​​​​T​he...the...Serenei had no idea what it was, exactly, but it looked like a...what did it look like? Like a man, except one that was metal. Which was impossible. What made everything all the more impossible was that it...he...could [i]talk[/i]. ​

H​e addressed her as "Miss Ashley". Serenei frowned. "That's not my name! I am Serenei Farwynd of Itervia, not 'Ash' or 'Ashley'." The metal man then went on to say that his name was S-7-4-N-dash-F-R-D, but that she could call him Stanford. Apparently, he was the medical chief of the [i]Interloper[/i]. Serenei still wasn't quite sure what the [i]Interloper[/i] was. He bid her to take a seat, and since he had asked nicely, Serenei supposed that it was only polite to comply with the request. She noticed that many of the men who were also in the room were giving their little group strange looks.

Serenei glanced around for somewhere to sit, and she jumped as a bed seemed to [i]unfold[/i] from the wall. Then it turned and shifted until it resembled a chair. Spooked, Serenei stared at it warily before slowly sitting down. Graves and his companion soon left, leaving Serenei with the peculiar metal man. 

"Miss Ashley. Now, please, tell me what you know while I take some scans," he said. Serenei swallowed nervously and tried to remain calm as metal objects that moved on their own accord came out of the ceiling and floor. Serenei shied away from the blue light that one of them shone at her. 

Serenei took a deep breath. [i]As cold and calm as ice,[/i] she reminded herself. "Well, first of all, Mr. Stanford, my name is Serenei Farwynd, not Ashley or Ash," she began slowly. "I am the fourth child of King Lanner and Queen Alaysha Farwynd, the current rulers of the realm of Itervia in the land of Almerinte. I serve as the Lady of the Keep in the royal palace, and my husband is Prince Clarrik, who was formerly Lord Clarrik Harner of the Valley of Ice. My sister is Crown-Princess Marleyna Farwynd, and her husband is a Cyrainese prince named Alran. My oldest brother is the High Priest, and my second brother is Lord Lorgan Icewylle, married to Lady Eyla Icewylle of the Western Icelands." Serenei paused. "I know that I went to sleep in my bedchamber that I share with my husband last night, and that I woke up...here. And I know that the Alumnallen delegation led by Princess Phillipa and Prince Frederick Forrester are due to arrive by midday, so I would very much like to be taken home, if it please you," she finished, her voice breaking slightly at the end.

It was just then that Serenei noticed the light floating in front of her. She frowned. How was that possible? Where was it coming from?

The light seemed to depict a woman with a shapely figure and short, spiky red hair. Her eyes were green, and she was more muscular than a woman had any right to be, though Serenei did have to admit that there were many Alumnallen and Meraliti women who were trained as soldiers alongside the men. Serenei tilted her head to the side and studied the woman made of light. She looked down at her hands, which seemed to resemble those of the light-woman. Serenei's eyes widened, and she patted her hair-it was the same length as the light-woman's. 

[i]Snow above...could that be me? No, it can't be. I...I don't look like that![/i]

Before Serenei could say anything, however, a loud, cheery voice came out of nowhere. [i]"Attention, all crew. We will be arriving at Novus in ten seconds,"[/i] the voice said. Serenei looked from one end of the room to another, finding nobody who could have said such a thing. "W-where did that voice come from?" she asked shakily. 

A moment later, the sight of a huge, blue and greenish-yellowish orb caused Serenei to start in alarm. Various objects that looked like rocks floated around it. Stanford glanced out at everything and said that they'd "arrived".

Serenei stared at him. "Arrived? Pray tell, where exactly...are we? This is unlike anything that I have ever seen in my life before."

*****

​Clarrik was puzzled when Serenei began talking about some place in Asgard, but he let the subject matter drop. [i]As long as she isn't actively denouncing the goddesses,[/i] he thought.​ 

Serenei then took up Clarrik's offer to put on a gown, though she did it with an obvious reluctance and an uncharacteristically sarcastic comment. It was quite disconcerting; Serenei loved gowns and dresses. And of course, anyone who could afford to wear gowns wore them. So why was she saying that nobody wore gowns anymore?

​Clarrik quickly forgot about this new case of strange behavior as he watched Serenei take in her reflection. She seemed disturbed. "...Okay. I think...I think I need a lie-down," she told him. Clarrik furrowed his brow. Had she finally realized that something was wrong in the way that she was feeling or acting?​ He noticed that Serenei was shaking, and she was visibly paler than usual.

​Serenei began walking toward the four-poster bed, but she was interrupted by the arrival of Ryne, who immediately ran to his mother and hugged her. Serenei gave Clarrik a helpless, confused look.

Clarrik chuckled and walked over to them, though he could not help but feel slightly disturbed by Serenei's reaction. Normally, she would giggle and hug her son right back. "Ryne! Is that the proper way to greet your mother, the honorable Princess Serenei Farwynd of Itervia?" Clarrik asked the child in a mock-serious voice.

There was a quiet cough at the door. Clarrik looked up to see Bryce Farwynd, the High Priest of Itervia. He stilled. Even Ryne seemed to notice the sudden change in atmosphere, and he hid behind Serenei.

"My lord," Clarrik said smoothly, stepping forward. "To what do we owe this honor?"

Bryce's flinty eyes were the color of the Shimmering Sea during a violent thunderstorm. His head was shaved, as was the custom of all the priests and priestesses of Itervia. "Prince Clarrik," he said stiffly. His eyes moved impassively from Clarrik to Serenei. "Lady Weystermont informed me that my sister was feeling unwell," he continued in a cold, detached voice. "I am here to administer the necessary procedures. I ask that you leave the chamber, once you have a chance to...dress yourself."

Clarrik nodded quickly. "Ah, yes, of course, my lord. " He quickly donned a doublet of silver brocade and pulled on a pair of boots and a pair of trousers behind the screen in one corner of their bedchamber. Then, he scooped Ryne up from his hiding place behind Serenei and gave her a meaningful look. In her current state, who knew what dangerous things she would say in the presence of her brother? [i]Be careful,[/i] he mouthed, before turning on his heel and walking out.

​The High Priest glanced at his younger sister, clad solely in a night gown of ivory Meraliti silk. "Shall we begin?" he questioned, striding over to the bed and pulling the hangings aside. ​