Getting Sofia to wash up had proven to be difficult now that she had the Rapunzel doll Miranda had made her a couple days ago.
Swiping the doll away while she wasn't looking seemed to be Amber's only option.
She knew her sister would protest, but she had to do something.
"Sorry Sofia but you have to earn your Rapunzel doll back," Amber explained, unaware that earn was a trigger for her sister. "Sofia?"
"You have to earn the privilege. Otherwise I can easily take it back from you Princess."
"No! Don't take it back! Don't take it back!" Sofia whimpered.
Amber was confused. Take what back? What was the it her little sister was whimpering about?
"Sofia? Are you alright?" Her voice quickly turned to concern as her sister began to panic.
"The privilege. Please don't take it back!" Sofia pleaded.
Amber knelt down beside her, lifting her bangs out of her face to kiss her forehead affectionately.
"There are no privileges here remember?" She reminded her. "I'm only taking Rapunzel away so you can wash up."
"Why?" Sofia frowned. "I'm not dirty!"
"I know but today our friends are coming over. I don't know why exactly but James said it's a surprise."
"Are Ruby and Jade coming? I don't want them to come."
"Why not?" Amber asked.
"I don't want them to see me as a baby," Sofia confessed. "Ever since Mr. Boswell's wagon burned down, everybody expects me to be brave weeks before the trial but I'm not. How can I be brave when I sleep with a nightlight and get scared easily?"
"Sofia, nobody expects you to be brave so soon after the wagon was burned," Amber assured her, "And so what if you sleep with a nightlight? Ruby and Jade will understand why you need it. And if you get scared, the family, and Ruby and Jade, will all here for you, and we're going to help you."
"But what if I get scared during my time with the Buttercups?" Sofia asked.
"Then the Buttercups, Mrs. Hanshaw, and even I'll be there to help you," Amber smiled.
"You want to come with me?" Sofia asked.
"Of course," Amber smiled. "I know I'm not supposed to spy on people, but I heard Mother and Daddy talking about this. I even offered to go with you, and they agreed that it would be a good idea."
"I just never thought of you as an outdoor princess Amber."
"Believe me I'm not but after everything you went through, I thought you needed some company."
"I appreciate that," Sofia smiled. "But do I really have to wash up?"
"Yes you do!" Amber teased. "You just need to put your Rapunzel doll down."
"Okay," Sofia sighed. "But my Rapunzel doll stays close if I need her!"
"Fair enough," Amber smiled. "And I promise, this won't take too long. I'll put her where you can see her, and the two of you will be together before you know it!"
Sofia nodded, biting her lip to keep the tears in her eyes from flowing. Ever since Miranda had given her the doll days after Boswell's wagon had been burned, she became attached to her Rapunzel doll to the point of sleeping with her at night.
Like her lanterns, Rapunzel brought her comfort whenever she needed it.
Sofia kept her focus on the doll all the time that Amber helped her in the bath. She didn't want to close her eyes when it was time to rinse the shampoo out of her hair, since she was afraid of not being able to see her, but Amber told her that the doll was sitting on the shelf where she had put her.
When she was finally out of the tub, Sofia hugged her doll for a few moments before taking her with her to have Amber help her pick out a dress to wear.
"Are you going to put on shoes?" Amber hinted after she saw Sofia in a light green dress. "I know, you only prefer shoes when you have to be in public, but we're seeing your friends outside."
"And Clio and Zandar too," Sofia smiled. She stared at the shoes in front of her and frowned. "If I want to be a brave girl, I have to wear shoes all the time again."
"It's not a race Sofia."
"I know but I don't wanna be ridiculed for the way I act anymore. Remember what happened last week at school with those two older princesses?"
Amber frowned as she remembered what had happened. Two princesses had seen Sofia slip her shoes off for a few moments when they were at school. They had stolen them, and were playing 'keep-away' with them. It had taken Amber, James, and the fairies to get the shoes back and calm Sofia down. The fairies had even offered to let Sofia go home at noon so she could calm down, but Sofia had refused. But Amber and James did have to hold her back as she lunged at the princesses as the fairies took them to their office, shouting that she hoped they lost privileges when the fairies told their parents about what they had done.
Amber hadn't seen Sofia that angry in awhile, squeezing her hand. One of the two princesses asking "Are you going to cry damaged princess because we took your shoes?" had provoked Sofia to lunge at them.
"I understand," Amber sympathized. "But you're only doing this so you won't be made fun of."
"I want to do this," Sofia sighed. "Those girls kept calling me a damaged princess when you, James, and the fairies found my shoes. That hurt my feelings."
"I know," Amber murmured, "But what they think doesn't matter. You've come so far since that time. And look at everything you've done since you came home. You've learned to be comfortable around the men in the castle again, and your nightmares come less frequently..."
"I was alone with Chef Andre and he let me help him make dessert last night!" Sofia giggled.
"That's true, and if I may say so, those were the best apricot bars I've ever had!" Amber smiled.
"Thank you!" Sofia smiled. "But Chef Andre says he won't put carrots in my food until Daddy says otherwise." Her smile faded a little. "How long do you think that will be?"
Amber shrugged. "I suppose that all depends on you and Clover," she said at last. "You both had to eat carrots for two weeks, and I know you don't want to see them again for a while. We're just trying to help you, Sofia, and the last thing we want is to give you nightmares."
Sofia nodded, walking over to Clover who lazily laid in his basket. She giggled as he looked up at her in surprise.
"Is everything alright kid?" Clover asked.
"I'm okay but I had a thought. What if we started to try carrots again after Mr. Boswell's trial?" Sofia suggested.
"You're serious?"
"Yes. Once he's gone, we can try carrots again without fear."
"You sure? We don't need a repeat of your first night home," Clover frowned.
"I know, Daddy fired someone for putting them in my food, but the man only forgot that carrots weren't supposed to go in there since they triggered my fear," Sofia admitted.
"Are you asking Clover for his thoughts on you two having carrots again?" Amber smiled. "Just like when I'd confide in my dolls and plush friends when I was younger, and I admit, they sometimes gave me good advice too."
Sofia blushed, fiddling with her amulet. "He was my only company in the wagon. He's also my best friend. Who else wouldn't I talk to?" She giggled, hearing Clover sniffing at her. "He says that he's willing to have carrots again."
"Before or after Boswell's execution?"
"After."
"That's a good idea," Amber agreed. "It can be like the last thing you have to overcome to be fully recovered."
"I agree," Sofia smiled. "Can I bring Clover when we see James? I promised him a Clover and Sofia day."
Amber couldn't say no to that request, watching Clover hop into her little sister's arms.
Like Sofia, the rabbit was more comfortable around men in the castle again but had a tendency to lash out at strange men, no matter the visitor, by growling at them.
"You don't have to worry about James, Clover," Amber smiled as she stroked his back. "He says you helped him with some of his stories, and he also told me about how he offered to let you stay with him while Mother and Sofia talked."
Clover sniffed as he remembered that. He and James hadn't gone too far away from Sofia before he sensed her starting to panic at their separation. Even though James' intentions were good, when he suggested that Sofia and Miranda have some alone time, James had brought him back, and offered to let her sit in on one of his writing sessions he was planning with Clover and his plush friends.
"Clover liked the pretty song Mommy sang," Sofia smiled.
"Well, James does say that music makes everything better," Amber smiled.
Clover sniffed but Sofia heard "it sure does" as he relaxed in her arms.
When they found James, Sofia could feel Clover shaking, hearing him start to growl.
"It's okay Clover. It's only me and Zandar," James assured.
"What's he doing here?" Sofia asked.
"I talked with Mom and Dad about it and since I didn't want you overwhelmed before Boswell's execution, I scheduled a play date with all our friends."
Amber smirked, ruffling her twin's hair. "Good thinking James!"
"But the last time we had one, Hildegard was there," Sofia frowned. "And if she does come, she'll make fun of me for being scared of the dark again."
"Mom and Dad know not to invite Hildegard to this play date," James assured her, "They heard about how Hildegard was acting during the search for you, and how she acted when you were found. They decided that for the time being, you shouldn't see each other, since I also heard about some of the things she said and did."
Sofia nodded, recalling how Hildegard kept calling her stupid for getting kidnapped, and how she grabbed her arm and nudged her stomach. She also remembered talking with King Henrik about Hildegard's behavior. She'd had a small panic attack when King Henrik mentioned having Hildegard's traveling privileges taken away, since that was how Boswell controlled her, with the word 'privileges', but this time she didn't have to worry about that. Hildegard had been the bad girl that time, not her.
She smiled sheepishly at Zandar, seeing him keeping his distance.
He didn't have to but she appreciated it nevertheless.
"It's good to see you again, Sofia," Zandar started, deciding to start a conversation with something to make her feel comfortable.
"You don't have to be nervous around me, Zandar," Sofia smiled, "I know I was scared of men and boys when I first got home, but I learned that most people in the castle were nice."
"She did," James smiled. "But you should've seen her when she first came home. Sof was scared to death of everyone and everything. She would even start growling at you if you came too close."
"Growling?" Zandar asked.
"Yes. Sofia was coped up with her bunny and a dove for two weeks so she learned some of their behavior," Amber frowned. "She still growls but only if threatened."
"Now that you mention it, I remember she growled at those two princesses when they took her shoes," Zandar agreed, "I wanted to help her get them back, but I didn't know if she'd go after me next, so I got the fairies to help her."
"That's okay, Zandar," James assured him, "You wanted to find a way to help Sof and you did. She knew you weren't going to hurt her, but it was a good idea to get some extra help for her."
"You're not a threat Zandar so you won't get growled at!" Sofia giggled. She held up Clover who sniffed at the Tangu prince. "I'm sorry if Clover growled at you. He rarely does it with boys."
"No it's okay. He was only trying to protect you," Zandar smiled. "Is he going to stay with us all day?"
"He's my guard bunny," Sofia smiled, "He just wants to make sure that I'm safe as I play with our friends."
"And that's okay," Zandar agreed, "But how is he around Desmond and Hugo?"
"Clover knows Desmond's nice," Sofia smiled. "Desmond made the care package for me. And he knows that Hugo's nice too. Hugo sent me a card when I was recovering, and he gave me a picture of me and Clover!"
"We just have to worry about Ruby and Jade," Amber confessed.
"Why's that?" Zandar wondered.
"Sof and Clover both flinch over loud noises while she gets upset over yelling," James explained. "Amber and I got in an argument a couple days after her rescue and Sofia started crying. We had no idea how affected she was until we witnessed her shielding herself."
"But what does that have to do with Ruby and Jade?" Zandar asked.
"Ruby and Jade can be kind of...how can I put this..." Amber paused, wondering how she could explain without sounding like she was insulting Sofia or her friends. "They can be rambunctious at times, and Sofia's afraid that Jade may say something mean."
Zandar looked puzzled. "What do you think she'd say to be mean? It wouldn't be like what we've heard at school, right?"
"I'm not sure but I don't want to find out," Sofia muttered.
James smiled, hugging her close. "Don't worry Sof. Amber and I will be sure to warn them if they make too much noise."
"I don't know. They didn't take it too well last time during my first royal sleepover."
"That was different. Once they see you, they'll understand to keep themselves from being too rambunctious," Amber assured.
"Are you sure?" Sofia asked.
"I'm sure," Amber promised, "Ruby and Jade may be a little rambunctious, but they do try to keep under control. And Mother told me that she'll talk to them about being patient with you."
Sofia smiled at those words, hugging Amber close.
...
When Ruby and Jade had arrived at the castle, just a few minutes after Clio, Sofia flinched at the sudden noises as Clover nuzzled against her.
Miranda's throat clearing stopped the two rambunctious girls in their tracks as Jade crossed her arms.
"Jade, we talked about this," Ruby whispered. "We've got to be nice to Sofia. We can't talk about what happened to her since she might get upset."
Jade nodded slowly. "I'm not mad at Sofia," she admitted. "I'm mad at that Boswell person for what he did! He hurt our friend, and her bunny, and he's still in the dungeons?"
"Not for too much longer," Miranda said as she came up to them. "He's going to be executed soon, then we'll never have to worry about him again. But just for now, try to keep the enthusiasm to a low roar, okay?"
"Okay," Jade nodded.
"Okay. Hey, how about on the day it happens, or a few days after it happens, we could have a sleepover with Sofia to help her feel better?" Ruby suggested.
"I think that's a wonderful idea," Miranda smiled. "Sofia's going to need all the friendly faces she can get on that day."
"I'll definitely need a few friendly faces after the emotional day I'll have," Sofia smiled. "Great idea Ruby!"
"Thank you Sofia but what are we doing first?" Ruby asked.
"I remember Sof enjoying our pirate games before everything that happened. Why don't we do that first?" James suggested.
"That sounds like fun," Ruby smiled. "But how is Clover about being in the treehouse we used? I'm just asking since Sofia said in her letter that she likes him with her."
"Clover's been in the treehouse with her before," James assured her, "But maybe we could have our boats on the ground, or wherever Sofia wants it."
"Why not the treehouse?" Amber smiled. "We all can play together there."
"You want to do that for me?" Sofia gasped. "But you and Hildegard didn't do it the last time." She frowned, feeling tears in her eyes. "Hildy liked me then."
"That doesn't matter now, Sofia," Amber advised, "I'm willing to go in the treehouse with you, and everything's going to be fun. I'll stay right by your side the whole time."
"Thank you, Amber," Sofia smiled.
"That's right; this is just for fun, and you've got all your friends with you," James agreed.
Sofia smiled, turning towards Ruby and Jade. "Come on! We better get changed into our pirate outfits! I've been saving a special one just for Amber!"
"This I'll have to see!" Amber laughed.
A few minutes later, everyone came out in their pirate outfits. Amber especially loved her red skirt, white blouse, black boots, and jewel-encrusted bandana. "I've never seen such a pretty pirate outfit!"
"We asked Madam Colette to make you a pirate outfit in case you wanted to join us," James said as he came out and saw her spinning around.
"And I'm glad you did," Amber smiled. "But out of curiosity, what's a female pirate called?"
"A Pi-Rette!" James grinned as he gave her a wooden sword.
"Pi-Rettes versus pirates," Sofia paused, "I like that!"
"Race you to the treehouse!" Jade giggled.
"Oh it's on!" Zandar laughed.
"You're feeling up to this kid?" Clover whispered.
"I've been ready to have fun like this since we first came home!" Sofia grinned.
"I'm glad to hear you say that, Sofia," Amber smiled, "but you know we wanted you to take it easy for a while after we brought you home."
"I know," Sofia agreed, "but now I'm ready to play with you again!"
"That's good to hear," James as he took something out of his pocket. "And before I forget, Madame Collette made this for Clover too!"
Sofia giggled as James tied a small bandana around Clover's head. "Now Clover can play pirates with us too!"
"Six against two. Are you up for a challenge James?" Clio smirked.
"I will be once we all in the treehouse!" James grinned.
Setting Clover down once inside the treehouse, Sofia clutched her wooden sword as she sprinted towards James.
"Your ship is ours!" She cried, waving her sword. "You'll have to fight me to get it back!"
"Why don't I just let you win?" James suggested.
"That'd be cheating. Let's make this a fair fight."
"Okay!" James grinned as he blocked her wooden sword with his own.
As they dueled, Sofia seemed to be happy as she looked around at her friends. Everyone seemed to be having as much fun as her and James. Even Amber, who normally never picked up a sword, was doing a pretty good job.
Despite him being gentle with her, Sofia flung James' sword off his hand in seconds which lead everyone to look at her in surprise.
"How did you do that?" Ruby gasped.
"And where?" Jade grinned.
"While having tutoring sessions, I might've been taking some defense lessons from the guards," Sofia confessed. She blushed, rubbing her arm. "It helped me release some anger that I had over what happened to me. Amber, James, I hope you're not mad."
"Why would I be mad? That was one of the most brilliant moves I've ever seen!" James grinned.
"Yes it was," Amber smiled.
"And Amber, you're not bad with a sword yourself," Sofia agreed.
"Why thank you Sofia. I might not be as good as James or advanced like you are but I'm still having fun!"
"But why did you start those defense lessons anyway?" Zandar asked as Jade giggled, attempting to knock his sword out of his hand.
"I imitated some habits of Clover's when I first came home," Sofia revealed. "I chewed on anything if frustrated and bit anyone if angry. I had my negative feelings bottled up because if I released them back when I was in the wagon, Mr. Boswell would punish me."
"Well, you don't have to think about him anymore," Zandar smiled. "And I've heard James and Amber tell you that you shouldn't keep your feelings bottled up."
"That's right," James added, "if you feel like you have to cry or show emotions, you can do that. You won't be punished; you'll be hugged instead."
Sofia hugged James before resuming their duel, chasing him around the ship.
With sore arms and legs, everyone was ready for Amber's activity which just so happened to be a tea party much to James and Zandar's dismay.
Sofia nearly cried seeing the lantern shaped cookies on her plate. Unlike the disaster with the pink teddy bear cookies from their last play date, the lantern cookies were perfect.
"Are you okay, Sof?" James asked, seeing the tears in her eyes.
"I'm happy, James," Sofia smiled. "The cookies look like my lanterns!"
"Good thing we got them all out before the wagon was burned," James mused.
"James did you forget that Sofia brought them home with her?" Amber teased.
"When she was rescued, your sister had refused to leave until all of the lanterns were gathered," Clio recalled "I never thought a fussy Sofia could exist until that night!"
"To be fair Clio I was hurt and scared. I didn't know what to expect when you and your parents showed up," Sofia frowned.
"And you had every right to be scared," Amber assured her. "But you were found, and we came as soon as we could and got you home with us where you belong."
"And it was no problem at all for me and my family to help you," Clio agreed. "I knew you were scared of my dad at first, but you got used to him after a while."
"How did you feel when you got rescued Sofia?" Zandar asked as he began to nibble on a cookie.
"Terrified. I almost ran away from Clio and her parents because I thought they wouldn't love me when I was nothing more than a broken princess," Sofia confessed. "I was a little confused when everyone started calling me a lost princess but after being given my first bath in a week, I started to calm down."
"I'm sorry you felt that way," Amber sympathized. "I wish we could've been there sooner to take you home if I hadn't been sick." She smirked, seeing James devouring some of the cookies. "Speaking of sick, James better slow down before he ends up getting a tummy ache."
"Daddy used to say that to me when I first came home."
"When Sof got home, she ate as much as she wanted, but at least there were no carrots in the food...at least not after Dad fired someone for putting them in her food by accident," James agreed.
"Sofia only ate carrots for two weeks, as well as any other scrap of food she could find," Amber explained, seeing Ruby and Jade's looks of confusion. "Anything orange terrified her, but she's been getting much better. And she said that after Boswell's execution, she says she's going to try carrots again."
"Amber!" Sofia blushed.
"Don't be embarrassed Sofia. It's great that you're moving on from what happened to you," Ruby smiled.
"I can't wait to see the look on that Boswell person's face when he's found guilty of everything he's done!" Jade giggled.
"None of us can," James smiled, scratching Clover's ears as Clover looked around at everyone's conversations and nibbled a few stray cookie crumbs.
"The sooner he's out of our lives, the better!" Clover agreed, hopping down from Sofia's lap and doing a little dance on the blanket.
"Yes, Clover, you can dance on Boswell's grave too!" Amber giggled, scratching his ears.
"And we'll all sing too!" James agreed, helping Sofia to her feet, giving her a little spin, and singing, "Ding dong the witch is dead!"
"Silly James! Mr. Boswell's not a witch!" Sofia giggled.
"Now that we poked fun at Boswell's expense and had some cookies, what's our next activity?" Clio wondered.
"Mom and Dad helped out with this one," James smiled. "They thought Clover should be included in it too."
"What kind of games does Clover like?" Hugo asked.
"Clover likes dancing, and he likes hide-and-seek," Sofia smiled. Her smile faded a little as she added, "We also played a few games in the wagon..."
"It's okay, Sofia," Amber murmured, "you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."
"Why don't you talk about it during the trial?" James suggested.
Sofia's smile returned at his words as Clover nuzzled against her.
"Enough sad feelings. Don't we have a special activity to go to?" Zandar smirked.
"That's right," Sofia smiled. "What did Mommy and Daddy have planned?"
"I think they said something about taking us on a ride in the royal schooner," Amber remembered. "They've talked about that sometimes, and I think that would be a nice change."
"Yeah," James agreed, "When our friends got here, I heard Baileywick talking about getting a huge picnic lunch for everyone prepared, and to put it on the royal schooner!"
"That sounds like fun," Clio smiled. "I always loved it when my mom and dad did that on our own boat!"
"I never had lunch on a boat before!" Ruby grinned.
"Me neither!" Jade giggled.
"This'll be Sofia's first time too!" Amber squealed.
"Is Clover allowed to come?" Sofia smiled.
"Of course he is," Amber smiled, "Clover should be able to have fun on the boat with everyone too!"
"That's right," James agreed, "he'll love the sea air in his fur, looking at the waves..."
"He'll see dolphins too, right?" Sofia asked, remembering how she had seen a pod of dolphins during another trip on the boat.
"Maybe," Amber agreed.
"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Clio grinned.
"Mommy! Daddy!" Sofia giggled as she saw Miranda and Roland, sprinting towards them.
"Whoa! Someone's excited!" Roland chuckled.
"I can't help it Daddy! I've been having the most fun day with Amber, James, our friends, and Clover!"
"So we saw," Roland smiled, "You were wonderful when you were practicing swordplay with James during your pirate game."
"And Clover was adorable in his little pirate bandana," Miranda agreed, carefully scratching Clover behind the ears.
Clover nuzzled against her, causing Sofia to giggle. She enjoyed him being comfortable around her family and friends again without resorting to growl at them.
Men were still an obstacle but that was something they would conquer together one day at a time.
When they got on the ship, Amber and James noticed their little sister looking queasy as Hugo held her hair back.
"Are you okay Sofia?" Amber asked.
"Maybe I shouldn't be here," Sofia muttered, "I want to be here with you, but I'm starting to feel sick."
"Then we'll take the food and have our picnic on dry land," Roland suggested. "You can eat if you feel up to it, or you can just rest."
"And don't worry about a thing," Miranda agreed, "You didn't do anything wrong. If you don't feel comfortable, then we can do something else."
Sofia shook her head. "I want to stay here." She smiled as Amber gave her a handkerchief. "It's just that looking at the waves made me think of the bad dream I had a couple days ago during my talk with Mommy."
"Was that why you were throwing up earlier?" James asked.
"Yes. It's silly isn't it?"
"Silly? Not after everything that Boswell person put you through," Ruby grumbled.
"Ruby's right. It's not silly. When I used to have nightmares, sometimes I got a little sick if I saw something that reminded me of it," Hugo confessed.
"We all get nightmares once in a while," James agreed, remembering the times he had nightmares about singing in public, but he didn't know that had been due to a spell that had been cast on him, "But as long as you remember that you've got people around you to help you get through them, the nightmares won't seem so bad."
"And you know you can always talk to us when you feel frightened or have nightmares," Roland agreed.
"We'll always be here for you, Sofia," Amber added.
"Okay!" Sofia grinned. She giggled, seeing Clover sniffing one of the baskets. "Can we have our picnic now? I think Clover's hungry."
"As long as you can handle it without getting sick," Miranda muttered.
"If she could handle Boswell all by herself then I'm sure a picnic won't be a problem!" Zandar smirked.
"I'll be okay," Sofia smiled.
"Okay, but just go easy on the cookies when it's time for dessert," Miranda smiled.
"I will," Sofia smiled as she took a careful bite of her sandwich.
"And don't worry, Sofia, we didn't include carrots in the picnic," Roland whispered. "I heard you wanted to try them again after Boswell's execution, and I think that's a very good idea. It can be like the final test you take to fully recover."
"Who told you about that Daddy?"
"Nobody. I only heard about it."
Sofia nodded, looking around as Clover nuzzled against her. They weren't alone so she couldn't speak to him but appreciated his comfort.
"You and Clover got really close didn't you?" Hugo smiled.
Sofia blushed sheepishly. "Mr. Boswell had forbidden me from talking to anyone so he wouldn't get caught."
"Well, you don't have to worry about that anymore," Hugo smiled. "You can talk to whoever you want, and we'll all be right here for you."
Sofia smiled as she took a bite out of her sandwich. She didn't want to speak with her mouth full, but she did give Hugo a grateful nod.
As evening approached and the picnic had concluded, Sofia had fallen asleep to the sounds of the calming waves as Miranda took her in her arms.
She didn't notice her friends saying their goodbyes until feeling Hugo kiss her cheek. She sleepily waved her hand at him before Miranda had tucked her in and Clover had hopped towards the end of her bed.
She was the calmest she'd ever been, making a note to thank James for his play date idea when she woke up.
...
"Baileywick!"
If it wasn't the shriek of his name that had alerted the steward to Sofia's room, the red sparkles on her door did their job as he stepped inside.
Sofia was curled up in a ball, shaking like a leave. After being informed of the day she had by Roland and Miranda, it alarmed him to see her in distress.
"Sofia, what happened? Are you all right?" Baileywick asked as he came over to her. He checked her bed, thinking that if she had an accident, he'd send for Roland or Miranda to help her. Thankfully, she hadn't had an accident, thanks to the family's suggestion of having her go to the bathroom before she went to bed. At the same time, he went over to Clover's basket, but he kept a respectful distance away as he checked the rabbit over. Clover looked all right, so Baileywick turned his attention back to Sofia. "Sofia?" he asked, carefully reaching out a hand to her.
"Baileywick, what happened?" he heard James' voice at the door.
Baileywick smiled a little. Ever since he was little, James would wake up to every little sound, while Amber could sleep through everything. But ever since Sofia had come home, Amber was trying to listen for her.
"Your sister called for me and I found her shaking like a leaf," Baileywick frowned. "She won't say what's wrong."
"Maybe I can try," James offered. He went over to Sofia and took her hand. "Sof it's me James. Baileywick's here too."
Sofia hiccuped, looking up at him. "I'm not ready."
"Ready for what Princess Sofia?" Baileywick asked.
"I'm not ready to be a brave girl. I'm not ready for the trial. I know it's not here yet but I'm scared. I want Mr. Boswell gone but what if I freeze up or have an accident or start crying when I see him again? I'm scared to testify and I'm scared to face the man who gave me two weeks of hell because it's too much for me. Why would anyone want to support a damaged eight-year-old like me when Mr. Boswell's trial frightens me?"
"You're not damaged," Baileywick murmured, "you've come so far since you were rescued. You get better every day, and you have so many people that care about you."
"Boswell's not going to hurt you anymore," James agreed. He thought for a few moments, then suggested, "Do you think you can handle a pretend trial?"
"Pretend trial?" Sofia echoed.
"That's a wonderful idea," Baileywick agreed. "You can practice what you want to say, then when it comes time for the actual trial, you won't be afraid."
"What do you say Sof?" James smiled.
Sofia nodded, rubbing her eyes. "Okay. I can do a pretend trial." She held up her Rapunzel doll. "She'll be part of our pretend jury."
I'll get my writing buddies and they can be part of the jury too," James agreed. "We'll also talk to Amber about using some of her dolls too, or we can use my knights."
Sofia smiled at the idea. A pretend trial might be the thing to help her prepare for the real thing. "We should ask Mommy, Daddy, and Mister Cee-drick to do this with us too!"
"And what about Constable Miles?" James asked, "He's going to be in the room with us too."
"Okay but I got a question."
"What is it Princess Sofia?" Baileywick asked.
"Do I have to dress formally for the trial?" Sofia asked.
"Normally you would but since this is just pretend, you can wear your nightgown!" James grinned.
"I'll agree to that, since this is only pretend," Baileywick agreed, "but there is still the small matter of you wearing shoes during the actual trial. You know you'll have to wear them during the proceedings. And I mean actual shoes; not your bunny slippers."
Sofia was about to pout, but James asked, "Baileywick, do you think it would be okay if I brought them with me? She could wear them on the way to the trial, then change into her regular shoes before we all go in with her, then she can change back into her slippers when we go home. And since what we're about to do is just pretend, she can wear her slippers."
Baileywick thought for a few moments, then he nodded. "All right. And if I may make a suggestion, we should also have King Roland, Queen Miranda, and Princess Amber here so they can help you prepare as well."
"Mr. Ceedric too?" Sofia asked.
"Cedric said he was going to make some special potions for you," James started. "You know he wants to help you with his potions, and he thought a calming potion would help you."
Sofia nodded, crossing her arms. Despite the trial being pretend, she was getting impatient with waiting.
James chuckled, noticing her look. "You'll have to be patient during the actual trial Sof."
"I know that James!" Sofia giggled. "I'm pretending to be mad because I'll have to be that way when I see Mr. Boswell again. Right?"
"Interesting idea, Sof, but try to keep your temper in check, and try not to swear," James agreed. "But really, you want to let everyone know that Boswell can't bother you anymore, and being angry at him and letting him get to you won't help."
Sofia sighed. She knew James was right, and she wanted to let everyone know that she was going to be all right during the actual trial.
"I know Boswell makes you mad," James continued, "He makes everyone here mad too. Remember, I wanted to shoot him out of a cannon when we were bringing you home, Amber wanted to skip the trial and execute him right there, and Cedric wanted to curse him into the next century!"
"I remember but not being mad at him is going to be hard!" Sofia pouted. "It's because of him I have trust issues with men along with people who use magic that aren't Mr. Ceedric or the fairies!"
"We know," Baileywick sympathized. "Would you like to start the trial now?"
"Yes please. And Baileywick?"
"Yes Princess Sofia?"
"Would you like to be the judge?" Sofia asked as Roland and Miranda came in to check on them, "I know you probably have things to do..."
"I'd love to be the judge for you, Sofia," Baileywick smiled, "And you don't have to worry about anything I might have to do; I can always make it up when I have time."
"When I'm not helping Sof, I'll help you too, Baileywick," James offered.
"What's this about Baileywick being a judge?" Roland grinned.
"We're having a pretend trial so I won't be scared of the actual trial," Sofia explained.
"That's a wonderful idea sweetheart," Miranda smiled.
"What pretend trial?" Amber wondered, coming into the room.
James filled them in on what he, Sofia, and Baileywick were planning about a pretend trial, so Sofia would be prepared for when she was at Boswell's actual trial.
"That's right, that is a wonderful idea," Amber smiled. "If you'll give me a minute, I'll get some of my dolls so they can be on the jury too."
Roland did a quick count of the animals on the bed so far. "We have James' three writing assistants, so Amber, bring six of your dolls or plush friends," He explained to Miranda, "Three plush animals, six dolls, you, Amber, and myself makes twelve on the jury."
"Silly Daddy! Amber needs to bring five dolls!" Sofia giggled. "Rapunzel's part of the jury!"
"Is she now?" Miranda smiled.
"I would've asked Clover but he's still sleeping."
"That's all right, Sofia, and I apologize for forgetting about Rapunzel," Roland smiled, reaching out and patting Rapunzel's head.
"That's okay, Daddy," Sofia smiled as Amber left, "I know you want to help me with this too."
A few moments later, Amber came back with her two plush friends and three dolls. "Do we have enough jurors now?" she asked as she set them up.
"Twelve exactly," Miranda smiled as she did a head count.
"Now that we have everyone here except Mr. Ceedric and Constable Miles, what do we do first?" Sofia wondered.
"I think you're supposed to introduce yourself," James muttered.
"Like my full name or Princess Sofia of Enchancia, daughter to King Roland the second and Queen Miranda?"
"Daddy, you've been to a couple trials before. Is that how she's supposed to do it?" Amber smiled.
"Either way is fine," Roland smiled, "but I think for this, we'll just use her full name."
"Okay," Sofia agreed. She turned to the 'jury' and said, "Ladies, gentlemen, and toys of the jury, my name is Princess Sofia of Enchancia, and my bunny Clover and I were kidnapped by the man over there, the magician formerly known as The Amazing Boswell." She smiled as James got one of his knights to stand in for Boswell.
It was ridiculous to some but seeing the knight as a stand in for her tormentor made her feel less overwhelmed.
"If you would, Princess Sofia, please tell the court in your own words how long were you with this former magician?" Baileywick asked.
"Two weeks," Sofia replied. "Mr. Boswell would take Clover with him to acts every morning and they wouldn't return until dusk. I wasn't allowed to be in the acts because Mr. Boswell feared that he'd be caught."
"Where did you stay when you were with him?" Baileywick asked.
"Mister Boswell kept me in his wagon," Sofia replied. "I wasn't allowed to leave, but sometimes when he was gone I had to sneak out to do my business or find something to eat, since he only gave me carrots."
"Only carrots?"
"No. Scraps too. They were on a plate. I only got fed once a day and when it came time to eat, I was so hungry that I didn't care what the food was. I couldn't complain otherwise I'd be punished."
Baileywick felt his heart sink at her reveal. No wonder she had woken up in the middle of the night her first night home wanting something to eat.
"Did anyone ever see you when you sneaked out?" Baileywick asked.
"My friends from Royal Prep: Prince Desmond, Prince Hugo, and Princess Clio," Sofia replied.
"Quick question," James broke in, "Should we have brought in dolls to represent Hugo, Desmond, and Clio so Sof could tell us what they all said when she saw them?"
Amber shook her head. "Our sister's overwhelmed enough. Don't you see her shaking?"
"She's only nervous," Roland assured. "Revealing everything Boswell did to her will take a lot of practice before the trial."
"Sof I know Baileywick's the judge but what do you mean by you being punished?" James asked.
"Mr. Boswell would hurt me. It was emotionally at first but on my third day it began to get physical. Sometimes he would take away privileges like food or bathing so he could control me," Sofia sighed. "One night he said that I was lucky as most men in his position would do unthinkable things to me if I misbehaved."
Miranda looked over at Sofia and noticed that she was close to tears. "If it pleases the court, I'd like to call for a brief recess, so I can help comfort Sofia."
"I'll allow it," Baileywick smiled. "But since it's getting late, I think we'd best adjourn until after breakfast tomorrow morning."
"Thank you, Mommy," Sofia sniffled. "But I didn't mean to make us stop."
"You didn't do anything wrong," Miranda smiled as she took her in her arms. "We're off to a very good start. And I see that James has been writing down everything that you've been saying."
"Everything? Even the bad stuff?"
"Yes. Even the bad stuff."
"I'm sorry for crying but remembering everything that happened is so painful. Will it ever go away?" Sofia hiccuped.
"It will. As soon as Boswell's executed," James assured. "Sof, you were a very brave girl tonight during our pretend trial."
"Not a brave girl James. A courageous girl!"
Sofia smiled a little as she was pulled into a group hug with the family. She agreed that this was going well, even if she had to stop for the night. But getting a fresh start in the morning for day two of the pretend trial was a good idea all around.
"You want me or Amber to stay with you tonight, just in case?" James broke into her thoughts.
"I think that's a good idea," Amber agreed. "Sofia's going to need all the love and support she can get while she's preparing for the trial, and we should also stay with her for a little while after it happens too."
Sofia nodded as she yawned, grabbing Rapunzel from the jury stand and clutched her tightly.
The sooner they finish the rest of the pretend trial after breakfast the next morning, the happier she would be.
Despite having no nightmares the rest of the night, she knew what she would have to talk about as she hid in her closet after breakfast the next morning
"Sofia?" Cedric's voice was gentle, knocking on the door in an attempt to coax her out of there. "Don't you want to finish your pretend trial?"
"No!" Sofia pouted.
"Why not?"
"Because telling everyone about what Mr. Boswell did to me will hurt. All the pain and words he called me like bitch will hurt. I don't want to hurt anymore Mr. Ceedric."
"You won't be hurting," Cedric tried to assure her, "This is all part of your healing process. Once you tell everyone what happened, you'll feel much better. Your nightmares will become less frequent, you'll have many people who will stand by you and offer you their support..."
Sofia smiled as she hugged Rapunzel. "Will you stay with me during the rest of the pretend trial, and the actual trial when it happens?"
"Of course I will," Cedric smiled. "I'm going to be with your family as they sit in the room with you. You'll have your rabbit friend with you as well. In fact, I want to give you something to help you...actually, it's from Wormwood, but he wants to offer his support too."
Sofia smiled as Cedric slipped a necklace with one of Wormwood's feathers over her head. "Thank you, Mr. Ceedric! And thank Wormwood for me too!"
"I will, my dear," Cedric smiled.
After staring into Rapunzel's eyes for a few moments, Sofia walked out of the closet and put the doll back in the jury.
Taking a deep breath, she turned to Baileywick, smiling sheepishly. "Where did we leave off last night?"
"Why do you ask?" Baileywick smiled.
"Because Mr. Ceedric and Constable Miles need to know."
"I've been listening to you through my crystal ball," Cedric explained. "So I think I'm up to speed on your explanation."
"Okay, but what about Constable Miles?" Sofia asked.
"Will you be okay talking to him, Sof?" James asked. "Dad's talking about letting him sit in on the rest of the pretend trial. Constable Miles even said that was a good idea you came up with, but he doesn't want to scare you."
Sofia nodded. Constable Miles was the last of the male staff she needed to be comfortable with even if he reminded her of Boswell.
"How long do you think the rest of the pretend trial will last?" Amber asked.
"Well, it all depends on the person on trial," Roland admitted. "There's a lot of testimony to be given, and there are eyewitness accounts from different people that we need to talk about..."
"Dad, Sofia's the only eyewitness here," James smirked.
"We'll get him later Rollie," Miranda assured just as Constable Miles came into the room.
He could see Sofia shaking at his presence before hearing her take a deep breath as she approached him.
"Princess Sofia are you alright?" Constable Miles asked.
"I will be once we finish the pretend trial," Sofia smiled. "Facing you isn't as scary like facing Mr. Boswell will be."
"You don't have to be afraid of me, Princess," Miles smiled. "I'm here to help you, just like the rest of your family."
"Thank you, Constable Miles," Sofia smiled. "You know we're having a pretend trial so I won't be scared when I talk about Mr. Boswell at the real trial, right?"
"Yes, King Roland told me about that," Constable Miles agreed. "And that's a wonderful idea. I've even saved each of the drawings you made, so we'll be able to show everyone what happened."
"Did you bring them with you?" Sofia asked.
"I have all of them right here," Constable miles said as he pulled out a brown folder.
Sofia smiled, turning to Baileywick. "Can we continue with the pretend trial now that Constable Miles is here?"
The steward nodded, leading her towards the stand that was actually the front of her bed. "We can start now if you like."
"Thank you. I can't remember everything right now so can I talk about my last day with Mr. Boswell instead?"
"Of course."
"I remember it pretty fluidly. I remember spotting Mommy and Daddy's lanterns the moment we arrived in Clio's to fight Mr. Boswell anymore, because I had given up on being rescued after a week of being hurt physically and emotionally, I promised him that I'd be a good girl and try not to escape which I did once he left with Clover. After I got the lanterns, I spotted a guard and told him everything. Mr. Boswell didn't know that but he knew that I had left the wagon, snatching my hairpin away from me. He threw it on the ground and broke it by stomping on it, leaving me to burst into tears," Sofia croaked. "My crying aggravated him so he started to burn me with one of his many cigars. That only made me more upset but Mr. Boswell didn't care. I didn't catch it at first but he threatened to..." She blinked back tears, feeling herself begin to shake. "He threatened to take me to the nearest lake and drown me if I didn't stop crying."
Sofia looked like she was going to start crying again, so Cedric asked, "If it pleases the pretend court, may I cast a spell to help calm Sofia?" Baileywick nodded, and Cedric made a large shower of sparkles appear.
"Well done, Cedric," Roland smiled as he watched Sofia calm down and try to catch some of them.
"I should've known! No wonder Sofia gets hesitant around water!" Amber growled
"Amber, you know as well as I do that it's baths she's hesitant of," James smiled.
"I know but it makes me angry with Boswell for what he said. Sofia was scared and heartbroken that he broke her hairpin. He didn't have to make it worse by burning and threatening her!"
"But at least some of Corinthia's guards were nearby and they heard her screaming, according to what Clio's parents told us," Roland agreed. "They were able to get Sofia and Clover out of there, and they even brought her lanterns with them."
"That's true," Amber agreed, "But I still feel guilty about getting sick that day! I wanted to go with you when you got the message from Clio's father that Sofia had been rescued. Sofia being safe at home was so much more important than me getting sick!"
"Don't worry, Amber," Miranda said as she pulled her into a hug. "We decided to let you stay home and rest while we got Sofia. And wasn't it a nice surprise, waking up and finding Sofia safe and sound again?"
"Well, when you put it that way," Amber smiled a little, "Yes!"
"I remember Amber hugging me when she saw me!" Sofia giggled. "But not as tightly as Mommy!"
"That's because I missed my little girl," Miranda smiled.
"We all missed you Princess Sofia," Baileywick agreed. "Is there anything else you can remember before our pretend jury reaches a verdict?"
Sofia felt Clover nuzzle against her, seeing her smile fade as she recalled the reason why she had been kidnapped by Boswell in the first place.
"If I hadn't been so busy and if I'd spent time with Clover like I promised I would, we wouldn't be in this mess," she admitted. "He ran away and joined Mr. Boswell's magic show just because he wanted some attention. I tried to rescue him, but I got kidnapped too."
"Sof, you can't blame yourself for being busy with other things; it can happen to anybody," James smiled. "And I know where you're coming from. Sometimes I'm too busy to play with Rex, but I make it up to him when I take him for a long walk and when we get back, we play a few games."
"I know but you have never threatened anyone like I did."
"You threatened Boswell? With what?" Constable Miles wondered.
"I threatened to go to the castle, get the guards, and get Daddy if Mr. Boswell didn't give me Clover back," Sofia confessed. "I had searched all morning for Clover! I just wanted to bring him home, not get myself kidnapped!" She started to cry, wailing in anguish. "I didn't mean to do it! I'm sorry! I AM SO SORRY!"
"Sofia, sweetheart, like we've been telling you, none of this was your fault," Miranda murmured, going over to her and taking her on her lap. "You were doing the right thing when you were talking about getting your father to help bring Clover back."
"That's right," Roland agreed, sitting on her other side, "I'm the king of Enchancia, not Boswell, and I make the rules and laws for the kingdom, not him."
Sofia smiled a little. "Can we hear the verdict now?"
"Of course," Baileywick smiled, turning to the toys on the bed. "Has the jury reached a verdict?"
"We find the defendant, the former Amazing Boswell, guilty of all charges and sentenced to be executed," Amber made Rapunzel say.
"Executed?" Sofia frowned. "Why?"
"I was going to lock him up in the dungeon for the life of his life until I saw the trauma he left on you," Roland explained. "I decided then and there that he had to be executed."
"You whimper if you see a dark room and you hide if anyone raises their voice," Miranda added. "Remember the last time someone raised their voice? It was on accident but you hid yourself in a dark room without knowing it."
"I'm sorry..." Sofia murmured.
"Don't apologize," Miranda murmured. "You were traumatized by something that wasn't your fault. But you never have to worry about him again. And you know we're all going to stay right by your side and help you with anything that scares you or makes you upset."
"Mother's right Sofia. We're going to help you for as long as you need it," Amber agreed.
"Now that we finished the pretend trial, how do you feel Sof?" James asked.
Sofia smiled as she took Rapunzel in her arms. "I feel better but I know that the actual trial won't be this simple. Even with all the evidence against him, I know Mr. Boswell. He'll try to lie his way out of it or blame me for his actions. But it's okay. When I was in the wagon and couldn't sleep, I'd stare out into the stars and sometimes wished on them. Going home and no longer being alone were two wishes I made that came true but I waited a long time for my third wish to come true."
"What exactly is your third wish my dear?" Cedric asked.
"To be back with everybody I love!" Sofia smiled.
"I think we were all wishing for that, my dear," Cedric smiled.