"Lottie!" Eric called. "Lottie, come quick! I need you." Eric stood by the door that led to the beach with the silent redheaded girl still clinging to him. Carlotta came around the corner and gasped.

"Heavens, Your Majesty!" she sputtered. "Who- what-"

"I don't know who she is," Eric said patiently. "I just found her on the beach. Well, Max did, actually. I think she's been the victim of a shipwreck or something."

Carlotta rushed forward and pulled the girl away from him. "What's your name, child?"

"She's mute, Lottie. She can't say a word." The girl turned and looked at him, a small smile touched the edges of her mouth. Eric suddenly felt like he was the one that couldn't speak. Just that tiny smile made him all tongue-tied. "Uh-" He managed. "What should we do?"

Carlotta steered the girl away from him and towards the guest wing. "Well, first we should get her into something more… comfortable." She forced a laugh. "But then, it's up to you Eric. We don't get very many guests at the castle and you weren't scheduled to be home anyway so there aren't any major events coming up. Even if there were, I don't think she would be in the way. She's such a little thing."

The smile disappeared from the girl's face. She mouthed something, touched her throat, and hung her head sadly. Eric was puzzled. She seemed to keep forgetting that she couldn't talk. He wondered what was stopping her. Was it a temporary sickness or was she born this way? "Do you want to stay here?" he asked. Her face lit up and she nodded.

While the housekeeper took the girl to freshen up, Eric went to the library. Grimsby used it as an office and Eric could usually find him there.

"Eric!"

The prince turned around. Grimsby was rushing towards him, his face adorned with a delighted smile. "What is this I hear about you bringing a girl into the castle?"

"She needed help. I just-"

"Do you know who she is? Do you know her name?"

"I don't. How did you know I brought a girl here? I was just coming to tell you myself," Eric said.

"Gertrude, that chamber maid from the village, saw you coming up the cliffside, so naturally the whole castle is aware."

"Oh," Eric nodded. "Is it almost time for dinner? I'm getting kind of hungry."

"Don't change the subject, Eric!" Grimsby said firmly, but he began walking in the direction of the dining hall. Shortly after his father's death, Eric had the dining room reconstructed. Instead of thick walls, there were open windows that provided a lovely view of the sea. Carlotta often complained that the extra window washing was ridiculous and tiring, but Eric loved the open view. He went straight to the nearest window when they got to the dining room and looked out over the waves, letting the sight of their steady movements calm him. Grimsby sat down and began to clean his pipe. "Now, do you like this girl? What, are you intending to marry her?"

Eric was shocked by the question. "No! The thought hadn't even entered my mind, Grim. I swear. I haven't thought about being with any girls. That is, except for that one that rescued me yesterday."

"Oh Eric, be reasonable! Nice young ladies don't just.. swim around rescuing people in the middle the ocean, and then flitter off into oblivion, like some-"

"I"m telling you, Grim, she was real!" Eric said forcefully. He was tired of Grimsby not believing him. "I'm going to find that girl. And I'm going to marry her."

Before Grimsby could make a response, Carlotta stepped into the dining room dragging a reluctant figure behind her. "Oh come on, honey. Don't be shy."

Eric couldn't see the girl clearly. She was in the shadows. She stepped forward and into the light, looking around her in awe. When she saw Eric, she stopped and smiled. She tucked one hand under the other shyly and bit her lip.

"Oh Eric, isn't she a vision?" Grimsby said behind him. There was no mistaking the tone of his voice. He wanted Eric to fall for this girl. Eric's mouth hung open in surprise. She was a vision. Carlotta had dressed her in a simple pink gown with puffy sleeves that hung off of her shoulders. The skirt was full and swayed when she walked. She had little earrings and simple combs holding back a bit of her hair. And when she smiled, Eric felt his knees go weak. He had thought she was beautiful before when she was dressed simply in a ship's sail, and now it was all he could do to keep from gaping at her.

"Uh-" he stuttered as she got closer to him. "You look-" He hesitated. Breathtaking? Ravishing? Irresistible? "Wonderful." Wonderful? Why couldn't I have said beautiful or something?

But the girl seemed to like it. She lowered her gaze before giving him another bright smile. Her eyes were so big and blue. Eric felt himself trapped in her gaze. He smiled back.

"Come come come, you must be famished!" Grimsby said. He took the girl away from Eric and led her to one of the three chairs set up at the table. "Let me help you dear. There we go."

Eric rushed forward and pushed her chair in before Grimsby could.

"Ah!" Grimsby said, delightfully surprised. "That's better. Now, quite comfy?" Eric noticed that the girl hadn't stopped smiling. He was amazed that someone who had obviously been through so much could be so happy. He had experienced the exact same thing just the day before. "Uh," Grimsby continued. Eric and Grimsby sat in the other two chairs. "It's not often that we have such a lovely dinner guest, eh Eric?"

To Eric's complete astonishment, the girl picked up her fork with a look of pure joy on her face and began combing it through her long red hair. Eric's water glass stopped on the way to his mouth and he stared at her, dumbfounded. She noticed and put the fork down, clearly embarrassed. There was a very awkward silence until Grimsby lit his pipe and again the girl brightened.

Eric's eyes never left her face. Who is this girl? He wondered. The more he watched her, the more he found himself liking her.

"Do you like it?" Grimsby asked. He offered her his pipe. The girl nodded and reached across the table for it. "It is rather fine-"

The girl surprised them again by blowing on the end of the pipe, sending a shower of ashes and smoke into Grimsby's face. Eric couldn't help it. He laughed.

"Oh my!" Carlotta said.

Eric recovered his composure. "Sorry Grim."

"Why, Eric that's the first time I've seen you smile in weeks." Eric blushed and rolled his eyes.

"Oh, very amusing." Grimsby wiped his face with a handkerchief. "Carlotta, my dear, what's for dinner?"

Eric didn't hear the rest of the conversation. He went back to watching the girl. His mind was a complete mess. This girl was just so refreshingly different. She was curious and odd and didn't talk his ear off like some of the girls he knew. There was no denying she was beautiful. She was enchantingly beautiful. Eric had never met a girl with hair like hers. There was so much of it. It hung around her shoulders so perfectly and the color was just astounding. But she wasn't the girl that saved him. Even though Eric didn't know either of the girls very well, he felt a certain loyalty to the one that had saved his life. Music and the sea. Weren't those two things that Eric had decided were important to him? He wanted to marry someone that would share his love for music, someone that would run with him on the beach and go on adventures with him across the ocean. A girl that could swim well enough to save a grown man from drowning in a tempest had to love the sea. Plus, her voice...

All of these thoughts rushed around Eric's mind as he watched the silent girl. Just because he found her on the beach didn't mean she actually liked it. And her voice. She didn't have one. But she made him smile.

As if sensing his thoughts, the girl looked at him and grinned. Eric leaned on his hand and sighed. He really couldn't seem to take his eyes away from her. He had never wished that a girl could talk more, but in this moment, he wondered what it would be like if he could just talk to her.

"-in the way of a tour?"

Eric realized that Grim had been talking to him. "I'm sorry, Grim. What was that?" He turned to look at the old advisor.

"You can't spend all of your time moping around! You need to get out. Do something with your life. Get your mind off of-"

"Easy, Grim. Easy!" Eric didn't want to make his guest feel uncomfortable by talking about another girl in front of her. He didn't know much about women but he did know that they were prone to jealousy. "It's not a bad idea. If she's interested." He turned back to the girl. "Well, whaddya say? Would you like to join me on a tour of my kingdom tomorrow?"

She nodded.

"Wonderful!" Grimsby said. "Now, let's eat before this crab wonders off my plate."

Towards the end of dinner, the girl began to yawn openly. It wasn't very late, but anyone could see she was exhausted. Eric called for Carlotta and told her to see that the girl had a good room and everything she needed for the night.

"Of course, your highness."

The girl rose from her chair and Grimsby and Eric followed quickly.

"Well, so nice to have you staying with us, dear." Grimsby said. "Now, if you'll excuse me." He left the dining hall.

"Um," Eric started. "Nice having you here." He said.

The girl gave him yet another smile.

"Sleep well." he said. Before Carlotta and the girl reached the dining hall's large door, the girl turned around and waved, mouthing something that almost looked like "Goodnight."

Eric collapsed back in his chair. What a day, he thought. I need some air.

With Max following closely behind, Eric went outside. I'm not going to think about anything. He thought. He and Max ran around the castle grounds. Eric whistled. "Come here boy!" Max ran to him. and licked his face. Max was such a loyal friend. He was simple, loving, and playful. Eric scratched the dog's fluffy head affectionately. After everything, at the end of the day, Eric was glad to have his dog.

Eric got the feeling that someone was watching him. He looked up and saw the girl. She was leaning out of her window, gazing at him. Eric waved. Startled that he had caught her, she waved back and inched back into her room. Eric sighed. There was something special about this girl with the long red hair.

"Come on, Max. Let's go in."

When Eric got to his room, he pulled off his shirt carefully. With all of the excitement of the day, he had forgotten about the bruises on his torso. Now, looking at his reflection in his mirror, he was glad to see that they were already fading. Eric kicked his boots off and jumped onto his bed. Max followed him. He flopped down and rested his big head on Eric's stomach. "What do you think of her, Max?" Eric asked. "Could she be the one?"

Max barked.

"Yeah, she's very nice. I don't know, though. That other girl, the one that saved me. When I saw her, I just knew that she was the one. But now I'm starting to feel the same way about…"

Max was whining loudly.

"You don't understand anything I'm saying, buddy."

Max licked his face.

"Alright, Max. Goodnight to you too."