It takes a while for the emotional high to lower for all of us. Even Sir Hans shed some tears, although he will forever deny that.

It’s… different, for me. These people, being family... trusting them? It’s not my usual. We’re still relative strangers, but life has thrown us together, and we’ve made the best of it.

“We are thinking of naming her Arianna,” Jenny says softly.

I jerk back, surprise making my jaw gape. “What?”

She smiles. “It’s the name of my mother’s mother. She would have some wonderful role models who also carry her name.”

It’s an honor I’m not sure I can accept. “But—“

“Dear, hush. It’s a name we love, and if you’re alright with it, the rest of us have already chosen. Our other children love it, even though they do not understand fully.” Jenny smiles again, the tenderness bringing out her beauty in a glow bathing her in glorious motherhood.

“But—“

“Now, we’d also like to name you her fairy godmother, seeing as how you have the spirit of a fairy living in you for the foreseeable future,” Sir Hans adds.

My jaw drops to the ground and stays there.

“Joking, joking.” Sir Hans puts his hands in the air, as if warding off some infernal creature.

I roll my eyes. “If ever there was a fairy godmother, I’d hate for her to have to watch out for you.”

He nudges my shoulder, one brow raised and steely eyes twinkling in the mischief of a boy, not a grown man. “Have you perhaps considered the reason you don’t have one?”

I huff, partly in amusement. “You well know that only royalty gets godmothers.”

“Minx, I know for a fact if you did once upon a time have one, she’s dead by now. Heart attacks do that to a fairy.”

“And how would you know it’s a she and not a he in this hypothetical situation?” I ask, bemused by this entire conversation.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

“I am the expert on god-mothers,” he says.

Jenny laughs until I mock glare at her. She pats my hand, her lips drawn into a firm line. She lets out an unladylike burp.

My eyes widen as she says, “Oh, dear.”

Hans laughs, deep and joyful, slapping his knee. I grin, knowing how much laughter hurts my still-healing ribs.

“I did not marry a street bumbkin, honey. Do stop rolling around on the ground.”

“Yes, love.”

That makes me chuckle despite the ribs, until she levels cool blue eyes on me instead of her cowed husband. “And you—"

I hold up my hands in surrender. "I'm just a little girl. No need for ire."

Her eyes twinkle even as she frowns. "Just a little girl? No, Aria, you are much more than that."

I smile at her, tentatively reaching out and squeezing her hand as she has done to me when showing she cares. Her smile makes it all worth it. "Jenny, you and Hans have been my rock while I was adrift. I can never say how much you both have come to mean to me." I just hope they never know how I once thought they betrayed me.

She kisses my forehead. "Same with you, my dear."

~~~

The competitors are encouraged to go to a ball thrown at the castle tonight... but I can't. If I must choose between trying to find the assassin against the prince or saving my family, that is an easy choice, at least for me. Family will always come first.

I escape the mushy, lovey dovey couple, telling them I need some time to myself. And they need some time for each other. I think I've been taking up all of Hans spare time... and Jenny's, too. They also need to see to their other children, and hopefully keep their daughter away from me. I shudder, some of the looks she threw my way at the few dinners I could attend were absolutely terrifying.

And I do need some time! But I also have a mission.

The messenger under the bridge presses a flimsy sheet of paper into my hand, and I give him a copper. He salutes me, and I quirk a brow. He sheepishly looks at the ground and scrunches his shoulders up, going back to a book he had on the crate where he sits. I sigh, feeling a little bad for embarrassing him.

So I wait until he looks up again, and give him a salute that feels really weird and awkward. I've never saluted anyone in my life.

But his eyes light up and he grins under the fake beard that is supposed to make him look older. I suspect he's only a few years older than Jack.

I duck my head and quickly exit the awkward exchange, even though we didn't exchange a word. Grand.

I duck into a back alley, take a few twists and turns, nod to a homeless woman, giving her a copper—even though I shouldn't as she's likely either an agent for a Guild or will blow it on ale.

But in my heart I hope it'll help her in some way.

She gives me a gap-toothed grin, her eyes shining with tears. "I'se treasure this forevers, Mistress Guardian."

I smile at her under my hood, still feeling a little awkward from the previous exchange with the boy, but I give her a small wave and nod as I head down the next alley.

I clamber to a rooftop, and sit on the rafter watching the sun. Either I have a guide... or I don't. And if I don't... it'll be plan C. And I really don't want to do plan C.

My heart pounds with a mixture of anticipation and dread. I open the paper, and my heart drops.

Plan C it is.