Nancy knew something was off, but she didn't know how she could fix it. Or maybe nothing was off and she was projecting her desire for mystery on the situation. "Unlikely," she decided. Something was definitely wrong.

She needed to talk to Hannah.

She would talk to Hannah and follow the princes the next night, she determined.

~NN~

When the dance was finally over, Ned felt lightheaded. When the night wound down and he and his eight younger brothers finally rowed back - Chet complained of an extra weight in his boat, but nobody paid much mind - Ned could only think of how many days he had left.

Not many.

Even once they were all in their chambers, he debated with himself over what he could - should - do. When he heard a peculiar creak in the main room and left his bed to check, he still thought of his options. When, with a small amount of alarm, he discovered the door to the hall open, he simply shut it and went back to his bedchamber instead of investigating. He was far too distracted tonight.

Maybe he should tell Frank of the fairies' desire to wreak quiet revenge on them; maybe together they could come up with something. After all, there was no guarantee that the fairies wouldn't just take Frank anyway. Or Joe. Or all of them.

Why did they have to have accidentally discovered the passageway? Why did they have to drop that scepter over that flagstone? Luck was too cruel. Somehow, had the fairies' wrath been deep-rooted, long-festering, and ancient, he could have accepted it better.

But it was his fault, and that stung. Had he shot down Biff's and Phil's enthusiastic ideas to discover what was down there, they - he - would be fine. But he hadn't. Frank and Joe had been the oddly cautious ones in the situation, and he had told them, "What's the harm?"

Perhaps he deserved this.

~NN~

The next morning, Nancy explained to Queen Laura that she needed to go to her father's for a few hours but she would be back by early evening. The queen generously made appropriate arrangements and Nancy was soon telling Hannah her plight and all that she had seen.

"Ah," Hannah said, like she understood perfectly. "Yes. The fairies would love to destroy the crown prince. All of the princes, for that matter. They know no limits in their thirst for destruction." She gently patted Nancy's cheek. "I would tell you to stay away, but I know you better than that to think you would listen."

Nancy smiled.

Hannah did know her well.

"But what can I do?" she persisted. "The crown prince looks so...so ill. And that fairy who danced with him was certainly up to no good. How do I defeat them?"

Hannah shook her head, trying not to smile - though her eyes were serious. "Maybe you cannot, dear. But if you can, if it is in your power, no old tale is going to tell you how to do it. You have to discover it yourself."

And deep down in her gut, Nancy knew she was right.

~NN~

The whole ride home Nancy kept thinking about how pale Prince Edward had looked. And what if she couldn't save him?

What if...maybe she should tell the queen.

But somehow, she didn't feel like she could tell the queen just yet. What if that fairy wasn't forcing the prince to do anything? She hadn't seen enough to make that judgment yet.

~NN~

They were going again tonight.

Ned knew that his brothers were compelled to, by some evil magic of those fairies; they would go, for their heads and feet would carry them there, and they would be glad of it.

But he...he was not compelled by any magic. Only the knowledge that if he didn't, they would have his brothers, one by one.

He didn't have a choice.

He clamped his mouth shut and stepped into the halls.

That new maid, the one with the titan-colored hair that Mother had just hired, was leaning up against a wall with a blank expression on her face. Then he realized that look wasn't a blank stare - it was a look of intense concentration.

It was rather frightening, actually.

Although, to be fair, he was probably just on edge from the whole slowly-being-killed-by-a-fairy-in-the-magical-basement thing.

"Are you lost?" he asked her, though he was sure her answer would be a "no."

"A little," she murmured. Then she shook her head, more to herself than to him. Her sharp eyes narrowed at him. "Oh, your Highness, pardon me." She curtsied, smiling, not the least bit self-conscious about the fact that she'd been loitering in his hallway.

Ned shook his head, smiling back. "No, no - it's fine."

He had an odd urge to shake her hand, but thought better of it.

"So..." he said after moment, "you are lost?"

"Oh, no - not lost like that. I just have a problem I cannot seem to solve, but I believe the answer will come to me soon enough."

"I hope it does," Ned said, wanting to ask her more but knowing it was none of his business - wait, maybe it was his business. This was his home, after all. And he was the crown prince. But somehow prying didn't seem like the right thing to do, so he gave a little bow and wished her luck, then he headed off for a short walk in the gardens before sunset.

~NN~

As Prince Edward walked away, Nancy felt a flash of something that almost felt like inspiration, through it had no form or name.

She decided not to tell the queen yet.

She might come to regret that decision, but she just couldn't tell her yet.

She had sleuthing to do tonight.