12. THE PICNIC

Sofia let out a deep sigh once she entered her chamber, feeling glad after managed getting herself away from the fancy banquet that for her, wasn't that entertaining. After a quick warm shower, she laid down on the bed and felt how every muscle in her body finally relaxed from the exhausting day. The midnight spring breeze blew in through the open balcony carrying with it the fragrance of flowers from the royal garden. For once since her arrival in the Kingdom of Albuquerque, Sofia felt heaven and peace. The floral scent just like an aromatherapy caressing her lung so gently bringing soothe and calm feeling to her mind. She sighed contentedly. She liked the decoration in the room, it was not too classic and medieval style like that of Amber's. It was more simple but still looked elegant and classy, which was more to her liking. But that moment, she couldn't bring herself to admire the stunning decor of her room, as she was exhausted and could almost feel the energy briskly draining out of her body. She closed her eyes and almost drifted into the realm of unconsciousness when she heard an impatient knock on the door.

"Enter." Her voice was timid and soft. Too soft to be heard by whoever standing at the other side of the door, but she just couldn't care less about it. The door burst opened and Princess Amber skipped into the room.

"Sofia! Do not sleep yet. Why did you leave the party early and hiding here? This party has been held to honor us, for god sake!" Asked the blonde princess, stalking her sister.

Sofia groaned.

"Amber, do you not feel tired or sleepy? I'm not in the mood to talk, right now. No bedtime story, no girl talk tonight, alright?"

Sofia wanted to tell Amber that her precious mood was gone the moment she had been insulted by Duke Alexis and then, Hugo's complicated behavior didn't make the situation any better. But she decided to remain silent and just quit thinking about those annoying idiots, not wanting to become more annoy than she already did. More than anything, she had better things to do than thinking about those arrogant fools and they were just not worth occupying the space in her brain.

"Come on, it's not even midnight. Who the heck sleep this early when there is a party in full swing down there?" Exclaimed Amber. "They were looking for you, you know, those eligible nobles. They asked me a lot about you, and you made them disappointed by leaving the party early."

Sofia peeked her sister through a half-shut eye and caught her meaningful smirk.

Ugh, I know that smirk.

"Amber, don't you dare to pull any nonsense behind my back." She warned, knowing all too well about Amber's matchmaker's mode. Amber had this habit of surveying any eligible bachelors in town for Sofia and then set up 'unintentional' date for her younger sister, that put her in awkward situations many times, much to her despise. When princesses at her age usually talked about their prince charming, Sofia had been more interested in talking about flying derby, her silly science experiments she did with Prince Desmond or about smelly enchanting potions she had brewed with Cedric or Lucinda. Amber could not fathom Sofia's lack of interest in men and had always made sure to drag Sofia along with her when attending any social parties in the hope of meeting a prospect for her younger sister, or for herself.

I don't want to rot in this castle my entire life for failing to find a husband. Amber said that many times.

Honestly, Sofia could not understand why one of the most beautiful princesses in the inter-kingdom such as Amber would worry about such thing. It's not that she had not been able to get a suitor at all, despite her desperate quest of finding a husband. Who wouldn't want Princess Amber? She was the true definition of a 'proper princess'. Sofia was aware of a few young nobles in their kingdom vying for her sister's attention and wanted to be her suitor. She also knew that Prince Derek had long been admiring the blonde princess since Junior Royal Prep and wanted her badly to be his future queen. But Amber did not seem to be interested in these prospect suitors what more to give attention. Amber's problem was, she was looking for the best. No, the perfect one. Or most probably, she was just searching for the right one. Still, Sofia was not sure which one was true out of the many assumptions. But she thought that not even Amber knew the actual direction of her quest and what she truly wants. The only person that had been able to catch her sister's interest was Prince Hugo. But, they had never gone on a date. Because Hugo had just been a crush. He never knew Amber liked him since Amber had never told him. While it's true that Amber and her trio swooned over him when they were in Royal Prep but that antics had long been forgotten by everyone. They were just kids after all and hardly knew what they were doing. Whatever feelings they had back then was just a puppy love, as most adults called it. And Amber barely spoke about him if unnecessary. Until now. Until she first knew about the courtship proposal from the Albuquerque, only then she started mentioning his name again.

Sofia had been snapped out of her musing by a small movement close to her. Amber flopped down on the edge of the bed, casting an amusing look at Sofia.

"Sofia, how lucky you had got to dance with the king. Everyone knows King Garrick is a stern and cold-hearted king. He hardly gives attention to anyone, especially a princess. To have him dance with you, was really an honor for Enchancia."

"Surely you did not come all the way over here to comment about my dance with the King, do you?" Sofia curled comfortably beneath the warm soft sheet, eyeing her sister lazily.

Amber cleared her throat.

"Sofia, what actually happened between you and Hugo, just now? What did he say?" Amber decided to get straight to the point.

"Nothing, except that he being a jerk." Her face soured when a brief image of the said prince came into her mind, but her adrenaline suddenly peaked as she remembered something.

"Amber, do you know that he actually loves someone?" Sofia got up on the bed to sit eye leveled with Amber. Suddenly she felt energetic again in her eagerness to deliver the biggest news of the year to her sister.

Amber gasped.

"Really? Oh, no. I'm doomed!" Amber squeaked. She gave Sofia a scrutinized look. "How do you know?"

Sofia swallowed. "I heard his conversation with his father." She then told Amber about her unexpected encounter with Hugo just before the dinner, never letting out even a single detail. "Unfortunately, the Council denied his pursuit of the princess. So, he could not proceed with the courtship like how you and Axel do."

Amber frowned and looked at Sofia deeply, taking in the new information.

"To fill the void left by the princess, King Garrick decided to invite me instead, and made me the guest of honor. No wonder Hugo got mad and pulled his anger out on me." Said Sofia bitterly.

"So, he actually loves someone?" Asked Amber softly, a little disappointed.

"He is. And he even mentioned about her during our dance. He said his heart had been stolen whatsoever. As if I'm interested to know about his love story."

"I can't believe it he told you all that." Amber murmured.

"Only because he wanted to annoy me." Sofia crossed her arms over her chest.

Amber's initial enthusiasm as she first got into the room vanished instantly upon listening to the 'bad' news. Sofia noticed the difference in her sister's mood and she hated it to be the one who broke the news.

"Oh, Amber. Don't be sad. Maybe he does like you. Maybe he couldn't court you to give way to his brother since Axel is the eldest. You know, two princes of the same kingdom could not court the same princess." She persuaded her.

"Whatever the reason was, it's not him who courts me. It was still Axel."

"I know. But Axel is also hot, though. He's got everything a girl could ask for, even he's a bit playboy." Sofia blurted out the latter statement before she could hold it back. She looked at Amber's gloomy face, not knowing what to do to make Amber feel better. She wished she could just shut her mouth to avoid further damage. There was a long pause before she managed to speak again. "Amber, if you really like Hugo, you must try to win his heart. Who knows..." Sofia trailed off.

Amber gave Sofia a small smile that did not quite reached her eyes. "Sofia, I wonder who is this princess that Hugo fancy. Do you think she is someone we know? How did Hugo get to know her? Is she beautiful?" So many questions popped into her mind simultaneously.

Sofia shook her head. "I'm sorry, I do not know. I just pity her for getting that jerk as a suitor. Poor girl."

"And I wonder why had Hugo been denied on the courtship?" Amber still with her many questions, as she was rubbing her temple lightly. She always did that when she got her brain worked extra hard.

"Hm, if I guessed it right, I would say that she is someone without a title. Maybe she is not a princess or any noble, but a mere commoner. You had just seen how snobbish his mother was and how she disdained commoner. I think she would rather die than has a commoner as her daughter in law. I'm sure she must be the one who has had objected their courtship." The intimidating image of Queen Eleanor with her cold and frosty look slipped gloriously into Sofia's mind, that almost made her cringed.

"You're right! That was the possible reason."

"Whatever the reason was, be glad about it. That means, he is still available and you still have your chance."

Amber grinned, finally. "Sofia, you always know how to make me feel better."

TUSoPS

The next day was quiet and peaceful as the king's guests had gradually left the palace and went back to their respective locations. Sofia did not have any formal schedule that day, so she was free for the rest of the day to do anything she liked, which she was very glad for it. Sofia looked out at the view of the partial royal garden that could be seen from the balcony of her room. She planned to spend the day by strolling around the royal garden to enjoy the amazing color variety of gorgeous flowers the spring season normally offers. It's so good to see the blooming tulips, lilies, red poppies, bluebonnets, cherry blossoms and many other colorful flowers after a seemingly endless dull gray winter. The world seems to come alive not only with brilliant color but also soothing fragrance. She heard that Alburquerque's Royal Garden was one of the most beautiful gardens in the entire Inter-Kingdom, for it inhabited many unique and exotic beautiful flowers that could not be found elsewhere. Despite the kingdom's identity as a powerful military, it was also famous as a beautiful country, mainly due to its flora species and natural wonders. That's why the kingdom had made the Spring Festival its annual celebration and it had been one of the main attractions for tourists to Albuquerque.

A picnic in the garden one of these days would be perfect!

Sofia made a mental note to remind her handmaid to bring a blanket together and a basket of cookies for their picnic. She wondered if Prince Victor or Princess Elena would be willing to accompany her to show the garden. Before she could think further of her plan, a palace servant came in with a message from Prince Victor.

"Prince Victor would like to invite Princess Sofia to go recreational boating on the River of Callisto, this afternoon. River of Callisto is the longest river in our kingdom, the main source of fresh water and fish for the surrounding villages. Princesses Amber and Elena, as well as Princes Axel and Hugo will also join the boating." Informed the servant.

Sofia nodded and dismissed the servant.

"Sounds like a plan." She grinned at Scarlett, her handmaid. Scarlett was the younger sister of Violet, Sofia's previous handmaid, who had been promoted to become the Chief Maid in the Enchancia's Palace.

"It's a good outdoor and sightseeing activities, Your Highness. Besides enjoying the scenery along the river, it's also a great way to get a glimpse of the people of Albuquerque and their lifestyle." Scarlett chimed in.

"I agree. I'm sure it will be exciting!"

"I would better prepare your attire for your afternoon recreation." Scarlett made her way toward the closet and began selecting the dress for her lady.

TUSoPS

That afternoon, right after lunch, Sofia and the other recreational members assembled at the palace compound. The group of six royals began their walk from the palace compound to the nearest jetty which was just about 15 minutes of leisure walk from the palace. Their journey seemed to feel short as they were all happy and time was filled with laughs and chatters especially from the ladies.

The jetty was one of the main stopovers at River of Callisto as the river served as the main water transportation that connecting the other places to the king's palace and the town. It was a preferable way of transportation for the subjects as it was much cheaper than carriage or horse riding. A lodge was built near the jetty to house the boats while a few guest houses for travelers and taverns were also located nearby. The jetty keeper rushed to greet them upon seeing the royal group. Dozens of rowing boats were floating near the river bank and a few of oarsmen were sitting close by, patiently waiting for potential customers.

Each boat could only bring two passengers at a time, excluded the oarsman. Thus, they had to split up and hired three boats for the group. Axel and Amber would ride in the same boat, Hugo with Elena and Sofia rode with Victor. Sofia and Victor's boat was the last to leave the jetty and they listened to the oarsman giving the safety tips during the start of the trip.

"Please remember to sit still at the center of the boat for the entire journey. Do not sit on the same side, either at the left or right side of the boat, do not lean down headlong into the water or standing, as doing such things might cause unbalance to the boat. You may fall into the water or worse, the boat may turn upside down and we might not be able to continue with the journey." Explained the oarsman.

Sofia and Victor just nodded in understanding and watched the oarsman who was sitting at the back end of the boat, rowing two crossed oars to propel the boat.

The view along the River of Callisto was amazing and totally a new experience for Sofia. Not all of the subjects recognized them as their royals. Peasants were looking at them with curiosity, surprised at having a group of noble in their finest clothes riding in the boat and not few were gawking at the royals. The river was pretty busy as a medium of transportation. Few other boats were carrying passengers from different locations to their intended destination. The river was also a source of income for the villagers. Fishermen were fishing from their boat with rod and net and then sell their catch in the market. At one time, Sofia and Victor could see villagers having a bath in the river and a few women washed clothes. Houses and settlements were built along the river and turned the area into a high-density population. Engrossed in the sight, Sofia had not realized the boat left the mainstream to turn into a smaller branch of the river. The three boats finally came to a halt at a much secluded area, quite hidden from the view of people coming from the mainstream.

The land near the river bank was flat and green, yet surrounded by shady fruit trees, giving just the right amount of sunlight over the area. Water lilies grew along the river bank added color to the already beautiful scenery, made the area a perfect spot for a romantic picnic. The place was still wild, untouched and truly a hidden gem that only a few had been able to discover. The pairs got off of their boat and set up blankets and picnic baskets on the grass. The ladies were either plucking fruits to fill up their picnic basket or picking flowers to make a garland or a tiara, while the gentlemen were fishing and competed to catch fish as much as they could get. Axel and Hugo strived to catch the biggest fish to impress the ladies, but it was Victor who managed to catch a big black crappie fish, to everyone's surprise. Victor proudly gave the fish to Sofia to be cleaned and barbecued. The barbecue session proved to be entertaining, with the men teasing the ladies about their cooking skills and the correct way of cleaning the fish. The ladies defended themselves and commented about the men having the upper hand in their military training and learned to live independently.

Soon after they had their stomach filled, Victor excused himself, reluctantly telling everyone he had to go back to the palace to attend the afternoon fencing lesson. Sofia briskly got to her feet and offered to accompany the young prince back to the palace, but Elena beats her to it.

"Don't worry about it, Sofia. I'll accompany Victor back to the palace. Besides, this is my place and I'm more familiar with the area than you." Said Elena, looking alternatingly between Sofia and Victor. Sofia agreed begrudgingly and watched Hugo following them to the boat and gave a few words to the oarsman who would accompany the pair going back to the palace.

"You owed me this." Elena murmured softly and winked at Hugo when she was certain nobody was looking at them.

"Hm." Was Hugo reply.

A huge grin cracked over Victor's face, only to be caught by Axel and Amber. But they said nothing.

After Victor and Elena's departure, the picnic was then left all to Amber, Axel, Hugo and Sofia. Sofia shifted uncomfortably when she realized they were like having some double date, there. But that feeling didn't last long when she saw how both princes were looking at Amber admiringly and smiled and laughed at everything she was saying. And Amber looked extremely happy with the attention she was getting from the two males that probably mattered the most to her. Suddenly, Sofia felt like she was an outsider, intruding their personal moment. This should be a threesome, here. She was just a bother, an extra person. She shouldn't be there.

"Hugo, you should try this. I marinated this fish with special spices." Amber extended a plate of barbecued fish to Hugo. "Just for you." She added with a sweet smile. Hugo murmured a thank you and looked at Amber with a glint in his eyes.

"Sofia, what are your plans after graduation?" Asked Axel suddenly.

"My plan?" Sofia startled, never expected to be asked such a question. "Honestly, I don't know. Maybe I'll just help mom and dad run the kingdom. You know, doing all those trivial things nobody wants to do." She said humbly.

"Sure you can't stay long in Enchancia. You have to follow your future husband when you get married." Said Axel, leisurely, did not care at all about the sensitivity of the topic.

Sofia blushed. She had never discussed such topic openly with anyone. Actually, she had never thought about it.

You will stay here in Enchancia forever, and help me run the kingdom when I become a king. Said James once to her.

"I've never thought about it." She answered sheepishly. "Maybe... Maybe I'll just help James..."

There she had been cut off. "Sofia, you should stop including James in whatever things you're planning to do. He is not a little boy anymore. Your world doesn't revolve around him, you know." Squeaked Amber, as if trying to knock some sense into Sofia's head, totally forgetting the two princes who were looking amusingly at both sisters. "He will also get married, and so are you. We'll have a different life someday."

"I know we would have a different life. I just... I just don't have a plan, yet." Sofia looked off, in deep thinking. Completely oblivious of the heavy gaze from the two princes directing at her.

The two pairs continued chatting and eating happily. The ladies sat on the boulders and soaked their feet in the shallow river to cool off their body as the temperature getting warmer. They finally decided to pack up and went back to the palace as the sun moving slowly to its lowest point on the horizon.

This time, Sofia had to ride in the same boat with Hugo. Their boat moved after Amber and Axel's, who had left them far away behind. Sitting facing each other in the boat, proving to be too much for Sofia. She had not been able to understand why she had this agitated feeling and slightly disturbed, being alone with him. Well, they were not alone actually. The oarsman was also there. She cast her eyes away, not willing to see a smirk or a teasing smile or a haughty stare from that arrogant jerk, if any. The fact that the jerk was looking quite handsome that day didn't really help to reduce her anxiousness, when her heart was beating fast and hard all of a sudden. She wondered why that rowing boat was moving damn slow and took a longer time to arrive at the jetty.

Hugo watched the young princess before him. She was beautiful wearing a yellow floral printed sundress. The dress was slightly below knee length, exposing her slender, perfect shape legs. Her skin looked so delicate like a fine silk, smooth, flawless and tempting. He swallowed and cursed his sudden need to run his fingers on that soft skin. Hugo averted his eyes away, refused to let the forbidden sight stay on his mind, afraid it might haunt him every day and night. A beige straw hat adorned with a lilac ribbon perched on her head, accentuating her simplicity yet chic style. Her silky tresses dancing in the winds behind her shoulders in synchronize movements with the breeze's direction. She looked stunning. Hugo wondered if he was really looking at a human being or a nymph.

Perhaps, Goddess Callisto herself, whom the river had been named after, decided to pay me a visit in disguise of the avatar before my eyes. Hugo smirked at his foolish mind. Truly, this girl makes me stupid.

Callisto, which meant 'most beautiful' in Greek was really the perfect description of the young princess, who was now staring at him.

"Callisto." He murmured, unknowingly.

"What?" Asked Sofia in edgy voice, looking at the prince who was smirking at her. Unable to interpret the meaning of his smirk, she made her own assumption.

"Nothing."

"Oh, but I clearly heard you had said something. Pray tell..."

"I will say nothing, nor explain anything. Because you will only listen to something you want to listen."

"Are you telling me that I'm the one being pigheaded here?" Sofia jumped to her feet, as her anger built up.

Hugo smirked.

"I didn't imply as such. But, since you know better about your own temperament, I guess maybe it's right. I see that you are always making such a foolish assumption. Are you really stubborn or just plain stupid?" He intoned louder at the last two words.

At this point, the temperature in Sofia's pit of stomach reached its boiling point. Her body moved on its own accord as she absent-mindedly lunged forward toward Hugo, pointing her index finger at his chest. Hugo had also been standing up, towering over her and plastering his face with the most imperious expression he could muster.

"Look, Prince Hugo of Albuquerque." She said his title in a mocking tone. "I'm not to be blamed if you were the one who being the jerk all the time. I thought I knew you, but I was wrong. You are such an arrogant, pompous moron, the jerkiest of the jerk, complete dumb..."

Sofia was unable to finish her yell when the boat started to become unbalanced and tilted steeply to one side. They looked at each other in shocked and could barely register what was happening. Suddenly, a push of rough waves washed over them, turning the boat upside down and they were all fell into the water.


AN: Hello there, thank you very much that you have read this far. I would like to respond to a few reviews on the last chapter.

SofiaxHugo Fan: Don't worry, I will 'cut' Hugo's hair to its original style in the later chapter. I agree his original hairstyle suited him better.
STR2D3PO: Hugo was very arrogant and may act foolishly sometimes. I think, it's not easy for him to tell her he liked her in the middle of dance.
Erika Adrienne Platina: I didn't know Hugo's eyes were dark green. According to Disney Wiki website, they were hazel. So, I'll just stick to that for this story.
Luiz4200: Did you mean Elena of Avalor? Since I don't have a plan to include her into this story, so I just created another Elena. I guessed I like that name very much and just couldn't think of any other name.
Fanfics craycray: I just made up that name. Usain Bolt had nothing to do with this story. Please, don't claim royalty from me, I don't get a penny from this story. LOL...

NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW: What's going on with these two? With all the unpleasant situations, how would they fall in love? Please give me a chapter for one more difficulty I have spared for them (I try to be cruel). After that, maybe I'll try to arrange a date for them. A real date... (If they behaved)

REVIEW: Anything? Please do not hesitate to press the review button.