The next morning, Alison was woken up by the abrupt sunlight coming though the tower window. She sat up a little more, but still stayed in bed. Groggily, she did her best to remember when Gideon was supposed to be there. With a groan, she got to her feet and put on another dress that was similar to her blue one, but was an indigo color with a shorter hem.

Once she was dressed and brushed her hair, she went out her door to the spiral staircase. She saw that Gideon would be waiting at the bottom of the stairs just outside the door. 

“Are you ready?” Gideon asked as Alison nodded, closing the door behind her. She had waited for this day for a long time. 

“Yes,” Alison answered as Gideon showed her the way. “Can I ask you a question?”

“I don’t see why not.”

“Why did my parents decide to move away? Do you know?” Alison wondered, turning toward Gideon. 

“I think that’s a question for your parents and grandfather. Shall we go ask?” Gideon implored, not sure himself on why the Yaria’s would just get up and leave. Alison nodded, letting him lead the way. “Alright, well, stay close when we get there. The market outside your grandfather’s work is starting to close, which means everyone is trying to buy last minute items. Things can get hectic, especially the closer we get to the town hall.”

“Understood,” Alison answered, watching Gideon. He nodded and led the way out of the castle.

Once outside, Gideon called for a carriage to bring them into town. Alison glanced around, taking in all her surroundings. The royal gardens were absolutely gorgeous as there were flowers of all kinds with not a single one out of place. Alison wasn’t sure how to describe it other than it being practically perfect. She wondered if the queen had commissioned it or if it had been here all along.

“After you,” Gideon whispered, bringing Alison back. He held the door open as she got in. After directing the driver, Gideon sat across from Alison, carefully avoiding her gaze. She ignored him and stared out the window. Within seconds, they were amidst thousands of trees. It was quite possibly the biggest forest she could have ever imagined.

“How far does this forest go?” Alison asked, finally breaking the silence.

“It covers most of Cardonia and spreads into Coverlend and Gaharvlen. Although, this isn’t even where it’s thickest. In the Northwest, there’s a part called Danlar Forest, and that’s absolutely the worst part of the forest. The first ruler, King Danlar, hence the name, went missing along with all of this men when first exploring the forest. Many have tried to navigate the wild woods, but none have conquered that part. The queen has deemed it a hazardous area and has made it so no one can enter. She is concerned that more people will get lost and disappear if there are no restrictions,” Gideon explained, almost nervously. 

“Has there been a king since?” Alison asked.

“Of course there has. It wasn’t long ago when we had one, too. He was the reason why the ban has been placed on Danlar Forest. He went missing trying to expand his lands. He thought that the population was growing too large for Cardonia to supply, so he decided to try and find a suitable place. However, no one has seen him or his knights since he left. Artemisia has been ruling alone ever since,” Gideon explained, catching Alison’s attention. She bit her lip in thought of the cheerful ruler. “Although, I think that she’s done a fantastic job.”

“That’s good,” Alison smiled, leaning her chin on arm as she looked out the window again. Gideon sighed.

“Is the scenery really so interesting?” Gideon asked, growing impatient by her lack of interest. Alison faced him with a distasteful look.

“Are you telling me that you wouldn’t be interested in admiring an alien planet’s scenery?” she implored, slightly irritated. Gideon closed his eyes, silently counting to five.

“You do have a point,” he answered. Alison gave a smirk before glancing out the window.

“Why are we slowing?” she asked. “There are some men approaching.”

“What?” Gideon whispered, glancing out the window. “It’s the local sheriff.”

“Sheriff?” Alison repeated before the carriage had stopped and the door had opened. She jumped at the sudden exposure as a tall man in a top hat appeared. His eyes were dark and almost sinister. “Um, hello?”

“Good morning, madam,” the tall man greeted and then stared at her for a moment. “I don’t think I’ve seen you before. My name is Sheriff Madson Hetwyr. I was surprised to find an unmonitored royal carriage, and I wanted to make certain that everything was all right.”

“I was just escorting Miss Yaria to see her grandfather,” Gideon explained as Madson’s eyes went wide.

“Yaria?” Madson repeated before turning to the young girl. “You are related to Robert? I thought he was an orphan.”

“We’re on our way to see my mother’s father, Frederick Charwell,” Alison informed as Madson’s face twisted for a moment before he laughed.

“I always forget that Charwell had a daughter,” Madson chuckled and examined Alison for a moment. “You do take after her, though. Minus the eyes, of course.”

“Oh, well, thanks,” Alison answered, not sure how else to respond to the observation. Madson dipped his head before removing his hat, as if he was now content to show respect.

“If you run into any trouble or need any help at all, just let me know,” Madson informed before bowing his head again in farewell. “I better get back to work, though. You take care.”

“Thank you, sheriff,” Gideon whispered almost grudgingly. Madson closed the door and signaled the driver to go forward. Gideon watched as Madson disappeared from view before groaning. “I believe that is the longest conversation that I have ever seen that man have.”

“Is he usually a recluse or something?” Alison wondered as Gideon shook his head.

“He broods most of the time, keeping to himself, but you can always tell that he’s constantly watching. And his adopted son is always close by, keeping an eye out on what Madson can’t. I’d call it nepotism if Evan wasn’t the best deputy I had ever seen,” Gideon explained.

“I see,” she sighed, looking out the window once again. “Are we at least almost there? Where’s the Town Hall?”

“It’s a bit of a ways away. The town grows bigger every year, but I believe we’re almost there,” Gideon replied, tapping his finger against his knee in annoyance. “You definitely take after your father.”

“In what way?” Alison wondered, glancing over at him.

“You are incredibly irritating,” he said honestly as Alison straightened with a stern look. “Is it too much to ask for eye contact during a conversation? You are being kind of rude.”

“Am I, now? Says the man you kidnapped me and then tried to convince me not to see my grandfather,” Alison reminded while Gideon looked embarrassed, avoiding eye contact. “I’m all for respectfulness during a conversation, but I feel that our situation is just a tad bit different.”

“I believe I can agree with that,” Gideon mumbled.

“Good,” Alison responded and gazed at the town. “Is that it there?”

“Yes, it is,” Gideon answered. He was relieved that this journey was at its end, since it wasn’t at all enjoyable for him. Alison was equally excited because she was about to meet the man that she had only heard about. A man that had helped bring her parents together.

The carriage stopped directly in front of the steps, encouraging Alison to jump out of the vehicle and run up to the door. Gideon did his best to keep up without looking like he was trying to chase her down. Alison threw open the doors and dashed in before realizing that Frederick could be anywhere in the building. She waited for Gideon, who appeared beside her.

“This way,” he instructed as he started up another set of stairs. Alison followed eagerly behind. They quickly arrived at the mayor’s office and Gideon knocked.

“Who is it?” a voice from within called out.

“Sir, it’s Gideon,” he explained. “I have a guest with me who wishes to meet you in person.”

“Gideon? Come in,” the voice invited as Gideon opened the door. It was a mostly tidy room with stray packets of paper strewn across different surfaces. A large desk sat in front of the window with a large man sitting behind it. He had greying blonde hair as he stared at and signed paper after paper before removing his glasses to glance up. “This is highly irregular, even for you.”

“This is a special circumstance,” Gideon insisted, taking a step forward. Alison stood still, unsure of what she should do.

“Is this who I think it is?” Frederick implored with a welcoming smile. Gideon guided Alison forward so he could get a better look at her.

“Sir, this is the daughter of Robert and Alicia Yaria,” Gideon introduced while Alison acknowledged with a wave. Frederick immediately stood up, putting on his glasses before walking around the desk towards Alison.

“By the gods!” he exclaimed happily, startling Alison. “She- You have your father’s eyes, there’s no mistaking it! A true Paka member, if I do say so myself. Oh, his parents would have been so proud. Not that I’m not proud, but still. But you have your mother’s good looks. She always took after her mother as well.”

“It is so nice to finally meet you,” Alison smiled, unsure what else to say. “My name is Alison.”

“And what a splendid name! I never would have guessed that I would ever meet my grandchild!” Frederick exclaimed before laughing joyously, obviously having no faith in Gideon. Alison fought back a laugh, thinking that he reminded her of a skinnier, less hairy Santa Claus.

“I never thought I would get to meet you, either,” Alison explained shyly.

“Well, I am glad it worked out this way! Will your parents be arriving soon?” Frederick wondered as Alison shrugged.

“No idea. This one kidnapped me,” Alison explained, gesturing to her guide. Gideon avoided Frederick’s icy glare.

“Kidnapped?” Frederick inquired.

“I was trying to explain to her what was going on, but there seemed to be a lack of communication. She took off running before she tripped and fell, thus knocking her unconscious. I didn’t know what else to do,” Gideon explained as Alison rolled her eyes. Frederick took a deep breath and wiped his brow in thought.

“Then they might show up, they might not,” Frederick sighed.

“Exactly,” Alison confirmed.

“What do you mean by lack of communication?” Frederick wondered aloud.

“Alison’s parents did not tell her of her true heritage. She knew nothing of this world, nor did she know that she wasn’t fully from earth. She has been completely kept in the dark,” Gideon explained, causing Frederick to get extremely irritated, if not angry.

“That is completely unacceptable! They both have deep roots here. How could they just completely shut off their connection like that?” Frederick huffed, shaking his head. Alison glanced over at Gideon.

“Why did my parents leave?” she asked cautiously to whoever wanted to answer. Gideon and Frederick exchanged a painful look before Gideon sighed.

"That is a story that I believe that is best explained by your parents. They never told us why, but we can speculate. However, speculation is just as bad as rumor, so we will wait for them to explain themselves,” Frederick insisted as Alison sighed disappointedly.

“I guess that would make the most sense,” Alison whispered before the door swung open, crashing into the wall.

“Chester, you’re late again,” Frederick sighed, directing his attention to the orange haired man in the doorway. He seemed to be carrying a large box of books, and seemed a little out of breath.

“These are very heavy,” Chester breathed as he dropped the box on the floor, causing Frederick to roll his eyes. “Look, if you don’t want my help, I can leave.”

“No, you are under contract,” Frederick reminded, nearly forgetting his manners. “Chester, please meet my granddaughter, Alison Yaria. She’s Robert’s child.”

“Oh, your adopted son, right? The one who got with your actual daughter?” Chester wondered, understanding how bad that sounded. Frederick inhaled deeply, annoyed. “Well, it is nice to meet you, Alison. My name is Chester.”

“It’s nice to meet you as well,” Alison replied politely, bowing her head slightly. Gideon folded his arms as Frederick looked towards the box.

“What are the books for, anyway?” Frederick implored.

“Someone wanted to throw them away, so I thought that I would go through them and find the ones I liked,” Chester shrugged.

“You want me to fire you, don’t you?” Frederick grumbled, causing Chester to laugh.

“Now where did you get that crazy idea?” Chester chuckled and pushed the box into the corner. Alison bit her lip, wondering if it was time to go.

“I can come back later if this is a bad time,” Alison suggested. Gideon frowned, and had no interest in accompanying Alison any longer than need be.

“There’s no need for that,” Frederick insisted before stepping towards his granddaughter. “You are welcome to stay as long as you like.”

“That’s very kind of you,” Alison smiled.

“Can I ask one more question?” Frederick implored. Alison nodded. “How is your grandmother? I know she went back with your parents when they left.”

“I’m sorry, she died almost eleven years ago. She contracted a disease and it killed her,” Alison explained, upset that she was the one that had to tell him.

“Well, I am sure she is in a better place now,” Frederick nodded.

“If you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to the castle,” Gideon explained before bidding goodbye. Alison watched him leave, wondering how she was going to get back.

“Thank you, Gideon,” Frederick called after him while he left. Alison took a deep breath and turned toward her grandfather. Suddenly, a thought entered Alison’s head. A far fetched thought, but a plausible one at that.

“Um, would you know if a young girl by the name of Lizzy or Elizabeth has come by here in the last year or so?” Alison asked after a few moments of silence. Chester raised an eyebrow.

“Why, yes. Richard is renting out a room to a Lizzy. Why do you ask?” Frederick asked before Alison's eyes widened.

“Can you take me to her?” Alison quickly explained why her question was important and Chester started to laugh. 

“I can’t, but I’m sure Chester here would more than happy to take you,” Frederick suggested, halting Chester's laughter and he frowned. With a sigh, Chester turned to Alison and showed her the door.

“Right this way,” he whispered as Alison entered in the hallway.

“When you’re done visiting, come back by here. I can show you to my house,” Frederick shouted as the door started to close behind them. Alison looked at Chester, noticing that he had the strangest eye color she had seen in a long time. They seemed to glow a bright pink. 

“Is it very far from here?” Alison wondered aloud as Chester shrugged.

“It’s a few minute walk, but it’s just a few blocks over. It won’t take very long,” Chester explained as they left the building. Alison smiled, hoping that this was indeed her long lost sister and that she was safe after all.