Having her amulet stolen by a baby griffin, having Baileywick accompany her to a Buttercups meeting, dealing with Miss Nettle, being cursed by her amulet for bragging, and Amber controlling her tea party were minor compared to her current plight.
She had been with a few older princesses when Hildegard had shown up. The older princesses had stayed with them to keep an eye on Sofia.
She appreciated their offer, smiling and chatting until Hildegard had found an empty room and locked her inside.
"She needs to learn the consequences for getting herself kidnapped," Hildegard's muffled voice smirked.
Sofia didn't panic until she looked around the room, seeing nothing but darkness.
"Let me out! Please!" Sofia pleaded, banging on the door."It's dark in here! I don't like the dark!"
She could hear the older princesses yelling at Hildegard before curling herself into a ball.
"You've been a bad girl Princess. Bad girls get punished."
Boswell's voice played in her head as Sofia started to cry softly.
She wasn't a bad girl. She had given Hildegard a second chance by inviting her to her tea party.
Was Hildegard furious about being punished? Was that why she locked her inside?
Sofia wished she knew. She really did.
What felt like forever, in reality only thirty minutes, she heard the door unlock and sprinted towards the sound.
In front of her stood a relieved Amber and James who hugged her close.
"I'm sorry I'm a bad girl! I'm sorry!" Sofia sobbed.
"You're not a bad girl Sof," James shushed, rubbing her back. "When you didn't come to the coach, Amber and I got the three fairies and we found you here. You're safe."
"But I'm still a bad girl."
"What do you mean?" Amber paused as Sofia pointed to her stained dress. "You're not a bad girl for having an accident. Do you want James to take you to the coach while I talk to Hildegard?" Seeing her sister nod, she waited until they left before walking up to a smirking Hildegard. "Why would you do something like that?!"
"You sister's a baby. I thought she needed to toughen up!" Hildegard retorted.
"She's not a baby! You're the baby for holding a grudge against her for two months! In case you forgot, Sofia didn't ask to be kidnapped by an overweight mad man so you locking her in that room only made her traumatized all over again."
"She gave me a second chance, remember?"
"That was difficult for her to do," Amber scoffed. "She only did it so Clio wouldn't be alone."
"Daddy said that I couldn't visit Clio, have tea parties with her, or have sleepovers for a month!" Hildegard pouted.
"Are you still upset about the punishments King Henrik gave you when you were bullying Sofia before?" Amber demanded. "Everyone in all of the kingdoms was worried about Sofia, and they were willing to do everything in their power to help us get her back!"
"But Daddy never had time for me anymore!" Hildegard whined. "Whenever I wanted to spend some time with him, he always said 'Not right now, Hildegard, we have to follow this new lead to rescue Princess Sofia.'"
"I like my Daddy-Daughter time as much as the next king and princess, but at least I knew when he needed to do something for someone who needed help!"
"That's because you wanted your stupid sister home so she can get all the love and attention she clearly doesn't deserve."
"That's enough Princess Hildegard!" Miss Flora demanded, coming in between the two bickering princesses. "Your actions today scarred Sofia."
"She already had enough on her plate with her trial going on. Now you've shaken her up days before she faces Boswell again!" Amber yelled.
"You said enough Amber dear. We'll hold Hildegard accountable for her actions today," Miss Fauna smiled. "Unless you want to stay and see her get punished."
"I'd like to but can I have a notebook? Please?"
"Of course," Miss Flora smiled, waving her wand and having a notebook appear in Amber's hands.
"Thank you, Miss Flora," Amber smiled. "I just want to write down everything Hildy said and did, then write about what happens when she gets punished for it, just so I can share it with Sofia later."
"That's a wonderful idea," Miss Flora smiled. "I know Sofia would love to know that Princess Hildegard will be punished for what she said."
"I know I'm not the novelist James is, but at least I try my best." Amber admitted.
"You certainly do, but you're both talented in your own way," Miss Flora chuckled, "And I hear Prince James has a special surprise for Sofia before the trial begins?"
"That's right," Amber remembered. "He...well, he, the family, Cedric, and I are going to treat Sofia, and Clover, to a day of fun before the trial. Just like what Daddy did when James and I had nightmares, he'd have Baileywick clear his schedule, then James and I would decide what we did all day."
"After everything she went through, Sofia can have all the fun she wants," Miss Merryweather smiled before turning to Hildegard and crossed her arms. "As for you, we'll have to tell your father about this incident."
"But that's not fair!" Hildegard pouted.
Amber stifled a giggle at her former friend's protest as she followed the fairies to their office, awaiting whatever punishment they were going to give Hildegard for what she had done to her little sister.
…
A story always made her feel better but James could tell that Sofia was still shaken up, taking her hand.
"I'm sorry Amber and I couldn't help you but it doesn't matter what Hildegard says. You're a warrior for everything you went through and don't you ever forget it. She can do whatever she wants but she'll be punished. The fairies will make sure of it," he assured as she relaxed at his touch.
"I'm not a bad girl?" Sofia smiled.
"Sof, you couldn't be a bad girl if you tried," James smiled, "What happened today wasn't your fault. Hildegard was the one who locked you in that empty room, and that was what caused you to have an accident. Everything that happened today is on Hildegard, not you...right, everyone?" He picked up Trèfle and pretended to listen to him. "Trèfle says that you're the best princess he's ever met, and all my plush friends love you too!"
Sofia giggled as she watched James make all the plush animals on the bed nod in agreement. "I love all of you too!"
She crawled towards the front of her bed and picked up her Rapunzel doll, hugging her close.
James noticed her slight frown, gently patting her shoulder. "Is everything okay Sof?"
"We left Amber behind at Royal Prep. She's all alone," Sofia frowned.
"I know but I told the coachman to pick her up right after he dropped us off. Remember?"
"No. I was too scared thinking that Mommy and Daddy or Baileywick would see my dress and punish me for ruining it."
"Sof, when have Mom, Dad, or Baileywick punished you for having an accident?" James asked, "Never, that's when! You know they're all here to help you, and if you have accidents, they'll help take care of those too."
"You're right James. Mommy gave me a bath then you came to my room with your writing buddies and told me a story about a dragon who held a princess in a tower and everyone looked for the princess until they found her!" Sofia giggled. "The princess' father had the dragon slayed so he would never take anyone else ever again!"
She flinched at the creaking of her bedroom door, hiding behind James before looking up and seeing Amber come into the room.
"Amber you know how Sof feels about loud noises!" James scolded.
"Sorry for frightening you Sofia but I just got back from Royal Prep and have something wonderful to show you!" Amber squealed.
"Is that it?" Sofia asked, pointing to the notebook her sister was holding.
"Oh, yes," Amber smirked. "I wrote down not only what happened with Hildegard today, but also what her punishment was."
"Can we let Mommy and Daddy hear this too?" Sofia asked.
"I was just about to call them when I thought I'd check on you first," Amber agreed before calling for Roland and Miranda.
"What happened? Is Sofia okay?" Miranda asked.
"I'm okay Mommy. Amber called you so she can show you and Daddy her notebook!" Sofia giggled.
"Is that so?" Roland grinned. "What do you have to show us Amber?"
"Well, I stayed behind to write about what happened to Hildegard after she got in trouble for locking Sofia in that empty room," Amber explained. "Miss Flora told Hildegard that she's going to be in detention for then next two weeks, and she notified King Henrik about it. I know you say I'm not supposed to spy on people, but I was in the same room with the fairies when they made their magic bubble to talk to him, and I still thought I should write down what King Henrik said, and what Hildegard's at-home punishment is."
"Well, you had a good reason for spying, this time," Roland smirked, mussing her hair. "And we know you wanted to tell us what was going on."
"That's right," Miranda smirked, pulling her into a hug. "Now, what about her at-home punishment?"
"She's grounded for a month, she can't have sleepovers or tea parties with her friends for two weeks, and she can't get the new doll she's had her eye on," Amber said as she consulted her notes. "She also has to talk to the Royal Prep counselors about her behavior."
Sofia smiled a little before turning away. "I'm happy about her getting punished but what if Hildegard gets mad at me when she's not in trouble anymore?"
"If she gets mad, let her stay mad," James grumbled. "What happened to you was no reason for her to bully you or lock you in an empty room."
"Hildegard was the one who was doing something wrong, not you," Amber agreed. "It's not your fault that she's too wrapped up in herself to see how her words and actions are affecting you."
"Hildegard can't come to our special fun day, right?" Sofia asked.
"That's right," James agreed. "But you know the day of fun is just for the family, you, and Clover, right?"
"Mr. Ceedric too?" Sofia asked.
"That's right, Cedric's coming with us too," Amber smiled.
"He's working on a few new spells for you," James agreed, "He told me about this one spell his mom used to cast when he had nightmares and said he'd show you that one again."
"The one with the swirling colors and the sparkles?" Miranda asked. "He cast that when all of you were having nightmares, but it'll be nice to see that spell again."
Sofia cheered at the thought of Cedric doing his magic while Amber and James had to laughed at her excitement.
Recalling how she reacted around Miss Nettle, almost going into a relapse in the process, James was thrilled to see Sofia cheering and jumping up and down in excitement over Cedric's magic.
"Our fun day won't be in any place dark will it?" Sofia asked. "Because while I was locked in that empty room, I thought I was in Mr. Boswell's wagon all over again."
"Don't worry, Sofia, we're going to be out in the open, so you don't have to worry about being in the wagon," Miranda assured her. "In any case, that wagon was burned long ago, so you'll never have to think about it again."
"You also don't have to worry about being locked in any empty rooms," Roland agreed. "We're all going to stay with you."
"Promise?" Sofia smiled.
"We promise," James assured, stroking her hair. "If you need to, you can bring Rapunzel with you."
"Can I? She makes me feel safe."
"Of course you can bring Rapunzel with you," Miranda smiled, the family nodding in agreement. "You can bring anything you want that makes you feel safe."
"Can we have a tea party with our plush friends?" Sofia asked.
"Of course," Amber agreed.
"My plush friends do like your tea parties," James agreed.
"That sounds like what you, Ruby, and Jade used to do in the village," Miranda smiled. "You'd set up your dolls, and the borrowed teacups and blankets, and you'd have such a wonderful time!"
"Only Amber won't control my tea party this time!" Sofia giggled.
"I said I was sorry about that!" Amber yelled. Her heart broke, seeing Sofia flinch at the tone of her voice. "Sorry Sofia. I always seem to forget that you flinch whenever somebody raises their voice."
"It's okay Amber. I know you didn't mean to do it on purpose."
"I'll have the chefs make a few 'Sweetheart Pies' and we can serve them at the tea party, just in case Amber tries something, just to be safe," James whispered, recalling the prank that he, Sofia, and (surprisingly) Baileywick had pulled on Amber as revenge for her taking over Sofia's tea party.
"That won't be necessary, James," Roland smirked. "I'm sure Amber learned a lesson about not taking over something and letting Sofia do what she wants for her party."
"Yes I did," Amber smirked. "I'll never do anything like that again, but I will help you if you need it, and if you ask me for it."
Sofia smiled. The fun day they were planning excited her but she couldn't help but worry. Despite the pretend trial making her less nervous, she feared facing Boswell again.
He made her lose control of her emotions while visiting him in the dungeon and she didn't want to do that again in front of everyone.
Miranda noticed her crestfallen expression, taking Sofia in her arms.
"Everything's going to be all right, Sofia," she said as she hugged her. "We all tell you that you shouldn't keep your emotions bottled up, and if you want to shout and scream at Boswell, then you can do that."
"We all felt like doing that when the guards had him locked up," James agreed. "In fact, when Mom was yelling at Boswell, I actually yelled at him too."
"What did you say?" Sofia asked.
"I told him, 'Give me one good reason why I shouldn't shoot you out of a cannon for what you did to my sister, you sorry excuse for a magician! I never would have volunteered for your act if I'd known what you were really like!'"
Roland pulled James into a hug when he saw him bite his lip. "It's all right, James; Boswell will soon be out of all our lives and we'll never have to worry about him again."
"Especially Sofia," Amber agreed. "That coward made her go through a lot all because he wanted her rabbit for his own greedy purposes."
"I remember Amber," Sofia frowned. "I remember all the money he had from all of his and Clover's performances and he never spent any on me while I was in that wagon alone, hungry, and wearing the same clothes on my back for two weeks straight."
"What about those books we collected from the wagon before we burned it?" Roland asked.
"He only got me those to keep me quiet."
"And you can do whatever you want with those books," Roland agreed. "You can keep them, or you can have your dragon friend burn them so one more thing can be destroyed."
"Do you think we should make Boswell give Sofia the money he made with Clover too?" Amber suggested. "After all, Clover's her bunny, and he did all the work in the magic acts."
"That's not a bad idea, Amber," Miranda agreed. "We should bring that up at the trial."
"I remember the guards collecting it all when I got rescued but can we not talk about Mr. Boswell anymore?" Sofia requested. "I'm getting tired."
"Of course," Roland smiled, kissing her cheek. "Do you want your dinner here?"
Sofia nodded, watching as James gathered his plush friends in his arms. She needed to talk to Clover about what Hildegard had done to her among other things.
"Sof, you know you and Clover are welcome to use any of my writing buddies if you get scared," James said before he left. "I know Clover likes cuddling with them when we work on stories together."
"Thank you, James," Sofia smiled. She took Little Rex from James and put the dog in Clover's basket with him. "He's Clover's favorite!"
"Brilliant," James smiled. "I'll talk to Cedric tomorrow and see if he can make you a copy of Little Rex. That way, Clover can have a plush friend of his own!"
"Thank you, James!" Sofia smiled. Then as she watched the family go to their rooms, she stroked Clover's fur to get his attention. "Clover? Can I talk to you about what happened today?"
"Of course kid. What happened?" Clover asked, looking up at her.
"It's a long story. If I get upset, you'll comfort me won't you?"
"Haven't I always done that while we were in the wagon?"
"You did!" Sofia giggled. She sighed as Clover hopped into her lap. "It all started after school. I was talking with a few older princesses when Hildegard showed up. I thought she was being nice to me so we walked with the older princesses until we stopped and Hildegard pushed me into a empty room before locking me inside, saying that I had to learn the consequences for getting myself kidnapped."
"Sof, just say the word and I'll nibble holes in her dresses!" Clover grumbled.
"Silly Clover! You're not a moth!" Sofia giggled. "But I kept begging her to let me out, and she told me that bad princesses get punished."
"Maybe she was predicting what would happen to her," Clover smirked. "Hildegard's the bad princess, not you. But you said you were with two other princesses. What were they doing, and did they get help for you?"
"They were yelling at Hildegard before one of them went to get Amber and James," Sofia recalled. "It was so scary being in that empty room that I thought I was in the wagon again."
"Was it dark in that room?"
"Yes. I couldn't see anything so I started crying, hoping that someone would hear me."
"Amber and James heard you, didn't they?" Clover asked.
"Yes, as soon as I heard their voices," Sofia agreed. "I heard Miss Flora's voice too, since she came up to see why those other girls were yelling. Amber and James were right behind her, and they all got me out. I saw those two princesses guarding Hildegard, just in case she tried to say something else to me or try something else to make me upset again. But when I was out, I saw my dress and..."
"You had an accident in there?" Clover finished.
Sofia nodded. "I didn't mean to give Hildegard more things to tease me about!"
"Sof, that wasn't your fault," Clover murmured as he cuddled up in her lap. "Hildegard's the one that made that happen, not you."
"I know but I was so upset I called myself a bad girl."
"You're not a bad girl kid. Hildegard's the one who's been a bad girl."
Sofia giggled, petting Clover behind the ears. "She got punished for being a bad girl too!" She looked over towards her window seat where her lanterns sat and smiled. "I'm happy Mr. Boswell didn't find my lanterns."
"Me too princess," Clover smiled.
"Mr. Dove did a good job hiding them. I wonder where he is now."
"From what Mia and Robin told me a few days ago, he seems to be enjoying his freedom."
"Are they still mad at you?" Sofia asked quietly. "Are they mad at me for what I did or for why I don't let them dress me anymore?"
"They're not as mad as they had been," Clover started. "They were upset that I'd run away and that I got you tangled up in that mess. But they knew that I wasn't thinking clearly when I ran away. They also understand why they can't dress you anymore, since you get so nervous. But they know that what happened wasn't your fault."
"Well, maybe after the trial, I'll start letting them help me get dressed again," Sofia smiled. "After everything's done and Mr. Boswell's out of our lives, we can eat carrots again, I'll let Robin and Mia help me get dressed, and I'll be able to wear my shoes all the time again."
The rabbit nodded, smiling as he heard her yawn. He hopped off her lap as she stood up and rubbed her eyes.
Exhausted from the day she had, Sofia immediately fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow as Clover hopped towards the window seat, hearing a tapping noise.
Mia and Robin knew not to disturb them while they slept, having the rabbit roll his eyes upon seeing a familiar raven.
"What do you want bird break?" Clover grumbled. "Sofia's asleep."
"Is that so?" Wormwood smirked. "With her fragile mindset, I thought she was a little night owl."
"Cedric gave her one of your feathers to help her feel less nervous for Boswell's trial so I would appreciate it if you kept my kid out of our conversation."
"Oh I'm sorry is her softening my master since your return bothering you?"
"Softening? Cedric knows how she feels about magic and doesn't want to hurt her!" Clover hissed. "Boswell traumatized her for life in case you forgot!"
"A pathetic excuse for a man traumatized the little pest?" Wormwood sneered. "No wonder Cedric's always cursing him under his breath."
The two animals heard Sofia yawn as she looked at them with tired eyes.
"I heard voices so I woke up. What's going on?" Sofia asked, rubbing her eyes.
"Wormwood's joining us in cursing out Boswell," Clover smirked.
"Thank you, Wormwood," Sofia smirked. "I also wanted to thank you for that feather you gave me. Mister Cedric put it on a necklace for me, and I'm going to wear it during my day of fun with the family, and during the trial."
"Is that so?" Wormwood smirked.
"James said it's like a good luck charm."
"You'll have good luck with or without the feather princess."
"You're not mad at me are you Wormwood?" Sofia frowned. "Because you must think I'm pretty dumb for getting myself kidnapped by Mr. Boswell."
"Of course not, princess, and I hope it brings you luck when you wear it," Wormwood assured her, "The only 'dumb' person is Boswell for abducting you. In any case, the only one who gets to torment your furrball is me!"
"Gee, thanks..." Clover grumbled.
"Guys, could you please not fight?" Sofia broke in. "Clover knows he made a mistake, and he's trying to help make up for it."
"No problem, Sof," Clover agreed.
"I'll give you and the furrball time to recover from your ordeal, then I'll start up with the teasing again," Wormwood agreed.
"Thank you," Sofia snickered. "I know you and Clover hate each other Wormwood but could you stay here just for tonight? I'm sure Mr. Ceedric wouldn't mind if you stayed here with me."
"As humiliating as your request is I wouldn't mind at all princess. I've been told about your nightmares from those bird friends of yours so I'll be happy to assist you if needed."
"That's pretty generous coming from someone who once pecked her during one of her lessons with Cedric," Clover smirked.
"Yes it is, but don't expect me to sing if she needs a lullaby to calm her down," Wormwood smirked.
"Oh, Wormwood, you have a wonderful voice," Sofia smiled.
Clover snickered at her words while Wormwood rolled his eyes. He may not like Sofia all that much but he wasn't heartless when it came to her ordeal.
Watching his master work day and night trying to locate her was enough to shed a small bit of cruelty from his darkened soul as Wormwood flew to the top of Sofia's bed.
He watched as she yawned and went back to sleep while Clover looked up at him with crestfallen eyes.
"I know what you're going to say, furrball, and the answer is no," Wormwood started. "While you were in the wrong for running away, you're not the one who is to blame for what happened to her afterward. That wretched magician was the one who traumatized her. You have no idea how hard Cedric tried to find her with his seeking spells, and how frustrated he always became when she was moved to the different locations."
"Birdbrain, you have no idea what Sofia and I have gone you had the luxury of good food and a warm place to sleep, we had nothing but each other in a cold wagon for two weeks," Clover grumbled.
"As much as I hate to admit it, I admire you for being by the princess' side throughout her ordeal with that wretched magician."
"You'd do the same thing for Cedric bird break."
"Except Cedric's an adult and able to defend himself. Sofia's a little girl and was completely defenseless. Boswell had complete control over her but you never left her to deal with him alone and from what I heard from the princess, you clawed him while he was asleep once. Nice work for a carrot eating fur ball," Wormwood finished, giving Clover a playful smirk.
"And what would you have done in my spot?" Clover frowned.
"Obviously I would have helped protect her, but only as a favor to Cedric," Wormwood paused, then he smirked. "And of course, if that magician tried to go anywhere near me, I'd claw his eyes and peck him for daring to cage me in the first place!"
Cloves chuckled, rolling his eyes playfully at the raven before hopping to his basket.
Seeing Little Rex there, he snuggled beside the plush dog and went to sleep.
With him and Wormwood with her, Sofia didn't have a nightmare that night but on the day of the trial days afterward, she found herself waking up in a cold sweat.
"Clover, where are you?" Sofia whimpered.
"Don't worry, Sof, I'm right here next to you," Clover said as he hopped up to her side. "I'm never going to leave your side again."
"Thank you, Clover," Sofia smiled a little as she stroked him.
"You're welcome kid. Are you feeling better?"
"A little but I have butterflies in my stomach. I don't want to face all those people and talk about what Mr. Boswell did to me."
Clover nuzzled against her, seeing tears in her eyes. "You'll feel better when you do."
"I know but Mr. Boswell might accuse me of being a liar," Sofia sniffed. "Especially when I bring up how he whipped me as punishment for talking to Hugo and Desmond."
"Do your parents know about that?"
"Daddy does from my drawings but Mommy doesn't."
"Well, maybe before you start your day of fun, you can tell her about that," Clover suggested. "You can get it off your chest so you don't have to think about it while you're having fun."
Sofia nodded. Clover had a good idea about getting that off her chest before starting their day of fun so she wouldn't have to think about Boswell or anything else he did. The last thing she wanted was to spoil the fun day that the family had planned for her.
Putting on her robe, she walked out of her room and bit her lip. She shivered at the thought of Miranda being angry with her for not saying anything sooner.
Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door to her parents' bedroom as Miranda opened it and lead her inside.
"Mommy, I mean Mom, please don't be mad at me for what I'm about to tell you!" Sofia pleaded.
"Mad? Why would I be mad?" Miranda asked.
"I didn't want to talk about how Mr. Boswell would punish me when I tried to ask Hugo and Desmond for help," Sofia started. "He whipped me when he learned that I was talking to them instead of staying in the wagon."
"I'll whip him!" Miranda muttered under her breath, holding Sofia tighter. She raised her voice. "Sofia, you had every right to try to find someone to help you. You didn't want to be with Boswell, did you? No you didn't. You wanted to find someone to help you and Clover."
"But what if Mr. Boswell calls me a liar?" Sofia asked.
"With witnesses from four kingdoms testifying against him?" Miranda scoffed. "I'd like to see him try it!"
"But what if he does try?"
"Then he's going to lose because of all the evidence against him."
"You really think so?" Sofia smiled.
"I know so," Miranda assured, kissing her cheek. "I know you're nervous but you're going to make us proud of you when we see you testify." She saw Sofia gaze at her slippers, close to tears. "I know you feel like you don't need all this attention but you wouldn't want Boswell to do something like this again do you?"
"No!" Sofia cried, "I don't want anyone to go through what Clover and I did!"
"That's why when you're up there testifying, I want you to be a brave girl okay?"
"Okay. But are you sure you're not mad at me?"
Miranda wiped away the tears from Sofia's eyes, stroking her hair. "At you for everything you went through? Never."
"But I wasn't being honest," Sofia sniffed. "I'm a bad girl."
"Sofia, you have never been a bad girl," Miranda said as she took her on her lap. "I understand how you feel about all of this, but you need to tell everyone what Boswell did so they can help you too."
"I understand and Mom?"
"Yes?"
"I wanna call you Mom again!" Sofia blurted out. "I called you Mommy because I was suppressing everything Mr. Boswell did to me. I was so scared that you wouldn't love me anymore if you knew." She buried her face in Miranda's chest. "And if he'll allow it, I want Dad to be Dad again and maybe I can have Rapunzel come with me to the trial because the butterflies in my stomach hadn't gone away yet."
"Sofia, you can call us whatever you want," Miranda smiled. "And I want you to know that we never stopped loving you, no matter what Boswell led you to believe. And as for Rapunzel being with you, you can have anything you want with you that makes you feel safe during the trial."
"But what about Clover being with me too?" Sofia asked, "He always made me feel safe when we were together."
"Of course he can!" Roland grinned. He squeezed Sofia's hand, seeing her flinch at the noise. "It's okay sweetheart. I just wanted to talk to you before you get ready for the trial."
"You mean it's today?" Sofia frowned. "But what about the fun day?"
"We'll have to postpone it unfortunately as Boswell had a bit of an uproar last night so it was decided by Constable Miles that we move the day of the trial to the last minute."
"Clover's going to be so disappointed, Dad. We were looking forward to our fun day."
"Maybe we can do the fun day after the trial," Miranda suggested. "We'll all need a day to relax and have fun after everything that's happened, right?"
"That's a good idea," Roland agreed. "I remember how Amber, James, and I would have fun days after something happened that frightened them."
"You started with a family camp-out, then you told Baileywick that you were clearing your schedule for the day to spend time with Amber and James, right?" Sofia asked.
"Right Sofia."
"Dad, is it okay if Mom gets my dress while we talk? I don't want to waste anymore time than necessary."
Roland turned to Miranda who nodded. Once she left, he took Sofia in his lap, stroking her hair.
Sofia gazed up at him before burying her head in his chest and began to sob.
"It's going to be all right, Sofia," Roland murmured. "You're not wasting anyone's time. We all want to help you and Clover get through this. We're all going to be right by your side."
"No you won't. You hate me," Sofia hiccuped.
"Hate you? Why would I hate you?"
"Because I made you worry over something stupid that I did and when I finally get back home, you're not mad at me like I expected you to be. Why are you still loving me when I'm not even your real daughter?! Amber is! Maybe Mr. Boswell was right that last night in the wagon about me not being loved by you because every time you see me, you see pity and it makes me sad that we can't go back to normal anymore."
Roland took Sofia on his lap and hugged her. "Sofia, it doesn't matter whether I was your dad when you were born. I'm your dad now, and that makes me your real father, and you my real daughter, now and forever. I love you, Sofia. Now, and forever."
Sofia smiled as she remembered Roland saying this same thing once before, and she hugged him as tears filled her eyes again. "I love you too, Dad!"
The butterflies in her stomach disappeared as she calmed down in his arms. In Roland's arms she felt safe and loved, laying on his chest until Miranda returned with her dress and Clover in tow.
"Clover wanted to see her didn't he?" Roland smiled.
Miranda nodded, scratching the rabbit behind the ears. "He seems to get anxious if they're apart for too long."
Roland nodded, remembering how James had offered to take Clover with him to his room while Sofia and Miranda had talked once. Sofia had panicked when they had gone a few steps away, and James gave Clover back to her, all the while apologizing for coming up with such a dumb idea like that. Luckily, Sofia had forgiven him, and she said that Clover had forgiven James. They understood that his intentions had been good, to give Sofia and Miranda some 'girl time', but Sofia wanted to have Clover with her to help comfort her.
It seemed that everyone noticed how close Clover and Sofia were since their ordeal as Roland smiled, hearing Sofia's giggling.
He and Miranda watched as Clover sniffed the air before Sofia took him in her arms.
"I'm not sure if Dad will allow it," Sofia smirked.
"If I'll allow what?" Roland grinned.
"Clover wants to know If you'll allow him near Mr. Boswell before the trial so he can bite him."
"I'm not sure if that's such a good idea," Roland smirked. "After all, we don't know where Boswell's been! You don't want Clover to get sick, do you?"
"That's right," Miranda chuckled. "But don't worry, Sofia, we'll make sure you and Clover get the sweet taste of revenge on Boswell!"
"Have you been playing with James? That sounds like something he'd say!" Sofia giggled.
"Maybe," Miranda smirked. "Now come on. Let's get you dressed."
Sofia nodded with a small smile. Once dressed, she took Roland's hand as she walked into the hallway with her parents.
She could see a pair of shoes in Amber's hands before biting her lip to keep her tears at bay.
"Sofia is you okay? Are you nervous?" Amber asked.
"A little," Sofia croaked. "Everyone's going to stare at me like I'm a victim and that's all they're ever going to see me as!"
"No they won't," Amber assured her, "We told you that all the kingdoms were searching for you, and everyone wanted to help us...well, everyone but Hildegard, but she's going to be punished for a long time for what she's been doing and saying, so we don't need to worry about her now."
"Do you think she'll ever be nice to me again?" Sofia asked.
"I doubt it," James smirked, wiping away Sofia's tears. "She doesn't deserve your kindness ever again because she'll just leave a horrible taste in your mouth."
Hearing her giggle in response, he stepped back as Amber helped Sofia put on her shoes despite her resisting them for a few moments until being bribed with her bunny slippers.
Sitting beside Miranda when everyone was in the coach, Sofia played with the bracelet that Roland had given her weeks prior before sighing softly.
"Dad, I know I should be mad that this is last minute, but can you thank Constable Miles for me?" Sofia requested.
"Of course I can," Roland smiled. "Constable Miles told me that he wants to help you too, and he also says that you're getting better about being around him."
Sofia beamed at his words before laying her head on Miranda's lap.
"Poor Sof's going to be so exhausted after today," James murmured. "I can already see her looking scared when Boswell shows up."
"Me too," Amber agreed. "But on the bright side, she'll regain what's rightfully hers."
"What do you mean by that Amber?"
"Sofia always got so scared when she was around other people, but she's recovering well from what happened," Amber smiled. "She's regaining confidence, she's not afraid of men or boys coming up to her, she's not afraid of being alone with other men in the castle...can you think of anything else, James?"
"We work on it every day, but I think you've got the basics covered," James nodded.
Amber grinned in response but when the coach landed, she could hear Sofia whimpering at the sight of other coaches and carriages.
Despite not being in any acts with Boswell, her sister had developed a phobia around crowds which broke Amber's heart as she squeezed a whimpering Sofia's hand.
"Everything's going to be all right, Sofia," Amber promised, "The people in those coaches are here to help you."
"Amber's right, Sof," James agreed, then hoping to cheer her up, he added, "But if you get scared when you go up to testify, just imagine everyone in their underwear!"
"That may work for you when you're going to sing again, but I don't think that'll work for me!" Sofia giggled.
"Okay, you can pretend you're in your room talking to us and Clover," James grinned as Roland mussed his hair.
"That'll work!" Miranda agreed, kneeling down to Sofia's level. "Sofia, baby, it'll be okay if you feel nervous and scared while testifying because if I'm being honest, we're all scared too."
"You are?" Sofia gasped.
"Yes," Amber admitted. "We've never dealt with something like this before. If you want to get mad at Boswell and scream and cruse at him, Daddy's allowing you to do so because we're scared that monster will try to blame you for his actions at anytime while you're testifying."
"I'll try not to say anything too bad," Sofia promised.
"Don't worry, Sofia, you can say anything you want to him," Roland assured her. "And don't worry, you won't be punished for it afterward. Like we've told you before, it's not good to keep your feelings bottled up, and we understand that sometimes a bad word would slip out when you were getting used to the castle again, but it wasn't intentional."
"Your father's right sweetheart," Miranda agreed, taking her hand. "Would you like one of us to bring in Clover for you?"
Sofia nodded, letting her mother take her inside as she spotted Clover sniffing James before hopping into his arms.
Giggling to herself, she hadn't noticed the crowds of people until she looked up and gasped in surprise.
"Why are all these people here?" Sofia asked as James handed Clover over to her.
"These are the people who were helping to look for you," Roland explained. "Remember, we told you that we had the knights going to several different kingdoms to get leads on what happened to you, and they'd come back with not just information, but also they sometimes brought back a small toy or doll for you for when you were back with us."
Sofia smiled a little. She remembered James saying that he'd write down the names of the royal families and people from the different kingdoms who sent them, then following her rescue she wrote the thank-you notes for them with Miranda, and saying how much she appreciated their help. She also remembered during one of her first nights back how James had the dolls and stuffed animals gathered around him, and he was using them like he did with his own plush writing helpers. They had both laughed about this, especially since James had told her that they were doing brilliantly for their first time helping him with a story for her.
She giggled at the memory as Miranda knelt down to her level and hugged her close.
"My tummy's filling up with butterflies again but I'm going to be okay," Sofia assured, feeling hot tears stain her dress sleeve.
"I know but I didn't ask for you to go through all this and yet here you are being a brave little girl for all of us," Miranda sniffed.
"Everything's going to be just fine, Sofia," Amber agreed. "You've got so many people here to support you, not just from our kingdom, but from just about every kingdom."
"Even Hildegard's?" Sofia frowned a little.
"Well, I do see King Henrik and Princess Astrid," Amber admitted, "But Hildegard's not with them. I know you're not happy about what's been going on with Hildegard right now, but you shouldn't take it out on the rest of her family."
"Okay," Sofia agreed.
The family pulled her into a group hug with Roland and Miranda covering her with kisses before letting go as Clover nuzzled against her.
He wasn't liking the crowds either but the sooner this was over with, the better.
"It's going to be all right, Clover," James murmured as he scratched his ears, "if you get scared, just pretend you're in my room with my writing buddies. And later, if you want, we'll make up a story just for you!"
Clover smiled and sniffed his hand at the idea. He liked the thought of a story just for him. He also liked the plush dog James and Sofia gave him to help him sleep at night.
Sofia promised him that she'll get him a plush dog of his own after her birthday but he enjoyed Little Rex's comfort for now, nuzzling against Sofia once more.
Sofia giggled at the touch before watching her family to go their seats. She didn't like the idea of being apart from them but as Constable Miles knelt down beside her, she fiddled with the amulet nervously.
"What if Mr. Boswell's mad when he comes in here and takes it out on me again?" Sofia gulped.
"Don't worry, princess," Constable Miles assured her, "Boswell won't try anything, since he's very heavily restrained and under guard. He won't make it very far, and I'd like to see him try and do something in front of an entire room full of witnesses. And you know that if he does try something, he'll get in even more trouble than he's already in."
"Will you stay with me for the trial?" Sofia asked, hugging Rapunzel as she took her from Miranda.
"Of course I will," Constable Miles smiled, patting Rapunzel's head. "I'll stay with both of you."
"Thank you Constable."
"My pleasure princess."
Sofia beamed, noticing the brown folder containing her drawings in his arms as Constable Miles lead her to the one of the tables in front of her.
She paled, seeing Boswell come into the room before smiling at the dry blood on his face and giggling at his face paling seeing her father and mentor.
"Did you visit him again Dad?" Sofia asked.
"I did. A couple nights ago with Cedric accompanying me," Roland admitted.
"What did you do? Anything bad?"
"No. Nothing bad my dear," Cedric assured.
"Didn't you say you were going to curse him into the next century?" Sofia asked.
"Well, I wanted to, but I thought it would be best if he was punished properly," Cedric admitted. "But of course that didn't stop me from using a few less powerful spells when I saw him in the dungeon."
"And I may have given him a piece of my mind while Cedric used his spells," Roland confessed. "Because nobody hurts my little girl and gets away with it."
Sofia beamed before turning to the judge. She stroked Clover's fur to calm herself but seeing Boswell under heavy restraint helped her relax a little.
"Princess Sofia, would you like to come over to the witness stand and introduce yourself?" The judge asked.
"Yes I would but can I please bring my rabbit Clover with me your honor?" Sofia requested. "I'd feel better if he was with me."
"Of course you can," the judge smiled, "you can have whatever you want that makes you feel more at ease here."
"You'll be great, Sof," Clover murmured, "It's just like the pretend trial you did before. Just say what you said during that time."
Sofia nodded, giving Constable Miles Rapunzel and walked over to the witness stand, facing the people in front of her.
"Good morning everyone. My name's Princess Sofia of Enchancia," Sofia introduced and pointed to Boswell with a shaky finger. "Two months ago I was kidnapped by the former Amazing Boswell because I threatened to get the guards and my father King Roland if he didn't give me my rabbit Clover back."
"He had no tags or collar. You trespassed on my property just to steal my magic bunny!" Boswell growled.
"That's a lie! I wasn't stealing Clover from you Mr. Boswell. He was my rabbit and you had no right to take him away from me!"
"Order! Order!" the judge shouted, banging her gavel to get attention. She saw Sofia cringe at the loud noise and her shouting, murmured an apology, then asked, "How did you come across the rabbit in question, Princess?"
Sofia smiled a little, and explained how he and his animal friends came to her when she first came to the castle. She saw Amber look like she was going to add something, so she said, "My sister Amber also knew Clover, but not as personally as I did. She recognized Clover, my two bird friends, and my squirrel friend as animals that used to help her." She saw Amber nod, so she continued, "Clover was my first friend when I came to the castle, and I always tried to make time for him. However, the day of Mr. Boswell's magic act, he wanted to spend time with me, but I was busy doing other things, and I told him that I'd play later. Clover was upset about this and ran away. I found Clover with Mr. Boswell and tried to tell him to give him back to me."
The judge nodded softly. "And judging by your outburst to Boswell, it didn't work?"
"No your honor. The moment I threatened to get my dad and the castle guards, Mr. Boswell grabbed me and placed his sweaty hand over my mouth so I couldn't scream," Sofia shuddered. "I tried to fight him off like my mom taught me to in case anyone tried to kidnap me but nothing worked and before I knew it, I woke up in his wagon hours later when it was dark outside."
"Your honor, permission to destroy this worthless person before us?" Cedric growled, gripping his wand tightly in his hand as he leaped from his seat.
"Denied," the judge tried to frown, but she couldn't help but smile at how Sofia giggled at his actions.
"That's right, Cedric, let's wait until the sentencing to destroy him," James murmured as he and Roland eased Cedric back down.
"You may continue Princess," the judge smiled.
"The first night was uneventful as I don't remember much but the next morning had Mr. Boswell slapping me because Clover was sleeping beside me instead of the bed he provided for him. I didn't know it meant abuse yet but before they left, I gave Clover scraps of paper where I wrote down my name, my kidnapper's name, and pleading for someone to rescue me but when nobody came that night, I thought nobody was looking for me," Sofia sighed. "After five days of captivity, I met Prince Hugo, a classmate and friend from Royal Prep, and was this close to asking him to get a couple guards when Mr. Boswell overheard me and had put on his nice for the public charade in front of Hugo."
"And is Prince Hugo here today?"
"Yes, your honor," Hugo nodded. Just like how Sofia and her family had the pretend trial to practice what she was going to say, he had done something similar with his family.
"Very good, Prince Hugo, please come forward," the judge agreed. "Princess Sofia, you may step down."
As she stepped down, Sofia noticed how nervous Hugo looked despite Victoria and Garrick giving him reassuring smiles.
He didn't want to be here and she didn't blame him, gripping Rapunzel tightly as Hugo made his way towards the witness stand.
"I remember how Sofia looked that day. She looked dirty and malnourished. She was terrified of Mr. Boswell and pleaded with me to get her anything, unaware she said it within that monster's earshot," Hugo started.
Sofia nodded as she remembered the day. It was her fifth day of captivity, and Hugo had offered to get his father and brother to help her before Boswell had interrupted them. She remembered Hugo and his father arguing with Boswell, and how Hugo had been upset when Boswell took her away again.
"I'm sorry, Dad," he murmured, recalling how he had shouted at him.
"You had a good reason to be upset, Champ," Garrick assured him before the judge motioned for him to continue.
"I remember Mr. Boswell yelling at Sofia before hitting her as she screamed and cried for him to stop," Hugo shuddered. "By the time I got there with my dad, she was unconscious. The monster lied to us saying that she was volunteering. When Dad threatened to have King Roland and Queen Miranda deal with him, he had us leave and took Sofia with him."
The judge nodded somberly. "Thank you Prince Hugo." She gave him a sympathetic smile. "I can't imagine what you went through afterwards knowing Princess Sofia was still in danger but can you step down please so she can continue her testimony?"
"Yes, your honor," Hugo murmured. As he went back to his seat, he paused and turned to Sofia. "I'm so sorry I didn't try harder to help you, Sofia."
"It's not your fault, Hugo," Sofia murmured. "Mister Boswell was the one who was lying to your dad, and he was the one that caused all this."
He kissed her cheek, causing her to blush as she returned to the witness stand.
"That night, after Hugo and King Garrick had left, Mr. Boswell whipped me," Sofia recalled as a few tears rolled down her cheeks. "I thought being bruised was bad but feeling my skin tear with twenty lashes against my back was painful. Even more painful than the cigar burns he gave me my last night with him." She noticed Amber's look of shock and hung her head. "For two weeks I dealt with his cruelty from insults to the scraps of leftovers I was given to eat once a day."
Boswell rolled his eyes, showing no remorse seeing her tear strained face. "I kept you alive. Wasn't that enough?"
"Apparently not!" Sofia shouted. "Everything I did made you hurt me! You hurt me over every single minor thing I said or did! I never did anything to deserve that! I just wanted my rabbit back! He wasn't yours to begin with! You just took him from me without caring that I might want to get him back! You used him as a ploy to take me too! I told you that I'd get my father, the king, to make you give him back, but you didn't even care!" She took a deep breath and continued. "You starved me, beat me, burned me, threatened me, and even brainwashed me! You lied to everyone I tried to get help from!"
"And I'd do it all over again, you little pest," Boswell muttered.
"Dad, can I shoot him out of a cannon now?" James whispered. "It doesn't have to be a big cannon, and Boswell deserves it!"
"No, but you can watch as Cedric casts his sparkles, and that'll give you and Sofia a chance to calm down," Roland smirked as Cedric cast his spell.
Sofia looked up, seeing the sparkles of light that had made her less afraid of magic her first days back at the castle. Calming down, she continued to describe her days of loneliness and cruelty inside Boswell's wagon before letting Desmond come to the witness stand.
He looked like he didn't want to be there and neither did she, watching his legs tremble upon seeing Boswell.
"It's going to be all right, Desmond," she heard his father whisper to him. "You know we practiced what you were going to say. Just pretend you're back in your room with us."
"Okay," Desmond said at last and, taking a deep breath, made his way to the witness stand.
Sofia nearly fainted from hearing him talk about his experience trying to help her while she was covered in poison Ivy but when he was finished, she came up to him and hugged him.
"You did great Desmond," Sofia smiled.
"Thank you Sofia," Desmond sniffed. "How are you holding up?"
"Terrible. If Mr. Boswell says one more mean thing to me, I'm this close to snapping at him."
"I don't blame you. I'd snap at him too if I had to relive his cruelty all over again."
"It's going to be all right, Prince Desmond," Cedric murmured, shooting some more sparkles out of his wand. "You did very well, and you tried to help Sofia."
Desmond smiled a little as he watched the sparkles. His own castle's royal sorcerer did something similar to help calm him down since his encounter with Boswell, and he was happy that Cedric knew a calming spell to help him too.
"Oh, Desmond, I'm not sure if I ever thanked you for your care package," Sofia added. "Those dresses you sent were really nice, and I liked the books, toys, and the bunny slippers."
"You did thank me. In one of our dance classes," Desmond smiled. "But I'm glad you loved it."
He went back to his seat, watching her go back to the witness stand. His heart broke for her.
She looked so vulnerable up there facing all those people.
"Days after Desmond tried to help me, I was close to giving up," Sofia confessed. "I was so brainwashed and broken that I took in every word Mr. Boswell said to me but on the day of my rescue, I escaped after he left with Clover. After I did my business, I found a guard and I told him everything before he took me back to the wagon where Mr. Boswell snapped."
"Did I say you could leave that wagon? I considered letting you go until you pulled that stunt!" Boswell growled.
"You only wanted to let me go so you wouldn't get caught! I might be almost nine years old but I'm not an idiot! You kept me as a ploy so I couldn't get Clover back you damn bastard and I hope you rot in hell because of it!"
Sofia immediately covered her lips with her hands, realizing the vulgar words she just spat out in public as she looked at her family with tears in her eyes.
"Don't worry, Sofia, we know you sometimes use that type of language when you're frightened, angry, or upset," Roland assured her. He looked toward the judge. "Permission to hug the witness, your honor?"
"Granted, and I'll allow your family to hug her too," the judge smiled, motioning for Miranda, James, and Amber to follow Roland.
"I'm sorry, Dad," Sofia whispered as she felt their arms around her.
"Sofia, you don't have to apologize for anything," Roland murmured. "You're doing very well, and we're all incredibly proud of you."
"I'd be so nervous if it was me up there testifying," Amber admitted.
"Me too," James added. "I might be good with words but I wouldn't be so great with speaking to a crowd of people who I barely know."
"But how can you be proud of me when I've lost control of my anger twice?" Sofia sniffed.
"We're proud of you because you're not keeping your feelings bottled up anymore," Miranda smiled as she hugged her. "We've told you that it's not healthy to do that, and you're getting much better at telling people how you're feeling."
"Not to mention that you're proving to Boswell that you're not the broken princess he claimed you to be," James added.
"You're being a good and wonderfully brilliant girl so far!" Amber grinned.
Sofia beamed, feeling a little better as the family went back to their seats while a few tears went down her cheeks.
And she didn't care if Boswell saw them or not.