"Okay, think ya got it now?"

Minnie shifted uneasily on the window seat; she felt rather silly for not understanding something that seemed so simple. But when she looked up, Mickey's encouraging smile made her smile back.

"Yes… I think so," she said, shuffling her feet. Mickey grinned and held out his hand as Minnie swallowed and nervously held out her own.

"All right…" Mickey said. "One, two…"

As he counted, both mice pumped their fists.

"Three!" he said, then his grin widened. "There ya go, paper covers rock! You win!"

Minnie blinked, then smiled widely and giggled.

"You're right, this is fun!"

Mickey chuckled, then glanced back down at their hands.

"Ya know, uh… y' still have t' cover the rock."

A faint blush immediately tinged Minnie's face as she looked down at her still flat hand. Slowly, she reached out and lightly laid her hand over his fist. When she glanced up, Mickey was still looking at their hands. She blushed even hotter, but he cleared his throat and drew it away.

"And there y' go," he said. "Ya really never played before?"

Minnie giggled and brushed back a lock of hair.

"Well, in my upbringing, lessons in hand games weren't exactly part of the regimen."

Looking sheepish, Mickey chuckled and scuffed his boot on the floor.

"Guess not," he said, and then his eyes grew somewhat distant. "My dad and I used to do this all the time when I was a kid. It's been a while."

Looking at the slight sadness in his eyes, Minnie took a deep breath before moving a little closer and gently placing a hand on his shoulder. He looked up with a slightly startled look. Minnie immediately blushed, but she didn't take her hand away.

"You were close to him, weren't you?" she asked softly. Mickey looked at her for a moment, then smiled slightly and nodded.

"Yeah," he said. "But, well… I'm more worried about Mom, really. She's been real sad and there's so much she's gotta do now."

"Can't you help her?" Minnie asked. Mickey shrugged.

"When I can. But I, uh… I'm still learning. So there's a limit to what I can do."

Minnie heard the uncertainty in his voice and frowned slightly. She might have known him only a few days, but their conversations so far gave her no indication that he was incompetent. In fact, she thought he was quite smart, and not just because she liked him…

Another blush instantly came at that thought. Minnie cleared her throat and lightly patted his shoulder.

"I know how you feel," she said. "I always wish I could help my father more, and I know he misses my mother."

Mickey looked up at her in surprise, and she realized she'd never mentioned her mother to him. Sympathy filled his eyes, along with an understanding she had never seen before.

"I'm sorry," he said gently. His words were heartwarming, and Minnie smiled.

"It's all right," she replied. "I was very little when it happened."

Mickey smiled sadly, then both sat uneasily for a few moments.

"So, do you know any games?" Mickey finally asked. Minnie brightened and nodded eagerly.

"I'll show you," she said. "Think of something."

Mickey blinked, then thought for a moment.

"Okay, I got something."

Minnie smiled and straightened up.

"Is it an animal, mineral, or vegetable?"

"Animal," Mickey replied, looking slightly confused.

"Is it in the room?" Minnie asked.

Mickey shook his head.

"Does it have a tail?"

He nodded, and Minnie smirked as she leaned against the sill.

"Is it Pluto?"

She giggled as Mickey's eyes widened and his jaw went slack.

"Whoa!" he finally said. Minnie giggled again.

"The trick is in asking basic questions first," she said. "After a while, you get a knack for it."

Mickey grinned at her.

"You're pretty smart," he said. Minnie blushed again and glanced at the floor, fiddling with her hair.

"Well, I… I don't know about that, but thank you," she said shyly. To her complete surprise, Mickey eagerly took her hands in his.

"No, ya are!" he said. "And you're so nice, and more beautiful than…"

His eyes went wide and he stopped talking. Minnie stared back at him, her cheeks hot pink. Other than her father, no one had ever called her beautiful without it being empty flattery. Mickey gulped loudly and let go of her hands.

"Uh… g-gosh, I… I, uh…" he stammered. Minnie pressed her tingling hands to her chest and was about to speak when a knock came at that door.

"Your Highness! Excuse me?"

Minnie gasped and quickly stood, grabbing Mickey's arm.

"J-just a moment, Daisy!" she called as she dragged him to the wardrobe.

"Ouch! Hey, what's…"

"Shh!" Minnie hissed. "That's my lady in waiting that I told you about, and believe me, you do not want her to see you in here!"

She pulled open the doors and Mickey's eyes went wide.

"Wait… you mean I gotta…"

"Yes!" Minnie said frantically. "Now get in there and for heaven's sake, keep quiet!"

With that, she shoved him in and shut the doors.

"All right," she called, quickly fixing her gown and the pins in her hair. Daisy came running in; she wasn't smiling, which was never a good sign. Minnie shivered slightly as fear for her father flared up again.

"Daisy, what is it?"

Her friend hurried over and took her hands.

"There's a message from your father," she said. "He wanted to come see you, but he still can't leave." Minnie frowned in confusion. Why would that be a problem? But what Daisy said next answered her question.

"He asked your stepmother to come instead. She'll be here tomorrow."

Minnie felt her throat tighten; the cold, biting letters from her stepmother were hard enough to deal with. What would she face her in person? Daisy frowned sadly.

"I could tell her you're sick…." She started, but stopped when Minnie shook her head.

"No," she said softly. "I'll have to face her again sooner or later."

Daisy sighed, knowing that the princess was much more dismayed than she would let herself admit. Far be it for her to bring up such a thing, of course, so she just patted Minnie's hand, feeling rather useless. It was times like these that made her wish etiquette didn't prevent her from being more of a friend.

"She won't be here long anyway," she said gently. Minnie blinked, coming out of her brooding, and managed a smile.

"Thank you," she said softly. "For telling me."

Her friend smiled back and dipped her head.

"Of course, your highness."

Suddenly a sneeze split the air; Daisy jumped and looked around wildly.

"What was that?" she demanded.

Minnie grimaced and looked over at the wardrobe, thanking heaven that Daisy hadn't been looking at her.

"I-it was me," she said quickly. "I think I might… um… might be coming down with a bit of a cold."

Daisy huffed and frowned.

"Well, with the awful heating in this place I wouldn't be surprised. I'll go see if I can find something to clear it up."

"Thanks, Daisy," Minnie said, glancing periodically at the wardrobe. As soon as Daisy left she hurried over and opened it. Mickey tumbled out, covered in various articles of clothing and his face red as a tomato. Minnie immediately blushed fiercely.

"I… a-are you all right?"

"Y-yeah…" he stammered, trying to untangle himself. "S-sorry 'bout that… it's just, uh… everything's all flowery n'…"

As Minnie blushed even more he broke off and gulped, his face even redder.

"I, I mean, uh… g-gosh… I'm sorry…"

As he fumbled, Minnie tried to stifle a giggle. Finally, she knelt beside him and helped pull off the rest of the clothes, trying to stifle her blush in an effort to ease his own embarrassment.

"No, it's okay. I'm sorry for pushing you in there like that, but it was the best thing I could think of."

Mickey chuckled sheepishly, then frowned slightly.

"Listen, I uh… I kinda heard what you were talkin' about."

Minnie bit her lip and stood, helping Mickey to his feet.

"Well, it's complicated," she said softly. Mickey sighed and glanced at his feet.

"Well, I… I guess I shouldn't come around tomorrow, then?"

"No!" Minnie exclaimed, and then blushed slightly at his surprised look. "I-I mean… no, please. Please come. Just wait in the trees and watch the window… I'll wave to you when it's clear."

Mickey gazed at her for a moment, then smiled and nodded.

"Okay," he said.

Minnie smiled in relief; for some reason, the thought of him just being nearby gave her much more confidence about tomorrow.

"You should probably go before Daisy gets back," she said. Mickey nodded reluctantly and both headed to the window. Before picking up the book, Minnie reached over and took her friend's hands.

"Thank you, Mickey," she said. He blinked, then smiled back.

"You're welcome," he said, then bowed and kissed her hand. "See ya tomorrow."

Minnie smiled widely as her cheeks heated again, wondering why she was blushing when she wasn't embarrassed.