Anna let out a pleased cry. "Thank you so much, Richard!" She walked towards him and took the creamer.

He smiled and gave a little bow of his head. "You are very welcome."

A voice carried into the dining hall from the hallway. "Richard! Come on, we have to go!"

Richard turned his head. "Coming!" He turned back to the group and bowed his head again. "Pleasure to meet you all." He turned and walked briskly back down the hall.

"What a fine young man," said Mrs. Alexandra. She turned to Nancy. "Do you know him?"

Nancy nodded. "I do, that's Richard Matthews. I'm surprised you haven't met him until now, in fact. They've been delivering the fresh goods to Lilac Inn for weeks."

Mrs. Alexandra patted her hand and smiled. "That's because Anna is the one who goes into the kitchen, not I. I have been revisiting old memories as of late. If he did pass by me, I certainly didn't notice." She turned to Francis. "Speaking of old memories, I understand that you don't remember anything, you were very small when we had to send you overseas with Nada." She took his hand in hers. "But I will never forget how you refused to leave your mother's arms, even though you loved Nada dearly. I guess you guessed that there was a chance you would never see her again, and you were right." She wiped a tear from her eye.

"Grandmother, how, how did my parents die?" Francis whispered. "That is, if you don't mind telling me."

Mrs. Alexandra patted his hand. "Oh, I don't, but I don't think it's an appropriate topic for the dinner table. I will tell you of happier days and the customs of our land as we eat."

Francis twiddled with his fork. "Well, um, as long as you save something nice for after you tell me about my parents, I'm not sure I can quite handle all of this at once."

She patted his hand again. "I understand, there's so much to take in. Why don't we just talk about Centrovia and I'll tell you about your parents next time we meet."

He gave her a smile. "That sounds like a good idea."

Mrs. Alexandra started with explaining the dishes they were using. There were forks for different things, though most were not needed for this meal. Anna merely put them out for the look and feel of a grand Centrovian meal. Same went for the spoons and knives. As such, Mrs. Alexandra was able to tell them about the different foods served in a grand Centrovian dinner as she went over each utensil. The three were soon enraptured with tales of grand balls, extravagant dinners, and luxurious vacations. Anna made sure glasses were filled and the meal went off without a hitch.

Mrs. Alexandra began telling them about one summer at the royal vacation home when Francis' parents had gone riding, boating, and hiking. His father had come back completely looking like a boiled lobster as he had not put on any sunscreen. Her listeners laughed.

"Wow, sounds like it was a grand time! Poor dad though, he must have been peeling for weeks!"

Mrs. Alexandra chuckled. "Oh, that he was. Your mother absolutely refused to sleep in the same bed as him until he had stopped peeling." The others burst into a fresh round of laughter.

"Oh man, I wish I could have seen that," said Francis.

"Technically you did," replied Mrs. Alexandra, "you were playing with the dogs when they came back. You started screaming when your dad tried to hug you. You thought he was a different man!"

Francis snorted. "Well, guess I don't remember that, but I wish I did so I can remember it with fondness."

Mrs. Alexandra patted his hand. "I wish you could too, but like I said, you were very young, and you obviously don't remember anything about our life in Centrovia. I had hoped you would have, but you were very, very young." She let out a wistful sigh. "I wish you did so I wouldn't have to remember them alone."

Francis grabbed her hand. "But then I wouldn't be able to hear what an amazing time you had."

Mrs. Alexandra smiled. "Oh, don't you worry, there are plenty of memories I could share with you that took place long before your birth." She patted his hand again. "But, I think that will be enough for today. Who knew remembering things could be so exhausting?"

"Oh grandma … " Francis paused as Mrs. Alexandra shot him a startled look. "M-may I call you grandma?"

Tears sprang to her eyes. "I would love that more than anything. May I call you Michael?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Um, I don't know, I'm used to Francis."

Mrs. Alexandra smiled. "Of course. I can use the name you were brought up with."

"Thank you. But that made me wonder, if, if I were to take the throne, would I have to change my name to Michael?"

Mrs. Alexandra nodded. "It is your legal name. You don't have to worry about getting used to being called Michael just yet, but if you would like, we can ease you into getting used to it."

"That, that might be best. Thank you grandma."

"Of course my dear! Anything to help you adjust to your old way of life. Well, it's more new to you, isn't it?"

Francis shot her a nervous grin. "Yeah, yeah, it is more new to me. But I am willing to learn."

Mrs. Alexandra beamed. "That's the spirit! Anna and I can teach you everything you will need to know. We have some time, at least."

"Some time?" asked Francis and Nancy at once.

Mrs. Alexandra put a finger to her lips. "That's a secret, for now. I will explain when it is time. Right now, I think perhaps you should go to your hotel and, um, digest everything you have learned so far. We can start your lessons tomorrow, if you'd like."

"Tomorrow?" asked Sally. She glanced at Francis.

Francis shook his head. "Sorry, grandma, not tomorrow. I'm taking pictures of River Heights for a customer. He needs them for some art on his walls. How about the day after tomorrow?"

Mrs. ALexandra nodded. "Yes, that shall do quite nicely, I think. It will give me time to plan your lessons."

Francis chuckled nervously. "Oh man, and here I thought I was done with school." The others laughed.

"Oh, you might be done with the academic institution, but you still have loads to learn outside of the school room. But enough of that, will you give me a kiss on the cheek goodbye? It is an old Centrovian custom."

Francis stood up with a smile. "Of course!" He kissed his grandmother's cheek. He stepped back. "Perhaps, if it's not too much trouble, we could have a traditional Centrovian dinner? I understand that you might not be able to find everything since we are in America, or it might taste different, but it would be interesting to try."

Mrs. Alexandra pondered it for a moment. "It wouldn't be quite right since we are in America, but most of the ingredients can be found. We could give it a go, but it won't be at our next meal. We could aim for something small, like a side dish or a dessert for our next meal. But a full Centrovian dinner? That, my boy, is more for a feast, and would do well for a larger party."

"Perhaps a side dish, then?"

Mrs. Alexandra thought for a moment. "I was thinking of a dessert, actually, but we could try the side dish first and then the dessert."

"Or we could do it the other way around, starting with the desert and then the side dish." Francis shrugged. "Whatever you find easiest to do."

Mrs. Alexandra patted his hand. "I think Anna and I will look into that and have it all set for our next meeting. Speaking of, when would you like to meet up?"

Francis ran his fingers through his hair. "Well, I still have work to do taking pictures of River Heights, so, maybe in a couple of days?"

Mrs. Alexandra smiled. "In two days then? Same time?"

Francis smiled. "Sounds like a plan." He leaned over and kissed her cheek again. "Goodbye, grandma."

Mrs. Alexandra beamed. "Goodbye, grandson."

Sally stood up. "May I give you a kiss and call you grandma as well?"

"Of course, darling! You're practically family!"

Sally ginned and planted a quick smooch on her cheek. "Thanks grandma! We'll see you in a couple of days!" She waved as she and Francis walked out.

Nancy rose to leave, but Mrs. Alexandra cleared her throat. "Could you stay a moment, Nancy?"

Nancy blinked, perplexed. "Yes ma'am, I can." She sat back down. "What is it, Mrs. Alexandra?"

"While Francis does not have all the items needed to prove his identity, there might be a way we could put all doubt away. If you are able, could you stay a half an hour?"

Nancy shook her heading, thinking of the picnic. "I'm afraid not. I promised my friends I would join them after we finished here. They could very well be wondering where I am."

Mrs. Alexandra nodded. "Of course. Tomorrow, perhaps?"

Nancy thought of her schedule for a moment before giving a little nod. "I think that could work."

"Good, there is one last puzzle I must ask you to work out for me, and then we will know once and for all if Francis is truly Michael Alexandra."

Nancy smiled, her curiosity bubbling over. "I would be happy to solve it!" She rose. "Thank you and Anna for a wonderful lunch. It was delicious!"

"Thank you for making it happen." Mrs. Alexandra pulled her in for a hug. She let out a shuddering gasp. "Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, thank you."

Nancy squeezed her back. "You are so welcome." She pulled back from the hug. "Now, I really should go, or else Helen won't let me hear the end of it."

Mrs. Alexandra chuckled. "Yes, of course. Go have fun!" Nancy waved goodbye as she dashed out of the dining room. The other reason why she had to hurry up and leave was to make sure Mrs. Alexandra had left the dining room before the Kovnas got back. Technically Jane would make absolutely sure, but staying would give Mrs. Alexandra an excuse to stay there longer.

Nancy quickly got into her car and put the car into gear. Her phone gave her quite the scare as it rang rather loudly.

"Did I really have it set that loud?" she asked herself as she dove into her purse for the phone. An eyebrow was raised as Helen's name flashed across the screen. Nancy answered. "Helen, what's up?

"Oh Nancy, we just got the most dreadful news! Katherine's father and uncle have been kidnapped! We just got the warning note!"

(Author's Note: Hello my rosy readers! I'm back! Yes, it's been a very, very long time since I last updated, but I finally got a few days off, and they gave me the rest and relaxation I needed to be able to think clearly again. Yes, I do have Saturdays and Sundays off, but it gets hard to juggle all of this, plus everything else I need to get done, during those two days. Also, the Fellowship and Fairydust Magazine has finally gotten its first anthology in the formatting process. Hopefully it will be published on Amazon by the end of this month! I also have had to keep writing for the other magazine, LogoSophia Magazine, and record, among a bunch of other things. While yes, I could take the time to write, so to speak, I needed a break as I've been burning out faster than usual. Work has also begun on an old WIP called Fantasy Faire, and it's about three girls who have to send fictional characters back into their stories at Comic Con. It takes place on a different world called Alixandria, and the main characters are all basically Disney characters, or at least, very heavily inspired by them. Well, I mean, considering the three main girls are Ariella, Bella, and Aurora and each one has to undergo their respective fairy tales ... yeah. Anyways, still needs some work done and some characters named, but it is definitely underway. Have only gotten through the second chapter of the other original story, 1001 Nights of Red, as I hit a few snags on it. I think I finally got that figured out, and starting to work through that as well. But all in all, things are going to go slower than I would like. I will try to keep posting as much as possible, but it won't be as frequent as I used to. While yes, people with 40 hour jobs can still write, I'm typically away from the house for almost 50 hours, including driving time, and that's not including the times my folks have to stop at the grocery store on the way. I'm not the greatest when it comes to time management, but I will get there. I just need some sleep and rest first. Heck, I haven't been able to read the way I used to. It's been odd, and I don't like it, even though I do enjoy both of my part-time jobs and working with the people at both. I also got to go to Dallas Fan Expo and meet Elijah Wood, so that was fun. Also going to Tyler Comic Con this weekend to support a friend who has a booth there. Plus, with the holidays coming up, it's going to be very busy. I hope to have another chapter up here soon, but can't say when. Also, when I have finished this book, going to take a bit of a break and concentrate on other things for a while before coming back to this series. We shall see how things go. I am a bit of an emotional wreck, I just about cried when I finally got this chapter finished. I miss this, so so much. I want to keep writing, but like I said before, it's going to be longer than I would like. That being said, thank you all soo much for continuing to read and review, and being so patient! Thanks for reading, and have a blessed day!)