In the morning Sofia was awake. Tired, but awake and she was directing the decorating for the Ball that would be happening that night.
Cedric had locked himself away, no longer sick but complaining of a headache and she left him to it while she dealt with her responsibilities. Standing beside her as she worked was Goodwin, watching with a frown and crossed arms.
"This would go much quicker if we use magic." He grumped and she smiled at him.
"True… But then we take away their jobs." She said gesturing to those hard at work. "How would they make coin to support their family if we did everything?"
Goodwin grimaced for a moment as he thought and then smiled, unfolding his arms and putting his hands on his hips.
"You have become very wise Sofia… May even give my wife a run for her tittle one day." He said and Sofia rolled her eyes and laughed as she pulled her wand from her sleeve and pointed it at one of the workers. She had seen the ladder tilting from the corner of her eye and the worker was clinging to it as it began to fall. Now he and said ladder floated down to the ground safely. When his feet were firm on the ground the worker dropped to his knees and kissed the stone floor. Slipping her wand away she heard Goodwin hum in approval at her casting.
"Your silent casting is still as impressive as ever."
The grand ballroom was decorated in a splendor of gold and crystal. Completely different from the rest of the darker humbler colors of the rest of the castle. Standing in the middle of the room Sofia craned her neck back to look at the chandelier and she turned in a slow circle. She remembered doing this as a child, watching the crystals spin around and sparkle in the light in an intercut pattern. She sighed in contentment, as she did so now, happy that this was still the same and she wondered if one day someone else will stand where she stood and do exactly as she was doing. Watching the light, she felt a little bit of lightness in her chest and when she stopped spinning, she sighed once more. Looking forward she straightened her coat out and flushed a little when she saw others staring at her and she shrugged and cleared her throat.
"Thank you for your work everyone… Please make your wat to the kitchens where you will be presented with lunch and your pay. I know some of you will be returning tonight with your family to enjoy the festivities... We hope to see you there and thank you oh so very much."
They all waved at her as they filed away with smiles and comments about being hungry. With a sigh, Sofia turned to Goodwin and smiled at him.
"We need to finish fitting your attire for the Ball 'Lord' Goodwin."
"I will be wearing my robe." He said and locked eyes with Sofia. She stared at him and his brow furrowed as he held her gaze, not wanting to give in. Knowing if he did, she would be having him in a tailored uniform before the party even started.
He blinked.
By early evening Winifred and Corelia sat in their new gowns, putting the finishing touches on them themselves while Sofia was tending to Goodwin who stood with a bitter, pinched expression on his face, arms extended as the hem to his pants raised and the embroidering along the edges finished. It was a pleasant plum-colored ensemble with golden buttons and golden thread for the embroidery with a high neck which he didn't like since it forced him to raise his head more.
"I can't relax in this." He moaned and Winifred smiled at this.
"You're not supposed to dear… They are meant to make you look important and 'Royal'." She said standing and affixing her own golden circlet around her head.
"People like us are not supposed to look 'Royal' Winifred… Regal maybe but never Royal… My robe would be preferable… Much easier to walk when your clothes are not forcing your spine to remain straight."
"Father stop complaining… You will have a seat to sit in when your back hurts too much and you can have a cane to take some pressure off your back too. Just enjoy yourself, be supportive even if you don't like it."
Sofia finished and backed away to see her handy work and gave Goodwin the okay to relax. He did and she was pleased to see that the clothes were slimming. Winifred was the one to secure the band of gold meant for him around his head and the look on her face was a pleased one.
"I want my hat." He grumped and a cough from the door caused everyone to turn their heads to look.
Cedric stood in the doorway looking unsure if he should have entered now that everyone was focused on him. He had taken care of his own clothes and the ivory-colored ensemble with gold really brightened up his whole visage. He forwent his usual fingerless gloves for full white gloves and on his head was the crown. It was the first time Goodwin and Cedric had been in the same room and all three women could feel the air thicken as Goodwin turned to fully face his son.
"All the fold on us… If I didn't know better Cedric, I would say you were tricking us so you could have a family portrait made." He said and Cedric gave a half-smile and moved further into the room.
"I just might… After all the walls do need new portraits other than the one of me… Would you deny me one with my family?"
Sofia could see Goodwin physically 'puff up' as he tried to hold onto his stubbornness and anger. But one quick look at his wife and the old sorcerer deflated with a sigh before looking at his son.
"No, I suppose not…" He raised his hand and gestured for Cedric to come further into the room. "Come on… You avoided us long enough."
Cedric stayed where he stood, looking a little unsure until the door behind him.
"Mother! This darn sash doesn-" Cedric pitched forward as Calista collided with him. Panic was written over both Cedric's and Goodwin's faces as Cedric fell into his father and both fell to the ground with a loud tear of fabric.
Cedric rolled off his father and was quick to sit up, crown askew, while Sofia helped Winifred pull the eldest Sorcerer up. The seams on the left side of his coat had split wide and Sofia couldn't help but begin to laugh loudly at the whole thing, followed by Cordelia and Winifred. They laughed even as Goodwin and Cedric wore looks of embarrassment on their faces standing beside each other
Looking around Sofia could see that there was a relief in the room, even as Winifred hugged her son and Calista went to her mother with her sash in hand, face red.
It was some time before the laughter calmed and Cedric sat in a chair, leg crossed as he watched his family in silence. Calista was dressed in red with a golden sash across her chest and, like the rest of her family, a golden band around her head. Cordelia helped her with her sash, getting it to hang right with a bit of magic to keep it in place. Sofia was so focused on getting Goodwin's clothes back in order, with a little extra wiggle room this time, that she was only half aware of Cedric calling Calista to him. They talked and the young women seemed unsure at first but warmed up to the conversation pretty quickly until she became a whirlwind of conversation. Cedric allowed it to happen though after a bit he was tensing up, but nothing said he was becoming a danger. The one thing he seemed to bond with Calista over was the fact that she had kept her hair like his. Though now it was far longer than it had been when she was a child and she parted it in a way that pushed all the white to one side. It was the fact that she still kept the white is what caught Cedric's attention.
What startled everyone was when she pulled her wand from the folds of her skirt to show her uncle. This cause Cedric to jump up from his seat and raised his hands, ready for an attack that didn't come. He breathed and realized what he looked like and cleared his throat before holding his hands out for the wand.
It was thin and made from a wood that was stained a rich red with a sparkling ruby cut to look like a rose embedded into the bottom.
"It is very lovely Calista…" He said running his fingers over the polished surface before handing it back. "But please be sure to keep it put away… We don't want any accidents to happen."
His tone was a little dark when he handed it back to her, and she stashed it away once more with a slight frown as she watched her uncle settle back down into the chair he had been sitting in before, though he didn't cross his legs this time.
Taking her attention from her work Sofia watched Cedric. To see him reconnecting to his family left a warmth in her chest and she couldn't help but smile as she finished Goodwin's clothes once more.
She never saw the amulet hidden away, glowing softly and the color itself lightening just a bit.