The tower was about two hours walk from Saintsburgh, along an open and striaght road between green and golden fields. The three girls and one boy found it quite a trek though, and their bodyguard had to work hard to keep them all moving at a decent pace. "Come on," Kirie huffed. "By the time your quest is over, you'll have covered almost the entire planet on foot. You might as well give up if you can't stand a short walk in the afternoon." "Fine by me," Bart replied, pouting as he did so. He'd been difficult and obstructive ever since he got here, and was getting on everyone's nerves. The girls ignored him and carried on. "So why are we going to this tower again?" Jessica asked. "Weren't you listening last night?" Lisa asked her, half scolding Jessica. "We need a guardian..." "One of *us* has to be the guardian," Allison added. "Yeah..." Lisa said. "OK, so why can't we bring Kirie then?" Jessica asked. "She'd be perfect - she knows this place, she's big and tough and a great fighter, and she can probably carry all our packs easily..." "Because," Kirie replied, "the prophecy explicitly states that only you four can travel together. Because I have my own duties to perform for the king. And because..." - the centauress reached down and slapped the back of Jessica's head - "I am not your pack mule." Allison smirked at Kirie's treatment of Jessica, even as the older girl yelped. She'd certainly deserved it, at least. Still, she couldn't help but feel a little bit of trepidation. Everyone back in Saintsburgh had seemed a little disturbed that such young children would have to set out alone on a journey like this. Bart and Jessica were only ten, which was bad enough - Lisa was eight, which was even worse, but people had accepted that. When people had heard Allison was only seven years old, several of them had cracked and offered to adopt her rather than force her to embark on such a long and dangerous journey. And she'd genuinely had the option of accepting. Even Jessica had tried to tell her she should. But she felt she hadn't had any choice but to accompany them on this journey. After all, how could she not? Putting aside the chance to see a completely different world, how could she abandon her friends like that? What if something happened to them? She looked up. A forest loomed in front of the group - tall, leafy green trees under a placid blue sky. It seemed welcoming and safe - it would be OK to stay relaxed for a little longer. Then she craned her sight a little further up. A huge grey tower rose out from the treetops, round and perfectly smooth, windowless and featureless. The group proceeded under the cover of the trees and eventually emerged into a clearing adjacent to the tower. As the four children stared up at it, Kirie led them to the base of the tower. An assuming archway was built into the wall, with no door to keep anything in or out. Inside it seemed pitch dark aside from the dim glow of some torches by the door, and more torches on the opposite side of the tower next to a closed metal door. The four kids pressed ahead of Kirie, who hung back. "It's up to you from now on," Kirie said. "I cannot enter this place." She reached into her pack and picked out a torch, which she handed down to Lisa. "Here. You'll need this for light." "Thanks Kirie..." Lisa said nervously. "Do we have to go in there?" Bart asked, trying to hide his apprehension. "You do," Kirie replied. "Don't worry. I'm sure everything will work out for the best. Lisa carefully lit her torch from one of the tourches by the arch, and led the way into the tower. The stone floor clacked under their shoes as they looked around the room, trying to make out what little the torches illuminated. It seemed perfectly bare aside from the torches and door at the other end of the room. The place had a high ceiling, probably about 20 feet high. "Anyone got any bright ideas about what we're supposed to do?" Jessica asked. "Try the door?" Allison suggested. Bart marched forward and pulled at the handle, but the door did not budge. "It's locked." "Only the one chosen to be the guardian can open it," a hoarse voice cracked from the darkness, and the four of them jumped. They looked around for a moment, until a pair of torches on the wall to their right sputtered into life. A small woman sat half bent over against the wall, rags covering her head. "Only the bravest of you will be chosen to be the guardian, and she will open the door, and face her test." Jessica was the first to gather her voice. "Is the test dangerous?" "It may contain a great deal of pain and suffering... it may even bring your death closer." The four kids looked at each other nervously. Then Bart purposely stepped forward. "I'm the boy, I should protect you girls. Make me the guardian." She cackled. "Your readiness to volunteer is commendable, but your bravery is lacking. You are already in full retreat from reality. You are not fit to be the guardian, child... you shall not be for some time." Bart gaped for a moment, and then narrowed his eyes at the ancient woman. "What do you mean, in retreat?" he asked, his voice shaking a little. "I'm not..." "There is no room for debate," the woman said, and she raised a hand. Bart immediately stopped talking in mid-sentence but his lips continued to move, and after a moment he tried to look down at his own mouth. He clamped his hands over his mouth for a moment, and then tried to continue to talk, but no sound would come out. The others let out a gasp. "What did you do to him?" Lisa asked, horrified. "The voice will be returned when the guardian starts to ascend," was the only reply. "Bart will be fine. I merely wish to proceed without pointless outbursts." Bart continued to rapidly move his lips at the old woman for a while, and Jessica giggled. "Looks like you shut him up," she said happily. "Can you teach me how to do that?" she asked, making Bart glare at her. "You have no right to laugh," the woman said scoldingly. "You are the oldest and boldest here. By all rights you should be ashamed that you have not already volunteered to be the guardian of the others." Jessica glared at the old woman as she continued. "Are you a complete coward, or just inherently selfish?" Jessica fixed the old crone with a stony stare. "I'm not afraid, and I'm better and more virtous than anyone here. I can be the guardian." "Selfish, cowardly, vain and a poor liar," the crone replied with a wheezing laugh. "The role of the guardian is to protect your comrades... not your wounded pride." "Yeah? Maybe," Jessica replied, completely unashamed of the crone's appraisal of her. "Well, who's going to do it if Bart and I can't?" She pointed to Lisa and Allison. "The second graders?" "Perhaps," the woman replied, and the pile of rags turned to face Lisa and Allison. "They may be suitable." "What?" the three girls said in unison, and Lisa and Allison looked at each other, the same thought running though both their heads - *One of us is going to be picked, and if it's the other one she might end up hurt or dead* "Pick me!" Lisa quickly shouted. "No, pick me!" Allison cried. "You both seek to protect the other," the crone said. "A fine start, but I wonder which of you is truly more suitable." The crone stood up, and both Lisa and Allison felt a heavy presence fall on their shoulders as the shadow at the back of the room focused her gaze on them. They stood there, stock still, feeling something move over the top of their brain, rooting and searching through their memories. After what seemed like hours, the crone slumped over, and sank to her knees. The kids kept staring at her, cautious about moving, and then the figure raised a fragile finger and levelled it directly at Allison. "The smallest one... the youngest one. The one who had the chance to hide away and did not take it. Who did not come here because she had no other choice, but who came because she worried about her friends." The figure straightened up, and rose into the air, hovering high above the children's heads. "You are the chosen beloved of Sellini; her avatar in this game, and the guardian of your friends. Open the door and ascend the tower. You have one hour." There was a sudden crack, and the rags suddenly fell to the ground as whatever wore them suddenly vanished. A roar circled around their heads as torches on all sides of the room flared into life and the room was flooded with painful blinding light. The kids yelped and closed their eyes, only opening them a moment later when the room quietened down. They glanced around nervously. "What the hell was that?" Bart asked, before gasping. "Hey! I can talk again!" "Shut up, Bart," Lisa said, spinning to look at Allison. She was looking around the room with a new sense of awe - strange, considering how bare the walls were. "Allison!" Lisa paused for a moment, trying to think of her next question. "Are you OK?" seemed to suffice. "I think so," Allison replied. She looked down at her hands. "I don't feel any different. But... it said it picked me..." she added, nerves rising in her voice. "We're doomed..." Jessica muttered. "Jessica!" Lisa yelled back. "Well, we are! How's she supposed to protect the rest of us?" "That remains to be seen!" Lisa retorted. "That Sellini... she's a goddess, yeah? I don't think she'd pick Allison if she couldn't..." she looked at Allison, "right?" "I hope so..." Allison looked across the room at the metal door at the back. "I really hope so." There was only an hour to climb the tower. Allison could waste no time. While Bart and Jessica commiserated about not being picked, Lisa escorted Allison to the door. It easily opened when Allison pulled it and she looked though. A spiral stairway curved around to the left. It looked dark up there. "Are you sure you're OK with this?" Lisa asked. "I'm scared to death," Allison replied, shuddering. "I wish I had some idea what was up there." "You don't have to do this," Lisa said. "We could probably go back now." "Yeah, but I said I would..." Allison replied, trying to fake a brave smile. "So I guess I'd better. It's probably not that bad anyway... right?" "Right," Lisa replied uneasily. "I'll be back in an hour. Just wait for me here..." "Good luck!" Lisa shouted as the door began to close, and Allison tried to reply but it ground closed before she could. The stairs curled around to her left, and she peered up them. They were only occasionally lit with torches, but there was enough light to see by, and additional light flooded in from a room much further up. She started to walk, ascending the shallow steps... 1...2...3... 13...14...15... 28...29...30... 36...37...38... 49...50...51... "Fifty two," she said as she took the final step, and she peered into the room. It was sparsely decorated, but much nicer than the barren bottom floor. A rich red carpet lay in the centre of the circular floor, and around it stood a few pieces of furniture - a full length mirror, a bed, a small couch and a table with a few pieces of fruit on it. There were windows in the walls, despite the fact that there hadn't been any on the outside of the tower, and daylight flooded in though them. Curious, she walked over to the window and hauled herself up to the ledge so she could see out. To her shock, the view outside was of Saintsburgh - she was back in the city. The sights, sounds and scents of the streets flooded in though the window - genuine, convincing and utterly impossible. Allison lowered herself back down, and muttered the obvious to herself. "This is not an ordinary room." She looked around cautiously, waiting for the surprise, but nothing happened. "I don't think I'm really back home," she added, and let out a groan. "I should have studied magic more. Denzil would have a idea of what this is." As she said that, a strange feeling came over her, like she didn't know who Denzil was, but that was ridiculous. She'd known him for months - the son in her new adopted family. She dismissed the strange thought and cast a quck glance over the rest of the items in the room. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary though. Soon all that was left to investigate was the doorway. More stairs leading up and to the left. Looking back at the strange room, she started to ascend. 1...2...3... 13...14...15... 28...29...30... 36...37...38... 49...50...51... As she aascended to the second floor, a lump caught in her throat as she looked in and saw... EXACTLY the same room. Running inside, she looked around, and couldn't see any difference. Even the scene outside was similar, though not identical. She really wished Denzil was here to explain this, or even her adopted mom or dad. It would be good to have the emotional backup at least. Most of all she wish Lisa had been able to come up with her, or even that Melin or Sarrifa had been able to come with them at all. It didn't seem very fair that the girls that had come from Springfield had to make this journey alone. The doorway at the end of the room contained the same stairs as before. Feeling a little creeped out and uneasy, Allison started to climb them. 1...2...3... 13...14...15... 28...29...30... 36...37...38... 49...50...51... The same room again on the third floor. Allison stepped inside and looked around. Still identical, but... something seemed subtly different. She really couldn't put her finger on it - it was just a persistent, niggling feeling in the back of her head. She ignored everything in the room and headed straight for the exit. The same stairs curved off to her left, and she climbed them. 1...2...3... 13...14...15... 28...29...30... 36...37...38... 49...50...51... The fourth floor. Same room again, but still with that strange subconcious feeling of difference. She hated this. She hated everything... she hated the day Dario pulled her hair, she hated the way Denzil treated her like a baby, she hated the way 'mom' and 'dad' wouldn't let her mind the shop by herself or use the chopping knives. She hated the nasty cramps in her stomach that had given her such a shock a few months ago, and the nasty herbal team 'mom' made her drink to dull them, and the fact that she didn't have any of that tea *right now.* She hated the fact she had come to Empirical at all, and wished she could just get to Springfield. That was why she was here, after all - to get this journey on the road and do whatever it took to get home. There was no time to waste. She marched across the room and immediately started ascending the stairs. 1...2...3... 13...14...15... 28...29...30... 36...37...38... 49...50...51... Allison strode onto the fifth floor with a smile on her face, looking out over the now-familiar sight of the room. It really was some remarkable magic that was doing this, she thought, and she idly wondered what would happen if she left an item out of place on one floor. She ambled over to the bowl with the fruit in it and picked out an apple, before ducking down below the bed and hiding it behind one of the bedposts. It would be interesting to see if it was still there on the next floor. The strange feeling that the room had changed was persisting, but she couldn't pin it down, so she walked over to the window to see if anything had changed outside. The street was still bustling, but one of the shops had changed from a bakery to a shoe shop, and the sky was overcast - not the pure blue it had been the previous times she'd checked the window. As she stood there watching the street, she realised what was bugging her. She was *standing* there. The previous times she'd checked this window, she'd had to stand on her tiptoes and lift herself up to the windowledge to see out, but now she was standing with her heels almost flat against the floor. Alarmed, she took another look around the room, and started to realise why it seemed to have changed without changing... she hurried over to the mirror and gazed into it, her jaw dropping as she did so. The girl in the mirror was her, but she certainly wasn't seven years old. She looked several years older - she couldn't immediately guess, but she had to be older than ten... not quite a teenager yet though. Her clothes had adjusted to fit her, and to her shock she saw that at some point she'd cut her long hair short - it was a mere chin-length bob now. "What... what the...?" She gaped at herself in the mirror and reached forward to press her fingertips against it. She couldn't believe this... "Oh my..." she eventually stuttered. "How did this..." Against her will, her eyes were slowly drawn to her ribcage. Nervously she pulled the front of her dress open and peered inside - a moment later her eyes widened and her lips pursed into thin lines. 51-50-49-48-47-46-45-44-43-42-41-40-39-38-37-36-35-34-33-32-31-30-29-28-27-26-25-24-23-22-21-20-19-18-17-16-15-14-13-12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1... 51-50-49-48-47-46-45-44-43-42-41-40-39-38-37-36-35-34-33-32-31-30-29-28-27-26-25-24-23-22-21-20-19-18-17-16-15-14-13-12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1... 51-50-49-48-47-46-45-44-43-42-41-40-39-38-37-36-35-34-33-32-31-30-29-28-27-26-25-24-23-22-21-20-19-18-17-16-15-14-13-12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1... 51-50-49-48-47-46-45-44-43-42-41-40-39-38-37-36-35-34-33-32-31-30-29-28-27-26-25-24-23-22-21-20-19-18-17-16-15-14-13-12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1... 51-50-49-48-47-46-45-44-43-42-41-40-39-38-37-36-35-34-33-32-31-30-29-28-27-26-25-24-23-22-21-20-19-18-17-16-15-14-13-12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1... "LIISAA!" Bart, Lisa and Jessica jumped as the door flew open and they heard Allison's yell. She was standing in the doorway, clearly out of breath, holding her chest and wheezing. "Allison!" Lisa yelled, springing to her feet and running toward her friend. "Allison! Are you OK? Are you hurt?" Bart and Jessica alse moved up, out of both concern and curiosity. "Not hurt..." Allison gasped. "Whats wrong then?" "C-can't you tell?" Allison asked, and Lisa took a moment to look her over. "Not really... you look tired, but otherwise you're fine," she replied. Allison almost replied, but before she did she glanced up at Lisa and realised she was glancing /up./ Lisa didn't look any older or taller than before, and Allison was no taller than her - as usual. She grabbed at her hair, which was long again, and cautiously pawed at her chest. To her relief, there was nothing unusual there. She was back to normal. "Are you sure you're fine?" Lisa asked her again. "It looks like you had quite a scare." "I... I did." "What was it?" Bart asked, excited now. "A monster?" "Jets of flame from the walls?" Jessica asked. "No, no... nothing like that." Bart tried again. "Some kind of floating skulls?" "An eldrich abomination?" Jessica wondered. "No!" Allison shook her head. "Nothing like that... just..." She paused as she caght her breath, and wondered how she was going to explain this. She didn't have what happened to her straight in her own head - how could she explain it to the others? "I... just had a bit of a shock," was all she could manage. "Oh," Lisa said, and Jessica's face sprouted a wide smirk. "The little baby probably saw a bee," she cooed. "No wonder she got such a big scare." She pursed her lips and reached out to poke Allison's cheek. "It's OK, Alli, you're safe from the big bad bee now..." Bart laughed a little and Allison batted away Jessica's hand, making her laugh out loud. "It wasn't like that! I'm not a baby!" "Stop bullying her, Jessica!" Lisa protested, and Jessica only smirked more. "I knew that old woman had the wrong girl. She should have picked me." "Well she picked Allison!" Lisa replied. "And I'm glad she did, because she'll be much better for whatever responsibility the guardian has than you will!" Lisa turned back to Allison. "Allison! Were you actually in any danger up there?" "Not really..." Allison had to admit. The entire scene had been very placid... just disturbing. "Then I completely believe you can do it!" Lisa earnestly replied. Allison thought for a moment, and eventually replied. "You're right, I can." The thing that happened to her up there wasn't so unusual... just extremely accellerated. "And I say the baby can't," Jessica retorted. She raised her head to the ceiling, addressing the crone. "You should send me instead." "Shut up, Jessica," Allison said, levelly and firmly. "And don't call me a baby." She looked back at Lisa and Bart. "I'm going back up." "Good luck! I know you'll get an A++!" Lisa replied with a wave. "Thanks," Allison said, and she stepped back though the door and closed it behind her. She started to climb the stairs again, but paused after the first ten or so. The physical changes had been scary enough the first time, but now that she was here again it was the memories that disturbed her more. Unfamiliar memories that seemed entirely comfortable and ordinary - it had seemed like she's been living her life in fast forward and losing track of who she was. So she prepared a mantra. "My name is Allison Taylor. I am seven years old. My home is Springfield. My parents are Allan and Sarah Taylor. My best friend is Lisa Simpson." She repeated it a few times until it was firmly entrenched in her brain and started to ascend. When she reached the first floor she stepped out into the middle of the room and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked the same as ever, no changes yet. "My name is Allison Taylor. I am eight years old. My home is Springfield, but I'm currently living in Saintsburgh. My parents are Allan and Sarah Taylor. My adopted parents are Rhys and Madelyn Wells, and my adopted brother is Denzil. My best friends are Lisa Simpson and Penny Kilnswork." Satisfied that she had recited the mantra exactly as originally spoken, Allison smiled. Maybe she could keep her self of sense better this way as she ascended the tower. She climbed to the second floor and then the third, reciting the mantra occasionally as she proceeded. "My name is Allison Taylor. I am ten years old. My home is Springfield, but I'm currently living in Saintsburgh. My birth parents are Allan and Sarah Taylor. My adopted parents are Rhys and Madelyn Wells, and my older brother is Denzil. My best friends are Lisa Simpson and Penny Kilnswork." On the fourth floor she paused to grimace, and rested her hand on her belly. Those damn cramps again. The part of her brain that remembered her memories were being manipulated wondered about this, until the other half reminded it that her periods had begun three months ago in a most uncomfortable and embarrassing fashion. Not wanting to remember that, she thought about the tea mom had given her again, and then thought again. Which mom? Taylor or Wells? It had to have been Wells... she could't get to Taylor anymore... Tears started to form in her eyes, but she did her best to shut them away. Gods, how she missed her mom and dad! She wasn't just sick due to menstruation... her homesickness was far more powerful. She wished she could talk to her real mom about what was happening to her! Mrs Wells was very nice, but she wasn't Allison's mom! She loved Allison, and Allison loved her, but it wasn't the same, and Madelyn sometimes seemed to treat Allison not as her child but as her compensation for giving birth to a boy. That was why she was here. She'd stayed in Saintsburgh for four years, but she had to move on and get home! She straigtened up purposefully, wiped a tear from her eye, and briskly proceeded toward the next floor. After ascending the stairs, she looked around again. This was as far as she'd come last time, the floor where she'd had her little surprise. Swallowing, she marched forward and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked the same as before. Her hair was still cut short - she'd done that in a fit of piqué last year after Dario had pulled her long hair one too many times. It was more practical for playing and running around town doing deliveries anyway, though mom had disapproaved. In her opinion, young men would never fall for a short-haired girl. Allison found that quite restrictive, and she wasn't really thinking about that anyway. Not really. Still, she was thinking of regrowing it. She cast a wary eye over the rest of her body. Now that the shock had worn off, she found she rather liked it. Taller, and quite skinny. The more she looked at it, the more excited she seemed to get about the future, thinking about the beautiful ballgowns in the shop windows, and the crowds of handsome knights asking to sign her dance card... she half sighed and half shuddered. No. She wasn't embarking on those wild flights of fancy. She was climbing this tower, and keeping her mind in one piece. Allison reached out and pressed her fingertips against the mirror. "My name is Allison Taylor. I am twelve years old. I live in Saintsburgh, but I was born in Springfield. My birth parents are Allan and Sarah Taylor. My adopted parents are Rhys and Madelyn Wells, and my older brother is Denzil. My best friends are Lisa Simpson and Penny Kilnswork." She was sure that was all correct. She just had to keep repeating the mantra. Secure in her mental state, Allison headed for the exit and ascended the stairs. 52 steps later, she emerged into the room again. She felt tired all over - dad had really been working her like a dog recently. Day after day, she stood in the shop - cutting, mixing, boiling, dissecting and brewing. The little time she had to sit, she had to spend poring over tomes on herbalism or potion making. Denzil may have avoided the family trade because of his enormous talent for magic, but her mom and dad had seen to it - Allison was to be an apothecary. She made her way to the chair, and sat down to rest her weary legs. Lisa had practically dragged her here after work, adamant that they had to start their journey soon. They'd been here six years after all, but every day was a blur, with so much to keep her busy. Her family depended on her so much now, and with the death of councilman Perri the city's will to sponsor their journey had disappeared. He had ultimately been the only one who *really* believed the prophecy it seemed. Allison didn't know what to think. For the journey, it was now or never. She rose to her feet, again wondering why she had been picked for the guardian role. The girl in the mirror was not particularly strong. She looked rather mature for her age, her shoulder length brown hair framing an intelligent face. Every day someone told her she was growing rather beautiful, though she tried not to get swept away in their compliments like Jessica would. Regardless, beauty was not a vital quality for a guardian, and she didn't have much of what she did need. She awkwardly pulled at her dress, adjusting her bosom. It was growing rather tight again. She'd have to have mom adjust the dress again before she left on the journey for real, but for now the slight discomfort would have to be borne, and as everyone told her - it was something to be proud of, not rue. As she headed for the doorway, a nasty smell caught her nose and she remembered about the apple she'd left under the bed. Ducking down below it she found a disgusting, rotten mass by the bedpost. It seemed that solved the mystery of whether this was a stack of identical rooms or the same room magically repeated. She was about to leave the thing there, but her potion making texts called to her. Rotten apples were a key component of a vomiting cure, and this would be be extremely potent. She got out her hankerchief, picking up the vile thing and wrapping it up before storing it in her pocket for use back at the shop. Then she resumed her climb, heading up the next flight of stairs. At the top she gasped for air, placing her palm on the small of her back and stretching. The climb had been too much, and her back ached under the weight it had to carry. She moved over to the bed and lay down on her side for a rest. This was foolish. Unless that old woman could magically change her body she was in no condition to be anyone's guardian. By now, her bust had grown a size best described as "uncomfortable," "embarrassing" and "totally unnecessary" and showed no sign of stopping. It was painful and inconvenient, and seemed to evoke the worst reactions in everyone. She got no sympathy from women - Jessica in particular had been glaring at her all the way here - and the men... ugh! She had to get out of here, out on the road. Somewhere with less people to stare and glare. Away, in the contryside, far from the pervs and the green eyed bitches that seemed to surround her. This journey was a perfect chance to do that, if she could bear to be around Jessica for more than five minutes. The straw that broke her back had been yesterday, when she'd been chatting in the square with Penny. Dario had taken her aside saying he'd needed to talk to her about something urgent, and then wispered the most vile proposal in her ear. Her sole reply had been a sharp slap, and then she'd fled before he could recover, hustling over to Penny and walking away with her before Dario could get any ideas. She sat up on the bed. Boys... they were scum. She'd never understand what was going on in their stupid little hindbrains, but she could definitely live without it. After stretching her back once again, she stood up and headed for the stairs upwards. As she arrived on the next floor, she remembered that she hadn't said her mantra in a while. She approached the mirror, and smiled at herself in it. Even she had to admit, she seemed to almost be glowing, but it was hard not to be happy these days. "My name is Allison Taylo-" she started to say, and then she laughed. How many times had she made that mistake while climbing this tower? That had to be the fifth time, at least! "My NAME is Allison Aleks!" She said, correcting herself, before continuing. "I am fifteen years old. I live in Saintsburgh, but I was born in Springfield. My birth parents are Allan and Sarah Taylor. My adopted parents are Rhys and Madelyn Wells, and my older brother is Denzil. My husband is... " she let out a dreamy sigh... "Roan Aleks. My best friends are..." she added, but trailed off. She thought back to the last few days... they'd been both wonderful and really traumatic. Roan had finally proposed to her a month ago - they had only been courting for three months before that, but she knew, in her heart, he was the only one. The apprentice glassblower had won her heart and she his, and when he'd proposed and given her a copy of "Zi Aposhecolo - Saru, Shoru mi Mahoj" in the original Matan she'd known he loved her more for her intellect than her appearance. She in turn loved his humour, his dedication to his craft, his chivalrous nature... and now that they were married, his tenderness and the feeling of his rough hands against her skin. She paused for a moment, lost in a daydream, until she thought again of Lisa. She wished Lisa could have been happy for her, but as others had lost interest in making them carry out the journey, Lisa had only grown more adamant. She'd tried to tell Allison that she was too young to marry, but she disagreed. Maybe in Springfield... but here, fifteen was quite suitable! Queen Edzel had married at thirteen, after all. She'd tried to tell Allison that she had to get a proper education instead of marrying at an early age. Allison had countered that Roan had given her a copy of "Zi Aposhecolo - Saru, Shoru mi Mahoj!" What kind of better education could an aspiring apothecary ask for? Lisa, eyes narrowing, had stated that she *wanted to go home.* Surely Allison wanted to get back to Springfield someday. That had been more difficult for Allison to argue with... inside she was torn. On one hand, her parents were back there - her real parents, but she had left Springfield when she was seven years old and eight years had passed since then. Would she recognise them now? Would they know her when they saw her? And here in Saintsburgh, she had friends, family, and a fiancé who she could not bear to leave. She hoped Lisa would understand that... and give her her blessing. Lisa had not. Their discussion had deteriorated at that point, phrases like "selfish," "zealot," and "gone native" being banded about, and at the end of it Lisa had found Bart and left on the journey almost immediately. (Nobody knew where Jessica was at this point) She left behind a bitter young woman who'd just seen her best childhood friend abandon her. Allison wished Lisa had been able to understand how she felt. Maybe she'd find a man on her journey that stopped her in her tracks like Roan had. She didn't know what she was missing. She looked ahead to the door leading upwards. She wasn't sure why she was doing this, but she supposed it was for Roan. He'd heard about her argument with Lisa, and felt guilty that he'd driven a wedge between them. At the time Allison had been angry enough to let Lisa leave her forever, but she'd come to her senses she she talked to him... even if she didn't join Lisa on her journey, she had to make peace with her. Bart had told her that Lisa was ascending this tower to face some kind of trial, and she had barged past him to climb it herself, and try to catch her. Thinking about what she would say when she found her friend, the newlywed woman started climbing the stairs.