Sophia's Story
A Disney crossover by talking2myself
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any recognizable Disney characters. All original characters are my own creations.
CHAPTER 4. Eddy
Sophia jolted awake with a start, nearly banging her head against the carriage ceiling. She looked around in frantic alarm, before she remembered where she was and let out a groan. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes wearily. She leaned her head out of the window and looked around. As far as she could tell, they were still in the forest and the gray light of early dawn was beginning to peer through the tree branches. Though they appeared to be on the edge of the forest, the trees weren't nearly as thick as they were in the glen where they had lived. Sophia tried to find her only companion and scowled. "Darn it, Nathaniel!" she growled at the hapless driver who jumped at the sound of her voice. "Can't this thing go any faster?!"
"We're going as fast as we can, mistress," he said wearily. "But we have been going through the night nonstop…"
Sophia groaned again and pulled her head back into the carriage, flopping back against the seat, not hearing the rest of his words. "We're almost here mistress!" Nathaniel called down reassuringly. Sophia leaned forwards and placed her head in her hands as her thoughts returned once again to her sister and her impending wedding. At this point, it was hard to say if she would reach her sister in time. Would Giselle insist on delaying the wedding until after speaking to her? She could only hope at this point.
Sophia combed her fingers through her red curls anxiously. Maybe she was looking at this whole situation the wrong way? Giselle was about to marry the crown prince. She was going to live in a palace, have servants waiting on her beck and call, she would never want for anything ever again. Plus, she wouldn't be isolated in the middle of the forest. She could have friends and go to the shops whenever she wanted and never have to work again. It was a much better life than Sophia could ever provide, even if their house wasn't demolished by a troll. Sophia winced. Besides, if Giselle didn't marry the prince, both of them would be on the streets with only pennies to their name. Sophia plucked anxiously at the loose threads on her apron. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if Sophia was crowned queen? Maybe she wouldn't be expected to do too much? Maybe most of it would fall onto the prince?
She cringed. Even if that was so, it that still meant that Giselle was marrying a complete stranger. No matter what Sophia told herself, that fact was hard to overlook. Of course, Giselle wouldn't see it that way. Sophia slumped forwards. Giselle was going to hate her for this.
"Mistress Sophia?" Nathaniel asked timidly. "We've arrived at the palace."
"We have?!" Sophia cried. She leaned out of the carriage and peered up at the palace. Her jaw dropped as she peered up at the magnificent white palace. Vine-covered turrets rose high above her head and pendants flapped in the morning breeze. The palace was easily a dozen times larger than their tiny house in the forest. And this could be their new home.
"Wow," Sophia breathed in disbelief. Nathaniel stopped the carriage and stepped around to open the door. Sophia spilled out instantly, snatching her dress off the carriage seat at the last minute.
"Now I will show you to your room," Nathaniel said. Nathaniel pushed open a door and led her into the inner courtyard of the palace. Sophia followed him across a long white bridge. She stared at the swirling waters below and realized it came from a strange sort of wishing well a few feet away. The place was beautiful, but Sophia didn't take any time to dwell on that.
"Where is my sister?" Sophia demanded.
"I'm afraid she hasn't arrived yet," Nathaniel said. "She wanted to prepare for the wedding with her animal friends. It's bad luck to see the groom before the wedding you know."
"I want to see her now!" Sophia snapped.
"I assure you, Miss Sophia," Nathaniel said wearily. "I will bring her immediately to you as soon as she arrives…"
"But…"
"Right this way," Nathaniel said gripping her arm a bit tighter than he needed to and all but shoving her into the palace. Sophia immediately shook off his grip, but followed him down corridor after corridor lined with statues and elegant paintings. Finally, Nathaniel stopped at a room and opened a door, bowing before her. "This will be your quarters."
Still clutching her dress, Sophia cautiously stepped into a white paneled room. The bedroom was filled with sunlight from a large bay window that provided a picturesque view of the kingdom. In the corner, there sat an elegant canopy bed draped with white gauze and a fluffy white comforter. On the opposite wall there was a large white vanity and an ornate golden mirror. The carpet was plush and soft beneath her feet and a small crystal chandelier hung from the center of the ceiling. "Pretty impressive isn't it?" Nathaniel smiled.
Sophia sniffed. "It will suffice." She dropped her dress onto the bed before turning on Nathaniel once again. "When will I get to see my sister?"
Nathaniel sighed heavily in defeat. "We're not sure, Miss Sophia, but I will alert you the instant she arrives."
"See that you do," Sophia snapped.
"In the meantime," Nathaniel said as he turned to leave. "Prince Edward would like a word with you…"
"The Prince?" Sophia cried whirling around, but Nathaniel had already left, slamming the door behind him. In fact, he seemed quite eager to be rid of her. As a wave of indignation briefly swiped over her, Sophia felt a spike of panic hit her. The prince wanted to talk to her? What would she say to him? Sophia stared down at her worn dress. It was wrinkled and stained with berry juice from her earlier chores. Sleeping in it hadn't helped. She hurried over to the mirror and began smoothing out the wrinkles of her skirts and straightening her hair. At that moment, the door swung open again.
"Is that my beautiful sister-in-law?!" a new voice boomed. Sophia barely had time to tear her eyes away from her reflection in the mirror when she felt someone lift her off her feet and whirl her around. Sophia let out a yelp of surprise as the newcomer plopped her onto her feet again. Sophia stared at a familiar figure. One that she had seen from a distance numerous times before. He was a tall figure with brown hair, blue eyes and the most dashing smile she had ever seen. Today, he was dressed in white with large poufed sleeves and a golden crown.
"Your highness," Sophia managed to squeak in shock. She immediately remembered protocol and dropped into an awkward curtsey.
Edward threw his head back and laughed. "Oh no! None of that. Please call me Eddy."
Sophia's eyes widened. "Absolutely not!" she cried aghast before she remembered whom she was speaking to. "I mean, it… it wouldn't be proper, my lord." She said.
Edward laughed. "Now there's no need to be so informal," he said disarmingly. "After all, we're going to be in-laws in a matter of hours."
Sophia's face blanched, "Actually, I wanted to speak to you about that your highness…"
"Eddy," he insisted.
"Eddy…" Sophia corrected. The word felt off coming out of her mouth.
"Oh you look just like Giselle described," Edward grinned. "We're so glad you could make. Thanks to your sister, I'm about to be the happiest man in the world."
"But sir…" Sophia interrupted. "Are you certain that this is a good idea?"
"Oh don't worry, Sophia," Edward said with a smile. "You'll always be welcome in our home. Do you like your room?"
"I… uh… yes, it's very nice," Sophia stammered.
"Fantastic," Edward beamed. "The wedding will take place as soon as my beloved arrives. Oh! And Giselle told me that yesterday was your birthday?"
"Uh, yes sir," Sophia replied.
"Well, happy birthday to you!" he said in a sing-song voice. "I have a present for you." Edward reached into his cloak and pulled out a small gift box with a white ribbon wrapped around it. He handed it to Sophia with a grin. "Go on, open it." He said eagerly.
Sophia looked up at Edward in surprise before returning her attention to the small box. Afraid to risk offending royalty, Sophia tugged on the ribbon and removed the lid from the box. Sophia gasped at its contents. It was a beautifully designed silver tiara studded with white gems. It was probably worth more than everything else in their house combined. "Do you like it?" Edward asked excitedly.
"It's… it's… beautiful, my lord," she said, staring at the tiara in shock.
"Wonderful!" Edward beamed. "You'll have to wear it to our wedding."
"That's actually what I was hoping..."
"I still have so much to do before your sister gets here," Edward said making his way towards the door. "I'm sure you'll want to get some rest before the big event, but we'll have plenty of time to get to know each other later."
"Later?!" Sophia echoed, her heart was pounding against her chest in terror.
"Don't worry," Edward said airily. "I'll take care of everything! By the way, my stepmother would like to meet you before the ceremony."
Sophia stared at Edward in terror. "Your step-mother?" she repeated. "THE QUEEN?"
"Yes, that's right," Edward grinned. "Don't worry. You'll love her!"
"But… but…" Sophia stammered.
"Oh Sophia!" he cried. "This is the happiest day of my life!" He flung his arms out dramatically before he raced out the door and vanished down the hallway.
Sophia's knees gave out and she plopped onto the bed in shock. "He's an idiot," she whispered to herself. "A very nice idiot, but…" Sophia groaned and flopped backwards. The kingdom was going to be left in the hands of her naïve sister and her equally naïve new husband. They were all doomed.
At that moment, the second part of what he had said sunk into her mind. "The queen," she whispered. Sophia sat up abruptly. Sophia didn't know very much about the queen. In the rare moments when she had seen Queen Narissa, she seemed like a dark, imposing figure. But she was the queen and she seemed to have a bit more sense than her airhead son. She was coming to see her. She couldn't find her sister, she couldn't get through to Prince Edward, but maybe Queen Narissa could reason with him.
Sophia bolted to her feet and looked down at her tattered gown. She couldn't meet the queen looking like this. Sophia snatched the gown that Giselle had made her from the bed and stepped behind a wall screen. She tore off her old game and quickly changed into the shimmering pink one. It was a perfect fit like all of the gowns Giselle made. Sophia struggled to swallow a lump in her throat at the thought. Sophia stepped out from the screen and returned her attention to her reflection in the mirror. Using her fingers, Sophia struggled to comb her wild red curls into a proper updo. Her eyes fell on the tiara which lay shimmering in the gift box on the vanity. As an afterthought, she removed it from the box and settled it on top of her wild curls.
The door to her room clicked and Sophia jumped and spun around. A dark, statuesque woman glided into her bedroom closing the door firmly behind her. Sophia's breath caught in her throat and she completely forgot to curtsey. The woman was taller than Sophia by a head with jet black hair topped with a silver crown. She wore a long flowing gown of black and purple. Her dark eyes seemed to examine Sophia, her glittery gown, the shiny tiara, searching her for something. Finally, those dark eyes met hers.
"So…" she said at last. "You must be the sister…"