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 16. Journey to the Spinner Kingdom
Sophia desperately tried to ignore the accusing stares of the deer that were mounted on the walls as she once again found herself inside the hunting lodge. It had been years since Sophia had stayed here with Rosamund, but the place hadn't changed much. Sophia wasn't thrilled about spending another night here, but she didn't have much of a choice. There were no other lodging options in the village and she was so exhausted and cold that she was sure she would drop if they tried to keep going. Sophia didn't even know where they were going.
Flewddur Flam had managed to negotiate two rooms in exchange for a free performance. Sophia settled at a table and enjoyed a hot bowl of soup. It was the first time that Sophia had been able to eat anything in years. It was a simple vegetable stew, but it was delicious and warmth spread through her body quickly as she wolfed it down. Flewddur stood at the front of the room, strumming his harp. Flewddur sang a song of his own composition, The Ballad of the Horned King. Sophia anxiously looked around the barroom and caught sight of a few people wincing and grimacing as they ate their food. After twenty minutes of off-pitch singing combined with some awkward strumming, the owner revised the deal. He would give them free room and board for the night as long as Flewddur stopped singing. Flewddur left in a huff and joined Sophia at the table.
"No appreciation for music," he muttered.
Sophia offered him a small sympathetic smile, but she had to admit that she was grateful that he had stopped as well. "So…" Sophia asked. "Where are you off to now?"
Flewddur shrugged as he began to tuck into his own bowl of soup. "Wherever the wind takes me, I suppose." He looked up at Sophia. "What are your plans, my dear? Do you plan on finding your mentor?"
Sophia let out a snort. "No." she said shortly. "Rosamund clearly didn't care enough about me to come back once she realized that I was transformed… if she realized I was transformed."
"Oh dear," Flewddur frowned. "Sounds like she was a rather poor teacher."
"Very," Sophia grumbled, stirring her soup irritably.
"Where did you say you were from?" Flewddur asked. "Andalasia? Maybe you could go back home?"
Sophia shook her head. "There's nothing for me there. My home was destroyed years ago and my sister disappeared and I have accidentally gotten on the royal family's bad side."
Flewddur stared at her in shock for a few moments before he blinked. "It's probably a good thing you don't have a magic harp…"
"I swear it's the truth," Sophia said. "Why would I lie?"
Flewddur shrugged. "Fair enough. Is that how you got mixed up with the witches?"
"I stumbled across them while I was looking for my sister," Sophia said. "Rosamund rescued me. I was pretty grateful. She was going to train me to be a fairy godmother… and then she turned me into a broom." Sophia finished wearily before she reached for her mug of ale on the table and took a long drink.
"So…" Flewddur asked awkwardly. "You don't want to be a fairy godmother anymore?"
Sophia shrugged. "It doesn't matter what I want. I don't have anyone to teach me. How am I supposed to watch over someone when I can't even master simple spells?"
"Well, I suppose not…" Flewddur admitted. For a few moments, the two of them sat in silence listening to the sounds of the bar bustling around them. "I owe you a great deal," Flewddur said at last. If it weren't for you, I would probably be stuck as a frog. You're welcome to come with me as I travel."
"You don't have to do that, Flewddur." Sophia sighed. "You did wind up helping me become human again."
"No please, I insist," Flewddur said. "You're a very nice girl. I could use the company. And who knows maybe it would be good for you to see the world a bit."
It was true, Sophia had spent most of her life hidden away in the woods of Andalasia, but her recent encounters with the outside world hadn't been particularly pleasant. She wasn't sure if she really wanted to see much more of the Kingdom.
"Just until you've found something better," Flewddur said. "I'll take you wherever you need to go. I simply can't leave you alone in the cold."
He looked at her so earnestly that Sophia was touched by his sincerity. This man was very kind and she had no real options before her. "Okay," Sophia sighed. "If you really don't mind, I'll stick around with you."
"Splendid," Flewddur cried. "I'm sure we'll have a wonderful time together."
Sophia smiled at him. "So where are we going?"
"I was on my way to the Spinner kingdom," Flewddur said eagerly. "King Stephan and his wife have been begging me to come to perform…"
Sophia's eyes drifted towards the harp as one of the strings quivered and then broke. Flewddur scowled at the honest harp and then rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright, my cousin works in the palace and says that there is supposed to be a big to do there soon. The Princess Aurora has been in hiding for the past sixteen years. She's supposed to return to her parents on her sixteenth birthday. That means lots of celebrating. I'm sure they're going to need a few bards for the celebration. I've already started on a song."
He snatched up his harp and began to strum. He drew a deep breath and was about to belt out a note. The owner suddenly flew out from behind the bar. "Hey!" he roared. "What did I tell you?"
Flewddur pouted and put his harp back onto the table. "Pedestrian," he muttered under his breath.
The rest of the evening passed quietly. Sophia and Flewddur finished their meals and retired to their rooms. Sophia was grateful to finally be away from the hunting trophies. She wondered if this was the same room where she spent the night with Rosamund all those years ago. Sophia frowned and struggled to push aside that thought.
They rose early and immediately left much to the relief of the owner. Sophia had never been so relieved to see the village fade into the distance.
-888-
Over the next several weeks, Sophia and Flewddur travelled from village to village. Flewddur would perform at the local taverns and Sophia would offer her mending skills mostly to feel somewhat useful on their journey. Fortunately, Flewddur was not a completely inept musician. He could play popular tavern songs pretty well even if his own compositions were a bit raucous.
They slowly made their way into the Spinner kingdom, making their way closer and closer to the royal palace. They were relatively comfortable spending most of their time in inns and taverns for a while, but then the villages became fewer and farther between.
Sophia shivered as she shuffled through the forest. "How much further until we reach the palace?" she asked. "Or a village? Or something?!"
"It's not too much farther," Flewddur said in his usual chipper voice. "We should be there tomorrow morning just in time for the celebration." Nothing ever seemed to get Flewddur down for long. Even spending a few nights wrapped in their cloaks as they slept around a fire. "Don't worry Sophia. It won't be long before we're enjoying the famed banquet halls of King Stephan."
"That is if he lets you perform," Sophia said gently.
"Why wouldn't he?" Flewddur asked cheerfully. "It's supposed to be a celebration. The more the merrier."
"I guess so," Sophia shrugged.
"Aha!" Flewddur cried suddenly. "I found lunch!" He scrambled ahead a few paces kneeling before a bush that was covered in ripe berries. He plucked a handful of them and offered them to her. Sophia shrugged and knelt down besides him.
"It's better than yesterday's acorns."
"That's the spirit," Flewddur grinned. Sophia popped them into her mouth, savoring their sweetness. The two sat there wolfing down berries in silence when Sophia suddenly heard something in the distance. "What was that?"
"What was what dear?" Flweddur asked.
"Listen," Sophia said.
The faint sound of singing echoed over the hills. A few moments later, a beautiful, barefoot young woman with golden blonde curls stepped into the woods carrying a basket. She was surrounded by a variety of woodland creatures, birds and squirrels mostly. Sophia frowned at the sight and felt an odd pang of homesickness for her animal friends back in Andalasia. The young woman stopped suddenly, startled and stared at them. "Oh," she cried.
"Greetings, my darling," Flewddur said with his usual flourish, sweeping off his hat with a low bow. "My name is Flweddur Flam, bard of bards, legend of Pyrdain, master of songs…"
SPROING!
The harp string broke with such force, the string flew across the clearing. "Oh shush you," he hissed at the harp as he straightened.
Sophia rolled her eyes and took a step forwards. "You'll have to forgive him," Sophia said. "My name is Sophia." She offered her hand. The girl didn't take it. She stared at her with wide eyes.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not supposed to talk to strangers," she said. She looked at Flewddur suspiciously as he rummaged through his pack for new harp strings.
"What him?" Sophia asked, looking at Flewddur. "He's harmless, really. Just a bit over the top…"
"Over the top?" Flewddur cried with mild indignation.
"We're passing through on the way to the palace," Sophia explained. "Do you happen to know if there's anywhere nearby where we could stop and get something to eat? We have coins," she said holding up the purse.
"Or we could offer you a premiere performance…" Flewddur grinned.
"Like I said, we can pay," Sophia interrupted.
The girl smiled at them, "Well, maybe my aunts could help you. We live in a woodcutter's cottage not far from here. I was just coming here to pick some berries."
"Oh yes, berries!" Flewddur cried. "Let me get those for you." He snatched the basket from her hand and began filling the basket up with berries.
Sophia let out a heavy sigh. Flewddur, you are quite the charmer.
"Here you are my dear," Flewddur grinned. "Allow me to carry this for you. Just lead the way."
The girl laughed. "Right this way, follow me."
"Thank you, we really appreciate it," Sophia said with a smile. "What did you say your name was again?"
The girl gave Sophia a dazzling smile. "It's Briar Rose."