Chapter Twelve

A Rescue & A Reunion

The night was darkening, signaling that dawn was about to break. Sirona saw that the giant flower she had left behind was cut down. But she knew all the servants entrances so she crept to a dark corner of the outside manor and opened a thin wooden door, dashing up the stairs. Finally, she reached the entrance to the boys' tower. Taking the steps two at a time, Sirona ran up as fast as she could. At the top, outside the door, was a dirty blond hair boy with his little brother, the one with darker hair. Avery and Koby. Smiling, Sirona ran up to them. The minute they saw her they smiled and hugged her.

"You came back!" Koby exclaimed, not letting go of her legs.

"Pa told us you were an evil enchantress but we didn't believe him!" Avery added. "We knew you'd come back, Maddie!"

"Actually, my name's Sirona," she told the boys. They gave her confused looks, their round heads tilted to the side. "Your father lied to you."

"He did?" Koby wondered.

"And he failed to tell you who I am," Sirona continued. "I'm actually his biological daughter."

"So that makes you….," Avery gasped. Sirona nodded.

"Your sister," she finished for them. Koby's smile grew even wider. Sirona worried that if he got any happier he would split his face in two. "And I'm going back to my home. I'm hoping you'll come with me."

"What about Pa?" Avery asked.

"You don't have to come," Sirona told him. "Only if you want to. But I don't want you growing up in a home where your father thinks loving you is beating you up."

"What about Riley?" Koby wondered.

"I can heal him," Sirona replied and help up her hand, fingertips glittering gold. "It's a long story but I've been gifted the power of healing. I can make him better."

"Where is your home?" Avery inquired.

"My parents are Queen Sofia and King Hugo," Sirona answered. "They adopted me a while ago and I'm their daughter. We live in the palace of Amalgamate."

"A palace!" Koby gaped, even more excited.

"So will you come?" Sirona asked.

The two boys looked at each other, their light and dark gray eyes clashing. Finally they turned back to their big sister and nodded. Sirona grinned and hugged them. But then the door to the boys' room crashed open and Vaughn came out.

"Get away from my sons!" he roared when he saw her. He yanked the boys back and threw them to the ground behind him. Sirona fell forward, hands and knees on the ground. She looked up at the man that was making her brothers tremble and glared at him.

"No," she responded, standing up. "They are my brothers and they are coming with me. They will not live with you and your evil any longer. Now step aside. I would like to see my littlest brother."

"Riley?" Vaughn laughed. "He's dead. You're too late! And because he died, Trinity jumped from the roof, sick with grief."

"Mama's dead?" Koby whimpered. Vaughn whirled around and hit the five year old in the face and he fell to the ground, blood spurting from his nose.

"Shut up!" Vaughn yelled, his breath smelling strongly of beer, and turned back to Sirona who had pulled out Calista's wand and was pointing it at Vaughn's heart.

"You really shouldn't have done that," she hissed.

"You're just like your mother!" Vaughn shot back. "A vile woman who thinks she can do anything with just a wave of her wand!"

"Well," Sirona said. "It's a good thing I'm not her daughter. I'm the daughter of Sofia and Hugo."

And Sirona threw the last vial from her bag at Vaughn. The glass shattered and, in a puff of smoke, Vaughn collapsed. Fearing what she had done, Sirona checked for a heartbeat, relieved when she found one. He was just unconscious.

"Will he be okay?" Avery wondered. Despite everything, he still cared about his father.

"Yes," Sirona promised. "He'll be fine. Now, let's get out of here. Let's go home."

As the sun began to rose, Sofia and Hugo's horses landed at Sir Vaughn's manor. The two of them quickly ran up the stone steps and knocked on the door. After some yelling and scuffling from the inside, a pudgy man with greasy hair and red skin opened the door.

"Sir Vaughn," Hugo greeted him, holding out his hand. Vaughn just glared at him. "I'm King Hugo of Amalgamate and my wife and I are looking for our daughter. She goes by Celeste now and has black hair with white streaks. Have you seen her?"

"Have I seen her?" Vaughn exclaimed. "She just kidnapped my two eldest sons and killed my youngest. My wife was so distraught that she just jumped off our roof and killed herself!"

"That's terrible," Sofia gasped.

"And it's your daughter's fault!" Vaughn screamed. He raced forward, fists raised. Sofia ducked and stepped back while Hugo raced forward and subdued the knight.

"Servants!" he called into the manor. "Please, lend me a hand!"

A few maids and a stable boy ran out and helped Hugo wrangle the knight into the parlor, a lavish room with portraits of the family and silk seats, a grand fireplace on one wall and tall window on another. Hugo tied Vaughn's wrists together then set him on a cushy sky blue sofa. Sofia was still breathing hard, her heart pumping, as she sat on a pale pink chair, slippery due to the silk covered cushions.

"Now, Sir Vaughn, may I ask why you nearly hit my wife?" Hugo demanded, barely keeping him temper in check. Sofia stood and placed a hand on Hugo to calm him.

"I'm fine," she told him then turned to Vaughn. "You said our daughter was here. Where is she now?"

"Don't know," Vaughn bit out, his bitterness and anger evident. "But she has my boys so she's probably on the run from the law now. Bet she won't last a day out in the woods."

"Let's go," Hugo said to Sofia and they left the manor, asking the servants to untie Vaughn in a few minutes so they could get a head start in case he tried to chase them.

After Sofia and Hugo were on their horses and in the air, the two began to fly over the woods near the manor, searching for their daughter. But they couldn't see anything but green.

"Oh, where would she go?" Sofia moaned.

"She doesn't have anywhere to go," Hugo replied. "She's run out of places to run to."

"Well then maybe she's gone to the only place she can," Sofia gasped. "Maybe she went home."

"It's worth a shot," Hugo agreed. "But I don't think she'll be there. The last time we saw her…."

"But she may have changed her mind," Sofia insisted. "Hugo, it's the only shot we've got. I say we take it."

"Alright then," Hugo said. "Let's go home."

Sirona led her brothers to the docks and she fastened a harness so they could hold onto her while she held onto a ship and stood on the water. They quickly grabbed onto a ship headed to Amalgamate and, all morning, rode the waves towards home.

Finally, they reached Amalgamate. Sirona, Avery, and Koby searched for a family or a cart to take them to the palace but found none. Not one to be deterred, Sirona left the market place of the docks and ventured into the village, searching the homes for carts or coaches she could borrow. And at the end of a deserted lane she found one. But a black flag was blowing over the house, signaling that the plague had hit. Sirona sucked in a breath as she remembered the epidemic. The plague was worse here than it had been in Zumaria.

So Sirona knocked on the door, but not after telling Koby and Avery to stay as far from the house as they could without leaving her line of sight. A tired man in all brown clothing with dull eyes and sun bleached hair greeted her.

"Hello, sir," Sirona greeted him. "I couldn't help but notice the flag. Please, I'm a healer. I can heal whoever is sick, if you'll only lend us your cart and perhaps a horse or a donkey to pull it."

"If you can truly heal my wife and daughter then I'll give you my whole house," the man replied and led Sirona into the one room home.

A wide wooden bed covered in sweaty blankets stood in the middle of the room, a fireplace on the one wall, a pot of some smelly soup bubbling over the flames. The floor was filthy with dust and a forgotten broom lay in a corner. All the family's few possessions were pushed to the side and on the bed lay a woman with blond hair that was quickly greying. She was as thin as twig, her sweaty skin covered in a red and blue rash. Next to her, just as sick, lay her daughter, a young girl with blond hair, about ten years of age.

The man stayed back while Sirona walked forward, determined. Her fingertips shimmered with a golden light and she ran her hands over the two females' skin. Within moments, their rashes had disappeared and they were healed. The two women gasped and began to cry, thanking her profusely.

"What's your name, miss?" the woman asked.

"I'm Sirona, the daughter of Queen Sofia and King Hugo," she replied.

"But I thought the princess's name was Tilda?" the little girl wondered.

"That was my name," Sirona agreed. "But that's not who I am. I'm a healer."

"Thank you so much!" the man exclaimed, rushing forward to hug his wife and daughter. "My cart is yours. I have a horse that can pull it, though she's a little underfed and is quite old so she doesn't go very fast."

"That's fine," Sirona said. "Thank you so much."

So the man went out and hooked up the skinny gray horse with a yellow mane to his small wooden cart that had one seat for a driver and a small section for passengers. Sirona thanked him while he thanked her. Then Sirona called Avery and Koby over. They all got into the cart and started towards the palace.

The sun was setting by the time Sirona, Avery, and Koby arrived at the palace. Sirona drove the cart up to the tall golden gates that guarded her home and two guards in ice blue jackets with tall spears came up to her.

"Name?" the one guard demanded.

"Princess Sirona," she responded, holding her head up high despite her rags and dirty face. "And these are my brothers, Avery and Koby. We need to see Sofia and Hugo. It's urgent."

"Well, you're in luck," the other guard said. "The King and Queen just got back home a few moments ago. We'll tell them you're here."

"You can leave your cart here," the first guard instructed. "And I will show you three to the throne room."

So Sirona hopped down from her seat then lifted the boys out of the back of the cart. The first guard led them up a familiar stone path, past the lake surrounded by blooming flowers and into the white and gold castle. Down regal halls they went till they reached the throne room. The large circular room had a domed ceiling painted with stars. Many copies of the Amalgamate flag hung on the wall and the floor was made with white marble tiles that glittered with gold. And, on a raised dais in the middle of the room, were three thrones facing the doors Sirona had just entered from. The King's throne stood on the right, painted gold covered with ice blue cushions. The Queen's throne was delicate and painted gold as well, though it was more feminine with embroidered cushions and the throne's wood curling.

But in the middle was a throne Sirona recognized. Painted gold, smaller than the other chairs, its ice blue cushions embroidered with red flowers, was her throne. It was the seat she had sat in when learning to rule. Sirona had to admit, she was surprised her parents hadn't removed the throne. She thought they would have when she'd run away. But she supposed that meant they hadn't given up.

Sirona didn't have time to think about it for long. Because, just then, the side door opened and in came Sofia and Hugo, still in their riding clothes. Sofia's hair was full of knots and Hugo's shirt was untucked, his cheeks covered in stubble. But they were there. Her parents.

Sirona stumbled forward, tears rushing to her eyes. How could she have been so foolish to run away? How could she have been so stupid?

And then Sofia and Hugo looked at her and their eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. Sofia clapped her hand to her mouth to stifle a sob and Hugo rushed forward. He grabbed Sirona and swung her around, laughing and crying. Sirona hugged him tight and let her own tears fall.

"If you ever do something like that again," Hugo said as he put her down. "You'll be grounded forever."

Sirona laughed and turned to her mother who had ran up to join them. The two of them embraced, both crying. With a start, Sirona realized she was taller than her mother. Had she always been or did she grow on her journey?

"I missed you so much," Sofia sobbed, taking her daughters face in her hands, blue eyes meeting hazel ones.

"I missed you too," Sirona told her, realizing that she had. She hadn't just missed palace life, she'd missed them. "I'm so sorry."

"No, we're the ones who need to be sorry," Sofia insisted. "We lied to you for eighteen years."

"No, you didn't," Sirona countered. "I am your daughter. We are a family. It doesn't matter whose blood I share. What matters is that you're my family and I love you so much."

The family embraced again, all three of them crying. As they parted, Sofia realized something was different about her daughter. She carried herself different, the light in her eyes had changed. Understanding, Sofia traced the gem of the amulet. Sirona smiled when she realized what her mother was thinking.

"You were right," she told her. "It does do amazing things."

"I'm glad you like it," Sofia said.

"Oh, and, uh, I kind of changed my name," Sirona added.

"Celeste?" Hugo wondered. "Cedric told us."

"No, I'm not the daughter of Calista," Sirona replied. "I'm your daughter. I'm a healer." She held up her sparkling fingertips and Sofia's smile widened. "I'm Sirona."

"Sirona," Sofia repeated. "What a noble name."

"Oh, and one last thing," Sirona gasped and turned around to face Avery and Koby who were hovering in the doorway, uncertain. "These are my brothers, Avery and Koby. They were being abused by their father, Sir Vaughn. I saved them."

"Well then, if they're your brothers then I guess that makes them part of the family," Sofia replied and walked forward. "Welcome. Would you two like to be part of our family?"

"Really?" Koby gasped, smiling as well. "Can we really?"

"Of course," Hugo replied, joining his wife. Sirona nodded at her brothers who both seemed overwhelmed. "You can live here and call us 'Mom' and 'Dad.'"

"You'll be loved so much," Sirona added. The boys looked at each other, smiled, and nodded. Sofia and Hugo reached out, each of them hugging one of the boys. Then Sirona joined them, her family.

One more chapter to go!