Sunlight shone on Alex's face when she opened her eyes. Her body ached all over, and she couldn't lift herself up. "How long?" she tried to ask the blurry form leaning over her, but her voice didn't work.

"Drink," a voice ordered, and a cup was put up to her lips. Smiling, she drank. She knew that voice, it was Prince Joshua's.

"How long have I been asleep?" she asked again. The drink, whatever it was, tasted awful, but she could feel the magic in it, and soon strength poured through her body.

"Three days, after the day you were healed," Joshua answered.

"Four days!" she exclaimed. "Is that possible? Where's Mrs. Nazzir?"

"Off healing people," he told her. "You were one of the last to get sick. She made that drink for you, with specific intructions to give it to you as soon as you woke." She tried to stand up, and he forced her back. "And to not let you go wander the halls."

"I have to talk to the Queen," she said. "I had another dream."

"Tell me, and I'll get it to her," he told her. "You're not leaving."

She told him about what she had seen, and then said, "She also told me to tell you-"

"I'm your brother," he interrupted, then smiled. "Rufus told me."

"I doubt he told you everything," she muttered, then sighed. "I'm not who you think I am."

"To be sure, I don't know anymore," he said reasonably. "How long have you known?"

"Two months," she answered. "But that's not all. We have a sister. Her name's Jennifer, and she lives on Jagmas."

"Then, Alexandr-" He stopped. "You're Alexandria!"

"Shh! D'you want the whole world to know?"

"But you don't look like Sandry," he protested.

"Of course not," she agreed. "Then, people would have found me out in a second. I had to have a disguise."

Suddenly, Iris came in. "Joshua, stop badgering Alex," she joked. "How are you feeling, Alex? Much better, I suppose. You had us all worried."

Alex smiled. "I knew I wouldn't die," she said. "Not when the Mother Goddess appeared. I knew she wouldn't tell me something important if I was going to die."

Joshua stood. "Well," he said, "I'm off to see the Queen about your message." He nodded toward Alex.

"Give her my regards," Iris told him, "and tell her I've considered, and shall start Monday."

He left, and Alex peered at the woman curiously. "Start what?" she asked.

"Start teaching you Gifted ones healing magic, that's what," she answered. "Someone has to teach it, and Queen Adela doesn't have healing magic. Now, go back to sleep, you need your rest."

"I've been resting!" the girl protested as she got out of bed. The room seemed to spin for a moment, then settled into place. "I'm probably all out of shape," she complained as she started her warm-up exercises. "I won't even be good at archery anymore."

Iris laughed. "I doubt it, from just not practicing four days?" she asked. "You push yourself too much, Alex."

"Better than not pushing myself at all," Alex grumbled.

She smiled. "Yes, and how is he?"

"Awake and well, your Majesty," he replied. "He had a dream while he was sick, though, with the Great Goddess in it."

"Please tell me, then, Joshua."

He told her all Alex had told him, with the exception of the personal commentes. "Have you thought about Jennifer, Mother?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we'll be without fuel, electricity, or anything in a little over three years. The godess hinted at it. We have to get them back before it's too late, so to be safe, we should bring them back now," the Prince said.

"You're right, Joshua. I'll notify them immediately," the Queen told him. "Anything else?"

"Oh, and Mistress Nazzir says she'll start Monday," he said, bowed, and left the room.

Francis whistled. "What important person do we have visiting now?" he asked.

"Didn't his Highness say that his cousin was coming to live at court?" Alex asked. "She's returned from Jagmas, due to the resources situation?" Of course, Alex knew this was true- she had just talked to Jennifer the previous night.

"Oh yes, and I heard she's to attend our magic classes," Rufus added.

Francis laughed. "We better watch out, or maybe she'll decide to attend our other knight classes," he said.

"What would be wrong with that?" Alex asked. "I heard she and her sister used to train with the pages in the summer."

"Come on, do you really think a girl could keep up?" he asked.

"You'd be surprised sometimes," Joshua said, coming up behind them. "Jennifer is good, but her sister's better." He winked at Alex.

"What happened to her sister?" Francis asked.

"Hmm...I don't know," the Prince said. "Ran away a while ago, and nobody's heard of her since. Come on, let's go greet Jennifer." He strode over to a tall, thin girl with long, blonde hair. "Jennifer, if you would like to meet my friends..." She curtzied, and he led her over to them.

"And don't whistle," Alex told Francis quietly, then sighed. Jennifer was as beautiful as ever, and her hair perfect. I used to have that hair, she thought sadly.

"May I present Francis Konseki, Alexander Tirragen, and Rufus Pinarela?" the Prince was saying. "Lads, this is my cousin, Jennifer Greenwood Grossi."

Alex looked at her sister. She wore a yellow summer dress, which complimented her hair nicely. As slender as always, she was picture-perfect when she smiled, as she did now. Alex could see the drool starting to hang from Francis' mouth.

"I'm pleased to meet you, I'm sure," Jen said. "You two look like twins! Are you sure you're not related?"

Alex glared at her and replied, "I'm sure of who I'm related to." Jen just smiled.

"So, how long are you staying here?" Joshua asked.

"I believe 'make yourself at home here' was the phrase Aunt Adela used," she answered. "I'll be staying here until I want to see the world. Which, I guarantee, will not be soon. I've seen too much of worlds lately." They walked down the hall to supper, with Joshua asking questions about Jagmas. Alex and Rufus followed, while Francis excused himself, saying he had to report to Duke Edward.

"So, what do you think of your sister?" Rufus asked, and she shrugged.

"Same as always. You're the one who's never met her," Alex replied. "What do you think of her?"

"I'm not entirely sure, yet," he answered. "She's very beautiful, that's for sure, but we already knew that, since you look alike."

"Not really. Her hair's not all cut and half-dyed," reminded Alex. "Plus, you've only seen me a handful of times."

"Yes, but you look like me, and I've seen myself all my life," he replied with a smile. Then he tousled her hair. "Come on, Alex, let's get to supper before all the food gets cold."

"Sure," she said with a smile. "What's up?"

The door opened, and in walked the Prince, Jen, and Rufus. "Oh, we just wanted to talk," Jen said innocently as she closed the door. "We're finally all together. Alex, you know all of us, but I don't know them, and they don't know me, so I was thinking we could get to know each other."

"Maybe we shouldn't talk about this in here," Alex suggested. "Someone might overhear."

Yellow light flicked from Jen's fingers, landing on the walls of the room. "Now nobody can," she said delightedly.

"When'd you learn that?" Alex asked her.

"Last year, on Jagmas," she answered. "You think I'd just let someone hear my conversations with you?"

"Anyway," Rufus interrupted, "this is the first actual time we've been together since we were babies. And look, Alex and I are still disguised." Grinning, they took off their necklaces. "You're going to take classes with us?"

Jen nodded. "I'd like to finish my education here, and my -our- aunt has graciously let me study with the pages. Who knows, I may even practice with you in the afternoons. I should imagine I'm a bit rusty on my archery skills."

Alexandria smiled. "You were always rusty on your archery," she commented. "I'd be glad to help, though."

Jen gave her a sour look, but then laughed. "I'm glad you haven't changed, sis," she said.

"Exercises," Alex answered as she carefully stood on the toes of one foot and brought her other foot above her head, and Jen whistled in admiration. "They keep me nimble."

"I don't see how you can manage that," her sister remarked. "I'd fall completely over onto my face."

Alex grinned. "I did, the first few hundred times," she admitted. "It took hours of concentration to finally get it." She brought down her leg, then stood on that foot. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and lifted her other leg. "Now, I just need a few seconds' concentration."

"You do these exercises every night?" Jen asked, and her sister nodded. "I learned a dance that's supposed to give you quickness for fencing. I don't know if it'll work, but anything's worth a try."

"That's my philosophy," Alex said as she sat down on her bed. "Show me."

Jen dipped and curved, dizzying Alex with her turns. She was by the fireplace; then, in a leap, she was across the room. Another rapid dip, and with a spin, she was sitting upon the bed. 'Of course, I don't think you'll dance in a fencing court," she said with a smile.

Wow." Alex was stunned. "Could you teach me how to do that? Where'd you learn that?"

"All the summers we spent here," Jen told her, "you spent all your time at the stables, and Cousin Adela taught me. As for teaching you, I'll try. Here's the first step..."

They worked for the half hour before lights-out was called, and then Jennifer left. Alex crawled into bed with a smile on her face. So there are warrior skills Jen can teach me yet, she thought as her eyelids closed. The dance became a regular part of her exercises each morning and night.

"And yet, I don't feel as if I've learned anything of importance since coming here," she told Sir Otis one night as she sat in his study.

He lifted a quizzical eyebrow. "Do you mean to say, learning how the old kings ruled and their flaws that led to their downfall aren't of importance?" he asked her.

"For Prince Joshua, they are, for he can learn from their mistakes," she said, "but not for me. Nobody's going to overthrow me, since I'm not a figure of extreme importance in the political world, or any world, for that matter."

"But you're important to your friends," Otis pointed out. "And you don't have to be famous to learn from other people's mistakes. That's the benefit of us not being the first humans on this world- there were plenty of people before us, all of whom made mistakes. Everyone can learn from them." Changing the subject, he asked her, "Are you going home for the summer? A lot of boys are going home, and although a few are staying, there will be no classes..."

Alex shook her head. "My family does not acknowledge me, since they think I am possessed by an evil spirit," she told him. "They sent me here to be rid of me, and so I might learn some honour. They do not wish to hear of me again."

"That's a pity, when a family casts its own kind out," Otis remarked. "Perhaps you would like to come visit me for the summer, then? I live in a big, ancient castle from the Old Ages, just outside of Liverpool, with just my servants, and they aren't much company. I'm afraid I'd be terribly lonesome there, and your prescence would cheer me up."

Alex couldn't imagine this jovial man being lonesome, and she told him. "But I'd gladly accompiany you, if you're certain you wouldn't mind," she decided. "And, of course, if Lunar can come as well. I wouldn't want to leave her here for so long, as good as the stable hands are with taking care of her."

Otis smiled. "Of course she may come," he told her. "How else do you expect to get there? I certainly don't plan on wasting fuel that may be needed later."

Alex grinned. A ride across the country was just like the old days, long gone. Or like the future, she thought.

"Now, you should be off to your room," Otis told her. "I hear you've got an important day ahead of you."

Alex groaned in spite of herself. It was the last day of classes for the summer, and also the day the third-year pages became squires, including Joshua. It was also the day the other pages' fencing skills were to be tested in their own tournament. Although Travis told her she had improved immensely, Alex didn't believe him.

"Oh, and Alex- we leave in a week," he said as she was leaving.

"I'll be ready," she assured him with a grin.

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