Two of James' favorite pastimes have always been singing and music. But when he lost his voice at his birth mother's funeral, he vowed to never sing in public again. However, he's starting to have second thoughts about that when Sofia and Amber hear him in Queen Melinda's favorite spot in the garden on the anniversary of her death. They even discreetly join in and try to tell him again that it's all right for him to share his gift of music. Alice in Wonderland is not mine.

"Amber, have you seen James?" twelve-year-old Sofia asked. "He's been acting strangely since he left the table this morning."

"Wasn't he going to his room to work on a story, or his usual mile-high stack of papers?" thirteen-year-old Amber asked.

"I thought he was, but he got this strange look on his face when Baileywick told us today's date. I thought I saw him going out to the garden," Sofia replied. "I know it's the two-year anniversary of your birth mother's death, but he shouldn't be alone."

"Okay, let's check the garden, then if he's not there, we'll check his room," Amber agreed. She had taken some time to remember Queen Melinda in her own room earlier, and had been thankful that Sofia had been with her to offer support. "And Sofia, thank you again for staying with me."

"Any time, Amber," Sofia smiled as they went to the garden. "But let's go find James. I think he needs us too."

At the same time, thirteen-year-old James was walking around the garden. He kept pausing by the Singing Sunflowers Queen Melinda had planted when he and Amber were little. As he listened to the soft singing, he couldn't help but remember the first time she had brought him out here to see them.

Flashback

Queen Melinda had brought three-year-old Amber and James out to the garden with her. She wanted to show them the new flowers she had planted. They both liked trying to climb the Rising Rosestalks, but the Laughing Lilies were especially fun. Amber and James would try to look closely at the pretty pink flowers, but the flowers kept spraying them with their pollen. They thought it was a game, and so they kept running around the flowers and jumping in and out of them, giggling madly each time they were sprayed.

"Okay, why don't we come back to these flowers later?" Melinda grinned, leading a giggling Amber and James away from the flower after their fourth time getting sprayed. But she couldn't help but laugh along with them, not only because what happened was so funny, but also because she had been sprayed with pollen herself as she rescued them.

As they came near a group of sunflowers, Melinda grinned as she squeezed the children's hands, signaling them to stop.

"What are you doing?" James asked.

"We play with these flowers too?" Amber asked.

"That's the plan, sweetheart. Watch this, and listen," Melinda smiled as she started humming a few notes.

Amber and James smiled as the sunflowers started singing with her. "They know the la-la-la song too!" James smiled. He sang with the flowers, "La-la-la!"

"That's right, James," Melinda grinned, tossing him up, then catching him and covering him with kisses.

"Let's sing with the flowers!" James giggled as he took Amber's hands. "La-la-la!" he sang as he danced around with her.

"La-la-la!" Amber giggled as James spun her.

"You and your la-la-la!" Melinda smiled, scooping him and Amber up and spinning them around.

"La-la-la!" Amber and James sang with the flowers. "La-la-la!"

End flashback

As he sat near the Singing Sunflowers, James thought back to when he and Amber would play in the garden with Queen Melinda. He even remembered the song she used to sing, and after making sure he was alone, he started singing it as the sunflowers sang backup for him.

Little bread-and-butterflies kiss the tulips
And the sun is like a toy balloon
There are get-up-in-the-morning glories
In the golden afternoon

"Amber, listen!" Sofia smiled.

"I hear it," Amber smiled softly as she nodded. "Mother used to sing that to me and James when we were in the garden with her. The Singing Sunflowers always sang backup for her."

At the same time, James was singing softly, There are dizzy daffodils on the hillside
Strings of violets are all in tune
Tiger lilies love the dandelions
In the golden afternoon

He didn't hear Amber softly echo him, The golden afternoon

As she and Sofia quietly approached, Amber softly joined him, There are dog and caterpillars and the copper centipede
Where the lazy daisies love the very peaceful life they lead...

She let him have a solo, You can learn a lot of things from the flowers
For especially in the month of June
There's a wealth of happiness and romance
All in the golden afternoon

As he sang, James looked around, since he thought he was hearing someone singing with him. He looked up in alarm when he saw Sofia and Amber come up to him.

"Don't stop, James! You sound wonderful!" Sofia smiled.

"You certainly do," Amber smiled, "And Mother would certainly be proud of you singing her favorite garden song again!"

"But I can't sing in public!" James blurted out as he started tearing up as he realized that he had an audience

"You were singing outside your room, in front of us just now, and you sounded wonderful," Sofia repeated.

"And I'm positive that Mother doesn't hold you to what you said about never singing in public again," Amber smiled. "Let's just finish her song. I'm sure she's listening to us now."

"Well…okay…" James agreed as they hugged him.

Nodding in agreement, Amber and Sofia started, All in the golden afternoon
The golden afternoon...

James softly started the last verse, You can learn a lot of things from the flowers
For especially in the month of June
There's a wealth of happiness and romance

Sofia and Amber finished the song with him, All in the golden afternoon!

"James, that was wonderful!" Sofia smiled as she hugged him. "Queen Melinda would be so proud of you!"

"You think so?" James asked, smiling as Amber hugged him.

"I know we are," Sofia smiled.

"Yes she would," Amber smiled. "She'd want you to keep singing, James, not just in your room, but with your door open, as well as around the castle, and in public."

"I'll think about it," James said at last. "I really liked singing out here again, and I hope she heard me."

Amber looked up toward Heaven, and she smiled. "I know she did."

As she watched them, Queen Melinda smiled. "I did indeed, James, and I'm so proud of you!"