“Solara? We have finished here. Are you feeling alright?”

Not wanting the prince to worry, she quickly composed herself and forced a smile. “Sorry. I must have been zoning out.” She stood up, taking a step back from him.

He noticed the small gesture but decided to think nothing of it. He led her out into the hallway as not to disturb his father. “I am free for a little while now. If you would like, we can chat for a bit.”

Solara smiled but decided against it. She wanted to have a chat with that intruder. “I am sorry, Michael, but I will have to decline. I left Richard in such a rush, I would like to go say goodbye properly.”

Michael nodded at her request. “I have to attend a ball tonight at my Fiance’s kingdom. I will not be home until late tonight. Will you be alright without me? I will not be here to protect you if another attacker comes. I could ask-”

“Michael, I promise you that I will be just fine. He just caught me off guard today. I can take care of myself. Besides, I am sure the guards will be on high alert now so please, go enjoy your evening.” She gave him a warm smile. “Thank you for worrying about me, Prince.”

“I am always worried about you… Who knows when my father will decide to be rid of you.” He ran a hand through his golden locks, sighing.

“He has let me go thus far so I am sure he will not do such a thing now. I must be off. I will speak with you in the morning.” She waved before heading back off towards the garden.

Michael watched her leave, a heavy feeling in his stomach. He didn’t like the thought of leaving her alone for the night but he wouldn’t go against her wishes. After she was out of sight, he made his way back to the conference hall to meet with his father.

When Solara made it back to the garden, Richard seemed distressed. “Miss Solara! Are you alright? Nothing happened to you, did it?”

Solara looked at the old man with a smile. “No, I am quite alright. No harm has come to me. There was an intruder and he seemed to be after me for one reason or another. He has been contained but I am planning on questioning him myself.”

The man let out a sigh of relief. “I am glad… I thought you may have been hurt. But after you? Does he know about your origin?”

She thought on his face for a moment. “Not that I know of… He did not seem familiar at the time, but everything moved so fast I did not get a good look at his face…”

Richard looked out over the garden as if deep in thought. “If you plan to investigate further into this, I ask that you are careful. I would hate to see anything happen to you.”

“Thank you, Richard. You really are a kind man. I should go now. It is best to get the information as soon as possible.” She curtsied to him and smiled brightly. “ I do not deserve a friend such as yourself.”

The old man laughed. “Such flattery. Thank you. I will see you again when you visit. Please come soon. This old timer gets lonely.”

“Of course. Goodbye, Richard.” She smiled and went back through the large wooden castle doors. She walked through the corridors as normal but as she turned a corner, she turned herself into a brown cat. She was small and petite. Hoping it wouldn’t be too obvious, she snuck past the guards at the top of the staircase and made her way to the dungeon where the prisoner was held.