Another day in Enchancia but for those in the village and for those that were young an amazing marvelous fun and fancy free kind of day. There was a festival in the town of Dunwiddie with grand performances from the circus, dazzling magic shows, balloons and gifts, rides and treats of both salty and sweet, and a parade too. All were welcome to come of which that included the family of the royals. They were no longer children anymore but for some of them something like this still held excitement and wonder. James was always in love with watching the circus performers do their stunning displays while Sofia just enjoyed finding new things to see and try. Amber, on the other hand, felt she was far too old to enjoy such things but she would go to "experience the culture."
She also had to start showing her face around more as the new regent, she had been coronated not too long ago, and the villagers had to understand she was not so high and mighty as to not come and enjoy simple festivities. Amber wore a colorful dress that mimicked a circus tent with royal blues and vibrant reds and shiny golds and she had a large grandiose tiara. James just wore his regular clothes and Sofia thought of being a little whimsical with a pink and orange dress printed with multi colored dancing animals. She skipped around, hair full of flowers, right to Cedric's front door and opened it. She announced herself in a cheerful tune to him to which he turned his chair towards her with a slow swivel and a smile. He looked upon her with her flowers and ribbons and colorful attire and his smile grew. She looked like a cloud at sunset. He beckoned her closer and she came right to him, still merrily prancing like a doe. She entered his arms and locked her own behind him, giving him exactly what he wanted, affectionate kisses.
"Now that is the proper way to start my morning. Just what exactly are you doing here, looking absolutely delightful?"
"There's a festival happening today and it's going to be so much fun! There will be music and dancing and all sorts of activities!"
"It sounds like fun. Have a great time and enjoy it, love."
"Actually...I was going to ask you to come with me. I mean...if you aren't too terribly busy."
"Not in particular. If you want me to go so badly I'll go."
"Oh thank you! Come on, we're about to leave soon," She implored, tugging on his robes. He got up and followed her out, amused by her eagerness. She pulled him along now holding his hand and made her way out to the carriages. Sofia immediately sat right next to him, going on and on about how amazing it was all going to be once they got there. Minerva was not a day bird in the slightest so she stayed home, she preferred to sleep than to be around a bunch of very noisy people. Cedric was somewhat used to having his bird friend stay with him but he supposed he understood she couldn't always go where he went. It was fine anyways, he had Sofia with him, nothing could make him sad now.
Once they got there James hopped out with a big grin, rushing over to play some games, waving goodbye to his family before disappearing into the crowds of people. Amber shook her head at him but smiled all the same. Some things just never changed. Amber would be just walking about, greeting the commoners and browsing through the vendors there. She had to support local small businesses, it would better the economy and bring her even closer with her people. The king and queen would be taking in the shows mostly though Roland was like his son, amazed by all the new inventions and things to do, he just tried to remain reserved about it. Sofia was giddy as could be, running into the sea of festival goers with Cedric right behind her. Her first stop was the rides, she couldn't wait to try them all out except the big scary ones.
She only didn't want to go on those because she knew Cedric had a weak stomach. Loop-de-loops did not agree with him even though Sofia loved that sort of thing. After purchasing her tickets she went on each one she could find. One was themed after a dragon and raced through its lair, one was a swinging ride that went way up high, one was a ride where you got on small vehicles and tried to bump into others vehicles for points, and one was called the spinning top and shockingly Cedric handled that just fine. Mostly it was because Sofia didn't spin it too fast, just enough for him to be comfortable with. There was so many rides to go on but there were two that interested her the most, the merry go round, her absolute favorite ride no matter how childish it seemed, and one that was called the tunnel of love.
She noticed pairs of people getting on hand painted beautiful birds of various colors going through some type of cave. What influenced her to even go on something like that was she was with her love and it was something for lovers to do together. It was slow enough and calm enough for him which was good and they'd get to sit together in a relaxing little boat meant for two. It sounded romantic, as romantic as they could possibly get here anyways. So without a thought she boarded it, having the safety bar lowered just a bit so she could hold onto it, just in case. She was glad they were taking safety measures so that no one would get hurt. Just because the ride wasn't fast doesn't mean someone couldn't fall off. Their bird was a swan a pure white one with a gold crown and long rubber eyelashes. Sofia thought to herself that this was the queen of the swans. As they entered the cave she held onto his arm and leaned her head onto his shoulder.
Cedric lifted up her chin and kissed her deeply, enjoying the privacy of this moment. They were away from everyone else, secluded in their quiet little love boat, gracefully swimming along in the crystal caverns. He would not get another moment such as this where he could be so personal with her so out in the open. He would take any opportunity he could to savor her because even though she was his fiancé it was expected out of both of them to only do simple acts of romance. This meant no kisses especially long passionate ones which is what he was doing now. It couldn't be helped, they were alone, surrounded by the sound of the gentle splashing of water and a dark blue lit cave covered in ivy and hearts and sparkly things. What better time was there to express his love then in a tunnel meant for it?
"Oh Sofia," He sighed full of ardor, "you fill me with such...strong emotions. I cannot help but kiss you when I see you. It's like your lips are a magnet for mine."
"You know I felt the same way whenever I was hugging you when I was little. I just...had to. I really wanted it and I knew you wouldn't hug me so I had to find some excuse to do it to you."
"Now you don't have to make excuses. I'll hold you every minute if I can."
He scooped her up in his arms and squeezed her to him. He had to break up all his affection because the ride was over, sadly. He wished it had never ended because the moments in which it was just the two of them were his favorites. As long as she was smiling though he was happy. After the merry-go-round in which Sofia had ridden a literal sea horse, they went to the circus. The royals always had their own box there and Sofia could clearly see as the show was starting, her entire family was there. They even included an extra chair for Cedric once they got there. He felt privileged to be able to sit there amongst them.
The show started up with the ringmaster telling them what grand things lie ahead then the clowns came in amusing the audience with their humorous acts. After that there were animal trainers with their performing elephants balancing balls on their trunks and brave lion and tiger tamers. Then the acrobats, James's favorites, flipping and swinging about like monkeys but then after that act came a magician, not the kind that Cedric was. This one did parlor tricks, illusions, deceptions, sleight of hand. It made Cedric cross his arms and rolled his eyes, whispering under his breath that he could do so much better and it would be real too. Sofia shushed him so she could pay attention. It bothered him that she was actually enjoying this when she knew it was all false trickery. It made him just a bit envious actually but it only escalated further when the magician asked for someone from the audience and low and behold, he picked Sofia out of all the frantically waving hands.
What was extra odd was, Sofia didn't even raise hers at all, in fact she had assumed she was too high up to be seen or that the villagers were more likely to be picked over royalty. Sofia squealed with enthrallment, excitedly making her way down. Cedric huffed and grumbled about how enthused she seemed to be partaking in fake magic when she had him right here. He'd entertain her with actual sorcery any day or night she asked because even now that he was far more familiar with her he was still at her beck and call and he liked it that way. To him, Sofia was more than a princess even if that's what he called her. She was his queen, his empress, his angel, his goddess and he truly did live to please her in any way. He watched her make her way to the stage, a big beam on her face and a sparkle in her eyes, things he assumed were reserved only for him. He tried not to be spiteful, Sofia liked all magic not just his and even now she said he was the very best.
He took in a big breath, counted to ten, and reminded himself that to her he was the greatest, to her he was tip top, a cut above the rest, a genius of the magic arts, the king of all wizardry. He should have no reason to feel less than anyone else but especially not some two bit impostor who dabbled in hocus pocus. Of course even though Cedric now felt confident in himself he had to do his breathing exercises again when the magician, calling himself The Wonderful Wiselpick, called Sofia his very beautiful helper. He did the old sawing in half trick as well as the tried and true disappearing cabinet. When he reopened the cabinet Sofia was not in there even though she was meant to be and then he turned it twice more and she was there at last making the audience explode with cheers.
Sofia curtsied to the crowd, happy to have helped with the performance. After it was all over Sofia made her way back to the box and did not explain to tricks to a very anxious and curious James. Cedric, however, was about to spill the beans because he knew how each one was done, he had seen them a million and a half times. Sofia pressed her finger to his lips and shook her head no at him. She did not want the magic to be revealed, that would spoil things in her mind. Besides which she had promised not to tell. For some reason that upset him too. They all left the tent after that but were stopped by Wiselpick who went directly to Sofia and told her what a brilliant job she did on the stage then presented her with a dozen flowers, mostly roses, that had been thrown onto the stage.
"Oh that's so nice of you but don't you want them?"
"No no my lady, I have far too many to count. A beautiful rose belongs with a beautiful woman. Thank you for helping my show be even more wonderful."
"You're welcome. It was a lot of fun!"
He took her hand in his and kissed it causing Cedric to tightly close his eyes and take the biggest deepest breath ever. He had to control himself, it was nothing, she was a princess, people do these kinds of things. She was still his at the end of the day, her heart belonged to him, her soul was intertwined with his own, that was his ring on her finger and she wore it with pride. This man could see it on her finger clear as day and he had to be some type of idiot to not know what it meant. Sofia was not one to wear a lot of jewelry anyways and it was on her ring finger.
"I had a lot of fun with you as well. I can tell you are a lover of magic."
"In more ways than one," Sofia boldly admitted, casting her eyes at Cedric making him smirk and release those negative feelings instantly. He disdained feeling them at all, it was a huge problem he had but day by day he was getting better at dealing with it. He had no reason to feel this way and he told himself after dealing with Livia that jealousy was a horrible emotion that would get him nowhere. "Have you met our royal sorcerer, Cedric?"
"Haven't had the pleasure but I've heard of his greatness. An honor to meet you at last, sir. I'm humbled to be in the presence of someone who far exceeds my own skill."
"...I'm no big deal...really," He sheepishly admitted, suddenly feeling ashamed of his emotions and reactions.
"Nonsense!" He exclaimed. "Word of your triumphs reaches all over the globe. Someone like me has a lot of respect for you and for the Lady Sofia as well. I couldn't help having her on my show today, someone so famous would certainly help boost crowd attendance. I hope you didn't mind me stealing her away."
He coughed a little and chuckled nervously. "Not a problem at all. It was all in good fun."
The man bowed to them and departed after that leaving Cedric to ruminate on his own thoughts. Sofia looked at the roses intently then gave them to the coachman to hold onto. She explained that she wanted to preserve them and give them to Callista who was having a birthday party soon and these were bright red, her favorites. Not that she liked roses, she preferred spider lilies just because they had the word spider in them, but they were red and that was all that mattered. She turned to Cedric with an inviting smile on her face and stood on her tip toes, still shorter than him even with her recent growth spurt, to rub her nose against his then ever so sneakily brushed her lips against his in a chaste kiss.
"There. Do you feel better now?"
"Well yes but I wasn't feeling bad before."
"I could tell you were a little upset at something but you handled it well and didn't let it get to you. You're making really good progress and I'm so proud."
"You think so?" He softly asked, still only a breath away from her mouth. His Sofia was very intuitive. He didn't even need to say anything and she understood exactly how it is he felt even if he'd like not to recognize it himself. He was disappointed with himself for feeling that even for a millisecond and now that he knew even random strangers knew they were together, he felt really foolish for getting even slightly upset. He knew Sofia was sweet and somehow still childlike, she had this sprite like spirit that though she was childlike she was no child. He could still find her incredibly womanly and evocative. He should know even if it wasn't the actual factual deal she would enjoy it, just as she enjoyed this fair.
At any day she would give him even more of the same kind of treatment even if all he was doing was going over the most boring part of a spell book to her she'd stare up at him as if he was the living end. He was so embarrassed but thankfully, as Sofia had said, he took it well enough. Way back when he might have forced his authority on the man or worse. Sofia took his arm again and started to walk with him some more, now both were calm and content. Then, while they were walking, she noticed her brother sitting down at a table with a bunch of other people trying to defeat them in some type of eating competition. It actually was making her a little hungry seeing all that food. She got herself some sugary pink fairy floss that was fluffy and as big as her head.
"Do you want some?"
"Oh no the only sweet thing I like is you," He responded with a wink.
She blushed as pink as the fairy floss and gave him the cutest smile that made him melt. The whole day was full of interesting things being sold and tasted and ridden until at last it was time for the parade at the end of the evening. Amber had to admit she enjoyed that because she loved seeing the beautiful horses and gorgeously designed floats. That day ended with them having to basically cart James home because he had passed out from eating so much. The next day after he barely ate at all and swore he'd start taking it slow because admittedly if he didn't train himself he would get fat and he needed to be in top physical shape to be a knight, at least that was his thought process. With magic and proper gardening techniques the roses were able to stay alive even up to Callista's birthday party. She was turning ten, a big number for her, double digits, the start of her becoming a big girl so it was important that all her friends and family come.
Callista had started going to Hexley Hall not too long ago and like a good friend Lucinda had been watching out for her and taking care of her. Despite the fact that she was clingy and too cute to be taken seriously sometimes, the two developed a bit of a friendship. Callista liked both Lily and Indigo for different reasons, Lily because she was "super nice" and Indigo because of her choice of red clothing and hair. They all tried to be mentors for her but Lucinda was smart, she knew Indigo would try to turn Callista to the bad side of magic and she was not about to let that happen. Indigo it seemed would be alone in her trouble making if not for Wendell, for though he liked Lucinda he still had those bad boy tendencies in him. All of them were invited if they wanted to come but nobody was sure if they would want to go to a child's birthday party.
It didn't matter Callista had other friends from school and those friends had parents who had become part of the social group of her mother. All the mothers got together and gossiped and conjured up food while they talked about books they had read or their husbands. Some of the grandparents of these kids went to Mystic Meadows and knew Winifred and Goodwin. So they were all good friends, at least some of them were. Callista's extended family was invited, her uncles and aunts and her other grandparents from her father's side and of course Cedric and Sofia. They were all told to wear something red in honor of the birthday girl and as one could expect her party had a lot of red theming with other colors to break it up a little. Cedric just changed his bowtie to red while Sofia wore a one of her Wassalia dresses that was a deep wine color.
As soon as they came inside they got attacked by Callista who was wearing a lovely poofy tutu dress in what else, bright cherry red. Callista loved to dance and tried her best to do ballet, thus explaining her tutu. Sofia knew this very well and had the perfect gift for her all wrapped up. The flowers were given to her as well as a kiss to the cheek. She asked to be picked up and held and Cedric complained that she was getting to big for this while rubbing his lower back. Sofia, though, was all too happy to pick her up and play with her. Sofia partook in all the party games and since she was so famous now all the kids wanted to hang out with Callista even more because of it. Cedric couldn't help but watch her playing with the children and sighed happily. This was going to be his future with her and he couldn't wait for it. She would be the perfect mother, just perfect and all their children would love her.
He hoped they would like him at least somewhat. He was nervous that one of them wouldn't. He wanted to build a good relationship with his children because he didn't want what happened to him to happen to them. He would never make them feel left out or outcasted or hurt or lonely or unloved. He would always make sure to support them and be there for them even if they failed. He wondered what they would look like and looking upon Callista it wasn't too hard to imagine. He hoped they had her nose not his and her eyes too, they were so pretty, but he wouldn't mind if they had his natural hair color. None of them would have a streak or a stripe of white, of this he was sure because it wasn't natural. If it did for some reason happen to happen he would only love them more for it because they would be twins. Sofia grabbed Callista and started to blow hard on her cheek as she pressed her lips to it making funny sounds. Cedric laughed a little.
It made his heart warm to see this. Sofia also played with baby Calvin, bouncing him up and down producing lots of laughs from him. When he started to cry Sofia went into action right away, coddling him as gingerly as possible, rocking him in her arms, and singing to him softly. He went to sleep in her arms shortly after, sucking on his thumb and holding tightly to her as if she was his own mother. Cordelia stared at Sofia in awe as she stroked over the boy's fine head of brown hair. Her husband, also with a C name strangely enough-Cornelius, was staring at her too as if he had never seen such a thing in his life. Cornelius was a traveling salesman, he sold his potions and salves and charms to protect and ward off evil. By doing this he made quite the pretty penny which is why his home was so large and Cordelia's and Callista's wardrobe so vast.
"How do you do it?" He inquired, still gawking at her. "We can never get him to go to sleep. He cries all night and no matter what we try he just continues crying."
"Hmm I'm not sure. All I did was sing to him."
"You really have a gift for taking care of children. I just wish I knew your secret."
"Thank you, Cordelia, but there's no secret to it I just do what comes natural to me."
"You're a lucky man to have someone like her being the mother of your future kids," Cornelius admitted getting a bit of a look from his wife, who felt at that moment a little inadequate compared to Sofia. She really did try her best raising her darling daughter to be the best little woman she could possibly be. She had good enough manners, though she couldn't help but crawl all over her uncle and she was just now breaking out of stealing things. Still she was well behaved as could be, crossed her t's and knew her p's and q's. She wasn't a bad mother, she was just a busy woman and sometimes she couldn't always be there for her daughter. Now she was thinking about it, it was no wonder Callista loved Sofia, she paid attention to her far more and played with her no matter what. Perhaps...Sofia was a better mother than she and she wasn't even really one yet.
"Don't I know it," Cedric boasted fulsomely, feeling accomplished.
Soon after all the party games and dinner were over it was time for cake with strawberry ice cream. The cake was four layers tall and decorated with sprinkles of varying red hues and of course had red icing lining the white cake. There was a big number ten sitting atop it and they magically lit it up then sung to her. Callista blew the candles so hard they toppled over right onto the table. When the overly sweet cake was eaten it was time for presents. From Cedric she had gotten a doll with black and white hair, just like his just like hers, with a lot of different outfits to put it in and a teeny tiny hairbrush. From her grandfather she got a lot of story books about red characters such as red riding hood and Snow White's sister, Rose Red. From her grandmother she got loads of toys and a new rain coat with matching rubber boots and umbrella, all printed with lady bugs. From her parents she got numerous dresses and hair things as well as a new big girl wand and a new pet, her first real familiar. She had begged and begged for one and she wanted either a bird or a lizard of some sort.
Birds were far more traditional in their family line and she could have any old lizard from outside so they got her a beautiful plumed pheasant with a long tail and though it had some yellows, browns, and even blues it was almost all red. It was small because it was still a young one, so it would grow with her but she loved it all the same and showed it off to everyone. She had decided to name it Jasper. She kept saying she wanted it to meet her uncles new pet so they could become bestest best friends. He seemed okay with that. Her last gift came from Sofia. Besides the flowers which now resided in a vase in the kitchen she had manufactured two things for her. One was a dress that she sewed herself, filled with ruby sequins and gold ribbon details was a prima ballerina outfit. To complete the ensemble Sofia had also made red ballet shoes. Callista loved them both so much she nearly screamed.
Everyone had left one by one after gifts were given and other children were getting sleepy. Goodwin and Winifred were one of the last to leave, lingering there to give their granddaughter lots of love and to of course, at least on Winifred's part, suffocate Cedric. Sofia got the same treatment and a lot of questions about when their wedding would finally come. She made them both turn Callista red when she talked about wanting them to hurry up and make her a lot, and she did mean a lot, of grandchildren. Cedric was thankful when she finally left and his torment was over. He and Sofia stayed late into the night even as everyone else went home. They stayed until Callista went to bed, so happy with her presents and sleeping with her ballet shoes already on her feet. Her new doll was cuddled up against her chest as she smilingly yawned and drifted off into dreamland, surrounded by crimson colored fairy lights and presents.
Cordelia was having trouble putting her son to bed just like she said before and Sofia, seeing her frustration and obvious tiredness, offered to help. Cordelia wanted her help, truly she did, but she also didn't want her help because she didn't want to be upstaged. She also didn't want her to do a better job thus validating that she wasn't the best mother for her son. She did not like the remark her husband so blatantly and bluntly said aloud, making her feel so low so even though she could use as much help as she could get, she told her thank you but no thank you. In so many words trying to shoo her away as nicely as she could but Sofia could see how troubled she was and how much she wanted to just go to bed. Cedric had been waiting this whole time in the living room, staring awkwardly around the home now that it was empty. Sofia held out her hands and offered up again .
"No need. I've got it covered. He's my child after all and I should be able to get him to sleep."
"Are you absolutely sure? I don't want you to have to be up all night with him. That would be stressful."
"I'm used to it hun, trust me. As a mother we have to deal with this sort of thing all the time. Go on now, I'll be fine."
Sofia usually would take the memo but the crying was getting louder and louder and she could hear Cornelius grumbling in aggravation and Callista becoming restless because she too couldn't sleep. She just couldn't let someone suffer like this not when she could do something about it. Sofia just had to help Cordelia if only for tonight. One night's rest meant a lot to a parent, she knew this very well. Because of this Sofia reached out one last time and just requested, in a soft quiet gentle voice, that she give her the baby because she could put him to sleep. For some reason this unnerved the usually reserved woman causing her to turn to Sofia with even more frustration on her face than before.
"I don't need your help, okay?! He's my son not yours!"
"I know that Cordelia...I was just trying to help you. I know howw difficult it is for you and I-"
"You think you're better than me, don't you?" She harshly questioned, more sad than mad, her voice breaking, tears gathering at the corner of her eyes.
All the commotion had alerted Cedric. He knew what his sister sounded like when she was upset and angered by something, he had the displeasure of being the one who made her that way many times. So when he heard her voice raise he got up from the couch, knowing she wasn't yelling at anyone else but Sofia as Sofia was the only other person in that room. Sofia was stunned a little by that and stood there unsure of what started all of this.
"No I don't think I'm better than anybody. I'm sorry if I offended you..."
"What's going on here?" Cedric asked, a bit agitated from the doorway, staring down his sister who was obviously peeved and distraught. "Why are you yelling at her?"
"Because she's trying to make me look bad. Well you know what I try my very best to be a nice mother to my children. I'm not perfect like you but I try."
"Cordelia I don't understand where all this is coming from. I just offered to help you out, I didn't mean to upset you at all. I think you are a great mother, you've raised Callista so well, she's very polite and kind, just like you."
"...You...you really think all that about me?" Cordelia inquired, stunned by the statement, and clearly regretting what she had said to her guest, her future sister-in-law.
Sofia nodded her head. "Of course. Nobody is perfect at all and nobody is better than anybody here. All parents are different and some just get the hang of it faster than others. My own mother always gave me milk that was way too hot for me at first and sometimes I would wander off when I was in her sight and she would blame herself for not watching me closer. So you see even someone like the queen can make mistakes. We all do."
"Sofia is right," Cedric interjected, moving into the room and closing the door to seal off the noise from the rest of the family members. "We don't always see eye to eye all the time but even I know you aren't a bad mother. Callista loves you very much."
"Yes but...she idolizes you. I mean she wanted her hair to look like yours not mine..."
"That doesn't mean she loves me more than you. We all have had our favorite relative at some point. You used to love your cousin Salina so much you wanted her to be your sibling, not me."
"I forgot all about that...I guess...I guess you're right...Oh I acted so horribly, didn't I? I'm so sorry Sofia. I invited you into my home and yelled right at you when you were just being nice. Could you forgive me?"
Sofia made her way over to Cordelia and hugged her tightly. "There's nothing wrong with getting the way you did. You should have seen me on one Mother's Day when I thought my mom loved Amber and James more than me. I did some...pretty horrible things..."
"You? But you're always so good. I can't imagine you doing anything wrong."
"Like I said we all make mistakes and I learned from mine that day. My mother loves us all equally just like your children love you because you are a really great parent. Trying is all we can ask of someone, try and try until you get it right, that's what I've learned. Would you be okay if I showed you how I do it then maybe you can learn?"
"That would be wonderful...thank you."
Sofia took baby Calvin from her arms and instructed Cordelia on what she was doing and how, she also gave her tips and pointers that she knew helped her as a small child get to sleep like warm milk, soft lullabies, a soothing presence and things like that. Cordelia really was thankful because with her help she was able to, on her own, get Calvin to go to sleep and they all had a good nights rest that night. Sofia and Cedric went home after that knowing that all was well and that Sofia had performed yet another good deed. Solving problems and giving advice were some of the things she was the very best at and tonight she had revealed that Cedric and Cordelia both had problems with confidence no matter how much they liked to act otherwise. She couldn't save the whole world all by herself but she would try her best to save those she could and knowing that she was capable of that brought a smile to her face. That night she dreamed of the soon to be future she would have and how she would be with her own children and wondered briefly if she too would have some issues with them. She knew it didn't matter what bumps happened down the road she would face them head on as she always did with him by her side. The two of them slept soundly right on through the night, wrapped up together, as they would be through life, side by side.