It was a beautiful evening. Sofia had aced her latest Princess Test, she had had a playdate with Jade and Ruby earlier that day, and the evening was capped off with a special ball. The King and Queen said they had an exciting announcement and everyone was anxious to hear what it was.
"What do you think it is?" Sofia asked her siblings excitedly. They were standing near the edge of the decked out ballroom. Chandeliers and candles filled the room with bright, cheery light. Two long tables lined the walls, covered in delicious snacks and the thrones stood on a platform with their backs to the wide bay windows.
"Maybe we have a new trade partner," James suggested as he snagged a cookie.
"Ooh! Maybe with a textile country! Imagine the different types of dresses," Amber added wistfully.
"Or maybe they're expanding the castle! Or the stables!"
"That would be cool too," James agreed.
A hush fell over the hall as the King and Queen stood. Everyone crowded towards the stage to hear what they would say.
"Thank you all for coming tonight," Roland began. "As you know, we have some very exciting news." He smiled gently at his wife.
"We're having a baby," she announced.
Thunderous cheers and applause erupted from the ballroom floor.
"We're going to have a baby sister!" Amber and Sofia shrieked.
"Or a baby brother!" James interjected.
"Whatever. This is so exciting!" Amber said.
A cold wind suddenly swept through the ballroom, blowing out the candles and causing people to huddle up next to one another in confusion and fear.
"What's going on?" Sofia asked, looking to her siblings, their faces shrouded in shadows by the dim light.
"I don't know," James replied. Green mist started creeping along the floor and someone screamed. Suddenly, the ballroom doors flew open! Into the room floated a tall woman, with dark black hair, and a sneer on her face.
"Who is that?" Sofia whispered.
"I don't know," James replied. "But I don't like this."
"What is the meaning of this?" King Roland finally said. The woman's sneer turned into a twisted smile.
"King Roland. What a pleasure it is to finally meet you and your beloved wife." She laughed. "Where are my manners? My name is Queen Shuriki. Perhaps you've heard of me?" Worried twitters came from the crowd. Amber and James gasped.
"Who is that?" Sofia asked again.
"She's an evil sorceress," Amber explained quietly. "She took over the Kingdom of Avalor and k-killed the previous rulers!"
"What!" squeaked Sofia. Her hand immediately went to her amulet. "We need to get out of here," she told the others. But before they could move, Shuriki spoke again.
"Congratulations on your pregnancy," she said, smiling at the rulers. "But I'm afraid your little child won't be heir for too long. I am expanding my rule and am taking over Enchancia. You would be wise to step out of my way."
"Never!" Roland cried, pushing Miranda behind him. "Leave at once!"
"Hm. So be it. Animato corpiandus metalicus!" she cried, spinning her wand in a wide circle above her head. From outside the ballroom came the clanking of metal. Suits of armour appeared in the doorway and began to march into the room, surrounding the guests.
"Bindium!"
Rope shot out of her wand and bound the queen and king tightly together.
"We need to go," Sofia whispered, grabbing Amber and James by the hand and dragging them towards the door that led to the kitchen.
"Hurry! Inside!"
The three of them slipped in the door and Sofia felt a chill run up her spine as it closed.
"Guards!" Shuriki yelled. "Someone is getting away!"
"Quick! Hide!"
James dove into a barrel full of wheat and Amber crouched in the corner behind some bags of flour. Sofia crawled under a low-hanging shelf, partially hidden by boxes of vegetables. They held their breath as the door was flung open and in marched three suits of armour. They began to methodically tear the place apart, digging through boxes, moving bags, and ultimately, finding James and Amber.
"No," Sofia breathed.
Her siblings kicked and fought, but the suits held fast and carried them back out into the ballroom. The door was left ajar enough that Sofia could hear the proceedings.
"Ah, if it isn't the royal brats," Shuriki snarled. "It's like a big family reunion. But where, I wonder, is the third one?"
"You'll never find her!" James yelled. The sound of a slap echoed through the ballroom and everything was eerily silent.
"We'll see about that," she purred menacingly. "Guards! Find me that princess! And take these four to the dungeons. I've got business to attend to."
By this time, Sofia had crawled out from under the shelf and peeked out through the crack of the open door. Shuriki had tied up and gagged James and Amber and put them with her parents. Suits of armour were now pulling them roughly to their feet and marching them to the door. Shuriki, still levitating on a cloud of green, turned to look at the terrified guests.
"Oh, but how could I forget about all of you. Dormo infintus!" With another wave of her wand, the crowd slumped to the ground, passed out cold. Sofia had seen enough. She backed away carefully, then bolted for the door.
Sofia didn't think her heart could beat this fast. Adrenaline coursed through her veins and kept her on her toes as she wound her way through the castle, avoiding staff and guards alike. She swiped her hand across her eyes as she ran, brushing away close to falling tears, and tried to take some deep breaths. She tried not to think about what Amber had said, about Shuriki killing the previous rulers. It would be alright. It had to be.
A/N: Hello hello all! Thank you for reading! I'm pretty excited about this story. I've only seen season 1 and some random episodes here and there, plus some research, and /dang/ I love the worldbuilding for this show! I'm estimating anywhere between 6 and 10 chapters for this story, so stay tuned! And as always, please review!