Miss Nettle's Mettle

Summary: Sofia's definitely noticed a change in Miss Nettle since the Snowdrop/Nettledrop incident several months ago. When she subs for Ms. Fauna one day, the two decide to have a chat after class.

Disclaimer: I don't own the show! ;)

A/N: I've been waiting to write another story for Miss Nettle, and now I can with her actually being good now. So here we go, and I hope you enjoy! PS—I apologize for the length. I know it's short. Lol. The next story will be longer! :)

*Story*

"All right, class," Ms. Flora began as she settled the students into their desks. She smiled as they gave their full attention to her before clearing her throat. "As you are aware, Ms. Fauna is on a retreat until tomorrow, so naturally you're in need of a substitute. I believe we've found a suitable replacement, though this person may surprise a few of you… I just want you to give her the respect and attention you normally would to Ms. Fauna." She gestured toward the door.

Amber leaned toward Sofia and whispered, "Do you think it's you-know-who?"

Sofia gave her sister a humorous glance. "You'll have to be a little more specific, Amber. We've dealt with a lot of you-know-whos these last few years…"

The kids did a double take when they saw Miss Nettle float over to Ms. Flora and land next to her, her charming smile quite a bit different from the once menacing smirk she used to wear.

"Miss Nettle?" James asked in surprise.

Ms. Flora gave a calming laugh. "It's all right, Prince James. Thanks to Sofia, Hildegard, and a few others, I believe it's safe to say that Miss Nettle has gone through quite the soul search and has changed for the better. And she makes a fantastic teacher, as I've witnessed myself."

"Yeah, James," Sofia chided playfully. "Haven't we always said it's best to give people second chances?"

"Uh, yeah. First Cedric, now Miss Nettle." He shrugged. "Why not? As long as we don't end up getting zapped or being attacked by bouncing bluebells."

Miss Nettle actually laughed—laughed—and shook her head. "Nothing of that sort, Prince James," she assured him. "I do, however, have plans to show you children a few new spells I picked up at a seminar."

Desmond gave the woman a shocked stare. "Who are you anymore?"

Amber and Sofia giggled at his reaction.

The class went by relatively quickly, and Miss Nettle's lessons were captivating. The students learned several new spells that they were sure to utilize later, and she was more than accommodating. She was like an entirely different person—well, she was!

After class ended, Sofia stayed behind to help the fairy clean up the magical remnants. Despite insisting she had it, Miss Nettle was honored that the princess had volunteered to help her.

"How have you been, Miss Nettle?" she finally asked while collecting wands.

"Quite well," the fairy responded pleasantly. "Rosie and I have created a whole new version of the Nettledrop called the Mettledrop."

"Mettledrop? What's that?" The princess dropped the wands into a provided basket and sat next to her new friend so she could listen more attentively.

"Well, suffice it to say, it looks quite a bit like my first flower. However, whenever someone exhibits traits of mettle, or courage if you will, then it begins glowing and grants a wish. Granted, I had quite the time finding just the right spell for that one—and I may or may not have ensued help from a few genies—"

Sofia laughed. She imagined Kazeem could have possibly been persuaded into helping at one point, but she wasn't entirely sure. Then again, she wasn't about to ask.

"…And in the end, I ended up with just the loveliest new flower." She adjusted her hat and smiled toward the girl. "And what about you, Sofia? Still doing good deeds and saving the world?"

She smiled. "You could say that. I guess it's kind of become a habit of mine. In fact, Mr. Cedric and I are—uh…" She paused. She wasn't sure if she should drag Miss Nettle into the recent events. After all, even though she seemed to have changed for the better, she felt it was necessary to let as few people know about Grimtrix and his followers as possible. Therefore, she improvised. "…We're planning a trip to Mystic Isles one day."

"Oh, really? It's a wonderful place. I'm sure you'll enjoy it." She looked up as the chimes announced the next class. "I'd better let you run along to your next class. I'll write you a note for your teacher."

"Oh, thanks, Miss Nettle." She gathered her backpack and accepted the note from her substitute. "It's been great talking with you, Miss Nettle. I hope we see each other again soon."

"I never thought I'd say this, little princess, but so do I." She laughed in slight surprise when the girl hugged her before releasing her. "Have a good day. Learn a lot."

Sofia beamed. "Always!" With that, she headed out.

Miss Nettle chuckled and turned back to Ms. Fauna's desk before grabbing a small pouch from it. She extracted a seed from within and left the room.

When the Enchancian students finished their classes for the day, they rushed to meet up with their flying coach. It was pasta night, and they weren't about to miss that. As soon as they'd reached the coach, they heard a voice call for the youngest royal.

Sofia turned to see Miss Nettle flying her way. She blinked when the fairy extended her hands and offered her a potted plant. "Miss Nettle, what's this?"

"It's a thank you," she responded simply. "For…everything, I guess I should say." She winked as she tapped her wand against the pot, letting the flower grow to full bloom.

The girl gasped in realization. "Miss Nettle, is this…?"

"Hmm, I think it's time you put the petal to the mettle, if you know what I mean." With that she laughed and flew off.

"What you got, Sof?" James asked curiously as the three of them road toward Enchancia together.

Sofia cradled the new plant in her arms and smiled brightly. "The best plant ever, I guess." She looked off to the side as they flew. "Thanks, Miss Nettle…"

The end