The next morning, I woke up with a fever. Woo. Fun.

"Oh dear, I'll go get you some porridge and medicine." Sadie ran out of the room in a hurry. My throat hurt as I hacked and coughed. I hate being sick.

"I'm back." Sadie came in with a bowl of porridge and a small bottle. Then came in a pretty lady with light blond hair tied up in a bun carrying a tub of water and two rags. Sadie put down the bowl and bottle on the bedside table. She helped me sit up.

"Here, I'm going to wipe you down with a rag and change you into some better clothes." The lady peeled off my sweaty shirt and pants, leaving me more bare than I would like. Both women chuckled at my obvious blush. The lady got one of the rags wet and wiped me down. I shivered with cold and let her help me in new clothes. Sadie spoonfed me some porridge. I gulped down the bitter medicine she gave me with no complaint and drank some water. I laid me back down with the second damp rag on my forehead.

"Feel free to come get me if you have any business today." The lady said before leaving.

"Thank you very much!" Sadie called after her. She turned back to me, "you feeling a little better?"

Sadie's expression became sad, but it quickly changed to a cheerful one. "You should get some sleep. I've already sent a letter to the palace explaining everything. If you're not better by tomorrow, we'll make keep going till we reach my house. Well, we'd stop there anyway.

I put up my journal and let sleepiness take me under.

Next thing I knew, Sadie woke me up.

"Wake up, sleepyhead. It's already noon. You slept for a whole day." I shot up and tried to get out of bed too fast. A wave of dizziness washed over me. "Careful! It's not good if you get up too quickly after sleeping for so long. There's a change of clothes for you on the bed. I'll be downstairs getting the carriage ready." I nodded and Sadie left.

It's crazy to think I'm not in Aplana. It all feels like a dream. I changed into the new clothes on the bed and put my pajamas in my bag along with the journal and pen. I made my way downstairs, almost running into a grumpy man in the proccess.

"Watch it," he snarled. Whew, I could smell the alcohol from here. I turned around, but the man snatched my arm, "are you not going to apologize? Tch, kids these days need to learn some manners."

And men like you need to learn to stop drinking. I thought sarcastically, but I couldn't say it.

"Are you listening to me?!" The man raised his hand in a position to slap me. Dramatic much?

"Hey! No violence in my inn!" Another man with short brown hair ran up the stairs and grabbed the man by the shirt, "get out!" The drunken man glared at the newcomer and stomped out of the inn. The brown-haired man gave me a kind smile. "You alright there, buddy?" I nodded. I yanked out my notebook and pen.

"You're welcome! Watch out for people like him, they tend to be a bit... unpredictable." He patted my head. I ran down the stairs and out to where Sadie was with the carriage.

"Just in time! Get on, we're going to my house!" Sadie helped me onto the seat in front and on we went. We shopped at a few small shops. I bought some oils and other things to make some aromatherapy stuff along with natural beauty products for Sadie and my mom. I hope they'll like it.

"Oh, he's a blacksmith! He's pretty well-known in the area, his name is Kingley." A dreamy look appeared on her face. I giggled a little bit, which went unnoticed by the now zoned out Sadie. I tapped her shoulder to bring her focus back to the road. "A-Anyway, I'm sure he'll be happy to see you." She cleared her throat, embarrassed at her own behavior.

I would show off my crafting skills, but this body would be too weak to make a dent in hot metal. I need to put on some muscle!

~

It was now dusk and my eyes were a bit droopy from sleepiness. One of the disadvantages of a weak little kid body, it tires easily.

"Are you getting sleepy?"

"Don't worry, it's an hour at most till we reach my house."

The hour went by and we made it to a nice looking house with a small shop right by it. A man with a tight sleeveless shirt that showed every bit of his well-developed body.

Hot damn! If he was a single gay and I was in my original body I would TOTALLY go for him. Sadly, he was happily married and I'm in a seven-year-old body.

Why does reality have to be so harsh?

"Honey! What held you up?" Oh. My. God. He ten times hotter when he smiles!

I grinned at Sadie's bashful expression.

"Who's this?"

"Oh! I met him at the border. Turns out, he's Alcott!"

"Wait, seriously?!"

"Yep! I sent a letter to the palace yesterday, so there should be a response soon." Kingsley suddenly picked me up.

"He looks too skinny! He needs some meat!" My mouth watered at the word 'meat'.

"How about I make some steak? Kingsley, you can entertain Alcott for a bit, okay?"

"Alright, love you!" Kingsley gave Sadie a quick peck on the lips. I didn't miss Sadie's legs shaking as she stumbled away. "So, what do you want to do?"

"Sure! I'm currently working on a new design."

"If that's what you want to do." Kingsley carried me on his shoulders. I had to duck to avoid the top of the doorway. The shop was hot, hence Kingley's lack of sleeves. There were metal tools everywhere! Kingsley sat me down on a bench furthest from the fire. I watched him pound the metal into some tool of sorts with an intricate design. It was fascinating to say the least.

"Boys! Food's ready!"

"Coming!" Kingsley put down his tools and put out the fire. He carried me back to the house and ate dinner.

Lemme tell you, Sadie made the best steaks I have EVER had. Ever.

And I felt like I had a family for the first time in years.