Miranda sat in the shop below her home as she waited for the arrival of Amber and Ruby.
The Ball was just a day away now and she felt apprehensive as she thought back to Sofia's outburst. She had never considered that James would be so foolish as to try and take things into his own hands. Instead, she had latched onto Sofia's soft heart and talent to see the good in everything. She believed Sofia was seeing good where there was none and that was what led to Sofia attacking James. But the more she thought about it the more Miranda began to see a mix of the two possibilities as one. She wanted Ruby to confirm this while she was on the inside and she needed to talk to Amber about the possibilities.
Two firm knocks at the door startled her and she was quick to go and open it to the three hooded figures, Amber, Ruby, and Lucinda. They hurried inside and the door was closed and locked before they removed the hoods. Miranda hugged each one of them tightly, breathing words of relief for their safe arrival.
When everyone was settled with a warm meal and tea, Amber began to speak, reminding the dark-skinned beauty of everything she had taught her while Lucinda got to work on Ruby's hair. The short, tightly curled hair began to grow out with every pass of Lucinda's wand and braided together the longer it got. Soon Ruby had long, neat, braids that reached her mid-back and held tightly at the ends by sparkling red and gold colored beads.
Miranda, after a time, cleared her throat and the three younger women looked her way.
"I… I have a request…" She said shakily and Amber blinked.
"Anything for you, mother." She said and Miranda could feel her heart clench before she continued.
"I had spoken to Sofia some days ago and… She admitted to me she had indeed attacked James." Amber turned away at this news and Miranda continued before any of them could speak. "BUT she said James was acting foolishly and that if she had not done her job in defending the Castle and the present 'King'… James would have very well died… While Ruby is withing the Castle I want her to speak to Sofia and get more information… Could you do that Ruby?"
The room was silent before Ruby nodded.
"Yes… I can do that no problem." She said and Amber spun around to face them all once more.
"You honestly believe her? We don't know who this Sofia is! She sure isn't the Sofia we knew as children! For all, we know she may very well have lied!"
"Amber… Can you tell me that you know without a doubt in your mind that your brother would never act so brazenly foolish and attempt to take things into his own hands." Miranda asked firmly, looking Amber in the eyes. The blonde woman couldn't muster the strength to hold her adoptive mother's gaze, knowing her own brother to well. Knowing he would do such things.
"I cannot… Because that does sound like him." She said darkly. "Damn him… Damn him to the snow-tipped mountains and back! He could have put everything we are working for in jeopardy because of his damn pride!"
"I wouldn't call it pride… More like a deep-seated hatred that tends to blind him when it matters." Ruby sighed and Amber scoffed at her.
"Don't act like you know my brother better than I..." She hissed and Ruby scowled back.
"I know him better in ways you will never know."
Miranda watched Lucinda step between the two, providing a wall between them in case things got out of hand.
"Now's not the time! There are more pressing matters to worry about than James's behavior!" The two women agreed begrudgingly and calmed while Miranda went upstairs to retrieve the last dress she had worn as Queen. Her heart sank as she brought the mass of ivory and pink fabric down the stairs and she wanted to cry when she handed it over to Lucinda, who disappeared into the back of the shop with Ruby.
Miranda sat in silence with Amber who sipped her tea without looking up. The elder women accepted Amber didn't want to talk and contented herself with nibbling on some bread and cheese as they waited.
"I'm so sorry… I do know James has a tendency to not consider his safety or if his plans are wise or not… The moment he said Sofia attacked him I should have considered the possibility that there was a good reason she did so… Other than it was her job and she betrayed us." Amber said and Miranda reached across the table to take her hand.
"For a moment I did the same thing, Amber… I have figured that Sofia doesn't have a side but her own… And honestly, that is good enough for me."
When Lucinda and Ruby reentered the room, Ruby was dressed up in a dress that Miranda no longer recognized and it broke her heart. Gone was the graceful ivory and pink decorated with pearls and embroidered swirls. Now what she saw was a gown made from seductive red with an off the shoulder neckline and long sleeves. Gold decorated Ruby's neck giving her a regal look that caught the eye.
"I dear say… If I didn't know any better Ruby, I would say you truly were a princess." Amber said standing and circling Ruby to better see her from every angle. "This will be perfect… If you don't catch his eye, then that old shite has no taste."
"Amber!" Miranda snapped and the rebel princess smiled at her. "Language please."
Sofia stood by Cedric who had recently discovered the missing pages.
He needed to brew another dose of the potion soon and now he couldn't, and his sights were set on the only two other people aside from himself and Sofia, who could get enter his room. Two maids who knelt before him as he sat on his throne. He was still under the effects of the elixir, but Sofia could see he was trying to react accordingly for the theft of the pages and damage done to his property.
It was unsettling to see someone trying to be angry. Trying to behave as one should when someone has undermined them, stole from them, and ruined something so valuable.
The maids were terrified and pleaded and cried that they didn't do it!
Sofia remained silent, apologizing in her mind that they were taking the fall for her actions and she felt dirty for it. A cold hand or regret grasped her heart as she tried to remain passive and not look at what her actions have caused. She had to remain beside Cedric, or the Kingdom will suffer without her influence over his choices.
Cedric stood and she saw that in his hand was a dagger he had conjured, his eyes focusing in on the blonde woman to his left. He didn't care which was guilty or not, reasoning the experience of witnessing one or the others' death would be punishment enough, even if he picked the wrong one. Yet he only managed a step when a guard came hurrying into the room halting him when his attention went to the paled man who swallowed nervously.
"Um… I am sorry my Lord but… Your family has arrived." He announced and Cedric stepped back, dagger vanishing before Sofia could blink and he waved at two other guards to take the two women away. The door had hardly closed behind the screaming maids when the Goodwins entered the Throne room. Cedric's father, mother, sister, and his niece all looked around the room, taking in the darker colors before looking at Cedric. Winifred managed a weak smile as she approached her son and he moved to meet her, accepting her hug.
"Oh, my baby boy… I missed you so much!" She said, sounding like she was on the verge of tears.
"I have missed you too, mother." He said and Sofia could hear the hollowness in his voice and knew that they could hear it too.
"Cedric… Are you well?" His mother asked pulling him down lower to get a better look at him. He took her hands and patted them with a thin smile, standing straight.
"Despite having someone steal from me and damage a valued heirloom when my back was turned I believe I am doing very well… Thank you for asking."
"Winifred… Stop fussing over him…" Goodwin said and his wife pulled away from her son with a slight frown so that her husband could stand in front of his son. Sofia could see he was studying Cedrics' face, confirming what Sofia had said in her letter to him about the pages she had sent him.
"You do look well, Cedric… But for how much longer." He all but growled at his son and Cedric didn't question how his father knew, chalking it up to the elder magic weavers' years of experience.
"Not much longer…" Was all Cedric said before looking to Sofia. "Will you show my family to their rooms while I attend to unfinished business."
Sofia nodded feeling her stomach drop as he turned away to slip through the door the guards had taken the maids.
She decided then and there she would never risk stealing from him again, and that she wasn't going to tell his family what had happened.
She wanted to be sick.