The prince was right, there was nothing they could do about it at the moment, but that didn't stop him from worrying all the same. Maybe it was the fact that there was nothing that they could do at the moment that had him so on edge. Emris had never not had something to do, so this was something that would take a little getting used to. As he followed after the Prince, he a drew mental map of  the area, marking any places or objects that stood out to serve as landmark until he could familiarize himself a little more with the layout of the castle.<br/><br/>The sudden shift in atmosphere had Emris breathing a little easier, not constantly feeling like he was suffocating. It was amazing that such a run down section of the castle could be more welcoming than the rest of the place. Maybe the numerous number of plants lining the hall had something to do with that. It reminded him of being outdoors with nothing but the sky over head, no walls closing him in, something he craved almost constantly—now more than ever—and the plants were as close he'd get to being out in nature. He started to ask the Prince why there were so many plants but found himself distracted with the way man's hair seemed to glitter in the sunlight. Once again he finding himself wanting to touch the golden tresses. Silently reprimanding himself, he looked away focusing instead on the plants as they walked.<br/><br/>Reaching the room, Emris came to a stop in the doorway, taking in the size of it all. He imagined his own home could fit quite snugly inside, "It's...big." he commented for lack of anything better to say. To say that it was more room than he was used to was an understatement and while the room itself was awe-inspiring, it was the trees that drew his attention and he approached them, wanting to get a closer look. He'd never seen anything like it. Reaching up, he went to touch the pale gold leaves but stopped halfway, his hand falling to his side. It was neither the place nor the time to get distracted by pretty things.<br/><br/>The prince speaking up had him stepping away from the trees, taken aback at the appearance of the hidden door. Of course the castle would have secret passages, he shouldn't be all that surprised. Leaving his things on the bed he followed after the prince, trying to ignore how the space had his heart sounding like it was in his ears, his breathing shallow. Coming out of the other side, the glass room welcomed him with open arms and he finally breathed out, not at all looking forward to having to go back through the passages. The only source of solace he found was that he wasn't likely to run into the Witch in there and it helped. But just barely.<br/><br/>"Do you sleep here too?" He said, only half joking as he stepped fully into Bazel's study. Emris had never much cared for books, but he could see how someone could get lost in here for days on end. He imagined that the plants in the hall were probably the Prince's doing as well, given the number of plants here. He still didn't know what to make of the other man, but his earlier statement of not being used to company made a little more sense now. He still hadn't yet figured out if the man was just naturally as anxious as he seemed or if it was partly because of the Witch and her curse.<br/><br/>Watching Bazel disappear back into the passages, Emris briefly wondered just how often the prince used them that he could move around so easily in the dark. Left alone in the study, he walked through labyrinthine cluster of plants and shelves, careful not to wander too far. He made a conscious effort not to touch anything, though it lasted only a few minutes before he gave into the impulse, trailing his fingers over the spines of the books that lined the shelves. There were more books than he had the patience to even try and count. How many had the prince read?<br/><br/>By the time the prince returned Emris had moved back to the desk, studying the nearly black rose bush, "Do you look after all of them?" he said watching as Bazel dragged over the heavy chair. He almost offered to help but stopped, not knowing if the prince would be offended by the offer. Shaking his head at the prince's question, he examined the tray for a moment, only just realizing how hungry he really was. Between the Prince's unexpected visit and leaving for the castle he'd forgotten to eat. "Just the one," he said, grabbing two pieces of fruit and holding one out to the prince as he took a seat on the edge of the reading chair, "The trees back in the other room. What are they called?"