Sofia the First

New Beginnings

Chapter 1-Once Upon a Princess Part 1

It amazing how fast things can change in the span of a few weeks. How easy it is for your entire life to be turned upside down in such a short amount of time. Life was unexpected like that, and it showed no mercy to the unwary and unsuspecting, even children.

Sofia Balthazar knew this firsthand that life was full of surprises, and not all of them were good. She learned that the hard way when she lost her father, Birk, far out at sea while he was out fishing. Since then it was just her and her mother, Miranda, and they had to make do with what they had.

And everything was fine. Sure, Sofia had to grow up a bit fast to help her mother in their shoemaking shop, but all in all, it was a peaceful life for a twelve year old girl. She still had her home, her mother, her friends. It was a nice life to have as a child considering that not everyone was as lucky as her.

Then everything changed when she and her mother went to see the king. King Roland had commissioned them for a new pair of royal ceremonial slippers and had offered a lot of money for their services. Miranda was ecstatic and Sofia was overjoyed; being employed by the King of Enchancia of all people was a once in a lifetime chance that they weren't going to mess up.

They worked hard to make the best pair of royal slippers for the king, and when they finished, mother and daughter were escorted to the castle to give the slippers to King Roland.

Looking back on that moment when her mother slipped those fantastic slippers onto the king's feet, Sofia should've realized that was when Roland and Miranda fell in love for the second time in their lives. The look they gave each other was something you'd only hear about in fairy tales. Love at first sight.

It was the perfect fairy tale ending, really, but for Sofia it was a new beginning. The start of her new life as a princess.

XXXXXX

"Sofia, are you feeling alright?"

Her mother's question shook Sofia out of her silence as she gave her a smile. "I'm doing fine, mom. I'm just…trying to process all of this. It's so unbelievable that I keep thinking it's a dream."

Miranda chuckled and held her daughter's hands. "I know how you feel. I felt the same way on the day of the wedding. But you'll get used to it, Sofia. Before you know it, everything will feel ordinary again."

Sofia knew her mother was right, but that didn't make it feel any less strange. It hadn't really set in that things were changing forever even after her mother was married and officially anointed as Queen of Enchancia. It was only when she was saying goodbye to her old home and to her best friends, Jade and Ruby, that Sofia realized that her life wasn't going to be the same anymore. It was nerve wracking, especially for a girl who was content with her humble life, but she kept her chin up for her mother's sake.

Sofia eyed her mother's bright pink dress, which had to have been worth more than their entire wardrobe combined. Miranda looked radiant and her smile only made her look even more beautiful, which Sofia hadn't seen since she lost her father. Miranda was always a bright and optimistic woman who didn't let her problems affect her personal life, but Sofia could tell that right now she was walking on air.

"Oh, look we're almost there!" Sofia exclaimed. She could already see the high towers of the castle through the treetops and it made her even more excited (and nervous) for what was to come. "I wonder what our room will be like."

"Sofia, now that we'll be living in the castle, you'll have your own room, one larger than our old bedroom. Won't that be exciting?" Miranda smiled.

Mother and daughter clasped hands and shared equally excited squeals. This was going to be the best day of their lives!

XXXXXX

When they arrived at the castle, the entire royal court was assembled in the courtyard to see the arrival of the new queen. Sofia didn't know who half of these people were, aside from the many nobles who lived within the walls of the royal district that surrounded the castle. They all stared at her and Miranda with intense gazes and big smiles, seemingly happy that the king had another queen to rule alongside him once again. And a new princess to dote upon.

The carriage stopped in front of the steps to the castle, where trumpeters blew into their horns, and a page opened the door for Miranda and Sofia to step out of the carriage. At the top of the steps stood King Roland Pendragon, a tall and handsome man with well-groomed blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes, clad in his ceremonial attire as he awaited his queen and step-daughter.

Standing next to him were the king's children, Prince James and Princess Amber. Being twins they shared their father's blond hair and green eyes, but that's where the similarities ended. James was a young boy of thirteen, with short blond hair and still sported some baby fat on his face, even though he was clad in his fancy green suit that he complained was too tight around the neck. Many have said that James looked just like Roland when he was a young boy.

Amber was already a young beauty, with long golden hair tied swept back by her diamond tiara and ended above her shoulders, where they curled luxuriously. She wore a bright yellowish green dress that was the latest fashion among the nobility, but her barely hidden scowl marred her pretty visage upon seeing her new stepmother and stepsister.

"That's the new princess?"

"Yes, she's looks cute, doesn't she?"

"She'll grow to be a beauty, just like her mother."

Amber's scowl deepened as she heard the mutters (you'd think adults would learn to keep their comments to themselves, the haughty bastards), and her brother smirked at her expression.

"Uh oh, looks like you're not the fairest in the land anymore, Amber." James teased. His smirk grew at the scathing glare she sent him.

"Don't even start, James." Amber hissed through her teeth.

"Amber, James," Roland looked down at his children. "I hope you two will be nice to your new sister."

"Of course, father." Amber said sweetly.

'Oh boy.' James thought.

"Your majesty."

Everyone turned to see the new Princess Sofia, clad in her dark purple peasant's dress, giving the king a cute little curtsey with a smile on her face. Miranda walked up to Roland and did the same.

"King Roland." She smiled.

"Queen Miranda." Roland's smile was brighter than the sun as he offered her his arm.

As her mother got acquainted with the king, Sofia went to greet her new brother and sister.

"Hey, there!" Sofia said brightly.

"Good morning, Sofia." James replied politely.

"And a great morning to you too, Prince James." Sofia said and looked at Amber. "I know we didn't get to talk much at the wedding, but I am so excited to be your new sister, Princess Amber."

"Stepsister." Amber corrected, flicking her fan open like a whip. James winced a bit as Sofia's smile dimmed slightly, though it miraculously stayed on. Point for her for taking that first shot.

"Amber, James," Miranda walked up to the children and knelt down to look at them both. "I know there aren't many fairy tales about kind and loving stepmothers, but I hope you can accept me as part of the family. So I made these."

She handed the twins two velvet badges with the symbol of a Pegasus on the front. Amber and James looked at them curiously.

"Hey, it's our family crest." James said.

"Exactly," Miranda smiled. "Because that's what this is all about, becoming a family."

Roland put a hand on Sofia's shoulder and held her close. "Sofia, welcome to the family."

With that, everything seemed to finally add together for Sofia, who stood with her mother and her new family.

"All hail Queen Miranda Pendragon and Princess Sofia Pendragon."

The crowd erupted into loud cheers for their new queen and princess. Sofia smiled at her mother and held her hand as the royal family stood together in front of the castle.

Roland glanced at someone behind him and cleared his throat. A tall, rather skinny man clad in dark robes with short black hair and sporting a surprisingly long nose stepped forward and held up a thin wooden stick-a wand, Sofia realized with an excited smile.

"Ahem," The man cleared his throat and puffed out his chest. "Surrexerunt pluviam!"

Sofia gasped as a bolt of energy shot from his wand up at the sky. There was a bright flash in the sky, before the clouds suddenly went dark above the castle and it began to rain…rose water? The crowd gave startled shouts as they were suddenly doused in a torrent of rain, and the nearby servants on standby pulled out umbrellas and held them over the royal family to protect them from the rain.

"Cedric, I said flowers," Roland said, glaring lightly at the man. "Not showers. We've been over this."

"A thousand apologies, your majesty." Cedric chuckled nervous and smacked his wand on his hand a couple of times. "S-Still getting used to this wand…"

"No worries, I've got this!" Another boy around the same age as the children stepped forward and clapped his hands. Sofia didn't get a good look at him, but she could see that he had on the same dark robes as Cedric, with longer black hair and slightly pale skin.

"That's Cedric, our royal sorcerer." Roland said to his wife and stepdaughter. "He comes from a family of sorcerers who have served the royal family for generations. The boy there is Dante, his apprentice."

Sofia watched mesmerized as Dante performed a series of quick but complicated hand gestures before raising them to the sky. In a heartbeat, the rain shower dissipated and the sky cleared up. And in the place of raindrops were a shower of rose petals.

"Wow." Sofia breathed. She had never seen real magic in person before, and this was…well, magical!

XXXXXX

When the procession ended, the royal family entered the castle, and Sofia got a better look at the place that would be her new home. Sofia had only gotten a few glimpses of the interior when she first came with her mother, but now that she was moving in, there were lines of servants all bowing to them as they walked by. It was a bit unnerving.

"I never imagined that I'd be living in the castle." Sofia said to Amber, who looked like she wanted to be anywhere but next to her. "This place is so big."

"You'll get used to it. The castle isn't that impressive, though I imagine it is to someone like you." Amber said.

"Amber," James sighed. He looked to see if Sofia was offended, but she was too busy marveling at the massive hall she was exploring.

The walls were lined with intricate paintings of kings and queens of old, the windows were large and framed by purple velvet curtains tied back to allow the afternoon sunlight to shine through. But what was even more miraculous was the throne room.

Sofia had only been there once with her mother to see the king during that fateful encounter. The room was large, and at the center of the room was a large golden throne with a slightly smaller lavender throne next to it.

'That's where mom will be sitting.' Sofia thought. Seeing her mother sitting on a throne as queen of Enchancia, it was still unbelievable to her. Then Sofia realized that another woman once sat there as well, Roland's first wife.

"I wonder what happened to her." She muttered. She heard footsteps and felt someone bump into her, almost knocking her over before she regained her balance.

"What…watch where you're going!" Someone snapped.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean…" Sofia gasped as she saw it was Cedric who bumped into her. "Oh my gosh, you're Mr. Ceedric, the royal magician!"

"It's Cedric, Cedric Emrys, and I am a royal sorcerer, not magician. There's a difference." Said Cedric, who was fiddling a bit with his wand. "And you're the princess Sofia."

"Yup, that's me." Sofia said giddily. "I've never seen a real sorcerer before. That trick you did earlier was uh-mazing!"

"That "trick" as you call it was supposed to be a shower of flower petals, preferably daisies. It would've gone off without a hitch if this bloody wand would stop fighting me." Cedric grumbled. "Besides, conjuring flower showers is not what I'm supposed to be doing anyway."

"Well, what do you do?" Sofia asked.

"I solve the kingdom's magical and supernatural problems. I should be slaying dragons, fighting ogres, stopping natural disasters, but instead, I'm performing parlor tricks to amuse the nobles!" Cedric growled and waved his wand arm in frustration.

Sofia watched worriedly as a bolt of energy flew from his wand and ricocheted off the walls three times before hitting him in the back. Cedric vanished in a puff of green smoke before her very eyes.

"Um, Mr. Ceedric?" Sofia called out. "Are you alright?"

"He'll be fine." Sofia jumped when she heard Dante standing right next to her. He looked at her with a sweet smile. "Cedric's probably teleported himself to some part of the castle. It happens all the time."

"O-Oh," Sofia laughed nervously. "Right. I should probably get used to it, then."

"Don't worry, you will." Dante said and gave her a low bow. "It's a pleasure to meet you in person, Princess Sofia. The name's Dante Emrys, Cedric's apprentice."

"H-Hi, it's a pleasure to meet you too." Sofia gave a little curtsey in return.

Dante looked different up close. His black hair, slightly unkempt, fell a little below his ears, and further down the back of his neck, given him a bit of a rugged appearance. His ears were slightly pointed, his skin a bit pale but not enough to look sickly, and his eyes…they had to be his more enticing feature. They were the deepest green she had ever seen on a person, and were like two emeralds. Sofia had to keep herself from staring so as to not embarrass herself.

"Ahem."

Sofia and Dante looked up to see the castle steward standing there, hands behind his back, looking proper as ever.

"Hello, Princess Sofia, I am Baileywick, the castle steward. It's my job to make sure everything runs smoothly in the castle, and everybody gets to where they need to be on time." He said and flipped out his pocket watch. "And you, princess, were supposed to be at dinner 30 seconds ago."

"Sorry, Baileywick, I was just saying hi to the princess." Dante said and gave Sofia a smile. "I know it's a bit overwhelming for you, but know that if you need anything, just ask. Everyone's here to help you."

"Thank you very much, Dante." Sofia said and quickly made her way to the dining hall.

"Such a sweet girl." Dante said as he watched her walk away. "About time we got another girl around here to counter Amber's viciousness."

"Dante." Baileywick scolded.

"What? The girl's a demon," He replied with a shrug. "I don't have your immortal patience, Baileywick. Even I need a break from Amber every once in a while."

"Even still, you shouldn't antagonize the future queen." The steward said. "You are to be her royal sorcerer after all."

"Don't remind me." Dante said under his breath and trudged away, his mood a bit sour after that exchange. He really hoped that the new princess will liven things up around here, because he didn't think he could stand another day with Amber.

XXXXXX

'I thought Ruby was joking when she said that nobles have six kinds of forks and spoons for dinner.' Sofia thought, biting her lip as she tried to discreetly figure out what fork to use to eat her dinner. It was a losing battle against hunger and the food looked really good.

"Sofia?"

"Ah!" Sofia dropped her three forks and nervously looked at Roland, trying to ignore Amber's barely hidden eye roll. She smiled sheepishly and asked, "Y-Yes, Your Majesty?"

"Sofia, you don't have to be so formal with me. You're more than welcome to…call me father, now that we're family." Roland said softly, giving her a smile.

Sofia smiled back. "Yes, dad?"

"I wanted to inform you of the ball we will be having to celebrate you joining the family."

"A ball? Oh Rollie, you shouldn't have." Miranda gushed.

"We're having a ball? Sweet!" James grinned. "Sofia, you'll love it!"

Amber didn't look as pleased as her brother. "Why is she having a ball? Daddy, I want one too!"

"You and James already had a ball in your honor, during your first birthday." Roland said, giving Amber a look. "Normally I only hold balls for special occasions, but I think having two new members to the family is a good enough reason."

"A ball, wow, I…thank you." Sofia said, unable to believe it. Then she realized something. "Um, what do I do at a ball?"

"Lots of things, there's food, music, dancing, meeting all the nobles," James listed off, practically inhaling his steak. "You know, the good stuff."

"That's a brief summary of what goes on at a ball, but James is right." Roland laughed and held Sofia's hand. "As a new princess, you and I will share the first dance."

Sofia could practically hear the record player screeching to a halt in her head. "Dance?"

"Yes, our first dance together as father and daughter. Nothing too fancy, just a little waltz between you and me."

Just a little waltz, he said it like it was nothing to be worried about. But Sofia wasn't ready for a dance! She didn't know how to dance, nor did she know how to even talk to nobles. She could barely tell what fork to use at dinner!

"The ball will be held within a week, so you should have enough time to get settled in and maybe even make a few friends." Roland said, still smiling at her. "I don't want to rush you through too many things at once."

"That's…that's great, dad. I can't wait." Sofia said with a smile she certainly didn't feel.

XXXXXX

After dinner, Baileywick escorted Sofia to her new room, which left Amber and James to get ready for bed. Amber spent the rest of the evening in a mood, having a deep scowl on her face even as she washed up and marched to her Tiara Room (yes, she has a room designated only for tiaras) so she could retrieve her nighttime tiara before getting ready for bed (Amber had a tiara for almost every occasion, one for every part of the day, one for picnics, one for holidays, and so on. A girl had to look fresh and sparkly whenever possible after all).

"The girl barely spends a day in the castle and fumbles her way into our family and she gets a ball? What is daddy thinking?" Amber growled under her breath. "As if marrying a commoner wasn't bad enough…"

"Oh dear, someone's upset." A teasing voice said behind her.

Amber slowed to a stop, not at all surprised as she turned her head to glare at the young magician leaning against the wall next to her. He had his arms crossed and had on that infuriating smirk of his.

"It's rude to sneak up on a lady when she's alone, Dante." Amber said, glaring at him. "You should know better."

"Good thing you're still a girl, then." Dante remarked.

Amber had always taught herself to be ladylike, but being around Dante made her want to scream and strangle him. He was probably one of the few people in the kingdom who could match her wit aside from her friends.

"What do you want? I don't have time to play your little wizard games."

"Okay, first, the politically correct term is magician, and I just wanted to see you lose your cool for once. And boy I wasn't disappointed." Dante said.

"Good to know that you take pleasure in the suffering of your betters. Now leave me alone. Don't you have your master's messes to clean up?" Amber waved him off. "Go on, shoo."

Amber went back to marching down the hall towards her room, but she didn't get far before Dante hovered next to her, a magical cloud lifting him off the floor and easily matching her pace.

"Amber, seriously, are you really that mad at a widow and her girl? I know you're petty, but this is a bit much, even for you." He said.

"Don't talk like you know how I'm feeling. We were just fine here in the castle, me, James and daddy, just the three of us. And now I have some shoemaker calling herself my mother, and that little brat who thinks she's a princess because she wears a crown, ugh, the audacity!" She stomped her foot in frustration, not wanting to shout lest she attract unwanted attention.

Dante sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Amber, just think about someone else for once. Like your dad. Look at how happy he is. When has he looked so ecstatic before today?"

Amber pushed him aside and kept marching. "Daddy was happy when it was just the three of us. And don't act like you know what I'm feeling just to cover for your new pretty plaything!"

The cloud under Dante's feet slowly broke away, and he landed softly on the carpeted floor, now alone as Amber left him alone in the hall.

XXXXXX

"Oh my god…" Sofia gasped as she saw her new room for the first time.

The walls were bright pink, with a large bed that had probably over a dozen brightly colored pillows sitting on her, and her suitcase sat on the floor by a larger trunk. A mirror and dressing table were located next to her wardrobe, and there was even a little seat right next to the window!

"It's so huge." She breathed. This room had to be almost as big as the second floor of her old house.

"It's just the standard princess suite." Baileywick said, as if it were a completely normal thing to him. "We had it specially prepared for you as per your mother's instructions. Everything you see here is the basic necessities for a young princess such as yourself."

Sofia wandered over to a pair of doors by her bed and opened them, her eyes growing as wide as saucers at the sight of a huge closet full of sparkly dresses, from white to lavender to dark violet. It made her feel even more inadequate in the peasant's dress she still wore.

"This is all for me?" She asked.

"Yes, princess." He nodded. "And if you ever need anything at any time, just ring the bell and I'll have Violet attend to you right away."

"If I need anything, got it." Sofia nodded. "Thank you, Baileywick."

"You're very welcome, princess." Baileywick walked to the door and nodded to her. "Good night."

"Good night." She said as the doors closed.

Now that she was finally alone, she had the room all to herself. All alone, with just her thoughts for company. Just her…

"I can't do this." Sofia whined. All of her insecurities came crashing back down on her like a tidal wave and she felt a surge of anxiety hit her hard.

Just a few weeks ago she was a normal girl living alone with her mother, just living her life day by day as a village girl playing with her friends and helping her mother at their shoe-shop. Now here she was, the newest princess of Enchancia taken from her tiny house to live in a big, fancy castle, living out the dream that every girl in the world had at least once in their lives. But…it was just too much.

This room was too large for her, her closet had more clothes than she could use in a single lifetime, her bed had too many pillows, there was too much jewelry, too much perfume, the list goes on and on. All of this was for her and she had no idea how to deal with it.

"I'm not ready for any of this." Sofia sighed and rubbed her face. As if things weren't bad enough, tomorrow was her first day at Royal Prep. "I need to talk to mom."

Keeping this bottled up inside her wasn't going to do her any good. She needed someone to talk to before she went crazy from her own thoughts. Sofia got up from her bed and went to the door, opening the door only to nearly fall over a tiny form sitting in the doorway.

"Meow."

"A cat?" Sofia blinked down at the small black cat that was sitting in front of her, staring up at her with dark green eyes. "Um, hello. Are you lost?"

The cat looked at her dryly, as if asking if she was really asking it that in her situation.

"Right, stupid question." Sofia looked up and down the hallway, biting her lip as she tried to figure out where her mom's room was. "You wouldn't happen to know where I can find my parents' room, do you?"

The cat gave another whine before getting up and running down the hall. It paused at the corner and looked back at her, as if asking her to follow. Sofia decided to take a chance and followed after the cat.

After a few minutes of turning down corners that all looked the same and passing by multiple suits of armor and expensive looking artworks, the cat (who had a phenomenal sense of direction) led Sofia to large set of doors that belonged to the royal suite where her parents were staying.

"You actually got me here. Thank you…" Sofia turned to the cat, only to find it gone, without a trace or sound. She stood there perplexed for a moment before the door opened and Miranda poked her head out.

"Sofia?"

"Hi, mom." Sofia smiled weakly.

XXXXXX

Sofia sat with her mother on a red velvet couch in front of the fireplace. Miranda rubbed her daughter's back soothingly as the girl sat slumped against the arm rest looking very distressed.

"Sofia, what's wrong?" Miranda asked. "Are you feeling alright?"

"No, I'm…I don't know, mom." Sofia sighed. "It's just that everything's changed so much. I have a new room, a new home, new siblings that I barely even know, and now there's going to be a ball that I have to dance at, but I don't know how to dance and I'll embarrass myself."

"You won't embarrass yourself, Sofia. You'll do fine." Miranda said.

"No, I'll trip over my feet and everyone will laugh at me." She replied, hiding her face in her arms.

"Sofia, no one would dare laugh at a princess."

"Says who?" Sofia grumbled.

Miranda sighed and pulled her daughter in close. Sofia always tried hard to act dependable and mature around people that it was easy to forget that she was just a little girl in a strange, new world. She held Sofia's cheeks and looked into her eyes, which were blue-green, the same as her father's.

"Sofia, just try the best you can. You can't please everybody, and you shouldn't try to." Miranda said. "If your dancing isn't enough for all those dukes and duchesses, then that's their problem. This is about you, not them."

Sofia gave a little smile at her mother's words of encouragement, but she still looked a bit unsure. Then Roland stepped up, holding something in his hands.

"Sofia, I want to give you something." He said and held out a beautiful purple amulet that rested on a silver chain.

"Wow, it's beautiful." Sofia said.

"It's my gift to you, a little present to welcome you to the family." Roland smiled and clasped the amulet to her neck. "Sofia, I know you're scared and uncomfortable with how fast everything's changing for you, but I want you to know that you don't have to be scared around me. I'm not expecting you to adjust to things right away, but just know that I'm here for you, and so is Baileywick and everyone else in the castle. And I hope that you'll accept me as your father, too."

Sofia ran her fingers over the amulet, which felt warm in her hands. She smiled up at her new father. "I think you're doing a good job already."

Roland chuckled and held her small hands in his. "That's good to hear. Now you better get some sleep. It's getting late and you have school in the morning."

"School?" She asked. Sofia hadn't thought about school, with everything else going on.

"Royal Prep, it's where every prince, princess and noble learns our royal ways. You'll learn everything you need to learn as a princess, and that includes how to act at a ball," Roland explained and smiled at her. "Which I am very much looking forward to."

"Me too," Sofia laughed and grasped Roland's hands tighter. "Thank you!"

"You'll do fine, Sofia." Miranda hugged her and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "I love you, Sofia."

Sofia hugged her back, feeling better than ever. "I love you too, mom."

XXXXXX

Unknown to Sofia at that time, the moment she acquired the amulet, was the moment her life changed for ever. Her possession of it would set forth a series of events thatwill lead her down a path of adventure and great danger. However, Sofia wouldn't know this right away. For now, she was just content that her new father had faith in her, as did her mother, and that this big, old castle finally started to feel like home.

Welcome to the first chapter of what I like to call the Sofia the First: Reborn project. This is basically me writing an reimagining of the Sofia the First series while taking a lot of inspiration from mythology and folklore, while doing the series in a slightly more mature style while still keeping with what made the cartoon so loveable to me. Thin of it as making Sofia the First similar to Harry Potter, in which the series grows up with the characters and slowly gets darker as things progress.

There are a lot of changes I made here, namely that Sofia is 12 years old, and James and Amber are 13. Yes, the Pendragon surname is going to be relevant further down the road. There won't be any Disney characters in the story, but you'll find that there are a lot of things taken from Arthurian legend and English literature. We also have an OC character joining the main cast-Dante, Cedric's godson/apprentice who will be Sofia's partner in crime/best friend/possible love interest. And yes, I also completely overhauled Sofia's animal friends. You'll be meeting them next chapter.

This is seriously new territory for me, but considering I just got done binge watching all four seasons of the show, I'm just gonna YOLO it and see what happens.