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With my basket in tow, I was ready to go. This time, I intended to walk straight out the front door of the castle and not end up in a maddening, dangerous loop of faerie circles. I set my mind to the task at hand and focused. No daydreaming today, I scolded myself.

I exited the kitchens first, then the private royal wing, before finally entering the main thoroughfare. The hallways were nearly empty compared to my evening stroll with Forrest.

Along my path, I nearly ran into a man with round, molten gold eyes and thick eyelashes.

He stuck out a gentle hand. "Whoa there."

I looked up and gave my first genuine smile of the day. "Hawthorne!"

He returned his own easy smile and bowed. "Well met, princess. Where are you headed on this beautiful day?"

"The greenhouses."

He fell into step beside me.

"And you?" I asked.

"The library."

"An excellent choice."

He grinned. "I thought you’d approve."

"Do you mind if I walk with you?"

I shook my head. "Not at all."

He quickly fell into step beside me and lowered his voice. "I’ve made inquiries… about your sister."

"What have you learned?" I asked in a rush of breath.

"Not as much as I hoped. Briar’s movements are hard to track. I can’t tell you where she is, but I can confirm she is alive and well."

Relief flooded me. The fae realm was filled with danger. I had been too afraid to even consider that Briar might not have made it. That she might have died. Something that had almost happened to me twice in just weeks. "You’re sure?" I asked.

He nodded. "Certain. I wish I had more to tell you."

I shook my head. "Thank you. That is enough for now. My heart is full knowing she is well. You’ll keep asking?"

He gave me a thumbs up. Something I had never seen a fae do before. "Until we get that wedding invitation to her."

I laughed softly. "You’re very kind." Then I hesitantly asked a question. I knew I was still talking to a fae, no matter the distant human blood in his veins. "Is there anything I can do for you? Any repayment?"

He lowered his head humbly. "Helping you is helping the court. No further payment is necessary."

I smiled.

We entered a crowded thoroughfare, and he offered his arm out for me to take. "Better not to get separated."

I accepted his arm, and he made polite conversation. "Do you have any hobbies, Princess Georgia?"

This was the sort of conversation I was used to, the sort that filled the ballrooms and salons of my old life. So, I answered easily, "Perhaps, it is strange to admit this to one of your kind, but I enjoy horticulture immensely. Watching plants shoot up from the earth, nurturing them, and marveling in their beauty."

"And utility," he added.

"Sometimes," I agreed.

"Have you had time to read that book I recommended?"