"It was no more than a hunch," Treyan attempted to explain as Bria tended to his injured arm. He went to move but thought better of it as he winced halfway through making the gesture. "It must have something to do with Lexan's presence, Sarayna's arrival in the Empire, and the inevitable syncing of their Prophecy."

Alex already had her leg bandaged, and held her daughter tighter, refusing to let her go as if she would grow even older right before her eyes. Even after the initial shock wore off, Sarayna did not leave her mother's side. The gravity of what had just happened—to all of them—was still too much for any of them to deal with alone.

She could not fathom how it happened, no matter how many ways Treyan tried to explain it. Whether it would have happened regardless of her coming over on her own or in Alex's arms, she couldn't help but still feel bitter towards him, as though he alone took away their daughter's innocence—her very childhood—just to come back to this place.

It didn't seem worth it anymore.

Sarayna, other than being a grown woman, appeared to be fine. She thankfully fit into Bria's clothes without issue, seeing as she had none of her own. Whatever it was, magic or otherwise, it had aged her completely. Her mentality was that of a woman her age, yet she still knew the circumstances of her existence, remembering everything that happened between the two realms. It would have been remarkable had they the time to admire it.

The room they were in turned out to be Bria's cottage on the outskirts of the Empire, and conveniently close to the Borderlands. They soon discovered that her cottage was the main source of the Key transports they had all taken. According to Bria, Keys to the Otherrealm did not work within the Borderlands.

As for Lexan and Crystal, they had escaped before anyone in their group came to. Bria insisted she woke alone, which meant Lexan chose to leave her behind instead of bringing her back to Reylor. Alex and Treyan accepted this with a grain of salt but would remain vigilant while they remained at the cabin.

How long they would remain had yet to be decided. The fewer people who knew they had returned, the better they would be, at least until they were ready to stake their claim to the Empire. But with Lexan undoubtedly on his way to the Borderlands, their presence would be detected soon enough. Once their son informed Reylor of what transpired in the Otherreealm, the proverbial clock would begin its countdown. They would need to move first, before Reylor could act, all while keeping Sarayna safe in the process.

The thought that Reylor was again so close made Alex's stomach turn, and she excused herself to walk around the end of the cabin and throw up the contents of her nearly empty stomach. Even after all this time, she could still feel him on her skin, and it made her feel as though a thousand small ants were just underneath the surface. Suddenly the warm day turned extremely cold, and she held herself as she sat on a small wooden bench along the outer wall of the cottage.

The Borderlands were a few miles away; Alex could see them from where she sat. Nothing else lay in the way between the cottage and the mangled trees, which explained how access between the two lands was so easy for Bria to maintain. It also meant that without cover, travel would be easily visible by anyone looking, on either side, which made a clandestine entrance or exit no longer an option. It also meant that they would be able to keep an eye out should anyone care to pay them a visit.

No sooner had she made a mental note to mention that to Treyan than he was sitting next to her on the bench. "Quite a view, eh?" he asked, following her stare towards the Borderlands.

"Do you think Crystal is over there?" she asked, somber.

"She's either there, or the palace, but the Borderlands would get my vote."

"Mm..."

He kept his eyes towards the horizon. "I'd ask you if everything is okay, but I also care too much about my manhood, so I'll keep it to myself."

Alex couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah, it would be a shame to lose such a delicate piece of equipment, especially when there are so many good uses for it."

He smiled as he looked over to her. "I'd love to hear that list sometime."

"I'm sure we'll have all the time in the world now," she said as her view returned to the Borderlands.

She felt his eyes on her. "We will. We're home. We will make this right."

"How?" she looked back to him, trying to find some unsaid answer on his face.

"I told you. We're home. Once we're strong enough, we're going back to the palace."

"If there's any palace left," Alex scoffed. "Bria casually left out any detail about our old homestead."

"Something tells me she wouldn't exactly be welcomed back there with open arms."

"I still think there's something she's not telling us. Maybe a lot of somethings."

Treyan cleared his throat slightly and looked back to the Borderlands.

"What?"

He remained silent for a moment, and then stood motioning for her to join him. She followed suit, and soon they were a little way from the house, but still within a safe distance.

"I don't want to worry Sarayna, or let Bria know what we're discussing."

"Treyan, what is it?" Alex stopped walking to face him.

He finally peeled his eyes from the horizon and turned to look at her. "We need to discuss the Councillor before we proceed."

Alex swallowed slightly. "When I last saw him, the roof of our quarters within the palace had collapsed on top of him."

"I wouldn't be so quick to count him out."

She peered at him. "I guess I just hadn't given much thought to it. You would think he'd be pleased to have us back, though?"

"I don't know about that anymore either."

Alex cocked her head to the side. "What's going on, Treyan?"

He sighed. "I don't think his lack of disclosure about being my uncle was the only thing he's been keeping to himself all this time."

Treyan glanced over to her, but she remained speechless, her silence urging him to go on.

He rubbed a hand over his face as he thought about what to say next. "I have been thinking a lot about him, and I've been trying to think about—or maybe, not think about—what he may have been behind in regard to what's happened between us. Not necessarily just you and me, but myself and Reylor, and perhaps you and Reylor." Alex tried to piece together exactly what Treyan was suggesting, but he continued before she could ask anything further.

"When I was younger, I didn't think to consider what was going on. If there could have possibly been another way than the way I was shown growing up—the way of the Prophecy. Now I wonder if what I was told for so long was ever actually what I was truly supposed to do."

"Treyan..."

He shook his head to stop her from interrupting and continued. "When Reylor went against everything the Annals had foretold I was just so angry with him, that I never cared to listen to his reasoning. I just knew that I was right, he was wrong, and it was my duty to fix it, or at least that's what I was told."

"It is your duty, as the Crown Prince."

"What if there was another way, Alex? I banished the only family I had because I thought it was the only thing to do—the thing I had to do. But now..." He took another deep breath. "Now, the more I think about it, the only reason I ever thought it was what I had to do was because it's what the Councillor told me so."

"What makes you think the Councillor had any reason to ever tell you wrong?"

" I think he orchestrated your abduction."

Alex's voice caught in her throat and all she could do was watch him as she processed the accusation. "Treyan, you're talking like a madman." Alex wanted him to be wrong. She needed him to be wrong.

"Bria told me she heard him talking before."

"Bria has every reason to tell you anything that could cause you doubt."

He shook his head. "Anyone Empireborn knows the severity of such accusations."

"What if Bria's wrong?"

"What if she's not? It's not a risk I'm willing to take. Not again—not now."

Alex felt her jaw drop. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Treyan was nothing but loyal to the Empire, and it was because of that loyalty that they were in the position they were in now. Should he betray that—himself and the Empire—everything they had fought for would be for naught.

Anger took over her. After everything they had been through—all that they had endured—she needed to exert the energy or else it would tear her up inside.

It scared her. Anger and fear usually came hand in hand for Alex.

Unfortunately, the only one close enough to bear the brunt of the attack was her husband.

"Do you have any idea who you sound like?" she accused.

"Alex."

"Didn't all of this begin when one future Lord Steward began to question his purpose?"

"That future Lord Steward made his own selfish decisions."

"Not according to what you just said! If the world is working the way you think it is, you're trying to convince me that one man—the Councillor, a man who we all trusted but now we don't truly know at all—has been a mastermind manipulating a convoluted plan since you were a child."

"Maybe even longer than that."

"What does that even mean?"

"It means we already know he wasn't truthful concerning my mother's disappearance. I think he may have had his hand in my father's as well."

"For what purpose?"

"That's what we need to find out."

"Are you even listening to yourself?" She turned on him, but he was again avoiding her stare by looking out to the distance.

"What I hear right now is a Crown Prince looking out for the well-being of his Empire, and the Queen Empress refusing to stand by his side."

Her breath caught in her throat. "I never said I wouldn't stand by you."

He turned to her, and the burgeoning anger was beginning to show on his face. "You are countering everything I've told you—you're defending him—when for all we know he was the one who allowed Reylor to take you in the first place!"

"Dad?"

The new, yet familiar voice brought them both around to see Sarayna standing against the edge of the cottage, watching them. Neither knew how long she had been standing there, listening, but at the moment it was too much for Alex to bear. With tears welling in her eyes, she rushed away from both of them, hoping to find some solace elsewhere, alone.