The royal hall was always imposing, with its towering marble pillars and elegant tapestries, but that went double when it was so sparsely populated. Less than 20 people were in attendance for the award ceremony, suggesting the kingdom was still keeping the Elven threat quiet. The empty rows of seats and balconies overhead made the cavernous room feel even larger, more impressive.

At the front of the hall, Alexia stood next to two high ranking officers who wore formal dress, complete with pins and medals of their accomplishments. Randolph the guard captain stood on their other side, and the King himself was seated in the raised throne behind them. Alexia looked out of place in her silky navy blue dress, but Zach knew she deserved to be up there. Despite no longer being a formal member of the Guard, she was a skilled soldier and a good leader.

One of the officers, a very tall man with deep set eyes and a short brown beard, spoke, "Thanks to quick action and excellent foresight, a severe crisis has been averted. Our kobold allies received our warning of a possible poisoning threat and strengthened their security in all their towns. Armed with a sample of the poison, they are also developing a technology that will let them quickly detect poisoned water supplies in the future."

The man stepped back and nodded to the other officer, who held a ribboned object in each hand. He was a shorter man, thickly built, with a kind face. He looked enough like Arko that Zach wondered if they might be related. The man said, "We understand that not everyone who took part in that mission is a member of the guard, and on behalf of the Kingdom of New Albion, we would like to thank all of you, especially those that came to harm on the journey."

With that, both officers looked directly at Zach and Riley and bowed their heads. Zach felt his face grow warm. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Riley look down at the floor, almost as if she was ashamed.

The officer continued, "No operation can succeed without good leadership. For their excellent performance on this critical mission, I now present to Captain Randolph Williams and Alexia Stewart these medals of command. Due to the sensitive nature of the completed operation, the medals bear no mission details. But all in this room know the true glory they represent."

He approached Randolph, who bowed his head to receive the medal. He said, "Thank you for your service, Captain Williams," then placed the ribbon around Randolph's neck. "I hope you continue to serve our kingdom for many years to come."

Randolph lifted his head and said, "Thank you, sir."

Then the officer approached Alexia. Her face was an impenetrable mask, but Zach had been around her a lot and he thought she looked uncomfortable. The officer said, "Thank you for your service, Miss Stewart. Your position is not a formal part of the Guard, but it is nonetheless indispensable for our kingdom. I hope you continue to serve our kingdom for many years to come."

"Thank you, Mister Granth," she replied after he placed the medal around her neck. There was a small smile on her lips.

The officer, whose last name was apparently Granth, visibly flinched. It seemed he had been expecting a 'sir', but Alexia was no longer his subordinate and didn't need to respect the chain of command. Her use of 'mister' to mirror his 'miss' was a form of protest, and it seemed to have an impact.

Granth quickly recovered his composure and moved back to the other officer's side. Then the King stood and announced, "Thank you, everyone. As Officer Granth implied, everything about this mission must remain confidential. Do not discuss its specifics or allow them to become known to the public or our enemies." Then his dour expression melted into a wide grin, "Now if you'll excuse us, my daughter and I are late to dinner and our food is surely getting cold."

Far to Zach's left, Evelyn stood from her seat and followed her father out of the room. After that, there seemed to be an unspoken rule for the order people were allowed to leave in. The Guard officers left next, followed by Alexia and Randolph, then the other attendees started to rise. Zach watched Riley and waited patiently until it seemed time to go. As castle staff, she was among the last to stand.

"That was pretty cool," he whispered as they left through the main door. "I wasn't expecting a formal award ceremony."

"Uh huh," she said.

"Are you feeling alright?" he asked. It had been less than four hours since she'd been released from the Hall of Healing and her mood had been bad the entire time.

"Just in pain," she said. Her arm was heavily bandaged, particularly around her forearm where the bad break had been. She cradled it gently against her chest. "And tired."

Zach felt terribly guilty. His injury had been nothing compared to hers, and it had already fully healed. Additionally, her injury was at least partially his fault. "Anything I can do to help? You do so much for me and I want to—"

"I just need rest while it heals," she interrupted. Then she turned and gave him a smile. "Sorry for being snippy with you. This injury sucks, but it's a small price to pay to save kobold lives."

Zach nodded. Her reaction had confirmed that what he was about to do was the correct decision. "Um, I don't want to risk straining your arm, so I was thinking I'd sleep in a separate bed tonight. Alone."

Riley stopped walking. "But then you'd flip."

He nodded again. "After that scare, I've been thinking about my mom and my friends over there."

Riley looked down at the floor, past her injury. "I understand."

Zach reached out toward her free hand, wanting to give her a bit of physical comfort. She saw his hand but didn't take it. Instead she grabbed his shoulder and pulled him down to her level so she could kiss him on the lips. It was brazen of her to kiss in the castle halls where it could trigger gossip, but Zach didn't mind. It was good to know that despite her bad mood, despite her injury, she still wanted physical contact with him.

After the kiss ended, Riley said, "I'll be waiting for you. Be safe."

"I will. Sleep well, Riley." Then he started off to the male servant quarters, planning to ask the head butler for a room to sleep in. It was only 8pm, but Zach was dead tired.

As he walked, he thought about Denver, planning out what he would do and who he would see during his one day there. Obviously he needed to call his mom, and he really wanted to see Erin. He hoped she was still doing well in her classes without him to study with. She was a smart girl, and friendly enough once she opened up. He figured she'd already found a new study partner by now.

Now that it was on his mind, he realized just how little he had thought of his own world lately, and he felt guilty. It's been weeks since I've seen them. Shouldn't I miss them more?

Zach awoke in a small room, lit by the morning sun. The simple cotton sheets were comfortable, especially compared to the sleeping bag the previous night, so he was tempted to sleep in but he had things to do.

He sat up and looked around. He immediately knew something was wrong. This wasn't his bedroom in Denver. It was the exact same room he went to sleep in, complete with his backpack in the corner and his dirty clothes tossed haphazardly by the door. To be sure he wasn't dreaming, he pinched himself on the arm. It wasn't a dream.

Cursing to himself, Zach got dressed as quickly as he could, then sprinted out the door. He ran the entire way to Evelyn's tower and took the stairs two at a time. Then he hammered on the door, panting.

After a moment, Alexia opened the door. She stood in the doorway, calmly folding the silk handkerchief that had just been tied to her and Evelyn's hands. "Zach… It's quite rude to bang on a lady's bedroom door, especially this early. What's the problem?"

"I didn't flip," he blurted, "even though I slept alone last night."

Alexia reacted instantly. She stepped past him and looked down the spiral staircase to make sure no one else had been within earshot, then pushed Zach inside. As she closed the door behind them, she said, "Are you sure you were alone? Maybe Riley got lonely and visited you, and held you at the right time to prevent the flipping."

He shook his head. "I'm sure. I had tossed my clothes in front of the door, which opens inward, and they were all still there when I woke up."

Evelyn had approached, curious. Now she sat down hard in a chair by the table. Her voice was quiet as she said, "Does this mean… Are you stuck like I was?"

Alexia shook her head. "It's too soon to make that assumption. Maybe there's always been a small chance that flipping can fail and we just never encountered it before." She turned to Zach. "Wait another day to see if it happens again."

Zach took a deep breath and said, "Okay, if you say so," but his voice wavered. He was almost panicking. He feared the worst, that he was stuck in this world now, like Evelyn had been in his world. For ten years…

"Did any of the maids know you were trying to flip?" Alexia asked.

"Just Riley. And I guess anyone who knows that she slept alone last night could figure it out."

Alexia went into leadership mode. "Okay. Let's keep it quiet. If anyone asks, say that you were with me. They won't question it. Sleep alone again tonight, in a different room in case that somehow matters."

"Um, what rooms are available? When I asked for that room last night, the head butler said it was the only open staff bedroom."

Alexia and Evelyn shared a glance, communicating soundlessly in the way only close friends and lovers could. Then Evelyn said, "You can sleep up here. We know for a fact that I've flipped from here."

Alexia nodded. "I'll have some cushions and blankets brought up for you."

Zach only made it to breakfast before something threatened to expose his situation. Beebee sat down next to him at the table with a bowl of oatmeal buried under a pile of sliced fruit. She glanced around the room, then said, "Hey, Zach. Where's Riley?"

"Um, maybe still sleeping? I don't know since I wasn't with her last night."

Beebee raised one eyebrow, making her already wide eyes look even bigger. "But you're still here?" She knew enough about his strange curse to know he should have flipped without Riley.

"I was with Alexia," he lied.

"Oh, okay," she said, accepting it. "I take it you wanted to let Riley get more rest and recover?"

He nodded. "And I didn't want to risk bumping into her injured arm."

Beebee glanced up, over Zach's shoulder, and said, "Oh, look who it—"

"Zach?!" Riley said, a bit too loud. Then at a hushed whisper, she added, "Why are you still here?"

Zach turned in his chair and said, "Change of plans," just as Beebee blurted, "He was with Alexia!"

Riley looked from Zach to Beebee and back. "Huh, okay. After breakfast, I'd like to chat with you Zach, alone."

At the word 'alone', Beebee looked disappointed for a millisecond, then she smiled bigger than before. Apparently cheering on her friends' romance was more powerful than her own desire to be involved in things.

As they all ate, Beebee kept asking questions about their trip, but Riley justifiably didn't want to talk about it. Even the parts that weren't full of negative associations were rife with state secrets.

Zach eventually got her to switch gears by asking her about how her own life went while they were away. She babbled about day-to-day work around the castle, remarked on how different Bethany's leadership style was from Alexia's, and parroted all the juiciest gossip that had been making the rounds among the kitchen staff. It was all pretty irrelevant, but it was nice to hear something so mundane after some very crazy days.

After the meal, however, drama returned in force. Riley pulled Zach by the hand all the way to her room, then she pushed him in and closed the door. A tiny part of Zach's mind hoped that a powerful desire had come over her, but no such luck.

"So what happened last night? I thought you were sleeping alone."

She didn't seem jealous, which made sense since she knew Alexia wasn't into men, but Riley was visibly worried. He really didn't want to put any more stress on her while she was trying to heal, but he didn't want to lie to her either.

"I did sleep alone," he admitted. "But I didn't flip. And no, I don't know why."

"What?! Does that mean you're…" she trailed off, unable to say it aloud.

"Trapped here?" he finished. "We don't know that for sure. Alexia wants me to give it another try tonight. If I don't flip, then we'll start worrying."

Riley's fiery red eyebrows furrowed. "Trapped? Worrying? What's with your word choice? Is it really so awful to have to stay here with me?"

"No. Well, maybe." As soon as the words left his mouth he knew he'd messed up. He quickly tried to explain, "I have friends and family over there, they'll think I'm dead if I don't check in eventually."

Riley stomped to the dresser and leaned over it, facing away from Zach and holding herself up with her good hand. She stayed like that for a long moment, then slowly said, "If you had to choose, Zach, which world would you pick? Who would you pick?"

"That's not a fair question, Riley. I clearly don't get a choice!" The panic that he'd been holding off all morning had broken through and he was nearly yelling now. "This stupid curse or whatever the hell it is makes the rules, not me."

"Not me…" she echoed quietly.

Zach stepped up behind her and put his hands on her hips. "It's you, alright?" he rushed to say. "If I had to choose, I'd choose you."

He took a breath and proceeded more calmly, "But it's too soon to worry about that. Alexia said this could just be a quirk of the flipping ability. Maybe it always had a chance to fail and we just didn't know, because we almost always prevent it."

She turned and looked up at him, her eyes wet. She opened her mouth as if to say something, then closed it. Instead, she grabbed him tight, not caring that her recovering arm was pressed against his chest.

Without a word, Zach wrapped his arms around her back and held her close.

"I'm still angry at you…" she whispered, "but this is nice."

"I'm sorry," he started, "I didn't mean to—"

"Shut up, Zach. You'll say something stupid again."

Alright, I guess I deserved that, he thought. Then he smiled and gave Riley a gentle squeeze. She was right. This is nice.