The atelier was thick with the smell of new books and old relics, lightly furnished with two desks upon which sat papers that had been recently written on and objects that had been recently placed there. It sat atop an apartment building that had been vacant until just a few months ago, and its very presence piqued the suspicions of Trolberg's most curious adventurer.

It had taken only a few tries for Hilda to convince her mum Johanna that she needed to investigate the atelier. The presence of witches in town for some sort of "witch convention", as Frida had put it when she and Hilda had discussed the matter before, was more than enough reason for Hilda to investigate, and the blue-haired girl strongly suspected that this room didn't even exist until just days ago, when the first out-of-town witches had begun to arrive.

Johanna didn't exactly approve of sneaking into other people's apartments when they weren't home... in fact, under most circumstances, she would've disapproved, as she did many of Hilda's adventures. However, since the whole troll incident, she'd been much more tolerant of her daughter's adventuring, even the mildly dangerous kind... and, on this particular occasion, she'd insisted on coming along. She wanted to keep Hilda safe, and she also wanted to make sure she didn't break or steal anything. The two of them were only there to make sure Trolberg wasn't in danger again... but what Hilda had found gave both of them reason to worry.

"I told you, mum! They're up to something... there's a big meeting tonight between the visiting witches and the Committee of Three, and they're discussing troll magic... witches are forbidden to discuss troll magic! This can't be good... what if they're going to try and hurt our new friends?"

By 'new friends', Hilda was of course referring to the trolls who used to be barred from entering the city, who had nearly destroyed Trolberg before the discovery of their mother slumbering below. Now, the trolls were welcome once a year, and the rest of the time, the humans had nothing to fear from them, and the trolls had nothing to fear from the humans and their bells... the city was safe, but Hilda knew an adventurer's work was never done. There was always the potential for danger and trouble, and now, it seemed, Hilda had found evidence of a new threat, or at least something to alert her friends about.

"I'm sure this witch meeting isn't anything that concerns you and me," said Johanna, smiling and trying to reassure her daughter. "Perhaps your friend Frida... how's her magic progressing, by the way?"

"Oh, she's doing great! She's been working on this really interesting new spell to transform water into metal... I was going to come up here with her, but she's been busy studying with Kaisa and Tildy. I think they're going to do some kind of presentation for some of the out of town witches."

"Is Frida worried about them?"

"She's excited, but I'm suspicious," said Hilda. "And now we have proof that they're up to something!"

Hilda held up several slips of paper, on which were printed correspondence between a witch named Vella and her superior, a witch named Eveline. The letters were discussing troll magic and witch magic, the mixing of which was said to be impossible, and the discussion of which was highly taboo... at least in Trolberg, Hilda wasn't sure how witch rules worked elsewhere, but she knew there had to be some consistencies between witch rules from different realms.

"Well, you still can't take those," said Johanna. Hilda sighed and rolled her eyes, placing the letters back on the desk. "Don't worry, I'll vouch for everything we've seen here."

"I know, but it's still going to be difficult to explain."

"I'm sure you'll have no trouble," said Johanna, smiling and taking her daughter's hand. "You've never had any trouble explaining your adventures to me."

"And you've always believed me," said Hilda, smiling warmly. "Most of the time. ...thanks for coming with me today."

"Well, it was rather fun to get out of the house!" Johanna replied, excitement in her voice as she and Hilda walked toward the door. "Imagine, me, exploring a real witch's workshop! She's got so many lovely things... I think I've gotten some inspiration for my next piece."

"That's great, mum!" Hilda chirped, reaching out and placing her hand on the doorknob. "Now let's hurry... I'd like to tell Frida about everything we saw before that meeting begins."

Hilda opened the door to see two people standing in the doorway... a cloaked woman about the same height as her mother, and a taller man, who was wearing a pointed black cap on his head.

"Tell Frida what?" said the cloaked woman. Hilda and Johanna both let out a gasp, and stepped back as she and her partner entered the room. "What exactly were you two doing in my atelier?"

The woman then pulled down the hood of her cloak, revealing straight, somewhat voluminous black hair that went down to her chest and sparkled faintly in the light of the room. She appeared to be slightly older than Johanna, but still had a youthful air about her, with Hilda getting the same sort of feeling from her presence that she normally got from Kaisa... though this woman seemed somewhat more menacing.

"We were..." Johanna stammered, not sure exactly how to explain the fact that she and her daughter had been sneaking around someone's private apartment.

"You're involved in troll magic!" Hilda said, pointing her finger at the woman. Johanna let out another quiet gasp, and for a moment considered lunging forward to cover her daughter's mouth, but knew that it was already too late to put the toothpaste back in the tube... Hilda was already doing that thing she always did, and Johanna was powerless to stop her from doing it, despite her concern for her safety. "We saw everything... the letters, your spellbooks... just what are you doing in Trolberg? Are you here to harm the trolls? Are you here to take over the Committee of Three?"

The tall man grunted slightly, shifting toward Hilda.

"We should-" he began, before the cloaked woman shook her head and smiled at the blue haired girl.

"I'm Vella," said the woman, gesturing to her partner. "And this is my familiar, Dobrik."

"Another human familiar?" asked Hilda, eyes lighting up in fascination. "That's amazing, I thought I was the only-"

"Oh, I know who you are... Hilda," said Vella, leaning in toward her. "Wanderer, adventurer, honorary troll... did I miss anything?"

"No," said Hilda, blinking in surprise and shaking her head. "But how-"

"How do you know so much about my daughter?" asked Johanna, suspicion in her eyes as she stepped forward to confront the cloaked woman and her partner.

"How could I not know about the brave little girl who saved both Trolberg and the trolls?" said Vella, still looking down at Hilda. "She's the entire reason we're all here today... this meeting couldn't have taken place without her deeds, and for that I'm quite grateful..."

"Oh, well thank you very-" Hilda began, before Vella pulled a gun from her cloak and pointed it at her and her mum. "...!"

"...but I'm afraid now that you both know about our activities, I can't let either of you leave. Dobrik, fetch some restraints."

As Dobrik nodded and began fishing through one of the desks in the atelier, Johanna immediately took a protective stance in front of Hilda, staring down Vella and putting her body between her daughter and the gun.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Johanna shouted, before looking down at Hilda and gesturing toward the door. "Hilda, run!"

"I wouldn't," said Vella, using her foot to close the door behind her, while keeping the gun trained on Johanna. "Neither of you are going anywhere... I'm sorry it has to be this way, but you've seen things that I'm afraid I can't have brought up at the meeting, at least not until we've reached an... understanding with your local committee."

"If you so much as lay one hand on my daughter-" Johanna began, clenching her fists tightly, while Hilda began looking around the room for a potential escape. She could see Dobrik walking toward her with coils of rope in one hand and a roll of duct tape in the other, and didn't know whether to charge at him or to try and protect her mother from Vella... either way, her heart was beating faster and faster by the second as fear and guilt roiled inside her.

"The last thing I want to do is hurt either of you," Vella replied, her eyes reflecting a hint of regret. "Your daughter's stumbled upon things far beyond anything either of you are capable of understanding."

"So you are planning to hurt the trolls," said Johanna, now echoing her daughter's suspicions.

"These are delicate matters-" Vella began, before Hilda pushed past her mother and pointed an accusing finger in the witch's face.

"I knew it, I knew you were up to something!" Hilda shouted at her. "If you hurt my mum-"

"Hilda!" Johanna screamed, terrified that her daughter might provoke an armed woman. "Let me-"

Suddenly, Dobrik grabbed Hilda, yanking her back with a shriek.

"I apologize, but I'm gonna need you to hold still," said Dobrik, as he pulled Hilda's wrists behind her back. She struggled as hard as she could, kicking wildly, but the man was far too strong for her, and soon, multiple coils of rope were quickly going around her wrists. "Just tell me if this hurts, I've never had to do this to a little girl before. I really am sorry about this."

"MUM!" Hilda shouted, still kicking wildly even as her wrists were bound. "Let me go, you big jerk!"

"Hilda!" Johanna shouted back, turning and rushing at Dobrik as quickly as she could, determined to free her daughter from his grasp. "Let her go right now-"

Suddenly, Johanna found herself frozen in place. She could move slightly, lifting up her arms and wiggling her body a bit, but wasn't able to step forward. She felt as if she was trapped inside an invisible lump of clay, and behind her, Vella had her arm extended, using a weak paralysis spell to prevent Johanna from attacking her familiar.

"I told you, neither of you will be hurt, but we'll need to keep you here, perhaps for a while... it's for the best, and you really should know better than to sneak into places you're not invited."

As Johanna struggled and shrieked, she was helpless to prevent Dobrik from binding Hilda further, securing her legs with more ropes, both at her ankles and just below her knees. After he was done binding Hilda's legs, he returned to her hands, encasing them in many layers of duct tape to prevent her from using her fingers.

"Is this really necessary?!" Hilda shouted at him, both in annoyance and fear.

"I've been told you're quite resourceful," Dobrik replied, continuing to wrap tape around Hilda's hands. "This is an unfortunate but necessary precaution."

"Um, thanks, I guess...?" replied Hilda, momentarily flattered.

"Hilda, sweetie, I'm here, I won't let these monsters hurt you...!" shouted Johanna. She pushed herself slightly forward, swinging her fists weakly through the air before looking back at Vella. "When I get out of this, I swear, you'll wish you'd never been born..."

Vella winced slightly at Johanna's rage, but knew deep down that she deserved every harsh word. She truly didn't want to be forced to do this to a young girl and her mother, and she was intentionally weakening her paralysis spell so as not to frighten Johanna by restricting her movement too much... of course, she knew that in a short period of time, she'd be restricting her movement anyway... not with magic, but with the various binding materials she kept in the atelier in case someone needed to be kept out of the way. She hadn't anticipated having to use them, but knew that in Trolberg, there were spies and snoops around every corner, and none more notorious than Hilda.

"Unnngh, if you have magic, why are you using these on me?" asked Hilda, glaring up at Vella as Dobrik finished encasing her hands. "Why not use, you know, magic?"

"Believe it or not, physical bindings are more secure than magic in a room like this," Vella said, gesturing to the shelves and desks in the room. "To be honest, I can't keep track of every stray potion, can't have either of you bumping into anything that might neutralize a binding spell."

"Clever..." Hilda mused to herself, looking over at Johanna. "Mum, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Hilda," Johanna replied, panting as she tried her best to comfort her daughter. "Hilda, how about you, are you all right?"

"Well, it's pretty tight, but I think I'll be okay..." Hilda replied, struggling and wiggling in her bonds to no avail.

"See? Hilda's fine," said Vella, who released Johanna from the spell but kept the gun trained on her. "Now, as for you-"

As soon as she was freed from the spell, Johanna, with no regard for the gun or her own personal safety, lunged at Vella and punched her in the face as hard as she could. Vella grunted in pain and stumbled back, nearly falling into the door. Dobrik turned away from Hilda and lunged at Johanna, only to once again be stayed by Vella's hand.

"Dobrik, no, I'm fine!" Vella shouted, her gesture commanding him to halt.

"But Vella-"

Vella groaned and rubbed her cheek, shaking her head softly. By now, Johanna was towering over her, and Vella simply raised her gun and pointed it at the woman's chest, giving her a threatening look.

"If you hurt her, so help me-"

"Sit down," said Vella. "I won't ask again."

Vella put her finger on the trigger, and Johanna, her self-preservation instinct finally clicking into place, backed away toward where her bound daughter was kneeling. Hilda was still struggling, but upon seeing the gun being pointed at her mother, her eyes went wide and her struggles slowed. She gave Vella an almost pleading expression, and Johanna, able to see the fear in her daughter's eyes, finally complied, even though her eyes were still narrowed with rage. She knelt down on the ground, and Dobrik approached her with more binding materials as Vella walked over, still rubbing her cheek where Johanna had struck her.

"You're a brave woman, Johanna," said Vella, smiling in admiration.

"Any mother would have done the same for her child," Johanna replied, her voice not wavering in the slightest despite her fear.

"I suppose you're right..." Vella replied.

As Dobrik leaned over Johanna, the woman looked back at Hilda again, their eyes meeting. Hilda was trying her best to put on a brave face, but Johanna could see everything... her daughter's fear, as well as her guilt... she knew Hilda blamed herself for the two of them being in this situation, and she immediately felt the need to comfort her.

"This isn't your fault, Hilda," said Johanna, giving her another smile. "We're going to be okay."

"Mum, I know you're just saying that, but it is my fault, I brought you here and now we're trapped!"

"Listen to your mother," said Vella. "It's not your fault..."

She looked at Johanna, eyes narrowing.

"It's yours," Vella told her. "You shouldn't have let her come here. Your daughter is meddling in matters that will affect not just Trolberg, but the entire world, and the sooner she realizes that, the better off we'll all be."

"Don't you dare lecture me on how to be a mother," Johanna replied, fury in her eyes. "If you didn't have that gun, I'd..."

Johanna couldn't think of a decent threat, and she looked back toward Hilda, trying not to show any fear for her daughter's sake. Dobrik then grabbed Johanna's wrist and began to pull it behind her back, and Hilda started to squirm toward him, desperate to prevent her mother from being bound like she was.

"Stop!" shouted Hilda, as Dobrik began to secure the first ropes around Johanna's wrist.

"Yes, wait," Vella said, shaking her head. "Bring Hilda over to her."

"...what are you doing?" asked Johanna, as Dobrik lifted Hilda up into the air. "STOP!"

"Put her down right here, with her mum," said Vella. Dobrik nodded, gently setting Hilda down facing Johanna, and Johanna immediately wrapped her up in a tight embrace.

"Hilda, it's going to be all right, I'm here, everything's going to be fine... I promise..."

Johanna nuzzled her cheek against Hilda's, and Hilda nuzzled her right back, and for the briefest of moments, the two forgot they were being held hostage and simply enjoyed each other's presence, Hilda feeling warm and safe despite her current predicament, and Johanna gaining a slight bit of reassurance from her daughter's eager nuzzling and warmth.

"Mum... I'm scared..." Hilda whispered to her, prompting Johanna to hug her even tighter. "I don't know what's going to happen..."

"I'm scared too," Johanna whispered back, closing her eyes and caressing Hilda softly. "But... everything's going to be all right. I know it will be."

Johanna released Hilda from her embrace. Then, Vella leaned down toward them, looking at Johanna.

"I want you to get on your knees," said Vella, who then looked at Hilda. "And then you may sit in your mum's lap if you'd like."

"I'd very much not like to do anything you say," replied Hilda, her determination returning as she looked back up into Vella's eyes with defiance and anger.

"...Hilda... I think you should do what she says," said Johanna, who was already kneeling as she had been instructed to do. "Right up here, it'll be all right."

"Mum...?" said Hilda, looking up at her mother, who responded with a smile and a nod, then glared fiercely at Vella to demonstrate that she was only complying for her daughter's sake and not because she was any less upset about all of this. "...all right..."

Hilda reluctantly scooted herself up and sat down in her mum's lap, and Dobrik walked over to finally begin binding Johanna with the ropes as Vella kept her gun at her side, ready to use it but not pointed at either of them. As Johanna felt the ropes go on her legs first, binding her ankles and then binding her legs together above and below her knees to keep her in this position, she looked up at Vella the entire time, fuming and occasionally directing questions toward her.

"What is so important that it needs to be kept secret from this... witch meeting you're going to?" asked Johanna, who wanted to know why it was necessary for her and her daughter to be made prisoners.

"You both already know far too much," replied Vella, who laughed slightly as if to mock just how dumb it was for her prisoners to potentially be digging themselves in deeper. "The less you know, the less time you have to be here."

"And just how long do you plan to keep us here? Until the meeting is over?"

"...perhaps longer, depending on how things go," said Vella.

"You'd do well to get comfortable," said Dobrik, securing more ropes to both Johanna's legs and Hilda's to keep the two of them bound together. "We'll try our best to treat you as our honored guests, though I expect we'll need to keep you bound for the duration of your stay."

"Lovely," muttered Johanna, rolling her eyes.

"Are you going to hurt the trolls?" asked Hilda, craning toward Vella as best she could. "Are you going to hurt my friends?"

"...without giving away anything that would require us to take more... permanent measures with the two of you," said Vella, briefly lifting her gun only to lower it again, "we're trying to keep everyone in Trolberg safe, both your friends and the trolls."

"I don't trust you," Hilda said angrily.

I wouldn't either, thought Vella, allowing herself another slight laugh.

"Put your arms around her," instructed Dobrik, crossing his own arms in front of his chest to demonstrate. "Like this."

Johanna was already embracing Hilda slightly, but did as she was told, tightening her embrace around Hilda and crossing her arms in front of her daughter's chest, in as protective a gesture as she could. Dobrik then took more ropes and bound Johanna's wrists tightly in place, securing them both lengthwise and across, using several knots to ensure that she wouldn't be moving her arms from that spot. More ropes then went under Johanna's arms, around her and Hilda's bodies, further pinning Hilda's arms to her sides while also securing mother and daughter inescapably together. Despite the increasingly dire situation, both Johanna and Hilda felt a strange, comforting sensation from being tied together like this... knowing that now, whatever happened to them, they'd be together through it all. They looked into each other's eyes, frightened but taking comfort from each other, and Hilda even gave her mum a smile, trying her best to be brave and to assuage her mother's fears.

"I'm right here," said Hilda quietly.

"So am I," Johanna replied.

Johanna could then feel tape being wrapped around her fingers, encasing them into fists in similar fashion to how Hilda's were taped.

"Really?" asked Johanna, looking up at Vella. "I'm not as resourceful as my daughter!"

"It's only fair," Vella replied. "Besides, yours are tied in front... can't have you reaching for anything with those grubby little fingers of yours."

"Excuse me, my fingers aren't grubby!" Johanna protested.

"My mum washes her hands every day!" shouted Hilda, also protesting the insult toward her mother. "I bet you're the one with grubby fingers!"

"Oh no, mine are perfectly groomed," said Vella, proudly showing off her immaculate hands, complete with painted blue nails bearing star patterns.

"...those are lovely," Hilda remarked, before angrily looking away. "You're still evil though."

"I'm not evil," said Vella, "though I suppose this treatment doesn't give much of a good impression, does it?"

"If you really are good, why all this sneaking around?" asked Hilda, looking around the room. "The secret workshop, the hidden letters, keeping us prisoner because we found out about your plans?"

"Witches from different communities... don't exactly get along very well," said Dobrik, as he finished taping up Johanna's fingers, completing her bondage.

"If your Committee were to find out about all of our plans right away, it would wreck the entire meeting," said Vella with a sigh. "That's why we have to explain ourselves properly first, before introducing our... plans."

"Your plans to mix troll magic with witch magic," said Hilda. "Your dangerous plans."

"Tell me something," said Vella, putting her hands on her hips. "When your body was stolen by that troll baby, did you think twice about the consequences of mixing troll and witch magic?"

Vella's question took Hilda by surprised, and all she could do was blink and stammer.

"I-"

"No, you didn't, because you needed to change back right away... you couldn't wait to be with your mum again. Well, our plans can't wait either, and that's why we have no choice but to arrange for this meeting..."

"...you want to ask permission to mix witch magic with troll magic," said Hilda.

"We're not asking permission," replied Vella. "What we need to do will be done regardless of whether or not we get permission. We need to get the various witch committees on the same page, because if we don't-"

"Vella," Dobrik reminded, pointing to his watch while also perhaps reminding his witch that she was giving away too much information, something she'd already gone to so much trouble to conceal.

"...of course, the meeting will be soon," said Vella, smiling and shaking her head. "Sometimes I can be such a silly witch!"

"I'd hardly call you silly," said Johanna, glaring up at her. "I agree with my daughter, you and your familiar are monsters! Tying up a helpless little girl, pointing a loaded gun-"

"Loaded?" said Vella, suddenly pointing her gun at Johanna. "This thing isn't loaded... in fact, it's not even real."

Vella pulled the trigger, and the gun disappeared in a faint burst of sparks. Johanna gasped, realizing she'd been compliant for nothing... though, she did remind herself, Vella did still have powerful magic.

"I'd never use a gun, I despise weapons," said Vella. "But I've learned that when I have to be intimidating, it's far more effective to point a weapon than a finger, even if that finger is armed with magic far more powerful than a gun. I could've used a paralytic spell, but I'm not about to use that kind of magic on a child if I can help it... I didn't even use my full powers on you, otherwise you wouldn't have been able to lift a finger!"

"You... you...!" Johanna shouted, beginning to squirm. "You tricked me into surrendering, you tricked me into letting you tie up my own daughter!"

"You tricked yourself when you came here," said Vella, taking the roll of duct tape from Dobrik and tearing off a strip. "I told you, you shouldn't have come... and hopefully soon, you'll understand why. Until then, you'll both be staying here... and while we're gone, I don't want you calling for help, even if this is a mostly vacant building..."

"Hilda," Johanna said quickly, realizing this might be her last chance to speak to her daughter. "It's going to be okay, I love you so much... I don't blame you for any of this!"

Vella, despite her impatience, allowed Johanna to say whatever she wanted to say to Hilda... then, when she was done, she leaned forward with the tape once more. Johanna turned her attention to Vella, her expression going from one of love to one of rage.

"And you- mmm...mmmmph!"

Vella pressed the tape over Johanna's lips, smoothing it down with her well-manicured fingers, smiling tauntingly at the woman as she did so. Johanna continued to shout, a series of muffled protests that may have contained one or two swears... but her protests did nothing to stop Vella from tearing off another strip of tape, this one intended for Hilda. Johanna protested again.

No, don't gag her, she's just a child! Johanna screamed through the tape, struggling hard but holding back somewhat so as not to hurt Hilda, kicking her legs up and down just enough to strike the wooden floor hard with her heels and make a nice couple of bangs.

"You'll be sorry for this," Hilda said, narrowing her eyes as she tried to put on a brave face for her captor.

"...Hilda, I'm telling you right now, stop what you're doing," Vella warned, genuine concern in her eyes. "You might not understand now, but what we're planning involves you, your friends, everyone in Trolberg... and if you continue to meddle, you'll be putting everyone in danger. This isn't some magical adventure where you and your friends have some silly little shenanigans and stumble into saving the day. There is a power at work that makes every adventure you've ever been on look like child's play... and not just because you're a child. I'm sorry I have to do this and I promise we'll let you go as soon as it's safe... but when we do, you need to forget you were ever in here and that you ever knew me."

"If you think I'm going to stop, you don't know a thing about me," said Hilda, this time speaking with genuine determination in her voice.

"I know enough," said Vella, before gently pressing the duct tape over Hilda's mouth. "And that's why I have to do this."

As Hilda tried to turn her head away, muffling protests of her own in concert with her mother, Vella pressed the tape down tightly, making sure it was completely secure before lifting her hands from the girl's face.

"Dobrik," said Vella, turning to her familiar.

"Yes, Vella?"

"Let's go."

The two turned and left, Vella taking one last look at Hilda and her mum as Dobrik placed his hand on the doorknob. While Hilda was continuing to struggle, muffling loudly through the tape and trying as best she could to escape, Johanna just looked at her silently, mostly angry, but also a slight sadness... not just that she couldn't protect her daughter, but that someone who claimed to want to protect people would go so far as to hold a young girl hostage.

I swear, I'll make you pay for doing this to us, thought Johanna, silently pleading that Vella would see fit to release them and not make such retaliation necessary. Just let us go and... and I'll forgive you, even if I can never forget this.

I'm sorry, thought Vella, taking one last look at Hilda and Johanna before closing the door behind them. One day, you'll both thank me.

No...! Johanna screamed, eyes turning fierce again as Vella left her and her daughter tied up inside the atelier. When that door closed, so ended any chance of Johanna ever forgiving Vella... and she wondered why she'd ever entertained the thought in the first place. Come back here right now and untie us!

As Johanna fumed, shouting repeatedly under her gag, Hilda continued to fight the ropes with everything she had, tugging fiercely to get herself free and to loosen the ropes binding her mum. The ropes held tightly, though Hilda's clothing thankfully prevented them from digging into her skin... for now, at least.

Oooh, let us go! Hilda shouted, still trying to be brave. Mum, I'm sorry...!

Johanna quieted down, and could hear her daughter struggling and screaming. Her heart ached, and her expression softened once more. As frustrating as it was to be bound and gagged like this, the fact that she couldn't do anything to save her daughter was even more frustrating... and out of pure motherly instinct, she tightened her embrace. This had an immediate calming effect on Hilda, whose struggles slowed and whose loud shouts died down into soft grunts.

There there, it'll be all right... thought Johanna, stroking the top of Hilda's head with her taped lips while looking around the room for anything they could use to get free. Let's see here...

There were books and papers everywhere, and a few small glass jars... Johanna briefly thought of trying to knock one over to use the glass shards to cut her bonds, but the tape encasing her fingers would prevent any such efforts... she continued her silent search, and noticed Hilda looking up at her for any sign of reassurance... of which she could offer nothing but a smile under the tape covering her lips.

Maybe you can help look for something to get us free? Johanna communicated these words with her eyes, giving Hilda an encouraging look while knowing that she couldn't exactly say anything intelligible at the moment. She gestured toward one of the desks, then to the side, saying 'around the room' with her movements. Hilda nodded in understanding, though she had already been scanning the room as well.

Right, there's got to be something to help out! thought Hilda, joining her mother's efforts. She noticed a quill, and a bookmark, both of which could potentially pick the ropes or cut them if not for the captives' current lack of usable fingers. That nasty Vella surely did think of everything...

Hilda, like Johanna, had also contemplated possibly forgiving Vella for all of this once they'd gotten free... after all, if there truly was a great threat, they'd need to work together to stop it... but after everything that Vella had said to her, she had serious doubts.

If she wanted to work with me, she should have asked. Threatening and tying me up with my mum was a horrible way to go about it, if she's willing to do that, then what would she be willing to do to everyone else in Trolberg? To Frida and David? To Kaisa?

Hilda also thought about Alfur and Tontu, safely back at home... she wished she'd brought them along, surely they'd have been able to pick through these ropes by now. She thought about Tontu and how perhaps he could access this room... but those thoughts were dispelled by a charm she saw on the wall of the atelier.

An anti-nisse hex?! thought Hilda, blinking in frustration. Ugh, she really DOES think of everything!

Hilda could see her mother's arms shifting below her chin. Johanna was once again working on trying to get free, and Hilda began to squirm, trying to do everything she could to help her out. She wiggled back and forth, trying to put her chin under the ropes, but the ropes securing her against Johanna's lap prevented her from doing nearly enough shifting around, try as the both of them might.

Mum, I'm sorry, I don't think I can help you get loose!

As Hilda muffled her apology, her eyes met her mother's, and Johanna looked down at her with complete understanding, shaking her head and giving her another concealed smile.

Hilda, it's all right, you don't have to struggle, I'll get us out of this, I promise.

Johanna continued, but the ropes barely shifted, and Hilda could hear her grunting increasingly loudly under the tape. She let out another sigh, and her eyes betrayed her sadness and fear. Johanna looked down at her again, and immediately began struggling harder.

Hilda, I WILL get us out... I just need to...!

Johanna let out a shriek, clearly upset that Hilda was so frightened, and working harder than ever to get out. Hilda, realizing that her worried looks were just stressing her mum even more, closed her eyes and bowed her head, trying her best to conceal her expression.

I can't worry mum. I got us into this, and I have to be the one to get us out... she'll hurt herself trying to get free if I keep letting her know how frightened I am! Oh, goodness, I truly am frightened, aren't I?

Hilda could feel her heartbeat growing faster and faster, much to her silent frustration. She cried out, muffling another weak apology, keeping her eyes closed so her mother couldn't see, and starting to struggle again on her own, trying to slip her legs out of the ropes pinning them down.

No... I won't be scared, I won't let mum see me cry... I won't cry... I'm a brave girl... I'm an adventurer... I mustn't...!

Hilda? muffled Johanna, stroking her daughter's head with her chin once more. Hilda, I'm here. It's okay. It's going to be okay!

"Nm-mmm!" Hilda shook her head rapidly, keeping her head bowed and her eyes closed. Johanna, realizing exactly what she was up to, just rested her face in Hilda's hair and began stroking it softly with her nose, calming down to try and let her know it was okay to show her true emotions... as distressing as it would be.

Hilda, it's all right, I know you're scared. I'm scared too... please don't feel like you have to hide any of it from me.

Johanna muffled those words, even though she knew the tape would prevent Hilda from understanding any of it. Despite this, her soft tone was enough to reassure Hilda, and the blue haired girl opened her eyes to see the warmth and calm in Johanna's, which instantly brought a feeling of calm to her, even though her eyes were wide with fear.

Hilda shed a tear, and Johanna just hummed quietly, continuing to stroke her face against her hair as best she could, smiling though her own fear.

Mum, I'm sorry...

I am too...

Those few words, both of them could understand, and as Johanna continued to stroke her face in Hilda's hair, Hilda allowed herself to be scared, allowed herself to tremble in her mother's embrace, her eyes wide open, looking up at the desk and seeing...

A letter opener!

A sharp one, at that. Hilda could see it sitting on the edge of the desk, as clear as day. After silently cursing herself for not seeing it before, she gestured to it and muffled loudly, trying to draw Johanna's attention.

Mum, look!

Johanna looked and could see it as well, and as Hilda began gesturing toward the desk with her head, wiggling her booted feet wildly, she nodded with determination and began scooting herself along the floor.

Despite her forced kneeling position, it didn't take Johanna long to position herself beside the desk, next to one of the legs. She looked down at Hilda, who smiled encouragingly at her.

I'm not sure how we'll get ourselves free with it, but it will certainly help.

She then slammed her shoulder hard into the desk, causing the letter opener to shift slightly. Taking a deep breath, she hit it again, harder this time, letting out a slight grunt as a bit of soreness began to take root. Hilda immediately gave her a look of concern, but another smile calmed the girl, and Johanna hit the desk with her shoulder again.

Oh, I know this must be hurting her more than she's letting on... thought Hilda, wincing slightly. I'm so proud of my mum... she's so strong... I just hope we can figure out how to free ourselves, I don't want all this to be for nothing.

After the sixth slam into the desk, the letter opener wobbled all the way to the edge, hanging halfway off. It teetered for a moment, and Johanna got ready to hit the desk again. Then, it fell, off the desk and right into Hilda's lap. Hilda looked up at Johanna with a smile, and Johanna let out a small cheer.

Is your shoulder okay, mum? Hilda muffled to her, gesturing toward her mother's shoulder with her head.

I'll manage, thought Johanna, with a smile and a nod. She looked down at the letter opener, wiggling her bound arms and wondering how she was going to get herself free. Hilda, any ideas?

Hilda looked at it as well, thinking for a moment before squirming her legs slightly, causing the letter opener to roll between her knees. She pinned it there, and managed to get the blade facing upward, in such a position that it might be able to reach the ropes binding Johanna's arms together if she bent down slightly and made repeated forward motions. Of course, all of this relied on Hilda being able to keep the blade of the letter opener pointed upward, but she resolved to do her best, keeping her knees together as tightly as she could to hold it in place, while leaning forward as much as she could to show Johanna what to do.

Of course, Johanna could figure that out on her own, and she nodded to Hilda, starting to move her body forward to rub her ropes against the letter opener's sharp blade.

After a few tentative movements to test the effectiveness of the blade, Johanna could already see some slight nicks in the ropes.

This is going to be a long process... she thought to herself, hoping her daughter could hold out.

Of course, she wouldn't blame Hilda if she couldn't... if she dropped the letter opener, they'd just have to find another way, as they always did when things didn't go their way the first time.

Hilda? Johanna muffled, prompting her daughter to look up again.

"Mm-hmm?"

Whatever happens, it'll be okay. Hold it as long as you can, let me know if you need to rest.

Johanna tried to speak very slowly through the tape so her daughter understood, the look of reassurance never leaving her face. Unfortunately, Hilda barely understood any of it... but she knew her mother wasn't putting any pressure on her. All the pressure Hilda felt came from within... and she was determined to see this through to the end.

I'll keep it steady, mum. It might take a couple hours, but you'll get free and we'll be able to go home.

Johanna resumed working on the ropes, bending back and forth several more times, making a slight cut in the ropes with each movement. On about the 20th motion, she leaned back up and could hear the door to the apartment open.

The two of them looked toward the door.

Vella and Dobrik had returned.