Disclaimer: Sofia the First belongs to Disney, etc.
AN: I found a clip of this show on YouTube, was surprised by how good it was for a kid's show, and before I knew it I'd binge-watched a handful of episodes. I haven't seen them all (yet), so let me know if I've made a mistake.
If Sofia was honest with herself, nothing really changed all that much after she was named Protector of the Ever Realm. She still lived in the castle, attended school – her new school, Ever Realm Academy, with Amber – and fulfilled her duties as the Storykeeper. Whenever trouble arose, she was always there to stop it.
The difference was that she no longer had to sneak behind everyone's backs. Sometimes it was even her father who summoned her to her Protector duties (much to her mother's worry, though she was slowly accepting the perilous aspects of her daughter's destiny with Aunt Tilly's help).
Today was one of those times.
There was an ice dragon on the loose – a dragon from the Freezenburg region, that breathed ice instead of fire – and King Roland had called upon anyone available to help slay it. Most of the older Knights were away on another mission, so the younger generation had answered the call; Sofia recognised Sir Nicholas, Sir Joseph and Sir Samuel already at the meeting place, a field on the borders of Enchancia.
Another familiar face was already waiting, as well.
"Mister Cedric!" Sofia cheerfully waved to her friend before hurrying over to him.
The barn owl on his shoulder saw her first, and flew to greet her. Sofia had found Starfire when she was just a baby, orphaned and alone, not long after Wormwood's banishment. Cedric's sadness over his familiar's betrayal seemed never-ending, and while Sofia knew that friendships couldn't be replaced, she'd hoped that perhaps giving the baby owl to her friend would help him get through it. In the end, things worked out perfectly; Cedric and Starfire were inseparable, and unlike the raven, the young barn owl was kind and friendly. Sofia often saw her hanging out with Clover and the others, when she wasn't helping Cedric.
Sofia held out her hand and let the barn owl land on it. "Sofia! Did you bring me any treats?"
"Not today," the Princess told the owl. "We have a job to do."
"Ah, Princess Sofia." Cedric joined them, and Starfire flapped back to his shoulder. "Excellent timing. Your company is much preferred over theirs." He sent a sideways glare at the three Knights a short distance away.
The Princess would usually tell him to be nice, but in this instance, she couldn't blame him. She hadn't heard good things about the three young Knights, who she noticed were blatantly ignoring them; they'd looked her way when she arrived, but had made no move to greet her. Nor had they made an effort to speak with Cedric, who was going to be assisting them on their mission to slay the ice dragon.
"I'm sure it won't be that bad, once we get moving," Sofia assured her friend nevertheless, because if they didn't stay positive, then the quest was doomed to fail.
"At least the older Knights knew to keep their comments about me to themselves," said Cedric. In his eyes Sofia could see the familiar hurt from years of ridicule, something which had been recently starting to fade but came back every once in a while. "I've lost count of how many times I've heard the word 'bungler'…"
"You're not a bungler, Mister Cedric. I know it, and so do you," Sofia assured him. "Besides, there's another Knight coming who I know you'll like. She's really nice."
Cedric frowned. "She?"
A whinny was heard from above them, and they looked up in time to see a winged, white unicorn circling about them. Starfire took off from Cedric's shoulder in order to get a closer look.
The unicorn wore no saddle nor bridle, and on his back sat a Knight dressed in silver, lightweight armour. The blue surcoat over the armour was patterned with white unicorns, and the long brown braid that blew in the wind proved that, like the Princess said, this Knight was a she.
Sofia and Cedric were so caught up in the Knight's entrance that they didn't notice Starfire flying too close to the unicorn until it was too late. They both cried out, but the owl was already in the way, and a great flap from the unicorn's wing sent the bird spiralling downwards uncontrollably. Both unicorn and Knight saw what happened, however, and reacted instantly. The unicorn dove faster than Sofia thought was possible for a steed of his size, and when they were beneath the falling owl, the Knight reached out and caught her.
They landed, and Sofia and Cedric wasted no time in hurrying over to see if Starfire was all right. When they got there, the Knight had removed her helmet to reveal a young woman in her late twenties, her dark brown eyes gazing warmly down at the owl in her arms. She was in the process of straightening out the bird's feathers.
"You should be more careful next time, little one," she was telling the bird. "Lucky wouldn't hurt a fly, but you're not the first bird to be blown away by his wings accidentally." She looked up, and her gaze passed between Sofia and Cedric before settling on the latter. "Is she your familiar?"
"Y-Yes." Cedric held his arm out, and Starfire managed to flap over to him, landing with wobbly legs. "Don't scare me like that again, Starfire!" With his free hand he gently stroked her feathers, and she leaned into his touch. He then turned his gaze back to the Knight, and there was something in his eyes that Sofia had never seen before. "Thank you."
"You're very welcome," said the Knight, smiling softly at the endearing scene. She then climbed from her steed's back and bowed. "Lady Beatrice, at your service. But you can just call me Beatrice."
Cedric bowed in return. "Cedric the Sensation, or Cedric the Great, whichever you prefer." He gestured to Sofia. "And this is Princess Sofia."
"The one and only." Sofia gave a curtsey.
Before more could be said, Roland arrived and called for everyone's attention. Beatrice was first to make her way over with Sofia and Cedric walking behind her, and the Princess quickly told her friend all she knew about the Knight they'd met. Beatrice was the first lady Knight in Enchancia, the daughter of Sir Jonathan – who had served as First Knight during Roland I's reign as King – and the noblewoman Lady Victoria. She'd attended the Junior Knights Academy, followed by Chivalry Hall, and graduated from both at the top of her class. Afterwards she served as a Squire for both Sir Finnegan and Sir Bartleby before finally being Knighted not too long ago.
"You seem to know an awful lot about her," said Cedric.
Sofia grinned. "She's my new favourite Knight, since Sir Bartleby's now my favourite Uncle."
The conversation ended when they reached the King, who once again went over the situation with the ice dragon. Sofia listened, but at the same time she couldn't help but notice the behaviour of her sorcerer friend. His gaze kept turning to Beatrice, and there it was again; that odd look in his eyes she'd never seen before.
She frowned. Actually, she had seen it before, briefly. It was back when Miss Nettle had attempted to steal the Amulet of Avalor, and disguised herself as a sorcerer named Sasha…
Realization hit, and Sofia quickly hid her grin. So that's what was happening. Excitement bubbled inside her.
"…Since magic has been proven the best defence against ice dragons, you'll be working with my Royal Sorcerer and my daughter, Princess Sofia," Roland was saying. "Now, if anyone doesn't have any questions…"
No one did, and Roland left them too it. The comments didn't start until he was far enough away to not hear the three Knights talking.
"Does he really think we need help from Cedric the Bungler?" said Sir Samuel. Sir Joseph snickered into his hand.
Cedric glared at them, but said nothing. Beatrice just folded her arms across her chest and rolled her eyes.
"And why would three highly trained Knights need help from a Princess?" Sir Nicholas added. "She's a little girl. Helpless, weak, pathetic."
Sofia knew better than to let words hurt her; so long as she knew her own worth, what other people said about her didn't matter. Regardless, Cedric immediately brought his wand out and pointed it at them.
"That is quite enough," he said, anger evident in his voice. "Say what you want about me, because I've heard it all before. But if you say anything more about Princess Sofia, then you won't like the consequences."
The last person who had said a bad word against her had found themselves turned into a frog. Sofia was close to jumping in between the confrontation, because there wasn't time for squabbling, but Beatrice stepped forwards instead. Before she did, Sofia caught the briefest flash of a soft smile on the Knight's face, aimed in Cedric's direction, which changed to a wide grin when she addressed Sir Nicholas.
"Don't worry guys, we understand," she said, gesturing to herself, Sofia and Cedric. "You're just worried that Princess Sofia will outclass you. I don't blame you. She did defeat Vor, the greatest evil in all of the Ever Realm, along with an uncountable amount of other dangers along the way. Anyone would be intimidated. I suppose that means we'll have to go and slay the ice dragon by ourselves, if you're not feeling up to it."
She began to lead Sofia and Cedric away, with the three Knights staring after them. Then Sofia saw that she was silently counting down, mouthing the words but not giving them a voice. Three…two…one…
They heard a chorus of whinnies before the three Knights flew overheard on their flying horses, racing in the direction the ice dragon was last spotted.
Beatrice sighed and shook her head. "They haven't changed one bit. Come on, if we leave now we can watch the ice dragon teach them a lesson about teamwork."
It was a short flight over, with Beatrice on her unicorn (Lucky?), Sofia riding Minimus and Cedric taking his latest flying machine. And like Beatrice said, they arrived in time to watch the easy defeat of the three Knights. The dragon's ice blasts sent them tumbling from their winged horses and plummet to the ground below, but it was a short fall and the trees managed to break it.
They didn't get too close, and Beatrice directed Lucky to land in a clearing not too far away. Sofia and Cedric followed her lead.
"We should approach on foot, use the trees as cover," she explained once they'd landed. "I'll scout ahead with Lucky and get a lay of the land."
Sofia nodded. "Great. While you're gone, Mister Cedric and I can decide what spells we should use."
The Knight disappeared into the trees with her steed behind her. Minimus and Starfire were off to the side talking, leaving Sofia free to ask the question that had been burning on her lips the entire flight over.
"Mister Cedric, do you like Beatrice?"
His cheeks turning red were enough of an answer for her, but she wanted to hear him say it. "I… well… Of course I like her! She's far better than those rude half-wits we had to put up with. Let's hope that the dragon knocked some sense into them."
"That's not what I was asking," said Sofia. "What I meant was…do you like her, like her?"
"…How does saying the word 'like' twice change the question?"
She sighed. "Do I really have to spell it out for you? L-O-V-E." His eyes widened. "You do! I knew it!"
"I've only just met her!" he insisted. "But…there are certain…feelings…involved…which could potentially become…that."
Sofia squealed with excitement. "This is amazing! You need to tell her."
"Tell her what?"
"How you feel!"
His eyes widened even further than before. "No! No! That's a terrible idea! Absolutely not! I can't tell her anything!"
"Why not?"
"Because…well… You've seen her!" He gestured in the direction she'd gone. "She's kind and brave and beautiful, and I'm…well, I'm me. She'll have handsome princes and brave Knights knocking on her door every day, wanting to be with her. I'm nothing compared to them. She won't want me." He slumped, his gaze averted to the ground.
The Princess sighed. Grown-ups could be silly sometimes. "Mister Cedric, you're one of my best friends. You're the greatest sorcerer I know. You're brave and kind too, and it's what's on the inside that counts. Trust me when I say that she'll be the luckiest woman in the world to have someone like you."
His gaze was drawn back to her and he managed to smile. "Thank you, Princess Sofia. But even if there's a chance she might like me back, what do I even say to her? Do I give her something? What does she like? I've never done this before."
"Don't worry, I'll help," Sofia assured him. "I helped Sir Bartleby tell Aunt Tilly how he felt. So, let me be your Wingman. Or Wing-Girl. Ooh, Wing-Princess!" She winked.
They couldn't speak about it further, because that was the moment Beatrice chose to reappear. She looked worried. "I suggest putting a hold on any spells you have planned."
Sofia and Cedric exchanged glances, before the former spoke up. "Why?"
"It's probably best you come and see for yourselves."
She led them through the trees, and it didn't take them long to reach another, larger clearing that was covered in ice and snow. But that wasn't what drew their attentions.
In the centre of the clearing was a large blue dragon – and he was crying. Lucky was stood next to him, and Sofia could hear him giving the dragon reassuring words, comforting him as best he could.
"He doesn't look scary at all," Sofia noticed. "It looks like he's the one who's scared."
"That's what I thought, too," said Beatrice. "Perhaps you should talk to him, Princess?"
Sofia nodded, and slowly made her way forwards to the crying dragon. She didn't want to startle him. When she was closer, Lucky noticed her approach and said to the dragon, "Here's Princess Sofia. She can help you."
The dragon opened his eyes. "The Princess who talks to animals?" His voice sounded young, and Sofia realized that this dragon was only a baby. Ice dragons could grow to ginormous sizes, after all.
"That's me." She gave him a friendly smile. "I can help you if you tell me why you're upset."
"Really?" He sniffed. "OK. I lost my family in a storm, and I don't know the way home. I tried to ask someone, but they screamed and ran, and then more people came back and attacked me, and I was scared and shot them with ice by accident, and… Oh, I'm sorry if I hurt anyone. I didn't mean to."
Sofia walked right up to him and immediately rubbed his neck. "There, there. It's OK. You were lost and you were frightened. We understand." She turned and saw Cedric and Beatrice approaching, deeming it safe to do so. "Guys, he's just a baby. He got separated from his family and doesn't know the way home. We need to help him."
"That's what we're here for," said Beatrice. "But how can we find his home if he doesn't even know the way?"
"I have a spell that can show us the way," said Cedric.
There was rustling in the bushes, and the three of them turned to see the Knights hurrying towards them. Their swords were drawn, and they didn't look happy.
"There it is!" Sir Nicholas rallied the other two around him before they charged.
Sofia immediately ran forwards to stop them, placing herself between the dragon and the Knights. "Wait! It's all a misunderstanding! The dragon's just a baby! He was scared because he got lost, and he just wants to go home. He doesn't want to hurt anybody!"
The three Knights, who had halted, turned to look at one another – before they broke out laughing.
"This is why the King shouldn't send a Princess to do a Knight's job," said Sir Samuel.
"Harmless, she calls it!" Sir Joseph agreed. "All dragons are dangerous. They're nothing more than mindless beasts that destroy anything in their paths."
"And a dragon that size can't possibly be a baby," Sir Nicholas added. "But even if it is, it's still a dragon. It's still a monster."
The dragon cowered behind Lucky, who stomped his hoofs protectively. Cedric prepared his wand in defence, and Beatrice drew her sword – her father's sword, passed down through several generations of Knights. "Alright, no more Miss Nice Knight," she said, as she retrieved her shield from her back; blue and silver with a picture of a unicorn on its front.
Sir Nicholas scoffed. "This is cute. Two girls and a bungler think they can take us on."
"I can take you three by myself," said Beatrice, a smirk creeping across her face. The three Knights laughed in response, and she turned to Sofia. "I'll distract them. You get the dragon out of here."
Sofia nodded, and climbed onto Minimus, who had arrived by her side. Cedric looked unsure. "Will you be alright, my lady?"
"I told you, it's just Beatrice. And I'll be fine." She gave him a smile. "You and the Princess just get that dragon home to his family and don't worry about me." Then she charged at the Knights, taking them by surprise. Lucky was right behind her.
Cedric managed to clamber onto the ice dragon's back, and then they were away. The sorcerer cast the spell, and in less than an hour the baby ice dragon was reunited with his parents in the mountains north of Freezenburg. With no way for Cedric to fly back, Sofia changed into an ice dragon herself so she could give him a ride, with Minimus and Starfire flying beside them.
When they arrived back, they found that Beatrice had been true to her word; the three Knights were defeated, tied to a tree. King Roland was there too, in the process of banishing the three for their behaviour. Beatrice, who was relaxing by a tree with Lucky, waved to Sofia and Cedric. The latter waved back, before blushing from the attention.
And Sofia was all the more determined to help him in any way she could.
Sofia had just finished grooming Minimus when she noticed Lucky enter the stables, alone. This was her chance.
"Hey, Lucky!" She hurried towards the unicorn. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Of course!" He smiled. "What can I do for you, Princess?"
"Um…" She sighed. "OK, I'm going to tell out outright. Mister Cedric really likes Beatrice. And I mean really likes her. He wants to do something nice for her, to show her how he feels about her. So, can you tell me what she likes? I know she likes Knight stuff, but is there anything else?"
The unicorn's smile widened. "That's wonderful! I know Bee, and I can tell you that he's definitely her type. She likes guys who are smart."
Sofia nearly jumped for joy. "Yes!" Cedric was the smartest person she knew.
"As for things she likes…" Lucky looked away in thought. "Oh! Mulan is her idol. I've lost count of the amount of times she's read that story. Oh, that's it! She loves reading, too! History, stories… Just give her a good adventure story and she'll be one happy lady."
"That sounds perfect." Trying to call Mulan out of her amulet when there wasn't an emergency wouldn't work at all. The last time someone (Amber) had tried to force a Princess out of the amulet, they'd had to deal with Princess Ivy.
But books? She was the Storykeeper, and had access to every story ever written. All she had to do was get Cedric and Beatrice there together. I'll tell Mister Cedric tonight at the ball.
The ball was in full swing by the time Sofia and Cedric arrived. There were so many faces, familiar and new, and almost immediately Sofia began searching for Beatrice.
"There she is." She pointed to the woman standing a short way off with her parents. Gone was her armour, replaced with a sky-blue dress and a pretty silver necklace. Her dark brown hair was loose, settled perfectly over her shoulders.
Cedric didn't say anything in response, so Sofia turned to him – and found him staring at Beatrice with wonder in his eyes.
Yep, he's a goner.
"Uncle Ceddy!" Calista suddenly appeared from the crowd and leapt at Cedric, pulling him back to reality with a startled yelp. "I'm so happy to see you! And you too, Sofia!" She pulled away from her uncle to hug the Princess.
"Hello, Calista. Where's your mother?" Cedric scanned the crowd for his sister, no longer dreading her appearance since the misunderstanding with her hair had been cleared up.
"She and my new Daddy are getting a drink." It had been a few months since Cordelia had remarried. Sofia was glad to see that Calista had accepted her step-father with ease. "I can take you to them, if you like?"
"We're actually about to head over and say hello to Lady Beatrice." Sofia pointed in the Knight's direction.
Calista's face lit up. "Is that my new auntie?"
Sofia almost giggled at the panic on Cedric's face. "Calista, shush! No, she isn't. At least… I hope she could be… someday."
The Princess wanted to tell him that he was worthy of being loved, over and over until he believed it, but she reasoned that showing him was better than telling him. She only hoped that Beatrice returned his feelings. "Come on, let's go and say hi."
They introduced themselves to Sir Jonathan and Lady Victoria, and Cedric managed to speak in coherent sentences while talking to them. Sofia took note of the way Beatrice lit up when she saw the sorcerer, and hoped it meant what she thought it meant. She just needed to catch Cedric alone and tell him what Lucky had told her earlier…
Half an hour later, Sofia had lost track of both Cedric and Beatrice, having been pulled away by Amber. She soon caught sight of the Knight, speaking with one of the guests from outside the Kingdom; Prince Roderick. Matters between the two Kingdoms had been settled after Sofia had helped Minimus's brother escape from the spoiled Prince, mostly thanks to Aunt Tilly and the story she'd cooked up for Roland's benefit. Still, Sofia wasn't thrilled to see him, and would be content to avoid him for the rest of the evening.
But after watching the exchange between the Knight and the Prince, she realized that avoiding him wasn't going to be an option. Prince Roderick looked very interested in Beatrice – and the feeling wasn't mutual in the slightest. Beatrice was trying very hard to hide her disinterest, but Sofia could see right through her. She was surprised that Roderick couldn't see it.
Then the worst happened. Sofia saw Cedric on the other side of the room, and while he didn't see her, he did see Beatrice speaking with Roderick – and since the Knight's back was turned to him, he didn't see how uncomfortable she was. All he saw was Roderick's interest, and his shoulders slumped. He turned and wandered outside into the gardens, looking utterly devastated.
Oh no. I have to fix this. Sofia hurried up to Beatrice and Roderick. "Excuse me? Sorry to interrupt, but-"
"Oh, Princess Sofia." Roderick made no effort to hide his disdain. "Do you mind? I'm having a delightful conversation with this young lady-"
"I'm sorry, this can't wait." Sofia turned to Beatrice. "Lady Beatrice, there's a Knight situation outside. We need you right away."
"Knight situation?" Roderick frowned. "But you're a woman!"
"I'm also a Knight. I'm sorry, Prince Roderick, but I have to go." She took Sofia's hand, and the Princess led her away towards the doors. When they were far enough away, Beatrice bent forwards and whispered, "There's no trouble, is there?"
"Nope," said Sofia. "You just looked like you really wanted an excuse to get away from him, so I gave you one."
"You have my eternal gratitude, Princess Sofia."
They walked outside into the gardens, but Sofia couldn't see Cedric anywhere. When she noticed Beatrice's questioning look, she said, "I thought I saw Mister Cedric come outside for fresh air."
"Oh." She brightened at the mention of the sorcerer. "Well then, let's go find him."
It didn't take them very long. They found Cedric sat on a bench next to the garden's fountain, and while Beatrice clearly noticed that the sorcerer looked upset, she didn't ask Sofia why. The Princess quickly made an excuse not to go over to him, saying she had to go back inside to find someone, but encourage Beatrice to go over and talk to him. The Knight did just that, and Sofia hid behind a bush to watch the exchange.
Cedric looked surprised when the Knight appeared before him. "Beatrice! Um… hello."
"Can I sit here?"
"Yes! Of course you can… sit here… next to me… next to this fountain… outside… in the gardens… on this bench… at night… and feel free to ignore every word I've just said… Oh, apart from the first few, because you can definitely sit here…"
Beatrice giggled as she sat down next to him. "I needed to get out of there. That Prince Roderick is just… Ugh. He must think he's the most interesting person on the planet, because that's all he talks about: himself! I don't think I've ever been in so much pain, listen to someone talk. I'd rather fight a hundred ogres than go through that again."
"Really?" Cedric brightened upon hearing that she wasn't the slightest bit interested in the Prince. Sofia smiled. Crisis averted. "Won't your parents be wondering where you are? Not that I think you need them or can't take care of yourself, but you definitely can! But, you know what parents are like; they worry all the time. My parents gave me a portrait of themselves so they can magically watch over me."
Beatrice's eyebrow rose at his last comment, and she shook her head. "They'll be fine. I'm sure Sofia will tell them where I am. And they definitely won't worry when they hear I'm with you."
The sorcerer deflated, averting his gaze, and Sofia's heart sank again. "Hearing that you're with me will give them a right to worry."
Sofia knew exactly what Cedric was referring to, and it was a good bet that Beatrice knew, too. But her mood never changed; she remained relaxed, open. Her gaze was drawn upwards, and she observed the stars above them, glistening brightly against the darkness of the night sky.
"I was the only girl in my class for the entirety of the Junior Knights Academy, and Chivalry Hall," she began. "Not everyone was OK with that. A lot of the boys bullied me; they kept telling me that I was a girl, and girls can't be Knights, no matter who my father was. Nicholas, Joseph and Samuel were the worst of them. They didn't stop, not even when Sir Finnegan threatened to use them as practise dummies. Every single day, their doubts would threaten to overwhelm me, and I would have to fight them back and tell myself that I could do it; that only I could determine my own worth. It helped, but what really helped was encouragement from everyone else. My teachers, my parents, a few of the nicer boys, Sir Finnegan, Sir Bartleby… They believed in me. But if I didn't have any of that… if I was pushed far enough by people who wanted to bring me down… I think I might have snapped, too."
It was clear what she was saying; that she understood how he felt, had been there herself. And, had she been in his position – if no one had believed in her – then she might have made the same choice he did. Cedric gazed at her like she was the rising dawn, its light banishing the shame that still haunted his soul.
Sofia didn't catch whatever they said next, for she heard footsteps behind her and turned to find Calista. She brought her finger to her lips to shush the younger girl, before beckoning her over. Calista crept forwards, and Sofia pointed to where Cedric and Beatrice were sat. The sorcerer's niece smiled widely at the scene.
Music trickled out from the ballroom, catching Cedric's attention. "It sounds like the dancing is about to begin. You should go inside and join in."
"I'll pass on that," said Beatrice. "The truth is… I can't dance to save my life. I aced every other class at school, but I could never quite get the hang of dancing. I barely passed. I don't even know what it is about dancing that I just can't do, but I've long since given up on trying."
Cedric looked surprised by this. "You're not the only one. I'm not much of a dancer, myself. I always stepped on people's toes."
"Same. I used to use my bad dancing as payback against the boys who bullied me. Stepping on their toes was always satisfying."
Cedric chuckled. "If only I had thought of that."
Beatrice's face brightened and she got to her feet. "Well then, since we're both terrible dancers, why don't we just dance with each other? It'll be fun."
"Oh, um… I'm not sure about that…"
"Come on!" She pulled him to his feet, and together they began dancing in a circle around the fountain.
Sofia agreed with them both; their dancing was terrible. But seeing them dancing together, holding hands, spinning in circles, laughing with joy… It was completely adorable.
"She's definitely going to be my auntie," said Calista. "Oh, I almost forgot. Sofia, your daddy was looking for you."
"OK. Thanks, Calista." It was probably best to leave Cedric and Beatrice alone, and give them time to themselves. Sofia smiled at them one last time before she and Calista made their way back to the ballroom.
When they got there, Roland was just about to step outside. "Sofia, there you are. Have you seen Lady Beatrice?"
The Princess hesitated. She didn't want to interrupt Beatrice's time with Cedric, especially since they were enjoying themselves, but if it was important… "Why do you ask?"
"Prince Roderick is asking for her," said Roland. "He wishes to finish their conversation, and dance with her."
Uh oh. "Please don't make her go back to him!" At her father's raised eyebrow, she sighed. "Come with me. I'll show you." She took her father's hand and led him back the way she'd come, with Calista tagging along behind them.
When she pointed around the corner towards the fountain, Roland blinked in surprise. "Oh. I see." And then he smiled.
Cedric and Beatrice were still dancing. Then, with the three of them watching, Cedric suddenly tripped over his own feet and tumbled backwards – straight into the fountain. He panicked at first, thinking he'd embarrassed himself, but then Beatrice burst out laughing and it wasn't the mocking kind, setting him at ease. While she was distracted, Cedric smirked and brought out his wand, zapping her – which caused her to fall into the water beside him.
She splashed him in retaliation, still laughing, and he joined in.
"They're both really happy," Sofia explained. "You can't split them up, Dad."
"I agree." Roland looked back over his shoulder at the ballroom, before returning his gaze to Sofia. "I have an idea. I'll go back inside and distract Prince Roderick, while you go and warn Lady Beatrice so she and Cedric can hide somewhere."
"And I can go and tell Mummy and Lady Beatrice's parents not to worry about them," Calista spoke up.
Sofia nodded. "Sounds like a plan."
Roland and Calista hurried back inside while Sofia ran over to the fountain. Cedric and Beatrice had managed to pull themselves out of the water, and the sorcerer was in the middle of casting a spell to dry them both off.
Beatrice saw her first. "Hello, Sofia. What brings you back out here?"
The Princess waited until the spell was finished before she spoke. "Prince Roderick is looking for you. But don't worry, I have the perfect place for you to hide."
"You do?" said Beatrice and Cedric together, and Sofia wished she could have talked to her friend about it first, but now there was no time. She supposed it didn't matter.
"Yes. Follow me."
She led them back inside the castle through another entrance, then took them to the closest secret passageway. Cedric's face changed to one of understanding once they passed through; he knew where Sofia was leading them, for she'd already shown him the Secret Library once before.
For Beatrice, however, it was all new, and her eyes were full of wonder as they climbed into the boat. She gasped in delight at the different settings they passed through, belonging to the Princesses that had come before. Sofia explained this to her.
"I've met most of them, you know. Belle, Cinderella, Jasmine, Mulan…"
"You've met Mulan?!" Beatrice's excitement nearly tipped the boat over. "What's she like? Was she wearing her armour when you met her? What's her favourite colour? Favourite flower? Did you fight together side-by-side? Tell me everything!"
Sofia giggled, and told her the entire story for the remainder of the journey.
The Knight's excitement only grew when they finally arrived at the library. She gasped and stood frozen when they first walked inside, and after a full minute of silent staring, she spun slowly in a circle, her gaze beholding the sheer number of books. And then she jumped up and down, squealing in delight.
Cedric frowned at Sofia, who quickly explained in a low voice. "I talked to Lucky today, and he said that she loves reading, especially stories. You're welcome."
Beatrice meanwhile was already pulling books off the shelves. "Mulan's story is here! And Beauty and the Beast! And Cinderella! Oh!" She dropped the three books on a nearby table and pulled out a fourth. "King Arthur! This was the first book my father ever read to me! I love it so much!"
"Me too." Cedric quickly hurried over to her. "I used to read it all the time when I was a boy. Merlin was always my favourite."
She smiled at him. "I always loved Arthur and Guinevere's love story. You know, before Lancelot came along and ruined everything. Oh! We should read it together." Before he had a chance to answer, she grabbed his hand and pulled him over to a pile of pillows in the corner of the room. They sat down together side-by-side, practically touching, and once they were comfortable, Beatrice opened the book and began to read it aloud.
As she did, Cedric looked over to where Sofia was still standing, and mouthed the words 'thank you' to her. Sofia gave him a thumbs up in response.
The night ended with Sofia calling Minimus and Lucky to take them back to the castle. The latter was strong enough to carry both Beatrice and Cedric, and the three of them stayed out flying longer than Sofia did. A flight under the stars sounded romantic; it had worked for Aladdin and Jasmine, after all.
She waited in the stables with Minimus, and was still there when they returned. The Princess stayed quiet, wanting to know if Cedric had told Beatrice how he felt during the flight, or if he was about to tell her now that they'd landed…
Beatrice spoke first. "This has been the best night of my life."
"It has?" Cedric sounded both surprised and hopeful.
Lucky passed through the stable doors and into his stall. When he was settled, Sofia risked creeping forwards to peer around the door. Cedric and Beatrice were stood facing one another, both smiling.
"Of course it has," said Beatrice. "It was amazing."
They stood in silence for a moment, and Sofia could see the determination in Cedric's eyes. This was it. He was going to tell her.
"Beatrice… I…"
But Beatrice also looked as though she'd made a decision – and suddenly she swooped forwards and pressed her lips to his.
Cedric froze, and Sofia gasped.
The kiss lasted only seconds, and Beatrice pulled away again just as quickly. She looked nervous. "OK, that probably wasn't what you were expecting, but-" Cedric cut her off by reinitiating the kiss, and this time they didn't stop.
Sofia managed to sneak past them, and valiantly resisted the urge to run back to the castle cheering at the top of her lungs.
Ten years later…
"Hi, Sofia!"
The Princess turned and smiled at the young boy running towards her. "Hi, Toby. Learn any new spells lately?"
"Uh huh." The seven-year-old sorcerer-in-training nodded his head eagerly. "Daddy's been teaching me lots of new spells!"
"Hey, Soph." They turned to see James walking towards them, holding the hand of a five-year-old girl. "Have you seen Beatrice? Emma wants to show her this move I taught her."
"Mummy has to see this!" The little girl swung her wooden sword in a circle, and James only barely managed to avoid getting hit.
Sofia's eyebrow rose. "You're her Squire, James. Shouldn't you know where she is?" He only shrugged in response.
"Mummy and Daddy are still sleeping," said Toby. "I can show you."
The four of them made their way to Cedric's tower, and they were barely half-way up the stairs when they heard the loud snores coming from the top. They crept the rest of the way up, and Sofia smiled at the sight that met them.
Cedric and Beatrice were fast asleep in the room's armchair, Enchancia's First Knight curled up in the Royal Sorcerer's lap. It was an adorable scene, and the bed hair they both sported was just the icing on the cake.
Toby seemed content to let his parents sleep, but Emma was far too determined to show her mother what she'd learned from James. She raced forwards and leapt onto them both, crying out, "Mummy, wake up! I have something to show you!"
Both parents awoke with a jump, and only Beatrice's grace managed to save her and Emma from falling into a heap on the floor. She grabbed her daughter and rolled into a stand, while Cedric leapt to his feet with a startled yelp.
Emma, of course, thought the whole thing was hilarious. "You're such a goofball, Daddy!" she giggled.
"He's my goofball," said Beatrice with a smile on her face. Cedric relaxed and returned her smile.
Toby raced forwards to embrace his father, and Sofia stepped towards the window, allowing the family to have a moment to themselves. Gazing out across the gardens, she saw Amber pass by the stables in deep conversation with their father.
As she passed, she caught the attention of one of the stable hands. Daniel, Sofia recalled his name being; he was the same age as her and Amber. He was so taken by the Princess that the bucket he was filling with water overflowed, and he leapt back in surprise when the water splashed over his feet. Amber turned back when she heard his yelp, and giggled.
Sofia smiled. Time to put my Wingman wings on again.