  It smelled nicely, the scent of roasting meat and fresh honey being spread on bread was enticing, even if it wasn't as lavish as the food in the palace. Shou didn't mind the humble offerings, but he couldn't resist throwing a smug grin in Teru's direction.

"Really?  I thought it'd be improper or something for a Prince and a Duke of the royal palace to partake in the meals of the common folk."

It had been a whole morning since Teru rolled his eyes that hard at him.  "I used to eat this stuff, you know," he reminded, walking towards the cookshop and expecting Shou to follow.  Which he did, of course. He also hadn't forgotten about the fact that Teru had lived his life closer to something like this when he was much younger… it was a little hard to imagine.

"Hey, Teru," Shou interjected before his friend could walk them into the shop.  The Prince got a sour look for yet another interruption, but he went right on ahead anyway, "can you actually imagine that guy from last night being one of the people that lives here?  I'm trying to picture it, but I can't."

Teru paused, thinking it over for a few moments, staring into the line of market stalls leading to the square as he did.  After a few moments to reflect, he looked Shou in the eyes, "If you couldn't imagine me coming out of a place like this, then it's no wonder you can't imagine the man in the dress coming from here either." Shou's brows furrowed as he tried to parse it, but Teru simply added, "If you're reasonably intelligent, you can fit in anywhere you go.  Don't get preoccupied with appearances - you said yourself that what struck you about that man was how much he was able to twist you around his little finger."

Shou watched Teru turn and enter the cookshop, and nearly forgot to enter, himself.  He gave the market one last glance before following the Duke, reexamining himself quietly as his companion ordered meals for the two of them and found them a seat.  He ignored the absolute tizzy the shop went into as they did their best to impress their royal guests to curry favor, thinking back to the beautiful stranger. Maybe he was meant to sit and reflect on whether or not he was being vain or naive, but he found himself just picking at his food instead as he daydreamed about that magical night.  After a few minutes of plucking through a humble but nicely roasted pheasant, Shou looked up to Teru having finished his first plate and ordering a second and decidedly declared, "Even if that man is actually an old grandma or something, I'm gonna marry them."

Choosing not to respond immediately, Teru accepted his next plate and wiped his mouth with his handkerchief, staring down the Prince.  They locked gazes again, but both of them were searching instead of slamming horns together like a pair of rams. Eventually, Teru leaned back and let out a long, withering sigh.  "You never cease to amaze me with the completely alien leaps of logic you make when you're quiet for too long. Are you going to finish that?"

"You can have it, you bottomless pit," Shou grumbled, shoving it at Teru and returning to tasting the ale.  It was a pretty nice break from the wine and mead of the palace, or the disgusting citrus water that Teru was always so obsessed with.  That or Teru drank it just to make Shou angry during their sparring lessons. The owner of the cookshop approached, looking intimidated but excitedly eager to please.

"Your highness, might I interest you in a slice of my wife's signature pies?" he offered, practically glowing with pride.  A rare pang of mild jealousy struck through Shou, though he tempered it - soon enough, he could be boasting about his beautiful way-too-smart husband.  Or wife who pretended to be a man. It didn't matter.

"Sure, I could go for some dessert," the Prince agreed.  "What kind is it? Pecan, walnut?"

"Oh, this week she's been baking beautiful strawberry-peach pies!  We also have fig pudding if that doesn't suit your tastes," he offered with a confidence that reminded Shou of the stranger.

"Wait.  Aren't strawberries and peaches out of season?" the Prince asked, trail of thought immediately derailing when that realization hit him.  The owner only beamed brighter.

"Typically, yes!  But we get our fruit from Black Bear Farm, which is this really brilliant place run by some of the kindest and fairest farmers you could ever met," he boasted, talking up his source despite Shou staring at him with wide, intent eyes.  "They always seem to be able to grow anything regardless of the season, and it's truly miraculous! We are so blessed to have them here--"

"Where is it located?" Teru interjected, catching on just as quickly as Shou had.  The owner blinked in surprise, before realizing there was something drastically amiss.

"Oh, well, just… outside of the palace walls.  Several miles' walk down the way, past a couple of private homes," he informed, sweat starting to bead on his forehead.  "I should emphasize that they are good men, your highness…"

"They're not in trouble," Shou replied dismissively, standing up and finding his purse.  He pulled a generous amount of gold coins and folded them discreetly into the man's hand.  "Thank you. The meal was delicious. I'll try the pie next time," he insisted before marching out, Teru immediately behind him.

The carriage ride to the farm was surprisingly long, but with a destination in mind neither himself nor Shou seemed to be the worse for wear as they rattled down the pathway. Once they arrived, they were greeted with a huge farm, the smell of all sorts of fruits from different seasons hitting them once they stepped out of the carriage.  The feeling of floundering in his search left Teru, confidence building easily in his stride as he marched towards the farmhouse to knock on the door. It was impressively large, even if it wasn't opulent, meaning that this strange magical farm was likely quite prosperous - he fully expected to greet a servant. He grabbed the iron door knocker and rapped it firmly against solid oak.  He waited and got no response, scowling in irritation before knocking again and even louder.

"Hey!" a voice called from the side of the house, making Teru jump a bit.  He glanced at Shou, who was already raising a hand to hail the man at the end of the house.  The man was tall and built like a brick house himself, wearing sturdy clothes covered in soil, and he walked over to meet the two noblemen.  "Sorry, we're all out in the field working. I'm Musashi, owner of this farm," he introduced himself, pulling off a glove caked in who-knows-what and offering a slightly cleaner hand to shake.  Teru pursed his lips indignantly, but Shou took the offer and shook the man's hand. "What can I do for you gentlemen?" he asked in a frank and friendly way - Teru didn't doubt for a single moment that the crown prince would immediately get endeared to them.

"I am Duke Teruki Hanazawa, and this is His Highness Prince Shou Suzuki," Teru announced with authority - no doubt to Shou's chagrin - and watched as the man's eyes went wide with surprise.  "We are investigating a theft that happened at the palace several nights ago. We suspect someone with access to magic entered the ball in disguise in order to steal something."

"Duke," Shou warned, clearly not pleased with Teru's accusatory tone.  "We're not going to arrest him. But I need to find him. Could you round up everyone on the estate, Mr. Musashi?"

"Yeah, of course," the farmer nodded, looking rather perplexed and concerned.  "Please go ahead and go inside, we'll come in and be proper hosts in just a minute," he added, fumbling through his pocket to find his keys and unlocking the front door for them.  Teru scoffed at being shuffled into an empty house, though it gave him the opportunity to walk inside the giant building to potentially discover any hidden crossdressing thieves. The home might have been big, but it appeared to be very practical and not at all lavishly decorated like the farm's wealth might've allowed them to be.  Everything was crafted from wood and even the inside smelled nicely of fruits from the large kitchen. It didn't take any effort to locate the area for guests, since that was the only place in the home that had plush chairs, even if the chairs appeared to have been handmade for functionality more than decoration and the cushions were merely pillows.

They sat and waited, Teru tapping his finger restlessly on his knee as he looked around the house from his seat and glanced at Shou, who was the picture of calm and focus.  "Teru, you've got the slipper, right?" he asked, and Teru pulled it out of his bag and unwrapped it from its cloth.

"It's here," he responded, turning to look when he heard the door in the back opening.  Musashi led four more men inside, each of them just as broad and muscular as he was, and hope started sinking.  He scolded Shou for making assumptions based on appearances and on one's home, but very quickly he found himself doubting very strongly that any of these muscular behemoths were the delicate man that danced elegantly with the prince all night.

"This is everybody that lives here," Musashi began explaining, pointing to each of the men as he announced them, "Hideki, Hiroshi, Ryohei, and Jun work the fields with me.  It's the five of us that keep this farm running. In the evenings we're usually either cleaning up after our animals or eating dinner, since we get up early for the farm." The more the farmer explained, the more Teru's confidence poured out of him like water out of a rusted bucket.  "I guess we're here to answer any questions you need?"

"No need for questions just yet," Shou responded, having not withered like Teru was.  He gestured for the shoe, which Teru was all too happy to pass over, since he was not at all interested in getting close to the sweaty feet of a bunch of farmers.  "I just need to see if this fits any of you guys. That's fine, right?"

Despite the confusion and the jokes that naturally followed, Musashi pulled up a chair and agreed to be the first person to try on the glass slipper.

"Hey, where are you going?" the Prince asked as the Duke started walking down the road without the carriage.  Shou jogged after his friend, and Teru groaned.

"I need fresh air," he muttered, marching down the road and glaring out to the pond that glittered happily in the sunlight.  He stomped ahead, annoyed that their only lead had gone nowhere, only more annoyed that Shou seemed to be strolling at a more lax pace behind him and the carriage slowly rolled behind the two of them, which meant that Teru was leading them in his little fit.  He honestly hoped to throw a fit in some peace, a fit of misanthropy plaguing him in petty anger. Damn that stranger, damn the sudden spurt of romance, could it not have waited? The Prince being twitterpated soured him greatly on the idea of love, annoyed nearly to death at the sheer inconvenience of this whole twisted affair.  He should've had Shou investigate on his own time and told the King off instead...

A smell caught him off guard.  Floral, and overwhelmingly so… he turned his head and looked down the road, seeing a huge array of beautiful colors.  He jogged ahead, slowing to a stop as he stood in front of a quaint little home that was utterly buried in flowers. Pretty purple lilacs, charmingly pink gloxinias, vibrant orange hibiscus blooms… and of course, the vast majority of the garden was practically overrun with vibrant, beautiful roses.  The sea of red spotted with other colors was just stunning, and without thinking, he walked towards the gate and stared around the corner to see more of it.

In mere moments, the beauty of the garden was utterly forgotten as Teru laid eyes on the man tending to the flowers growing around the house.  He hadn't been noticed, yet, and Teru found himself still as he could be as he stared at the beautiful man smiling fondly at the impeccable petals of a rosebush.

Shou was taken aback. It was so close… the face was different, as was the hair, and he looked softer in general.  But as Shou marched forward, every step full of purpose, the man in the garden seemed shocked.  He looked up from his flowers with a wide-eyed stare, before standing upright and bristling a little like a cat puffing up its fur to seem bigger than it really was.  "Who are you?" the beautiful man demanded, a fiery gaze locking onto him. Ah… it was that look, the look of a man ready to fight, a man that was somehow cornered.  "What do you want from us?"

Shou couldn't help the grin covering his face.  "You don't remember me?" Shou asked. Teru made some sort of weird strangled noise behind him, but Shou mostly noticed the way the handsome man's brows furrowed suspiciously.  Even if the gardening shears and trowel might've been threatening if the encounter turned sour, Shou had a sword on his hip if he really needed it; truthfully he wanted nothing more than to walk right up to the stranger and pull the man into a dance.  After a moment where the dark-haired beauty simply silently stared at him, Shou conceded, elaborating. "I am the Crown Prince, Shou Suzuki."

"The prince?" the boy asked in shock, eyes going wide in shock before his face went flush with embarrassment.  He hurriedly bowed, stumbling a little but not losing his balance badly enough to fall. It was not as confident and graceful as the man he'd met at the party, and as Shou took a moment longer to really examine the stranger, he noticed how extremely thin the man's arms were and suspected his legs might've been the same.  "Forgive me," the stranger said hastily, "I've-- I never met royalty before… I didn't realize, I'm sorry for my manners."

"Don't apologize, I'd be suspicious if someone marched right into my garden with a sword on their hip, too," Shou dismissed, a little too distracted.  Something was a little off, but it felt close.  He felt closer than he had in days, something in his gut was insisting that he stick around - and Shou was always a man eager to follow his gut instinct.  If this man was this frail, was it the magic that had helped him run? Were the slippers magical to help him dance and sprint as needed last night? His head was circling around the questions as he continued, "Sorry for dropping in unexpectedly.  May we impose on you for some tea?"

“I’m sorry… we aren’t really well outfitted for guests,” Shigeo apologized, pouring tea into the chipped china that he and Ritsu had inherited from their great grandparents. The insides of the cups were stained yellow from decades of use, names cutely written on them in ink over faded floral patterns. Prince Suzuki and Duke Hanazawa deserved much, much better hospitality for sure… Shigeo had never really felt self-conscious before, having never hosted such important guests.  Shigeo quietly reminded himself that he hadn't hosted guests in years - and he should remember to just be grateful that he could stand up long enough to hosts guests at all.

“You shouldn’t apologize when you’re going out of your way with what you have,” the Prince added in a surprisingly understanding tone. Shigeo had never expected him to be cruel, of course, but he was still a little surprised by how much the Prince repeatedly seemed to extend understanding towards him. Both of the men were looking at him in a way he couldn’t exactly read, but neither were glaring, at least… they mostly seemed to be in disbelief somehow. Setting sugar on the table, he muttered another apology for not having any cream, and stood - there were unfortunately only two chairs in the humble abode, and Shigeo had given both of them to his honored guests. “You live alone, Shigeo?”

“Oh, no,” Shigeo said, feeling a smile spread over his face. It must’ve meant something to the men, because both of them reacted when he smiled - the Prince relaxed in his seat a little, and Duke Hanazawa’s mouth pressed in a tight line while his cheeks turned pink. Suddenly self conscious again, Shigeo looked away, feeling a little embarrassed for a reason he wasn’t quite sure of, before continuing in a softer voice, “I live with my little brother… he’s taken care of me since we were very small.”

“Taken care of you?” the Duke was the one to ask, looking… concerned?  Shigeo regretted not speaking to more people, because he wasn’t confident in how he was reading these men’s faces. It at least didn’t look like blatant disdain.

“I was sick for a long time,” he explained, already feeling a little tired from talking so much more than he had in years, not helped by how long he'd been standing on legs that were still a bit too fawn-like. “My brother has helped me get better, though… it’s been wonderful. Uhm, may I ask what brings you here, Your Highness…?”

Shigeo seemed hesitant, though mostly out of confusion.  After a pause to think, he nodded in agreement, and Shou took the slipper.  The frail man had to lean so much of his weight on the table just to take his shoes off that Shou could stand to watch it no longer, and he shooed Teru off of his chair and took Shigeo's hand.  "Have a seat, please," Shou asked, holding delicate fingers that were a bit clammier than he imagined the elegant gloved hands of that night might've been. It didn't seem to embarrass Shigeo, but he did look ashamed, muttering an apology before sinking into the chair.  "You're gratifying my odd request, Shigeo, you don't have to apologize," the Prince insisted, holding up Shigeo's foot. It was slender, and about the right size… Shigeo's feet were bony, legs disconcertingly thin, and it was a wonder the man could stand up at all. Then again, with all of his swaying and imbalance, it really seemed like he couldn't really do that very well either.

"Is something wrong?" Shigeo's question brought Shou back out of his thoughts.  Though he didn't answer, he did regain focus, bringing the glass slipper to Shigeo's foot and attempting to slide it on.  It was clear nearly instantly, even as Shou slid it as far as it could go - Shigeo's foot was far too narrow and too long, and the glass slipper did not respond in any way whatsoever.  Disappointment washed over Shou so thoroughly as he removed it again, staring down at the yellow-tinted glass. There was a tense silence as the Prince suffered his great disappointment, even if a hand touching his shoulder pulled him back to his senses.  He glanced over his shoulder, but realized that it wasn't Teru's hand on his shoulder - looking forward again, he saw Shigeo's face staring at him and realized the fingers on his shoulder were touching him very lightly. "Are you alright?"

"You're a kind man," Shou said, swinging out of disappointment as best as he could with what he hoped was clearly an appreciative smile.  Shigeo seemed to take it that way and relaxed, putting Shou more at ease again as well. "I thought for sure I'd found you. But that's alright," he added, standing up just to plop himself down in the chair across from Shigeo.  "I got to meet you, so I get to carry that fortune with me, at least."

"I see… I'm very flattered," he responded quietly, letting silence fall heavily in the room.  The only thing that interrupted was, eventually, a small meow and a black cat strolling in. "Oh… Milk, this is Prince Shou," Shigeo said, leaning over and pulling the cat into his lap, "And Duke Teru.  They're our guests, so be nice…"

At that, Shou could only laugh, the tension breaking immediately.  The cat jolted in surprise, as did Teru, but not Shigeo. "Nice to meet you, Milk," Shou said through a hearty laugh.  The room seemed to feel lighter, and everyone relaxed a bit. "Shigeo, you don't mind if we stay and chat for a while, right?  I don't feel like looking around anymore."

"Who are you looking for?" Shigeo asked, letting the black cat hop down off of his lap.  Shou got up and stretched his back a little.

"The love of my life," he answered matter-of-factly, before Teru could scare the man with scary talk of trying to track down a dangerous thief.  To Teru's credit, he seemed much more amicable now, making him less of a concern. "I met a beautiful man at the ball the other night, and danced with him, and he was just.  Stunning.  I thought he was gonna fight me.  He wasn't intimidated by me at all."

"You seem nice," Shigeo interjected, and Shou grinned at him.  Shigeo's face turned a little pink to have attention redirected at him, so he looked down and fidgeted a bit.  "I mean… I don't see why someone would want to fight you… you aren't scary, really…"

"I think so too, but I think most people are afraid of the title.  Prince, and all, second most powerful man in the kingdom," Shou responded with a shrug.  "But that right there is why I thought for sure you were him. I can kinda see it now, though, you aren't as intense as that strange man," he rambled, strolling around the house and looking around it.  Soot-darkened fireplace, weather-beaten windows, faded kitchen, a bookshelf sagging in the middle of each shelf… it was so humble and homey it felt more inviting than most of the places Shou'd ever been in.  He found himself skimming the titles on the shelf, before he recognized a certain black leather spine. "Hey, if I can't find that stranger, I might come back and ask you to marry me instead," Shou joked, grinning as he heard sputtering.

"We'll find your one true love, your highness," Teru blurted out, voice cracking.  Shou hadn't expected that, but he chuckled in amusement nonetheless. He realized now that Teru was completely red-faced and the reason he'd been so silent was that he had experienced that feeling.  Shou would just have to rub it in his face later.  "Mister Shigeo… may I ask more about you?" he asked in a desperate bid to change the subject.  Shou glanced over to see Teru kneeling down next to their host to help place his normal shoes back on, Shigeo himself not in the least bit suspicious about the Crown Prince pulling a book off of the shelf to thumb through.  The thing was still unlocked, but unlike Shou, whoever had brought it here hadn't left the key on the shelf… it was a makeshift bookmark for a specific page.

"Um… I guess," the mild mannered man responded with some hesitation.  "There isn't much to tell… I've never been talented at much of anything," he explained.  As their kindly host spoke, Shou read the page that had been bookmarked, pieces falling into place as Shigeo kept talking.  "When I was young, I had a friend… when that friend got hurt, I met a shadowy man that told me how to save him. After that, I had a curse on me… ah, but I'm better now.  My brother found a book and used the money he had saved to bury me to buy it."

"How dreadful," Teru responded first, and Shou couldn't agree more.  The two looked at each other, exchanging an understanding look - when Teru saw the book set down and Shou holding a pen, he turned back to Shigeo and took the tea cups and plates.  "It's a blessing that you're still with us, Shigeo. It would have been an utter tragedy to have never met you. We've had a lovely time," Teru offered for the sake of distraction, "Here, let me thank you by cleaning up for you."

"Ah, you don't have to," their timid host objected, though he couldn't get up fast enough to really prevent the set and determined Duke from cleaning the dishes.  As those two clattered about in the kitchen, Shou finished writing a note on a bookmark he'd been keeping tucked in the simple book on faerie magic he'd been skimming to find clues in during the carriage ride.  He slipped it into the book that had been stolen, shutting it and leaving it where the beautiful man in the dress would inevitably be able to find it.

With respectful bows, the Prince watched as the door nearly closed.  Pausing just before then, Shigeo earnestly looked the Prince in the eyes and said in the most heartfelt flat-toned voice, "I hope you find your one true love, your highness."

"He'll find me eventually," the Prince replied, giving their new kind friend a heartfelt smile of his own.  They waved one final goodbye before the door closed, and the two nobles turned and walked out of the sea of flowers and towards their carriage.  They climbed inside, relaxing against padded seats as they turned around and back towards the palace.

Teru broke the silence after a few minutes. "...I love him," he bemoaned, burying his face in his hands, and Shou rolled his eyes at his dramatics.  There was not a drop of pity in Shou's blood for his not-quite-brother, not after every gripe and groan and jab in his direction all week for falling head over heels in exactly the same way.  Hell, he'd gotten to know the stranger better than Teru had gotten to know Shigeo.

"See?  Don't worry.  You'll only get disappointment out of this," he said in as bratty a voice as possible to throw it back in the Duke's face, "And first thing when we get into town, I'm sending that house as many flowers as my wallet can buy."

Town was buzzing noisily with excitement and gossip, and while Ritsu normally liked to hover around and pick up whatever stories were interesting that day, hearing rumors about your own attempt to crash a party by stealing priceless books only really served to spike your anxiety to insufferable levels.  At least the fanfare of the town let him slip away without his usual admirers - apparently some royal was going through main street, which brought all the attention of everyone hoping to curry favor with the nobility. Dimple snorted and laughed at him. “You look like a puffed up alley cat,” he offered, entirely unhelpfully.

“Shut up,” Ritsu hissed under his breath, even angrier that he couldn’t use his full volume if he didn’t want to look like he’d eaten a bad batch of rye.  “It’s just too much fuss. I’m almost home,” he muttered, finding a back street where most people tossed their dirty dish water. Fine enough to Ritsu, he was planning on scrubbing down and getting a quick bath once he got home anyway - he deserved a rare luxury after all the stress he’d gone through.  That’s right, he should be relieved and gloating to himself… neither he nor Shigeo seemed to have any idea how to celebrate Shigeo’s freedom from the curse. “Maybe I’ll save up for the tailor. Then we can get nice church clothes… we’ll always have flowers.”

“If you started trimming those roses that keep growing over your house, you’d make more than enough to buy anything you wanted,” Dimple offered.  It wasn’t a bad idea, and now that the roses didn’t actually contain his older brother’s literal life force, he had fewer qualms about taking a knife to them.  He hummed in response to the proposal, mulling it over as the smell and sight of beautiful roses touched him.

Home sweet home.  He pulled the thorny vines away from the hinges like usual, this time snapping them so they wouldn’t bend back in place, and entered his home with all of the relief of a fox ducking into its den after being pursued by hounds.

He stopped in place the second a plethora of purples, lavenders and softer pinks graced his vision.  His brother had an assortment of new flowers - sweet peas, maybe, Ritsu wasn’t sure - and was watering them and making sure they were properly potted in the soil.  Shigeo looked up and smiled sweetly at him. “Welcome home, Ritsu.”

“Brother,” Ritsu replied, taking off his shoes before stepping inside.  Dimple whistled, but Ritsu deliberately ignored him. “You got more flowers?”

“Oh, no… they were a gift,” Shigeo replied, looking at the flowers.  “Prince Suzuki and Duke Hanazawa visited today.”

Ritsu froze in place, and hadn’t felt so absolutely frigid since that time he passed out in the snow on accident.  At first he was certain his own heart stopped, before the loud thudding in his ears was all he could hear. His eyes darted around the flowers, in utter fright and disbelief.  Did I get found out?  How did he find my home??  Why did the prince come to my home?? Wait, the flowers, are they some kind of threat left by him–

“Ritsu?” Shigeo’s concerned tone immediately snapped Ritsu out of his thoughts.  He must have looked frightful, because his brother was staring wide-eyed and worried, sweat beading on his face a little.  “Are you okay…? Um, they weren’t upset about the way the house looked or the china or anything…”

“No, no, I…” Ritsu interjected, cupping his chin with his shaky hand.  “Sorry, brother, I… you’re sure it was the prince?” he asked, trying to calm himself down.  Shigeo simply nodded, which didn’t help in the slightest. “What did he want?”

“He asked me to try on a shoe,” Shigeo said flatly.  Ritsu’s thoughts halted for a second. What kind of stupid, random, bizarre request was–

Shit.

“That’s… pretty strange, brother,” Ritsu said unconvincingly.  Shigeo seemed to relax, and Ritsu was grateful that he seemed to take the lie at face value.  “It was nice of him to leave flowers,” he added, turning to examine the room for other changes.  Shigeo hummed a small agreement, undoubtedly watching Ritsu as he frantically bounced between cabinets and dressers until finally–

The book he’d stolen.  It was sitting on top of a table instead of on the shelf, where he had put it.  It was taken down, but not taken back? What on earth did that mean?? As Ritsu picked the book up, something slipped out.  He shelved the book again and picked up the small intricately designed bookmark by the red ribbon that was tied around the end of the paper, frowning at the message written on it.

You could've asked for help.  Go ahead and keep this. -Prince Shou

Chapter Text

Clothes, food, the expensive cutlery, books, the book - what else, what else?  Ritsu's mind was frantic with thoughts and plans forming on the spot, and he paced relentlessly between rooms as he piled more and more important things on the table.   Money, right, they would need a sum of money in order to establish themselves somewhere else - what did going to another country actually entail?  What did he need to be prepared for? How would they cover ground? "Dimple," Ritsu practically barked the name of the faerie currently sitting on the fireplace, having sprouted little legs presumably for the explicit purpose of kicking them around in amusement at Ritsu losing his damn mind.

"Kid, you're making me dizzy.  What do you think you're gonna accomplish by moving away?" the faerie asked, already catching on to what Ritsu was thinking.  The little green gremlin certainly didn't seem dissuaded when Ritsu shot him a glare, just grinning a little wider and gesturing towards Shigeo.  "You're freaking out your brother, you know."

Turning to look at Shigeo, Ritsu saw that his brother was indeed very worriedly looking at him, still holding the cutlery that Ritsu had insisted on him grabbing.  While he felt guilty about Shigeo's clear confusion and the way he was trembling, hopefully from nothing too serious, Ritsu set his mouth in a firm line. "Ritsu… are you okay?" Shigeo finally asked, looking a little like he was walking on eggshells to ask something like that.

"Get your gardening tools," Ritsu replied as calmly as he could manage, slamming the book on the table and yanking the key out of it to thread it through a thick necklace chain.  He wasn't going to lose it in the chaos. "And mom's old jewelry, and dad's wedding ring. I'm going to dig out the other heirlooms," he insisted, going to the shed to find the ladder instead of explaining himself whatsoever.  He caught a look on Shigeo's face of deep upset, but nearly walked away before the front door had a firm knock on it. Ritsu's blood ran cold as his brother immediately went to answer it, and he swung around to see the door open and-- it was a messenger, a courier in fact, dressed nicely but clearly a bit winded from riding and running all the way to deliver a message.

"This is the household of Sir Ritsu Kageyama and Sir Shigeo Kageyama, I presume?" the man asked, trying to subtly brush pollen off of his sky blue and black uniform.  It was a royal messenger, for certain, and Ritsu considered his options as he glanced around the room and accounted for where knives were currently sitting - if only Shigeo were in a bit better shape, or maybe he should attempt to steal the man's horse--

"It is," Shigeo answered much to Ritsu's chagrin.  Ritsu abandoned his thoughts of violence and walked over, covering the book with the folded tablecloth before standing at Shigeo's side.  The messenger didn't have guards standing outside, so he wasn't going to be arrested… but it only made Ritsu's suspicions burn hotter. "How can we help you?" Shigeo asked, filling in the role of pleasantries on Ritsu's behalf.

"A message for you, sirs," the man explained, pulling out a parchment and pulling off the seal to read it.  "It reads: Sirs Shigeo and Ritsu Kageyama, the Prince will hold a private tea party tomorrow at Saltwood Palace.  It is requested that you be at the Palace not later than 2:00 PM. Required dress is morning dress. This letter should be issued on entering the Palace, as no further card of admission will be issued," the messenger announced clearly, each word sinking Ritsu's heart harder. More of the royal written pleasantries followed, but Ritsu couldn't hear them over the confusion he was feeling.  A tea party?  Couldn't the prince simply arrest him and force him to confess to crimes?  He had found the book, after all, it was certain who had taken it.

He blinked back into awareness when he saw the messenger pass Shigeo a card as Ritsu had apparently been too distracted to even notice.  It was a card response, and Shigeo was holding a pen and looking down at the formal invitation before looking to Ritsu. Ritsu himself could only hold his breath as his brain caught up with him, Shigeo asking the question before Ritsu could make a decision, "Ritsu… do you want to go see the Prince?"

Much to his chagrin, a small part of him did want to see the man again.  The feeling was utterly quashed by his anxieties, particularly a new fear: what if the prince was threatening Shigeo, too?  Ritsu's teeth hurt with how hard he was clenching them. After a hefty pause, Ritsu nodded, and Shigeo smiled at him. "I think it will be good… you'll like them, Ritsu," his brother reassured him, completely unaware as to the source of Ritsu's stress.  "He's a very kind man," Shigeo added, signing in affirmation that the two brothers would indeed come visit for tea tomorrow. Still, he fidgeted, at war with himself in his own mind. The only thing that snapped him out of it was Shigeo turning to the messenger and saying, "I'm sorry.  We'll have to decline."

The look on the messenger's face likely reflected Ritsu's own, and really, it said it all - the absolute gaul of some nobody turning down an invitation from the royal family was so gobsmacking that it was a real wonder that the messenger didn't proclaim offense on behalf of the crown.  Ritsu grabbed the invitation and response from Shigeo's hand, feeling his head burning hot with startled indignation as he hurriedly scrawled an agreement to show up for tea, passing it hastily back to the messenger. "We're going. Thank you, sir," Ritsu insisted, trying to ignore Dimple laughing so loudly at him from the fireplace as he barely managed not to slam the door on the hapless messenger's face.

"Ritsu… you changed your mind?" Shigeo asked, sounding calm and quiet.  But it only really took one look for Ritsu to realize that his older brother was very astute and sensitive to his personal comfort, too - normally he'd be touched, but with anxiety ramping higher and higher he only felt a bit cornered by how easy he was to read.

"I'm just nervous, brother," Ritsu hastily explained, not at all interested in breaking Shigeo's heart with the truth or by denying him this chance to have tea in the palace.  "I'll go, I just… haven't ever done anything quite that fancy. It's a lot to meet the king and the prince."

"I'll make you a perfect tea-time dress, don't worry," Dimple sneered from atop the fireplace.  Ritsu shot him a glare, but the faerie simply shrugged, once more unaffected by the younger brother's wrathful gaze.  "I'm not teasing, I could if you really wanted!"

"Dimple… human men don't wear dresses," Shigeo offered, doubtless trying to be helpful.  It still only really served to make Ritsu feel embarrassed and a little grouchy, nerves already frayed at their ends.  Dimple's smug grin didn't help.

"Let's get ready, Shigeo," he growled instead, tossing aside his coat and settling in for his last day as a free man.

Though his Sunday Best was old and worn, Dimple made himself useful and used magic on it to make the creases new and crisp, and the buttons shiny, and the ends no longer frayed - he even noticed a hint of subtle floral patterning on his vest that seemed to resemble foxgloves.  

Shigeo's had gotten much the same treatment, as well as being properly tailored to him again, since he'd gotten both thinner and a bit taller since he was last fitted.  Unlike Ritsu's suit, which retained its warm browns, Shigeo's was changed to be silver with blue accents, his matching vest showing something like bluebells. Shigeo was in good spirits and happily complimented Ritsu, to which Ritsu naturally returned the compliment, even if he was busy fighting a sense of relentless worry.  Shigeo was clearly doing his best to help, even if he was clearly misunderstanding the cause of Ritsu's nervousness. "The Prince understands, Ritsu… he was very polite even when he had tea here," Shigeo reassured, helping Ritsu with his tie even though Ritsu didn't really need the help with it.  "And the Duke even did the dishes for us.  You won't make a mistake…"

"I know, brother," Ritsu responded, wilting a bit.  He was still suspicious, still wary about just how nice the royals had allegedly been to his brother.  It seemed reasonable, since the prince during the night of the ball had been very amicable and personable… but the look of betrayal on Prince Shou's face as Ritsu's leg was hanging out the window still stuck in his mind.  Shigeo stopped fussing and gasped quietly, saying something about getting flowers from the garden before disappearing outside. Ritsu took the time to pick up the book on the Unseelie Court, turning to the resident faerie.  "Dimple. I have to hide this. Don't let anyone but Shigeo ever find it, understand?"

"I can't actually touch that thing, you know," Dimple griped, floating closer.  "You're the one that has to hide it somewhere, all I can do is charm that spot to keep people from looking at it.  But if it's a terrible hiding spot then no spell's gonna do anything about that," he explained, hovering over his human companion as he started rummaging around.  After a few minutes, Ritsu decided to take the hammer and pry up a floorboard, hurriedly storing the book inside. "Now Ritsu, don't worry your pretty little head.  If you really do get arrested, I'll help your brother disappear in the countryside and then come back and turn you into a crow," he teased. Ritsu recognized it as Dimple's attempt to lift his spirits, which he appreciated, even if it did not work in the slightest.

Shigeo came back inside soon after, holding a pair of bright orange roses.  He had trimmed the thorns off of them and cut them neatly, and approached to put one in Ritsu's front coat pocket.  Ritsu straightened up and allowed it, watching his brother's warm and happy expression…

...he really, genuinely hoped that Shigeo would be able to be this happy so much more often.  He worked so hard to make it real, and no royal was going to take it away. Ritsu took the other rose and returned the favor, tucking it neatly into his brother's jacket as well, admiring how the brilliant orange complimented the silver and blue that Shigeo was wearing.  "That looks nice, Shige," Ritsu complimented, getting a nod and a smile from his brother.

"Hey, kid, looks like your ride's here," Dimple called from the front window.  It was still the morning, so Ritsu was expecting to begin the long walk to the palace soon - but approaching the front and peering outside through a halo of flowers, he saw a brilliant royal carriage waiting outside and a messenger walking calmly towards his front door.  Ritsu opened it before the man could knock, getting a brief surprised look before the man simply continued.

"His Royal Highness has sent a coach to sirs Shigeo and Ritsu Kageyama for today's tea time.  We are prepared to escort you whenever you are ready," the man calmly informed. Ritsu nodded, looking back at Shigeo, who also looked ready to leave.  The look on Shigeo's face as he peeked at the lovely gilded carriage and impeccable white horse drawing it was as endeared and child-like as Ritsu had ever seen him.  "Very well, sirs. This way," he insisted, leading them towards the carriage where the coachman opened the door for them and shuffled them inside. The inside was plush and luxurious, and Shigeo was quite taken aback by it, gawking in admiration and surprise.

For Ritsu, however, it wasn't anything new.  In fact, it wasn't even as nice as the carriage that Dimple had created for him that night, which hadn't been as opulent but had definitely been more elegant and felt more comfortable to ride in.  Trying to force that night out of his mind, Ritsu instead turned his attention to his brother, who was having a splendid time watching the town go by. "Oh, it's Musashi!" he cheered happily, waving at the whole gaggle of farmers from the carriage as they trotted by.  "This is amazing, Ritsu… I don't know what we did to deserve something like this," he asked, beaming happily. Ritsu couldn't agree more, even if the sentiment was different.

Ritsu wondered, for quite a few minutes, if he should tell Shigeo the truth before the prince did.  He wondered whether he should come clean about the theft, or about the times well before this point where he stole in order to make ends meet.  Still, he hesitated… he didn't want to see the childlike wonder on Shigeo's face fade, and he didn't want to admit out loud to what he did for Shigeo's sake.  He also didn't want a life of running from the crown for his brother, a life on the run was no more free than being cursed. Deciding to stay quiet until the very end, Ritsu stared out of the window of the carriage, watching silently as the streets he grew up knowing intimately moved right past them.

Though he had seen the palace from the inside on a particularly magical evening, the splendor of it in the daylight hours struck Ritsu in a different way.  It felt tall and ominous despite the stone being bright in the midday sun, reminding Ritsu very much of a bear trap glittering in the sun as it was spread open and ready to trigger in a violent snap.  He felt a little comforted by Shigeo's hand on his shoulder, trying gently to reassure him and calm his nerves, even if his brother was none the wiser about the specifics. The carriage pulled to a stop at the steps, and the coachman opened the door for the brothers before guiding them up the steps and towards an attendant. The attendant bowed and accepted their unpracticed bows in return, guiding them towards the garden.

It wasn't as serene as it had been in the moonlight, but the sun did make the huge array of flowers dazzle brilliantly.  The maze had been recently trimmed, it seems, and still had a number of gardeners working diligently to groom the bushes and tend to the flowers.  At the center of the clear lawn were the two familiar faces - Duke Teruki Hanazawa and Prince Shou Suzuki, currently lunging and stepping back in turn as steel clashed noisily.  Neither brother had seen swordplay like this, and were stunned - the attendant also did not seem to interrupt, waiting patiently as the two noblemen struck at each other without drawing blood but seeming intent and serious all the same.  In a sudden swift movement, the Prince spun the Duke's blade and flung it out of his hand, excitedly stepping back and sheathing his sword in order to celebrate happily. "Got you!  Your head is just not in it today, is it, Teru?  Maybe I should give you a handicap today," he boasted loudly and obnoxiously, miles away from the clumsy charm that Ritsu had gotten to know.

"Your highness, the brothers Kageyama have arrived early for tea," the attendant interrupted, catching Shou's attention immediately.  He turned to look, and while Ritsu dreaded many potential expressions, he wasn't sure how to feel about the look of the cat that got the cream directed right at him.

"It really is you.  For real, this time," Shou said, stepping towards the two brothers.  "And Shigeo, you're looking really nice today, too. Welcome to the palace."

"Have you met Ritsu?" Shigeo asked, looking a little surprised as he glanced between his younger brother and the friendly prince.  Ritsu tried to glare at Shou to hint that he should shut up, but it either did not reach Shou or the prince simply did not care.

"I have.  We were getting to know each other pretty well I think," the prince replied, taking off his sword and passing it to the attendant.  Ritsu's gaze nervously followed the blade and he watched the duke looking flustered as he also passed over his sword. Maybe he was drunk again, the lush - but he wasn't pleased with the way the man was staring at his older brother.  "I just wanted to give something back to your brother, Shigeo, and had to track him down all over the kingdom" the Prince explained, snapping Ritsu's attention immediately back on him, "and I thought you both would like to visit the gardens."

Shigeo's face remained stoic for a moment, before a complicated flow of emotions trickled over it one after the other.  Eventually it settled for a slight pink to his cheeks, as he looked to Ritsu. What was Shigeo realizing in that moment?  What was he assuming? What had Shou and Teru told his brother while he wasn't home? Ritsu's heart was racing hard, but his brother didn't seem frightened, so he suspected that his brother didn't properly know the truth…

"Say, Shigeo," the prince interrupted again, gaining both brothers' attention, "You wouldn't mind a little tour of the gardens before we sit down, right?  Tea isn't quite ready yet. Besides, Teru's great at remembering what all the flowers are in our garden."

"Ah, yes, if it would please you sir Shigeo, I would be happy to escort you," Teru interjected, redder in the face than any of them.  Shigeo glanced between the three men present before nodding and taking Teru's offered hand, following along as he was escorted handily away by the duke who looked far too pleased with his situation.

"May I?" Shou offered, holding out a hand to Ritsu, who wasn't particularly inclined to take it as easily as Shigeo had taken Teru's hand.  But after a hesitant pause, he silently agreed, placing his hand in Shou's as elegantly as he had when he was still wearing a dress. He followed along as Shou walked them into the maze, passing by the gardeners trimming the bushes and past the small fountain hidden within, finding a pleasant corner for them to tuck themselves away in privately.  "Ritsu, huh.  I finally got your name," the Prince started, smiling at him.

Almost on instinct, as if his hand was burned, Ritsu twisted and yanked his arm aggressively away from the Prince and stepped back, earning a wide-eyed look of surprise.  "What do you want from me?  Why didn't you just take the book that I stole when you found it?" Ritsu sneered, more than aware of the fact that he probably looked like a cornered cat.  His nerves weren't helped by the prince relaxing out of the startled look and into a calm grin.

"This little game again?  Alright," he nodded, holding his hands out to try and reassure Ritsu, which was all in vain.  Ritsu wasn't about to stop bristling any time soon, especially not as he realized that Shou was referencing the ridiculous question game that they had engaged in during the night of the ball.  "I just wanted to see you again. If I just took the book and didn't do anything else, that would've defeated the whole point of it."

Even though the prince was clearly looking to engage him in playful banter, Ritsu's mind was alight with distrust and paranoia.  In a hushed but frantic voice, he started babbling, "I don't care if you arrest me. But do not hurt my brother, do you understand??  Lock me away until I die but don't lay a damn finger on Shigeo's head.  He didn't do a single thing and he doesn't even know what happened--"

"Whoa whoa," Shou stopped him, looking confused and disconcerted.  "What the heck are you talking about? No one's going to lock you up.  You seriously think I wouldn't have already just arrested you myself by now?" The question hung in the air for a tense moment, and the prince tried to wait patiently as Ritsu stared him down.  After a minute, the prince just made a face at him, shaking his head, "I wasn't lying, Ritsu. I really did just want to see you again. And you can keep the book, you've got my royal pardon, all of that," he insisted, waving it off dismissively, "I really, genuinely just wanted to talk to you again..."

The last three words in particular were so bizarre a concept that Ritsu's entire thought process entirely derailed as they repeated in his mind.   I missed you.  What a hell of a sentiment... "You missed me," Ritsu repeated it, getting a nod from the prince without a second of hesitation.  Ritsu couldn't look at the prince anymore, staring hard at the grass under his feet as he tried to process it.  He'd been focused so intently on not needing to ever miss or mourn his brother that he'd never really reflected on the feeling - something he hadn't felt since losing his parents.  No, even then, it wasn't the same… it wasn't grief. Much to Ritsu's dismay, he slowly realized that he empathized with Shou. He realized that the reason his mind kept floating back to the ball before his escape was because in a way, he missed the prince, too.  "You trapped me here," he said quietly, hearing the shuffle of cloth from Shou and assuming it was the prince shrugging at him again.

"I guess?  But I'm not that dishonest, you know.  I told you straight up that I wanted to see you, and I wasn't lying when I said you could keep the book," Shou repeated for the third time.  "Hey, look at me," he insisted, and Ritsu looked up and into Shou's face. Shou was giving him an understanding look, hands on his hips and head tilted a bit thoughtfully - he was probably a little dismayed at the way Ritsu was acting if Ritsu was being honest with himself.  "I promise I'm not going to force you into anything. If you really, genuinely want, you can leave after tea and never speak to me again.  But," he emphasized the condition with a finger pointed at him, fixing Ritsu with a firm stare, "before you turn me down, give me a chance."

"A chance to do what?" Ritsu ventured, feeling the hair on the back of his neck standing a little.  It wasn't an unpleasant feeling, but it was far too confused and in suspense to be a truly good feeling, either.

"Well, to offer you a job," the Prince responded.  When Ritsu did nothing but stare in stunned silence, Shou gestured at him a bit and elaborated, "You're an educated guy, Ritsu.  And I want you to be my personal advisor - I want to hear it from someone that isn't some asskissing noble who has no idea what the normal everyday person wants or needs from their government.  This court has needed someone like you for decades, and while Teru's kinda close to that, I want you at my side."

"That can't be why you're offering that," Ritsu objected before he could catch himself, even though he was entirely vindicated by Shou nodding in confirmation at the accusation.

"I mean, yeah.  But you and I both know you can't force someone to love you," he responded completely cooly.  Ritsu didn't feel remotely as composed, world already flipped on its head; he'd been more than prepared to face incarceration or even execution, not the prospect of love.  "Don't answer me right now.  I mean it. I want you to let it sit for a few minutes because right now you're just gonna say no to anything I suggest," he insisted, stepping away from the bush he'd been tucked against and back towards the way they came.  Ritsu simmered grumpily at having been perfectly seen through, because the Prince was right: Ritsu was about to reject him blatantly and directly and take that offer to never speak ever again. He followed the prince as they left the maze, unable to get his face to stop burning even as he fidgeted and kept trying to cool his cheeks and ears with his considerably cooler fingers.  He wasn't sure why the prince was so flippant, but he didn't seem to be deceitful in the slightest.

Soon enough, they were out of the maze and met with Shigeo and Teru, who were currently at the bridge.  Shigeo was leaned against it, breathing a bit heavily from all the walking about - the look he gave his brother made Ritsu realize that Shigeo had known since they met Shou in the garden that Shou had been wanting to confess.  That hopeful, curious look was not at all discreet, after all. "Ritsu… was the maze fun?" he asked, trying to be subtle.

"It was fine," Ritsu begrudgingly responded, glancing at Teru who seemed to be worriedly hovering over Shigeo.  Turning to Shou, Ritsu asked, "Can we sit until tea is ready? My brother needs a break between walks."

"Of course," Prince Shou responded, gesturing for the gaggle of them to follow.  They walked to the seating area and Shou personally pulled out the seat for Ritsu, Teru doing the same for Shigeo - Ritsu thought to argue at first, but decided instead to sit down obediently and just accept the good will politely.  It wasn't much longer before tea and accompanying tea cakes and scones were brought out, fresh and hot. As the tea was poured, Shou leaned on the table rudely and leaned into Ritsu's space, staring fondly and affectionately at him. Clearly the prince was intending on wringing out every last bit of self indulgence, just in case Ritsu rejected him - Ritsu didn't plan on giving him any room for it, turning his nose up even as the Prince asked, "Won't you finally tell me about yourself?  What do I have to do to know about who you are?"

"How did you two meet?" Shigeo asked, and Ritsu's heart sank harder.  Shou just offered a sly grin at the curious older brother.

"That's a secret," he said coyly, "But don't worry, he made a great first impression.  You've got a smart brother.  What's he do?"

"He works at a library," Shigeo responded openly.  Ritsu clacked his teacup against the saucer, startling Shigeo into silence.

"Brother," Ritsu pleaded, embarrassed. It wasn't that he was unwilling to share more about himself, but he didn't really want to hear Shigeo singing his praises for minutes on end in front of the crown prince.  "I work at the library, yes… I copy books," he explained reluctantly, getting a gesture from Shou to continue as the prince stirred honey into his tea. After a thoughtful pause, Ritsu started drinking his tea, not bothering with anything added to it.  The gentle bitter taste helped ground him. "I also sometimes would sell the flowers that were growing wild and swallowing up our house."

"Not to be insensitive," Teru interjected, thumb rubbing nervously over the embossed design of his teacup, "but your brother… Shigeo, that is, am I to understand that you were cursed?"  Despite Teru's attempt to excuse his brashness, Ritsu felt no better about the words being spoken aloud here. Shigeo nodded solemnly.

"I did say so last time," Shigeo quietly reminded, nodding from behind his cup of milk-heavy tea.  "Ritsu said that he bought a book that had the incantation to free me from the curse… did he buy it from you, Your Highness?"

"That's right," Shou agreed with a nod, much to Teru and Ritsu's surprise alike.  Ritsu certainly hadn't expected the Prince to roll with the lie so effortlessly and instantly.  "He showed up and danced with me, and told me about what he needed. He proved to me how smart he was, and I could tell he had a good heart.  So I sold it to him. Tried to gift it, but apparently you're bad at accepting gifts," Shou smirked, directing the last statement directly at Ritsu in a jab.

"I won't be trapped by being indebted to someone, especially not a member of the royal family," Ritsu bit back, hastily sipping more tea to keep from getting into an argument right away.  He silently pleaded the hot tea to help him cool his temper. "I refused to tell you who I was or where I was from because I wouldn't let anyone or anything jeopardize saving my brother."

"I wouldn't have stopped you, but I can sympathize," Shou responded, smile broadening fondly.  "What a noble, loyal guy. It just makes me want to hire you more."

"Hire him?" Shigeo asked, eyes wide and curious.  The brothers met each other's gaze, Shigeo giving Ritsu an excited and surprised look.  "Ritsu… you'd be very good at it," Shigeo encouraged, practically sparkling with happiness just like the cheerful apple blossoms swaying in the breeze nearby.

"You don't even know what the job is, Shigeo," Ritsu objected, though mostly from awkward shyness at being so highly praised.  "And besides, it's a long ways, and you still need my help…"

"I'll be fine," Shigeo insisted, giving his brother a hard look.  "I've been fine. And you'll still come home, it's just work," he argued, nodding as if he'd already decided.  Ritsu felt like digging his heels in even harder and rejecting on principle now that two people were trying to persuade him.

"I think he'd make a great advisor, too," Shou added, contributing more pressure to Ritsu.  "I know it's a big trip, but I'd be paying him pretty handsomely so there'd be enough for him to get a horse and then some.  I reward loyalty, you know, and my father's such a spendthrift for a king so there's plenty to give."

Shigeo might not have been swayed by the offer of a wealthy wage, but Ritsu's mind instantly started turning.  He just wanted to enjoy his life with Shigeo, since it really has only been a short while that they'd had any breathing room before immediately getting dragged into this whole mess.  A mess of his own creation, of course, but still.  The promise of wealth, though, changed things.  With a steady source of income, he could make his brother's life even more comfortable and help him get that happy ending that he deserves more than anything.  Looking to Shou, Ritsu abruptly nodded, "Alright. I'll work for you."

"Really?" the prince asked, looking excited to hear the news.  "So I just had to bribe you, huh? Hah. Don't worry, it'll be worth your time," he assured, taking a swig of tea and forgetting manners.  Ritsu was a bit surprised at just how brash the prince could be, but it didn't seem strange, compared to the night of the ball. Shou took Ritsu's plate, which had nothing on it yet, piling on tea sandwiches and a scone before placing them back down.  "Come on, quit being shy, just eat! You're gonna have tea with me a lot more, you know, and you'll be happy for the breaks from politics."

"I'm proud of you," Shigeo interjected, still radiant with pride.  Between his brother and the prince, Ritsu felt like he'd rather turn into a crow and fly away than sit here and keep burning with all the positive attention directed his way.  "Thank you, Prince Shou. You really are a kind man," Shigeo relented on praising Ritsu, turning it to Shou instead. Shou seemed just as weak to it as Ritsu was… Ritsu noticed that the duke appeared to be frowning jealously at all the praise going to the prince.

"I'm just not spoiled, that's all," the prince insisted, offering to take Shigeo's plate as well and placing several items on it like he did for Ritsu.  "We can start whenever you're ready, Ritsu. I'll pay you in advance so you can get that horse and some new clothes," he explained, pouring himself more tea and stirring honey into it.  "Anyway, enough business. You guys should just tell me more about yourselves. I'll escort you two home after this."

Tea was nice.  Things remained pleasant and for once, Ritsu didn't feel like there was a lingering threat.  Logically, he could think of a few ways that the prince might turn on him and take advantage of the two brothers… but his fears weren't reasonable enough, weren't strong enough to overpower the pleasant feeling of having a secure future.  On the carriage ride home, Ritsu thoughtfully stared out the window, making a mental catalogue of what he would do with his improved wage. He'd have to excuse himself from Emi's library, but she'd be happy for them. There would be long nights, so he'd have to make sure that Shigeo had someone around to check in on him besides just Dimple.

The only thing that broke his concentration was his brother's voice, which quietly chimed in, "Ritsu… let's travel."  Ritsu looked to his brother, seeing him staring out of the carriage window and smiling at the beautiful trees and flowers passing by.  After a moment where Shou and Ritsu silently awaited elaboration, Shigeo turned to them with a calm but set smile on his face. "Let's go see more of the world, like you always wanted to…" he added.  Ritsu's heart ached a bit, touched that his brother refused to let go of that little offhand detail from their youth.

"What, I hire you and you're already going to cash in on your vacation?" the Prince complained in an undignified tone.  Shigeo gave him a soft laugh.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, "But before we forget… I want us to do this one thing we've been dreaming about.  Is it going to be okay?"

Shou rolled his eyes and held up his hands in surrender.  Ritsu suspected that he was just as weak to Shigeo's enthusiasm as Ritsu himself was.  "Alright, alright… how can I say no to a pair of faces like that, huh?  You're lucky you get paid vacations," the prince teased.  Ritsu hadn't really heard of something like that, and it must've reflected as suspicion on his face.  "I'm serious. Let me pay for you two. I know you'll come back and make it all worthwhile. And no, Ritsu, this isn't me trying to trap you in debt," Shou interjected before Ritsu could finish bristling.  "It's a gift. Please take it as one. A gift from an admirer."

"Thank you," Ritsu replied, wanting to say it before Shigeo said it for him.  He fixed the prince with a stare, locking their gazes and staring into Shou's face.  He only saw sincerity and fondness, just as Shou had insisted. After a few uncomfortably quiet minutes, he decided to add the one thing that he had thought was too embarrassing to say out loud.

Chapter Text

The pleasant aroma of flowers was perfect company early in the morning.  Trimming the stems and clipping the thorns, Ritsu carefully wrapped the flowers to keep the petals from crimping as he piled them into the cart that he bought for Shigeo a few months ago.  It was starting to pile quite high with all sorts of flowers, all brilliant and out of season, all of which kept their luster for longer than any other flower. Ritsu wondered sometimes if Shigeo might be some kind of warlock, but the way the flowers grew was something Dimple insisted was probably just a blessing from another faerie.  It served the brothers well these days, and any soreness from the past was long gone and forgotten.

With the cart nearly full, Ritsu found the canvas to protect the blossoms from the intense sunshine and the watering can, pouring water over the cut flowers.  He had no idea if it did them any good after being cut, but if the flowers were trying to impress Shigeo like Dimple said they were, Ritsu figured he should reward their loyalty in some manner before they got shipped off.  Shigeo approached the cart, hands full of hearty sprigs of marjoram, laying them neatly inside alongside the orange lily. "Ritsu," Shigeo gently chided, "You need to go to work."

"I know," Ritsu sighed, folding the tarp over and helping Shigeo fasten it to the cart.  Once it was secure, his brother shooed him silently, shuffling Ritsu towards Honey. The palomino shire horse was happily munching on watermelons that had grown just outside of her fence, which she had stuck her head through to pull into her personal field.  Shigeo had already taken the liberty of saddling her, it seemed, giving Ritsu less of a chance to drag his feet to help his brother instead of going to work. Probably for the better. "Honey," Ritsu called, clicking his tongue at her. She shook her blond mane and nickered at him, letting him open the gate and swing himself into the saddle.  He rode by Shigeo, who had declined to get a horse for himself and was instead planning to pull the cart to town with his own strength. He was so proud of his improving prowess that Ritsu didn't have the heart to insist on getting him a horse anyway. "Good luck at work today, Shige," Ritsu said, bidding his farewell before riding off.

It didn't take much longer before the rest of the chores at home were done.  Even though Ritsu hated when he did it, Shigeo mucked out the stall that they had made for Honey and made sure her food and water was clean and ready for when she got back home.  "I didn't forget you," he teased to Milk, who had been meowing and curling around his legs for the half an hour it took to clean up for the horse. He went inside and got out the trimmings from last night's chicken, cutting them into smaller pieces and cutting out bones, putting them on a plate for Milk to eagerly eat.  To rest before he went to work, he sunk into the chair by the fireplace and watched as Reigen and Serizawa scurried about the house, bringing all manner of lost items to a pile they regularly made. Thimbles, needles, buttons, nails… all sorts of things often dropped off the counters and tables and rolled away, but the two mice would bring back anything that wasn't edible.

"Still sitting in that old chair even after getting some fancy new ones?" Dimple asked, floating over to the fireplace.  Shigeo looked at the new dining room table and matching chairs, all of which were beautiful and very comfortable. "That duke is trying pretty hard, isn't he?" the faerie asked, elbowing Shigeo a bit with a coy laugh.

"They're a little too nice," Shigeo replied, relaxing a bit more against the worn cushions he'd known so well.  "I don't really know why Teru keeps doing stuff like that. I don't really offer much," he mused, closing his eyes to rest for just a moment.  He wasn't sure if he had drifted off for very long, but he jolted out of a drowzy slumber when he heard the door knock, standing up and going to the door curiously.  "Good morning, Teru," Shigeo greeted, mildly groggy.

"I didn't wake you, did I?" Teru asked, a glowing smile on his face.  Shigeo shook his head, though he glanced down at the large box that Teru was holding.  "May I come in?" Teru asked politely. While Shigeo thought to tell him to leave until he comes to visit without bringing a gift next time, he decided against it and stepped clear of the door to let Teru carry his package inside.  "I found something very cute, and I wanted you to have it," he began, a collection of words that Shigeo was becoming far too familiar with.  The duke set the box on the table and lifted the lid, starting to pull out beautiful ornate blue teacups.  Squinting, Shigeo recognized the peacocks painted in gold along the sides of each cup.

"I already have a tea set, Teru," Shigeo objected, though he did pick up one of the fresh cups to admire the artistry of it.  They were high quality, naturally, but…" My great grandparents owned that tea set, you know. It's special."

He glanced at Teru, who looked taken aback.  After a moment of surprise, Teru shook his head, trying a different angle.  "Well, all the more reason to keep it safe, right? I thought you would like these.  You did say that you like animals," Teru argued, trying to work Shigeo into agreeing to accept the gift.  Shigeo pondered a bit longer, though he was more reflecting on whether or not he was being too mean to Teru.

"Teru… why do you keep giving me so many new things?" Shigeo asked, the question seeming to startle the duke a bit.  "A new dining table, new chairs, new gardening equipment, new coats... we already had all of those things, even if they were old."

"Oh, well… I just thought--"

"And the new flute for the fireplace.  Or the birdhouses," Shigeo continued, trying to remember everything that Teru had gifted him over the past few months, "Then there was the new set of blankets, and a new bookshelf, you said you wanted to give us a desk.  You've brought food more times than I can count, too… I don't understand. Aren't you busy as a Duke? Why are you buying all of these things for me?"

As he stared down Teru, the duke looked proverbially cornered against the wall.  A frazzled expression to say the least! He hesitated for a time before sheepishly trying to string words together coherently.  "I… that is… typically how someone courts someone else," Teru admitted. The word sounded familiar, but before it could click, Teru continued, "I deeply admire you and your resilience… and I want to be the one that makes you happy."

Oh.  Shigeo remembers what these words are… they're straight out of a romance novel, just as endearing as Emi's writing always was.  Suddenly the room felt a little too warm, especially as Shigeo reevaluated all of Teru's gestures of kindness all this time. He'd never expected to be the object of someone's affection before, and while Teru did have a bad habit of getting a bit overbearing or nosy, it was suddenly a bit harder to be upset with a man that was clearly just trying to get close to the person he liked.  "First of all," Shigeo whispered, voice quieter than he was intending, "... there's no 'one' person that makes me happy. But-- I understand."

"I… yes, I understand, too," Teru responded, looking very embarrassed and ashamed.  While Shigeo was a little frustrated, he didn't want Teru to feel ashamed of himself.

"Teru… let's have tea, alright?" Shigeo offered, watching the relieved and hopeful look on the blond's face.  "Let's have some tea and talk about it."

It was nice to actually properly read books instead of copying them and reading along the way.  It allowed for Ritsu to sit and properly absorb what he was reading, to take notes on scratch paper, to compare each political text with mail the palace had received recently - all in the name of finding any nuggets of advice he could for the Prince.  The only real danger was getting distracted by getting absorbed into the text of the book itself.

Well, that and the fact that he was in Shou's private study, alone with him.  The Prince never distracted him deliberately, but every now and then Ritsu's concentration would randomly break and he'd find himself very aware of the Prince's presence right behind him or sitting across from him.  Today, Shou was sitting on the seat by the window, watching him from behind in the very room that Ritsu had stolen the book from.  It would've felt a little threatening if Shou was blocking off the window that Ritsu had jumped out of, but that particular window was further down the castle hall.

Maybe it was the fact that he had stolen from this room, or maybe he just didn't want Shou to bore holes into the back of his head with that loving gaze, or maybe he just wanted to derail things entirely so he could get back to focusing on work - either way, he decided to dredge up something that'd been gnawing at him for years.  Something he'd never mentioned out loud to anyone, lest Shigeo ever find out. "I used to steal all sorts of things in order to keep Shigeo and I afloat," Ritsu said, voice carrying through the silence of the room, "I would pickpocket, or steal food, anything whenever my earnings weren't able to cover the costs."

"Wow," Prince Shou remarked, though he didn't sound disgusted or aghast, "Just when I thought you couldn't get any more attractive."

Ritsu whirled around in his chair, looking at the Prince in confusion.  Shou was giving him that smug, coy, affectionate stare. "You find crime attractive ?" Shou just chuckled, getting up and walking to Ritsu's side.  The prince didn't make any advancements towards the bristling man in the chair - he learned very well very early on that unsolicited contact got his hand smacked or got him a firm shove - but nothing kept the prince from looming in Ritsu's personal space.  At the moment, Ritsu didn't particularly think it was such a bad thing, staring up at Shou who was leaning against the chair and staring affectionately back at him. This man, who so unabashedly loved him - and Ritsu never responded to it. "J-just so you know," he blurted, feeling his face burning hot, "I won't stop you from getting married.  You can do whatever you want."

"Oh, that's true," Shou agreed with a nod, though he leaned in much closer to Ritsu's face.  While he hadn't admitted it out loud yet, Ritsu also found many, many things about Shou attractive as well.  "But I wish you would be more selfish, too," he added in a low voice.  "You're thinking about everyone else all the time. It's okay to be selfish, you deserve it, after all you've been through.  So you can do whatever you want."  Though Ritsu wanted to look away from the intensity of that gaze, he stubbornly returned it instead, hoping he didn't look as belligerent as he felt he was being.  Either way, Shou relaxed a little, patting Ritsu on the shoulder. "I got you something. Take a break and come check it out," he insisted, tugging on the elbow of Ritsu's sleeve to coax him into agreeing.

"What did you get me?" Ritsu asked, setting aside his work and getting up to follow.  Shou didn't respond at first, so Ritsu assumed it must be some sort of surprise. It was nice to stretch his legs, admittedly, having sat stiffly in the chair for hours.  He watched the Prince's back as they walked, trying to figure out what it could've possibly been. When they arrived at a room that Ritsu had been to for the tailor, he suspected that Shou had gotten him more suits like their first day when the Prince insisted on making sure his wardrobe wouldn't keep other nobles from respecting him.  "I already have a ton of clothes, Shou," Ritsu objected. Shou just turned and smirked at him, before opening the door wordlessly.

Inside was a beautiful gown, very reminiscent of the one he'd been wearing on that fateful night.  The color and design were different, not that unearthly golden-white… Ritsu entered the room and felt the fabric of the skirt, which was silky but not too light.  It was black, with lovely blue accents… Ritsu rolled his eyes a little, turning to look at Shou, who looked very excited to show off the gift.  Unable to hold himself back, Ritsu derisively remarked, "It matches you."

To Shou's credit, he was not embarrassed or dissuaded at all.  "Well, yeah , it's great, right?" Ritsu looked back at it and quietly, to himself, admitted that Shou had a point.  It didn't have the open back of the ball gown, which was another small comfort - and despite himself, Ritsu wanted to try it on.  "Well? Come on, we'll go dancing again," Shou insisted, waiting for Ritsu's agreement first and foremost.

After a long, hesitant pause, Ritsu thought to  himself that it would be rather funny to turn Shou down just for the sake of disappointing him but he really, really, really wanted to try it on. Heaven help him, he really did. Ritsu finally conceded and put his hand on the dress.  "Alright. Now get out of here so I can change."