As Caitriona stepped back, Aleksander took a step forward, catching the girl in his arms. He flushed as soon as he held her, his arms instinctively wrapped around her. This was Princess Caitriona of Aronia; the necklace and birthmark made him sure of this. But she had disappeared in the forest as a child, and everyone had presumed her dead. So where had she been all these years? And why show up now? She smelled different—not unpleasant, but not like anyone he had known. The scent of her hair reminded him of fresh rain, of pollen on a warm spring breeze, of fresh, open air and clear sunlight… things he could not describe but somehow knew for what they were. She smelled of the pleasantness of nature. The call of his name eventually filtered through his thoughts, and the prince pulled his attention away from the girl just long enough to notice his comrades staring at them. “The rest of you can finish without me,” he declared as he scooped Caitriona in his arms bridal style and hoped she didn’t object. “I need to take princess Caitriona home.” “Don’t be daft,” Peter said, suppressing a snicker and an exasperated look. “She’s been missing for years. More than likely dead. That is just—“ “Look at the necklace,” Aleksander snapped, firm resolve hardening his expression as he turned around to face the other men. “Only royalty ever wore this necklace, and as far as I know, none have been stolen or missing aside from the one that went missing with Caitriona. Look at the birthmark on her shoulder. Only one person has a birthmark like that. This is her, the lost princess.”