James sits at his desk staring at the portrait of Sofia he had hung there two months ago, after her disappearance. They had searched the castle from top to bottom for a week straight only to find it empty of his love. Her mare was in the stable, as was Minimus, and Rose was currently in the pet garden because he didn't have the heart to take care of her himself.
His heart ached with want for its other half, increasingly so every day as he was reminded of her constantly. Life had gone on as normal after the first month, everyone giving up hope a week into it when he found her engagement ring on his desk with a tiny piece of parchment inside that read 'Goodbye'. Everyone except him. The writing was too shaky for his Sofia.
He looked at the note that he kept nestled safely in a small box with the ring and a dried violet. When he felt increasingly lonely he would take the flower and hold it to its heart, breathing in its scent. His Sofia had always smelled of the simple flowers and now he had a window box full of them to look at all day, every day. When one was running out of its sweet perfume he would start on drying another so he always had a memory of her with him.
The agony of not knowing where she was killed him.
He didn't even know if she was alive anymore. No one did. Her amulet had been found in the first week of her second month of disappearance, in her room with dried blood on the back of it. No one, not even Cedric, had been able to tell if it was hers.
He didn't have that to hold, however, though he was sure it would radiate with the soft warmth of her body. It had been locked away in a glass case in her room, the whole thing locked up and guarded inside and out without fault by griffins and guards.
He sighs and looks back up at the portrait. "Where are you, Sofia?" he asks in a whisper.
A knock sounds on his door and hope quickly lights a small smile on his face and a fire in his heart as he stands, ready to run to his love and embrace her like she never left. "Come in," he calls.
His hope is crushed when Amber peeks in through the door. He frowns immediately, still furious for what she had done no matter how long ago it was. His love was missing, and the last time she had been seen was after her argument with Amber that had her leaving in tears. He crosses his arms and turns his back on his sister.
"What do you want?" he asks, scorn in his voice. He was completely unhappy once more now that she was here.
"Father sent me." There was another change that had occurred: Amber referred to their parents as 'mother' and 'father' now, nothing familiar. That didn't help him accept her countless apologies and forgive her. "He says you haven't eaten in two days, James, and was hoping after his and mother's failed attempts I could get you to come down for dinner this evening," she says softly, putting a hand on his shoulder.
He shrugs it off and turns away yet again. "I'm not hungry," he says simply.
Amber sighs. "James, you need to eat. We're all worried for you. You hardly leave your room, and when you do it's never to go outside or see your friends. You've turned away everyone that tries to come see you. You even missed our eighteenth birthday celebration."
He scoffs. "Just go away, Amber. I'm not going anywhere until I've found Sofia."
"But James-"
"I said leave!" he shouts, turning on her with eyes blazing as he points to the door.
She takes a step back in fear and then runs out the door, leaving him in silence. He falls back into his chair with a heavy sigh and looks up at the portrait. Sofia wouldn't want this, but he couldn't bring himself to do anything when his joy had been taken away with her.
"I'm sorry, Sofia," he whispers, on the verge of tears. "I couldn't protect you. I'm so, so sorry."