"I will send for you at such a time when your services are needed at the palace," King Japsar said. "And I will pay you handsomely for your services so long as you continue to be successful in treating Reign's disease. But until then, you are free to return to Evanore to continue practicing medicine there."
At this point, Effie realized beggars couldn't be choosers. Although she knew that this false freedom was nothing but a farce, at least she could go home for now. Just one short day ago she wasn't sure if she would ever get to see home again. And hey, at least there would be some coin out of the deal, right? Maybe she could finally be rich enough to rival Seth Clayton. Maybe she could be the one buy him some fancy jewelry this time, and gloat in his face over it.
Just as she was getting used to the idea, Prince Reign suddenly interjected.
"Isn't this a bit too harsh, father? Even if it was just once, she helped relieve my suffering so that I could experience what the world could be like without pain. Isn't that enough? Why must she continue to be punished further? She's done nothing wrong."
"I've searched for far too long to find a healer that may have the skill save you," King Jaspar retorted angrily. "I'm not about to give up that opportunity now. So don't think of it as her being punished. She's simply being asked to offer up her services the royal family. I even said I would pay her for those services, did I not? She will only face punishment if she fails to preform her duties appropriately. That is all."
"But father-"
"That is all!"
Torin, who had been silent up until now, scoffed bitterly, looking down on everyone as if he thought this entire charade was the most idiotic performance he'd ever laid witness to. "If the show's over now, I think I'll take my leave. I have more important matters I need to get back to."
"You don't leave until I dismiss you," King Jaspar growled dangerously.
But Torin paid his father no heed as he turned on his heel, heading casually for the exit.
"Torin!" King Jaspar's savage voice ripped through the large room, echoing sharply off the walls and grand ceiling. "Get back here now! Do you hear me?! I am your king!"
Effie recoiled instinctively when the king jumped to his feet, fists clenched tightly at his sides, his face turning a horrid shade of red. But Torin never even flinched as stepped through the archway and disappeared out of sight.
"That insolent wretch," King Jaspar seethed. "He's not yet king, but he seems to believe that he's already in charge of everything. His arrogance will be his undoing." Then he turned to Effie, his eyes now like two terrifying, blazing, blue orbs of fire that caused her to shrink back a little. "You, get out of my sight! All of you! Out, now! You can thank my oldest son for putting me in a foul mood now, as he so often does! Now I simply wish to be alone. Guards! Escort these women out of the palace and take them back to Evanore immediately, before I go back on every word I said here today, and have them executed on the spot!"
Paralyzed with terror, Effie couldn't seem to do much as a few guards came over, helping her, Anise, and Kip swiftly stumble out of the room before the king could unleash his mounting wrath upon them. She hardly noticed Reign following close behind.
Out in front of the palace, an elegant royal carriage was waiting for them. The guards quickly ushered the three of them inside, and though Effie was still quite shaken up, she found that she was able to sink comfortably into the plush, velvet seats inside the carriage, sitting opposite Anise and Kip. The guards closed the carriage door, and just before the driver took off, Reign's voice echoed from across the front courtyard, drawing Effie's attention.
"Wait! Don't go. I've come to see them off."
The driver waited long enough for Reign to approach the carriage window.
"I'm sorry for my father and my brother," Reign began. "I'm sure the outburst was quite terrifying but that's the way their relationship is. And honestly, the entire thing could have gone much worse."
Anise shook her head. "You don't have to apologize, your highness. Because of you we were able to survive, and go back home. We sincerely thank you."
"Yes, thank you, your highness," Kip bowed his head. "Without you I could have never had the strength to do what I did- I would never have been able to redeem myself."
Everyone had thanked the prince several times throughout the long ordeal except for Effie. She had held back on thanking him, convinced that at some point he would let her down. But he never did. He'd always stuck to his word and did his utmost best to make sure they were taken care of. He had kept his promise, and because of his hard work they were all alive and they were free. And it really was all thanks to him.
"Th-thank you," Effie finally said, staring down at her hands that were folded awkwardly in her lap. But the words had sounded strange and quiet as they left her lips. So blushing, she tried again. "Thank you, Prince Reign... for everything."
If she'd been able to look up and meet Reign's gaze in that moment, she would have seen the beautiful smile that pulled at his lips when he'd finally heard her say those words.
"I appreciate all your gratitude," he spoke softly. "But I'm not sure you should be thanking me just yet. The ordeal at the prison is finally over, that much is true. But that doesn't mean that the suffering will end there. Not everything can go back to the way it was before. You were accused of being witches, and dragged out before all of Evanore to see. Even if the King himself has gone back on that accusation, the people of Evanore may never look at you the same way again. The townspeople are unfairly prejudice. The stigma will likely still follow you wherever you go within the four kingdoms and beyond for a long time to come."
Effie's hands tightened into fists against her silken, plum-colored skirt. She knew Reign wasn't wrong. Though she'd tried not to think too hard about it, she already suspected that she and Anise may not receive such a warm welcome from the people of Evanore. She could never forget the way they all looked down on her that early morning when she and Anise had been violently ripped out of the apothecary and dragged out onto the streets to be executed. All those ugly faces watching her with disgust as if she was a lowly rodent; watching in anticipation of her death. Not a single soul had spoken out against the abuse. Not one. No one tried to stop the execution. No one had tried to save them except for Prince Reign. He was the only one left who was on their side. He was their only ally. And though she was grateful for it, the realization that everyone else had betrayed her was excruciating, causing a painful lump to form in the back of her throat.
"If it turns out to be too difficult for you to return to Evanore," the prince went on, "I can try to convince my father to arrange for you to reside within the palace where you may find yourselves much safer from those who may want to harm you."
"We appreciate the offer," Effie replied, before Anise and Kip could say anything. "But the apothecary is our life's work, and Evanore is our home. Even if the people there don't welcome us back warmly... we've been through so much together already. We've made it through a lot of adversity, so I'm sure it's nothing we can't handle. Right Aunt Anise?"
Anise nodded solemnly in reply. Effie knew her aunt wouldn't want to give up so easily on the apothecary just because some people might end up bullying them.
Reign smiled sadly, his eyes betraying his concern, but he conceded. "You two are very strong women, and I'm sure you will face whatever hardships come your way. But never forget that you can count on me as well. I will always be here if you ever need anything."
"Thank you," Anise dipped her head in gratitude. "We will never forget what you've done, and we'll always remember that we can count on you."
"Take care," Reign said, directing his gaze specifically toward Effie. "Have a safe trip. Until we meet again."
With that he stepped away from the carriage, and signaled to the driver, who cracked the reigns. The horses whinnied, and then then carriage set off on its journey back to Evanore.
-------
Afternoon was reaching its end, and the sun was beginning to hang low in the west as the carriage finally pulled into Evanore. Effie looked out the window in nervous anticipation, watching all the familiar buildings and houses pass by. There was Ms. Spenser's quilt shop, the general store, the stone well in the middle of town square; she saw everything that made up the Evanore Effie had always known. Nothing looked different. Nothing looked out of place. Everything was just as she had left it. But somehow, at the same time, everything felt entirely different. Effie knew that despite appearances, this was a very different Evanore than the one she'd left behind not long ago.
The unexpected sight of an elegant royal carriage driving down the main street caught many pedestrians by surprise. They were not used to seeing royals making their way through Evanore as the royals did not make it a habit to frequent the small town. So it was quite the spectacle.
Soon the carriage pulled up to Anise's and Effie's apothecary. The familiar sight of it caused Effie's heart to throb in her chest. She could still hardly believe that they were really back here again. It had only been a few days since she'd seen it last, but it felt like a lifetime ago. The soldiers stopped the carriage to help Anise and Effie out. The women said their goodbye's to Kip, who would be delivered to his family's farm next.
As Effie stepped down out of the carriage, holding up her skirts to prevent dirt and mud from soiling such an expensive item of clothing, she couldn't help but feel the stares of many eyes on her already. Curious townspeople had gathered around the carriage to see what was going on. And as soon as they had recognized the two women dressed as well as nobles, that's when the whispers began.
And why wouldn't they whisper, Effie thought. The last time they'd seen her and Anise, the two of them were being dragged out of the apothecary toward a botched execution, and then hauled off to prison presumably for life. But now they returned, escorted in a golden, royal carriage wearing fine garments that made them stand out like a couple of sore thumbs in a small town. Of course the people would all begin to speculate what had really happened while the two women were away.
Effie tried to ignore the whispers and the stares, holding her head up high as she and Anise made their way up the cobblestone walkway. This was supposed to be the end of their harrowing ordeal. This was supposed to be their happily ever after. But as they neared the door, Effie noticed a small piece of paper nailed into the wood, a note scrawled across it in terrible handwriting.
"Do not enter," the note read. "This is the former business of two witches. This plot of land is cursed by evil magic. This building is to be condemned."
Effie ripped the note off the door with a sigh, turning back to glare at the onlookers behind her. She knew one of them must be the culprit who wrote the note, but she couldn't guess which one.
Reign had been right, of course. Returning to Evanore, after everything that had happened, was not going to be easy. But Effie liked to think she would be strong enough to handle whatever the people threw at her, because this apothecary was her aunt's precious business; it was something that Anise had built from the ground up with her own hands, and Effie was determined to protect it. Little did she know what an insurmountable task that was truly going to be.