"Ivy? Come in, please."

The door opened and the little mage slowly walked into the king and queen's room. Her eyes were turned towards the ground. Without looking up, she sat on the opposite side of the couch.

"How are you doing?"

Ivy pulled her knees to her chest. "I...I...I just..."

"We know you must be scared," Roland said. "I would be. You don't deserve everything that's happened to you."

"And we want to keep you safe," Miranda continued.

Ivy nodded, but kept her head down. She scraped her nails down her arm over and over again. She didn't even wince at the pain.

"Don't," Roland said softly.

"It doesn't hurt much, your majesty. I'm fine with it."

"Even so, stop. Please. What's wrong?"

"They killed two owls just to hurt me. And it worked. I'm scared and angry. They killed two living creatures, just to send the message that I'm not wanted."

"You didn't read the notes, did you? Or the newspapers?" A soft hand touched Ivy's cheek and, for the first time in over a month, she didn't flinch or turn away.

"Yeah. But it doesn't matter." She shook her head. "I know what they think."

"How about we talk about something else for now? It's late, and you shouldn't be thinking about this through the night."

Ivy nodded. "I probably will, anyway, but...I guess I should distract myself."

The king gave what seemed to be a relieved sigh. "Good. So, minus today's events, how are you liking Enchancia?"

"The flowers are nice," Ivy said. "And there are a lot of animals, too. It's different, but in a good way. Like how I used to feel when I slept on the canoes during longer trips to different islands. People are nice here, too. Well...mostly. At least, everyone I've met in person."

"What do you think about everyone here?" Miranda asked. She put her hand on Ivy's shoulder, and Ivy didn't really want to push her away.

"You all are nice. All of you took care of me, and Baileywick is hard not to like. Then there's Cedric. He just...understands. And he's been teaching me to control my magic, which is a plus."

"What about our children?"

"Sofia is really nice, and Amber is too. James took a bit of getting used to, but he's fun. Amber didn't really understand the 'only wearing black' thing at first, though. She also kept trying to convince me to get my hair cut. After I took an hour to explain it, though, she stopped."

"So, you've mainly had good experiences here?"

"Er...yeah. I could have done without the letters and...never mind. I don't even want to think about it."

"Ivy?"

Ivy looked up at the king. His expression was gentle and maybe a bit nervous. "Yes, your majesty?"

"There's something we need you to do. I want you to think hard about something for a minute or two. Can you do that for us?"

Ivy shrank back nervously. "Okay..."

"It's very simple," Miranda said. "Just close your eyes."

The girl did as she was told. She started to scrape at her arm, but gentle hands pulled her hands apart.

"What if nobody would bat an eye at you staying here? What if there were no negative consequences for it, no rude remarks or rumors? What if we could take you in as our daughter without the newspapers saying anything about it?"

Ivy felt the blood drain from her face and, unable to help it due to the shock, opened her eyes. "What?"

"Over the past weeks," Roland explained, "we've gotten attached to you. We'd love if you decided to stay, even if you didn't become or daughter. Just know that, whatever decision you choose, we'll accept it."

"I...I..." Ivy felt as if the room was spinning around her. She realized a bit too late that her breathing had gotten shallow and rushed.

Then a pair of arms pulled her close. She sat there for a minute or two, trying her best not to cry as Miranda held her in a hug. Despite her best efforts, though, she finally broke down,

"It's alright. You'll be okay."

"You want me. I just wanted you to want me."

"We do. You don't need to worry. You're home now."

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That night, Ivy slept at the foot of Amber's bed. She had been offered the window seat, but she didn't want to risk a rock to the head. So, her thoughts finally slowing down, she curled up under a soft blanket.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

A couple sounds in a steady pattern made her cover her head with the pillow. When she peeked out, the shadows of the room looked like they were reaching out to grab her. The sound continued.

Tap. Tap. Tap. It was like a fingernail, or a claw, tapping a piece of glass. A mirror, or the window? Ivy didn't know which would be worse. Finally, she got out of bed and, with the small blanket wrapped around her shoulders, looked around.

Nothing. Just darkness and furniture. Nothing tapping on the mirror, nothing stalking around the room, and nothing...no, there was something at the window.

It wasn't a shadowy figure or even a tree branch. It was an envelope, one practically bursting with parchment, but what shook Ivy to her core is that the room was silent. There was no way the envelope could have made the noise she had heard.

"Should I...I...no..." Ivy couldn't make up her mind. Eventually, though, curiosity got the better of her. She opened the window a crack, grabbed the mysterious gift, and locked the window for good measure.

It was simple, written in strange handwriting. From fancy to messy, from looping to sharp, from tall to squashed, it changed every letter or so. There was nobody Ivy had ever met who wrote like this. And what did it say, the strange handwriting?

To the newest member of the beloved royal family.

Slowly, and very carefully, the young girl opened the envelope.