Last Thursday

Summary: Sofia and Amber listen with keen interest as Vivian describes events that led up to 'Last Thursday,' which she claims is the day when everything changed.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything or any character in this story.

A/N: For the first time in a while, there are no OCs in this story. Haha. They're…somewhere. Lol! But this story will begin a series of changes for a few different characters. Enjoy!

*Story*

"Okay, now we can talk," Amber said as she sat down in a chair across from Sofia, who was sitting beside Vivian. They were in the dining room, and Amber had shut the doors so they could have a private conversation with their friend. Plus, they had ice cream and weren't willing to share. "I can't stay very long since I don't want to leave poor Desmond with the baby too long."

Vivian laughed as she used her spoon to swirl some of the lingonberry ice cream around in her bowl while the sisters ate some of the chocolate flavor instead. "How old is she now?"

"Almost four months, and don't change the subject." The future queen pointed her spoon at her friend. "You promised us you'd tell us about 'last Thursday.' Clearly something happened…considering the circumstances."

Sofia grinned as Vivian blushed and sighed. "Come on, Vivian. We're just curious what's been going on with you, and…how things ended up the way they did…"

"It's…been longer than last Thursday, actually…" The dark-haired girl saw the sisters staring at her in confusion and laughed sheepishly. "Okay… I'll tell you." She took a bite of her own ice cream before setting the spoon into the bowl. "It was just like any other Thursday at first…until he arrived unannounced."

Last Thursday

"Crackle! Clover! Come on!" Vivian sighed and folded her arms as she saw the little dragon and bunny lounging on her bed, snacking on a variety of vegetables. This tended to be a pretty daily routine now, but they hadn't been outside in a while, and it was finally a nice day. "You guys have been cooped up in this castle for too long. Let's get some fresh air."

The animal friends exchanged glances, as if considering the concept for a moment, before staring at the princess dubiously.

"I don't want you two becoming lazier than you already are. Hop to it." She smirked as she saw the look on Clover's face. "Yes, that's a joke."

Clover grinned at her before following the teen as she walked toward her door. He looked back and waved at Crackle, who quickly bounded up behind him.

Since Vivian didn't have the ability to understand the friends, she could only go by their visual cues. At least they were compliant with her requests, which was honestly more than she'd been expecting. Still, she felt a smile appear on her face as she watched them. Clover was far spritelier since his rejuvenation a while ago, and Crackle had definitely responded to that in such a positive way (naturally). It was nice to see.

When they made it outside, the sun was shining brightly, warming the land in a brilliant display of springtime tenderness. Vivian walked over the bridge nestled to the right of the castle, giggling as the two friends clopped along to the grass, heading for the forest ahead. "Don't go too far away, guys. And be back in thirty minutes." She pursed her lips as they didn't seem to be listening. "Crackle, I'm serious!"

Crackle turned back and waved one paw, signaling her understanding, before grabbing a surprised looking Clover and taking off into the forest.

Vivian sighed and leaned against the bridge, shaking her head. "Watching those two is like watching a couple of kids…" She turned when she heard the distinct sound of a flying coach landing on the cobblestone in the distance, rolling up to the entrance of the castle. She frowned curiously. "I wonder if Mom and Dad were expecting some visitors…"

She was highly surprised when none other than James stepped out of the coach, his hair a bit messy and his olive tunic a bit rumpled, but his overall appearance otherwise nice. "Hmm…" She hurried down the sloped bridge and across the pavement, stopping next to the prince, who grinned at her. "James, what are you doing here?"

"Well, I was on my way home from a knight mission, and I thought, 'You know, I haven't seen Vivian in a while,' so I decided to drop by."

She smirked. "You saw me last Tuesday."

He blinked. "Uh…"

"And the Wednesday and Friday before that. And at least ten days in February, and six days in January too. Honestly, James, how many 'missions' are you 'on the way home' from these days?" She giggled as he blushed a bit.

"W-Well, this one is real!" He placed a hand to his head in frustration as she laughed. "I mean… They've all—uh, mostly—been…real… But…" He shrugged as he lowered his hands to his hips. "Can't a guy just come see his friend every now and then? Sheesh."

She smiled, rolling her eyes, before linking her arm through his as he finally sighed in relaxation. "I'm just joking with you, James. Honestly, I like that you've stopped by. The last several times have been…really nice." She sighed. "Especially since Mom and Dad are usually gone on business conferences or are busy running the kingdom. And being an only child, I don't exactly have brothers and sisters to hang around with. And all my friends are either married, attending school far away, or busy protecting and saving the realm."

He grinned. "You mean Sofia on that last part, huh?" Seeing her nod, he shrugged while walking with her back to the bridge. "Yeah, she and Cedric have been especially busy with that. Well, and taking care of a lot of other things and people." He hummed thoughtfully. "You know… Enchancia has a lot more neighbors than Zumaria does. And our castle is filled with people you both know and like…"

Vivian snickered. "What are you saying, James? You want me to move in with you to your castle or something?" When she noticed he wasn't responding, she blinked up at him. "Wait… Is that what you're saying?"

James shrugged. "I…wouldn't say no to the possibility. Besides, your parents aren't descending the throne anytime soon, are they?"

"W-Well, probably not, but… I'm kind of next in line to rule…" She frowned thoughtfully. "Not that I really want to… I'm not very good with people, even though I've gotten better. And I don't know if I'd make a lot of good decisions. Honestly, we have a cousin—Duke Prescott—who would be an amazing ruler. I just don't know if my parents would go for it…"

"The only thing you can do is try, right?"

She nodded uncertainly as she watched him playing with the fabric of her dress sleeve. "You have another reason you want me to move to Enchancia, don't you? Besides my being alone here…"

He smiled sheepishly toward her. "Of course! S-Sof and Amber miss you and don't get to see you as often, and this way, you guys would get to see each other all the time! And… I'm sure Sofia would be excited to see Clover again. And you'd be part of our big, weird, silly family we have going on at the castle." He snickered. "Seriously, you won't believe some of the stuff that happens. Like, with Cedric's sister Cordelia and this guy named Nigel—"

"What about you, James?" she asked, interrupting his tale. She smiled knowingly as he paused and blinked at her. "Is that part of the reason you want me there? So that…you…get to see me more often?"

A blush crept across his cheeks as he laughed nervously, that glimmer in her green eyes both endearing and unnerving at the same time. "It would be…really nice to be able to see you more often."

"Why?" she asked softly, sliding her sleeve out of his fingers and turning the tables, allowing her own fingers to trace his sleeve before gently massaging his wrist.

"Because…" He felt her fingers settle against the skin just above his wrist and he mumbled, "You…make me smile…"

Vivian laughed softly at his words before lowering her hand, threading her fingers through his as she smiled up at him. "You make me smile too, James…" She leaned up, kissing his cheek, giggling as he blushed a little darker. "So… Since we're already smiling a lot… What do we do now?"

"C-Can I court you?" he asked clumsily, sighing as she snickered. "Sorry, I'm not good at this stuff… I tried practicing on Desmond, and he got all flustered and started correcting my grammar. It got really awkward."

"Wait, you've seriously practiced asking me that before? With Desmond?" She grinned as he nodded. "James, you're a dork."

"I know." He grinned back at her, using his free hand to twist a lock of her hair around his fingers. "So…?"

She nodded, smiling softly at him. "I've kind of been waiting for you to ask… Considering how often you've been visiting me recently. And it's been…really nice too." The princess then laughed.

"What's so funny?"

"Do you realize you asked me to basically move in with you before you even asked to court me?" She smirked as he sighed, hanging his head. "A little backwards, don't you think?"

"Oh, you want to talk about backwards? Let me tell you a bit about Cedric and Sofia…"

"…And so, we…started courting…last Thursday," Vivian concluded, much to the sisters' surprise. She laughed at their gaping expressions. "I know. I can't believe I've actually been able to keep it a secret this long…"

"I should have known something was going on when James said you were moving in for 'castle repairs' reasons," Sofia murmured. "He couldn't even tell us what needed repairing and started blushing for no reason. Plus, it was just you and not your parents too, and he couldn't explain that either…" She scoffed. "And what's worse, Clover and Crackle haven't said a word to me about any of this stuff."

The dark-haired princess smiled thoughtfully. "I actually asked them not to, considering…you can understand them. It was kind of an awkward conversation for me at the time..." She saw the other princess's amused smile and sighed happily. "Is Clover glad to be back home?"

"Oh, yeah," she laughed. "He and Wormwood are back to arguing and then playing a game of chess, and even Crackle seems to be enjoying herself."

"So…" Amber tapped her chin. "If you and James are courting, and you're living here now, are you not planning to go back to Zumaria then?"

"I'm not sure yet… Mom and Dad actually told me they approved of our courtship and didn't mind my staying here since they're so busy with everything in the kingdom and I don't have any major responsibilities right now. They've even said that my cousin could be a good ruler if it comes down to it, but they'll give me first choice… If I choose to take the throne in five years, when they both plan to step down, then I can rule. If not, I will need to abdicate the throne and pass it to my cousin Prescott. I have till that June of their retirement year to decide, so I've got plenty of time to think about it."

"Wow…" Sofia laughed. "You and James are courting… I've got to be honest: I kind of saw it coming." She grinned at her best friend. "You guys used to joke around and flirt so much when we were younger."

Vivian blushed. "We weren't flirting!"

"Right, Vivian," Amber remarked with a smirk. "Neither were Desmond and I. Oh, wait." She winked and held her left hand up, wiggling her fingers to show off her wedding ring. "Guess we were."

The dark-haired girl sighed, smiling in surrender. "Maybe a little bit… While you've been training to be queen and raising your family…" She then looked toward Sofia. "And while you've been saving our realm and keeping up with your own family…" She laughed as Sofia smiled bashfully. "James and I were able to get a bit closer… A lot closer, I guess… I'm just glad you two are okay with us being…you know…"

Sofia grinned. "Are you kidding? Having one of my best friends as a sister-in-law? That would be wonderful!"

"They're not getting married yet, Sofia," Amber laughed. "They've barely started courting." She finished off her ice cream and then pointed her spoon at the Zumarian princess yet again. "But when you guys do get married, I want to help you with your wedding dress."

Vivian blushed darkly. "Amber!"

"Don't worry, Vivian," Sofia giggled, shaking her head. "She said the same thing to me. And you're way closer to marriage than I am. I'm not even thinking about it right now."

"Right, Sofia," Amber responded with a mischievous grin, causing her sister to blush a bit at her tone. "You keep telling yourself that."

"A-Amber, please!"

Vivian laughed at the sisters' antics. She could get used to this… It would be like old times. She smiled distractedly as she recalled James pulling her close not long after asking to court her, and kissing her gently for the first time as the sun beamed down on them.

Yeah… Just like old times…and new ones too.

The end