The next morning, Skye came down in a more appropriate outfit: baggy pants and a wrap around shirt, topped with a stomach wrap that really hugged her body, showing off that she was a little more built than she had been previously, like her body had matured the moment she stepped through that portal. However, she still couldn’t help but feel a little self conscious.

“There she is!” Antony called wearing a similar outfit. It was then that she realized how lithe Antony’s body was.

“Uh, hey, morning…” she said before sitting on the edge of one of the tables. “So, what am I going to be doing while I wait for the portal to open back up?”

Antony sat in a chair near her. “Right down to business, I see. Okay. I mean you could just stay inside. I could show you around town and you could train for a bit and go on a few missions with me, if you’d like?”

Skye thought for a moment. “I mean…whatever really passes the time. I wouldn’t mind a tour or something like that.”

“Then let’s—” Antony started before another voice cut through the room.

“Antony,” it said plainly. Antony quickly turned to this new person.

“Ah! River, welcome back from your mission. How did it—”

But he was cut off again.

“I leave you here for a couple days, and when I come back, all anyone can talk about is Anderson. What the h*ll did you do?” River asked as they narrowed their eyes.

“Right, yes.” Antony then motioned to Skye. “Ta da! River, meet Skye Anderson. Skye, meet River, the leader of the Heroes Guild,” he said as he was doing jazz hands.

Skye and River looked each other over, and River hummed. “You definitely look like an Anderson…”

Skye cleared her throat and ran a hand through her hair. “Thank you, I think…”

River then circled Skye, looking her over with narrowed eyes, and observing every detail they could.

“Uh…” Skye started. But River raised their hand to stop her and Skye rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

That was basically all they needed to see before they smiled slightly. “It’s lovely to meet you, my lady,” River said as they bowed their head.

Antony cleared his throat. “River, Skye doesn’t like being called that.” he tipped, giving Skye a thumbs up.

Skye just went red and looked down. “Thanks, Antony. And it’s nice to meet you, River.”

River hummed and lifted their head. “Apologies. I didn't know,” they said before tilting their head slightly. “So, where have you been hiding all this time?”

Skye tensed slightly. “I wouldn’t call it ‘hiding’. I was just living in another…timeline? Reality? Time? I don’t entirely understand it myself,” she said as she rubbed the back of her neck.

“From what I understand, she had a run in with the mythical portal under Anderson castle,” Antony stepped in to help her out a bit while putting that comforting hand on her shoulder again. “Not entirely sure what it means, but the portal called for an Anderson, specifically. So it has to mean something.”

“Odd. So, what possessed you to step through an odd glowing portal in a world where I can tell magic didn’t entirely exist?” River asked Skye, crossing their arms and raising a brow.

“I don’t really know… I just remember hearing a lot of whispers and feeling a pull. A promise? A call towards something more…exciting…” She went slightly red realizing she was rambling. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to start rambling.”

Antony smiled and shook his eyes, “It’s alright, really. The more we learn, the more we can help you get back home.”

River nodded. “For now, you can stay here. Though, I don’t think it would be smart for you to be going out. Not with all the guards walking around.”

Skye raised a brow at the both of them. “What do you mean by that? It’s not like I’m a fugitive or anything,” she said. But seeing their faces drop, she suddenly got nervous again. “Please tell me my family weren’t rogue royal criminals. Is that a thing that can happen?”

“No no no!” Antony replied. “It’s just—you saw the castle, yes? And how empty and—”

“The Anderson’s were overrun and slaughtered by the Barron family,” River stated plainly, and the room fell silent.

“I see… so the new power would be afraid to know Anderson had come back. But I don’t want his throne. I don’t want any of this. I just want to go home,” Skye said to both of them before looking away.

Antony sighed and walked over to Skye again, his hand gently resting on her back. “It’s alright, we will get you home. You just have to have faith in us.”

Skye sniffled a bit and looked up to him. “Alright… I trust you. I trust you both.” She then stepped back from them. “I just would like some time alone,” she said before heading back up to the room she was staying in.

Antony sighed watching her go before looking back to River. “You didn’t have to be so gruesome about it.”

River shook their head. “I am not going to sugarcoat this Antony. If King Phillip finds out we are housing an Anderson, we will be targeted once again, and he will shut us down for good and the both of us will be homeless. And I know for a fact you—”

Antony snapped his head towards them. “Do not finish that statement, River,” he said before looking away. “If Phillip finds out, I won’t allow her to go anywhere alone. Whether she stays or not, I am going to protect her with my life.”

River crossed their arms again. “Fine. And you know I won’t allow her to die either.”

“Good.” Antony then smiled at them again. “For now, let’s give her some space. Then we can figure out what we want to do.”

But as the two talked, a man sitting in the corner of the guild stood up and swiftly left the building, making his way directly to the castle.