“Wh- what?”

An odd ringing started in Alice’s ears. She stared at Aurum, uncomprehending.

“You can’t stay here. You shouldn’t have come to begin with. You are too much of a risk.” Aurum’s voice was rough with something that seemed different a bit from her earlier anger, but Alice was too overwhelmed to focus on what it might be.

“You don’t know what it is you are doing here – either you are right and this is a new world for you, or you are wrong and you, you don’t know what’s real. I can’t have you trying to influence what I do based on that. I have – there is too much depending on this. You need to go.” Her voice softened a bit. “You’ll be safer that way, too.”

Alice was stunned. She blinked rapidly, eyes burning, struggling to find something, anything to say. “I really am not from here,” she said weakly, completely at a loss for how to convince Aurum of the truth. And it seemed as though even if she did manage to convince her, Aurum simply did not trust her.

“That’s not the point.” Aurum said, her voice now almost gentle. “Please just go in the morning. If you take the path back that we did, it shouldn’t be dangerous. You can go back to your home. I’m sure it misses you.”

Alice took a shuddering breath. Typical. I’m standing here unable to think of any way to convince her, unable to defend myself, and she’s already planned my entire exit. Why can’t I ever manage to speak in situations like this? So much depends on this and I am just standing here… Alice’s thoughts swirled, memories of times she’d been chastised by her uncle or her old superiors at work overlapping with the present. In both, she stood mutely, confused and unable to think of what to say. But this time was different; Aurum was speaking kindly, and everything was so much more important.

After a long moment, Aurum sighed. “You should sleep. We will tell Pollan you have to go back home in the morning.” With that, she shook her head sadly and turned around, heading back to camp. Alice stayed standing there alone for a long time before heading back to camp, where Pollan was now on watch and Aurum was in her sleeping roll with her back to the fire.  She laid down, but sleep eluded her, and eventually she sat back up and waved Pollan let her take over her watch early. He hesitated, but there must have been something in her face that made him acquiesce quietly. Alice sat and stared into the night, struggling to focus enough to keep a careful watch, her mind blank.

The next morning came too quickly, the sky lightening slowly but surely, the wildlife active and rustling through the forest. In the hour before sunrise, Aurum and Pollan woke, and the three of them sat together for a very tense breakfast. It might have been Alice’s imagination, but it seemed as though Aurum was moving slowly, as though delaying the inevitable. The faint hope that Aurum might have changed her mind fizzled and died when Aurum spoke. Her tone and words were dull and blunt.

“Pollan. We will keep on traveling, but Alice needs to go back. We will part ways here.” Alice noted numbly that she had pronounced her name correctly for the first time.

Pollan looked confused. “What – why? Is everything all right?” Before Alice could speak, Aurum answered – which was just as well as Alice had no idea what to say.

“No. It’s personal. She can’t keep on traveling with us.” A part of Alice marveled at how weak of a cover story (or lack thereof) Aurum had woven. But Pollan seemed to take the hint that he shouldn’t ask more questions and he simply nodded before turning to Alice.  

“Will you be safe on your way back, Aliss?” Alice just nodded.

“Well. It is a shame to part from you so soon, Aliss. May your journey be easy. I hope everything will be all right soon.” Alice nodded again, not trusting herself to speak.

Breakfast ended, despite how slowly they moved, and Aurum and Pollan left as the sun started to creep upwards. Alice did not move and watched them leave in silence. Pollan was clearly overwhelmed by the awkwardness of it all, giving a stilted wave before sort of slouching off after Aurum, who was walking stiffly and resolutely. And then they were gone.

She did not start on the journey back, instead sitting and trying to gather her thoughts. It had only been a couple of days since this adventure had started, but so much had happened that it felt like much longer.

Alice knew now that she should have been more wary of this happening, but somehow she had thought that once Aurum had agreed to let her come along back at the cottage that she was here to stay. Leaving felt impossible; she had committed herself fully to this journey. As much as she might dream of being back at the cottage before things had changed between her and Aurum, she couldn’t imagine just going back alone while Aurum and Pollan continued together. Especially not after she had changed so much of what was supposed to happen. But where else should she go?

The wind rustled through the treetops overhead. It was getting late in the day, and at this rate Alice would be in the woods alone t night rather than back in town. She stood up, about to start back, then hesitated and sat back down leaning against a maple tree. Her eyes closed, and she took comfort from the fact that she was surrounded by life. She remembered her first day in this world, how the woods had felt like home. How they had almost seemed to guide her to the cottage. A soft sort of feeling seemed to emanate from the tree at her back, like a gentle hand on her head, comforting her.

The feeling grew more insistent, and Alice wondered distantly if she might actually be going mad. The sense of comfort broke something in her though, and tears began to fall. Her mind cleared.

I can’t go back. I can’t stay here. That really only left one option. She opened her eyes. I have to follow them.

Her heartrate sped up, the enormity and danger of this course of action hitting her. Pollan and Aurum might not be expert trackers or explorers, but if Alice were to follow close enough for her to be certain of where they were, she would almost certainly be caught. Not to mention, any danger around them could easily find her instead and attack her while she was alone.

But maybe, just maybe, she could follow and look for the sage along their path. She had all the maps and books from the cottage – Aurum had left them, taking only her own map with her. Alice could follow their approximate route and look for the sage too, just in case they almost missed each other, or Aurum didn’t manage to convince them to help. Alice knew she couldn’t fight, or train Aurum in magic, or really help much at all, but two chances to find the sage were better than one.

The sense of comfort from the maple grew stronger, until it was almost like encouragement. No wonder Aurum thinks I don’t know what’s real, Alice thought to herself distantly, even as she focused on the feeling and tried to follow the sense of connection back to the tree. That wild hope that she might have some sort of magic on her on flared up again. The maple seemed to acknowledge her through the connection, and she grinned, face still wet with her earlier tears.

Courage renewed, Alice stood, trying to hold onto her sense of the maple as she did so. It held, a bit weaker without physical contact, but still definitely present. As she marveled at it, she noticed that she could almost see other connections too; links between the maple tree and the other trees nearby, between her and the trees around her and the patch of ferns across the small clearing, between the life thrumming through the roots and fungus in the earth and the plants on the surface. It was beautiful. For the first time in a while, Alice felt strong.

Still savoring the feeling of connection to the plants around her, she stood and started flipping through her maps of the mountain ranges. The path Pollan had chosen would take them along a small tributary to the main river, so it would be easy enough to follow along far enough behind that they shouldn’t notice her. At least, not too soon. She hoped that eventually she could make herself known to Aurum if the need arose, and that Aurum would at least trust that Alice had good intentions when she did. It was hard to feel positive about the possibility now.

Route chosen, Alice gathered her things and herself. This would be dangerous. She was going to be traveling alone without any real skills to do so, with the witch’s minions around hunting for Aurum. The cold mage had hurt her for no reason before, and something like that could easily happen again. But there was really nothing else Alice cared about more in this world than trying to protect Aurum now, and not just because she was the princess of the story she had read before. Those feelings ached right now though after Aurum’s rejection of her, and she pushed them away, steeling herself for the journey ahead.

Alice was not happy. But she had a purpose now.