The week of travel from Wickersham Forest to Nouvelle was draining, the speed at which we had to move unfamiliar to me but Red was patient, regularly carrying Celeste on her back as she moved fluidly through forests of lavender-colored pine trees and fields of fire lilies, flowers that resembled flames as the petals seemed to flicker in the sunlight.

Celeste took immediately to the new land we had found ourselves in and I attributed this to her age. The longer we spent on the road, the more comfortable I found myself. The closer we got to Nouvelle, the more I could remember and I was able to lead Red a few times through deeper parts of the forest or to inns in small villages between the forest and the castle.

“Red,” I muttered as the forest began to slowly thin, “how did I get from Castle Nouvelle to Mads’ house when I was a child if it’s taking us a week on foot?”

“You had an enchanted mirror,” she smiled, “well, you still do. It connected your chamber in the castle to his bedroom before his father finally took King Chevalier’s offer to move into the castle. You were best friends after all. We’ve used it a few times to safely move around as the mirror sits in the throne room now.”

“Are you telling me that there was a way to travel that wouldn’t have required us to walk across an entire continent?”

“Yes. But walking was for the best. Until you regain your power, you can’t travel through it. So while I could have taken Celeste, you would have been left behind.”

“Papa!” Celeste called from a few yards in front of us and we jogged over to find her looking curiously at something that resembled a toad but was bright orange.

“Oh you found a herdabegger,” Red smiled, patting Celeste on the top of the head.

“A what? It’s a froggy,” Celeste squatted down, smiling.

“Herdabeggers are creatures of fortune. Having one on our path means we’ve made the right choice. But based on books from the Land of Reason I can understand why you would assume it was something called a froggy.”

“Red?” I pointed in front of us, “What in the world is that?”

“Oh!” She beamed, jumping to her feet and quickly picking up Celeste, “Oh thank goodness. It’s the bridge to the castle. Cumbertham River flows between this part of Wickersham forest and Castle Nouvelle. As soon as we cross it, you’re home. Let’s go okay?”

“Okay…” I nodded slowly and followed Red to the bridge gates where two guards stood, lances in hand as they stared at us.

“Xanderian. Janessa,” Red nodded and they both bowed to her.

“Lady Hortencia,” Xanderian smiled, “welcome back. You have brought visitors? King Chevalier has banned any people who do not reside in the castle or village below it from entering due to safety concerns.”

“He will want to see who I have brought. Have faith, Xan. Please open the gate,” she poked the brooch on Celeste’s chest.

“Oh! Oh, I apologize, young princess,” Xanderian smiled at Celeste who giggled.

“It’s okay! Can we please go in? I want to see the castle,” Celeste wiggled.

“Of course,” he stamped his lance onto the ground and the castle gates creaked open, “please enter.”

Red nodded politely and I followed her and Celeste onto the bridge, doing my best to hold back gasps.

The entire bridge was made of a sparkling white stone, glittering in the sunlight. The massive castle that stood at the other end of the bridge was made of the same stone, however anywhere that the white stone wasn’t, there was some kind of midnight blue material, likely granite. Overgrown fields of vibrant flowers, unfamiliar fruit trees, and what resembled cows and sheep surrounded the exterior of the castle, with citizens moving around to care for them. We passed through the center of the village that resided just on the other side of the bridge and it was clear that while the people who lived here were struggling due to a war they hadn’t asked for, they had managed to prosper, taking it in stride and going to show how strong they truly were.

“I love it here!” Celeste smiled, waving to random people on the road to the castle and they would bow to her, “Why do they keep bowing?”

“You’re the princess,” Red smiled, “you look like the original Alice. They’ll know that you’re some part of royalty. It’s how they show politeness. They’re doing it to Prince Ezra too.”

“Why did they call you Hortencia?” I looked down at Red and she rolled her eyes.

“I hate that name but it is mine. Like Mads. Nicknames are more fun. The knights still call me Lady Hortencia to be respectful but I ask that I be called Red. My wife is named Peregrine. Everyone calls her Peri. She runs the main shop here in the village. Selling treats, trinkets, and supplies. She’ll be at the castle as soon as she realizes I’ve returned.”

“Whatever makes you happy,” I smiled and she returned it, “but being called your highness or your majesty is odd for me.”

“It was when we were children too,” Red laughed, “before you ask, yes I knew you as a child. I’m a bit older than you, but I trained you to use a sword alongside Leon. You were terrible. But we discovered something you were incredible at.”

“Which was?”

“Archery. You can see farther than most people and your hearing was heightened. You’d know something was coming before the rest of us.”

“I wish I could remember,” sighing softly, I followed her into the castle.

“You will.”

Where I had expected the castle to feel oppressive due to its size, it was shockingly warm and welcoming. The interior was done in warm tones, a fire blazing in the entrance hall's hearth and there were many people milling about, laughing and talking happily amongst themselves. Everyone had strange hair colors, some as deeply blue as the ocean, others in various shades of green and pink, but the commonality between every one of them was the midnight blue of their clothes and I realized that this signified that they belonged in the Kingdom of Nouvelle.

“Follow me,” Red gestured to my right and set Celeste down who quickly took my hand, her gaze never staying in one place for long.

We followed Red down a massive hallway, paintings along the right wall, floor-to-ceiling windows on the other, and as I stared at the paintings my head began to hurt for the unknown time this week.

“Red,” I winced, tilting my head to the side, “I can’t walk through here. It hurts.”

“The wall between your conscious and subconscious memories is trying to crumble. Is there anything in the hall that you can remember?”

“No,” shaking my head, I placed my hand against the wall to keep my balance, my vision blurring due to the pain in my head, “stop this. This isn’t… isn’t real. I’m dreaming.”

“You’ve spent a week traveling through Wickersham forest. A week of sleeping in inns that were unfamiliar to you. You’re not allowing yourself to accept that the reality you thought you knew was wrong. I understand your confusion, I promise that I do, but until you can accept the world you’re in, you’re going to suffer. Please just look at the paintings. At the very least,” she walked to the end of the hall, stopping outside of two large white doors, “this one,” she gestured to a painting that hung there and Celeste ran as quickly as she could, giggling as soon as she saw it.

“Papa it’s you!” Celeste clapped happily.

With a groan and a small shuffle, I made my way over and finally looked at the painting they were talking about, a startled gasp escaping me.

The painting was of a small family, a father, a mother, and two young boys. The father was an imposing but warm figure, his hair the same honey blonde as Celeste, his eyes a deep sapphire the same as mine. The woman next to him was my twin, with tawny brown locks, sky blue eyes, and a gentle smile on her face as she held what I immediately knew was me at the same age as Celeste. It was hard to deny that I was in this painting due to the four small moles under my left eye in the shape of a diamond. The boy standing in front of the father was vaguely familiar, his hair honey blonde and fluffy, eyes of midnight blue and he had a stern look on his face, clearly unhappy to be there.

“Mama,” I whispered, studying Clarissa, “why can’t I remember her?”

“She died a week after this was painted, my liege,” Red sighed softly, “you were four. King Chevalier had it painted to honor her as she was very ill. She couldn’t leave the castle anymore. Queen Clarissa had loved to walk through the village below, talking with commoners and helping with things that plagued them as she had once lived amongst them. She could grow any plant, ensure that they were healthy with a snap of her fingers. You gave her that gift when a drought ripped through and killed all of the crops. She asked and you did it without question. You blessed Leon with the gift of foresight in battle. He wanted to ensure that he knew what an enemy was going to be doing a few seconds before they did it. King Chevalier has his own gift. The power to speak with the dead.”

“Will Celeste have one?” I gripped the side of my head, “beyond illumination.”

“She already does,” Red smiled, “I can see it in her eyes. Thank you, Prince Riley, for my own gift when I was 10. You gave me the power to see what others' abilities were. Celeste is a healer. An actual magical healer, not a physician or apothecary. We haven’t had one in Nouvelle in 200 years. Celeste will need to learn to use it appropriately but the future queen of Nouvelle can be the royal doctor when she’s old enough.”

“And me? Can all I do is give out gifts?”

“No. Absolutely not. You’ve always been a scout. When given an item that belongs to someone, you are always able to find them as long as you are in the same realm. Or you were able to do so. Until you allow your memories to unlock, you won’t be able to.”

“Which is why you haven’t been able to find Prince Zarian until I came back,” I whispered, looking at my hands.

“Exactly. Even if he’s in an enchanted box, you will be able to find him,” she turned and knocked four times on the door next to us.

“Enter,” a deep rumbling voice called and Red threw the doors open with gusto, clearly comfortable being in the castle, “Red I have asked a thousand times that you have some decorum when entering the throne room. Things may be relaxed between us but I am still the king,” the figure in the room sighed, his back to us as he looked through papers on a long table.

“Oh you old fuddy-duddy,” Red laughed, “I brought you a gift, your majesty.”

“I am tired of mead every time you come from somewhere else. There are three kingdoms in this world how many places can have made a new one I haven’t tried.”

“This is the greatest gift I could have brought for you and Leon.”

“More weapons?” he laughed as well and turned around, dropping the glass in his hand which shattered against the stone floor of the throne room, “E-Ezra?”

A crashing sound ripped through my head and I realized that I was the only one who was able to hear it. Falling to my knees, I gripped the sides of my head, trying to force down the sudden cacophony of noise slamming against me, my memories of Nouvelle mixed with my memories of Arizona at war and before I could utter a single word I collapsed face down to the floor, my vision gone and blood began to pour from my nose.

“Papa!” Celeste shouted but I could barely hear her over the sound in my head.

“Oh no,” Red squatted down, placing her hands on either side of my head, “Hey you’re okay. Look at me. Look right at… Ezra?”

I can’t…

What do you mean look at you?

I can’t see anymore.

“Ez?” Red whispered, “Can you see me?”

“No,” I finally croaked out.

“You forced the wall to crumble before he accepted who he was,” King Chevalier shouted at Red, “leaving Nouvelle for the Land of Reason without preparation forced the memories of us into the back of his mind. He needed to accept being Prince Ezra! You can’t force these things! I know you’re desperate to find your brother, Hortencia, but this was not the way to go about it! You could have killed him!”

“Am I blind?” I started to cry, gripping Red’s hand.

“No,” she ran her fingers through my hair, “I promise you that you’re not. It’s a side effect of the wall coming down and I am so sorry I brought you here like this. I didn’t think that this would happen. I knew it was a possibility but… I… all you need is rest. As soon as you sleep, you’ll feel better.”

“Call an apothecary,” King Chevalier demanded, “he needs a tonic. I can’t make it here. I am entirely out of moonflower in the castle. I’ll care for him.”

“But-”

“He is my son. I will care for him. Go now.”

“Very well.”

I could hear Red leave and a tiny hand squeezed my left, “Celeste?”

“Papa are you okay?” she sniffled.

“Mhm. I promise Papa is okay. I think. I hope.”

“Ez,” King Chevalier touched the top of my head, “I am so sorry, son. Red was simply excited at the prospect of getting her brother back. She lost sight that you would need time and probably assumed that the week of travel from Robin’s home would be enough for you to accept that you were from here. Not above.”

“I know,” nodding, I did my best to sit up, “but why can’t I see?”

“The barrier between the Land of Reason and Nouvelle was enchanted by Alice when she came through on accident. She didn’t want that happening to others as she never found a way back. She was happy here so she never intended to leave, but she didn’t want wanderers to fall through and be trapped. It was discovered later on that there are ways to leave and come back through. However, due to the barrier, it wipes your memories. Or that’s what we thought. Instead, it locks them away, and regaining them has to be done slowly. It can’t be forced. Trying to quickly unlock them can cause many things to happen. You have royal blood, however. Your constitution is stronger than most. So yes, you are struggling to see right now. But with the help of the moonflower and acceptance of who you truly are, you’ll be okay. Is there a single thing about Nouvelle that you can accept?”

“Mads and Robin are my childhood friends. I remember them. As though it was a dream but I can understand that my dreams of them were far too vivid to not have been real. So… I accept that I have known Robin and Mads since I was a small child.”

“Good. Try more.”

“I accept that Nouvelle is real. I accept that my true mother is named Clarissa and my true father is Chevalier. I still don’t understand how I ended up with a different family.”

“They must have found you and decided to keep you.”

“I accept not having memories of Arizona before the age of ten,” I whispered, my vision slowly returning to me, “I accept that I am the prince of Nouvelle, not a restaurant owner.”

“Papa?” Celeste touched my cheek and I turned, grateful to see her at least a little.

“I accept that my daughter Celeste is to be a Princess in this land. To take up the throne when I am long gone as I will for you when it is time. I… accept my role in the land that I had forgotten.”

My vision entirely returned and although I had a splitting headache, I could relax finally.

“You did amazing,” Chevalier smiled, a tear rolling down his cheek.