Alison woke with a start the next morning, finding herself in an unfamiliar room again. It took her a moment to remember that she was in her grandfather's house, and that the nightmare of being trapped on another world had continued. With a yawn, she sat up and stretched, wondering if Frederick ever made it back home from the feud.

Swinging her legs to the side of the bed, she realized just how exhausted she was. Her legs were sore from running around, and the wounds from a few days prior still ached. Alison had half a mind to go back to sleep, and face the day later. However the sun was already high in the sky. It was time to get up.

Slowly, she walked out of her room and down the stairs. Luckily the nearly empty house seemed a little warmer with the sunlight coming in through the windows. She went into the kitchen and made some breakfast. There wasn't much in the fridge, but she found some bread and butter. That was good enough for now.

It was nearly a half hour later when there was a knock at the door. With a sigh, Alison stood and walked over to the front door and opened it. There was a royal footman at the door, dressed in the traditional uniform that Jeremiah was wearing the day before. 

"Are you Alison Yaria?" the footman asked. Alison nodded before rubbing her eyes. She hoped that this wasn't another summons from the queen. It was too early for travel for her. To her surprise, the footman handed her an envelope. It was embossed with red roses that shone in the sunlight and her name written more beautifully than she could have ever expected. She took the letter and looked at the footman again.

"Is this from the queen?" she wondered.

"Yes, it is, ma'am. She instructed that I give it to you, and only you," the man explained. Alison nodded as she started to open it. The footman bowed deeply before leaving curtly. However, Alison was too enamored with the letter to notice his departure. She pulled the paper out and held the envelope behind it. The letter read:

My dearest Alison,

I wanted to extend my deepest apologies that I am unable to get you home sooner. As a token of my sincerity, I would like to make your stay as comfortable as possible. I was hoping that we could talk.

I have planned a lovely tea party in your name, but it will be a small gathering of my close friends. I would be honored if you would stop by. 

Please arrive later today around three in the afternoon. I will have an escort waiting for you at the gate, and it won't be Gideon. He is currently receiving a lesson from one of employees so he knows not to kidnap anyone again.

I hope to see you soon.

Yours truly,

Queen Artemisia Kaida

Alison stared at the letter, surprised to get such a formal summons for a tea party. Although, having tea with the queen seemed too important to be able to refuse. With a sigh, she replaced the letter in the envelope. Alison would be lying if she said she wasn't worried for Gideon. From what she knew from royals and their 'lessons', she couldn't imagine that he was having a pleasant time. 

Poking her head back inside the house, she noticed that there was a clock on the wall. It was quarter to noon. She nodded as she closed the door. She sat on the sofa for a while, wondering what she was going to do.

After a while of staring at the wall, wondering when her grandfather was going to come back, she stood up. If she was going to be stuck in this world, in this town, she was going to learn all she could about it. She opened the front door again, and found the sheriff's son Evan on her front porch. 

"Er, hello? Did you see me coming?" he asked, surprised to have the door open so suddenly without knocking. Alison shook her head.

"No, I was about to go out. Is there something I can help you with?" 

"Ah, no, not help exactly. I was looking for the sheriff, and I thought he might of gone back here. He left the office in secret, and I don't know where he went," Evan sighed, slightly annoyed with his father. 

"Well, I haven't seen him, but I was going to walk around the area. It would be helpful to have a guide. I can help you look for him, as well," Alison bargained as Evan smiled, almost amused.

"That seems like a fair deal," Evan agreed, a hint of a smile on his face. Alison closed the door behind her and walked with him around town. 

He showed her where the markets and stores were, where the park was, and how to get to the town hall from the house. After the brief tour and asking around for Madson, they found their way back to the town hall. Frederick was no longer on the steps, so Alison guessed that he was in his office catching up on missed work.

"Well, I don't hear shouting, so I doubt that he's here," Evan groaned.

"This might sound like a dumb question, but why do you need to find him? I'm pretty sure that you do fine on your own," Alison offered. It wasn't that she didn't want to help find him. She just found it odd that the sheriff disappeared and the deputy had to go out and search for him.

"While I do agree with you, Madson tends to make a bigger mess of things than he needs to. I was hoping to find him before he makes a fool of himself," Evan sighed. Before Alison could say anything, a carriage appeared in front of them. She grimaced as she almost forgot that the queen had invited her to tea, and it was already half past one.

"I have been sent to give you a ride, milady," the footman informed, bowing after he stepped off the carriage. Alison noted that he was different from the man before, but they had worn the same uniform. "And your escort may join us as well."

"Escort?" Evan harshly asked, making the footman rigid. 

"My apologies, I meant nothing of that sort. I only meant that you may also accompany the lady if you so chose, sir," the footman quickly amended, making Alison laugh. Evan pursed his lips in thought. "There sheriff is also waiting for you at the castle."

"What's he doing up there?" Evan hissed, annoyed. 

"The queen has thrown a tea party in the foreigner's name, and she invited certain people," the footman informed, bowing deeply again. Evan clenched his jaw, remembering to hold his tongue. 

"I guess the tour's being extended," Alison smiled, hoping to lift his mood. Evan gave a smirk before entering the carriage. She followed and sat across from him. Almost immediately as the door closed, the carriage started back to the castle. 

Alison generally stared out the window, occasionally glancing over at Evan. He looked worried, but she couldn't tell why. She was also distracted by his green eyes and large frame. He looked like the perfect cop, and someone you wouldn't want to mess with.

She looked away again, hoping that he hadn't caught her staring. She kept her eyes fixed on the passing trees. In a moment of weakness, she glanced over and caught him staring. He quickly turned away, but his cheeks turned pink with embarrassment. Alison fought a smile as she turned back to the scenery outside.

It wasn't long before the carriage arrived at the castle. Alison exited first, admiring the castle again. It wasn't anything like Buckingham, but even then she had only seen pictures. Evan stood behind her, unsure of how to get around her. The footman guided them toward the entrance while a nice young lady stood in the door way.

The woman bowed as Alison and Evan came forward. She looked like she was in her late twenties, a little older than the queen. Her long dark hair hung in ringlets as her light brown eyes sparkled. She was excited to greet them. As Alison walked up to her, she extended a hand, which Alison shook.

"It is an absolute pleasure to meet you, Miss Yaria. The queen has not stopped talking about you," the woman smiled, shaking Alison's hand wildly. Evan rolled his eyes impatiently. "My name is Louise Bell, Queen Artemisia's personal assistant. Just let me know if there's anything I can do for you!"

"Um, thank you," Alison mumbled, surprised by the enthusiastic introduction. Louise grinned before bringing them to the garden. Evan exhaled, feeling invisible.

As they went out the doors into the garden, there was a formal white table placed within the rose bushes and flower beds. Artemisia sat at one end of the table as Madson was seated beside her. He was laughing when he noticed Alison and his son.

"Evan! What are you doing here?" he asked, a little panicked.

"I was hastily invited," Evan answered, walking up to the table. Artemisia greeted the deputy with kindness before waving Alison over.

"Both of you should join us. The tea is fresh and the scones are delicious!" the queen informed. Alison sat beside her as Evan sat next to the sheriff.

"Who's watching the station?" Madson asked, suddenly very worried about his duties.

"The twins are watching it so I could find where you went off to."

"I admire your concern, but the twins? You left them in charge? I doubt they know what they're doing."

"This is what you left me with. I didn't have much of a choice."

"I guess that's fair. I'm just surprised that you trusted the twins with the entire station," Madson sighed.

"I didn't expect to be gone this long. I expected you to be bothering Mayor Charwell again," Evan reminded.

"Oh, that old man is going to take years off my life. He is insufferable, and completely uncooperative!"

"Which is why I invited you to tea, Madson. You were disrupting the peace, and that's the last thing we need," Artemisia warned, growing tired of his complaining. Alison calmly sipped her tea in front of her as she saw the father and son argument.

"Fair enough. I'll just be glad when that man decides to retire," Madson grumbled before Artemisia glared at him. The sheriff remained silent for a moment as he sipped his tea.

"How are you handling your new position, Evan? From what I've heard, you've received positive feed back," Artemisia asked, changing the subject. He shrugged.

"The public seems to appreciate me, so that's good. I think I fit in well," Evan answered with a small smile. Artemisia smiled.

"That's very good," the queen smiled as Madson started a conversation with Evan. Artemisia turned to Alison, who had held her tongue. "How are you doing? Are you still comfortable at Charwell's?"

"I am, thank you. Although, there's isn't much there," Alison mentioned before realizing that she shouldn't have elaborated. The queen laughed.

"Understandable, he spends most of his waking hours in his office, but I am glad to hear that you are adjusting," she smiled, suddenly seeming sorrowful. Alison wondered if any guilt had contributed, but said nothing. It wasn't the queen's fault that the gate had closed. Looking down, Alison brought the tea cup to her lips.