She clearly remembered the first time it happened, it was the night after her wedding, she was still wearing the golden dress and the jeweled headdress that she had worn during the celebration, the party had not ended, as it was proposed to last three whole days, without Colette was too tired and in need of a nap, though, and she slipped into a guest room and flopped onto the bed without hesitation.
When she closed her eyes, she found herself in a strange place, another small room with simple furniture and unusual decorations, she looked at herself and her outfit had not changed, took a couple of steps around the place and stopped when the door opened, an infant watched her perplexed.
"Who you are?" The boy asked in a nervous whisper.
"Who are you?" She fought back.
"My name is Raymond. What is your name ma'am?"
"I'm Colette, noble of the kingdom of Eraldia"
"You're a princess?"
"For the time being, in autumn I'll become queen"
"Did you come out of a story? One of my sister's books?"
The girl didn't know how to answer, she didn't even know how she had gotten to that place, or what it was, she was confused trying to find out if what was happening was real. The boy spoke again.
"Sit down, I'll get you something to drink"
That day she discovered some wonders such as what little Raymond called 'chocolate', 'television' and 'radio', her mind was confused because strangely none of these things seemed completely unknown to her, she had already experienced strange dreams during her childhood, but this was more vivid, the boy was also now to accompany her and explain to her about all the striking objects around her.
She was standing looking at one of the images that decorated the wall of Raymond's room when she felt dizziness that made her stumble, she blinked and when she opened her eyes again she was lying on the bed in the guest room, in the palace, her home.
The days after that, that dream hovered in her mind without stopping, however, she had to put it aside to focus on her duties as crown princess.
She was walking down a corridor, accompanied by an entourage of royal ladies, towards the room she shared with her husband, although he was still meeting with the ministers and would surely work late, so she would have the large room to herself for several hours. Once the three ladies in her service helped her out of her tight corset, groom herself, braid her hair, and into her embroidered silk nightgown, Colette decided that was enough and asked them to leave.
"As your Highness wishes, we'll be in the hall, give us a call if you need anything."
The girls left the room closing the door behind them and at last Colette was able to collapse and stretch her limbs on the bed with no one to judge her unladylike gestures, she closed her eyes in the middle of a noisy yawn and got ready to sleep.
"Princess?" The young man's voice made her start, when she opened her eyes again this boy was standing admiring the surroundings in amazement.
"Why are you here?" She inquired in a shocked whisper trying to prevent the people on the other side from hearing her because how was she going to explain the presence of that young man in her marriage bedroom? Someone could be beheaded for it.
"I don't know, I was in my bed."
Raymond shrugged and continued to run around the place, peering in every corner with his large green eyes full of curiosity.
"Child, you have to go home."
"My name is not 'Child', my name is Ray, I already told you."
"Okay Ray, tell me how did you get here? What's your family's last name?"
"I don't know, my family is named Evans."
"I had never heard that last name. What region do you live in?"
"Saint Dorgine".
Colette used to be effective at solving conflicts and carrying out projects, but a child appearing out of nowhere was beyond her knowledge, she stood there, looking at the child and considering sending him to a nurse.
"I have an idea," Raymond said raising his index finger and smiling.
"What comes to your mind?"
"I think I'm dreaming. I remember being in my bed playing a video game, I was very sleepy, maybe I fell asleep."
Raymond walked around the room admiring the painted vases, the colorful frames in the paintings with gold decorations, and the woman's dressing table filled with crystal jars with strange and colorful substances, he picked one up and looked at it carefully, shaking off the pink liquid inside.
"I also think this is a different world."
"There is no other world Raymond". The woman was getting impatient.
"There are many, we just don't know if there is life in them."
"Raymond, I know each of the kingdoms beyond the sea, they are not other worlds."
"You think that because you live in a medieval world and still don't know that beyond the sky is the rest of the universe."
"Medie-what? I'm telling you there's nothing else."
"I'm going to try something"
He held up the vial he was holding and dropped it, breaking it into pieces, the sweet fragrance dispersing through the air.
Colette clenched her jaw and restrained herself from reaching out to the boy and making him pay for the damage he had just done, she could only speak in strangled words.
"What's going on with you? Do you know how far the king traveled to get that perfume?"
"If this is not a dream I will bring you one of my mother's."
"Another reason to find your parents, come on, we'll tell a guard to take you home."
The woman was about to take him by the arm when the child staggered, she hurried to hold him, however, she opened her eyes and was alone in her room, the floor was clean, the glass bottle with pink liquid inside rested on the dressing table as always, there was no trace that Raymond, that young man who was not more than eleven years old, had been there.
She spent days thinking about it and magic was the only plausible explanation for her situation, every night she dismissed her maids early, wanting to avoid the risk that Raymond would be seen if she appeared out of nowhere in her bedroom.
But the next time she saw him it was she who traveled to the boy's room, who asked her:
"Do you want to watch TV?"
And so, for at least five years, it became customary to visit the other's room involuntarily and in an alliance.
Colette counseled Raymond when he first fell in love.
Raymond celebrated when Colette found out she was pregnant.
Colette comforted Raymond when his heart was first broken.
Raymond held tight to a sobbing Colette when she lost her baby.
The years and difficult times forged a friendship that was not limited by the difference in age, temporal space, or world, but now, looking face to face at opposite ends of a classroom there were no differences.