Prince Alberic regarded the old lady with a bit of distrust. “No, really, it’s fine. A reward is not necessary.”

“Oh, I insist. It’s the rules. If you don’t help the old witch, you get a curse, and if you do help, you get a reward.” She hobbled over to a filthy cloth sack under a nearby tree and rummaged around in it. “Hmm, no, not that... Maybe this? No, that would be for an older Prince…”

“Honestly Ma’am, it was really nothing, I don’t need…”

“AHHA! Here’s just the thing!” She turned and hobbled back to Alberic and handed him what seemed to be a stick. “It’s magic,” she stated proudly.

“What does it do? What do I do with it?” Alberic figured that maybe if he just played along, he could get back on his way sooner. It really hadn’t been a big deal to help the old lady pick up her broken cart and the melons that rolled all over the road, but he was still anxious to get home.

“It’s a magic plant. You plant it.” The witch looked like she wasn't surprised that a Prince was too slow to figure that out.

“Uh huh.” Alberic looked at the stick. “Do I need to do anything special with it?”

“No, just stick it in the dirt. Don’t worry, I made it simple. I don’t expect Princes to know much, you see. So it’s all included.” She nodded as if that was that, and then went back to her melon cart, gave the donkey a nudge, and headed off down the road, either to home or to find another Prince to break down in front of.

Alberic’s valet Neil made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a laugh. Alberic just sighed and tucked the stick under his belt.

“Let’s get home. I want to be there for dinner and this has delayed us long enough.”

“Yes, Sir. I’m sure dinner is what you are in a hurry for, and is has nothing to do with Lady Kerin’s arrival.”

“Of course it has to do with Kerin. But I want dinner too.”

*

“Albie!” Lady Kerin had arrived before they got back, and ran out to meet them. Alberic met her with open arms and swung her in a happy circle.

“Kerie, I’m glad you arrived safely. I’m so sorry I was late. Oh, that reminds me.” He didn’t let her go entirely, but enough to pull the stick out of his belt and hand it off to a servant. “Please give this to the gardener and tell him to plant it somewhere. Out of the way, preferably, because it’s supposedly magic and I have no idea what it will do.”

“How did you get a magic stick?” Kerin stepped back and straightened her gown, then offered Alberic her arm and let him lead her back into the manor.

“Some old lady, who might be a witch, overturned her donkey cart and Neil and I stopped to help her pick it back up. She insisted I take the stick.”

“Good thing you stopped, a curse just before the wedding could be inconvenient.”

“I wouldn’t want anything to wreck our perfect day,” he replied, stopping and turning to kiss her cheek. “My father made sure I knew to always help out strange old women, just in case. I’m very happy you are finally here to stay.”

“Pfft, you will be sick of me in a month of constantly being together. Just wait,” she teased.

“Never. Come on, let’s go find your “Welcome to your new home” dinner.”

Alberic was dealing with paperwork and estate business in the morning when the gardener asked for admittance.

“Sir, I have a report on the stick I was given yesterday evening?”

“Oh, yes? Did it do anything?”

“Yes, sir. It seems to have grown into a large rose bush. A red one.”

“A large one? Hmm. Where did you put it? Is it going to be a problem?”

“A bit behind the gateman’s hut, Sir. There was a spot there were a tree fell last winter, so it seemed a good spot for a mystery plant. The footman had told me it might be magic. And I guess it was.”

“Well, as long as it’s not going to be in the way. Are they nice roses?”

“Ehhh, I’ve seen better.”

Alberic smiled, and shrugged. “I suppose it could have been worse than a mediocre rose bush. Do keep an eye on it and let me know if it does anything else weird.”

“Yes sir.”

“Oh, as long as you are here, how are we for flowers for the wedding? Do we have enough blooming?”

“I hope so, Sir. We are trying to force a few things. It’s early in the year though, Sir, I do believe I mentioned…”

“Yes, yes, I know. I just don’t want to wait. Lady Kerin is worth rushing for, and she says she’ll understand if we don’t have many flowers. Just do the best you can.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Oh, and if you have anything right now, that won’t last until the ceremony, can you wrap them up nice and send them up to her today?”

“Of course, Sir.” The man bowed and backed out, but the Prince was already lost in thought about his lovely bride to be.

His family was arriving in a couple of days, and soon after they settled in the wedding would be held and they could live happily ever after. His family liked Kerin, and her family was noble enough to not be intimidated by his. In fact, Kerin’s father was one of his father’s hunting buddies. The Prince and the Lady had known each other for years and been planning to marry since shortly after they both hit puberty. They’d only waited this long because Alberic wanted everything on his own estate to be up and running and able to support his wife in the manner he wanted to.

He spent the afternoon with her. It was still too cool to sit in the garden, so they sat in the study with the biggest windows, and talked about decorating. Alberic hadn’t done much since he’d moved in, wanting Kerin’s opinions. As a result there was plenty to do, and some of it needed doing before the wedding guests arrived. Kerin had taken over directing the craftsmen and women, knowing that Alberic still had the rest of the estate to run. The staff already knew her of course, and she seemed to be settling in fine already. Alberic was still pleased despite not being at all surprised.

Morning was business time, and the evenings were, for now at least, dedicated to wedding planning and cuddling in front of a fire. A couple of nights after she had arrived, Alberic had given Kerin a letter from his own mother, and she was teasing him about the contents by giggling occasionally and not telling him why. He was playing along, though inside he was just enjoying her laugh too much to care.

There was a quiet knock from a servant, and Alberic got up and went to the door rather than disturb Kerin and her reading.

“What is it?” Alberic had told the entire staff that evenings were for romance and they weren’t to be disturbed unless there was an emergency. The servant looked nervous, so Alberic assumed something was wrong.

“Sir, the gateman sent word, Sir, he was most frantic… Sir, he found a body. A young girl. By the gatehouse, Sir.”

“A body? One of our staff?” Alberic stuck his head back in into the room. “Kerie, my darling, there is a problem. I’m going to have to leave to deal with it, I’m afraid.”

“What kind of problem?” she asked, putting her letter down and standing. “I’ll come with you.”

The Prince thought for a moment and shrugged. “Just stay back at first, please, until we know what is going on. I don’t want you hurt.”

Kerin looked surprised that it was possibly something serious after all, and not just the typical crisis that plagued large houses and large staffs.

They followed the nervous servant outside, and towards a group of about a dozen other household staff standing near the gatehouse with lanterns. It wasn't quite full dark, but the light was fading quickly. The gatekeeper watched Alberic and Kerin approach with a mix of nervousness and annoyance.

“Sir, I came to close up the gates at dark, like I always do, and found her laying just there, right in the path.” The gatekeeper gestured towards the large iron gates that isolated the coach-yard from the main road.

“You moved her?” The lady was now about ten feet away from the gates, still lying on the cobbles of the drive.

“Yes, Sir. She was in the way of my closing the gates, see. I couldn't get them closed with her in the way.” The gatekeeper seemed to think that this answer should have been perfectly obvious.

Alberic gestured for a light and bent to look at the body. “Has someone sent for a healer? Do we know if she is alive or dead?”

Kerin looked over his shoulder. “She's alive. You can see her chest moving, she's breathing. Someone did check to make sure she is not just passed out drunk, right?”

The Prince leaned closer and saw that the girl was young, well dressed, and healthy in every way except for being asleep on the cold cobbles of his driveway. He sniffed near her face, but didn't detect a scent of alcohol. She was wearing a travel cloak and there was a red rose lying near her right hand. Alberic stood. “Well, if she is alive, she needs to be moved indoors where it is warmer.” Two footmen moved in with a blanket, and arranged it to better carry the prone girl.

Kerin took over then, pointing to two of the maids that she recognized. “You two, lead them to a guest room, and get her clean and warm. Let me know if there is any mark on her, or signs as to her identity.” The ladies gave quick curtsies and bustled off to see to the mystery lady's comfort and safety. Kerin looked back to Alberic, who was standing and smiling fondly at her.

“We make a good team, Kerie.”

“We already knew that. And I don't mind a good interesting mystery, but not when we have so much to do in such a short time. And we need all of the guest rooms for, well, our guests.” She let Alberic take her arm and escort her back to the house, flanked by servants with lanterns.

“I will feel bad if she was coming to us for help and we are just now finding her. Did she look familiar to you at all?”

“No, not at all. You? These are your lands after all.”

Alberic shook his head as they stepped aside and the servants took themselves off and back to work. “Not at all. Well, hopefully either she will wake up, or someone will come looking for her.”

“I'll check on her. If anyone finds your healer, send her up, too.”

“She's probably at the huntsman's cottage. I'll send a runner to fetch her.”

Kerin sighed. “I suppose this means our snuggle time is over for the night.”

Alberic kissed her. “We'll have the rest of our lives. And I'm sure there will be many more distractions as our lives go by.”