The morning came and found Lena still awake after pacing through a sleepless night. She was well used to long sleepless nights at home. She reveled in the evening hours as they were the only moments she had not controlled by others. The night is when she often found herself in the most mischief, but tonight there was no mischief to be had. Her thoughts haunted her. The conversation she overheard plagued her. It explained much of the Prince's behavior towards her and gave her pause to dislike him.

Cassie had brought breakfast and was surprised when she found Lena dressed and sitting at her desk. The bed was still perfectly made.

"You have made quite the impression."

"I'm sure," Lena grumbled. Readying herself for the day. Cassie had stopped into Lena's room to deliver the gossip spreading through the staff at the castle.

"Truly, you were all anyone could talk about all night, what happened?"

"I don't particularly care to talk about the Prince." Lena had spent half the night thinking on him and the shared words she had overheard.

"Well I saw that you seemed to make quite the impression on Lord Slater."

Lena wrinkled her nose, "he was rather forward."

Cassie scoffed, "His late wife was truly a dear flower. Soft spoken and sweet. Ever since she died, he's been prowling over one woman after another. There never seems to be any end to his gall."

Lena shook her head, "Truly, he is a bizarre sort of man."

"and you met Lady Kason"

"More like she pounced on me. Is she someone important I should know?"

Cassie shrugged, "She visits the castle often enough. Her father is member of the council of Lords. She is very interested in- well-" Cassie cut herself off awkwardly.

"Interested in the Crown Prince? Trust me, I gathered as much myself."

Cassie winced slightly. "Luckily you're already married otherwise she would likely try to push you from the tallest tower."

"I suppose she still could. Perhaps the Crown Prince would even help her." Lena muttered darkly.

Cassie shook her head, "He wouldn't lift a finger to help her. Michael has told me the lengths they go through to avoid her."

Lena raised her eyebrows at the familiar sounding name. "You couldn't mean,PrinceMichael, my recently graced brother-in-law?"

Cassie blushed red. "Yes, thank you for correcting me.PrinceMichael."

Lena smiled, "It sounds like you've got a story to tell me."

"Oh look at the time," Cassie said, standing suddenly. "I've told Barbara I'd help her with the afternoon meal!"

"I'll find out soon!" Lena called after Cassandra who quickly bolted from her room.

-/-

Lena had woken too late for breakfast and her grandparents were no where to be found. Lena was familiarizing herself with the castle and it's many rooms and long halls when she came across the king.

"Good morning, your highness." She bowed her head in greeting.

"Please, call me Gordon, my dear." He said, a crease between his eyebrows indicating worry. "As it happens, I set out to find you this morning."

Lena was intrigued suddenly at what the king could have to speak to her about.

"Milord?"

"Well, it's the business last night. and well- the entirety of your stay in this castle. you've not been treated as you ought. Not as a brave young woman joining this family and many apologies are in order."

The King looked completely beside himself with guilt.

"Not at all. I've found myself in good spirits." Lena put all she had into the lie.

His shoulders dropped. "You are too kind to an old man, Magdalena. I know that this can't be easy for you. This marriage cannot be ideal to you. I am afraid that my scheming with your grandfather has ensured you many unhappy weeks amongst strangers in a strange surrounding.

"Truly, I actually was just on my way to the stables to take a ride across the countryside. I am not so unhappy."

A little of his guilt left him and her words left him with hope. Hope that she did not resent this arrangement as much as his son obviously did.

"I'll leave you to it then, my dear."

Lena headed towards the stable with the sole intention of making an honest woman out of herself. She had not intended on visiting the stables at all, but it was all she could think of to convince the King she was not as miserable as he imagined.

The stables were a strange comfort. They looked almost exactly like the stables at Layton. Even the air thick with dust and the smell of leather and horses was the same. It brought a smile to her face.

"Whatcha here for?" a voice asked from beside her. Lena turned and saw a young boy maybe the age of fourteen. His dark hair was turned brown with dust that was spread across his face and his clothes. It looked as if he had been rolling on the ground. She only barely recognized him as the youngest Prince.

"I'm looking for a horse. What are you doing?" She asked. Nathan. The name came to her mind as the boy studied her with curiosity.

"I'm cleaning out stalls." He raised the pitchfork in his hand for emphasis. "It's a punishment. I've got to do it the whole month."

"What did you do?"

"I brought home a snake."

"You are cleaning stalls for a month for bringing home a snake?"

"The snake laid some eggs and one snake turned into about twenty five." NAthan had a wide smile, reliving the memory. "Of course, I still probably wouldn't have gotten in too much trouble, but there was some visiting foreign man who tried to step on one of my snakes and got himself bitten. I had to get rid of them after that and now I have to clean the stables."

"Well, I can understand where the King is coming from."

"Yeah" Nathan said, sadly. "What are you looking for a horse for?" He asked, his attention turning from his woes.

"I was going to go riding."

"I didn't know girls like to go riding."

"Do you know very many girls?"

The boy shook his head, "No but my mother never rides anywhere."

"She probably has more important things to do than me."

"What do girls like to do?"

Lena laughed, "Girls do the same things boys do."

"that's not true. Girls don't fight or spit."

"Girls can spit! And maybe most girls don't fight but maybe they just don't do it in front of boys."

"You can spit? Really?"

Lena tried to keep a straight face but Nathan was just too cute. "Yep."

"Show me."

She spit on the ground, but Nathan did not look convinced. "You don't spit very good." He said, dissapointed. Lena felt suddenly offended like she had to prove to this young boy that she could do something right.

"Well, that's not what I'm an expert at."

"What are you an expert at?" He asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Would you like to see?"

He nodded his head emphatically.

"Watch this." Lena smiled, stepping back. She pulled her skirt and bunched it together, tying her skirt tight to keep it secure. It wasn't perfect, but it would work for a very short demonstration.

She went into a handstand and the boy reveled in riotous joy. Lena walked a few steps forward and backwards and then finished by holding herself up one-handed. When she pulled herself up, Nathan's eyes were wide with wonder.

"All girls can do that?" He asked, incredulous.

"Not all girls, but I can and I had a teacher. She was a girl."

"Did you show Garrett that you can stand on your hands?"

Lena laughed, "no. I haven't had the chance to tell him yet."

"Well you should." Nathan said, his countenance turning serious. "Maybe if Garrett knew you could stand on your hands, he wouldn't think marrying you was so bad."

Lena smiled, proud that the boy had decided that maybe she wasn't a horrible wife afterall.

"Maybe I'll go talk to him."

"He's seeing the doctor now! You could go there and show him that you could stand on your hands and he'd see that it isn't so bad marrying a girl!"

"I don't see how that would make much of a difference."

"Trust me. I know my brother." Nathan said wisely. "He's been real upset recently about having to marry a girl. Once he realizes you're not so bad, he'll feel a lot better."

Lena was truly touched that Nathan considered her 'not so bad', but it was unlikely Garrett would see things the same way.

"Maybe I will go see him." A conversation was long overdue. It was unlikely she would use her skills in acrobatics to try and woo him but she felt a sudden urge to try something.

-/-

Lena had to ask directions to find the doctor. She was directed to his study, surprised to find it on the same floor as most of the rooms.

Lena opened the door slowly, afraid she was given the wrong directions, but her confidence built when she saw the tables strewn with bottles and boxes. The room held a handful of beds with simple clean bedding and at the closest bed, she saw the Prince and the doctor. Their conversation was interrupted by her entrance.

"Lady Magdalena." The doctor was the first one to speak. He stood from the bed and bowed. The Prince only looked on towards her with a slight frown. "Are you well?" The doctor asked, worry touching his brow.

Lena laughed at the look in his eyes, "Yes, I am well. I am only looking for the Prince."

The doctor gave her a wide sparkling grin and she thought she could see the Prince's frown steepen at her words.

She turned to look at him fully. He was sitting with his sleeves rolled up to the elbow. The same cuts across his upper arm looked red and painful. Bloodied bandages were discarded on the table near the Prince. Lena remembered the way he supported her in the dance the night before and her concern rose.

"Your arm!" She stepped forward to take in a better scope of his injury.

"What is it you want?" The Prince asked tersely, drawing his sleeve down over his injury and out of sight. Red ghosts of blood appeared on his white shirt where his wound was and Lena was forced to look into his eyes. She was clearly interupting something that made him angry.

"Well, I can just leave you two-" The doctor started.

"You'll stay Ernest. I have things to finish today. The sooner you are finished with me, the faster I can get on my way."

The words he had shared with his father were still fresh in her mind. His contempt was obvious and it only brought her fear. She wanted suddenly to beg forgiveness, turn from them, and quickly return to her room, but however hard this conversation was about to be, it couldn't be harder than not knowing.

She gathered her courage and smiled sweetly at the poor doctor who looked trapped.

"Perhaps the Lady has something she would prefer to remain private." The doctor tried.

"There is no private confidence between the Lady and I. You will stay."

The doctor stopped at the Prince's command. He looked uncomfortable. The Prince's words were rude and assuming. It was only more of what she had experienced at his hand the night before except today the Prince's behavior did not surprise her.

"Milord, " she said with a slight curtsey in greeting. She took a deep breath and her hands pulled at each other in nervousness. "I only want to find an understanding between us. I heard you talk of your willingness to play your part in this upcoming farce of a marriage. I thought you could tell me what part you want me to play. Perhaps then, our efforts would be coordinated."

The Prince frowned and the doctor froze, coughing violently into his sleeve. Her words surprised them both.

"You have adapted to the gossip here unnaturally fast." He spoke dryly.

She bristled at his poorly veiled accusation. He knew nothing about her but he had a low opinion of her. "No. I heard it from you myself. Last night."

"Should I start checking behind curtains before I engage in private conversations?"

Her anger swelled towards him at the reminder of his simple betrayal. "If you wish for your conversations to remain private I would suggest you refrain from shouting them across the castle like a petulant child."

His eyes flared dangerously and Lena felt instantly she had crossed a line. She was angry and hurt, it was true, but she had not come here as an act of war. She came here in an attempt to find some camaraderie.

"Forgive me, Milord." She said at once. she held up her hand in a sign of peace. "I have not come to aggress. I had overheard your passionate objections to me and rather than spin plots in silence, I only thought an honest conversation between us was overdue. Whether you like it or not, our lives are somewhat intertwined."

He was silent a long time and for a moment, they regarded each other equally. Lena's eyes went back to his soiled sleeve. She could hardly imagine that he had danced with her the night before. Taking her hand and supporting her weight, all the while hiding such an injury.

Garrett Leopold Hallmont was obviously a man worth fearing. He was handsome enough to please any woman, but in him there was a raw strength and power that Lena knew to be wary of.

"I have no objection against you, but do not want a wife. I won't pretend any different."

"I am here against your wishes, does that fate us to be enemies?" She asked.

"If not enemies then what?"

"It might be in both our best interests to become acquaintances or perhaps even possibly friends." Her words sounded pathetic. Was it so hard to imagine that they could be civil towards each other?

"It would be in your best interest to return home. Abandon everything about this place." His voice was full of bitterness

Lena could not control her laughter at his response. She wouldn't have the courage to face her grandparents if she abandoned this marriage. Especially within the first week. The Prince did not appreciate her laughter. His ever-present scowl only became more menacing. She clasped her hands together in front of her to stop herself from fidgeting under his gaze.

"My words were meant in earnest."

"Believe me, Milord. I would not think you capable of jesting. I only thought your suggestion to be humorous."

"I am doing you a favor. If our marriage were to proceed, it would be in title only. I have no interest in friends and even less interest in a wife."

All semblance of humor fled. Here he was, asking her to retract a marriage he committed to only the day before. She could have sunk into the ground. She was unwanted. Completely. She began to panic then wondering how she would endure such a marriage with a man who so obviously despised her.

"Then forsake the marriage yourself."

"I cannot, for my King commands it."

"Should I then alienate myself from my family and everything I've ever known?" She asked but he had no answer for her. His eyes were locked on her with intensity and Lena could not bear the weight they gave her "My grandfather may not be a king, but he is my family and he has arranged this marriage, not me. I am in obligation to you just as you are in obligation to me. I have never been allowed to dream of love in marriage and I will certainly not exile myself now in pursuit of it at your request." Much to her shame, she lost a war against stubborn tears that fell down her cheek. Tears for her lost friendship and tears for being so soundly rejected. "I am sorry I cannot give you what you wish, milord."

Her only option was to flee now or risk looking even more foolish. "Please forgive my intrusion on your morning" She barely managed to choke out the words. She acknowledged the doctor with a nod, keeping her eyes lowered, "Thank you both." She said before she turned and walked briskly out of the room. It was only for want of avoiding more eyes on her back that she did not break out into a run.

"Wait!" She heard the Prince calling behind her. Lena attempted to walk more briskly from the doctor's study. AS fast as she could go without breaking into a run and forgoing all dignity. She made it down the stairs, through the foyer and outside into the cold air before the Prince caught up to her. "Forgive me." He said, walking alongside her easily.

Surely he only took pity on her with her face red and tears still rolling down her cheeks. "I forgive you, milord."

She walked down the steps and turned into the gardens but her acceptance of her apology did not stop him from following her.

"It was a mistake to ask you-" Lena could endure his words no longer. She stopped trying to run and turned to him, effectively silencing the rest of the words he had for her.

"Please, I appreciate your honesty. Truly, there is nothing to forgive." and he stood in silence, his eyes stormy and deep.

"Did you show him?" Nathan walked up behind Garrett and Lena turned suddenly, hiding her red tear filled face from the boy.

"Did she show me what?"

"Well, obviously not. If she had shown you, you would know."

Lena managed to dry her eyes and school her face into a smile. She turned to face them both.

"I didn't show him yet. I thought it was a better idea to save it for later."

Nathan looked at her, his eyes falling back into the same suspicion that he had first used with her.

"Have you been crying?" He asked. Lena smiled tightly.

Garrett placed his hand firmly on his brother's back, "Maybe it's time for you to go find some trouble to get into."

"Yeah," He looked between his brother and Lena slowly before brightening instantly, "maybe I should go get some pastries from the bakery in town! Those always cheer everyone up!"

"Go ahead."

Nathan sent Lena one last wicked smile, revealing that he was only distracted so easily at the prospect of escaping his chores.

Lena almost asked him to stay. Asked him not to leave her alone with his brother. She took a few steps back, wanted to run away again, but Garrett reached out and grabbed her arm, steadying her and disrupted her thoughts at the same tie.

She recognized the look in his eyes. It was the same look that she saw in his father's eyes earlier in the morning. She imagined having a similar conversation with him and she jumped to speak before he could take them both down that road.

"My heart has grown too heavy at the moment for me to trust myself with conversation. I would beg you to allow me to collect my thoughts. Know that I am grateful for the audience and your honesty, Milord."

He didn't want to let her go. She could see that his eyes burned with unspoken words, but to her relief, he nodded. He took her hand and bowed his head.

"I will give you leave." He said. Lena did not waste a single moment before turning and walking as quickly from him as her legs would carry her.

Garrett returned to Ernest feeling truly black and horrible. His heart pricked with guilt and self loathing. The girl had only come to talk. Her honesty had truly shaken him to the core. Hadn't he made his feelings towards her obvious enough? She had called him a petulant child and he felt justly and completely schooled.

She may have overheard his argument with his father through sneaking or subterfuge, but he remembered his anger the night before enough to know that he had been near shouting. After his mistreatment at the ball and the little care he had taken over her feelings, she had elected to speak with him.

It was admirable beyond any action he had shown.

"I would bend you over my knee and give you a paddling myself if I wasn't aware of your own inner turmoil." Ernest said, arriving at his back with a scowl on his face.

Garrett turned, leading the both of them back to the infirmary.

"You words are unnecessary. I was able to see the look on her face for myself." Garrett said, his chest had tightened and refused to release under the guilt he felt.

Ernest looked the Prince over curiously. His mood had turned for the absolute worst. His shoulders were in a tense volatile state and his eyes were almost murderous.

"You won't struggle with keeping the poor Lady Magdalena away from you now." Ernest said, casting lure to catch what he was already beginning to discern. Garrett's scowl deepened.

"Stitch me back Ernest." Garrett growled and Earnest turned to hide his growing smile. It was just as he thought. The beautiful little bird had already managed to catch the Prince's attention against his wishes.

-/-