The More You Give
Summary: Amber and James volunteer to help with some spoiled princes and princesses who don't understand the real meaning behind Wassailia. Together, they have to teach the children the value of giving instead of taking.
Disclaimer: I don't own Sofia the First.
A/N: A few people had said they wanted to see the twins again, and to be quite honest, so did I. 😉 So here you are! AND they have a good moral story, so two for the price of one! Haha! Also, the title is based on a Michael Bublé song called "The More You Give (The More You Have)," and I absolutely love the song, so I figured it would make a great title/premise for the story. Enjoy!
*Story*
"Oh, James!"
James cringed at the overly zealous tone of his twin's voice as she came dancing through his open bedroom door. He raised an eyebrow at her actions. "Yes, Amber?" He really was a little hesitant to find out just why she seemed to be in such a good mood. It usually meant something bad for him.
"I have a wonderful plan, brother dear." She hopped onto his bed and tossed him a list of names.
The blonde boy blinked as he picked up the list, his eyes roving over it. "Prince Yosef, Princess Imogen, Princess Adeline, Prince Geoffrey, and Prince Quincy… Who are all these people, Amber?"
"Children who need our help."
"They're all princes and princesses. How much help could they possibly need?" He handed her back the list, which she held defensively to her heart. He rolled his eyes. He could sense a speech coming on already.
"James," she began emphatically, her amber eyes gleaming with mirth, "these children are royal by birth, yes, but even royals need help sometimes. I've spoken with their parents already, who believe that they could use a lesson in the spirit of Wassailia. They don't understand the true meaning behind it, and they act really spoiled and think that everything they could possibly want should just be handed to them on a silver platter."
'Hmm, who does that remind me of?' he thought with a growing smirk.
"And I know what you're thinking, but even you must admit that I'm much better than I used to be." She grinned as he laughed softly. "Anyway, their parents—"
"Just why were you even talking with other kids' parents anyway? What are you, their teacher?"
"Actually, I happened to be standing with Mother, and some of the kings and queens visiting Enchancia mentioned how ungrateful their little brats—I mean angels act… Like Prince Yosef, for example? Last year, his parents got him a one-of-a-kind fencing sword for his lessons."
"Whoa, that's awesome!" James gasped.
"Yeah, you'd think so, right?" She shrugged. "He threw it out the window and complained that it wasn't made out of solid gold."
"What?!" The boy's mouth dropped. "Doesn't he know how expensive real fencing swords are? And who in the world would want one made out of gold? That's just tacky."
"Oh, wait, it gets worse." She gestured to the list. "Princess Adeline received a new pair of shoes woven of her kingdom's finest golden thread with ruby gems encrusted on top of each shoe. They were really expensive, as you can imagine."
"Let me guess. She didn't like them because the gems weren't diamonds?"
Amber smiled wryly at him. "Ironically enough, yes. She apparently cried for two hours until her father sent a worker out on Wassailia to track down another pair with diamonds in them. It cost them a fortune, but she got them. And of course, she only wore them once before throwing them into her closet and never wearing them again."
"Unreal… What about the other three?"
"Oh, Prince Quincy and Prince Geoffrey are twins. They terrorize their staff daily and are always causing mischief. They even got their cook fired last Wassailia, though no one really elaborated on that… And Princess Imogen is probably the biggest brat of all." She inhaled once before exhaling. "She forced one of their workers to give all her daughter's presents to her for Christmas, and the worker's child got nothing—not a doll or anything."
"Are you serious? Why didn't her parents do anything about it?"
"Because they didn't find out until recently, when the other little girl accidentally let it slip. Of course, the king and queen made up for it, but the fact that this princess did anything like that in the first place says a whole lot about her character."
"Yeah…" He sighed. "So… Is Sofia helping us?"
"She's busy doing some top-secret Wassailia mission with Aunt Tilly or something… I'm not sure what they're planning, though I'm pretty sure it has something to do with our presents." She grinned. "But anyway, you and I can handle this, James! It'll be like a twin-bonding activity. And we can show these kids the true value of gratefulness, no matter what they get."
He smiled at her enthusiasm. "And just how are we going to do that?"
"By having them give back to others." She folded up her list and slid it into her pocket. "I have a plan."
That afternoon in the village of Dunwiddie, Amber and James stood before the five misfit royal children. Prince Yosef was fair-skinned with short dark brown hair and mischievous brown eyes. Princess Imogen had long curly red hair and green eyes, and a cluster of freckles across her pale face. Prince Geoffrey and Prince Quincy both were just as blonde as Amber and James, but they had slightly darker complexions and clear blue eyes. And lastly, Princess Adeline was olive-skinned with shoulder-length jet black hair and dark observant eyes. All of the children seemed to be at least seven years old.
"You know why you're here, right?" Amber asked the group as she stood before them with her arms folded, attempting to appear at least the slightest bit intimidating.
"Because our parents don't like that we have minds of our own?" Princess Adeline suggested with a smug smile, which caused James to blink in surprise. How could such a tiny child have such a huge attitude?
"No, it's more like they're mad because we hated our Wassailia gifts," Prince Yosef affirmed with a sigh. "They just don't get it! We're royalty. We should get what we want and when we want it."
"It doesn't work like that," James interjected, and he gulped a bit when all those eyes suddenly turned to him…daring him to elaborate. "I mean, uh… A-Amber, why don't you take it from here? Heh."
Amber rolled her eyes and clasped her hands behind her back as she paced in front of the kids. "All right, you royal pains. Your parents put me—Princess Amber of Enchancia—in charge of teaching you the true meaning behind Wassailia."
"Why should we listen to you?" Prince Geoffrey asked with a scoff. "You're just a kid!"
"I am not just a 'kid.' I'm at the start of my teen years, which makes me older than you, so zip it." Seeing the pout on the blonde boy's face, she smirked lightly as she continued pacing. "What you're going to do is see what life is like for these villagers."
"Ugh," Princess Imogen commented with a grimace. "Villagers? My friend Ophelia calls villagers 'the leftovers.'"
James frowned as he glowered at them. "Hey, some of our best friends happen to be villagers, and the last thing they are is 'leftovers.' You could do with some real discipline, but my sister is trying to help you be better kids—not just royals."
"Why should we care about villagers anyway?" Prince Quincy piped up with a confused look on his face. "They're just villagers."
"They're people," Amber countered, folding her arms again. "And I think it's time you guys start putting others before yourselves. You need to see how fortunate you really are and why you should be grateful you get anything for Wassailia."
The kids mumbled disgruntled objections both under their breath and to each other, but Amber led the line through the village while James followed up behind them, just to make sure no one escaped. Along the way, the twins quickly greeted Ruby and Jade before moving onward. Amber stopped the trek and stepped aside so that they could witness a very real situation unfolding.
"Mommy, can I get a doll for Wassailia this year?" a little girl with pig-tailed brown hair and large green eyes asked as she tugged on her mother's dress. "I've been really good."
The woman, with similar features to her daughter, knelt before the tiny girl and smiled sadly. "I know, darling, and you know I'd love more than anything for you to have a Wassailia gift this year, but…"
The child's lower lip trembled before she put on an understanding look and nodded, even though her eyes betrayed her sadness. "I understand, Mommy. It's okay." She reached out and hugged her mother. "You'll be my present."
Amber smiled at the display before looking to her left when she heard sniffling. She couldn't contain her appreciative grin as she noticed James turning to the side and coughing, attempting to hide his face from her. "James, are you all right?"
"I'm fine! Just…the cold air is getting to me." He cleared his throat before putting on a stoic look. "I'm good now."
"You mean her mommy can't even get her a doll?" Princess Imogen asked with a petrified gasp. "Why not? That's like super easy to get!"
"Some people don't have the money for things like that," Amber responded with a serious tone. "Not everyone is born into royalty, you know."
"And how is that our problem?" Princess Adeline asked with her hands on her hips. "Maybe they should work a little harder."
"You think they don't?" James argued, fed up with this princess in particular. She seemed to be the worst, from what he'd seen, even though Amber had suggested Princess Imogen was. "These people work to survive. Everything they do is to make things manageable for their families. They don't sit around trying on tiaras all day and picking on workers who don't have royal blood."
Amber smiled appreciatively at her brother. He really did have a heart of gold, and he'd definitely come to care for the villagers as if they were an extended family. Of course, having a sister from that background definitely had something to do with it, as far as she was concerned.
"I didn't think of it that way," Prince Geoffrey admitted with an ashamed look. "Quincy, we should help her."
"But what can we do?" Prince Quincy asked sorrowfully, a look of understanding crossing his features. "We're just kids."
"Never say that around an Enchancian royal," Amber encouraged with a smile, getting the kids' attention. "Especially our sister Sofia. Anything is possible, no matter your age. You can do anything you set your minds to."
"But why just a doll?" Prince Yosef wondered with a frown. "That's all she wants? She doesn't want a doll, a dollhouse, a fancy dress, and all that stuff I've seen other girls ask for?"
"She asks for so little because she knows her mom can't afford much," James explained.
"But we can," Princess Imogen offered with a twinkle in her eyes. "Maybe we can get these villagers lots of gifts!"
"Uh, why?" Princess Adeline asked with a scoff. "We don't know them. We should be focused on what we want."
"We do that all the time, Addie," Prince Quincy informed her. "I think that's what Amber is trying to say. We need to help others, 'cause it's the right thing to do."
"You do what you guys want. Count me out." She folded her arms as Amber led the other four children to a shop to get some shopping done.
James shuffled from foot to foot awkwardly, realizing he'd been left with the tyrant of the group. 'Oh, what would Sofia do in this situation? Well, she'd probably…talk to her. Aw, man.' He sat down on a bench and was surprised when Princess Adeline did so as well, though she wasn't looking at him. She was more focused in glaring at the ground. "So…what's your deal anyway?"
The dark-haired girl looked up at him and pursed her lips in a contemplative way before responding, "I don't know what you're talking about."
"You're kind of…a mean girl, you know?"
The girl's mouth dropped. "You take that back! I'm not mean! My tutor says I'm just 'hired-maintenance,' whatever that means."
James chuckled, causing her to pause. "That's 'high-maintenance,' and your tutor is right. But you could also try to be nicer to people. You've been kind of a sour apple since you first opened your mouth."
She folded her arms. "Why do you care anyway? Maybe I'm not the nicest princess in the world, but I don't see why that's any of your business."
"It's not. I just think you could be better and nicer, especially to villagers."
"Who cares about them?"
"I care," James retorted gently. "My other sister used to be a villager before her mom married my dad. She's one of the coolest people ever, and even though she's a princess, people love her because of her good deeds and good heart. You could be that way too, you know."
Dark eyes widened slightly. "Y-You think so?" She then frowned. "Hmph. I get whatever I want, because I'm the best. It's not my fault that these people don't have what I do."
The blonde boy grew slightly disheartened. He'd thought he was getting through to her, but apparently he wasn't. "And it's not their fault that they're poorer than you are. A little compassion goes a long way, Adeline." He stood up and walked toward the shop where he'd seen Amber and the other children disappear.
Princess Adeline lowered her eyes to the ground, considering the prince's words.
"How are things going with Adeline?" Amber asked as she saw James walk over to her.
"She's hopeless," he told her bitterly. "She doesn't think of anyone but herself. I don't see her changing any time soon, Amber, especially since she thinks she doesn't 'have' to." He smiled thankfully when she placed one hand on his shoulder to calm him down. "Anyway, how are things going in here?"
"They're actually shopping, if you can believe it…" She laughed. "The twins started having a contest to see how long they could paddle some of those little rubber balls. Quincy won." She grinned as James snickered. "And Imogen found a music box, so she started doing ballet…which was interesting. And Yosef found a toy version of his fencing sword, and he said it was 'neat.'"
"Wow, that's pretty different from the kid you told me about earlier today…" He sighed as she nodded. "Too bad Adeline doesn't want to change."
"Just give her a chance, James. I didn't change overnight, and in some ways, I was probably worse than her." She smiled and left to help the kids pay for their items.
James pondered over his sister's words before turning and leaving the store. He blinked as he felt a small form crash into him. He looked down as he noticed a red-faced Princess Adeline now covered in snow. "Whoops, you okay?" He knelt down to her and raked some of the snow from her hair before staring at her in wonder. "Adeline, have you been crying?"
"N-No!" she growled before turning her face away from him, obvious tear stains on her cheeks at this point. "Leave me alone!"
The older boy stood and held his hands to her, surprised when she accepted them. He pulled her to her feet and offered her a kind smile. "It's okay to cry, Adeline. But…what's wrong?"
She sighed heavily as she looked back at the prince, realizing she wasn't going to get him to let it go. "I'm a bad princess."
"I think 'bad' may be a little…harsh. More like spoiled. And there's nothing wrong with being spoiled, if you also have a little humility to back it up." He took his pocket square from his coat pocket and wiped her tears away, causing the little girl to giggle and blush. "Now, I want you to promise me something." He tucked his pocket square in his coat pocket as she nodded. "I know changing is going to be a little different and probably hard. But…give it a try. You gotta be nice to people, because you'd want them to do the same for you, right?"
"I… I guess." She sniffled a few times and wiped away the rest of her tears. "James?" She reached up one hand, much to his surprise. "Will you take me into the shop?"
James smiled and nodded, taking her hand and leading her into the small building just as the others were on their way out. He met Amber at the door. "We'll be back in just a minute."
Amber smiled knowingly before leading the others outside to evaluate their gifts.
James watched as Adeline carefully observed her surroundings. He noticed that she walked forward and stopped, staring down at a beautiful pair of purple shoes, which instantly reminded him of Sofia and the fact that Miranda had been a cobbler before joining the family. He smiled at the irony as the girl picked up the shoes.
Adeline stared at the shoes for a long time. They were so simple yet so pretty… She turned toward James. "These… I want to get these." She swallowed a lump in her throat as she was reminded of her behavior last Wassailia with the shoes incident. "They're perfect for some…some little girl who doesn't get or ask for much."
"And there's the breakthrough I was waiting for," he told her gently as he led her to the shop owner. He smiled as he noticed her shy smile.
After leading the kids to the Hanshaw homestead to wrap the gifts, the twins then allowed the children to deliver their gifts to the villagers. Everyone got something from the five royals, which was quite a feat in itself. Perhaps the gifts weren't grand, but they were certainly much appreciated.
"James?" Princess Adeline asked later as their good deed was over. "I, um… I'm s-s-sorry!"
The Prince of Enchancia just grinned and took the little girl's hand, kissing it gently much to her surprise and delight apparently. "Apology accepted."
The girl blushed before giggling and hugging him.
The kids were soon reunited with their parents, who were pleased to hear of their attitude changes. They hoped beyond hope that it lasted, but with someone like Amber and James checking in on their progress, they felt a bit more optimistic in that respect.
James turned as they left and was surprised when he walked directly into his sister's hug. "Whoa, Amber!" he laughed as he hugged her in response. "Give me a heads up next time, huh?"
"You're amazing, James," she murmured as she beamed toward him once they'd separated. "I'm proud of you."
"Me? I'm proud of you! You are not the same Amber I used to know, and I'm glad. This Amber is much better."
She grinned. "By the way, I think little Adeline might have a crush on you." She sighed dramatically. "I don't know how I feel about having her as a future sister-in-law though…"
James blushed. "Amber!"
"Just kidding!" She giggled and wrapped her arm around his as they walked together. "Sofia would be proud of us, huh?"
He smiled thoughtfully. "Yeah…and so would Mommy."
Amber usually would have gotten rather emotional at the mention of their mother, but she just smiled appreciatively at him. "She would, wouldn't she? Hmm…" She giggled and released him. "Race you to the castle!" With that, she took off.
"Hey, no fair, Amber!" He laughed and chased after her.
The end