She was strong. Cimorene was very strong, and very clever, to survive through what she had, to bring about the downfall of the plan to take over her home. A blow to the head wasn't going to be the end of her, no matter how many echos she saw of the man in front of her. Her pride was a hell of a lot stronger than double vision. But still, now that she was fairly certain that he wasn't a real danger - odd, sure, but if he'd been planning on attacking, he would have by now - she was alright with backing up a couple of paces and leaning against the side of the library. "Nice to meet you, Cathal," Cimorene said politely. She could be a right pain in the ass when the occasion called for it, but still, she was brought up to be a proper princess. Just because it didn't take didn't mean that she didn't have manners.

"Well, I'm here, aren't I?" she retorted, and the slight rise in the volume of her voice had her hand going up to press hard against her temple. She let out a breath of air, reopened her eyes and then tried to figure out how to explain what had her running out of the library without looking where she was going. How to explain that she didn't know who she was anymore. She plucked a book from the pile under her arm and held it out. "That's me," she said, pointing to the illustration on the cover. "It's a narrative history, as near as I can figure. It certainly isn't fiction. But these..." she said, pointing to the other books, her lips tightening against emotion for a moment. "They're the same. Except...what's in here, it hasn't happened yet. And because I'm stuck here, it won't all turn out right in the end. Everyone I love...a husband and a son I don't even have...they're all going to die. What does that make me?"