The guard glanced down at the paper he was holding. He had been unsure about taking a piece of paper from a rabbit, but looking at it now, he was glad he did.
He beckoned a couple of the other guards over, showing them the note in hopes that they could help him read it.
One began reading it, "My name is Princess Sofia."
"That's the missing princess," another one spoke, horrified. His eyes were wide.
As they read out the rest of the note, deciphering what it said, their horror only grew.
The note spoke of Sofia and her rabbit being kidnapped. It looked as though she had failed to spell something else and scratched it out. It was asking for help.
The guard that had received it looked up at the others, his eyes wide in shock.
"Who the hell in their right damn mind would kidnap a little girl?" He growled.
"Probably for a selfish reason," another guard muttered.
"Someone needs to take this to the castle," one of them spoke.
The guard who had received it from the bunny nodded, "I will. I'm the one that received it, after all." Anger was evident in his eyes.
Sofia was just a little girl.
The guard couldn't imagine how she was currently feeling being away from home and alone with only her rabbit by her side.
He shook the thought out of his mind, turning to the other guards.
"Stay in the area and keep a lookout for Princess Sofia. I'll head to the castle," he commanded them, jumping on his horse quickly.
In a quick motion, he was gone with only Sofia on his mind.
He could only imagine how much fear the small girl must be feeling, and the king's anger when he received the note.
The guard hoped this note would lead them to find the princess, and he hoped she would be found unharmed.
If not, the guard prayed that the king's wrath towards her kidnapper would be justified.
If not his wrath then possibly the queen's.
He shuddered at the thought of how angry the queen would be.
Everyone in the kingdom was angry. Who would kidnap an eight year old, especially one who was so kind?
So sweet? Someone who wouldn't even hurt a fly if it hurt her first.
Sofia was innocent and if her kidnapper dared to take that away from her...
If that happened, he would hate to see the wrath that came upon them.
He shook his head, preparing for when he reached the castle.
He just hoped his guards could find a scared little girl in her riding outfit somewhere before it got dark.
He slowed his horse down as he reached the bridge to the castle. He could see guards searching everywhere outside.
He glanced at the note once more before speeding to the entrance.
The young prince looked at him as he got off his horse.
James had just come from walking his dog, never expecting a guard to be in such a hurry before.
Something about it gave James a little bit of hope.
He saw Baileywick greet the guard at the door before rushing him inside, and he rushed in after them with Rex.
Maybe it was about Sofia. Maybe she'd been found unharmed and was on her way home with another guard.
He sincerely hoped that was the case. He shoved Rex's leash to one of the guards at the door, knowing he wouldn't behave if he came inside with them.
When he got inside, he found the rest of his family and Baileywick there, minus Sofia, which brought his spirits down a bit, and he rushed to stand beside Amber and listen to the conversation.
"Any leads?" Miranda asked as Roland gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
The guard looked down at the note, a solemn expression on his face, "we haven't found the princess, but we did receive a note that seems to be from her." He extended his hand, giving the note to Roland.
Roland motioned for Amber and James to come forward as he read the note.
Miranda's eyes widened as she recognized her daughter's handwriting and the way she would write her name.
They widened even more in pure horror as Miranda felt Amber wave her fan to calm her down.
She reached her hand down to put it on Amber's back gently, though she didn't move her eyes from the note.
Miranda couldn't believe it. Her little girl, kidnapped by who knew what and all she was doing was looking at her handwriting.
Sofia had to be scared to death.
Miranda could only hope she wasn't harmed.
James was staring at the floor, anger in his eyes. He wished he could do something.
He wished he was old enough to join the search for his sister.
But he wasn't.
Amber was still in shock. She didn't want to start crying in front of her family. That just wasn't usually her.
Though as she stood there, it felt almost impossible to prevent it.
She started crying a few minutes later with Miranda patting her back.
In normal circumstances, the lack of proper display would be her downfall but with Sofia gone, Amber didn't care about being a proper princess at the moment.
Without Sofia around, nothing that once mattered seemed to matter anymore.
Amber felt like the weight of everything was on her shoulders. Her sister was up and taken, and she wished she knew why.
She sobbed as she leaned close to Miranda.
"It's going to be okay Amber," Miranda shushed, stroking her hair. "The guards will find her."
"What if they don't?" Amber sobbed. "What if Sofia's dead? Or hurt? Or scared?"
Miranda winced at that.
"Amber," James spoke, turning to her, she could see that his eyes were glassy, "Sofia wrote the note. She's not dead."
"As for being scared," Roland added, "any of us would be scared being away from home in that situation. But she will be alright."
"How do you know?" Amber sniffed.
"Because we know Sofia. She's a strong girl," Miranda assured. "But when she comes back, we're all going to help her heal from this."
James nodded in agreement, "no matter what."
Roland smiled at his family, though his eyes were still angry as he glanced back at the note in his hand.
Who'd kidnap his youngest child and her rabbit?
Roland didn't care but if Sofia got hurt, he would immediately have the kidnapper or kidnappers be executed.
That he could be sure of. Whoever was willing to hurt a child, especially a kind princess like his daughter, would be a menace to any of the kingdoms.
He considered sending out word to the other kingdoms about what was going on and asking them to keep a look out for Sofia.
Which he did once Amber and James went to bed.
...
Clover nuzzled against Sofia who nibbled a carrot he saved for her.
It wasn't a full meal but it was better than starving.
Clover could tell she was scared still, though she was slowly calming down over time, and who wouldn't be scared in her position. She had gone from princess to prisoner in a day.
He could only hope that once they got out of this situation, she would recover.
The bump on her head still seemed to be bothering her. Less so now, but she still wouldn't lean that part of her head against anything.
If you adjusted your eyes well enough, you could see it through a couple of curls.
But Clover wouldn't dare touch it.
His anger was more towards Boswell.
He still couldn't get over how his kid had to be punished just because she decided to clean herself up.
It didn't make sense to him. Did the magician want to get caught? It's one thing to have a kid in a wagon, most people wouldn't bat an eye at that.
A kid who looked completely disheveled would be another story.
A princess looking disheveled would cause a frenzy from kingdom to kingdom.
And in Sofia's case, it wouldn't be her fault.
He hoped someone would find them soon.
It had only been that morning that the guard received the note, but surely someone had to be searching.
The last thing Clover wanted was his kid coming out of this situation traumatized.
He hoped he could prevent that from happening.
He glared at the doorway, as though he could do anything if Boswell came inside at any point.
If the magician dared to come inside at at any moment, Clover had his claws ready for use.
Sofia had been trapped by herself for hours because of that bastard.
As he thought to himself, he glanced at the dove who was sitting quietly in his cage.
He was grateful that the dove was on their side, and that he had given them some space and hadn't spoken much since Sofia was trapped.
"Clover?" Sofia spoke softly, getting the rabbit out of his thoughts.
"Yes Sof?" Clover smiled sadly. He hated seeing her in such distress. "What is it?"
He glanced up at her, keeping himself burrowed up against her, both for warmth and to comfort her.
The wagon was cold at night, and the two were trying their best to keep each other warm.
"I miss home. I miss my bed. I miss everything," Sofia shivered slightly. "I'm sorry I got too busy to be with you. I promise that'll never happen again."
Clover nuzzled against her, hoping to keep her warm. "Kid, you know you won't be able to keep that promise forever. And I should be the one apologizing for all this. If I hadn't joined that-that..."
"Stupid head? Asshole?"
"Should I know how you know that last word young lady?"
"I heard you call Wormwood that once," Sofia confessed.
The rabbit smiled sheepishly. He didn't know Sofia had heard that.
"Well, don't repeat that, please," he rolled his eyes jokingly, "it's not a good word."
"Mom and Dad wouldn't believe me anyway!" Sofia giggled. She put two fingers in her mouth before taking them out. "I think I have a tooth coming loose somewhere around the front of my teeth."
The rabbit gave her a strange and curious look for a moment before smiling.
It was a very unexpected thing but he was glad her mind was off of Boswell for the time being.
Even if that happened to be her loosing one of her baby teeth.
But the excitement in Sofia's eyes was worth it.
Clover noticed a blanket near the dove's cage, hopping over to it.
"It's for the kid isn't it?" The dove asked.
"Look I'm not going to let Sofia freeze. Boswell's being a real jack—" Clover paused, seeing that Sofia was still awake. "Jerk. A real jerk for not caring for my kid."
The dove nodded, "okay, but I'd be careful that Boswell doesn't see it," he warned, "not sure he'd believe she didn't get it on her own."
"I'll be lucky if he does," Clover grumbled.
Dragging the blanket back with his paws, the rabbit felt his heart melt at the sight before him.
Sofia was asleep with a finger in her mouth, possibly to where her loose tooth was, curled up in a corner.
He sighed, pulling the blanket over her before nestling on top of the side of it. He hoped she would have good dreams tonight to give her a break from the reality of what was going on.
Her happiness was all Clover ever wanted in their situation.
Hearing nothing but her soft breathing, the rabbit went to sleep.
…
Sofia woke up to feeling a blanket being ripped off of her furiously.
She looked up, her eyes wide, unsure of what was going on.
One minute she was dreaming of being reunited with her family and then the next minute her blanket was ripped off of her.
"Clover!" Sofia cried once the blurring in her eyes cleared. "Are you okay?"
The rabbit glanced around, bewildered. He had been sleeping as well, but the blanket being torn away had sent him sprawling across the floor.
Before he could hop over to Sofia and make sure she was the one okay, Boswell took him in his arms.
"Hey! Let me down you overgrown-" Clover stopped himself before he could say something Sofia shouldn't hear. He knew the magician couldn't hear him anyways.
"Hey! Put Clover down!" Sofia screamed.
"I guess someone was a little too sleepy last night to remember we have an early morning show!" Boswell chuckled.
Sofia jumped with all her might trying to get Clover back as Boswell lifted him out of her reach, laughing at her attempt to save the rabbit.
Clover attempted to calm Sofia down, "Sof, I'm alright. I have to do the show. Stay in here. You'll be okay, kid." He yawned, rubbing his eyes with his paw.
In all reality, he just didn't want her to get herself hurt trying to help him. Even if she did, he would still have to do the show.
But Sofia still kept trying to reach him, swaying her hands in the air to the best of her ability.
"Will you stop that?" Boswell grumbled."You're only embarrassing yourself Princess."
She leapt up at Clover again and Boswell swatted her away, laughing as she landed on her back with a soft thud. His movement hadn't been enough to hurt her, just to get her to stop.
"I told you to stop, Princess. Next time I won't be so nice as to warn you," he growled, turning towards the door with Clover in his hands and the dove on his shoulder.
Sofia wanted to run behind him, to scream that he had kidnapped her but knew not to test him anymore.
Especially now that she had a loose tooth.
She reached her hand down to play with the chain on her amulet absentmindedly.
Horror suddenly struck her. What if Boswell had seen her amulet? He might've taken it and then she wouldn't have been able to talk to Clover.
But he didn't seem interested in her amulet, only Clover.
She still hated his nickname for him. Mr Cuddles.
She sighed, realizing there wasn't much she could do until the show was over. Boswell wouldn't let her out of the wagon anymore.
She went to go sit back down in her corner where the blanket had been thrown, but heard something fall.
She flinched, putting her hands up in front of her.
Sofia giggled upon realizing that it was only Clover's food bowl with one carrot remaining that had fallen and not a person.
Picking up the carrot, she nibbled on it a little.
She was glad it wasn't a person.
She was getting very tired of the taste of carrots, but it was better than nothing.
She picked his food bowl back up, setting it back where it was supposed to be, though this time a little further back so it wouldn't fall again.
She didn't fathom how Clover could still enjoy the taste of carrots while she wished she could have something other than that vegetable.
If Boswell hadn't locked the back door to the wagon, she could be getting him and her berries by now.
She would be glad when she was home and could go back to her regular foods.
Home.
The word sent a pang of emotion through her.
Mostly the emotion of sadness.
At least Princess Rapunzel had a multitude of things to keep herself busy.
Sofia barely had anything to do.
Unless cleaning up the wagon a little counted as doing something.
Never did she think a day would come where she would envy the earlier part of Princess Rapunzel's life.
At least Rapunzel didn't have to worry about her family, because as far as she knew during that time, the only family she had was there with her.
Sofia envied not having to worry about that, especially as she thought about her siblings.
James would be upset that he couldn't help in her search while Amber, she imagined, would get snappy with anyone who dared to bring up her kidnapping.
With a sigh, Sofia went to her corner, found the blanket, and covered herself with it before falling asleep.
…
The bell rang for class, and James and Amber came into the room late, a lot less enthusiastic than usual. Neither of them spoke much to anyone, simply trudging to their seats.
The three fairies didn't say anything to them, knowing the twins didn't mean to be late.
The sudden news of Sofia's kidnapping had hit the three hard as they tried not to bring it up.
They only hoped that she was unharmed and would return home soon.
Amber turned around, noticing Hildegard glaring at her in pure hatred.
Amber's eyes held curiosity but also annoyance, and a lack of energy.
"What's the problem, Hildegard?" her voice was almost a groan, and she didn't even try using Hildegard's nickname.
She didn't have the energy to fake being concerned if Hildegard was going to be openly rude. She'd barely slept since Sofia was kidnapped and she wasn't wasting what energy she had on that.
"Do you realize how much money Daddy's been spending lately? It's all on guards and not me! All because your stupid sister had to get lost!" Hildegard grumbled.
Hugo rolled his eyes. "Hildegard, Sofia didn't get kidnapped on purpose."
Amber had to bite her tongue before saying something less than proper to the princess.
She nodded in thanks to Hugo, though his words had made her wince, wondering how much force there had been in Sofia's kidnapping.
She turned away from Hildegard, not wanting to give her a response, knowing if she did, or if Hildegard pressured her further, she might say something unkind.
That wouldn't be proper princess behavior.
Even if it was defending her sister.
"Maybe your father wouldn't have to spend money on guards if he could afford them in the first place Hildegard!" James snapped. "And Sof isn't stupid for getting kidnapped! She's probably scared to death as we speak, just wanting to come home!"
Amber's eyes widened. She didn't expect her brother to be the one to snap at someone.
Out of the two of them, her brother had the better temper, so this was rather unusual, though so was the entire situation.
Even Hildegard seemed shocked, his reaction very unexpected to hear.
She glanced up at the fairies to gauge their reaction to her brother's outburst.
They seemed sympathetic to the outburst but as Miss Flora shook her head at James, Amber knew they hadn't taken it lightly.
Like her, he hadn't slept since Sofia's kidnapping and even if he did, James usually woke up screaming from a nightmare.
Amber cast her brother a sympathetic glance, hoping her reaction might calm him down.
His breathing was heavy after everything he had just said, and he glanced up at her for a moment before looking back down at his desk.
James felt guilt for the first time in his life.
Even if Hildegard had deserved to hear every word of frustration from his mouth.
He couldn't believe he had just said that to one of the princesses, especially one of Amber's best friends.
Looking at Amber, though, he knew she understood.
They would defend Sofia for as long as they wanted to even after her return.
Yet as they opened their books to the kingdom of Corona, Amber almost felt sick having to read Rapunzel's story so suddenly.
Her stomach dropped, and she glanced back at James to see if he was feeling the same way.
He had a tight grip on the edge of his book, and she nodded to herself before turning back to her own.
While she normally enjoyed reading Rapunzel's adventure with thief Flynn Rider so she could see the floating lanterns, Amber couldn't continue like normal.
She couldn't help but visualize Sofia in Rapunzel's place and that terrified her.
She couldn't help but wonder if maybe Sofia was glancing out a window wherever she was, looking for something to give her some hope.
That thought broke her heart and her breathing hitched as she held back tears.
She couldn't cry. Not in front of her classmates.
Yet Sofia glancing at a window wherever she was looking for something to give her hope wouldn't leave her head.
She glanced back at her brother once again, only to notice him reach into his bag for a moment.
She saw a glimpse of dark purple, and suddenly it hit her. He had never taken Sofia's riding hat back to her room.
James kept it for himself. But why?
Amber would ask him about it at recess, going back to the story before hearing Hugo.
Hugo had just finished part of the story, while Amber was lagging behind, her thoughts having distracted her.
"Maybe Sofia will be just as naive as Princess Rapunzel one day," Hugo joked to someone, though Amber wasn't sure who. She turned to face him quickly.
She wasn't going to snap at him like James did with Hildegard as the last thing she needed was to get in trouble.
"Hugo? Why would you say that?" Amber asked quietly.
He looked shocked that she had heard him. He lowered his head slightly.
"I didn't mean anything by it," he seemed genuinely ashamed, either at the fact that Amber had heard him, or at what he had said, though she wasn't sure which.
"It's been difficult for us lately. It's only been two days but we're all worried sick," Amber muttered.
"You know our assignment today is to make a homemade floating lantern. If they worked to bring home Princess Rapunzel, maybe it might just work with Sofia," Hugo suggested.
Amber smiled at the idea, "I hope you're right. Thank you, Hugo."
Maybe he was right, maybe he wasn't, but for the moment she was glad to have a small piece of hope.
Maybe she could place a letter inside the lantern to let Sofia know that she was missed.
Knowing the story by heart, Amber began to work on her floating lantern.
...
At the sound of the afternoon bell, the students were released to the yard for recess.
James made his way out of the school building, preparing to race Zandar to the field to play some games.
That would get his mind off Sofia.
"James may I talk to you for a second?" Amber asked.
James sighed, stopping in his tracks. "Alright but make it quick. I want to have as much time to play with Zandar as I can."
Amber waved her hand, showing that she had heard him.
She led the way to a more secluded area of the yard where students would sometimes go when they got tired of games.
"You didn't put it back when Daddy asked you to!" Amber hissed.
"What are you talking about?!" James demanded in annoyance.
"Sofia's riding hat! Daddy asked you to put it back in her room."
"I couldn't do it okay?!"
Amber rolled her eyes. "Why not?"
"I couldn't do it okay?!" James repeated, his voice breaking. "I don't want to lose any memory of Sof that I have." Tears came to his eyes. "It'd be like losing Sof all over again."
Amber was taken aback, "James..." She reached out her hand, putting it on her brother's shoulder.
What he said struck her, and she found herself nearly crying.
She shook her head, hoping to rid herself of tears. She hadn't thought about that.
"Please don't tell Dad!" James pleaded.
"I won't," Amber promised, her voice breaking. "James, you think Sofia would mind if I took some of her dolls as a memento? Because I miss her too. I miss her smile, her laugh, and even her trying to get me to do things with her."
James shook his head, "she'd understand. When she comes home we can explain." His voice was soft. He was trying to comfort his sister, but his voice gave away his emotions.
Amber smiled at her brother sadly.
Both of the siblings were close to crying, and James didn't want to go back to Zandar like that.
So they stayed together until recess had ended.
…
It had been four days. Four days since her kidnapping and Sofia was restless, rubbing her sore neck.
Asking Boswell for food during the night had gotten her a bruise on her neck which she didn't like.
She was just lucky her hair could cover the back of it.
She, Boswell, Clover, and the dove had been traveling since her third day in captivity, only to stop the wagon for the night.
She wondered why they hadn't stopped for so long. It wasn't like there was much of a schedule to the performances. She had yet to see a theme in the times, days, anything.
It was all on Boswell's time.
Time she wished he had given her so she could escape.
She sighed softly, going towards the window. It was her only enjoyment, aside from her baby tooth, while in captivity as she smiled to herself.
Something glowing from one of the trees caught her eye in an instant. Something that had her family's crest on it.
She gasped as she looked at it, her eyes wide.
Her family crest. Right in front of her.
She quickly wiped off the window with a rag she had put on the windowsill earlier in the day, that way she could get a better look.
There it was. A floating lantern with her family's crest on it.
Overjoyed, Sofia sprinted to the box of items that Boswell had given her, mostly of what people had dropped while in her days of captivity, and dug through it.
Setting most of what very little there was aside, she found an older girl's hair pin Boswell had given her hours before.
She pulled it out of the box, taking it in her hands.
Her mind was running wild at the idea of the lantern being out there. A piece of her home sitting right outside the window of the wagon that had begun to feel more like a jail as time went by. A connection to her home was right outside.
Her family crest.
Her family.
A light spring breeze of her face? The smell of the flowers and grass?
Sofia couldn't take it anymore, climbing out of the window before closing it so Boswell wouldn't get suppositious.
She heard a rip as she tripped on a tree branch due to her inability to see in the dark.
She got up, shaking herself off. She would figure out what she needed to fix once she got back inside. She could improvise. For now, she only cared to see the lantern.
She still couldn't believe it was actually there.
She made her way towards it quietly, her heart racing.
It was staring her straight in the face. From its warm glow to the Enchancia crest as if it was a reminder that she was loved.
Carefully Sofia took the lantern out of the tree, not wanting to rip it like the way her pants leg was.
She held it in her hands, shaking at the idea of holding something from home.
She turned it around slowly, looking at it from all angles, before noticing something inside.
A rolled up piece of paper.
Taking it out and unrolling it, Sofia felt tears in her eyes.
It was from Amber.
Her heart shattered as she thought about her sister, as well as James. She knew they would be worried but she never expected this.
She wiped her eyes before reading, her focus now solely on the piece of paper in front of her.
"'Dear Sofia, I hope wherever you are, you get this. Everyone's missing you back home. Especially Mother. Last night she had James and I look at one of your baby pictures.'" Sofia paused in her reading, holding back a giggle.
She couldn't imagine which baby picture they had seen, but she knew she had plenty of funny ones.
She sighed. She wished she could tell them where she was somehow. Her notes didn't seem to be getting her anywhere. She had sent a second one out with Clover the previous day.
With only a mention of Boswell being her kidnapper as she had no idea where she was going at all.
Sofia looked at the piece of paper again, biting her lip to keep her tears at bay.
She continued reading what Amber had written. It seemed like her sister had poured a lot of emotions into it. "'We went back to Royal Prep but nothing is as fun without you.'"
Sofia sighed. She missed school and her family.
All she knew about the world currently was on her own from looking out the window.
Like her lesson on animals the previous day.
Not all of them were as friendly as Clover.
Though, maybe Boswell should have been a hint to that. That man seemed more like an animal than a human sometimes.
Most times.
Even if he locked her in the wagon while he had shows, the magician at least made sure she had food and was able to do her business if needed.
Sofia hugged the note close to her chest before putting it back in the lantern.
Clover had to be worried sick about her by now.
She turned around, preparing to make her way back to the wagon.
She felt a breeze strike part of her leg and remembered the rip. She had to make sure to fix that up before Boswell could see it.
The last thing she needed was her ability to go outside taken away again.
She made her way back toward the wagon with the lantern in hand. Opening the window, she climbed back in.
She could hear tiny paw steps coming toward her as her feet touched the floor.
She hid a giggle, feeling Clover's paws hug her leg. She frowned, realizing how terrified he looked.
"Clover? Are you okay?" she asked him, concerned.
She reached down and pet him behind his ears.
"Where were you kid?" Clover wondered. "If Boswell had walked in just now, he would've been furious!"
Sofia bit her lip, holding the lantern close to her. "I was outside. I found this lantern and..."
"Princess Sofia, young lady, do you have any idea how dangerous the woods are this time of night?!"
"No."
Clover sighed, "look, kid. You need to be careful. People are not all good."
Sofia almost rolled her eyes at the rabbit, "I think I've figured that out by now. But what does that have to do with going outside?" Her tone was mostly curious by the end.
The rabbit sighed in frustration. His kid was too innocent for her own good.
He didn't need anyone else taking advantage of her like Boswell did.
"Look Sof there's people who would take advantage of a little girl like you," Clover explained, hoping to not traumatize her. "They're like Boswell but worse."
"You mean they're overweight magicians who not only smoke but drink that juice Mom and Dad have at parties?" Sofia guessed.
Clover shook his head, "no. Kid, they're the types of people who would..." he trailed off.
He needed to choose his words wisely. He couldn't just suddenly tell Sofia that there are people who could hurt her worse than Boswell has.
That would terrify her.
"Do what?" Sofia wondered.
She moved toward her corner as she waited for his response. He seemed to be having trouble with his words, so she spoke again.
"You can explain it to me," she told him gently.
Clover seemed to be getting frustrated, and he suddenly exploded, yelling at her. "Maybe I wouldn't have to explain it to you if you hadn't found me in the damn first place!"
His voice was louder than she had ever heard, his frustration all spilling out into his words.
She flinched away as he yelled, sliding down into her corner, "I wanted you home... you wanted to come home..." her voice wavered, her eyes welling up with tears.
Clover was about to continue but her shaky breath before she started sobbing broke him.
Seeing Sofia nuzzle the lantern had broken him further.
The rabbit shouldn't have gotten frustrated over her innocence. Sometimes he forgot that Sofia was just a little girl who didn't know any better.
A girl who was missing her home.
He glanced at the lantern, his eyes widening as he noticed the Enchancian family crest on the side of it. He hadn't given Sofia time to explain.
Now he truly felt like an ass.
"Sof?" Clover asked gently, nuzzling against her.
"Please just go away," Sofia requested. "You've done enough tonight."
Clover sighed, whispering to himself, "I'm sorry, kid. I just don't want you getting hurt, especially when we're in this mess because of me. If I could have given you a way to escape I would have." He was talking to himself, quiet enough that he didn't think Sofia would hear him.
He was the adult in this situation but he didn't want to be.
Except he had to be. Sofia needed him now more than ever.
He glanced over at her, her sobs breaking his heart.
He wanted nothing more than to curl up beside her and comfort her, but he was the one that had caused it.
He had to make it up to her somehow.
...
"Mom? Dad? Do you have a minute?" James asked.
In his hands he carried the lantern he had made two days prior with his letter for Sofia tucked inside.
Miranda and Roland turned to face him.
"Yes, James, what is it?" Miranda spoke softly.
Her eyes seemed tired, as though she was barely sleeping, but so did everyone else's.
"Is everything alright?" Roland asked him.
"Amber and I made extra lanterns in case you and Mom want to send one to Sof Dad," James muttered softly.
Before Roland could say anything, Baileywick rushed in the room with a guard right beside him.
"Baileywick? What's going on?" Roland's voice took on a serious tone the moment he saw the guard.
"Are there any new updates?" Miranda asked, her voice tired but slightly hopeful.
"Yes," Baileywick sighed. "But it isn't good."
Miranda noticed Sofia's handwriting once again, trying to control the lump in her throat.
As Baileywick handed the note over to the family, James pulled close to Roland, almost leaning on him.
Roland read the note, but he didn't understand who the name was referring to. "Boswell? Who is Boswell?"
"Boswell. The Amazing Boswell. He entertained us a day before Sofia went missing," James recalled. His face turned pale as he read the note again. "Why would he do such a thing?"
"I'm not sure, James," Roland's voice held a strong anger, "but we will find her." He put his hand on his son's back.
James looked down at the ground, his voice horrified, "I can't believe I looked up to him, even for a day."
"James, Boswell isn't your fault. It's just..." Miranda shook her head sadly. "It's just some people who have one side in public have a completely different side in private." She hugged her son close as he buried his face in her chest. "Why don't we send Sofia the lanterns you made together?"
After a moment of staying In Miranda's embrace, he nodded, pulling away.
"Should I go get Amber?" He asked, thinking Amber might want to be around for it, though he was concerned his sister would be devastated by the news.
"If you want to," Roland muttered.
"Rollie, I think she should know too," Miranda sighed. "Sofia loved Amber so much. She looked up to her."
James nodded, "I think she would love to see the send off of the lanterns. Maybe we should wait to tell her the news until after we send them off, though."
He was apprehensive about his sister knowing, mostly because he was worried about how she would react.
Amber was sensitive when it came to Sofia as of late, having James sigh as he walked out of the room.
Only to bump into Amber herself.
"I heard a noise and came down from the observatory to investigate. What's going on?" She asked.
"Mom and Dad were sending me to come get you, we're going to be releasing our three lanterns," he told her.
He didn't want to tell her everything just yet, so he hoped she wouldn't pry until after they released the lanterns.
"You are? I wish I waited so we can all do it as a family before sending mine!" Amber chuckled. She looked hopeful as they walked back inside. "You think she's found mine already?"
"We'll know when she comes back with them," James smiled.
Amber nodded, seeming satisfied with that answer.
As they walked back to their family together, she noticed that Miranda and Roland seemed tenser than usual, but she shrugged it off for the moment.
She watched as they and James grabbed their lanterns and walked to the balcony of Roland and Miranda's room.
"Does anyone want to say anything before we release them?" Roland asked.
"I said a little prayer before releasing mine," Amber confessed. "I told Sofia I loved her and how I was sorry about how I acted when she first came here."
James smiled, "I remember that. When she first came to the castle, you and those trick shoes."
His voice was soft, reminiscent of when things were simpler and the only threat they had to worry about was Amber's jealousy.
Amber nodded quietly. She remembered when she had done that. She wished she could apologize to Sofia once again.
In person. Not to a night sky.
"Miranda, would you like to be the first one to speak?" Roland asked, seeing how quiet his wife was.
Miranda nodded, taking a deep breath to get her emotions under control.
"We all miss Sofia," she started, "but hopefully, she'll be home soon." She glanced out, wishing she could see Sofia, "I hope these lanterns help bring you home, Sofia. We all miss you very much."
James could see tears in her eyes, gently squeezing her hand.
Miranda didn't have to finish if she didn't want to.
Miranda smiled down at him for a moment.
Amber seemed curious at how upset everyone was once again, but she assumed it was just the emotions from before coming back around once again.
"Sofia, we miss your smile, we miss your laughter, and most of all we miss you being here," Roland muttered. "Rest assured we won't rest until you're found and Boswell is tried for his crime."
"Boswell?" Amber frowned. "Like that magician?"
Roland wasn't sure how to respond. He knew he couldn't lie to his daughter.
He sighed, kneeling down on Amber's level.
James looked on in concern, worried for how his sister would react to the news.
"Yes him," Roland sighed, stroking Amber's hair. "But we don't know why he took her Amber."
"Sofia..." Amber's voice broke, trailing off.
"That can't be true. It can't," her heart was racing now that she could put a face to the person that kidnapped her sister.
James put his arm around his sister's shoulder for support, expecting her to pull away.
But she didn't.
"It is true," Miranda croaked. "Sofia wrote it down herself."
Amber's eyes widened, "when did that happen? How long have you guys known?" Her voice bordered on betrayal as she looked around at them.
"We only just found out right before you came from the observatory," James explained, pulling her closer as she held back tears, "we were going to tell you after the release."
She couldn't believe it. Her sister had been taken by the magician that had been their last entertainment together.
She normally wouldn't wish death on people as it was considered improper but she wished for Boswell's death.
"Can we please just release the lanterns?!" Amber sobbed. "I want Sofia home and that magician to pay if he's hurt her!"
Roland nodded, reaching out to hug his daughter before standing up.
He turned to James, "before we release them, would you like to speak?"
James nodded slowly. His next words had to be heartfelt.
But what?
He took a deep breath. His mind was running wild with everything he could say.
"I love you, Sof," he suddenly felt like he hadn't told either of his sisters that often enough.
Amber put a arm around him as they and their parents looked at each other for a moment.
The time they were spending together was somber as James, Roland, and Miranda released their lanterns.
They watched as the lanterns moved further away from them, towards an unknown destination that they hoped to be found by Sofia.
James held his sister close, Roland putting his arm around Miranda. Sad smiles were visible on the faces of the family, as well as Baileywick, who was watching from inside.
Sofia was a lost princess like Rapunzel before her.
Everyone was simply hoping for the day she would return home.