Alberic was back on his couch, a pillow resting on his face. His parents had been settled, finally, after seeing for themselves that Tamlin seemed to be comfortably asleep in her bed. After they had left, Alberic had ordered heavy locks installed on the door, with the keyhole on the outside. Guards had been posted around the bush. This was all on top of the wedding-based chaos of suddenly doubling the castle's population. He was very thankful that all of the servants that had come with his parents had been willing to jump right into whatever duties they could find. But mostly he was thankful for Kerin, who was juggling the ordering of all the household duties like someone who had done it all her life.

“Is Lady Kerin busy?” the prince muttered.

“I'm not sure, sir, would you like me to inquire?” asked the ever present footman.

“No.” Alberic sighed. “I'm sure she is. I just wanted her company. She's an incredible woman.”

“Yes Sir,” the footman replied in a careful monotone.

“Send for Neil. Maybe he has heard something about the witch hunt.”

“Yes sir.”

There was blessed silence for several minutes until his valet came in and, after failing to get his master's attention for more than a minute of standing nearby, got it by kicking the leg of the couch.

Alberic opened one eye to see who it was, then closed it again. “How are things?”

Neil took a seat in a nearby chair. “As insane as expected, and then some. Do you want the bad news, or the good news?”

“Oh no, is there bad news? Neil, I can't take any more bad news. My sister is drugged so that she doesn't go to that damn rosebush, my parents are annoyed with me over that, they think I run a circus here, I'm sure...Dinner was late and Kerin is too busy to reassure me. We should have eloped.”

“There is no sign of the witch yet. The footman told me that was what you wanted to know,” Neil answered.

The Prince groaned, “No, that is not what I wanted to know. I wanted to know that she had been found and had given us a simple solution to this whole mess! I did not want to know that no one has a clue where the old bat is.”

“Sorry.” Neil shrugged. “Witches are notoriously hard to find unless you don't want one.”

Alberic sighed. “I know. Sorry I'm such a grump. I shouldn't take it out on you.”

“I'm used to it. So, Sir. Do you want the news, or no?” Neil asked tentatively.

“Sure. Give me the good news first though.”

“The Wizard is sure now that the rose bush is magic, and works by luring in princesses and putting them to sleep.”

“But we already suspected that!” Alberic threw the arm that wasn’t covering his eyes into the air, flailing.

“But we didn't know it for sure,” Neil offered.

“Does he know how to stop it? Turn it off?”

The valet shook his head despite knowing that his prince wasn’t watching. “No, Sir. At least not last I heard from him.”

“Fine. It's something. We know the root of the problem. Ha ha, root. Gods, I am so tired.” The prince rubbed at his eyes.

Neil wasn’t done yet, though. “And the bad news?”

Alberic slumped back into a lump. “Oh, fine. Give me the bad news.”

“He determined this by standing there and watching another girl, another princess, presumably, climb over the wall using the ivy, walk to the bush, pick a rose, and promptly fall to the ground asleep.” Neil winced himself, partially with the memory of the rest of the staff telling him that it was his job to inform the prince.

“AAARGGHH!” Alberic clutched the pillow to his face and screaming into it. “He just let her? Why didn't the guards stop her?”

“The Wizard told them not to.”

The prince hugged the pillow to his face and was silent for several moments. Just before Neil started to worry he was trying to smother himself, Alberic asked “What did we do with her? Is she in with the others?”

“Kerin had told me that you didn't want your parents to know about the girls for some reason. So no, she is still in the gatekeeper’s cottage.”

“So we have three now? Well, three and a half, if you count my little sister,” Alberic confirmed.

“Yes sir.” Neil gently pulled the pillow away. “You should really go to bed soon.”

The prince replied while partially opening only one eye. “Probably. Though going to bed doesn't mean I'll be able to sleep. I'll probably lie awake worrying all night long. Make sure Kerin goes to bed though. She shouldn't wear herself out.”

Neil gently directed his prince to his own chambers and made sure that he would only be woken for the largest of emergencies. Then he replaced the Prince's usual glass of sherry and water with something much stronger, like a good servant and better friend.

When Alberic got to the breakfast table the next morning, he found Kerin and Neil sitting next to each other, talking. He guessed that it was about him, since they both stopped and looked up guiltily when he entered. Both looked tired, but probably far better than he himself felt. “Don't stop talking on my behalf,” he grumbled as he went to the buffet to stab some sausage onto a plate.

“Albie, you look awful. Did you sleep at all?” Kerin asked, sympathetically.

Alberic tried to stab some eggs without much success. “I must have, because some rotten valet of mine drugged me.”

“I didn't drug you.” Neil said. “I just strengthened your drink so you would get some real sleep. Stop whining.”

“Now I have a headache and I still don't know what to do about anything!” Alberic gave up on the eggs turned back to the table.

Kerin just shook her head. “Albie, stop whining.”

“Yes dear.” Alberic plopped himself into the chair next to Kerin and she poured him a cup of tea.

“Drink that, it will help the headache. I promise I won't let Neil touch it,” his fiancé told him, while Neil snickered on the other side of her.

The Prince took a sip of tea, then turned to his meal. “So, any more bad news over night that I need to know about?”

Kerin cringed. “Tamlin broke a window and tried to climb down, but there was nothing for her to use. The maid called the guards and they hauled her back. Lumber has been put over all of the windows.”

Alberic looked up, alarmed. “Did she hurt herself?”

“Small cuts only. Nothing her maid couldn't treat,” Kerin answered with a shake of her head.

“Move some of the guards nearer the house so they can see and raise an alert of she tries that, or anything else, again.” The prince tapped his knife restlessly on the table top. “And some inside in the hallway, too. Someone took her some food, I hope?”

“I did it myself.” Kerin finished her own breakfast and sat to enjoy her tea before getting back to work. “I'm surprised your parents aren't down yet.”

The prince made a face. “Maybe they were just tired from traveling. And thank you for reminding me that I need to eat faster so I can be gone before they get here.”

“Albie, that's rude. You invited them here early on purpose, I thought.”

“I just needed their staff! My parents are fine, just... I always stress myself out to live up to some standard that they never even talk about but I do it anyway. So I constantly have a headache when I am living with them. Kerin, can we please manage some time tonight with just us? Even if it's just sitting in silence somewhere no one can find us?” Alberic tried not to whine, though he felt like it.

“We can try.” She kissed him as she rose and went to start another long day of coping.

Neil looked at Alberic. “What are your plans for the day?”

“Avoiding my parents, getting the rest of my letters in order so I can take time off after the wedding, and worrying about my sister. Was there any information to be found on the new princess they found yesterday?”

The valet shrugged. “Not much. She has some expensive jewelry on though, so not only does her family have money, but she can't have come too far down the road without it having been taken off her.”

Alberic threw up his hands. “Where is this silly bush finding them? I know every Princess in this whole kingdom! And she's sleeping upstairs!” A loud clatter and crashing sounds shook the room and gave lie to his words.