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Chapter 4: Family Matters

In the observatory, Sofia was waiting for James. He was supposed to be here by now. He must have gotten distracted in the garden trying to catch a lizard or something. Sofia decided to pass the time by working at one of the desks, coloring a picture of the night sky. Humming happily as she colored, one if the pencils she had been using earlier rolled off of, and underneath the desk. "Oops!" She uttered quietly.

When she crawled under the desk to retrieve her pencil she saw what looked like a gold handle on the floor near the wall. "Huh, I wonder what that could be?" She asked herself. She grabbed her pencil and then gave the handle a small tug. It opened easily enough, but only about half an inch because it was blocked by the desk.

Sofia got out from under the desk and grunted as she pushed the desk out of the way. It was hard to push at first, but it got easier once she got a little momentum going. Once she could see the full outline of the trap door, she stopped and looked down at the door with one eyebrow raised. The door itself was not much smaller than her head and was much too small for any person to get through. "Why would this be covered up by a desk?" She asked herself, puzzling for a second. She then shrugged and bent down to open the door.

Inside, there was a big, dark blue scroll that fit perfectly in the little cubby. Just then, Sofia heard the door to the observatory open. She looked behind her and saw her brother walking in.

"James!" Sofia called, waving excitedly. "Look what I found!" Sofia reached into the floor and pulled with all her might. Out came an enormous, dark blue scroll; it was taller than the young girl—about as tall as her brother—and she struggled to lift it by herself.

"Wow!" James exclaimed as he rushed over to help his sister. "What is this thing?"

"I don't know," grunted Sofia as she hefted the rest of the scroll out of the floor. "But we're going to find out!"

Once James had one end of the scroll and Sofia had the other, they each looked around, "where should we put it?" Asked James.

Sofia thought for a second. "How about over there?" she suggested, gesturing with her head.

James nodded and the two walked a few paces to the most open part of the observatory floor. "Ok, right here is good." Said Sofia.

They dropped the scroll on the ground with a loud thud that echoed throughout the large, dome room. "Maybe we shouldn't have dropped it." Sofia coughed, waving dust out of her face.

James, who was also coughing, nodded in agreement. "Anyway, what is this thing?" He asked curiously.

"There's only one way to find out!" Sofia gave the scroll a mighty push and it unfurled about halfway. James then gave it another push and it unfurled the rest of the way.

The scroll was dark blue and had many white dots that were seemingly arranged in pictures. "Brilliant! It's a star chart!" James exclaimed.

Sofia was a little bit confused, she'd never heard of a star chart before. "What's that?" she asked.

"You know how the stars make up pictures in the night sky?" James pointed to the ceiling. Sofia nodded.

"Well, it's basically a map of all those pictures. It tells us where the stars are so that we can study them when the sun is out." James motioned to one of the astroglyphs. "See, here's Pegasus major, and that one right there is the Snake."

Sofia looked at the giant scroll. "Cool! I've never seen a star chart before, but when I was little, my mom would take me outside at night and tell me stories about the stars and the pictures they made." Sofia smiled at the memory.

James looked at her inquisitively. "What kind of stories?" He asked.

Sofia felt somewhat proud that it was finally someone other than her who was asking the questions. "Well, you see the Pegasus and the Snake? Over here, just above the Snake, you have the Maid. It's said that one day, the Maid was in her garden and she saw the Snake. She was about to kill it when it said 'please don't kill me, I only need some food. If you let me stay near your house, I'll eat all the rats so they don't eat the fruit in your garden.' The Maid said the Snake could stay in her garden, but only if he promised not to go into the barn to eat her chicken eggs, for she needed them to make bread. The Snake promised that he'd only eat the rats, so the Maid trusted him and let him stay. Then, during the night, the Snake went into the barn and was about to eat one of the chicken eggs when the Pegasus saw him and said, 'You promised the Maid you wouldn't eat her chicken eggs.' But the Snake didn't care what the Pegasus said because he was locked in his stable. The Snake opened his mouth to eat one of the eggs when suddenly, the Pegasus flew out of his stable and trampled the Snake because he lied to the Maid and betrayed her trust."

James smiled at his sister. "That's pretty cool Sofia. I have never heard any stories about the stars like that before."

Sofia smiled back at him. "Thanks James." She was glad he liked the story. She was a little worried he would say something to make fun of her. Instead he went on to ask another question.

"Are there any other stories? What about the Dragon and the Knight? I bet there's one about those two!"

Sofia giggled, she hadn't expected her brother to be so excited by the stories she'd heard from her early childhood. "There is a story, James, but it may not be quite what you're expecting," Sofia laughed. She told him the story about the Knight, the Dragon and the Hunter; how the Hunter went out one day looking for food and was attacked by the Dragon who was protecting her babies, but the Hunter apologized and then the Dragon gave him some food she had gathered. Then the Knight, who was concerned about his friend the Hunter, went out looking for him and, not realizing the Dragon was also a friend to the Hunter, killed her, so the Hunter was very angry with the Knight. That was why you never judge someone before you know them.

James listened as Sofia told him more stories about the stars and of the lessons they carried. They talked and laughed until it was time for dinner and Baileywick came to fetch them.

"Sofia, you'll have to tell me more stories about the stars sometime!" James said excitedly.

Sofia giggled as they walked to the dining room together. "Sure thing James! I'm glad you like them so much." She replied happily.

The two walked together, chattering gleefully as they entered the dining room. Roland smiled at his children. "You two seem to be having fun. What did you do today?"

James spoke up before Sofia could. "Dad, it was brilliant! Sofia found this huge star chart in the floor of the observatory!"

Roland looked surprised. "Really? I thought the old star chart had gotten lost. I haven't seen that thing since I was your age. Where did you find it Sofia?" Her dad asked.

"I found a small door on the floor under one of the desks while I was coloring a picture." Sofia explained.

"That's great Sofia!" her Dad smiled at her.

"Thanks Dad," she replied as she picked up her fork to begin eating.

"Oh, and Dad! Sofia was telling me all about the stories that the stars tell! My favorite one was of Jayson and his search for the Golden Silk!" James waved his fork in the air as if he were sword fighting an invisible enemy. Sofia giggled at her brother's antics while Amber just rolled her eyes and sighed.

The family ate their meal, chatting happily for the most part, but Sofia noticed her mother had barely touched her food and it was almost time for dessert. When there was a lull in the conversation, Sofia decided to speak up, "Mom, are you ok? You haven't eaten much."

It seemed like hearing Sofia pulled her out of a trance. Miranda sighed and paused before she spoke. "I won't lie to you Sofia," she said. "I did see something that made me very upset today, but we can talk about it after dinner."

Sofia gave her mother a very concerned look. What could have happened? Why couldn't she tell them now? Suddenly, Sofia didn't have an appetite for dessert. "Um, may I be excused? I'm full," she stated half-heartedly.

Miranda and Roland glanced at each other, then Miranda nodded. "Why don't you go ahead and get ready for bed. I'll be there in a little bit to come and tuck you in," her mother replied. Sofia smiled and nodded, it wasn't every night her mom tucked her in anymore, but she always enjoyed it.

Sofia got down from her chair and made her way to her room. When she got there, Clover was already waiting for her, lying on her bed. "Hey Princess!" he exclaimed when she walked in the room.

"Hi Clover," Sofia managed a small smile for her rabbit friend. Clover looked at her, concerned.

"Whoa, what's wrong Sof? Did something happen?" he asked.

"I don't know. That's the problem. Mom didn't eat much at dinner, and when I asked her what was wrong, she said that something made her really upset today and that she'd talk to me about it later." Sofia plopped on her bed and sat next to the bunny.

"Hmm… well, if she said she'd talk to you about it, there's nothing to worry about right? You'll find out soon." Clover replied with a reassuring smile.

"You're right Clover. You always know what to say." She smiled and patted Clover on the head.

Clover struck a pose. "Well, of course! I am a blue ribbon bunny," he bragged.

Sofia giggled and proceeded to get ready for bed. Clover was right. She had nothing to worry about, everything was going to be fine and Mom would be there soon to tuck her in, so she should just relax.

She kept telling herself things like these, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right. She tried her best to ward it off and climbed into bed just as she heard a knock at her door.

"Come in," she called.

Her mom came into the room and closed the door, softly smiling at Sofia as she did.

"Hi Mom, what did you want to talk about?" Sofia asked; she was done waiting and she wanted to know what was going on.

Miranda walked over and sat on the bed, and stroked Sofia's hair. She let out a solemn sigh and cupped her daughter's face in her hand. Sofia scrunched her lips and puffed out one cheek slightly, unsure of what to make of her mother's actions.

Miranda looked at her daughter and breathed deeply, "Sofia, today…"

Sofia could tell her mom was struggling to say whatever it was she needed to. Miranda turned her body so she was facing her daughter, then took her hands and held them. Sofia was tempted to speak, but she had the feeling that if she did, it would only make it harder for her mom, so she just held her hands and looked at her intently, showing her that she was ready to listen.

"Sofia, today, your father came by the castle. Your real father."

It took a second to register. At first she didn't know what to say, she just stared at her mother, then at the floor. Sofia was stunned. There was a long moment of silence before either of them spoke. It was Miranda who finally broke the pregnant silence.

Miranda sighed and looked away from her daughter. "Your birth father, Birk. The man I was married to before Roland. I know I never told you about him before. Honestly, I hoped I wouldn't have to, especially since I married Roland. After that, I thought I'd never have to because you adopted him as a father just as quickly as he adopted you as a daughter."

Sofia was hurt. All this time her mother had purposefully been keeping the existence of her real father secret from her. How could she do that? This was all so confusing. Her mother had never lied to her before, at least, not that she knew of. Sofia pulled her hands out of her mother's grip and looked away.

Sorrow filled Miranda's eyes as she watched, for the first time, her daughter erect an emotional wall between them. Though she had expected her daughter to react negatively, it was not enough to prepare her for the immediate rejection. "Sofia, I'm so sorry, I just couldn't bare to tell you the truth."

Sofia glared at her mom with scorn. "Well, the truth would have been better than nothing at all, which is what you told me. Didn't you always say that something is still a lie, even if the person never knows about it?"

Miranda closed her eyes and looked down. "I am so sorry Sofia," she said slowly. Sofia saw tears beginning to form in her mother's eyes and almost instantly, Sofia's anger dissipated and was replaced by compassion. She had never seen her mother cry before.

"Would you forgive me if I told you why I didn't want you to know about him?" she pleaded. Sofia waited until her mother looked up at her, and then nodded sadly.

Miranda sighed and wiped a tear from her cheek. "Your father, Birk… was a good man, and a good husband before he started drinking. After a couple years, I found out that I was pregnant with you, so I told him that he needed to stop, or I would leave him." Miranda paused as she drew in a shaky breath. "He was almost able to do it too, but after he slipped up one more time, I had to go. It wasn't going to be safe for you around him. I couldn't bare to tell you because I didn't want you to know the pain that I experienced with him. If I were to ever marry again, I wanted you to have a pure view of a father, but I also couldn't bear to lie to you and tell you he was a good man and make up a story about him losing his life. So whenever you asked me, I froze up and changed the subject." Miranda looked down. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you Sofia, I truly am. I know now that it would have been better for you, knowing you at least had a father before I married Roland. Please forgive me."

Sofia gazed at her lap and thought for a long moment. Even though she understood why her mother kept the news of her father from her until now, but that didn't mean Sofia couldn't be upset about it. "So… you were just trying to protect me." Sofia stated as she looked up at her mother, who looked surprised and relieved. Sofia smiled sadly and touched her mom's shoulder. "I forgive you." She said and then climbed into her mom's lap and hugged her. Miranda held Sofia close to her chest and breathed deeply. Sofia listened to her mom's pounding heart ease as they sat in their embrace.

When they released each other, Sofia remembered the first thing her mother said when she entered her room.

"So what happened when…" Sofia stopped. She wasn't sure what to call the man. Dad? My real dad? Birk? None of them felt quite right. She had never known the man as a dad. King Roland was her dad; this guy was just the man who made it possible for her to be born. She made her decision. "What happened when my real father came to the castle?" she asked finally. It still felt awkward, but it was the best she could come up with.

Miranda sighed lightly. "Well, he… he wants to meet you."

Sofia couldn't pick up any distinct expression on her mom's face. It seemed like there were a bunch of emotions mixed up together, and Sofia couldn't tell them apart. Normally, there would be some indication her mom would give her, a clue about what the right thing to do. But there wasn't anything telling Sofia one way or another.

"Do you think I should meet him?" she asked timidly.

Again, her mom sighed and looked at Sofia. "That is completely up to you. It's been nine, well almost ten years since I've seen your father. He said he's changed, but whether I believe him or not doesn't matter. I don't want what happened between him and me to keep you from him." Miranda smiled. "Besides, you are a better judge of character than I ever was. If he truly has changed, then I think you'll be able to see far better than I would."

It comforted Sofia to know that, whatever she chose, her mother would be ok with it. She smiled, a genuine smile. "Thanks Mom." Sofia thought for a moment. If her real father had truly changed, he deserved a chance to prove himself, right? He needed people to see him for who he is now, not for what he did in the past. Sofia thought back to the events of when Cedric and other sorcerers attempted to take over the kingdoms. Though he had done something awful and arguably unforgivable, Sofia still believed in him, and he was truly repentant for his actions. It was only because Sofia was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and trust him enough that the family was also willing to give him a chance.

"You know what Mom? I think I will meet him," Sofia said resolutely. "It kind of reminds me of Mr. Cedric. Even though he made a huge mistake, we were willing to give him a second chance and ever since then, everything has gotten much better for him."

Miranda smiled. "You were the one who was willing to give him a chance. The rest of us needed some convincing," the queen chuckled. "You really are the best one to give Birk a second chance." Miranda kissed her daughter's forehead and tucked her into bed. "Good night, Sofia." Miranda said, turning off the bedside lantern.

"Good night, Mom." Sofia replied.

"I love you, sweetheart."

"I love you too." Sofia smiled as her mom left the room. Soon, she drifted off into a world of sleep.