Take a Bow
Summary: James comes to Baileywick for advice when he volunteers to work at a charity benefit.
Disclaimer: I hold no ownership over Sofia the First. (I've seriously run out of disclaimers. Lol)
A/N: I saw "Elena and the Secret of Avalor." It was amazing. I already liked Estéban and Mateo, but this made me like them more. And *SPOILER* am I the only one who's not entirely convinced Shuriki is gone? I mean…it was kind of open-ended. Just saying! Also, now I can't wait to see what happens for Sofia now that everything is changing for her… Ready for our next episode with dear Cedric! :)
*Story*
Baileywick finally had a chance to retire to his chamber for the evening. He was exhausted from a rather long week. Autumn activities were well under way, which meant more parties, more meetings, more everything it seemed. Surprisingly, he didn't look as tired as he felt. Then again, having had the job for so long, he supposed it was merely second nature.
He had just gotten to the point of pulling off his shoes when he heard a knock at his door. He frowned. Very few people actually visited him after working hours, so he was curious as to who could possibly be looking for him. "Um, yes?"
"Baileywick? Can I talk to you a minute?"
The steward smiled warmly when he heard James's voice. The young boy was like family to him, similar to the other Enchancian children, so he felt obliged to honor the young prince's request. "Come in, Prince James."
James pushed the door open and walked inside, a sheepish look on his face. He stopped briefly to look around, realizing it had been a long time since he'd been inside Baileywick's room. Last time he recalled was quite a few years ago at this point, when he'd taken to playing hide and seek with Amber…and she had evidently forgotten she was supposed to be looking for him and left him hiding for two hours. Yet, he digressed and returned to his current train of thought. "So I have a serious question for you, because you're the only one who'd probably know how to answer me without giving me a sarcastic look or say you don't have any experience with it or whatever."
The older man nodded and gestured toward a chair, which the blonde accepted. He then sat on his bed and folded his hands into his lap. "What seems to be troubling you?"
"Well, my friend Vivian from school asked me to help her with a charity benefit this weekend. She was giving me all sorts of lists of things people needed and the 'dos and don'ts' of this kind of thing, and I just kind of got…"
"Overwhelmed?" Baileywick suggested.
"Yeah… I don't want to mess anything up, and I do want to help, but I'm just kind of worried I'll say or do something wrong and make her or the benefit people upset." He sighed, sliding down in his chair. "What do I do, Baileywick?"
Baileywick chuckled at the boy's overreacting before shaking his head. "James, you're helping out people for a good cause. People are people, no matter what their status. However, you understand that you and your sisters come from a privileged background and family, where you haven't had to necessarily ask for things. Granted, you work hard, but it isn't exactly the same."
He sighed and nodded, looking up at the steward. "I know. So what do I do? How do I do things right and not seem like some kind of snobby prince or something? Because no matter what I do, some people still think that about us royals—that we're stuck up and rude or something."
"I'll tell you a secret, Prince James." Baileywick glanced at his pocket watch before looking back at him and pocketing his timepiece. "Sometimes, the best thing you can do is take a bow."
"Huh?" James tilted his head. "What do you mean? You want me to dance with them?"
The steward chuckled at the child's misunderstanding. Oh, there was so much innocence in that boy still… "Not quite. What I mean is, bow out of the spotlight for a while; put the people you wish to help before yourself. Cater to their needs for a little bit and see what would help them out. And never forget how truly fortunate you are. You live in a grand castle and kingdom, you have a wonderful and loving family, and you have subjects who cherish you. Now cherish them in return. Be the reason they smile. Be the purpose they have for doing things in life. You want them to look back at the time you spent with them and think, 'You know, Prince James is a royal, but in a way, he's just like us, and he really does care.'" He smiled as the blonde boy seemed to understand. "Does that help?"
"I…think so." He beamed. "And I know just what to do." He stood up and grinned at the steward. "Thanks, Baileywick. You're brilliant!" He laughed and hurried out of the room, shutting the door behind him.
"Hmm. I'm brilliant." He chuckled and pulled his shoes off. "Maybe I should have a title like everyone else around here: Baileywick the Brilliant." He smiled humorously before yawning and continuing his dressing for bed.
The end