Sofia2017 planning asked about this song from Madeline Lost in Paris, so enjoy your request! I thought it would be nice if, just before they're rescued, Nell, Madeline, and Sabrina sing the special song they made up during the first few days of their abduction. That song always made them feel better, but little do they know it's going to play an important part in their rescue. Thanks to theblindwriter95 for helping with the story. Adventure Stories Weekly is from Niagara14301's Dorrie series. Madeline Lost in Paris is not mine.
Nell could smell the alcohol on Jimmy's breath as he leaned against her and kissed her cheek. She shuddered once he got off of her, putting his clothes back on.
Madeline's yelling had ceased a while ago as Nell bit her lip to control the tears in her eyes. Jimmy was in a good mood and she didn't want to ruin it by crying.
"I don't care what gender you produce if you end up pregnant, Helen," Jimmy smiled, unnoticeable to Nell's eyes widening in fear. "Just as long as he or she has my genes."
"That's what you've wished for since I got here!" Nell spat. "And when you get tired of me, you'll only go after Madeline or Sabrina!" She was cut off by the sounds of screaming from the closet. She sighed, as she realized that Sabrina had been locked in the closet again. "And speaking of Sabrina, let her out of the closet right now!" she continued. "It's not our fault that this house is so small and there's hardly any room for all of us! The stairways are too narrow, so of course people are going to bump into each other! That doesn't give you or your worthless sons the right to do something like that!"
Jimmy's smile faltered as Nell felt a slap to her face. That got her to shut up quickly as Jimmy wiped away the blood from her nose with a tissue he had in his pocket.
"Just so your sisters don't ask questions!" Jimmy hissed. He knelt down towards Nell's stomach. "Don't worry, when you start showing, I'll treat you like a queen. No chores, no anything."
"What about the girls?" Nell demanded. "My sisters? This house will be too small for a baby when it's already too small for them."
Jimmy didn't answer, but he left so Nell could get dressed again. He left the door open so Madeline and Sabrina could run in and bury their faces in Nell's sides.
"Let us out of here!" Madeline screamed, running at Jimmy and kicking him again. "You don't have any right to do this to us!" She glanced at Nell, seeing a small red streak on a tissue in her hand. "You leave Nell alone!"
Robby grabbed Madeline again, but she scratched his arm as hard as she could, smirking as she saw blood appear as he let her go. "You little witch!" he shouted.
"If I was a witch, I'd cast a spell on you and make you let us all go!" Madeline yelled as she kicked him and ran to Nell and Sabrina.
Robby had closed the door, but Madeline could hear him yelling at Jimmy as she snuggled against Nell.
"Jimmy hurt you again, Nell?" Sabrina frowned.
"I'd rather it be me than you two," Nell smiled, stroking Sabrina's cheek with one hand and Madeline's hair with the other. "You won't believe what Jimmy told me. He said he'll treat me like a queen when I start showing."
"Baby?" Madeline frowned. "This house is too little for a baby."
"That's what I told him," Nell muttered. "But you know Jimmy and his sons only care about themselves."
"Nell, do you think anyone's looking for us?" Sabrina asked.
"I always hope they are," Nell sighed.
"If they are, think of all the yummy food we can have and new clothes and other stuff when we get out of here," Madeline smiled.
"Why are you always the optimistic one, Maddie?" Nell grinned.
"I don't know!" Madeline giggled. "I hear you talk about Bobby Lee in your sleep Nell. You like him?"
"Really like him?" Sabrina teased.
"Well, he did help me when I was seasick," Nell smiled, "And he and I did have fun going on our fishing trip and picking those berries."
"Will you two get married?" Madeline asked.
"First, we need to get out of here," Nell smirked, "Then we need to recover from the ordeal for a while. Then Bobby Lee and I need to reconnect. Then maybe we'll talk about getting married."
"What's that?" Sabrina frowned as she looked up.
"It's probably just Jimmy or Beth or Robby yelling," Nell assured her. "You've learned to ignore it, Bri."
"No. It's different!" Sabrina objected.
"Maddie, when Jimmy let you out this morning, what did you do?" Nell smiled. She noticed tears in Madeline's eyes and wiped them away. "I'm not mad, Butterfly."
"I tried to run away again," Madeline admitted. "I just want someone to find us!"
"So do I, but you've got to work on being more stealthy," Nell smirked.
Madeline sighed, but she didn't know that something different was going to happen, and it would change her and her sisters' lives for the better.
"Did someone approach you?" Sabrina asked.
"I think it was a lady and a man. They saw me and asked some stuff," Madeline remembered. "They said something about telling a king and queen about us."
"The king and queen?" Nell squealed. "King Roland and Queen Miranda?" Madeline nodded timidly before feeling her sister hug her. "Madeline Elizabeth O'Malley, you truly are your nickname."
"I'm a butterfly?" Madeline smiled a little.
"Yes you are!" Nell smiled. "You flew away and found someone who might be able to rescue us!"
"But then I was caught again," Madeline sighed.
"It doesn't matter," Nell smiled. "At least someone saw you, and now King Roland and Queen Miranda will know about this, and they'll send someone to rescue us!"
"And Jimmy will go to jail, right?" Sabrina giggled.
"Right!" Nell laughed. "Him and his worthless sons."
Madeline crawled onto Nell's lap as she sighed and looked out the window. Nell was tall enough to open it. That was if Jimmy didn't disturb them.
As they talked, Nell looked out the window. She thought she saw someone pass by, and that gave her an idea. "I remember reading something like this in Adventure Stories Weekly," she explained. "Let's open the window, then we'll start singing."
"But won't Jimmy, Beth, or Robby hear us?" Sabrina asked.
"Well, let's see what time it is," Nell suggested. "If it's late afternoon, they'll be sleeping off lunch."
"And if they're sleeping, we can sing as loudly as we want," Madeline reasoned. "Once those three meanies fall asleep, nothing wakes them up!" She paused and smirked over at Nell. "And I thought Nell's snoring was loud!"
"In any case, if we sing loudly, someone will hear us and they'll rescue us!" Nell grinned.
"You think it'll work?" Sabrina wondered.
"I believe it will," Nell assured her.
With Sabrina and Madeline behind her, Nell opened the window as the twins giggled, feeling late afternoon sun on their faces.
At the same time, Robert "Bobby" Lee Johnson, one of King Roland's junior guards, was in the village, interviewing someone who had mentioned seeing a girl who had been reported missing.
"Did you see what this girl looked like?" he asked. "Did you know where she came from? What was she doing there? How was she acting?"
"It all happened so quickly," the witness admitted. "She was running, like she was trying to get away from someone, but a large man ran up and grabbed her. She was screaming, but he covered her mouth. I ran after them, but they disappeared into the woods."
Bobby Lee wrote the information down. "Thank you," he said as he went on his way.
He shook his head and sighed. It had been two years since that day. Though at fourteen, he suspected they were dead.
Nell had been twelve when she and her sisters were abducted. Then again, the witness had brought a little bit of hope, even if it was very little.
"Sofia, could you leave for a moment?" King Roland requested upon Bobby Lee's return. "Robert and I have a serious matter to discuss."
The youngest princess of Enchancia nodded, getting off her throne as she gave him a kiss on the cheek before running off elsewhere.
"I hope I wasn't interrupting anything important," Bobby Lee smiled.
"Nonsense. I just didn't want Sofia to hear what we're about to discuss," King Roland assured him. "You know very well her reaction the first time she heard."
"Oh yes," Bobby Lee murmured. "She couldn't sleep for a week, and she had nightmares. I had to sleep on a chair in her room, when she wasn't sleeping in James or Amber's rooms with them."
Roland nodded softly as he remembered seeing Sofia sleeping on James' bed while he slept on the floor, or in Amber's room with her on the bed. Bobby Lee would be on a chair in the corner watching over them, no matter whose room Sofia ended up in, and they'd help Sofia when she woke up crying from nightmares.
Sofia hadn't meant to overhear at the time, and Roland knew that, but the subject of abduction mixed with her innocence wasn't the most appropriate combination.
Especially with her nightmares of being abducted herself. He and Bobby Lee shuddered at the memory, not hearing Miranda's footsteps.
"Any news, Robert?" She asked.
"We have a lead," he informed her, "Someone saw a man chasing a little girl. They pointed out where they went, and so I'm going to get the guards together and we're going to have the person show us where the man went."
"I'll come too," James offered as he came in and heard everything.
"No, you stay here," Bobby Lee shook his head. "I know, this would be good knight training for you, but I don't think Roland would like it if I led his son into any sort of danger." Seeing his disappointed look, Bobby Lee assured him, "Don't worry, little pseudo-brother, I'll be okay. I'm going with the guards and we'll all come back in one piece."
"Pseudo-brother?" Miranda asked.
"I've known James since he was really little," Bobby Lee smiled. "He's like the younger brother I never had."
"You better get going, Robert," Roland beckoned to him. "Who knows what's happened to that little girl as we speak."
"Yes, your majesty. It'll be my honor," Bobby Lee smiled, bowing before leaving the room.
"So none of us can go?" James frowned. "Amber? Sof? Me?"
"Actually, James, I'll need you to help keep an eye on your sisters and your mother," Bobby Lee said as he knelt down to his level. "And don't worry. I've used a lot of ideas from your stories when I've looked for Helen, Madeline, and Sabrina."
James smiled. He used ideas from his knight training in his mystery stories. He'd even incorporate some of the stories the knights told him about their adventures into the plot of his own stories. "Okay, but be careful," he agreed. "And don't worry; I won't write about what happened to Nell, Madeline, and Sabrina."
"I know," Bobby Lee smiled. "But maybe you could write something for them when I find them!"
"I don't know about Nell. I haven't written for teens yet," James admitted. "But I'll do something for Sabrina and Madeline, and hopefully Nell will like it too."
"Be safe," Sofia muttered, running over to Bobby Lee and burying her face in his chest.
"I will. Don't worry," Bobby Lee assured her, shushing her as she started to cry.
"Sof, how would you like to help me write the story?" James suggested. "I know, it doesn't seem like much, and it's just a distraction..."
"But that's a good idea to keep busy rather than worry," Miranda agreed. "I read a few of your stories, James, and they're very clever! Not to mention funny and entertaining!"
Sofia managed a smile. "Okay. If we can't help Bobby Lee, we can find a way to help Nell, Madeline, and Sabrina when they find them."
James hugged her in agreement.
Back at the house, Jimmy, Robby and Beth hadn't woken up, much to Nell's relief as she stood out the front door of the house with Sabrina and Madeline.
She was rarely able to get to the front door, as Jimmy never allowed her to for he controlled what she could and couldn't do if he was awake.
"I have an idea," Nell murmured, "Maddie, do you remember the song we made up to help Sabrina the first time she was locked in the closet?"
"I think so," Madeline nodded. "You want to sing it now?"
"Not yet," Nell whispered. "I read about a princess once who sang until someone found her. Hopefully, we can sing our song until someone finds us. We'll go upstairs so Jimmy, Beth, and Robby don't hear us. I know, they can sleep through everything when they're as drunk as they are, but we don't want to take any chances."
"I like that idea," Sabrina smiled.
"Me too!" Madeline smiled.
"Okay, now let's go upstairs," Nell murmured, "I know that there are people who ride by soon. Jimmy always made sure we're quiet, but this time, we'll sing our song and hope they hear us."
The girls nodded excitedly, watching as Nell pressed her fingers to their lips as the three of them traveled upstairs. Once upstairs, she let go of their hands, and Madeline and Sabrina ran up to the window.
"Nell, you go first!" Sabrina giggled. "Maddie and I can follow."
"Okay," Nell agreed. "But first, let's do this." She carefully closed and locked the door, then slowly pushed the heavy dresser in front of it. "Bri, I know you don't like closed and locked doors, but this is important to the plan."
Sabrina nodded slowly. "As long as you stay with me," she agreed at last.
"And the dresser's there to keep Jimmy, Beth, and Robby from coming in and catching us, right?" Madeline asked.
"That's right," Nell smiled as she went over and opened the window.
With the window opened, Sabrina and Madeline stood back to give her some room.
Whoever was out there could hear Nell's voice better than theirs, as Madeline could see a carriage a few miles away.
"Ready?" Nell murmured.
"Let's sing!" Madeline whispered.
Nell nodded in agreement as she started singing, Here I sit so cold and hungry,
Feeling lost and far away.
Madeline hugged her as she joined in, Happiness is just a memory,
A patch of sun from yesterday.
Sabrina was looking out of the window as she joined them on the chorus, and she gasped, pointing at something excitedly.
Where is the Hope that I once knew?
My dreams have vanished it is true.
When will the Sun come shining through?
Where is the Hope that I once knew?
"Is that the king?" Sabrina whispered as Nell lifted her up so she could see.
"Looks like it," Nell smiled. She nearly dropped Sabrina in surprise upon a realization of who was next to the king. "Robert?"
"He's found us! We're going to be free again!" Madeline cheered.
She started the next verse, Friends would call me Bravest Lion.
I once had that kind of roar.
Sabrina joined in, If I reach inside for courage,
Perhaps I can be strong once more.
"Keep it up!" Madeline smiled.
Sabrina nodded as they all sang together, I'll find the Hope that I once knew
And I will make my dreams come true.
I'll see the Sun come shining through.
Full of the Hope that I once knew.
"We're saved!" Sabrina cheered from where she was standing by the open window.
"Easy now! We've got three sleepy drunks in here!" Nell giggled.
Sabrina and Madeline couldn't help but giggle with her as they hugged her legs with tears in their eyes.
Tears of joy for their freedom.
"Keep singing! We're going to be rescued!" Madeline whispered excitedly.
"Loudly enough for them to hear us, but be careful not to wake up Jimmy and his family!" Nell agreed.
She joined them on the chorus, We'll find the Hope that we once knew.
And we will make our dreams come true.
We'll the sun come shining through
"Any sign of her, Robert?" Roland asked as he the guards look around in the woods.
"No, your majesty. I think we should..." Bobby Lee paused as the guards and Roland stopped in their tracks. "I hear singing. But where is it coming from?"
"Look up there!" Aiden whispered, pointing at the attic window.
Roland, Bobby Lee, and the guards followed his gaze, and they not only saw Nell, Madeline, and Sabrina, but they heard them finish the song they were singing, Full of the hope (full of the hope)
That we once knew!
"I see them! It's Helen! And Madeline and Sabrina too!" Bobby Lee whispered excitedly.
"I know you're excited to see them, Robert, but we have to rescue them first," Jackson smirked.
"Sorry," Bobby Lee muttered sheepishly.
"Don't worry," Roland smiled. "We'd be excited about something like this too, but you know we have to get in there first, then we have to arrest Jimmy and his sons, then rescue Helen, Madeline, and Sabrina."
"We could barge down the door, your majesty," Aiden suggested.
"But not to startle the girls," Jackson added. "Who knows what those bastards had done to them."
The bastards in question were still out of it after drinking so much, but they started to wake up when they heard people approaching the house.
"Whassat?" Beth slurred.
"Lessee..." Robby muttered.
"Helen!" Jimmy growled despite being slurred in his speech.
He and his sons covered their ears as the noises turned into an uproar as the door opened, revealing the guards, Bobby Lee, and Roland.
"No, not Helen, it's King Roland the Second of Enchancia!" Roland smirked as he entered.
"And his guards," Bobby Lee said as he came up beside him. "Where are Helen, Madeline, and Sabrina?"
"There's only one way to find out," Roland replied, "Guards, search the house from top to bottom!"
The guards nodded as Jimmy tried to follow them before Bobby Lee grabbed him by the arm.
"Oh no you don't," Bobby Lee smirked. "I've waited two years to do what I'm about to do to you." He slammed his fist into Jimmy's face. When Jimmy went down, Bobby Lee continued pummeling him. "If you've harmed one hair on any of their heads, so help me, I'll-"
He didn't get a chance to finish his threat, since out of the corner of his eye, he saw Beth try to run up the stairs to stop the guards from finding Nell and the girls.
"And where do you think you're going?" Aiden said as he grabbed his arm.
Luckily for Roland, Robby hadn't moved as he grabbed both his arms. He may not have been a guard, but as king, Nell and girls reminded him of his own daughters.
If Sofia and Amber has been in their position, he'd do anything that it took to get them back.
Roland and Jackson pinned Beth down and restrained him. They shoved him into a chair at the same table where Jimmy and Robby were also restrained.
At the same time, as they heard the shouting and noise, Nell, Madeline, and Sabrina cautiously moved the dresser away from the door and unlocked it.
They gasped upon seeing Bobby Lee as Madeline ran to him.
"King Roland! Your majesty," Nell curtsied.
"Bobby Lee!" Madeline shouted. She quickly shook her head. "And King Roland! Your majesty...I'm sorry!"
"Don't give it another thought," Roland smirked. "We're going to get you out of here."
"We're free!" Sabrina cheered. "But what about Jimmy, Beth, and Robby?"
"They're tied up downstairs," Bobby Lee smiled. "But let's not think about that right now. Let's get you out of here."
"I love you. I love you. I love you..." Nell chanted as he led her out.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Sabrina chanted.
"Thank you! Thank you!" Madeline echoed.
Bobby Lee took Madeline in his arms as Sabrina followed behind Nell, becoming shy around Roland.
"Won't Sofia be relieved to see that you're all alright," Roland smiled.
"You mean the royal family knows about us?" Nell frowned.
"Yes, and they wanted to help find you too," Bobby Lee smiled. "I used all kinds of ideas from James' stories to look for you. I interviewed witnesses, I followed the trail of beads you left..."
"From Mama's necklace," Nell smiled. "I hoped someone would find it!"
"And you can put it back together when we get you home," Bobby Lee continued. "I've got all the beads in a bag on my dresser, and I kept them with me every day when I went looking for you."
"But where are we going to stay?" Sabrina frowned.
"Yeah," Madeline added.
"I don't think royalty would take in three girls," Nell muttered. "I heard the shoe shop's been empty since Queen Miranda and Princess Sofia left it. We can take up residence there and try to keep things as they were."
"Actually, you'll stay in the castle in our finest guest rooms until you've recovered," Roland smiled. "After that we'll talk about where you want to stay, but we're hoping you'll stay with us in the castle."
"I don't want to be a bother," Nell admitted.
"You wouldn't be a bother," Bobby Lee smiled. "I'll be right beside you every day, helping take care of you and treating you like a queen."
"Just so long as you're the one treating me like a queen, and not Jimmy and his sons!" Nell smirked.
"Helen, you, Madeline, and Sabrina never have to worry about those bastards again," Bobby Lee smiled, but then he looked up at Roland. "Sorry, your majesty, I didn't mean to curse in front of you."
"Don't worry, Robert," Roland smirked. "This time there was a good reason for swearing in front of me."
"And just be lucky we only hear James say an occasional 'darn it', 'fudge', or 'shoot'," Bobby Lee chuckled. "Although I have no idea where he picked that up from!"
"That's okay, as long as they're not the real words," Roland chuckled. He gave Bobby Lee a mock frown. "And I think we both know where he picked that up from!"
"Don't be ridiculous, your majesty; I've never heard Mr. Baileywick say anything like that a day in his life!" Bobby Lee grinned.
"Robert!" Nell rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help but laugh. It felt so wonderful to hear his voice again, and to hear him making jokes.
"Can the guest rooms be close to each other?" Madeline requested, but she couldn't help but giggle at the friendly bantering.
"Across the hall or a room or two apart?" Sabrina added, giggling herself. It felt so wonderful to giggle like that again.
"I'll have to discuss that with my wife Miranda and our aforementioned steward Baileywick," Roland admitted, turning serious now. Seeing Sabrina and Madeline frown, he patted their heads. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll all enjoy your own rooms."
"Nell has nightmares about Jimmy and the bad stuff he did to her sometimes," Madeline confessed. "Can you fix them?"
"Well, we'll all be there to talk to her if she needs us," Roland started. "And you and Sabrina as well."
"And we'll have to take this one day at a time," Bobby Lee agreed. "Something like this can't be fixed overnight. But don't worry, we'll all get through this together."
"Okay," Madeline sighed.
"Maddie, Bri, I know it's going to be a little scary, but we'll get new clothes to wear, three warm meals a day, and whatever else we need," Nell smiled. "Who could say no to that?"
"I want Mommy and Daddy," Sabrina frowned. "I want our old stuff before the meanies came. I don't wanna change!"
"I know, Baby Girl," Nell murmured, "But the three of us are still together and we all still love each other, and that won't change."
Sabrina smiled a little. That was true, but she knew it would take a long time for her and her sisters to recover from their ordeal.
She looked up when she felt Bobby Lee's arm around her shoulders. "Are you and Madeline ready to go, Sabrina?" Bobby Lee smiled.
Sabrina hugged him. "Yes! Let's get out of here!"
"I've been ready forever!" Madeline smiled.
"I couldn't have said it better myself," Nell grinned.
"Is the carriage really pulled by ponies? Is Queen Miranda pretty? Are the princesses pretty?" Madeline asked.
"That's a lot of questions, Madeline!" Roland chuckled. "But rest assured, I'll answer them on the way back to the castle. And don't worry, Sabrina; Jimmy, Robby, and Beth won't be with us."
"They'll be going to the dungeons for their crimes," Bobby Lee promised.
"And they'll most likely be executed," Roland murmured. "But we'll see if that's true when they go to trial."
"I hope that's true, sir," Nell murmured.
"It probably will be true," Bobby Lee murmured. "But let's not think about them right now. The most important thing is that the three of you are safe, and we're all together again."
Madeline nodded before yawning, falling asleep in his arms. Nell stroked her hair before taking Sabrina in her arms.
Sabrina wasn't sleepy, but was looking around, hoping that what she and her sisters were a part of wasn't a dream.
"Don't worry, girls, it's not a dream," Bobby Lee whispered. "You're really free now, and you'll never have to worry about Jimmy, Beth, or Robby ever again."
"We'll make a fresh start together, right?" Nell asked as he helped them into the carriage.
"That's right," Bobby Lee smiled as Roland gave him permission to sit with her, Madeline, and Sabrina. "Trust me, Helen, everything's going to be all right from here on out."
"I trust you," Nell smiled.
