What Makes a Friend

Summary: When Sofia gets kidnapped by Miss Nettle, her siblings and closest confidants will stop at nothing to rescue her.

Disclaimer: I do not own Sofia the First or any of the characters from the show.

A/N: I kept having the phrase "Friendship doesn't have an age limit" rushing through my head for some reason. And from that one statement, this whole thing came about. :)

Off-topic A/N: (Oh, and completely off-topic…if you have never tried huckleberry ice cream…you must get some eventually! It aided in my writing this story! Haha. And another off-topic side item: I may be around less during mid-October through late November. Why? Besides finals for me and midterms approaching for my students, Black Friday is right around the corner. Lol, I know. I'm insane. I actually have started online shopping more to save myself the hassle of dealing with crazy people. Amazon saw me a lot last year and will see me even more this year, especially if we get new Sofia stuff out. :) I'm still waiting on a Cedric plushy, so we'll see what happens. :D)

Sofia twirled the end of her braid (created once more thanks to Cedric's "plecto" trick she'd learned several weeks ago) around her fingers, signifying that she was growing sleepy. It had been a long day; she and Cedric had spent time together not only gathering ingredients but spell casting and just talking. She enjoyed days like this. They were sort of like down time from reality.

The princess glanced at her friend and smiled. He was staring intently at a vial with a glittery blue substance in it. "Are you waiting for it to talk to you?" she joked, giggling.

"I'm waiting to see if it's going to remain dormant or if it will actually do something," he responded, apparently missing her jest. He looked at the girl and smirked. "You look tired."

Sofia yawned and shook her head. "I'm not tired…" She grinned sleepily when he scoffed good-naturedly at her. "I'll be okay. Oh, I overheard Dad saying that Mr. Goodwin's birthday is next week. Are you going to visit him?"

Cedric shrugged and sighed. "I doubt it. I never really get to leave my workshop unless it's business related these days. Besides, we did just see them a few months ago. Still, I suppose…" He glanced at his Family Wand, securely fastened into a case nearby. "…I don't know, Princess. Maybe I could see them eventually, but I just don't see that happening right now."

Sofia giggled. "You sound like you've got a case of 'Rapunzel."

"Pardon?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow at her words.

"Yeah, you are one extreme one minute and another the next—just like Princess Rapunzel." She smiled. "It's not a hard decision, is it?"

He sighed, putting his head in his hands as he rested against the other side of his table. "It is, actually… I can't make a decisive choice to save my life. Rather unfitting for a sorcerer, wouldn't you say? Perhaps Father was right… Still despite his criticisms, I do miss him and Mother."

She seemed a little saddened by his tone. "Aww, Mr. Cedric, don't be sad. I know you don't get to see your parents much, and I hate seeing you so down, but…" She lit up, grinning. "Ooh, maybe Dad can adopt you! That way, you can have a standby dad!" The princess giggled adorably.

Cedric blanched and looked at her oddly. "…What?"

"Yeah!" She smiled happily. "Then I can be your sister!"

"No, Sofia…just no." He chuckled at her innocent way of solving problems and smiled. "I don't think I could ever see you as a 'sister' anyway."

"You're right," Sofia conceded with a grin as she took his hand. "You're my friend…one of my best friends too."

Cedric smiled patiently at his apprentice. "Aren't I a little old to be your best friend?"

The princess sighed with a gentle smile. "Friendship doesn't have an age limit, Mr. Cedric."

The sorcerer's smile grew at her words, still trying to figure out just what it was about Sofia that brought out not only the best in him, but in others as well. "Thank you for that, Princess Sofia." He tapped her nose playfully. "Now you need to get to bed."

The young girl whined. "But I'm not sleepy yet…" She looked annoyed as a yawn escaped her again, betraying her true state. She pouted as he chuckled. "Okay, so maybe I probably should get some sleep…" She stood from her chair and was about to commence her usual goodbye hug when he held up a hand, stopping her. The girl blinked.

"Allow me," he said gently, opening his arms slightly.

Sofia brightened considerably and dived into her mentor's arms, hugging him. It was the first hug he had ever initiated between them…which meant, at least to Sofia, that he was finally able to accept friendly gestures. A lot had changed between them over the last few years, and this was definitely her favorite development.

"Good night, Princess," he told her, patting her back gently. "Sleep well."

The brunette smiled as she nodded and stepped back. "Oh, I will. I promise! And tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow, we'll meet in the garden. I have a surprise."

She gasped excitedly. "Is it a singing lily like you were telling me about the other day?"

"You'll just have to wait and see. Now go on before Baileywick comes to chew me out about keeping you late again."

Sofia giggled and waved as she slid out of the workshop, shutting the door behind her.

Cedric looked toward Wormwood, who was watching him with a confused stare. The sorcerer smirked. "Would you like a hug too, Wormy?"

The raven scoffed and turned, settling down for the night as he lowered his head to rest.

"You know, a simple 'no' would have sufficed." He put away his items from the day spent practicing and experimenting before heading to bed.

The next morning, Cedric awoke to a loud and hasty knock on his door. He groaned and held a pillow over his ears. "Not now, Princess Sofia!" he called, slightly muffled. "It's too early to start our spells."

"Cedric!" King Roland's unmistakable voice called out, slightly annoyed but mostly worried.

The sorcerer squeaked slightly in surprise as he jumped up from his bed. Still dressed in his pajamas, he hurried to the door to his workshop and pulled it open, looking at the king in confusion. "Your Majesty?"

"Cedric, Sofia has been taken."

Those words made Cedric's blood run cold. "T-Taken? What do you mean by that, Your Majesty?"

"Her former teacher, Miss Nettle, left a note saying that she has kidnapped her."

At this explanation, the sorcerer frowned in confusion. "How was she able to get in with all the guards and staff and-?"

"I don't know, Cedric!" the king snapped, before sighing at the reaction from Cedric. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be cantankerous, but this is serious. Baileywick has assembled a team to search for her. I'm going with them. Would you possibly have some way of tracking her? Magic usage or whatever?"

Cedric pondered the request and turned toward his spell book, peering inside, flipping through the pages. He muttered a spell and waved his wand slightly before tapping an empty vial, turning it into a complex-looking compass. He turned and handed it to the king. "Here you are, Your Majesty. If there is any magic usage within a hundred miles, you will know about it."

Roland lifted an eyebrow as he clasped the object. "And how will I be able to determine if the magic is Nettle's or someone else's—even yours?"

The sorcerer tapped the compass, making it open up. "These indicators will determine the type of magic emitted (fairy, witch, warlock, sorcerer, sorceress, wizard, what have you), and it will also determine strength and type—whether the usage is evil or good. Mine will be in purple. I've programmed my usage into it already."

"You did all that with one flick of the wand?" Watching his sorcerer nod silently, even shyly, the king hummed in slight approval. "Maybe Sofia was right, Cedric. Maybe you are a pretty good sorcerer after all."

"Th-Thank you, Your Majesty. Please find her."

"I will. Don't worry." He turned and left from the workshop, hurrying down the stairs as fast as his feet would carry him.

Cedric held onto his wand tightly. "You're my friend," he heard Sofia's voice echo in his head from last night. "One of my best friends too…" He grabbed his Family Wand from its case and pocketed it before glancing toward Wormwood and holding out his arm. "Come on, Wormy. We need to go find Sofia."

Wormwood flew down to Cedric's arm and rested there, slightly worried at the change in his master's tone. "Apparently, one does not mess with the princess," he mumbled to himself, knowing Cedric would not be able to understand him.

Both left the tower.

Amber was pacing back and forth in the throne room with James chasing after her, trying to calm her down. "Who would kidnap Sofia?!" she cried in despair, waving her arms around. "She's just a little girl! And besides, if anyone should have been kidnapped, it should have been me! I'm the one with the most expensive jewels!"

James finally stopped and rolled his eyes at his sister's antics. He simply waited for her to walk by again before he grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. "Amber!" he said firmly, looking at her pointedly. "Snap out of it, would ya? You acting like a freaked out drama queen isn't going to help Sofia."

"Drama queen?! James, I am not a drama queen! I'm just worried about Sofia."

"We all are, but we can't lose our heads over this. We have to stay calm and think rationally."

The blonde girl gave her brother a deadpan look. "Says the boy who's obsessed with canons and getting into trouble? Please, James, you're nearly as bad as I am sometimes." She grabbed his hands and lowered them to his sides. She folded her arms. "So what do you suggest we do about this? Dad and Mom won't let us go with them to search for her. Baileywick is even worried."

"I know—the last time I saw Baileywick worried…" James frowned, scratching his head. "I don't think I've actually seen him get worried, really…"

"See?" She sighed.

"Why don't we go look for her ourselves?" the prince suggested.

"You and me?" She blinked. "We'll probably get in trouble if we go after her…"

"That's why we'll take someone along to take care of us. Baileywick can come with us."

"Come with you where?" the steward asked as he walked over to the twins, his eyes staring them down suspiciously.

"To rescue Sofia," the princess responded firmly. "She and I rescued Dad and James and others before, so it can't be that hard."

"Princess Amber, we wouldn't even know where to begin. All we know is that some crazed, shape-shifting, deranged fairy has taken Sofia…"

"Maybe I can help," Cedric told them as he approached, Wormwood firmly planted on his shoulder now.

"You?" Amber asked with slightly widened eyes. "You'd actually go with us to save Sofia?"

"Of course I would. Why is that so surprising?" He nearly forgot to whom he was speaking, realizing Amber and Sofia were completely different princesses… "Um, sorry, Princess Amber. I don't mean to sound cross."

"It's fine, Cedric." She sighed and twirled some hair around her fingers nervously. "So do you have any ideas?"

The sorcerer thought a few moments before looking toward Baileywick. "We're going to need a few things…"

Baileywick blinked.

Meanwhile, in a hidden cabin in the woods, Sofia was still in her blue nightgown and tied to a chair as Miss Nettle sang a happy song and twirled around the room in glee. The princess had had to endure this type of musical torture for the last several hours, and it was starting to get on her nerves.

"I don't understand," Sofia told the woman, frowning. "Why did you kidnap me? You know my parents and friends are going to come after me."

"Oh, darling, that's exactly what I'm hoping for," she responded with a grin. "See, now that I have you here, I have your precious amulet. When the king intrudes, I can go ahead and do away with him and take charge of everything."

Sofia groaned, sounding annoyed. "Why is everyone after my amulet? All it does is allow me to…" She paused and shut her mouth immediately. If Nettle knew about the ability to talk to animals and summon princesses out of the blue, who knew what she'd do with that information?

"Hmm?" the fairy asked, seeming distracted. She poured something into her cauldron and spoke a spell Sofia didn't recognize. Apparently, fairies and sorcerers had different methods.

She sighed and leaned her head against the chair. She missed Cedric. She missed her family. She missed her bed and Clover and…shoes. Her feet were freezing. She also wished that she'd grabbed a wand so that she could have at least armed herself. The princess glanced to the side of the cabin and saw an extra wand lying on a table, seemingly forgotten. She smiled cleverly, developing a plan in her head as she worked at trying to undo her bonds quietly.

"I am so tired," Amber complained as she and the others were now hiking in the forest together. Cedric had apparently gotten an idea or a lead—or whatever he had called it; she honestly hadn't paid much attention. She was exhausted, holding onto James for support as they continued. "Can we just take a little break?"

"In a minute," Cedric promised as he was observing an identical device to the one he'd made for King Roland earlier. "I may have a positive reading on fairy magic usage." He eyed the trees ahead and pointed in that general direction. "There! See?"

Baileywick, holding a huge backpack similar to what he'd carried during his first journey with the Buttercups, tilted his head. "See what?"

James nodded. "Cedric's right. I see some different colors shooting back and forth. Let's go check it out."

Amber whined slightly. "I can't even walk anymore, though. I'm just so tired."

Rolling his eyes in minor irritation, James knelt slightly and told her, "Get on my back. I'll carry you."

The princess lit up, no questions asked. "Okay!" She climbed onto her brother's back and wrapped her arms around his neck, smiling. "Onward!"

James groaned at the girl's instructions. "Easy for you to say…"

They moved forward and did indeed come across fairy magic. Cedric sighed when he realized it was just Flora, Fauna, and Merriweather. "Oh, it's you three," he said, defeated.

Merriweather frowned up at him from her spot on the ground. "And hello to you too, Cedric—the grumpiest sorcerer in the land."

Flora looked concerned as she observed the group. "What's wrong? Where is Princess Sofia?"

"Oh, Miss Flora, she's been princess-napped!" Amber lamented, a sad look gracing her features.

"She has? Amber, why are you riding on Prince James's back, dear?"

James shrugged as he placed his sister to the ground. "She was tired."

Fauna smiled, pleased. "You're a good brother, young prince."

The blonde boy blushed and smiled.

"Let's refocus here, people," Baileywick instructed as he placed his large bag onto the ground. "Ladies, would you happen to know where we can find that Nettle woman?"

"She kidnapped Sofia?" Merriweather asked, enraged. She flew up, growling. "Let me at her! I'll knock that smirk right off her face!"

"Easy," Flora instructed the other woman, calming her down. "How do you know it was Nettle who kidnapped Sofia?"

"She left a note," James replied simply.

"How thoughtful," Fauna said, sighing. "Well, I'm afraid we're not really sure of her whereabouts. She disappears quite a bit."

"Yes," Cedric said flatly, "we've noticed. But if I can just get this device to work properly, it's possible that we could find her faster." He glanced at Flora. "You wouldn't happen to have a location spell by any chance, would you?"

She shook her head. "None that work. That spell is under construction and review."

"That can happen?" Amber asked, tilting her head.

"Unfortunately," Merriweather sighed. "The Magic Board likes to 'update' and 'fix' things that don't need to be 'updated' or 'fixed.' That happens with a lot of things these days…"

Fauna smiled and placed a hand on Cedric's shoulder, encouraging him, "But keep your head up, my dear. You'll find her. With this steadfast determination you all have, I know you'll be able to rescue your dear princess."

Cedric actually smiled at her in appreciation. "Thank you…"

"Dinner time!" Nettle sang as she lowered a bowl of stew in front of Sofia and grinned. "You'll like it: mushroom and beetle bug stew."

The princess winced at the name and blinked. "I'll pass."

"I figured." She grabbed the bowl and tossed it into the cauldron, not flinching at all when the ingredients within exploded in a large cloud of grey and purple smoke. When it died down, she looked back at the princess. "Well, what do you say? Hand over the amulet and I'll send you home now."

"I don't believe you, and even if I did, I'd never give you my amulet." She was standing her ground, just like her parents had taught her to do. "It wouldn't do you any good anyway. Don't you know about the curse?"

The fairy raised an eyebrow. "What curse?"

Sofia sighed and recited Cedric's spell book statement from a couple of years ago, "With each deed performed, for better or worse, a power is granted: a blessing or curse. Don't you see? If you try to steal my amulet and use it for bad things, you'll get a curse put on you. You don't want that to happen, right?"

"Honey, I'm a powerful fairy. I make curses—I don't get them." She grinned and twirled her wand in her fingers. "That's okay, though. You'll hand it over to me willingly soon enough." She chuckled lowly.

Sofia looked concerned as Nettle went back to her cauldron. What did she mean by that? She grimaced and went back to attempting to loosen her bonds.

"Cedric, I'm pleasantly surprised with you," Baileywick admitted as they continued on, with some helpful hints from the three fairies. "You actually seem genuinely concerned about Princess Sofia's wellbeing and safety. You're really worried?"

"Of course I am worried about her! She's my…" He paused, surprised at what he was about to admit as the others watched him curiously. "She's my best friend…"

Baileywick raised an eyebrow at the sorcerer as they all paused to rest. "She's nine…"

Amber and James glanced back and forth between the two adults.

Cedric folded his arms. "Yes, and…?"

"You're not…nor are you even close to the same age."

"Friendship doesn't have an age limit, Baileywick." He pondered these words, realizing Sofia had said the exact same thing the day before. "And friends help each other. I'm not about to lose the one person who saw the best in me, and I'm not giving up until we find her." He grasped his wand tighter as he moved forward. "Are you three coming or not?"

James and Amber were in shock at their royal sorcerer's mini outburst over their sister. They knew the two were close, but it hadn't been clear just how close until right then.

"Wow," James said as he grabbed Amber's hand and dragged her along, keeping her going as she was still tired. "Who knew the Ced-man had a heart like that?"

"The 'Ced-man?'" Amber asked with a crinkle of her nose. "James, leave the colloquialisms at the door, dear brother…" She glanced to Baileywick, who was following them and appeared to be in deep thought. "Baileywick?"

He smiled toward her, sensing her slight worry. "I'm fine, Princess Amber. Don't worry."

Meanwhile, Miranda and Roland were leading their team in a different direction. They'd already encountered lots of setbacks and unfortunate circumstances dealing with more ogres and riddles.

"This is hopeless," the king sighed, shaking Cedric's device. "Why isn't this thing working?"

Miranda blinked, staring at her husband. "Maybe you should open it first, dear," she said gently, reaching forward and unfastening the compass cover.

Roland stared at the device and then back at Miranda. "…I knew that."

She smiled. "I know you're stressed, Rollie, but we're going to find her. I know my Sofia. She's strong, and she can take care of herself. She'll be fine until we make it to her. Trust me."

"I trust you. I'm just frustrated."

"Don't be. Cedric's compass has led us to lots of magical beings so far. And it will lead us to more. One of them has to be Nettle and Sofia. Besides, didn't you say Cedric indicated that his power would show up on here if we needed him?"

"Yes, but…" He looked at the device and seemed confused. "Why is Cedric's indicator moving?" His eyes widened. "He doesn't even appear to be in the castle anymore." He frowned. "Why would he leave?"

"Maybe he wanted to look for her too? They are rather close, you know…"

"Yes, I know, but… I'd prefer that he'd stayed and helped Baileywick watch the twins." He sighed. "I suppose there's nothing to do about it now. Let's keep moving."

To be continued…

A/N: Hi, guys! I'm going to stop right here and continue in the next chapter. I didn't realize this story was going to be so long, but when you've got three different groups going in various directions at the same time…yeah, I guess it's a good idea to divide things up. :) This story wasn't necessarily in my original lineup of things to write, but that line about friendship kept swimming in my head and wouldn't leave. So there we are! Expect an update later on today…or sometime this week. Also, I have a very important/cool visitor in the next chapter. She's kind of an inspiration to me, and I know she'll be the best one to help out Sofia against Nettle, even if she doesn't necessarily fit the "mold" for the types of visitors the amulet usually grants. Any thoughts on who this could be? ;) Hehe, you'll find out!

By the way, I've made something for you all. Follow the link below (remove the spaces and replace 'periods'), and you'll see what I mean. It's a 'thank you' of sorts to you all, plus it keeps me organized. Lol!

Replace the spaces and periods: reina-rachelle period wix period com back slash aquaturquoisesofia

Till later! Thanks once again for the reviews and support. Love you all for it. :) Have a great day. See you soon! ~AquaTurquoise