A Painful Meeting

All that night, Effie hadn't been able to keep Ms. Spenser's words out of her mind. She'd warred back and forth with herself, trying to decide whether or not she should really go and talk to Seth Clayton before he left Evanore for college. On the one hand, she might not see him again for a couple of years, maybe longer. And if she decided not see him, she'd always be left wondering "what if." But on the other hand, the idea of seeking him out to talk to him on her own was excruciatingly embarrassing.

When morning came, Effie still couldn't think of anything else. She sat in front of the mirror in their little cabin, staring at her reflection in disgust. She was so irked and anxious at this point that her face looked practically haggard.

"Get it together, Effie," she reprimanded herself.

"Effie, dear. You're awake," Anise chimed from behind, placing a steaming hot teacup on the side table next to Effie. "Are you thinking about going to see Seth Clayton today, as Ms. Spencer suggested?"

"I don't know..." Effie groaned. "I'm not sure I want to."

"Why not? I heard he won't be in town much longer, so you'll run out of time to catch up with him if you don't go soon. In fact, if memory serves me correctly, today should actually his last day here in Evanore. He'll be packing his bags and leaving by tomorrow morning."

"But what if he doesn't want to see me? Don't you think he'd have come to the apothecary to greet us as Ms. Spenser and Silas did if he really wanted to see me?"

"Maybe he's just too caught up in packing and getting himself ready for his return to the college," Anise suggested. "You'll never know for sure until you go see him, and find out for yourself."

"I suppose that's true..." Effie said with uncertainty, chewing the inside of her cheek. She still wasn't completely convinced.

"Well, whatever you decided to do is up to you," Effie said, sportively. "I'd just hate to see you have any regrets."

With that, the older woman shuffled away to busy herself about the cabin, leaving Effie alone to stew in her thoughts. Effie's eyes wandered aimlessly across the room, while she fiddled with the skirt of her nightgown. Suddenly, her eyes landed on a familiar sight. Hanging from a peg in the wall was a certain, purple, teardrop-shaped pendant; the one that Seth had bought for her at the festival the last time she had seen him. Memories of that day came flooding back.

He'd been so kind, and thoughtful, albeit a complete, immature goofball. But that was just Seth. That was who he was. Still, he had seemed so pleasant, and warm. So welcoming. A small flood of red rushed to her cheeks when she thought about how much he seemed to enjoy spending time with her. Maybe he really was a friend after all. Maybe he wouldn't turn her away.

Reluctantly, Effie finally made up her mind.

She got up from her seat, and rummaged through her small wardrobe for the nicest dress she owned. Actually, make that the second nicest dress. Of course there was that one dress she'd gotten from the La Croix mansion, but she refused to wear that excessively frilly plum-colored monstrosity ever again. The dress she planned to wear today was nice too, she thought, though modest compared to that silky, royal gown. It was a dress with a light green skirt, puffy white sleeves, and a brown vest which had strings that criss-crossed upward, lacing up in the front. Effie had only worn that dress on special occasions. Was this a special occasion too?

Though she felt silly, and completely impractical, she finally peeled off the nightgown, and quickly slid into the chosen dress. Then awkwardly, she took down the pendant, and looped the delicate chain around her neck, hoping it would let Seth know that she valued his gift.

Once she was ready, she set off toward Evanore.

-------

The Clayton's home was large. Effie used to think that no mansion could rival it, until she'd seen the La Croix's palace with her own eyes. To the latter's massive feat of architecture, the Clayton mansion paled in comparison. Still, it was much larger and more elaborate than most of the homes in Evanore, and many people admired its elegance.

Effie swiftly approached the Clayton house that morning, heart pounding, palms sweating. She didn't know why she was so nervous. It was just Seth Clayton, after all. She hardly even liked the guy, didn't she? She'd barely acknowledged them when they went to class together. So even if he rejected her, she should be alright. That's what she told herself, anyway. But somehow, her heart couldn't seem to catch up with her head.

Effie hesitated at the front step for just a moment or two, before taking a deep breath, and finally knocking on the door.

It didn't take long before someone opened the door. And that someone was none other than Seth Clayton himself.

"Can I help you?" He started to say, but his voice stopped abruptly, his pretty sky-blue eyes widening with shock the moment his gaze came to rest on Effie. And it was as if she was the last person on earth he expected to see standing at his doorstep.

"Good morning," Effie began. "I came to speak with you about- mmph!"

Seth panicked, throwing his hand over her mouth almost painfully, then looked over his shoulder as if he was half-expecting the boogie man to jump out at him. Once he'd confirmed that no one was watching, he quickly pulled the door shut behind himself.

"What are you doing?!" Effie's muffled voice demanded from behind his palm. "Get your hands off me!"

"Shhhh!" He hissed sharply, pressing a finger against his lips. Then he whispered, "if my father knew you were here, he'd have you thrown off the property immediately."

"Wh-why?" Effie asked, though she could already guess the reason why. And the reason made her chest ache.

Seth's father never used to have any issues with Effie before. In fact, he was positively civil, which was a rarity, as Mr. Clayton was typically a very difficult person for most to get along with. Effie had managed to get on his good side the few times she had met him. It was a shame to know that their tentative rapport had been shattered. Though not wholly surprising.

"We can't talk here," Seth whispered. "Let's go somewhere else."

Then silently, before she could protest, Seth grabbed Effie by the arm a little too hard, and pulled her off the property, moving a bit like a criminal who was trying not to get caught. Once they were off the property, Seth lead Effie down a nearby alleyway and there, he finally began to relax.

"Why are we here?" Effie asked apprehensively. "It's like we're hiding. Like you're ashamed to be seen with me."

"I just don't want any trouble with anyone," Seth sighed.

"Seriously? That's your reason?"

"I mean no offense, but you were suspected of some pretty bad stuff, right? I mean... I don't believe what everyone is saying, but if I'm seen talking with you then-"

"Then what?" Effie snapped. "It's not like Ms. Spencer or Silas had such a hard time being seen with us. They came to the apothecary in broad daylight. Because they're our friends. I thought you were my friend, Seth." Her voice was beginning to quiver.

"Effie, please try to be understanding of my position here," Seth replied, running his fingers through his thick, sandy-blonde hair. "Ms. Spencer and Silas can afford to be a little careless with whom they associate with. They don't have the future of an entire empire riding on their shoulders like I do. I have to be careful not to shame my family name, or drag it through controversy."

"So associating with someone like me would be careless for you now? It would shame your family name?!" Effie felt like her heart was being squeezed by a vice, until the very air was being choked from her lungs. Though she'd prepared herself for the possibility that Seth might reject her friendship, she didn't know it would be this heartless and cold. "You do know that all accusations were dropped the minute the anonymous accuser took back everything he said? So how would associating with me be so bad?"

"Look, I know you're not a witch. Thank god you're not a witch. But still, the stigma associated with an accusation like that is so harmful that if I am caught anywhere near you I could sully my family's name in an instant."

"Did our friendship mean nothing to you?" Effie's voice hitched, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

"I'm sorry, Effie," he said, almost sadly now. "If it's any consolation, our friendship - such as it was - meant a lot to me. There was a time when I envisioned you being a part of my life for many years to come. I was even... I was even planning on asking for your hand in marriage once I had finished at college. But now... that just isn't possible anymore."

"So you're really going to throw me away like this?" Effie could no longer hide the sorrow in her voice. Her heart was breaking.

Seth didn't respond this time, instead turning his gaze to the side as if it was difficult for him to look Effie in the eye anymore.

The disappointment and bitter, cold rejection was more than Effie could bare.

"I was so stupid for coming here," she said finally, choking back a sob. "I don't know why I thought this would go any other way."

Then, Effie reached up instinctively, gripping at the pendant dangling gracefully against her bosom. Forcefully, she yanked it off, it's delicate chain snapping away from her neck. Then she hauled back and threw it as hard as she could into the dirt at Seth's feet. "Here! You can have this back. I don't want it anymore. I don't want anything that reminds me of you."

With that, she turned on her heel, not even staying long enough to see Seth's reaction. And she ran, now unable to stop the hot tears from rolling down her cheeks. And she didn't look back once toward the man who could have been her friend. Or potentially even something more.

-------

Effie hadn't stopped running until she was deep inside of Moondshadow Forest. Normally, the unintelligible, idle chatter of the trees was enough to help sooth her nerves, but she hardly noticed them now as she picked her way though the wood. At some point, without even realizing it, she had wandered toward the pool of water where she'd first laid her eyes on Prince Reign. Visions of that day began playing in her mind.

Reign had looked so beautiful and foreign, like an angel or some angelic being. But he'd also looked so emotionless. So resigned. As if he'd surrendered himself to some sort of tragic fate. At the time she had first seen him, she assumed he was getting ready to take a bath in the pond, but after everything she'd learned about him since then, she now wondered what he had really been doing here.

Ah, why was it that in times of stress or sadness, Effie's thoughts always found their way to Reign?

Effie settled down on the forest floor at the edge of the pond, wrapping her arms around her legs and resting her chin on her knees. Then she released a heavy sigh, drinking in the intoxicating magic of the forest around her, letting it flow through her body until it took some of the edge off her sadness.

She began to wonder if she had been a bit selfish back then with Seth. It wasn't like she had tried to be understanding of his point of view, but it was hard to relate. Seth had a whole future ahead of him, while Effie's future had been snuffed out before it had even truly began. Maybe she shouldn't have shouted and stormed off like that. Maybe she should have tried to see his side of things. But she didn't know how that would even be possible for her.

'Reign would have never treated me like that,' she found herself thinking. 'He knows I'm a witch, and yet... yet he has done everything he could to protect me. He didn't shut me out. He didn't worry about his reputation, or his family name. He still... Prince Reign is more of a friend than Seth Clayton will ever be...'

She couldn't think of anything more after that, for soon Effie had let her thoughts become swallowed up by the gentle sounds of the forest.