A/N: Hey y'all! Just to let you know, I actually finished the first chapter. So go actually read that before you start this one. Anywho! Thanks to the two people who read this lmao.

~One Long Explanation later~

"So the Help Seeker is the gizmo that brought us here... And you guys are the heroes of the kingdom?..." The heroes' friend tentatively asked.

"That's the gist of it." George confirmed.

"Pretty much." Elliot determined.

"Basically." Sedgewick surmised.

She was still wrapping her head around the mind-bending fact that she was now in the past. In some kingdom that she never heard of no less. Before she could go down another spiral, another question blossomed.

"And the Robert guy?..." She leaned towards the King with narrowed eyes.

The King deeply sighed and furrowed brows.

"The whereabouts of my brother are unfortunately unknown. But I am certain that he is of no threat." He ended with a small smile.

"And he certainly wasn't a threat during his banishment..." A bitter voice said under his breath.

But his father heard it loud and clear.

The room became deathly quiet as King Horatio gave his son an unamused look. Alexander shifted his eyes away from his father with a tinge of embarrassment. Not unlike a teenager making an unnecessary comment at the dinner table.

Before the uncomfortable silence overstayed its welcome, King Horatio disarmed the tension.

"Forgive me, but I don't believe I've introduced my children." He said to the young lady. "My daughter, Princess Eloise;"

"How do you do." The princess kindly interjected.

"And my son. Prince Alexander."

The prince, now miffed by the whole situation, gave the stranger a quirk of his brow. And offered nothing else.

This didn't help her growing discomfort. She tried to give him a smile, but it looked more nervous than anything.

"And who may you be, my friend?" The King asked her.

He may as well have asked her the question in a different language. She scrambled to get out of her head and just say her name. "Sorry. I'm- um-"

"That right there is Ava!" George proudly exclaimed. "My goddaughter. Sweet girl! Her folks and I go way back."

Ava cringed at how she needed to be spoken for. That and her godfather's comments.

The King lit up. "Is that so? How exciting it must be to have him as your godfather then!"

She cleared her throat. "Yup...! Y-yeah. That's... something." Her nervous smile was quickly turning into a pained one.

'stop talking about me. stop talking about me. stop talking about m-' was the only string of words she could think of.

"Miss Ava. Are you alright?" Eloise asked concerned.

"I- I'm fine- it's-" she took in a sharp inhale. "This is just a lot to take in and I just think that I should-" She was standing up to leave. To where, she had no clue. She just wanted to lie down and wake up from this insane dream.

The Pirates stood up and implored her to sit back down. Each with worried looks on their faces. But that only propelled her to leave more. But fortunately, -yet again- King Horatio intervened.

"Miss Ava." He motioned to her empty chair. She reluctantly sat back down. Smoothing down her dress in an attempt to ground herself. "I understand that this is all daunting information for you to learn. And I also understand that this is rather hard to believe... But my Help Seeker brought you here with-"

"It wasn't really like that..." George delicately interrupted.

"Pardon?" Horatio queried.

Sedgewick decided to break the news. "Well... we were sorta in a rush to get here. She walked in on us leaving. Questions were asked, answers were slapped together... Didn't really help her though. And we didn't really think we had the time to explain the whole shebang."

"Not only that," George continued, "Her folks were out of town. So were the wife and kids. She couldn't have had anywhere else to stay. So," he scratched his chin. "being her godfather and all, I thought she should come along."

Ava was stunned to learn the grape's reasoning. "That's the reason you asked me to go with you guys??!" She was almost livid. "I could've stayed with Elliot's Aunt!!" She said incredulously. "I'm old enough to figure this stuff out!!"

The Pirates were silent as that obvious answer dawned upon them...

"Oohhhhhhhh..." They said in unison. Their mistake making them feel guilty, big time.

Ava, anxious, easy-to-break-under-pressure Ava was now yanked into this unfamiliar world for no reason. Thanks to them.

This was one of the rare times that not even the King knew what to do. Someone who wasn't called by the Help Seeker was dropped in the middle of this crisis. Speaking of...

"Well." He clapped his hands together. "This is quite the dilemma indeed. Miss Ava?"

She faced the King with a mixture of anger and fear of the unknown.

"I believe we can accommodate your issue. You may stay in my home until your godfather and his colleagues are finished with their adventure. Seeing as you have no will to be a part of it. And once they have succeeded, I will make sure you return home."

This somewhat placated Ava's panic. This wasn't too bad of a solution. She got to stay in a castle for who knows how long. Far away from whatever chaos awaited her friends. "That... doesn't sound too bad." She said.

"Sounds okay with me." George agreed.

And before the King could explain why the heroes were called in the first place, the Prince couldn't help but get caught up in one small detail. "Forgive me, Father. But I did not hear that I would be joining the quest..."

"Ah. That is because you are not." His father stated casually.

"What?" Much like Ava, he was incredulous. "But Father, I-"

"Do you remember the last time I let you both out at sea?" His voice became stern. "I shall not risk my children's lives for a second time. You know the threat that our heroes must face."

Alexander went from miffed, to frustrated. He understood the danger of the quest. But that didn't stop him from being his stubborn self.

Not by a long shot.

"Father I am well aware of the danger. But how can I be the future King if I just hide behind these walls?! You know I am-"

"Highly irreplaceable." Horatio interrupted once again. "For the time being, I expect you to accompany your sister and Miss Ava while the heroes set out. What I say is final." The care in his voice was seeping out. Softening his warning, but not letting it waver.

Alexander took a breath. He couldn't let himself lose his temper. That would only add to his father's argument. His sister placed an invisible hand on his invisible arm.

"Why don't we show Miss Ava to a guest room?" Eloise suggested. She could tell her brother would blow a gasket if he didn't walk away.

"Yes. That would be wise." The King sighed. "In the meantime, I will be discussing the mission with you three." He explained to his Heroes. "You are dismissed."

Alexander stood with a huff. He looked from his sister to Ava. "This way." He reluctantly led them both out the meeting room.

Ava gave one last look to her godfather...

George nodded and smiled encouragingly. Telling her that it's gonna be okay.

And with that, she gave a weak smile back and silently followed the royals...