Rachel stood paralyzed for a moment, her sword inches from her brother's neck. Her horrified mind flashed back to Ewan standing in a dark cave, three arrows sprouting from his chest, staring down at them disbelievingly. How could it be possible? She had watched him die. "Ewan?" she repeated, her voice quiet and dull.

He didn't answer. His sword arced down towards Rachel, and she unfroze to catch it on hers. Sparks flew as steel clashed on steel, and tears formed in Rachel's eyes. Never in her wildest dreams had she ever imagined that she would fight her own brother to the death. His face was so matter-of-fact, totally devoid of emotion, it broke her heart. "Ewan, what are you doing?" she cried.

He still didn't speak. Somehow, that made everything hurt all the more. Rachel could hardly see for the moisture in her eyes. Again and again their swords clashed, but Rachel could see no expression in Ewan's eyes. It made her heart ache.

Gwen had run back into the room without anyone noticing. She stuck her foot out and tripped Ewan, sending him crashing to the floor. Before either of the girls could move, Ewan came back up with his sword, striking out at Guinevere. It hit her side, and she cried out, grabbing her heavy shoe off her foot.

Ewan turned back to Rachel, raising his sword once more, but Gwen's shoe slammed into the side of his head. He crumpled to the floor, half-rising before Gwen once again hit him with her shoe. He slumped down, unconscious. Gwen sank down beside him, her hand clutching her side, red with blood. "That's your brother?" she asked.

"Yes."

Guinevere nodded several times, grunting a little. "Well," she said after a moment, "I don't like him much."

Rachel was in no mood for joking. She sat down beside Ewan, turning him over onto his back to look at his face. There was no mistaking it; her brother, Ewan Andric, was alive. His dark hair, his long and skinny limbs, his ghostly-pale face...everything was perfectly in order, just as Rachel remembered him to be. She stroked his hair away from his face, struggling to figure out what had happened to him. "Ewan, what's going on?" she asked quietly, and she felt tears stream down her face. This hurt worse than Ewan's death had.

Snow White emerged from the other room, going immediately to Guinevere when she saw the Queen was hurt. She looked up at Rachel. "She's hurt," she said.

"I'm aware," Rachel responded. "Gwen?"

"I'll be alright," she answered, though her voice was tight with pain.

Merlin and Red chose that moment to return from their hunt for Ewan. Merlin, stepping through the door, looked from Rachel to Ewan, his face contorted in a frown. "Rachel?" he said. "What...what's going on here?"

Rachel suddenly found she couldn't answer. Her voice seemed to have left her. She took her brother's hand, unable to do anything but cry, both in relief and horror. Relief that Ewan was alive, and horror that he had attacked and tried to kill her. Merlin knelt beside her, gently putting his arms around her. "Listen to me," he whispered with surprising intensity. "Whatever happened here, there's an explanation. Don't get too wrapped up in your emotions. If the Editor sent him here to kill you, she obviously wanted to toy with you. Even if he failed, after all, the emotions stemming from him coming after you are going to upset the balance you have."

Rachel rubbed her eyes furiously. "What balance?" she said with a sigh. But Merlin's words rang true. The Editor had sent Ewan to test her. Rachel's only question was how the Editor had sent Ewan; had she threatened him, or was sinister magic behind the attack?

Merlin bound Ewan's hands and kicked the sword out of his reach. Then he touched Gwen's shoulder. "Come, my Queen," he told her. "I will tend to your injury. Red? Would you give Snow White some food?" Somehow he had guessed the girl was Snow White.

Red, who had been staring wordlessly at Ewan, nodded silently, taking a hold on Snow's arm and partially dragging her to the kitchen. Merlin and Guinevere also left Rachel alone.

It was several minutes before Ewan woke. His pale blue eyes blinked slowly, locking onto Rachel's face without expression. "Ewan, what is wrong with you?" Rachel demanded, her grief suddenly transforming into anger. "What were you thinking? We're siblings! I thought you were dead! What's going on?"

For a moment, Rachel didn't think he was going to answer. Then he did. "I serve the Editor. She ordered me to kill you."

"And you obeyed? Without question?"

"That is my duty," Ewan replied calmly. But Rachel thought she saw a flicker of guilt in his eyes.

"The Ewan I knew would never blindly follow orders from anyone," Rachel pointed out. "So what has changed?"

"Nothing." Then he frowned, the first expression that lasted for more than a brief moment. "I mean—everything. The Editor—"

"I don't care about the Editor!" Rachel shouted. "All I care about is you right now! You died to save me, and now you're back! It's impossible! And not only are you alive when you're not supposed to be, you actually came to kill me!"

"I had my orders."

"Your orders," Rachel said with as much venom as she possibly could, "have nothing to do with this current situation. Let me tell you something, Ewan. The woman that you have so willingly agreed to obey has killed one of my friends."

Ewan stared at her, the reality of her words slow to sink in. "Killed...?" he repeated.

"Yes! And you could have killed me; you nearly murdered Guinevere," Rachel said. "My brother would never do such a thing. I remember him; he sacrificed his own freedom—willingly condemned himself to a life in The Story—to save the life of Achilles, if only for a short moment. So tell me...did that man die with Morpheus?"

"Of course not," Ewan protested, then his frown deepened. "I mean...yes. No. I don't know."

"What hold does she have over you?" Rachel asked in a significantly gentler tone. "Please. All I want is my brother back."

He stared at her, and his eyes filled with tears. "I...I don't..."

"Ewan, please!" Rachel cried, grabbing his shoulders, her own eyes likewise filling. "I need you, now more than ever!"

He spoke one word, only one. "Rach."

Then he vanished from sight.