Ten: Snuggles under the fire
I hate to admit but I've been stressed. Say what you will about Sofia. I know she's been busy herself with her protector duties but she, Mother, and Daddy have made a compromise.
She tells them where she's going and when she comes back to have a semi normal childhood. I don't have much to compete with it's true but I've been thinking of giving up the throne.
Being crown princess was great at first…. Then it became hectic. Daddy says it's what to be expected when you're the heir.
That's not what I expected! No wonder James didn't like being king! He'd just laugh and say "I told you so" if I were to tell him.
But James is doing great as a knight in training. It does scare me with he comes home bloody and Sofia fainted once (she's queasy around blood which was surprising to learn from Mother) however my brother enjoys what he does and I'm proud of him.
Just as I am of Sofia who I spy from the door of my room. No ponytail and no enchant-let. Oh I completely forgot! The older protectors gave her Wassailia off for everything she's done.
Including saving us from Vor. There's a scar near her right eye that's on her cheek and it's unfortunately noticeable. However Sofia happens to call it a magical battle scar to whoever asks at least nowadays, not so much when she first started having it.
But she's grown so much since then as I give her a hug.
"Happy Wassailia eve Amber," Sofia smiled. "I've heard you've been in a mood lately."
"You're the first to notice," I joke with a sheepish smile.
Admittedly she wasn't. Baileywick was. But I had to play along with her.
"I think I have a solution for this."
She took off one of my blankets that I had on my bed, leaving me baffled. How was my stress supposed to be lifted up from a blanket?
"What is it?" I ask, feeling the fire Suzette had put on for me because of the chill in the air earlier today.
"Remember how I told you that Mom and I would snuggle with a blanket to keep ourselves warm against the fire back in the village?" Sofia asked with a smile. I nodded. I remembered but that was so long ago. "I thought maybe we could do it together."
"You sure? I'm sure you have other things to do."
"My gifts are wrapped, Clover's with Whiskers, and Miss Cordelia dragged Mr. Cedric to a Wassailia party with her and Calista."
I held back a laugh. Cedric was reluctant with parties unless Sofia or Calista begged him to go with large pitiful eyes that even overrun me and I try not to beg for everything anymore.
I avoided those large pitiful eyes by cooperating with Sofia and her request of making me feel better.
It was sweet of her to think of me as we embraced sisterly against each other while the fire played its game of keeping us warm.
Eventually Sofia had drifted off to sleep, nuzzling her head against my shoulder.
I would thank her more properly in the morning before we would race with James to the hall in a conquest of seeing who got what this year.
For now though, I lightly kiss her cheek and walk towards my book nook, finding a book on stars to lure me in until dreamland would take me too.