PART 3
As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Sofia subconsciously reached for the handle that led out into the kitchen, ignoring Clover's protests. The kitchen was so busy that no one noticed the crying girl cuddling a rabbit, her muted colours blending in with the crowd. Sofia felt a pain in her heart. Just yesterday these people were her friends, laughing at her attempt to shield her eyes from her cake but now they didn't recognise her. As the main door closed behind them, Sofia let out another quiet sob.
Even though they cut through the castle instead of around it the walk back seemed as if it took twice as long and besides the occasional sniffle, Sofia was silent. Clover stroked her arm with his paw lovingly. She hoped Clover was right. Maybe her mom could fix it, maybe the King would recognise them and it would break the wish. Lost in her thoughts, Sofia didn't notice the guard walking towards her.
"Hey, you!" The guard pointed at Sofia as she neared the throne room doors, "Who are you and how did you get in here?" He put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. She sniffed.
"I'm sorry, I'm here with my mother. She's the shoemaker with His Majesty right now. I went to the bathroom but got lost on the way back." She sniffed again. The guards face softened, seeing her wet cheeks.
"Just in here Miss." He opened the doors for the throne room and ushered her in.
It looked almost the same as yesterday when she walked through here, the purple and white flowers in their vases still scattered about the room. As she walked past the first pillar she looked to her left towards the platform and her heart ached.
'Three thrones…'
On the right was James' dark olive coloured chair, on the left was a smaller, lighter green one and in the middle, sat her Stepfather's beautifully ornate, deep purple throne.
'Amber and James.' She thought, a small whimper falling from her lips. Sofia sniffed as she raised her head towards the window. The marvellous stain glass window that Roland had custom made for their first wedding anniversary was missing Sofia's and her mother's portraits. The guard pointed over to the side of the room, informing her that this is where she'd find her mother.
"Maybe your mom could break the spell? This is how she met the King isn't it? True love and all that mushy stuff?" He faked a gag to try to make Sofia laugh, she gave him a small smile. "That's supposed to be strong. It worked for sleeping beauty, right?"
"Maybe." Sofia sighed, stopping next to marble pillar not to far from her parents. She placed Clover on the floor, trying to listen in.
The King was sitting on an almost identical version of his throne with a matching footstool by his feet. Baileywick was standing to his left, arms tucked behind his back. Her mother, on her knees in front of Roland, removed a shoe from the King's foot and placed it into the basket next to her.
Sofia looked up at her father's face, noticing it was harder than usual, his lips pressed into a thin line as he slipped on his old shoes. Thinking about it, almost everyone in the King's presence looked miserable, even Baileywick looked annoyed which was certainly very out of character for him. Everything was so different.
"Thank you, Miss… erm?" King Roland said, standing from his chair.
"Please Rollie, call me Miranda." She smiled. Roland whipped his head up to her as if to reprimand her for her informality, Sofia held her breath as she waited but Roland shook his head, choosing to ignore her little pet name and reached for her hand.
"Thank you, Miss Miranda." He cleared his throat and lifted her hand to his lips, placing a gentle kiss to her knuckles.
"Hey, maybe this is it?" Clover whispered to Sofia. "Kings don't usually kiss the hands of commoners. Do they?"
"No I suppose not." She whispered back. Roland looked up from Miranda's hand and they gazed into each other's eyes.
"Hey, this could be it!" Clover whispered again with a hint of excitement in his voice.
"No, thank you Rollie." She smiled up at him. He frowned again. "Thank you for reminding me of our first meeting." Miranda closed her eyes and slowly lifted her lips towards his. Roland's eyes widen and he snapped his head back. He shot a quick glance at Baileywick who mirrored his frustrated and confused expression. Sofia held her breath in anticipation.
"How DARE you take such liberties with your King!" He spat, his voice startling Miranda. Her eyes flew open and she jumped back. "You have been acting unprofessionally since you arrived, bringing with you a pair of shoes that are clearly not meant for my status. I've sat here for almost an hour watching you fluttering your eyelashes and cringing at your obvious efforts to flirt with me. Even choosing to ignore that ridiculous pet name but this? Trying to kiss me?"
"I-I-" Miranda stuttered.
"Leave my sight. At once."
"Rollie, please." She begged with tears forming in her eyes.
"ENOUGH! You will address me as 'Your Majesty' not Rollie." He roared as Miranda bowed her head in fear. "I AM THE KING! Guards? Escort this woman and her child out of this castle. NOW!" Roland pointed at Sofia and her mother as the guards rushed over.
Sofia spotted Baileywick staring at her before he whispered something to the King causing Roland to spin his head back around to look at her. Sofia felt as if the King's fiery gaze was burning right through her skin.
"You, there! Come here." Her heart pounded against her ribcage as she cautiously made her way towards the man that only yesterday, she called Dad. When she reached him, she bowed her head, not wanting to make him any angrier. "What is that?" He pointed to the amulet. Sofia's eyes widened in horror, realising she'd forgotten to hide it again.
"It's m-my necklace, Your Majesty."
"It is not your necklace you little thief," He mocked, lowering his face closer to hers. "That necklace is the Amulet of Avalor. My sister wore that amulet for many years, I'd know it anywhere." Sofia had never seen him so angry before. "The question is, how on earth did you get into the vault and past the Griffin's?"
"I didn't. I-" Sofia stuttered as tears began falling from her eyes.
"Sofia just tell him the truth. Maybe it will make him remember!" Clover shouted from behind a marble pillar. She tried to turn to look at him but Roland grabbed her arm and turned her back to face him.
"Rolli- I mean, Your Majesty. Please." Miranda pleaded. Something was wrong this wasn't the man she fell in love with. The man she spent the last 4 years of her life with, in pure wedded bliss. Sofia watched as Roland's nostrils flared as he turned his head towards Miranda. Fearing for her mother, Sofia shouted.
"YOU GAVE IT TO ME!" Roland head snapped back to Sofia and his face relaxed slightly, partly shocked that she would dare raise her voice to him and also curious to what she would say. He removed his grip on her arm and took a step back, waving his hand for her to continue.
"You gave me this amulet on my first night here in the castle four years ago! You had just married my mom and I wasn't ready to become a princess and wanted to go home. You told me that you were going to give me a Ruby necklace but that this one called to you and that it was very special and I was to never take it off!" Sofia sucked in a deep breath and waited for Roland's response. But he just stared at her. After what seemed like a lifetime of silence and glances between Baileywick and the guards, Roland turned away from her a walked back to his chair.
"Well," he said slinking into his chair and rubbing his chin. Sofia and Miranda looked at each other, her mother's eyes full of fear. Roland began to laugh. "How long have you rehearsed that then? Hmm?"
"I- what?" Sofia stuttered. Clover had quietly tiptoed over to Sofia and was hiding behind her skirt. Roland turned his head slowly towards Miranda.
"And you? What kind of a mother are you?" He spat. "It is one thing to tell your child fairy tales before bed but this? To tell your child to STEAL from your KING and then lie to his face?"
"I'm telling the truth!" Sofia sobbed.
"Take it off." He snarled. Sofia looked at Clover, face dripping with tears. She couldn't take it off. She knew what she would lose if she did.
"I-I can't!"
"Take it off. Now! Or I will remove it from your neck myself!"
"Your Majesty, please." Miranda's voice cracked as she tried to beg. Roland held up his hand to silence her, eyes still locked on Sofia.
"Hey Sof, it's okay." Clover whispered rubbing his head on the back of her ankle. "I'm not going anywhere. And if you can't understand me anymore then that's okay but lemme just say this." Sofia slowly reached for the chain at the back of her neck, tears falling rapidly. "Happy birthday Princess. I love you."
"I love you too." She mouthed as she removed the amulet and placed it into Roland's waiting hand.
"Guards!" He shouted and pointed at one of them, handing him the amulet. "You, take this straight back to the vault. And you two, remove them at once."
"No wait!" Miranda reached out and grabbed Roland's hand. "Please Roland, you don't want to do this. Please."
"Is that a threat?" He hissed as he ripped his hand from hers. "You are lucky that they are escorting the pair of you out of the palace and not to the dungeons. Now, you have one last chance to take your daughter and her rabbit, before I change my mind."
Sofia picked Clover up and held him close and Miranda ran to Sofia's side, ushering her towards the exit closely followed by the guards.
"Wait, Miranda?" Roland whispered. When they turned to look at him his face was soft again, like all the anger and hatred had drained from his body.
"Yes, your Majesty?" Miranda replied with a cautious smile but Roland's mouth curled into a wicked grin.
"Your services will no longer be required." He laughed and waved his hand, instructing the guards to continue.
Sofia clung to Clover as she and her mother were removed from the castle, one guard holding on to Miranda's arm and the other pressing his hand between Sofia's shoulder blades. Sofia looked down the hall to see a dark-haired man polishing a small table. He looked at her and gave her a small smile. Sofia instantly recognised him as the man who she saw cleaning the chandelier but before she could attempt to smile back she was pushed out of the enormous front doors.
As they entered the courtyard, they saw Prince James and Princess Amber climbing out of a flying coach.
"Hurry James! I'll barely have enough time to get dressed at this rate!" Amber spotted the guards escorting them out and stuck her nose in the air.
"Who are they?" James said attempting a whisper, his voice always so loud.
Sofia looked at the ground. Not even her step siblings remember her. She should have been there waiting for their return from boarding school. Clover looked up Sofia and twitched his nose. Sofia couldn't hear him anymore but she knew in her heart he was trying to comfort her. As they reached the gates, the guards gave them a final push before slamming them shut behind them. Sofia turned to look back at the castle, the sound of the rattling metal ringing in her ears.
Her eyes drifted over to the tower window that was in her bedroom. Yesterday she had taken it all for granted with wishing for something simpler but now, what she wouldn't give to be in her room with Suzette picking out her gown or practicing the dance she was meant to do with her father at the ball. Miranda rubbed Sofia's shoulder gently before they headed across the bridge in silence.
Miranda, Sofia and Clover were halfway between the castle and the village before one of them spoke, the only sound being the occasional sniff or quiet whimper.
"I'm s-sorry mom." She spluttered. "I tried to fix it. I really did but the mirror was b-broken." Sofia began sobbing again and Miranda stopped and knelt down to Sofia's level.
"Shh, Sweetheart. It's all going to be okay. You did your best, you always do." Miranda paused, not wanting Sofia to hear the crack in her voice. "That wasn't Roland, I've never seen him so angry. It wasn't you, something else was wrong..." Her voice trailing off.
"It's all my fault."
"No. You weren't to know it was that mirror and the door should have been locked. It's not your fault at all." She gave Sofia a small reassuring smile. "It's okay. We'll figure it out. At least you wished for us to be shoemakers again." She choked out a soft laugh. "At least we have something to fall back on. Everything will be okay. I promise."
Miranda kissed the top of Sofia's head as she cuddled into Clover who, like he promised, had come back to the village with them to restart their old life, as shoemakers.
[A/N]
Hi everyone,
I've been sitting on an idea for a story for far too long and came up with this as a back story. I thought it would be too much for a flash back so I decided to make a prequel sort of thing. I would love some feedback – good or bad…
Please let me know if you'd be interested in reading a sequel.
Thank you :)
