My Decision

 In the middle of the flock of geese, it was even louder and more chaotic than on the outside. Paltar didn't want to despair, but he could feel that he was getting closer and closer to that point. Was it really too easy to use his ability? Did the wizard really just want to torment him?
But that had to mean there was another way. He just had to find it.

Suddenly, he felt something tugging at his bag.

"Hey! Stop that!"

One of the geese had suddenly become interested in a piece of the tattered dress that was peeking out of his bag, tugging at it to reveal more and more layers.

"Stop that!"

Paltar pulled it out of the goose's beak, where the cloth tore. He heard an angry honking from the flock of geese. He stopped and looked at the piece of cloth in his hands. Was this the way out? Would he be able to find Nanna with it? After all, she had worn this dress for most of the time they had known each other, and she loved cute dresses almost as much as he did. She would never think of destroying them, like this geese did.

Maybe... he just had to see how the geese reacted to his dress. Nanna wasn't a goose. She was a princess, and she liked his clothes. But even with that thought in his head, he could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he slowly pulled the remnants of her dress out of his pocket. He just hoped nothing worse happened to it. It might be beyond repair, but he still treasured the memories the fabric contained. 

But it was already close to being destroyed. A few layers were missing, same as most of the little bows he had painstakingly made that night. If he pulled another all-nighter, he might be able to save it, or at least, use it to make a new dress. He didn't have the heart to throw it away. Not yet. Maybe never. He couldn't restore it to its original form, but it reminded him of so many things: the night he worked until sunrise to finish it as a surprise for Nanna, the way she loved to wear it. How he took care of it while she worked hard to help him repair the bridge. How it had been torn in her attempt to divert the griffin's attention from him to her.
She had done so much for him. That dress was no price to pay.

"I promised you a thousand more, right?" he said aloud, hoping she would hear him. "Sorry."

With that, he took the dress completely off and waved it in front of the geese. Some were not interested, sleeping instead or picking at the seeds. He ignored them immediately and concentrated on the geese that were fascinated by the dress—or the movement he made. Nanna was among them, he was sure. He just had to find her. Where was she?

It wasn't as easy as he thought. But he wouldn't give up. He held the dress close to the geese and moved it slightly.

Then one of the geese snapped at him. He tried to pull away, but it was too late. The goose bit down hard on one of the remaining bows that decorated the tattered dress.

"Stop it!"

He thought he was ready to sacrifice the dress, but apparently not. He pulled at the dress, but the goose wouldn't let go. Others began to join in, pulling at the pieces of the dress or even at Paltar himself. He didn't know what to do, and their nipping made it hard to think.

"Ouch! Stop it!"

Maybe this was a bad idea. He couldn't even see how the other geese reacted.

Suddenly, an angry honk, louder than the others, echoed through the pen, and one goose fluttered up and hit another goose that was attacking his dress right in the head. Paltar could only stare, and watch as it continued to do so with every other goose that came near the dress, hissing menacingly all the while. The geese that had attacked Paltar were even worse off. The goose hissed at them, and before they could even retreat, they were caught in a flurry of bites and flaps that resembled a chaotic tornado.

Paltar's heart beat faster. That had to be Nanna! If it wasn't, he really couldn't think of any other way to find her. That was the last thought in his head before he threw the dress in the air to have both hands free to grab the goose. The fabric fluttered harmlessly to the ground next to him.

For a moment, the goose struggled in his grasp, kicking and hissing. But it didn't bite, and when he looked at it, it seemed to avoid his gaze.

"Nanna?"

She didn't react. Of course not. She couldn't—but he couldn't deny the nervousness that came with holding her in his hands. She felt so fragile. It was different than falling asleep with her in his arms. That had been safe. Friendly quarreling that ended with both of them content. But now… there were other things ahead of them.

He didn't even know what she looked like. But it didn't matter, did it? It wasn't as if he had fallen in love with her because of her outward beauty. Her mind, her caring attitude beneath her prickly exterior, her energy... all these things mattered to him. He smiled at her.

"Sorry, but he said I had to kiss you to turn you back," he explained. "So if you want to hit me later, I understand. This is really not an ideal situation for a kiss. Or... for anything, really..."

He looked to the side. He certainly didn't want to profess his love like this. Not when he didn't know how she would react.

Nevertheless, he took all his courage and planted a kiss right on her feathery forehead.