Morning came quickly, which was just the way he liked it. Ever since the threat of permanent darkness at the double eclipse, Glitch found himself willing the nights to pass quickly. His unease wasn't helped by the part of his brain that belonged to Ambrose, either, who had only known darkness while separated from the rest of him.

Long-term sensory deprivation had a continued effect on him and the first days following the operation to reunite both halves of his brain had been torture of another kind.

Both sides of him had struggled. Glitch had at first felt lost under the onslaught of memories and the wealth of knowledge he suddenly found himself in possession of again while Ambrose had struggled to acclimatise to life outside of the stasis jar. The ability to touch, taste, see, smell and hear that were taken for granted by those fortunate to have them threatened to overwhelm him. He was now one person, with one mind, but there were two distinctive personalities living within him. Glitch was the dominant personality but he was learning how to call upon Ambrose if and when he was needed, which he suspected was the only reason Queen Lavender had decided to keep him with the Royal Family instead of sending him away, too.

And that's what she'd done, he knew. The part of him that was Ambrose said it made sense; DG needed to rebuild the relationships within her family, to learn how to be a Princess of the realm, and the presence of her friends would be a distraction. The part of him that was Glitch thought it was nonsense, and cruel, and hadn't the girl suffered enough?

He knew it had been difficult for DG in the weeks following the eclipse and felt guilty that he hadn't been able to be there for her. He knew she'd taken Raw and Cain leaving hard – he had, too, which was partly why he'd agreed to hide Azkadellia's letters to them within his own.

DG, he suspected, hadn't written to her friends for fear they'd only write back out of some sense of obligation. The younger princess carried far too much blame for Glitch's liking, something he'd only realised after Azkadellia had come to him with her concerns. So preoccupied with his own issues, Glitch hadn't noticed how withdrawn DG had become until Az pointed out that the only time either of them saw her was at breakfast and during the family's evening meal.

He spent more time with Azkadellia than he did DG, Glitch had realised. He – Ambrose – had far more memories of Azkadellia than he had of DG. It was Az who'd helped the advisor in his lab, Az who'd listened intently to his theories, Az who'd shared his enthusiasm and asked countless questions. He had a vague memory of thinking the older princess had once had a childhood crush on him, and a distant recollection that maybe he'd reciprocated.

The Azkadellia who'd emerged after the witch's demise was the girl Ambrose remembered affectionately and it was those memories that helped keep Glitch's fear at bay. It was getting easier to see her for the woman she was and not for being the evil sorceress who'd once worn her face. Glitch found that he enjoyed spending time with her, particularly if he managed to make her smile or laugh. They were, he decided, both trying to find themselves again and that was somehow easier to do when they were together.

The only downside was that their growing closeness had seemingly come at the cost of the friendship he and DG had built, something Glitch was hoping to rectify soon.

Starting today, he told himself decisively, bounding out of bed with an enthusiasm that came from the side of his brain that belonged to Glitch. It was the decorum of Ambrose that had him reaching for a neatly pressed uniform and it was a combination of them both that had him hurrying from his room.

He met Azkadellia in the hallway outside of DG's room, greeting her with a genuine smile and small bow, not knowing which was responsible for the pretty blush that stained her cheeks.

"It's been surprisingly quiet," Azkadellia confessed, biting her lip as she turned towards DG's door. "I don't know if she cast a silencing spell or if Amelia's just a very good baby..."

"My guess would be the former if she takes after her mother," Glitch joked, pleased with himself when the comment coaxed a chuckle from the princess beside him. "Shall we go in and see how she is?"

In answer, Azkadellia knocked on the door, her hand dropping to the handle and turning it without waiting for a response. The princess wasn't perturbed by the sight of her sister's suite but Glitch, who hadn't seen the state of the room the day before, stood on the threshold and gaped in horror.

"What...? DG!" He launched himself forward, his heart pounding fearfully. "What happened in here...?"

Azkadellia's hand on his arm kept him from rushing through the room in a blind panic. "It's okay," she told him soothingly, "it was like this yesterday. Tidying isn't a priority when there's a baby to take care of, and DG still refuses to let the maids do everything for her."

Even as his brain processed the reassurances, his body began to calm down. Glitch opened his mouth to question why DG still refused to let the maids do their jobs when the princess in question walked into the room from the direction of her bedroom.

Her hair was still damp, tied back from her face in a messy ponytail. Her eyes were bright, though, and her smile was warm as she held a towel-wrapped Amelia close. It took her a few seconds to notice them, her smile growing wider when she did. "Oh, hey, guys. I didn't hear you come in."

"You look rested." Out of the corner of his eye, Glitch saw a suspicious look pass over Azkadellia's face. "Did Amelia sleep through the night?"

DG laughed lightly and Glitch realised the sound was almost foreign to him. It'd been so long since he'd heard it, he'd almost forgotten what it sounded like. "She woke up a couple of times but settled quickly. We're gonna have to do something about the cradle, though. She slept better once I brought her into bed with me. Can't say I blame her. I'd hate to sleep in that thing, too." She gazed down at the baby in her arms. "Still, I think I slept better last night than I have since I came back to the O.Z., even with the interruptions."

The honesty in her voice brought both Glitch and Azkadellia to the heartbreaking conclusion that she'd been keeping a lot of secrets to herself. If she hadn't been sleeping, what else had she been suffering from in silence...?

"I thought we'd have breakfast here," DG continued, oblivious to the serious direction their thoughts had taken. "Then I told Ami we'd got to the library for a bit before spending the afternoon in the garden. You're both welcome to join us, unless you've got something more important to do...?"

Azkadellia had a morning lesson with Tutor, and Glitch had planned to spend the day fine tuning the design of his latest machine but both shook their heads.

"I've got no plans, Doll."

"There's nothing else I'd rather do than spend the day with you and the little princess."

DG beamed at their replies, her eyes lighting up. "Great! I'll get Ami dressed, and then we can have breakfast. Az, if you'd do the honours..."

As DG disappeared back inside her bedroom, Azkadellia used her light to summon the breakfast she knew the Cook and kitchen staff would have already prepared and left in the family parlour for them. She moved towards the table, stopping to clear a path through the assorted items scattered on the floor with an indulgent smile on her face.

She was oblivious to Glitch studying her, a similar smile curving his own lips. He waited until she was ready to sit down before following quickly, pulling out her chair before she could. The gesture resulted in another pretty blush spreading across her features and Glitch ducked his head to hide a flush of his own.

Neither were aware of DG watching from the doorway, and neither noticed her hold Amelia just that little bit closer as she made a wish for something she thought could never be.

'I hope you're happy, my sister,' DG thought as she joined them at the table. 'At least one of us should be.'

The library in the Central City Palace wasn't as informative as DG hoped it would be. She and Azkadellia had scowled the old volumes for hours, leaving Glitch to entertain Amelia, but found little to help replicate the spell DG's counterpart had cast to open the doorway between their realms.

"There has to be something." DG sat back with a sigh, her shoulders slumping in defeat. "Surely the O.Z. would have records of something like this being done."

"If there is, we're obviously not looking in the right place," Azkadellia admitted. "Maybe Tutor could help but since there's no reference to it in any of the Ancients texts..." Her voice trailed off and she gazed at her sister thoughtfully.

Disturbed by the sudden scrutiny, DG straightened, a line marring her brow. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Forgive me, little sister." Azkadellia blinked, shaking her head slightly. "I was just considering that maybe there's no record of such a thing being done before because it never has been." She held up a hand when DG started to protest. "Hear me out, Deege. We both know your magic is strong, stronger than mothers and even mine. Maybe it's a spell your counterpart first created, one you haven't thought of yet."

Recalling the emotions she'd sensed behind the magic in the throne room, remembering the strength of the spell that had held the doorway open, DG considered the possibility. "She might have cast it," she said slowly, "but she would've needed you to help maintain it." Her sister looked sceptical but didn't argue. "And that doesn't help us figure out how she did it in the first place in case it's something we need to replicate."

"Why would you want to do that?" The question came from Glitch, who walked across to the table covered in books where the princesses sat. "If she doesn't come back for Amelia, won't that mean they lost the fight she told you about? Why would you want to take Amelia back to that?"

"I don't. I won't." Despite the subject, DG felt a smile curve her lips when Amelia reached out for her the moment she saw her. Taking the baby, surprised at how much she'd missed Amelia even thought she'd only been across the room with Glitch, DG paused to press a soft kiss against Ami's forehead before settling her in her lap. She smiled again when a tiny fist wrapped around her finger. "If her mother doesn't come back for her, I won't assume the worst. It's possible she'll be drained from the battle, too drained to open the doorway again. If she didn't make it, I owe it both to her and Ami to try and reunite the little one with her father. He'd take care of her, love her enough for both of them if he has to."

Distracted by her thoughts and by the child in her arms, DG missed her sister and Glitch exchange a speculative glance.

"What if he's gone, too, doll? What will you do with Amelia then?"

It was the question DG had been asking herself since the doorway had closed and Amelia had been left in her care, a question that had been troubling her since seeing her mother's reaction to the baby. She had no doubt that her mother would protest if she said she wanted to raise the child, no doubt that the threat of a royal scandal would frighten the Queen already fighting to regain the love and loyalty of the people... If it came down to it, though, DG suspected she could go against her mother's wishes for the sake of the baby in her arms.

Not that she'd have to.

"Her parents will come back for her," DG answered after a long pause. "I'm not ready to consider otherwise right now."

"How can you be so sure, Deege?" Azkadellia watched her sister carefully, noting the way DG held the baby a little closer. She sensed a shift in magic and wondered if her sister was even aware of the shield she'd begun to cast around herself and Amelia. "How can you know they'll come for her?"

"Because I know her mother. Because if she was mine, nothing would keep me away," DG answered softly, her certainty so absolute, the note of longing in her voice so clear that it brought a tear to Azkadellia's eye.

"Well, that answers one question." The voice, so familiar yet so unexpected, came from behind them. "You gonna introduce us to your new playmate, Princess?"

DG looked up from the child in her arms, a stunned gasp getting caught in her throat at the sight of the men standing in the doorway to the library.

Wyatt Cain held her gaze, an eyebrow arched expectantly as he waited for an answer.