Gideon led Alison through the maze of a castle, making what seemed to be random turns down certain halls and stairways. Alison did her best to keep up, but she kept getting distracted by the portraits and landscapes on the walls. Eventually, they had successfully navigated the palace to the queen’s throne room. Gideon stood at the door, waiting for something to happen. Alison said nothing, not sure how this was supposed to work, but was pretty sure that knocking would seem rude.

“The queen will see you,” a knight said, standing next to the door. Alison jumped, not seeing him at first as he was carefully camouflaged within the wall. Gideon thanked the man and opened the door. Alison stared at the man before following Gideon inside.

The throne room, or so Alison guessed, was decorated with what looked to be family crests woven into a shimmery fabric. Most hung down from the ceiling while others lined the walls with more portraits. It was all leading up to the large throne in the center of the room. It was covered in red silk and adorned with warm colored jewels on the edge. Sitting upon the throne was a gorgeous woman, not much older than Alison herself. Her hair was a beautiful dark coffee color with sparkling eyes to match. She looked across the hall to them with excitement and wonder. She stood up, her gorgeous dress flowing as the queen walked. The fabric moved as if it was made of water.

“Good evening, traveler. It is so nice to meet you,” She informed with a sweet voice as she smiled broadly. “You are from Earth, correct?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Alison answered before giving an off balance curtsy. The queen tilted her head.

“‘Your Majesty’? Is that what you call your rulers on Earth?”

“Yes, or at least we do in England,” Alison answered, bowing her head slightly, not really sure how to act in royal company. The queen smiled and laughed.

“That’s adorable! What is England? Is that the town where you were born?” the queen wondered, inching closer to Alison.

“No, it’s the country where I was born,” Alison answered, delighting the queen.

“This is fascinating! You must tell me more about your homeland!” the queen squealed, unable to control her excitement. Alison couldn’t help but smile as the queen shook her head. “Oh, where are my manners? My name is Artemisia of Cardonia.”

“I’m Alison Yaria of England,” Alison answered, trying to curtsy again.

“Oh, you are too polite. Please, just treat me as you would a friend,” Artemisia laughed, surprising Alison. “I’ve been treated with nothing but respect and honor since I was young. I refuse to be held above everyone else any longer.”

“But you are the queen. Doesn’t that mean that people should have respect and honor for you?” Alison asked, confused by the familiarity and casual demeanor of the queen. Artemisia laughed and shook her head.

“Of course, but I don’t want them acting if I am above them. We are all human, in one form or another. Just because I was born lucky doesn’t mean that I should be treated differently,” Artemisia reasoned with a shrug. Alison nodded, understanding a little bit. “Are you going to be staying long? I was informed that you are the granddaughter of the mayor in Lochton, not the daughter. Is your mother coming as well?”

“I’m not sure. They are probably looking for me, but I doubt that they will find their way down here,” Alison answered truthfully before sighing. “But I was hoping to get a word with you and then go back home. I understand that my grandfather has called my family here, but I was brought here against my will and would like to go back home.”

“Of course you would. I had no idea that you had been kidnapped. I am so sorry, Alison. I will make sure that Gideon understands that you can’t go around taking people,” the queen answered, glaring at the white haired man.

“He was only doing what he was told. I think my grandfather is at much fault as Gideon is,” Alison pleaded as Artemisia smiled, staring at Gideon. Alison glanced at him and saw him growing uneasy. As far as she knew, he probably deserved what was coming to him.

“I was merely going to have a serious discussion with him. Cardonia is a peaceful and forgiving place, I promise,” Artemisia grinned in reassurance. “Well, you are welcome to stay as long as you like. I will talk with Gideon and we will talk about getting you back home. Hopefully, that will be sooner rather than later.”

“Thank you,” Alison acknowledged, bowing her head slightly. Artemisia smiled and bowed herself before leaving the throne room to assess other matters. Alison watched as the beautiful queen left. Gideon stood beside her, embarrassed by his, as he would put it, miscommunication. “So, can I see my grandfather, since he put me through all of this?”

“I think it would be best to let you rest for at least one more night. You still have a large wound on the side of your head, which needs to heal before you do any travelling,” Gideon instructed before Alison rolled her eyes in annoyance. While her was still pounding after being tripped by a root, she felt fine to travel.

“I thought all of this was to bring me to my grandfather, and now you’re saying that I can't see him?” Alison summed up as she crossed her arms. Gideon sighed, realizing that she was going to be a handful.

“Look, all I’m saying is that we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves. You are in no condition to go anywhere past the castle walls. The queen has given you permission to stay as long as you need to until you are healed,” Gideon explained, doing his best to calm her down. Alison looked away in thought, wondering if it was better if she stayed. She reached thoughtlessly for her bandage and realized Gideon’s point.

“Fine, I will stay one night, but I want to leave the first thing in the morning. What time is it anyway?” Alison wondered, trying to find a definitive window. Gideon looked at his pocket watch and shrugged.

“Late afternoon,” Gideon replied before returning the watch to his pocket. Alison bit her lip, trying to figure out how long she was out. “You were out for a little over nine hours. Don’t worry, you weren’t in a coma.”

“How comforting,” Alison answered sarcastically, looking away from him in protest. He sighed and rolled his eyes before turning away. “So what now? Do I get to wait in my room until further notice?”

“I can show you around, if you want. The queen will be serving tea soon, and you can join us. Artemisia likes the company,” Gideon suggested. Alison stared, thinking that it was odd that she would be so casually invited to tea with royalty.

“It seems kind of odd, and I’m not quite sure that the queen would be happy with you inviting me to anything,” Alison replied, suddenly anxious about the invitation. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to go, but she was afraid that she would be out of place if she did decide to go. Gideon stared at her evenly before sighing, visibly exhausted by her.

“Why don’t we surprise her then? What could go wrong?” Gideon suggested as Alison paled, shaking her head. Surprising a monarch seemed like the worst thing that they could.

“I don’t think we should,” she insisted before Gideon threaded his arm through hers to escort her. Alison protested briefly as Gideon pulled her along, leading her down the hallway. She wondered if she should scream.

“Well, I disagree, and we’ll find something decent for you to wear. While I enjoy your foreign dress, it looks tattered and that fall did no favors,” Gideon observed as Alison looked down at herself. It was true, her dress had faded over the years and the fabric was not as durable as it once was. Plus, since she had tripped before she blacked out, her dress was covered in dirt and blood from her head wound. Alison bit her lip, knowing that a change of clothes would be welcomed.

“As long as the queen doesn’t mind,” Alison commented, allowing herself to be led around by Gideon. He nodded once, knowing that the queen wouldn’t have minded at all.

An hour had passed since Gideon had shown her some dresses from a closet of a guest room. When she asked whose they were, Gideon claimed he didn’t know, and left it at that. Alison had tried on several dresses, with a maid’s help as Alison had no idea how to get into those dresses. Eventually, Alison settled on a sky blue dress made of a silky material that she had never seen before. It shimmered in the candle light like metal, but it was the lightest fabric she had ever seen. 

The dress itself had a long skirt that reached the floor, but this dress was different than she imagined. She thought she would be wearing a ball gown, much like the royals in her home country wore. This dress had no hoop skirt and the fabric fell from her hips straight to her ankles. The corset was also looser than she thought it would be, but it was still supportive. The sleeves were long and had a bell shape to them, the cuff far larger than the rest. She stared in the mirror, surprised that such a dress existed, much less fit. Alison tried to remember the last time she actually felt pretty, but couldn’t think of an exact moment. Ever since the war started, fashion and looks weren’t as important. As long as you were presentable, you were fine.

“What do you think?” the maid asked as Alison turned in the mirror, smiling broadly.

“It’s beautiful,” Alison murmured, continuing to twirl around. The fabric flew around her as if she were a bird in flight. The maid clasped her hands in excitement before she excused herself. Alison watched her leave before walking to the vanity to brush her hair a little bit.

Gideon came shortly after to collect her, saying that he had talked to the queen and that she would be delighted if Alison would join them. Alison raised an eyebrow skeptically before sighing. She had completely forgot about him and that he was taking her to spend time with Artemisia.

“Alright, lead the way,” she answered, gesturing him to guide her. Gideon took her arm again and started down the hallway. “Am I too dressed up? You’re wearing the same thing you were earlier.”

“You look fine. This is what I’m supposed to wear while I’m working,” Gideon explained while he led Alison out into the gardens. They found Artemisia at a small table with three chairs, two of them vacant. The queen looked up as they made their approach, and she smiled.

“It’s about time you guys got here. I was afraid the tea would get cold,” Artemisia greeted as Gideon dipped his head in response.

“I thought that Alison would appreciate a change of clothes,” Gideon explained while the queen grinned.

“I think you were right. Well, sit down before it gets too dark out,” Artemisia insisted, gesturing to the two chairs. Gideon took the farthest seat as Alison gathered her skirt and sat politely next to the queen.

“Thank you for having me here,” Alison smiled, bowing her head slightly. Artemisia chuckled under her breath.

“The more, the merrier. Besides, now you can tell me about your life in England. I’m sure it’s fascinating,” Artemisia hinted as she took a sip of her tea. Alison grinned as Gideon reached for the teapot at the center of the table. He served Alison and himself before returning the pot and reaching for the sugar.

“Well, it’s not very exciting where I live. I live outside a small town in my parents’ home and I work in the local restaurant,” Alison started as Artemisia’s smile grew grander.

“You work at a restaurant!?” Artemisia exclaimed excitedly, clasping her hands together. Gideon looked between the women as he sipped his tea. Alison grinned and told her stories about working at a diner and her dream of becoming a world renowned chef.

Hours passed as Artemisia and Alison discussed the similarities and differences between their worlds. Alison mentioned that she thought it was odd that the people here spoke English, but then learned that the entire population of Ostwynne originated from England and that their ancestors had fallen from Earth centuries ago. Alison thought that it was peculiar, but couldn’t offer another solution in her head. It also explained the similarities in buildings and clothing. While the fabric was different, the ideas and designs weren’t very far off.

Eventually, Artemisia excused herself, saying that she had to be up early in the morning, and that she needed to retire for the night. Gideon, who had nearly fallen asleep during their conversation, and Alison stood up and wished her a good night. Once she had left the garden, Alison turned to Gideon, who was still barely awake. Then she looked up, remembering his suggestion about the stars. While she started to believe that she was no longer near her home, she wasn’t sold on the idea that she was millions of kilometers away. With a sigh, she realized that he was correct. If she hadn’t been so tired or confused all day, she might have had a more severe reaction to the constellations, but Alison was only able to muster up some irritation and exasperation. Gideon smiled, but still disappointed that Alison wasn’t as disturbed as he thought she would be.

“You were right,” she muttered with a sigh, looking him in the eye. Gideon shrugged and stared at the stars for a moment.

“I told you,” he whispered flatly, trying his best not to sound sarcastic or arrogant.

“Will you take me back to my room?” Alison asked before she yawned. Gideon nodded, taking her arm once again. “You don’t have to escort me everywhere. I’m pretty good at following people around.”

“It’s more polite,” Gideon reminded as Alison resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

“I see” was all Alison could say, giving in for the moment. She was too tired to start another argument, especially one that hardly mattered. She took a deep breath as Gideon led her back inside.

Gideon showed her back to her tower door, as that was the safest place for her to be. It was easy to get to and ask for its location. It was Gideon’s idea, as he wasn’t sure how she was going to adjust to the castle in the first place. Alison stopped just before Gideon reached for the handle.

“So, tomorrow, you’re going to take me to see my grandfather, right?” Alison clarified as Gideon nodded.

“Yes, I think you’ll be mostly healed by then. You’ll at least be able to take off the bandage by then,” Gideon remarked as Alison reached for the gauze again. This time, there was no searing pain when she touched it, but rather a small twinge of a memory of pain. She wondered if the gauze was laced with a pain killer or something, but decided to ask later.

“Then we’ll leave first thing in the morning,” Alison concluded before Gideon nodded.

“Perfect. I will come get you a little after sunrise. That should give you enough time to relax and get some sleep,” Gideon explained as Alison nodded.

“Alright, then, I’ll see you tomorrow,” Alison added, opening the door. She turned around just before she closed the door to face Gideon. “I will see you in the morning.”

“Goodnight,” Gideon whispered before Alison closed the door and ascended the stairs.