Mimi spent the night dreaming of Matthias. True, he was not like the princes in the stories she had always heard. But she liked that. He was sweet and kind. He read. There was something cute and helpless about him that nibbled at her heart. And he liked her. He had awaited to see her, had awoken at night in hopes of seeing her. He found her beautiful.

An adjective that quickly disappeared when she awoke and remembered that she was for most of the day a goose. She hopped from her perch on the chair with as much strength as a little goose could muster; the feeble stomp did not quite match her irritation. Silly, silly, silly. Here she was in love with a man who had no idea that she was a goose. Or not a princess or anyone of station, for that matter. They had spoken so briefly. Practicality. Practicality is what she needed. Practicality to fight the boredom. So their first conversation had gone well. That was good. Wonderful, in fact. But for the time being she was a goose incapable of charming this prince. Normally she would be up and about working instead of worrying about romance. But what was a goose to do? She needed something to do. Anything. She could not spend all day making up stories about herself and Matthias.

Still, the very thought of him sent her heart racing.

But she wouldn't be human again for hours and hours. She took a deep breath and realized she was starving. What time was it? Morning, that was clear. What time in the morning? Early? She approached the other door. "Jacob?"

No reply. This meant he was either sleeping or…

"Jacob!" she repeated, giving the door a swift blow with her bill, much to a response of pain. Wonderful. He had been kind and thoughtful and had allowed her to sleep in. Tragically, she had no desire to stay inside until he felt the whim to return.

She turned to the door to the hall. It would be impossible to open with her ridiculous wings. For all intents and purposes, the little monster had locked her in! She stood in the middle of the sitting room, wings up and feathers ruffled. Now what was she supposed to do? He had not even brought her anything to eat. Did he honestly expect her to be in there all day?

The window! Of course. She had been able to let Blake inside. She hopped back onto the chair and flicked open the latch with her bill. The window opened with minimal prodding from her until she was able to squeeze out and hop

down into the fluffy green grass directly behind a row of poplars and breath in the air.

The day was good, that much was clear, and Mimi would have been thankful for anything, any excuse to get a good dose of fresh air. The sky was blue and cloudless and the air was warm. There was no wind. A few hours outside would probably be stifling and hot, but all she wanted to do was dance, a hideous little goosey dance she was thankful no one saw. A beautiful day. Perfect. It was what she needed to get her mind off of Matthias and the fact that she was still a goose with a squirrel friend who really had no idea what to do. She took another deep breath of the deliciously fresh air and stepped out from behind the poplars.

She saw no one, though the echo of distant manor voices were audible. The pretty grass ended shortly in favor of gardens and other handy uses of land. She liked that. She did not understand why anyone would bring in scrubby useless grass simply for its beauty. The earth needed to grow some necessary plants. She stepped into an herb garden. Its scent was intoxicating. She had always enjoyed chewing on mint, and having missed breakfast, chose to do so then.

It was while she was nibbling those that something strange happened. A man appeared. He was tall, with blonde hair tied back in a messy bundle. His clothes were not exactly rags, but showed many awkward mending jobs. He looked about thirty and as if he did not belong there. That much was clear, though Mimi could not quite explain to herself how she knew. He was not making an effort to hide, but he did not seem to be about any tasks of any sort. And from what Mimi had seen of the servants they dressed better than he.

Before she knew it, her imagination was racing to places only boredom could decree. He was a spy. Or a ghost. Ghosts were much more interesting. But a spy was more plausible, though the boring possibility that he was simply a student did creep into her mind.

His pace around the house was fairly steady, though every now and then he would stop to stare at a window or a section of brick. He made his way past an ivy-covered corner and a plot of herbs and a couple of wells. Yes, the Duke was lucky enough to have two wells. It was about here that he finally noticed a goose following him, but all he did was give an absent-minded grin and saw something along the lines of "goosey-woosey". Somehow that made his fascination lessen.

Just when she lost interest and was about to find something else to do, something else strange happened. Someone else appeared. Lucy. She slipped out of a door, her face ashen as her eyes burned into the man.

"Master Eugen!" She somehow managed to create the perfect blend between screech and whisper. "What are you doing here?"

The man smiled wanly at her. "Lucy," he said softly. "You're still here? How many years as it been?"

"Saints alive, sir, Prince Matthias of Hadenbrucke is here. It isn't safe."

Mimi had stumbled upon something very interesting after all. This Eugen… was he the reason Lucy had no interest in Matthias?

"I'm not even sure who that is."

"What if someone sees you?" she continued. "I saw you through the window twirling about to announce your presence to the entire world. Master Eugen, do you not take any pleasure in the concept that you are not dead?" She sighed and touched her forehead. "I apologize, Your Lordship. I should not be so bold."

Perhaps this was not a romantic affair.

"What if the Duke saw you?"

Eugen's face went hard. "I could not care less what the Duke thinks."

"Then you are a fool. And I will not apologize for that. Sir, it's been years. I work for the Duke now. I know I should have returned, but I did and the money is good. But you cannot be here."

Eugen shook his head. "I have every right to be here."

"Not anymore, sir. The Duke is making pacts now. He has a visiting prince."

Eugen sighed. "Lucy, I don't care about any of that. Have you heard of any news of my brother?"

"None, sir. I presume he is dead." She shook her head. "I also thought you were dead. But you still can't be here. What if someone sees you? Recognizes you?"

"It's been too long." He folded his arms over his chest and sighed. "I'm staying at the inn outside of town. No one has looked twice at me. It was good to see you again, Lucy. We always appreciated you and your family."

"Thank-you," Lucy said softly. "Go back to the inn. It's too dangerous to be here."

"I'm going to come back."

"Sir, you can't."

Eugen shook his head. "I'm going to come back, and you are going to let me in. That is an order."

"Your Lordship—"

"That is an order."

Lucy nodded, docile.

Eugen was silent for a long time. "Thank-you, Lucy." Then, without a moment to spare, he leaned in and kissed her hard on the mouth.

Lucy's eyes flew open, wide, but she did not back away.

When the kiss ended, she merely stammered "Sir!"

"My turn to apologize. I've wanted to do that for a long time."

She slowly brought her fingers to her lips.

And with that he left.

And Mimi was left to ponder what she had just witnessed. What had just happened?

She considered following Lucy inside, though it was unlikely the servant girl would bring up this clandestine conversation with anyone else. She also considered following Eugen who still had not rid himself of the potential of being a spy. The conversation had only increased the possibility. She also considered hunting down Matthias.

Instead she continued wandering around what was suddenly a very boring garden. Her education had served her well—there was not a single new plant left to identify. Some duke who could not even plant some interesting herbs. Then again, she had been rather privileged that way.

Still, despite the drama of Lucy and Eugen, it was still a beautiful day with sun that heated her feathers nicely. At least there was some comfort in being a goose. She stretched out her wings, feeling the strength and wondering if she dared an attempt at flight. She did. On the second attempt, her body slid awkwardly into the air and she screamed at the sensation of actually being air-born. She quickly landed, and the garden seemed wonderfully safe. Even so, she could not shake away the little thrill of flight.

And she continued to wander, around the house, around the stables, and eventually to a semi-familiar path with a familiar figure upon it.

"Mimi!" The gigantic and bulging sack nearly tumbled from Jacob's back and his eyes bugged from his hideous head. "What are you doing out?"

"Walking." Was it not obvious?

"Outside?"

"Aren't we outside?"

He tossed the sack to the ground, sending dust flying about and a fat zucchini rolling out. "How did you get out?"

"Window," Mimi replied. He was more upset about this he had right to be. It was just a walk. "I opened it last night. Needed some air. Do you have something against fresh air?"

"I don't know if the entire manor is aware that you are not be touched. In fact, you don't look any different from any other goose."

"I was careful! I only saw Lucy and some other guy who thought it was enchanting that I was following him."

Now he just looked confused. "Why were you following someone?"

"I thought he was a spy."

"Why would someone be spying here?"

Should she repeat the conversation? "You've been here longer than I."

He sighed and picked up the vegetable sack. "You could have asked to go outside."

"I can't open the door!"

"Or announce to the world you are a walking dinner."

She rolled her eyes and her wings flapped instinctively. "I was careful. I'm bored. I'm not used to being bored. You think I'd enjoy not slaving away for Lavender but the truth is that I no longer know what else to do."

"I don't care. Come on. I can say I was taking you out for some exercise." He started toward the kitchen door.

"In the market?"

"Mimi, I don't think it matters because I don't think anyone is going to ask or even care."

That was probably true. She scampered after him, once more hating her useless feet. "Any more flirtation at the market with all those sellers?"

"Of course," he said rather proudly. "How else do you think I convince those old hens to sell to me? And I get marvelous deals."

"Isn't that cheating?"

"Nah. Business. How did your little nocturnal encounter go?"

"It was wonderful." Was that appropriate to say to someone?

Jacob laughed. "Is His Majesty as magnificent as every other screaming girl in this place say?"

She could not help herself. "Yes!"

"Are you going to thank me for getting that dress for you?"

The dress certainly had been superior to a curtain. "I thought I already did. But I shall thank you again. It was exceedingly useful. I felt just like a scullery maid."

"Every girl's dream, I imagine."

Why did he have to bring Matthias up? Why? Suddenly the day was even more beautiful than before. "Matthias is."

"I was referring to the dress."

"You seem to be obsessed with the dress."

"Well, I normally don't steal from the laundry." They entered the kitchen and he tossed the sack onto a low table. He was remarkably strong for his small size.

"Steal what from the laundry?" Michael said. He was at the stove, surrounded by a cloud of steam. "Jacob, are you talking to yourself?"

Jacob glanced at Mimi. "Um…"

It was humiliating and it was difficult, but she did it. She dug deep into her throat and pulled it out, a pathetic honk.

"I was talking to the goose."

Michael turned around, chubby face clearly amused. "Does that help the goose taste better or something?"

"Yes."

"You are very strange, Jacob, do you know that? Very strange."

"You talk to potatoes."

"True. Truce, then?"

Cooks were an unusual bunch. Not wanting to appear as strange, she darted to the appointed spot of the day before. It probably seemed all the stranger. A tame goose. Michael returned to his cooking while Jacob took out the vegetables to wash.

"You want to know who else is strange?" Michael suddenly asked. "The Prince."

Mimi held her breath.

"The Prince?" Jacob echoed. "I would have thought he had a right to be strange. He is royalty, after all. Aren't they all weird?"

"I don't know. Do you know any?"

"None," Jacob said flatly. "I prefer the normal and common people and a few minor nobles. And I think I interrupted your exciting story of the day."

"He came in today while you were gone. Twice."

Jacob shot her a questioning look.

"He was asking about some girl. A servant girl. Her name was… Mia? Mina? Mary?"

"Mimi?" The name blurted from the Dwarf's mouth. Mimi could have killed him.

"Nah, that wasn't it," Michael replied. "I know it will come to me later. But the important thing was that it was a name I did not recognize. And usually anyone who works in this place wanders down her at some point. Was anyone new hired? Any changes of position in the rest of the household?"

"I'm in here just as much as you are."

"True."

"I still don't know why the Prince is strange."

"I just wish I could remember that name. The Prince was looking for her."

"In the kitchen?" Mimi received a rather nasty look from the dwarf, complete with teeth.

"Yes, the kitchen! That was what surprised me. And the fact that someone of his station was in a servant's area. He seemed desperate to find this mystery maiden. Rather romantic, now that I think about it."

"Except no one knows whom she is."

"Even more romantic."

"Michael, you're an idiot."

"But better looking that you."

Jacob laughed. "Some may argue that." He flung the washed vegetables into a pan. "I'm taking the goose now."

Now?

Before she knew it Jacob had scooped her up. "Hey!" She fought against him. He was too strong. "I want to hear more about the Prince!"

"I don't think the goose wants to leave my presence."

Mimi could not care less about Michael at the moment, only what he had said. He had spoken of Matthias. Matthias was looking for her. He wanted to find her. She could have swooned if she had not been struggling against a super-powerful dwarf.

"What were you thinking?" Jacob hissed as soon as they reached an empty hall. "Are you just announcing your spell to everyone? Why don't you take your nighttime to announce to the entire manor?"

"They probably would not even care. Are spells common?" She tried to bite him.

"I have no idea. But you are expecting me to keep you safe. Is this part of your strategy? Is this how you are going to break your spell?"

"Maybe if someone in this place were a sorcerer…"

"You can't trust everyone, Mimi." They arrived at his door. With Mimi squeezed under one arm, he threw open the door and all but tossed her on the floor.

"Some gentleman you are," she said sullenly as she straightened her feathers. "Those women at the market have no idea who you truly are."

"No, they don't. Only you have been blessed with that."

She glared.

He took a deep breath and shook his head. "All right. I'm sorry. I may have overreacted."

"You did." She hopped up into the bigger chair. It seemed to be fairly far away from Jacob.

"But try to see it from my perspective. I am having a good life. I have a fantastic job working for a nobleman. Then one day an enchanted girl winds up in a cage for a dinner I am cooking. She is weirdly against the idea of becoming dinner and tries to win my pity with her little sob story of a wicked stepmother. So I offer her a place to stay until she can figure something out. Basically, I become her protector. And then she fails to realize just how detrimental spell information can be and decides to spread her news around to people she doesn't know."

"I happen to like Prince Matthias very much."

"And I'm happy to hear that. Oh, that reminds me. I also had to be this goose's fairy godmother by retrieving dresses for her when she magically transforms back into a human."

He made her sound like some spoiled girl. She had slaved away for years for Lavender. "Listen, dwarf," she snapped. "That hour is my hour. My own freedom after spending an entire day looking like this! You have no idea what it is like to be under a spell. And then I met a wonderful person who happens to be a prince. I want to meet him again. I'm sorry if I told him a little about myself. But I did not mention the spell!" She paused. "Is there something I should know about Prince Matthias?"

Jacob shrugged. He had calmed down. "How should I know? I've heard his name about twice in my life before these past few days. He is a prince, not slated to be king or anything due to an elder brother, but he was given a tract of land for which people would kill their grandmothers."

She considered that. So he was not heir to the throne. That did not bother her. All of the stories she had heard were simply about princes and princesses without any politics to get in the way. The news at least calmed her down. "Is he kind?"

"For crying out loud, Mimi, you have spent more time with him than I. You tell me. I know next to nothing about the breed or their dispositions."

"Prince Matthias is very kind." It felt good to say.

"I'm glad to hear it, I suppose. Now are you going to stay here or would you rather be left out to wander? I have work to do."

"You never brought me any breakfast this morning."

"You were asleep." He turned back to the door.

"No worries. I already ate from the garden. Which shouldn't bother you since you buy all your vegetables anyway from simpering old women."

"You would, too, if you tasted the difference. Out or in?"

"You don't like me to be out, so I have to stay in. But I'm bored in here."

"There are books in the other room. I could open the door for you."

"Or I could follow around Lucy."

He gave a half-hearted groan and turned the doorknob. "All right, then. You can be Lucy's spoiled pet again."

"Perfect."

Unfortunately, Lucy was nowhere to be seen. There went any hope of hearing more about the strange Eugen. Then again, Jacob did not even look. And of course it would be against the rules to have a loose goose in the manor. So she returned to her little corner in the kitchen, an observation point of irony to view just what happened to future dinner items. Yet it was more exciting than that, as much as she hated to admit. She liked to watch the cooks as they bustled around the kitchen, talking and laughing and altogether having a great time as they worked. She thought back to her years slaving away for Lavender and they seemed all the worse because of the constant loneliness. Not for the first time she wished she could talk to them, all of them, not just Jacob. But se took what she could get and what she could get was a perfect spot to listen and at least enjoy that. It was all nonsense, stories and jokes and not another word about Matthias. It was all so common. Nothing like the stories the travelers had brought of courts and royalty and nobles. No captured princesses here. Which was more exciting?

It soon became clear, at least exciting for that moment.

Abe was sent out to fetch water from the well returned screaming and it was a good five minutes before Michael and Jacob combined could coax words from his hysterical mouth. Jacob finally forced him onto a stool as the news came flying out.

"There's a dead man out there!"

Mimi sprang to the door while all eyes were on the boy. Jacob and some others raced ahead of her in a mad rush to see.

The fading light of evening failed to cover the body lying in the tall grass now covered in blood. Mimi recognized him instantly.

Eugen.