The Heart of It All

[aeslis]

The Heart of It All
Pairing: Nino/Okada
Word Count: ~15K
Summary: When Prince Okada is sent to the dragons to beg their aid in an upcoming war, he meets someone very unexpected.
Notes: Written for clipsie for ninexchange. I borrowed heavily from the world of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede, primarily Searching for Dragons, but nothing could match the genius of that story, so go read it! Thank you to phrenk for her beta ♡
Warnings: Gender pronoun uncertainties




The path wound up the side of the mountain, out of sight. Through the lower peaks, in the distance, Okada could see the rich, green expanse of home, the Enchanted Forest, and felt a pang. It looked normal from a distance, but appearances were often deceiving, especially when it came to the forest. He couldn't see the castle at all, for example, nor the Great Heart Tree, which was the tallest tree in the forest, rainbow colored, and smack in the middle of a wide lake that should have been visible for miles. At least, he thought, the forest could still keep up its protective mirage.

Okada shook his head and started trudging upwards again.

By contrast, the Mountains of Morning were devoid of any magic. The air was so empty of it that Okada felt naked, which was extremely unpleasant. On top of that, he'd been in too much of a hurry to pack a lunch and was seriously starting to regret it. It was hard to feel royal and important on an empty stomach, not to mention with sore feet and under a hot sun.

Thankfully he didn't have much farther to go, if the increasing frequency of the scorch marks on the surrounding sandstone was any indication. Just to be safe, he took out his circlet and set it atop his head, brushing sweaty bangs from his forehead. He hoped whomever he needed to impress wouldn't mind him being disheveled, because he didn't have anything to freshen up with.

After a short walk the path started to open up, and Okada found himself in a wide clearing near a cave that was at least three times his height. It was too dark to see inside it, and Okada, who had never been here before, had no idea if it was the cave he was looking for. He certainly couldn't just go waltzing into a dragon's home unannounced, especially if it was the wrong dragon. He would have to ask someone.

The problem of who was solved by the sound of muffled voices not much farther up the path. It sounded like someone was walking his way.

"—only been here for a week!" The woman's voice cleared as it grew closer. It was reedy and saccharine sweet. "That's not fair."

"I heard they were engaged and her stepmother put him up to it," came the gossipy, rough tones of a second woman.

"But I've been waiting forever, almost three—"

They emerged from around a bend and stopped abruptly at the sight of him. They were undoubtedly princesses. Both wore golden crowns pinned to their hair, were dressed in silk, and gaped with their hands delicately covering their mouths. Neither looked at all like they'd just been walking up dragon trails all morning. Okada immediately felt at a disadvantage in his dirty boots.

"Excuse me," he said, smiling gamely, "I've come to meet a dragon."

The first princess looked at him dubiously, from the circlet on his head to his travel-worn clothes. "Aren't you a little short to be a prince?" she asked with surprising bluntness. Her eyes were fawn-wide in her fine-boned face.

"You're so rude! Don't be so picky! A man is a man, after all!" chastised the other princess in a loud whisper that Okada could unfortunately hear. She had overdone it on the fashion, with huge, sparkly star earrings and a bright yellow dress with excessive ruffles.

"I'm sorry to disappoint," Okada said, not as apologetically as he should, because really he wasn't at all.

The first princess's attitude changed abruptly. She clasped her hands to her bosom and her eyes lit up with admiration just short of adoration. Okada hadn't thought it was possible, but her voice pitched even higher, and her expression grew more vapid. "Oh, dear prince! You have fared such hardship to come to my rescue!"

"Actually," he started, mildly alarmed.

"What? You said it would be my turn next!" the second princess broke in, turning on the first with a waggling finger. "I've been here longer than you have. Cheater!"

"Oh, did I? I forgot! But that's okay! No harm done!" said the first princess, tilting her head to the side so her long, flowing curls bobbed cutely while she poked a finger into her cheek.

"You promised," the second one said, a stubborn set coming to her jaw that Okada didn't like the look of at all. She put her hands, which had balled to fists, on her hips. "And he's handsome! I say I should take him!"

The first apparently decided to ignore this and turned around to Okada, giving him all of her wide-eyed attention again. "Are you thirsty? Might I offer you some refreshment after your soul-wrenching, heart-wearying, terribly dirty journey?"

The second princess's mouth fell open, and this time she forgot to cover it.

"Um," Okada tried. "No, I just… you see, I'm here to—"

"Rescue me," said the first princess lovingly, and then giggled in a distressingly bubbly way.

"Rescue me," demanded the second with a foot-stomp. "Really, you! I can't believe you!"

Okada was starting to wish he'd taken his sister's suggestion and brought along a formal escort. He'd always been better at talking to animals than to people, and he hadn't expected to run into any humans at all, but in retrospect, that had been naively optimistic of him. Everyone knew that dragons kidnapped princesses so they could later be rescued by heroes and knights. And, unfortunately, princes.

"I'm here to see the Dragon King," he said, before either of them could interrupt him again.

There was a moment of silence, and then the first princess burst out laughing. That was not the response Okada had been hoping for.

The second princess frowned at the breach of manners, then rolled her eyes. "You might want to rethink that," she said, turning back to Okada. "Nino isn't interested in being rescued." Her expression was one of distaste, as if she had sniffed a skunk. Apparently she didn't approve of people who didn't want to be rescued from dragons.

"Nino?" Okada repeated, curious. The name sounded familiar, though he couldn't place it. "I'm not here to rescue anybody. I'm just here to see the king."

"Oh, oh, oh," the first princess said, fanning her face as she finally got ahold of herself. Her cheeks were flushed, and she pulled a handkerchief from somewhere to wipe the tears, still giggling fitfully. Okada noticed that her eyes weren't red at all. Apparently she was the type that cried with style. "Are you sure you don't want to rescue me?"

"Or me," the second princess said, giving the first princess a glare that went right over her head. Then she composed herself abruptly into a more proper stance, gathering her skirt as if to make a fancy curtsey. "I don't mind that you're short! And it would save you a lot of hassle." She turned a shimmering smile on Okada in an attempt to be convincing. It didn't work.

"No," Okada said slowly, much disturbed, "I really must see the king, so if you won't tell me the way, you'll have to excuse me." He turned to go, more than ready to be done with the conversation. Wandering around by himself seemed a far better idea than trying to deal with princesses.

"All right, all right," the second princess said. She dropped the act again, her posture going loose and slouchy. She pointed up the hill in the direction they'd both come from, careless in the gesture, outwardly miffed. "King Ohno lives up this way, second trail past the witchapple tree, the cave at the top of the hill. But don't say we didn't warn you." She poked her nose up into the air with a haughty sniff.

"Thank you," Okada said as politely as he could manage, and walked past them with great relief.

-

As soon as Okada saw the cave the princess had directed him to he knew it was the right one. Not only was it twice the size of any other cave he'd passed, it was also decorated around the edge with an artistic array of colorful dragon scales. To one side there was a human-sized sign, the lettering hand-written in calligraphic brush, that said: Cave of the Sleeping King. No heroes necessary. GO HOME.

Okada stared at it with some misgivings. He'd already had to duck and hide behind several boulders on the way up in order to avoid run-ins with more princesses, and operating in stealth mode was fun, but it was, so far, not at all how he'd expected his mission to go. He wasn't looking forward to having to deal with this Nino person on top of it, and now it looked like he might have to. Hopefully Okada could convince him or her that he wasn't interested in rescuing anybody, but the way things were going he wasn't going to hold his breath. He knocked on the side of the cave.

When nobody answered, he knocked again.

The third time he knocked, there was a snort, and a burst of fire lit up the shadowed depths of the cave enough so that Okada could see the glittering form of something very, very big. Then it was gone, enveloped again by murky cave shadow. There came the sound of scales scraping against stone, and then a deep, sleepy voice. "Who is it?"

Okada was suddenly glad he didn't have a sword, because there was no way he wanted this dragon to think he was a threat. He hastily ran through his sister's instructions in his mind. Dragons were particular about formalities, and he didn't want to get anything wrong. "Your Majesty," he started, attempting to sound important instead of intimidated, "I, Prince Okada Junichi of the Enchanted Forest, have journeyed to greet you with a request on the behalf of my sister, the King."

Okada thought he sensed surprise from the cave, but it was hard to tell. "Prince Okada?" There was a pause as thoughtful coils of smoke wafted out. "Oh, okay." He sounded reluctant, and more awake. "Come in."

There was another blast of fire and wave of heat, this time concentrated, and the room lit up. Okada stepped inside.

King Ohno was monstrously large, which made sense, given the fact that he was actually a monster. It would take four of Okada standing on top of himself to get near the king's height. His icy scales worked like mirrors, each one catching the light of his fire. His claws could easily puncture a horse. Okada put on his best poker face and hoped that his nerves didn't show.

When King Ohno finished lighting the various torches around his cave, he lowered his head and peered intently at Okada for several moments. It was highly unnerving. "You're smaller than I imagined," the king mused, finally. His breath was hot on Okada's face, and smelled of cinnamon.

Okada, who had grown up hearing that nearly every day, had never expected to hear it from a dragon. "I think that's natural, Your Majesty," he returned, a reluctant smile pulling at one side of his face. "You're larger than I imagined."

King Ohno showed a good deal of teeth, which Okada hoped was a grin. "I guess so. Can we get this over with quickly? I want to go back to sleep."

Okada, thrown momentarily off balance, took a moment to clear his throat and remember what he was supposed to say next. "Your Majesty, my sister requests the aid of the Mountains of Morning in our coming war against the wizards. Our home—the Enchanted Forest—is dying, being drained of magic. Your assistance could turn the tide in our favor."

"You're going to war?" King Ohno said, more reluctant than before. "That sounds like an awful lot of trouble."

"I'm… I'm sorry?"

"I don't really like troublesome things. I'd rather just take a nap. And I can't really tell the other dragons to do it if I don't even want to do it myself, you know. That's not fair, is it?"

Okada had thought a lot about how this conversation would go, and it usually ended up with an impressively blazing dragon calling his fellows to war and bursting off into the sky, Okada riding on his back, leading the dragon army back to the Enchanted Forest to the cheers and adulation of his people. A lazy dragon king was not anywhere in the plans. Okada felt like a rug was being jerked out from under him. "Your Majesty, I beg you to reconsider. Without you, the forest could perish."

"No, I don't think so." King Ohno was abruptly decisive. "Is there anything else? Because I'd really like to get back to my nap. Dinnertime is in another hour or so, so there's not much time left."

"Maybe you could help in another way," Okada said, desperation pushing him to speak. He had to salvage this somehow.

The king lowered his head, fixing one eye on Okada. It was big as a dinner plate, and very close. Okada could see himself reflected in the pupil. "Like?" he asked grudgingly.

"Well," Okada said, drawing it out for more thinking time. "Like… dragons keep treasure, don't they? Heirlooms and… and magical artifacts, and stuff." Okada wasn't actually sure what a dragon's treasure entailed, but that seemed a safe assumption.

The king made a sound of agreement. "So?"

"You could lend me something. A powerful weapon, or invincible suit of armor. Then you could help with the war without actually having to participate."

King Ohno thought about this. His eyelids drooped alarmingly, but Okada could tell he was still awake because he blinked every now and then. "Oh, all right. Go to the treasury and ask Nino." Okada managed not to frown, but the name niggled at him. He was forgetting something important. "If there's something there you can use, he'll help you find it." He pointed a claw toward an opening in the wall and sent Okada off with instructions on how to find the right door.

Before the king could change his mind Okada left, backing out of the audience chamber, bowing profusely until he was through. The corridor on the other side was wide enough for at least three dragons to walk abreast, and made Okada feel very small and like he wasn't making any progress at all, even though his already-sore feet insisted he was. He might have missed the treasury entirely if King Ohno hadn't told him where to go, because it was behind a broad-planked wooden door with no distinguishing characteristics but for the fact that it was the only door in a hallway of open archways. There wasn't a lock, which Okada found surprising, but he supposed being in the middle of a city of dragons was high security enough.

Okada grasped the ringed handle and pulled. The door swung outward easily, and behind it was the treasure. Okada's visions of a sea of dragon gold were nothing in comparison to the actuality of countless shelves loaded down with statuettes and bars, rings and pendants and earrings. Books lined one long wall, covers creased with age, and all manners of weapons graced several racks. A whole suit of decorative and cumbersome-looking armor stood in the corner with a bright red plumed helmet.

"Hello?" Okada said, scanning for signs of life. Torches lit on one side of the room, but not the other. Only silence and gloomy, flickering shadows answered him. Maybe Nino wasn't actually here.

Okada's attention shifted to the shelves. Some of the jewelry had to be magical; probably most of it, not to mention a number of the swords. Maybe an arrow or two. Okada avoided touching them, just in case. He went to the books instead, scanning the titles to see if there were any he knew. He recognized Enderhart's Conversations with Mermaids and Magical Creatures and Where to Find Them from his childhood, but several shelves were full of books titled in languages he didn't know. Okada thought he recognized dragon script on several, and pulled one off the shelf, flipping through a few pages with interest before putting it back to reach for another.

Out of nowhere, a hand fastened around his wrist. "Don't touch that."

Startled, Okada turned to find himself face to face with with a man his own age. And, amazingly, his own size. "What— I'm sorry?"

The man was dressed in simple, practical clothes with his sleeves rolled up, and he had chocolate-colored hair that stuck up in the back, as if he'd gone without combing it. He had a slender face, and even the low light couldn't hide the paleness of his skin, but his eyes were glaring and sharp.

The man gave him a disparaging look. "Dammit, they keep making you princes prettier, but stupider at the same time. There's a demon trapped in that book. If you open it he'll curse you to a lifetime of infertility or erectile dysfunction or something like that, I forget which, but unless you want to deal with it don't touch anything, okay?" He huffed. "Are you new here, or something?"

Okada was as stunned as a kid who'd intended to put his hand in a cookie jar and discovered it was filled with snakes instead. This had to be Nino. He didn't recognize him at all. He must have been overthinking things. "I'm not here," he said, and then realized it didn't make sense. "I mean," he said, flustered—Nino still hadn't let go of his wrist, and his fingers pressed delicately over Okada's pulse point. "I don't belong here. I mean, no, wait. King Ohno sent me, for help. I'm Okada. From the Enchanted Forest." He bowed, because that was the sort of thing you did when you introduced yourself.

Nino let go of him, and when Okada stood up again Nino was eyeing him carefully, both his eyebrows drawn together thoughtfully. "Are you now. You're not like I imagined."

"Shorter?" Okada said dryly, recognizing where this was going.

Nino's sudden smile surprised him. He had seen plenty of attractive smiles in his life—it might as well have been a requirement in the business of royalty—but he had never seen a smile so ripe with deviousness. "No. No, not that."

Okada's mouth opened, and then closed again. He felt abruptly flustered. "Oh."

"You said Ohchan sent you?" Nino prompted, even more amused at Okada's discomfort.

The nickname made Okada pause. "Ohchan?"

Nino nodded, crossing his arms over his narrow chest. "We have a friendly relationship, you could say."

So not only was Nino uninterested in being rescued, he liked living with King Ohno. Okada had to admit, he found that intriguing. As he heard it, dragon captives couldn't wait to be rescued, since being the servant of a dragon involved a lot of manual labor, like polishing scales and helping them pick their teeth. Dragons had a lot of scales, and a lot of teeth. "Are you a prince?" he asked carefully, mindful of the fact that he'd just been asked the same thing not an hour ago, but Nino wasn't wearing a crown. "I've never heard of dragons keeping princes."

Nino's gaze narrowed, and for a moment Okada was worried he'd said something insensitive, but then Nino's shoulders relaxed and his countenance softened into a more natural smile. He seemed almost friendly. Okada wasn't sure he could keep up with all the mood changes. "Yeah, I was, but I put that behind me. I'm the official treasurer of the Mountains of Morning now. So, what can I do for you?"

Okada took the hint and didn't ask any more questions. "King Ohno—Ohchan," he said, and was rewarded by an approving look from Nino, "said there might be something here that can help me."

"Did he?" Nino said in droll tones. "And I suppose I'm supposed to find it for you, yes?" At Okada's nod, he said, "Well, forget it."

Okada sighed. Nothing was ever easy, was it? "No?"

"Unh-uh. What do you think would happen if I just gave bits of treasure away to anyone who asked for it?" He made a dismissive gesture, flicking his fingers up into the air. "It'd all be gone, that's what would happen! And after all my hard work. Forget about it."

"But King Ohno told me—"

"He would," Nino interrupted, unimpressed and uninterested. He turned his back on Okada and walked away through the shelves, still talking, and Okada went after him. "All he cares about is sleeping and eating. Snoring and fish, snoring and fish. Those are his favorites. Do you know how many fish it takes to feed a dragon?" Nino wheeled around and shook his finger right under Okada's nose, making Okada jerk to a stop mid-step. "More than you think!" He threw his hands in the air and stalked off again without waiting for an answer. "Anyway, he doesn't know what's in his treasury. I swear, if he didn't have me he'd be bankrupt."

The maze of shelves passed by on either side of them, Nino twisting this way and that until they reached an open area with a rumpled bed and a small desk lit by two flickering torches. On the desk, next to a magiscope and several other tools, was a crisp and unnaturally shiny sword.

"Please, I'm getting desperate, okay," Okada said, proven by the fact that he'd just trailed straight after Nino into what was apparently his bedroom. "If there's something here that can help me, I need it."

"Sure you do," Nino said, dropping down into his chair as if to go back to whatever work he'd been doing. "You all do." He looked over his shoulder, indifferent. "You have terrible second-born syndrome, you know that?"

Okada manfully ignored that. He put his hands on the back of Nino's chair, leaning over him. Proximity usually helped. "C'mon," he said, drawing out the syllables, coaxing. "Help me."

"Not going to work," Nino said, stubborn.

"Not even a little bit?" Okada said, throwing in a smile for good measure. It always worked with princesses, but Nino wasn't a princess, so he threw in some insurance: "What if I promise to bring—whatever it is back when I'm done with it?"

Nino didn't melt, he glared instead. "You think I'm going to fall for that?" But Okada just smiled irrepressibly at him, and Nino sighed, looking even more put out. "All right, fine. We can look. But don't think I'm doing this because you're cute."

"Of course not," Okada allowed magnanimously, hiding his relief.

Nino went to a chest of drawers and started rummaging around in one, producing a small bundle. When he unwrapped it, there was a tiny crystal on a long chain sitting in his palm. "Use this," he said, holding it out to Okada so that it caught the light. "It's a Seeker. Frame a question in your mind and it should lead you."

Okada held it up. It was perfectly spherical, like a glass marble with a clouded center, but when Okada thought show me what I need, it lit up from the inside, clearing and starting to spin. The first thing it did was swing its way straight for Nino before it veered off in another direction, then back, a pendulum at the end of its chain, trying to pull Okada in two directions at once.

Nino frowned. "None of that now," he said to it, tapping the Seeker with a chastising finger. "Behave."

It wheeled away from Nino to pull in the other direction like an eager dog on the end of its leash. Okada followed, but he didn't have far to go. It strained towards Nino's desk and the sword that lay there.

"Hunh," Nino said, grabbing the crystal out of the air before it made contact with the unblemished surface of the sword. He tugged thoughtfully at his lower lip, and his forehead wrinkled pensively. "Isn't that interesting."

Okada looked closer at it. The entirety of the sword was silver, even the hilt, as if it had been forged out of one piece of metal, and it was polished impeccably enough that Okada's reflection stared cleanly back at him from the blade, a perfect mirror image. A single green stone was embedded in the cross-section of the hilt. He had never seen a sword that screamed magic as loudly as this one. "What does it do?"

Nino looked at him evenly. "I don't know." He pointed his chin at the magiscope. "That thing is taking ridiculously high readings, but the sword didn't come with a manual. So far as I can tell it's asleep. Look." Nino took up the handle and, without warning, brought the sword down on the desk in a shining streak.

"Whoa, wait—!" But Okada was too late.

Except that he wasn't. He stared, baffled, as the sword froze right on the verge of splitting the desk in two, as if it refused to go any farther.

"You thought I was going to ruin my furniture, didn't you?" Nino's expression was smug as he put the sword back down. The desk didn't even have a dent, much less a crack.

Okada picked the sword up for himself, feeling the heft of it. It whispered through the air, much lighter than it looked, and the edge was perfectly sharp, but when Okada tested it with his thumb he couldn't cut himself no matter how hard he pressed. "How strange."

"It won't even cut paper," Nino informed him, picking up an implement from his desk and starting to fiddle with it. It made funny clicking noises as he twisted it. "Nothing."

"Is there a scabbard somewhere?"

"Hey," Nino said petulantly, which was actually a cute expression on him, "who said you could take it?"

"Ohchan did," Okada reminded him, and watched Nino's pout change to a scowl. "And if I'm not mistaken, you're coming with me too, aren't you." It wasn't a question. Okada hadn't missed how the Seeker had indicated Nino, even if Nino was slick enough to make it look like an accident. That only intrigued Okada more. Nino was smart. Cute, and smart.

Nino's expression went wary. He replaced the gizmo he was holding with feigned casualness. "What makes you say that?"

"Someone has to make sure I keep my promise to bring the sword back, don't they?" Okada said, politely not mentioning the trick Nino had pulled.

It turned out that Nino wasn't a fan of the outdoors, which didn't surprise Okada much given his never-seen-the-sun complexion, but Okada was determined. The forest needed him, and if he needed Nino to help the forest, he was taking Nino whether Nino liked it or not. He would drag Nino kicking and screaming if he had to.

"Fine," Nino groused once he realized Okada wasn't going to budge. "But this time, I'm really not doing it because you're cute."

"Of course not," Okada agreed, because this time it was the truth.

-

They didn't set out right away. Okada was exhausted from climbing up a mountain all morning, not to mention compromising with a dragon and arguing Nino around to his side (and whether or not he had was still debatable), so he ate and napped in Nino's bed while Nino found a scabbard and got himself ready. When Nino reappeared, he had the tiniest of bags strapped to his back. Okada had no idea what could even fit in it, because it hardly looked big enough for even a pair of underwear, but it felt like prying to ask, and Nino didn't offer the information. Then they went to say their goodbyes to King Ohno.

It was funny, seeing the little slip that was Nino surrounded by the great coiled body of the king of the dragons. King Ohno was incredibly reluctant to let him go. "But who will cook my fish?" he said, forlorn.

Nino rubbed King Ohno's nose right between the his great nostrils and said, "You do what you did before I got here. You don't even have to cook them, you great oaf." But he didn't sound particularly happy about it, himself. Okada felt a pang of guilt as he watched them part. Nino didn't look back.

He followed Nino through the corkscrew corridors and out a side door into the gardens. Okada had grown up in the middle of a forest and could name a good number of enchanted plants, and he knew what to watch out for in his own backyard, but a dragon's garden was something else altogether, and Okada took care to stay close to Nino just in case some of the plants had violent tendencies. Nino would know where to step to keep safe. They stopped by the side of a blue vine that crept along the ground and bore spiny, pear-shaped fruits.

"We can take one of these as a coach to the forest," Nino said, fishing out a small vial.

"I thought coaches were usually made from pumpkins," Okada said, eyeing the plant dubiously.

"They are, but dragonfruit doesn't come with a time limit." Nino dripped precisely two drops on the fruit, and it started to grow, spurting upwards first and then filling out around the middle as the vines curled themselves into wheels underneath. A neat line carved itself down the surface to shape a door, and several windows appeared in a cloud of sparkling dust. Nino coughed, waving it away from his face. "Stupid potion."

The inside was spacious enough for the both of them and then some, with two fluffy seats that faced each other, but Nino didn't take the other seat. He tossed his tiny bag across to sit by itself, giving it much more room than it needed, and settled down right next to Okada, encroaching into his space like it was the most natural thing in the world. Okada felt a moment of pleasant panic and forgot entirely what he was supposed to be doing until Nino poked him and said, "You have to tell it where to go, you know."

"Oh yes," Okada said, "right, yes, going, we're going to—" He put his hand on the coach wall, as if to communicate with it better, though it probably didn't do anything but make him feel more grounded. "The Enchanted Forest castle."

The coach lurched, throwing Okada into Nino's shoulder, and they were off, the mountain scenery sliding by them through the numerous windows. He spent a few minutes watching the view while pretending not to notice just how close Nino really was, which was close enough that Okada could see several delightful little moles on his cheek that hadn't been visible in the low-lit caves.

"Aren't you going to ask me my name?" Nino asked slyly, breaking the silence. "It's quite rude, you know, to spirit someone away without knowing who they are."

When Okada turned his head, he was looking straight into Nino's sleek brown eyes. "You're Nino aren't you?" he asked over the sudden speed-up of his pulse. "When I met the princesses they mentioned you, and your name sounded familiar, but it must have been my imagination, because I know I've never met you before."

Nino gave him a measuring look, but what he said was, "Princesses?"

Okada described his encounter in detail, including the sparkly earrings and the way the first one had laughed at him. He didn't mention it was because of Nino.

"Ah, Rola and Ai," Nino said with a theatrical shudder.

Okada tried to imagine living with them and wanted to shudder too. "How'd you end up living in a place like that, anyway? Kidnapped princesses I can understand, but you seem to be there for other reasons."

Nino's lips quirked in a way that spoke of secrets, and for a moment Okada thought he wouldn't answer, but after a moment he said, "It's a funny story, actually." He kicked his feet and hunched his shoulders, for a moment looking much younger. "I volunteered." He was watching Okada out of the corner of his eye, waiting for a reaction.

Okada had never heard of anyone volunteering to live with dragons before, but after meeting Nino it didn't surprise him. "You like it, don't you?" It was a rhetorical question.

"What's not to like?" Nino said, stretching his legs out to rest next to his bag on the other seat. "I get to play with money and magic all day. I'm the wealthiest person in a dozen kingdoms. I can put up with some irritating princesses for that."

"It's not just the princesses though, is it?" Okada asked. "The things I've heard about dragons aren't always…" He groped for a polite word. "Pleasant."

Nino waved his hand through the air as if swatting down a rumor. "And who tells people those things? The displeased captives. No one ever asks the dragons, do they? But living with Ohchan is much better than being a prince. That's why I threw away my title."

"All you do is work in the treasury?"

"Well, no," Nino amended. "There are chores, but Ohchan is forgiving about them. But when I don't have to dust and polish and cook there's plenty of time to work on my magic, and to try to decode enchantments." A new, passionate light came into Nino's eyes. "There's nothing quite like unraveling a spell to figure out how it's done. And best of all, there's no one hanging over your shoulder trying to convince you to do something princely. Dragons don't care if you're princely or not. In fact, they'd rather you weren't, if it came down to it."

Okada thought about the last time his fairy godmother had dropped by to check in on him, and the fussing he'd gotten about going out on quests instead of sitting around in the forest whittling wood. Nino had a point. "Makes me wish I'd thought of living with dragons," he said. "Almost."

The carriage traveled down the mountain as they talked, gliding on its magically enhanced wheels. It was a serene ride for the most part, and the way down was much easier than the way up, which Okada was overwhelmingly grateful for, because he didn't feel like walking down an unfamiliar path while afternoon turned to evening. They made good time, passing into the Enchanted Forest just as the sun touched the tips of the mountains and slanted through the windows, casting orange squares over their laps. Okada felt the veil of magic settle over him like a curtain, and then they were across the border.

Nino's conversation stayed light, but he started to cast furtive glances out the window, and Okada saw the tension in his jaw. Okada had grown up used to the forest, but he imagined for someone new it would be awe-inspiring and strange: the trees reached for each other high overhead, and moss coated their trunks, turning them lushly green.

Then the coach bobbled, teetering briefly before it righted itself. "What was that?" Nino asked sharply, his hand gripping at Okada's knee with surprising force. He was more frightened than Okada had thought.

"I don't—"

Then came a jerk, as if they had hit something, and the coach started to shudder alarmingly. Something was very wrong. "Out," Okada ordered, and grabbed Nino's hand to haul him to the door, which had flopped open of its own accord and was waving back and forth on its hinges with the rocking motion of the coach.

They spilled out onto the mossy ground, Okada holding Nino in an attempt to keep him from tripping in their haste. When they turned to look at the coach, it was heaving. The wheels had disconnected and stretched into long tendrils that crept across the ground, and first one, then another, stabbed into the dirt. The carriage was putting down roots.

Nino gaped at it.

"I take it that's not supposed to happen," Okada said.

"No," Nino agreed, shaking his head. His eyes narrowed, as if he were trying to see deeper than what was on the surface. "There isn't a time limit, so the magic was interrupted. Something altered the flow and rerouted it, or just…" He made a gesture like something weakly exploding, but then he froze and peered harder. The carriage appeared to be having seizures. "No, that's wrong. The spell only has half the power it did before. It mutated."

Okada couldn't see what Nino was seeing, even at a squint, but he believed it. "It has to be the forest," he said, distressed.

Nino frowned. "I think you're right. If that's true, then the magic here is corrupted, as well as weakening."

Out of nowhere, they heard a sound like a great growl, and Nino tensed, stepping closer to Okada and looking around into the depths of the trees, crazy carriage forgotten as a new potential threat presented itself.

"Wasn't that a dragon?" Okada said, not displeased by Nino's closeness. Nino's arm was flush against Okada's chest, and Okada wouldn't be able to fight anything off this way, but he didn't mention that to Nino.

Nino shook his head quickly. "Definitely not a dragon," he said, voice quiet, as he was still straining to hear. "Dragons sound more like—"

There was a crash, and another growl, and Nino's body gave a tiny jerk against Okada's. His eyes stayed pinned to the forest and the large silverberry bush that had started to rustle. All of a sudden, a bear leapt through it, her head shaking back and forth and her teeth bared as she snarled.

Nino squeaked, "A bear!" and before Okada had a chance to stop him, he high-tailed it to the still rattling coach to throw himself inside. The door shut behind him with a wet sound.

The bear sat squarely down, looking highly disgruntled. "How rude."

Okada covered his face with his hands for a moment, and then turned to the bear. "Mama Bear, you are the one that jumped out at us, you know. You can't blame him for being scared."

"It doesn't excuse him from being rude," she sniffed, waving her paw. Her claws were nothing like dragon claws, but they were still nothing to sneeze at. "My paw got stuck on that stupid plant. Why do they keep putting them in everyone's way?"

"They grow that way," Okada reminded her, "nobody put them there."

"That's no excuse either," she said. "Everyone and everything is conspiring to make my life difficult today. Why, earlier, a little girl came into my house uninvited, and do you know what she did? She ate all our supper! Can you believe the nerve." Her black gaze told Okada he had better agree, so he did. "And then she left without even a 'thank you,'" Mama Bear went on, tone dripping with disapproval, "running out of the house with a scream, of all things. Who came into our house in the first place, I ask you? And now this young man! Bears may be impressive, but we're nothing to scream at."

"I'm sure he'll be happy to apologize once—"

"Okada? Okada." The urgency in Nino's voice made Okada turn.

The coach didn't have a door anymore. The seam had vanished, and the windows had shrunk to half their former size. Through one, Okada could see Nino's fingers scrabbling at it, either trying to widen it to or keep it from closing, but it wasn't working. "Okadaa." Nino sounded like he was trying to keep from panicking, but it wasn't working very well. "Some derring do would be really cool right about now."

Instinct overcame thought, and Okada pulled his sword from its scabbard and ran at the coach. It wasn't until the metal collided with the fruit and bounced right back off that he remembered it didn't cut anything, but the hole was getting rapidly smaller, he didn't have anything else, and Okada could only see the tips of Nino's fingers, so he swung with all his strength, hoping against hope that the magic sword would do something magic and amazing. It didn't. The fruit stayed whole despite Okada's best efforts, not a mark to be seen, and the windows had almost vanished.

"What are you doing?" Mama Bear asked, curious.

Okada had forgotten she was there. He spun around, stared at her, and was hit with a desperate idea. "Help me."

"I don't know," Mama Bear deliberated. "He was awfully rude, and I don't owe him any favors."

"You're out of dinner, right?" Okada said, his words coming rapidfire. They didn't have time for a debate. He made a wide gesture that encompassed the carriage. "This is dragonfruit, from the dragons' garden, and it would make you a gourmet meal, but only if it doesn't squish Nino inside and ruin the flavor. Dragonfruit really has to stay pure."

The bear looked at the coach, more interested. "Really?"

"Yes, and Nino has cooked for the dragons, so I'm sure he'll be happy to give you a recipe in exchange for saving him, but you'll have to hurry."

This was enough to convince Mama Bear, and she trundled to the side of the coach and started going at it with her deadly claws, hacking out large chunks. They fell to the earth at her side, making juicy schlurp sounds as they came free. Okada watched, his throat tight and breathing forgotten, as she dug her paws in deep and ripped the whole fruit in half like someone might crack an egg open.

Nino tumbled out and collapsed in a heap on the moss, his eyes wide and breathing hard. As soon as Okada saw him, he felt his lungs start to work again. He sheathed the sword and dropped down at Nino's side, grasping Nino's shoulder to help ground him. "You're okay," he said by way of assurance, though he wasn't actually sure it wasn't for his own sake. Nino nodded rapidly.

It took Nino another few minutes to gather his composure, but when he stood up he bowed shakily to Mama Bear, who was holding a large chunk to her nose for an experimental sniff. "I'm really very sorry. I appreciate what you've done for me."

She put the fruit in her lap, not minding the juice that pooled in her fur. "His Highness said you would teach me how to cook this? Something simple, really, would be best, since I don't have all night. Baby Bear is hungry, and he was put out by the whole porridge business."

Nino shot Okada an incredulous look, and Okada shrugged, mouthing make something up!

Nino didn't have to. He apparently knew what to do with the fruit, which surprised Okada but he rolled with it, helping Mama Bear pack up a large portion in a hefty knapsack that came from Nino's itty bitty bag. Apparently it was spelled to be bigger on the inside than the outside, which answered most of Okada's questions. As they worked, the sun shifted out of the sky, and all the rich greens and vibrant hues of the flowers fled with it, leaving grays and shadowy blues behind.

Okada hadn't been to this part of the forest before, but he knew the castle was far away. He could feel it like a beacon in the distance. It was one of the few bits of magic the forest allowed him, like a courtesy for being a member of the royal family. "Mama Bear, do you know somewhere nearby that would be safe for the night?"

"I'd invite you home, but you know, what with the little girl, I just don't think Papa Bear could stand human scent for a while, even if it is the prince," Mama Bear grunted, turning her great head this way and that to peer into the shrouded trees. She stood up to her full height, almost bumping her head on one of the lower branches of a nearby tree but mercifully missing. Okada didn't feel like a lecture on tree placement, and he wanted to get Nino inside as soon as possible. "Oh, here we are. Yes, yes. Follow this stream all the way to the beaver dam and take a right through the pink ladyslippers. Matsuko lives there. You can't miss it."

Okada had never heard of Matsuko, but if Mama Bear vouched for her, she was likely good people. Or animal. One could never tell in the Enchanted Forest. And anyway, they had nowhere else to go. Okada thanked her, and after some paw-shaking and a hug from Nino (whose opinion towards bears had made a dramatic turnaround), Mama Bear left, moving noisily through the brush in the direction of home.

When she was out of sight, which didn't take long at all, Nino pulled open his bag again, fishing around in it.

"So," Okada said, looking down at the top of his head, "how is it you can live with dragons, yet bears send you screaming?"

"I hate bugs, too," Nino said, sounding sour. "Want to make an issue of it? Aha." He brandished something Okada couldn't see well given the lack of evening light, but when he murmured, the the air around him rippled with magic, and the torch in his hand, for that was what it was, lit up with energetic fire. Their little spot of forest flooded with orange light.

"That's convenient," Okada said, duly impressed. He'd always understood swords better, and he respected people that could use magic. "Let's get going before something else finds us, shall we?"

"I couldn't agree more," Nino muttered.

The stream was no more than a few feet across, and it burbled happily when Okada came near. Okada kept Nino in front of him as they followed it. He had a certain amount of immunity in the forest what with being the prince, but not everyone checked identification before they pounced, and he wanted to make sure Nino was in sight, just in case. He didn't want to think about what could happen if the dragons' official treasurer was hurt under his care. Nino was much braver with some fire to wave around, too, and didn't mind leading the way. He picked his way over roots and around some brambles, and Okada followed behind, watching his feet less than he watched Nino's shoulder blades move beneath his shirt. He was very pleasant to look at. In fact, if it had been someone like Nino back when his sister was planning out his marriage, maybe he wouldn't have--

Okada froze. "Wait."

Nino, who had gotten a few steps ahead, paused to look over his shoulder. The orange glow of the fire flickered over his face and chest, letting the rest of him melt into shadow. "Don't tell me you need to take a piss?"

"Nino," Okada said slowly, staring at him as the pieces worked their way, belatedly, into place. "Ninomiya. You're Ninomiya. You're the prince of Eskay."

"It really took you that long?" Nino said, his smile tilted impishly. "I'm insulted. Your mouth is open, by the way."

Okada snapped it shut and then ran his fingers through his hair, trying to make sense of this new information. No wonder Nino's name had sounded so familiar. He'd never heard it shortened, of course, but he knew the name Ninomiya. It was the name of his fiancé.

Correction: the name of his former fiancé. "You ran away," Okada said, bemused.

"Of course I did," Nino said frankly, turning back around to resume picking his way along the riverbank. "I'd never met you, and like hell I was going to let them tie me to some bimbo prince. Can you even imagine?" Nino snorted eloquently.

Okada could, actually, and he had, numerous times. He had been relieved when he'd heard his betrothed had disappeared, though it had sent the court into a flurry of disapproval. That had been before he'd met Nino, though. He looked down at Nino's footsteps in the sandy mud, and filled them with his own boots. Things had gotten very confusing in a short space of time. "I don't blame you. Still, you might have mentioned it."

"It's not exactly easy to come out and say, oh, by the way, I'm that person you were supposed to marry, but I decided living with dragons was a better fate."

"When you put it that way," Okada said. He hoped he didn't sound sulky.

Nino threw a smile over his shoulder, and Okada wasn't sure, but he thought it looked apologetic. "Look, there's the dam." Nino gestured with his torch.

They turned like the bear had told them, cutting through a thicket of ladyslippers, ripe with shoes in all shades of pink, some of them with bows. The path wasn't very wide, but the foliage shrank back from Nino's magical fire, and it wasn't hard to get through. When they came out the other side, they found themselves in a clearing with a little house that had smoke rising from its chimney and windows filled with buttery light.

Like most things in the forest, it wasn't a normal house. The first clue was the candy-cane striped fence, which, upon closer inspection, was properly made of candy. The walls were made of gingerbread stuck together with icing, and Okada could swear there were sugar wafers tiling the roof.

"You live in a weird place," Nino murmured under his breath.

"I can't argue that," Okada agreed. This had to be where Mama Bear meant, but seeing it in person, Okada was less assured that this had been a good idea. A house made of candy was too good to be true under any circumstances.

Nino looked like he was thinking the same thing. Before either of them could mention it, the front door creaked open, and a witch of sizable proportions appeared, framed by the light inside. Okada couldn't see her face, but her robes seemed to hang from her, giving her a frumpy appearance. "Come in, children, come in," she—he? Suddenly Okada wasn't sure—said. The witch's voice was enticing in a way that got Okada's hackles up. "It's well past supper. Surely you're hungry? I can give you a dinner so sweet, you'll remember it in your dreams."

Beside him, Nino shifted, as if he wanted to laugh but was trying to be polite, which Okada was glad of. "I'm afraid we're just travelers passing through," Okada said, keeping his voice friendly. "Mama Bear mentioned that you might be able to put us up for the night. I'm Prince Okada Junichi."

"You're not children? Oh, bother." The witch leaned forward, squinting near-sightedly at them. "That's what I get for not putting on my glasses. Prince Okada, is it? Well don't just stand there, come in. I don't eat adults." She—or he—turned around and disappeared into the house.

Okada exchanged a look with Nino. "I don't like the sound of that."

"If it's not safe, you're coming to my rescue," Nino said smartly. He made a grand gesture at the house. "Lead on, fair prince."

Okada caught himself grinning as they walked up to the house and through the gingerbread door.

The inside looked nothing like the outside. There were still some things made of candy, like the gumdrop lamps, but much of it was ostentatiously ornate. Several chairs that looked like they would rather have been used as thrones sat around a wide, open fireplace, and the ceiling boasted a chandelier that was the most ridiculously overburdened candelabra he had ever seen.

Across the room, the witch had finally found some glasses. Even now that Okada got a closer look, he wasn't sure if he was looking at a man or a woman, and he didn't want to be rude and ask, so he erred on the side of female for the time being. Her face was broad as an apple, and she kept her hair pulled back in a messy ponytail. She had a double chin and a severe mouth, and her robes were decorated with a glaring pattern of awful colors that played tricks on his eyes. Okada latched his gaze firmly onto her face, where it was supposed to be. "Many thanks for welcoming us into your home," he said, keeping to royal manners. He didn't much like being a prince, but he did try to do things properly. He felt Nino come in behind him and close the door. "As I mentioned, I am Prince Okada, and this is—" He paused. "Nino. Your name is Matsuko?"

"That's right," Matsuko said. "Matsuko Deluxe, if we're being friendly. And my, it would be very nice to be friendly, wouldn't it?" Matsuko was looking over Okada's shoulder, right at Nino. "You brought a pretty one along. What's going on, hm, to bring you both out here in the middle of the night? A little love tryst, is it?

Okada felt his mouth fall open. For a second he forgot he was supposed to answer, until Nino's elbow hit him uncomfortably in the back. "Um, no, that is, it's not—"

"That's exactly what it is," Nino butted in, his voice sharper than usual. Okada spun, about to protest, when he caught sight of Nino's face. He was smiling, but there was a warning under the pleasant turn of his lips. Okada turned back at Matsuko.

Matsuko was looking at Nino like a cat looks at a mouse.

Okada cleared his throat. "Actually," he tried, "it's complicated. And I would be eternally grateful if you… kept it a secret."

Matsuko fluttered her hands about impatiently, brushing off his concern. "Of course. I don't suppose you like sharing, do you? No?" She sighed gustily. "Well, it was worth a try. Sit down, anyway."

She bustled about as they took seats in the overwrought chairs. Okada noticed that Nino's torch was gone, probably back into his bag, which he had cuddled into his lap. The room was lit up to every corner by fire and lights so that the gold accents on the furniture seemed to move. Okada knew he should be alert, but as they sat, he felt himself relaxing in front of the fire's warmth. It had been a stressful day, and despite Matsuko's enthusiasm about Nino, she wasn't making any moves.

After a while, he noticed Nino was looking around. Subtly at first, as if he were trying to guard his interest, but then with increasingly lingering glances at the oddities that surrounded them. He had curled himself into the chair in a way that looked terribly uncomfortable, one leg tucked atop the other and both of them pulled close to his body. His clothes were stained with juice from the carriage fiasco and his hair was mussed. None of this detracted from his appeal.

Matsuko interrupted Okada's appreciation of Nino's face by bringing them dinner and settling herself down in yet another throne-like chair, this one farther back from the fire. She smiled alluringly at Nino, and then started to slurp her soup. Her bowl was twice as large as both of theirs put together, and she went at it with zeal.

Okada hesitated. "This is… what kind of soup is this?"

"Vegetable," Matsuko said, swallowing and dotting at her sulky lips with a napkin. "No body parts, I promise. I wouldn't feed the prince of the Enchanted Forest one of his own subjects, are you kidding me? Please."

Okada picked out the shapes of some carrots and celery, which was good enough for him. He took a spoonful. The flavor draped over his tongue, light and sharp, before he swallowed. The second mouthful was just as good. "This is delicious."

Nino was taking tentative sips of his own.

"Of course it is," Matsuko said, looking highly affronted, which actually wasn't much different than her normal expression. "I'll have you know I'm a fantastic chef."

Nino was still looking furtively about. Matsuko didn't seem to notice much of anything except where she was putting her spoon. Okada wasn't one to judge, though. He'd hadn't known how hungry he was, but now that he was eating, he was starved. Spoonful followed spoonful, and his belly turned warm.

It wasn't until Okada hit the bottom of his bowl that Nino spoke up. Okada saw that his bowl was still closer to full than empty. "This house is impressive," he said, peering at a spot near the ceiling that looked like a lot of nothingness to Okada. "I've been trying to count the number of spells, but there are too many."

Matsuko, for her part, looked flattered. "What, this?" She gestured with one hand in a deprecating gesture. "Really, this is nothing. Just a few maintenance spells, power couplets, repellence charms, you know."

Nino shook his head, squinting. "You'd have to be strong to keep them all running at once. Plus the protective enhancements."

"Honey," Matsuko said, setting her bowl aside. "I wouldn't be a very good witch if I couldn't do it. But I'm nothing next to whoever forged that sword. That's a pretty piece of magic."

Both Nino and Okada turned to stare at her. "The sword?" Nino said. He sat up, all his attention on her. Okada almost saw the pricked ears and the wagging tail. "You can sense it?"

"Can't you?" Matsuko said. "It reeks of magic."

"I can tell it's magic, but I can't tell what kind," Nino said. "It's like someone put it in an envelope and sealed it up."

"Hmm, is that so?" Matsuko tapped her cheek, giving the sword, still at Okada's hip, a probing look. "Let's see what we can do about that." She stood up and put out her hand in what was quite clearly an order. She had a great deal of nerve, but then Okada found that he liked people with nerve. He gave up the sword.

Matsuko took it to a book-lined alcove on the other side of the room, and Nino trotted after, leaving his unfinished soup behind him. Okada followed them with his eyes, but tuned out what they were saying. Magic interested him, but it didn't make much sense. He'd listened to magic users babble about conduits and links and conversion theory plenty before, and listening now wouldn't make a difference. If they figured anything out, Nino would tell him.

Instead, Okada watched Nino's back. He was positively tiny next to Matsuko, his skinny shoulders up by his ears as he leaned in and around, trying to get a good view. For a while, Okada was fascinated by the nape of Nino's neck, and the bare expanse of skin that disappeared into the collar of his shirt.

It was late when they finished, and by then Okada was drowsy, more towards asleep than awake. The armrest of his chair was wedged against his ribs, and he was using his own shoulder as a pillow. When Nino floated into his vision he roused somewhat, standing from the chair with Nino's hands to guide him.

They walked like that, together, Nino's hand on the small of his back while Matsuko led them to the guest room. Okada closed the door behind them before he realized there was only one bed.

Still in the middle of feeling sleepy, Okada couldn't figure out what to do about it. He stood by the door, about ready to topple over, watching while Nino plucked himself free of tunic and trousers and shimmied under the covers. It was faintly surreal how quickly it went. Nino was cuddled with his nose in his pillow before Okada realized he'd been waiting for a suggestive remark about their situation.

By the time Okada stopped waffling by the door, Nino was out like a light, his arm sprawled haphazardly into Okada's territory. His lips were parted, pinker on the inside than the outside, and his breathing was slow, a soft noise in their sleepy room. His session with Matsuko must have gone on longer than Okada realized, if he was that tired. Then again, it had been a long day, Okada thought as he divested himself of his own clothes. He tucked them, and Nino's, over a wooden chair.

Okada finally gave in to the fatigue pulling at him and tried to nudge Nino aside as gently as possible. Nino's eyelids flickered, dark lashes even darker in the inky quiet, but they stayed closed as Okada wriggled his way into the sleepy warmth that Nino had managed to create. As soon as Okada settled himself what seemed like an appropriate distance away, Nino moved. His arm slid over Okada's chest and his fingers found the grooves of Okada's ribs, curling delicately, as Nino snuggled up, nosing at his pectorals.

"You're awake, aren't you?" Okada said, his voice low enough to be part of the shadows. He thought he felt Nino's lips twitch into a smile, but Nino didn't answer.

Had it really only been a day they'd known each other? Okada let his fingers sink into the messy softness of Nino's hair. If they had met each other earlier, when they were supposed to, what would it have been like?

Okada pushed the thought away. What ifs changed nothing, and he was glad enough that he had met Nino now.

Sleep wasn't long in coming, but as Okada drifted off, his knees bumping Nino's and his fingers tangled in Nino's hair, he remembered Nino hadn't mentioned the sword.

It wasn't a big deal, he told himself, mind already filled with the strangeness of dreams. He would ask in the morning.

-

Breakfast was applesauce, because as Matsuko told it, all witches were experts with all things apples. She was a formidable figure in a bat-patterned apron that clashed terribly with her blotchy pink robe, but she did seem to know what she was doing in the kitchen.

Okada was halfway through and enjoying it immensely—the flavor was crisp and sweet, with just the right touch of cinnamon and sugar—before Nino finally made an appearance, looking more adorably bedheaded than he had when Okada had met him. His eyes still weren't quite open, but he agilely avoided falling over a black cat that had decided to wind around his legs before he made it to the breakfast table, where he slid sluggishly into his seat and blinked multiple times at the applesauce Matsuko put in front of him before starting to eat.

"Today we'll definitely make it to the castle," Okada told him, and Nino grunted without interest. There was applesauce on his lips. "I'll put in a call through the magic mirror and have them send out an escort." He paused, then turned to Matsuko. "You do have a magic mirror?"

"Of course, Your Highness, but before that, shouldn't we talk about payment? I did, after all, do you a favor, and I want one in return." She said it casually, but also, Okada noticed, carefully.

Okada was taken by surprise. True enough, there was a rule in the Enchanted Forest about the repayment of favors, but the rule usually held that both parties had to agree in advance. Agreeing to do favors without knowing what they were was a very bad idea. Okada had been around long enough to hear the stories about people who unwittingly gave up their whole fortune by asking the wrong person for a favor. "What is it?" he asked, suspiciously.

"A little thing, Your Highness, to be sure. I just seem to have misplaced a… potion, by the nearby lake. If you could retrieve it for me, I'd be most grateful." Matsuko sat calmly, her hands folded together and her mouth as dour and uninterested as ever, but Okada thought he could see tension in the corners of her eyes. It wasn't the look of someone trying to trick him, but of someone worried and trying not to show it.

"And why can't you retrieve it yourself?" he asked.

"I'm not in the best of shape," Matsuko pointed out, breaking eye contact and smoothing her hands down the front of her robe. "It really would be much easier for someone so young and spry to find it before someone inappropriate gets ahold of it."

Across the table, Nino's brows went up. He'd licked away the applesauce and looked more awake. "This is a ruse if I ever heard one."

Matsuko heaved a sigh, then put her hands flat on the table. "Look," he said, looking directly into Okada's eyes now. "I'm worried something happened over there, and that the potion might have broken and caused some ill effects. Since you're the prince, I hoped you'd stop by for a look. It is your forest, after all."

"My sister's," Okada corrected absently, eyeing Matsuko. She was telling the truth this time, and the tension was still in her eyes. Whatever it was, she thought it was important, and even if she was cheating with the rules, a favor was a favor, and princes weren't exempt from paying them back. "Fine. We'll swing by. But you need to give us good directions."

It wasn't on the way, at all. In fact it was an hour's walk in the other direction, and Nino made acerbic remarks as they crossed through a grove of snow cherries. The snow stuck to Nino's hair and eyelashes, making tiny wet marks on the shoulders of his tunic, but it wasn't nearly as cold as he made it out to be. He liked the frog hollow a good deal more, however; they paused for several minutes as the frogs sang in seemingly random patterns that ended up as complex melodic harmonies.

About fifteen minutes later, the trees started to grow sturdier, thicker around the trunks. Moss climbed up each tree, but to Okada's eyes it didn't have the lush, magical air that it should have.

They took a few more steps and hit a dead end, the trees so close together that they couldn't go any farther. Okada frowned. This had definitely been the direction Matsuko had said to go. He turned, spotting a more open area, and tried to go around, but only got several more paces before the path was blocked again.

"Well, this is irritating," he muttered.

"In my experience, the more irritating things get, the closer you are to wishing you'd turned around and gone back," Nino pointed out. "And by the way, your trees are moving."

Now that Nino pointed it out, Okada could see it. The trees' roots rippled under the dirt, and in Okada's peripheral vision, there was movement as trees tried to create a barrier between him and whatever was on the other side.

That wasn't right. Okada might not have been king, but he had the highest clearance of anyone in the forest. There wasn't a single place he wasn't allowed to go. "You must not recognize me," Okada said, raising his voice so that it carried far enough that even the trees in the distance could hear him. "I'm the prince, and I have business just beyond. Stand aside and let me pass."

There was a concerned rustle, and Okada thought he saw several of the trees bow closer to each other. None of them moved.

"I said," Okada said with great care, letting a hint of threat into his voice, "Let me pass."

Still nothing happened.

"That's great," Nino said lowly, right by his shoulder. "I think they're doubting your pedigree."

Okada was about to say something—he wasn't sure what—when a heavy sound made them both jump. It came again, immediately, and again, shaking the earth, louder and louder as it approached. "Oh this isn't good," Nino said, already gripping at Okada's arm, ready to use him for a shield.

A monster crashed right into their small clearing. It was nearly as tall as the trees themselves, but the trees leaned their branches out of the way, giving it plenty of space. It was shaggy, with menacing yellow eyes and two fangs that poked up from its grotesquely oversized lower jaw, and Okada had never seen an orc or an ogre with feet this size. They were large enough to squash him flat.

He shoved Nino behind a tree. Even if they moved, they'd make a much better barrier than Okada himself would. Then he drew his sword and lowered into a fighting stance.

The monster swung, its big fist crashing down into the space Okada had just been occupying. Okada, however, had already somersaulted away. He got to his feet and dashed to the left again as the monster took another swing.

It was fast. Okada was smaller, and nimble, but he might as well have been a bug what with the way the monster was aiming to squish him. He zigzagged, keeping out of reach, sword to hand for all the good it did.

Okada went into another sharp roll as the monster brought its fist down again to create a crater of freshly upturned earth. Okada raised the sword to keep the dirt from flying into his face, and the blade flashed, bright and unblemished.

It gave him an idea, but there was no time to catch his breath. Okada ducked another swing and was running again, this time between the monster's feet. It threw the monster off, and he lifted a foot to try to bring it down on Okada, but Okada was already through, into the monster's blind spot.

He had only the few moments it took the monster to turn himself around. Okada lifted the sword, cutting it through a bright ray of sun that made it through the canopy, and right when the monster turned, Okada aimed that reflected sun right into the monster's eyes.

It roared in surprise, squinting against the glare, and Okada took the chance, running up and grabbing the monster's shaggy coat. He thought he could hear Nino shouting, but he was concentrating so hard on climbing that he couldn't make out the words. It took the monster some time to regroup, and by then Okada was halfway up its back, his fingers tight in scraggly, unwashed fur. It smelled terrible.

The monster couldn't reach around, though it tried to twist its head enough to see Okada. It made a sound that was something between a gurgle and a growl and stomped its feet, shaking urgently, trying to force Okada to lose his grip, but Okada clung on for dear life.

By the time he'd reached the top, he was out of breath. All he had was the sword, held tightly in one hand, and he raised it, gathering all his strength to bring it down on the monster's neck.

Nothing happened. "Come on," Okada begged through gritted teeth, hacking away in frustration. But nothing changed. The sharp edge bumped against the monster's mop-like hair as if it were made of foam.

Nino shouted again, and when Okada looked down, he could see Nino's wide eyes in his white face, and Nino pointing urgently at something over his head. But it was too late: the monster's hand flicked him away, sending him like a ragdoll to crash into a tree and tumble down to the ground.

He landed hard, stunned, and for a moment he forgot to breathe. When he did remember, he wished he hadn't. It stung, and he was sure he had broken a rib, if not several. His vision was covered with blackness and stars, but through it, faintly, he could see Nino's pale, angry face.

"Idiot," Nino said through the fog, and he caught the bright flash of his sword as Nino raised it.

And brought it down right through his arm.

Okada screamed, the sound ripping from his chest. He hurt—it hurt, his ribs burned, and his arm—

—His arm was in one piece, the sword buried in the ground below it. He could see it perfectly well, in fact. The blackness in his vision was receding, and when he tried an experimental breath, it hurt less than the last.

Before he could wrap his mind around this, he heard Nino, and looked up to see him facing the monster, whose foot was raised, ready to be brought down on Okada.

"Pardon me!" Nino said. The monster froze, blinking stupidly. Nino jerked a thumb over his shoulder, in Okada's direction. "I'm terribly sorry about his manners. They did teach him to be nice, but princes get that protective urge, you know, and it gets in the way of thinking properly."

The monster peered at Nino from under shaggy brows, uncertain.

"He's usually much better about it," Nino went on without pause, "and he'll apologize. We were just passing through, you see. We're just here to pick up a potion that someone might have left behind."

Okada gaped as the monster lowered his foot. It seemed to be taken aback, but then it grinned, its mouth widening in a distressing display of teeth. "You charming," it said. It sounded like it had swallowed gravel.

"Some people tell me that," Nino said modestly, completely unfazed. Then Nino turned and looked pointedly at Okada.

Okada stood up, because he found that he could. All his body parts were intact, and breathing didn't hurt at all anymore. He bowed. "I am sorry," he said, taking Nino's cue. "I'm afraid you caught me by surprise."

"Big Foot supposed to," the monster said. "Big Foot the guardian."

"Then you're very good at your job," Okada complimented him.

The monster seemed pleased to hear it, and showed even more teeth.

"So what you're guarding is safe, then, right?" Nino said. "Should we be on our way?"

Big Foot shook its head. "No," he said, "Big Foot not know what wrong. Funny, strange thing happen, Big Foot worried." He looked down at them, his face long. "You charming people check? Fix lake?"

Okada heard Nino mutter something, but it was too low to make out. "Of course," he said. "As the prince, it's my duty to make sure everything is in proper condition."

Big Foot's eyebrows relaxed, which Okada took as a sign of relief. It turned and knocked smartly on one of the trees, which rustled noisily before moving out of the way, revealing a flower-lined path and the lake beyond. "Lake funny," Big Foot repeated. "Please help lake. I keep guard."

"I will," Okada said, and gathered up his sword, ushering Nino through the gap before Big Foot changed its mind. Big Foot waved goodbye behind them. "How did you know he'd listen to you?" Okada whispered.

Nino's smile was complicated. "I learn my lessons. I figured if a bear wants people to be polite, why wouldn't a monster?"

Okada shook his head, impressed despite himself. "You could have been squashed flat."

"Don't remind me," Nino muttered.

Okada stopped before moving out of the protection of the trees. Leafy shadows covered his arms and all of Nino. "And this?" he said, brandishing the sword. He held out his arm, looking it over just to be sure, but it was in tip top shape, as was the rest of him. "That was absolutely terrifying, you know."

Nino actually looked sheepish. He rubbed the underside of his nose and ducked his head. "Sorry. I didn't exactly have much time to explain, though, what with Big Foot there about to turn you into a pancake."

"True," Okada allowed. "So explain now."

Nino shrugged. "Not much to it, really." He tapped the crystal in the center of the hilt. "Turns out the sword isn't actually magic, this gem is. We had a hunch it was a restorative magic, since the sword is in absolutely perfect condition. Not a blemish or a scratch, not a hint of dullness. Rather amazing, if you ask me."

"A hunch," Okada echoed, feeling hollow. "So you're saying you whacked clean through my arm with this thing on a hunch."

"It worked, didn't it?" Nino said defensively. "We didn't exactly have anything to test it on. No, don't glare. It makes you entirely too attractive." He patted Okada on the cheek, and then smiled, not a hint of sheepishness left. "You're welcome."

Okada sighed and started walking again.

The trees opened, letting them out before a wide, pink lake. The color didn't bother Okada overly much. He'd seen stranger, after all—there was a lake of gold near the castle that was forever getting overloaded with people who thought it might be quaint to dip in a twig or a leaf, and ended up turned to gold themselves.

More important was the tree on the island in the middle of the lake. It was huge. Its branches spread wide, its leaves every color of the rainbow and then some, and it reached higher into the sky than any other tree in the forest. Okada had never seen it before, but he recognized it at once. It was the Heart Tree, the source of the forest's magic.

And it was wilting. The Heart Tree, the most magical thing of all, was losing its leaves. Already the lake was dotted with crimson and purple and marigold. Okada could see more bark and branches than he should have been able to.

This was a disaster.

"Isn't this a little odd?" Nino said. Okada looked at him. Nino was bent over the edge of the lake, balanced precariously on a moss-covered stone, peering into the water. "There's something funny about this lake. It's almost like—"

"Welcome," said a voice. It tinkled and echoed, as if several voices were speaking at once. Okada thought he could hear both old and young alike, but when he looked up, there was only one woman walking towards them through the water. To either side, the leaves of the Heart Tree spiraled away on the ripples she left in her passing.

There was no question that she was a dryad. Okada knew several, and they usually had green hair and clothes in shades of all the woodland colors. This dryad had had the delicate, dark features that labeled her a dryad, but her hair was just as much a rainbow as the leaves of the Heart Tree itself.

She moved closer, her steps making the water swish quietly, and walked right up to Nino. "I've been waiting for you," she said, and before Okada could shout a warning, both her gnarled hands dug into the shoulders of Nino's shirt and tumbled him into the lake with a resounding splash.

"Oh my love," the dryad said, cooing as Nino surfaced, gasping. His eyes were frighteningly empty. The dryad's hands found Nino's cheek and stroked along it, leaving a smudge of wetness in its wake. She started walking backwards, her arm latched fiercely around Nino's waist, and she talked to him with light, tinkling sounds.

"Nino?" Okada said, standing helplessly on the bank. "Nino."

But Nino gave no sign that he had heard. The lake's magic had its grip on him, and he let the dryad lead him, step after clumsy step.

Okada paced the bank, furious with himself for letting down his guard. They were getting farther out, well beyond his reach. What he wouldn't give for Nino's ability to read spells right now! If he could only figure out what the lake's enchantment was, he might be able to stop it.

Wait. Okada stopped. Nino had said something was strange. Strange with the water.

He looked at his sword. It glinted, the sunlight skimming along its edge, as if in answer. Okada didn't need to be told twice. He held it out in his fist, the tip aimed downward, and plunged it into the lake.

The effect was immediate. Like a soap bubble pushing away the taint, the blushing pink color rippled outwards, leaving a pure, emerald green in its wake. The ripple picked up speed, chasing away the pink to the far corners of the lake until, at last, it vanished completely, leaving the lake bright and clean.

"Nino!" Okada shouted. The dryad had almost pulled Nino to her island. Okada went flying into the water with one wild leap, desperately moving to catch up. The water filled his shoes and clung to his pants, slowing him down, but he still managed to gain.

It wasn't fast enough. The dryad pulled an unresisting Nino onto the shore, and, to Okada's horror, pushed him right up against the trunk of the Heart Tree. Then she wrapped her arms around him and started to merge herself back into her tree.

Okada put his head down and surged forward, his sword flashing like fire, until he reached the island. He ran up onto it and straight to Nino with sodden steps.

Nino was already halfway merged with the tree. The skin of his arms had turned brown, darkening and crackling like the bark at his back, and the color was creeping up Nino's neck and into his cheeks. Okada puffed, trying to get his breath back, but every breath he took saw Nino disappearing a little farther into the trunk of the Heart Tree.

"Tainted," Okada said aloud, "tainted water." He looked down. The Heart Tree's roots were wild and knobby, thicker than both his arms. They had to go deep. The lake was its source of water, and the lake had been poisoned.

Okada didn't hesitate. He lifted his sword and stabbed it straight into the trunk of the Heart Tree.

The dryad wailed, ripping herself free of the tree's surface, and Nino popped out, the barklike quality of his skin vanishing in a rush. Okada stuck out an arm to catch him, and they both sank to the ground, clinging to each other. Okada's heart thundered against Nino's arm, and he turned Nino's face up to find Nino aware and alert again, blinking bemusedly back at him.

Above them, the Heart Tree shuddered. Several paces away, the dryad stood shocked, her hands on her cheeks, staring upwards at her tree. New growth was appearing: leaves of sky blue and rose red, pearly white and dandelion yellow. When Okada looked, the sword had been pushed partway out of the trunk, and as the tree regained its health, it inched farther and farther out. Finally, it clattered to the ground. The healing had been completed.

The dryad turned her grassy-green eyes on Nino. "I'm so sorry," she said, and her voice was more full of age than of youth. It was a wise voice, and beautiful, delicately chiming. She stepped closer, her clothes rustling like the wind through leaves. "Thank you. Both of you. You have saved me from a… rather embarrassing situation."

"What exactly happened?" Nino said. He pulled out of Okada's embrace, and Okada tried to not feel disappointed about it.

The dryad wrung her hands together. "It was an enchantment," she said. "A curse."

"I noticed that part," Nino said wryly. He reached up and plucked a leaf out of his hair, frowning at it before letting it fall. "I mean, how did you end up with your lake full of love potion?"

"Love potion?" Okada said, surprised.

"So that's what it was," the dryad said faintly.

"Do you happen to have a friend by the name of Matsuko?" Nino asked, though he sounded like he already knew the answer.

The dryad perked up. "Oh, yes, he comes by every once in a while for a picnic. I do enjoy his company. He tells the most fantastic stories."

Okada, suddenly very glad he had saved himself the awkwardness of calling Matsuko a she, revised his mental pronouns hastily.

Nino sighed and brushed his hands together before picking himself up. "I see."

So did Okada. In every likelihood, Matsuko had mispacked his lunch. Okada wasn't sure how the potion ended up in the lake, but it didn't much matter now that the damage was fixed.

The dryad helped them across the water by spelling a leaf to several times its normal size and bid them goodbye, promising to send a message ahead for them via bird calls so that the castle knew everything was all right.

They walked back into the forest, letting its shady coolness welcome them. Even though they had just saved the Heart Tree, and thus the forest, Okada was conflicted. Saving the forest meant the end of spending time with Nino. Now that they were through, there was no question that Nino would be going back to the dragons to resume his job counting coins and deciphering enchantments. After all Nino had gone through, there was no way he'd want to stay in the forest.

Much as Okada wanted to, he couldn't justify dragging Nino any deeper into it. He paused by a bush full of fireflowers and took out his sword—Nino's sword. "Here," he said, holding it out hilt first. "I promised to give it back to you."

Nino gave him a funny look, but took the sword.

"I, um," Okada said, feeling suddenly shy. "I enjoyed spending time with you. Maybe, if Ohchan doesn't mind… if you don't mind, I mean, I could visit you sometime."

Both of Nino's eyebrows went up. He pressed his lips together, as if trying to hold in a laugh, and stared off at something in the distance for a few moments before saying, very carefully, "So, Prince, did you happen to notice what you did back there?" There was a look of wicked amusement in his eyes when he turned his gaze sideways to Okada.

Okada paused. "I… fixed the Heart Tree?"

"Mhm," Nino said in the tone of someone who knows something the other person doesn't. "And?"

Okada's brow furrowed. "I don't see what you're getting at."

"Clearly," Nino said, and gave the rock nearby a cursory inspection before he sat down on it. "Might I point out that you rescued me?"

The pieces started to click together, but Okada shook his head, bemused. "But you aren't a damsel in dis—" He paused. Actually, Nino was in distress more frequently than any damsel he'd ever come across. "Okay, but you aren't a damsel."

"I'm not normally in distress, either," Nino said firmly. "This time was a special situation, and we won't mention it again." He glared at Okada until Okada nodded, and then went on. "But as everyone likes to point out, I never have done things the normal way, so it all works out in the end, doesn't it?" Now his smile was wicked, too.

A tiny flame of hope flickered in Okada's chest, and he started grinning too, stupidly. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"You think I'd let those cheekbones get away from me? Please."

Okada's feet carried him closer to Nino, placing both his hands on the rock to either side of him and leaning in. Nino tilted his face up until their noses touched, and Okada took a slow breath in. "So then, what do we do?"

"I can think of a few things," Nino said, his eyes lidded with suggestion, "but before that, let's take this sword back to Ohchan, hm?"

Okada's heart soared, filling his whole chest, filling the forest. Somewhere, he could hear birds singing. Magic thrummed through him till he thought he would burst.

"Yes. Let's do that." He took Nino's hand, and led him back the way they came.