Favoritism
After the role Amity played at Eclipse Lake, she suspected that her actions would come back to bite her in the near future. Every member of the Emperor's Coven there had seen her and recognized her as part of the Blight family. For the first few days after the fact, Amity had been on edge, just waiting for the coven guards to show up at her door to apprehend her for her treachery. She kept a close eye on her surroundings everywhere she went, marking exits and potential escape routes in case she was suddenly ambushed.
But as more and more days came and went with no signs of the Emperor's Coven, a part of her thought that maybe nothing serious was going to happen. After a week had past with no signs of an incoming arrest, she was finally starting to relax. Perhaps since the Emperor's Coven still managed to accomplish their goal of acquiring Titan's Blood in the end, they just didn't feel the need to go through all the trouble of bringing Amity into custody.
Unfortunately, that hope was unceremoniously dashed one faithful Saturday evening.
Amity was sitting on one of the Blight's Abomination-themed recliners in their family manor living room, reading through her latest book. On most days, she would spend her free time at the Owl House together with her awesome girlfriend. That day though, Luz was busy performing her first test run on her portal to the human realm. While she offered to help, Luz felt that if the portal worked, she'd like to immediately go see her mom on her own and Amity respected her decision. Wishing her the best, she instead decided to spend her day winding down at her house after feeling apprehensive all week.
Her palisman, Ghost, laid napping on her lap while her brother and sister sat on the sofa opposite of her, each messing with their scrolls. They all sat in comfortable silence, which was rare when Edric and Emira were in the room, but luckily their scrolls at the moment were more important than bothering Amity. While she would never admit it to them directly, Amity did enjoy being in the presence of her siblings as they all sat together calmly.
Before long though, the tranquil silence surrounding them was violently broken as a loud crash was heard from the Blight's front doors. The three Blight kids all looked towards the entrance as a squadron of Abomatons and Coven guards flooded into the living room. As quick as they entered, the soldiers encircled Amity where she sat. She hugged Ghost close to her chest as the cat palisman loudly hissed at the ring of guards surrounding them. Amity couldn't see her siblings or anything really besides the guards around her. She was trapped.
"Mittens! What's going on? Are you okay?" Emira's concerned voice was heard beyond the ring of soldiers.
"Hey! Let our sister go! What do you want with her?" Edric loudly demanded.
"I'll tell you what we want." A new voice came from the living room entrance. A section of the ring of guards parted to allow a new Abomaton passage. On its head stood a diminutive red demon whose single visible eye was fixated squarely on Amity.
"Amity Blight. For your actions taken against members of the Emperor's Coven, you are hereby placed under arrest." Kikimora declared.
This was it. The very scenario Amity was dreading all week was here. Looking around once again she knew she couldn't get away. She could barely hold back a single Abomaton, and even with her palisman supporting her there were simply too many to handle. Feelings of dread and hopelessness started climbing up her veins, not helped when she heard the next voice speak up.
"What is the meaning of this?" All eyes turned to Odalia Blight as she marched into the living room, her husband Alador following behind. Amity did not tell her parents about her time at Eclipse Lake, and this was not an ideal way of letting them know.
Kikimora turned to face the Blight matriarch. From her perch on top of the massive Abomaton, she could comfortably look down at anyone in the room. "Last week, your daughter, alongside the Owl Lady, interfered with an excavation setup by the Emperor's Coven at the Knee. She even attacked the Golden Guard, forcing him to retreat in an embarrassing display of cowardice."
"Wha-Amity! You did what now? What were you thinking?" Odalia yelled. Amity opened her mouth to explain but no words came out. She knew anything she said wouldn't actually help her in this situation.
Alador on the other hand seemed genuinely impressed with what he heard and even gave Amity a proud smile. "Wait, you managed to fight off the Golden Guard? Good job!" Alador said with a thumbs up.
"Alador! Don't encourage her!"
"Yes yes," Kikimora cut in. "We're all happy about the Golden Guard's humiliating defeat at the hands of a 14-year old girl. Regardless, actions taken against the Emperor and his coven cannot go unpunished. Thus, Amity will be arrested and taken to the Conformatorium until such time she's deemed fit to return to society. Her palisman shall also be confiscated and presented to the Emperor as tribute. Guards!" With a snap of her fingers the guards all began to close in on Amity.
"What. NO!" Immediately, Amity was on her feet, Ghost transformed into her staff-form in one hand, and magic surging throughout her body. Luz had told her about what the Emperor does with the palismen he collects. If they want to take her palisman they'll have to rip it out of her cold-dead hands.
For a moment the entire room devolved into chaos. The guards closed in and Amity's staff began to glow as she prepared to fight off everything and everyone that got near her. She could vaguely hear the anguished yells of her brother and sister, but they sounded muffled over the sound of her rapidly beating heart.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Odalia's commanding voice stopped everyone in their tracks before any fighting actually began. In an instant, Odalia's face morphed from her previous furious expression to a sly smile, the same one that Amity only saw when her mother was negotiating a difficult business deal. "Now now, aren't we being too hasty Miss Kikimora? Doesn't the Conformatorium seem a bit drastic for a first time offense? There are other forms of punishments you know. A flat fee would likely do you more good, perhaps with some community service as well?"
"You think picking up trash along the road is an appropriate punishment for treason? You're lucky she's not being setup for a petrification."
Alador was next to speak up. "Kikimora, I don't think you're thinking this through in the long term. Amity could be very helpful to the coven sometime in the future."
"Exactly. My husband has a point as well." Odalia added. "Why don't we talk more in our study? With Blight Industries current partnership with the Emperor, surly you could spend some time to hear us out?" Odalia gestured to the study room connected to the living room's south wall.
Amity couldn't believe what she was seeing before her. Her parents were actually trying to protect her? They're willing to pay off the coven and try to negotiate a better deal for her? She half expected her parents to just watch her get dragged off with a disapproving look in their eyes.
"Very well. I'll hear what you have to say." Kikimora's Abomaton started heading towards the study after Odalia and Alador. Before entering she quickly turned to her other guards. "Keep an eye on the youngest Blight. Do not let her leave this room."
As soon as the doors to the study closed, Amity, Edric, and Emira all ran up to the doors and pressed their ears against it to try and overhear the conversation. The rest of the guards payed them no mind as they instead focused more on killing time until Kikimora came out. As long as Amity stayed in the room they were unlikely to bother her.
"Please, have a seat. Would you like some tea?" Odalia's voice could be heard through the doors.
"I'm fine where I'm standing. Let's cut to the chase. I don't believe you really have anything to offer that will keep your daughter out of trouble. I only agreed to this as an act of good will to the people that provide his Highness with his Abomaton army."
"Now now Miss Kikimora let's not get too hasty. Amity's a talented witch with a bright future ahead of her. She's top of all her classes and has never had any disciplinary issues at her school. We wouldn't want to besmirch such a flawless record over a little mistake would we?"
"I don't see why I would care about the future of a random student, no matter how successful they may be."
"Miss Kikimora, I don't think you're looking at the big picture here." Alador spoke next. "Amity has the potential to go far in the Coven system. She'd be a shoo-in for the Emperor's Coven, maybe even a Coven head someday. But she can't do that with a stay in the Conformatorium on her record. You'd be doing yourself and the Emperor a disservice to not allow Amity the chance to reach her full potential."
Amity was amazed to hear her parents speak so highly of her. While they've always instilled in her the value of studying and hard-work, she's never really heard praise for her accomplishments before. Only criticism whenever she falls below their standards.
And what was even more amazing was that Kikimora seemed to actually be considering it, if the humming she heard was anything to go by.
Her siblings though couldn't help but roll their eyes at their parents' words.
"Ooh, Mittens is so perfect. She always makes sure to raise her hand before speaking." Edric said in a mocking tone.
"You'd being doing yourself a disservice to miss out on someone who's never said a bad word before." Emira added, in a poor imitation of her father's voice, before the two burst into giggles.
"Hey! You guys want me to go to the Conformatorium?" Amity glared. Their laughter quickly trailed off as the twins looked at each other solemnly.
"No. You're right. Mom and dad are saying this for the best." Emira admitted. "Still annoying to hear all the time though."
"Wait, what? You've heard mom and dad talk about me like that before?"
"Yes. Many times." Edric said irritably. "You won't believe how many times I've heard mom say 'you should be more like your little sister,' whenever our pranks are caught."
Once again, Amity was taken off guard at this new information about her parents. Before she had a chance to really digest what this all meant, her attention was quickly returned towards the door when she heard Kikimora speak up again.
"I do see your point. And, as much as I hate to admit it, holding her own against the Golden Guard is an impressive feat despite his clear incompetence at everything."
For a moment, Amity thought she was off the hook. That her parents managed to come through for her.
"But, no matter what, I cannot leave an open act of rebellion like this unpunished. Someone must pay for this transgression against the Emperor."
"Please, miss Kikimora. There are other ways to pay for this. We posses a large amount of assets-" That was as far as Amity heard from her mother before she stepped away from the door in a panic.
"I'm so dead. Mom and dad won't be able to get me out of this. What do I do?" Amity was pulling her hair as she paced around the room, her breathing heavy and erratic. She only stopped in place when she felt her sister's hands on her shoulders.
"Hey Mittens. Just breathe okay. In and out. In and out." Emira repeated this a few times until Amity's breathing was back to normal. Leaning in, Emira whispered in her ear, "If mom and dad can't get you out of this, then Ed and I will."
"What? How? There are guards all around us." Amity looked around. The guards weren't super attentive, but they were standing next to all the exits. There was no way to sneak past them.
Emira and Edric shared a quick look before nodding at each other, a sign that they shared a silent twin conversation. Edric then went up to the nearest guard and asked, "Hey, mind if I head out? I got this big illusion project that I need to work on for school tomorrow."
The guard looked at his captain for confirmation who just nodded in response. "Sure kid. Only the youngest Blight has to stay here."
"Great thanks man." The guard stepped aside, allowing Edric to walk out the doors towards the staircase leading to their bedrooms.
"When he gives the signal, run to your room, pack your things, and sneak out towards the back." Emira whispered. Amity was about to ask what exactly the signal would be when a large cloud of blue smoke suddenly erupted into the room from where Edric left. She should have figured that the signal wouldn't be subtle in any way.
"Go." With a quick shove from her sister, Amity took off towards the staircase. She briefly looked behind her to see Emira using her illusion magic to create an exact replica of Amity as she heard the guards yelling to get eyes on her stat.
Amity passed Edric who gave her a quick 'Good Luck' before running back into the living room. "Sorry, my fault. I messed up the spell. I'll clean this up right away."
With that, Amity sprinted up stairs to her room to prepare her escape.
Once Amity started packing, she was surprised at how little of her room she actually cared about. The only things she grabbed were her photo and tiara from Grom, the little communication device Luz had given her, and a small plant that Willow had gotten her as gift of their renewed friendship. Aside from that, and a few changes of clothes, Amity's room remained untouched.
She gave another quick look around the room, realizing that she would probably be seeing it for the last time. That thought did not affect her as much as she was expecting. With her suitcase in one hand and Ghost in the other, Amity turned to leave her room. She planned to sneak out the back entrance and head straight to the Owl House. She knew she'd be safer there than anywhere.
Those plans were all ruined when she opened her door and nearly ran right into her mother.
"Amity, there you are."
"Mom!" Amity jumped back dropping her suitcase in the process. "What happened? Where's the Coven?" Amity looked nervously passed her mother, expecting to see a group of guards approaching her room to arrest her. Her focused was brought back to her mother when she felt her hands on her shoulders.
"Amity dear, it's okay. You're off the hook. We talked it over and came to an agreement." Odalia gave the warmest smile Amity had ever seen, which wasn't much to be honest but it was still surprising to see.
"Really? But I heard her say that someone needed to pay for what I did."
"So you were eavesdropping on my conversation were you Mittens?" Amity looked at the floor embarrassed. Placing a finger on her chin, Odalia lifted Amity's face back up to look at her. "Amity, we're the Emperor's reputable business partners. I was able to pull a few strings and managed to pay them back some other way. It was a bit pricey, I must admit, but it worked."
"Wow. I-I didn't think you'd go through all that effort for me." Amity admitted sadly.
"Oh Amity." Odalia wrapped her arms around her and Amity just froze in shock, not even remembering the last time her mother had actually hugged her. "I know we don't always see eye-to-eye, but you need to understand that everything I do, I do to make sure you have the brightest future possible. Never forget that fact."
Finally, Amity let out a sigh of relief as she hugged her mother back. "Thank you mother."
"You're very welcome dear. Though please don't ever do anything so foolish like that again, okay?" Odalia released Amity and asked sternly.
"I-I won't." Amity hesitated but she knew immediately that that was a lie. She knew she'd unhesitatingly throw herself against the Emperor's Coven again for her girlfriend's sake. 'Titan, I really can't avoid doing stupid things while I'm around her.'
"Good. Now go unpack that suitcase of yours. There's no need to runaway. Then you should head to bed dear. It's been a stressful night I'm sure."
"Right. Thanks again mother. Goodnight." Amity went back into her room to unpack her suitcase as Odalia went back downstairs.
Odalia returned to the main living room, careful to not step on any of the debris scattered around the floor. Alador commanded several Abomination butlers to clear out the wreckage as Odalia surveyed the damage received.
"How'd she take it?" He asked while continuing his work.
"I only told her that we payed a large price. I didn't say what exactly it cost." Odalia then gestured to all the destroyed furniture in the room. "We're going to have to replace all this before Amity comes downstairs in the morning."
Alador looked back at his wife while the Abominations continued cleaning up the mess. "Odalia, she's going to figure it out sooner rather than later. You can't expect to hide that we traded-"
"I won't. I'll explain everything to her in due time. Hopefully by then she'll be more open to accepting what we did."
Alador looked unconvinced at his wife's claim. "No matter when you tell her, she's going to be upset."
"Of course she'll be upset! I'm upset too, but we didn't have any other choice. You were right Alador, Amity is strong. Definitely Coven head material. She'll be an indispensable resource to the family business one of these days, so long as we can keep her out of trouble. And, as unfortunate as it is, Edric and Emira simply did not have that kind of potential."