Greetings! I am pleased to present you with this new chapter! I don't own any characters from Sofia the First, but all the soldiers are mine, and I hope you like them as they will appear in future chapters as well. Thanks again to those who have been helping me finish this story before I go back to school! I hope to have the rest of it published by the end of this coming fall but I have been working like crazy to get the rest of the story written this summer and I think you're all going to like where things end up going ;)
Anyway, enjoy!
Chapter 24: Strategies
"I see the other troops, Your Majesty!" called the soldier from the front of the V formation.
Miranda and Roland were a few spots back. "Good, take us down to the South end, Private Forrest!"
Private Forrest raised his hand in the signal for decent and the group followed. Amber and James were near the very back of the formation. The updraft created by so many horses in front of them made flying considerably easier than flying alone and the last leg of the trip was much less enxhausting.
The sun was covered by thick gray clouds as the group descended. Little snow patches dotted the grassy landscape, and a large castle sat atop a sheer cliff side. Not too far away was a small town where the soldiers from Section Two had gathered.
When the group landed, Miranda hopped off her horse and walked quickly over to a tall, dark-skinned man wearing the Royal Military uniform. Lieutenant Daniel dismounted his horse and followed the Queen. "Sergeant Benjamin, good to see you all made it safely." He smiled, grasping the other man's hand in a firm handshake.
"Likewise Lieutenant," responded Sgt. Benjamin, his voice a deep chocolaty color, similar to that of his skin. The man then turned to Miranda and stood at attention. "Your Majesty."
"At ease, Sergeant," She declared. "I'm sure you have sent out scouts around the castle?"
"Yes, ma'am. They should be back within the hour. We have also spoken to the townspeople here and they are happy to assist us by offering some provisions, as well as a place to rest."
"Excellent, Sergeant. Have you found any leads as to where my daughter is being kept?"
"We don't know for sure, but there are a few entrances my men have discovered that look like they lead to underground cellars. We speculate that one of them will lead us to the dungeon where she is being kept."
"Very good."
"Excuse me for intruding, but I believe I could be of some help in this area," offered a voice that came from behind Miranda.
The group turned its attention to the man who came up to them. It was Birk, and he was dressed in an Enchancian cadet uniform.
"Permission to speak, Mr. Balthazar," Miranda commanded, her tone stern and professional.
Birk put a fist to his mouth as he cleared his throat, his gaze faltering beneath the icy glare of the queen. "Um, right. So, there's a reason I told you to go to the South side. At the base of the wall, there is a door to an underground tunnel that runs to the dungeon of the castle. Last time I checked, that's where Anya, Anastassia, and Ian were being held."
"Then that's where the rescue team should go first," suggested the Sergeant.
"Agreed." Lieutenant Daniel nodded.
"Thank you for the intel, Mr. Balthazar. I believe we can take it from here." Miranda eyed him with a furtive glance.
"With all due respect, Your Majesty. Mr. Balthazar could have other vital information about the layout of the inside of the castle. Perhaps it would be beneficial if he accompanies us?" Sergeant Benjamin requested, motioning to the man in question.
Miranda shot Birk a glance before turning her attention to the Sergeant who towered above her. "Very well."
The quartet continued on, speaking of strategy and what to expect in the coming battle. The question as to whether they should wait to attack until night was answered quickly as a thick fog rolled in from the East.
—
Amber tended to Saffron, brushing her matted mane.
"What are you doing that for? It's just going to get ruined anyway," James criticized.
Amber stayed focused on her task, not bothering to look at her brother. "I'm going to braid Saffron's mane so it doesn't get in her eyes. Why do you think the palace horses' manes are always kept so short?" she asked curtly.
"Oh. Well, that's…practical of you." The prince raised his eyebrow and scratched the back of his neck, surprised by her response.
Amber smirked. "You know, James, beauty doesn't always have to be just for show. It can serve a functional purpose if you know how to use it to your advantage."
James just shrugged his shoulders. "If you say so." He went and grabbed Echo's water supply from the horse's back. It was a large, leather pouch that was lined with a sturdy, light wooden material inside so that it held the shape of a cylinder. He set it down on the ground and almost immediately, Echo pushed James out of the way to get some. "Whoa! Oh man, I knew you were probably thirsty, I didn't realize how much. Sorry, buddy," the boy apologized, patting his horse's neck. "Hey Amber, when do you think we'll get to help look for Sofia?"
Amber climbed onto a small, foldable stool she had brought with her, and gathered some of Saffron's mane in her hand. "If I had to guess, I'd say sometime soon. That's assuming Mom and Dad will actually let us help."
"What are you talking about? Of course they will! Dad said we were basically soldiers at this point."
"True. But he also said that we were to hide if battle broke out," Amber breathed as she separated two more chunks of hair and then began weaving them close to the horse's neck.
"That's if battle breaks out. We've come all this way, and he's not going to make us stay here when we're so close to finding Sofia."
Amber glanced over her shoulder at her brother and pursed her lips slightly. "It's possible, but I still don't think Daddy is going to let us endanger ourselves."
"How much more danger could we be in if we're already here? Wouldn't it be more dangerous to be separated from everyone?"
"That's what I said. But I still doubt Daddy will see it that way," Amber hummed, now halfway done with Saffron's mane.
James furrowed his brow and pursed his lips thoughtfully. "I think I'm gonna go talk to him. There's gotta be something he can have us do to help." The prince turned and began to walk away.
"Suit yourself, but be prepared to be disappointed!" Amber called out.
"I don't think that's gonna happen!" James yelled back as he widened his stride and jogged to go meet the king.
It didn't take long for James to spot his father; Roland was near a stable, conversing with none other than the Royal Sorcerer, who looked somewhat peeved to say the least.
"You want me to be your babysitter!?" Cedric exclaimed, waving his hands wildly as he expressed his disapproval. "Of all the soldiers here, I am the most useful in a fight against a bloodthirsty mage and you choose me to be your babysitter!?"
"In the battle that's sure to occur, my children's safety is of the utmost importance. If the witch is as strong as they say, then who better to protect the heirs of the throne than my most trusted Royal Wizard?" Roland smiled.
Luckily neither of the men saw James, so the blonde boy quickly ducked behind the corner and cautiously stuck his head out to see the conversation unfold.
Cedric opened his mouth and held a finger up, ready to retort, but paused momentarily before he let out a short sigh. "You know, just because you say it like that, doesn't make me anything more than a babysitter, right?" he moaned, slumping his shoulders even more.
"Thank you, Cedric, I knew I could count on you!" bellowed Roland, clapping the smaller man on the shoulder.
"It's not like I had a choice, was it?" Cedric murmured through a forced smile.
James tucked himself back behind the corner of the stable and sighed. Hardly a second later, he heard his dad approaching; not wanting to get caught, the boy darted away back to his sister just before Roland rounded the corner.
When James returned to his twin he was somewhat winded because of the short sprint. Amber turned to him with a fairly confused look on her face. "Back already? What happened?" she asked, turning away from braiding her horse's tail.
James took a few seconds to catch his breath before speaking. "Dad is making Cedric babysit us."
Amber perked up her head. "Cedric?"
"Yeah. I guess you were right, afterall," he sighed, folding his arms.
"Well, yes, of course I was. But this could work in our favor," Amber remarked as she went back to her horse's tail and quickly finished the braid.
James raised an eyebrow at her. "What do you mean?"
Amber glanced around quickly before drawing near to her brother. "With Cedric's magic, we might be able to sneak into the castle and help look for Sofia," she whispered.
"Ok, maybe, but how are we going to convince him to do that?" James questioned, keeping his voice low.
"Don't worry about that, I'll take care of it," the princess answered. A sly smile spread across her face as she took a small step away from her brother.
The prince furrowed skeptical eyebrows at his sister. "What are you talking about?"
"Don't worry. I was right about Daddy, and I'm right about this, just trust me," she assured him with a slight wave of her hand.
James held his apprehensive gaze on his sister as she fetched a granola bar from her knapsack that was tied to Saffron's saddle. "Alright, I guess."
Amber sat down on the little stool and munched on her granola bar as James followed suit. He grabbed a stool and a bar from his own bag, and then made his way over to her. "Do you want me to come with you to talk to Cedric?" he asked as he sat down next to his sister.
"No!" She yelped, her eyes widening slightly. James recoiled back from her in surprise. She put a dainty knuckle to her mouth and cleared her throat. "What I mean is, there's no need. I can take care of him myself."
"Whatever you say," mumbled her brother with a cheek full of granola bar.
After Amber finished her snack, she got up and patted the pocket on the side of her coat before turning to James. "I'll be back."
"Where are you going?" he asked, taking a bite out of his third granola bar.
"To go talk to Cedric. I'll be back soon." Amber glanced over her shoulder and waved at her brother as she walked away with her head held high and her typical air of confidence oozing out of her. James just watched her walk away as a smile tugged at his cheek full of food. If there was one thing he knew about his twin, it was that she would not stop once she set her mind to something.
It was rather easy to find the wizard. Amber had only walked a few meters away from her brother when she heard the distinct grumbling of a certain disgruntled royal sorcerer. She followed the sound and found the gangly man sulking behind a stable nearby.
"Cedric!" Amber called sweetly, coming around the corner of the stable.
"Princess Amber!" Cedric exclaimed, his arms flailing about awkwardly.
"I heard you were appointed to be my brother's and my keeper when Mother and Father go with the troops to look for Sofia."
The sorcerer rolled his eyes. "It appears that way. What is it that you want? I'm not going to cater to your every whim and fancy if that's why you're here."
"Not every whim and fancy, no. But I was hoping you might be willing to help us look for Sofia."
Cedric furrowed his brows at the girl. "While I'd love to participate in your grand scheme to free Sofia, I don't think your father would be very happy with me," responded the wizard, folding his arms.
"Well, if you're not going to help us free Sofia, perhaps you'd be interested in this?" She pulled out the small, ornate wooden box from her coat pocket and extended it to the man.
Cedric puzzled as he looked at the box. "What is this?"
"I was hoping you'd be able to tell me," Amber answered, setting the strange object in his hand.
Cedric inspected the small cube, running a finger over the gemstone inlay as he rotated it in his hand. "These symbols—they look similar to ones of creation, destruction, magic, and transformation, though they could stand for a number of other things. The golden trim around the edges connecting all the corners in an x on the top could possibly serve to bring all of them together, or keep them all separate, perhaps like some sort of containment vessel. Where on Earth did you get such an item?"
"I found it," Amber stated calmly.
Cedric looked at her with a deadpan expression. "You found it? You mean to tell me this mysterious, powerful, magical object was just lying around for you to pick up?"
Amber glanced up in thought briefly and pursed her lips. "Well, that is kind of what happened; though it wasn't exactly laying around. It was in my bag."
Cedric did not seem amused and raised a skeptical eyebrow at her. "You expect me to believe that this, a box possibly containing immense magical power, just showed up out of nowhere?"
Amber shrugged. "Well, you're the expert on magic here, Cedric. Not me."
"Indeed." Cedric sneered suspiciously, holding the box between his thumb and index finger. He then raised his upper lip at her apprehensively. "Tell me, how do you think this is going to help us find Sofia?"
Amber smiled and folded her hands in front of her. "I'm glad I've caught your interest. You said yourself that this thing may have some way of containing magic. Perhaps we could use it on Vasilia? Take away her magic, seal it away somehow in this box?"
"Why do I get the feeling you already knew what this was before you brought it to me?" Cedric questioned, motioning the box toward her.
"I actually looked up all the symbols on that box, and you are right; they do resemble those for magic, transformation, creation, and destruction. I brought a few of your books with me and did some research of my own before coming to you," she explained, clasping her hands together excitedly. "You said to come to you if I found anything enlightening. Now, are you going to help me and my brother rescue Sofia or not?" Amber asked bluntly, raising a challenging eyebrow.
Cedric glanced at the box and then back at the girl. "Very well. Let me have a look at this and we can discuss a plan. I think I may have just the thing to sneak us into the castle without being detected."
