"Good morning," Anne chimed as she walked to the side of Casper's bed, a tray of food in her hands. He groaned as he rolled over onto his back, his arm lifted up to shield the light from his eyes.

"Why are you waking me up already?" he groaned as he tucked his hands behind his head and looked over at Anne. She'd put the food on the bed stand before she looked down at him. "It's like, what? Nine?"

"This is a farm, Casper," Anne laughed at him as she rolled her eyes. "Everyone's been up since four, except you."

He only groaned again as he forced himself to sit up. Anne had taken a seat beside him on the edge of the bed. "What is there to do at four in the morning?"

"Feed the cattle, heard the sheep, water the garden, milk the cattle, feed the dogs-"

"Ok, I get it," Casper stopped her and she laughed at him again before she pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"My mom insisted that nobody bother you," she added when Casper turned to look at her. "She made you lunch, too."

"It's like an early morning snack," Casper corrected.

"Only to you," Anne reminded him as he picked up the glass of water to take a drink. "How did you sleep?"

"Fine, I guess. It's a smaller bed than I'm used to."

"Did you fall off?" Anne giggled, but Casper had taken a bite of the bread before he could respond.

"No," he protested as he stared at her. "Of course not."

"You fell, didn't you?"

"The wood floor is harder than carpet," Casper answered, and Anne laughed at him again. Of course, he hardly cared as he pulled her onto his lap and pressed their lips together. She held the kiss for only a few moments before she pulled away and climbed off of him.

"After you're done eating, you can help my father and Bradley if you want," she told him as she smiled down at him.

"What are you doing?"

"A lot of the people in town have asked me to mend their clothing and bags, so I'm going into the city to get some supplies with my mother and Jane," she explained.

"Everyone misses their resident seamstress?" he asked as he continued to take bites from the plate.

"Something like that," she replied. "If you're going to help on the farm, I put work clothes in your trunk. I didn't think you'd want to get your Court clothes all muddy."

"Don't know how I feel about quality time with your father, Anne," Casper said as she started to walk towards the door.

"Well, he won't kill you, if that's any comfort," she told him with a coy smile as she looked at him over her shoulder. Casper only had time to send her a look before she left the door and pulled the door shut. As she continued down the short hallway before coming into the kitchen, she knew both her parents had heard the entire exchange even if they'd pretended otherwise.

"I think he's charming," Elizabeth commented as Anne came to her side to help with the remainder of preparing the food.

"He's a Prince. Aren't they supposed to be?" her father commented as his eyes landed on his wife. When Anne met his gaze, he smiled weakly. It was just accepted that her parents had a softer spot for their youngest than they did their first born.

"I heard he's a little too charming," Jane commented from the next room. Beside her, Bradley sat, their fingers interlaced. Anne had opted not to say anything as she continued to chop the vegetables. She no longer did such labor at Court but found she actually enjoyed it now that she'd returned home. Before anybody else continued the conversation, the sound of Casper's door opening and closing traveled down the short hallway and into the room. When he emerged, Anne had turned back to him, but a laugh had escaped her before she could stop. Turning back to the vegetables quickly, she hid her smile.

"Hey!"

"I didn't say anything, Casper," Anne replied without looking back at him.

"You don't have to," he replied bitterly. She laughed again as she turned back to him, smiling brightly.

"It's just a very different look for you," she explained as she looked at the plain clothes he wore instead of his more adorned clothing fit for royalty. He also carried the tray and empty plate of food Anne had brought him. "On the up side, nobody will recognize you."

"You're kind of mean," he accused, but was smiling when he said it. "And there's a hole in my riding pants," he added.

"The brown ones?" she asked as she turned back to countertop to continue chopping.

"Yes," he answered, he answered as he set the tray and plate on the counter and passed Anne and her mother. It amazed her on-looking family how the two interacted. Never had they imagined Anne could poke fun at the Prince in the way she had, since they only knew tales of royalty and how none could ever point out their flaws or shortcomings without consequences. Not only was Anne able to make fun of him, but the tone of their conversation had shifted from playful banter to normal conversation in a matter of seconds. It was a marker of a relationship nobody had expected Anne to have with the Prince.

"I'll fix them tonight for you," she offered as she finished chopping the vegetables. After she dropped them off of the cutting board into the bowl, she peered up at Casper.

"Did you need coins for anything?" he asked as he met her gaze.

"No, we're fine. I'm just getting some needles and thread," Anne answered simply. Casper eyed her for a moment before his face changed. Anne wasn't sure if anybody but her could see it though.

"Well, take one of the Knights," Casper said, ignoring her when she groaned in protest. "And he's got coins if you want them," he added as he patted the pockets until he found the small pouch filled with various silver and gold coins. He tossed the pouch to one of the guards without paying attention to who it went to.

"I don't want to be followed by a Knight, Casper," Anne protested and Casper turned back to her. For a few moments, he wasn't sure how to respond. After that time, he simply shrugged.

"Oh, well, I guess," he told her.

"Casper-"

"What do you want me to do?" he asked, stopping her before she could start reprimanding him. "Finn gave us two Knights so that you could have one and I can have one. If you want to argue it, send a letter to the King. We also have a messenger."

"I don't need a guard, Casper."

"That's not the point."

"That's my point."

"Well, what do you say to me whenever we have this argument?" Casper questioned as he faced her with a smug smile. Anne knew she'd already lost the argument, so she just groaned as she looked away from him and focused on the bowl of vegetables sitting on the counter. When she didn't answer him, he crossed the room to stand on the other side of the counter directly in front of her. With a sigh she looked up at him again. "Well?"

"That I don't care," she answered reluctantly, well aware her mother was watching them with a wide grin, her father only slightly interested. Of course, Jane was in the room as well, but Anne couldn't see her behind Casper.

"Glad you can admit that," Casper replied, but Anne tossed a carrot into his face. Laughing, he picked it off the counter and ate it as the front door opened. Elizabeth greeted Bradley warmly, but neither Anne nor Casper even paid him attention, both too wrapped up in each other. After a few minutes, Bradley and Anne's father had moved towards the back exit of the house, but lingered as they waited for Casper. "If you want anything, just get it, love," Casper told her before he pressed a quick kiss to her cheek and crossed the room towards her father. "There's more gold in my trunk if you want it."

"You aren't worried about him with dad?" Jane questioned as she joined Anne and Elizabeth in the kitchen.

"No, of course not," Anne answered as she peered up at Jane for a moment. "Are you ready to go into the city?" she asked curiously as she moved the bowl to the side. She looked up at her sister, before she turned to her mother.

"Yes," Jane answered as their mother nodded.

"We'll have to take the guard with us or I'll never hear the end of it," Anne told them.

"Shall I prepare the horses?" the Knight standing at the door asked, pulling Anne's attention to her.

"Yes, please," Anne answered with a nod. "We'll take the cart that's on the side of the house," she told him.

"Not the carriage?" Anne only laughed as she shook her head and turned to walk down the short hallway to Casper's room. When she emerged again, the Knight had left the house, and her mother and sister were near the door ready to leave.

"Did you get something?" Elizabeth asked curiously as she tied her coat around her waist and opened the door.

"Just a little extra gold," Anne answered simply as she followed the two out of the house. Two horses were already secured to the small wooden cart Anne and her family always rode in to go long distances. The Knight was at the side of the cart and helped Jane and Elizabeth into the cart.

"Lady Anne," he said with a bow as he helped her into the cart as well. Anne only smiled politely before he joined the driver at the front side of the cart facing the horses.

"Lady?" Jane questioned as she eyed her younger sister. Even Elizabeth was surprised at the title the Knight had used to address her daughter.

Anne cleared her throat as she considered how to respond. "Well, it's just… It's not my real title. Just a way people address me because I'm…" Anne trailed off, unsure of how exactly to explain it.

"The Prince's mistress?" Jane offered, her voice harsher than Anne was accustomed to. Unwilling to argue or even object, Anne only looked away, leaving Elizabeth unsure of her place in the new dynamic of her daughters' relationship.

At the farm, Casper followed Anne's father and Bradley along as best he could, though he knew they were just humoring him for the most part. Of course, Casper was quite adept at ignoring what others really thought of him. Had he cared what everybody thought of him, he'd probably would have gone insane by now.

"He's not really that bad," Bradley said after Anne's father had gone, leaving the two young men alone. Bradley held a water bottle as he leaned over the fence that enclosed the sheep. Casper rested his forearms against the fence as he leaned forward over the top of the fence. "He's just really protective over Anne. She's always been the baby around here."

"What do you mean?" Casper asked curiously as he turned to look at Bradley.

"Just this town was really small for a long time and everyone knew everyone. For years Anne was the youngest in town and everybody loved her. When she left for Court, everything changed."

Casper was quiet for a moment as he considered how to respond. He'd only been in Anne's hometown for roughly twelve hours, and he was realizing how little Anne really spoke of home. "So, you and her were close?" he asked curiously, letting his gaze wander across the fields of the farm.

Bradley was quiet for so long that Casper had turned to him, obviously oblivious to something Bradley was privy to. He cleared his throat as he nodded and turned away from Casper before he responded. "Yeah, Anne and I were betrothed when she left for Court," he finally said, the words sounding difficult to force out of him. Casper, who had previously only been uncomfortable around Anne's father, was now uncomfortable around Bradley as well. He certainly had no idea Anne had been previously betrothed.

Luckily, before Casper had to say anything, Anne's father returned and broke the silence. "So, do you know if the ladies have finished all the final touches for Saturday?" he asked, the question directed at Bradley. The young man smiled and laughed as though nothing had happened between him and Casper as he faced his future-father-in-law.

"That's what Jane tells me," he answered. "But they did go into the city. She might've seen something else that she absolutely needs," he laughed.

"Or Elizabeth did," Anne's father added with his own laugh. Casper was well aware that if he and Anne stayed together for even a long period of time, he would never be accepted in her family the way Bradley was. Bradley, who has been set to marry both of their daughters, was treated like a son, like part of the family effortlessly and naturally.