Sofia decided that she didn't like the castle anymore. She wished she could say that it felt like home, but she felt more like a freak show. Her family were uncertain of how to approach her and doctors were making her do things she didn't want to do. She didn't want to go for a walk or talk about what had happened to her, she didn't want to be okay. The only saving grace she had was Hugo. He would protect her, just as he had when they were away. The only issue was that Hugo had begun to leave her alone more and more. He didn't want to, but he was forced to go to therapy and have surgeries to rectify his injuries. Sofia was glad she didn't need any surgeries done. She hated needles now and she hated being touched by anyone other than Hugo.

The boy in question was snuggled into Sofia's side when the door opened. Sofia paled, she didn't like being awake when Hugo wasn't, it meant she had to talk to people. As she looked up she saw he older sister tiptoe into the room. Sofia relaxed slightly; Hugo trusted Amber, so Sofia did too. The princess tiptoed over to Sofia and stopped just before her bed. She looked at Hugo and smiled softly.

"He must be tired" she said softly. Sofia nodded and Amber pointed to a chair beside Sofia's bed.
"Can I sit there?" she asked. Sofia nodded but still said nothing. Amber sat down and stared at her sister. There was a moment of silence before Amber spoke.

"How you doing today?" she asked. Sofia gave Amber a thumbs up, indicating she was okay to which Amber nodded. The older princess's face turned thoughtful and she turned to look Sofia in the eye.

"I'm glad you're home" Amber admitted.
"And I know it doesn't mean much but I'm really sorry you went through what you went through. I hope one day you can trust us again." She rambled on. A lump began forming in Sofia's throat. She had never seen Amber so honest or raw before. The princess wasn't wearing any makeup and seemed much more dressed down than she usually was. Sofia had missed her sister, of that there was no doubt.

"I trust you" Sofia admitted hoarsely. Ambers face lit up at Sofia's words. She gulped and inched forward

"Would it be okay if I hug you?" she asked timidly. Sofia froze and shook her head furiously. A flash of hurt flickered across Ambers face but it went as quickly as it came. Amber moved backwards into her chair.

"That's okay, you can hug me whenever your ready" she said. Sofia smiled gratefully but still seemed slightly shaken. She mouthed a thank you and pulled her covers to her chest, jostling Hugo slightly.

"You know what happened today?" Amber asked. Sofia shook her head and Amber broke out into a grin.

"So, I was going to ask Cedric for something but when I got to his room it was covered in flour. Literally from floor to ceiling and he looked like a ghost! Turns out magic and baking don't go hand in hand"."

Sofia smiled wistfully and Amber grinned.

"Then he tried walking to me and slipped in the flour and got me covered in it!" Amber finished. Sofia let out a small chuckle. Amber felt lighter at the sound, it was good to know her sister had felt something other than pain. Amber stuck her tongue out at Sofia

"You're not meant to laugh! The flour went all over me! It took forever to get out!" At that Sofia started full on laughing. At her laughter Hugo woke up, startled. He looked around the room wildly. His face turned to confusion when he realised Sofia was laughing. Sofia began snorting which set Hugo off laughing. The three of them then all fell into a laughing fit. When they stopped Amber felt happy. They were experiencing joy and Amber had helped them. She then spent the rest of the day telling funny stories. It was nice to hear the pair laugh, when they were recovering it seemed they could feel nothing but fear.

As the night drew to a close Amber regretfully bid them goodbye, promising that she would be back again tomorrow.