When Sofia awoke, the wagon was moving again as she looked around for the lantern.

It wasn't where she had it last night.

She hoped Clover hadn't torn it to pieces while she was asleep.

Feeling a pain below her stomach, Sofia had another problem besides her missing lantern.

She needed to do her business but didn't want to ask Boswell to take her outside.

She groaned at the thought of him getting angry, before she looked around. She wasn't sure she wanted Clover to know she was awake after everything he had said the previous night, so she tried to keep quiet.

Except keeping quiet was hard when you were a kid.

"Kid?" Clover yawned, rubbing his eyes.

"Sorry Clover," Sofia whimpered. "I didn't mean to wake you. You still mad?"

"Not anymore. You okay Sof? You look like you're in pain."

She shook her head, "I'm fine, I just..." she seemed embarrassed trying to explain to the rabbit why she was in pain.

Most kids her age would be embarrassed to admit that. Her circumstance just made it that much more difficult, because she didn't have control over when she was allowed to leave the wagon, and she didn't want to make Boswell angry.

Especially while he was driving the wagon.

Sofia knew the magician wouldn't be in the mood to stop just so she could do her business.

"Clover, do you know where my lantern went?" Sofia asked, hoping to distract herself from the pain. "I had it with me last night but now it's missing."

He beckoned with his paw to a little nook in the wagon that wasn't visible from most areas.

"I didn't want Boswell to find it and destroy it," he explained to Sofia.

Sofia smiled warmly, hugging him even as the pain deteriorated to small whimpers.

Clover seemed to notice what the pain actually was as they made their way back to her corner.

He didn't want her to go to Boswell but couldn't bear her whimpers either.

"Kid, you're gonna have to say something to him soon," he told her gently.

Maybe Boswell would be nice. At least, one could hope.

With a shaky sigh, Sofia walked up to where Boswell was, biting her lip.

"Excuse me Mr. Boswell?" Sofia whimpered. "I—I need to do my business. Really badly. It hurts."

For a moment the magician didn't reply, and she wondered if he had even heard her.

She glanced backward to Clover, who seemed concerned that the magician had yet to respond.

She turned back around quickly as she heard Boswell give a drawn-out, annoyed sigh.

"Be lucky I don't have to be in the next kingdom for another hour," he huffed, stopping the wagon. "Can't you wait a few minutes Princess?"

Sofia shook her head. "Do you want to clean up after I make a mess in the wagon? Because I'm pretty close to doing it and it'll be embarrassing for us both. Especially for me because unlike a certain overweight magician, I won't have a change of clothes."

Boswell bit back a retort, sighing. If he wanted to react to the princess, now was not the time. She was right, he did not want to have to clean up after her. He swung the door open and it slammed against the outside of the wagon.

"Come on," his voice was gruff and commanding.

Sofia shook her head again. She wasn't leaving until he moved.

Especially when she needed her privacy without an adult watching her.

He seemed annoyed that she wasn't moving, but he didn't make a move towards her.

He rolled his eyes in exasperation, "what's the problem, Princess?"

"You," Sofia muttered. "I don't want you in my way. I'm a child. I need my privacy. I can't do my business in front of a man. Especially not in front of my kidnapper."

He seemed shocked that she referred to him as that, or that she was speaking out to him in general.

"Very well," he nodded, "but if you try anything, you lose that privilege." His voice was almost a growl at the end. A warning that he was in control.

Sofia gulped at his warning before walking out of the wagon and into the woods.

Aside from a small stain on the front of her pants from not getting them off in a hurry, Sofia was able to do her business without worrying every few seconds about Boswell watching her.

Once she had finished, she made her way back towards the wagon, watching as Boswell stared out into the woods for her.

He hadn't noticed her yet, but she wasn't going to give him a reason to be suspicious of her. Especially when she had only just gained a privilege.

She took her amulet out from under her shirt, now realizing she had hidden it there the day of her capture, and stared at its reassuring glow.

A sense of calming and comfort came over her as she looked down at it, a major difference from what she had been experiencing since she was kidnapped.

With a smile, she walked back inside.

As Boswell slammed the door, Sofia became startled by the sound.

She jumped, almost running into Clover, who had come to see if she was alright.

"You okay, kid?" He spoke, seeing her jump.

"Boswell slamming the door startled me," Sofia explained. "I think he's mad I told him off."

"You? With sass?"

"I know it's not like me but I had to be honest."

"Well, as long as you aren't getting yourself hurt," he spoke gently, wondering what to say next.

Sofia smiled at him, and he took a moment to think about the previous night, forgetting she was there for a few seconds.

The rabbit knew not to be harsh with her unless he needed to be.

He just hated her being alone for most of the day.

He debated bringing up the previous night. He wanted to apologize and hear about the lantern, but he wasn't sure Sofia would take very kindly to the reminder.

"Clover?" Sofia asked softly. "About last night, I'm sorry."

Clover shook his head, "I should be the one apologizing, Sof. I didn't let you speak about the lantern and I should have." He looked down at the ground.

"But I made you worried. You had a right to be that way."

"Sof, you had me worried because I thought something happened to you."

Her eyes widened slightly as she took in what he was saying, and she suddenly looked very guilty.

"Clover, I'm really sorry you were worried," she spoke quietly.

"You just wanted to get that lantern," Clover smiled, nuzzling against her. "That's all that matters."

She suddenly perked up, "the lantern... Amber's note..." she whispered. The thought of all of it was making her smile.

Which was something she needed in her circumstance.

Sofia nudged Clover gently, giving him a playful growl. That always got him to start their game of playful rough play.

He let out a small laugh before bopping her with his paw, dashing away for a moment before coming back around a second time.

Sofia giggled, bopping him on the nose before Clover playfully swatted her with his paw.

Her giggles echoed through the wagon and for once she didn't mind.

She was simply glad to be enjoying her time with Clover again, even if it was in the wagon.

Nothing to get in her way.

Except for Boswell who seemed to have heard her giggles.

"What's going on back there?" His voice suddenly boomed through the wagon.

"We were having fun Mr. Boswell. Me and Clover," Sofia smiled sheepishly.

"Fun? With my magic bunny?"

"He was mine first. And Mr. Cuddles is a stupid name."

Boswell let out a growl, "why you-"

At that moment, Sofia was glad that they weren't in the same area, because she was sure she would have gotten hit.

She just hoped he wouldn't take out his anger on her later.

If he did, she would be sore all over.

...

In an hour, they had reached the other kingdom.

It looked familiar to Sofia somehow as she looked out the window.

She glanced around, hoping to catch something that would tell her where they were.

She hoped if she could get another note out to someone with her location, maybe she and Clover would be saved.

She looked out as Boswell parked the wagon, noticing one of the princes from school.

She tried to figure out which prince it was.

She wished she could get their attention. Maybe they'd recognize her and save her.

Sofia started jumping up and down, waving her hands in the hopes of getting their attention.

She stopped upon seeing the prince look at her.

She hoped they recognized her, though looking at them she wasn't sure.

Sofia smiled softly to herself as the prince came closer to her.

Seeing that Boswell was probably still getting things ready for his performance, she quickly unlocked the window.

The prince came closer, and she strained to recognize him, only knowing that whoever it was, they were staring straight back at her.

The prince mouthed her name in surprise as Sofia got a closer look.

"Hugo!?" She squeaked in surprise. "I didn't know Mr. Boswell was coming to your kingdom!"

The look in Hugo's eyes could barely be described by the word shock.

All of a sudden the missing princess, another student of Royal Prep, was in his kingdom.

She looked dirty a little but surprisingly clean for someone who had been kidnapped.

"Sofia? Are you alright? Has he hurt you?" Hugo asked.

She seemed flustered by that question. He hadn't hurt her enough for it to be permanent, but he had hurt her.

"A- a few times, but it was only minor," she told him. She was trying to reason with herself that it wasn't so bad.

Hugo nodded, seeing that she didn't want to discuss it further. "Why did he kidnap you?"

"For my bunny Clover. Mr. Boswell wanted to take him so I threatened him with getting the castle guards and my dad and then he grabbed me."

"That's low. Even for a magician."

She nodded, "I was scared. I've been in this wagon for a while now. Today is my fifth day. Same clothes and everything. I just want to go home." Her voice was almost a groan at the end of her rant.

"Don't worry. You remember my dad King Garrick? He and my brother Axel can..." Hugo paused, seeing Boswell come beside him. "Good afternoon sir."

"Good afternoon young Prince Hugo," Boswell smiled warmly at him. Sofia knew that to be his nice and polite in public side. "I'm sorry if this young lady bothered you."

Hugo shook his head, "she didn't bother me. We're friends." He smiled at Sofia.

Sofia was shocked. Had he really just called her his friend?

The last time she checked, he hated her for winning the flying derby tryout race. So what was with the change all of a sudden?

"Friends huh?" Boswell chuckled softly. "You know young prince you might as well get something nice for this young lady."

"Like what?" Hugo spoke.

He was confused as to what the magician was trying to get him to do, and how to help Sofia.

"Food. A new dress. Anything!" Sofia pleaded.

Before Hugo could say anything else to her, Boswell excused himself and walked back inside the wagon.

"What the hell do you think you were doing?!" The magician growled.

"Getting help?" Sofia gulped.

"You should not be interacting with anyone," he raised his voice at her.

She cowered against the wall, afraid of what he might do. She hoped Hugo could still see them.

Boswell raised his hand, preparing to strike her.

Which he did.

For forty-five minutes ignoring her screams and cries.

By the time he was done, Sofia was whimpering in her corner.

"If I ever CATCH you doing that again, you'd get more than just bruises you little bitch!" Boswell spat, going towards the window. "I'll get a curtain for this window as it seems you enjoy looking at it a little too much."

"It's my only way to see the outside of the wagon," Sofia spoke softly.

"It seems, Princess," his voice was sickeningly sarcastic on the word princess, "you've been using it for the wrong reasons. I told you, you can lose privileges. I'm in charge here. You do what I want." He towered over her menacingly.

"No I don't. You took me for Clover."

"Mr. Cuddles is his name. Not your childish Clover."

She glared up at him before looking around for Clover. She wondered how much the rabbit had seen.

Her body was throbbing after being hit so many times and she felt like if Boswell wasn't staring at her, she would just collapse into a heap. But she wasn't going to let him see her weak.

Instead, she slowly crawled towards the window and slowly stood up.

"Hugo, go get help. Please!" Sofia pleaded.

Then she collapsed.

She hoped Hugo would listen. She wanted out, but she couldn't get out without help.

The pain brought tears to her eyes as she glared at Boswell.

She wished he was dead.

...

Hugo tried.

He tried to get Sofia's cries out of his head. But he couldn't.

He had made a dash for the castle the moment Sofia told him to get help.

He made his way toward the doors, running inside with no hesitation.

"Hugo? What's going on?" King Garrick asked.

He had just come out of his study when he heard his youngest son's footsteps.

"Sofia is in a wagon," he breathed heavily between his words, exhausted from running, "the magician beat her."

He looked up at his father, worry in his eyes.

"What magician?" Garrick asked gently, seeing the worry in Hugo's eyes.

Not wasn't the time for anger over an abused child.

"His name is Mr. Boswell. I saw it-" he stopped, thinking about what he had witnessed.

He hoped Sofia was okay.

Her crying played in his head again, causing Hugo to shudder.

Garrick put his hand on his son's shoulder.

"Come on, let's go figure out what's going on," his voice was tense.

Sofia was in trouble.

And from what Garrick remembered her for, she was an innocent little girl.

After they had exited the castle, he let Hugo lead the way. He had never seen his son so worried.

Ever.

When they reached the wagon, Hugo spotted Sofia in her corner unconscious.

His eyes widened. Had she been hurt that badly?

He looked around for the magician, wanting to give him a piece of his mind.

Garrick noticed his distress, nudging him toward to the door of the wagon.

Hugo gasped at the sight of Sofia's injuries as he walked to her corner.

"Is she okay?" He turned to his dad, whispering, his eyes wide with concern.

He kept his voice down, as though he didn't want Sofia to hear him, even though she was unconscious.

"No cuts. Thank goodness. But she'll be sore for a few days," Garrick smiled a little, seeing a notebook in his son's arms. "I see you're writing everything down."

"It's for the royal family of Enchancia. Even if we can't get her out, they'll know what happened."

Garrick nodded at his son, "good idea."

He glanced around the wagon, thinking to himself. A princess shouldn't be living in these conditions.

One blanket, no change of clothes, and a plate of scraps? That wasn't fit for a princess.

Especially one so innocent like Sofia.

Looking at her now, she looked so small, vulnerable. He hoped he was right that she would be okay.

He held his hand on Hugo's back as he began looking around for Boswell.

As he looked, Sofia groaned softly and began to move before Hugo gently pushed her down.

She whimpered slightly, babbling to him in frustration like a baby would.

"You need to stay down there," Hugo told her, his voice stern but concerned.

He knew from experience that she was stubborn, and he wanted to avoid her fighting them as much as possible while he tried to figure things out.

"No. Please?" Sofia looked at him with tears in her eyes.

He shook his head, "you're going to feel worse if you move. Trust me on this."

He didn't know if she would trust him, but he had to try.

Sofia nodded softly as tears went down her cheeks.

Hugo hugged her gently, letting her sob on his shoulder.

He glanced to the side at his dad, his eyes sad. He wanted to help her.

"What are you two doing here?" Boswell wondered, seeing Hugo hold Sofia. "If it's about the young lady then forget it."

"How? After you hurt her?" Hugo growled.

Garrick held Hugo's shoulder firm, squeezing it quickly as a way of telling him to calm down.

Hugo gazed up at his dad, hopeful that he would do something.

"Mr. Boswell, sir, my son saw you hurt Princess Sofia," Garrick explained. "He has every right to be upset."

"As he should," Boswell agreed.

"But why did you take her? King Roland and Queen Miranda are worried sick!"

Boswell tried to think of an answer quickly.

"She volunteered to help me," he spoke, his voice bordering on snide, but still respectful toward the king.

"I did not!" Sofia yelled, her voice raspy. "You took me for Clover!"

"He probably ran away after you hit Sofia, Mr. Boswell," Hugo grumbled.

He remembered hearing Amber and Sofia talking about Clover during school once.

He sighed. Sofia was still in his grip, otherwise he would have gotten closer to the magician. But he didn't because he didn't want to bring her closer to Boswell.

She was too terrified to even look at the magician.

Garrick glanced between them, trying to decide how to go about things.

Boswell seemed to notice as well, pulling Sofia out of Hugo's grip.

"No! Let go of me!" Sofia fussed, trying to get away.

Hugo tried to pull her back towards him but he couldn't get a good grip on her.

"Hey! Don't touch her!" He yelled at the magician.

"As the king of this kingdom, I command you to let go of the princess!" Garrick demanded. With a smirk, he walked towards Boswell. "We don't want to ruin your reputation by exposing what has happened here do we Mr. Boswell? Otherwise, I can have King Roland execute you for kidnapping his youngest child."

Boswell's eyes widened as he realized what Garrick was saying.

"Very well," he spoke, letting Sofia out of his grip with a subtle shove.

She rushed to hide behind Garrick, her eyes full of fear and tears.

Hugging his leg, Sofia didn't dare look up at Boswell but she wondered about Clover's whereabouts.

Did he run away? Was he hiding somewhere in the wagon?

She prayed he didn't get hurt like her.

Boswell wouldn't dare hurt the most important part of his show, right? She knew, just as well as Boswell probably did, that the rabbit was the most important part of the act.

But Boswell also had no care for anyone's life, it was starting to seem.

She whimpered as her body began to hurt again, the movement having irritated her injuries.

She wished Cedric was there to heal her injures. Sure he'd get annoyed but would also show concern for her well-being.

Unlike Boswell as she remembered the events of him and her doing her business.

She shuddered. All she wanted was to be home.

The thought of home was one of the few things holding her together. The thought of escaping and finding home.

Seeing Amber, James, and their parents. Cedric and Baileywick too.

Being comforted by Miranda if she had a nightmare after her ordeal, which Sofia already knew that she would, Roland being considerate and having Chef Andre not put carrots in her future meals, and her siblings aiding her through her healing process.

That's what Sofia imagined before she collapsed from the pain.

"Sofia!" Hugo yelled as he watched her collapse. He had been the first to notice as Garrick and Boswell stared at each other.

At the noise, Garrick turned around, his eyes wide.

"I hope you're happy with what you've done!" He spat at Boswell's direction. "Because of you, she's weak."

"Your majesty, Princess is learning a lesson here. She wasn't supposed to be interacting with anyone. Especially not your son!" Boswell chuckled. "She wouldn't be here if she hadn't stuck her pretty head where it doesn't belong."

Garrick almost growled at the man, "she is eight years old. Do you realize that? A child. An innocent child." He moved closer to Boswell as he spoke.

Hugo came closer to them, making his way to stand near where Sofia was laying.

For once since her kidnapping, she was peaceful. Hugo was thankful for that.

He pulled his notebook back out, writing down the events that had unfolded for the royal family of Enchancia.

King Roland would be furious, he knew that much to be true.

He looked up from his writing just in time to witness his own father slap the magician.

"Hugo, we're leaving! Let's go!" Garrick beckoned.

"What about Sofia Dad?" Hugo frowned. "Mr. Boswell doesn't care about her! He cares only about her rabbit!"

He looked down at Sofia. He didn't want to leave the princess there, no matter how much of a grudge he had against her after she won the derby tryouts.

He glanced from her to Boswell. Boswell was still shocked from the slap, looking at Garrick with widened eyes.

"You may go," the magician muttered. "But Princess stays."

"I hope you burn in the deepest pit of hell when you're executed!" Garrick growled. He knelt down to Sofia and kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry sweetheart. I hope you can forgive me when you come home."

Hugo's face was one of pure horror and anger, not only at the magician but at his own father.

"We can't just leave Sofia here! You've seen what he's done to her!" He yelled at his father.

Garrick was taken aback. "Hugo—"

"What kind of king are you when you leave an ally's daughter to be hurt again by this..." Hugo glanced at Sofia, stroking her sweat covered bangs. "This bastard!"

Garrick was shocked at his son's words.

"Language!" He scolded. His mind was reeling, wondering how his son even knew that word.

Hugo was glaring at the magician, still standing near Sofia.

If he was older like his brother Axel, he wouldn't have resisted to beat the magician to a bloody pulp.

Anything to make sure Sofia was safe.

He glanced back down at her, worried that she was still unconscious, before looking back up at his dad, his voice nearly a growl, "why are we leaving her here?"

Hugo wanted to know. His father cared for Sofia. He knew that. But would Garrick rather ruin a magician's reputation then have Sofia hurt again?

"Hugo, come on," Garrick spoke. His voice didn't leave anything up for debate, though Hugo wished he could stay and keep Sofia safe. Who knew what the magician would do once they left?

He didn't want to know, reluctantly following his father out of the wagon as he glanced at Sofia one last time.

He only hoped Sofia could stay safe.

He pulled his notebook out, ending what he had written as they walked.

Sofia felt a gentle paw on her face as she felt a growl in her stomach.

She looked up. Much to her dismay, Boswell had placed a curtain on window as tears came to her eyes.

"Clover? Where were you?" Sofia croaked. "Where were you when Mr. Boswell hit me earlier today?"

Clover sniffed at her injuries, checking her over for a moment.

"I was hidden. I saw it happen though. Are you alright, kid?" He pawed at a prominent bruise on her arm, "this one looks bad."

Sofia shook her head. She wanted to go home.

She wanted a change of clothes too.

She had been in her riding outfit since she was first kidnapped five days prior.

She had never stayed in the same clothes for so long, and she wished she never had to.

They were covered in dirt and sweat. Except for her pants that were still stained from her incident with hurrying to do her business earlier in the day.

She hoped Hugo and his father hadn't noticed that.

Her mind trailed off to them and she suddenly wondered why they had left her there. Couldn't they see she needed help?

She started to cry at the thought as Clover nuzzled her.

"They did care for you Sof," he spoke softly.

"Then why did they leave?" Sofia sniffed.

The rabbit sighed, looking up into her eyes.

Her eyes were filled with tears, and the rabbit was sure she had cried more in the past five days than ever before.

He moved closer to her, unsure of how to respond.

There wasn't a reason to lie his way out of it. Sofia had been abused and he hadn't been there to stop it.

She almost had a chance to go home after five days.

He wished he could have done something, anything to help Sofia.

He glanced at her bruises once again.

"I'm not sure why they left, kid," he thought to himself about Garrick kissing her on the head, asking her forgiveness.

"Clover, I never want to be in a wagon ever again," Sofia sniffed. "I hate magicians too."

"I know, Sof, I know," he nuzzled her softly.

Glancing up into the corner, he noticed the dove, in his cage with the door open, looking down at them sympathetically. He hadn't spoken to them very much, but Clover knew he felt bad.

"I know Boswell's been an ass, but never this bad," the dove muttered, ignoring Sofia's curiosity about the swear word.

Clover nodded, "he's lost his mind, and I'm sure it's somewhere in his stomach by now."

He rolled his eyes as he thought about the magician, turning back towards Sofia.

She was looking around for food, hoping to find something nearby.

She looked around to the different surfaces, hoping maybe something had been left somewhere. Her stomach was growling and Clover could hear it, glancing at her sympathetically.

If he hadn't ran away, she wouldn't be crawling on her hands and knees looking for something to eat.

He felt guilty. He wished she wouldn't have come looking for him, or that the wagon had taken off before he could have joined. Anything that would have kept Sofia safe.

But she loved him too much to live without him.

He looked up just as Boswell came into the room, laughed at Sofia's plight before setting down a plate of leftovers from the previous night for her, and left.

Her eyes lit up. It wasn't much, and it wasn't necessarily going to be good food, but she was hungry, so it didn't matter much to her, as long as it was edible.

She crawled towards the food, remembering her manners as she did so.

The last thing she wanted was Amber disappointed in her when she came back home.

Clover hopped alongside her to keep an eye on her.

She winced as a bruise on her leg touched the floor, and the rabbit gave her a small sympathetic look.

He knew if Roland ever saw what had become of his daughter, Boswell would be dead.

The rabbit knew the king of Enchancia treated all his children equally but Sofia was the youngest, meaning that Roland would sometimes let her get away with more.

He wondered what things would be like when they returned home. Different, for sure. He just wondered how long it would be before they were able to finally return.

Sofia devoured what she could, yawning as she took off her riding boots.

She was glad to have a break from them. She moved them into a corner, satisfied at having them off.

Clover noticed her sleepy expression and smiled at how adorable it looked.

Definitely one belonging to an innocent little girl.

"You tired, kid?" Clover asked her, amusement in his voice.

She nodded, yawning again, crawling sleepily back to her corner before Clover placed a paw on her cheek.

She wasn't going to hurt herself again by crawling all the way to her corner.

Biting the sleeve of her riding jersey, being careful not to rip it, Clover dragged her to her corner.

She gave him a confused look once they got to her corner. She didn't understand the point of him dragging her over there.

But she was too sleepy to question it.

Clover gave her a soft smile.

"Get some rest, Sof," he nuzzled her, preparing to lay down beside her.

Sofia went to sleep in her corner as Clover put the blanket that had been discarded that morning over her.

Boswell would never mess with his kid ever again for as long as he lived.

He curled up beside her, nestling close to her, careful to avoid touching her injuries.

….

"What's with Dad?"

It was a simple question but Hugo couldn't help but glare at his older brother.

It was hours after he and Garrick had to leave Sofia and since then, his father had gathered the people of his kingdom to an important matter.

Hugo didn't respond, simply turning back to look out at everyone who had shown up.

He wished he could have just saved Sofia himself.

But he wasn't old enough.

If Axel had come with him and Garrick, they'd have a hurt but sleepy little girl by now.

He sighed to himself, ignoring his brother's curious looks as they waited for Garrick to be ready.

When they noticed that he was ready, Hugo prayed Sofia's plight would be a quick discussion.

He thought back to the wagon, to seeing her unconscious, and winced.

That thought had been playing in his mind since they left her there.

"Dad, would you mind starting?" Hugo asked. He wiped away the tears in his eyes as he thought of Sofia by herself in the hands of a monster acting as a magician. "Please?"

Garrick nodded, addressing the kingdom before beginning his announcement.

"As I'm sure some of you have already heard, Princess Sofia of Enchancia went missing five days ago," he began.

Axel placed a sympathetic hand on Hugo's shoulder.

He knew he liked her after getting over losing the Flying Derby tryouts.

Hugo looked up, giving his brother a sad smile before returning his gaze to the crowd.

They were horrified by the news. At least the villagers were.

The guardsmen and royals in attendance already knew but had the Enchancia royal family in their hearts.

Gasps had travelled among the villagers, and Garrick waited for the commotion to die down, glancing at Hugo to make sure he was okay.

Hugo nodded softly.

He watched as the villagers' uproar had stopped and Garrick was able to continue.

Garrick took a breath, "today we made a discovery. Princess Sofia is within our kingdom. We need everyone on the lookout."

"Please. She needs us," Hugo muttered. "She's been hurt."

Axel gave his brother a shocked look. He hadn't been told much about the situation beforehand, as they were trying to get as many people there as they could for the announcement.

"What do you mean?" Axel wondered.

Garrick gave Hugo a sympathetic smile, motioning him forward.

Hugo slowly stepped forward, curiosity in his eyes.

He glanced out beyond the crowd for a moment, hoping to catch a glimpse of the wagon, but saw nothing.

If he had caught a glimpse, he would've seen Sofia bruised but asleep.

Hugo sighed, realizing that the crowd needed to know what he witnessed.

He took a deep breath, looking back at his brother for a moment before facing the crowd once more.

He wasn't sure how Axel would respond to what he was preparing to reveal to the crowd, but he knew his brother would not be happy with the information.

It would only make Axel boil with anger.

"Go on Hugo," Garrick encouraged.

Hugo began speaking, "earlier today, I saw her inside of the window of a red wagon. She was kidnapped by a magician named Boswell. He-" his voice nearly broke as he thought about Sofia's cries as Boswell beat her.

Her cries of innocence and confusion.

Her screams of terror and shock.

He shook his head, trying his hardest to get rid of the memories.

"He what?" Someone asked from the crowd.

"He beat her!" Hugo cried. "I saw the whole thing! Boswell didn't stop. He didn't care."

Noises of surprise and shock ran through the crowd like a wave.

He felt Axel move his hand onto his back, though his hand was stiff with anger.

"That's why we need everyone to find her," Garrick concluded. "The moment Princess Sofia's home safe, the moment we can rest from this tragedy." He rubbed Hugo's back in an effort to console him. "Find Boswell alive. I'll have King Roland and Queen Miranda deal with him."

Hugo leaned into his father's touch, not enough for the crowd to notice, as the prince did not want to seem weak for any reason, but enough that Garrick knew he was grateful for it.

"What if it takes us longer to get Sofia home?" Hugo whispered.

"As long as we get her home," Garrick whispered back, "it will be okay."

As the crowd had left, he mused Hugo's hair gently while Axel was still trying to process what he just heard.

If he ever got to meet Boswell, he wanted to kill him.

He could tell that what Hugo had witnessed was affecting him very badly, and he cast a look of sympathy toward his brother before looking out into the distance.

If Boswell was still nearby, he hoped they would find out.

A puff of smoke caught Axel's eye.

The villagers couldn't afford to smoke and though a royal could, most didn't.

Curiosity pricked at him as he watched where it had come from, wondering what, or who, it had come from.

A magician's hat caught his eye as Axel clutched his hands into fists.

His eyes narrowed into a glare. He turned to his father, gesturing out in the general direction of where he saw it.

"I don't see the princess with him," Garrick muttered, shielding Hugo from seeing the magician again.

Axel shook his head, "I don't either. Purple would be an easy color to spot, too."

"He probably left her alone in the wagon," Hugo huffed.

Axel nearly let out a growl, "a princess should not have to stay inside of such a small thing."

They looked up and noticed that Boswell was gone as were the villagers.

Hugo only hoped that Sofia was okay.

His father sighed.

Sofia was still trapped, though now that all of the villages knew, he hoped Boswell would be found easily.