The woods smelled clean. Rebeccah had never much cared for the ways dark trees would smell; admittedly, she had never thought much about it to begin with. Trees were trees and that was that. But in the darkness still pricking its way toward dawn they held a certain scent. She breathed it in. Freedom. She picked her way through the branches with little difficulty as the trail was clear enough. She was probably leaving footprints, but there were so many along the trail that she doubted a few more would matter. If a pursuer found her, he found her, and that would be the end of her little journey.

Hopefully it would not end soon.

She stopped once, when she felt safe, to brush out the tangles in her hair. Perhaps it was the princess still in her, but she could not bear to have messy hair. A princess. Hah. A princess who posed as a maid and caused trouble wherever she went. Well, it was nice to know that Prince Isaac was not dead. She would have hated to be responsible for the deaths of any more people.

But if that was how it was to be, that was how it was to be.

She would need a new image now. She couldn't be a maid every time.

Perhaps she would make herself a fur coat and go work in kitchens somewhere.

Rebeccah had to admit, this life was certainly a lot more entertaining than being a princess.

It was dawn when Timber Wood saw fit to shuffle into his mother's tavern, hair mussed and body covered in more scratches than Rina had ever seen him. Fortunately he had been singing some little song, or the boy would have been dead by the time he had neared the barn.

It was almost disappointing it had to be Timber, Caroline thought. He had been looking forward to stabbing that bastard.

"Timber!" Rina screamed as she yanked her son into her chest in a suffocating squeeze. "Where on earth have you been?"

Timber merely rolled his eyes. "I told you. I was chasing the murderer. Where did you think I was?"

Linda sighed and carefully dropped down from the rafters—she had been crouched up there a good hour. "Timber, you scared us half to death! We have a guest here and we were all waiting with our hearts about to burst…"

"So this is the missing kid?" Caroline dropped down besides Linda. Rafters sure were cramping. "We wait all this time with this crazy idea of yours—no offense, Linda—for this boy?" Was it so necessary they sounded all so disappointed?

"He's home now and that's all that matters," Rina muttered. She was rubbing sandpaper-like at Timber's face. "Someone get me a wet cloth, this child is filthy."

Linda gave another sigh and went to fetch the cloth.

She sounded extremely disappointed. This town was starving for something interesting, by the appearances of everything. The ladies in here with knives and every available, interested young man stashed away in whatever barn or tree would hold him, all in anticipation of the murderer. And Linda had been so gung-ho about it.

Well, heck, it was pretty darn disappointing, and she had been the one to deal with the whole thing. She had been the one tied up out in that barn, frightened half to death! She should be the most disappointed of the bunch! "I'm glad your son is all right, Rina." At least that was the single happy ending here.

Rina planted a kiss on Timber's head. "Thank-you, Miss Caroline. Though I'm sure you must be terrified if that man is still out there."

It hit her. Oh, heavens. Timber's appearance didn't change a thing.

"Timber!" Bethany snapped. "Did you even find your murderer?"

The boy sighed with even more disgust than Linda. "I think he went into the palace. Jay went after him."

Everyone else was in the palace. Her home. "He's in the palace?" Caroline immediately felt sick. First he tied her up in a barn and now he had to enter her home. Isaac's home.

"And Jay went after him?"

Like she would trust that sweetheart of Andrea's. Oh, hell, Andrea!

"The murderer is going after his princess and Jay is going after the murderer," Timber explained as his mother attacked his face with the wet cloth. "It's not a difficult concept."

Andrea looked as much like a princess as anyone. "There really is a murderer, Timber!" It felt odd addressing a boy she didn't know, but Caroline wasn't at all sure else she was supposed to do in this situation.

"I know that, lady!"

"Timber, don't be rude," Rina hissed.

Caroline felt absolutely ridiculous. Here she was, in strangers' home, rescued only by their kindness, screaming at the top of her lungs at a child. Perhaps she had been through far too much that night. And clearly everyone else was seeing that as well. The looks were obvious; these people weren't shy. It was a strange feeling knowing that one was being ridiculous and acting so anyway, at the exact same time. "Has no one caught this man yet?"

"Jay went after him," Timber repeated. "And I'm not worried about Jay, because Jay has fairy blood."

Every gaze in the room went right back to Timber.

"What?" demanded Rina.

"Fairy blood." He said it very matter-of-factly. "I thought I would keep his secret but then I changed my mind. It's no big deal."

"And just what would the Millers be doing running around these parts with a fairy blooded boy?" mused Bethany from her position behind a table. "Can't even do the healing I'm capable of?"

Timber shrugged.

"He's tired," Rina said. "Go to bed."

Timber shook his head, spare droplets of water flying everywhere. "No. Not until I know that the murderer has been caught. By Jay."

Caroline stomped her foot into the ground. "If he's after a princess he is going to think it's Andrea!"

"But Jay is in love with Andrea!" Timber protested.

It was the one thing to send the ridicule away. "You saw this?" She didn't think it appropriate to ask how much he saw.

Timber nodded. "They're in love."

"Who's Andrea?" Bethany asked.

"His soul mate!" Caroline didn't mean to squeal so much. Too much emotion and excitement in one night. She clapped her hands in delight. "Oh, this is wonderful!"

"And just five seconds ago you looked ready to kill someone," said Rina dryly.

"Oh, and I still am." She decided that would have to be truth enough. Andrea might love Jay, and he was certainly a strong enough boy, with or without this fairy blood, whatever it was, but she was the protector of Andrea and she couldn't trust any man to save her. Unless there was another princess somewhere. Yes, that would have to be a possible hope. "Linda, you gave us all knives and told us to jump the next person that walks through that door since you clearly doubt that your husband and his friends have the ability to stop a murderer so…"

The door swung open.

It was a complete and utter mess. The long-awaited appearance of the murderer and not a soul was still holding a knife. Bethany swore loudly and dropped to the floor where she found a rather blunt knife. That was the only incident Caroline actually saw, though she could hear the screams of everyone else. Once again, absolutely ridiculous. She herself could only stand frozen in place, praying and hoping Andrea or anyone else at the palace would see her in such an embarrassing state.

Only Linda had the presence of mind to grab a knife and run straight at the door.

Or should it be called presence of mind? They were merely a bunch of women ready to attack whomever happened to walk inside. Did it occur to no one that it could be anyone? Adam, William, Tevor, and the rest of them were outside as well.

This could only end badly.

Fortunately, it did not end badly. Though it almost did. The guard Hyrum screamed like she had never heard him scream before (and she had not) and swung his hand against the knife, sending it spinning with perfect pinning position into the wall.

Timber actually applauded.

"You're not a murderer!" Linda said breathlessly.

Caroline's muscles moved once more. "Hyrum!" she screamed. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Apparently about to die," he muttered. He looked terribly flustered, and Hyrum never looked flustered. He was panting something horrible, hand over his heart. "Hell, Caroline, is this where you have been this whole time?"

She nodded. This was awkward. "I… I was kidnapped.."

"We know that part."

"And I was brought here. By a murderer." Oh, dear, he probably was going to think Andrea was a princess. "Hyrum, you have to find him!"

Hyrum never smiled. But he seemed about to be thinking of it right then. He pulled out a knife, and Rina screamed plenty this time. The knife was caked with blood. "Don't worry, he's dead, courtesy of Jay Miller."

"Toldja," Timber said.

It wasn't quite the released Caroline had expected. None of the excitement had been here.

"We're sorry, sir, for the shock," said Rina.

"You had better be," Hyrum muttered. "Everyone out there let me pass, those men."

"Is anyone hurt?" Caroline demanded.

"Your friend was about to hurt me."

Linda blushed. "I'm sorry about that."

Now that would have been interesting, this little Linda woman stabbing a guard. Caroline suppressed a giggle. "No, back at the palace, I mean."

"Prince Isaac was—"

She didn't allow him to finish. She just screamed and demanded her take her back.

Apparently that was the reason he had come all the way to Wheat Hill.

It was a rather odd thing to watch, Andrea decided. Caroline, trembling as she carried the tray, walking into the room where Prince Isaac lay, once again the servant and this being the only way she could see him. Andrea had never thought too much about the particulars of Caroline and the Prince's romance, but she certainly hoped that Prince Isaac would eventually cast a favor and marry the girl. Caroline deserved it.

But at least it caused a distraction. If anyone had been paying any attention to her at all, Andrea didn't think she could be anyone near Jay. But she was and it was a lovely feeling.

Jay certainly wasn't as sweet as she had thought from him. She snuggled up against his shoulder. A fairy-blooded thief. Hardly a safe bet. But he was so nice and he smelled so good. "So you came here to rob the royal family?"

They were only down the hallway from the fuss over Prince Isaac, but she doubted anyone would bother listening. If they did, well, it would be her fault and the guards would just have to toss her into the dungeons.

"Pretty much," Jay replied before kissing her on the cheek.

"Why?"

"Lots of reasons, but lately it's become mainly for the fun of it."

"Fun." She had already been through too much fun that night. "When are you leaving?"

The smiled faded from his face. "Soon, I think. We've been here much too long."

"No, you haven't. You've only been here a few days." She knew she should probably be crying or demonstrating some other dramatic sense of passion, but it just wasn't happening. Maybe love was making her a little bit wild. "When you leave, can I come?"

Jay's smile returned.

The treasure room was beautiful. Not the best Lake had seen by any means, but certainly respectable when it came to doing its job of housing money and jewels. Lake picked up a strand of pearls to study them. Lovely, lovely. She felt giddy just touching these things. True, they had plenty in the cave, but each fresh batch was a delight all its own. And there were rubies. She had always loved rubies.

"I know it's probably not the right time to be speaking of such matters," King Cherdith said from the doorway, where he stood with two new guards whom Lake had nicknamed Duck and Fish. "But, Miss Miller, you are a lovely and intelligent woman with a great skill."

She blushed and curtsied—always the sweet country maiden. "It's no great skill, Your Highness."

"Certainly it is." He smiled so kindly. Lake suddenly found herself wishing he would smile the same way at the servant Caroline. "Miss Miller, my son Prince Isaac is awfully fond of you as well."

Jerk, she thought. Lying jerk. Though he had been a perfectly wonderful friend. She kept her smile glowing. "I'm just not sure if I deserve to be a princess."

"And why not?"

Perhaps it had been too general of a response. It was just that Prince Isaac was not the one of whom she was thinking.

"But you'll have all these beautiful things if you marry my son!" King Cherdith said with surprise. The Fish nodded fervently.

She was going to have all these beautiful things anyway. She curtsied again. "With all due respect, Your Highness, I'm happy enough. I'm sure the Prince has someone else in mind for his princess."

King Cherdith just stared.

Hopefully Prince Isaac would get around to making an honest woman of Caroline. Either way, they seemed happy enough.

Eventually the stare of surprise transformed itself into a smile. "Well, then. At least choose a few things for yourself, my dear. You deserve it after all we have put you through."

"Might I have some privacy?" she begged. "I feel so silly and awkward if a great king is there to mock me for choosing the improper trinket."

He laughed at that. He was a very nice king, as far as kings went. "You are much too humble, my dear. But yes, we shall leave you alone for a few moments."

He and the Fish and the Duck left.

And Jay appeared through the wall. "You didn't accept the marriage offer?"

Lake made a face and tried to hit him. "Marry a half-dead prince? No thanks, I'll leave that to Caroline. Let's get to work."

"Is Papa outside?"

"Wagon's ready. He's tricked Rina Wood into helping with that."

Oh, Rina Wood! Lake laughed. "Doesn't he prefer to stay in Wheat Hill with her? Or bring her along?"

"Just because Andrea is coming…" Jay heaved a chest over his shoulder. "I'm sure he will be returning soon. Though with that crazy Old Robert going about calling himself Rumplestiltskin now I don't know why anyone would want to stay there. Aren't you going to stay here?"

Lake froze midway of snatching jewels. "And why would say that?"

"The guard. The one who turned out to be a prince."

Hyrum. Lake's heart twisted, and she knew she was blushing. As long as Jay didn't make a stupid comment about that. "He's…"

"He's very rich."

"And we're con-artists." She shoved more jewels into her sleeves.

He looked furious. She could feel that much from him. "Are you even going to say goodbye?"

"Of course I am."

"You don't even have a reason. We all saw you."

"We're con-artists," she repeated. Honestly, she didn't understand what all the fuss was about. So she had her present fun with Hyrum. Now she had her jewels and her family was on their way out of the kingdom. Hyrum was very handsome, admittedly, and maybe things had gotten a little flirtatious, but now it was daytime and she could think more steadily. Hyrum had made this a very nice experience, this particular lie.

Maybe she would just have to take that into consideration.