Fairest in the Land

Summary: At a festival hosted by Ever Realm Academy, Amber is approached with a surprising proposal. (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: Okay, people. This is as CLOSE to "romance" as you're going to get from me. And as far as I can tell, it'll be the only story with that label on it. Lol. I hope you enjoy it. Haha.

*Second Story/Episode 2*

"Does my dress look okay, Sofia?"

Sofia smiled and rolled her eyes as Amber turned every which way, observing her reflection in the full-length mirror in her bedroom. Her sister had dressed in gold, as usual, with her hair long and flowing yet fastened in the back with a green ornament. "You look beautiful, Amber."

Amber, for once, seemed to be rather anxious, which didn't escape the attention of the younger girl. "I just want this festival to go well. I was on the committee. I got it approved. I will be the one that they'll blame if it fails."

"What does that have to do with your dress?"

"Ohh, Sofia, it's a transference tactic." The older teen folded her arms as she turned to face her younger sister. "It's not about the dress. The dress is symbolic: it looks good on the outside…" She lifted up the hem of her dress, showing several loosened threads that seemed to have been glued to the fabric somehow.

Sofia blinked. "Oh, wow."

"…But on the inside, it's a mess."

The auburn-haired princess walked over to Amber and gently brushed the hem back down before placing her hands on her shoulders. "Amber, it's going to be fine. You and the rest of the people on your team worked really hard to make this the best festival it could be. The booths, the games, and everything else is ready to go." She smiled sympathetically. "I just wish I could say the same for you…"

"Ugh…" She lowered her head. "I know I'm making a big deal out of this, but… I just want to prove to everyone that I can be successful. If I can succeed at this, then maybe it'll prove my ability as the future queen."

Sofia laughed. "Everyone already believes you're going to be a great queen. You have the highest marks in our Royal Leadership class. All those girls look up to you and try to be like you."

Amber smiled thoughtfully as Sofia lowered her hands. "Thanks, Sofia… I needed that." She placed her hands behind her back. "So… You said that you and Cedric will have a booth at the festival?"

"Yes. We're doing our Morpho-Mirrors demonstration from when King Magnus came that time a few years ago." She grinned. "He wasn't exactly enthusiastic about being at the festival, though. I had to make a deal with him."

The blonde folded her arms and smirked, raising an eyebrow at the other girl. "Which was…?"

"I have to label fifty new potions and hand-dust all of his books." She shrugged as the blonde made a sound of disgust.

"Eww, you have to dust all those books?"

Sofia grinned as she withdrew her wand that Cedric had given her this past summer. "There's a spell for everything, Amber. And besides, what Mr. Cedric doesn't know won't hurt him." She giggled.

Amber smirked and linked Sofia's arm with her own. "I'm not sure which one of us is a worse influence on you: me or Cedric."

"I think you've both contributed to my downfall," she joked, still giggling as she and Amber left the room.

Downstairs, the girls met up with James, who was dressed in his usual dark olive suit. Beside him was Cedric, who looked bored out of his mind.

Sofia, who'd opted for a more casual purple tunic dress with pink leggings and purple boots, grinned as she released Amber and walked over to Cedric, taking his arm instead this time. "Are we ready?"

"Some of us are going unwillingly, you realize," the sorcerer remarked, giving his apprentice a pointed stare. "And I do hope you keep your end of the deal."

She snickered. "I intend to, Mr. Cedric."

James grinned. "I can't wait to play some of those games. I heard they're going to have archery, horseshoes, and all kinds of cool stuff."

"Yes, I'm sure it will be fun," Amber responded, though she was obviously a bit distracted as she fussed with a section of her dress that appeared to be slightly wrinkled. "Ugh… The fabric of this dress simply doesn't allow for rustling. Maybe Hildegard can help make some new dresses for me at that school of hers."

"Transferring," Sofia sang quietly, grinning as her sister glared at her. "Just saying. Come on, you guys!" She pointed toward the door. "To the festival!"

"Hooray," Cedric cheered sarcastically before being tugged out the door with a yelp.

James smiled uncertainly at his twin. "Everything okay, Amber?"

She paused and sighed, nodding. "I'll be fine, James." She finally returned his smile. "Let's go."

The festival at Ever Realm Academy was far more extensive and even grander than Amber had imagined it would be. All along the courtyard of the old ivory school, there were several booths set up. Little children and their parents were already waiting nearby with their tickets, anxious to get in and see what sort of fun they could have. Cedric's and Sofia's Morpho-Mirrors booth was somewhere near the middle, and she could see them already setting up. Among the others were the archery and horseshoe games that James had mentioned, face painting, hair braiding, fortune telling, ring toss around empty bottles, card tricks, sword swallowing, and so many other things that she thought her head might spin.

While she wasn't in charge of any particular booth per se, she was one of the main people to oversee the festival to ensure that it went well. After all, this was the first event of its kind at the very traditional school, so in order for it to be become an annual thing, it had to succeed. Just what she needed: more pressure.

"Hi, Amber."

"AHH!" Amber turned in her spot, which was right out of the way of the final booths, and breathed in relief as she saw Desmond standing next to her, looking rather taken aback by her reaction. She smiled sheepishly as he slowly grinned, realizing she hadn't meant to react that way. "Sorry, Desmond… Guess I'm just a little nervous." She gestured vaguely toward the lineup. "I want this festival to go well."

"It will," he assured her as he folded his arms behind his back. "You worked hard on this. I should know." He gave her a fond smile. "I was there when you began planning it."

Amber pondered this as she observed him. He was right… He'd been there since the beginning. And as she pondered, she couldn't help noting how nice he looked in his new navy-blue suit with the golden buttons. He'd gotten taller over the last few years. In fact, he was a few inches taller than she was. Like James, he'd gotten leaner and shed a bit of the boyish features, and he certainly was distinguished as a teenager now rather than a pre-teen. One thing that hadn't changed was his caring and sometimes overly concerned nature. He still worried about his grades, and he still was rather hard on himself. Oh, and he still seemed preoccupied with his Aunt Nadine on occasion. Just that thought made her giggle.

"What's so funny?" Desmond wondered, blinking.

"Nothing, just thinking…" She eyed him curiously. "Say, didn't you tell me you'd run into Professor Pecullian recently?"

In fact, since their graduation, no one else had really kept in touch with a majority of their teachers from Royal Prep. However, Desmond seemed determined to collaborate with his old professor on a few projects, which seemed to delight the faun teacher.

"Oh, yeah. He's actually helping me out with some of the more advanced alchemy classes." He grinned and folded his arms. "You're looking at an almost-mastering-the-basics alchemy student."

"Ooh, my hero," Amber teased, laughing. She gasped as the fanfare played in the distance, signaling the start of the festival. "Oh, that's my cue. I've got to go." Before she could hurry off, she blinked when Desmond quickly yet carefully took her hand. She turned to him, her questioning eyes scanning his features.

"Um, Amber… If you get a few minutes, can we talk?" He gestured toward a gazebo nearby. "I'll be over there reading." He shrugged as she smirked. "Not a big people person, and not very good at games, and I have a huge test, so…"

"And yet you came here tonight? Why?"

He smiled kindly. "To support you, of course."

Amber couldn't help the light blush that graced her cheeks at his admission. She giggled and nodded. "Okay. I'll make some time. I promise." With that, she hurried off to get into place.

Desmond sighed, his gaze still fixated on his old classmate as she rushed away, before humming happily to himself and walking to the gazebo.

"Tell me you saw that," Sofia remarked to Cedric as they stood, waiting for their first customer. She had been watching the exchange between her sister and her friend, and she was fascinated with their interaction.

"Saw what?" Cedric asked distractedly as he fidgeted with his wand.

The auburn-haired girl rolled her eyes. "Never mind. I forgot that when it comes to attention spans, yours is somehow worse than James's."

"I beg your pardon," he scoffed, "but I'm trying to prepare myself mentally for the onslaught of children approaching. You know as well as I that they're not exactly my specialty."

"Oh, speaking of which… How are you going to handle having a baby in the castle?" She grinned at his discomfort. "And soon after that, a toddler."

Cedric gave his friend a sour stare. "I'd rather not think about that right now, thank you. When you informed me that your parents were expecting another child, I was…happy for them, I suppose. But then I remembered what a nightmare those years were with the twins, and I began looking for some of my old places to hide."

Sofia couldn't help laughing. "Mr. Cedric, it can't be that bad."

"You'll find out, my dear," he responded in a warning tone. "You've never had to be around babies for long. They're complex little humans with an affinity for gorging themselves on food and crying over nothing."

"Sounds like King Magnus," the princess retorted before she could stop herself. She grinned as Cedric laughed incredulously at her unexpected comment.

"You, my dear girl, are going to get us in trouble." He wiped a few tears away after his burst of laughter before settling down as people approached the booth. "Here we go."

Sofia nodded. "Here we go," she agreed.

The festival seemed to be going great an hour later. The visitors from little toddlers up through the silver-haired adults enjoyed venturing from booth to booth. The Morpho-Mirrors were a hit with everyone, especially teenagers and, surprisingly, older men. They seemed to enjoy seeing themselves in "debonair" clothing and such. Either way, Sofia and Cedric got a kick out of it.

Amber had been rather preoccupied tending to everything and making sure all went well, and she nearly forgot that Desmond was still there. Excusing herself for a bit, she managed to sneak away toward the gazebo, where she found the fair-haired prince still studying. She smiled gently as she leaned against a column. "Do you ever not study?"

Desmond gasped in slight surprise before chuckling as he shut his book. "On rare occasions," he jested, scooting over on the bench so that she could sit next to him. He smiled. "You look tired."

"I am," she confirmed. "But… I think it's worth it, Desmond." She grinned at him. "You should see how the little kids light up at the sight of all the games."

"You should see how you light up when you talk about something you're passionate about." He noted her modest blush and laughed softly, patting her hand. "I'm glad you've found something that makes you happy."

"Do you have something like this too, Desmond?" she wondered softly. "Besides studying, I mean… I know you used to like enchanted gardening when we were at Royal Prep. Is there anything that just…makes you feel happy?"

"Hmm… I like a lot of things… But as far as what makes me happiest…" He gently squeezed her hand, watching her baffled expression change to one of realization. "I always feel happier when I'm around you, Amber…"

Amber was astounded. She and Desmond had no doubt gotten closer the last few years, and they were great friends. However, to hear someone who was normally so timid and uncertain say something like that to her…? Even if he had gotten better since they were younger, to hear Desmond say something with such conviction… It was surprising. Pleasantly surprising… "Y-You… You really mean that?"

Desmond finally realized the gravity of what he was doing. He'd just admitted something rather personal and important to Amber… Princess Amber of Enchancia… The future queen who had somehow… Granted, he credited Sofia with helping him become less of a worry wart over his studies and pulling him out of his shell, and she was an awesome friend, but Amber had a way of helping him stay out of his shell. He actually wanted to step away from the books and enjoy a game or even a dance. Oh, yeah, they'd even danced at Clio's family's ball last year, which was…amazing. Realizing that Amber was waiting for an answer, he cleared his throat. "D-Do you want me to mean it?" …What kind of response had that been?! He mentally began berating himself. She'd never—wait, was she laughing?

Amber finally calmed down enough to nod before turning her hand around, clasping his and entwining their fingers together. "I can't think of anyone I'd rather make happier…or who makes me really happy, for that matter."

The prince was on Cloud Nine at this point. He'd finally been able to express what was in his heart, albeit in a roundabout way, and she'd just…accepted it. He wondered if she'd react well to his next inquiry. "I-I'm glad to hear you say that, because…" He closed his eyes and swallowed nervously before inhaling and opening his eyes. "Amber, do you—?"

"Amber!" one of the girls from her class called, waving to the blonde girl. "Come on! We need your help with one of the booths!"

Amber nodded and waved her free hand back. "I'm coming!" She smiled apologetically as she glanced back at Desmond. "Sorry, Desmond. Guess they really can't handle things without me." She giggled.

He smiled and sighed softly. "I know the feeling," he mumbled.

She blinked at him, having heard his quiet comment, her heart speeding up a bit as she replayed it in her mind. "I…guess I should—"

"May I court you?" he suddenly asked, afraid he'd lose the nerve. He was beet red just from finally getting those words out, anxious about her response. He shied away as she gasped. "Wh-When we're old enough, that is, and preferably when we've finished our higher education… Of course, I understand if you just want to stay friends, Amber, but… I'd never forgive myself if I didn't—"

Amber quickly grabbed his face with both of her hands and kissed him directly on the lips, silencing whatever else he'd been about to say. She grinned, blushing just as much as he was, but elated because of the reason behind it. "Does that answer your question?"

Feeling relieved, he teased playfully, "Technically, you never did verbally respond…"

"Oh, Desmond." She rolled her eyes. "Yes, Desmond, I'd like that a lot. Now… I have a job to do." She winked playfully at him. "But…I'm free tomorrow afternoon, if you'd like to have a…pre-courting rendezvous around the Enchancian grounds. We could talk…" She smiled again as he nodded shyly. "I think we now have a lot to talk about."

He smiled at her hinting. "It's a date." He blushed even harder, if it was possible. "I can't believe I just said that…"

"Neither can I." She kissed his cheek. "It's about time though. I thought you'd never ask." She grinned before moving away, heading back in the direction of the festival. She felt a tug on her sleeve and turned, seeing a wide-eyed James. "James?"

"Did I just see you locking lips with Desmond?!"

"Shh!" Amber shushed him and slapped a hand to his mouth. "Keep it down! Don't go blabbing this to everyone, all right?"

He grinned. "I won't. It's about time, though, seriously."

She laughed. "That's what I said…"

"Do you think he knows that you guys will have to have a chaperone when you go on dates? Ooh, that's probably gonna end up being Baileywick." He sucked in a breath. "Awkward…" He snickered and dodged out of the way before she could smack him. "Just saying… But seriously." He smiled. "I'm happy for you guys. And I'm glad it's Desmond. He's a good guy."

Amber smiled. "I know…" She glanced back toward the other prince, who was studying away once more. "Believe me, I know…"

The end

(Next Story/Episode 3: Insert Title Here)

Ending Note: Okay, there you go. I gave writing a little romance a try. I still feel inefficient at it, especially with established characters, but I figured…it's Amber and Desmond, and I feel like those two belong together. I can hint about it all I like, but eventually a connection needs to be made. It's made. Lol. Now I can move along and do my other more familiar genres once again. By the way, I tried my hardest with the whole courtship thing. There are rules and things mentioned out there, but it's so hard to find the age when it would have started in the older days. Meh. Whatever. Lol. Regardless, I felt that Desmond would suggest waiting until their next graduation. Haha. 😊 Next up, Calista! :D Oh, and for those wondering, the rest of the festival went well and they were approved for an annual run. 😉 Just because I know some of you would wonder. Haha. With that being said, see you in the next story, which should be out toward the end of the week or this weekend. It's Homecoming Week where I teach, so… o.o Yeah. Lol. Later, guys! 😊