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A tear slid down my cheek.

I stood and looked at that painting for a long time, their faces were familiar and yet… strangers.

I needed to prepare for the fact that there would be photos of them, of our family, somewhere here. Seeing photos of my mother holding me, or Max as a little boy when he was told to watch over me — he had been eight when he had been sent away and promised our parents he would look after me — would be devastating.

Without saying anything I wiped my eyes and turned and began walking again.

Torin said, “Ye dinna finish yer thought, because ye daena remember the castle or yer parents, daena mean ye…?’”

“I think what I was about to say is ‘I should be grateful.’”

As soon as we entered the waiting room, Dr Thornberry entered. Even though all the uncles were there, and he knew them well, he stood in front of me, bowed, and said, “Your Royal Highness,” his formality made my heart drop, but then he added, “The king is awake, he would like to speak to you.”

“He’s awake? He’s okay?”

“Yes, ma’am, he’s not completely out of the woods, but he has stabilized, he’s sitting up and asking for you. We consider this good news.”

We all stood.

I turned around. “If Torin and I go in first, that’s okay?”

They all nodded. Torin and I went into the room.

It was like the air had lifted. Dude was curled up beside him. When we walked in, the cat lifted his head and rested his chin on Max’s stomach, as if he were saying, Oh, you’re here, too?

Max’s top half was propped up. He was still connected to all the monitors, but his eyes were open and his color was improving a bit. Torin and I went straight to the bed and I sank into the chair. “Dammit, Max, you scared me.”

He gave me a weak smile. “Och, ye canna hold any of this against me, Alexandria.”

I said, “I don’t, but Torin almost died, then I got here and you almost died! What would I do without you?”

“Ye would be a queen.”

“But I didn’t want to… are you going to survive? You have to survive. Promise me.”

He gave a sore chuckle and then clutched his side, near his chest wound. “Daena make me laugh.”

“I’m not making you laugh. There is nothing funny that you almost deserted me. What could possibly be funny about that?”

“Ye are funny because ye are such a princess. I am in the bed, near death, and ye are only worried on yerself. Tis a wonder ye ever forgot ye were a princess. I am surprised everyone in yer life dinna remind ye of it, ‘Och ye must be a princess the way ye behave!’”

I jokingly pouted. “Very funny.”

I glanced up at Torin’s face, he was finding it very amusing. “Both of you almost died, and woke up completely ornery, and I would like just once for everyone here to think of me. And what I had to go through.”

We all laughed.

Max grabbed his chest and groaned. “Sister, ye are goin’ tae kill me with yer senseless carrying on.”

I rolled my eyes. “Well, we do not want that. I need you to be king, so I don’t have to meet with your Minister of Defense.”

He nodded.

I said, “Is it okay that Dude is on your bed, is he bothering you?”

“Nae, he is a fine cat. He can sleep where he likes. He climbed up on my bed and was kneadin’ on my stomach and woke me up. I looked intae the face of this glorious ginger cat and said, ‘Och, I must hae made it home and we hae won or the cat would not be so content.’”

I smiled. “So the damned cat woke you up?”