The following morning passed in a blur. Owen had woken Alexander up far earlier than he would have liked. They had breakfast before anyone else was even awake for the day. Owen seemed to be more excited to show Alexander around than Alexander was. As soon as they had finished breakfast, they headed out on foot. Owen said something in a language that sounded familiar to Alexander. To enter the city beneath the water, but it wasn't a language he understood. "Patentibus." As soon as he spoke the word, the tree in front of them seemed to open. They entered what appeared to Alexander to be an elevator of sorts that took them down into the city below.

When Alexander first arrived, he noticed the sprawling city underneath the water. He learned from Owen that the city below was kept protected by magic, and to enter the city, one had to use magic. Most elves knew magic, and so this was their best method to protect the city against attackers. The last attack on the elven kingdom, according to Owen, was nearly a century ago and ended with a treaty being formed that prevented humans from entering their lands without approval from the royal family. The buildings that were submerged primarily served as storerooms and greenhouses but also as homes. Delved into the rock at the lake's edges were facilities like bakers and blacksmiths. Things that were unsafe to practice near the trees.

The sun was blindingly hot overhead. Though it didn't reach below the water's surface, the temperature was cool and inviting. When you reached the underwater city, a large marketplace spread out in front of you. The sound of everyone talking all at once seemed to create a roar that threatened to give Alexander a headache.

There were stalls and vendors everywhere, selling everything from jewelry to fabrics and clothing. It was like the largest flea market ever. One of the first things that caught Alexander's attention was stalls that seemed to be selling produce. He approached a stall and examined what appeared to him to be a strawberry. Though it was different from the strawberries back home, instead of the bright red and sweet scent, this one was yellow and had a sourer and tarter aroma.

Another quite noticeable thing to Alexander was that stalls were selling technological items but were nothing like what was back home. Teleporters, communication devices that were vastly different from your average cell phone, and even holographic devices. There were stalls filled with potion bottles, spices, and perfumes, too – the scents mingled together and burned at his nose.

Alexander thought this place reminded him of a mixture of fantasy back home and something from the history books. It was a strange combination of technology, magic, and medieval. He couldn't quite put it into words; he only knew that it was incredible. He wished his father were here. He was sure he would have loved it.

Owen grabbed Alexander's sleeve, and they approached a small café. At least, that was what it looked like to Alexander. He hadn't realized it was already lunchtime. He was so caught up in everything. Once they were seated, a short and plump woman with kind hazel eyes and whose ears seemed to be shorter than Owen’s. Which led Alexander to believe she may be a half-elf.

She approached them with a small notebook and pen in her hand, "Welcome! What can I get for you boys?" Her voice was a sweet, silvery voice that reminded him of wind chimes in the breeze.

Owen looked to Alexander, "I can order for us both if you like. After all, you aren't quite used to the food here, right?"

Alexander nodded, "That's fine with me. Everything here is so different from what I'm used to that I'm finding it difficult to adjust…" He admitted quietly. Everything here was similar and yet so vastly different that he could hardly comprehend what he was experiencing. It was much like a lucid dream rather than reality.

Owen nodded and ordered for them both. When the food arrived, Alexander could only describe it as strange-looking. It reminded him very much of what one would see at a Renaissance fair, something definitely medieval. Which he supposed made sense. He quite liked it, though. The drinks Owen ordered smelled a little like fruit juice but were much more pungent and had a more robust flavor.

Wait? Alexander looked at Owen. " Is this alcohol?" he questioned him, somewhat concerned and confused all at once.

Owen nodded, "Honestly, I wasn't sure what you had back home, and this particular drink is the best one in town. In my opinion, anyway."

Alexander’s face flushed in embarrassment, "but we aren't old enough to drink… are we?"

He formed the last bit of his statement as a question. This was a different world, after all. Perhaps their laws regarding alcohol were different as well.

Owen blinked. Confused. "Not allowed? Why wouldn't we be?"

Alexander shook his head, "Never mind." The laws must be different here, he thought, and he decided not to question it further.

After that, most of their day went by with nothing of note. As the sun began to set. They started making their way back towards the castle and away from the bustle of the market. Which, at night, did slow but was still incredibly busy. Alexander noticed something from the corner of his eye. At first, he ignored it and brushed it off as his tired mind playing tricks on him. Then he saw it again—closer this time.

"Owen-"

Owen put a finger to his lips, signaling for Alexander to be quiet. He had already noticed the same thing Alexander had.

Suddenly, as they exited the market and made their way toward the exit that would lead back up to the surface, three hooded figures surrounded them. Owen and Alexander stood back-to-back as Owen addressed their attackers.

"Who are you?"

A simple question but one that ultimately went unanswered as the attackers lunged at them.

Owen dashed forward with no hesitation. Alexander, however, hesitated. He'd never been in a fight before and didn't know what to do. That was when he heard Owen yell at him to run. So, he did. He knew it was wrong to leave everything to Owen, but he assumed that Owen knew what he was doing, especially given how they had first met. Alexander was quick on his feet, something gained from running away from bullies. He ran back into the market, determined to lose his assailant in the crowds. He weaved through the crowd without losing his balance.

By the time he had lost his pursuer, though. He quickly realized he was lost. Lost in the sea of people and voices of the market.

"Owen!" Alexander shouted his name but received no response. The busy voices of the market seemed to swallow his voice, leaving no trace to follow. Great. They'd been separated.

Alexander was now alone in a crowded market, in a foreign land, with no sense of direction or where he should go. He could see the castle towers stretching towards the sky, and he figured his best solution lay there. So, Alexander began to go in that direction, hoping to find the exit and perhaps Owen waiting there for him.

However, as he did so, it seemed he hadn't lost his pursuer after all, as his arm was forcefully grabbed. He was dragged into a nearby ally and tossed to the ground. He fell hard, and it took a moment to regain his bearings.

"What do you want!" He shouted at the figure.

They ignored his words, and he was grabbed by his shirt front, lifted back up onto his feet, and then shoved against the hard stone wall behind him. He grimaced as the figure took a knife from inside their cloak. Alexander braced himself for the worst and closed his eyes tight.

Instead, the grip on his shirt suddenly loosened. As he opened his eyes, he saw his attacker lying on the ground, blood pooling around a fresh wound in his chest. He looked up to see Owen.

"Thank the gods I found you when I did. Any later, and you would have been dead." He said as he wasted no time grabbing Alexander's arm and dragging him along, "We need to get out of here! Now!"

"Who were those guys?" Alexander questioned, hoping he would have some answers for him.

"I’ll explain everything once we reach the castle. "

After arriving back at the castle, the only thing Alexander seemed to learn was that the group that had attacked them that evening was a rebel group. They would be safe now that they were back at the castle. Alexander, of course, now only had more questions. After all, why attack them in such a busy and open area? Why go after Alexander in the first place when he wasn't even a part of this land? Plus, he was human. Wouldn't a rebel group only go after other elves?

Alexander rolled onto his side in the bed and stared at the moonlight streaming through his window. It seemed that ever since arriving in this world, he had had nothing but bad luck. He hoped tomorrow would be better, but a horrible feeling wouldn't leave him and followed him into his dreams that night, giving him nightmares once more.