As dusk fell on Marmoreal, Rhapsody was just waking from her long nap. She had decided that before she could figure out how to get into the palace, she would need to go have a look at it. She left most of her things in the glade, taking only her dagger with her. She strapped it to her leg and hid it under her skirts, just in case she happened to be seen.

The castle wasn't very far, and she soon found herself gazing at it from the edge of the woods. It was far more beautiful than she had expected. She had known it would be white, since its queen was the White, but she hadn't expected it to shine so, especially in the moonlight. She stood and stared at it for several moments before finally deciding to slip into the garden in the back. It was in the shadow of the palace, and there were very few lights to be seen, so she was braver than she had expected herself to be. Before long, she found herself in the garden, hiding in some shrubbery. As far as she could tell from her vantage point, she was alone.

She had just collected enough courage to stand and move closer when a door opened and a young man stepped out of the castle into the garden. Rhapsody quickly ducked back into the shrubs. The young man hadn't even noticed her movement. She could see that he was preoccupied with something. He carried something in his arms that she didn't recognize. She watched closely as he walked to a small bench under one of the only lamps in the garden and sat down on it. Then, he put some sort of strap around his neck that Rhapsody could see was attached to the object he carried in two different places.

She had managed to get quite distracted from the task at hand: she was now focused solely on the object the young gentleman now held. She eased closer and was pleasantly surprised when he began to strum the strings. She had heard music before, but it had been so very long ago she could hardly remember. Now that she heard it again, her interest got the better of her. Before she knew what she was doing, she had stepped even closer to get a better view. The music stopped abruptly as the young man looked around. She ducked back into her hiding place and held her breath as his eyes scanned the garden. He seemed a little anxious now, but he began to play his instrument again.

To avoid being seen, Rhapsody stayed where she was. She was again pleasantly surprised as the boy began to sing. Some of his words were English, others were Outlandish. He sang of a time when peace would come to Underland and never leave. Rhapsody was again entranced and moved a little closer, but he didn't hear her this time. When his song was finished, he just sat and stared into space for a moment. Rhapsody, who had long forgotten her purpose in coming to the garden, thought only of the beautiful music. "Don't stop," she said in English. His eyes were instantly fixed on her as he jumped up from the bench.

"Who's there?" His voice sounded strong, but somewhat fearful. He also sounded a bit embarrassed.

When Rhapsody realized what she had just done, she didn't know what to do. Her plans came suddenly crashing down around her, and she couldn't bring herself to move.

"I said who's there," he repeated, "Show yourself! The Prince of Marmoreal and all Underland commands you to speak!"

She knew he was trying to sound authoritative, but she couldn't help smiling a little. He looked silly to her, standing there with the instrument around his neck. She decided she had no other choice but to step out of the shadows and introduce herself. She could worry about the sword later.

"My name is Rhapsody Hope," she said as she stepped closer to him. "I heard you playing, and it's just been so long since I heard real music, and I didn't want to disturb you, and I…well, I didn't mean to listen. I just…" She trailed off as she saw his gaze soften. "I'm, uh, terribly sorry, sir." His face was much different now than it had been moments ago, and Rhapsody didn't know what to think of it. "I guess I'll just be going then…"

"No, wait," he took her arm as she started to turn, "Did you really like my playing?"

She turned back to face him, but for whatever reason, couldn't find the right words. She wanted to tell him how beautiful it was, but all she could say was, "Yeah…"

"Won't you stay a little while?" His face was even harder to discern now. "You see, usually when I play my guitar, people groan and tell me to play the piano or harp instead. My mother says they're more graceful."

"Is your mother the White Queen?" Rhapsody asked before she could catch herself.

"Yes," he said with a bit of a chuckle, "Oh, I'm sorry, how rude of me! I haven't told you my name! I'm Westley."

"Well, I suppose I could stay for a few minutes, Prince Westley, if you're sure you don't mind. I'd like to hear another song."

He smiled and sat on the bench again, this time sitting to one side and inviting her to join him. A bit reluctantly, she sat down beside him. "Please, just call me Westley. Adding Prince at the front just sounds so stuffy."

She wasn't sure she knew what he meant, but she agreed to do so if he would prefer it. He started playing again, and she stared down at his fingers as he strummed the strings. He didn't sing along with this one, but she didn't mind. She thought it might make her feel funny if he did. She listened to several songs, then stood and told him she needed to be going.

"If you must go, then will you promise to come back?" he asked, standing as well.

"Well, I guess I could come back tomorrow night…" she said. She didn't want to put off her mission too long, but she didn't think one more night could hurt. The queen hadn't told her to be in any particular rush anyway.

"I would be delighted, miss," he said with a slight nod, and again Rhapsody didn't understand his facial expression. She smiled at him and quickly slipped out of the garden the way she had come.

When she got back to the glade, she leaned against a tree and thought for awhile about the evening. She couldn't understand why, but the young prince seemed to like her. She rather liked him, too, but she wouldn't admit it to herself yet.

She could worry about going inside the palace later. For now, she was pleased with just sitting in the garden and listening to Westley play his guitar. She might even do that a few more nights, instead of just one. She might not ever go into the palace at all. For the moment, she didn't care. She soon fell asleep, all her worries temporarily put out of her mind.

The next afternoon, Rhapsody found herself doing something she hadn't done in a few years: she was bathing in a stream near the glade, running her fingers through her hair to get the tangles out. She wanted to look her best, for what it was. She hated her murky light brown hair because it was so straight, thin, and stringy. She hated her skin because it was so pale, and she was covered in cuts and bruises from her recent combat training with Stayne and a few recent hunts for food. She hated the dress she wore because it was so dark and dingy. The queen had given it to her, and she was grateful, but she wished it was a little more comely. She hated her eyes because they weren't a distinct color: they were a mix of gray and blue, and even a little light brown around the pupils. She hated almost everything about her looks, but she wanted to at least look the best she could since she would be visiting a prince.

She knew he had seen her the night before, looking like the savage she was, but she wanted so badly to impress him anyway. She couldn't imagine why, but she he been able to think of nothing but him she had awoken. She thought of his hair, how clean and dark it was. She thought of his eyes, so deep and green. He was tall, and he held his head high. He had an air of authority that made him seem so strong.

She kept trying to snap herself out of it, to concentrate on the task the Red Queen had given her, but she couldn't tear her mind away from her prince.

"Your prince, huh?" he was grumbling to herself as she put her dress back on, "What makes you think you have a right to call him that? He's nothing to you." She strapped her dagger to her leg again, just in case she needed it for something. "You need to get your head out of the clouds, Rhapsody. He's the son of the very woman you're trying to dethrone. You don't need to get too close to him."

And that's when it hit her. She wrung her hair out as best she could and smiled. "That's it! This is perfect!" She was very pleased with herself at the plan she had come up with. She would indeed get close to the prince. She would get so close to him, in fact, that he would invite her into the palace. Once she was inside, she would take the sword. It would be simple, easy, and even fun. She could hardly wait to go back to the palace. She no longer felt like she was going against her queen by spending time with Westley.