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 33. Goodbyes and Hellos
"FOR THE LOVE OF THE KINGDOM CAN'T THIS METAL MONSTROSITY GO ANY FASTER?!" Sophia bellowed from the back seat. Robert jumped and Mirror squirmed away from her in the passenger seat. "Ugh!" Sophia blushed. "I'm sorry, Robert. Ignore me. That's the crazy talking."
"Right of course," Robert said quickly. He briefly exchanged a nervous look with Giselle who sat in the backseat besides her sister. Sophia was practically twitching with anxiety. Apart from random outbursts, Sophia sat besides her sister in silence while Robert struggled to get through New York City traffic. Mirror was providing directions in true Mirror form. Sophia hoped that Robert was able to derive something intelligent from his odd couplets.
"Sophia," Giselle said at last. "This is probably not the best to ask, but… are you sure this is what you want?" Sophia glared at her sister fiercely.
"OF COURSE, THIS IS WHAT I WANT…!" Sophia clamped her mouth shut and shook her head back and forth wildly. "I'm sorry, Giselle. But yes, this is what I want."
"Are you sure?" Giselle asked skeptically. "Did you always want this? Even before The Knowing hijacked your thoughts?"
"Yes," Sophia insisted. "I went through so much for this. Kelsey really went out of her way to help me find a teacher. I've been training for this for months."
"Yes…" Giselle said skeptically. "But now that you know you're not going to be my godmother, is this still what you want?"
Sophia was silent, her feet were twitching up and down on the floor of the car. She stared at them because it was easier to look down than to focus on Giselle's concerned face. She had never really considered this possibility before. That she would find Giselle alive and well and she would have to leave to take care of her godchild. She tried to organize her thoughts and focus on them. She tried to ignore the all-consuming need to race back to the manhole and into Andalasia. A strange thought occurred to her. What would she have done if she found Giselle in danger? Obviously she would do everything in her power to help her. Whoever she was being sent to help. They were probably all alone with no support. Sophia wasn't sure what she was going to do, but the thought of leaving that person alone was not an option.
"I need to help whoever my godchild is," Sophia said. "They need me."
Giselle sighed. There seemed to be something sad about her reaction. "You've spent your whole life taking care of me, and then taking care of the dwarves, and even your strange friend, Kelsey to a certain extent."
"And…?" Sophia asked.
"And now you're going to go take care of another person?" Giselle asked.
"That's the idea," Sophia shrugged.
Giselle frowned. "You've spent your whole life taking care of other people. When are you going to start taking care of yourself?"
"I think I've done a decent job of surviving everything that's been thrown at me," Sophia retorted. "And a lot has been thrown at me!"
"Of course," Giselle insisted, squeezing Sophia's hand. "You're one of the strongest people I've ever known and you've come through beautifully. But… but don't you have your own dreams? Isn't there your own goals that you want to pursue? Find love? Start up the business? Settle somewhere?"
Sophia thought it over, or at least she tried to. It was hard when her brain kept repeating Get back! Get back! Get back! Love seemed like such a foreign concept that she had to stifle a laugh. She couldn't remember ever feeling her heart flutter for another person. The thought of doing anything else had never really occurred to her by now. She had been on the move for so long, focused on either surviving or training. Now she had the painful realization that she had little else beyond her role as a godmother.
"This is what I want, Giselle," Sophia said earnestly. "I'm just sorry that I have to leave you again."
Giselle smiled again. "You'll always be welcome here. You can always come home."
Sophia flung her arms tightly around her sister and they hugged each other close. Suddenly, Mirror bolted upright in his seat and pointed. "There! There! Stop I say! The manhole lies ahead! That is the way!"
Robert roughly pulled over. If the doors weren't locked, Sophia might have flung the door open and raced into he street. Apparently, Giselle was afraid of her doing this very thing. She kept a tight grip on her arm. Giselle met her eyes and smiled. Her eyes were brimming with tears. "You're going to do great," she said.
"Thanks," Sophia said, wiping her sleeve across her eyes.
"Don't forget your suitcase," Giselle reminded her. Sophia looked down at the suitcase her sister had given her. It was packed with the elegant gowns that her sister had made for her. Sophia nodded and hugged her sister one last time. "I love you," Giselle said.
"I love you, too," Sophia said. "Please hug Morgan for me." She hated that she was leaving her new niece without saying goodbye. She smiled at Robert. "Thanks for putting up with all of this, Robert," she said.
"No problem," Robert smiled. He was a kind man, but Sophia suspected that he would be a little relieved to see her and Mirror go.
Giselle peered out the car window. "Robert, unlock your doors when there's a red light."
Sophia nodded. "Mirror prepare to move. I suspect I won't wait for you." Mirror nodded enthusiastically. The four of them watched the light in anticipation. It suddenly flashed from green to yellow and finally to red. There was a click and Sophia flung open the car door, clutching the suitcase in one hand and racing into the streets. Sophia waved at her sister as her feet moved like they were possessed. She waved goodbye to her sister, vaguely aware of the other cars honking at her and Mirror's robes flapping around him as he chased after her. The next instant, Sophia's eyes locked on the manhole. Lifting her gown, Sophia jumped into the air and slipped down the manhole. The strange familiar feeling of magic swirled around her. The intensity of it almost took her breath away after being away from it for so long. There was a burst of light and suddenly Sophia vanished.
-888-
Madam Leota paced back and forth before the well in the courtyard waiting eagerly for Sophia and Mirror to arrive. Now and again, she would pause and glare at the lords and ladies strolling through the grounds who would pause and gawk at the strange pale woman who had suddenly appeared at court. A faint splashing sound halted Leota's pacing. She raced to the well. The water was rippling. Seconds later, two figures shot out of the well and landed in a pile besides her. "Oh thank Disney!" Madam Leota cried. She knelt besides Sophia and helped her to her feet. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Sophia said. "Glad to be back." She couldn't say much more. The Knowing was getting stronger now that she was back in a place that was so magical.
On the ground besides her, Mirror had lifted himself upright. He let out a wordless cry of belief and began kissing the ground. He bolted to his feet and flung his arms around Madam Leota. "Why Madam Leota! Can it possibly be true? I've never been happier to see you!"
"Mirror! Please! Get a hold of yourself!" Madam Leota snapped, shoving Mirror away. She smoothed her skirts before returning her attention to Sophia. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I want to run," Sophia said. "But I don't know where!"
"That is normal from what I've heard," Leota said. "I've consulted a few godmothers while you were away."
"So what is it I'm supposed to do?" Sophia asked.
Madam Leota gave her a wistful smile. "One last lesson." She gave Sophia a brief, oddly sentimental smile that vanished in a heartbeat. Sophia would later question whether she had imagined it. "I've never experienced it myself given that I'm not a godparent," she said. "But when you're ready, stop resisting the magic. It would magically transport you to your godchild."
"That's it?" Sophia asked.
"That's it," Madam Leota nodded.
Sophia struggled to take a step closer to her mentor. "I can't thank you enough for all your help."
"Well," Madam Leota shrugged. "Kelsey held up her end of the bargain." Mirror cleared his throat irritably. "Alright, alright!" Leota snapped. "It's been a real pleasure training you. You're going to be an incredible godmother." Sophia had to work up all of her strength to resist the pull of the magic and throw her arms around Leota.
She gave her teacher a wry smile. "What are you going to do with yourself now?"
Madam Leota grinned. "Oh don't you worry. We have big plans."
"Hmm?" Mirror asked.
"Oh yes," Leota continued. "First we're getting out of here. I'm getting tired of all the weird looks. Then, we're going to move the manor back to New Orleans." Mirror let out a wordless yelp of alarm. "Oh you'll love it," Madam Leota said. "I can't wait for you to try the jambalaya."
"Goodbye Mirror," Sophia said with a smile. "Good luck."
Mirror nodded and gave her a small wave. His masked face was still expressionless, but Sophia could have sworn that he seemed nervous. With one last wave to the two of them, Sophia let the magic take her away.
There was a woosh! And suddenly she was swept away. The word went black for a few seconds and when she appeared again a poof of pink smoke flew around her. Sophia coughed and struggled to wave them away. "Honestly! They couldn't have found a neater way for me to make an entrance. That Glinda girl has a bubble!"
When the smoke cleared, Sophia looked around. She appeared to be in a very fancy bedroom, the sort that Sophia could have only dreamed of as a child. This was a royal bedroom. The theme was black, white, and red. She realized that most of the furniture was printed in heart patterns.
In the corner of the room, there was an elegant canopy bed with a white blanket with red ruffles around the edges and a heart pattern. Sophia caught sight of the bedskirt rustling and then a face peered out. A skinny girl with black pigtails stared at her through a pair of diamond shaped glasses. Her godchild.
Sophia attempted to wipe the pink dust off her shoes and adjusted her glasses. "Ah there you are!" she cried happily.
"Who are y-y-you?!" the girl stammered.
"My name is Sophia," Sophia said merrily, "Hello, I'm your fairy godmother."