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 10. The Gift
"So… you became a godmother because you wanted to rescue your sister?" Bernard asked completely enthralled by Sophia's story. He was somewhat amazed at how Sophia rattled off her story in a nonchalant manner as though she were describing a trip to the store.
"Yup," Sophia said as she gingerly lifted her shimmering skirts and stepped over a large tree root. She seemed somewhat distracted, she was scanning the area for something, but Bernard couldn't tell what. He looked around trying to figure out what she was looking for, but he didn't say anything out of the ordinary. Sophia continued. "I met Rosamund and she led me to this part of the forest to receive The Gift, just like you will. Or at least you will if we ever manage to find her…" Sophia muttered under her breath. "I swear she always goes to the most out of the way places…"
"Her?" Bernard asked. "You keep mentioning a her. Are we looking for Rosamund?"
"Absolutely not!" Sophia whirled on Bernard so fast he fell backwards, tripping over the root he had just seen Sophia step over. "If I never see that woman again it will be too soon!" Sophia's eyes were blazing. The moment passed and she cleared her throat awkwardly before offering Bernard her hand. Bernard hesitated before taking it, somewhat amazed at Sophia's fierce reaction. "No, we're not going to see Rosamund. We're looking for someone else. She tends to hang around places where there were recent forest fires, but we also need water…"
At that moment, Sophia was interrupted when a drop of water plopped onto her nose from the branches above. "Aha!" Sophia said triumphantly. "Speak of the devil." She craned her neck and looked up. "Sprite? Is that you?" Bernard looked up too but he didn't see anything other than a bunch of wet branches. "We have a new recruit here. Care to come meet him?"
Suddenly, it felt as though a rain storm had hit and a torrent of raindrops fell around them, soaking them both before collecting in a pool at their feet. After a few moments, the rain stopped and a surprisingly large puddle sat in front of them. Bernard stared at the puddle and nearly toppled over again when a head popped up from beneath the surface.
"Bernard," Sophia said gesturing at a pair of green eyes and wild curls that had appeared above the surface of the water. "Sprite. Sprite, this is Bernard. He would like to be a godfather."
The figure rose up above the water completely now so Bernard could see her clearly. The girl was a strange greenish hue with long curly green hair and delicate fae features. Her face lit up in a smile and suddenly she sprung forwards. She flew up into the air and circled around them excitedly. Her hair swirled around her like it was a creature with a mind of its own. She had a vaguely human form, like a young girl wearing a long robe with undefined wing and no visible legs. "What is she?" Bernard cried.
"She is a sprite," Sophia said. "We're not totally sure what type, but she is going to give you your magic."
Bernard quirked an eyebrow. "Why? How?"
Sophia smiled. "Rosamund told me this, so take it with a grain of salt. She is kind of Mother Nature's representative. A sort of godmother to the Earth if you will. She takes care of the forest and its magical creatures, rebuilding after forest fires and what have you. She has a bit of a soft spot for caretakers of all kinds. If she believes that you are truly dedicated to caring for others, she will give you the gift of magic."
Bernard stopped watching the sprite and frowned. "And if she doesn't believe I'm cut out for the job?"
Sophia's smile was suddenly a bit strained. "Cross that bridge when we get to it," she said with a chipperness to her voice that didn't seem genuine.
Bernard frowned and swallowed nervously. He turned to see the Sprite hovering before him. Her smile was gone and she seemed to be studying him very intently. She flew closer until she was inches away from his face. His breath caught in his throat and he found himself gazing into the deep emerald depths of her eyes. Suddenly, the Sprite blinked. She smiled and nodded as though she had come to some sort of conclusion. She held out her hands palms up and lifted her arms slowly. As she did a wave of greenery surrounded Bernard before he could cry out. It felt as though he was surrounding by a green tornado. Winds whirled around him gently but spinning rapidly. For a few moments, it felt as though he was simply standing in a tornado of flowers and greenery. Out of the cyclone, the sprite suddenly reappeared and pressed a hand to his heart. Once she touched him, Bernard could feel an odd warmth spreading from her hand to the rest of his body.
Then, as quickly as it began, it stopped. The cyclone suddenly vanished and Bernard was left sprawled on the forest floor. The sprite was smiling at him benevolently before she threw herself into a backflip and vanished into the forest again.
Bernard sat there stunned for a few moments. The warmth had vanished but it was replaced by a strange feeling under his skin, it felt as though his foot had fallen asleep all over. He frowned and examined his hands and arms, but they didn't look any different.
Sophia knelt besides him, beaming. "That went well," she grinned.
"It did?" Bernard asked uncertainly.
"How do you feel?" she asked.
"Different," Bernard said, still looking at his hands suspiciously.
"Yeah, I should warn you," Sophia said. "You're going to be itchy for a while."
"Itchy?" Bernard asked even as his fingers began scratching his arms.
"Yeah, it's the magic. It's hard to explain," Sophia said, pressing a finger to her lips thoughtfully. "Magic is a very active force. It flows around inside you. It's like a living thing inside you that you can control," she said. "It takes a little while to get used to, but before long you won't even notice it." She helped pull Bernard to his feet. "The good news is that she looked into your heart and was not disappointed."
"So I'm a godfather now?" Bernard asked. His fingers scratching at his sleeve.
"More like you're a…" Sophia paused and frowned. "How did Kelsey put it? Oh yes. You're an intern. A trainee. I know it's hard, but stop scratching, you won't make the feeling go away and you'll just damage your skin." She reached out and clasped his wrist, pulling his hand away from his arm. "You have the magic within you, but you still have to learn how to use it before you can do anything practical with it."
"Oh," Bernard said sounding somewhat disappointed.
"Don't worry," Sophia said reassuringly. "You'll be a godfather before you know it." Bernard smiled at her and she smiled back. For a moment, he could feel the warmth of Sophia's hand still clutching his arm and this time it had nothing to do with magic. Sophia cleared her throat again and released his hand. She looked at him with a serious expression. "Eh ahem. Now there are a few rules that we should discuss," she said. She seemed oddly severe.
"Okay," he said, crossing his arms and sticking his fingers beneath his armpits in an attempt to stop himself from scratching.
"Rule 1," Sophia said, her voice was oddly cold. "You will not ever, ever EVER EVER EVER use your magic on your godchild for any sort of disciplinary purposes or petty reasons. If you do, I will personally come back here and beg the Sprite to revoke your gift and do whatever she deems appropriate. Do I make myself absolutely clear?!" Sophia was practically shouting by the time she finished speaking. Bernard's eyes were wide and he shrank back a few paces.
"No of course not, I would never do that!" Bernard stammered helplessly.
"Good," Sophia said, calming down again. "Sorry about that," she said sheepishly. She tucked a red curl behind her ear awkwardly.
"Who would do such a thing?" Bernard cried. "Use their magic to punish their godchild?"
Sophia let out a huff of what Bernard suspected was pent up frustration. "Rosamund?" he asked gently. Sophia pursed her lips and nodded once. "Why would she do that?" Bernard cried. Sophia gave Bernard a somewhat tired look.
"Another long story?" he asked. Sophia nodded curtly. He suspected that Sophia didn't like discussing her former mentor, but Bernard's curiosity was getting the better of him.
"You know… it's a long trip back," Bernard hazarded.
Sophia rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll tell you, but we'll discuss while we're moving. Try to keep up." Bernard wasn't sure if he meant keeping up with her pace or keeping up with the story. He suspected that both would She turned and made her way back through the forest to where they had parked The Spirit.
"Fortunately for you," Sophia said distractedly. "It picks up where we left off. After I left Doli, Rosamund brought me to the Sprite to receive the Gift just like you did." Sophia sighed heavily, "And things went downhill fast from there…"