The warm aroma of freshly baked bread wafted through the cottage one morning, making little Euphemia's stomach rumble in response.
Perched on a nearby stool, the child leaned in, watching eagerly as her mother pulled another steaming, golden-brown loaf from the stone-brick oven, and carefully placed it on the table next to four other fresh loaves. Euphemia's mouth watered at the sight.
"Come now, Effie," her mother said, noticing that all-too-familiar, insatiable look in her daughter's large eyes. "You know all this bread is for my customers at the bakery only."
"I know" Effie drawled, placing a small hand over her stomach to quell the hunger. She did already know that the bread was not meant for her, rather it was all to be sold at her mother's bakery down the street. But still, it smelled so nice that she couldn't help drooling a little.
Effie sat back on her stool dejectedly, sorry that she couldn't even have the tiniest taste. She cast her eyes toward the floor, folding her arms around her little yarn dolly with the stringy brown hair and violet-grey button eyes that looked just like hers. And she tried to pretend like she couldn't see the way her mother was regarding her with a gentle gaze and a smile playing at her lips.
"Oh, don't fret my darling. You know very well that I've already baked your treat beforehand, just as I've always done."
With that, her mother reached into her apron pocket and pulled out something wrapped in a piece of checkered cloth. Gingerly, she peeled back a corner of the cloth revealing its contents, and Effie found herself staring down at a big, round, flaky cheese danish that looked a thousand times more delicious than all the fresh baked bread in the world.
Effie nearly tumbled out of the stool, scrambling to snatch up the baked treat, shoving it into her mouth and sinking her teeth into the buttery-sweet morsel.
"Mmmmm..." she hummed, chewing happily.
"That's more like it," her mother beamed. "My angel deserves nothing less than the happiest of smiles. Now then, would you look at the time? I'd better get these loaves wrapped up and ready for the bakery."
Her mother set to work as Effie munched away, thinking of little else except for the way the creamy, sweet cheese in the center of her danish seemed to melt in her mouth. But before either Effie or her mother could finish their respective endeavors, there came a sudden, unexpected knocking at the front door.
Effie's mother froze.
"Now who could that be?" She said to herself, a hint of concern flashing across her dark violet eyes. But it only lasted for a moment. And then it was gone. "We aren't expecting company. Euphemia, you stay right where you are. I'll go find out who it is, alright?" She turned to smile at Effie as if to say 'everything will be alright.'
What was her mother so frightened of? Effie could only wonder, as she watched her mother wipe both hands on her apron and reach for the door knob.
And then...
"Auntie Anise!?" Effie exclaimed, nearly dropping what was left of her danish as she leapt from the stool and rushed to greet a familiar face standing in the doorway.
"Oh, look at my big girl, so grown up," Anise laughed merrily, scooping the small girl up into her arms.
Anise, a woman who looked to be in her forties, was not Effie's real aunt, and in fact, was not related to the girl in any way. But she was such a good friend of both Effie and her mother that she may as well have been family.
And after smothering Effie in a warm embrace, Anise pulled back, a big smile crinkling the corners of her eyes. "Now let me get a good look at you, Miss Euphemia. It's been such a long time since I've seen you last. Yes, it seems you've grown so tall, and look how pretty you've become. And I suppose you've been a very good girl for your mother the whole time I've been away, haven't you?"
Effie nodded firmly, gripping the hand of her little dolly named Lottie. "Oh, I have Auntie Anise. I've been very good."
"Well, that's wonderful to hear," Anise said. "And you know what? Since you've been such a good girl, I brought you a present."
"A present? For me?!" Effie jumped up and down excitedly.
"Oh, yes," Anise's kind, plump face beamed form ear to ear, and from behind her back, as if by magic, she produced a new little yarn doll. One that matched the doll in Effie's grasp almost exactly, but this new doll had yellow hair and blue-button eyes. "I've made a little friend for Lottie to play with, you see?"
Effie squealed with delight, taking the doll and holding it up next to Lottie. Then she studied the two dolls side by side, her eyes sparkling like a pair of faceted, amethyst jewels.
Anise had made Lottie a few years ago when Effie was still a toddler, and the doll had been a constant companion for the child ever since. Over time, the doll had become a little worn and raggedy, but Effie didn't care. She loved it all the same. It had dark brown hair and purple-grey eyes just like her. And now, Lottie had a friend, a pretty blonde dolly with bright blue eyes - just the sort of girl Effie thought she'd like to have as a friend one day.
"Oh, thank you, Auntie Anise!" Effie leapt into the older woman's arms once more, giving her a final squeeze. "She's just perfect for Lottie. I think I'll name her Alice."
"Alice? I think that's the perfect name," Anise agreed. Then the woman finally stood to her feet, turning to face Effie's mom in greeting. "Ah, Morgana, how have you been getting along these days, my dear?"
"I've been doing much better since the last time you were here," Morgana answered with a tired smile. "The bakery has been doing well, and putting food on our plates has been much easier."
"I'm so glad to hear it," Anise said, then her kind smile faded, her face taking on a more solemn expression. "But unfortunately, this isn't just a friendly house-call. There's something very serious I need to discuss with you right away."
"Oh. Well, please do come in, Anise. Have a seat near the fireplace," Morgana offered. Then turning to Effie, she said, "please be a good girl and play with your new dolly over there in the corner. The adults need some privacy to talk, alright?"
"Yes, mama," Effie obeyed, taking Lottie and Alice, and bounding to the corner of the room where she would presumably not be able to hear the conversation. Except that her unusually sharp ears DID hear. And this is what they heard:
"I don't mean to alarm you, my dear," Anise said in a whispered voice. "But there is something that you and I must be wary of as witches. You see, Queen Adella has just passed away this morning, rest her soul. As you know, she'd been battling a mysterious illness for quite some time. And no matter how hard the royal family has tried to hide it, it had become too apparent, even for the average onlooker."
"Well that's too bad," Morgana replied. "But what does that have to do with us?"
"That's just the thing," Anise said. "King Jaspar La Croix had been trying everything to cure Queen Adella. He spared no expense, hiring the best doctors and herbalists from across the Four Kingdoms. However no one could ever figure out what mysterious illness had been plaguing the queen. As the queen breathed her last, the King went mad, declaring that the queen must have been killed by the curse of a witch."
"Oh my goodness," Morgana breathed. "How do you know all this?"
"I've seen it through my crystal ball," Anise answered gravely. "And now there are rumors... there are whispers on the wind that the King has sent out a legion of soldiers in his crazed grief, to seek out and extinguish every suspected witch in Avanthia. There will be no court, no trials. If the soldiers suspect someone is a witch, that person will die today."
An icy chill made its way up Effie's spine, freezing the blood in her veins. Though she did not fully understand the gravity of Anise's words, she could tell by the way the air in the room had shifted to something much darker, and much heavier, that something bad was coming. And then she sensed them. The presence of several men lurking about the cottage outside with dangerous intentions.
"Mama! Auntie Anise!" Effie exclaimed, jumping to her feet, holding her dollies in each fist so tightly the heads nearly popped off at the seams. "They're outside. The bad men are outside."
Morgana and Anise leapt from their chairs in an instant, Anise rushing to lock the door, and Morgana running to shield her daughter from the first sign of danger. And just as each woman had reached their destination, there came a loud pounding on the door.
"Open up!" A deep, male voice barked from the other side. "By order of His Majesty, King Jaspar Alastair La Croix, we will be searching this house for witches."
"Mama, what's going on?" Effie's voice hitched with fear.
"Shhh, it's alright, my love. I won't let anything happen to you. I promise."
"I said open up!" The soldier's voice boomed, his fist pounding so hard on the door, Effie thought it might explode into splinters.
"What makes you suspect there are any witches here?" Anise yelled back bravely.
"If we find no evidence of witches, then you have no reason to fear," the soldier warned. "However, if you do not unlock the door and let us in this instant, we will be burning this little stick house to the ground!"
Effie whimpered in her mother's arms.
"Anise," Morgana ordered sternly. "Take Effie and escape out the back. I'll stay here and stall the soldiers. I'll try to get them off our backs."
Anise looked horrified. "Morgana... You... You can't. What if-"
The soldiers continued pounding at the door, then they began kicking it with their boots. The door creaked and wood split, threatening to come apart at any second.
"Anise, please!" Morgana pressed, her voice shaking with fear, but her mouth a hard line of resolve. "I'm counting on you to keep my daughter safe. I know you can do it. You're a powerful witch. And so am I, so please don't worry about me. Take Effie to your secret cabin the the woods, and don't come back until the storm has blown over, do you understand?"
Hesitantly, Anise nodded her head.
"Effie," Morgana turned to her daughter. Her eyes glistened, but no tears fell. "Listen to me, my love. Please be good for your Auntie Anise, and do exactly what she says. Be a good girl, and there will be plenty of danishes waiting for you at home. Okay?"
"But, mama," Effie sobbed quietly. "I want to stay with you."
"Darling, you can't. The bad men might try to hurt you. But when they're all gone, you can come back home. Just do as Anise asks, and everything will be alright." Morgana squeezed her daughter's hands, giving her a smile that did not reach her eyes.
Effie finally acquiesced, Falling into her mother's arms for one final embrace.
"Take care of yourself," Anise told Morgana, and then took hold of Effie's little hand which was so very small. And then they made their way to the back of the house, where a small door lead out into a narrow alleyway. And they were gone.