Only to Remember

a tale that grew out of my childhood toys

Mistletoe rushed towards the nearest leader to share his horrific news. As it so happened, that leader was Samantha, one of the trio who had overcome all sorts of injustice and trials to bring them safely to this quiet village. “Saman�"oof!” in his haste, he hadn’t noticed Shadow, his unofficial guardian, crossing his path.
“What’s the matter, Mistletoe?” Shadow inquired. He did not appear terribly worried, but Mistletoe knew that Shadow cared more than he let on.
Mistletoe hurriedly explained, “I have to tell Samantha what I saw!” By this time, Samantha had noticed the commotion and was already approaching them.
“What did you see, Mistletoe?” she asked in an unsure voice. Although she had braved fears Mistletoe couldn’t understand well enough to even imagine, Samantha still seemed afraid whenever a new adventure came her way. In this case, the worry was definitely justified.
“In the gully. There was a big crash, so I looked, and I saw shards, and�"and I think it might’ve been” The nervous pony broke off. There was no way he could have seen right. It just couldn’t be.
“It’s alright, Mistletoe. What did you see?” Shadow’s ever calm voice soothed Mistletoe enough that he could complete the information.
“I think it was June.” His eyes filled with fearful tears, but as he peered through his suddenly blurred vision, both Samantha and Shadow were already hurrying toward the gully. He knew it was selfish to want one of them to stay behind and comfort him, but he still wished it. Even so, it didn’t happen, and he made his way into the center of the village to search out his adoptive sister Rainbow, who could surely make him feel a bit better.

Samantha reached the base of the lip surrounding the gully in record time, but at that point she had to stop. She wasn’t sure she wanted to go on. What if it really was June shattered there? It seemed impossible, but Samantha had to consider the possibility in case she really would have to face such a sight. Ever since Samantha’s brother Nathan had been hired to tutor June, the two girls had been the closest of friends. Together, the three of them had faced the dangers of both Pictureland and Fantasy. The bond between them had held through every new strain, but if June was . . . gone, could it stay strong? But it couldn’t possibly be June; Mistletoe must have been mistaken, and Samantha convinced herself she was only borrowing trouble. She took a breath and climbed to where she could peer over the edge into the gully.

Shadow knew that Samantha was June’s best friend, but he hadn’t realized the strength of that friendship. The girl was climbing the small lip of the gully by the time he caught up. He held back to give her time to see for herself without intrusion. It was a good thing he did, because the moment she could see inside the gully, she lost her footing, and Shadow found himself breaking her fall. It didn’t really hurt, as he was a fully-grown stallion, but it certainly aroused his curiosity and fear. “Samantha? Are you alright?” He typically tried to avoid speaking to the girl, but this was obviously a time to make an exception. She did not respond. Understanding she must have passed out, Shadow carefully carried her back to the village, where Nathan awaited them.
“Shadow! I’ve been looking for you. What is going on with Mistletoe? He seems . . .” Nathan trailed off as his gaze shifted to the body Shadow had borne from the edge of the gully. “What’s happened to Samantha?”
“I’m not sure. Mistletoe told us he had seen something unusual in the gully, and she reached it before I did. Next thing I knew, she fell backwards off the lip. I brought her straight here, haven’t had time to see what she actually saw,” Shadow explained hurriedly. He wanted to return to the gully to confirm his fear, but he knew Nathan’s questions took priority. Nathan was June’s husband, also, so he would really deserve to know first, anyway.

Shadow’s voice betrayed that he was not quite so calm as usual, but Nathan still could not gather much from it. “Have you any idea what she saw?” He saw that this was the key question, and now that he had asked it he feared the answer. Whatever it may be, it had the most clear-headed horse alive stressed, so it could not bode well for the village.
Shadow replied, “Mistletoe thought it was June.” Nathan was never entirely sure how Samantha came to be removed from Shadow’s back or how he came to be on it, but the switch was made somehow and the horse and the man headed for the foreboding gully. They returned a short time later, broken. Life in the village had to continue, but Samantha did not wake.

The scene was ever before her eyes, flitting in and out of focus: June, her best friend, shattered like a porcelain doll in a gully near their village. She felt as if she was having a nightmare and couldn’t wake up. The picture would be crystal clear, then swirling into a blur of shapes.
“Samantha?”
The image cleared, forming a ballroom Samantha had never seen before. There were numerous couples dancing, but they seemed like part of the background of a picture.
“Samantha, are you okay?”
She turned around, trying to find the source of the voice. A strangely familiar young man stood before her with a worried expression on his face. “Who are you?” she asked.
“My name is Marc. Now, you answer my question.”
“Okay,” Samantha said slowly, “Yeah, I think I’m okay, but this feels like a dream.”
Marc nodded, then fidgeted uncomfortably, like a little boy with a not-so-good report card. “That’s because this is a dream. It’s my daydream. You must have gotten so far into your dream that you came into mine.”
“Is that even possible?”
Marc laughed a short, quiet, calm laugh. “In case you forgot, we live in a world called Fantasy. There aren’t too many natural laws.”
Samantha grinned, but even her smile was tainted with pain. “Good point.” Then a glimmer of hope flickered across her face. Almost afraid to wish, she asked the question Marc, whoever he was, must have been dreading. “So does that mean June �" isn’t" she broke off, unable to even finish the question.
Marc grimaced and pulled Samantha a little closer. (Only then did she realize they had been dancing.) “I wish it did, but that truly is impossible. I’m sorry, she is.” They danced in strained silence, which Marc finally broke, saying “You need to wake up. Nathan and the others are worried about you. You’ve been unconscious for days. It’s as if we lost two people that day.”
“I haven’t exactly been thinking clearly. How am I supposed to wake myself up?”
“I’m not sure, but nobody else can wake you. Nathan’s starting to panic.”
“Nathan’s panicking?!”
“Yes. He did just lose his wife, and her best friend appears to be in a coma, so I think he has reason to panic.”
The wording was strange. Samantha knew her comment would be a bit out of place, but she simply had to point out, “Wouldn’t it make more sense to say ‘his sister’ instead of ‘her best friend?”
The steady waltz paused, and for half a second the ballroom seemed to flicker in and out of existence. Marc stiffened in shock, almost as if he were going to pass out. “You�"you’re his sister?” he stammered.
“Well, of course, I thought everyone knew that by now. Are you okay? You look almost like Nathan did when he realized it.”
Marc had by now sort of recovered. Samantha could tell he was still stunned, but it was also clear that he wasn’t about to tell her anything in response to her question. He abruptly changed the subject: “Like I said earlier, you need to come back. Nathan’s going to lose it if he doesn’t at least have�"uh, his sister there to help him. We’ll try waking you again, but you need to accept what’s happening outside of dreams so you can come back.”
“Um, okay. I’ll try.”
Marc had returned to being the sensitive fellow mourner. “That includes June’s…” he trailed off, still unable to speak it aloud.
“Yes, I �" I know” Samantha whispered. Then, her voice grew stronger that it had been for the entire conversation. “You should go back to wherever you’re supposed to be. I’ll be where I belong as soon as I can.”

“Samantha�"Sam, come on, wake up.”
Samantha opened her eyes and saw, to her great relief, her brother Nathan kneeling over her, almost crying. “Nate, I’m awake. I’m sorry…I just couldn’t…” Nathan helped her to her feet. Her legs felt as if they hadn’t been used in a week, which now that she thought about it was probably true. He comforted her, saying, “Don’t worry. I think I would’ve passed out too, if I didn’t have to take care of everybody else and you hadn’t beaten me to it. Shadow’s been helping a lot, so we’d be okay with you out, but I couldn’t focus on the others when I was worrying about you. That’s all.”
Samantha grinned mischievously. “If that’s all, then why were you panicking?”
“What you saw just now was not panicking.”
“I know,” Samantha conceded, “But what you did while I was in that coma would qualify.”
Nathan looked confused. “I was not �" I mean, I was, but �" how would you know that?”
“Right before I woke up, I somehow fell into someone else’s dream, and he told me. He said his name was Marc, and he seemed familiar, and he knew me, but I’m not sure how.”
“That’s certainly out of the ordinary. I’ll have to figure out who he was and get him for giving my little sister that kind of ammo. In the meantime, while you could probably go for days without sleeping, I’ve already done that, so I’m exhausted.”
“Okay, see you tomorrow. I’ll probably go to sleep out of boredom anyway.”
“Just make sure you actually wake up.”
When Samantha woke up the next morning, she felt better than she had for a long time. She was energized, ready for whatever would happen. She opened her eyes to witness a view she hadn’t seen for days �" wait, years! Realizing she was no longer in the mountain village she’d been in yesterday, Samantha tried to figure out where �" and when �" she was. This was obviously a replay, so she had to have been here and now before. (A replay is exactly what it sounds like �" a reenactment of something that has already occurred. One of the original characters initiates it and brings those others still living with him or her. They play themselves and the other characters are the exact characters they were at that time.) Samantha looked around the plain wooden one-room house and saw Nathan sleeping on the other side of the room. “Nathan! Wake up!” she whispered. He groaned and rubbed his eyes, then gazed about the room, clearly disoriented. “Nathan, my guess is Morgan will come in any minute to tell you about the great tutoring job she got you.”
Nathan was fully awake by now. “There is no way we’re going through that story again.” He peered out the window and sighed. “Okay, we are. But who brought us? And why?”
Morgan, their mother, hurried through the door with an excited look on her face. “Nathan, you’ll never guess what happened at the palace today!”
Samantha could tell Nathan wanted to roll his eyes, but he played his part perfectly. “What happened, Mom? Did the queen make a new law or something?”
“No, no, nothing like that. The queen needed a tutor for the prince and princess. You start tomorrow, and Samantha can come with you!”
Nathan probably overdid the excited “Wow! That’s great, Mom! I get to teach the princess!” but Samantha’s mind was elsewhere. Prince? she thought. I don’t remember June having a brother.
“-ate Samantha?” Morgan asked.
Samantha decided she’d ask Nathan about it later. “What? Sorry, I was thinking about getting to go inside the palace and meet the princess.” Nathan and Morgan laughed.
Nathan informed her, “You just answered her question anyway, Sam.”
“Oh,” Samantha grinned sheepishly. “Okay.”
“Also,” Morgan said, “You two have been invited to have dinner at the palace with the prince and princess tonight. So, hurry there and behave yourselves!”
“Yes, ma-am,” they chorused as they rushed out the door. Once outside, Samantha said, “I didn’t know June had a brother.”
“Neither did I,” Nathan confessed. “Well, I guess we both knew back when this happened, but he’s never come up in any of these replays. Come to think of it, I do sort of remember him. Unlike his sister, he paid attention to my lessons. What was his name? Mike �" no, it was some sort of acrostic… I don’t know; we’ll find out in a few minutes.”
After this, Nathan and Samantha reached the palace wall, where a guard met them. “You are Lady Morgan’s son and daughter?” They nodded. “I’ll take you to the royal children’s dining hall, where they will meet you.” They followed the guard through a labyrinth of stairways and corridors until finally he opened a wide elegant door and led them into a large room with a huge table stretching from one end of the room to the other. Samantha began to wonder just how many dinner guests were expected. Before she could ask, though, she noticed a significantly smaller round table where Nathan was about to sit down. The guard informed them, “The prince and princess will be in shortly.” Nathan politely thanked the guard, who speedily retreated back to the front gate.
Once she was certain they were alone, Samantha wondered aloud, “Who could possibly have brought us here? I mean, neither of us did, and June �" well, she can’t, so who does that leave?” Before Nathan could have responded even if he did have an answer to give, Princess June entered, followed by a slightly older and taller but hardly noticeable boy that had to be the forgotten prince. His face was hidden in the shadows as he introduced himself as Prince Marcus Aurelius Renciovanus Constantius. After Samantha and Nathan struggled over this for several minutes, he added that he preferred to go by Marc, the acronym of his initials. At this, June released the peals of laughter she had been stifling, and after a second, Nathan joined in. As a result, only Marc noticed Samantha’s sudden good posture and sharp intake of breath, and he made no comment beyond a subtle nod as the laughter subsided.
The dinner itself went just as Nathan and Samantha remembered it, save for a few times when Samantha got caught staring at Marc, who remained completely silent. The conversation proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that June was no more than the June of the time when the story originally occurred. Finally the meal ended, and June made the elaborate exit expected of the crown princess. Marc hung back, and the moment she heard June close her door, Samantha ran to him. “Nathan, this is the guy I told you about!” she exclaimed, then to Marc, “Well, I certainly didn’t know you were June’s brother, or that she even had one, so we’re even now.”
Marc did not appear to agree with her on that point, but rather than explaining, he responded to other, less messy, unspoken queries. “Yes, I’m the one who brought us here. No, we can’t go back yet. Just be patient and play it out.” Before that could press him for more answers, a guard came to escort them back to the gate. Samantha glanced back for a moment, but Marc had already left.
The story continued as it always had in the maddening déjà-vu fashion of a replay with one exception, that of course being Marc. Nathan tutored, June ignored his lessons and stared dreamily into his sky blue eyes, and Samantha became June’s best friend. Marc sat silently and respectfully, drinking up all the knowledge his teacher had to offer. Finally, the day arrived when June and Samantha decided to secretly switch places. After Nathan left with June (whom he supposed to be Samantha,) Samantha decided to do something she had never done in any of the countless replays of this story: She left June’s room and explored the rest of the hallway. There were many rooms, mostly furnished as elaborate but impersonal bedrooms. A few were more interesting, such as an old nursery from when June was newborn and a smaller room with doll size furniture where June’s older (but much smaller) sister Valerie had grown up in the palace. Valerie was all but forgotten after June was born because traditionally, the crown in Fantasy went to the youngest grown daughter. One room Samantha peered into had absolutely no furnishing. Even the walls were bare stone. Eventually, she came to Marc’s room. She found him there counting a series of tally marks on the back cover of his palette. He jumped up, surprised, when she spoke. “What are you writing, Marc?”
He began mumbling something and putting away his palette, but then he appeared to remember some detail and relaxed. He explained, “I wasn’t entirely sure which person you were. You used my nickname, though, which gave it away. That means this tally I kept was dead on. From now on, though, I intend to keep playing my part even if it’s just us. You don’t know this part of the story. By the way, the conversation we originally had at this point ended with me knowing your identity and promising to keep it secret.”
Samantha listened attentively, then commented, “That’s the most I’ve heard you say at one time.” At this, Marc laughed, the same short, quiet, calm laugh she had encountered when she fell into his dream.
He suddenly calmed and closed the conversation, saying, “You’d best avoid my �" our �" mother. She’d find you out almost as quickly as I did. To do this, I suggest you limit your wanderings to this hall. Goodnight, sister.”
“Goodnight,” Samantha replied. She walked to the door, then paused and turned to him sheepishly. “Um, I kind of don’t remember where my room is.”
Marc watched her for a moment, seemingly contemplating something, then rose and silently led her past what looked like hundreds of doors lining an unending hallway. When the pair finally arrived at June’s door, he pointed out, “Yours is the only pink door in the entire palace. If you keep that in mind, it should be easy to keep track of. Goodnight again.” With that, he left her.
Samantha hesitated for a moment, wondering how she had failed to notice such a conspicuous color. It was only after entering, changing for bed, and trying in vain for almost an hour to find the switch to the lamp by the bed, that she wondered why he hadn’t simply told her that in the first place.

The morning after the switch �" at least, I presume they only switched yesterday �" the girl, I believe she called herself Samantha, couldn’t figure out my sister’s royal garments. Luckily for her, I was passing her doorway, so I knocked. She was not thinking quite clearly, so she called, “Come on in!” which, firstly, is NOT what June would have said, and secondly, should not have been said at all, for when I opened the door I beheld the girl in commoner clothing, having made a near hopeless knot of the princess’ shroud. She looked so pitifully ridiculous; I couldn’t help but laugh. The girl did not appreciate this, but I made up for it by explaining how to tie the shroud, and after about ten tries, she was a natural. I can only wonder what should have happened had our lessons begun when the common school does.
Marc remembered the journal verbatim. He wrote the day’s entry almost an hour before he would have originally written it. Smiling, he returned the journal to its hiding place beneath the loose tile under his bed. He then left his room to check on his ‘sister.’ He knocked at the pink door, pretended to be surprised when she informally called him in, and became genuinely bewildered when the door opened to reveal Samantha fully garbed in a royal purple shroud, her face strategically veiled so that had he not known better, Marc would have thought she really was June. He tried to say, “Good morning,” then blushed when it came out as a stuttered question. If only she weren’t so well hidden behind that veil! He guessed that she would be confused by his botched performance, so he explained, “I-well, originally I came to help you with that robe, but I see you’ve got it figured out.”
She laughed. She laughed?! The tutor’s sister, a commoner pretending to be the crown princess, one who could easily be arrested and sorely punished at any time if he but gave the word, had the nerve to laugh at the prince! Before Marc could react, though, she reminded him, “I’ve been through this story so many times now; I could probably convince June I was she.”
At that, Marc grinned sheepishly, attempting to cover up the selfish indignation that had possessed him a moment before. How could he think that Samantha was still the foolish, dreaming, naïve child who came to the palace originally? No matter how much he desired, he couldn’t forget the time and events that had passed since this story first occurred. Very well then, of course she is no less his equal now than she has been since he came to their camp.
“So, my prince, what shall we do before lessons, as you no longer have to teach me my role?”
Good question. “Well, you did slip up on one matter. My sister would never say, ‘Come on in!’ She’d say something more to the effect of ‘you may enter.’”
“Oh! Thank you,” Samantha acknowledged, “I will try to remember court speech. All the same, that took perhaps half a minute, and we have nearly two hours before Nathan �" rather, the tutor, if I am to speak formally �" arrives.” She abruptly dropped the regal tone and pleaded, exasperatedly, “Can’t we forget about keeping in character for a while? Sitting around in a royal bedchamber gets very dull. At least we could talk, but as I have almost no memories before this time and you refuse to discuss what has happened since, we can’t even do that!”
Marc sighed. She certainly had a point. Originally they had discussed their childhoods, but she likely knew most of his, and now she did not remember her own. Wait, what? “Hang on; you don’t remember anything about growing up? I mean, I knew my mother had faded memories of me, but all your memories?”
Samantha looked surprised, almost as much as she had in his ballroom dream. “Yes. The queen�"“ she stopped short, glancing about, than continued quickly, “She was furious when she figured out that June and I had switched, actually maybe more because of us creating Pictureland and June being stuck there with Nathan, but anyways, she had me brainwashed and sent to Reality as a toddler. They found me in a small art gallery a few streets away from where I later grew up…um, again.”
At this point, Marc momentarily forgot about everything save his scholarly fascination with Reality. “You lived there?” he queried excitedly. “Are you really a kid for years? Do you remember being a kid?”
“Well,” Samantha seemed startled, but she did her best to satisfy some of his curiosity. “Um, in their terms, you don’t become a teenager until thirteen years after your birth. I think most people can remember some experiences going back to about age three or four. But kids ages 5-12 are probably the most similar to our manner of thinking.”
Marc pressed on, oblivious to her discomfort. “So are their teenagers and adults wiser than we? If so, why do we try so hard to avoid them?”
“No! I hope Fantasy never becomes like Reality! There are exceptions, of course, but Real children learn right and wrong and try to do right, teens know right and wrong and choose whichever is fun, and adults add so many other variables to their problems that right and wrong hardly matter anymore. And things like �" what happened to June �" they’re so commonplace that people almost expect them…” Samantha trailed off, almost crying at this point.
Finally, Marc realized he was torturing her. “Oh, I’m sorry; I-I didn’t know.” Knowing how inadequate this sounded, and being unable to think of anything better to say, he abruptly dropped the subject. “So, umm…” Unfortunately, he couldn’t think of a new subject. “Well…”
Luckily, Samantha had recovered during the course of his stammering, and she asked, “Before you started asking about Reality, did you say your mother was the reason no one remembered you? I just figured Nate never thought of you because you were so quiet and unnoticeable. I did think it odd that June had never mentioned you, of course.”
Thank you! Marc could breathe again; she wasn’t mad and she helped change the subject, even if the new one was a little too close to things he didn’t care to mention. He explained, “She used a Queen’s Right called ‘fading.’ I guess it was created to keep our history clean. It means she can subtly push everyone’s memories of some event �" or person �" down until everyone forgets about it �" or him. The memories aren’t really erased; with enough prompting, you can remember everything. Um, maybe you can’t, if she actually brainwashed you. But I never thought she would do something that inhumane.”
“Actually, we’re not sure she literally brainwashed me. I obviously don’t remember, and June and Nathan were in prison, unless they’d already gotten trapped in Pictureland. It could be that she just humanized me �" made me Real, you know �" and I don’t remember simply because humans can’t remember anything clearly for the first several years of their lives. The only person who would know for sure is the queen, but it doesn’t really matter. The end result is the same.”
“Not necessarily�"“ Marc stopped short and covered his mouth. Footsteps resounded in the hallway. He motioned for Samantha to stay quiet and crept into the closet. The queen was coming. That couldn’t be right; he knew they had almost two weeks before she gave any sign of suspicion, or even any interest in their lessons. Could it be �" but no, she was no longer alive, and he certainly didn’t bring her. Then again, why was she here so soon? She should have been out of town for the first week.
“Hello, boy.” Marc would have screamed, but a cold, bony hand clamped over his mouth as she led him into the passage behind the closet. “What’s wrong, boy, did you truly think I never learnt your secret walkways?” He tried to respond, but still the horrible hand restrained him. “I must admit, I was not at my best in this story of yours. I should have noticed your foolery sooner, so that perhaps I could have stopped it before you became so hopelessly committed. Now, since you initiated this, I can give you a chance at your true life. Convince the princess and the girl to switch back before they can create that world, and before you fall for her. I have the power to make this the original so that you four will have the lives you should have had. Then your dear sister would still be alive. Think upon this; I will give you three days. If by that time you have not accomplished these things, I shall merely expedite your chosen fate. Until then.” She removed her hand, and Marc found himself alone in his own doorway. He had no chance to think about what had passed because at that moment, Nathan and June passed his doorway with their escort. It was time for lessons.

Walking down the corridor to June’s bedroom, Nathan couldn’t wait to meet up with Samantha and have some sort of non-staged conversation. Yes, back when all this happened June was splendid, but in later times she became so much more of a person that now this regal princess was incredibly dull. He saw Marc standing in one of the doorways, looking rather faint. Before he could speak, though, his escort pressed him onward down the hallway. Finally they reached June’s chamber, where Samantha awaited them, appearing bewildered. While he waited for the guard to leave so he could question her, Nathan became aware that June had been staring at him intently for most of the trip through the castle. Of course, she was beginning to like him. It felt awkward knowing what would come of this now silly crush.
The guard left, and Nathan managed to ask Samantha, “What’s wrong?” before Marc burst into the room almost frantically. He obviously remembered June a few seconds later and stopped short to compose himself, but his eyes still betrayed him.
“Marc, are you alright?” June asked. Samantha and Marc glanced at each other, and then stared at June. Nathan still had no idea what was going on with any of them; everyone was acting strangely and no one was taking the time to explain any of it. Then all three started speaking at once.
“I’m-“
“He-“
“She-“
“Wait!” Nathan exclaimed. The room quieted. “Okay, uh, June first: What is going on?”
June explained, “They both know I would never have used his nickname, so they realized it was actually me, um, you understand. Meaning I’m in the replay now. I don’t know how, but clearly there is some way because here I am.”
“So…” It took him a minute to follow that, but he finally made the connection that she really was the June of their time. “June!” Nathan ran to her, the others following closely.
After the reunion, Marc was the first to speak. “I think my story will solve Samantha’s confusion and explain June’s presence. The queen is here �" as she is in our true time, like June. She used a hidden walkway to find me in the closet�"I was hiding because I’d heard footsteps. She wants the girls to switch back before anything happens. Then she plans to make this the original. We have three days to do this before she initiates the usual ending of the story. I’m guessing there are Queen’s Rights to explain some of this?” He turned to Nathan, who finally understood the situation enough to be helpful.
Nathan provided, “The Queen’s Right of Inclusion means once a queen Leaves, she can choose to include herself in any replay where she was an original character. She can also bring other characters who have Left. In regards to making this the original, I believe it’s called the Queen’s Right of Regrets. I’m not sure what we’ll remember if she invokes that.”
“Well, it’s not as if we need to worry about that one. She’ll have no wish to invoke it.” It was June speaking. The others turned to her. Nathan was fairly certain they were all thinking the same thing, but he did not want to say it. The room grew tense, but June showed no sign of seeing their problem. “It’s not like we’re unhappy with the way our story played out after this. Meeting the queen’s wishes couldn’t possibly lead to a better outcome.” The silence stretched until it became almost unbearable.
“But you’d still be alive,” Marc finally whispered. “You’d be queen of Fantasy, probably a very good one. Nathan would have a great teaching career, I’d likely be your advisor, and Samantha �" Well, she’d doubtless still have her head in the clouds. And you would be alive.”
June was on the verge of tears, and Samantha moved to comfort her. Nathan felt horrible. He should’ve been the one to speak, but no, he had left that cruel role to Marc, who’d already had a miserable morning. He shuffled in Marc’s direction to talk, but they all jumped as they heard the guards in the hallway. They composed themselves and finished a writing assignment as the door opened. After a moment’s hesitation, Nathan and June left with the guard. They passed Marc on the way out, who whispered, “Two days.”

How could he be so cruel? June knew that everything Marc had said was true, but it felt far too Real for her. Alright, it was entirely true that she could have been alive at this point in true time if she had remained a proper Fantasy princess, but would it honestly be her? Of course not! She was an impossible student until they were trapped in Pictureland, and even then it had taken many years to become the person Nathan, Samantha, and Marc were glad to see. There was another problem she had pushed aside when Marc told his story that morning: Marc. She remembered him now clearly enough, but she remembered treating him like a mere servant, of far less value than any being is worth. Why on earth did he act like he knew and loved her, as if she had ever acted like a sister? He never acted that way before…and whatever happened to him after this story? Why did he never find them in Pictureland or after they returned to Fantasy? (June remembered talking to Samantha during classes, hearing about her conversations the night before. Marc had designed half the things she and Nathan implemented. He could easily have come to Pictureland.) Yes, Marc was a mystery. Oh well. There was too much to think about. Once we reach the outer wall, June thought, I’ll just talk to Nathan and maybe forget all this for the evening.
At the wall, once the guard left them, they immediately started in opposite directions. “What?” June asked, “I thought we were going to the park like we usually would.”
Nathan’s face revealed no emotion. “Maybe, until we all decide what we’re doing, we should just go home. I mean, we can still talk there.”
June realized he was trying to protect her, but this time she fought back. “We should continue doing as we did originally until we make a decision. And if we decide to keep it the way it was, which is definitely my vote, then we only have three �" actually now two �" days to create a world.”
Nathan was silent, but he walked with her to the park. They sat in silence on the boulders in the garden. Finally Nathan spoke, “Do you realize how much I’ve missed you? Do you see why it’s so hard to turn down the queen’s offer?”
“Nathan, I know. But you remember what Marc said; I’d be a completely different person. You wouldn’t even know me. I know it’s hard, but just let the story play out as usual.”
“And then we’ll go back to true time, and you won’t be there, and I’m still not sure what’s up with Marc…I know you’re right; I just want this to last.” He put his arm around her. She looked up and saw tears in his eyes.
“We’ll be okay. Everything will work out somehow…”Words couldn’t help. Once again they sat in silence, only this time it was a safe, comforting quiet. June didn’t know how long they rested there, but when the sun began to set, they left for Nathan’s home.
Morgan, his mother, met them at the door. “Where have you two been?” she asked. “I was starting to worry.”
“Calm down, mom,” Nathan reassured her. “We were just playing at the park.”
“Well, be sure and come home before sundown tomorrow. You need your sleep so that you can keep working with those children. They can surely tire you out.” She paused for a moment before adding something quietly so that June couldn’t hear her. Then she raised her voice again and ordered, “Off to bed, now.”
As soon as Morgan left the room, June asked, “What did she say that she didn’t want me to hear?”
Nathan looked like he was going to ignore her, but appeared to change his mind. “She was just making sure I still thought Samantha should be going with me rather than attending the common school.”
“Did she ask that originally?” It sounded as if he was hiding something.
“Oh, yes. Plenty of times. I guess you just never noticed.”
Well, maybe not. He seemed open enough that time. “Okay. Well, she did have one good point: I’m tired. Goodnight!”
He grinned. “You sound exactly like the little girl you were when this happened. Goodnight, little sister!”

Nathan listened to June’s steady breathing. There was such a sharp contrast between the peaceful external atmosphere and the confusion spinning inside his mind. What he had told June was all true, but he had omitted an important detail: Although Morgan had frequently suggested Samantha go to the common school, she had never persisted much. And she had certainly never based her worries on a request from the queen. It seemed the queen had no intention of simply letting them decide their futures. She had approached Morgan after a council meeting to ask that Samantha attend the common school because while she was a splendid common child, she was a poor influence on a princess who would someday rule Fantasy. Of course June would want him to disregard the idea, but how could he explain his rationale to his mother? Morgan feared the queen and firmly believed her way was always best. Although if he could just put it off for two more days, then according to what the queen told Marc, it wouldn’t matter. But had he actually decided to let the story stay as it was? Honestly, he was forced to admit he had never doubted it was the right thing to do. But why was it so hard?

Samantha couldn’t sleep. She wandered down the hallway until she came to Marc’s room. It sounded like he was crying, so she hesitated. Maybe he needed to be left alone. But no, she couldn’t do that. Her natural response was to want to help. So she knocked. The crying ceased almost instantaneously, and a moment later he opened the door. “Can I help you?” he asked.
She felt silly for bothering him and started stammering, “Um, well, I �" just…I can’t sleep, and I heard you crying. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine; I just want to be alone. But I’ll talk to you for a while if it’ll help you sleep.” It was clear that he was merely being polite.
“You shouldn’t be alone when you’re upset. What’s wrong?” She pressed on. He had pulled her out of her comfort zone by making her talk about Reality; this was at worst retaliation, and she really wanted to help him.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine in the morning. But" He seemed to reconsider. “You know, it might help to talk, but not about me. Will that work for you?” She nodded, still not entirely sure she was welcome. “Come on in.” She walked in slowly. “So…anything in particular keeping you up?”
She couldn’t be certain he really wanted her to stay, but if he didn’t then he was a very good actor. “I guess I’ve been thinking about the queen’s offer and what you told June. You know, what you said was true, but it sure wasn’t what she needed to hear right then.”
“But it was true. She needed to hear the truth. Somebody had to explain why we were seriously considering the queen’s choice.”
“Still, I hope she’s okay. It wasn’t exactly a good note to end on.”
“Was anything today? I mean, besides June being here, of course.”
“That’s true enough,” Samantha conceded. “So are you really not sure about which life to choose?”
“You have to remember I would actually get to know June better in the queen’s version. And once the queen was gone, I would be able to pretty much do my own thing, unless June somehow became a tyrant and wouldn’t let me leave the castle.”
“Um, from what I understand, she very well might have become a tyrant before Pictureland. In fact, when I first came to Pictureland she was still extremely proud, and by that time even the fact that Pictureland hadn’t died yet was old news.”
“Fine, I know what the right way is; it’s just…so how did you come to Pictureland? Was that while you were in Reality?”
Samantha didn’t even catch that he had changed the subject. She told him about finding the picture in the storage room of the orphanage and hearing how they found her, and when she came to when she met Mistletoe and talked to him through the picture, she was so caught up in the story that she didn’t pay attention to the flash of recognition in Marc’s eyes. He had to draw the details out of her when she mentioned rescuing June and being ‘pictured.’ Finally Marc stopped her, saying, “We need to go to sleep so we can function during lessons tomorrow. Shall I help you find your room?”
“No, I can find it now. Thank you anyway. Goodnight!”
“Goodnight. I’ll see you in the morning!” He closed the door, and Samantha almost felt like skipping. She knew he hadn’t realized how long the story he’d asked for was, but it seemed like he had enjoyed it nonetheless. And he’d offered to walk with her again, but that would probably have become awkward. With every step, she felt calmer and thus sleepier. It was impressive that she reached her bed before falling sound asleep.

Morning came too soon after Marc’s practically sleepless night. He stumbled towards his dresser, not bothering to keep the historic journal. It wouldn’t have been accurate anyway, considering the queen’s horrid interruption. It was more than an interruption, actually: Her presence changed his pleasant daydream into a tormenting nightmare. He glanced at his clock and realized he had less than a quarter hour before lessons! Hurriedly, Marc changed into a casual costume and attempted to look dignified while trotting through the hallway.
When Marc finally reached Samantha’s room, he found everyone else waiting for him. The guards had even passed Marc’s room on their way back to the gate before he awoke. Samantha looked a bit tired, but she had obviously not endured the insomnia he had suffered all night. Nathan may have been exhausted, but his poker face revealed nothing. June, on the other hand, appeared fully awake and ready to take on the world. Funny, Marc pondered, the only one not stressing out about this is the one that makes it a decision worth stressing. It appeared they had already been talking before his arrival, and the conversation paused while he took a seat.
Nathan was the first to speak. “Do you have any new information, Marc?”
Marc shook his head and asked, “Does anybody else?”
At this, all faces turned on Nathan, who explained, “Morgan is worried about Samantha taking lessons with you two. That’s not really new, but I don’t think she brought it up this early.”
Marc guessed there was more to this but didn’t press the details. “Is there a consensus on which option we choose?” Eyes flickered towards June, then fell. No one spoke, but the response was clear: Continue as usual. Okay, now Marc felt pressured to guide the exchange back towards conversational territory. “Right. So what’ll we do for lessons time?”
Nathan still looked tense, but he suggested, “How about we just talk? I know the girls will like a chance to catch up.”
“Oh, and you don’t care. No one buys that, Nate,” Samantha teased. “Still, it sounds good, and as the tutor has given me first chance with the princess, let’s get started.” That worked, and within no time Samantha and June happily chattered on one side of the room, while Marc pulled Nathan to the other.
“What’s really up?” Marc insisted in the most demanding whisper possible.
Nathan readily informed him, “Morgan said that the queen had approached her about Sam being a negative influence on the crown princess. That’s new, and it’ll be a lot harder to dispel her fears when the queen backs them up.”
“Well, do you think you can hold her off one more day? If the queen holds true to her word, that’s�"oh wow, that’s all we have after today.”
“You’re right, and I don’t think it’s worth mentioning to the girls because it won’t matter. So…we’ve used up almost half our class time. If you want to speak to your sister, you should probably start trying to pull her away from Sam. They’re more inseparable than…um, can I ask you something?”
“Well, I was going to take your suggestion, but I guess so. Not that I’d know anything more than you do.”

It was an incredibly awkward question, but Nathan felt it burning and simply had to know, “In this story, in the original, I mean, do you�"are you and Sam�"well, do you like each other?” Having blurted this out, Nathan became even more uncomfortable waiting for Marc’s response.
Marc had merely raised his eyebrows during Nathan’s stuttering, and now his countenance betrayed nothing. He was clearly thinking, but Nathan had no idea what. Finally he asked, “Did you figure this out or remember it?”
Then it was true! Nathan had recalled a few fuzzy images of the twosome chatting before classes, but these did not seem to imply anything until he added in Samantha’s dream and their conduct in the present replay. Now that he thought of it, he vaguely remembered saying something to June about them. His little sister either had fallen or would soon fall for this quiet, inquisitive boy that no one really seemed to know. As he tried to comprehend the idea, Nathan began to see a bit more personality in the prince standing before him. Marc was quiet indeed, but he could certainly be a gentleman, and…why was Nathan thinking all this through? Surely Samantha could think for herself, and Marc was still waiting for a response. “Well, I remembered a few times when June and I walked in while you two were talking, but mostly it was the combination of Samantha’s dream about you during her coma and what I’ve seen this time. Did I get a chance to find out in the original?”
“Not unless June told you after the queen found out about everything, but I never knew for sure whether you’d guessed at it. Um, I don’t want to be rude, but could we talk to our sisters now?” Marc now appeared as discomforted as Nathan felt. Nate readily agreed, and they pried the girls apart.

That was undoubtedly the most awkward moment in Marc’s life. He had never had to explain his feelings to Samantha’s brother because there had been no time once things started happening. Back in true time, he and Nathan were good friends, but would that change if he revealed their connections? No one in true time even knew Marc’s real name, and he had never even attempted to get to know Samantha before the day he realized who she was. He’d been afraid to go near her on the basis of his determination not to cause pain to any of his new friends. The way she affected him . . . considering his identity in true time, it could not possibly lead to a happy ending. Why, oh why had he brought them all into this miserable story? He couldn’t let Samantha discover who he was; she would undoubtedly try to approach him outside of the replay, and that could only cause strife within their little community. If only he could just end the replay now and send everyone back…wait, he could do that! Marc recited the ritual for ending a replay, closed his eyes to minimize disorientation, and opened them again to see . . . the classroom, with Nathan talking to Samantha on the other side of the room and June standing a few feet away, apparently confused as to what he was doing. “Oh, uh, hi, I was kind of zoned out, sorry,” he stuttered, trying to find some safe conversation. June beat him to it.
“I figured that when you looked surprised to see me. Did you get any sleep last night?”
“Not really. I don’t usually sleep much, but I guess I got even less than I’m used to.”
After an empathetic pause, June asked, “Why are you so nice to me? I know for a fact that I never treated you well enough to warrant even bare decency. How can you act like that?”
Marc thought for a moment to find a way to explain without mentioning that he had known her in more recent times as this kind person who would have been a great younger sister if he’d revealed himself. “I was always polite, even to our mother, but also, I know who you are now and who Samantha and Nathan know you to be.”
“But I don’t see you again after this story! Couldn’t you have come to Pictureland? And as you did not, why did we never encounter you when we returned to Central Fantasy?”
She had him on the spot. How will you get out of answering that, Shadow? he wondered. Maybe if he just responded to the first question, she would accept it and move on to some other topic. “I couldn’t come to Pictureland because I didn’t know how to get there. I know I helped create parts of it, but that was one detail Samantha and I never knew because you two didn’t really know until you got stuck there.”
“And when we came back here?”
Oh, she was so much more attentive now. Back in this time, when he thought of her as the stuck-up crown princess, she wouldn’t have cared about any of this. “I never realized you all were here until I found Samantha in that dream.” If she would accept that, he wouldn’t have to lie or come clean�"for the time being. He really hadn’t known that all of them were there.

June thought there was something incongruous in his last explanation, but she couldn’t place it well enough to ask. Obviously he was hiding something, and she couldn’t argue with him for not wanting to tell his life story to the girl who had debased his princely stature to silent servitude. And yet, he clearly did not think of her as that girl, for if he had, he wouldn’t have said anything at all. She knew it was off topic, but she also realized he would appreciate the abrupt change of subject, so she admitted, “I feel horrible about how I treated you. You’re�"my brother, but I refused to be a sister.”
He looked guarded and calm when he affirmed, “I know. I also know that the person you are now would never have acted like that, and I realize that the way you spoke to me came naturally with the way you were raised. There is a reason royalty tends to look down on others, and in this place, those related to the throne are not royal equals; they are merely educated nobodies, maybe advisors to the throne as they age. I do not fault you for how our mother raised you to behave.” His expression relaxed a bit, and he added, “I think it did me good, anyways. It made me a good student and a decent friend to be around, or at least people act as if I’m a respectable person.”
“No argument here! But I still wish I had actually taken the time to get to know you.”
“Well, we have,” his eyes flickered toward the clock, “no more time today, but there’s still tomorrow,” Marc said, making June aware of the time. She hurriedly said goodbye to him and Samantha before the guard came in to collect them. Across the room, Nathan straightened some papers�"where in Fantasy did those come from? Then they left in silence.

It didn’t work! How could that be? I’ve done this before, and it always worked then . . . of course I didn’t bring others with me, but it’s a universal ritual . . . Marc ran over the words of the ritual in his mind for the umpteenth time. He had said it perfectly, but they were still here! This was something to ask Nathan, but he and June had left before he had a chance. Oh, well; he could do nothing about it now, so the best idea would be to put it out of his mind and enjoy his last night with Samantha. She was sitting at the edge of her bed, apparently fully immersed in something other than the world they were in. “What are you thinking about?” Marc asked, then realized how much this dilemma had stressed him: He would never have said something like that usually.
Samantha may have noted the strangeness of his question, but she still responded, “Tomorrow is our last day. What happens after that is up to the queen, and who knows what she’ll do to us.”
Well, he did ask for it. And he knew something of what she may do to them. “It’ll be bad, but it can’t be worse than the trials you all have been through with Felicity.”
“Oh don’t mention her!” (Felicity was June’s arch enemy and thus the most dangerous threat the Nathan, June, and Samantha ever had to face. They had reason to believe she was June’s mother’s older sister, which may explain how she was able to come back all the time.) “Still, no matter how hard some challenge is, the next one always seems just as horrid. Is there any hope she will merely reenact what has gone on before?”
“How should I know?”
“You stayed here, didn’t you? Nate and June go to Pictureland, I go to Reality, and . . . what happens to you, anyway?”
She said it. Marc involuntarily stiffened; the question that must have lurked at the back of all their minds finally came out of someone’s mouth, and he did not want to answer her. It would reveal him in true time once and for all, and that would ruin his safe little daydreams because nothing could fix what had happened to him. And yet, he could never lie to Samantha. But she was waiting for a response. “But for me, the queen may never have found out about you two switching.” He watched for her reaction. She was still waiting. “I kept a journal, and one day while I was writing she passed my doorway. She must have been feeling bad about not taking interest in our studies or something; she came in and asked what I was writing. I told her it was an assignment, and the tutor had asked me to practice writing by keeping a record of one week’s events. She did not read it closely, and I did not write specifically about the switch, but that was definitely when she found out. She,” finally! Marc saw a chance to omit what he did not want her to know, “She locked me in a room, and I did not come out until some time later when there was no royal leader and the advisors were remodeling the palace.” There. She knew the story, and yet she knew nothing of his identity. Do with it what you will.

Samantha listened to Marc’s story with wide eyes, but as he finished it, it struck her as somewhat incomplete. Yes, he was trapped in a room for years, but that did not explain his demeanor, how he closed up instantaneously whenever someone brought up his past. There was nothing in that story that should have kept him from telling them days ago. True, he could feel guilty about betraying them, and his expression at the moment did look rather guilty, but he had a darker sort of feeling about him, not like he himself was evil, but as if someone had done him great wrong at some point. But what of all this speculation? It was her last chance to spend time with him, and that is what she ought to be doing. Samantha dropped the subject, suggesting, “Let’s go to your room. We sit in here all day, every day. It’d be nice to have a change of scenery.”
Marc raised his eyebrows, but he offered no explanation and she did not ask. He replied, “How would you like to see the palace gardens? No one ever visits them, and I doubt there are even guards there now.”
“Okay, that sounds good.” She chose her words carefully, not wanting to misinterpret him. “Let’s go!”
Marc led her past the far end of their hallway to another corridor she had never seen before. Actually, it seemed vaguely familiar, but she knew she had never even left the children’s hallway, so it must simply resemble some other place. The interior walls gradually hardened into stone walls with no roof, and vines began to creep up the gray blocks. As they turned a corner, the passage opened into a breathtaking array of jungle plants with animals hidden in every shadow. Being a Fantasy garden, none of these were dangerous or even Real, but the twosome could walk through and even touch things if they wished, so it was assuredly a sight to see. “Do you like it?” he asked.
Samantha answered softly, “Are you kidding? I love it! But where do we sit?”
“Just wait.” They continued through the jungle garden into a landscape of tall, thick trees with small but brightly colored leaves. Two boulders appeared to block the path, but the trail led between them, and Marc and Samantha settled on a smooth wooden bench beneath an impressive, cascading waterfall. “Now what shall we discuss?”

Nathan and June walked in silence for the entire trip to the park. There they located their usual rock and sat to watch the sunset. Still, neither wanted to be the first to speak. Moments stretched on until the sun was almost down, when they wordlessly stood for the walk home. The silence was incredible, yet it did not bother them.
Morgan greeted them at the door: “Nathan, I need to speak with you for a moment.” June compliantly wandered off to give them privacy. Nathan tensed a bit, but the peaceful quiet of the afternoon had prepared him for the troubles ahead.
“Yes, ma’am?”
“The queen has decided that Samantha should attend the common school beginning tomorrow.” Morgan looked sincerely sympathetic as she added, “I’m sorry to break you two up, but that’s a royal ruling and we have to follow it.”
Nathan’s resignation to their fate was quickly dissolving into angry protest. “No. We do not have to follow rules if they are wrong.”
Morgan looked surprised. “Nathan, that’s true enough, but I don’t think a social question like this would warrant such a protest. If you must rebel against some law, at least choose one that is important enough to be disputed. It isn’t as if you two will never see each other again.”
“It’s not Samantha and me that I’m worried about, Mom; it’s the princess. She needs a friend, and that’s what Samantha is for her.”
Morgan acknowledged this but remain resolute. “I’m sure the queen can find someone of an appropriate social status.”
“But she won’t!” Nathan exploded. “She wants June to be above everyone else, but she won’t allow her a chance to learn things that can only be taught with others around. She may be a regal ruler, but as it stands with this law, she will never be wise.”
Morgan did not appear as confused as she should have after such an outburst, and she definitely caught that he addressed June by her name. “You need to be careful, Nathan. If you continue talking like that I will have to turn you in to the queen’s guards. Please don’t make me do that.” All this was spoken in a flat, law-abiding monotone.
Nathan noted the irony in this, but for the moment he simply submitted and apologized. “And now I should probably go tell Samantha what’s going on.” With that, he readily left his mother’s presence. He loved her, of course, but she could not think of a right and wrong beyond legal and illegal�"at least, not in this time. She would understand far more later, but that did not help his position now.

June was waiting for him when he came into the shared room. She saw his furious expression, but she could not imagine him ever fighting with his mother. “What’s wrong?”
Nathan slumped in a corner. “Samantha’s not supposed to go to the palace with me anymore, and my mom is perfectly fine with having me arrested for using your first name. Other than that, the story is playing out as usual.”
“Well . . . wouldn’t getting arrested now save us some time? I mean, it’ll happen eventually anyway, so why not?” She was making light of the situation, but even after reenacting this tale so many times, prison was not a pleasant thought.
Oh, good! He laughed as he responded, “That’s kind of what I was thinking, but I thought I should check with you first. Shall we?”
“We might want to tell Marc and Samantha before they get dragged out of their beds, you know.”
“Good point, but we don’t know for sure that the queen isn’t already planning to do that. This way, we have a little bit of an edge, not that it’ll help us much in the long run.”
June thought about it. She hadn’t meant the suggestion to be taken seriously, but it really was plausible. She finally decided, “They’ll be okay. Let’s go to jail!” The shared laughter that followed was not entirely lighthearted.

Marc and Samantha had been talking in the garden for hours, and now the sun was almost down. “We need to go inside or someone may miss us,” Marc pointed out. Samantha began to stand up, but Marc’s arm was still on her shoulder. He had had his arm around her? When did that happen? Samantha had not noticed until that moment, and now she wanted him to put it back. She couldn’t say anything, of course, and he hurriedly removed it so that they could go inside.

He didn’t think she had reacted much when he put his arm around her, but he had assumed she was aware of it and simply didn’t mind. Now he felt childishly embarrassed, but as they were standing up, something happened that made him forget all about the incident. A guard approached them and explained, “I am to escort the royal children to their dining room, where the queen shall have a private audience.” He took Samantha on one side and Marc on the other, so they couldn’t even whisper.
This is new.
Marc looked startled; he hadn’t been thinking about that at all, and it just popped into his head.
Hello? Can you hear me?
He glanced inquiringly at Samantha, but she was strangely focused on the empty hallway before her. He had nothing else to try, so he thought, What are you doing in my head?
You’ve never used thought-speak before? Oh, right, that’s a Pictureland thing. Just think in my direction and I can hear you, but sometimes your mother can too, so monitor your thoughts.
Wow! Marc remembered imagining this, but he had never realized that they actually made it. Umm, any idea what’s happening next?
Not really, I’m supposed to go to Reality, but I think I stayed around the palace for a while before that happened.
Marc thought of an important question. Does this work long-distance? I mean, can we talk�"er, thought-speak�"to Nathan and June right now?
You know, we can, but I never thought about that in all these wretched replays. I might have enjoyed them more if I’d realized that!
He decided to try to reach Nathan. Nathan, can you hear me? It’s Marc.
A moment passed before the reply came, Yeah! Wow, I completely forgot we could do this. June and I are about to get arrested! How’s life at the palace?
Marc glanced at Samantha and almost opened his mouth, but she thought-said, Yes, I heard him. Don’t talk!
That had to have a story behind it, but Marc had another pressing question, Is there a Queen’s Right involving jurisdiction of a replay?
The seconds dragged by as he waited for the answer, but a response finally came. Why? Samantha can’t hear me, by the way. If you want to thought-speak privately, just mentally imagine a wall between your thoughts and the people you don’t want to overhear.
He carefully tried this, and as Samantha did not speak up, he hoped the conversation was secure while he explained, I can’t end it. I tried this afternoon, but it wouldn’t end.
Samantha either hadn’t heard or was not acknowledging that she had heard. Nathan’s answer arrived: That’s not good. I think it’s the Queen’s Right of Supremacy or something along those lines, and we’re basically at her mercy. We’re stuck here until she gets bored. I would not recommend telling Sam about this yet; she needs hope to get her through, and this would definitely dampen her spirit. Okay well June and I are preparing to get ourselves in prison so I have to focus on my life for now.
Have fun? Even as he said it, Marc wondered why Nathan and June seemed to be having so much fun going to jail.
It’s because they’re going together. Having someone you love with you makes any situation better. And I doubt he’s quite as psyched as he sounded; Nate’s adept at concealing his emotions.
Marc literally jumped, causing the guard to tighten his grip and quicken his pace. They were just feet away from the dining room door. How did you--? Can you hear my normal thoughts, too?
Only when I’m thinking about it very hard. Marc was sure she grinned as they passed through the gateway. On the opposite wall, in a grand throne bedecked specifically with its occupant in mind, the queen sat and watched the guard announce the children even as he faded into the background.
“Step forward, children. I wish to look upon you.” Her steely voice sickened them as they obeyed. “I called you in to explain that the tutor’s sister will no longer share in your studies. You are royalty and thus should not associate with anyone below this stature. If this becomes a problem, I will find a new tutor for you. You may go.”

Samantha fought the urge to grab Marc’s hand as they politely fled the dining hall. The guard accompanied them to their rooms, so she could not even speak to him in the hallway. Finally they were both deposited in their respectful rooms, and she thought, Marc!
But before she could utter a complete thought, the reply came, I’m already coming. Don’t be alarmed when I knock on your closet door.
This confused her for a moment before she remembered the hidden passage. At long last the tap came, and she readily opened the closet and almost fell in his arms before she caught herself and let him into the room. “I�"I’m scared. I know she’s your mother, but she’s horrid! And what are we supposed to do now? I can’t be June forever.”
He calmed her, saying, “It’s okay, Samantha. We’re in a replay, remember? None of this really happened, and we know they find out eventually anyway. It’s okay.”

Where was the brave girl who had joked with him in the hallway? Admittedly, Marc was as frightened as she after that interview, but he was still rational, and she was a mess. He hesitated before putting his arm around her again. This time, she noticed and came in closer. “It’s okay,” he whispered again. They hugged in silence only broken by occasional muffled sobs and repeated words of comfort.

Nathan and June sat the stone prison, for the moment slightly bemused by their accomplishment. They had been arrested for speaking as equals of the princess, just like they were in the original. If they followed the storyline from here, they would remain in jail for a few days before traveling to Pictureland. Originally, those first few days were full of tense discussions which eventually resulted in the two speaking their feelings, June gaining her first dose of humility, and both of them accepting that their siblings liked each other. All of these things had already happened this time, but Nathan had no doubt they would have plenty of other conversations, mostly regarding the fact that whenever they returned to true time, June would not go with them. He did not wish to speak of that for the time being, however, so he just commented, “Well, we haven’t been here in a while.”
June half-smiled, but she was clearly thinking on a much higher level than his small talk. “What do you think of Marc, now that we remember him?”
It was not Nathan’s least favorite topic, but it required far more thought than he felt like exerting. “Uh, he’s polite, he clearly was made for my sister, and I get the feeling she knows him better than either of us ever will.”
“She definitely knows him better than we do now, but I think we know him more than we realize. He has to be somewhere near you in true time.”
She said ‘you,’ not ‘us.’ How in Fantasy was she so calm about that?! But she raised a good point: Marc definitely knew them from true time, but they had certainly never seen him then. Unless he was in some other form, but even then wouldn’t they recognize him? Not necessarily . . . who could he possibly be? Nathan simply could not think enough to ponder this problem, so he returned to slightly simpler territory. “Then something may actually come of their�"relationship. It’s so strange thinking Sam has someone like that, not to mention that he’s your brother. Say, don’t you have any awkwardness about this whole deal?”
June mercifully did not point out that he had strayed from her topic. “In all seriousness, Nathan, did I ever treat him like a brother? Since I missed that opportunity, I do not believe I have any reason to hover over him. Besides, even if I had been a decent sister, he’s my older brother. I guess I’m not as involved this as I should be, but no, it does not bother me that my best friend is interested in my brother.”
Nathan responded with surprise written all over his face, “I know that originally you weren’t much of a sister, but you have been this time.”
“I was not here until after the switch, so I have gotten to know him in the same way you have, as a friend, not so much a brother. I wish it were otherwise; I would love to have a relationship with him like the one you have with Samantha, but this is what has happened.”
No, don’t start crying! “I’m sorry, June, it was just bothering me. Now I see what you mean.” He could not see what could have upset her so. “What did I say?” he pleaded, “Please don’t cry.”
June laughed at him through her tears. “It’s not you,” she explained, “It’s Marc, and I brought him up, so it’s my own fault. I’m sorry for worrying you.”
Nathan relaxed now that he knew he was not to blame�"or at least, that she did not blame him. He moved to hold her hand and tried to cheer her up. “So are you ready for prison food, my princess? It is decidedly unlike anything you’ve ever tasted in the palace!”
Laughter burst out of her. “Oh, stop it! You’re embarrassing me in front of the rats!”

They’re having more fun in prison than we are in the palace, Marc thought as he walked down the hallway to his room. Samantha had been fighting to stay awake when he left, so she was probably asleep right now. Off to dreamland, he reflected dismally. If he could avoid sleep altogether, he would. As long as he was awake and had control, his daydreams were pleasant, but the moment he succumbed to sleep, his nightmare would come. Of course, as the queen apparently planned to keep them there for a while, he would truly relive that nightmare soon. It hadn’t come as often as usual during this replay, but now he had little doubt that it would haunt him constantly in the days to come. ‘Having someone you love with you makes every situation better,’ Samantha had said earlier in the hallway. That may be true for Nathan’s imprisonment, but Marc did not believe watching another suffer with him would help with his curse, and he had no intention of ever letting that come to pass. Whenever the queen chose to take him to his nightmare, he would not speak a word until he was irrevocably trapped in the soundproof dungeon. “Hey!” he shouted as someone suddenly grabbed him from behind. “What are you--?” He cut himself off abruptly; he had already broken his resolve. His mother silently dragged him down the hallway to an unfurnished room with bare stone slabs as walls. Everything within the room echoed, but he knew no one outside could hear him, even if he screamed with all his strength.

Samantha heard some sort of commotion in the hallway and opened her door in time to see someone locking a door. She waited silently until the silhouette vanished into another corridor, then crept cautiously toward the room, never taking her eyes off the locked door. It was a key lock, so she could not simply open the door. Instead, she peered through the keyhole to see what was so dangerous that it had to be locked up. She gasped. It was Marc! Of course, now she remembered his story about the queen trapping him in a room for what seemed like eternity. She watched a while longer, wishing she could get into the room and comfort him; he was sobbing more than she had ever seen someone cry. It was strange that she couldn’t hear him at all. Finally she gave up and returned to her room to cry herself to sleep. The castle would be lonely without Marc, and Nate and June were already in prison, so neither of them would be coming tomorrow morning.

Nathan rubbed his eyes; he hadn’t realized he had fallen asleep. He looked over at Samantha, who was still sleeping on her bed in their mountaintop village. What? He was out of the replay! The big question was, was everybody else? He tried to wake Samantha, but she wouldn’t budge. He still had no idea if Marc was even in the village, much less how to find him, and of course June . . . Well. This was wonderful.

Samantha woke up in June’s bed, wondering what the day would bring. But no, it couldn’t be anything good because no one was coming�"unless the queen chose that day to send her to Reality, but that would be too nice to be in her character. She tried to thought-speak to Nathan and June, but they wouldn’t respond.

Marc had not slept that night, and he was exhausted enough that for a little while he lost his resolve to keep the others out of his nightmare. Samantha, can you hear me?

She heard someone talking to her, but it was neither Nathan nor June. Because she did not know who to send her thought-speak to, she could not reply. Her best effort was to think very hard and hope whoever it was knew how to hear indirect thoughts. Who is this?

No reply. Had the queen thought-proofed the room as well? But he could somehow tell Samantha was receiving the messages. He remembered her looking into his thoughts and decided to try that. Aha! He was in, and she was wondering who was speaking to her. What? Surely she knew him . . . Samantha, it’s Marc. Don’t you remember me? Even as he asked, he had a sinking feeling about her response.

Marc. Why did that name sound so familiar? Um . . . where are you? I’m sorry, I�"I know I should recognize you but I can’t.

Then the queen must have already faded memories of him. He made one final, desperate attempt to trigger Samantha’s memory. I’m June’s brother. The one you got to know during the switch? Please remember. For Marc’s life, she had to remember!

He was June’s brother . . . Marc! Images flashed before her eyes, her shoulder recalled a sensual memory, and conversations filled her head. Marc! I’m so sorry; she must have messed with my memory. Are you okay?

Thank you! She remembered, but Marc suddenly recalled all the reasons she would have been better off without remembering him. I’m fine. Oh, that was nowhere near the truth, but his protective resolve had regained strength through the conversation, and now it was fully active again. What about you?

Hello! I’ve been sitting in a royally furnished bedroom all morning, and until this moment I had no idea that any of my friends were in serious trouble. There’s more to your story, I know, and I really don’t believe you when you say you’re fine. She didn’t mention that even as she thought this to him, she was on her way down the hall to visibly check on him. She peered through the keyhole and saw Marc lying on the floor with periodic spasms that shook his body. What did she do to you?

Before he could catch himself, Marc thought wryly, She hasn’t done anything yet. This is just what happens to a body when it’s been lying on a rock floor all night with no food and plenty of fear.
Samantha’s next question came deliberately and clearly, What is she going to do to you?
Marc knew now that she would undoubtedly find out eventually, but he still could not stand to tell her. Before he had a chance to choose a response, the door opened, and the queen shoved Samantha through the doorway. No guards followed them, yet Marc had no intention or hope of escape. “You two do realize I can hear every conversation you have in your thought-speak. It’s much simpler than monitoring every verbal discussion in the palace, so thank you for making my life easier, though I doubt that was your intention. Very well, girl, you want so badly to know what happens to your precious boyfriend, so we’ll let you look on from that corner. But no talking. And no thought-speak, either!”
Marc knew Samantha had no choice but to comply with the queen’s order, but he desperately wanted her out of the room before he lost any remaining semblance of reserve. He could not enact this hopeless wish, so he instead chose to focus on his own impending nightmare, which should distract him from the pain of causing hers.

Samantha watched Marc suffer as he realized she would see his torture, whatever it was. She longed to comfort him, but the queen’s power bound her to that corner. The scene that had changed the course of Marc’s life took place before her eyes.
“You refuse to act like a prince, so no one need ever know that you were born one! I will shift you until even your commoner girlfriend will not recognize you. You will be a creature made to serve, one with nothing like the human form you are accustomed to.”
Not anymore, Samantha heard him think as the queen prepared yet another Queen’s Right, the Right of Disguise, which even Samantha recalled from Nathan’s lessons. Then the change began.
Marc was already sprawled on the floor, but suddenly his body stretched until his torso was as long as Marc had been tall. He was on all fours, with dark hair gradually covering every inch of him. His clothes disappeared beneath the black coat, and Samantha’s eyes blurred with tears so she could see no more.

The pain was excruciating. Marc could feel every bone and muscle stretching or shrinking and twisting, his hands and feet hardening until he could no longer feel them. He tried in vain to hide within his daydream, but he could not. That was inconsistent; the daydream was the only reason he had not passed out from the pain in the original . . .

Nathan searched for Shadow, his right-hand man (actually horse but that didn’t matter in Fantasy,) who should have been taking care of the village while he and Samantha were in that replay. No one, including his two adopted charges Mistletoe and Rainbow, had seen him recently.

Samantha opened her eyes to realize she had been sleeping. How much of it was a dream? Before her on the stone floor lay a huge black heap that might have been some animal. It couldn’t be, but the horse looked uncannily like Nathan’s true-time friend Shadow. And unless that was a dream, Shadow was really Marc.

It was Shadow! The realization stunned Nathan, and he paused in his work as the implications of such a predicament became clear. It was no wonder Marc had refused to tell them how he knew them. In true time, he was Nathan’s best friend who preferred to subtly avoid speaking to Nathan’s wife or sister. That made far more sense when coupled with his newly rediscovered knowledge regarding Marc. If they’re both still sleeping somewhere, then they must still be in the replay. So why am I out of it?

Marc groaned and readjusted to a more comfortable position. The horse body made this very difficult, but he had lived like this for many years in true time, so it did not bother him too much anymore. They would surely go back to true time now that the queen had made him live his worst nightmare. He wanted to sleep until that time, just ignore what little he knew of his surrounding world, and maybe even forget what he knew of himself. This was what he had done for ages in the original, but as he got his bearings in the now too-small dungeon, he realized that Samantha was still there. She was crouched over, either sleeping or . . . he could see the tears falling. No, don’t do this to me! This is worse than anything the queen could have done alone! He felt nauseatingly ill knowing that he was the reason she was crying. And yet, he couldn’t possibly go comfort her; that could only add to her pain.

Samantha’s flow of tears finally subsided, and she bravely turned towards Marc where he still lay sleeping in that awkward heap. But he was awake. She had no idea what he was thinking, and before she could decide on a course of action, he spoke. “This is . . . obviously, the part of my story I did not want you to know. I’m sorry you had to see that.” He spoke slowly and painfully, clearly fighting to stay calm.
She could not let him go on like that, and she crossed the room and, after a moment’s hesitation, pondering how to hug a horse, threw her arms about his neck.

She touched him! This could never end well, but Marc could not bring himself to pull away from her; she still loved him. Well, she could still switch, and when they returned to true time . . . but that would be such a burden to place on her. No, this was as much as Marc could hope for, more than he had ever really considered possible. She refused to just leave him and move on with her life. He had to do something to help her, no matter how much it hurt him.

She could have stood there forever, but he moved and she lost her grip momentarily. “Stop!” he shouted. The outburst surprised her; she stood back to hear him out. “You’re only putting off the inevitable. The more you fight it, the worse it will be when we go back and nothing can happen. I should never have brought us here. Nothing can come of this, and it may as well have never happened, so when we go back to true time, that’s how it will be. You will go on taking care of the village with your brother, and I’ll stay out of the way. In time, we won’t even know each other. Just leave!”

She vanished. Marc shied away, horse instincts taking control for a split second before the room vanished along with her. He habitually closed his eyes to avoid too much disorientation, and when he opened them he was in the woods where he had hidden before initiating the replay. Nathan and Samantha would undoubtedly begin searching for him soon, and he had to keep them from finding him. He fled.

Samantha stirred, once again finding Nathan standing over her. “You have no idea how glad I am to see you,” she said. Then she remembered Marc, and tears began to fill her eyes as she tried to explain, “Marc�"He’s Shadow.”
“I know,” Nathan acknowledged. “I figured it out when no one could find him. We cannot figure out where he hid before he started that replay. Do you know?”
He had said he would stay out of the way. Was this what he meant, running away from the village so she could not possibly speak to him? She reluctantly described Marc’s last outburst, inferring, “He doesn’t want to talk to me; I’m not sure if he’d even speak to you if you found him. I would say he’s acting insensible, but as much as I hate to admit it, his actions are well-founded.”
Nathan admitted, “He is doing his best to prevent you from doing anything rash, and I have to say I’m somewhat relieved that he has chosen this course.”
“What? I mean, how could�"you,” she fell silent. Would she have done something rash? Almost definitely, but would that have been a bad choice? She knew that any rash decision was foolish, but after thinking long and hard, she would probably still come to the same conclusion. “I know, Nate,” she said in a much softer tone, “I see where you’re coming from, but do you really think I’ll change my mind after I think about this?”

She claimed she knew where he was coming from. Nathan had lost his sister once long ago, and he did not want to lose her again. Oh, she would never run off alone; once Marc/Shadow was safely returned to the village, distance would be no problem. His issue was merely superficial, knowing that Samantha would choose love over her natural form. For some reason, he could not accept the idea of his sister willingly shifting into a horse. (Shifting has been mentioned several times at this point. It means changing shape; shifting into something means taking the form of that thing. When the act is performed by an outside force against the shifter’s will, it can be incredibly painful, but when one chooses to shift, it is virtually effortless and pain-free. The rule of shifting that is tormenting Nathan states that if one marries in some form other than one’s original, one can no longer shift and is thus trapped in that form.) Of course if she chose to go through with that, he would have to accept it and learn to see her in the shifted form, but it would never be the same as seeing his little sister as she had always looked. Thanks to Marc/Shadow, Nathan did not have to address this situation just yet. It still seemed strange to know that his best friend was in love with his sister, but that problem could also be put off for the time being.

Marc hid in a cave above the Oak Cliff Forest, which overlooked Central Fantasy’s only city, where the old palace formerly stood. The mountaintop village where the others lived was on the other side of the valley, directly across from Marc’s hideout. His friends in the village would eventually find him there, but he could not run further. He had to keep an eye on Samantha and Nathan, for though he knew they could hold their own, he felt responsible for anything that befell them now that June was not there to complete their usual trio. Perhaps he could convince some of the villagers to keep his secret, but once word got to those who knew him, Nathan, Samantha, Mistletoe, and Rainbow, they would do everything within their power to bring him back to the village. Now that Samantha (and presumably Nathan) knew his identity, he could not simply be accepted as a helpful roamer who had stayed with them for a little while between wanderings. Once he could convince himself that they would be fine without him, he had to get away. But where could he go? Pictureland was long gone, and Central Fantasy was too small for him to avoid run-ins with villagers forever.
There was still Reality, but after hearing what Samantha had to say about that place, he did not trust it very much. Besides, there were hardly any portals left, and those that remained were closely guarded. Well, there was the one in the Acami Desert, but that would be a nearly impossible trek with no provisions. Even so, it could protect his friends . . . Marc made his way to the mouth of the cave to visualize the journey and stopped. He could not walk out of the cave. No! It was a captor cave, meaning those who entered it completely could not leave unless someone on the outside was touching them. He would have to be caught, then. He could at least wait a few days before he gave himself up.

Nathan had initially been grateful for Marc’s precautionary action, but as he began to see the effect this had on Samantha, he regretted that he had not been more diligent in tracking him down. He had been gone for weeks, and if he had any skill whatsoever, he was not even in Fantasy by now.
Nathan, do you hear me?
Nathan glanced at Samantha, who was playing with Mistletoe and Rainbow to get their minds off of their missing caretaker. He guessed the sender and blocked Samantha as a precaution before responding. Yes. I presume this is Marc, or do you prefer Shadow?
You can call me whichever you like.
All right, Marc, why are you speaking to me? We supposed when you disappeared that you did not wish to be found.
I did not, and still would not, but I will not be able to hide forever, and anything that a month’s time could not accomplish would likely not come to pass until I had wandered for years. In my current predicament, that is unfortunately not an option.
May I ask what you’ve gotten yourself into?
I had been running for a while, and I hid in a cave to rest.
Nathan raised his eyebrows. Marc had lived in Central Fantasy all his life, and he had definitely paid attention during geography lessons. But the only caves in Central Fantasy are the Captor Caves!
And somehow that fact slipped my mind, and I am now trapped in one of them. I certainly cannot hope to find help from the city, so I have to ask you, who probably consider me a despicable character for treating your sister like I did.
You don’t think I see why you ran? I taught you. I worked alongside you for the past few years. Surely you could expect me to infer your reasons. But you know, if she has not relented by now, she is liable to keep her decision for life. And as for me, it isn’t my choice, and I’ll live with whatever she decides. Now I suppose you’re on Oak Cliff?
Marc sent him directions, along with a visual of the view outside the cave and a description of the entrance. Nathan was not sure if he should tell Samantha of the conversation, but he was certain she should not be in the search party the next day. That resolution may become impossible if she found out that he knew where Marc was, so he decided against telling her. She would simply have a pleasant surprise when they returned.

Well, now they knew. Marc had only a few hours of solitude left to think over what Nathan had said. Samantha’s brother claimed to be okay with his sister doing whatever she chose, but Marc felt sure she would choose rashly and regret her choice later. She could not possibly want to be trapped as a horse, so she would undoubtedly despise him for letting her do such a thing. And yet the more he came to understand her the less he felt he could prevent her from taking whatever course of action she chose. Perhaps that was why Nathan had accepted her control over her own life: He knew he could not take it from her. There was no sense in worrying about her now; what will happen, will happen. Marc had only to wait one final night before he saw her again, and when he did, he knew he would have to let her choose.

Samantha was having trouble falling asleep again. Every time she was almost unconscious, she saw Marc as he used to be smiling at her as she dozed off. Then that led to the image of the tormented heap in the dungeon room, which forced her to wonder yet again what she would do if they ever found him. She loved him, of course, but if she really decided to shift for him, it would assuredly pain Nathan, and family came first. But Nathan would accept her eventually, even if they did grow apart for a while, and she could be with Marc. What did it matter, though? No one had seen a sign of him yet, so he was probably long gone, and all this worrying would amount to nothing. But she missed him so much!

Before dawn fully arrived, Nathan and another villager named Buck set out towards the Captor Caves, leaving word that they were searching again for Shadow. Nathan woke Samantha just before they left so that she could watch the village. Mistletoe and Rainbow would help her, he knew; the two ponies loved to run about the town and talk to everyone. Hopefully no trouble would befall the village before the search party returned. He never liked to leave Samantha without another person who could help with leadership, but as June and Shadow were both unavailable, this would have to suffice. He had no time to worry, for Buck was ready to leave.

Marc was in his old daydream. There were couples dancing in a ballroom, which would normally have been the children’s dining hall at the palace. Samantha was his partner, yet the dream was not as soothing as it once was. He had encountered the genuine, original Samantha, and his hazy dream character could not replace the true person he loved. A strange image interrupted the repetitive flow of the dream dance. Nathan was sending Marc a visual of the search party’s location, which was already within sight of Marc’s cave. Keep going in exactly that direction, he instructed, I am trapped in the one in the middle of the grove of trees. It was still morning, so Marc would most likely see Samantha by the end of the day. What if she did not want to see him? Nonsense! But he recalled the moment he had realized that she was not always completely predictable; while that was what differentiated her from the spirit in his dream, it added a discomforting element of uncertainty. There was no time to stress that fear, though. He could see Nathan and Buck�"small party�"fighting their way through the last few trees some yards from the mouth of the cave.

Nathan saw Marc standing near the front of the cave waiting for them. He hesitated a moment. Was this really the best choice? Perhaps he could leave the accursed horse in the cave and save Samantha any more misery. But no, that was not Nathan’s decision to make. He reached through the opening of the cave and touched the horse’s nose. A shudder passed through the creature as it�"rather he�"successfully exited the trap.

“Thank you,” Marc said. For the moment, words failed him. “You know, it would have been easy for you to just leave me there to stay out of your way.” Nathan stared resignedly at the ground, and Marc guessed that the very thought had come to him just before he reached into the cave. “Thank you,” he repeated, having none of his usual skill with language.
“Let’s go,” Nathan mumbled. Marc obediently followed, but now he had a new dilemma to wonder about. He had assumed the greatest problem with his return would be facing Samantha, but now it appeared he would have a harder time regaining Nathan’s trust. It hurt to know that the man who had been his best friend wanted to alienate him. Once again, Marc lashed out at his folly in initiating that horrid replay. Why did he have to be such a dreamer?

Where did that come from? Nathan regretted the words as soon as they came out of his mouth. Shadow was a friend, his best friend even, so why was he treating him like an unwanted guest? Worse, the thoughts he had fought when he reached into the cave considered Marc a villain. Nathan wanted to keep his friend, but his own mind rebelled against this wish. Perhaps he could overcome this shameful distrust through Samantha. Thinking of his sister, Nathan realized that the threesome had almost arrived at the village. The silence that had enveloped them throughout the journey suddenly broke when Buck asked, “Shall I run ahead to tell the others that we’ve found him?”
Nathan could not answer. He turned to Shadow/Marc. The horse answered, “I think it will be better to just arrive all at once.”

And all at once, Samantha saw her brother walking into the village alongside a familiar-looking black stallion. But they had been looking for . . . Marc! She leapt up and ran to him, and all the words she had imagined telling him disappeared, leaving her to embrace him silently. Maybe it was better that way.

Author's Note

If something looks like it should be an italicized thought, it probably is. Please let me know; the formatting didn't transfer so I've probably missed some sections. Thanks!