Where exactly are we?

Perry stared hopelessly at the maps. Wasn't history and geography supposed to be easier than magic? At least, that's what he'd been led to believe in school. Clearly, those rules didn't apply to fantasy worlds where magic was real. 

He wondered if he could find one of those 'For Dummies' books he sometimes saw at the bookstore. Maybe they had a version of 'Magic For Dummies', or 'Alien Geography For Dummies'. 

Because, as he stared down at the maps, one thing became crystal clear for Perry: there was no way he was still on Earth. For one thing, he didn't remember seeing any of the kingdoms in front of him in any of the history books he'd studied. Also, he was pretty sure there was no continent on Earth that looked a bit like two misshapen triangles smushed together at the base. 

He didn't even know where the kingdom he was in now was on the map. How was he supposed to understand any of the conflicts and political intrigue?

"So, let's say I want to travel from the Palace to one of the northern kingdoms, what would be the best route to- hey, are you okay?" Perry noticed just how silent Mal was. 

His bodyguard blinked, seeming to come back from wherever his mind had wandered off to, and fixed his gaze on Perry. "You wish to visit the northern realms?"

"Hypothetically speaking," Perry hurried to clarify. "But are you okay?"

Mal blinked a couple of times and nodded before straightening himself up. "Nothing time did not take care of."

"O…kay." Perry wasn't sure exactly what that meant, but he knew when someone was deflecting. It was kind of his specialty. "So, the route?"

"I would advise against going to the northern realms. They do not take kindly to foreign princes trespassing on their lands." Mal tapped the northern part of the big map.

That still didn't answer the question of where exactly Perry was. "I'll take that under advise. But, like I said, hypothetically speaking, if I wanted to go, which route should I take?"

It would be a lot easier to just tell Mal he had no clue where the Palace was on the map, but that would give away too much. He still didn't know if he could trust his bodyguard with the whole truth. 

Mal tilted his head this way and that, studying the map. Perry realized he was staring at the map upside-down and made to turn the book around, but Mal waved him off. 

"The Eastern Road would be the safer route, but it dips south close to the border of Umbraterra and takes you too close to A Thousand Hearts Valley." He tapped his index finger against the map again, this time over what looked to be a long fault line that cut the eastern side of the map from about one-quarter inland to all the way to the ocean. 

Perry frowned at the map. "It says here it's called The Stitch."

A corner of Mal's lips quirked up in a half-smile and he shook his head lightly. Strands of his ridiculously long hair fell over his shoulder and framed his face. The color resembled honey, depending on how the light reflected off it. It contrasted very nicely with his deep green eyes. 

"A Thousand Hearts Valley is what it's called in the north." Mal ran the length of his finger over the fault line. "The Stitch is what you Southerners call it."

Wait. "You said you came from the south," Perry pointed out. 

During the competition, he clearly remembered Mal telling the Clan Leader that he was from the south. 

"I did come from the south, but I am originally from the north."

"Of course," Perry deadpanned. "So let's say I wanted to escort my lovely bodyguard to his place of birth, what route might I take that does not take me close to The Stitch?"

Mal's lips trembled, but he maintained his half-smile firmly in place. "That depends. How do you feel about taking the scenic route?"

Frustration made Perry tap his fingers on the desk. Why was it so hard to answer a simple question? "Let's say I don't care for the scenic route. What is the most direct route?"

Mal shrugged one shoulder. "The Northern Road."

Perry gritted his teeth and closed his hands into fists. "Great. Does it go through any dangerous areas?"

"It does," Mal answered. 

Perry waited but Mal stayed silent. "And that dangerous area would be…"

"The north."

Perry's frustration bubbled into anger and he poked the map viciously with one index finger. He opened his mouth to bite off an answer but stopped when he saw Mal smiling. 

Perry narrowed his eyes at him. "You're enjoying this."

"I am," Mal shamelessly admitted. "I am waiting to see how long it will take you to admit you do not know where the Palace is on the map."

"Well, I have been recently told my education is somewhat lacking." Had it really been only a few days since Myran had told him that? "So, if you could show me exactly where the Palace is, I would be delighted."

Perry smiled his fakest smile and batted his eyelashes at Mal. 

Mal grinned. "I am afraid I cannot do that."

Perry's fake smile fell. He tried very hard to control the rising anger inside of him. Would the librarian be very angry if he threw one of her books at Mal's head? Probably. 

"And why is that?" Perry asked through gritted teeth. 

"Because I do not know."

Oh. Well, that did complicate things a bit.