Saving Prince James: A James and Sofia Love Story
Set in an alternate universe, James is now 20 and usurped his father as king and conquered every kingdom to create an empire, but he has lived his years as a lonely king with only power and wealth to keep him company. When Cedric summons a banished Sofia, 18, to the castle to secretly save the kingdoms and James, something stirs in James's heart the moment he sees a grown and blossomed Sofia. Can a banished princess save the kingdoms and a ruthless prince find his way into the heart of a princess he once lost?
Chapter 32: Smoke and Fire
James
Things were looking up for James and Sofia. It was all beginning to turn peaceful and good. James felt it in his heart that things were going to turn out well. They no longer had to hide their relationship. Amber even seemed to approve of what they had.
Everything was starting to go their way!
How did it all go so wrong, so fast?!
"Your Majesties, your mother's house is on fire!" Baileywick had exclaimed the moment he burst through Amber's door.
One moment, things were looking like James and Sofia might have made it out of the storm and was sailing peacefully home, but the next thing he knew, they were hurled right back into the storm.
And this time, it didn't look like they were going to find their way out any time soon.
Mom… James didn't know what to do. He didn't know what to say to make this better for everyone.
Images and thoughts of the worst was flashing through his mind right now. Their mother dead and burned beyond recognition. Their mother trapped in a burning house, screaming her pain. Their mother crushed under a house engulfed in flames.
He felt despair and fear grip at him just like the first time… when he couldn't do anything to save his first mother. Now… it was like he going to lose his second one after everything he's done to keep her safe and sound, away from the monster in this castle.
No….
"What?" James heard Sofia and Amber gasp. Their expressions were both of pure terror and horror. The color of both their complexions drained so fast that James wasn't sure if Sofia and Amber were going to faint any moment. They were both holding onto each other like their world was falling apart and the only thing they can do was trying to remain together.
Baileywick was just about to say something, but a head popped out from behind him and cut him off. "Princess Amber! Princess Sofia!"
It was a middle-aged woman with messy short black hair that had ends sticking out like burnt wild hay. There was tear stains on the ash and charcoal that smeared her cheeks. Her maid's uniform was singed at the bottom and darkened so badly that James couldn't even see any color on it besides black and gray. Her eyes were wide and frantic as she rushed over to Sofia and Amber.
"Marie!" Amber cried as she embraced the woman whose name James took was Marie. "What's going on? What is Baileywick talking about Mom's house being on fire?"
"It's a kitchen fire, your highness," Marie said. She was a short, plump woman, tiny like an elf. She barely reached Amber's shoulders. "I-i-it started so su-s-uuddenly and spread s-so fast."
"Is Mom okay? Is anyone hurt?" Sofia said as she joined Amber's side.
The woman was rattled and looked like she was having a hard time trying to get her words out. "Qu-Queen… Queen Miranda is perfectly okay. Your mother was nn-nowhere near the fire a-a-and managed to escape ju-uu-ust in time."
James let out a breath he didn't even realize he was holding and his shoulders sank in relief. The heaviness in his heart released just a bit, but not entirely. Marie may have said that their mother was alright, but that still doesn't explain if anyone else was uninjured or if her house wasn't already burned to the ground. For all they know, their mother could be homeless right about now!
No offense to Marie, but they were only taking her word for it. Amber and Sofia may know her, but James don't. She is a stranger to him.
He needed to physically see if their mother was fine and still had a place to live. He needed to know for himself.
And by the looks of it, Sofia was having the same thought as he was. Sofia looked like she was near tears and ready to run all the way back to the countryside just to be with their mother at the same time.
Not wanting to waste another minute, James took two large steps towards Sofia and laced their hands together. "Let's go. We're going to go Mom right now."
"James?" Sofia looked at him confusingly.
"Let's go and check on mom," James said as he looked down at her. "We can't just stand here and listen about what is happening. We need to go and help Mom in any way we can."
For a moment, Sofia just looked shocked at his sudden announcement. Then her eyes softened as she looked up at him. She looked gratefully up at him, like she was thanking him for being so thoughtful and compassionate.
"Right," she said with a nod as she gave his hand a squeeze.
And before he knew it, they were all running down the hallway and making their way towards the castle courtyard. Amber, Edward, Baileywick, and Marie were right behind them as James and Sofia ran as fast as they could to the doors.
His heart was beating at him with such an urgent pace that it made him not even bother to take the stairs down. He just grabbed Sofia and slid down the rail with her in his lap. Sofia didn't even fight or scold him since it saved them the time it would have taken them to go down the stairs the traditional way. Taking the rails was the quickest way down the palace's grand staircase.
Even Edward did the same just to hasten their pace, but Amber smacked his chest for it. He looked like he didn't mind the hit though.
The castle was in chaos as news of the fire at their mother's house spread. All of the maids and butlers were running around with orders from James and the others.
James had shouted for Baileywick to gather whatever supplies might be needed and to carry them to a carriage. Baileywick didn't miss a single beat as he nodded and hastily ran to do his task. James could even hear him order some nearby servants to gather the needed supplies into two baskets.
Beside him, James heard Sofia called for some stable boys to quickly gather their two flying horses and ready two carriages. Then she shouted back at Amber, "you take the carriages with Edward just in case we need to bring mom and the servants back to the castle. James and I will take our horses."
"Right," Amber replied. "Your horses are faster and can make it to mom before the carriage does. We'll meet you there with the supplies." In the back, he heard Amber order for two other maids and butlers to accompany them as extra help in case they might need the extra hands to help the possible injured.
James didn't pay them much attention. He just trusted what Sofia and Amber were doing and didn't want to get in their way. The fear for their mother and the adrenaline of this emergency made him only think about getting to their mother as fast as possible. He made his legs run faster and faster until they finally barged through the palace doors.
Their horses and the carriages were just barely arriving. The coachmen looked startled to have been called so fast and urgently and the stable boys were still finishing readying Lilac and Lightning.
Sofia gave Amber a quick nod as Amber hurried over to one of the carriages. Her horse was the first to be finished and she mounted it before James could even help her up. Then she and James impatiently waited for the stable boy to finish saddling Lightning. He saw Sofia's leg was restlessly bounce as she watched the stable boy with an irritated expression, looking like she was ready to tear him into pieces for being slow. James was mentally glad that he and Sofia they were still in their riding outfits, he didn't know what Sofia might have done to him if he was slow getting dressed. They still had their cloaks and gloves on and Sofia even still had her satchel around her shoulders.
The moment his horse was finished and he was settled onto Lightning, they both nicked at their horses and were back up in the air.
James didn't know where the country estate he exiled Sofia and Amber and their mother to, so he just followed Sofia's lead to where it was.
The sun was high in the sky as they flew as fast as they could. The clouds were scattered in the blue, spring sky and the trees in the horizon was nothing but a green blur as they sped along.
Neither of them spoke, but James would occasionally look over at Sofia to make sure she was okay.
She wasn't.
Her brows were furrowed and her eyes were glossy with unshed tears. She was biting deeply at her bottom lip like she was trying to keep it from quivering. Her knuckles were whiter than the clouds above from how fiercely she was gripping her reins.
"Sofia, it's going to be okay," James shouted over the rushing air. "Marie said that Mom isn't hurt."
"I know, but I'm still worried."
He understood what Sofia was feeling. He was feeling the exact same way as she was, but he wanted to put on a brave front for her. She looked like she needed him to be brave for her right now. And he'll be damned if he wasn't. She needed him and he was going to be her rock.
James slowed down just a bit and flew closer to her. He reached out a hand to her. "I know. But I promise you, everything is going to be okay."
She gave him a weak smile in return and was about to say something back until she was interrupted by a voice behind them. "WAIT!"
Hugo.
"WAIT!" he shouted again as he flew to them on one of the royal flying horses.
James and Sofia both brought their horses to a halt and turned around. If it wasn't possible, he looked more crazed and hysterical than before. His hair was sticking up on end and his eyes looked as wide as two white plates. The hazel colors of his eyes were just dots among the white now, which only made him look crazier than ever.
"Hugo?" Sofia said, sounding as shocked to find Hugo chasing after them as James felt. "What are you doing here?"
"Please, I beg you, Sofia, give me another chance," Hugo began before he even made it to them.
"I don't have time to deal with you right now, Hugo. Go back," she said.
"No, please –"
"Give it up, Hugo. I said I don't love you," Sofia said emotionlessly. "You're not going to be able to change my mind on this. Or my heart."
"Please," Hugo shook his head, not ready to give up this argument or Sofia. "Sofia –"
"Go back to the castle, Hugo," James said, flying in between them. "We have more important things than you right now."
"Oh, shut it, James," Hugo spat. "This is all your fault anyway. Sofia is like this to me because of you."
"The hell? No! She –" James began.
"No! I am not!" Sofia yelled at Hugo, losing her patience with Hugo again. "If you can't tell right now, but I have my mother to worry about! Every minute I am here talking to you are minutes wasted! I need to go and see if my mother is alright! I don't have time to deal with your bullshit! Do us all a favor and go back to the damn castle and go screw yourself!"
James was shocked and scared at the level Sofia was shouting at. He's never heard her yell at anyone like this before, nonetheless telling someone to go screw themselves. This is worse than when she was mad at him. Way worse.
In all honesty, James was glad that Sofia was finally screaming at Hugo like this. The idiot deserved it. He kept pushing and pushing Sofia to the breaking point, believing that she would somehow reciprocate his feelings if he was persistent.
And James didn't like the guy, he was trying to take Sofia from him and force her to love him instead. Plus, he's trying to convince Sofia that he's a monster. Sofia already knew that James isn't one, but still.
Hugo just didn't understand that love in any form didn't work like that. For it to be returned and shared in equal measure, it needs to be slow and nurtured in an organic fashion.
Love can't be forced or else it will be tainted… that is what he learned from Sofia.
Anyway, what else was he going to expect from her if he kept pushing Sofia like this?
Sofia is the one person in this entire world who has a temper that is as unpredictable as… well, the earth. While there is obviously the beauty and the good on the planet that everyone loves and cherishes, the world still has deadly tricks hidden within it that is left undiscovered or the people is foolishly ignorant about. That is where everyone must trek carefully before they find themselves face to face with the true depths of the world's fury.
"Sofia..." Hugo said, hurt.
Stupid, you stop talking. You're only making this worse on yourself.
"No! No! No! No! How many times do I have to say it to you before it can finally get through your damn head?!" Sofia's face was so red that she looked like she was a volcano that was about to explode. Sofia was the kind of volcano that everyone believed to be dormant when it really wasn't. "I don't love you! I will never love you! Now go back to the freaking castle! And leave me the hell alone!"
Sofia turned away from him, ready to resume flying again until Hugo grabbed Sofia's hand and stopped her. "No, Sofia –" Hugo tried, but James didn't let him get another word in. His body moved on it's own with a rage that was like nothing he's ever felt.
He punched Hugo.
Hard.
He didn't know how he managed to punch Hugo in the air and hard enough where it felt like he might have broken his jaw, but he did because in that moment – even with the worried thoughts of their mother pressing at him – all he could think about was Sofia and how the man who is obsessed and stalking the love of his life was grabbing at her hand. The sick lowlife was touching Sofia.
Anyway, punching Hugo and hearing the snap and crack of his jaw felt good. Really good.
The jackass deserved it.
"Don't you dare touch her," James said with the deadliest tone he's ever used. "Don't you dare touch her ever again, do you understand me?"
"James," Sofia said, pulling him away. "He's not worth it."
"You're right, he's not. But punching him will make me feel a lot better."
"I know," Sofia tried to coax him away. "I know, but this isn't the time for that."
Dammit. Sofia was right, but James wanted to hit him one more time. He wanted to keep punching him until his face was a bruised and bloodied mess.
He squared his jaw and released Hugo. "Leave. Now," James hissed at him.
Hugo's jaw was starting to redden and bruise where James hit him. The idiot didn't look like he was backing down, though. He just glared at James with a fury that almost looked like James's when he went berserk. It was like the punch James threw at Hugo made something in him snap. The look of his eyes was monstrous and Hugo even snarled his teeth at him like he was a wild animal who was ready to attack.
Without another word, Hugo lunged at James with an inhuman shriek.
James barely had enough time to push Sofia's horse away to protect her and summon his magical sword, ready to fight this crazed version of Hugo, but he never touched James. Something stopped him and made him float away from him. Now Hugo was actually levitating off of his horse with his arms tightly pressed at his sides and his legs held together like he was tied up by an invisible rope.
"What the hell is going on? Why aren't you two at your mother's house?" Lucinda's voice bellowed out of nowhere.
"Lucinda?" Sofia said.
"Duh." The witch flew up to them on her broom with her silver want held up. "Now answer me, why aren't you two at your mother's? Wasn't it just on fire? Why are you two just hovering around here?"
"Because this psycho stopped us," James said, letting his sword vanish. "And how did you know that our mom's house was on fire?"
"A little dove told me," she sarcastically sassed him as she pointed at the white dove on her shoulder.
"Anyway," James rolled his eyes at her. He didn't have time for another sarcasm battle with Lucinda right now. "Hugo was trying to beg Sofia to give him another chance and grabbed her, but I punched him and that made him snap or something."
Lucinda looked up at the thrashing Hugo with annoyance, but the annoyance quickly vanished into something serious. Her irritated frown deepened and turned cold. Her light green eyes darkened like she was trapped in the deep recesses of her mind, trying to understand something.
James knew that look. It was a look that never held any good news. It was a look that told him he was about to learn something bad.
Really bad.
"This isn't Hugo." Her tone sent a chill down James's spine.
"What?" Sofia looked confused.
"The evil marked him and is controlling his body. His soul is trapped," Lucinda said. She was still looking at Hugo like he was an unidentifiable monster she has never seen before.
He's marked… like me? How is that possible? When did that even happen? James tried to understand it, but he was too shocked to even begin registering what Lucinda just said.
"The evil –"
Lucinda shook her head, snapping herself out of whatever place her mind went to. "Look, I'll explain later. We need to go to your mom's house. There's a lot of shit that went down there," Lucinda said.
Then Lucinda just smacked their horse's bottoms with her wand to get them flying again. They soared faster than they had earlier and James was sure that Lucinda must have spelled the horses to fly at such speeds like she did this morning.
"What do you mean a lot of shit went down?!" James yelled over at Lucinda, who was flying alongside them and was dragging Hugo with. Amazingly, even the white dove was following them.
"Like I said! I'll explain it later when we get to your mom's house!" Lucinda shouted. "Just focus on getting to your mom and making sure she's okay!"
James knew that she was right.
He needed to focus on one thing at a time right now. He didn't have time to deal with Hugo or any more crap about The Evil at this moment. All that mattered was their mother and making sure she was alright.
James could hear Hugo hiss and seethe in his magical binding behind them, but he tried to push it away as he concentrated on making it to their mother's house as fast as possible. He would just deal with Hugo after he see to it that their mother is okay and everything isn't as bad as how Lucinda made it sound earlier.
One thing at a time. One thing at a time. One thing at a time, James chanted.
There was smoke rising in the horizon, telling James that they were closer than he thought. And in less than a millisecond, James found himself landing down onto the gravel-stoned front pathway of a fairly small estate mansion. They actually managed to make it in less time than he thought.
But the moment their horses were down onto ground, smoke from the fire was nearly blinding them and the heat suffocated them. The smoke was rising from the right side of the mansion and James could feel the heat push at him like it was a large man trying to provoke him. James had to back away a few steps just to keep himself from burning up in his rider's outfit.
The smoke was rising fast and darkened the sky. No color but the dark and angry clouds of smoke and ash coated the sky. It was like someone had pulled a black blanket of burnt dust over the blue sky.
The fire was large and raging, rising out of four windows and quickly spreading at an unnatural rate. The winds that blew in only helped the fire spread faster and faster. Nearly half of the house was being eaten up by the fire. Ash and cinders rained down on them and James had to cover his nose and mouth to keep from inhaling the burning air. Yet that didn't help his eyes from the stinging soot in the air.
On this cold spring day, the fire was scorching at him and making it feel like it was the middle of summer. The heat was so hot that his cheeks were starting to feel like it was being torched by the flames. And James was only a safe distance away from the fire.
The entire right side of the estate was engulfed.
And he couldn't find any signs of his mother around.
"Mom!" Sofia shouted, hopping off of Lilac. "Mom, where are you?"
No answer.
James was starting to worry that she might be inside the burning house. He wanted to go run in and scream for her, but Marie said that she had made it out safely. The least he can do was hope that she didn't run in there herself. He couldn't do anything but scream along with Sofia and wait for her to answer back.
"Mom!" James yelled.
"Mom!" Sofia screamed.
"Sofia?" a faint voice called from behind them.
"Mom?" Sofia shouted in reply. He felt her take his hands and lead them in the direction of the voice. Luckily, the voice was coming from the other side of the house away from direction of the smoke and fire.
"Sofia!" Their mother appeared out from the opposite side of the house, accompanied by several of the butlers. "Sofia!"
"Mom!" Sofia joyfully shouted with tears in her eyes. The tears were probably from the stinging of the smoke and from the relief she was feeling at seeing their mother safe and sound.
The two ran towards each other and embraced like they had found one another after centuries apart. It was a reunion like nothing he has seen before….
Sofia's back was to him, so he couldn't see her face, but he was sure matched the look of their mother's. The look of their mother's eyes at seeing Sofia and holding onto her was a look James knew as nothing else but unconditional love. The soft, warm glow and the protective courage of her eyes was a mother's love. The love of a mother for her child….
It was a look that James remembers seeing on his own mother in a distant memory.
James couldn't help but smile at how tightly Sofia held onto their mother. Sofia was a few inches taller than their mother, so she was the one who was crying into her shoulder. Both of their shoulders shook and Sofia's head was bent and buried into their mother's shoulder.
It was good to see Sofia reunited with their mother. She obviously loved her dearly and to hear the news of the fire must have made her worried and scared beyond belief.
James wanted to join them, but he didn't want to interrupt their moment. This moment was between them and James didn't want to ruin that. He simply took a step back and gave them the space they needed.
Anyway, even if he did join them, it would have been awkward because of what happened in the past between James and their mother. He didn't know if their mother hated him or not.
Plus, being shorter than Sofia made their mother a tiny thing compared to James. He can remember that he was as tall as their mother when he was only fourteen. Now that he was twenty, he had grown to be a lot taller than her.
"Sofia, you're here," he heard their mother say in a smiling sob. Then it turned into a slight frown. "What are you doing here?"
"Marie told us that there was a fire and Amber and I had to see if you and everyone was okay," Sofia replied in her own blubbering cry.
"Amber and you? Why?"
"What do you mean? We were worried. Amber and Baileywick should arrive soon with supplies and whatever might be needed. I think they are bringing blankets and first aid and I hope some snacks and water and –" Sofia rambled.
Their mother exasperatedly sighed as she wiped a tear from Sofia's cheek. "I asked Marie to simply bring back the supplies needed on the list –"
Oh, so that's what the letter was...
"– I didn't want to worry you or Amber. You two must obviously have a lot on your plate right now."
"No, Amber and I wanted to come. We had to see if everything was alright and that no one was hurt." Sofia turned around and pulled James to them. "Even James wanted to come and check up on you."
"James," their mother said surprised as if she was just realizing he was standing a few feet away from them. James didn't know if he should take the surprised tone as a good thing or not.
The last time he saw their mother, he was shouting at her and threatened to have her dragged away. He made her cry. He killed her husband, the love of her life. He ripped her away from her two daughters. He made her live in an unfamiliar place, away from everything she knew.
Remembering that now, he felt sick to his stomach at behaving in such a way. It wasn't his fault entirely that he acted like that, it was the monster in him and The Evil that was manipulating his mind, but he still doesn't like knowing that he threatened their mother like that. That he treated her with merciless savagery.
He feels so much more than ashamed. He felt like someone was punching and kicking and stabbing his stomach over and over again, wanting him to feel every sort of pain and misery that came with remembering his actions and words towards their mother.
She must surely never want to see his face again. He wouldn't blame her if she never want anything to do with him. She probably hates him after everything he's done to her.
But he still wanted to try. He wanted to earn her forgiveness and trust again.
James wanted to apologize and beg their mother to forgive him for treating her with such cruelty and vile heartlessness. He wanted her to know that he never meant to do any of that. That He never wanted to do that ever again.
There was so much he wanted to say. There was so much he wanted to apologize for.
I'm sorry. I'm so, so, so sorry, James wanted to start.
But he didn't.
He was too nervous.
"Uh… hi," James shakily said, "…Mom."
"James…" she said again. It was like she couldn't believe he was here.
Was that a good thing or a bad thing? He wasn't sure.
At least she wasn't yelling at him or forcing him off of the estate premises. She doesn't look like she's upset or angry with him. Her blue eyes didn't hold any grudge or spite against him. The wrinkles on the sides of her mouth weren't turned down into a frown.
She just looks shocked to see him.
"James…" she said again, like her mouth was speaking for her because her mind was trying to make sense of the fact that he was here.
James didn't know how to respond to that, but he wracked his brain for something else to say. He couldn't just say "hi" again. That would make him sound stupid.
This wasn't like when he was dealing with Amber when she was made at him in the beginning. This is the fates giving him a chance to fix everything, starting with his relationship with their mother. If he wanted to be back on their mother's good side, he needed to say something good and nice and useful.
He wanted to sound smart and-and-and… and what? Like his old self? Before all of this crap happened?
Would that be good? Would that help him mend the relationship between him and their mother? Would that help their mother forgive him enough so that she would approve of him? As a king? As her son? As Sofia's suitor?
...What of the relationship he shared with Sofia? Him and Sofia?
Oh, stars… James realized. She's going to have to know someday…. Mom is going to know about my relationship with Sofia. Amber will probably be the one to spill it to her. So I am sure she's going to know before the end of the day.
But…. What if she hates me and refuses to give her blessing to us? I mean, she probably do hate me. Why else would she be looking at me like that?
So if she does, then what if she forbids our relationship? What if she makes Sofia refuse to see me? And what if Sofia listens? What if I never get to marry Sofia because Mom hates me for everything? What if I die alone because she made Sofia end our relationship? What if after this, I never get to see Sofia ever again?
Oh, stars. No.
James was spiraling now. He couldn't say a single thing to their mother.
"James was actually the one who told us to go see you, Mom," Sofia said after James didn't say anything for several minutes. "He's the one who rushed us out here to you."
Their mother looked over at Sofia like she was shaking her shock off of herself. "Really? James did?"
"Yeah… James did," Sofia said warmly. Then James felt her take his hand and lace their fingers. "You were right. There was still good in him." Sofia said it like it was some kind of private thing between them.
"There… is…" their mother said in a sort of astonished way.
But the real astonished one among the three was him because he was sure he heard some pride in her tone.
Pride for… him….
It went quiet between them. Sofia was just smiling at their mother while their mother was looking at him with some kind of expression he couldn't understand.
And James just felt uncomfortable.
He didn't know what to make of the situation. He didn't know where or who to look at and he didn't like the quiet. It wasn't like the quiet he was used to. It was kind of awkward.
There was warmth and something good in the quiet, but he just felt restless and jumpy. It was like he was itching just to say something or have something to do. He felt like it was a somewhat awkward silence and he felt the need to fill the silence.
Thankfully, Lucinda did it for him.
"Well, this silence is kind of awkward. I am just going to deal with the fire and put it out before it burns the entire estate down," she said.
"Lucinda is that you?" their mother asked, looking behind Sofia.
"Hi, Your Majesty," Lucinda smiled politely. "Yeah, it's me."
"My, you've grown so beautifully. You look so much like your mother," she said as she gave Lucinda a small hug.
"Don't tell her that, she's going to think you're saying she is aging backwards. That will only make her vainer than she already is," Lucinda joked.
Their mother laughed freely. "Don't worry. I won't. Anyway, can you really put out this large fire?"
"Of course. I just need some of the men to go and get buckets of water and someone to hold this crazy idiot while I work on the fire." Lucinda hoisted the still tied-up Hugo to the two butlers behind their mother and started to make her way towards the fire. The white dove was back on her shoulder now.
"There's a creek and waterfall nearby," one of the butlers said. He then turned to the others and they started to cluster into groups as they ran off to do as Lucinda instructed. Two of the other butlers holding Hugo just leaned him down against a nearby tree and backed away from the three of them to give them some privacy.
"Is that Prince Hugo?" their mother asked.
"Yeah," Lucinda said over her shoulder before she started to do her magic.
A large bubble appeared from her wand and encased the entire house, making the fire dwindle since it has no oxygen to feed itself. She was containing and controlling the fire. The bubble was iridescent as she worked with it. Then blue sparks and liquid began to shoot from her silver wand. Little by little, the fire was beginning to die.
When the butlers returned with several buckets of water. James heard her instruct them to pour it onto the ground around the front of the house. Then she aimed her wand at the water and made it all disappear into the gravel and dirt.
The water then reappeared inside of the bubble and rose up. It cluttered into large droplets at the top of the bubble before raining down onto the house and extinguishing the last of the flames.
"Wow…" James heard their mother gasp in awe.
The bubble didn't disappear though. It remained around the house, still raining water around it even though the fire looked like it was gone.
James didn't want to ask her why the bubble still surrounded the house, she looked too focused to be interrupted with his questions. It looked like if he talked to her right now, she might lose her concentration and who knows how sensitive the magic around the house was. What if the fire was still alive inside of the house?
Anyway, she might get snippy and sassy with him for that. He didn't have time to deal with her sarcasm when he has their mother to deal with.
And dealing with their mother would have been a lot easier if he knew just what to say and if the damn awkward silence hadn't returned.
It was worse this time.
No one said anything as they both looked at him. Sofia was looking at him like she was expecting him to say something and their mother was waiting for him to speak.
But he didn't.
What did they want from him? He didn't know what to say. He didn't know what they wanted to hear.
Was it an apology? If it was, he didn't know how to start that.
Can he just talk about the weather? No, that was stupid. There was a fire just now, how can he talk about that?
What? What did they want?
"Uumm… I'll have it all fixed," James rushed suddenly. He sort of wished he said it sooner instead of just popping up and spurting words into the silence like an idiot. "When the fire is out, I'll have some magical carpenters come over and fix all of this as fast as possible so you don't have to wait long or stay at a hotel for very long – I mean if you want to stay at a hotel. You don't have to stay at a hotel if you don't want to." James didn't know how to stop himself. He was just tripping over his words incoherently and rambling like a buffoon. "I can make the construction finish in one day so you don't have to wait a week or day or even an hour. And I'll make sure everything is the same. Nothing new – If that's what you don't want. Uh...If you want anything new, I'll make sure to tell them to make the house to your liking. If you want a new kitchen or a bigger master's suite or anything like that. New furniture too. Whatever you want –"
He was finally stopped by their mother suddenly embracing him and Sofia's laughter.
Is this what they wanted? Him rambling?
James looked over at Sofia over their mother's shoulder for some kind of understanding, but all he got in return was her laughing at him with the most amused expression he's ever seen on her. Then she raised their laced hands to her lips and kissed the back of his hand.
"Go with it," she mouthed to him.
"You're back," their mother said into his ear. Her shoulders shook like she was crying. "You're back."
James didn't know what their mother meant by that, but he took it as a good thing. He wasn't sure if this was their mother's way of forgiving him or what, but he was sure that it was a first step to healing their relationship.
He hugged her back, feeling her familiar motherly warmth. After so long time apart from their mother – and missing a mother's love – he never realized how thin and tiny she was. She was so small and so much older than how he remembered her.
The years he's put her through made her age and mature a little older than her age. There was a lot more white and gray in her brown hair. Wrinkles and creases marked her tan skin. And when she broke their hug, he could see how tired and sad her blue eyes looked. The light of her eyes was still there, but it was dimmed just a bit like it was a flickering light fixture missing a key part of it to making it work correctly.
But despite the smidge of sadness in her eyes, she was smiling up at him with so much happiness. She was bright and happy and was crying from pure joy.
"You're back," she said as she placed a gentle hand on his cheek.
This time, he understood what she meant.
Her son was back.
The son she feared was gone and lost to the darkness and madness inside of him was back.
Her son was back.
"Mom, I-I am so sorry. I-I-I –" James choked, fighting the tears and sob that wanted to escape him. He didn't know how to begin his apology. He didn't know where to start and how to properly apologize to the woman who raised and unconditionally loved him for so many years. "I-I am so sorry…."
"It's okay. It's okay. It's okay," she said it so much like Sofia that a smile broke free on him instead.
James looked over at Sofia, smiling like the sun was shining down directly at him. Their mother didn't seem to hate him!
She didn't hate him! She didn't hate him! She didn't hate him!
Sofia laughed again with happy tears in her eyes.
But then, her brows furrowed and she bit her lips, a tell-tale sign that something was bothering her or that something was on her mind.
"Mom?" Sofia said. He felt Sofia place her other hand over his forearm and gave it a squeeze. "There is something I want to tell you before Amber arrives because I want you to hear it from me."
His heart jumped and panged anxiously. She's going to tell.
"Wait," James tried to stop her. "Sofia. Are you sure you want to –"
"Yeah," she said. "I mean, I've been spilling the truth all day, might as well tell Mom too. Don't worry."
He knew that she wasn't going to tell their mother about The Evil or anything dangerous. That would only worry her and might even frighten her beyond anything she can handle. And it might put her in danger just by knowing.
Sofia was going to tell her about their relationship.
Oh, Fates. He wanted nothing more than to be free from hiding about his relationship with Sofia. He wanted their mother to know and be okay with it.
But he was scared. He didn't know how she might react.
James braced himself. Even though their mother embraced him and smiled at him, he still didn't know what her reaction might be. It could go either way and he needed to be ready to fight for their relationship.
He's not going to lose Sofia.
"What is it, Sofia?" she asked, smiling.
Sofia took a deep breath. So did he. "James and I are together."
Their mother's brows rose, like she was a bit confused.
But, on the bright side, she wasn't angry. Or disgusted.
She didn't even seem to be reacting like Amber. She almost seemed calm and composed – unfazed, really – like what Sofia just said was just any other regular news she receives on a daily basis.
Again, James didn't know if her collected expression was a good thing or a bad thing.
"You mean…" She let her sentence fade, letting them finish it for her.
"I am in love with Sofia," James said. "We're –"
"We're soulmates," Sofia said. She was starting to sound like she was near tears again. It was as if every time she talked about him and her feelings and how much she loved him, she becomes emotional and teary. "We're true loves and-and-and I love him so much, Mom. So much."
"You-you two are true loves… That's what you meant by 'together'…." She nodded her head like she was waiting for it to sink into her head. She understood it a lot faster than Amber did, James had to give her credit for that.
Surprised. That is the only way he can describe how their mother is reacting to it.
She wasn't mad like he feared. She wasn't hurt like Amber was.
Just surprised.
"Okay…" she said with another nod. "Okay…."
"Mom?" Sofia said through a sniffle.
"Well, this is definitely a shock. I mean, you two… true loves…. I did not see that coming."
"Are you upset about our relationship?" Sofia carefully asked.
"What? No. Of course not." Their mother looked at Sofia like she just said the most ridiculous thing in the world. "Why would – how – no. I am most definitely not upset. I am just surprised. I mean, I shouldn't be. But I am."
Wait, what?
"What do you mean you shouldn't be?" James asked.
Did she know about their relationship? How can she though? She was here in the countryside the entire time when James discovered his feelings for Sofia. She was here way before even the start of their relationship.
"Well, I mean, I've seen how you watched Sofia throughout the years, James. I've seen how your eyes lingers on her in a crowded room. And you were so much more protective of her than anyone I've ever known. More protective than your father and the palace guards combined. You always wanted to be around her and you basically followed her around like a love-struck puppy."
"Wait, really?" Sofia looked up at him with as much shock as their mother. Then the corners of her mouth started to curl into an amused smile. She didn't look like she was emotional anymore. "Really, James?" she teased him. "I never knew."
Oh, stars. James blushed and he couldn't look at Sofia in the eyes.
This entire time… the feelings he didn't discover for Sofia until this year… they were that obvious and he never knew about it. His feelings were that obvious! Did he had a huge stamp on his forehead or something? Or was he that much of a 'love-struck puppy' as their mother called him? How obvious was he?!
And their own mother knew about it! She's been watching him this entire time and she knew – or had a hunch – of his feelings for Sofia even before him!
How many other people knew? Did their father know? Did the guards? What about Baileywick? The maids and butlers?
Did all of Enchancia know?!
"Oh, stars…" James buried his mortified face into his hands.
"It's okay. I don't mind that you two are together. It's a little weird because I raised you two, but I'm not going to force you two apart. When it's true love, it's true love. You can't fight it," their mother continued. "Anyway, I always thought it was kind of cute at how doting you were on her, James. You gave her so many treats and presents and treated her like the little princess she was. You were the happiest when you were with her and you were the saddest when you weren't."
James just groaned into his hands, his cheeks burning even more at the sound of Sofia's laugh.
If this was coming from Sofia, James would be laughing too and later kissing Sofia to make her stop. But this was coming from their mother and he was just plain embarrassed right now.
Their mother chuckled at James's groan. "I'm sorry, I –"
"No, keep going. I like this," Sofia encouraged their mother.
James peaked a look out of his hands to glare at Sofia, who just gave him a mocking glare in return. I am going to get you back for this, he thought and knew that Sofia could read his expression.
"No, no. I think I embarrassed him enough," their mother laughed. "I'm happy you told me, Sofia. And if the reason you told me is to ask me for my blessing, you have it."
"Really?" James came out of hiding in his hands.
Did she really mean that?
"Yes."
"Does that mean you don't hate me enough to want to separate me and Sofia?" That came out before he could even filter himself. But it was out and he wanted to hear what she had to say.
"Hate you? No."
"But after everything I've done, how can –"
"Okay, yes, I was hurt and angry with you for killing your father and exiling us in the middle of nowhere so shortly after your father's murder. I was angry for a long time, James. But after seeing you when you first called us back to Enchancia, I somehow knew that it wasn't your fault. You weren't in control of yourself or something or someone was making you do all of this horrible things. I can't really explain it, but it was like something told me that the boy I raised couldn't have done those horrible things five years ago. You're a good boy, James, and you are not capable of murder."
He didn't know how to respond. How can he after hearing that their mother didn't believe that he was responsible for murdering his father? She believed that he was good…. She didn't hate him….
"I forgive you, James," she said. "If that's what you want to hear, I'll say it again. I forgive you. And I don't hate you."
Hearing those words… from their own mother…. It was best thing he could have ever asked for. He was forgiven and they had her blessing!
It was like all was right with the world and his heart was singing the joy he felt. He wanted to jump and dance and scream his happiness. He wanted to take Sofia into his arms and kiss her, but he wasn't going to because they were in front of their mother.
There was a sudden lightness to his heart, like a dark heavy mass was lifted off of him and setting him free.
Now. Now they were truly passed the storm.
Everyone knew of their relationship. Amber and their mother approved of what he and Sofia had. He and Sofia no longer had to sneak around and hide that they were in love. The last of the people to know about them knew and James and Sofia can be together. They can marry and live happily.
Not only that, they had destroyed one of the sources and was a step closer to defeating The Evil. Amber and Edward – and Hugo – were aware of what they were up against and he knew that they – except for Hugo – were willing to help. And with Lucinda on their side and Sofia's amulet to work with, they were nearly unbeatable.
Things are going to be more than okay.
"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you." James pulled their mother into a hug. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."
James never thought that he would ever be able to hear their mother laugh again or have her hug him or even earn her forgiveness.
Being so tiny, she barely reached his shoulders nonetheless his chest and just laughs into him. "You're welcome."
"Woah, hugfest," James heard Lucinda say behind him. "I am not getting in on this. Too much touchy-feely."
"I wasn't going to invite you to join, anyway," James sassed as he rolled his eyes at her. He pulled away and took Sofia into his arms instead. He pressed her back to his chest and kissed the side of her head.
He just needed to hold and kiss something. And by something, he meant Sofia.
Now that they all knew, he wasn't going hold back on Sofia anymore. He planned on kissing her freely – when they are back in the castle and away from their mother – and hold her whenever he can. That little kiss he gave her, though, was one he couldn't help himself.
"Don't sass her, James," their mother scolded him. "She put out the fire."
"You heard her. Don't sass me," she sniped at him with a pitched and nasally voice. "And I fixed the house too."
He gave her a humorless look while trying to tease Sofia's sides with his hands. That only made her squirm in his arms and smack at his arms.
"Really?" Sofia said to Lucinda while she gave him another hit. He just held her tighter to him.
"Yeah." Lucinda turned to their mother. "If you want, you can look through the house to see if everything is the way you want. I can fix or update whatever you think is wrong later."
Their mother began to make her way towards the house. "Yes, thank you. Anyway, I think these two might want some privacy."
"Mom," Sofia blushed. She just laughed at her over her shoulder.
"Oh, trust me. I want to give them the privacy they want –" Lucinda said.
"Trust me, I want you to give it to us," James said which earned him a slap to the hand by Sofia.
"Funny," Lucinda rolled her eyes at him, "but we actually have to deal with Hugo right now."
Hugo? With everything that has happened today, James forgot about the idiot that was obsessed with his Sofia. Oh, right. Hugo.
They all looked over at the still-thrashing Hugo. He was on his side on the grass and glaring right at James. He still had the crazed look in his eyes and was even spitting and foaming from his mouth like a rabid animal.
"Mom, I think it's best if you go back into the house," Sofia said.
"But it is safe for you to handle this? I think Hugo is foaming in his mouth…."
"It's fine. Go in the house and wait for Amber," Sofia urged her.
Their mother didn't say anything. She just gave Sofia a pleading look as she backed away, as if she understood the severity of the situation they were in.
They were dealing with The Evil and Sofia didn't want their mother to be involved in this as much as James. The farther away she was from this, the better.
He looked over at the still thrashing Hugo again and looked back at Lucinda. "So, what do we do?"
"When your sister and her guard arrives," Lucinda said. "We'll take him into the barn out back and you and he will pin Hugo down. Sofia and I will deal with the rest."
Chapter thirty-two! Woo!
I can't believe I made it this far! Holy crap! Big thank-you to everyone for sticking with this for so long! Anyway, I hope you all like this chapter. It's not as long as the previous ones have been so far, but I hope you all like it anyway. Queen Miranda is back. Sofia and James revealed their relationship. James and Queen Miranda are mending their relationship. Good stuff, I think.
Shout out to Guest user, MagicDust13! I promised you a shout-out and you got one! I really like the way you think, my friend. You are actually the first figure this out. So, congrats!
As for the challenge, sorry. You guys didn't make it. BUT since you were so close, I am still going to leave it up until you guys reach 20 reviews about your thoughts on this chapter in order to unlock the Amber POV chapter extra. That's like only 7 more. Good luck!
Read, review, etc.
Thanks :)
