Effie couldn't help but to begin looking forward to Reigns visits more and more; a fact which started to irk her. When she'd come to this prison, she was determined never to let anyone get to her, least of all the very person who sentenced her to be here in the first place. Effie didn't want to like Reign. She didn't want to trust him. Wasn't he the enemy after all? But each time he came by to check on her and bring her food, she felt her walls slowly being broken down, little by little. Of course she would never allow herself to admit to this fact. Least of all to herself.
"Once we get out of this wretched hell-hole," she had told Anise at some point, "I am going to forget all about about Prince Reign. I'm going to get back to work at the apothecary and pretend like I'd never met that man."
To which Anise had replied with a knowing smile. "You know, dear, I don't think that will be possible for you."
Effie had been upset and offended by Anise's reply. Who's side was her aunt on anyway? But when Reign did not show up with their dinner that evening, the tray instead being delivered by two palace guards whom she had never seen before, Effie couldn't stop a small part of herself from feeling disappointed. She chewed her lip, irritated that Reign hadn't shown up to deliver the food himself as he'd promised- no, it wasn't quite that. She was silently chastising herself for even caring. As long as she got her food, it shouldn't matter who brought it, right?
Right..?
"His highness sends his sincerest apologies for not being able to personally deliver your food tonight," one of the guards said. "Something suddenly came up which demanded his immediate attention. However, he entrusted us to bring your meal straight here from the royal kitchen."
"That's very kind of you," Anise said gratefully as the soldiers slid the two trays of juicy, beef tenderloins and roasted beet salad through the slot in the door. "His highness really spoils us, doesn't he?"
But Effie pushed her tongue into her cheek, too annoyed to say anything at all.
Though she did find that she wasn't too annoyed to finish off most of her plate before shoving the tray back through the slot toward the guards. Once both women had finished their meals, the guards took their trays and left. Then the two women settled down for the night on the feather mattress that Reign had afforded them to use inside their prison cell.
But Effie found it difficult to sleep that night. Her quiet annoyance had slowly simmered down into another feeling; a dull ache gnawing in the pit of her stomach. What was the true reason Reign had been unable to deliver their meals this time? Hadn't she heard that he had a disease or something? Was he ill? Was he hurt? Was this feeling... was this worry? Effie flipped vehemently over in bed, pulling the covers up over her nose as she used to do when she was a child, and grumbled into the darkness of the night.
The next morning, when breakfast arrived, it was the same as before. Reign had been unable to personally deliver the meals himself, so he had sent palace guards in his stead.
"The french toast looks wonderful," Anise was saying, but Effie hardly heard her. She hardly even looked at the food. To her utter disgust, all she could think about was Reign.
-------
That afternoon, two people came to stand at the door of their prison cell, and as soon as Effie had noted the familiar golden eyes and snow-white hair of the man on the left, relief washed over her in an instant. Which, of course, she despised. Though the dark circles under his eyes told her how completely exhausted he was. And the reason for his exhaustion was probably the small form of a boy standing next to him.
Effie's eyes widened at the sight. She would have recognized that mop of curly red hair anywhere.
"Kip?!"
The adolescent boy standing next to Prince Reign looked small and ashamed, shoulders drooping, hands ringing in front of him, brown eyes directed down toward his boots refusing to look either of the two women in the eye.
"I do believe I've finally located your anonymous witness," Reign said with an edge to his voice that was either from exhaustion or annoyance.
"How... why...." Effie was flabbergasted. Kip was the very last person she thought she'd ever see here now standing next to Reign. "You... you didn't hurt him, did you?"
She thought he probably hadn't, or at least Kip didn't look to be hurt anywhere except his pride. Still, Effie had seen and heard of the punishments Reign was capable of giving out, so somehow the question had slipped past her lips.
"Of course not!" Reign sounded almost offended at the suggestion. "We just had a talk. A long, productive talk. Didn't we, kid?"
"Yes sir. I- I mean, your highness." Kip's voice was small, almost like the squeak of a mouse.
"He's had some time to reflect, I think," Reign went on. "Though I'd like to give him a chance to tell you about it himself. Maybe give him the opportunity to redeem himself."
So this is what Reign had been doing this whole time; tracking down and locating the person who had turned them into the authorities so he could do what exactly...? Effie wasn't sure about that part, so she decided to wait and listen to find out.
"Go on, say something." Reign gave Kip a firm shove on the back, forcing the boy to step forward.
"Effie. Miss Anise. I'm... I'm sorry," Kip began, his voice so quiet Effie almost couldn't hear him. "I didn't mean- I didn't want to- I... I was just so scared."
"Oh, we know dear," Anise replied, kneeling down before the boy, smiling at him warmly like a loving grandmother. "When you've grown up hearing stories about witches - horrible stories that give you nightmares - it's only natural to be frightened of them. But most of those stories are just that; stories. Nothing more than tales spun out of prejudice. Most of us- we're not monsters, you see?"
"Kip," Effie added, her voice low. "No matter what you think you saw that night at the apothecary, we did save your grandfather's life. All we've ever wanted to do was live in peace. We've never hurt anyone as long as we've been running that apothecary. And no matter what we are, I'm still me. I'm still Effie. Aunt Anise is still Aunt Anise. We're still the same people who dressed your scrapes and bruises since before you were old enough to walk. And we're still your friends."
"I... I know..." Kip's lip quivered, and two tears rolled down his ruddy cheeks. "Back then... I wasn't thinking clearly. And I... I don't know what I would have done if you'd been killed because of me."
"But we weren't," Anise said.
"But you almost-" Kip's voice hitched as he hiccuped on a sob.
"There, there, Kip," Anise cooed. "You can thank that kind prince standing right next to you that we are still here. He rescued us from he bad guys. And you... I think you've learned a very valuable lesson throughout all of this, haven't you?"
"Yes, ma'am. I have..."
"So now you know that witches aren't the monsters they tell you about in bedtime stories?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good," Anise smiled broadly. "We appreciate your sincere apology, Kip. And we accept it. From now on, don't go around believe everything you hear out of the mouths of others who don't fully understand what they're talking about."
"I will. I promise."
Effie was genuinely touched by Kip's heartfelt apology. And though she hadn't held any ill will against him for what he'd done since he was only a child still, Effie couldn't help feeling a bit of closure from all of this. Yet, another question was now nagging at the base of her brain. Why had Reign really brought Kip here? Although the heart-warming apology was well enough, she figured that hadn't been the only reason. There had to be something more here. Wasn't Reign working on figuring out a way to release them from prison? She couldn't help but think that this whole thing was somehow related to that. Though Effie didn't have to wait long to get the answer to that question.
"Prince Reign brought me here," Kip said, wiping away his tears and finally standing up as tall as he could, transforming from timid child to young man right before their eyes. "He brought me here to help save you."
"Save us?" Anise asked, surprised.
"Yes," Kip replied resolutely. "He said I might be the only one who could do it. I'm going to go before the king and tell him that I was wrong. That I was mistaken about everything I saw in the apothecary that night. That you two aren't witches."
"Kip," Effie said, a tinge of worry tugging at her stomach. "You don't have to get yourself involved in our mess. What you saw that night truly was not mistake. To go back on your word now... if the king ever found out you were lying and hiding the truth to protect a couple of witches..."
Kip shook his head. "It's my fault that you're here in the first place, so I want to make things right. You won't change my mind."
"Did Prince Reign coerce you into this...?" Effie eyed Reign suspiciously.
"Of course I didn't!" Reign retorted. "Why do you keep suspecting the worst from me?"
'You're a La Croix, after all,' Effie thought with exasperation.
"No, this was all my idea," Kip confirmed.
"See?!" Reign mouthed childishly.
Kip went on. "The guilt I had been feeling ever since that night was eating away at me until I couldn't eat, or sleep, or keep up with my chores on the farm. And once grandpa Silas had woken up and heard about what had happened, he gave me the ear-lashing of a lifetime. At that point, I really realized what a horrible mistake I'd made. But I didn't know what I could ever do to fix it... that is not until Prince Reign showed up at our farm yesterday. He's... he's given me a way to rectify my mistake. At least in part. I'll always have to live with what I've done, but at least I can do something for you now."
"Spoken like a true man," Anise finally said, her wrinkled eyes sparkling with pride. "You've grown up so much since the last time we saw you."
Kip blushed hard at the compliment, his ruddy cheeks growing even redder, his eyes sliding back down to the toes of his boots. "Thank you, miss Anise..." he grumbled.
"My father will be back from his trip to Flosphia by early tomorrow morning," Reign interjected, his tone now taking on an edge of seriousness. "I will request audience with him shortly thereafter. If he sees fit, he will accept my request at which point Kip here can attempt to retract his previous statements. If everything goes according to plan, it may just buy you two your freedom."
Effie knew she shouldn't get her hopes up, though it was hard not to. Maybe this could finally be their silver lining? And though a thrill of excitement coursed through her stomach at the word 'freedom,' she began to wonder if this would even work? Would the king even care? Would she even want to see him? He'd been the cause of her mother's death fifteen years ago. And the cause of hundreds of other deaths throughout the four kingdoms. She had no idea what to expect tomorrow, but the brief moment of excitement was quickly being chased away by a feeling of dread.