Back at the fortress...

Giggleton's treasury was fit to burst. Since acquiring the Gem Maker, he'd accumulated a vast fortune and had wasted no time spending his ill-gotten gains. In less than three months, he had renovated his dilapidated home.
Expensive magic had repaired the roof, replaced the rotted wooden door, painted his walls, and covered the floor in fine rugs. Self-portraits adorned his walls. He'd stocked his larder, and his wardrobe overflowed with quality garments.

To gain his wealth, Giggleton used spite, cruelty, and humiliation.

At first, he tried to induce Rose's hiccups with words of encouragement and gentle coaxing, but this failed.

Eventually, he lost patience, locking Rose inside the dark, damp room at the top of the fortress's tallest tower, high above the treetops.

Trapped and alone, Rose's misery transformed into diamonds. At her expense, Giggleton had achieved the life he'd always dreamed of.

"Come now, Miss," he said, collecting the diamonds from the cold stone floor. "I'm sure you can do better." Giggleton popped seven diamonds into his pocket and held one, the size of a robin's egg, in front of the narrow arched window. The diamond sparkled in the sunlight, and he continued, "This won't do. Not at all."

Rose remained curled up on her bed of straw. She didn't move or speak. What was the point? She was a prisoner. The very thing her parents had feared.

Why had she wandered so far from the Brook of Spells? Why had she taken her freedom for granted?

"I'll halve your food until you hiccup twice as many diamonds. If you wish to eat, I suggest you try harder."

Rose didn't care; starvation was better than a lifetime here.

"I'll check on your progress later. If you do as I say, I'll bring you some food and water."

Rose watched the scrawny goblin leave, locking the door behind him. Slowly, she rose from her bed and stood by the window. Below her, Rufus paced back and forth. Every step he took shook the tower, and loose plaster fell from her cell walls. Giggleton hadn't renovated this part of his fortress, and since it was her prison, he wasn't in any rush.

The tower was tall enough that she could see past the wall of thorns which had grown overnight. Beyond the thorns was a vast forest with no houses in sight and only a small wisp of smoke in the distance. Rose placed her hand against the mucky glass and whispered, "I wish to be anywhere but here."

As soon as she uttered her wish, a tall, dark, slightly odd-looking stranger appeared in a flash of light.

*

Hex arrived just in time to hear the Gem Makers' wish, which was convenient. What wasn't convenient was how beautiful she was. For a moment, he was speechless. 

"Who are you?" she asked. 

Hex struggled to remember his name. 

Think, think!

"Are you a fairy godfather?"

That prompted him to speak. This could have been his opportunity to impress her, for he was no mere fairy godfather, but a lie would serve him better. "Yes... yes, I am. I was passing when I heard your wish."

"Are you here to save me?"

Rose looked so hopeful it almost made him think twice. "I am."

"Oh, thank you. Giggleton trapped me in this awful place... Please, can I go home?"

Hex sighed. This was a shame because he knew she'd never return home. Rose would never be safe as long as creatures like himself existed. She was far too precious.

"What is your name, pet?"

"Rose."

What a lovely name! Perfect!

"Rose, you cannot return to your home. Giggleton will find you. But I know of a place where he will never dare venture." He held out his hand. "Come with me."

"And go where?" 

Hex shrugged. "Does it matter?" He looked around the empty room. "Did you not wish to be anywhere but here?" Hex scowled at the pile of straw and the scratchy woollen blanket Giggleton had given Rose—that cretin. One day, he would return and repay the favour.

Rose hesitated before nervously taking his hand. Pulling her closer, he wrapped his arm around her slender waist. "Hold tight, pet."
And with a flash of light, the Gem Maker and Sorcerer vanished.

*

Hex had left Pickles in the forest far enough away from the wall of thorns not to be noticed. He'd left strict instructions, no fires, no noise, and no wandering away. But the freezing pixie soon forgot what he'd been told and swiftly lit a fire.

Word Count 4372