Alison slowly came to with a headache, giving her a sense of déjà vu. She touched her temple before jerking her hand away. The pain surged through her head as she noticed that a bandage had been wrapped around her head, but the place where she had hit her head was damp. She sighed, wondering if her head had hit a rock in her garden.

Speaking of her garden, she didn’t recognize the room around her. It definitely wasn’t a room in her house, unless her mother did some extreme decorating. The room was covered in a rose floral wallpaper with dark furniture placed about. Everything looked like it would have cost a fortune to buy or make. Even the comforters that she was wrapped in looked like they were made of silk and down feathers.

She sat up and got a better look around of the place, noticing that the window pane was thick and made of stone. Alison walked over to the window carefully, finding that she was several stories high over a monstrous forest that she had never seen before. There were very few fields and a few rooftops, but she couldn’t see her home or the town where she worked. Panicking, she went to the door, which was huge and heavy, and pushed it open. She raced down the stairs, hardly noticing that she didn’t have her shoes on, and went to see if she could find help.

There was another huge door at the edge of the spiraling stairs, making her think that she was in a tower. She pushed that door as well and found herself in a hallway lined with fancy portraits and thick tapestries. She closed the door again and wandered about. The floor was cold as it was made of stone, Alison tried her best to stay on the rugs and carpets. She guessed it was still winter wherever she was since a cold draft wafted around her.

Suddenly someone came around the corner and jumped at the sight of Alison. Alison waved her hand and called out to the person. The person came towards her, carrying a stack of linens.

“How can I be of service?” the maid asked politely, giving a small curtsy. Alison paused for a moment, confused.

“Um, do you know where I am?” She asked as the maid smiled.

“You are in the magnificent castle of Cardonia, Her Majesty Queen Artemisia’s home,” the maid recited as Alison nodded, completely lost.

“Where’s Cardonia?”

“It’s located north of the country of Gaharvlen and west of the country of Coverlend on the mighty continent of Ostwynne,” the maid explained as Alison pursed her lips.

“And where would that be?”

“I don’t follow, madam.”

“Where is this continent of Ostwynne? Is it in the Pacific Ocean? Atlantic?” Alison prodded, hoping to get some sense from the maid. The woman looked confused.

“It’s surrounded by the Garvien Sea and the Coast of Ramou,” the maid continued, confused herself. Alison nodded, realizing that she wasn’t getting anywhere with the maid. Another figure turned the corner, startling Alison.

“Where the hell am I?” She called, startling the poor maid, who scuttled off when she saw the man with the pale hair. Alison walked straight at him and stood inches from him.

“I’ve brought you to your homeland by your grandfather’s wish,” the man answered honestly before Alison lost it.

“This is not my homeland! I was born in England in 1919! I am English, damn you!” Alison shouted, furious. The man sighed and shook his head.

“But you’re not. Maybe you weren't born there, but your father was born here and you mother has Cardonian blood, too,” the man informed with a sigh.

“Where is Cardonia, anyway? I may not know all the countries, but I know for sure that there is no Cardonia, nor Garvlen, nor Cloverland,” Alison reminded as the man shook his head.

“Gaharvlen and Coverlend, but I am very surprised that you haven’t heard of them. Your parents never told you about them?”

“Get to the point!”

“Well, since you’re so clueless, I’ll spell it out for you. You’re on Mytheria, in the country of Cardonia, which is far away from what you call ‘Earth.’ Many have speculated that it’s about a lightyear away,” the man informed before Alison started laughing.

“That’s fascinating, but I think I would know if I wasn’t on Earth and had traveled over nine billion kilometers! Now tell me the truth before I punch you in the nose,” Alison warned, growing angry. The man sighed and shook his head.

“I have an idea. The sun just set, so I’ll show the stars. Do you know the constellations of Earth, right? I’ll prove to you that you’re somewhere else, even if it means staying up all night,” the man explained as Alison bit her lip. She believed the man was crazy, but decided to indulge him a bit longer. She was in a strange place and he was the only who knew what she was talking about.

“Fine, but at least get me out of here. I don’t think the queen’s castle is where I’m supposed to be right now,” Alison answered as he gave her a strange look.

“Why not?”

“Because it’s the queen’s castle and I am a foreigner. I have no right to be here,” she explained, irritated that he would be so passive about it. She was sure if she was caught by someone else other than the maid, she might be thrown in the dungeon or something.

“You are quite welcome, I assure you. I am the queen’s right hand man, Sir Gideon of Sungura, the Wanderers of the East,” Gideon replied with a bow. Alison raised her eyebrow, wondering if she was supposed to be impressed.

“So why would the queen’s right hand man want to bring me here? And if you say it’s because my home is here, I going to punch you in the nose,” she warned as Gideon sighed.

“Look, our scientists believe that the gate between worlds is failing. Soon, the link between this planet, Mytheria, and Earth will deteriorate until it’s completely gone,” he explained, losing Alison.

“What? Are you talking about space travel?”

“Exactly. There are many scientists here that believe that we arrived here from Earth a few hundred years ago by accident. They think that there was a fluctuation of sorts that transports things from one point to another somewhere on Earth that caused it. We’ve learned how to track it and use it as we need. That’s how I was able to get there and back with you,” Gideon explained before Alison shook her head.

“But what does this have to do with me?”

“Well, your mother is half Cardonian and your father is a part of the Paka Clan. Your mother’s father thought it would be a good idea if I brought your parents back in case the gate closes off. He said that he needed to see his daughter again. Of course, then I found you first, which was a stroke of luck. Who knew that your father’s lilac eyes were a dominant trait?” Gideon laughed, making Alison’s head ache. This was a kidnapping, plain and simple.

“Then where are my parents?”

“I’m sure they’re looking for you, which is a good thing. There was a gate pretty close to your house, just a few yards inside the forest,” Gideon explained as Alison took a deep breath. “I’m sure they’ll be here soon, and if not, then I’ll go get them myself.”

“Okay, what if my parents want to go back? What if I want to go back? They never mentioned this place, so why would they want to come here and not tell me about it?” Alison posed as Gideon opened and closed his mouth a few times. “Exactly, so I would appreciate it if you would take me back before the gate closes.”

“I can’t do that,” he whispered, turning away.

“And why not?”

“Queen Artemisia heard about my agreement with your grandfather and insisted on meeting you. She’s never met an Earthan before, even though I explained that you are only a quarter Earthan on your mother’s side. She doesn’t get to leave much and likes the chance to see something or meet someone new,” Gideon answered as Alison placed her head in her hands.

“I don’t care what your queen wants. You kidnapped me, and I want you to take me back home now,” Alison insisted as Gideon shook his head rapidly, with an almost frightened look on his face.

“She’ll get angry if I take you back without seeing her first,” he muttered, not sure what to do. Alison placed her hands on her hips, growing frustrated.

“Fine,” she grumbled, only seeing one option. “Let’s go see your queen, and then take me home!”

“I’m not sure how that will fly with Frederick,” Gideon sighed before agreeing. Alison nodded once and followed him down the hall, not caring what Frederick had to say about the matter.