Chapter 8: Sofia
Flashback
Sofia froze as she came face to face with an annoyed looking Mrs. Hanshaw. She immediately hung her head in shame, then looked up at her again.
"I'm sorry Mrs Hanshaw, but I had to try to find out something about why he locked mom up."
"And did you find anything?"
Sofia looked up at her temporary guardian. "There's still good in him. I know there is."
The woman paused. "Let's go home, Sofia."
Sofia opened her mouth to speak, but closed it, nodding at her. The two of them began walking home in silence.
"I know you try to see the good in everyone, Sofia," she says. "But what on earth makes you think there's any good in that man?"
"I saw it."
"What do you mean you saw it?"
"The guards- they had a hold on each of my arms when I stormed into the throne room. They asked the king if they should take me to the dungeon. He said no. He could have put me in the dungeon but he didn't. There's still good in him."
"Then why is he so cruel?"
"I haven't figured that out yet. But I'm not giving up until I do."
It's been three days since Mrs. Hanshaw told her where her mother was. Sofia's worry increases by the hour, though she tries her best to hide it around Ruby. They are about to go out to run some errands. Ruby runs upstairs to grab her coat and Sofia goes into the other room where Mrs. Hanshaw is. She just throws her arms around the woman, not caring what she's in the middle of. Sofia feels Mrs. Hanshaw put her hands on her back and rub it soothingly. Sofia breaks away from her and looks at the woman.
"Thank you Mrs. Hanshaw."
"I'm here anytime, Sofia. Now get your sweater and we'll go as soon as Ruby comes down."
Sofia smiles and goes back into the other room. She goes over by the door and takes her sweater off the hook.
Why is he so cruel and mean? What did anyone ever do to him? What makes him the way he is? All these thoughts and more run through Sofia's mind.
"Are you ready to go, Sofia?" Helen asks, snapping Sofia out of her thoughts.
"I'm ready," she says.
"So am I, mom," Ruby says grabbing her mother's hand.
Sofia blinked back her tears and swallowed the lump in her throat. She'd give anything to hold her mother's hand like that right now.
"Sofia?" someone says.
Sofia looks up, her eyes coming into focus. "Are you okay?" Ruby asks.
Before Sofia could answer, Helen did it for her.
"Don't pester her, Ruby."
"Okay, mom."
With that, the three of them went about the town. The marketplace was bustling with people, buyers, sellers, and merchants. Helen went into the fabric store and the girls followed. Sofia noticed that the loud, hustle and bustle of the marketplace came to a hush when they entered the shop. Sofia saw several older ladies in the shop. They stopped their chatter when they entered and resumed it again almost immediately.
"I need five yards of that fabric," Helen said pointing to a fabric on the wall. The sales woman got the fabric down and began to cut it.
"Did you hear the rumors spreading around town?"
"You know I never pay attention to idle gossip."
"Well, I heard that the king took in a new prisoner."
"I heard the prisoner got locked up for just returning some money to the king," a woman said.
"The poor person was just being honest," said another.
Normally, Sofia never pays attention to idle gossip either, but the word "honest" catches her attention.
"If they were just being honest, why would the king lock them up?" a woman said.
"I heard another rumor that a long time ago, the king's father twisted the child into his ways, and that's why he so cruel," one of the women said.
"I heard that he's just always been like that," another woman said.
"Still, I can't help but think that here's a reason behind his cruelty," the woman behind the counter said. The woman handed Helen the wrapped fabric and Helen paid her.
"Thank you," Helen said.
"Good day, Mrs. Hanshaw," the woman said.
Helen smiled. "Good day to you all," she says turning around. "Come along girls," Helen said.
They stopped at a few other places before heading home. Sofia couldn't get what those women said out of her mind. Just what made the king the way he is? She wonders. They enter through the door and all hang their sweaters up.
"Do you want to play cards?" Ruby asked.
"Sure."
"What do you want to play?" Ruby asked shuffling the deck.
"Hmm, go fish?"
"Okay."
Ruby dealt out six cards for each of them. Sofia picked up her hand and straightened it so she could see her cards.
"Hey Sofia," Ruby said.
Sofia looked up at Ruby, had her cards arranged too. She waved her cards in front of her face dramatically. "I'm your biggest fan."
Sofia giggled and mimicked her motion. "Me too."
Ruby giggled. "Okay, okay. Let's start."
"Okay."
Sofia looked down at her hand.
"Um, Sofia?"
She looked up at Ruby. "Hmm?"
"Do you have any pairs to put down first?"
"Oh, right. Sorry." She put down the one pair she had. "There."
"Okay. I dealt, so you go first."
"Are you sure?"
"Yep!"
"Okay. Um, do you have…a six?"
"Nope. Go fish."
Sofia drew a card and it was then Ruby's turn.
"Do you have a nine?"
"Yep."
Sofia handed her the nine and Ruby put down the pair. She went again.
"Do you have an ace?"
"Nope. Go fish."
Ruby drew a card and then it was Sofia's turn.
The game went on for about a half an hour. It was Ruby's turn to ask Sofia and it was down to the last card.
"Do you have an eight?"
Sofia just handed her the card without saying anything. When they laid her cards down, she had a total of seven and Ruby had nine pairs.
"I won!" Ruby said
"You sure did. Good job."
Ruby paused gathering the cards up and looked at her friend. "Are you okay, Sofia?"
"I'm fine."
"Really? Because that was the easiest time I've beat you in a game of Go Fish. You usually always beat me."
"You just one this time, fair and square."
"Alright, if you say so."
Ruby continued gathering the cards back into the deck. She gave the cards a couple shuffles before putting them away. "What do you want to do now?" Sofia asked.
"I don't know, draw?"
"That sounds good," Ruby replied.
The two of them got out their drawing materials and started drawing in the other room. The clock seems to tick by so slowly. Every moment, Sofia thought of her mother. She wondered what the king was doing to her. She seemed to get lost in her thoughts as she drew. When she finished, she realized she drew a picture of her and her mother with flower crowns on. Sofia smiled in thought, blinking back her tears.
"I'm done," Ruby said.
"So am I."
"What did you draw?"
"Me and my mom." Sofia turned the paper so Ruby can see it.
"Aww, that's so sweet." Ruby turned her paper so Sofia could see. "I drew a flower garden."
"It's pretty."
They put their drawings in a safe place and put all the materials away. Sofia looked out the back window and saw the sun beginning to set. Sofia sighed, thinking of her mother sitting in that dark cell, probably freezing cold and starving. For what seems like the hundredth time that day, Sofia blinked back her tears.
"Um, if it's alright, I'd like to go freshen up for dinner."
"Go ahead," Helen said. Ruby went to open her mouth, but Helen stopped her by talking before she could. "Ruby, you can help my get dinner started before your father gets home."
"Okay, mom."
Sofia smiled slightly and went upstairs.
She took a bath, relishing the feeling of the hot water all around her. It was relaxing to just sit there and let the heat relax her muscles. She had been so worried and upset. After her relaxation, she got out of the water before she pruned and dried off. She put a fresh change of clothes on and dried her hair with a towel. She hung up the towel and drained the water from the metal tub. She picked up her brush. As she brushes her hair, she began thinking about her mom and how she brushed it sometimes.
With that, she let the tears she'd been holding back fall. The tears spilled and as she felt them rolling down her cheeks, it only made her cry harder. She finished brushing her hair and put the brush back. A flood of memories rushed to her and she collapsed on the bed. She curled herself into a ball and buried her sobs in the pillow.