Chrysta's Quest
Summary: Chrysta discovers that she may have a long-lost sibling in the Ever Realm, and with Sofia's help, she's determined to see if there's any truth to it. (Part of the Beyond Enchancia Series. Takes place over two years after the show's ending.)
Disclaimer: I don't own Sofia the First.
A/N: Hmm… I never thought I'd write a story that has Chrysta starring in it, but I'm SO glad I did. I absolutely love her. Lol. Enjoy!
*Fourteenth Story/Episode 14*
Sofia yawned and sat up in her bed, her hands instantly raising to shield her vision from the sun. It had been nearly a week since she and Cedric had discovered the secret of former Enchancian warrior Galiviano. Since then, she hadn't slept very well most nights. And while he hadn't said so, she knew that her mentor was in much the same position… And for someone who didn't sleep a full night most of the time anyway, she knew that was saying something.
Forcing herself to brush the thought aside for now, she lowered to the floor and instantly reached for her brush on the nightstand. She unbraided her hair before running the brush through the bouncing waves, concluding to wear it down to school for once. It was a rare occasion these days, so it would be nice to have a change.
She blinked when she noticed her Enchantlet activating, creating an image of a rather giddy-looking Chrysta. "Chrysta? What's going on?" She almost never called this early. …Did she even get up this early normally?
"Ah, sorry, Sofia," she laughed nervously, her free hand on her cheek. "But I got some news that I couldn't wait to share with you. I know you've got school and all, but…"
"Go ahead and tell me," the princess insisted with a smile. It was rare to see her trainer this excited about something. Usually she was so straightforward and sarcastic, if not more down-to-earth than most people. It must be something big.
"Okay, so, I probably never got around to telling you this, but… Well, I don't talk about my family much. You know that."
Sofia nodded. She'd noticed, but she respected her friend's privacy and never wanted to intrude. However, the fact that she was bringing it up now led the princess to the conclusion that Chrysta's reason for calling clearly had something to do with her elusive family.
"Growing up, it was always just me, even though I remember telling you I had brothers and sisters. That was false." She frowned thoughtfully. "And then my parents died when I was still just a kid, so that made it worse."
Sofia sighed sadly. She'd had a feeling something bad had happened to Chrysta's parents, but she'd never had that suspicion confirmed until now.
"I was left alone, with other trainers raising me instead. I was the only child in my little crystal fairy family and had no siblings to look up to or spend time with…or so I thought." She then grinned happily, squealing a bit. "Sofia! I just found out today that I might have a brother!"
The teen's mouth dropped in shock. "What?!" Of all the things she could have told her, that was the furthest from her mind. "Are you serious?"
"Yes!" Chrysta was practically beaming at this point. "Another one of our trainers, Chimzy, told me she was in the Ever Realm to do some magical screening—"
"Magical screening?" Sofia asked, hating to interrupt but finding the information a bit peculiar.
"Yeah, her job is to screen for new sources of magic in the different realms and report back to Vega. Anyway, she said she was approached by some guy, and he specifically asked for me!" She squealed. "He told her that he was my long-lost brother and had been looking for me for a long time."
Sofia smiled, though she was beginning to wonder about the situation. It just seemed so…random. "That's great, Chrysta! Do you know anything about him?"
"Just that his name is Rami, and I'm supposed to meet him this afternoon…" She smiled uncertainly. "Which is why I'm contacting you… Would you be able to travel to the Mystic Isles after school? Like…for moral support?"
The princess hesitated. "Well…" She really needed to check in with Cedric on the whole Galiviano thing and see if he had any updates. However, one look at her friend's pouting face, and she sighed, smiling gently. "Of course."
"Whoo-hoo!" Chrysta laughed and twirled around once before pausing, grinning sheepishly. "Eh, sorry. I'm a little bit excited."
Sofia smirked. "I can see that." She then smiled kindly toward her friend. "I'm happy for you though. I've got to get ready for school. I'll see you this afternoon." Receiving an affirmation from the crystal fairy, she sealed off the contact. Instantly, she pondered the timing of it all. "What are the odds of that?" She shrugged. "I need to stop. All this Galiviano stuff is making me paranoid and suspicious." She grinned to herself. "Just one more way I'm becoming more like Mr. Cedric, I guess." She giggled before hurrying off to get ready for the day.
Later that afternoon, Chrysta was pacing back and forth outside her cottage, counting down the minutes until her charge would arrive. When Chimzy had reported the news of a possible sibling, she had been in shock—unsurprisingly. She hadn't necessarily grown up with the happiest of situations (no known family to speak of), which had probably led to her colder demeanor once upon a time. She knew it had laid the groundwork for her no-nonsense attitude when Sofia had been assigned to her for training; of that she was certain. Regardless, she pushed her past aside and focused instead on the present and the future.
A brother… And from what Chimzy had told her, he appeared to be a few years older.
"Short, spiky brown hair. Same complexion. Same eye color. Even the same reddish color scheme you have going on. And, I'm pleased to report, the same attitude."
The younger crystal fairy had wasted no time in divulging all the information she'd gathered. From further talks, Chrysta soon discovered that he was residing in the Ever Realm for some reason (which Chimzy didn't seem to know), and he wanted to meet her. It was all so surreal. Could he have known about her all these years? Had he been looking for her?
"Chrysta!"
Chrysta whirled around with a sharp gasp, her train of thought derailed as her eyes focused on an amused-looking Sofia. "Hey, Sofia!" She laughed and smiled happily. "Glad you made it. And sorry for the whole last-minute thing…" She folded her arms. "I hope I'm not dragging you away from anything important."
Sofia shrugged and offered her friend a soft laugh. She had yet to let Chrysta in on the whole Galiviano situation. She was also unaware of her recurring nightmares. It was basically something that she just shared with Cedric, since he was also plagued with them. Of course, there was the whole idea that she'd known the sorcerer longer and had a much deeper history and connection with him, but… Sometimes she wondered if she should start sharing more with her trainer just like she did with her mentor. Sure, they weren't the same, but they were both there to help her out. Right? "It's fine. So, when is this guy supposed to be here?" She clasped her hands together. "And what's his name again? I was in a bit of a hurry this morning and forgot it."
"Rami. And he's supposed to be here soon… Not sure how soon, but soon." She unfolded her arms and gestured toward her cottage. "Want to come in while we wait? I can make us a snack or something."
The princess smiled and nodded. "Sure."
The next hour passed by slowly for both Protectors. While they made conversation and shared stories together, they couldn't help but feel like waiting for Rami was a bit daunting. Maybe it was the anticipation. Maybe it was the uncertainty. But one thing was for sure: it was boring.
"And guys complain about girls being late?" Chrysta scoffed. "Brother or not, I'm going to chew him out for making me wait for so long…"
Sofia smiled encouragingly toward her friend. "Relax, Chrysta. You've waited all this time… A few extra minutes will only build the anticipation for you."
"Maybe I never mentioned it, but I'm not exactly patient." Chrysta stood from her chair, gathering the dishes she and Sofia had used, and carried them to the kitchen.
The princess grinned as she turned in her chair to face the other girl. "You didn't have to."
"Nyah-nyah," the older Protector mocked, rolling her eyes and dumping the plates into a water-filled basin.
"Maybe he got lost?" Sofia opted, shrugging.
"If he's from the Mystic Isles, he shouldn't get lost."
The princess frowned, a thought crossing her mind: "And what if he's…not?" She was startled out of her pondering when a knock fell upon the door.
"Ahh!" Chrysta turned briskly, her arms soaked in soapy water and her eyes wide. "Uh… Sofia, can you get the door? I've gotta…de-water my arms." She grabbed a nearby towel and began drying off her arms.
Sofia playfully rolled her eyes before standing up and walking over to the door. She pulled it open and gasped.
A guy about the same height as Chrysta stood before her. His short and spiky brown hair was windswept and unkempt; in addition, two pieces of red-streaked hair hung down by his chin. He had the same skin tone and dark eyes, and his reddish-orange outfit was styled similarly to Orion's. And lastly, on his back was a pair of wings that looked identical to Chrysta's.
"Hi," Sofia finally managed after observing him for a few moments. "Are you…Rami?"
The guy grinned and nodded. "Yep! And…you're not Chrysta, I take it?" He gestured to her back. "No wings. And…you look a little more like a human and less like a crystal fairy."
The princess smiled and shook her head. However, inwardly, she couldn't help a strange feeling that was washing over her at the moment, even as she observed the visitor before her. She quickly shoved the feeling away. "I'm Sofia, Chrysta's trainee. She had…a soap incident. She'll be here in just a—"
"I'm here, I'm here!" Chrysta hurried toward the door and paused, beaming as she finally laid eyes on Rami. "Hi, Chrysta I am!" She paused and slapped her forehead, groaning. "Sorry, I sound like such an idiot."
Rami chuckled and stepped inside as Sofia ushered him in before shutting the door. "It's fine…sis."
Chrysta smiled brightly before gesturing toward a sofa. "Would you like to sit down? We've got…a lot of catching up to do."
"Sure." He walked over and sat down on the sofa, smiling as the Protector sat next to him.
"So…" Chrysta was at a loss for words. She'd built up so much anticipation, and now that he was finally here, she had no clue what to talk about.
Sofia asked helpfully, "Rami, how did you find out Chrysta is your sister?"
Chrysta cast a thankful smile toward her friend before turning to the older crystal fairy. "I guess that's a good place to start."
"Well…" He shifted a bit. "It's a long story. First of all, let me just say I'm sorry."
She blinked in confusion. "You're sorry? For what?"
"I was really jealous when you were born. I was the beloved son, and Mom and Dad totally adored me." He sighed dramatically as the girls laughed. "And then along came this loud, demanding, cute baby girl. And I was pretty much forgotten."
"Aww, I'm sure it wasn't that bad." Chrysta nudged him playfully. A frown then creased her forehead. "But… Rami, if you're my brother, where have you been all of these years?"
"I'm getting there." He crossed his legs and cleared his throat. "I started throwing tantrums when I didn't get my way—worse than usual. I even tried to peddle you to some of the elder Protectors; but for some reason, they just wouldn't 'buy' a baby."
Sofia gasped as Chrysta just laughed harder. "Wow. I'm glad Amber was never that bad."
Rami grinned at the girl's response. "Anyway, I was just so rebellious, so Mom and Dad sent me off to Protector Prison—I mean, Protector Boarding School. I had to live there and train there until I turned 21. After that, I just never came back, because I was still a bit bitter…" He frowned. "But I realized pretty quickly that it wasn't fair to you. You were just a baby. You didn't do anything wrong… I was jealous of you since you'd gotten all our parents' attention…"
Chrysta stared at him curiously. "Rami…"
"…And then I found out that they'd died years ago." He took in a shuddering breath. "And the last thing I said to them is… 'I hate you both. I hope I never see you again.'" He laughed bitterly. "Careful what you wish for, right?"
Sofia frowned.
"Hey, it's not your fault." Chrysta placed a hand on his shoulder. "You were a kid. Kids say dumb things all the time." She sighed. "You couldn't have known that anything was going to happen to them."
Rami nodded before smiling. "You're right, Chrysta… Well, anyway, after hearing about our parents' death, I'd wondered what had happened to you. I'd made a home for myself in the Ever Realm, with no intentions of returning here. That all changed when I ran into that Chimzy girl; she told me all about you and insisted we meet up finally, and here we are. All we can do is move forward from here." He made a sound of annoyance as a leather band that was wrapped around his right wrist began glowing a bit.
Sofia noticed the glow and asked, "Do you have your own Enchantlet too?"
He chuckled. "Something like that. Excuse me for just a few minutes." He stood and walked toward the door, opening it and closing it behind him.
"So, what do you think?" Chrysta asked, smiling toward Sofia.
"I think it's kind of weird that he's stayed away all this time," she admitted honestly. "And… Sorry if this is just my cautious nature coming out, Chrysta, but…why now? He had to know that you remained in the Mystic Isles. Very few people actually leave, from what I understand. If he has known that you were around all this time, why is he just now coming to find you?"
"What difference does it make?" the older Protector countered. "I don't care if it would have taken 'til I was a little old gray-haired fairy. At least he cared enough to seek me out, regardless of what happened in the past."
Sofia frowned and glanced toward the door. "I'm not sure, Chrysta… Something just doesn't feel right about this for some reason…"
"Sofia, look. I know you've had bad experiences with people ending up being evil in the past, but not everyone is like that, okay?" Chrysta folded her arms. "This means a lot to me, Sofia. Having a brother—having a family—would make my life so much better. Please don't ruin this for me."
"Ruin?" the princess asked in disbelief. "Chrysta, I would never try to ruin anything for you. I'm just…being careful, that's all. I don't want anything to happen to you."
Chrysta smiled and waved a hand dismissively. "Everything will be fine. In fact, I think I can handle it from here. I know you've got to get back to Enchancia, so thanks for all your help."
The younger girl nodded slowly. She hadn't said it, but she could tell that Chrysta was getting irritated with her uncertain inquiries. Not wanting to make things tense, she sighed. "I'll see you later then. I hope all goes well with Rami." She gave her friend a sincere smile before leaving, just as the male crystal fairy reentered the cottage.
"Leaving so soon, Sofia?" Rami asked curiously.
"Yeah… Got a lot of work to do. It was…nice meeting you, Rami." She briefly waved to her trainer before leaving to get Minimus so that she could return home. She didn't have to walk far, though, as the purple winged horse swooped down from the sky and landed next to her, grinning at her. Sofia returned the grin. "What are you so smiley about?"
"Skye and I got to hang out with the Mare of the Mist today. She actually wasn't playing hard-to-get for a change, and—get this. She even flirted with Skye!"
Sofia laughed as she clambered onto his back. "You're kidding."
"Loyal Steed's honor!" He snickered as Sofia giggled. "So, what did you guys find out? Is Chrysta's long-lost brother really all she hoped he'd be?" He took off into the air, Sofia holding onto him.
She frowned. "I'm not sure, Minimus… Something about this whole thing just doesn't sound right to me."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean… It's all so sudden, and he's even a little off to me, somehow."
"Huh…" He shook his head. "Too bad you can't find out for sure if nothing fishy is going on, isn't it?"
"It's not that, Minimus. It's just…" Sofia groaned in aggravation. "Between mine and Mr. Cedric's nightmares, and discovering that a rogue warrior plotted against my father and our kingdom—and then began appearing in our nightmares, and just everything… I guess it's just bad timing. Maybe he's exactly what she needs right now. Chrysta deserves a brother more than anyone. Family means everything to me; maybe now, she can finally experience that."
"If he's who he says he is," Minimus concluded.
The princess felt a chill rush through her as she had a mental image of Rami ripping away his disguise to reveal an evil being underneath, before kidnapping Chrysta from the Mystic Isles and— "That's it." She lifted her hand, summoning her bow. "Which-Way Bow, show me the way to Chrysta's brother!"
When she shot the arrow in the air, it spun around a few times before stopping completely, soon vanishing into thin air.
Minimus blinked as they continued flying. "What does that mean?"
"Chrysta doesn't have a brother…" Sofia held tighter to the flying horse. "Take me back to Chrysta, Minimus. Now!"
"So," Chrysta began brightly as Rami leaned against the shut door, his arms folded and his gaze focused on her, "guess we've got a lot to talk about, huh?"
"Not really," he contradicted, smiling mysteriously at the baffled look on her face. "See, conversation like you're hoping for is generally reserved for siblings. And, uh…" He chuckled as he lowered his arms and walked slowly toward her. "I'd have to actually be your brother in order for that to happen."
Chrysta glowered at him, her hands forming into fists as she kept her eyes trained on him. "What are you saying, Rami?"
"I'm saying they sure have a lot of gullible people here in the Mystic Isles." He smirked at her look of realization. "I can't believe how easily you bought that story about me being your brother—with no proof! Are you so starved for love and attention and—ugh—family, that you can't see what's painfully obvious before you?"
"How did you know my parents died?" she asked, challenging him with a firm stance.
"Your little friend Chimzy volunteered that information. But despite how it may look, I'm not actually after you."
"Then who are you…?" Her face grew pale as she heard a fierce pounding at her door. "Sofia!"
"Chrysta, open up!" came the princess's voice from the other side. "Rami isn't who he says he is!"
"You know, what they say about her is true." Rami grinned. "She really is a clever princess."
Chrysta gaped at him. Neither she nor Sofia had told him anything about the younger girl being a princess. He clearly knew way more than he'd been letting on.
"Now let's see if she can discover a solution to this problem." He waved one hand, using his magic to yank the door open and pull Sofia inside, magically binding her to one of Chrysta's dining chairs.
"Let me go!" the teen ordered, glaring at him.
"Rami!" Chrysta gasped. "What are you doing?!" She yelped as he captured her as well, magically binding her to the chair next to Sofia. "What is the big idea, you jerk?!"
"I suggest you two listen carefully, because I only intend to say this once." He folded his arms. "I'm Rami from the Kingdom of Parsens—the Master Instructor of Magic. Our kingdom was ruled by a dynamic king and queen couple, although their daughter thought their method of monarchy to be a bit stale and monotonous. So she sought out more…devious ways to entertain herself, with which I gladly helped her." He smirked as Sofia gasped.
"Dark magic?"
"You are indeed quite clever, Princess Sofia." He chuckled as Sofia glared at him. "I live only to serve Princess Imaldrina of Parsens, and her order is to destroy none other than you, Princess Sofia."
"What?!" Chrysta's eyes widened as he held out his hand. "Why?! What has Sofia done to this brat anyway?!"
Sofia swallowed nervously as she caught sight of her GuardoRing softly glowing. She knew she had to stall for time. "R-Right! If you're going to destroy me, the least you can do is tell me why!"
"Maybe you live in a fantasy land where everyone divulges their 'evil plans' to you, Princess, but I owe you no explanation." Rami smirked.
"Maybe you can give me one then."
The girls gasped, and Rami turned quickly, only to see Cedric standing there with his wand wielded and pointed at him. "Who are you?!"
"Mr. Cedric!" Sofia exclaimed happily, smiling. "Wait, how did you get here so fast?"
He smirked toward her. "Remind me to show you the updated teleportation spell my father taught me." He then glanced back toward the imposter. "I'm not sure who you are, but capturing Princess Sofia and her trainer is a heavily-weighed crime in Enchancia. I'm Cedric the Great, Royal Sorcerer of Enchancia. On behalf of King Roland II, you are under arrest."
Rami laughed uproariously. "Nice try, but you can't arrest me. Check your magical guidebook, sorcerer. It's illegal for sorcerers or any other magic wielders to arrest anyone. You're way out of your league." He began turning around to face Sofia once more.
"Fine. We'll do it my way then. Veritatem Dicere!" He smiled in satisfaction as a swirl of magic enveloped the imposter. "Now then, the truth: state your purpose for your mission against Princess Sofia."
Rami turned back to Cedric, his dark eyes nothing but a hazy void as he began speaking mechanically: "Princess Imaldrina sent me on this mission. I was told to impersonate a long-lost brother of the Protector called Chrysta, whom many recognize as Princess Sofia's trainer. As I am a crystal fairy myself, it was easy to do… I gathered basic information about Chrysta based on common knowledge and what the fairy Chimzy told me. The rest was simply acting and feeding off whatever emotions and information she volunteered…" He smiled dazedly, causing Cedric to scowl at him. "Luck was on my side today, you know. There was never a guarantee that Princess Sofia would actually be present. It was possible that I could have needed to keep up the act for an extended period of time. However, things worked out better than I imagined."
"What does your princess want with my princess?" Cedric demanded, grabbing the crystal fairy by his tunic and pulling him dangerously close.
"Vengeance."
"Why?" Cedric was growing tired of the imposter's ability to avoid the full truth, despite his spell.
"To be perfectly honest, I literally cannot tell you." He smirked, still dazed. "Princess Imaldrina doesn't share that information with her cronies, I'm afraid… If you want to know the full truth, you'll have to ask her yourself."
Cedric used his wand and freed the girls before turning directly to Chrysta. "Summon Orion and Vega. Perhaps they can get more information out of this wretched waste of space." As Chrysta nodded and hurried off, he mimicked Rami's previous actions and magically bound him to one of the now-vacated chairs. He gasped as Sofia rushed over and hugged him tightly. "Sofia."
"Thank you," she whispered, smiling up at him as he returned her hug.
"You know I'm always going to be there for you. I made you a promise, didn't I?" He chuckled as she hugged him again.
The Protectors soon arrived and secured Rami, deciding to lock him up and remove his magical abilities so that he couldn't try to escape. While Sofia didn't necessarily care for the magic extraction method, she knew it was for the best. If this Princess Imaldrina was really as awful as he made her sound, it would be safer to not take any chances.
"Chrysta, I'm sorry this happened," Sofia told her friend later that evening, as she and Cedric were seated next to each other and Chrysta sat across from them, her legs crossed and a sad expression on her face.
"It's just… I thought I'd finally have a family, you know?" She sighed. "I've been without one for so long, that I guess I was just desperate to believe that someone would want to claim me as their family member." She scoffed, shaking her head. "Stupid of me to go jumping to conclusions like that."
"It's not stupid," Cedric corrected, surprising both of them. "It's normal, as far as I'm concerned. Everyone wants a familial connection in some manner, and discovering that you might have had a brother unlocked something inside of you that you probably didn't realize you'd been holding onto: hope."
"Mr. Cedric…" Sofia was in awe of her mentor's wise words right now. Not only that, but he and Chrysta were actually being civil toward each other. It made her heart swell with pride for both of them.
Chrysta smiled tiredly toward the sorcerer. "I guess you have a point, Cedric. What really stinks is I was this close to actually having a family again…"
"But you do have a family, Chrysta," Sofia insisted, smiling. "You've got us, and all the other Protectors here. Family doesn't always mean blood-related. It means people who are there for you, who want to see you do well and be the best you can be. If you want, you can look at me as a little sister." She nudged Cedric, who was casually nodding. "And Mr. Cedric can be your brother."
He suddenly stopped nodding and shot his apprentice a look. "Excuse me?"
Chrysta grinned at him. "We do argue like siblings I guess…"
"Yes, well, I already have one nagging sister to deal with." He rolled his eyes. "I don't believe I'm prepared for another one. I'll be your fifth cousin or something though."
The crystal fairy laughed.
Sofia smiled. "The point is, Chrysta, we're here for you. And we always will be. That's what a real family is all about."
"Thanks, Sofia." Her smile then faded into a more focused look. "Now, onto more important matters. We need to figure out who this Princess Imaldrina is and what she wants with you, Sofia. It seems like bad guys are always after you, girl."
The princess exchanged glances with Cedric, who sighed heavily. They seemed to be thinking the same thing; they couldn't really keep their nightmares and previous encounters to themselves anymore… Could they? It was more than obvious at this point that Chrysta was now inadvertently involved, in her own way, and it wouldn't be fair to exclude her from the recent events.
Chrysta frowned. "What? What do you two know that I don't?"
Sofia looked back toward Chrysta. "I think there's something we should tell you."
The end
(Next Story/Episode 15: Chase the Stars)