What Makes a Family
One: Sofia's first night home
"Sofia, are you all right?"
Miranda's smoothing voice startled Sofia who'd been looking around the castle halls as she and the family passed the servants beside them.
"I forgot how big the castle was," Sofia admitted. "When you're stuck in a corner of a wagon for two weeks while a evil magician is out doing his acts, you forget a lot of things."
"That's okay Sof. We understand," James smiled.
"We certainly do," Amber agreed. She took her sister's hand and squeezed it, seeing her tense expression. "I know this'll be a lot for you to take in right now but we'll be there for you every step of the way."
"You're not lying about that, are you?" Sofia asked.
"Sofia, we'd never lie about this," Amber promised. "We want to do everything we can to help you recover from your ordeal."
Sofia smiled and reached for her, even though she held Clover in one arm. She knew Clover had suffered as much as she had, but he was getting better too. Clover had recently been exploring the castle again, when James found him. Using some celery sticks and radishes he took from the kitchen, he led Clover to his room. Sofia had found him there, snuggled up with James and his plush writing helpers, happily nibbling on some celery sticks and watching James write his latest story. He'd even sniff the air a few times, and James would interpret those as ideas and write them down.
"It was nice of you to take care of Clover for me, James," she smiled as she hugged him.
"Clover did a brilliant job helping me with my story," James grinned.
"Well, we'll have to read it and see what ideas he gave you," Miranda smiled.
You're not gonna write about what happened to me and Clover are you James?" Sofia asked.
James shook his head. "Of course not Sof. What happened to you was a personal matter and I don't use personal matters for story ideas."
"Thank you and I'm sorry for the broken words earlier today. I was just so overwhelmed with the idea of being free that I acted a little babyish."
"You don't have to apologize for anything," James assured her. "We know you were scared and didn't know how to act at first, but you're getting used to us again, and being in the castle, and that's what matters."
Sofia beamed, scratching Clover behind the ears. "Amber helped me to my room so my lateens could be put away and I saw the nightlight. It's very pretty."
"We're happy you like it sweetheart," Miranda smiled. "Did you see the dolls and stuffed animals around your bed?"
"A little bit but I wasn't paying attention because I had to do my business after the lanterns were put away."
"Sofia started growling at me when I told her she couldn't do it outside so I had to bribe her with books from the castle library," Amber admitted.
"Well, if that works, use it," Miranda agreed, recalling how she used to bribe Sofia with books when she was little. "But don't worry, Amber, Sofia will get used to everything soon enough."
"Cedric also came up with a way to help you at night," Roland spoke up. "He told me that he's going to put sparkles on your door that change colors according to your mood. They'll probably be gold most of the time, which means you're happy and doing all right, but if they turn red, that means that you need help or you're scared."
"That's a good idea," Miranda agreed. "We should also talk to him about putting those on our doors, since there may be times when Sofia's sleeping in a different room than her own, and if something should happen, someone can take her to their room to help calm her down."
"I know you said Mr. Ceedric does good magic but I'm not ready to see him," Sofia frowned. "In fact I never want to see anyone who does magic ever again."
Amber watched her sister took Clover in her arms as tears rapidly ran down her cheeks. She wished there was something she could do to make the pain go away but she knew she couldn't and it hurt.
"Enough talk about magic. Why don't Amber and I get you washed up for dinner Sof?" James suggested.
"Wash up? You mean like in the fountain we passed in the courtyard during my tour home?" Sofia sniffed, rubbing her nose. "I-It looked like the lake I bathed in my first day of captivity before Mr. Boswell told me I couldn't do it anymore."
"No sweetheart. That's not what your brother meant by washing up," Miranda murmured.
"That's right," James agreed. "We'll just wash our hands in the sink in the bathroom. That's not like a lake."
"And don't worry," Amber added. "Boswell's not here, so you can do whatever you want."
"Okay," Sofia said at last. "But will you stay with me?"
"Of course," Amber smiled.
"Why don't I go first?" James suggested. "That way, if you need to be alone with Amber, you two can take all the time you need."
"Good idea,' Amber murmured as Sofia nodded in agreement.
It felt surreal to her getting a chance to clean up before a meal as she recalled how Boswell would fed her no matter what she looked like in the evening when he'd return from full day of magic acts.
Amber noticed her curiosity so when James was finished and allowed them inside, she let Sofia put her hands in the sink first while getting her a fresh washcloth.
"I never had it this nice the two weeks I was gone," Sofia murmured as she felt the lukewarm water flow against her fingers. "I'm just worried about dinner because carrots and scraps weren't a meal but I had no choice but to eat them since Mr. Boswell wouldn't feed me anything else. What if somebody serves either of them to me tonight?"
"Don't worry, Sofia," Amber murmured, "I heard Daddy talking to the chefs in the kitchen before we went to wash up. He told them not to put carrots in anything for a while. He also said not to put out raw carrots either, since we sometimes snack on those or other raw vegetables during the day. But you can start eating those again when you're ready."
"Okay," Sofia agreed at last. "But what about the scraps?"
"What do you mean by scraps?" Amber asked.
"Mister Boswell would go out and he'd bring back food," Sofia explained. "When I'd go toward it, he always told me that it was for him, and if I was a good girl, I'd get to eat anything that was left over. A lot of the time, there wasn't much. Even when he went to do his magic shows and left me alone, I wouldn't have much to eat, so I'd have to sneak out and find something more filling."
Amber frowned at the reveal, reassuring her that she'd be getting a full meal and not scraps from someone else's plate.
Sofia beamed as she followed Amber to the dining hall and sat next to her. She took a shaky breath, staring at the food on her plate.
Everything seemed to be normal until she spotted a familiar orange vegetable and choked back a sob.
"Why is this here?" Sofia croaked.
"What are you talking about Sof?" James asked.
"The carrot James. THE CARROT! Why is it on my plate?!"
"Carrots?" Roland repeated as he came over. He frowned as he saw the orange vegetable on the plate. "Sofia, I'm so sorry. I made it clear to the chefs that there were to be no carrots for anyone until you were ready to see them again."
"It was probably an accident, Daddy..." Amber started as Roland went to the kitchen.
"Rollie, wait!" Miranda called. When Roland paused, she continued, "I just wanted to tell you that I'm going to take Sofia out until she calms down. You and I can talk with her later, all right?"
Roland smiled a little and nodded, then as he turned to the kitchen again, he frowned. He'd told Sofia that she wouldn't have to see or eat carrots again until she was ready, and she clearly wasn't ready. It may have been an accident that the carrots were there, like Amber said, but Roland had been very clear in his instructions to the chefs.
The last thing he heard was Sofia sobbing and calling herself a bad girl before he went inside the kitchen.
"King Roland, how is Princess Sofia enjoying her first meal now that she's safe and sound?" Chef Andre asked.
"She barely got to enjoy it because someone put carrots in her food and now she's in hysterics," Roland frowned.
"The poor girl after all she's been through. It was probably just an accident, Your Majesty."
"That's what Amber said but I made clear instructions to the chefs about Sofia's food and since someone here didn't understand what I said, my wife now has to deal with a traumatized eight year old who's currently weeping over a vegetable!"
"I'll speak with the kitchen staff about it immediately," Chef Andre said right away.
As he went to speak with the other cooks, he noticed a pale looking young man. "Oh dear..." the young man muttered. as he approached. He tried to throw the orange vegetable he was holding away, but Chef Andre saw it.
"You put carrots in the princess's food?" Chef Andre asked.
"I didn't mean to, Chef," the man blurted out. "I was putting carrots on another plate. I thought that only Princess Sofia didn't get them. The plates must have gotten mixed up..."
"King Roland made it very clear that nobody gets carrots during meals, not even Princess Sofia," Chef Andre said firmly.
"Chef Andre, if I may do so, let me speak to this young man," Roland suggested. Chef Andre nodded and stepped aside as the king approached the trembling young man. "Young man, while I appreciate you meaning no ill will towards my family and I, you traumatized a scared little girl all over again by putting a food she was forced to eat during her captivity on her plate when you and the other cooks were specifically told not to."
The young man frowned in realization of his mistake. "I-I'll apologize to Princess Sofia right away Your Majesty."
"I'm afraid it'll be impossible for you to do so because of her feelings towards the opposite sex in general at the moment."
"Understood Your Majesty. Is there anything I can do to make it up to her or to you?"
Roland shook his head. "No, the damage has been done. And I'm sorry to say that you'll be fired for this."
"I understand, Your Majesty," the man murmured.
"However, I'll still write you a letter of recommendation for work in the new restaurant in the village. I understand that you have a family you want to help support, and I think you'll do a better job there," Roland continued. "You're a very good cook, but we made it clear that carrots are not to be part of any meal until further notice."
"I understand, Your Majesty," the man repeated. "I'm sorry to have caused Princess Sofia any pain, and I'm sorry to lose such a wonderful job, but I thank you for giving me another chance."
"You're welcome," Roland murmured. "Now if you excuse me, I have to see if Sofia's okay after her little scare at dinner."
The young man nodded, bowing to him as Roland left the kitchen and bumped into Amber.
"Sorry Daddy. You were gone for so long that James and I decided to wait for you," She muttered..
"Mom and Amber gave Sof a bath after you left and after she accidentally threw up on herself and Amber during her panic attack," James added. He squeezed Roland's hand, noticing his concerned expression. "Don't worry Dad, Sofia's a strong girl. She'll get through this."
"I know," Roland sighed. "I just hate seeing her so scared of everything since she's come home."
"So do we Daddy," Amber agreed. "Do you need me and James to come to Sofia's room with you?"
"I appreciate your offer sweetheart but no thank you. Your mother said she and I will talk to Sofia when she's calmed down and that's what I plan to do but if either of you need me, you know where I'll be."
The twins nodded as Roland kissed their foreheads affectionately before walking towards his youngest daughter's bedchamber.
He could see Sofia stroking Clover's fur before she stood up, grasping the hem of her nightgown fearfully as he approached her.
"Am I a bad girl for what I did during dinner?" Sofia asked.
"Of course not," Roland murmured, "Sofia, you have never been a bad girl, and we understand how you feel about everything that happened to you. We would never make you feel like you did something wrong."
"Is that man going to be all right?" Sofia asked.
"He's going to be just fine," Roland assured her, "Unfortunately, I did have to fire him, since he didn't follow my orders about no carrots during meals, but it's going to be all right," he continued when he saw Sofia start to tear up, " I told him that I'd help find a new job for him."
"That's good," Sofia smiled a little, letting go of her nightgown's hem. "But I still feel bad. That man lost his job because I couldn't act normally."
"Sofia, sweetheart, who could act normally after everything Boswell's done to you and our family," Miranda muttered, hearing the conversation."Causing that man to get fired over carrots wasn't your fault."
"I know but what if I get someone else in trouble like I did with that man tonight? If only I was brave and not a damaged princess then tonight's events could've been avoided."
"Sofia, you're not damaged," Miranda murmured. "You went through a terrible ordeal, and of course you'll see some things that remind you of what happened. What happened with dinner tonight was an accident, but it's going to be all right. You just need to get through this one day at a time, but we'll all be right there beside you."
Sofia nodded softly as she giggled, feeling Roland toss her into the air before catching her in his arms.
"She's right Sofia. We'll all be there to help you whenever you need it," Roland smiled. "Especially me."
"Because you're the king and you're big and strong?" Sofia giggled.
"Yes there's that but also because nobody hurts my little girl and gets away with it."
"Oh Rollie!" Miranda chuckled. She took Sofia from his grasp and covered her in kisses. "Boswell messed with the wrong mama bear and he'll pay for it dearly."
"That's right," Roland smirked. "I know you wanted to go after Boswell when we first brought him to the dungeons, but you wanted to help comfort Sofia."
"First things first!" Miranda smiled, pulling Sofia into a hug. "But after she went to sleep and you were watching her, I went to the dungeons and gave that horrible man the worst lecture of his life! Afterwards, I...might have punched him in the nose..."
"I wondered why you said your hand was a little sore," Roland agreed, taking Miranda's hand and kissing it.
"We'll make you feel all better Mom!" Sofia added, joining Roland in kissing her mother's hand.
"Thank you sweetheart," Miranda smiled. "And since you've had such a long day today, I think it'd be best if you went to bed early tonight."
"Okay but what if I get hungry in the middle of the night?"
"Then one of us will help you get something to eat," Roland promised.
"Mr. Boswell used to say that asking for a second helping of food made me a bad girl," Sofia frowned. "Will I be a bad girl if I wake you or Amber or James up in the middle of the night?"
"Of course not," Miranda smiled, pulling her into a hug. "Sofia, if you need anything, all you have to do is ask and we'll help you get it. You're not a bad girl at all. We love you and we want to help you."
Sofia smiled a little. She was slowly beginning to understand that her family was there to help her, and that she wasn't a bad girl if she needed to ask for something.
She yawned as Miranda and Roland's words of affection toward her being the last thing she heard before drifting off to sleep the moment she'd laid her head on the pillow.
A few hours later, she awoke to a loud growl as she rubbed her eyes and got out of bed.
"Clover is that you?" Sofia asked before she heard the sound again and blushed, realizing it was her stomach.
With a sigh, she stepped out of her bedchamber and noticed a glow from James' room. Slowly, she approached the door to his room and knocked on it, waiting patiently for a response.
"Sof?" James asked as he opened the door. "Are you okay? Did you have a bad dream?"
"I got hungry while I was sleeping," Sofia admitted.
"Is that all?" James smiled. "Well, let's go see if there are any late-night snacks in the kitchen."
"I'm not a bad girl for getting hungry at night, am I?" Sofia asked.
"No way!" James smiled. "Sof, everyone gets hungry sometimes, and if you get hungry at night, you can come to me and we'll find you something. In fact, I think Chef Andre left some cookies out for you. Or if you don't want those, there are some raw veggies too...of course there are no carrots, so you don't have to worry about that."
"Okay," Sofia smiled a little.
She followed behind James while thankful for the lights guiding their way toward the kitchen.
"Sofia? James? What are you two doing out of bed?" Baileywick asked as he saw them step into the kitchen.
"Sof got hungry while she was sleeping so I brought her to the kitchen to get something to eat," James explained as he felt Sofia put her hands on his waist, hiding behind him. "It's okay Sofia. It's only Baileywick."
Sofia nodded, blinking back tears. "I know but it's too dark in here and the dark makes him l-look s-scary."
"I'm sorry if I frightened you, Princess, but you know you don't have to be afraid of me," Baileywick murmured, carefully bending down so she could see him better. "Did you want me to help you find something to eat?"
"James said there were some cookies and raw veggies in the kitchen," Sofia said as she peeked out at him.
"That's right," Baileywick nodded as he straightened up. "If you like, I'll bring those out to you."
"We can get them, Baileywick," James assured him, "I know where Chef Andre keeps any snacks."
"Of course you do," Baileywick smirked, knowing that James would sometimes sneak out of bed at night for a late snack. "I'll still help Sofia get back to bed when she's ready."
"Okay," Sofia agreed.
James led her towards the cookies and raw vegetables as she felt her mouth water at the sight of uneaten scraps.
"This is ah-mazing!" Sofia grinned, grabbing herself a cookie. "I wasn't allowed to do something like this while in Mr. Boswell's wagon and now that I'm home, I'm loving everything minute of it!"
"Then take as much as you want," James smirked.
"You mean Chef Andre doesn't mind?"
"Nah. He's used to it by now and he'll understand why you're taking more food than me."
"You never have to worry about going hungry again," Baileywick agreed. "You'll always have enough to eat now, and we'll wait until you're ready to eat carrots again."
"That's right," James agreed. "Just take it one day at a time."
Sofia nodded as she began to yawn, managing to devour two cookies in the process.
She flinched at Baileywick's touch before calming down as she saw him gently smiling at her.
"You're a good man, not a bad one," Sofia realized. "Just like Mr. Ceedric does good magic and isn't a magician like Mr. Boswell."
"Thank you, Princess," Baileywick smiled, "Now, do you want me to help you get back to bed?"
"That's okay, Baileywick, I can help Sof get back to her room," James offered, then he whispered to him, "I might be staying with her after I read her a few of my stories, and I can help her if she gets scared from a nightmare or something."
Baileywick nodded while Sofia relaxed in his arms, slowly readjusting to gentle touches from men who weren't Boswell.
In her bedchamber, Baileywick tucked her in her bed as she watched James climb onto her window seat.
"Baileywick? James? Am I a bad girl for what happened to me?" Sofia asked, pulling the covers close to her. "I talked back to Mr. Boswell while trying to get Clover back from him which got him mad and that's why he took me away for so long."
"Of course not," Baileywick assured her. "You were only trying to get your rabbit back, so you're not to blame at all."
"That's right, Sof," James added. "You told him you'd get Dad to help you, but he wouldn't listen. You tried to take Clover back, but Boswell's the one who kidnapped you. He's to blame for what happened."
"Okay," Sofia murmured. "Good night Baileywick."
"Good night Princess. Sweet dreams and welcome home," Baileywick smiled.
When the steward had left, Sofia climbed out of bed and onto her window seat as James squeezed her hand.
"Is something wrong Sof?" He asked gently.
Sofia shook her head. "I'm just trying to take everything in that's all." She gazed towards her nightlight, biting her lip. "I might not like anything red for awhile, James."
"How come?"
"Red reminds me too much of Mr. Boswell's wagon and blood."
"You mean that monster hurt you?" James frowned.
"He threatened to burn me with his cigars if I misbehaved," Sofia admitted. "He beat me if I tried to stand up to him."
"Okay, I'll take your word for it, Sof," James said quickly, seeing her start to tear up at the memories. "First thing tomorrow, we're telling Mom and Dad about this. They'll want to hear about this too." James tried to sound positive, but he was fuming. 'First she's scared of the color orange, now red! Is there any color he didn't make her scared of?'
Sofia nodded softly, smiling a little as she heard Clover's snores. For the first time in two weeks, she didn't have to worry about his whereabouts as she tugged on James' sleeve.
"Could you sing me the pretty song again? Please?" Sofia asked.
"You mean the one I sung to you on the way home?" James smiled.
"Uh huh. I need it to help me go to sleep."
"Okay Sof but just one song. The castle jukebox is a little tired from the long day he's had reuniting with you."
Sofia giggled as she went back to bed and waited for James to sing. His voice lullabied her to sleep as she drifted off into her dreams in between the first chorus.
In the morning, she awoke to someone shaking her as she scooted towards the edge of her bed and trembled in fear.
"Don't touch me!" Sofia screamed.
"Easy Sof. It's only me," James assured her. "Do you know where you are?"
"T-The wagon?"
"No. You're safe and sound in your bedroom surrounded by the ones who love you."
Sofia smiled a little as she saw the collection of stuffed animals and dolls around her. She quickly checked the bed, and to her relief, the sheets were dry.
"Remember, Sof? Before you went to sleep, I remembered one of Baileywick's suggestions and had you go to the bathroom," James reminded her.
"That's right," Sofia murmured, hugging some of the toys around her.
"Don't worry, Sof, you're still getting used to being back home," James assured her. "You're not a bad girl either. You're allowed to feel afraid, but remember that there are so many people around here who love you and want to help you."
Sofia nodded, hugging some of the toys a final time before starting to get dressed.
"Ah!" She cried out as the fabric to her gown touched her skin.
"Are you all right Sof?" James asked.
Sofia nodded softly, noticing his concern. "I'm okay James. I just have to get readjusted to fabric that's not sticky with blood after being whipped for talking to Hugo and Desmond or covered in holes after being burned with cigars."
"At least let me help you. You look like you're struggling to put on your gown."
"What if you hurt me?"
"Sofia, I know you don't like to be touched right now, but I won't hurt you," James promised. "The sooner you get dressed, the sooner we can go down to breakfast."
It took a little while, and James singing a few songs to her, including the one he sang to her on the way back home to the castle, but soon Sofia was dressed. However, she was nervous about the idea of telling Roland and Miranda about another thing Boswell had made her afraid of.
"Don't worry, Sof, I'll be with you the whole time," James promised. "You can even take some of your plush friends with you to help you feel better while you're talking."
Sofia smiled a little and picked one of her dolls up. "Thanks for helping me, James."
"Any time, Sof," James smiled. "And remember, I'm going to be right by your side, so you don't have anything to worry about."
Sofia nodded softly, allowing James to take her to breakfast. As they came across the dining room, her mouth watered at the sight of various foods on the table.
"I thought I heard your footsteps," Amber smiled. "Good morning Sof. How did you sleep?"
"I slept well. Thank you Amber," Sofia smiled.
Sitting down, she began to eat in small bites, frowning slightly as she dropped her fork.
"It's okay Sofia. We'll have Baileywick get you another one," Miranda assured her.
Sofia shook her head. "I'm not that hungry anyway."
"Is everything okay Sofia?" Roland asked. "Are you unwell?"
"No. Although my tummy's not used to full meals yet. I-I told James last night that I have another fear and it's of the color red."
"Red?" Amber frowned. "Sofia, you did fine around it last night."
"I had a dream where Mr. Boswell hurt me again," Sofia admitted. "He made me bleed, and I didn't like seeing all that red."
"Well, that explains it," James muttered. When he saw the confused looks the family gave him, he continued, "Sof told me that she's scared of the color red, and I had asked myself if there was any color she's not scared of now." He turned to Sofia, adding, "I'm sorry, Sof. I didn't mean to make you feel bad, but we agreed that Mom and Dad needed to know about this."
"I know James but it's okay," Sofia assured him. "W-While Dad was with Chef Andre and you were waiting on him last night, Mom and Amber told me that it's okay if I talk about what happened to me or if something's scary to me because it'll make me feel better."
"They did?" Roland smiled.
"Yes we did, Daddy," Amber muttered. "Sofia refused to get in the tub last night because the last time she had a chance to bathe, Boswell punished her for it by locking her inside the wagon and she was terrified of the water, thinking she'd drown so we took her aside and talked to her and even sung to her."
"Sofia felt much better afterwards," Miranda added, watching as her daughter grabbed what remained of her breakfast with her hands. "Sofia no! We don't do that!"
"I'm sorry!" Sofia blurted out as she wiped her hands off on the napkin at her side.
"Don't worry, Sofia, we're not mad," Miranda assured her. "But you don't have to do anything like that anymore."
"Maybe we should do something with Sofia that helps keep her calm," Roland suggested. "We can take a walk in the flower gardens after breakfast, or we could visit the butterfly gardens; I know she enjoys that."
"That's a great idea, Daddy!" Amber smiled. "We can play soft music and dance with her if she feels up for that..."
"I can read her some of my stories," James added.
Sofia gasped in surprise as she heard their suggestions. She got to do whatever she wanted to do without having to earn it as a privilege?
She felt dizzy just thinking about it as she stood up and collapsed in Amber's arms.
"Maybe we should do the butterfly garden first as it seems like all our suggestions overwhelmed our brave, wonderful and brilliant little girl," Miranda smiled.
"Thank you! I'm so happy I can do what I want now and I don't have to earn it as a privilege!" Sofia smiled.
"Well, you can do anything you like, within reason," Miranda smirked. "Sometimes someone here gets a little too rowdy with his games, but he knows to be careful now, doesn't he?"
"Mom, you shouldn't say things like that; Dad's standing right next to you!" James smiled innocently.
"She's talking about you dear brother!" Amber teased.
"James rowdy? Never!" Sofia giggled. She smiled as she spotted Clover hopping towards her, taking him in her arms. "Can Clover come with us too?"
"I don't see why not," Roland smiled.
"The more the merrier," Miranda added, scratching Clover behind the ears. "I'm sure he'll be happy getting to spend time with you Sofia instead of being by Boswell's side all day long."
"I get to be with Sof all day?" Clover smiled, "That's the greatest idea I've ever heard!"
"Oh, Clover," Sofia smiled, scratching his ears.
"He deserves every minute of it," James agreed.
"Normally I'd complain about things such as this but Clover kept Sofia safe from that monster whenever he could so it's only fair he comes with us," Amber smiled.
"Thank you! Thank you everyone!" Sofia shrieked. She blushed, clearing her throat. "I'm sorry about that. I don't know what came over me."
"You're allowed to feel any way you want," Roland smiled. "You can tell us how you feel about anything, and you won't get in trouble for it."
"Daddy's right Sofia. If anything happens today, no matter how you're feeling, just tell us and you won't get in trouble," Amber agreed.
Sofia beamed, giggling as Clover jumped out of her arms and nuzzled against her.
She'd enjoyed the butterfly garden, chasing around the butterflies while the family sung to her with James promising her he'd write a story featuring the butterflies and Clover who sniffed him in gratitude.
After lunch, the family took a walk in the flower garden where they learned Sofia was easily spooked by loud noises, resulting in her having an accident and weeping softly.
She felt humiliated and ashamed for being easily scared until Amber took her aside and offered to get her cleaned up.
"What if this happens at school when I go back? Everyone's gonna tease me," Sofia whimpered.
"No they won't," Amber said firmly. "Everyone at school wanted to help find you...except Hildegard, but apart from her, all our friends were worried about you."
"In fact, when we told them that you'd been rescued, Hugo offered right away to be like your own personal bodyguard," James agreed. "Even Desmond wants to help you too, so he and Hugo will alternate every day. But don't worry, Amber and I will help you too, and if anybody tries to give you any grief, they'll have to go through all of us."
"Okay," Sofia sniffed.
Once Amber had assisted her in cleaning up, the rest of the day felt like a blur to Sofia until dusk as she heard a knock on her door, looking up from the book she was reading.
"Come in!" Sofia called.
"Sofia? Oh good you're still awake," Amber smiled, sitting next to her. "How are you feeling tonight?"
"A little overwhelmed."
"I'm sorry to hear that but Mother wanted me to give you something. She said Violet found it in your pants pocket before washing your riding clothes."
Sofia gasped, seeing the familiar object in her sister's hands. "My loose tooth! It fell out while I was eating a certain vegetable but I didn't want Mr. Boswell to find it so I put it in my pocket for safe keeping."
Amber smiled at her sister's explanation, putting the tooth underneath her pillow before taking her hand.
"I'm happy you had a good day. Today was the happiest any of us had ever seen you since your return," She murmured.
"Except for what happened in the flower garden," Sofia sighed.
"Don't worry about that, Sofia," Amber smiled, "Like I said before, if it happens, you've got us to help you. James and I even packed a spare outfit for you if it happens at school." Her smile faded a little as she added, "You know we'll have to mention this to the fairies, but you know they'll help you too. They want to do everything they can to make you feel safe at school again."
"Okay..." Sofia sighed as she leaned back in her arms. "Wait...the fairies won't tell anyone else, will they?"
"Of course not," Amber assured her. "They'll be as discreet as possible when they're helping you, and they know to ask anyone who sees it to be nice to you."
"I know but I just wish I wasn't such a scaredy-cat about what happened to me," Sofia admitted.
Amber stroked her hair, kissing her cheek. "Sofia, anyone would be a 'scaredy-cat' in your position. I remember when that monster came to entertain us, I wouldn't admit it, but I was somewhat scared of him."
"Knowing what you know about Mr. Boswell now, I don't blame you for being scared."
"Thank you. Well good night Sofia. Sweet dreams."
"Wait! Don't go! I can't sleep alone!" Sofia blurted out. "Not again."
"Don't worry, Sofia, I'm not going anywhere," Amber assured her. "How about this? I'll go change into my nightgown, then I'll come back and we can have a sibling sleepover."
"Will James be joining us for this?" Sofia asked.
"If he wants to," Amber smiled.
"Oh, I want to," James agreed. "I want to help you too, Sof. Just let me get changed, then I'll get some of my non-scary stories and my writing buddies for you to cuddle, then I'll be right back."
"Promise you'll come back?" Sofia asked.
The twins glanced at each other before giving their sister firm nods. When they came back to Sofia's room, they found Clover sitting on her lap, sniffing the air as he spotted Little Rex in James' arms.
"James thought Clover needed a writing helper to cuddle with too," Amber smiled.
"Thank you James!" Sofia giggled, taking Prince Blizzard in her arms.
"Any time, Sof," James smiled. "I found some of my first stories I wrote, and I thought you might like those. They're mostly about Amber's and my plush friends going on adventures, but I think you might like those. And don't worry, none of the adventures they go on are scary."
"Thanks, James," Sofia smiled.
"Anything to make our wonderfully brilliant little sister feel more comfortable now that she's home safe and sound," Amber smiled.
Sofia giggled, holding Prince Blizzard close to her. Halfway through one of James' stories, she felt her eyes drift as she dropped Prince Blizzard to the ground and tugged on James' sleeve.
"Are you all right Sof?" He asked softly.
"Everything's fine. …happy to be home with you and Mom and Dad…" Sofia mumbled sleepily.
"And that's how you should feel, happy that we're all together again," Amber smiled.
"That's right," James agreed. "You just go to sleep, Sof, and we'll make all sorts of plans to do whatever you want in the morning."
"Okay," Sofia yawned.
As she went to sleep, James kissed her forehead affectionately while Amber tucked her in, careful not to make the covers too tight in case their sister work up in the middle of the night.
Like Miranda and Roland, the twins were glad to see her home and no matter how long it'd take until she healed from her trauma, they would be there for Sofia.
Now and forever.