The first thing she noticed was how comfortable she was. She couldn't still be on the ocean, could she? Whatever she was laying on was much too firm to be water, but much too soft to be sand or a piece of wood. Her sunburn didn't hurt anymore, and her torso felt like it was wrapped in bandages. It was so comfortable, she almost wanted to just go back to sleep.

When she finally opened her eyes, it took a minute to realize where she was. There was no ocean stretching out around her, no soaked clothing, and no water filling her lungs. She was in the largest bed she'd ever seen, wearing a comfortable purple robe. The fabric was thick and soft. She moved in the bed, going from her stomach to her back...

...and immediately regretted it. The moment she had moved, the illusion of painlessness had melted away, leaving her limbs and chest aching and her stomach filled with nothing but pangs of hunger.

"So, you're finally awake," a voice chuckled. An older man wearing a tailcoat and small glasses sat down in a nearby chair, holding out his arm. "Good afternoon, Miss Ivy."

Ivy hesitated for a moment, but accepted the help in sitting up. Beginning to feel cold, she pulled the blankets around herself like a large cloak. "How do you know my name?"

"I am Baileywick, the castle steward. I work for the king, making sure everything is where it should be."

"Where's Sofia?"

"Princess Sofia went with her mother and brother to attend an important meeting in a nearby kingdom. They should be back by this evening. In the meantime, I will be available to help. Do you need anything?"

"Mn...maybe something to eat and drink." She ran her fingers through her tangled hair. "How long have I been asleep? What even happened? I remember the king and queen...and-"

She was cut off as the door opened, and a familiar figure walked in. "I've got the potion! It's quite bitter, and it may or may not turn her hair a bright shade of chartreuse for a week or two, but it's the best we have at the moment. I really must make a larger batch of this for emergencies, it's too hot to drink at the moment." He looked towards the bed and stopped in his tracks. "Oh! How are you feeling, my dear?"

Ivy rubbed her eyes. "M' fine. What day is it?"

"Monday. You've been out for almost two and a half days."

"Why didn't you wake me up? I wouldn't have been mad..." She glanced at the open wardrobe, where familiar purple dresses were hanging up. "...and Sofia probably wants her room back."

"Well, we did try," Cedric explained with a slight smile, "but you were quite clearly unable to move."

"You needed the rest," Baileywick chuckled, standing up and giving Ivy a gentle pat on the head. "And Princess Sofia was the one who suggested you sleep in her bed in the first place. Now, I should go tell the king you're awake and get something for you to eat."

Ivy nodded and watched as the door was pulled closed.

"So, how are you actually feeling?" Cedric asked.

"Not good," she admitted. "I'm cold. And my chest hurts."

The sorcerer raised an eyebrow, starting to look worried. "It's quite warm in here. And you're sweating."

"Really?"

He nodded. "Exactly how much water did you inhale before you got to shore?"

"I don't...I don't really know, but it had to be way too much. I remember throwing up a lot."

"Hm..." He waved what seemed to be a stick. A thermometer appeared, as if coming out of thin air.

"How can you-" Ivy tried to ask, but she was interrupted by the thermometer being put in her mouth.

"As I said upon our first meeting, I come from a long line of sorcerers. Not all blood is as magically potent as yours, so those who wield magic often do so with wands infused with magic crystals. Those who don't use wands usually use other objects, such as amulets like Sofia's or other magic-infused relics." He took the thermometer from her mouth and frowned, before tapping it with the wand again. Just as suddenly as it had appeared, it was gone.

"Can I hold the magic wand?" Despite her exhaustion, Ivy's eyes gleamed with interest.

"Er...I suppose, although this one isn't the best, it's an old hand-me-down from my sister. And you must be very careful with it."

A chill went down her spine as she picked up the wand. It was almost as though there was a small bolt of lightning coursing through it; she could practically hear the magical power inside.

"It's so beautiful. How do you use it? Do you just wave it like-"

"No, no, no," the sorcerer said nervously, quickly taking back the wand. "Magic, however wonderful it may be, is still dangerous. If you keep going on like that, you're only going to succeed in taking your own eye out. For a spell to work properly, there must be clarity and intent."

"I wasn't going to use it," she protested.

"Well how was I supposed to know?" Cedric asked. "Any other child would leap at the opportunity to wave around a magic wand!"

"And you still gave a kid a magic wand?"

There was a long stretch of silence. Then, Cedric chuckled.

"You're quite the master of comebacks, aren't you?" he asked.

Ivy shrugged, giving a shy smile. She was going to respond, but she was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Uh...come in?" The moment she saw who it was, she sat straight up. "Oh, good morning, your majesty!"

King Roland chuckled, though there was a bit of worry in his expression. "It's past noon. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine."

"And by that, she means that she has a fever, and likely pneumonia. Easily treated with potions, but she's certainly not fine. Oh, speaking of which, the potion should be cool enough by now."

Ivy stared into the cup as it was handed to her. The bright pink liquid was so intense, it almost hurt to look at it.

"As I told Baileywick," the sorcerer continued, "it's quite bitter and may make your hair turn strange colors, but it's the best we have at the moment."

Ivy hesitated. Then, she took a sip. It was indeed bitter, but it tasted like chocolate and raspberries with a hint of lemon. Before she knew it, she had drained the cup.

"How does it taste?" Roland asked.

"Good. Like dark chocolate." She yawned and rubbed her eyes. "But I'm still kinda hungry."

Baileywick quickly set a tray of crackers and cheese in front of her. "I apologize for taking so long."

"Oh, it's fine. There's probably a lot going on." She gave a sad chuckle. "So...what are you going to do with me, your majesty?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm...I'm not supposed to be here. I'm not a princess. I'm not a servant, I'm not even supposed to be alive. The atua want me..." The word caught in her throat. Her hands began to shake as she grasped at her hair. "I'm supposed to be..."

"Hey, calm down. You'll be fine. They aren't going to get you. Cedric, what do we do?"

"I...I don't know...Baileywick?"

"Stay with her and try to calm her down. I'll go get her something warm to drink."

As the three rushed about, clearly at a loss as to what they should do, Ivy simply sat there. Her entire body trembled as the words rushed through her mind. She was vaguely aware of a hand gently patting her back, feeble words of comfort being offered, but she was too distraught to truly notice.

She was supposed to be dead.