There he was. So calm, so professional even by his lonesome. The way he was immersed in the book, his eyes darting back and forth and quickly turning the next page, was fascinating to her. His hand moved to his creamy hair, casually brushing through the manicured curls, and her eyes followed his every movement. It was hard not to stare and dream.

Eventually, Prince Justin noticed her from the corner of his eye and immediately smiled. "What a nice surprise, Gwenda."

She jostled the laundry basket in her grip, her lips creasing upward in an awkward state. "Oh, um... yes. I was sent to pick up the laundry, Your Highness."

Prince Justin closed his book with one motion, gently laying it on the desk next to a bouquet of white roses. His smile was still firmly intact. She couldn't pin down what it was about that smile, but every time she saw it her spirit lifted with a rare sense of joy.

He waved her to follow him, so she did. A few steps behind him, they entered the massive closet meant for someone of his status. She gawked at the multitude of colors and rows of hanging suits. His shoes lined next to each other at the far end of the closet, shades of brown and grey and black all perfectly coordinated. Everything looked so perfect.

She didn't think he heard her as a 'wow' escaped her lips. He nodded proudly. "It is kind of impressive, isn't it?"

"I barely have enough room for the three maids' dresses they give us." She had said it before her mind comprehended the words. She covered her mouth in an instant, hoping that would reverse the effect. However, Justin had clearly heard her.

He shook his head. "You look beautiful even in those."

Gwenda stole a glance, unaware of the goosebumps running up her arms as he lightly touched her hand. Their touch was electricity that sparked throughout her entire being. His eyes glistened like crystals in the daylight. She tried fighting the impulsive thoughts that rushed through her mind - He belongs with you. Kiss him right now. He loves only you.

"Your Highness." Gwenda jolted around. Beth widened her eyes as she noticed the two from afar, but it wasn't her coworker of whom Gwenda was frightened. Her mind flooded with a stream of new, more terrorizing thoughts.

Lettie is going to kill me.

"Darling!" Lettie rushed over to them with pure excitement and no condemnation for Gwenda almost holding Justin's hand. Her beautiful pink dress floated with each step, like she was walking on the air. Gwenda curled the hairs that fell from her braid; her blue maid's dress was nothing to be proud of compared to Lettie's pristine beauty.

"Gwenda, I've missed you so much dear." Lettie wrapped her arms around her dear friend, needing to stand on tiptoes in order to fully embrace her. Gwenda shakily moved her arms around her, though her eyes focused on Beth, who only stared with disbelief.

Gwenda sighed. "I've missed you, too."

Lettie held her arms, a side smirk planted on her face. "We need to have a girl's day soon. Just you and me."

"Now, I don't know if I would necessarily enjoy that." Justin's hand fell onto Gwenda's shoulder, instantly jerking from the feeling. His touch wasn't electricity anymore - it was more like a knife slicing her repeatedly on the inside.

Lettie touched his nose. "You can give me one day without you to spend time with my friend, can't you darling?"

Justin leaned toward her and winked. "Anything for you, love." His hand fell from Gwenda's shoulder and cupped Lettie's cheeks, the two of them leaning in for a kiss.

Gwenda's teeth chattered, her hands fumbling and holding each other back from decking him from behind. He always did this; one moment she was the center of his attention and the next, he was flaunting his relationship in front of her. Not like she should be surprised - Lettie was far prettier and easily blended into his fanciful world.

Lettie pulled away, her cheeks flushing bright red. "Um, Gwenda? Is there any way we could be alone right now?"

Gwenda raised her eyebrows, the laundry basket still in her grip. "Of course. Right after I get Your Highness' laundry."

Justin hardly turned around to point toward the corner of disheveled clothes. Gwenda hadn't seen the mess amidst the glorious wonder of the closet. "Right over there."

The two lovebirds were too preoccupied with kisses and whispered affections as she collected the dirty laundry and hurried past them. Neither noticed that she had left.

She slammed the door shut, her vision blurring. Every time. Every single time she fell for his little tricks. He made her feel wanted; he made her feel like someone actually loved her. And the second Lettie walked in, she didn't exist anymore.

Gwenda cursed herself. How could she do that to Lettie? Have feelings for her boyfriend? She was betraying the one person who gave her a chance, gave her everything when she had nothing. She was her friend first - Justin was her boss.

"Gwenda, what were you thinking?" She turned around, Beth standing right behind her. Her gaze was sympathetic, but her words were harsh and true. "He's the Prince and he's in a relationship."

Gwenda wiped her eyes, her voice muffled. "I don't know, okay? I honestly don't know."

Beth approached her slowly, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Lettie is your friend."

"You think I don't know that?" Gwenda said, louder than she had hoped. She held the basket of laundry closer to her. She still had two more rooms to collect dirty laundry from. "I have to finish this before kitchen duty."

"Gwenda." Beth called out to her, but she was ignored. The devastated maid rushed down the hall to King Roland's and Queen Johanna's room, all the while holding back the tears she shed every time Justin played with her emotions. He was cruel; he was deceitful; and she wouldn't fall for his tricks anymore.

Gwenda scoffed. "Love is so stupid." 

As the days went by, her hope for rescue lessened and faded until she had only a sliver of desperation left. She had lost track of the days it had been since her capture, and wondered if anyone would ever come. She worried if any of them were even looking.

Gwenda shivered on the wooden floor, the room growing colder by the minute. Noe thought one day that it would be fun to see how she would fare with the window opened, and the added wind chill escalated the frost in her prison.

Noe was her least favorite, the next one being her little puppy who always followed her around calling her sweetheart. The third captor was quiet; he never really spoke much to her or his fellow tyrants. Nevertheless, they both let Noe take charge, and she abused that power entirely.

Gwenda lifted a shriveled hand to her ratty hair, her blonde locks mostly brown and dirty from the lack of maintenance. Her braid was nonexistent, the long hairs falling to the ground in a heaping mess. They wrapped around her body, blanketing her shivering arms. Her chains were icicles around her wrists, and the metal blades left scarring bruises. Blue and black and red marks circled around her wrists. If she were ever to get out of this alive, they would be a reminder of this unbearable torture.

She craned her neck toward the open window, the sun barely hanging in the sky above the mountains. No sign of wizards or a walking castle or her friends - yet no matter how many times she glanced out the window, there was still that glimmer of hope inside that they were out searching for her.

It could only be a dream, since there was no way to know for sure. Maybe this was how her life was going to end. Maybe she was supposed to rot away and disintegrate and vanish. Maybe everyone was destined to leave her.

Gwenda choked up. "Maybe I'm not as important to them as I thought I was."

Her eyes flitted to the fluttering doves that landed on the windowsill. She tilted her head and thought she was imagining things. The doves gazed at her until one perched onto the ground, jumping toward her until she reached Gwenda's limp body. She lifted her fallen hand, the one Noe had twisted when she was first taken. Her hand hadn't fully recovered and small movements had become a struggle.

The dove rubbed her beak against Gwenda's index finger, the light gesture brightening her spirits ever so slightly. She sighed with a smile, staring at the dove with shining white feathers and sparkling red eyes. "You're beautiful."

The dove directed her gaze toward her counterparts and, in one quick motion, leapt into the air and flew out the window. Gwenda pushed against the bedpost, watching the magnificent flight of doves as they soared into the sky. They were majestic; they were free.

Her smile quickly frowned as she saw three of those doves caught in a net. She pushed herself up farther until she saw the two wizards holding the net secure. Nade enclosed the doves, ignoring their struggles to escape, while Xarx waved his hand over the net, the doves soon disappearing. After they had vanished, the wizards sought out the rest.

Gwenda felt her legs wobble and she fell to the floor in one motion, her knee landing first. They had taken every ounce of her strength and will to keep going. Part of her wished they would just stop this misery, destroy the last bit of hope she had left of her friends and just finally end her life.

Anything was better than eternal persecution.

From the corner of her eye, she felt a glowing light appear. It must have been a dream, she thought, since nothing beautiful existed in this depressing room. Nothing shone in this darkness; nothing warm ever emitted from the desolate fireplace. She tried convincing herself this was only in her imagination.

However, as she turned a cold eye to the grey cement, the face of her dear companion rested in the blazing fire, his eyes wide and torn. "Gwenda."

She shivered from the breeze. "I feel so weak, Calcifer."

He immediately took action. "Stay with me. Don't give up."

Calcifer reached forward as far as possible, sending clouds of warmth toward Gwenda. She rubbed her hands over the heat, then watched as they entered through her heart and warmed her on the inside. She convulsed, her renewed muscle strength unfamiliar.

She saw Calcifer clearly now. He came for her. He used the teleportation that he said he rarely used. A light laugh escaped her lips. "I guess this applies to your drastic measures, otherwise you wouldn't have come."

"What are you talking about?" Calcifer said, "We've been looking for you for weeks."

Gwenda raised her eyebrows. They were looking for her; they did care. She doubted their loyalty, and yet she was still rewarded with their friendship. "You were?"

"I was going crazy not knowing where you were or how to bring you back." Calcifer's voice cracked, his eyes wishing to produce tears but his existence restricting such ability. Here she was, lying in a bone-chilling room with nothing but the clothes on her back and metal chains holding her to a bedpost. He noticed her wrists and how deadly they looked - how unlike human skin they appeared.

His fiery arms reached for her once more, only this time they turned to her hands. He wrapped his fiery fingers around her wrists, his heat casting a healing spell over the bruises and cuts, along with her broken hand. Gwenda felt her right hand - she could move it again.

Gwenda shivered from his kindness. "Thank you."

Calcifer slouched in the hearth, afraid of the answer to his next question. "Gwenda, what have they done to you?"

She turned to the empty plates on the ground, some still with bits of food and others licked clean. She kicked one of them away. "Two meals a day, but it's nothing enjoyable. I think they just throw whatever they find onto a plate and pass it off as food."

Calcifer trembled. Not from the freezing temperature, but from discovering their heinous treatment of someone he cared about. "You're chained up like an animal."

Calcifer was surprised to see a smile on her face - a smile meant only for him. "It doesn't matter. You came for me."

The words left before he contemplated saying them. "I'd do anything for you."

And he would; he knew that. She was the reason why he still kept going. She was the one keeping him alive. She helped him see that life didn't have to be just a string of surviving years, but that there were things and people worth living for. She was his purpose.

Calcifer heard a whimper, her eyes welling up and reddening. She gasped, "I'm so sorry."

Calcifer wrinkled his fiery eyebrows. "For what? I'm the one who should be sorry."

Gwenda shook her head, her hand covering her mouth as she spoke. "I said you didn't know how to love." Calcifer held his breath. That was the last thing she said before she was taken; that was the one thing she needed to say to break his heart and soul all at once.

Gwenda continued. "Which even at the time I said it I knew was wrong. I mean, you have a family. You love Sophie and Howl and Markl, even the crazy Witch of the Wastes, I guess."

Calcifer opened his mouth to speak, but she was too focused to stop. "And you were right. All this time, I was just hiding my feelings for Justin because I thought love was wrong. I thought anyone who fell in love was bound to live a miserable life. And that's exactly what happened to me - I was in love with a manipulative, horrible excuse of a man. But I could never love him that way, not ever again."

Calcifer lowered his gaze. He thought that admitting she loved another would break him even further, but for some reason it was a heavy weight off of his fragile self. Maybe it was that she no longer felt that affection for him or that she would finally be able to love someone else. Maybe he was just optimistic that she would feel the same about him.

The room was quiet. Calcifer wasn't sure if she wanted to keep going, but she seemed to have made her peace with the situation. There were so many things he wanted to say to her - actually, there was really only one, but there were so many different ways to say it. He didn't want to ruin the relationship they already had, but he didn't want to hide this feeling, never knowing if they could have been something more.

Calcifer's breath was shaky. "Love comes with the biggest price, more than the price of magic. By loving someone, you give that person everything they could possibly use against you. You become more trusting, more vulnerable, willing to share things with that person because you want them to notice you or love you in return." Calcifer locked onto Gwenda's gaze, watching her eyes wander to the chains around her. "And the more you love someone who doesn't love you back, the more it will hurt and the more life will be misery."

Gwenda smiled, her eyes glistening from the light of his fire. "You sound like an expert on this kind of stuff."

Calcifer's visage remained neutral. "I wasn't hurt that you said I didn't know how to love. I was hurt that you didn't think I understood romantic love."

Gwenda dropped her smile. She reached his gaze, regret written everywhere. "I just never expected it. For the longest time, I thought magicians and creatures were incapable of romantic love and that they only fed on humans with lustful wishes."

"Maybe some, but not all. And you know even some humans are like that."

Gwenda bit her lower lip and closed her eyes to hold the tears back. "My own mother left my father for a wizard who only took advantage of her." Calcifer widened his eyes. She had never told him that; he couldn't recall a moment that she spoke of her family except for her sister. This was the stem of her hatred, a stem that had grown and flourished for years.

Her lips trembled as she forced herself to continue. "It broke my father's heart and he drank himself to death. Then when Lona ran away with Kenta, I just... I didn't want the same thing to happen to her."

Calcifer swallowed hard. "Do you still feel that way?"

She shook her head. "Seeing Sophie and Howl and how far they will go to protect each other - even Kenta during our search for Lona - they all helped me realize that love might not be all that bad."

Calcifer's flames rose and his pigment reddened ever so softly. He looked at Gwenda with newfound confidence. "Love is beautiful. It can be tragic and it can be heart-wrenching, but above all it is beautiful."

Gwenda nodded, though her gaze wandered around the room once more. He sucked in a courageously deep breath. "And I may be a fool for finally admitting this, but Gwenda... I think I've been in love with you for a really long time."

Gwenda slowly turned her head to face him, her wide eyes filled with a mixture of emotions. Calcifer sat in the fireplace, his confidence still intact but the lack of response from her was gradually taking that confidence away. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. No words, no mumbles, just dead air.

Gwenda's lips quivered. "Calcifer-"

"Hey!" The door flung open, hitting the wall with a bang. Gwenda tensed with a frightening look toward Noe while Calcifer seethed from her presence. She was the reason Gwenda was in this dump; she was the culprit.

Her hair was perfectly braided into two pigtails, her broomstick in hand. She first took notice of Calcifer, her eyes gleaming. "Oh, how cute. Your little savior is a fire demon."

Noe walked toward the fireplace, though Calcifer blew hot flames toward her to keep her away. Noe retreated and waved the flames away with the end of her broomstick.

Calcifer fumed. "Leave her alone. She's done nothing to you."

Noe clenched her teeth and turned to Gwenda, resuming her composure. "Madame Suliman wants you. Those dimwits actually did something she asked them to do. You and your other human friends are going on a little trip."

"What do you mean?" Calcifer said, his flames boiling and raging. He couldn't lose her again; he couldn't let them just take her away right in front of him. Not again.

Noe knelt across from him, her smirk as nasty as her personality. "Suliman has better ways of getting your friends to give up that baby." She reached into her satchel and held a white powder. She threw the powder over Calcifer, his fire sucking through a portal back to the castle. His last glimpse was of Gwenda reaching for him, the chains holding her back and the evil witch girl knocking her unconscious.

"Gwenda, no!" Calcifer flung through a portal not of his own creation, spinning through it until he landed back in the fireplace of Howl's castle. He panted harshly until he noticed where he was.

Howl and Kenta were both in their animalistic forms to a certain extent while the others watched them fight. Calcifer didn't waste another second. "Go, now!"

They all turned to him, his breaths short and his eyes bulging. They weren't there; they didn't see what he saw. They didn't know what Suliman was planning.

Sophie stood agape. "What?"

Calcifer was frantic with fear. "They're taking her away! They're taking all of them away!"

Kenta and Howl reverted back to their human forms, completely ignoring their argument from before. Kenta whispered a spell and a swirling portal appeared below their feet. Howl and Kenta jumped below, vanishing into the labyrinth.