As the day's training came to an end, everyone settled down for some much-needed rest.

Always energetic, Blur ran around excitedly, marveling at the pedestals. "Wow! It reminds me of the Hidden Palace on West Side Island!"

"They served a similar purpose in containing the emeralds, but that's about it." Millie explained, "The West Side Island Palace wasn't quite as well suited for the emeralds as this palace is. This place was custom made for the purpose."

As she admired the elegance of the room, Blaze noted, "It looks quite similar to where the Jeweled Scepter is held."

"Special things need a special place." Millie looked around. She had been here so many times, she was starting to get used to it. But sometimes she just had to notice just how amazing the Hidden Palace was.

She watched Silver walk between the pillars, examining the carvings. He stood on his tiptoes for a closer look at one of the emeralds. As he settled back on his feet, a sudden shiver ran down his spine. "The chaos energy here is intense! It feels like it's ruffling my quills up."

Millie laughed, "Must be your connection to chaos energy." She got to her feet as something plodded into the room.

Green eyes stared from the doorway. Tiny creatures crowded around him.

"I know, Chaos. Nighttime." Millie said. Turning to her guests, she explained, "He likes to herd the chao in here, so they'll be safe at night. Don't worry about him. As long as you don't scare him or the chao, he won't bother you."

Now that she had drawn attention to it, Silver began to feel the chill of the night. He shivered slightly as he rejoined the group.

Millie walked to one of the braziers in the room and stirred the coals up. Noticing that she was having a little trouble getting the fire started again, Blaze followed her. The princess reignited the coals with a touch, earning an impressed nod from the echidna.

Everyone gathered around the fire. Chaos followed curiously.

Before Millie could stop him, he poked a finger at the embers, resulting in a faint sizzle and a dramatic flinch. The guardian sighed, "You've got to learn your lesson eventually."

Chaos only burbled and wandered away, eventually finding a quiet corner to settle down in.

"I'll be back in a moment," Millie said, "I'm going to get some sleeping bags so we can camp out here."

"In Hidden Palace!?" Blur yelled excitedly.

"Yep. If it's safe enough for Chaos to leave the chao here, it's good enough for me."

Blur grinned, "Coooolllll!"

Returning, Millie commented, "We should all get some sleep. We've got a busy day tomorrow."

"You can say that again!" Silver sighed. He took the sleeping bag Millie tossed to him and picked a spot.

Holly laid down nearby and Blur curled up at her side.

Blaze kept her distance from everyone.

Silver couldn't help but feel a little sympathetic loneliness seeing her by herself. He dragged his sleeping bag over to her and sat down. She looked at him but didn't say anything.

"Are you alright? I'm not trying to get in your space. I just don't want you feeling left out."

Blaze shook her head. "It's fine. I just tend to keep my distance. I'm a stranger here anyway."

"You don't have to be a stranger. How about this," he held his hand out to her, "want to be friends?"

She stared at him a moment. She wasn't the most social of people, but… she had been feeling a little isolated, being a princess from another dimension. And Silver's concern was pretty endearing. "Okay." She shook his hand. "We're friends."

Silver smiled. "And thanks again for helping. I think you make a great guardian and princess."

Blaze looked away shyly, "Thank you."

"We've got a big day coming up," Silver flopped down onto his blankets. "Better get some rest. See you tomorrow. Night."

Blaze bundled up and settled in. "Good night."

After a moment of quiet, she glanced back at Silver. He was already asleep. Blaze smiled softly to herself.

Suddenly, being in another dimension wasn't so nerve-wracking.

Sorry about the late post. My broken attention span has latched onto just about every project except for writing this. Please accept this double post as an apology. I caught up to my stash of pre-written chapters. Hopefully the following updates won't be too late.

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